A2
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Painted Sky gala raises $12,000
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — There are
always worries when you try
something for the fi rst time. A
large turnout of well-dressed
Grant County residents put
those worries to rest for the
Painted Sky Center for the Arts
on Saturday, Nov. 12, when the
nonprofi t held its fi rst holiday
gala.
Dubbed “Deck the Halls,”
the black tie-optional event
took place in the Trowbridge
Pavilion at the Grant County
Fairgrounds and featured local
youth performing Christmas
songs and skits as well as a
pair of silent auctions, one of
works by local artists and the
other of fully decorated Christ-
mas trees. In addition to the
colorful art and festive trees,
the pavilion was decked out
with Christmas lights and din-
ner tables clothed in a white,
gold and black theme.
The event was a fundraiser
for Painted Sky, which teaches
arts and crafts classes for both
children and adults. Proceeds
from the gala will be used to
cover scholarships, operating
costs and programming for the
art center. Oregon Trail Elec-
Justin Davis/Blue Mountain Eagle
Children from Painted Sky Center for the Arts perform Christmas songs for attendees at the
Deck the Halls gala on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.
tric Cooperative was the chief
sponsor.
A dinner of roast beef,
mashed potatoes and broccoli
was served before each table
group had the opportunity to
place money into numbered
envelopes to bid on a dessert
for the entire table. The high-
est-bidding tables got fi rst
choice of dessert.
Musical numbers per-
formed by children who reg-
ularly attend Painted Sky
included “Rudolph, the Red-
Nosed Reindeer,” “Jingle
Bells” and a duet of “Silent
Night.” Following the music,
the children performed a short
skit about elves making shoes
followed by a rendition of
“The Night Before Christ-
mas” in the form of a skit.
Cowboy poet Kathy
Moss was the master of cer-
emonies for the gala and
treated attendees to one of
her best-known poems.
“I think, really, for the fi rst
event it exceeded our expec-
tations,” said Allison Field,
one of the organizers of the
gala. “We had approximately
150 people that came to the
event, and it just showed a
lot of community support out
there.”
Field added she was happy
the people in attendance came
formally dressed for the most
part. “That was great to see,”
she said. “I think people were
excited to do something a lit-
tle diff erent and have a reason
to dress up. Being out here,
you just don’t get the oppor-
tunity as much.”
The gala raised just over
$12,000 for the art center
between ticket sales and auc-
tion items, according to Field.
“We didn’t want to have
super-high expectations, like
$30,000 or anything, so we
kept it between 10 and 12,”
she said. “It was great to see
the community come together
… hitting that fundraiser
mark,” Field said.
Painted Sky Center for the
Arts intends to make the gala
an annual event and is already
planning the 2023 event.
Rodeo court coronation Saturday
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — The mem-
bers of the 2023 Grant County
Fair & Rodeo Court will make
their offi cial debut this week-
end at a fundraising dinner and
auction in their honor.
Laramie Kiser is next
year’s queen and her twin sis-
ter, Lavina, is the princess.
The girls live in Mt. Vernon
and are juniors at Grant Union
High School.
They will be crowned at
the Cowboy Christmas Coro-
nation Dinner and Auction on
Saturday, Nov. 19, in the Trow-
bridge Pavilion at the Grant
County Fairgrounds, 411 NW
Bridge St. in John Day. Doors
open at 5 p.m. for a happy hour
and auction preview.
The grand marshal of the
2023 Grant County Fair &
Rodeo Parade, Tinka Oliver,
will also be introduced at the
event.
Contributed Photos
Queen Laramie Kiser, left, and Princess Lavina Kiser will be
installed as the 2023 Grant County Fair & Rodeo Court on Sat-
urday, Nov. 19. The twins live in Mt. Vernon and are juniors at
Grant Union High School.
A tri-tip dinner prepared by
Toni Clark will be served, the
Snaffl e Bit will staff a no-host
bar and DJ Chris Gibson will
provide the music. The cost
for dinner is $18 per person or
$34 per couple, and live, silent
and dessert auctions will be
held.
Proceeds from the event
will go toward clothing, travel
and other expenses for Queen
Laramie and Princess Lavina,
who will be representing
Grant County in the months
leading up to the 2023 Grant
County Fair & Rodeo. The
rodeo is scheduled for Aug.
4 and 5, and the fair will run
Aug. 9-12.
Whitney Richey, adviser to
the fair and rodeo court, said
the Kiser sisters will be mak-
ing numerous offi cial appear-
ances around Oregon and the
Northwest, as well as at local
events such as the Timber
Truckers Light Parade. Richey
also noted that the twins have
rodeo royalty in their family
tree, with both their older sister
and their mother having served
on the court in years past.
Donations for the live,
silent and dessert auctions are
still being accepted and can be
dropped off at the fairgrounds
offi ce during business hours.
To make other arrangements,
call Richey at 541-228-4604
or fairgrounds manager Mindy
Winegar at 541-620-8058.
Volunteers needed for Thanksgiving feast
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — At least 40 volun-
teers are needed to help prepare, serve and
deliver meals for the annual community
Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by the
John Day Elks Club.
The dinner will be served from 1 to
4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 24, at the lodge,
140 NE Dayton St. in John Day. Volun-
teers are needed to help with cooking,
setup, cleanup and meal delivery that day,
and others are needed to help with prep the
day before.
To volunteers, call 541-575-1824 or
stop by the Elks Lodge to sign up for a
shift.
On the menu will be a traditional
Thanksgiving feast of ham, turkey,
mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean
casserole, sweet potatoes, rolls, stuffi ng,
cranberries and pie.
The meal is free to all Grant County
Eighth grade
Keira Stiner
Parents: Nick &
Amy Stiner
N. Powder couple
earn ag honor
By BRENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press
NORTH POWDER —
Sustainable grazing and top-
notch genetics are key for beef
cattle raised at Miles Ranch in
North Powder.
It was here Myron Miles
grew up before meeting Dotty,
from Klamath Falls, while
they were attending Oregon
State College — now Oregon
State University.
The couple, both in their
early 80s, married in 1962
and spent years hopscotch-
ing around the state for work.
Myron was a county extension
agent in Josephine County,
operated a small feedlot in
Klamath Falls, and even found
his way back to Baker County
as a dairyman.
That last arrangement
didn’t last, with Myron quip-
ping, “Everyone should have
to milk cows once in their life
— it’s all up from there.”
Finally, in 1980, the couple
returned to North Powder for
good after buying a 1,400-acre
property. Today, Miles Ranch
runs 250 head of mother cows.
The couple will be recog-
nized by Oregon Aglink as
the 2022 Agriculturists of the
Year during the organization’s
annual Denim and Diamonds
dinner and auction fundraiser
on Friday, Nov. 18.
Myron also has a breed-
ing program, using artifi cial
insemination. He works with
American Breeders Service
Global, a company that sells
semen from bulls, carefully
choosing genetic traits that
will allow his cows to grow
bigger, faster and produce
higher-quality meat.
Cows at Miles Ranch are
rotated regularly in pastures to
avoid overgrazing and spread-
ing invasive weeds. A smaller
portion of the land is dedicated
to growing alfalfa, with mini-
mal tillage and cover crops to
prevent soil erosion.
“You need to protect
the environment and our
resources, so our kids and
grandkids will still have
food,” he said.
Away from the ranch,
Myron is a board member
for the Baker Valley Soil and
Water Conservation District
and has spent 60 years advo-
cating for ranchers with the
Oregon Cattlemen’s Asso-
ciation. He was president of
the Baker County Livestock
Association when the county
adopted its right-to-farm ordi-
nance, protecting growers
from nuisance complaints.
Meanwhile, Dotty remains
active as a board member for
Blue Mountain Community
College and the local Baker
City Rotary Club.
“We wouldn’t know how
to act if we didn’t have a cal-
endar that was completely
clogged up with things to do,”
Myron said.
The couple said they are
pleased and honored to be rec-
ognized as Agriculturists of
the Year by Oregon Aglink.
“Not only do we pride our-
selves on how we run our
ranch,” Myron said, “but we
think that we’ve helped others
along the way to improve their
cattle and way of life, too.”
Oregon Aglink is a non-
profi t volunteer organiza-
tion dedicated to agricul-
tural education and outreach.
Denim and Diamonds raises
money for programs such
as Adopt a Farmer, pairing
farms with middle school
classrooms for fi eld trips and
activities.
Every year, Oregon Aglink
selects a group, business or
individual as its Agricultur-
ist of the Year, recognizing
outstanding contributions to
the agriculture industry as a
whole.
DEATH NOTICES
Vernon E. ‘Chip’ Rehder Jr.
Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle, File
Flora Cheadle of Dayville, right, waits for her food while volunteers, from left, Ray-
mond Sousa, Leslie Traylor and Charlie Caughlin dish up green beans on Thanksgiv-
ing Day, 2021, at the John Day Elks Lodge.
residents, who are welcome to eat at
the lodge or take their food home with
them. Delivery is available for disabled
and homebound community members. To
request a delivery, call the lodge at 541-
575-1824 and leave a message with your
name, address, phone number and how
many meals you will need.
Last year the club prepared and served
300 Thanksgiving dinners.
GRANT UNION STUDENTS OF THE MONTH: SEPTEMBER 2022
Seventh grade
Adalyn Judd
Parents: Jesse &
Marci Judd
Oregon Aglink/Contributed Photo
Oregon Aglink has named Myron and Dotty Miles, of Miles Ranch
in North Powder, the 2022 Agriculturists of the Year.
Ninth grade
Kingdon Mitchell-
Kirby
Parents: Ken &
Kelilu Kirby
10th grade
Karly VanLoo
Parents: Randy &
Melissa VanLoo
Last Week’s Temps
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Wednesday ..................................................... 36/18
Thursday .......................................................... 39/18
Friday ............................................................... 41/20
Saturday .......................................................... 41/19
Sunday ............................................................. 42/20
Monday............................................................ 40/18
Tuesday ........................................................... 45/23
24/7 F ORECAST
A UTOMATED : 541-575-1122
R OAD CONDITIONS : 511; TRIPCHECK . COM
NOAA W EATHER R ADIO FOR J OHN D AY
162.500 MHz
11th grade
Abbie Justice
Parents: Ken &
Julia Justice
12th grade
Jasmine Bryers
Grandmother: Lisa
Hunter-Kennedy
Vernon E. “Chip” Rehder Jr. died suddenly on Oct. 14 in
Sutherlin. He was 67 years old. Chip was the son of Vernon and
Kathleen Rehder of Mt. Vernon. There will be a celebration of
Chip’s life in Roseburg in April. Details will be published in the
Eagle two weeks prior to the event.
Rheanna Cheyenne Cartner
Rheanna Cheyenne Cartner, 24, passed away on Nov. 11,
2022. A celebration of life will be held at a later date, at a time
and place to be announced. Memorial donations in memory of
Rheanna to help defray funeral expenses may be made at www.
GoFundMe.com or through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home &
Cremation Services, PO Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. Online
condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneral-
home.com.
CORRECTIONS
The Blue Mountain Eagle strives to ensure accuracy. If you
see an error in one of our stories, please contact us at editor@
bmeagle.com or 541-575-0710.
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF N OV . 16-22
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Sunny
Partly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
Sunny
Partly
cloudy
Mostly
cloudy
Rain/snow
47
38
39
42
45
45
45
22
18
17
18
23
28
30