riith annual Columbia Plateau bicycle race hits
local roads this weekend
By Paul Laak
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With the draw of spectacular
scenery, lightly traveled roads,
friendly towns and a uniquely
formatted race, the fifth edition
of the Columbia Plateau Stage
Race is ready to start this Fnday,
May 21, as cyclists roll out for
lone from Heppner at. 1 p.m.
Only 40 racers in all entered
the first year, back in 1995, and
the organizers took a bath in
offering a large prize list. But
the rough spots are being
smoothed out and last year a
record field of 208 cyclists
entered from more parts of the
Northwest than ever before.
The women's field has gone
from a scant 20 entries in 1996 -
- the first year women contested
the event -- to a quality field of
47 racers last year and the
intermediate divisions have
become just as competitive as
the pros. Last year, participants
traveled
from
Oregon,
Washington, Idaho. Montana,
British Columbia and, for the
first time ever, Wyoming and
Colorado.
What drives bicycle racers
from all over the region to
congregate to the Columbia
'
Plateau in late May? The many
factors include great weather
(usually), scenery, the roads and
a different format. Most
multiple-stage
races
held
throughout
the
Northern
Hemisphere, like the popular
Cascade Classic held each
summer in Bend, all start and
stop each day at about the same
location. The Columbia Plateau
Stage Race travels from point-
to-point which makes for a
traveling caravan of racers,
support crews and all their gear.
The race makes over night stops
In the towns of lone and Fossil,
where locals help ready the high
schools to host dinner and
breakfast for all the racers.
Heppner, lone and Fossil are the
point-to-pomts for the contested
three road races, plus one time
trial on Saturday. Stage I goes
from Heppner to lone with a 1
p.m start Friday. The Pro 1/2
field traverses 76 miles with
approximately 3,000 feet of
climbing involved. The rest of
the racers do 55 miles with just
under 2,000 feet of climbing.
Then, on the second day, this
year's race makes a change from
the past in that it will now do the
time trial in the morning and
then the Ione-to-Fossil stage in
the afternoon. Race organizers
felt that having the time trial in
the afternoon, like last year,
when it was competed under
cold and wet conditions, made
the racers less competitive
during the lone to Fossil stage in
the morning. Now, they hope
that the racers will be more
combative along the roads going
from lone to Fossil, a course
described as being a roller
coaster ride that finishes 1,600
feet higher than the start.
The time trial will begin at 9
a.m. Saturday, The Ione-to-
Fossil stage will start at 2 p.m,
Saturday.
And for this race, participants
do not get any change to rest on
Sunday. The last day is the
longest of the race as everyone
will travel 85 miles from Fossil
back to Heppner on Highways
19 and 207 with 4,000 feet of
climbing.
A total prize list of $4,500 cash
awaits the leaders when the
make their return to Heppner
Sunday afternoon.
Museum to
lone senior girls and
celebrate 39th mothers enjoy tea
birthday
Museum hosts traveling exhibit,
'Treasures of Oregon'
Photo by Allison Sykes
Robert Harrison, Dan Brosnan and Jim Morgan, pictured left to right, pause during a tour of the traveling
exhibit, "Treasures of Oregon", which came to the Morrow County Museum in Heppner May 16-17.
Meeting set for School holds spelling contest
The 1999 Morrow County SBE; participants Kevin Coen,
strategic plan School
District spelling contest ACH, and Kayla LaRue and
A public meeting to discuss
the
Heppner
Community
Strategic plan will be held
Thursday, May 20 at the
Heppner High School library.
The public is invited to attend
and give its input.
Volunteers to
help with Lex.
city business
The Lexington city council
held an emergency meeting
Monday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at
city hall to consider what
actions needed to be taken to
handle the current work on the
city's 1999-2000 budget and
other city business due to the
impending resignation of City
Recorder Sue Baker.
The city is receiving
temporary help from an
experienced auditor, and some
assistance was volunteered by a
former city recorder.
Any persons interested in the
position with Lexington should
write to Mayor Bill Sheirbon,
the council announced.
The city has been wrestling
with an unexplained $2,000
shortfall m the 1996-97 budget
as well as a $400 discrepancy in
the
1997-98 bookkeeping
system.
Baker's four year term as
recorder would have run out at
the end of the year 2000.
was held May 13 at Sam
Boardman Elementary School in
Boardman.
Division I winner was Sarah
Hickerson from Heppner Elemen
tary School (HES). Division II
winner was Til Tullis, lone Middle
School (IMS). Division III winner
was Joey Bourne, Heppner High
School (HHS).
Following is a complete list of
winners:
Division I-first Sarah Hicker
son, HES; second Amy Jepsen,
HES; third a tie between Steven
Roberts, A.C. Houghton Elemen
tary School (ACH) and Michael
Memll, HES; fourth Krystal Keg-
ler, Sam Boardman Elementary
School (SBE); fifth a tie between
Brent Parks, IES and Amanda
Walker, ACH; sixth Jace Jones,
Emily Rietmann, both IES.
Division II-first Til Tullis, IMS;
second Zach Baker. Columbia
Middle School (CMS); third a tie
between Tyler Henderson, Hepp
ner Junior High School (HJH) and
Jami Moore, CMS; fourth a tie
between Tracy Griffith, IMS and
Crystal Munoz, CMS; fifth Brian
Haguewood, HJH; sixth Dan
Jepsen, HJH; participant Caitlin
Orem, IMS.
Division Ill-first Joey Bourne,
HHS; second Randi McElligott,
lone High School (IHS); third Jus
tin Cole, Riverside High School
(RHS); fourth Cheryl Rodgers,
RHS; fifth a tie between Chnssa
Chapm an, RHS and Katie
Tworek, IHS; sixth Leah Denton,
HHS; participant Stephanie
Clough, HHS.
IHS, HHS plan graduation
The Heppner and lone
baccalaureate services will both
be held next Wednesday, May
26, at 7 p.m. lone's will be held
at St. Williams Catholic Church
and Heppner's will be at St.
Patnck's Catholic Church.
Commencement for lone will
be Fnday, May 28, at 7 p.m. at
the high school gym. Heppner’s
graduation ceremony will be
Saturday, May 29, at 7 p.m., in
the gym.
Riverside High School's
graduation will be Sunday, May
30, at 2 p.m.
Legion, Aux
set poppy sale
The Heppner Legion and
Auxiliary will hold their annual
poppy sale this Fnday, May 21,
at the Heppner Post Office,
staning at 8 a m.
The sale was onginally set for
The Morrow County Museum
is celebrating its 39th birthday
with an open house on Saturday,
May 29, Memorial weekend.
The museum itself will be open
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Everyone, frequent patron as
well as first time visitor, is
invited to stop by and see
exhibits, photographs and the
Genealogical Resource Center.
According to the museum
staff, "Whether it's been two
weeks or 20 years since you've
dropped by the museum, there's
always something new to see."
The spotlight event of the day
will be a "roll-out" of the large
equipment in the agricultural
collection housed in the former
MCGG elevator on Riverside
Street.. Members of the Morrow
County Museum Commission
will move the equipment out
into the area in front of the
elevator so that visitors can get a
good look at this important
collection donated by Harold
and Edna Peck, the Osmin
Family, Fritz Cutsforth, Jean
Nelson and others.
Commission members will be
on hand to discuss the tractors,
thrashers, plows, etc., and to
answer questions about the
museum's development of this
auxiliary museum site that will
house and exhibit the agriculture
collection.
The equipment will be on
display from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
There is no admission charge for
entrance to the museum or to
view the agriculture collection.
Ion» High School senior, Roseanne Baker, and her mother, Robin
Baker, enjoy the Senior Girls Mother/Daughter Tea, sponsored by the
lone Topic Club at the lone Legion Hall.
The lone Topic Club members
honored the lone High School
senior girls at their annual tea at
the Legion Hall on April 28.
Girls and their mothers present
were: Niki Sullivan and her
mother Lori; Tori and Nansea
Odinet; Katie and Lucy Tworek;
Roseanne and Robin Baker and
Jessica and Maureen Krebs. Lela
Gribskov and her mother Kathy
Gates were unable to attend.
A special program for the day
was a showing of a collection of
dolls belonging to Leola
Hawthorne. She told about dolls
of many kinds, showing some of
various types of construction and
different time periods from
Eskimo dolls, Barbie dolls,
movie personalities and an old
handmade doll out of her
collection of some 500.
Hostesses for the day were
Kathenne Lindstrom, Alice
Harper and Betty Gray with the
assistance of all the club
members.
Willow Creek Water Park
sets open house
Lifeguard
training offered
Lifeguard Training will be
offered by Blue Mountain
Community College at the lone
High School pool, beginning
with an orientation session on
Thursday, June 17, at 5 p.m.
In this course, students will
leam about the duties and
responsibilities of a lifeguard.
Students will leam techniques
appropriate to life guarding at a
swimming pool facility.
Participants must be at least 15
years old and in good enough
condition to pass a pre-session
skills test. The course consists of
11 three-hour sessions, which
will be scheduled at the June 17
orientation session.
Cost of the class is $108 which
includes books and certification
fees. Pre-registration is required.
Contact Anne Morter, BMCC
coordinator, at 422-7040, to
register,
or
for
more
information.
DeltaD
Willow Creek Water Park will
have an open house Thursday,
May 20, at the pool from 8 a.m.
to 9 p.m.
The open house will provide
an opportunity for anyone to
sign up for swimming lessons
and to purchase season passes.
The pool will open June 5. The
schedule will be as follows:
open swim weekdays 1-5 p.m.
and 7-9 p.m. and weekends 1-5
p.m. A ji adult swim will be
offered weekdays 9-9:30 a.m.
Swim lessons will be held on
weekdays 9:30 a.m.-12 noon and
6-7 p.m. on the following dates:
first session, June 14-25; second
session, July 12-23; and third
session, August 2-13. Those
interested in signing up should
call and reserve their lesson
dates. Staff will be present to
help determine your child's
level. Private lessons will also
be available.
For more information call 676-
5752 and leave a message.
An aquatic exercise group will
be available weekdays from
9:30-10 a.m. and from 6:30-7
p.m.
Swim team practice will be
from 5-6 p.m., with meets to be
announced.
Gardeners offer
garden plots
The Blue Mountain Master
Gardeners are announcing the
third growing season of the Irish
Green Community Garden.
Garden plots became available
May 1. They are 10x10 feet and
the cost is $12 per plot.
For more information or to
reserve a plot for an individual
or group, call Kay Proctor at
676-9827.
DELTA P ic k u p T o o l B o x e s
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