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.