Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2002)
Page 5 How did it all begin? Jim Farley In 1982 James J. “ Jim ” F a rley in vited Ted Sm ith o f Pendleton K U M A C offee Hour to com e to the Farley M otor Com pany Show room to share jo k es, stories and music with family and friends. Irish families gathered in the showroom for Farley’s first St. Patrick’s Day Irish Social Hour, and thus began 20 years o f Irish festivities in the town o f Heppner, Oregon. Contributing to the flavor o f the day with song and guitar were John Doherty and Scott Sager. They got their start practicing in the lambing shed on the Doherty Ranch on Big Buttercreek. A s the years went by their group grew with guitar, banjo, bass violin, p iccolo, flute, organ and they expanded their repertoire with trips to Ireland. John Doherty and T h e Irish S in gers becam e a traditional part o f the K U M A C o ffe e Hour. T h e y w ill be honored this year for their many years o f providing music for the annual celebration. Th ey w ill perform at both the C offee Hour and the afternoon C eili. M ike D u ffy, o f Irish S in ger fam e, continues to do an outstanding job as master o f ceremonies during the Ceili. E ven tu a lly the K U M A C offee Hour moved to the Elks to hold the 200-plus in attendance, but Farley continued to host an afternoon social hour, a Heppner reunion o f sorts. James J. Farley is gone now, but not forgotten, as the Irish and Irish fo r a day remember him each and every St. Patrick’ s Day. His daughters, Trish F a rley H uddleston and Shanny Farley Miller, continue to carry on the F a rley S ocia l tradition. Dave Sykes, who chaired the C offee Hour for many years, is stepping down this year. “ Every year after the festivities were o ver Jim (F a r le y ) w ould say, ’ Well,Dave, do you think the folks had a good time this year?’ He really cared whether it was fun for people.” Cara Osmin is the new C offee Hour chair this year. Farley family continues tradition In the spring o f 1982 as the brown hills o f Eastern Oregon started to turn green, Jim Farley contacted K U M A radio about bringing their Irish program to Heppner. His wish to bring family and friends together was the idea for the first Farley social hour. Please jo in his daughters Trisha and Shannon for the 20th year o f Irish hospitality at the Farley Social Hour on Saturday, March 16, from 4-5 p.m. at the senior bus garage on May Street. And watch for Farley’s blue Scout in the Great Green Parade. Irish dan cers to Irish toast to the St. Patrick’s Committee perform at C eili Heppner's Irish celebration has grown through the years to the point that most o f Heppner is working in one volunteer capaci ty or another throughout the en tire weekend. To be commended for their dedication in attending planning meetings and the contin uation o f the 2002 event are: Kay Fow ler- Auction, Craig Strobel - Parade, Dick and L.ynnea Sargent - Cruz-ln, Judie Laughlin - But tons and Hospitality, Joyce and Jerry Hollom on - Flags, Mary Hamilton - Sheepdog Trials, Doris Brosnan and Diana Ball at-large, and overall co-chairpersons - Claudia Hughes and Cara Osmin, who also oversee Entertainment. The Baile(das Irish Dancers The Baile Glas Irish Dancers began in Tri-Cities in 1999 as a performing group dedicated to the step dancing traditions o f Ireland. The group dances a variety o f reels, jigs and hornpipes, along with group dances, including tra ditional selections and creative choreographies. The performanc es celebrate the lively rhythms o f traditional Irish music. Th e dancers, ages fiv e to adult, wear traditional dance at tire, including soft shoes for reels and jigs and hard shoes for horn pipes and treble jigs. Baile Glas appears at commu nity celebrations and festivals. Baile Glas Irish Dancers current ly perform a few dances with the local Celtic band, “ Skweez the W eezle” at the Towne Crier in Richland, Washington. Upcoming perform ances include: the St. Patrick’s Irish Games Pub in Pas co, Yakima V alley Community College in Yakima and the Day- ton Chamber o f Com m erce on March 15; and the St. Patrick’s Irish Games and H eppner St. Patrick’s Celebration on March 16. The dancers in Baile Glas are students o f M a g g ie Corrigan, TC RG , (certified, and registered w ith A n C oim isu n L e R in ci Gaelacha, Dublin). Your Place * * X x I * * * * * * * » • Spring Fix-Up CUcicomc S c. * * S H E P P N E R E L K S 358 676-*1181 "Where Friends Meet” 142 North Main d à y | ^ eppncR f * n n r v , i?l If) X £ HEPPNER HARDWARE Jhm V cdàuz Everyone is welcome to attend, Cost is $5 per plate, all-you-can- eat. M arch 14th ~ Thursday PER 6* Old Tim ers Night - BBQ Chicken Dinner starting at 6 p.m. Lodge starts at 8 p.m. M arch 15 th ~ Friday Buffet Dinner starting at 6 p.m.; St. Patrick’s Auction upstairs at 7 p.m. M arch 16th ~ Saturday Brunch - Egg Casserole, Ham, Hashbrowns & m ore from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Corn B eef & Cab bage Dinner starts at 6 p.m. Music downstairs and upstairs starting at 9 p.m. XZo P à C R i c k ’s All-night breakfast starts Saturday night St. Pat’s Midnight Breakfast will be held Saturday, March 16, from 10 p.m . to 2:30 a.m. It now takes around seven months o f planning and from the first day o f sunshine in February through March 17 things get pretty hectic! Hughes and Osmin would like to see a party thrown for lo cal volunteers who cause the weekend to happen, all the way from chairpersons to cook and bottle washer "because most o f them don't have time to experi ence the entertainment, see the parade, or catch their breath.” They depict a strong community pride as they show o f f Heppner while providing an enjoyable ex perience for the marry visitors who become Irish fora weekend. That’s what it’s all about! * 106 May Street • Heppner, OR 97836 4b Phone: (541) 676-9961 • Fax: (541) 676-5496 St. Patrick's Day Is Almost fiere! A MADE IN IRELAND PRODUCTS A IRISH FLA GS A SPECIALITY IRISH TEAS A PAR TY SUPPLIES A LOTS OF FUN THINGS TO WEAR Ne» Ar,£ Ì Ì y M ° C o u r t b ° use ^ j p rin ts (featuring speciality items by REHA embroidery designs) T ry I -Ut/ vwoc & a a M-J- (¿M ti % iCiwl ii**u \tonhee CanMe of the CDonth: “ Green G ra ss” * 10% off L&td "fruì**" % M uM tUj’J D JUU) 217 North Main • Heppner tfa Cou+Xry TAe Country R oso 676-9158 233 N Main • Heppner Serving Heppner Lexington & lone 676-9426 fienai / Open until 7 p.m. on Friday, March 15th then support the St. Pat’s Auction at 7 p.m. at the Heppner Elks!
