Wallowa County Chieftain
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wallowa.com
THREE
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Leslie Lamb
LESLIE LAMB
Owner of Ruby Peak Naturals
Leslie Lamb, daughter of Cheri and Terry Lamb of Enter-
prise, is a Wallowa County boomerang kid. Those are the
ones that fly out of here as fast as they can as young adults
and then return.
Leslie graduated from Enterprise High in 1996 and
December 6, 2017
couldn’t wait to leave with her boyfriend Chris Hilde. It was
off to Portland and “the most liberal school I could find,”
she said.
She went to PCC and PSU and received two degrees, a
bachelor of arts in social science and a bachelor of science
in sociology. She knew a lot about groups of people and how
they operate, but after all that study, she still didn’t know
what she wanted to do.
She worked as a waitress and bartender while deciding
how to use those degrees and “made a lot of money and had
a lot of fun and got my eyes opened about a lot of things.”
It was life, she was learning, it was fun, but it was also
chaotic and not all the choices she made were the best, she
said.
Lamb came back to Wallowa County for Thanksgiving
when she was 26 and never left.
Back in Wallowa County, she worked at the Range Rider
and Joseph Bronze and was a single mom with two small
children, whom she calls the loves of her life.
Her children, Kaylee Eaves, 9, and Nathan Eaves, 11,
have found their place. They are close to family, and feel
welcomed and a part of Wallowa County, she said.
And then, the penny dropped for Leslie. She heard that
Jane Harshman was selling Wallowa County’s Health Food
Store, “Ruby Peak Naturals.” The business drew in people
from all walks of life. They all thought differently and Les-
lie found the difference and broadness she had gone looking
for in Portland.
She bought the business seven years ago.
Q. Why do you stay in Wallowa County?
A. Beyond that it’s a great place to raise kids, I get travel-
A7
ing people who come in here with tattoos and piercings and
spikes, and they Google and my store comes up as health
food store or alternative store. People from Imnaha who
“never leave Imnaha” come in here. I get everything from
babies to grandmas and liberals to Republicans. People come
and meet each other and tell stories and learn about life and
health together. I use my sociology background from open to
close in my store.
Q. What has Wallowa County taught you?
A. It’s really taught me how a community can come together
despite everybody’s difference. Because I really feel supported
here. I never would have believed it when I was 17. Now, com-
ing back here as a more experienced person, it was welcom-
ing. Coming back here I thought either Wallowa County has
changed or I’ve changed. Owning Ruby Peak has taught me
that no matter how different people are, I have to respect their
decision even if I don’t agree with it because I expect them to
respect my (to them, completely whacky) idea.
Q. What was the first book you ever checked out of
the library and can you recommend a book you’ve
read recently?
A. I can’t tell you the title of the first book, but I know it was
a Berenstain Bears book. I was about five, and I got it out
of the Enterprise Library. A book I’ve read recently that I
can recommend is “Rise Above, Free Your Mind One Brush-
stroke at a Time” by Whitney Freya of Wallowa. She teaches
people how to be more balanced by staying in their right
brain more and getting out of the left brain –– connect with
your soul more through painting and the arts. You can find it
online or at the Bookloft in Enterprise.
Sing along with favorites Dec. 7
at Chorale Christmas concert
The “Huron Carol” (or
“Twas in the Moon of Win-
tertime”) will be performed
by the Wallowa Valley Cho-
rale Christmas Concert 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Enter-
prise Christian Church, just
south of Enterprise.
The haunting Canadian
work is that country’s old-
est Christmas song, written in
1642 by a Jesuit missionary
working among the First-Na-
tion Hurons. The English lyr-
Nov. 27
7:55 a.m. –– Amildo Joseph
Upplano, 88, of Enterprise, was
arrested in Joseph for violation
of a stalking order. He was trans-
ported to Umatilla County jail for
holding.
8:03 a.m. –– Report of a phone
cable hanging low causing a road
hazard in rural Wallowa.
10:21 a.m. –– Possible trespass-
ing reported in Joseph.
ics were written in 1926 by
Jesse Edgar Middleton.
The 25-voice chorale will
also perform renditions of tra-
ditional Christmas carols, such
as “Good King Wenceslas,”
“Joy to the World” and “Lullay,
Infant Holy.” Popular songs,
such as “Hallelujah” from the
movie Shrek and “Little Saint
Nick” by the Beach Boys will
also be included.
Soloist Cindy Parks will
join the singers for a rendition
of “A Gospel Noel.” The cho-
rale will also invite the audi-
ence to sing some other tradi-
tional carols during the course
of the concert.
The chorale is conducted
by Randy Morgan, former
Enterprise High School music
instructor, accompanied by Jan
Casey.
The concert is free, but
donations are always gratefully
accepted, as they are the only
form of income for the chorale.
FOR THE RECORD
Nov. 30
3:15 p.m. –– Report of a road haz-
ard in rural Joseph.
4:58 p.m. –– Report of person
turning on outside water taps in
Enterprise.
Dec. 1
10:19 a.m. –– Abandoned vehicle
reported in Enterprise.
11:42 a.m. –– Report of hit
and run property damage in
Enterprise.
12:03 p.m. –– Report of criminal
mischief in Enterprise.
Nov. 28
2:09 a.m. –– Report of a stolen
vehicle in Wallowa. The vehicle
was returned.
1:30 p.m. –– A 911 caller reported
a traffic complaint in rural Lostine.
Alpine House Assisted Living
Welcome to the World’s Greatest Bank
wishes the community a happy holiday season!
Stop in and visit someone at Alpine House. It will brighten their day.
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Everything
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the holidays!
the holidays!
Lights, decorations, and
more!
Lights, decorations,
and more!
E ntErprisE E ducation
F oundation i nvitational
d EcEmbEr 8 & 9, 2017
Q uinn c ourt ~ E ntErprisE H igH s cHool
Please Note: Enterprise Girls JV vs Imbler JV at 9am,
Enterprise Boys JV vs Imbler JV at 10:30am,
Girl and Boy Varsity teams will play
Helix/Griswold at 6pm and 7:30pm
Admission: $5 Adults $3 Student ~ Enterprise Students FREE with Student ID card.
The Winter Classic is a fundrasing project for Enterprise Education Foundation.
All proceeds will benefit art and music departments K-12.
Wallowa County
101 W. North St., Enterprise • 541.426.3622 • acehardware.com
E ntErprisE
E ducation
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Member FDIC