FOURTH OF JULY
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
A3
Cal and Dana Brooks are Dayville grand marshals
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Carla Wright is Prairie City parade’s grand marshal.
Prairie City Grand
Marshal Carla Wright
holds day’s memories dear
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Carla Wright, this
year’s Prairie City Fourth
of July Parade grand mar-
shal, has experienced
many memorable Inde-
pendence Day celebra-
tions in the town.
“One year it snowed,
and it wasn’t one to two
years after that, it was
104 degrees,” she said.
“Grant County weather is
something else.”
Another Fourth of
July memory: “The kids,
helping with kids games
at the football field and
at the park,” she said. “It
was fun.”
There were three-
legged races, balloon
games and kids dig-
ging for coins, including
50-cent pieces, in sand.
Children have been,
and continue to be, at the
center of Wright’s world.
Now retired, she was
a well-loved third-grade
teacher at Prairie City
School for 32 years.
“They’re still young
enough to like you,”
she quipped. “When I
went back to subbing, I
enjoyed the junior high
kids.”
Wright grew up in Mt.
Vernon and graduated
from Mt. Vernon High
School. She received her
teaching degree from
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity in La Grande.
At the start of her
career, Wright taught for
four years in New Mex-
ico on a reservation. She
then taught two years
in Bates, where she and
Everett King were the
last two teachers before
the school closed. She
was then offered a job in
Prairie City.
“I’ve always liked
kids, to be able to teach
them not only academ-
ics, but life,” she said. “I
always said, if I made a
good citizen out of a kid,
then I knew I did a good
job.”
OREGON CAPITAL
INSIDER
Although
Wright
retired from substitute
teaching a year ago, she
still stays active, volun-
teering for the Prairie
Baptist Awana. She also
volunteered for Young
Life in the past, bus-
ing youth from Prairie
City to John Day for four
years.
Wright is the secre-
tary-treasurer of the Prai-
rie City Cemetery Dis-
trict. The organization
received funding and
in-kind assistance to
install a well earlier this
year, since the irriga-
tion ditch used to water
the cemetery lawn often
runs dry in July. Now
the district is fundraising
to install plumbing and
electricity for the well.
She and her husband,
Larry, enjoy attending all
the Prairie City Panther
basketball games.
The couple will cele-
brate their 45th anniver-
sary in August.
Larry was the plant
superintendent at Grant
Western Lumber Co.
in John Day before it
closed.
They have four chil-
dren, Julie Combs, Rusty
Wright, Brenda Lovell
and Jason Wright, and
have 11 grandchildren and
18 great-grandchildren.
Last year, Carla and
Larry rode on the Prai-
rie City Senior Citizens
float, and this year he’ll
accompany her in a ‘57
Chevy.
The classic car is one
they previously owned
and gave to their son
Rusty. They also gave
Jason their ‘65 Ford
Mustang.
The couple were mem-
bers of the Grant County
Kruzers classic car club,
when the organization
was active.
They travel all over
Oregon with a visit to
Hawaii every other year.
“If I go to the city,
I’m always glad to come
home,” she said.
Cal and Dana Brooks
will ride together on a four-
wheeler as grand marshals of
the Dayville Fourth of July
Parade.
Dana said, when they
moved to Dayville about
20 years ago, they wanted
to become a part of the
community.
“They’re like a family
there, and we always felt
welcome,” she said.
Cal was a Dayville vol-
unteer firefighter for many
years and enjoyed using his
four-wheeler to plow snow
in town during the winter
months.
Dana was on the city’s
budget committee then
served as a city councilor for
several years.
Both now retired, Cal
Contributed photo
Cal and Dana Brooks are grand marshals of the Dayville
Fourth of July Parade.
worked at Grant County
Building Supply in Can-
yon City, and Dana was the
director of the Grant County
Commission on Children and
Families.
While in her position as
director for 10 years, she
helped the Grant County
Safe Communities Coali-
tion when they applied for
and were awarded a Drug
Free Communities Grant that
totaled $1 million over 10
years.
She then worked as an
administrative assistant at
Old West Federal Credit
Union for six years.
Dana also worked with
the late Denise Smith several
years ago to bring the slogan
“Our Fossils are Friendly”
to Dayville, giving attention
to the John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument being
“in their backyard,” she said.
The Brooks moved to
Albany in March to be
closer to Julie Wallin, Dana’s
daughter, and Nikki Wood,
Cal’s daughter, and four
granddaughters.
One of Dana’s favor-
ite pastimes in Dayville has
been the community dances.
“You see kids from 1
year old to 91 out on the
dance floor,” she said. “It’s
what communities should
be.”
FOURTH OF JULY EVENTS
PLANNED ACROSS COUNTY
PRAIRIE CITY
DAYVILLE
MONUMENT
LONG CREEK
MY HEART BEATS
RED, WHITE AND
BLUE
4TH OF JULY
SUMMER
DAYS AND
COUNTRY WAYS
CELEBRATION
4TH OF JULY FUN
FESTIVAL AT J.
DEMPSEY BOYER
PARK
FOUNDERS DAY
FOURTH OF JULY
CELEBRATION
7-10 a.m.: Calvary Horse
Camp breakfast at the Teen
Center
9 a.m.: Parade line-up (judg-
ing at 11:15 a.m.)
7-9 a.m.: Breakfast at the
community church
7-11 a.m.: 4-H pancake
breakfast
7:30 a.m.: 4-H Color Run
9 a.m.: Classic car show
registration at city hall
9 a.m.: Horseshoe compe-
tition
9:15 a.m.: Parade line-up
and judging, east of town
9:30 a.m.: Vendor booths
open
Noon: Parade
10 a.m.: Parade
10 a.m.: Parade
1 p.m.: Fay Burril Memorial
Horseshoe Tournament
Following the parade: Jake-
burgers in front of city hall
and Jake Streeter Memorial
Car Show at city park
11 a.m.: Family games, face
painting booths
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Green
Thumb Garden Club straw-
berry shortcakes
1 p.m.: FFA tri-tip barbecue
1-4 p.m.: Gold panning at
DeWitt Museum
Dusk: Fireworks at the Ox-
bow Ranch
A corn hole competition at
Prairie City park will start
before the parade, and Mr.
Pickle’s cross cut saw and
log sawing competition will
take place following the
parade near Highway 26
and Cozart Street (saws and
wood provided).
Entry forms for the parade
can be picked up at Prairie
City Hall, Roan Coffee Co.,
Bar WB and the Grant Coun-
ty Chamber of Commerce
office.
11:15 a.m.: Baked goods
auction at city park
11:30 a.m.: Jackpot Horse-
shoe Tournament at city
park
Noon (approximately): Car
show winners announced,
followed by duck race at
city park
12:30 p.m.: Winners of duck
race and star (decorating)
contest will be announced
Events and times are
subject to change. Check
the Dayville Post Office
bulletin board for schedule
updates or contact city hall
at 541-987-2188 or dville@
ortelco.net.
A Founders Day barbecue
will be held at noon in
Long Creek at the commu-
nity hall on Second Street.
The event is sponsored by
the Long Creek Historical
Society. Hamburgers and
hot dogs will be provided,
and those attending may
bring a dish to share.
Noon: Pledge of Allegiance
1 p.m.: Corn hole contest
2 p.m.: Apple bobbing
contest
3 p.m.: Duck race at the
bridge, family games re-
open
5 p.m.: Dessert and live
auction
6 p.m.: Potluck in the park
with table services and
drinks provided
7 p.m.: Talent show
10 p.m.: Fireworks over the
river
To register for the color run,
contact Sahara at 541-934-
2532; to participate in the
talent show, call 541-934-
2032. For more information
regarding overall events, call
Lonnie at 541-934-2696, Kacy
at 541-934-2032 or Monica
at 541-934-2061. Monument
parade officials said they
do not plan to have grand
marshals this year.
We’re investing in Salem
coverage when other
news organizations are
cutting back.
Get the inside scoop on state government and politics!
Wishing you a happy, safe
e
c
n
e
d
n
e
p
e
d
n
I
!
!
y
a
D
JOHN DAY • PRAIRIE CITY
Growing Generations Together
Member FDIC