Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2002)
Pageô Are there Irish in Heppner? Sure ‘n begorrah By Claudia Hughe« “Are there Irish in Heppner,” a visitor asked? Sure n begorrah! In the m id-1800s the Irish began to arrive, some coming around the horn, working in the goldfields of San Francisco, and then finding their way to the bunchgrass hills o f Heppner, while others arrived at Ellis Island and traveled the Oregon Trail. Historically, a month prior to March 17, the late Jim Farley would announce two Irish fami lies, whose ancestors had come to County Morrow from the old country. These families were con tacted and honored at the Coffee Hour, hosted by Ted Smith o f Pendleton. Most o f the honored families came to Morrow County in the 1800s through Ellis Island. They were: Lennon/Healy 1984; Kilkenny/Kenny 1985; Doherty/ Lindsay 1986; Hughes/Rends 1987; M onahan/Farley 1988; O ’B rien 1989; H ealy 1990; McLaughlin 1991 ; Laughlin 1992; Mollahan 1993; Wilson 1994; Bro- snan 1995, Cunningham 1996. In 1997, the newest Irish to arrive in Heppner were honored. They were Father Condon, who returns to the old country each year for a visit and Winnie Flynn, whose family now ranches in the area. Because they were most recent to the U.S., their brogues > o°ovb°y&x BOWLING TOURNAMENT S a tu r d a y , M a rc h 1 6 th 10 a .m . to 3 p .m . S u n d a y , M a r c h 1 7 th 11 a .m . to 2 p .m . SATURDAY NIGHT A ll Bowling: $1.50 per game/$1.50 shoes PIZZA SPECIAL S a tu rd a y & S u n d a y 1-6 p.m . $2.95 fo r tw o slices an d sm all pop were still intact, and people love to hear the Irish brogue, especial ly on St. Patrick’s weekend In 1998 the Hirl family was honored; in 1999 it was Iris Doher ty from Umatilla County (strong supporters of the Irish celebra tion). In 2000, Bill Mitchell was recognized. “Big Willie”, as he is fondly known, has returned from California for the past 19 years to attend the KUMA Coffee Hour and festivities. All past Irish fam ilies were invited to stand and be recognized in 2000, the new mil lennium. Something for the wee ones The “ L ittle L eprechaun Kamival and Kids Cuisine” will be held Saturday, March 16, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Main Street betw een the Post O ffice and Shoe Box. Hot dogs, sausage dog meals, sauerkraut, tater tots, brownies, hot cocoa and pop “at affordable prices” will be served. Fun kids games include duck pond, miniature golf, face painting, go fish, junk food walk, wheel of fun, and ping pong games. Cost is 300 per ticket or four tickets for St. Patrick’s Celebration Button History you could be one of the lucky four winners! The celebration button is designed by Laughlin through suggestions from the committee or ideas o f her own. It is approved for the year’s festivities by the St. Pat’s Committee. Some years it’s a hard task to come up with just the right design. Buttons through the years have depicted different events for H eppner. One had a sheep symbolizing the sheepdog trials and early Irish sheep men. Another was a leprechaun beside the h isto ric M orrow C ounty Courthouse. Then there was the covered wagon reflecting the celebration o f the Oregon Trail, the bull rider recognizing the artwork of Tom Simonton, and the Heppner lamppost, the year of Heppner’s new Main Street. The buttons tell a story. This year’s button for 2002 depicts a jovial leprechaun leaning against the number 20. Be sure to get it! Anyone who would like to submit a design for the 2003 button may send ideas to Judie Laughlin at P.O. Box 687, Heppner, OR 97836. The committee will then decide what idea would be next year’s collectors' button. D O N 'T M IS S THE A N N U A L ST . P A T R IC K 'S A U C TIO N ! Friday, March I 5 th a t 7 p .m . H e p p n e r E lk s C lu b , u p s t a ir s / c o m e to J ie p p n e r : (more room this year!) a p i i a t o f i £ e O C orf/icuesi M usic p r o v id e d by J o e L in d sa y 's g r o u p snack* " S o m e b o d y E lse" a v a i V a b k '- Peterson's Heppner A u c tio n lis t a v a ila b le o n w w w .h e p p n e r .n e t a n d in lo c a l b u s i n e s s e s Jewelers, 676-9200 Have a wee bit o f fun and help support our annual celebration! L Everyone is invited to attend the St. Patrick’s Breakfast on Sunday, March 17, from 7-10 a.m. at the Heppner Nazarene Church, 335 N. Gilm ore (the church by the hospital). French toast, ham, juice and co ffee w ill be served. The breakfast will feature live bagpipe music by Mike Keown. Cost is $4 adults, $2 children (12 and under) and $12 max. family rate. The story of St. Patrick SI. How long do you think the St. Patrick’s Celebration Button has been distributed? This being the 20th celebration, one would think it was started in 1980, but it actually came into existence on the fifth celebration in 1987 by the celebration committee. Several people over the years have collected all the buttons for a total o f 15 this year. All 15 years of b u tto n s sold w ere m ade by com m ittee m em ber Judie Laughlin. She also designed all but one year when the logo was derived from a design by Irene Anhom’s daughter. Do you recall the large banner made for the town depicting all the fine Irish heritage and re so u rces from around the county? It usually flew high above the street between The Shoe Box and Elks C lub and was later draped across the front of the Elks building. It is now a little worn but still proudly sig n ifies w hat Heppner’s celebration is all about on the weekend of March 17. The Pot of Gold winnings for the purchase of the lucky button and a chance to win cash was started in 1992. The committee added an extra $100 for a total of four drawings for 2002. Perhaps Breakfast served on St. Patrick’s Day A Centuries ago, when Britain was ruled by Rome, a young boy named Patrick lived in Britain with his family. Although Patrick’s par ents had reared him as a Chris tian, he didn’t take their teachings seriously, preferring instead to follow the sinful example o f other youths. Patrick continued in this way of life until one day he was cap tured by a band of marauders from Ireland who made him return with them as a slave to their country. They forced him to live in pover ty and hunger, working as a shep herd and a swineherd. Patrick missed Britain and his family so much that he thought his heart would break. He began to pray, however, asking God to help him and begging forgiveness for his sins. The Lord heard his prayers, filling him with the fire o f a new faith he had never known before. One night while Patrick was still in captivity, God showed him a way to escape from Ireland, and, after six years of slavery, he found his way back to Britain and his family. From that time on, Patrick dedicated his life to God, eventu ally receiving Holy Orders. His life became a continual quest for holiness. One night while Patrick was at prayer, he heard a voice calling him. An angel appeared to him with the message that the people o f Ireland wished him to return to their country and walk among them once more— this time, not as a captive, but as God’s apos tle. Patrick saw God’s plan in all that had happened, and he con sented to return to Ireland. He was consecrated bishop and was sent there to preach the Gospel o f Christ. In the early days, Patrick suf fered great persecution, but the fire that God had kindled in his heart spread throughout all of Ire land and Patrick came to be re garded as an angel among men. Now a saint, Patrick stands as a symbol of the Irish, o f the unique destiny they claim, and of the beloved place they will always have in God's heart.
