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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2019)
NEWS BlueMountainEagle.com 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 classifi eds. Wednesday, March 20 Luncheon and church service • 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, John Day The Ministerial Association churches will observe Lent with a special luncheon and service held at various local churches. Everyone is invited. These special services are held on Wednes- days ending on Wednesday, April 10. A soup and bread lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 pm. The service follows from 12:15-12:45 p.m. Spring equinox labyrinth walk 5:30 p.m., Canyon Mountain Center, 757 E. Main St., John Day In celebration of the spring equinox, as well as the full super- moon that occurs on the same day, a walk will be held. For more information, contact Sandy Bay at 415-515-6316. Wednesday, March 20, 2019 WHAT’S HAPPENING Friday, March 22 Cancer benefi t dinner • 4:30 p.m., John Day Golf Course There will be a benefi t dinner to support GIST (gastrointes- tinal stromal tumor) cancer research. There will be two dinner times, 4:30 and 6 p.m. Dinner is breakfast: biscuits and gravy, pan- cakes, bacon, sausage and eggs. The cost is $10 per person, $5 for children under 7. For more information, call Linda McClellan at 541-620-2352. Monday-Tuesday, March 25-26 Community blood drive ety of history, science and arts events throughout the week at dif- ferent locations. “Passports” are available at the Grant County Chamber of Commerce in John Day for $5, or $12 per family. Children 5 and under can participate for free. The Canyon City Community Hall will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 28 with many sponsored activities, and passports are required for entry (ages 6-12). For more information, leave a message at the Grant County Historical Museum, 541-575-0362, after March 15. Tuesday, March 26 Mad Hatter meeting • 11:30 a.m., The Silver Spur, Mt. Vernon Due to inclement weather, the group was unable to meet in February. The group will hold a luncheon and meeting. R.S.V.P. by calling Norma at 541-620-4086 or Gwynne at 916-212-2978. Wednesday, March 27 Food bank distribution day • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Grant County Food Bank The food bank is back on its normal distribution schedule for the fourth Wednesday of the month. For more information, call 541-575-0299. Thursday, March 21 Chamber of commerce luncheon • 12 p.m., The Outpost Pizza, Pub & Grill, John Day After a 10:30 a.m. board meeting at the chamber offi ce, a no-host luncheon will feature speaker Peggy Murphy, who will share information about the Passport to Fun event and other hap- penings at the Grant County Historical Museum. For more infor- mation, call the chamber at 541-575-0547. A3 The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Sandy Bay stands in the middle of a labyrinth as Jim Bay enters at their property in John Day. • 1-6 p.m. March 25, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John Day • 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 26, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John Day To schedule an appointment for the American Red Cross blood drive, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code “JOHNDAYCOMMUNITY.” Monday-Friday, March 25-29 Kids Passport to Fun • Grant County The second annual museum event for children features a vari- Saturday, March 30 Inland Northwest Musicians Chorale concert • 4 p.m., Canyon City Community Hall The Juniper Arts Council will host the 40-singer cho- rale, performing “Peaceable Kingdom” by Randall Thomp- son and “Gloria” by Antonio Vivaldi. The concert is free. A dessert reception will follow. For more information, call 541-932-4892. Saturday, April 6 Lake Creek Youth Camp gala • 4 p.m., Grant County Fairgrounds The gala features a tri-tip dinner, auction and live music. The live auction begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $20 per person, available at 861 W. Main St., John Day, or by calling 541-206-2421. Parmalee to headline 2019 county fair By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Parmalee, a country-west- ern band whose 2013 hit “Feels Like Carolina” reached No. 5 on Billboard’s U.S. Indie chart and No. 10 on Billboard’s U.S. Country chart, will be the headliner act at this year’s Grant County Fair, Fair Manager Mindy Winegar told the county court March 13. The band includes Matt Thomas on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Scott Thomas on drums, their cousin Barry Knox on bass and Josh McSwain on guitar. Parmalee’s extended-play release “Daylight” debuted in 2002, and their 2012 hit “Musta Had A Good Time” was recorded in the back of an RV. Parmalee was featured as Billboard’s “Bubbling Under” artist in June 2012. The court approved the $25,000 contract for Par- malee. Judge Scott Myers was absent. Winegar told the court last year’s headline act, Lone Star, cost $30,000. She said she is still working on other entertainment acts for the fair and noted that a rop- ing event scheduled for July should attract lots of visitors. The court also approved Winegar’s request to move forward with removing trees on the north side of the fair- grounds where roots are harming the pavilion fl oor; spending $6,383 for 10 cus- tom picnic tables for use in the RV park; and increas- ing the fairground manager’s credit card limit. Winegar said she has been working with Oregon Trail Electrical Cooperative on new parking lot lights and looking at more fencing to keep vehicles off the lawns. A group operating through the Grant County Family Heri- tage Foundation is planning improvements to the small animal barn through dona- tions and volunteer labor, she said. The fairgrounds could benefi t from having more RV spaces, Winegar said. Com- missioner Jim Hamsher said he’d like to see more security cameras and signs put up to deter transients. Winegar also said she met with John Day city offi cials to talk about the city’s plans for new riverfront trails and the county’s responsibility for maintaining Prospector Trail, which runs between the John Day River and the fairgrounds. Commissioner Sam Palmer said, with all the improve- ments planned for the city, he didn’t want the fairgrounds to be the only eyesore in the neighborhood. Winegar agreed, saying she wanted the fairgrounds to continue attracting visitors to the area. In other county court news: • Grant County Undersher- iff Zach Mobley presented a request to increase pay for the sheriff offi ce’s civil dep- uty, who handles clerical duties that include unfunded mandates such as tracking statistics. The civil deputy also han- dles fi ngerprinting and back- ground checks for concealed handgun licensing, which has been a source of revenue for the offi ce, he said. The civil deputy’s pay was established based on cleri- cal duties, but the civil dep- uty occasionally fi lls in at the jail. Mobley said the pay scale should be increased before a union grievance is fi led for that kind of work. Mobley also requested cre- ating a new part-time 30-hour clerical position to relieve workload and fi ll in for the civil deputy’s vacation and sick time. The court approved moving both requests to the budget committee. • The court approved sending a letter to the state House Committee on Natu- ral Resources in support of House Bill 2370. The bill would allow county voters to approve a measure permitting the use of dogs for hunting, to add a fourth person to the road department’s Long Creek area will move on to the budget committee. A grant contract with the Oregon Department of Transportation for new road signs on Middle Fork Road was approved. The county will be reimbursed for most of the cost. • Grant County Surveyor Mike Springer said he plans to talk with city offi cials about how their city plan- ning commissions could han- dle vacating subdivision lot lines when requested. This could save property owners having to complete an expen- sive replat process through the county court. THE JUNIPER ARTS COUNCIL IS SEEKING APPLICATIONS FOR THE JOHN AND LINDA SHELK COMMUNITY GRANTS The Juniper Arts Council is seeking grant applications from Grant County organizations for community projects that benefit Grant County communities. The JAC has $3,000 to distribute from the Shelk Foundation for community projects. The maximum grant award is $1,000. An example of a recent Shelk recipient: Blue Mountain Community College and Oregon State University received a grant to purchase welding safety gear sets to be used for welding classes held at Grant Union with college credit from BMCC. Grant SWCD Weed Control Dept. Working for You in 2019 Applications are available from Karin Barntish at 131 West Main Street in John Day. Further information is available from Kris Beal at 541-932-4892. Thanks to the Grant County Court and Northeast Oregon Forests Resource Advisory Committee, Grant Weed Control is able to offer a 25% Cost share program for Noxious Weed Control on Private Grazing Lands, through a Title II funded Grant Project. This program will provide a maximum $5,000 of noxious weed control services with a $1,250 maximum landowner contribution to qualifying participants. To be eligible for participation, the treatment property must not be actively irrigated and must be primarily managed for livestock grazing, minimum of 20 acres in size, located within Grant County, and must contain priority noxious weed species. Applications for this limited weed control assistance opportunity will be ranked and funded according to a priority noxious weed list.. Contact the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District Office at (541) 575-1554 or visit 721 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845 for applications and additional information. The application deadline for this program is April 12th, 2019. 107997 Applications are due April 5, 2019 by 5 PM. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS Don’t forget to apply for a Silvies Valley Ranch Education Scholarship. Open to Grant & Harney County students. Postmark deadline is Applications are available from your school’s guidance counselor or online at www.silvies.us 108972 1883 CANCER AWARENESS 105832 ATTENTION EST. pursuing or taking cougars within the county. “Grant County deer pop- ulations have dramatically declined an estimated 70 per- cent over the last 20 years, while the cougar popula- tion has exploded,” the let- ter states. “We have seen recent cougar activities in our communities, including confi rmed kills of domes- tic pets in Prairie City. While we understand there must be balance for a healthy ecosys- tem, the decrease of our local deer populations shows that the current ecosystem is not a healthy one.” • Grant County Roadmas- ter Alan Hickerson’s request March is COLORECTAL CANCER Awareness Month Dr. Keith Thomas, board-certified general surgeon at Blue Mountain Hospital, is an experienced provider of screening and diagnostic colonoscopies. Located in the Blue Mountain Hospital 170 Ford Road, John Day 541-575-1311 Office Hours by Appointment IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: • An age of 50 or older • A family history of colon cancer • Recent changes in your bowel habits then talk to your primary care doctor to see if a colonoscopy referral is right for you.
