Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 1979)
SIX The Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, September 20, 1979 Lexington Grange marks 50th anniversary l !' i - J Songs for the Grangers Members of the Oregon Trail Chapter of the Sweet Adelines sang Sunday at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Lexington Grange. The program also included talks, reminiscences and a potluck dinner. Eighty-two persons signed the guest register Sunday at the Lexington Grange Hall preceeding a potluck dinner and program celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lexington Grange No. 726. Orville Cutsforth was the only charter member in atten dance, reminiscing briefly about the construction of the hall in 1935 when he was Master of the Grange. Hor tense Martin, the only other living charter member, was not there but Florence McMillan, who is listed on the charter roll although she has dropped her membership, did attend. She and Cutsforth posed for pictures on the front steps of the white-framed Grange Hall. A number of other Granges were represented and the principal speaker was Allen Wheeler of Pleasant Hill, chaplain of the Oregon State Grange. Wheeler related the origins of the national organization, Patrons of Husbandry, in the 1870's when farmers needed a political voice to fight high interest rates on loans and high freight rates on their crops moving to market. "When they had cause, they were fighting to put a decent meal on the table," he said. He commented then on the "spendid meal" he had just eaten "a typical Grange pot luck dinner." Wheeler went on to speak of the Grange's role as a political organization, but non-partisan, opposing an "excess ol government," in particular various "alphabet" agencies (those identified by acronyms, such as OAT, which he said stood for "Office of Appropri ate Technology.") An an organization repre senting farmers, he said, the Grange has been primarily concerned with agriculture. However it is also a patriotic organization. "Any person who doesn't want to salute the flag is not eligible," he said. It is a religious organization as well, non-sectarian and a supplement to the church, he added. Wheeler said the Grange's "total objective is to afford each individual the right and opportunity to have a good life according to his ability and desire." Highlighting the program was a selection of songs by seven members of the Oregon Trail Chapter of the Sweet Adelines of Pendleton. Delpha Jones, Lecturer of the Lexington Grange, was mistress of ceremonies. She announced at the start the death of Armin Wihlon, a former Master of the Grange, "who lost his life tragically in the southern part of the state in an airplane crash." Wihlon was a passenger aboard the DC-7 propollor driven tanker aircraft that crashed on 6,420-foot Surveyor Peak near Klamath Falls Friday night. All 12 persons aboard the plane were killed. The crash has been described as one of Oregon's worst air disasters. On behalf of the Women's Activity Members of the Grange, Mrs. Jones presented a Dlaht to the present Grange Master, Barbara Cutsforth. Jean Nelson read a short history of the Lexingtor? Grange, from its inception on May 27, 1929 and recited a list of former Grange masters, including the years they served. The list indicated a gap in the 1950's when the records were lost. Also on the program were violin selections by Frances Smouse and a rendition of a song, "Sweet Oregon," by the state Grange chaplain, Allen Wheeler. Several guests also spoke, extending greetings to the Lexington Grange from their respective organizations. Heppner Tops group organized Heppner couple tell of visit to interior region of China A meeting at the Heppner High School Sept. 6 resulted in the organization of a Heppner TOPS (take off pounds sensi bly) Club. The seven charter members elected officers and set a meeting time of 7 p.m . in room 5 at Heppner High School each Monday. The first regular meeting Sept. 10 showed a loss of 11 pounds by the charter mem bers. Two new members also joined the club at its initial regular session. Anyone interested in joining the club may attend any of the regular meetings or call 676-5584 for more information. Grand Squares dance club season starts The Grand Squares dance club begins its dance season tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in the American Legion Hall at south Chase Street in Hepp tier. The square dancing sessions will take place on the third Friday and first Saturday of each month until June. Darrel Wilson is the caller for the club and will be offering square dancing lesons starting in November. Square dancers and poten tial square dancers, along with guests and spectators, are invited to attend. More information may be obtained by calling Wilson at 422-7523. Last June, Frank and Kay Anderson of Heppner were part of the second group of Americans to go into the interior of the People's Repub lic of China. Their 22-person tour group had a very helpful and efficient, communist, college-educated, young woman guide, Kay Anderson told Methodist Women and their guests as she showed three Rototrays of colored slides the Anderson's brought home. "Nothing is locked up, there are no keys" Kay declared. "Yes, some rooms could be locked from the inside but they were usually left open. Nobody dresses up, although the drabness is not total anymore because some women are beginning to get a bit of color into their simple work clothes. There are no fat further interior , near the northern Mongolian area, were crowded with millions of bicycles. The group traveled by air, train, bus and also went on a hovercraft trip from Hong Kong across to the mainland. Kay said the crowds stared at the Americans in the towns where they stopped and where officials had banquets and programs prepared for them. The trains were clean and "compartmentalized like European trains" and the buses were Japanese and did not have air conditioning. There is no electricity in the peasant homes of interior China. Some places of special interest they saw were ancient Buddhist caves in the northern mountains, an ancient village Chinese people. The food is good and consists basically of vegetables. The hotels are primitive in the interior and became more grim as we moved toward the north. They were built for the use of Russian technologists. Chil dren still glean in the fields with big, flat baskets after the hand-harvesting crews move out." The Andersons spent a considerable amount of time visiting on communes, parti cularly in the great wheat plain where they observed the mass of hand labor carrying, on farming practices which have not been used in the western world for a great many years. The cities they stayed in, Canton near the coast in the south and Peking a little (8,000 years old) which is now being excavated and cata logued by archeologists, Bud dhist monasteries, the great Forbidden City and the tombs of the kings. They visited an Oriental rug factory and watched the weaving and hand carving of rugs. When they observed the Great Wall of China, which is still considered one of the wonders of the world, they learned that its route is up and down many steep mountains and that its top is a roadway wide enough to accomodate six horses abreast. The excellent colored slides and Kay Anderson's good commentary gave her audi ence a better understanding of the People's Republic of China. Morrow County wheat people will be most interested in the pictures that Frank took ' "We are always getting ready nffheereatwheatolainandof to live but never living. the way it is being managed by the communists. Ralph Waldo Emerson f M ottc Plan to exhibit & attend the Heppner-Ione Garden Clubs Standard Flower Show Sunday, September 23 lone Cafeteria 2-5 p.m. PLANT S SELLER 676 5837 lcBai) Barb James, owner 250 W Baltimore c X 3' I I, I ( on UPSRNARttiT fS BOOTH IF mm v,.. jF v J KJ x mm0r ., ,y I i 1 1 HOURS: Afl to 7 9m mmmmmmmmmmmmmmimmmm "EVERY DAV LOW PRICES" SAVE OP TO 25 EVERY DAY OVER "AREA'S" mm igTS "eon it 'RICE EFFECT! ONE FULL WEEK THRU SEPT. THOUSANDS OF LOW PRICES THROUGHOUT OUR STORE... LOCAL 20 VS. BAG FRESH COUNTRY "BLUE f.TT. VALLEY" comnnncico onepoum , v VJ IB. STEM TIME turnips - onions RUTABAG0ES -CABBAGE RIPE CIHQUfTA DANISH Ik,- ra H 1 HUNTERS SPECIAL M III I E S ll aI. I I II ... ............ t 7 1 1 I ...... Ell " I 1 II A uiy rASHiUN ijr x II IUJUJ 1 MX f I 7 I fl II If If lif II f JtiClSiflll y t yr r II U i 1 i.niAir 1 If II I (it.. l y m'J 24J IM 11 V? J 1 "1 II JLZj'w r v l" " Z I f ( ) 1 pOISELESS USDA CHOICE 7mE r) rsrt I PORK (shoulder cut) V COUNTRY STYLE
