Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1998)
• */ <'• » - % • . , • *. ». V ' ? «Ê *4 «4 »ti» W , «• . m - • « * * « , V" I » » ' ** * , , • « -*• • „• f •' I f ■_ - , , «BÜI ’* * «. J •* * - ; • » ■■ •»/. * •' t ' •» n- »' V' • ? P F S S I F OF . * ■ ,. VOL. 117 NO. 11 Pages ' P . WFTZf! ! Il Wednesday, March 18, 1998 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Heppner welcomes back favorite son for 13th year It just wouldn't be the W ee Bit O' Ireland St. Patrick's celebration without Heppner's favorite son and Ireland's too— Bill Mitchell. Mitchell, who at 6 feet, 5 inches is affectionately called "B ig W illy" by his friends in Heppner, has returned without fail for 13 years to attend the festival. In fact, he wouldn't miss it, despite some complicated travel arrangements. "Here I am again in 1998," said Bill. "And, the good Lord willing, I'm hoping to journey north many more years to come." B ill was bom on a small farm in Cloone, County Leitrim, Ireland, on Novem ber 3, 1918. His parents, John Mitchell and Rose O' Bnen Mitchell, sold their family farm and left Ireland in June o f 1925 to m ove to N ew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The fam ily lived there for over a year and then came to Little Buttercreek in August o f 1926. Bill enrolled in school at Pine C ity that fall and the follow ing year the fam ily m oved up the creek and he spent one year at the Pleasant Point School. At Pleasant Point he was taught, says Bill, by the "brilliant teacherage o f Juanita Leathers Carmichael." The Pleasant Point school was a one-room schoolhouse, where Bill's schoolmates included the Dalys, the Cunninghams and the Swaggarts. The M itchell fam ily m oved to Heppner in the fall o f 1928 and lived in the Phil Hirl house. The Hirls are the festival's honored Irish fam ily this year. Mrs. Phil Hirl was the grandmother o f current M orrow County Commissioner Raymond French. In Heppner, B ill attended school at the schoolhouse on the hill from fourth through eighth grade. Some o f his classmates included Kathryn Hoskins, Riley Munkers and Lloyd Burkenbine. The fam ily left Heppner and m oved to Pendleton where Bill attended St. Joseph's Academy, graduating in 1937. T w o years later, the whole family moved to California where Bill has lived ever since. Although he has lived in Daly City, C A , for the past 59 years. Bill says, "I've always considered Heppner, with its great people and sprinkling o f Irish, as my second home." He says what he treasures most are his many friends here, including Jim Farley, Dean Gilman, Bill Kenny, Jack Healy, Raymond French, Dan Brosnan, Howard Bryant and "others too numerous to mention". "I remember the old days o f Heppner," says Bill, "with all the Irish sheepmen-the Kilkennys, Kennys, O'Briens, Monahans, Farleys and Healys, among others. There was a large influx o f young Irish who came over Bill Mitchell and tended sheep. A t that time the town had a real Irish flavor and many were native bom Irishmen." Bill says that Pete Lennon was the last native Irishman o f the early immigrants to pass away. Bill's father John worked in construction, helping build the Heppner-Spray Road and assisting Father Thomas Brady in construction o f the Catholic Church in Boardman. He continued construction work after the fam ily moved to Pendleton and then to California. Bill's mother, Rose was a homemaker. Rose's brother was Tom O'Brien, who is the father o f Gordon O ’Brien o f Heppner. Her sister was Kate Campbell o f Condon. B ill says that his parents "dabbled" in Gaelic, but spoke mostly English at home. Bills' brother, James, who has passed away, and sister Kathleen Mitchell, now o f Walnut Creek, C A , were also bom in Ireland. Youngest sister, Margaret Pnndle, now o f the San Francisco Bay area, was the only sibling bom in the U.S. She was delivered by Dr. McMurdo in January o f 1927. B ill and his w ife, Claire, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Novem ber 1997. They have three grown daughters, Joan Thomas, Cindy Mitchell and Maureen Mitchell, all o f the Bay Area, and two grandchildren, Tyler and Emily Thomas. Bill was in the freight transportation field in operations and sales, working for truck lines and railroads before his retirement in 1984. Bill and his • - - 1 * .V vh • -• • «•»-* . ~ t - t Waterpark plans Bucknum's Tavern opens in family swim day time for drinking o' the green OR % *' - ’•• ' A ! E (J 1 h. N t • - ' W /• '/ • .i > *•> ?••> / * y * 4 w ife bought their three bedroom home in Daly City in 1950 for $15,000. N ow , says Bill, the house could be put up for sale at over a quarter o f a million dollars. Besides his annual trek to Heppner, which entails flying to Portland, renting a car and driving from there, Bill has been to Ireland six times since 1980. "I had two very delightful trips with the number one Heppner Irishman, Jim Farley," laughs Bill. "It was the highlight o f his life to go back to County Longford and locate the ancestral home o f his mother and father." Bill says he has a number o f cousins scattered throughout Ireland and really enjoys the socializing there and "a sampling or two o f a pint o f Guinness, which is so nice and easy on the draw." He says that more and more o f his Irish relatives have come over to visit. His cousin, Brede Lyons, was the grand marshal for the 1989 honored Irish family, the O'Briens. Bill says that he has noticed a change for the better this year in Heppner. "The town looks good with the g o lf course, the up-to- date hospital, the new swimming pool and the newly renovated Main Street," he says. W hile those things are all very nice, it's clear that what Bill really loves is the view from his favorite park bench in front o f the Heppner Post O ffice, sitting and visiting with his dear, longtime friends. The W illo w Creek Waterpark is planning a special fam ily swim day on Friday, March 27. The multi-use spa w ill be open for use from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and no ap pointments are necessary. The charge is $2.50 per person or $6 per fam ily (im m ediate fa m ily members only). “ W e want to encourage those who have never used the spa to come try it out for exercise or fun,” says Waterpark manager Sarah Carlson. “ The spa is kept at 90 degrees which is a com fort able temperature for people o f all ages. However, exercising in wa ter o f this temperature does have its risks. W e suggest that indi viduals and families lim it their exposure to 30 minutes. W e have deck chairs set up for spectators, or for those who need a break from the water. The room tem perature is kept at a comfortable 75 degrees,” adds Carlson. Parents w ill need to accom pany and supervise their children. Oregon State Health law prohib its anyone under the age o f 14 years to use a spa unless accom panied by an adult. The law also does not require a lifeguard to be on duty at a spa. “ W e feel fam i lie s should kn ow that w h ile Waterpark personnel are a vail able anytime the spa is open, there is no certified lifeguard on duty in the spa,” says Carlson. The multi-use spa is usually open every Friday-M onday by appointment from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Anyone may make an appoint ment by calling the Waterpark, 676-5752, and leaving a message as to the desired date and time o f use, preferably 24 hours in ad vance. Waterpark personnel w ill call back to confirm appoint ments. Aquatic exercise classes are given in the spa on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for four weeks. There are four times dur ing the day when those classes are taught: 8-8:30 a.m., 12:15-12:45 p.m., 1:30-2 p.m. and 6-6:30 p.m. The last session, o f these aquatic exercise classes w ill start M on day, April 6. A session o f lessons costs $35. “ These are great classes for anyone o f any age and fitness level to participate in. Those who have taken the classes have been amazed at the benefits they have received just by exercising in the water for 30 minutes. These are the types o f classes that you can participate in and not even get your hair wet,” says Carlson. T h e W aterpark has season passes at discounted prices until W ednesday, A pril 1. A fam ily pass at the discounted rate is $ 150 and the individual pass is $60. These w ill go up to $160 and $75 after April 1. Season passes or spa punch cards are available at the Waterpark or may be purchased by sending a check payable to the W illo w Creek Waterpark, P.O. Box 291, Heppner, O R 97836. Corps changes flow The U.S. Arm y Corps o f Engineers increased water releases March 11 from the W illo w Creek Dam in Heppner, water regulators have announced. Flow s were increased from the level o f nine cubic feet per second to 30 cfs to help regain some flood control space in the lake follow ing a recent period o f rain. Saturday, March 15, the Corps decreased flows to nine cfs to settle the creek prior to the O'Ducky Race. The race ran from 3-5 p.m. The flow adjustment is done each year to facilitate the race, part o f the city's annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. Follow ing the race, flows w ill be increased again, and held at 15 cfs. The alteration in the flows for this event w ill not affect the flood control capability o f the dam, said Russ Davidson, Corps hydraulic engineer. .1 Patty Dean and John Gochnauer A familiar place is back in operation in Heppner and what’s best o f all is that it's now owned by a familiar face. Yes, Bucknum's is open and made its debut just in time for the W ee Bit O'lreland celebration in Heppner last weekend. N ew owner is John Gochnauer. John and his w ife lived in Heppner for 10 years, leaving in 1978 to move to Davenport, W A , and then to North Bend seven years ago. John, now the district manager for Farmer's Insurance at North Bend, started the Farmer's Insurance agency here, drove school bus and worked for Kinzua. His wife, Judy, who recently passed away, was a teacher in Heppner. A ll o f the Gochnauer children attended school in Heppner. Daughter Lynn Guhlke is now a counselor at Davenport, W A ; daughter M elody Nuxoll, Spokane, was an insurance agent, but now is a stay-at-home mom; daughter Cindy Gochnauer is an insurance agent and artist in Spokane; their son Kenneth passed away in 1984. John also has six grandchildren. John says that he plans to move to Heppner when he retires from Farmer’s, but until he does, he plans to be here " a lot o f weekends." N ew manager at Bucknum's, Patty Dean, worked with John in the insurance business at North Bend. Patty, 28, who was bom in Connecticut and grew up in North Bend, moved to Heppner three weeks ago with her two daughters, Cortney, seven, and Macey, five. Patty says that she loves the area. "People have been wonderful to me," says Patty. "When I came to this town, Sandi Matthews, who had never met me, left her door unlocked and let me spend my first weekend at her house." Sandi also helped out at the tavern over the busy St. Patrick's weekend. Sandi's parents, Don and Jean Bennett o f Heppner, are close family friends o f the Gochnauers and Jean was Kenneth Gochnauer's godmother. "Suzie Jepsen has been wonderful, too," says Patty. "She says she's going to mother me." Ken Eckman o f Eckman Construction and Jason Hanna remodeled the tavern. Bucknum's has been painted and paneled and it now features a big screen T V and an anti-smoke device, which basically sucks the smoke out o f the building. "Everyone seems to be excited about the changes," says Patty. "I know w e are." Monday Bucknum's was to begin serving food, including taco salads, soft tacos and soup and sandwiches. Patty says that they plan to expand their menu after they get the kitchen installed and eventually they hope to have a full service bar. For now, they have seven beers on tap, coffee and pop. Peanut ... ■ t ■ *x ' «' . ’ ' ,r * ■ * • T . Ì • - - -j -»v - - . ' - . s » ... * ' p night-where everyone eats peanuts and throws the shells on the floor- w ill still be a fixture. Hours w ill be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays; and 8 a.m. to around 12:30 a.m. weekends, although they stayed open later for customers over St. Patrick's weekend. - how the local citizens advisory commission represents the community in regards to camp operations and procedure." Judge Carlson said. "1 believe that we have a good shot at getting this worthwhile facility here in Heppner. The state committee w ill be taking a second look at the site again in the very near future," Carlson said. "W e recognized that not all o f our citizens w ill be pleased w ith the location o f this facility for various reasons. W e think it is important that we listen very carefully to these people and evaluate their concerns in the final decision making process." ï •- ' s- » 1 •*. 4 ~ •- \ '■ ■ . >. . *■ • - -V ■ ' •' - , ’ • ' - A - *., * J O n * * ; ‘ *• -v . • I . c * ' > V. " i ■ - ^ Y '. C v * . 1 - ; . « » * * . • « .• : .... /. • - •. j ~ . A public hearing on the site w ill be held Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m., with the location to be announced. The other two sites being considered are both in Union County—one near the city o f Union and another next door to an existing youth facility near LaGrande. Try wheat cake samples Thursday Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 ■■ - Heppner in running for youth camp The M orrow County Wheat Growers League w ill hand out samples o f this year's Oregon Wheat Growers League contest cake on Thursday, March 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Central Market in Heppner. The event is planned to celebrate National Agriculture W eek March 15-21. 4 i* *.• ' . » ' - i r - ' v .-V • ■ r ' . - • * * »\ » :*•' i ---- i::-V : The 1998 contest cake is a white honey cake. The M C W G L invites everyone to stope by the market to try a sample o f the cake. Recipes w ill be handed out with the samples for those who would like to try their hand at baking the cake. A recipe for the cake w ill also appear in the Gazette-Times. Ja . » # I» •. • « * • • » , : * ■ ,t . * ». <1 .. , : ». . *, * • » * ; V, • if..'» ’ .. - ‘ V ’ • v " • ; - i r -.S'*'. . For farm equipmtnt, visit our web sit* at www mcgg ntt .r*-*. : * : . , \ • ■ ; » • w '• * J..-* ' » Ji \ * *. M o rro w C o u n t y G r a in G ro w ers . * . - v Heppner has been selected as one o f three sites still in the running for locating an Oregon Youth Accountability Camp, according to Heppner City Manager, Gary Marks. Marks passed this information on to M orrow County Juvenile Judge Louis Carlson, last Friday. "W e want to keep our citizens informed about the progress o f this selection process so that there w ill be no surprises, "Judge Carlson said. As a result, an informational forum is scheduled to be held at the St. Patrick's Senior Center on Thursday, March 26, at 3 p.m. and at 7 p.m. Betsy Leighty, director o f the Central/Eastem Oregon Youth Accountability Camp, w ill be on had to answer questions as well as Doug Smith, assistant Director o f the Tillam ook Youth Camp. "W e also believe that someone from the Tillamook Youth Camp Citizens Advisory commission w ill be in attendance to discuss • , :-*v. 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