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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2016)
News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, February 10, 2016 A3 µTKe CRRN¶ ¿nGV neZ KRPe Ln 3raLrLe CLty El Cocinero offers extensive Mexican menu By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle PRAIRIE CITY — Fer- nando Leal is back in busi- ness, running El Cocinero Restaurant in Prairie City. Leal is “El Cocinero” — Spanish words that translate to “the cook.” He’s been cooking in restau- rants for 20 years, whipping up a wide variety of dishes. He opened El Cocinero in John Day in 2006, and after the city of John Day bought the property where his restau- UDQWZDVORFDWHGWREXLOGD¿UH station, he closed down and moved out of the area for a time. Leal found the new lo- cation in Prairie City when another Mexican restaurant switched locations. The building was also once El Cocinero is a family restaurant in Prairie City with a Mexican flair. Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter Fernando Leal of El Cocinero in Prairie City serves a customer a crispy taco salad on Jan. 11. home to the Branding Iron Restaurant and Lounge, and still features the familiar brands from local ranchers, along with Latin American decor. The El Cocinero menu has remained the same, and there are still daily specials. Customer favorites include macho burritos, molé enchi- ladas and crazy chicken, Leal said. Other menu items include chimichangas, carne asada, fajitas, tostadas, tamales, ÀDXWDV VDODGV DQG VHDIRRG selections, as well as Mexican desserts. If a customer prefers, Leal also has hamburgers and steaks available. Leal said he enjoys ev- ery aspect of the restaurant business: cooking, serving customers and cleaning the dishes. He still has a sombrero for birthday celebrations. “I like it when people choose my restaurant for their birthday — I’ll sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to them,” he said. “Business is good, so far,” Leal said, adding the pace is busier with a bar at the back of the family restaurant. “I appreciate everyone’s support of the business,” Leal said. El Cocinero is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, at 137 W. Front St. in Prairie City. For more information, call the restaurant at 541-820-4414. TOWN Continued from Page A1 City Recorder Corry Rid- er, whose office is across the street, said, “We have an outrageous park.” Rider doesn’t live in Can- yon City, but said, “I defi- nitely feel like I’m part of the city.” “It’s a great place to work, with a great coun- cil and great people,” he said. Canyon City’s biggest annual gala is the ’62 Days Celebration in June com- memorating the discovery of gold in 1862. The celebration includes the Gold Rush Run and Walk and McKalee’s Walk and Jog. Organized by the Whis- key Gulch Gang, ’62 Days has been held every year since 1922. Other events in recent years have included the Ore- gon State Cowboy Fast Draw Championships, which will be held this year the first The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler This mural that graces the Guernsey building north of Sproul Park in Canyon City is one of two painted in 1996 by Larry Kangas. It depicts a Fourth of July parade making its way down Canyon City’s Washington Street in the 1890s. Kangas based the painting on a photograph of an 1886 Canyon City parade he found in a Portland museum. weekend in June, and the Aces for Faces Motorcycle Poker Run. Humbolt Elementary, part of Grant School District No. 3, has an enrollment of 310 students in grades K-6. Canyon City is also home to Grant County Child Care Center, which offers pre- school education. The town has the notori- ety of burning three times in its history — in 1870, 1898 and 1937. Each time, the re- silient residents rallied and rebuilt their community. Today, Canyon City is governed by Mayor Steve Fischer, City Coun- The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler Sproul Park is the site of summer concerts and other community events throughout the year. cil President Jim Johnson and Councilors Rachelle Simmons, Don Mooney, Jason Hatfield and Diane Blake. City council meetings are held the third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call Canyon City City Hall at 541-575-0509. Need help with auto insurance? Suspension, DUII, tickets, no insurance? Let us at Consumer Insurance Services get you going! Emma Hettinga Blue Mountain Eagle on your retirement, Lane! 3 KDQN3\RX3IRU3\RXU3VHUYLFH3WR3 7 3*UDQW3&RXQW\3DQG3FRQJUDWXODWLRQV3 3RQ3EHLQJ3WKH3PRVW3WHQXUHG 3 &RXQW\3$VVHVVRU3LQ3WKH3 36WDWH3RI32UHJRQ3IRU33<HDUV4 Dawson Quinton E LKS SCHOLARS ANNOUNCED By Angel Carpenter Congratulations Bend: 541-383-1733 Redmond: 541-504-2134 Toll Free: 1-888-898-sr22 each of them,” Wood said. “I really appreciate the time they take to help with this.” JOHN DAY — The John Day Elks Lodge No. 1824 scholarship chairman, Connie Wood, announced the Elks Most Valuable Student Schol- arship winners. Out of 10 Grant County ap- plicants, three boys and three girls will advance to the district level to be judged with other Eastern Oregon senior students. 7KH¿UVWSODFHER\LV'DZ- son Quinton of Grant Union, DQGWKH¿UVWSODFHJLUOLV(PPD Hettinga of Dayville School. They each received a check for $250 from the lodge. Other winners are: Ama- ya Zweygardt of Prairie City School, Jamie Waltenburg of Dayville School, Garrett Hitz of Prairie City School and Wy- att Weaver of Grant Union. Judging the applications were Ken Peterson, Nita Van Voorhis and Vera Shoberg. “I want to say thank you to RIB R E IM TE PR OBS 00 & L $ 35 rt sse ! De luded inc NO ONE KNOWS YOUR EQUIPMENT BETTER. Your AGCO Parts Dealer has the parts you need when you need them. Hardware, chain, batteries, tillage, belts, cutting parts. We have the quality parts you need to keep your AGCO equipment running smoothly during the demanding harvest season. Highly trained service personnel at AGCO Parts make it all come together, so you can rest easy. Visit your AGCO Parts Dealer and get the parts and services you need to “Keep you in the Field” this season. Find out more at agcoparts.com. 03451 Women’s Surgical Care Close to Home Specializing in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery Blue Mountain Surgery Keith J. 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