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Wallowa.com
Three featured for Fishtrap Fireside
Chieftain staff
ENTERPRISE — The
February episode of Fish-
trap Fireside will begin online
beginning Friday, Feb. 4, with
readings from three Wallowa
County writers: longtime
Fishtrap friend Rick Bom-
baci, retired health profes-
sional Kathy (Kat) Johnson
and poet Katherine Marrone,
according to a press release
from Fishtrap.
Anyone anywhere can take
in Fireside online at Fishtrap.
org and on Fishtrap’s You-
Tube Channel.
Fishtrap Fireside is a
monthly
reading
series
designed to feature diverse
voices from local Wallowa
County writers. Each month
off ers a fresh look at what
people of the West are think-
ing about and writing down.
Rick Bombaci grew up
in rural Connecticut. After a
brief stint living and work-
ing in Portland, where he had
a view of Mount St. Helens
before it blew up, he moved
to Wallowa County, where
he’s been more or less stuck
ever since.
While here, Rick has
worked as a U.S. Forest Ser-
vice wilderness ranger, a
waiter, a bicycle mechanic, a
high school teacher, a com-
puter consultant, a grant
writer and a nonprofi t con-
sultant. He has one daughter
and a number of obsessions,
including long distance hik-
ing and a grandson.
Kathleen (Kat) Johnson
was born and raised in Col-
orado. After earning her B.S.
in English, she taught fourth
grade for a time but quit to
become a stay-at-home mom
and follow her fi rst husband
as his career took them to
New Jersey, California, Geor-
gia and Massachusetts before
choosing to make Oregon
home. She has been a sub-
stitute teacher, library aide,
Scout leader, EMT and com-
panion to cats, dogs, ducks,
goats and horses. In her 30s,
she began a new career as
a registered nurse starting
in critical care but eventu-
ally specializing in geriat-
rics, geriatric psychiatry and
dementia care.
After more than 30 years,
fi nding herself happily retired
but not so happily widowed,
she decided to begin a new
chapter of her life by join-
ing her daughter, Fishtrap
Executive Director Shan-
non McNerney, in Wallowa
County. Through Fishtrap,
she is rediscovering the joy
of diving in and playing with
words.
Katherine Marrone is
a writer, activist and edi-
tor of Fishtrap’s community
zine, Circle of Seasons. She
works as a legal advocate at
Safe Harbors in Enterprise,
where she helps survivors
of domestic/sexual violence
and stalking seek justice and
safety in Wallowa County.
Having spent periods of her
childhood in New York City,
Italy and Eastern Oregon,
Katherine developed a love
for examining the relation-
ship between experience and
identity.
Her poems and essays
explore gender, human rights
and empathy; the meandering
path of healing after trauma;
fi nding pockets of joy in the
mundane; traveling alone as
a woman; and her obsession
with the question: How and
who do we love — and why?
Her work can be found in
a sex and relationships advice
column and an international
feminist publication. After
freelancing, she volunteered
at a juvenile detention center
in Portland, where she facil-
itated a writing workshop.
It was there that she realized
the transformative power of
space: the space to tell one’s
story — and the space to trust
that someone will listen.
February’s Fishtrap Fire-
side is sponsored by Wild Car-
rot Herbals, a Wallowa Coun-
ty-based skincare company
making honest, nutrient-rich
products for the entire family.
Learn more at Fishtrap.org.
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
A17
St. Patrick’s serves the community
By ANN BLOOM
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — At the
corner of Third and Main
streets in Enterprise sits the
unassuming A-frame struc-
ture that is St. Patrick’s
Episcopal Church, a small
church as parishes go, but
with a big heart. Its outreach
extends to many parts of the
community.
The church was built in
1960. Prior to that the con-
gregation met on the steps of
the dilapidated dance hall at
Wallowa Lake.
Katy
Nesbitt,
the
church’s new deacon, said
despite the church’s small
congregation, the focus of
the parish and the diocese
is to reach out beyond its
walls.
“The church is to serve
the entire county, not just its
parishioners,” she said.
St. Patrick’s serves the
county in many ways. From
its Main Street Garden,
which provides produce to
the local food banks, Head
Start and the Alternative
Education School, to pro-
viding volunteers who serve
at the senior meal site and
more, the church works hard
in the community to fulfi ll
its mission. The church also
off ers an afterschool pro-
gram Wednesday afternoons
for grade school children to
enjoy activities, a snack and
the chance to work in the
garden.
Started in 2017, the con-
gregation planted what is
now known as the Main
Street Garden and began
developing
relationships
with community organi-
zations such as Commu-
nity Connection, Building
Healthy Families and OSU’s
Extension Service. A green-
house was donated in 2018
and the church has received
several grants to help with
funding of the project. Con-
certs have been held at the
church to help raise money
for gardening supplies and
the church’s former bud-
get item, once used to cover
lawn mowing, is now used
as its garden fund.
“I felt like the $800 a year
we paid to have the lawn
mowed could be put to other
use,” Nesbitt said. “The con-
gregation supported the idea
of planting a garden and
fi nding new ways to connect
with the community.”
The church is look-
ing into some grant oppor-
tunities to expand the gar-
den by adding an additional
green house, a watering sys-
tem and more fruit trees and
shrubs.
In addition to the Main
Street Garden, the church
held its fi rst Community
Cider Pressing in the fall.
The event invited peo-
ple to the church with their
apples, and the church pro-
vided the press and pressed
the apples into cider at no
cost, for them to take home.
The press was loaned to the
church by Dr. Severin Knud-
sen, veterinarian at Enter-
prise Animal Hospital. Hot
dogs, cookies and soda were
complimentary. The church
intends to make the pressing
an annual event.
Another popular, annual
event at the church is the
Feast of St. Francis, and the
Blessing of the Animals.
People brought their pets to
the church to be blessed. St.
Francis is the patron saint of
animals.
If you fi nd yourself walk-
ing down Main Street, you’ll
know you’ve arrived at St.
Patrick’s Church because of
the new welcome sign that’s
out front. Nesbitt explained
that the church’s former
sign, painted by Gene Hayes
of Wallowa, had weathered
after many years and the
sun had faded the moun-
tain scene. Last summer the
church hired Steve Arment
to carve a new sign. Near the
sign is a bench inviting pass-
ersby to sit and rest.
And, yes, all are welcome.
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