Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2009)
Heppner Gazette-Times. Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 11,2009 - THREE Pucker up for Heppner’s own “blarney” rock Wee bit o’. By Claudia Hughes ‘Tis sure, the rolling hills of Heppner are turning green and Leprechauns are appearing to soak up the rays. The little “big-headed people,” as Mayor Les Paus- tian describes them , are scurrying hither and yon to once again prepare for “A Wee Bit O ’ Ireland in Heppner, O regon” March 12-15. T h e I r is h f a m ily flags are flying on Main Street. The flags recognize the family from Ireland who settled in County Morrow in the 1800’s, and those who continue to choose Heppner over Ireland. One o f those flags is a Sw eeney flag. Heppner’s 2009 Irish hon- oree, Patrick Sweeney and family, will be recognized at the traditional K.UMA Coffee Hour on Saturday morning, March 14, at the Elks, and will be leading the Great Green Parade that afternoon. O ther annual Irish events returning because “it’s tradition” will be the Saturday afternoon Ceili or Ceileigh upstairs at the Elks from 2-4 p.m. As al w ays, The Irish Singers, who have been part o f Hep pner’s celebration for nearly 30 years, will have front and center stage with announce Michael Duffy at the mike. John Doherty and The Irish Singers from 2-2:20 p.m. and 3:30-4 p.m.; Joe Lind say and Company (Ann and Luke M urray) from 2:25- 2:45 p.m.; Will Homyak, the Irish storyteller and musi cian from 2:50-3 p.m.; and Dan and Annie Monahan Schauffler will be sharing their talent3:05-3:25 p.m. As the Irish and Irish-for-a- day audience will tell you, “ the afternoon turns out to be a fine foot stompin’, sentimental, and humorous jam session, not to mention Irish reunion.” All musical enter tainment is free to the public, thanks to the generous sup port o f the Morrow County Unified Recreation District. The Saturday evening finale features choices: storyteller and musician Will Homyak and Heppner grown Lindy Gravelle at the Heppner El ementary School or the Old Time Fiddlers at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. Visitors are encour aged to take in the many festiv ities, both old and new in downtown Heppner, including the Sheepdog Tri als at the Thompson Ranch on Highway 74. ‘Tis a sport in itself and tribute to the early Irish sheepmen. Other sports would be boxing and the Motorcross, not to men tion the eating m arathon all around town. For a full schedule o f events, visit www.heppnerchamber.com; check out your newspaper; or call the Heppner Cham ber at 541-676-5536. “Heppnerites invite you to join in the fun, food, and shenanigans for all ages and all interests. The com munity would be thankin’ all the visitors and ye behind- the-scenes leprechauns who keep the celebration going with new and traditional events each years. Have a great green “ Irish w eek end.” Tribute Walk to be held Saturday The Donna Schon- bachler Tribute and Walk will beheld March 14begin- ning with a social hour from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Heppner United Methodist Church. The walk will leave from the church at 9:30 a.m. Breakfast treats and coffee will be provided for the social hour by various volunteers. Schonbachler was a H eppner Home H ealth Hospice nurse who worked th ro u g h o u t M orrow and Gilliam Counties. She lost her battle with cancer last April. In conjunction with the social hour and walk, a Home Health and Hospice fundraiser is ongoing with all contributions from this event to stay in M orrow County. T-shirts that were pre-ordered or ordered on- line will be at the church. The t-shirt company is will- ing to order more if there is an interest of 12 or more after Saturday. The walk is open to anyone wishing to partici- pate, Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so to P ioneer M em orial Home Health and Hospice, P.O. Box 9, Heppner, OR 97836. Senior Center Menu One observer on the street last Saturday morn ing opined, “I think it was a leprechaun! A big one, but a leprechaun, for sure! He had red hair, twinkling eyes, a mischievous smile.” A nd th e “ le p r e chaun” did deliver som e thing that looks like it could have come straight from Ireland. So the observer on the street’s assessment might be as good an explanation as any for the appearance o f the “blarney” rock between the post office and Hayden Den tistry, were it not for some delving into the mystery. Further in v estig a tion has id en tified Ryan Miller as the gift-giver of the huge boulder requested by a representative o f the St. Patrick's Weekend Commit tee. This donation by Miller adds another Irish facsimile to enhance the atmosphere o f the celebration and, pos sibly, to create a wee source of revenue for the coffers. “Many o f our visi tors cannot go to Ireland, where they might kiss the Blarney Stone, but now they can kiss Heppner’s rock with hopes o f being granted the gift o f eloquence,” a com mittee member explained. “ We hope that everyone this w eekend will give it a try and hope everyone will make a donation to our fund for this one-of-a-kind Oregon experience.” In e x p lain in g the origin of the term “blarney,” online sources generally offer the following: During the time o f Queen Eliza i . .? Everyone is welcome to attend a “Homecom ing,” a new stage production, on Thursday this week in Heppner. This year's Thursday production at the St. Patrick Parish Hall will begin with dessert served by the St. Patrick Altar Society at 7 p.m. The one-act play “ Homecoming” will begin at approximately 7:20 p.m. This year’s play written by Fr. Gerry Condon is different from his five previous scripts in that the action occurs in a contemporary setting. Another new feature in this year’s production is the plot transition that reflects co-writer Joe Lindsay’s innovation, a twist that takes the Heppner Grand Hotel visitors into another realm. The stage presentation is free to the public. Freewill donations will be given to a local, charitable organization that the cast and crew will select. Red Hat Rowdies plan trip to Richland tea garden ^ Muuu|ï D/uuj NEW ARRIVALS! s t P at.# daily! WEEKEND HOURS Jared E c k m a n & T rish a A d a m s Saturday, May Qth 5 :0 0 p.m. Ru ays Ranch ing at the senior center at 9:45 a.m. and will depart promptly at 10 a.m. to ar rive in time for the noon reservation. The cost for each in dividual will be $12.95 plus tax. The tea includes three tier servers with finger sand wiches and/or mini quiches, scones, pastries, desserts, clotted cream, lemon curd and large pots of tea. If the group would like some time for shop ping after tea, time will be scheduled. The bus should be back in Heppner no later than 5 p.m. silver screen have joined the m illions o f pilgrim s climbing the steps to kiss the Blarney Stone and gain the gift o f eloquence. Its powers are unquestioned but its story still creates de bate. Legends offer at least four sources for the stone that is a block o f bluestone built into the battlements o f Blarney Castle, about eight kilometers from Cork. Once upon a time, prior to the installation o f safeguards, the kiss was performed with real risk to life and limb, as participants were grasped by the ankles and dangled bodily over the battlements. In the Sherlock Holmes radio dramatization “The Adventure o f the Blar ney Stone” (first broadcast March 18, 1946) a man at tempting to kiss the Blarney Stone falls to his death. Hol mes’s investigation reveals Tricycle race to be held Saturday A tricy cle race is scheduled as part o f the St. Patrick's weekend in Hep- pner All children ages two through five are encour- aged to participate in this free event sponsored by the Heppner Day Care and Pre- school board o f directors. The race w ill be held on Saturday. It w ill be in the parking area o f the Bank Plan to attend the second annual Irish Boxing Smoker sponsored by Heppner Chamber of Commerce and UROCK Radio on Friday, March 13, at the Heppner High School gymnasium, starting at 8 p.m. Doors will open at 7 p.m. Admission is $ 10 for adults through 12 years of age; $5 for 11 -8 years o f age and free for 7 and under. There will be a shuttle bus pick-up and drop-off stop in front o f Heppner Family Foods beginning at 6:45 p.m. and will make return trips until all riders are picked up. Hornyak to speak at Chamber lunch meeting Will Hornyak will be the guest speaker at this w e e k 's C h am b er lunch meeting. Homyak is one of the main entertainers for the Wee Bit O ’ Ireland event. Lunch will be served Willow Creek Park District to meet The Willow Creek Park D istrict will hold a regular park district meet ing on March 31 at Heppner City hall at 5p.m. look lor labol marked “Warning" and "Danger Turn Them In! Saturday May 09.2009 Located at the Nonhead Transfer Station. Boardman 1:00p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Reward for turning in Mercury Thermometers DEQ l - a o f Eastern Oregon imme- diately after the 1 p.m. Big Green Parade. Tricycles w ill be furnished, The racers will be grouped into a tw o-and- three-year-olds bracket and into a four-and-five-year- olds bracket. Prizes will be award- ed for the top three places in each of the brackets. Second annual Irish Boxing Smoker... getting ready to rumble Your Household Hazardous Waste ^Friday & Saturday 7-7 Sunday 10-4 Wedding Tables beth I, Dermot McCarthy, the ruler of Blarney Castle, was required to surrender his fortress to the Queen as proof of his loyalty. He said he would be delighted to do so, but something always happened at the last moment to prevent his surrender. His excuses became so frequent and indeed so plausible that the official who had been demanding the castle in the name o f the Queen became a joke at the Court. Once, when the eloquent excuses o f McCarthy were repeat ed to the Queen, she said, “Odds bodikins, more Blar ney talk!” The term Blarney has thus come to mean the ability to influence and coax with fair, clever, flattering words and soft speech with out giving offense. For over 200 years, world statesm en, literary giants, and legends o f the “Homecoming” to be held Thursday Hope/Valby/All Saints church members will be serving lunch on Wednesday, March 18. The menu will The H eppner Red include corned beef and cabbage, boiled potatoes, carrots Hat Rowdies will meet on and onions, fruit juice, bread and cake. March 19 at noon at Sweet Productions for lunch and a brief meeting. The main r t f topic of the meeting is to finalize the plans for a trip INC. to a Richland, WA tea room 217 North Main • Heppner • Phone 676-9158 • Floral 676-9426 for high tea. Serving Heppner, Lexington & lone The trip to the Victo rian Tea Garden is scheduled for Thursday, April 9. Res ervations for this trip must be made ahead o f time by calling Sally Walker at 676- s w e a t s h ir t s & F u n 9 112. There will only be 20 seats available on the bus, a r r iv , n % r > t h in g s t o w e a r so it will be first come, first serve until April 2. The bus will be load ST. M T R IC K ’S ghamrocK plants Ryan Miller of Miller <& Sons donated and delivered rocks to their locations in Heppner. The “blarney” rock is located between the Post Office and Hayden Dentistry. The other rocks are located at the Henry Heppner plaque. -Contributed Photos this as a murder; the man’s boots having been surrepti tiously greased before the attempt. In actual fact, ac cording to an Irish informa tion website, one day a visi tor broke from the grasp of his friends and went hurtling downward to certain death. Since that time the stone has been kissed by another method. First, the persons sit w ith their backs towards the stone and then som e one sits upon their legs or firmly holds their feet. Next, leaning far back and down ward into the abyss while grasping the iron rails, the persons lower themselves until their heads are even w ith the stone to be kissed. (H eppner’s source of Irish eloquence will be easier to kiss, either on one's back on the ground or simply by standing and bending down.) The rew ards from the kiss are said to be great. Some people who might want to kiss the rock this weekend: those participants in the Brogue Contest at the KUMA Coffee Hour on Saturday morning. Trying to persuade that “certain someone” to go on a date? A kiss of the Rock couldn’t hurt. Though this is not an election year, H eppner's visiting politicians might benefit from a kiss o f the rock. The list goes on and on, and the Weekend Com mittee hopes that the line of kissers willing to pucker up and donate to help keep this celebration going next year will go on and on, too. . safe, digital thermometer! at noon and he may do his entertaining during the meal. The cost for the meal is $9 and will be held at John's Place on Main Street. St. Patrick’s Senior Center Breakfast. Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Biscuits & Gravy, Fruit and Juice $ 6.00 Saturday, March 14th 7 a.m. *10 a.m. m s ’Design ’Set up ’Maintenance Heppner Gazette- Times 6 7 6 -9 2 2 0
