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A6 COMMUNITY East Oregonian Tuesday, February 1, 2022 UMATILLA COUNTY FAIR COMMUNITY BRIEFING Lucas and Tammy Wagner named 2022 grand marshals By BEN LONERGAN East Oregonian HERMISTON — The room erupted with applause as Umatilla County Fair Board Chair Steve Wallace announced Tammy and Lucas Wagner as the 2022 grand marshals during the fair’s annual appreciation dinner Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, Hermiston. “We chose this year’s winners from a long list of deserving people,” Wallace said. Tam my Wag ner, who’s husband Lucas was not present, was escorted to the stage by her son Andy Wagner, who recently joined the fair board. According to Tammy, Lucas was unable to attend the event as he is pursuing his captain’s license in Alaska. “Thank you everyone for this, I really did not know that I was getting this,” she said as she accepted the award. “Otherwise I would have made my husband be here.” Tammy Wagner, a long time fair volunteer, was instrumental in founding the Fun at the Fair Day Camp for youths in 2012. The camp, originally meant as a place for the children of vendors and other workers at the fair to have fun while their parents were working, has been opened up to all members of the community. Lucas Wagner served as chair of the Umatilla County Fair Board as well as numerous other volun- teer roles over the years. In addition to announcing the grand marshals, the fair cele- Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian Tammy Wagner, escorted by her son Andy Wagner, left, accepts her and her husband Lucas Wagner’s award as the 2022 grand marshals of the Umatilla County Fair during the Umatilla County Fair Appreciation Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, Hermiston. brated its plans to move past the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 with the theme “Moo-ving Forward Together.” The fair bid farewell to outgoing court princesses Brielle Youncs, Madaline White, Alexis Bowen and Keeva Hoston and welcomed princesses Kylie Temple, 17, and Ashlynn Cutburth, 15, to the 2022 court. The girls are students at Herm- iston High School, Temple is a junior and Cutburth is a freshman. As the fair looked back on 2021, it announced Umatilla Electric Cooperative as the 2021 Business Partner of the Year. And Dennis Doherty and Judy Bracher were honored as the 2021 Male and Female Volunteers of the Year. Doherty began his involvement in the fair in 1951 as a child in 4H and has continued to be involved as a volunteer around the fair since. “I enjoy it just as much today as I did then,” he said. “Maybe more. Who knows?” Bracher is a longtime volun- teer at the fair who said she can usually be found around the home economics displays, but added she usually makes her way to every corner of the fair throughout the week. “The fair is absolutely in my heart,” she said. “It has been since I was nine-years-old, it’s pretty special to me so wherever I can be a part of it, I’m there.” Dairy Heifer Program kicks off 4th year East Oregonian BOARDMAN — Twelve Morrow County 4-H students and their families started a new jour- ney Friday, Jan. 28, as they picked up dairy heifers from Threemile Canyon Farms to raise for eight months. The Dairy Heifer Program, started in 2019, loans heifers to 4-H students, who care for and learn responsible animal manage- ment practices from Threemile Canyon Farms veterinarians and nutritionists throughout the year, according to a press release. Dr. Jeff Wendler, Threemile’s director of Livestock Operations, created and operates the program in collaboration with Morrow County OSU Extension Service and Morrow County 4-H. “This program has been so rewarding for myself and everyone involved from Threemile Canyon Farms,” Wendler said in the release. “The parents and students have been wonderful to work with and we are proud to partner with OSU and Morrow County 4-H to teach the next generation about the dairy industry.” Students interview before entering the program, and once selected work closely with Threemile staff on animal welfare, AWS seeks scholarship applicants Amazon Web Services recently announced it is accepting applica- tions for the 2022 AWS InCommu- nities Scholarship Program. High school seniors in Umatilla and Morrow counties, including Nixy- aawii Community School, are eligible to apply. A t o t a l of $100,000 in schol- arships is available to students enroll- Pacheco ing in courses such as electrical and electronic engi- neering, computer science, arti- fi cial intelligence, biochemistry, software engineering, physics and more. The deadline to apply is March 29. For the application and additional information, visit learn- more.scholarsapply.org/awsincom- munities. The scholarship program off ers grants to students in designated districts of Oregon, California, Ohio and Virginia who plan to pursue a STEM-related subject at a higher education institu- tion. The AWS InCommunities Program exists to make a posi- tive impact through communi- ty-based programs, specifi cally in the regions where AWS builds and operates its global infrastructure. America Pacheco, a 2021 Riverside High School graduate, is using an AWS scholarship to attend Oregon State University. She is studying computer science with an emphasis on cybersecurity. In an AWS press release, Pacheco said she only recently discovered her passion for technology. “Growing up, I didn’t see many women in tech careers,” she said. “I never thought of myself doing anything STEM-related until I got to high school.” Although she’s studying across the state in Corvallis, Pacheco said she wants to return to East- ern Oregon and give back to her community in the future. For more information about AWS, visit www.aboutamazon.com. Dixie State honor roll includes Hermiston students Grace McCarthy/Threemile Canyon Farms From left, K.C. Anderson of Heppner, Sierra Simmons of Irrigon and Au- nika Partlow of Boardman prepare to take their dairy heifers home Fri- day, Jan. 28, 2022, from Threemile Canyon Farms for the annual Dairy Heifer Program. grooming and sportsmanship. Throughout the program, there are several vet checks and heifer weigh-ins, culminating in August, when participants show their animals at the Morrow County Fair, competing in showmanship, conformation and herdsmanship. Lisa Wedam’s daughter Isabel has participated in the program for three years, according to the press release, and said it’s a wonderful opportunity to watch the youths grow and learn about their heifers. Claire Lindsay, a first-year participant, said in the release she’s very excited to be in the program. “This is my fi rst time show- ing in 4-H, and I’m super excited to start working with my heifer, named Milk Dud,” Lindsay said. Since the program started, 46 4-H’ers have participated, includ- ing the latest dozen. After the Morrow County Fair, the heifers are returned to Threemile and added back into the herd. ST. GEORGE, Utah — A pair of local students were included on the fall 2021 semester honor roll at Dixie State University. Landon Jones and Makena Royer, both of Hermiston, were among the 2,627 students to earn the recognition. Students must complete at least 15 credits with a minimum GPA of 3.5 to be eligible for the list. Founded In 1911 in St. George, Utah, Dixie State is a public insti- tution offering more than 200 academic programs. For more infor- mation, visit www.dixie.edu. BMCF announces scholarship opportunities WALLA WALLA — The Blue Mountain Community Foundation scholarship program now is accept- ing applications for the 2022-23 academic year. High school seniors or graduates of high schools in Umatilla County, as well as Walla Walla, Columbia and Garfi eld counties in Washing- ton, are eligible for the scholarships. In addition, adult students who have lived in one of the four counties for at least three years may apply. Scholarships are available for undergraduate and graduate level study at any accredited college, trade school, or community college within the United States. By completing the 2022 Common Application, students are considered for up to 53 scholarships. The deadline to apply is March 7. The application and additional information is available at www. bluemountainfoundation.org. For questions, contact Liz McClure, scholarships manager, at liz@ bluemountainfoundation.org or 509-529-4371. Blue Mountain Community Foundation started in 1984 based and became one of more than 750 community foundations in the United States. Since its inception, the foundation has received and grown assets to exceed $60 million in 401 charitable funds that benefi t the community. Irrigon water meeting fl ows with information IRRIGON — A general member- ship meeting of the Irrigon Water Users will provide information to both new landowners and longtime members of the community. The meeting is Thursday, Feb. 3, 6 p.m. at Stokes Landing Senior Center, 195 N.W. Opal Place, Irri- gon. People also are invited to bring questions. The West Extension Irrigation District will discuss how the water district works, with such topics as water rights, how to know how much water you are using, how to set up payment arrangements for your bill and how development in Irrigon will impact landown- ers. For more information, contact Lisa Baum, administrative services manager, at 541-922-3814 or lisa@ westextension.com. Firefi ghters take on stair climb to fi ght cancer HERMISTON — Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 is near- ing its goal of raising $10,000 for the 31st Annual Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Firefighter Stairclimb. The climb takes place March 13 at the Columbia Center in Seattle. This is the world’s largest on-air stair climb competition, according to the fi re district. More than 2,000 career, volunteer or retired fi refi ght- ers participate, donning their gear to ascend 69 fl oors — 788 vertical feet —via 1,356 stair steps. The fi re district in a post on its Facebook page reported this will be the 13th year of members participat- ing in the event. Since then, local fi refi ghters have raised more than $152,000 in this event, and the Fire- fi ghter Stairclimb itself has raised more than $20 million since start- ing in 1991. To help Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 reach its goal, you can donate at its team page, bit.ly/3ns- mxY4. — EO Media Group IT’S IN YOUR INBOX before your mailbox Subscribers can receive daily email updates and uninterrupted digital delivery on a computer, tablet and smartphone Sign up for free digital access Call 800-781-3214 EastOregonian.com