News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
A3
MoonLIT Music Festival planned for eclipse weekend
some originals from the art-
ists.
Church will play guitar and
sing new and classic country
and a few rock anthems.
“I sang for heavy met-
al bands in the ’80s — all
original material,” he said,
adding, “A couple years ago,
I sang for Cycle Oregon (in
John Day) for a crowd of
about 5,000 with the band
The Area.”
Rachelle had encourag-
ing words for the musicians
when they recently met.
“When I’m mentally pre-
paring for a show, I focus on
taking care of the audience,”
she said. “I want them to feel
something.”
She added, “It’s like they
say, ‘It’s not what you said or
did, but how you made them
feel.’ That’s what I aim to
achieve.”
Rachelle and Bremner
hope to see the festival be-
come an annual event.
“There is a big opportuni-
ty here,” Rachelle said.
Tickets are available
through the event website,
MoonLitMusicFestival.com,
which also has information
about the musicians.
For more information,
call the chamber at 541-575-
0547.
Event planners
hope for sell-out
show of 4,000
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
While the Grant County
Chamber of Commerce has
been planning for crowds of
tourists during the total solar
eclipse in August, they’ve
also planned what they hope
will be an epic concert: the
Saturday, Aug. 19, MoonLIT
Music Festival held from 2
p.m. to midnight at the Grant
County Fairgrounds.
Several local and regional
artists — bands, solo artists,
duos and a DJ — will present
multiple genres of music, in-
cluding country, alternative,
rock, pop, folk and more.
Chamber office manag-
er Tammy Bremner says she
thinks it could be a sell-out
event, with 4,000 spots for
seating and standing, at the
fairgrounds arena in John
Day.
Solo artist Jamie Rachelle
(known locally as Jamie Cer-
nazanu) is coordinating the
show and will be one of the
main performers.
Rachelle will debut an
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Musicians meet at the Grant County Chamber of Commerce in John Day about the upcoming MoonLIT concert to
be held Saturday, Aug. 19, the weekend of the total solar eclipse. From left, Les Church, concert organizer and singer
Jamie Rachelle, Austin McKrola, Samantha Floyd and Marcus Perkins are scheduled to provide entertainment that
night along with headliner artists. In back, chamber office manager Tammy Bremner helps facilitate the meeting.
original song based on Bonnie
Tyler’s ’80s hit “Total Eclipse
of the Heart” and present a
mixture of rhythm and blues
and a soulful pop music.
“I’m looking forward to
performing alongside some
really great bands and local
talent,” Rachelle said. “There
will be something for every-
one.”
School superintendent
leaves Monument for Cove
Earl Pettit starts
new position
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Former
Monument
School District Superin-
tendent Earl Pettit started
a new position as interim
superintendent of Cove
School District Aug. 1.
Pettit, who held his posi-
tion in Monument for seven
years, resigned June 22.
When asked why he left
the school district, Pettit said
he was looking for a fresh
start. He said, over time, the
direction the school board
wanted to go and what he
envisioned didn’t coincide.
“From the middle of win-
ter on, it came to my recog-
nition that we were probably
not going to go farther,” he
said. “It was time to change
leadership.”
Pettit wore many hats at
the school district and in the
community.
Besides being superin-
tendent, during his tenure at
Monument School District,
Pettit was principal, athletic
director, transportation di-
rector, trainer and track and
cross country coach. He also
started a speech and debate
club, homework club and a
junior-senior high rock band.
He said the school was
successful when he arrived
and is still successful.
“I think my contributions
here were extending oppor-
tunities to kids that prior to
2010 they wouldn’t have
even imagined having,” he
said.
School board member
Vonda Stub-
blefield said
the fact Pettit
was with the
school dis-
trict for seven
years speaks
well for the
Earl Pettit
former super-
intendent.
“Sometimes you just go
different directions,” she
said. “Cove is a bit bigger
school and bigger area.”
She said Pettit started
the Flying Tigers club at the
school, which gave students
the chance to travel to Chi-
na, Cambodia, Thailand and
India.
“He’d traveled a lot in his
life, so he was comfortable
with it,” Stubblefield said. “It
was nice that he afforded the
kids in our school that oppor-
tunity.”
Besides his involvement
with the school, Pettit was the
Monument fire chief for two
years, engineer for four years
prior and was commander of
the Monument American Le-
gion Post since 2011.
Pettit was busy pack-
ing last week as his family
prepares to move to Cove,
including his wife Nittaya,
daughter Sophie, a junior,
and sons Bill, a freshman,
and Charlie, a kindergartner.
“This is moving from
home to establish anoth-
er one,” he said. “All of the
friends and the close-knit
community will be missed.”
The search is on for a new
Monument superintendent.
Stubblefield said they are still
accepting applications, and
interviews will soon be held.
School is scheduled to be-
gin Tuesday, Aug. 22.
dle. Wind Fields plays old-
time country Americana folk.
VCI Audio of Boise, Ida-
ho, will also provide dynam-
ic, beat-mixing music.
Six local musicians will
take the main stage, includ-
ing Les Church of Prairie
City, performing with Gary
Battle of Oakridge and Prai-
rie City; Marcus Perkins of
Headliner bands in-
clude the Phoenix-based,
four-member band Jane N
The Jungle with alternative
rock; Hit Factory, a six-mem-
ber cover band from Port-
land; and five-member band
the Wind Fields of Northern
California, which includes
local alumnus Brianna Mur-
phy-Johnston on violin/fid-
New book highlights Grant County
Historical photo
book available
to purchase
locally
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Filled with photos from
yesteryear, a newly published
book “Grant County,” from
the Images of America series,
highlights the towns and peo-
ple of Grant County.
The author, George R.
Miller of Gresham, held
book-signing events Mon-
day and Tuesday at the Grant
County Historical Museum in
Canyon City and the DeWitt
Museum in Prairie City.
With 126 pages, the book
includes information and
photos about topics such as
mining, Chinese immigrants,
industries, schools, churches,
festivities, disasters and sher-
iffs.
Most photos are from the
late 1800s and early 1900s,
with a few more recent photos
interspersed.
Miller, a retired meteorol-
ogist, wrote two other Images
of America books for Arcadia
Publishing, one about Gresh-
am and another about the
Portland Rose Festival.
He said, with weather fore-
casting, he had jurisdiction
over Grant County and trav-
eled frequently to Eastern Or-
egon. He also knew a couple
people with roots in the area.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant County Historical Museum curator Jayne
Primrose rings up Dave Driscoll’s purchase of the new
Grant County book of history during a book signing
Monday. The author George R. Miller of Gresham was on
hand to tell visitors about his new book “Grant County.”
Most of the photographs in
the book were contributed by
the Grant County Historical
Museum with help from cura-
tor Jayne Primrose. She said
Miller did a great job writing
the book.
“I’m excited to have one
because people come in and
ask if there is a Grant Coun-
ty book, and now I can say
‘yes,’” she said.
Other pictures came from
the Blue Mountain Eagle and
Ranch and Rodeo Museum in
John Day, the DeWitt Muse-
um & Sumpter Valley Rail-
way Depot and the Thomas
Condon Paleontology Center
near Kimberly.
“The fact that there was
hardly anyone there (in Grant
County) before 1862, and of
course when gold was discov-
ered hordes of people came in
and changed the area — that
was something that I didn’t
know about at all,” Miller
A new book titled “Grant
County,” from the Images
of America series, by
George R. Miller of
Gresham, is now available
to purchase at local
museums and businesses.
said, adding he learned how
Grant County and the towns
that make up the area were
named.
Miller dedicated the book
to the people of Grant County,
“who for over 150 years have
worked hard ... seeking to im-
prove the area they love.”
The book is available July
31 for $21.99 at the local mu-
seums and some businesses,
and online at arcadiapublish-
ing.com.
2017
August 5th
NIGHT RODEO
entries start at 4pm, rodeo at 5pm
Grant County Fairgrounds • Entries open at 8 am • Rodeo Starts 9AM
BARREL RACING
POLE BENDING
GOAT TYING
DUMMY ROPING
KEYHOLE RACE
FLAG RACE
FIGURE 8 RACE
BREAKAWAY
Membership: $30 individual/$45 Family ~ Entry Fees: $2/Event or $10/day
Membership in the Cinnabar Mountain Playdays is required. Playdays are open to all children up to the age of 18 as
of January first of the current year. MEMBERSHIP DUES MUST BE PAID IN FULL IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE. NO
EXCEPTIONS. Daily entry fees must be paid at time of entry. Proof of age is required to compete and must be
presented to a Director no later than the second playday attended by the membership holder. Forms of identification
that will be accepted to prove date of birth are bith certificate, driver’s license or immunization record.
• Veteran Owned
Contestants must compete in at least four (4) Playdays to be eligible for year-end awards.
• Competitive Pricing
JOHN DAY VIDEO & ELECTRONICS
SONY Bluetooth Headphones
now on SALE!
• Serving Central & Eastern Oregon
Check out our selection
Located in the West Main Plaza
541-620-1405 Burklevi@yahoo.com
05966
John Day, joined by Nathan
Delano of Pendleton; Saman-
tha Floyd of Canyon City;
Austin McKrola of Mt. Ver-
non; sisters Aliciana and Ma-
leah Archibald of John Day;
and Peter and Rachel Lyttle-
wood of Long Creek.
Their music will range
from pop to country, as well
as other styles, including
05639
05879
www.cimplaydays.wix.com/youthrodeo
PO Box 892 John Day, OR 97845
GRANT COUNTY
ENTREPRENEURS!
Share your ideas about what makes a
good business or ask questions about
starting a business in Grant County.
Have an idea. Don’t know what to do
with it.
THIS IS THE PLACE:
Tuesday, August 8th at Timbers Bistro 742 W. Main at 10:00 am.
FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL:
David@envme.com
541-523-6377
05856
541-963-6577
541-573-6377
541-523-6377
05370