COMMUNITY
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
A3
Family Fun Day returns June 26
Event features bouncy house,
mechanical bull, dunk tank,
water slide, rock wall and more
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant County Fairgrounds will
host Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. Saturday, June 26.
The 14th annual gathering will fea-
ture a bouncy house, mechanical bull,
train rides, dunk tank, water slide, rock
wall and health information booths with
many community organizations, accord-
ing to an event fl yer. The event is free
and open to the public.
The organizers will also off er a bike
helmet exchange. Those interested can
bring an old helmet and $6 to purchase
a new, inexpensive helmet for their child.
The event will off er $1 hot dogs and
hamburgers along with free snow cones.
Organizer Rhiannon Bauman of Fam-
ilies First said that the Grant County Fair-
grounds, Local Community Advisory
Council and the Frontier Early Learning
Hub are this year’s sponsors.
Bauman said events like Family Fun
Day are important for communities in
that they are inclusive to all families in
Grant County.
“It’s a time for families to just have
fun locally,” Bauman said.
Event organizers, Bauman said, are
excited the event will happen this year
after COVID-19 canceled last year’s
festivities.
“We are excited that we are able to
continue this event this year to bring
back some normalcy for our commu-
nity,” she said.
Bauman said the event will show-
case 20 health care booths with informa-
tion on activities for kids. In addition, she
said some community organizations that
would have been at the Grant County
Health Fair decided to participate in
Family Fun Day this year instead.
She said wristbands for children to
play on infl atables such as the bouncy
house are free this year.
However, she said organizers ask that
families drop by the Families First booth
to sign a waiver fi rst.
Bauman said they encourage those
in the community to attend the event
and enjoy a “great aff ordable time” with
family.
Contributed fi le photo
Children receive a free helmet and fi tting from Debi Hueckman at the Grant County Safe Communities Coalition’s booth at a previous Family Fun Day event.
Contributed photo/Teresa Aasness
Eagle fi le photo
Onlookers cheer and clap for Freidrick Maurer, 2, of John Day who created
an impressive bubble at the CASA booth during Family Fun Day in 2018.
Beau Clingman hops from one spot to the next at the Ninja Warrior obstacle
course infl atable during Saturday’s Family Fun Day event at the John Day
city park in 2019.
Farmers Market kicks off with positive vibes
Event continues
every Saturday
through the fall
in John Day
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Antonio Roberts talks to customers at the Farmers Market Satur-
day in John Day.
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Vendor Susan Marahrens
stands next to her booth “All
4 the Bones” Saturday at the
John Day Farmers Market.
the Salem Farmers Market.
“We all need compli-
ments,” she said. “That’s
just part of human nature.
We want to know we do
well. I think that’s just
super, super important, espe-
cially in today’s world when
everything around us is so
negative.”
SPECIAL EVENT
FRIDAY EVENING
What: The John Day City
Celebration and Street
Fair
When: 6-8 p.m. Friday,
June 25
Where: First Street and
in the Flowers and More
parking lot
Free hamburgers will be
served from 6-8 p.m.
Mtn. View Mini-Mart 211 Front St., Prairie City 541-820-4477
Weekly Specials
Sunday - Family Style Joy’s Choice | Thursday - Asian | Saturday - Sushi
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The John Day Farm-
ers Market kicked off Sat-
urday with a steady stream
of customers and new ven-
dors off ering a wide array of
products from 8:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. The weekly event
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
continues every Saturday
Customers peruse the off er-
through the fall.
Manager
Stephanie ings at the John Day Farmers
LeQuieu said the Farmers Market Saturday.
Market would have a few
more vendors selling produce he loves the social aspect of
and that the John Day Green- the Farmers Market.
“I spent a lot of time in
house would be at the market
the woods, so it’s been nice
later in the summer as well.
LeQuieu said this year being able to get out and talk
they added a shopping feature to people,” Roberts said.
He said the randomness
to the John Day Farmers Mar-
of the conversations cannot
ket website.
She said she received a be found anywhere else.
Michelle McManama,
grant to help cover the cost
for professional photography who is in her fourth year
of vendor products, and it selling wood engravings at
doesn’t cost the vendors any- the Farmers Market, said
thing to have their products that the market had given
her a big boost of con-
available online.
“This is a very low-barrier fidence over the years,
way to get some of our Grant enough to open a booth at
County products available to
be sold all over,” LeQuieu
said. “It’s very cool.”
She said she should have
had roughly fi ve more ven-
dors, but many had last-min-
ute emergencies or other
matters that kept them from
setting up shop this week.
Nonetheless, new ven-
dor Susan Marahrens, a John
Day resident who makes
homemade dog treats, said
business was “not too bad”
and that the Farmers Market
gives her a way to get feed-
back from people about her
product.
Marahrens said she is on
disability and could not “sit
and do nothing.” She said the
vendor booth is something
she can do independently.
Plus, she said, everybody
loves their dog.
For his part, Antonio Rob-
erts, a retired fi refi ghter, said
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