Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 1996)
Court experiences make special memories for Queen Brenda ò 4 U Or ORE NE «’ S P A P E r L / 9 E U G E N E OR ^ 7 4 0 3 HEPPNER imes VOL. 115 NO. 33 8 Pages Wednesday, August 14, 1996, Wheeler Point fire 3-4 miles from Spray The Wheeler Point fire has had only a small amount of movement since Monday, Gary Clark of the Heppner Ranger District told the Gazette-Times Tuesday. Clark said that the fire sprang up and moved toward Spray on the southeast corner, but that was stopped and the fire remains between three and fourth miles from Spray. A community meeting was scheduled Monday night for Spray area residents to obtain accurate information concern ing the situation and learn about contingency plans. No evacuation had been schedul ed as of presstime, according to Joanie Bosworth, U.S. Forest Service public affairs assis tant, Umatilla National Forest. Clark said that the east edge of the fire has been held where it was Monday and that it is still at around 21,000 acres. He add ed, however, that lightning was supposed to be headed this way Tuesday. According to Clark, the perimeters of the fire are as follows: south edge-Sourdough Ridge, about four miles north west of Spray; east edge-near Henry Creek in Dixon Basin, roughly a mile and a half west of Kahler Basin (west of Hwy. 207); north edge-on a line from Crawford Spring on the north east comer to Wheeler Point on the northwest corner; south west corner-a little north of Frizzel Mountain. The Wheeler Point fire had burned approximately 20,000 acres, as of 7 a.m., Monday, Aug. 12. The fire, located 15 miles east of Fossil, burning portions of Wheeler County, is burning on both private and federal lands. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. It was de tected at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, and quickly grew to 7,000 acres by 3:30 a.m. Sun day. The fire has destroyed 18 buildings. At this point the fire is about 70 percent lined, said an Oregon Dept, of Forestry (ODF) news release, with no estimated time of containment. Governor Kitzhaber declared a state of emergency Monday, which will remain in effect un til the threat is "significantly relieved." Approximately 500 firefight ers are taking part in this effort, which is a cooperative incident management effort with per sonnel and equipment from ODF, U .S. Forest Service (USFS), State Fire Marshall, W heeler County Sheriff, Wheeler County Search and Rescue, Fossil and Spray Fire Depts., Boise Cascade and Kin- zua Resources, and private log ging and firefighting contrac tors. The fire is being managed under a unifed command bet ween the ODF and USFS. One firefighter has been treated for heat exhaustion. No other in juries have been reported, said the news release. Approximately 35 homes have been evacuated, the news release continued. No further evacuations are imminent, al though a contingency evacua tion plan for the community of Spray has been developed. Spray lies about four miles south of the fire. Lamb auction to benefit teens A lamb auction to benefit the Heppner teenagers injured in an auto accident July 11, will be held following the 4-H and Future Farmers of America market sale, which will be held Saturday, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. Those who don't want to purchase the lamb, but want to make a contribution, may make donations by calling 676-5110 or 676-5250. The lamb to be auctioned off will also walk in the parade starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Power outage moved to Aug. 23 A power outage, originally scheduled for this Friday, Aug. 16, and affecting Columbia Basin Electric customers, has been rescheduled for Friday, August 23, from 2 to 4 p.m. The outage, planned for Bon neville Power Administration maintenance, will affect Hepp ner, lone, Lexington, Ruggs, Olex, Cecil, Morgan, Hinton Creek, Willow Creek, Rhea Creek, Rock Creek, Shutler Flat, Lower Willow Creek, Mik- kalo, Clem and Ajax. Junior golfers to compete Heppner Junior Golfers will compete in a tournament in Echo on Tuesday, Aug. 20, with Hermiston juniors. Pete Strawick is the instruct or. Morrow County Heppner, Oregon Evelyn Sweek to be honored Evelyn Sweek By April Hilton-Sykes Evelyn Sweek, dietary super visor at Pioneer Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home in Heppner, has been selected for the Oregon Health Care Asso ciation's "Love is Ageless" award, in recognition for her 35 years of service. Sweek will receive her award at a luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Oregon Health Care Association's 46th annual convention at the Oregon Con vention Center in Portland. Sweek was bom in Portland and raised in Newberg, moving to the Monument area in 1948. She graduated from high school at Monument, out of a graduating class of two. The high school at Monument, with only 20 students, was quite a bit different than her school in the valley, with 1900 students. When she moved to Monu ment there were no paved highways and no electricity. She met her husband, Clayton, in Monument and they were married when he went into the service during the Korean War. She worked for General Motors while her hus band was in the service. The Sweeks have four child ren, Mike, Heppner, Dana, Washington, Curtis, Hermis ton, and Sheridan, Pendleton, and five granchildren. Evelyn comes by her profes sion naturally. Her grandfather started bakeries all over the U.S. and both her mother and father, who were born in Poland, were bakers, too. " I didn't want to get into food service," laughs Evelyn. But she started work at Pioneer Memorial Hospital, "only for one year" as a cook in 1961. After two months as a cook, she became dietary supervisor and that one year turned into 35. In 1971 Evelyn received her dietician manager's certificate, which is equal to a year in col lege, through the University of Florida. "I'v e got a very rewarding career," says Evelyn. "I feel very honored to receive this award. I feel wonderful." Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo's 19% Queen Brenda Holtz is the 17-year-old daughter of Elmer and Sandy Holtz of lone. Like all of her princesses, she is the youngest member of her fami ly. She has three older broth ers, Jim, who works for his un cle and cousin on their wheat ranch; Brian, who just graduat ed from Blue Mountain Com munity College (BMCC) and will work for lone Repair after completing his harvest job; and Gregg, who still has one more year at BMCC. "M y family has always sup ported me-even with early mornings and long trips to horse shows and parades, " the queen said. "M y brothers and their friends tease me and keep me humble, but when I'm down, they always know how to make me feel better. Dad and Mom haven't missed a parade or rodeo all summer, which is normal. They've been to nearly every horse show, basketball and volleyball game I've participated in and never missed any of my brothers' football games either." The blue-eyed brunette has lived in the same house in lone all of her life and will be a senior at lone High School this fall. She began playing volley ball in sixth grade, basketball in the seventh grade and is a member of the Lady Cardinal varsity volleyball and basketball teams. She competed in track one year in junior high, but found the springtime too busy with horse show competitions to continue with the sport. Brenda has been a class of ficer several years and is a member of the Heppner-Ione International Club which is planning a trip to Italy next spring. She was chosen to at tend the American Legion Auxiliary-sponsored Girls' State this summer at Linfield College where she was elected a delegate from her county. The queen credits former area resident Gayle Papineau with her interest in horses. When she was in kindergarten, her babysitter, Gayle, always had horses around, so she got to help feed and brush them. Gayle and a neighbor, Laurie Barrow, whom the queen has dubbed her "other mother," encouraged her interest in horses by starting the lone Jr. Riding Club for several area kids like Brenda. Later, Brenda became an associated 4-H horse club member and finally a regular 4-Her. Longtime Heppner 4-H leader A1 Brazel also helped Brenda with her riding skills when the two clubs had joint meetings, and going "above and beyond" a 4-H leader's duties by traveling with her and her parents to area horse shows. Brenda's experience includes a couple of years in a cooking club, learning basic cooking skills and how to behave in front of people while demon strating how to bake chocolate chip cookies. A year in a sew ing club helped her decide that sewing is probably not for her since the white shirt and black- with-white figured pants outfit she struggled to make is still hanging in her closet, just the way it was at fair six years ago. Eight years in Martingales 4-H Horse Club has helped her decide to follow a horse-related study program at college after graduation next spring. "I just can't see myself being happy if I'm not working with horses in some way, or maybe teaching others to work with them," the queen said candidly. The queen encourages any girl who can ride and thinks she might be interested in representing the Morrow County Fair and Rodeo to try Queen Brenda Holtz Eyes: Blue H air: Brown Parents: Elmer and Sandy HMtz Age: 17 years old Senior at IHS Activities: Lady C ar dinal volleyball & basket ball, class officer, Interna tional Club, Girls’ State, 4-H horse & cooking clubs. Brenda and two new friends, Mickey Bergantzel of Albany (left) and Julie Thayer of Scio, smile for the camera in their dorm at Linfield College during the 56th session of Oregon Girls’ State. out for the court next year because it is a fun and learning experience. Times she has shared with the other girls on the court are special memories not everyone can have. This year on the court has had its ups and downs for the queen and her court. She says it's been a challenge to main tain the poise and fulfill the duties of queen without prior experience as a princess. "It's an honor, though," she ad mits, "that the fair and rodeo board, the rodeo committee and the fair committee had enough confidence in me to select me for this position. I just hope I have lived up to their ex pectations." Among the challenges, the queen says, was coordinating outfits and trying to find a cream-colored hat, belt and boots to match her official out fit. " I thought we never were going to get things worked out," she said, "but, finally, it all came together." Another time she remembers as difficult was during the parade at The Dalles, when her official mount, a six-year-old paint mare named Spooks Painted Bar, bucked along the parade route. " I had to get her back under control and pretend that nothing had happened, so 1 swatted her once to get her at tention and kept smiling and waving to the crowd and mak ing her follow along in our pat tern." Queen Brenda has learned how to handle horses in many situations from her years as a pennant bearer for Queen Judy Jepsen, herding cattle, riding mountain trails and the hills in Morrow County, her 4-H ex perience, cross-country jump ing, her riding coaches, and years of experience at sanction ed area horse shows. The best part about being queen of the fair and rodeo court, she says, has been the support from her princesses, pennant bearers and the com munity. "M y princesses and pennants have been dedicated in coming to the parades and rodeos, and have worked hard keeping their horses and out fits in shape," Brenda noted. "People have been wonderful coming to our fund raisers and giving donations. When they see us at parades and rodeos, they come up to us and con gratulate us or tell us how good we look and what a good job we're doing. It's wonderful to feel such support from every one." The most memorable event so far, the queen recalls, was her coronation at the Town and Country banquet in January. "I was so nervous about having to give a speech in front of all those people that I put horse radish on my baked potato. And, when I got up to go on the stage, my knees were shak ing so bad that I thought everybody could see and hear them, but afterwards everyone congratulated me and told me I'd done a good job. I was so excited I couldn't stop thinking about it for days." She expects the grand entries at the Morrow County fair and rodeo to be just as exciting, but not as intimidating, as she and Spooks run around the arena greeting rodeo fans and hear ing their cheers and applause. "My court and I hope everyone comes to the fair and rodeos. We know the show will be en joyable, and we will have fun meeting and talking with everyone," the queen con cluded. Fair in full swing« The Morrow County Fair is in full swing this week at the Mor row County Fairgrounds in Heppner. The fair will feature contests and exhibits, demonstrations, fashion shows, a market sale, food booths and concessions, entertainment, a Saturday mor ning parade and a street dance Saturday night. For more information, see the Morrow County Fair and Rodeo Premium Book and the Heppner Gazette-Times special fair and rodeo supplemental. County Jackpot Rodeo Sunday The Morrow County Jackpot Rodeo, featuring Morrow County residents and alumni, will get underway Sunday, Aug. 18, at 1:15 p.m. MCGG will be back to REGULAR HOURS Monday, August 19th We will be CLOSED SATURDAY, Aug. 17th ‘See you at the Morrow County Fair & Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo' Morrow County Grain Growers _______________Lexington 989-8221 1-800-452-7396_______________