Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 1991)
r r c o Gardner’s donates custom saddle for PRCA all-around champion winner f ;r r ~ o r- ^ 35C l - h : princesses Jodi Vandeventer, Elizabeth Doherty, Kristine Bedortha, Jenni Ashbeck, Queen Jodee Ashbeck and Roe Gardner display all-around champion saddle donated by Gardner’s Mens Wear. azette imes VOL. 110 NO. 32 6 Pages Wednesday, August 14, 1991___________ Morrow County Heppner, Oregon A $2,500 custom saddle will be given to the PRCA All-Around Champion at the 1991 Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo this weekend in Heppner. The saddle, donated by Gardner's Men’s Wear was made by Rich Boyer of Hermiston, who operates an independent saddle business at Roemark’s, Hermiston. Boyer hand builds 30 to 35 sad dles a year and repairs trophy sad dles as well in his business. One hun dred hours was spent on this trophy saddle, which is hand-tooled and decorated with sterling silver. The rodeo, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18, has Queen Jodee steps into role with poise Alvin Ashbeck helps his daughter Queen Jodee bridle her horse Vivacious Morrow County Fair and Rodeo Queen Jodee Ashbeck has that tall, fashion-model Figure. The daughter of Buttercreek ran chers, Alvin and Julie Ashbeck, Jodee stepped into the queen’s role with poise. Practice makes perfect, they say, and her previous role as a princess on 1989 Queen Nancy Bailey’s court was a first in holding royalty titles. But she also was chosen as homecoming and prom queen at school in 1990, the year she graduated from Heppner High School. Jodee has since attended Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton where she chose a medical records secretarial course. She has district office. She ably finds time for court travels and to fuss with details, Jodee says. Riding horseback is also a family affair, something that Jodee has en joyed from an early age. She has won many ribbons at Wrangler Riding Club playdays. Fair time has always meant getting lambs ready to ' show', she says, but this year it’s her turn to watch others participate in market and showmanship classes. Her livestock knowledge also came in handy when it came to judg ing contests. As an active member of the Heppner FFA chapter she won the high point individual livestock judging award in 1989 at Heppner. Jodee's year on the court has been a great pleasure, she says. But her reign was marred when she broke a shoulder in a car accident earlier this summer. It hasn’t kept her from grit ting her teeth and climbing back on her horse, however. Although she won’t be waving at the crowd with that arm, she is looking forward to H eppner’s Saturday morning parade, she says. The court also has Photo by Joyce Hughes plans to host out-of-town courts at since she broke her shoulder. a luncheon after the parade. also worked at St. Anthony Hospital ‘’W e’ve had a terrific year where she applied that training representing Morrow County at a lot Court life for the Ashbecks has of different places,” Queen Jodee become a family affair for the past says. Along with the excitement of several years. Jodee and her sister. fair week, she says she is looking Princess Jenni. have served as pen forward to seeing top PRCA perfor nant bearers, along with their mances at Saturday and Sunday's younger brother, Andy. This year, Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo, ‘i t ’s Jodee and Jenni's mother, Julie, is always fun to see familiar faces com the chaperone and holds a full-time pete at the Morrow County amateur secretarial position at the school rodeo on Friday night,” she says. Kay Robinson replaces Costa in mayor’s position when she moved out of the Heppner City Limits. Costa's term expires Dec. 31, 1992. Robinson lists updating the fire department, the city hall and the ci ty pool as her major concerns. Robinson began working for Charles and Helen Ruggles In surance in 1967 and then worked for Ray Boyce Insurance, until she retired in March of 1980 Chuck Holt was appointed coun cil chairman, he replaces Rick Cur tis, who recently moved to North Bend. Linda Shaw Kay Robinson LoRayne Bowman and Linda Shaw were also appointed as coun cil persons at the Monday night meeting The two will replace coun- cilmembers Curtis and Amie Hed- man. who resigned because of health reasons. Both Bowman and Shaw have liv ed in Heppner for the past 13 years Bowman, a budget officer, person nel director and administrative assis tant for Morrow County Court, is first vice-president for the Heppner Chamber of Commerce She is Lifelong Heppner resident and city council member. Kay Robinson, was appointed interim mayor for the ci ty of Heppner at its regular meeting Monday night, Aug. 12. Robinson, 61. began her four-year stint on the Heppner City Council in January of 1989. She has agreed to serve as mayor until December 31 of this year She will then resume her duties as council member until her term expires in December 1992. Costa was forced to resign as mayor LoRayne Bowman 199Q-92 regional and district representative and past president of Soroptimist International of Hepp ner She is also Democratic Central Committee Woman-Precinct 11 and is involved in the lone Community Agri-Business Organization and the Boardman Chamber of Commerce. Shaw is a teacher at Heppner Elementary School. She has been a member of the city budget commit tee. the Willow Creek Country Club Board of Directors, troop commit tee chair member and advancement chair for the Boy Scout Troop 661, and several Morrow County School District policy Committees. She was also a member of the Hope Lutheran Church Council and the Heppner TV Board of Directors. over 240 entries in the eight events. The local area will be well represented by Steve Currin, all- around champion at the Umatilla County Rodeo last weekend and his father Ron and brother Tony, Butch and Mary Knowles, Jerry and Terri Gentry and many more. Other top names appearing include Bareback rider Clint Corey of Kennewick, WA.; bull rider Wacey Cathey of Big Spring, TX. and Canadian All- Around Champion Duane Daines from Innisfail, Alberta. The rodeo will offer prize money of $1,000 in each of seven events to go along with the money from entry fees. Sponsors for these events are Tidewater, bareback riding: Ander son Seed Co., calf roping; Coca Cola, saddle bronc; Miller Wheat Inc, team roping: M.C.G.G., steer wrestling; Les Schwab, bull riding and Coors, barrel racing. An added attraction this year will be Steer Rop ing with a $500 purse sponsored by Red’s Clothing, Pendleton. Kinzua Corporation will once again put up a custom saddle, made by Sherman Murray of lone, for the Morrow County Amateur Calf rop ing champion. A Mike Currin Memorial Buckle will be presented to the champion PRCA calf roper. This second an nual award is being donated by Judy Jean Currin, Sid and Randi Britt, Bob and Sherree Mahoney, Jim and Susie Ward and the Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo Committee. Showtime each day will kick off at 1:15 p.m. Rodeo admission is $5 a person with children eight and under free. Fair admission is $1. 158 enter Morrow County rodeo L-R: Princesses Kristine Bedortha, Jenni Ashbeck, Queen Jodee Ashbeck, Kinzua Corporation General Manager Frank Pearson, Princesses Elizabeth Doherty and Jodi Vandeventer display the Morrow County Calf roping saddle. One-hundred fifty-eight Morrow County cowboys and cowgirls have entered the Morrow County Rodeo set for this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. Slack time is 4 p.m. The rodeo features 11 events-calf riding, open calf roping. Pee Wee Jr. and Sr. barrels, cow riding, the Kin zua Amateur Calf Roping, mutton busting, break-away roping, steer wrestling and team roping, in addi tion to the stick horse race for the lit tle ones. There is a $3 admission to get in to the rodeo. Children 8 and under are admitted free. Forest Service building project temporarily halted The Forest Service Building pro ject has been stalled, while project developer Ruby Shear of Eugene and sub-contractors Miller and Sons Ex cavating of Heppner, wait for Department of Environmental Quali ty approval to resume work. Con struction of the building was ex pected to begin around the first of August and completed in December barring any difficulties. The project was halted when four underground gasoline storage tanks were discovered on the property. Soil was removed from the site and core samples sent to DEQ to test for gasoline contaminated soil. The pro ject may resume when the soil is determined to be uncontaminated. The excavation site has filled with water caused by a high water table The project is also located in the diverted Shobe Canyon Creek channel. Meanwhile, according to Jackie Allstott, First Interstate Heppner Branch manager, gasoline fumes had become a problem at the bank, which is located across the street from the forest service site. Allstott said that the bank normal ly operates a sump pump because of seepage problems in the bank's base ment, but around July 20, gasoline fumes were detected in a routine in spection of the pumps. The pumps are still in operation, along with absorbent blankets plac ed in the basement, fans and a monitoring device, which ensures that employees and customers are not endangered, said Allstott. Allstott said that DEQ. bank and other officials were consulted to determine the best way to handle the problem. Some banks have their branches here. We have our roots here. The Bank of Eastern Oregon. A full service hometown bank. Onu/cm «/ ------ loo« Arlington • H«ppn«r • * Iona ' ' Your Indeprndrnl Horn* Ownrd Bank '
