A8
Community
Blue Mountain Eagle
Fossil beds auto tour
The deadline for What’s Happening items is 5 p.m. Friday.
Call the Eagle, 541-575-0710, or email editor@bmeagle.com.
For meetings this week, see our list in the classifieds.
THURSDAY, APRIL 19
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
W HAT’S
HAPPENING
Chamber of Commerce meeting
• 10:30 a.m., chamber office, 301 W. Main St., John Day
The public is welcome to attend the business and board
meeting of the Grant County Chamber of Commerce, with an
adjournment to the Outpost restaurant at noon. Speakers are
Deanna Longair from “Oregon Saves,” a retirement program
through the Oregon State Treasury and Mark Webb, who will
give an update on the Blue Mountains Forest Partners’ current
projects. For more information, call the chamber office at 541-
575-0547.
FRIDAY, APRIL 27
Child sexual abuse prevention program
• 2-4 p.m., Canyon City Community Hall
Stewards of Children is a prevention training program that
teaches adults how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly
to child sexual abuse. The program is designed for organiza-
tions that serve youth and individuals concerned about the safe-
ty of children. Community members are welcome. For more
information, contact Lisa Weigum at lweigum@gobhi.net or
Tracey Blood at pcaorinfo@gmail.com.
FRIDAY, APRIL 20
Sam Riggs concert
• 7:30 p.m., Madden Brothers Performing Arts Center, 116
NW Bridge St., John Day
Country rock singer-songwriter Sam Riggs from Austin,
Texas, and his band will perform with opening act Tylor & The
Train Robbers from Idaho. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets cost
$30 for seated, $25 for general admission and $15 for children,
available at maddenbrothers.tix.com.
Bluegrass in Baker
• 7:30 p.m., Lefty’s Taphouse, 1934 Broadway, Baker City
The Eastern Oregon Regional Theater will present the show,
featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Laurie Lewis and
Friends. The event is a fundraiser for the restoration of Baker
Orpheum Theatre. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 the day
of the show. Tickets are available by visiting bakerlivetheatre.
com, calling 541-523-9652 or at Betty’s Books at 1813 Main
St. in Baker City. For more information, visit bakerlivetheatre.
com.
SATURDAY, APRIL 21
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner
and auction
• 4 p.m., Grant County Fairgrounds
Current foundation members are invited to attend the
fundraiser benefiting elk and other wildlife. The doors open
at 4 p.m., dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. and the auction begins
at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, call Gale Wall at 541-
575-2661.
Wild and Scenic film festival
• 7 p.m., Madden Brothers Performing Arts Center, 116 NW
Bridge St., John Day
The festival features a collection of a dozen films that speak
to the environmental concerns and celebrations of the planet.
Suds Pub will be present for food and drinks, and a raffle will
be held. Tickets cost $15 for adults, and children 17 and under
are free. The event is hosted by the Blue Mountain Land Trust
and sponsored by the Madden Brothers Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are available by visiting bmlt.org.
• 1 p.m., Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, 9 miles west
of Dayville
Participants will drive their own vehicles on a free three-
hour tour, guided by former park ranger John Fiedor. The tour
will travel through the Sheep Rock Unit with stops for discus-
sion. Quality tires are recommended for the gravel road portion.
For more information, contact the John Day Fossil Beds Na-
tional Monument at 541-987-2333.
Contributed photo
Sam Riggs and his band will perform April 20 at the
Madden Brothers Performing Arts Center with Tylor &
The Train Robbers opening.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 21-22
Rummage sale
• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monument Senior Center
Proceeds benefit the senior center at the third annual rum-
mage sale. Chili, rolls, coffee and maple bars will be served
April 21. 4-H’ers will serve hot roast beef sandwiches and des-
serts April 22. For more information, call Judy Harris at 541-
934-2244.
JC Oliver Memorial Team Roping
• 1 p.m. Saturday
• 10 a.m. Sunday
• Grant County Fairgrounds, John Day
The event is an American Cowboy Team Roping Associ-
ation qualifier. All proceeds benefit the Grant County Family
Heritage Foundation. Doors will open an hour prior, and ad-
mission is free.
SUNDAY, APRIL 22
Candidate forum
• 1 p.m., Grant County Fairgrounds pavilion
All local candidates in the upcoming election are expected to
attend a candidate forum sponsored by the Mt. Vernon Grange.
Ted Ferrioli, former state senator and current member of the
Northwest Power & Conservation Council, will moderate the
event. Each candidate will be allowed to speak for five minutes,
with an opportunity for a three-minute rebuttal. Questions from
the audience for Ferrioli to present will be gathered during an
intermission. Coffee and cookies will be available during the
intermission. For more information, contact Jean Sagert, 541-
575-1007.
T-ball registration deadline
• Parks and Recreation office, 845 1/2 Bridge St., John Day
Registration for players is due by April 27 to John Day-Can-
yon City Parks and Recreation. A late fee of $5 will apply to
those turned in after the date. The registration fee is $45, or
$50 for out of district, and a scholarship fund is available on
request. For questions or to receive a registration form, visit
jdccparksandrec.weebly.com or contact Bobbee Hueckman at
541-575-0110.
SATURDAY, APRIL 28
CH Strong dinner
• 6 p.m., Dayville School gymnasium
Proceeds will benefit Cheryl Hubbird in her fight against
cancer. The silent auction begins at 5:45 p.m., dinner starts at 6
p.m. and the live auction begins at 7 p.m. On the menu is pulled
pork and sloppy joes with sides, drinks and dessert. The cost
for ages 11 and up is $10, and $5 for 10 and under. Tickets are
available through local area merchants or by contacting Skip
Inscore at 541-987-2383. Auction items or financial donations
are appreciated and may be arranged through Inscore.
Tri-tip dinner and auctions
• 6 p.m., Long Creek School
All proceeds will go to the Long Creek ambulance crew and
volunteer fire department. Live and silent auctions will be held,
along with a 50/50 drawing and fire engine auction. Dinner in-
cludes sides, dessert and beverages. Admission is by donation,
and reservations must be made by April 23. For more infor-
mation, call the city of Long Creek at 541-421-3601 or email
info@cityoflongcreek.com.
MONDAY, APRIL 30
Town hall meeting
• 6-8 p.m., Long Creek Community Center
Local election candidates will attend a question and answer
meeting. All county residents are invited to attend. For more
information, call Linda Hunt at 541-519-4663.
Madden center to host concert Friday
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
Sam Riggs will perform
Friday at the Madden Brothers
Performing Arts Center.
The country rock sing-
er-songwriter from Austin,
Texas, and his band will follow
Tylor & The Train Robbers
from Idaho with doors opening
at 6 p.m.
Owners Jesse and Joe Mad-
den said they hope for a better
turnout because attendance has
been low at the last two con-
certs. Although feedback from
the shows has been positive,
not enough people have been
attending over the winter to
cover the costs, Jesse Madden
said.
“People need to know, if it’s
something they want to have in
their community, they need to
find a way to participate in it, or
we’re going to have to not do
it anymore,” Joe Madden said.
While attendance at the first
concerts in August 2017 was
over 200, attendance at the last
two concerts was less than 100.
Not only does the lack of ticket
sales make it difficult to break
even, bands aren’t willing to
come to the area with poor
Grant County Chamber
Monthly Newsletter
We are looking forward for the 2018
tourist season! We had a nice preview
recently during Spring Break. The
weather was decent and several visitors
stopped by.
This year, the Grant County Museum,
Kam Wah Chung, and the Ranch and
Rodeo Museum were open the week of
Spring Vacation and received quite a
few visitors because of it!
I would like to thank Peggy Murphy from
the Grant County Historical Museum
and Bobbee Hueckman from John Day/
Canyon City Parks and Rec. for all they
did to make the “Passport to Fun” such
a BIG success! They not only provided
lots of fun and educational things for
our local families to do, but several
visiting families enjoyed it as well.
We would like to welcome two new
members this month – Cowboy
Cottages and Roan Outwest as
members.
Our April meeting will be held Thursday,
April 19th. The board meets at 10:30
AM at the Chamber office and the
Membership Luncheon is at 12:00
PM at the Outpost. Our Guest Speakers
will be Deanna Longair from Oregon
Saves – the new Retirement Program
initiated by
the Oregon State Treasury and Mark
Webb from Blue Mountain Forest
Partners who will be updating us on
what they are working on in Grant
County.
We continue to stay busy here at the
Chamber. We are excited about the
enthusiasm we are getting from our
neighboring chambers who have
agreed to get together here to talk
about ways we can boost each other’s
economy. Our first meeting will be
April 26th .
We hope to see you at our
Membership Luncheon!
ticket sales. Joe Madden said a
show was almost canceled re-
cently by a band’s management
team because of poor sales.
He said the venue could
adjust ticket prices higher to
cover costs, but that would lead
to less attendance, and they are
trying to keep ticket prices rea-
sonable for most of the county.
Joe Madden said having a
concert hall makes the commu-
nity more attractive by provid-
ing something to do in an area
that has no bowling alley or
movie theater.
“We have less to do in our
community as far as any kind
of entertainment events than
any community I can think of,”
he said. “I really expected more
of a community turnout for it.”
Jesse Madden said the ven-
ue is bringing some money into
the community with out-of-
town attendees, and each show
brings a little more. He said
many attendees often go out to
other establishments after the
shows as well.
He said, depending on atten-
dance, they may have to book
fewer shows, or only during
summer when temporary vis-
itors could bolster attendance.
The concert hall was started
as a way to improve the com-
Eagle file photo
Chris Knight plays at
the Madden Brothers
Performing Arts Center
on in 2017. Lagging ticket
sales may force changes
at the new venue.
munity, Joe Madden said, and
he appreciates the many people
and sponsors who have sup-
ported it.
“There’s a good group of
people who have been really
supportive and have showed up
in attendance,” Jesse Madden
said.
After Friday, the next show
is Jeff Crosby & The Refugees
May 18.
Great things
are
happening!
EOU
Men’s track & meld 4x400
relay team took mrst at a
conference meet with a
3:27.18 mnish
CONNECTED
IS
Our student Chemistry Club received
national recognition from the American
Chemical Society for outstanding
community engagement
EOU’s Fire Service Administration degree
is ranked as one of the top programs in the
country!
For more information visit
eou.edu/connected
Tammy Bremner,
Chamber Manager
46506