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Community
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Mobile Vet Center coming to John Day
First visit will be May
23 at Elks Lodge
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Special counseling for veterans
will become available in John Day
through the use of a Mobile Vet Cen-
ter vehicle, which will arrive for its
first visit May 23.
The RV-type vehicle will be at
the John Day Elks Lodge from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m., according to Greg
Ford, the veteran outreach specialist
at the Central Oregon Veteran Cen-
ter in Bend. The vehicle will travel
to John Day on the fourth Wednes-
day of each month until weather
prevents travel, he said.
The Department of Veterans Af-
fairs Readjustment Counseling Ser-
vices maintains a fleet of 70 Mobile
Vet Centers. Each vehicle provides
confidential counseling space for
direct service provision and fea-
tures state-of-the-art satellite com-
munications, Ford said.
The VA’s goal is to provide fo-
cused outreach to communities that
Katee Hoffman
Bob Van Voorhis
do not meet the requirements for
a brick-and-mortar vet center but
where there are eligible veterans,
service members and families in
need of counseling services, Ford
said.
“In many instances, these com-
munities are distant from existing
services and are considered rural or
highly rural,” he said.
Counseling services will be
made available to eligible combat
veterans and their families and peo-
ple who suffered military sexual
trauma, in addition to bereavement
counseling for family members who
lost an active-duty service member,
Ford said.
Bob Van Voorhis, an active sup-
porter of local veterans in the John
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, MAY 17
Chamber of commerce meeting
Day area, said he and John Day Elks
Lodge members pushed hard for
these services.
“It’s one of our guiding principles
to help vets,” he said.
Van Voorhis said about 780
self-identifying veterans live in
Grant County. If those who wish to
maintain their privacy are included,
the total is probably about 1,000, he
said.
“About one third of vets live in
rural areas,” he said.
Van Voorhis said the Mobile Vet
Center service is new to Eastern Or-
egon and will make monthly trips
to John Day, Burns and Christmas
Valley. He said the program will be
in transition this summer and could
ramp up to include Ford, a nurse and
a counselor, depending on participa-
tion by local veterans.
The service will help fill a void
left after Steve Bull, the former di-
rector of the VA clinic in Burns,
retired. Bull traveled to John Day
on Wednesdays to meet with about
a dozen veterans suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder. The
program ended after about two years
when Bull left, and veterans were
Seneca Oyster Feed
W HAT’S
HAPPENING
• 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. The guest
speaker will be Grant County Fair Manager Mindy Winegar.
For more information, call the chamber at 541-575-0547.
MONDAY, MAY 21
• 6 p.m., Grant Union Junior-Senior High School new gym
All are welcome for a fun-filled family night watching
teams from John Day, Prairie City, Seneca and Mt. Vernon
battle it out on the donkey basketball court. Advance tickets
are $8 for adults, $6 for students in grades 7-12 and $4 for
those in grades K-6. At the door, prices are $2 more. Tickets
are available at Les Schwab Tires, Ed Staub & Sons and from
any Grant Union FFA member. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
• 5:30 p.m., Outpost restaurant, John Day
People interested in becoming a part of the local farmers
market are encouraged to attend the meeting, with a no-host
dinner. Updated guidelines and vendor applications will be
available. For more information, call 541-932-4718 or 541-
733-8778.
FRIDAY, MAY 18
• 6:30 p.m., House to Home, 131 E. Main St., John Day
The first of a three-part feng shui series, the class’s theme
is “Making the most of small spaces.” The cost is $5, and par-
ticipants can register on House to Home’s Facebook page or
in the store on the sign-up sheet. For more information, call
Kattie Piazza at 541-575-0233.
Jeff Crosby & the Refugees concert
• 7 p.m., Madden Brothers Performing Arts Center, John
Day
Doors open at 6 p.m. Opening act Brass Tacks plays at 7
p.m. The headliner starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15-30,
available at maddenbrothers.tix.com or at the door.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 18-19
Community art show
• 5-8 p.m. Friday
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
• Madden Brothers Performing Arts Center, John Day
Artists, photographers and authors are encouraged to dis-
play their work at the 12th annual art show. Art will be ac-
cepted from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, May 17, and from 10 a.m.
to noon Friday, May 18. There will be a $5 charge for dis-
playing three pieces of work from artists and photographers,
and a $5 charge for authors. Help setting up for the show
would be appreciated. To enter work into the show or for
more information, contact Patricia Ross at 541-932-4856 or
Joan Hopper at 541-379-8963.
• Noon, Seneca park
The 27th annual Seneca Oyster Feed will feature live music, a
softball tournament, a golf scramble and all-you-can-eat oysters.
A hamburger stand will also be open, and a beer garden will be
provided by 1188 Brewing. A raffle and silent auction will hand
out over $1,000 in prizes. The People Mover will provide shuttle
services from John Day to Seneca. Citywide yard sales will be
held during the event. To register for softball, call Andrea at 541-
620-2603; for the golf scramble, call Shane at 541-620-4910. For
more information, contact Seneca City Hall, 541-542-2161.
Donkey basketball
Farmers market meeting
Interior decorating class
expected to travel to Burns or Boise,
Idaho, for similar counseling.
Katee Hoffman, the Grant Coun-
ty Veteran Services Officer, called
the Mobile Vet Center “a good
idea.”
“The outreach will help,” she
said. “Being at the Elks Lodge is
good because the veterans are al-
ready comfortable going there.”
She noted that many veterans
prefer counseling through Veterans
Centers because they don’t share
information with the VA.
“Many veterans want confidenti-
ality,” she said.
Hoffman said she was looking
into whether the Grant County Peo-
ple Mover could provide rides to the
Mobile Vet Center when it comes to
John Day for veterans living in Mon-
ument, Long Creek or other outlying
areas.
Hoffman wanted to remind vet-
erans her office has moved from the
Grant County Courthouse to the L
Building in John Day. Her new ad-
dress is 530 E. Main St., Suite 5.
The American flag will be flying
outside when she’s in the office, she
said.
Eagle file photo
Brady Long prepares oysters at the Seneca Oyster
Feed last year. The event will take place Saturday, May
19, this year.
SATURDAY, MAY 19
Lake Creek Youth Camp cleanup
TUESDAY, MAY 22
Spring concert
• 7 p.m., Grant Union Junior-Senior High School
The Grant Union junior and senior bands and combined
choir will present their spring concert with a superhero theme
at the new gym at the school.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lake Creek Camp, Logan Valley
Anyone interested in helping clean up can show up, and
groups of three or more may call ahead in order to provide a
general head count for lunch, which will be provided for the
volunteers. Those who plan to be working outside are asked to
bring gloves and rakes. For more information, call RoseAnn
Palmer at 541-575-2831.
Living History tours
• 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Grant County Historical Museum,
Canyon City
Tours will cover the museum, featuring live actors and pre-
sentations of Grant County’s background and some of its most
famous figures, and will also visit nearby St. Thomas Epis-
copal Church, a 142-year-old church that has survived three
fires during Canyon City’s history. The cost is $10 for adults,
$5 for children ages 7-17, and children under 7 are free.
Participants are asked to preregister at bmlt.org/upcomin-
gevents/2018/5/19/living-history. For more information, visit
the registration website or call Blue Mountain Land Trust at
541-620-5754.
Choir and handbell concert
• 6:30 p.m., New Life Bible Church, Long Creek
The Singers and Handbell Choir of Cornerstone Bible In-
stitute, based in Hot Springs, South Dakota, will perform. For
more information, contact the church at 541-421-3888.
Grant County Democrats meeting
• 6:30 p.m., Canyon City Community Hall
Local Democrats are encouraged to attend. For information,
call 541-542-2633.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30
Malheur National Forest open house
• 5 p.m., Grant County Regional Airport
The public is encouraged to learn about projects and activ-
ities being implemented in the Blue Mountain and Prairie City
ranger districts during 2018. Subject matter consists of on-
the-ground projects that have completed the planning phase.
A comprehensive map will be available at the open house, and
can also be found at fs.usda.gov/malheur. For more informa-
tion, call 541-575-3000.
For more information contact
Grant County Veterans 541 620-8057
57506
