LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Alpenfest gets offi cial alphorn
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA
LAKE
— It’s not new, but Ore-
gon’s Alpenfest has a new,
50-year-old alphorn as the
offi cial instrument of the fes-
tival, held each fall in Ore-
gon’s “Little Switzerland.”
The
half-century-old
horn was on display Tues-
day, July 5, when University
of Idaho student Grace Han-
ning donned a traditional
Swiss dirndl dress to show
how the horn is played.
She was at Wallowa State
Park at the marina where
the state Parks and Recre-
ation Department plans to
construct an events center.
Plans are for the center to be
the new permanent home of
Alpenfest, said Alpenmeis-
ter Chuck Anderson.
He said the horn may be
old, but it’s like new because
it was hardly ever played.
The horn was donated to
Alpenfest by Cathy Leitch,
whose
father,
Gordon
Leitch, bought it from an
alphorn maker in Lucerne,
Switzerland. It arrived in the
United States in 1975 when
it was shipped to Portland,
Anderson said.
The 12-foot-long horn
consists of a long tube that
goes down to a bell-shaped
end is made largely of spruce
with a birch rattan wrapping,
Anderson said.
According to the Swiss
Observer, which bills itself as
the offi cial organ of the Swiss
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Grace Hanning of Centerville, Washington, demonstrates while clad in a traditional Swiss
dirndl dress how the new offi cial alphorn of Oregon’s Alpenfest is played Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
She’s at what will become the new home of Alpenfest once the events center is constructed at
Wallowa State Park Marina.
colony in Great Britain, the
alphorn is closely identifi ed
with Swiss culture. However,
it’s not exclusively Swiss,
as Alpine areas of Germany
and Austria have long had
the horns, as have Norway,
Hungary, Romania and even
some countries of Asia.
The earliest records of the
alphorns used in what is now
Switzerland date from the
16th century.
Alpenfest was held at
the old Edelweiss Inn for
43 years, but the building’s
owners deemed it to be too
dangerous for future pub-
lic events after the 2018
festival. This year’s fes-
tival, scheduled for Sept.
29-Oct. 2, will be at the Har-
ley Tucker Memorial Rodeo
Grounds in Joseph.
Anderson, who has long
headed the Alpenfest, was
eager to bring the festival
back after being canceled
for two years because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re going to hold it
this year no matter what,”
he said.
Stabbing leaves Hermiston man dead
Parking lot fi ght
at Hells Canyon
Overlook led
to death
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
HELLS
CANYON
OVERLOOK — A 64-year-
old Hermiston man was
stabbed to death at the Hells
Canyon Overlook in south-
IN BRIEF
Wrestling camp to
honor Maben
ENTERPRISE — The
Northeast Oregon Wrestling
Club will host a wrestling
camp Aug. 4-6 in Enterprise
with the Eastern Oregon
Mountaineer as clinicians.
The camp is in memory of
Gary Maben who started the
Northeast Oregon Wrestling
Club and was a major part of
Wallowa County wrestling
for 15 years. He passed away
a year ago.
Check-in begins at noon
on Aug. 4 with two tech-
nique sessions starting at 1
and 3 p.m. The technique
sessions continue at 9 a.m.
and 1 p.m. on Aug. 5 with a
takedown tournament start-
ing at 3 p.m. On Aug. 6,
there is technique sessions at
eastern Wallowa County on
Friday, July 8, according to
a press release from the Wal-
lowa County Sheriff ’s Offi ce.
Dan Ridling got into an
altercation with an Albany
man and was stabbed in the
torso, Sheriff Joel Fish said
Monday. He died at the scene.
“They got in an alterca-
tion in the parking lot,” Fish
said. “It was a fi ght between
two guys and he ended up
stabbed.”
He said the weapon used
was a fi xed-blade sheathed
knife similar to a hunting
knife.
The Oregon State Police
Major Crimes Unit was
requested and responded to
assist with the investigation,
the release stated. The 911
call requesting medical assis-
tance was made at 11:36 a.m.
The man who is believed
to have done the stabbing
cooperated with the investi-
gation, Fish said. Ridling’s
wife also was interviewed.
No charges have yet been
fi led. Offi cials are await-
ing the results of an autopsy
before making any decision
on charges.
“Once we get it all done,
it’ll go to the grand jury,” Fish
said. “He’s not been charged
with anything.”
As a result, Fish declined
to identify the Albany man.
Fish stated in the release
that there are no known
threats to the public following
the incident.
9 a.m. and 1 p.m. followed
by a bracketed tournament at
3 p.m.
The cost of the camp is $75
with checks made payable to
Northeast Oregon Wrestling
Club. Camp T-shirts will go
to everyone who registers by
July 22. For more informa-
tion, contact Troy Farwell at
541-263-1555.
and by the temporary traf-
fi c signal during nonwork-
ing hours. Up to 20-minute
delays can be expected at all
times. The signal is expected
to remain in place until both
travel lanes are available
again early this fall.
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Bridge replacement
to begin soon
WALLOWA — A con-
tractor will be installing ero-
sion-control measures in
advance of drilling founda-
tions for a bridge replace-
ment which began last week
near Wallowa on Highway
82.
A temporary traffi c sig-
nal is in place. Traffi c will
be controlled by fl aggers
or the temporary traffi c sig-
nal during working hours,
Tamkaliks work
day is July 16
WALLOWA — Tamka-
liks prep volunteer work day
is Saturday, July 16 from
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arbor,
70956 Whiskey Creek Road
in Wallowa. Bring work
gloves, a water bottle, a
weed wacker, weeding tools,
a wheelbarrow, wrenches
and drills if you have them.
Lunch will be provided.
To sign up go to
https://wallowanez-
perce.kindful.com/regis-
ter/2022-tamkaliks-volun-
teer-sign-up-2022?utm_
What Your
Food Ate
The most valuable and
respected source of
local news, advertising
and information for
our communities.
eomediagroup.com
Births
A daughter, Findley Kay
Stangel, was born June 26,
2022 in Enterprise to Lucas
Stangel and Beth McClaran
of Enterprise. Grandparents
are Vicki McClaran, Scott
McClaran, and Dick &
Nancy Stangel.
How to Heal Our Land and
Reclaim Our Health
by David R Montgomery
& Anne Biklé
107 E. Main St. Enterprise OR
541-426-3351
manager@bookloft.org • bookloft.org
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Locals earn
academic honor
PENDLETON — Wal-
lowa County’s Eryn Brit-
ton and Hunter Weaver were
named to the President’s
List with GPA’s between
3.75 and 4.0 for the 2021-22
winter term at Blue Moun-
tain Community College in
Pendleton.
— Chieftain staff
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
A3
County may get BLM land
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — The
Wallowa County Board
of Commissioners heard
a brief presentation from
Wayne Monger of the fed-
eral Bureau of Land Man-
agement in Vale who dis-
cussed possibly divesting
the BLM of its minimal
holdings in the county.
Monger, who is rela-
tively new to the position,
said he wished to become
known to the board. He said
he will be implementing a
quarterly report from his
district.
He emphasized that fi re
season has started, mention-
ing a 4,000-acre blaze that
burned north of Vale.
“Just be aware, it is com-
ing,” he said of the fi re
season.
Monger said his district
covers about 5.1 million
acres and Commissioner
Todd Nash said the BLM
holds less than 30,000 acres
in Wallowa County.
However, several parcels
are in key places and Com-
mission Chairwoman Susan
Roberts asked Monger that
if the BLM wishes to divest
itself of some of its holdings
in the county, the county or
private landowners might
be interested in purchasing
it or accepting a donation of
the land.
“We’ll have to look at
parcels we’d consider for
disposal, so if you have any
suggestions, by all means,”
Monger said.
“We do,” Roberts said.
“There aren’t very many
acres in Wallowa County
and they’re located in spots
that are more conducive to
private ownership, if we can
get that — or county owner-
ship — so if you need to dis-
pose of parcels, the county
would like to off er.”
Roberts and Monger
agreed they would keep in
touch over possible transfer
of ownership.
Nash said his main con-
cern is along the Minam
River down to Troy.
“The use of it has
ramped up considerably,”
he said, “that being a wild
and scenic river and every-
thing reverts back to BLM,
but there really isn’t a pres-
ence of BLM here in the
county. I’m like Commis-
sioner Roberts in that either
you need to have a presence
and help us through some
of the concerns that arise or
wash your hands of it.”
Roberts said the county
has a permanent easement
with BLM for Wildcat Road
that the agency has land
along.
Commissioner John Hill-
ock agreed, saying county
access is crucial.
“The last time there was
a fl ash fl ood, we couldn’t
get in to do work on the
road,” he said.
Roberts said the ease-
ment that has since been
arranged is the solution to
that access.
The commissioners also:
• Approved a resolution
to declare certain property
surplus and sell it at a mini-
mum cost.
“It also prohibits us from
selling dangerous things,
hazardous things and pre-
vents us from purchasing
them ourselves or getting
our best friend to buy it and
then give it to us,” Roberts
laughed.
• Initiated the process to
obtain a $20,000 grant from
the Wildhorse Foundation
for a therapy K9 for Com-
munity Corrections.
• Hired Gavin Collier as
a juvenile tracker — sort of
a modern-day truant offi cer
— with the county’s Depart-
ment of Youth Services and
accepted the resignation
of Brooke Langerman as a
911 dispatcher because she
took another position and
the retirement of William
Moore as a custodian.
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