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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
REGION Wednesday, October 31, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3A WALLA WALLA Skramstad ropes in crown for Frontier Days By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian Katie Skramstad was recently crowned as the queen of the 2019 Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days — following in the footsteps of her sister, Taylor Ann, who served on the 2012 royalty court. The 19-year-old is the daugh- ter of Scott and Kelly Skramstad of Umapine. Joining Skramstad on the court is Bekah Longmire, 19, of Walla Walla and Devon Harshman, 18, of Waitsburg. The 2019 Royalty Pageant was held Oct. 27 at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds. Judges for the event included Beth Merck of Spokane, who serves on the Miss Rodeo America National Advisory Council; Amanda Miller of Moses Lake, who is a director with the Moses Lake Roundup; and Laura Lee Barry of Kennewick. In addi- tion to being the wife of recently retired bullfighter Rowdy Barry, Laura Lee spent 23 years as Lady Contributed photo Skramstad Katie Skramstad of Umapine is crowned queen of the 2019 Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days on Oct. 27 during the royalty pageant at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds. Wrangler, promoting the sport of rodeo, and served as a volunteer coach with the “Wrangler Girls” for the Kennewick Rodeo. Court candidates were judged in the areas of congeniality, horse- manship, interviewing, modeling and speech. The event included an evening meet-and-greet in the fair- ground’s pavilion followed by the modeling, speeches and impromptu questions — culminating in the crowning of the 2019 royalty court. Skramstad scored highest in the horsemanship and modeling categories. Skramstad’s skills in the arena date back to when she was 6 years old — winning her first barrel rac- ing buckle at the Milton-Freewater Pioneer Posse. She currently com- petes on her 14-year-old red dun quarter horse mare, SK Zan Parr Sparkle, also referred to as Ruby. A 2018 graduate of Touchet High School, Skramstad was an honor student, served as the Asso- HERMISTON Warming Station looking for volunteers By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian The Hermiston Warm- ing Station still needs doz- ens more volunteers for the 2018-2019 season. The nonprofit shelter, which provides a place for homeless individuals and families to sleep during the winter, is holding two train- ings for potential volunteers this weekend. Board chair Teesie Hill encouraged peo- ple to go through the three- hour training and a back- ground check even if they won’t be available most of the season. “If you do one shift a season or one a month, that’s one less shift I have to cover,” she said. Hill said she worked 84 shifts last winter. The warm- ing station’s goal is always 200 volunteers, she said, but they usually end up coming in at just over 100, which forces board members to make sacrifices to cover extra shifts so the shel- ter stays open. This year, she said, they’re even more short-staffed than usual. Last year, the Hermiston Warming Station served 84 different people during the winter. Volunteers never work alone, and set their own schedule by signing up for individual shifts online. Shifts run from 7-10 p.m., 7 p.m. to midnight, midnight to 4 a.m. and 4-6:30 a.m. To increase safety, Hill said automatically locking doors have been installed this year and board members are going through de-escalation training. This year’s season will run from Nov. 19 to Feb. 28 at the same location as last year (1075 South High- way 395). The shelter has switched to being open every evening during the season instead of depending on temperature. Trainings for new vol- unteers will be held Satur- day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon at the warming station. Hill suggested people come about 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork. Trainings for returning volunteers who have gone through training in the last three years will be 6-7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 and Nov. 10. All volunteers must past a background check, and the warming station asks for a $10 donation to cover it from those who can afford it. The Hermiston Warm- ing Station also takes dona- tions of money or supplies. Needed donations include cleaning supplies, laun- dry supplies, gloves, hand warmers, socks, snacks, hot drinks and ear plugs. To donate, call 360- 508-4523. For questions about volunteering call 541-289-2150. Umatilla County lags behind state in voter turnout East Oregonian As the midterm elec- tions enter their final days, Umatilla County is lagging behind the rest of the state when it comes to returning ballots. According to the Umatilla County Elections Division, only 19.6 percent of 43,559 eligible voters have turned in a ballot through Monday. That’s below the state’s 21.6 percent turnout rate, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. Umatilla County is tied for the second worst turnout rate in Oregon, besting only Washington County in terms of percentage. The county is also lagging behind its turnout rate from the 2016 general election. At the same point in the 2016 early voting period, 32.1 per- cent of Umatilla County vot- ers had already cast their ballots. Although turnout can vary significantly from day to day and presidential elections traditionally draw in more voters, recent history sug- gests that Umatilla County will have a tough time climb- ing out of the cellar. In the last three midterm elections in 2014, 2010, and 2006, Umatilla County has had the worst turnout rate of all 36 Oregon counties. Umatilla County’s neigh- bor to the west, Morrow County, is faring better with a middle-of-the-pack 22.7 percent turnout rate. BRIEFLY Fundraising concert features toe-tappin’ tunes MILTON-FREEWATER — Traditional jigs and reels from Appalachia, Ireland, French Canada and more will be featured during a con- cert fundraiser to benefit the Milton-Freewater Christmas food basket program. The Wednesday Night Band of Walla Walla invites people to enjoy the toe-tap- pin’ fun while raising money to help others. The event is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church, 719 Pierce St., Milton-Freewater. Admission is by donation. A reception will follow the per- formance. The band features Clark Colahan, flute and pen- nywhistle; Terri Trick, piano; Trudy Ostby, fiddle; Jon St. Hilaire, guitar; Sharon Thompson, fiddle, and Har- vey Neuber, concertina. For more information, contact Ostby at 541-938- 7403 or ostby@bmi.net. Child welfare seeks recycled costumes A simple donation can help put a smile on the face of a foster child next Halloween. People are encouraged to recycle Halloween costumes by donating them to the Uma- tilla and Morrow County Child Welfare Program. All types and sizes will be gratefully accepted. The donated costumes will be made available next Hallow- een for foster children in the area. Donations can be dropped off at local offices. Tubs will be available in the lobby at DHS/Child Welfare offices in Pendleton, 800 S.E. Emi- grant Ave.; Hermiston, 950 S.E. Columbia Drive; Board- man, 103 S.W. Kinkade Road; and Milton-Freewater, 309 N. Columbia St. For more information, contact Jody Frost, certifi- cation supervisor, at 541- 564-4496 or jodine.frost@ dhsoha.state.or.us. Rhythmic Mode gets ready to dance PENDLETON — Rhyth- mic Mode is hosting its annual Fall Preview. The free event is Thurs- day at 6 p.m. at Pendle- ton High School’s Warberg Court, 1800 N.W. Carden Ave. The public is invited to come watch the defending state champions as they pre- pare to perform for their first fall competitions. For more information, contact Lora Franks at lora_ franks@yahoo.com. ciated Student Body public rela- tions officer, and played on varsity teams all four years in volleyball, basketball and softball. In addition, she was involved in Touchet FFA, serving as president and competing in showing market swine and live- stock judging. Currently attending Blue Moun- tain Community College, Skrams- tad also plays on the women’s bas- ketball team. Upon completion of her transfer degree, Skramstad will head to Eastern Oregon University to obtain her bachelor’s degree. She hopes to continue her education at the Pacific University School of Pharmacy. In its 153rd year, the 2019 Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days runs Aug. 28-Sept. 1. For more infor- mation, visit www.wallawallafair- grounds.com. ——— Contact Community Edi- tor Tammy Malgesini at tmal- gesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539 Pendleton railroad crossings to be closed for day-and-a-half East Oregonian Two railroad crossings in Pendleton will be closed later this week as Union Pacific does repairs and maintenance on its rails. RoadSafe Traffic Sys- tems, a traffic control con- tractor working with Union Pacific and the Oregon Department of Transpor- tation, will close the rail- road crossing at Southwest Frazer Avenue near South- west Ninth Street starting at 7 a.m. on Thursday and ending at 7 p.m. on Friday. Frazer will be closed to most traffic from 13th to Ninth streets, although drivers who need access to Ninth, 10th, and 11th streets will be allowed to drive on a temporary two- way portion of Frazer to reach their destination. All other traffic will directed by a detour to drive on Southwest 13th Street to Dorion Ave- nue, and then back down Southwest Sixth Street to continue on Frazer. RoadSafe will also close the crossing at Southwest Emigrant Ave- nue near 12th Street start- ing at 7 a.m. on Saturday and ending at 7 p.m. on Sunday. For a complete listing of regional events, visit easternoregonevents. com A detour will direct drivers to turn onto 10th Street before making a left on Southwest Court Ave- nue. Motorists will con- tinue west on Court before taking the turn near Mazat- lan Mexican Restaurant to head east on Southwest Dorion Avenue. A turn onto 13th Street will take drivers back to Emigrant where they can proceed on their route. The detours will be in effect for the duration of the closure, as the roads and railroad crossings will not be temporarily reopened overnight. 10/31 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie TODAY • 12pm The Shining HUNTER KILLER (R) 4:20 7:10 9:50 VENOM (PG13) 4:50 7:20 10:00 GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN (PG) 5:00 7:10 9:20 HALLOWEEN (R) 4:30 7:00 9:30 A STAR IS BORN (R) 3:40* 6:40 9:40 * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 Mom & Baby Support Group November 2-3-4, 2018 23rd Annual Christmas NOTICE OF SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION Gertrude L. Mc Rae Trust Fund scholarship applications are now available for 2018-2019. Applicants must be a Grant County high school graduate to qualify. Graduates of high schools in Morrow, Wasco and Wheeler counties may also be considered, if too few Grant County applications are received. Preference will be given to Grant County graduates who reside in Oregon and have already completed one or more years at an accredited college. To request an application form, please contact Grant County, 201 S. Humbolt Street, Suite 280, Canyon City, OR 97820 or call 541-575-0059. You may also request an application via email to wrightl@grantcounty-or.gov. Completed applications including all required documents must be received by Grant County on or before Friday, November 16, 2018. 86590 We meet every Friday 9AM -11AM at St Anthony Hospital in Conference Rooms 3 & 4 OVER 150 NORTHWEST ARTISANS FINE ART | HAND CRAFT | SPECIALTY FOODS Friday 10 AM —8 PM Saturday 9 AM —6 PM Sunday 10 AM —4 PM TRAC Center Pasco, WA FREE PARKING Admission $ 7 | Kids 12 and under free! CusterShows.com 509.924.0588 This support group is Free and specifically geared toward Moms and Caregivers. We provide Free snacks, support, breastfeeding help and baby weigh ins. St. Anthony Clinic 3001 St. Anthony Way Pendleton, Oregon www.sahpendleton.org
