Joint concert Santa makes annual visit
planned Dec. 6 to Artifactory
HEPPNER
imes
VOL. 117
NO. 47
IQPages
Wednesday, November 25,1998
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Work underway on new Chevron station
A joint concert with the South
Morrow Community Choir and
the Willow Creek Symphony will
be held on Sunday, Dec. 6, at the
Heppner Middle School gym
beginning at 3 p.m. The two
groups have joined forces to
provide an afternoon of music.
The choir is directed by Debbie
Wryn and Ralph Wemer is the
director of the symphony. Both
groups are funded by the Arts
Council of Morrow County
through the Morrow County
Unified Recreation District.
The choir has prepared several
selections that are widely varied,
including an old Ukrainian carol,
a well-known piece entitled
"Carol of the Bells." Sacred
selections include a rendition of
"Joy To The World" with "Go
Tell It On The Mountain."
The concert also includes
humorous pieces that remind us
to lighten up and enjoy the
holiday season.
One is a
"boogie" style and the other is
aptly titled, "Twas the Night
After Christmas."
The Willow Creek Symphony
will
perform
Christmas
selections under the direction of
Ralph Wemer. Selections include
the favorites, "O Come All Ye
Faithful" and "Angels We Have
Heard on High." "Sleigh Ride"
will feature the percussion
section and "Trepak" from the
Nutcracker Suite will include a
harp part performed by Amy
Jepsen. The symphony will also
play "Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer."
At the end of the program both
groups will again combine for
one selection. This year's piece
is Irving Berlin's "White
Christmas." Ralph Wemer will
play tuba and Debbie Wryn will
direct.
A reception will be held after
the concert. Everyone is invited
to attend. There is no admission
charge.
Santa to appear
in Boardman
Santa Claus will arrive at the
Boardman Community Tree
Work begins on new Chevron
station
Work is underway on a new
Chevron station at the site of
the former Cal's Service Center,
at the comer of north Main and
Center in Heppner
Dick Devin, vice president of
Devin Oil, Inc., says that the
station will be "all new from the
ground up," including new
pumps, a new building and
convenience store and a new
canopy. The convenience store,
which will feature some fast
food items as well as
convenience items, will also
have a drive-through window.
Devm says that the gas
station should be completed by
Dec. 22 to satisfy government
regulations and he hopes to
have the mini-mart completed
by mid January.
Devin Oil, Inc., purchased the
station in September from Cal
and Bev Sherman who had
operated Cal's Service Center
there for 30 years.
According to the Oregon State
Department of Environmental
Quality, gas station owners and
operators were given 10 years,
until Dec. 22 of this year, to
upgrade
or
replace
old
underground
gas
tanks.
Upgrading an underground tank
usually requires replacing or
lining the existing tank and
adding equipment to prevent
leaks and, spills. According to
DEQ the upgrades start at
around $50,00 and most also
involve at least some soil or
groundwater cleanup, so costs
could exceed $100,000.
The state awarded some
grants to tank owners, but a
station could get a grant only if
it was the only station in a city
or was located five or more
miles from the next gasoline
station and "there was an
economic need," according to
DEQ.
In Morrow County, only three
stations have qualified for
grants, according to DEQ-
Lexington Service in Lexington,
Brown's Auto and Truck Stop in
Irrigon and lone Key Gas
Service in lone.
DEQ says that many gas
stations have closed since 1988
and 1,100 of Oregon's 1,600
remaining gas stations with
underground
tanks
have
upgraded or replaced tanks.
They say that several hundred
stations are still working to
meet the deadline and another
200-300 may quit selling gas
rather than make the mandated
changes.
DEQ says that the changes are
needed
because
failing
underground tanks "pose a
serious long term threat to the
nation's drinking water supply
and sometimes are immediate
threats to public safety." DEQ
says that before 1986, bare steel
tanks, which arc "highly
vulnerable to corrosion," were
commonly used to store
gasoline and there have been
leaks or recurring spills at more
than two-thirds of the old tank
systems. DEQ says in one year,
a pin-size hole in an
underground storage tank can
leak more than 400 gallons of
fuel.
According to DEQ. "gasoline
contamination has fouled or
threatens to pollute many water
wells in Oregon, usually in rural
areas and very low levels of
gasoline
constituents
in
drinking water can cause
cancer."
Pennie and Dennis Miller,
owners of Miller's Mini Mart
and Chevron at 294 North Main
in Heppner say that they plan to
close the station January 1.
Schools plan
holiday
programs
South Morrow County Schools
have scheduled their Christmas
music programs.
The holiday program will be
held at Heppner Elementary
School on Wednesday, Dec. 16,
at 7 p.m. for kindergarten
through sixth grade.
The Heppner High School
concert will be held on
Thursday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. in
the cafeteria.
The lone winter concert for
grades K-12 will be held
Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m. in
the cafeteria.
The concerts will include both
band and choral music.
G-T closed for
Thanksgiving
The Gazette-Times office will
be closed Thursday and Friday,
Nov. 26 and 27 for the
Thanksgiving holiday.
The G-T staff wishes you a
safe and happy holiday.
Lighting Ceremony, Wednesday,
Dec. 2, in a one-horse open
buggy. The Community Tree
Lighting will begin at 5:30 p.m.,
at the comer of Main and
Boardman
Avenue.
The
Community Tree is on Riverside
High School grounds, right by
the school sign.
Musical entertainment will be
provided by members of the
Boardman Community Church.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
and children from Boardman
Child Development Center. The
tree, decorated by community
volunteers, will be glowing and
Santa will arrive in a horse and
buggy.
O f course Santa will have a
wink and candy for everyone that
has been nice (or naughty). After
the ceremony, everyone is
invited to walk across Boardman
Avenue to the C & D Drive In
for cookies, hot chocolate and
conversation.
The Community Tree is one
block north of the 1-84 Boardman
Main Street exit #164.
Time to light
up Heppner
It's time to light up Heppner's
Main Street trees. Tree owners
and anyone wishing to help are
invited to meet at the Chamber of
Commerce office on Tuesday,
December 1, between 3:30-6
p.m.
Lights will be available for
those not keeping them from last
year. Hot chocolate will be
served.
Wondering about the bricks?
The company is running behind;
Heppner is on hold. "One day
they may just appear," says a
Chamber spokesperson.
Kendra Rayburn of Heppner shares a moment with Santa at the
Artifactory arts and crafts fair held this year on Saturday, Nov. 21. at
the Morrow County Fairgrounds in Heppner. The annual event is
sponsored by Soroptimist International of Heppner.
Holiday events planned
The December calendar
includes numerous local holiday
events.
Activities include:
Thursday, Dec. 3: 2-7 p.m.-
downtown open house; 3:30-
5:30 p.m.-pictures with Santa at
St. Patrick's Senior Center with
Sandy Matthews, photographer;
4-7 p.m.-chili and baked potato
feed, sponsored by the Heppner
High School Senior Class at St.
Patrick’s Senior Center; 5-6
p.m.- live nativity, courtesy of
the Lutheran Church, next to the
Shoe Box; 5 p.m.-Heppner band
students perform at Les
Schwab; 5:30 p.m.-Heppner
vocal students perform at
downtown Christmas tree; 6
p.m.- Holiday
Parade of
Lights; 6:30 p.m.- light up
Heppner.
Saturday, Dec. 5: 9 a m.-3
p.m.-Holiday greens workshop
sponsored by the Heppner
Garden Club, Morrow County
Fairgrounds.
Sunday, Dec. 6: 3 p.m.-
Commumty Choir and Willow
Creek
Youth
Symphony,
Heppner Middle School gym.
Wednesday, Dec. 16: 7 p.m.-
Heppner Elementary School
holiday concert.
Thursday. Dec. 17: 7 p.m.-
Heppner High School holiday
concert.
Sunday, Dec. 20: Heppner
business and residential lighting
contest judged.
Tuesday, Dec. 22: 7 p.m. lone
Schools winter concert.
Heppner TV adds channels
Coming soon to Heppner Cable
television will be two new movie
channels,
ENCORE
and
American Movie Classics.
To receive the new, commercial
free movie channels be sure to
program your sets to channels
#29 and #30.
ENCORE’S programming
lineup includes hit movies from
the 60s, 70s and 80s. Thirty
movies are scheduled each month
and are shown every two hours,
commercial free. ENCORE is
scheduled to air on televisions
the week of November 23
American Movie Classics
brings classic entertainment
including one of the greatest
collections of classic movies ever
made. AMC shows favorites
from the 30s through the 70s.
All films are shown uncut,
uncolorized
and
without
commercial interruptions. AMC
is scheduled to air sometime in
December.
Recently, Heppner TV added
The History Channel and Fox
Sports Northwest to channels #27
and #28. Be sure to keep up on
all the new additions to the
television programming.
For more questions, call
Heppner TV at 676-9663.
Randy Lott gets hole in one
Randy Lott of Heppner carded
a one shot on the 170 yard hole
#2 recently at the Willow Creek
C ountry Club. Stub Lewis,
Howard Bryant and Edward
Hiemstra were his playing part
ners. After “thrashing around in
the leaves looking for Lott's ball",
Lewis said. "Maybe it went in the
hole.”
This was Lott’s fourth hole-in-
one; the others were all on hole
#4. “Pure luck," said Lott, “since
Fred Couples has only had two
with all his talent."
Lott has been lucky this year.
He also won the Diamondback
mountain bike donated by Jeff
Edmundson Construction for the
youth golf program.
Day care has waiting list
Heppner DayCare and Pre
school announce they have a full
attendance of 24 children a day
and currently have a waiting list.
The DayCare asks parents to call
ahead of time before bringing chil
dren in, at 676-5429 If a child is
scheduled but will not be coming
in. parents are asked to call and
cancel, or be charged $5 for the
space which might have been
used for another child. For ques
tions. call Merry Brannon at 676-
5429.
Shop MCGG for that sp ecial gift
for that sp ecial p erson
Watch for our Big Christmas
Gift Guide flyer in your mail!
M orrow C ounty G rain G rowers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1 -800-452-7396 For farm equipmont, nsit our w»b siti at W W W mcgg net