JOSEPH CLINIC NOW OPEN ON SATURDAYS BUSINESS, A6 WALLOWA VALLEY ALL-STARS FINISH AS RUNNER-UP LOCAL, A8 Lighting up the lake INSIDE WW W.G 3, 202 OEA STE RN OR EGO N.C OM e ith th in’ w m m Ja DLE 2 ID WA F CAMP O L L S WA TUNE Fireworks refl ect Monday night, July 4, 2022, on the water of Wallowa Lake during Shake the Lake. E 8 PA G e Explor Join er m Sum trap Fish 4 e rienc Expe or Outdo ies mov PA GE Yasser Marte/East Oregonian to d pho in tribute ns jam ns/Con ah Bur a Fiddle yn Bur and Din Wallow public Rob the Mike ludes Finn, ation for ch inc whi prepar Camp, Tunes ances. perform 22 PA GE 138th Year, No. 8 3 PA GE Wednesday, July 6, 2022 WALLOWA.COM Photos by Yasser Marte/East Oregonian 6–1 JUL Y Ed Powers Joseph Contractor has done work for most Shake the Fireworks launch into the sky Monday night July 4, 2022, and fall into Wallowa Lake for the Shake the Lake celebration on Independence Day. What a show Fourth of July Parade a slice of Americana By JACK PARRY Wallowa County Chieftain WALLOWA — Gray skies clouded East First Street in Wallowa just moments before the town’s annual Fourth of July Parade was set to begin with onlookers sporting long sleeves and umbrellas in case of the downpour. But right before the scheduled start, the sun crept out into the sky and shone to create the perfect setting for this celebration of freedom. American fl ags of all sizes fl apping in the light wind, lawn chairs and cars lined up each side of the street with eager specta- tors. Trucker caps, cowboy hats, bikes and motorcy- cles all around the down- town. The attention shifted to the start of the parade with two men walking down the road holding the nation’s colors and those of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4307 in Enter- prise as the cheering began from onlookers. Roger Curtis, owner Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain The national colors and those from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4307 in Enterprise lead the annual Fourth of July Parade in Wallowa on Monday, July 4, 2022. of Three Bears Towing in Wallowa, said that rec- ognizing veterans is what the Independence Day means to him. “It’s [for] the people that have given everything for our country,” he said. See Parade, Page A16 ENTERPRISE — Ed Powers has been operating his excava- tion contracting business from his home outside of Joseph for more than 40 years. “I’ve done work for everyone around,” he said. His favorite thing about living in Wallowa County has changed a bit over those four decades. “I liked it at fi rst because there were fewer people and fewer reg- ulations,” he said. He still likes the low population. With Independence Day just past, he had some thoughts on what the holiday means to him. “I like to think about our coun- try and its founding,” he said. “I’d like it to keep going like it has in the past, but it’s not. To me, it means a day off and a day of cel- ebration and giving thanks for the country we live in.” As for summer activities, he’ll be keeping busy. “I don’t have much on my plate except more work,” he said. “I thought I might get to go to Alaska for my 70th birthday, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.” He does plan to go to to Chief Joseph Days. “We always go there,” he said, adding that he doesn’t have a par- ticular strategy for getting in and getting a seat. “We just go early enough.” Like many, Powers has his own thoughts on what people who are thinking about moving here should be thinking. “The reason they move here is because they like what they see and want to be part of it,” he said. “I would stress that wher- ever they came from, leave that there and come and live our way. … You’re going to have to put up with some potholes. You’re going to have to put up with fewer ser- vices than you do in the big city, so don’t complain so much and take responsibility.” — Bill Bradshaw, Wallowa County Chieftain