CROWD TAKES CRUISE DOWN MEMORY LANE
Blue Mountain
– PAGE B1
EAGLE
The
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , A UGUST 5, 2015
• N O . 31
• 20 P AGES
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
KJDY radio station set to change hands
Longtime owner/operator Phil Gray looking forward to retirement
By Dave Fisher
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY – A radio
and TV career that started
at KBAR radio in Burley,
Idaho in the fall of 1960 is
coming to an end as early
as Sept. 1 for KJDY station
owner Phil Gray.
“I was 15 when I started
in October 1960 working
weekends on the air,” said
Gray, who recently sold his
John Day AM-FM station
to Elkhorn Media Group,
which has three radio sta-
Heat takes
toll on
Chinook
salmon
By Dave Fisher
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY – In his 17
years with the Oregon De-
partment of Fish and Wild-
life, Brent Smith has seen
worse salmon die-offs in the
John Day River, but, with
the month of August still to
go, 2015 could potentially
be the worst yet.
An estimated 109 wild
spring Chinook salmon in
the upper section of the
Middle Fork John Day Riv-
er died during a heat wave
early in July, apparently due
to low river flows and warm
temperatures, according to
Smith, ODFW fish biologist
in John Day. Smith, who has
been keeping tabs on the sit-
uation, attended the July 29
County Court meeting to
update county officials on
this summer’s die-off.
The spring Chinook die-
off was first discovered by
ODFW staff July 7 near
Windlass Creek. The fol-
lowing two days, more dead
fish were observed during a
survey conducted over a 17-
mile reach downstream of
Highway 7.
Like many rivers across
Oregon, stream flows in
the Middle Fork John Day
have been extremely low
this summer. Warmer water
temperatures in the mid-
70s, combined with low
stream flows, likely led to
the deaths of these fish.
See HEAT, Page A10
tions and offices in La
Grande and Baker City.
Gray says he got the ra-
dio bug at an early age,
pestering his father to take
him to TV and radio sta-
tions wherever they lived
at the time. The fact that
his father moved about a
lot with his job throughout
Idaho and Eastern Wash-
ington worked out well for
the younger Gray, because
it meant more opportunities
for station visits.
Throughout his career,
Gray bounced around from
station to station in Idaho
and Eastern Oregon end-
ing up in John Day, where
he finally put down roots.
He took over ownership
of KJDY on Dec. 1, 1988.
Three years later it would
become an FM station, as
well, and eventually employ
up to six people, full- and
part-time.
Working at stations in
smaller markets, Gray got
used to a varied work diet,
and he thrived on it.
“We did everything ...
writing copy, production,
news; whatever had to be
done,” he said of his early
days in radio. “No day was
ever the same, so the days
just flew by.
“It was a lot of fun, and
it’s still fast-paced now, but
the tools have changed over
the years.”
Gray “guesstimates” that
he spent a good 60 percent of
his broadcasting career in ra-
dio. His last job in television
was with KMVT in Twin
Falls, Idaho, prior to moving
to the John Day area.
See RADIO, Page A9
The Eagle/Dave Fisher
KJDY owner Phil Gray, on the set of the radio station
he has owned since 1988, thinks he’ll have no
problem getting used to being retired.
GRANT COUNTY FAIR
New features include bigger carnival, talent show, on-site parking
By Nancy McCarthy
Blue Mountain Eagle
J
OHN DAY – At 106
years old, the Grant
County Fair and Ro-
deo may be the longest
running annual county fair in
Oregon, but this year, several
new features are being added.
They include:
• On-site parking: Parking
will cost $3 daily for spaces
that have not already been re-
served. Parking permits can
be paid for in advance for the
fair, which runs from Aug. 5
through 8, or they can be pur-
chased on the day of arrival,
if a space is available.
• Survivor game: 10 a.m.
to 8 p.m. daily, on the lawn
by the tennis and basketball
courts: Participants will test
their ability to run with buck-
ets of water, ¿ nd their way
out of a maze while blind-
folded and climb a structure
while hooked to a rope. The
free activity is sponsored by
the Grant County Safe Com-
munities Coalition.
• Talent Show: 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5, grand-
stand. Free.
• Mysterious Black Hole:
No description available, ex-
cept that it is “mysterious.”
• Curly fries, elephant ears
and funnel cakes sold by ven-
dors.
• Blue Mountain Hospital
will operate a new informa-
tion booth.
• Saddle Boyz: New this
year, the Saddle Boyz brings
country music to the fair.
Appearances are scheduled
on the main stage from 1 to
2:30 p.m., 5 to 7 p.m. and
9:30 p.m. to midnight Aug. 8.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Assistant superintendent Julia Davis, left, and superintendent Donna Adams get a start checking in
ceramic items at the Grant County Fairgrounds pavilion. Adams, who has volunteered as ceramics
superintendent since 2000, owns Dixie Creek Ceramics in Prairie City.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Volunteers Luke Claughton of John Day, Braden Spencer of Canyon
City and Antonio Smith of John Day set up shelving for the 4-H
displays at the pavilion.
See FAIR, Page A10
Blue Mountain Hospital staff
members Sherry Joslin (outpatient
registration) and Mindy Stinnett
(clinical informaties specialist) set
up their Grant County fair booth on
Monday, following the “Blue Jeans
and Country Dreams” theme.
Scenic Bikeways contribute $12.4M in economic activity statewide
Oregon is only state
with an official, scenic
bikeways program
Oregon is
the only
state with
an official,
state scenic
bikeways
program.
By Amanda Peacher
For the Blue Mountain Eagle
PRAIRIE CITY – On an early June
morning, a group of spandex-clad
tourists pedaled down the highway out
of the tiny town of Prairie City.
“All right! Take a left here, and
don’t take off until you see the ghost
town!” said Brad Gordon, a guide for
Bicycle Adventures and leader of the
nine-day cycling trip. Gordon leads
trips all over the Northwest, but he
Contributed photo
said he loves the roads in Oregon.
“When you get out on the rural
roads in Oregon, people are very re-
spectful,” Gordon said.
Part of the group’s route follows the
Old West Scenic Bikeway in Eastern
Oregon. Most U.S. states have scenic
byways for vehicles, to draw motorists
to attractions and special places.
But in Oregon, there are also sce-
nic bikeways: state-designated routes
designed for cyclists. Oregon’s Scenic
Bikeways program is unique in the
nation, according to state of¿ cials.
The bikeways are signed routes along
some of Oregon’s most beautiful, bi-
cycle-friendly roadways. Some bike-
ways are short and easy. Others are
epic rides designed for three- or four-
day tours.
They’re all designed to draw cy-
clists — and their dollars — to dif-
ferent parts of the state, especially to
rural communities.
Of¿ cial scenic bikeways in Oregon
are marked with signs. The program is
funded by state lottery dollars.
“The bicycle scenic portion of the
ride, that was beautiful,” said Larry
DiVito, one of 11 riders on the Bicy-
cle Adventures trip. “A lot of À owing
creeks, a lot of farms, a lot of ranch-
es. Oh, we saw the cows on the road.
There was a cowboy that was sort of
See BIKE, Page A10