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MAY 25�JUNE 1, 2022
CULTURE & HERITAGE
CELEBRATING THE HISTORY
OF EASTERN OREGON
A busy Memorial Day weekend in Baker County
By Lisa Britton
Go! Magazine
B
AKER COUNTY — Want to
fi nd a treasure?
Ride a steam train?
Catch the biggest catfi sh
around?
You can do any of these — or
all of them — this weekend in
Baker County.
HUNTINGTON: CATFISH
DERBY, FOOD AND MUSIC
The Huntington Lions Club
sponsors this annual event over
Memorial Day weekend. The en-
try fee, which is for all three days,
is $10 for ages 14 and older, or
$5 for ages 5-13. Participants
can sign up at Huntington Lions
Park on Friday or Saturday.
Daily prizes will be awarded
for the four biggest fi sh in both
junior and senior divisions. A $500
award and trophy goes to the an-
gler who lands the biggest catfi sh.
The Huntington Senior and
Youth Organization will serve
food Saturday and Sunday at
the cook shack in Lions Park.
Travel Baker County/Contributed photo
Sumpter’s Memorial Day weekend fl ea market will fi ll the streets with vendors
of all kinds.
Breakfast will be available from
8-10 a.m., and lunch starts at
noon (get into the derby spirit
with a plate of fried catfi sh — or
stick with chicken strips).
On Saturday, May 28, Gerry
and the Dreambenders will play
from 6-9 p.m.
SUMPTER: FLEA MARKET,
TRAIN RIDES, HISTORY
Memorial Day weekend kicks
off the season for fl ea markets in
Sumpter, which are held on three
holiday weekends in the summer
(Memorial Day, Fourth of July
and Labor Day). Vendors line the
streets and the fairgrounds with
booths off ering all sorts of trea-
sures, and food trucks should
satisfy any craving.
The Sumpter Valley Railroad
will off er short runs from the
Sumpter Station at 11 a.m.,
12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
on May 28 and 29.
Fares are $18 adults, $15
seniors/military and $11 for
ages 3-17. Make reservations at
sumptervalleyrailroad.org.
While you’re in Sumpter, take
a stroll around the trails at the
Sumpter Valley Dredge State
Heritage Area. The park is open
7 a.m.-7 p.m., and visitors can
tour inside the dredge 8 a.m.-
5 p.m. Although now silent, this
dredge ran seven days a week,
24 hours a day, from 1935 to
1954. It dug up an estimated $4
million in gold. The dredge visi-
tor center is open from 10 a.m.-
4 p.m.
Casey Taylor, a ranger with
the National Historic Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center, will be
at the SVRR Depot and Sumpter
dredge most of the weekend,
starting Friday at 8 a.m. He’ll
share stories about Sumpter
history as well as history on the
railroad and dredge.
HALFWAY: CAR AND
QUILT SHOW
A car and quilt show is
planned for Saturday, May 28,
11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Pine Valley
Fairgrounds in Halfway. There
is no cost to enter the car or
quilt show, and admission is
free, too.
Organizer Bob Taylor said
prizes will be awarded in four
categories for the car show: be-
fore 1960, after 1960, pickups,
everything else.
The quilt show will be inside
the exhibit hall.
There will be concessions
available, and music by LoweCo.
Donation boxes will be set out
and proceeds from the day will
help fund pavilion repairs.