Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 1993)
Heidi Orem returns from Germany By Anne Morter HEPPNER imes VOL. 112 NO. 30 6 Pages Wednesday, July 28, 1993 Morrow County Heppner, Oregon New rodeo arena to be ready in time for rodeo Aug. 20-22 Heidi Orem, a soon-to-be lone High School senior, returned from Germany on July 15 after a year there studying and soak ing up the culture. Heidi’s trip also included four days in Washington, D.C. upon re-entry to the United States. She joined 300 other students at Georgtown University in the same exchange program, spon sored by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag (their parliament). One hundred fifty of the students were Americans returning from Germany and the remainder were Germans on their way home after a year in America. Heidi left lone in July of 1992 for her year-long adventure. The first four weeks were spent at a language course, held in the col lege town of Munster, population 250,000. According to Heidi, the course was very intense with six hours per day spent on repeating phrases. She says the instructors told them to try to take it in and bits and pieces were sure to come back to them later. The original plan called for the students to have one host family while they were enrolled in the language course and then be assigned to another family for the remainder of the year. Heidi and her language course host family hit it off so well that after two weeks, they asked her if she would like to stay for the entire year. Heidi’s host family lived in Albersloh, a village of about 3,000 people located about 13 kilometers from Munster. Heidi’s host father, Cereon Malseender, had spent time in the U.S. on a work exchange in Montana, a definite help in the communica tions department. Her host mother, Anja, was not as comfor table with English. According to Heidi, communicating with her was difficult at first and they us ed the dictionary a lot. And as for the kids, Angela, 7, Tobias 6, and 3, “ it was body Cereon is an engineer , the German affiliate of Exxon and Anja is a housewife. They live in a new housing development that was loaded with young families and children. Heidi noted that about 35 kids liv ed on their street, giving her many opportunities for babysitting. Heidi attended Gymnasium (equivalent to our high school) in Wolbech, about 5 kilometers from her home. The school Heidi Orem (center) with her host family brothers and sister (l-r) Tobias, Alexander an Angela covered grades five through 13 and had about 1,000 students. Heidi was in one of four tenth- grade classes, each with 20-25 students. She said that school was quite different because it ran on a college-like schedule. Each stu dent enrolled in 12 classes per term. They attended six classes a day in a school day that runs from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. “ It was kind of strange to be done at 1:15. It left the whole afternoon free,” said Heidi. She was impressed with the range of languages that German students study. English is started in the fifth grade, Latin in the seventh, and French in the ninth. Also Greek and Russian were offered. Heidi was involv ed with the choir, an environmen tal club and a volleyball club dur ing her stay. Heidi noticed different eating habits in Germany. She said most of the meals involved bread and cheese. Sausages and different meats like liverwurst were also popular, although not so much with Heidi, and salads like col eslaw were also common. She said that the Germans don’t drink their tap water but instead con sume bottled, carbonated water. She noted that they have a coffee time each afternoon, about three or four p.m. That included cof fee, tea and cake or cookies. Heidi found the weather, in her German home to be more mild than lone. She said they had four seasons but w ithout the temperature extremes she was us ed to. The area where she lived received lots of rain, reminding her of the Willamette Valley. Heidi also experienced the autobahn, but ony as a passenger. Her host parents toured the autobahn at a leisurely 180 km per hour (just over 110 miles per hour) but she reports they were in the slow lane and being pass ed frequently. The people that drove really slow were relegated to the shoulder. Heidi was able to take in many of the famous attractions of Ger many during her stay. She spent eight days in Berlin with a group of exchange students from all over the world. While there, they walked on what is left of the wall, toured museums and art galleries, rode the subway and went to several musicals. She also made trips to the North Sea and the East Sea. A favorite spot was Lubeck, a harbor city with gorgeous old buildings and chur ches. Since her trip was under w ritten by the German Bundestag, she was allowed to sit in on a session where they discussed new laws. Later, her group celebrated the 10th an niversary of the exchange pro gram with a banquet with the President of the Bundestag. In her exchange program, each student was assigned a godfather or godmother, a politician from their area. Heidi’s godfather was the secretary of economy for all of Germany, that is, until he got on the wrong side of his own government and ended up resign ing. Heidi said that it was quite interesting to read her godfather’s name in the newspaper on an almost daily basis while the scan dal unfolded. All in all, Heidi enjoyed her year in Germany immensely. “ It was a great year," she says, "and I would like to go back soon.” Cecil plans ‘ oasis for wagon train Photo by Joyce Hughes Members of the Rodeo Committee and volunteers help erect the announcers stand last Wednes day and Thursday. Pictured are Jerry Gentry and Dave Matheny (front), Barry Munkers and Dave Allstott (on top) and Mike Proctor. Morrow County Rodeo Com mittee chairman Jerry Gentry says that there are still a few things to be done to the rodeo arena before the rodeo begins Aug. 20, but, he added, “ We will definitely make it.” Still left to be completed are the roping chutes, the holding pens, the underground sprinkler system and half of the lighting system. Volunteers are still needed to help out, he said. “ We’ve had tremendous sup port,” said Gentry, who has been Rodeo Committee chairman for the past three years. “ It’s going pretty darn good. I’ve been real ly pleased with the community support. I’ve rarely been turned down.” Gentry said that 48 different volunteers have put in 1,300 man hours since the arena renovation project began in January. Gentry said that the entire long- range project will be around 80 percent done by rodeo time. Next year organizers plan to install cyclone fencing and eventually they will install new bleachers. Metal bleachers with no roof to seat around 2,000 spectators are estim ated to cost around $100,000, said Gentry. He said that metal bleachers are preferred over wooden ones because of the durability. Wooden bleachers would have to be replaced much sooner. “ The goal on this is to only do it once,” he said. The rodeo now uses tem porary bleachers. The cost to replace the covered bleachers by the football field is estimated to be around $75,000, he said, but those bleachers are too far away from the new rodeo grounds. The foot ball field bleachers seat 400 to 500 people. Gentry said that injuries caus ed by the slick grass on the foot ball field where the rodeo had been held, prompted a change in the rodeo set-up. “ It was just too hard to have a rodeo there,” he said. The rodeo was also hard on the football .field, he added. The Rodeo Committee decid ed they needed to size the arena down and then began working with the Fairgrounds Master Plan. Around three years ago they quit using the entire football field for the rodeo. Gentry says that a dedication ceremony honoring donors and volunteers to the project will be held during this year’s rodeo. Cardlock bill passes house The House of Representatives has given small counties access to cardlock gasoline, approving the house bill 2128 by a vote of 46-12. The bill now goes to the Senate. “ We in eastern Oregon ob viously have different needs than the Willamette Valley,” said representative Michael Payne, D- Baker City. “ Cardlocks are vital ly important for transportation out here. With the huge distances we have to travel, we need access to gasoline.” HB 2128 allows the state fire marshal to issue a conditional- use license for cardlock gasoline if there is no retail fuel facility within seven miles and the coun ty population is less than 10,000. This would apply to the eastern Oregon counties of Morrow, Grant, Lake, Wallowa, Harney, Sherman, Gillam and Wheeler. Ione HS classes plan reunion lone High School classes of 1918 through 1943 will gather for a reunion at the lone School cafeteria on Sunday, Sept. 5. Registration begins at 10 a.m. A catered dinner will be serv ed at 1 p.m. Cost of the dinner will be $10 per person with a $1 registration fee. Money and registrations should be mailed to Katherine Lindstrom, Box 363, lone, 97843. All former students, teachers and other interested people may attend. Those attending are ask ed to bring memorabilia to share. By Anne Morter ” ... Sand and dust had no water till night. Encamped on Willow Creek the water stands in holes but found three good springs. Made 18 miles” October 17 “ Sunday, warm and pleasant. Stay here today to rest our teams some cedar and willow see no Indians drive or cattle over the bluffs some three miles find very poor feed all along here-here are 12 graves all together. We hope this is the last sabbath we shall spend on the road.” From the book, “ Covered Wagon Women” , written by twin sisters Cecelia Adams and Par- thenia Blank as they traveled the Oregon Trail in 1853. The above diary entries describe Cecil as seen by two pioneer sisters in 1853. Cecil was a place to ford Willow Creek, but by the time the wagons got to Cecil, the creek would most like ly be dry or close to it. They did not find lush green meadows, in stead they drove in through deep sand and gritty dust to find a stag nant creek and slim pickings for their livestock. Also, leaving the creek was no easy feat since it en tailed climbing a long, steep hill. It was no wonder that the pioneers on the trail passed through Morrow County with no thoughts of staying. It was definitely not the promised land they were looking for. The modern-day pioneers ar riving with the Sesquicentennial Wagon Train will undoubtably find Cecil to be a regular oasis when they arrive the afternoon of August 18. Coming in from the desert, they will experience a good share of the dust that clung to their predecessors but once they drop into Willow Creek, they will find welcome shade and beautiful meadows. And then there will be the celebration. With two days of festivities on tap, the modem pioneers will certainly enjoy being the star attractions of this wagon stop. Plans are still being finalized for the Cecil celebration August 18 and 19, but the line-up should include an old fashioned box lunch social, a pie auction, kids' activities and the lamb barbecue and dance. Advance tickets for the barbecue are on sale at Wheatland Insurance in lone and the H eppner Cham ber of Commerce. Clerk’s office to close during noon hour The Morrow County Clerk’s office and the switchboard will now be closed during the noon hour, according to Morrow County C lerk Barbara Bloods worth. Bloodsworth said that the change is a m oney-saving measure. She said that anyone calling the courthouse during the noon hour will hear a recording telling the caller to call 911 if there is an emergency or to call back after 1 p.m. if no emergen cy exists. Bloodsworth said that the sheriffs office and the assessor's office will remain open during the noon hour. Heppner TV to air Tri-City networks Heppner TV Inc. will soon carry Tri-City networks on its cable TV offering. The stations must be carried, according to FCC regulations, and the Tri-City networks have requested to be rebroadcast. Heppner TV subscribers are now receiving KEPR-19 on Channel 23, KVEW-42 on Chan nel 24 and KNDU-25 will soon be broadcast on Channel 25. A Heppner TV Inc.’ spokesperson said that necessary equipment will arrive soon to put KNDU on the system. Deadline for fair and rodeo tab July 31 The Morrow County Fair and Rodeo tab insert in the Gazette- Times will be published in the August 11 issue of the paper. Deadline for stories to be sub mitted for the fair and rodeo tab wil be this Friday, July 30. Anyone with stories they want to be included in the tab should have their stories in by 5 p.m.
