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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2017)
A18 Sports & Community Blue Mountain Eagle SPORTS SCHEDULE Wednesday, Oct. 4 Monument/Dayville volleyball vs. Grant Union JV in Dayville at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 Prairie City volleyball vs. Grant Union JV/JVII in Prairie City at 5 p.m. Prairie City football @ Arlington/Condon in Condon at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6 Long Creek/Ukiah volleyball vs. Spray in Long Creek at 4:30 p.m. Prairie City volleyball vs. Jordan Valley in Prairie City at 3:30 p.m. Grant Union football @ Culver in Culver at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 Grant Union cross country @ La Grande Tigers Invitational at Buffalo Peak Golf Course in Union at 3:30 p.m. Grant Union volleyball @ Enterprise and Elgin at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Monument/Dayville football vs. Adrian/ Jordan Valley in Monu- ment at 1 p.m. Monument/Dayville volleyball vs. Adrian in Monument at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 Long Creek/Ukiah vol- leyball vs. Monument/ Dayville in Long Creek at 5:30 p.m. Author fi nds humor in everyday farm life Brianna Walker writes ‘High Heels & Tractor Wheels’ Wednesday, October 4, 2017 W HAT’S HAPPENING The deadline for What’s Happening items is 5 p.m. Fri- day. Call the Eagle, 541-575-0710, or email editor@bmea- gle.com. For meetings this week, see our list in the classi- fieds. FRIDAY, OCT. 6 First Friday By Angel Carpenter • 6-9 p.m., Downtown John Day Residents are invited to join A Flower Shop & More, 1188 Brewing Co., etc. and House to Home in enjoying a pumpkin hunt, prizes, special offers, tasty treats and more. Blue Mountain Eagle Whether she’s writing about bipolar balers, zucchi- ni advice or country road eti- quette, Brianna Renée Walk- er has a knack for making people laugh out loud. Walker, who writes the weekly column “Farmer’s Fate” — occasionally fea- tured in the Blue Mountain Eagle — has published a new book titled “High Heels & Tractor Wheels.” “One of my college pro- fessors said to write what you know best, and for me that is farm life,” Walker said. “I like to think that my writing is like the ‘farm ver- sion’ of Erma Bombeck — just a humorous look at regu- lar, everyday-life experiences that hopefully people can re- late to.” Walker lives in the Walla Walla Valley with her hus- band and their two boys, and they farm 600 acres of corn, wheat and alfalfa. She grew up in Hermiston where her parents have been growing watermelons since 1934. “It keeps me busy running between the two farms, but I love it,” Walker said. “We also have a few sheep and goats — basically just enough to qualify for old McDonald’s farm!” Writing stories since she was little, her grandma gave her an opportunity to publish her fi rst book when she was a teen. Walker said she was thrilled when she received it, “so thrilled that my teen- age self got into my car to go show the book to friends and family, and I backed right into my grandparents’ car!” She said writing the “Farmer’s Fate” column has been a type of therapy for her. “Ripping the hydraulic hoses off the tractor, or blow- SATURDAY, OCT. 7 John Day Farmers Market • 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – SW Brent St., John Day. Crafts, baked goods, produce, kids activities, entertain- ment, information booths. For more information, call 541- 792-0958 or email johndayfarmersmarket@gmail.com. SATURDAY, OCT. 7 Harvest bazaar • 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Unity Community Hall Local vendors will have wares to sell and 4-H and FFA members will provide coffee, muffins and lunch. Contributed photos Brianna Walker and her husband, A.J. Wentland, in their wedding photo. Brianna Walker ing a tire with a full load of melons is never fun, but by having a column to write, I am forced to ask myself, ‘Is this a bad day? Or is this a bad fi ve minutes?’ and ‘Will this be funny later? And if it will be, let’s see what we can do to make it funny now,’” she said. She said thinking this way helps her adjust her attitude. “No one wants to read about toil, misery and despair all the time,” she said. Walker offered an example. “So, instead of ‘Honey, the hydraulic hoses just blew, looks like we’re gonna be out $500 and half a day of work,’ my phone call is more like ‘Honey, want to go out for lunch today? Maybe do a lit- tle shopping afterward? Like maybe some new hydraulic hoses for the rake? I know I’m an expensive date, but I’m worth it.’” She added, “Because of this constant change in thought, I really do value it as my therapy, which makes me especially thankful for my readers, because without them, I might not be writing so much.” Walker said her grandma, who could quote a poem for nearly any situation, had a big infl uence on her. “I included several of her poems in my book with top- ics ranging from zucchinis to cancer,” she said. Walker’s own advice for an overabundance of zucchi- ni from the garden? Just look up “The Ford Zucchini 350” in her book. “Go to a busy feed store. Drive around until you fi nd a pickup without a dog. Put the zucchini in the back and drive away fast!” she writes. Most of Walker’s stories are about a page and a half long, the same length as her columns, and the book is available at some local stores, and can be ordered at bookstores and through ama- zon.com. GRANT SCHOOL DISTRICT #3 Board of Director Vacancy 14825 Grant School District #3 is accepting applications for a board of director vacancy. Applicants must reside within District 3’s Zone 3 boundaries and be a registered voter for one year. A zone map is available online at http://www.grantesd.k12.or.us/District-3/ board-members.html. Term will run through June 30, 2019. Those interested in applying may pick up an application from Superintendent Curt Shelley, 401 N. Canyon City Blvd., Canyon City. Application deadline: Wednesday, Oct. 11. Monday - Thursday 7am- 6pm Friday 8am - 5pm Mendy Sharpe FNP Apppointments available TUESDAY, OCT. 10 Entrepreneurs meeting • 10 a.m., Outpost Restaurant Local entrepreneurs and startups are encouraged to at- tend. For more information, email David at david@envme. com. MONDAY, OCT. 16 Malheur National Forest workshop • 5-7 p.m., Grant County Regional Airport The workshop will provide opportunities for public en- gagement with the Forest, including volunteer opportunities. Vernita Ediger, Ph.D., will facilitate the conversation, and Forest Service personnel and others who have successfully worked with the Forest will attend to provide insight to the discussions. Workshop attendees are invited to bring Mal- heur National Forest project examples they are interested in learning more about. RSVP to Sasha Fertig at 541-575-3061 or sashafertig@fs.fed.us. SATURDAY, NOV. 11 Annual Christmas bazaar • 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Mt. Vernon Grange #659, across from Clyde Holliday State Park Local vendors will have a variety of wares to sell for Christmas gifts. Homemade stew, rolls, pies, cakes and cookies will also be available to purchase. Long Creek/Ukiah JV returns 5 starters By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Long Creek/Ukiah has a junior varsity volleyball team of 10 this season, including fi ve returning starters. Some of the new girls on the team are having their fi rst experience playing the sport. Foreign exchange students Juana Wagner of Germany and Joe Nun of South Korea said this is their fi rst time on a volleyball team. “It’s my fi rst sports team,” said Nun. “It’s hard, but excit- ing. It feels friendly.” Wagner said she was ner- OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER vous in their fi rst matches, but she’s looking forward to their future games. Coached by Linda Studt- mann and Reagan Enriquez, the team kicked off its season Sept. 9 with a second-place fi nish at the Harper Tourna- ment. Studtmann said the ath- letes are starting to get to know one another and picking up the game. “They are doing well, learning quickly how to play and to work together as a team,” Studtmann said. “We are looking forward to a great year.” We’re investing in Salem coverage when other news organizations are cutting back. Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! the corner’s HOT SH T EEK OF THE W CASSIE HIRE School: Prairie City Grade: 12 Parents: Lori and Raymond Hire Sport: Volleyball Position: Middle Hitter What I like best about my sport: “I like playing with my team and having the drive to win. I think each year it gets harder, but we still push through and learn new things, that’s probably the best part.” Coach’s Comment: “She has matured as a team leader and has accepted the challenges that have been given to her this season to improve herself and the team. She has a very good serve, continues to push herself to improve her hitting, and has taken the team’s serve-receive to a higher level.” -Coach Louanne and Lance Zweygardt PROUD SPONSOR OF GRANT COUNTY ATHLETES 100 E. Main • Stoplight in John Day 541-792-0425 14834
