CULTURE & HERITAGE
CELEBRATING THE HISTORY
OF EASTERN OREGON
13
JUNE 1�8, 2022
Pioneer Days coming to Weston after 2-year break
By Jeff Petersen
For Go! Magazine
W
ESTON — For 130 years,
Weston has celebrated
its roots at the base of the Blue
Mountains with the annual Pioneer
Days Picnic and Celebration.
This year’s festivities will take
place June 3-5 after a two-year
break for COVID-19. The town
of 650 residents will put out the
welcome mat for visitors with
promises of fun for all ages.
“At the awards banquet two
weeks ago we had a very big
turnout,” said Greg Phillips,
coordinator of Pioneer Days. “I
think people are tired of masks
and COVID-19 and ready to get
out and celebrate. I expect we’ll
have a big turnout for this year’s
Pioneer Days.”
Sponsored and coordinated
by the Umatilla County Pioneers
Association, the event kicks off
East Oregonian/File Photo
Children participate in a parade during the 2016 Umatilla County Pioneer
Days Picnic. This year’s event is June 3-5 in Weston.
Friday evening, June 3, with the
queen coronation of Granella
Thompson, a Weston native,
professional musician, community
leader and schoolteacher. Also
introduced will be the parade
grand marshal, Jesse Thompson,
Granella’s husband, a community
leader in his own right who has
been instrumental in grooming the
Tollgate-area snowmobile trails for
years. The Thompsons live on a
century farm and are prominent in
the community, Phillips said.
That event will begin at 6 p.m. at
the Weston Memorial Hall.
A full day of activities is planned
for Saturday, June 4, most held at
Charles Elliott Memorial Park. The
day starts with a hearty Fireman’s
Breakfast served from 6-10 a.m.
Lineup for the Pioneer Days
parade starts at 9 a.m. with the
parade rolling out at 10 a.m.
along Water Street. This year,
the children’s and adults’ parade
will be wrapped into one, with
the kids parade returning as a
separate entity next year, Phillips
said. An announcer’s stand will
be set up on the corner of Main
and Water streets.
There won’t be a car show
this year, nor will there be a
walking tour of Weston’s histori-
cal buildings.
“After two years off for COVID,
we wanted to pare the event down
this year and really focus on the
events we can off er,” Phillips said.
Following the parade at
11 a.m., the Pioneer Picnic begins
featuring a menu of barbecue
beef, coleslaw, corn on the cob
and soft drinks.
Vendor booths will feature
such things as face painting, and
art creators, including makers of
wooden toys and demonstrations
of old-time crafts, will be on hand.
Concession stands will be set up
with a variety of options, including
ice cream and snacks, and games
for all ages such as a dunk tank
and sack races will be played.
On the stage to entertain dur-
ing the picnic will be the Coyote
Howler String Band featuring
Dan Emert.
“They are absolutely excel-
lent,” Phillips said. “We are very
lucky to get them.”
The day will conclude with an
alumni dinner for all those who
attended Weston Union High
School or Weston-McEwen
High School, starting at 6 p.m. at
Weston Memorial Hall. The most
senior graduate in the system,
Duane Warner, who graduated
from Weston Union High School in
1942, will receive special recogni-
tion at the event.
For those looking for bar-
gains, yard sales will be happen-
ing throughout town from Friday
through Sunday. You might
even fi nd an antique from the
good old days.
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