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And who are these “guys” anyway?
These
two
Heppner
leprechauns on the 2002 button
would be the St. P atrick’s
Celebration chairpersons, having
a great time in disguise. The two
have shared the challenge for the
past seven years and both wanted
to see the 20th celebration
through before turning over the
shenanigans to other willing and
able bodies.
Cara Osmin, once mayor of
Heppner and now a Heppner
Elementary School teacher, has
always had volunteerism in her
blood. Her husband Frank
cheerfully contributes to a number
of volunteer tasks on St. Paddy’s
weekend.
Osmin first became involved
in the celebration when she
worked on the auction, which
funds the entire event. Eventually,
she was persuaded into co
chairing the celebration. Osmin
has designed the Wee Bit
O’lreland brochure and prepared
it for press for the past three
years, and this year is chairing the
KUMA Coffee Hour. It may
seem like there is more than one
of her as she moves from one
event to another, singing, cooking,
helping with the Cruz-In, and
using her calming powers on the
“detail leprechaun”!
Claudia Hughes became a
part of the St. Pat’s Committee
when the Hughes family was
honored in 1987 and continued on
through the years, becoming chair
in 1989. When calving arrives on
Little Buttercreek, where she has
spent the past 37 years of her life,
her husband Merlin knows he’s
going to see a lot less o f her
because she’s thinking “green”
before the bunchgrass of these
Morrow County hills ever start to
turn. “And I’m not even Irish,” she
confesses.
Hughes organizes the Ceili,
oversees publicity, checks with all
chairpersons, arranges for
entertainment throughout the
weekend, orders porta-potties,
supervises booth set-up, goes over
the brochure, answers endless
phone calls, tries to think of all
glitches before they happen and
prays a lot, especially for sunshine
on the annual weekend closest to
March 17!
Hughes recalls when Jim
Farley, instigator of the event,
used to go business to business
and Irishman to Irishman to
collect funds for the celebration
each year. He would contact
KUMA, call a m eeting o f
merchants, let the volunteers
know who the Irish families were
and the planning would begin. In
later years Farley would drop by
the Heppner Chamber Office,
where Hughes is executive
director, to see how things were
going, give Hughes the selected
family names, reminisce, and
share some new ideas. “We sure
miss Jim Farley,” said Hughes. He
was an Irishman that had this
approach to life: “Other people
see things and say why? . . . but I
dream things that never were and
say why not?” -George Bernard Shaw.
The flags,
they are a flyiiT
By Claudia Hughes
Visitors inquire about the flags
waving in the breeze along the
great green parade route. Some
years back, the St. Patrick’s Com
mittee decided to give the original
Irish families the opportunity to
purchase an Irish flag with their
family name and county from
whence they came. Gwen Healy
volunteered to sew the flags and
a group of volunteer painters did
the artwork. Healy also made the
windsocks and the large Irish
flags. Each year, volunteers hang
the flags the first of March. They
are seldom in the same spot, so
it’s a game to see which family
member can spot their flag first
Do you know where yours is fly
ing?
Sheep dog trials feature top handlers
For the 20th straight year,
sheep dog handlers from
throughout the Northwest will
compete on March 16-17 at the
annual St. Patrick’s Day Sheep
Dog Trial, three miles north of
Heppner on Highway 74.
One of the handlers entered
in the event is Scott Glen of
Buffalo, Alberta, who has won
nearly every major championship
in North Am erica and who
finished second in the 2001
national championship trial held
last September in Klamath Falls.
Also entered is Patrick
Shannahan o f Caldwell, Idaho,
who
won
the
national
championship in 1994. Both Glen
and Shannahan have judged at
Heppner previously.
O ther top handlers from
Oregon, Washington, Idaho and
C alifornia, many o f whom
qualified for and competed in the
2001 nationals will be testing their
skills at the St. Patrick’s Day trial.
This is the ninth year that the
trial will be held in a 30-acre alfalfa
field at the Thompson family ranch
near Heppner. Previous to that it
was held in the old rodeo arena at
the Morrow County Fairgrounds.
The sheep, perennially
provided by Skye Krebs of lone.
consist of yearling Rambouillet
ewes straight off winter range.
Com petitors always expect
Krebs’ sheep to be wily, and they
seldom disappoint (the sheep, that
is).
Judging the approximately 60
handler-sheep dog teams will be
Shawn Wells of Pincher Creek,
Alberta. Wells has successfully
trained border collies and horses
for a number of years. He has
been reserve champion at the
Calgary Stampede Sheep Dog
Trial at least twice and has won
many open-class trials throughout
Canada. This will be his first visit
to Heppner.
The trial will begin at 7 a.m.
on Saturday and Sunday and will
continue until 5:30 p.m. Spectators
are welcome and are advised to
dress warmly.
The trial is sanctioned by the
Oregon Sheep Dog Society and
the U.S. Border Collie Handlers
Association, meaning handlers
can earn points toward qualifying
to compete in the North American
championship.
For further inform ation,
contact Mary Hamilton at (509)
522-2360;
or
e-m ail
Hamilton@wwics.com.
‘Quality By Design”
Miller Model VT-2
Hosting our
F irst A nnual Ag E quipm ent S how
and D em o n s tra tio n
on March 16, 2002 from 10:00 am to Dusk
Bobcat Versihandler
Model 623
at Our Shop at Port of Morrow’s
South Morrow Industrial Park
two miles north of Heppner on Highway 74
JCB Loadall
This year’s featured demonstration will include Telescoping Reach
Machines (6,000 to 8,000 lb., 20’ Range) from Bobcat, Gehl, JCB,
Manitou, CAT, New Holland and John Deere with Ag Attachments
CAT Telescoping
Handler Model TH62
10:00 -12:00 Miller Manufacturing Yard
12:00 - 2:00 Machines displayed in the
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
2:00 - Dusk Miller Manufacturing Yard
John Deere Model 3400
We welcome you to stop by and view all machines and watch
the Demonstration Course that will be set up with hay bales.
New Holland LM430
If you have any questions, give us a call at
(541) 676-5472
kL
PORT OF MORROW
Manitou Model MLT
Gehl Dynalift
t