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
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•
Spring
Fix-Up
CUcicomc
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H E P P N E R E L K S 358
676-*1181
"Where Friends Meet”
142 North Main
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£ HEPPNER HARDWARE
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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
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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**"
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tUj’J D
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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!