r r c o
Gardner’s donates custom saddle for
PRCA all-around champion winner
f ;r
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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
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