NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
A7
Volunteers sought for Prairie
City Fiber Fest July 25-26
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eagle file photo
Grant Union boy’s basketball head coach RC Huerta during
a home game in April. Community members are planning
to raise money for Huerta, who was injured in an ATV crash
in May, and his family online in a Facebook auction through
July 18.
Fundraiser planned for
Huerta, basketball coach
injured in ATV crash
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County plans to
virtually rally around Grant
Union boy’s basketball head
coach RC Huerta in a Face-
book auction through July
18.
Huerta, who is recover-
ing from an ATV accident in
May, faces a financial bur-
den, co-organizer and family
friend Erin Gosnell said.
Averie Wenger, an orga-
nizer and friend, said she
checked in with Huerta’s
wife and their four kids after
the accident and told her she
was there for her and pray-
ing for them. But then she
decided she wanted to do
more.
“We just felt like we
needed to do something
more than just pray for her,
and that’s why we decided
to do the auction,” Wenger
said.
Wenger said she’s had
health problems in the past
and has been airlifted to
another hospital — like
Huerta, who had to be flown
from John Day to Bend twice
— and said she knows the
financial hardship.
It has been especially dif-
ficult for the family, Gos-
nell said, since Huerta’s
wife, Jessie, a hairstylist,
has been mostly out of work
because of the COVID-19
pandemic.
“We knew we had to do
something,” Wenger said.
Gosnell, who coordi-
nated fundraisers when she
worked in hospice care, said
businesses jumped at the
chance to donate items to
the auction. She said compa-
nies are typically more selec-
tive and want information
about the fundraiser before
committing.
“It was really easy,” she
said. “All I had to say was
RC Huerta, and they said,
‘Oh, yes, what do I need to
do.’”
She said people have
donated from outside of the
area as well.
Gosnell, along with
her husband, Jesse, assis-
tant boy’s basketball coach
and pastor of First Baptist
Church in John Day, moved
to Grant County three years
ago. They have grown close
to the Huertas, who moved
to the area from Redmond
about two years ago.
She said the Huertas have
become a second family for
them.
Gosnell said it’s impres-
sive how much of an impact
the Huertas have made on
the community in a short
time.
“You have to live in a
small community before you
get the backing of a small
community,” she said. “It
usually takes you a long time
to get their support, but not
them.”
People have accepted the
Huerta family as their own,
she said.
Wenger said those inter-
ested in bidding on items
throughout the week can
request to join the Facebook
group “Huerta Family online
auction.”
A by-donation drive-
through lunch will be held
at the First Baptist Church
in John Day from noon to
2 p.m. Saturday.
Gosnell said direct dona-
tions can be made to the fam-
ily at paypal.me/jessiehuerta.
Public health is a big part
of the planning for the sec-
ond annual Prairie City Fiber
Fest.
Ginger Shive, the festi-
val director, said organiz-
ers have been collaborating
with state, county and Prairie
City officials to be compliant
with the governor’s executive
orders regarding the COVID-
19 pandemic for the event
that features woolen wears.
Demonstrations on cleaning
wool, spinning and creating
useful and decorative items
such as rugs, slipper, blankets
and socks, are planned.
Shive said they purchased
350 masks to hand out to the
general public and vendors
that might have forgotten to
bring their own. They have
gallons of hand sanitizer. Vol-
unteer positions were added
to monitor the traffic of peo-
ple at the three stations.
“The reason we can do this
is because we’re spread into
three small locations,” Shive
said.
Other fiber shows in Ore-
gon were in big convention
centers, which hampered
their ability to have an event
this year, but being spread out
into three separate locations
in Prairie City made this festi-
val possible. Shive is expect-
ing more people to come to
Prairie City this year.
Fiber Fest is divided into
the Prairie Baptist Teen Cen-
ter, the Community Center
and the park across from city
hall.
“We have got volunteers
that will sit outside at those
entrances with a box of mask
and sanitizer and asking peo-
ple to use the sanitizer,” Shive
said. “They will also limit the
number of people that go into
the two buildings.”
The park will be com-
pletely fenced with a north
and south entrance, limited to
100 people. There will be vol-
unteers at both ends to moni-
tor the amount of traffic going
in and out.
“This is the way we’re
trying to learn to live with
COVID safely, and it’s a lot
of work, but it’s safety first,
and economically, we need
the fiber fest,” Shive said.
“We’re doing it safe. Regard-
less of what we’re trying to
do with the kids, we’re doing
it safe.”
The need for volunteers
has also gone up with the pan-
demic requirements.
Eagle file photo
Teresa Southworth demonstrates how she ‘skirts’ the wool before she bags it for sale at last year’s
Fiber Fest in Prairie City. Skirting, which removes any vegetable matter from the wool, is done on
the mesh skirting table.
Eagle file photo
Eagle file photo
Gary White of Socks of Fun in Oregon City
owns an antique sock machine. The machine,
made in Pennsylvania about 100 years ago,
was used to make socks for soldiers during
World War I and World War II.
Roseanne Anderson of Cheney, Washington,
held a workshop at the Fiber Fest called ‘Fabu-
lous Locker Hooking and Exquisite Weavlings.’
Here she spins wool at the Prairie City Park on
Saturday.
“There’s so much to do
during this COVID time that
every volunteer is a precious
commodity,” Shive said.
Shive said the plan is to
give volunteers a gift and a
social event with vendors
and instructors from 5 p.m. to
7 p.m. on July 25.
All proceeds from this
year’s event and future events
will go toward Grant County
4-H and FFA programs. Shive
is looking for additional help
from these organizations.
“I know because of
COVID, 4-H and FFA are
handled through the Exten-
sion service of Oregon State
University, and they say kids
can’t participate ... and I
understand that, but that does
not preclude a parent or an
adult to volunteer,” she said.
Volunteers are needed to
monitor traffic at the ven-
ues, provide masks, hand out
materials, answer questions
and set up and take down
tables and chairs.
The Fiber Fest will be
a two-day festival on July
25-26. A variety of work-
shops begin July 24 that will
focus on traditional rug hook-
ing, hand felted slippers,
locker hooking, pine needle
basketry and more.
The registration cost var-
ies per workshop, but people
will have the chance to sign
up for a class until the day
the workshop is held. Peo-
ple interested in registering
for a workshop or looking
to volunteer can visit prai-
riecityfiberfest.com for more
information.
Grab Your Mask and Join Us!
Prairie City
FIBER FEST
Visit Vendors featuring rugs, fleeces, yarns, socks and more!
July 25 & 26, 2020
Prairie City, Eastern Oregon
Join us for a Fiber Workshop! Register online.
Fri 7/24 Traditional Rug Hooking ....................................$70
Exquisite Weavlings/Pin Loom Weaving .........$100
Pine Needle Baskets ...........................................$100
Sat 7/25 Fabulous Locker Hook Rugs .............................$105
Felted Slippers .................................................... $110
Sun 7/26 Intro to Needle Felting/Best Friends Sheep ..... $40
for up-to-date information visit:
www.PrairieCityFiberFest.com
S197874-1002
S195887-1