BUSINESS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
A9
Touring Grant County through virtual reality
“All of these videos were shot in
2019 and it’s a coincidence that the
pandemic hit and we’re seeing the
local economy struggling,” OTEC
Communications Coordinator Joe
Hathaway said. “We were thinking it
was a good time to roll these out now
to try and drive economic recovery
and do anything we can do to help
the communities we serve.”
Hathaway said the plan is to have
the videos available at visitor centers
throughout the counties, the state and
possibly the nation. Another goal is
to drive tourism, so when the pan-
demic ends, people will have an idea
of where they can travel.
“It’s not like seeing a still photo
from a magazine,” Hathaway said.
“You’re actually immersed into what
the counties have to offer.”
Hathaway said this has been a col-
laborative effort between OTEC and
many economic development part-
ners from around the counties and
at the local level. He said the team
is focusing on tourism and agricul-
OTEC looking to help
drive tourism and improve
economic development in
Grant County
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Technology has provided oppor-
tunities to work from home and
finish classes remotely during the
COVID-19 pandemic, and now it
will help promote tourism in Grant
County.
Oregon Trail Electric Coopera-
tive worked with Golden Shovel, a
company that specializes in using
virtual reality for economic devel-
opment, to develop VR experiences
focused on several counties in East-
ern Oregon.
The virtual tour of Grant County
consist of an eight minute video,
narrated by a woman, which takes
participants through parts of John
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Communications Coordinator Joe Hatha-
way, left, gives Steven Mitchell a demonstration of the co-op’s new virtual
reality tour of Grant County.
Day, Prairie City, Canyon City and
more.
With the VR headset, the video
becomes immersive as people can
view 360 degrees and observe their
surroundings as if they were phys-
ically at the location — from bike
rides to scenic viewpoints.
tural tourism with other possibilities
in the future.
Each video cost about $6,000 to
produce. OTEC received financial
assistance from the counties they
serve and Travel Oregon, an agency
working to enhance Oregon’s econ-
omy through tourism.
“We feel this is an investment
into the community to help drive
economic development in the com-
munities we serve,” Hathaway said.
“We’re owned by the members... We
want to do our part to help the com-
munity out, and this is just one way
to do our part and help out because
they give so much to us.”
He said, while OTEC’s priority
is to deliver safe and reliable power,
they want to make sure the commu-
nities are also doing well.
Videos are available at eco-
nomicdevelopment.otec.coop. A VR
headset is not necessary to view the
videos, and spectators can still use
their computer’s mouse to view the
surroundings.
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Darla Fletcher, left, and Ernie Slavey of Central Oregon play
a game of Jenga at the North Fork RV and Camping Park on
the North Fork of the John Day River July 4 on the deck owner
Steve Mills recently built. Mills said next year he hopes to host
live music on the property.
Mills adds on to North Fork
RV and Camping Park
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
The Stagecoach food cart parks in front of the Dayville Merc. Co-owner Scott Knapp took over the Dayville Merc last year.
Stagecoach food cart adapting to pandemic
“WITH ALL THE
DIVISION AND THE
THINGS THAT ARE
HAPPENING IN
SOCIETY, WE FEEL
LIKE WE CAN REALLY
REACH OUT AND BRING
PEOPLE TOGETHER
WITH FOOD.”
Truck features frontier-style
menu
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
A Dayville food truck is making its
way around the county.
Like other food trucks in the coun-
try, the Stagecoach finds ways to adapt
to the pandemic and make it through
tumultuous times while bringing people
together through food.
Scott Knapp, co-owner of the food
truck, said he and his partners Janet
Garlin and Melody McGregor planned
to have the Stagecoach at the Thomas
Condon Paleontology Center at the
John Day Fossil Beds.
However, the coronavirus outbreak
upended their plans.
But, with social distancing and take-
out built into the food truck business
model, Knapp said the Stagecoach is
ready to help the community.
“It is COVID-19-friendly,” he said.
“I mean, we can literally make it a
drive-up, drive-to or walk-up, set the
standards and keep the community
safe.”
Knapp said the Stagecoach will pre-
pare grab-and-go lunches for the fire-
fighters this season, and he said they
plan to work with the Grant County
Chamber of Commerce on nonprofit
projects to help raise money in the
community.
Knapp, who took over the Dayville
Merc in December, said the Stage-
coach’s grand opening over the Fourth
of July weekend was a success.
— Scott Knapp, co-owner of Stagecoach food
cart
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
The frontier-style menu at the Stagecoach
hangs on the cart July 11 in front of the
Dayville Merc. Co-owner Scott Knapp said
the Stagecoach plans to offer new items in
the future.
“It was about reaching out to the
community and introducing ourselves
to the community,” he said. “We want
to add value to the community and the
people.”
The Stagecoach features a fron-
tier-style menu, with authentic cowboy
beans, rattlesnake sausage and alliga-
tor kabobs, along with beef ribs slath-
ered in barbecue sauce made with local
ingredients.
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With vacationers avoiding
airlines and hotels in the era
of COVID-19, camping has
become more popular than
ever.
Steve Mills, co-owner of
North Fork RV and Camping
Park, can attest to the shift.
He said this year has been
much better than last year.
Mills, who purchased
the property along the North
Fork of the John Day River
in March with his wife, said
the park has nine full hook-
ups and roughly a dozen tent
camping sites.
Mills, who is from Cen-
tral Oregon, said he recently
built a stage, and next year
he hopes to host live music,
weddings and graduation par-
ties on the property.
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Additionally, he said there
would be showers, laun-
dry facilities and fire pits for
campers.
Mills said the hustle and
bustle of Central Oregon
became too much for him,
and the small-town feel of
Eastern Oregon drew him in.
“The explosion of the
population, and just the dif-
ferent attitudes of people that
moved in there,” he said. “It’s
just all different now.”
He said not all of the
change is necessarily bad,
but it’s vastly different than
before, and Monument’s
small-town life suits him
much better.
He said if he and his wife
can get more people — both
locals and travelers — they
would like to open the bar
again, but that will take peo-
ple being aware of what is
going on in Monument.
Mills said his main goal is
to help bring business into the
town.
“I try and do as much as
I can for the little town,” he
said. “Once (small towns) are
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Knapp said the barbecue sauce is
made with honey from Kimberly and
vinegar out of Dayville.
“We like using local products,
and we believe in the ranchers,” he
said. “Ranchers are the heartbeat of
America.”
Garlin and McGregor said that
everybody is welcome at the Stage-
coach, and the guiding value of the
business is to bring people together
through food.
Food is what brought Knapp,
McGregor and Garlin together. Knapp
said the three foodies met at a pizza
parlor in Mackenzie River and became
instant friends after connecting over a
love of food.
Knapp said the their goal is con-
tinue to build on that foundation.
“With all the division and the things
that are happening in society,” he said,
“we feel like we can really reach out
and bring people together with food.”
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