Heppner gazette-times., March 15, 2000, Page THREE, Image 3

Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 15, 2000 - THREE
Ancient Order of Hibernians plan organizational
meeting in Heppner over St. Pat’s weekend
Ron McDonald & Outhouse Singers
to entertain during St. Pats
On Saturday, March 18, David
O'Longaigh, Chuck Duffy and
John DeZell members of the
Portland E.H. Deery Division,
Ancient Order of Hibernians will
be upstairs in the rug-mirror
room at the Elks Lodge in
Heppner at 4 p.m.
The purpose will be, with the
assistance of local AOH member
Pat Sweeney, to reorganize the
AOH division, which existed in
Heppner during the early part of
the century.
Oregon State President AOH
O'Longaigh has done extensive
research into the general history
of the Insh in Oregon, and in
particular in Heppner. He will be
there with others to swear in
those interested in promoting
Irish culture, friendship unity and
Christian charity in north central
Oregon. Membership is open to
Catholic men of Irish descent.
The ancient Order of
Hibernians were organized in
America on May 4, 1836, in
New York City. The Order was
established in Oregon in 1877.
The Order disappeared from
Oregon during he Depression of
the 1930s, but has recently been
re-established.
There are
currently two AOH divisions in
Oregon, Portland (est. 1998) and
Salem (est 1999). In addition to
Heppner there are plans to
establish divisions in Medford
and Lakeview.
The Order
members are 40,000 strong
nationwide.
Bill Mitchell to reign over St. Patrick’s Parade
great people and sprinkling of driving from there, Bill has been
Irish, as may second home.” He to Iceland six times since 1980.
says what he treasures most are "I had two very delightful trips
his many friends here, including with the Number One Heppner
Dean Gilman, Bill Kenny, Jack Irishman,
Jim Farley (who
Healy, Raymond French, Dan passed away Friday, March 10,
Brosnan, Howard Bryant and just before the St. Pat’s
"others too numerous to Celebration this year)," said Bill.
mention."
"It was the highlight of his life to
"I remember the old days of go back to County Longford and
Heppner," says Bill, "with all the locate the ancestral home of his
Irish sheepmen — the Kilkennys, mother and father." Bill says he
Kennys, O'Briens, Monahans, has a number of cousins scattered
Farleys and Healys, among throughout Ireland and really
others. There was a large influx enjoys the socializing there and
of young Irish who came over "a sampling or two of a pint of
and tended sheep. At that time Guinness, which is so nice and
the town had a real Irish flavor easy on the draw." He says that
and many were native-born more and more of his Irish
Irishmen." Bill says that Pete relatives have come over to visit.
Lennon was the last native His cousin, Brede Lyons, was the
Irishman of the early immigrants grand marshal for the 1989
to pass away.
honored Irish family, the
Bill's father, John, worked in O'Briens.
construction, helping build the
Heppner-Spray
Road
and
assisting Father Thomas Brady in
construction of the Catholic
Bill Mitchell
It just wouldn't be the Wee Bit church in Boardman. He
O'
Ireland
St.
Patrick's continued construction work
Celebration without Heppner's after the family moved to
favorite son and Ireland's too — Pendleton and then to California.
Bill's mother, Rose, was a
Bill Mitchell.
Get out your favorite Irish joke
Bill, who at six feet, five inches homemaker. Rose's brother was or story, brush up your Irish
Tom
O'Brien,
who
is
the
father
is affectionately called "Big
brogue, and get ready for the
Willy" by his friends in Heppner, of Gordon O'Brien of Heppner. Insh joke & story telling contest
has returned without fail for 15 Her sister was Kate Campbell of to be held during the KUMA
years (including this year) to Condon.
Bill says that his parents coffee hourifiaturday, March 18
attend the festival. In fact, he
"dabbled"
in Gaelic, but spoke during S t Patrick's day weekend.
wouldn't miss it, despite some
$100 m priie money will be
complicated travel arrangements. mostly English at home. Bill's given away this year, with $50
Bill was bom on a small farm brother, James, who has passed going to the first place winner,
in Cloone, County Leitrim, away, and sister Kathleen $30 to second place and $20 to
Ireland, on November 3, 1918. Mitchell of Walnut Creek, CA, third. Entrants will be judged on
His parents, John Mitchell and were also bom in Ireland. content and presentation (how
sister,
Margaret
Rose O'Brien Mitchell, sold their Youngest
Prindle,
now
of
the
San funny is the joke or story, how
family farm and left Ireland in
good is your Irish).
June of 1925 to move to New Francisco Bay area, was the only
To enter contact David Sykes
Westminster, British Columbia, sibling bom in the U.S. She was at the Heppner Gazette-Times, or
Canada. The family lived there delivered by Dr. McMurdo in you can enter right before the
for over a year and then came to January of 1927.
Bill and his wife, Claire, coffee hour, which starts at 10
Little Buttercreek in August of
celebrated their 52nd wedding a.m. and is held upstairs at the
1926.
Elks Lodge.
Bill enrolled in school at Pine anniversary in November 1999.
have
three
grown
City that fall and the following They
year the family moved up the daughters, Joan Thomas, Cindy
creek and he spend one year at Mitchell and Maureen Mitchell,
the Pleasant Point School. At all of the Bay Area, and two
Pleasant Point, he was taught, grandchildren, Tyler and Emily
says Bill, by the "brilliant Thomas.
Bill was in the freight
teacherage of Juanita Leathers
transportation
field in operations
Carmichael." The Pleasant Point
Are you tired of looking at all
School
was
a
one-room and sales, working for truck lines of the "treasures" that you have
railroads before his
schoolhouse,
where
his and
accumulated over the years?
retirement
in 1984. Bill and his
schoolmates included the Dalys,
Well, now is your chance to sell
the Cunninghams and the wife bought their three bedroom them. Plan now to participate in
home in Daly City in 1950 for
Swaggerts.
the second annual Pioneer Flea
The Mitchell family moved to $15,000. Now, says Bill, the Market May 20-21 at the
Heppner in the fall of 1928 and house could be put up for sale at Morrow County Fairgrounds.
lived in the Phil Hirl House. In over a quarter of a million
Spaces for rent are available
Heppner, he attended school at dollars.
both inside and outside. Call 676-
Besides his annual trek to
the schoolhouse on the hill from
9474 for more information and to
Heppner,
which involves flying
fourth through eighth grade.
reserve your space.
Some of his classmates included to Portland, renting a car and
Kathryn Hoskins, Riley Munkers
and Lloyd Burkenbine.
The family left Heppner and
moved to Pendleton where Bill
attended St. Joseph's Academy,
graduating in 1937. Two years
later, the whole family moved to
California wheie Bill has lived
ever since. Although he has lived
Allison Parks & Ryan Rudolf
in Daly City, CA for the past 60
years, Bill says, "I've always
wedding: March 1 8, 2000
considered Heppner, with its
Bill Mitchell has been selected
as the grand marshal of the 2000
St. Patrick’s Celebration Parade
on
Saturday,
March
18,
beginning at 1 p.m.
This is not Mitchell's first
experience in the limelight-he
was featured in the March 18,
1998 Gazette-Times.
R on M c D o n a ld a n d th e O u th o u s e S in g e rs
Returning to add a musical and
entertaining touch to the St. Pat's
Auction on Sunday, March 19,
will be Ron McDonald and the
Outhouse Singers.
Three years ago, Ron's groups
delighted the early crowd, and
this year they promise even
more. As the doors open at 11
a.m., they will tune up and turn
on their "Americana" sound. The
entertainment is free to everyone
who is wearing a St. Pat's
weekend button. The group will
return to the stage two more
times during breaks in the live
auction action.
The Outhouse Singers
originated from a trio formed in
1987 when Ron, his son, Joe, and
Denny Story began singing
together. From that grew this
group that now also includes
Bob Story, Jon Granby and Dave
Fischer. All the band members
sing. Joe, Bob and Ron also play
guitar. Denny plays bass. Jon
plays banjo and Dave plays a
mandolin.
Their music "leans toward
country," Ron says, but their
repertoire offers a broad range
that includes some Dylan,
Kingston Trio, Bluegrass and
Statler Brothers sounds, to name
a few. Ron adds that they can be
"good and we can be awful, but it
all costs the same!" He says that
they have a good time
performing, and the auction
committee is eager for them to
share their talents and fun-loving
nature on Sunday.
Golf cart added to auction goodies
The St. Patrick's Day Auction
committee has recently added a
golf cart to its list of donations
that will give this year's event a
bit of a twist from last year's.
Maybe this is the year of
transportation? We have had fun
with the '72 VW Bug that John
Gochnauer donated for a raffle,
and now we have this cute three-
wheel Harley cart, donated by
Jean Strange and Sally Walker.
The golf cart will be offered
in the live auction. A get-away
package this year includes two
18-hole rounds of golf with a
golf cart included. In that
package are also two trips on the
Mt. Hood Railroad.
And we are up in the air, so to
speak, over having two airplane
trips this year. At the opposite
end of the transportation
spectrum is a tractor-trailer... the
kind that requires a child's pedal
power.
If we might at First be mistaken
for a used car lot on Sunday, a
look inside the fair pavilion will
reveal well over 200 items for
sale. About 95 percent of the
donations
are
of
new
merchandise and services, but the
bug and cart are unusually fun.
"The Heppner merchants and
individuals have been supportive
even beyond the committee's
- * t •** .......—
mr _ ....
mm
iC n rt'
Golf cart to be auctioned
TV window.
On Friday, the auction program
will be printed and distributed to
eateries in Heppner, for patrons
to browse while dining. A list of
donations will also be posted at
the entrance areas to the dinners
on Friday and Saturday. The
Heppner.net web site also
contains a list of donations.
hopes,"
said the auction
chairmen. "Each year we count
on everyone's thoughtfulness and
each year we are impressed with
the giving, supportive attitude of
the community."
Several of the items that will be
in the live auction can be viewed
before Sunday in the Heppner
Mrs. O’Leary’s Stew Feed Friday
Experience the best beef stew
in town at Mrs. O'Leary's Stew
Feed, Friday, March 17, at St.
Patrick's Senior Center on Main
Street in Heppner, served
between 5-7 p.m.
Along with the stew, coleslaw,
fresh baked yeast rolls, a choice
of desserts and beverages will be
furnished.
"The United Methodist men
and women are some of the best
cooks in town and use these
■ *******»> .
funds to support outreach in the
community," said a church
spokesperson.
Cost is $5 for adults and $2 for
children 6-12; children five and
under are admitted free.
"The good conversation is free,
too," they said. "Afterwards, take
a short walk to the grade school
for the Blue Mountain Old Time
Fiddlers' Concert and enjoy a
wonderful evening of music."
Welcome
to
Vabdck'b Day;
Heppner
May
0' Ike
be wUk ye'
Ike luck
W edding Tables
Sheryl ca rty & Marc Aiujell
(5 4 1 ) 4 2 2 -7 2 0 4 o r (5 4 1 ) 4 5 4 -2 0 0 4
shower. March 25, 2000
wedding: April 8, 2000
Meeting your spring seed needs with:
PENEWAWA
ALPOWA
GoasttoGoast
help rot»
Sell your
’treasures’ at
Flea Market
ANDERSON SEED
and
we c a n
Irish joke &
story contest
offers cash
prizes
tH -n ti
C ertified , t r e a te d w ith VITAVAX-RTU
w ith o r w ith o u t LINDANE
Angela Currin & Nate Williams
Wedding: April 8, 2 0 0 0
M immi
■ s>
)1
217 North M ain • H ep p n er • 6 7 6 -9 1 5 8
Serving Heppner. Lexington A lone
Call and reserve your seed for your planting needs now!
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