J HrtTNFR IORE.I GAIKTTE TIMt S, Thursday. AmiuM M. 1173
Bumttmitwimin!nmttwttiinniiHWinwttitfliBBnmwi
Horse sense
i:hf.stv.joif.r
lumuidinuuuiiittr
During the past year I have attended rodeos in Texas,
New Mexico, Oklahoma and California. It cost me from S3 to
$7.50 to get in to see a handful! of cowboys do their thing. The
shows were slow and disorganized, but well attended. So
when I went to Heppner's rodeo over the weekend I was
totally unprepared for what happened. First, no rodeo in my
memory ever had 289 entries. Second, it is not within my
memory that 10 out of the top 15 RCA rated rodeo performers
in the nation ever attended any rodeo other than the national
championship rodeos. Third, I have never seen any rodeo run
off so quickly, so smoothly or was more well-organized than
was the Heppner Rodeo. Fourth, I have never seen a better
bunch of rodeo workers, all volunteer, who knew their
business as happened at the Heppner Rodeo. Fifth, I have
never seen a rodeo where there were performers from so
many states, and from Australia and Canada. Sixth, the
rodeo stock was of high quality, well-trained and mean as
they come, which is why even the tophands never came close
to setting anv records here Saturday or Sunday. Many a
roper got his time average lowered, and some calves were so
lightning fast the cowboy never even caught up with them
The rodeo, advertised as 'The Fastest in the West," was all
of that Old Timers tell me the famed Pendleton Round-up
never had all these things, and over these the events are
slow-paced in order to, as one cynic put it, allow everybody
time to get drunk between events!
What I have just seen in Heppner is the best organized,
fastest, best-managed, colorful rodeo. It cost me $3, and
that's the price of a ticket to a good movie. It made me
wonder why so many people were trying to con their way
inside without paying-and why so many people stayed away
on Sunday afternoon. Maybe Heppnerites have been spoiled
with good rodeos here. If so. they ought to attend others
around the country so they can compare Heppner Rodeo with
them. There was only about $5400 taken in at the gate (a new
record). It should have been $10,000, considering the quality
of the show.
Two weeks ago I began to worry about the parade.
Randall Peterson, who heads up the parade, was contacted
for a list of entries in the parade. "We haven't any," was his
reply. He explained that everybody who showed up for the
annual parade got into it. and nobody could predict what
would happen. I predicted a total disaster for any
"spontaneous parade," especially when I found there were
no bands to head it up. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Decorated floats, old cars, stage coaches, and unusual
entries literally came out of the woodwork Saturday
morning. I saw my first and only 1906 Sears L Roebuck
automobile, a real stage coach, a steam threshing engine
belching steam and smoke, some of the finest horseflesh in
the country', and original parade entries that would make the
Rose Parade any old day. A couple of thousand people knew
better than I what to expect, as they lined Main Street for a
fine parade that took an hour to pass.
The Morrow County Fair itself was something that would
have done credit to a county of 10 times Morrow's, population.
I am told (and the whole fair, rodeo and parade proves it)
that people have been working for months, quietly and
without any fanfare of publicity, to put the affair together.
Then, on the appointed day, it all broke out in a spontaneous
burst of enthusiasm, color and talent. The whole thing is
incredible, and I doubt it could happen anywhere but here. I
have nothing but admiration for the hundreds of silent, quiet
people who labored long and hard without compensation to
produce what I consider a fine specimen of creative art.
The Gazette-Times took more than 200 photographs of
the weeklong activity. Many of them, because of space
limitations, will never be published. But in this issue, and
next week's issue, you will be seeing the ones we have
selected for publication. You may not be pleased at the ones
we print, or the ones we elect to leave out. But we will be
doing our best to choose the ones we think are good and which
capture the spirit of the occasion. Some pictures do not come
up to our standard of quality, and will not be published. Some
won't fit our limited space, and won't appear. But we have a
reason for what we do, and few people will understand unless
they are willing to take a six-month crash course in
newspaper production. We have no axes to grind, being
newcomers, so if we leave someone out be tolerant enough
not to complain that we're "discriminating" against
someone or some organization.
We are newcomers here. It will be a long time until we
are "accepted" by the community. There is an aura and '
respect accorded those who were born here, something akin
to being blessed by the Pope or elected to the Football Hall of
Fame. Hell, we had to born somewhere, and we can't help
it if our parents didn't have enough sense to let it happen in
Heppner! You're a great people and we like you. We like your
country, else we wouldn't be here. But we came here to make
a living, to produce a good newspaper for you, and be as
much a part of your world as you will allow. We didn't come
here to win any popularity contest. Any editor who sets out to
be popular is either doing a poor job of newspapering or he's
a damned fool. In spite of some caustic criticism directed
toward the Gazette-Times of late for what we consider pretty
Ithia! readers, v" gjy"'''--'"1 " '" nwsmii ill '
way we please. If it offends anyone, he can simply stop
reading the paper. But we must run it our way. l ooudi
anyone would appreciate our advising them how to raise
wheat and cattle. So why not be charitable and let us run our
newspaper.
I was surprised to emerge into Monday's bright sunlight
to find Heppner's parking meters, looking cold and penniless,
still standing, a marshalled row of inhospitality in a town that
boasts of its hospitality. Two days before I was a witness to a
conspiracy of ranchers and businessmen who offered $125 in
cash to the rodeo cowboy who could rope and pull up the most
parking meters. Unfortunately, they all got drunk Sturday
night, or forgot the purse money offered, or were too
debilitated to do anything about it. A hasty summoning of the
conspirators Monday revealed that the offer still stands
They are dedicated to liberating the purchasing population of
this perfidious penn-ante form of banditry- The city council
could make it easier on everybody by ordering the meters
out, but I suspect its members are so much in love with the
Iron dime devourers that even bruising one would get a man
more time in the county slammer that he'd get for rustling
cows. There was a time in this country when an unjust tax on
tea netted a king-sized war for King George of England, and
an unjust tax on whiskey started another one known as the
Whiskey Rebellion. When people accept a tax on the streets
they've already bought without rebelling, it makes me
wonder if the descendants of those fiery old timers haven't
grown soft, flabby and incapable of standing up to their
elected officials.
Your comment is invited.
Mayor of Hardman
DF.AK MISTER EDITOR:
Like Zeke Grubb's preacher likes to my. tempus shore
does fugit
Here it is the last part of Auttust and time fer the voumtuna
to git back in school fer another year. The mammas are
outfitting the girls in new frocks, and squeezing the boys in
shoes that was lo big for em last spring And the mommas
probable are looking forward to a little quiet and time fer
thetrselfs around the house.
The fellers was talking about school starting Saturday
night at the country store. Zeke Grubb got to thinking about
the old days and how far we has come in education matters.
I'se to be a boy took his lunch to school and the kids made up
their own games at recess. Zeke said, but now they got
supervised everything from exercise to eating
The kids that use to eat whatever their ma packed fer em
now is at the supermarket buying seven differunt kinds of
canned food to be shore their cat gits a balanced diet, was
Zeke's words.
Talking about recreation. Clem Webster recalled when you
played ball in the pasture, and if you got to town you could
alius watch the big game thru a knothole in the fence.
Nowdays. Clem said, we got covered ball fields big enuff fer
it to cloud up and rain inside of. and that knotty lumber they
use to make ball park fences out of is going into $45,000
houses. .
They ain't no way to keep up with the changes, agreed Bug
Hookum. He said he had saw by the papers where in
Minneapolis a Italian that got rich making frozen Chinese
food had named "Honorary Swede of the Year," so in some
ways the more we change the more we remain the same.
We're still the melting pot of nations, Bug allowed, and the
pot is bubbling.
And like we alius have, we're trying to figger whuther to
treat burns by covering em or leaving em open to the air,
and we can't decide whuther coffee is good or bad fer us. Bug
said he had saw two coffee reports last week. One said coffee
drinkers is more likely to have heart attacks, and the other
said when a feller wakes up with a headache and feeling
general mean, it's cause he needs his coffee.
General speaking, said Clem, you can't bank to heavy on
research. He said he had saw where this feller had reported
that male dogs exposed to car fumes don't show no interest in
female dogs.
A feller that saw this report called up to say it was right,
cause he hadn't had nothing to do with his wife since the
muffler in his car started leaking. Research showed, tho, that
he was mad with his wife cause she had run over a
motorcycle and tore the car muffler off.
Personal. Mister Editor, that research report reminds me
of the time the fellers took a poll on who had ever thought of
divorcing his old lady. All of em said they hadn't, but Bug
said he had thought a few times about shooting his.
Yours trulv,
MAYOR ROY.
Your worries . . .
David E. Mitchum. Mental Health Director
Worrying, tension and anxiety are a normal phenomenon.
We would be in severe danger if nothing ever bothered us.
Worrvine is one of nainrp's wavs of defending and protecting
us against making some dreadful error which could hurt us
either physically or emotionally.
Our life today is complex and is changing rapidlv. We are
met by many conflicting demands. Most people can survive a
crisis fairly well. The average person lives through many
emotional and upsetting situations and bounces back when
the crisis is over. It should be understood, therefore, that an
occasional bout of anxiety and tension is quite normal.
Although it is unpleasant, or even painful, there should be no
cause for additional concern.
How do you recognize, then, when anxiety and tension is
abnormal?
When even the smallest problem overcomes you, affecting
your job and human relationships and you no longer able to
function adequately in society, professional help must be
sought.
This is a gradual development ; quite subtle and deceptive
in character, the condition may be well advanced before
others recognize the seriousness of the problem. However, a
person usually knows if he is unhappy, if he is ridden with
guilt or has feeling of inadequacy. He at least knows that he
does not feel well. The person who seeks help and tries to help
himself while he is still able to do something about it, has a
better chance of retaining his mental health. If he waits too
long, he can become seriously mentally ill.
If you can think about your problems instead of worrying
about them, you are going in the right direction. Try to
understand what bothers you. If you fell inadequate, unable
to cope with situations, imagine yourself doing the very thing
you fear. 6e yourself as you would like to be, as you can be.
Then hold that picture.
If you suffer from nervous headaches, nervous indigestion
or any other physical symptoms, don't try to prescribe for
yourself. Go to your family doctor. Help him by being
completely honest with him no matter how unimportant you
think it might seem to him. Don't ask a friend to prescribe a
remedy for you. The objective advice of a trained person is
what you need. You may wish to go to your minister of priest.
You may wish to go to your Mental Health Office.
The Mental Health Office is at 128 W. Willow. It is open
from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The
telephone number "is 676-9161. You can call for an
appointment or be referred through your family physician.
Don't expect that anyone can cure you overnight.
Remember that it took you a long time to get that way.
Emotional problems are deep-seated. There is no such thing
as an easy cure all. The most anyone can do for you is to help
you understand yourself. You must do the worK. You must
-hirtffaitli, you titustbriieve that you can tinfl your way to a
happy, useful positive life.
w mr
fe I (
urn
!. lit
tn.1 T riNinr v .MlM-alr
'Funny looking courtroom!"
The mail pouch
EDITOR:
I want to thank all the nurses, nurses aides and all the
others who used their cars to take those of us at Pioneer
Memorial Nursing Home, who were able to go. to the
Saturday parade.
It certainly gave us all a lift. God bless each of you who
helped make it possible for us to sele the show.
MRS. LEONA SMALLWOOD.
Heppner
EDITOR:
I hope this newspaper will take time to do a little research
and an article about Effie Munkers, "Margie."
She took time out to babysit half of the population under 55,
and she worked at the school and hospital. She, least of all,
knew how many people feel the loss of this fine woman.
Her years were many but they should not have passed
without someone taking the time to remember what she did
for us all.
FRANCES C. GRIFFIN,
Beaverton.
EDITOR:
Since rodeo is over for another year, I think it appropriate
to answer Carroll Tufts Key's letter on rodeo that you printed
last week.
She states: "The electric prod may be used but not as Mrs.
Virginia Eddy suggests." Mrs. Eddie had stated: "They are
electrically prodded in the most sensitive areas."
I've not been prodded with the hot shot on my spinal
column as have the rodeo horses in the bucking chutes. But
from previous experience of having gotten the hot shot on the
bare skin of my arm, I can say the sensation is like having a
piece of flesh torn out clockwise. I'm sure shots placed near
the central nervous column would be a most sensitive spot. I
have a photo of the big black and blue spot on my arm, the
result of being prodded with the hot shot last fall at a
conference in Walla Walla.
We all know hair is a conductor of electricity, so it doesn't
take much calculation to know the results a hot shot
produces.
From where I sat Saturday at the Heppner Rodeo I
witnessed Alvin Deal on Cockleburr, Doug Void on Pine
Mountain and Jock McDowel on Play Boy get the prod shot in
the spinal column area to help get a more violent start.
The North Coast Times Eagle, Aug. 10, 1973, had an article
and pictures of their two-day rodeo by Ted Taylor. "Yelled
one cowboy who was awarded another try because the bronc
he drew didn't buck enough, even after being jabbed with an
electric cattle prod."
The description of Kurt Johnson on Bad Jose went like this :
"Then Bad Joe was herded into the cramped chute and Kurt
lowered himself onto the broad back, a mass of bone, muscle
and scared grey hide."
Rodeo stock are not only tormented with hot shot prods, but
branded and rebranded by the searing hot branding irons.
The beautiful picture of peaceful, easy life in green
pastures as painted by Mrs. Keys most certainly does not
apply to professional rodeo stock that start their rodeo life as
far north as Canada in the spring and are on a continual
trucking spree from one dusty, dry, hot rodeo corral to
another until they reach the warmer states for winter rodeo
circuits.
State Sem. Clem McSpaddin, Oklahoma, and others have
tried to insult our intelligence by promoting the idea that the
flank strap is comparable to the comfort of a man's belt. Mrs.
Keys and others are propagandizing that the flank strap is
comparable to a woman's girdle. This type of tall tale should
be added to the Paul Bunyan list of stupid lies.
LOIS WINCHESTER,
Hppnnpr
You can be proud of your
V
1973 Morrow County
Fair and Rodeo . . .
TKB
GAZETTE-TIMES
MORROW COUNTY'S NtWSAM
MDrw: HlPfor, Or.. fTM. Tal. a-WM. P.O. Baa MI.
Ttx Hnwwr OantN w ttUMItMd Marc '' J
HmW T,m WiMHM Nov. II. Itt7 CwtMlHMM b.
Mambar: NatMnal Hnnfpf ". Oratan Hwpjw
PwMitMn Amu.
Imil V. jQlmr
BrnM Ctma
PublUhar
..hatafrany-Spart
S susicmrnow rtbi: m pf yw m oran.w
4MwMr SmaMcapv. IJcann. Mallad tint copy, H can.
2? UIHIM feilllM. II.
i f zf
1 lCTf J
5
Grand Marshal Mike Benge.
Iff'
r L
u
' 1 - 1 A
. A v.i
Z
Krynn Robinson with her first place steer in the
intermediate division. Krynn went on to win the Grand
Championship award with her steer.
"Wul, Joke, I win only kidding I wtd this shot
. . .,1 : r
would time urn r tn mi .
Karea Richards shows her grand cbampioa bog at the
fair auction. '
i