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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2019)
Ellen Morris Bishop The Spring Solstice supermoon sets over Sawtooth and Traverse Ridge in the Wallowa Mountains on the morning of March 21, as light from the rising sun begins to catch the mountains’ highest ridges. Spring solstice supermoon lights up the Wallowas By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain upermoons” occur when the full moon is at its closest approach to Earth. They do not appear signifi cantly larger than “regular” moons, but they are usually much brighter, as many folks in Wallowa County observed on Facebook and elsewhere. ¶ The spring solstice, also called the vernal equinox, is the day when day and night are of equal length. It marks the offi cial start of spring! ¶ This particular supermoon was a rare coincidence of supermoon and spring solstice. The next spring solstice supermoon will be in 11 years, in March 2030. ‘ S See Supermoon, Page A9 Enterprise, Oregon 134th Year, No. 50 Wallowa.com Wednesday, March 27, 2019 $1 March Madness strikes Wallowa County By Ellen Morris Bishop Walllowa County Chieftain Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa sixth grader Daisy Mendez takes the ball to the basket. As the annual NCAA playoffs begin, Wallowa County has enjoyed its own brand of March Madness. For a short, two-week sea- son, Joseph, Enterprise, and Wallowa fi fth and sixth grade boys and girls basket- ball teams have dueled, hon- ing skills and showcasing future stars. It’s a fi ve week program because that’s all we have between the end of high school basketball and the beginning of spring sports,” said Enterprise fi ght and sixth grade girls coach Tamarah Duncan. “It’s a great up-and-coming group of basketball players.” The fi fth and sixth grade basketball program is an unoffi cial “Little League” for hoops. More than 60 players, including a few third and fourth graders, suit up for games. They are coached by volunteers. Just like high school ball, with varsity and junior var- sity, the elementary school teams are divided into two squads based upon age and skill. Each game-night fea- tures four basketball games: The fi fth grade and younger girls, the sixth grade girls, the fi fth grade and younger boys, and fi nally, the sixth grade boys. Girls’ games fi ll gyms, generally draw- ing as big a fan base as boys. And while fans root for their home-town teams, they also cheer the opposition’s good plays and great shots. Refer- ees and coaches Wallowa Elemen- tary School’s fourth-grade teacher Dakota Hull coaches the Wallowa girl’s teams. When his students asked him to be their basketball coach, he volunteered, even though he’d never coached bas- ketball before. He included fourth graders to ensure there were enough players for two squads. “When we started, I told the players “I’m here as a volunteer, and we are all here to work hard, and learn, and do our best,” he said. Students learn more than dribbling and shooting skills in these games. “They learn a lot about communi- cation, and they form deeper friendships that are started on the basketball court,” Hull said. Hull’s coaching, assisted by Debbie Wentz and sec- ond grade teacher Terah April, paid off. His sixth grade, “older” team went undefeated through the all- too-brief season. “They made leaps and bounds, See Madness, Page A9 Hull & Co. shine for a packed house at the OK Theatre By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain Sierra Hull, the 27-year- old mandolin master, accom- panied by her crack band, opened the 2019 OK Theatre season with a stunning set of mostly originals. She and her band spent nearly two hours at the resplendent theater on Thursday, March 21, show- ing the packed-house audi- ence the fruits of dedication to her instrument. After a stellar set from her opening act, Hull fl owed onto the stage in a gold lame skirt and leotard and wasted no time getting right down to business, backed by saxo- ‘MUSIC WAS ALWAYS THE THING I WANTED TO INVEST MY TIME INTO OVER THE WEEKENDS. I PRETTY MUCH KNEW I WANTED TO DO THIS FOR A LIVING FROM THE TIME I PICKED UP THE INSTRUMENT.’ Sierra Hull phone player Eddie Barbash as well as electric guitarist Mike Seal and Geoff Saun- ders on cello/bass. Opening act Sam Reider also joined in on the fun with accordion and piano. An accomplished per- former and secure in her own abilities, Hull had no issues making sure each musician got plenty of solo time. The fl eet-fi ngered Hull also made sure the audience got their share of her talent, even twice doing solo perfor- mances on the octave mando- lin, an instrument resembling an f-hole guitar and tuned an octave lower than its mando- lin little brother. And she also played the “Mandocaster,” a four-string mandolin-size electric guitar made by the Fender company. Hull, with her voice from the celestial realm, accom- panied by sparkling runs on her instrument, showed the audience that a musician dedicated to expanding her horizons can take her audi- ence on a musical journey to explore and even create other genres while still keeping a foot anchored in traditional bluegrass. Hull’s genuine interaction with her joyful audience, who understood and appreciated the odyssey, stayed with her through the entire adventure. This was Hull’s second OK appearance. She arrived the day of the performance, and despite limited time, agreed to an interview with the the Wallowa County Chieftain. Hull has no star pretensions and came across as funny and genuinely down-to-earth, befi tting a girl raised in Byrdstown, Tennes- see, a town about the size of Joseph. Although she didn’t See Hull, Page A9