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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 2019)
HISTORY MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, December 25, 2019 A13 OUT OF THE PAST 10 Years ago Award time Several elementary stu- dents at Prairie City School received either student of the month certificates or aca- demic achievement awards for the first quarter of 2009- 2010, during an assembly in early November: front row, from left, Dorran Wilson, Tiler Voigt, Rilee Emmel, Peyton Neault, Katie Hire, Paige Gerry, Seth Moore, Haley Pfefferkorn and Dylan Propeck; back row, Sierra Dahlen, Marnie Woodbury, Brianna Zweygardt, Cyn- thia Griego, Kody Propeck, Klay McGill and Megan Camarena. 25 Years Ago Area Wood Carver Blends imagination, Skill The next time you look at a log before you chop it up or throw it into the fire, think of what shape it could take with a little imagination and skill. A John Day resident, Dave Ellis, is putting a child- hood hobby of wood work- ing into a profession this holiday season. “I’ve carved since I was a little kid,” said Ellis, who had a display set up inside the entrance of the John Day Mini Mall. “It takes a good eye, because you can’t put the wood back once it’s out.” Ellis, who has lived in John Day for three years, started his new business two months ago after buying a specialized chainsaw with a carving blade and some hand tools, such as files, a blow torch and wire brushes. “I haven’t sold much,” explained Ellis, who wants to build up his stock so he File photo From Dec. 23, 2009: Several elementary students at Prairie City School received either student of the month certifi- cates or academic achievement awards for the first quarter of 2009-2010, during an assembly in early November: front row, from left, Dorran Wilson, Tiler Voigt, Rilee Emmel, Pey- ton Neault, Katie Hire, Paige Gerry, Seth Moore, Haley Pfef- ferkorn and Dylan Propeck; back row, Sierra Dahlen, Marnie Woodbury, Brianna Zweygardt, Cynthia Griego, Kody Pro- peck, Klay McGill and Megan Camarena. can take a load of his carv- ings to the coast and try to sell them there. People seem to like them, though, so I’m not too worried.” He finished a large Indian carving recently for a man in Prairie City who donated the wood to him. Ellis gets a lot of his ideas from ency- clopedias, pictures and even his memory, as he points to a carving he did of a Viking head piece that was dug up in Europe he remembered. Other carvings include humpback, pygmie and sperm whales, a cobra, a dragon, and the heads sim- ilar to those found on Eas- ter Island and in the South Pacific. He added that he tries not to do what most peo- ple do, which include totem poles, bears and eagles. “I try to do a variety of things,” said Ellis. “I’m not stick- ing exclusively to using the chainsaw either. I figure if it looks nice who cares how I did it.” The wood he has been using for his carv- ings includes ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and white fir. “I’m testing different woods.” explained Ellis. “Most are Douglas fir. It chisels the best. The white fir is too soft. and it pulls quicker when cut with a saw and you can’t give it as good of a finish.” The wood he uses is only up to 3 feet long, so his carv- ings are limited in size until he’s able to get his hands on some larger lumber. “When I cut wood, the Forest Ser- vice won’t let me take more than a 3-foot piece at a File photo From 1994: A John Day resident, Dave Ellis, is putting a childhood hobby of wood working into a profession this holiday season. time,” said Ellis. “I have a guy in Mt. Vernon who may give me some juniper to do some totem poles.” Ellis said he may go to Alaska, since they have more galleries up there for carvings such as his due to tourism. Another option is the Oregon Coast, where he has some friends that can help out. “I’ll just see how it goes,” he explained. “For the past two months I’ve been spending most of my time ironing out some prob- lems such as technique and using the tools.” Prices range on the pieces from under $100 to over $500, and Ellis added that as soon as he’s able to get some larger pieces of wood the prices may go up to $1,000 or more. So after an unsuc- cessful shot at computer drafting in the career world, the John Day resident has dedicated that his art skill with wood may prove to be his future calling instead. “I really enjoyed doing it,” said Ellis, “and there’s not many jobs these days you can have fun at and be self-employed.” 75 Years Ago Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Santa Claus is coming to John Day at 4 o’clock, Christmas Eve, and will be master of ceremonies at the outdoor community Christ- mas tree festivities, spon- sored by the Chamber of Commerce. The jolly old fellow will have a piece of candy and nuts for every child in the community. All of the children and the moth- ers and dads, too, should be on hand to welcome St. Nick. CONSERVATION TECHNICIAN Merry Christmas Grant Soil & Water Conservation District, based in John Day, OR is seeking to fill a Conservation Technician Position. This position provides labor, technical and programmatic services to support the successful implementation of District Programs. Qualified candidates require field and technical skills, have the ability to work independently and as part of a team as well as possess strong oral and written communication abilities. Salary: $45-$55K DOE, Plus Benefits. For a complete job description and application, please visit www.grantswcd.net or contact Kyle Sullivan 541-575-0135 ext. 111, sullivank@ortelco.net. Application Deadline is January 17, 2020. S160339-1 From the Staff and Management at Malheur Lumber Company & Restoration Fuels S160415-1 THE JUNIPER ARTS COUNCIL / GRANT COUNTY CULTURAL COALITION IS SEEKING GRANT PROPOSALS FOR OREGON CULTURAL TRUST GRANT AWARDS The coalition has $6,300 from the Oregon Cultural Trust to distribute in Grant County to organizations for projects relating to culture and / or heritage. Applications are available from Karin Barntish, 131 W. Main Street, John Day, Oregon, or call Kris Beal at (541)932-4892 for more information or an application. Wishing you the Peace and Joy of the Christmas Season. Best wishes for 20 r 20 from your friends at Eastern Oregon Realty. Jerry, Michal, Lindsey, Traci, Deann and Jo. Grant applications will be accepted until February 5, 2020 5 P.M. S159834-1 S160894-1 From Doug and the crew at Ferguson Surveying & Engineering, Wishing you an Old-fashioned Country Christmas. We appreciate your business & support. Lori Hickerson, Principal Broker, GRI Office: 541-575-2617 ljh@ortelco.net May your holidays be merry and bright! S161078-1 Sally Knowles, Broker, GRI Office: 541-932-4493 sknowles@ortelco.net Babette Larson, Broker, GRI Office: 541-987-2363 ddwr@ortelco.net www.dukewarnerrealtyofeasternoregon.com Your professional Real Estate choice in Grant County Members of RMLS & COARMLS • www.rmls.com or www.coarmls.com S154148-1
