Two Heppner players heading to Shrine Game | SPORTS A10
E O
AST
145th year, no. 103
REGONIAN
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Children’s
museum
reopens
play space
$1.50
PR IDE 202 1
silver lining
includes upcoming
25th anniversary
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
PendLeTOn — after a
444-day closure because of the
global pandemic, the Children’s
Museum of eastern Oregon
reopened June 1. Executive Direc-
tor Joanna engle now is focused
on celebrating the museum’s 25th
anniversary later this year.
“It was a long haul for us,” she
said. “We just hunkered down and
really appreciate the support of the
community.”
sadly, she said, the Portland
Children’s Museum was not as
fortunate. after 75 years, it recently
shuttered its doors.
engle, board president Kim
Chavez-Sier ra, and at-large
member Chris Garrigues all agreed
one of the saving graces was keep-
ing expenditures at a minimum.
The museum helped position itself
25 years ago to make it through lean
times by buying its building.
“Having the foresight to
purchase this building was a big
factor,” Engle said. “We didn’t
have a mortgage or rent. I think
that was a huge part of us making
it through.”
In addition, Chavez-Sierra and
Garrigues said engle’s leader-
ship has been integral. engle, who
started at the museum in February
2017, came with three years experi-
ence at a children’s museum, as well
as previously serving as a consul-
tant for nonprofit organizations.
“We are all the better for
having her steadfast leadership,”
Chavez-Sierra said. “Her exper-
tise has been essential in keeping
us afloat and being able to reopen
after 444 days.”
Garrigues agreed, saying engle
began the process of evaluating
costs, programming and planning
even before the pandemic hit.
Building for the future
debbie McBee, who was the
driving force behind the creation
of the children’s museum, said
buying the building in the spring
of 1997 was an example of the
power of community partner-
ships and support. after looking
at several buildings, McBee said
amy aldrich Bedford approached
her with an offer. The children’s
museum initially leased the old east
Oregonian building until the sale
was final.
“she showed us the old eO
building — the current CMEO
building — and agreed to sell it to
See Museum, Page A9
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
United Pendleton Pride founders Aiden Bork, left, and Noah Wallace speak to attendees during the Saturday, June 12, 2021, Proud
Together Pride Parade in Pendleton.
‘Love is greater than hate’
Hundreds gather in
downtown Pendleton
for Proud Together
Pride Parade
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
ENDLETON — Pride flags, drag
queens and hundreds of people
donning multi-colored clothing
filled the streets of downtown
Pendleton on saturday, June 12, at
the Proud Together Pride Parade
supporting the LGBTQ commu-
nity as part of Pride month.
The event, led by united Pendle-
ton Pride, a group dedicated to promot-
ing diversity and inclusivity in umatilla
County, began in Museum Park before
attendees waltzed through the streets,
carrying signs, singing and dancing while
dozens more bystanders cheered from the
sidewalks.
For many, the event showcased how far
the community has come in recent years.
“It’s been amazing,” said Ryelynn
Melton, a transgender american Indian
girl, who transitioned over the past year. “I
feel like you usually don’t see this aspect
of the community. not many people know
there’s other LGBTQ members. and here
you can just see everybody.”
A 15-year-old student at Nixyaawii
Community School, Melton became
P
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Marchers fill a section of Main Street in Pendleton on Saturday, June 12, 2021, as they
march in the Proud Together Pride Parade to celebrate Pride.
the school’s first-ever transgender prom
princess this year. she sold homemade
cupcakes and cookies to purchase the flow-
ing red dress she wore at the June 12 event,
where she rode through town on a truck at
the front of the parade.
“It’s beautiful, and it means the world,”
said Melton, an enrolled member of the
seminole tribe in Oklahoma. “and it shows
all the support that younger people have
and how our town is changing from being
so conservative.”
early in the event, a handful of protesters
carrying signs denouncing homosexuality
stood across the street before approaching
attendees. eventually, dozens of people
made a wall and blocked off the protesters.
They left soon after.
But aside from those brief hostilities, the
event was joyful.
drag queens danced around the park,
swinging around flag poles in red stiletto
boots. Pendleton Mayor John Turner gave
a speech asking for tolerance and accep-
tance after a year of political divisive-
ness. Art McConville, an elder from the
See Pride, Page A9
Patients put off preventative care during the pandemic
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
HeRMIsTOn — as newly vacci-
nated patients are resuming their
normal preventative health care, some
are finding those appointments they
skipped during the pandemic have
consequences.
dr. Greg Jones, dentist for Fourth
street dental in Hermiston, said he is
seeing some patients for the first time
in a long time.
“You could tell people had put stuff
off,” he said. “Cavities were a little
bigger, cleanings had been skipped,
some broken teeth could have been
fixed sooner.”
He also saw signs that people had
been under additional stress, including
an increase in cracked teeth, jaw pain
and other side effects of people grind-
ing or clenching their teeth.
Jones said dentists in big cities
where people are more cautious about
COVID-19 still are seeing lower
patient volumes, but in rural areas,
appointments mostly have rebounded
after dropping off in 2020. He said it
wasn’t uncommon last year for people
to cancel an appointment at the last
minute because they had been asked
by the health department to quaran-
tine, while other people decided they
weren’t comfortable with the risk of
going in to the office.
“It was a little like a snow day,
where some people don’t leave their
homes and other people drive around
like it’s no big deal,” he said.
In Oregon, health care provid-
ers were directed to only provide
See Care, Page A9
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Dr. Greg Jones, dentist for Fourth Street Dental in Hermiston, speaks with a pa-
tient prior to an exam Thursday, June 10, 2021. Jones said he has seen appoint-
ments rebound after dropping off in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.