News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
A3
Kids soar at annual Fly-In
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Planes soared overhead as
children eagerly waited for
their turn to fly at Satur-
day’s Grant County Fly-In.
“It’s just so bizarre,” said
9-year-old Riley Gregg af-
ter riding in Frank Stinnett’s
Cessna 172 XP during the
event at the Grant County
Regional Airport.
Stinnett has been flying
for 45 years and looks for-
ward to the Fly-In every
year.
“I enjoy introducing peo-
ple to the love of flying,” he
said. “I like to see the kids
get excited. It’s so amazing.”
Stinnett also helped chil-
dren learn to love aviation
by flying in low and slow to
drop candy near the runway
for children to run out and
collect. The candy drop was
a hit with the younger kids,
who sprinted out to fill their
pockets.
During the Fly-In, stu-
dents in grades one through
12 were given free airplane
rides around Grant County
Regional Airport. Six pilots
volunteered their time and
Nine-year-old Riley Gregg looks out the window of
Frank Stinnett’s Cessna 172 XP during the annual
at the Grant County Fly-In Saturday. “It’s just so
bizzare,” Gregg said after the flight.
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Frank Stinnett drops candy out of his Cessna 172 XP for children to collect
during the annual Grant County Fly-In Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Grant County
Regional Airport in John Day.
planes to give students 15-
to 20-minute rides.
Those waiting for their
flights, or with a fear of
heights, weren’t left out as
there was a hot breakfast
put on by Cliffhouse Cater-
ing.
The Forest Service also
brought two decommis-
sioned helicopters used for
simulating rappelling to the
event. Equipment Program
Manager Jeremy McIntosh
supervised the simulators
and explained how the sys-
tem works. As the aircraft
used for rappelling are ex-
pensive and fragile, the For-
est Service uses old Army
UH-1 hulls that are identical
to the aircraft used.
Grant County Air Search
Treasurer Cheryl Berry said
the Grant County Fly-In be-
gan as a community service
“to get children interested
in planes.”
“Air Search partners
with the airport to put on the
event, and provides the pi-
lots, airplanes and escorts,”
she said.
Mitch Gregg and his 9-year-old son, Riley, look
out the window of Frank Stinnett’s Cessna 172 XP.
Tending the next herd of stockgrowers
Samantha
Adams, a
Monument
School eighth-
grader, talks
about her 4-H
educational
display on
boer goats at
Thursday’s
Grant County
Stockgrowers
Association
meeting in John
Day. To her right
is Stockgrowers
president Alec
Oliver.
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The next generation of
Grant County stockgrowers is
off to a good start.
At Thursday’s Grant Coun-
ty Stockgrowers Association
meeting, three teens — Cinch
Anderson of Izee, Samantha
Adams of Monument and
Maggie Justice of John Day
— showed educational dis-
plays they made for the Grant
County Fair, spoke about their
breeding herds and answered
questions from the audience of
about 25.
Stockgrowers
President
Alec Oliver then awarded each
with a monetary prize from the
association.
Anderson, a freshman at
Grant Union Junior-Senior
High School, said his cattle are
part of his family’s operation,
but he leases some of them
from his parents. He shared an
educational display, “Calf Pull-
ing 101.”
Earlier this year, Anderson
delivered his irst calf, which
inspired him to create the dis-
play. He received a $50 irst-
place award at the meeting.
Adams, a Monument
School eighth-grader, is raising
ive boer goats, two of which
are due to have kids in October.
In her presentation, she
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
explained boer goats are pre-
ferred for being well-behaved
in training and showing and for
the plentiful low-fat red meat
they yield. She plans to sell her
goats, and said several 4-H’ers
had already asked about the
kids that are due.
When asked what kind of
meat tastes best to her, Adams
said with a smile, “Honestly, I
like bacon ... and hamburgers.”
Adams received $30 and
second place.
Justice, who was award-
ed third place and $20, spoke
about the pros and cons of
crested wheat grass.
The Grant Union junior is
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Samantha Adams, left, Cinch Anderson and Maggie
Justice each received awards for their 4-H breeding
projects at Thursday’s Grant County Stockgrowers
Association meeting in John Day. Anderson won
first place and received $50, Adams won second
and $30 and Justice won third and $20.
Let our family of Pharmacists
serve you!
raising 10 head of cattle, in-
cluding an Angus crossbreed
and Charolais crossbreed.
Oliver, the Stockgrowers
president, said it was great to
see young people starting their
own breeding herds.
“This is what Stockgrowers
is about in the county, and these
are some of the youngest stock-
growers,” he said. “We like to
see the next generation come
along and see all these youths
interested.”
Grant County Chamber
Monthly Newsletter
WELCOME TO CHAMBER CHATTER! We have had
a very busy year so far and it doesn’t appear that it
will slow down much at this point. The 2017 Solar
Eclipse event has turned into quite a challenge
consuming considerable hours working with the
cities, counties, and many different organizations in
coordinating and preparing for the known and the
unknown situations to make the event fun, safe, and
successful for the thousands of visitors predicted to
attend from all parts of the world. If you haven’t gotten
involved and are thinking about it, our next meeting
will be held at the Canyon City Community Hall at 4
p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Tammy Bremner and
others will bring everyone up to date.
The new TESLA electric car charging station has
been installed on the east side of the Chamber office
and the John Day location will now appear in the
vehicles’ electronic mapping system as a charge
location. The new location should attract travelers
from surrounding areas and can now utilize Highways
26 and 395. The second charging location is at the
Historic Hotel Prairie in Prairie City and more will be
installed at the 1188 Brewing Company soon.
Hopefully the electric car enthusiasts will spend a
night or two, visit our restaurants, museums, and
other popular Grant County attractions.
One of our board members, Bruce Ward, has long
advocated that travelers are missing an amazing part
of Oregon by not traveling Hwy. 26 through Grant
County. We agree and are discussing a media blitz
and other promotional ideas in order to share with
people from outside our area what we are fortunate
to experience everyday.
We would like to welcome our newest members:
Ritter Hotsprings, John Day Trailer Park and
Laundromat, and John Day Elks Lodge #1824.
Give us a call today
541-676-9158 - Heppner
541-384-2801 - Condon
We welcome the opportunity to visit with
you about our services!
Heppner & & Condon
Heppner
Condon
Our next open meeting will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday,
Sept. 22, in the Chamber of Commerce office, then
will adjourn shortly to be continued at noon for lunch
and a guest speaker at the Outpost Pizza Pub and
Grill. The guest speaker this month will be Chelsea
Harrison, Chamber of Commerce manager for
Harney County, who will share with us what is
happening in her area.
Please join us for our Annual Installation and
volunteer appreciation ceremony on Wednesday,
Sept. 21, at the John Day Elks Lodge. A no host bar
will begin at 5 p.m. Food will be provided. Guest
speakers include Nick Green, John Day City
Manager, and Haley Walker, who is the Grant County
Regional Airport Manager. Live music by the ever
popular Frank Carlson will begin after the ceremony.
Please RSVP as soon as possible to (541) 575-0547.
See you there.
Jerry Franklin
Chamber President
04511