Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 3, 2010 * FIVE
Wee bit o’ chatter
By Claudia Hughes
T h e re w as th is
Irishman who walked out
o f Bucknums... no, it really
did happen!
“Tis that tim e o f
the year, a wee bit early
perhaps, but the hills are
green and , ready or not,
the Irish for the weekend
will be arriving in County
Morrow to be welcomed by
the likes o f us.
Visitors Thursday,
M arch 11, may head for
O ’ donkey basketball, then
move on to another great
Father Condon/Joe Lindsay
original, “ Ireland in Story,
Song, and Laughter.”
During March
11-14, H eppner features
its own Irish O lym pics.
Spectators or participants
can partake in O ’ donkey
bask etb all, boxing, m o-
torcross, sheepdog trials,
run-walks, Iron-Man, bike
ride, softball, leprechaun
run, b o w lin g , th ro w in g
the welly, the bartenders
race, kiddie tricycle races,
and road bowling, to name
some of the events.
It w o u ld n ’t be a
St. P a tric k ’s celebration
without the sounds o f Irish
m usic up and dow n the
street, at the St. Patrick’s
ham dinner, the Elks, the
elementary school and dur
ing the parade. The first
celeb ratio n started w ith
the KUMA Coffee Hour,
featuring John Doherty and
the Irish Singers in Jim Far
ley’s car dealership nearly
30 years ago. The Coffee
Hour, like the energized
leprechauns, keeps on go
ing and going to include
music, stories, and a lively
interchange with a priest,
lawyer, and a politician on
Saturday morning. Sounds
o f Ireland continue with the
traditional Ceili upstairs in
the Elks M arch 13. Both
local and out-of-town talent
will be featured. Old Time
Fiddlers and The T illers
Folly will be Saturday eve
ning entertainment, thanks
to the Morrow County Uni
fied R ecreation D istrict.
Teens will enjoy disco-club
night downtown.
L ep rech au n s c a
vort about and challenge
visitors to take it all in. One
may eat his way through
the w eekend, purchase a
lucky bu tto n , view live
mannequins, kiss the blar
ney stone, and enter the
Great Green Parade or the
Cruz-In. ‘Twould be fine
if the leprechauns could
m agically clone Heppner
people so they wouldn’t be
meeting them selves com
ing and going this fine Irish
weekend.
Should one prefer
a q u iete r venue, have a
look at the book sale put on
by Friends o f the Library,
tour the museum s, check
out the local artisans, or
St. Patrick’s O ’ Flock and
Fiber Show at the Morrow
County Fairgrounds (new
this year). Need a moment
o f quiet? Heap up to cem
etery hill to view the flood
memorial and contemplate
the com m unity down be
low, where you find a mix
o f people from all walks of
life and country heritages
pitching in together because
they love Heppner.
Tis lucky we all
are and b le sse d we be.
Have a great Wee Bit O ’
Ireland in Heppner, Oregon
weekend.
Arenacross to be held March 13
The St. P a tric k ’s
Day A renacross w ill be
held Saturday, March 13,
at the Morrow County Fair
grounds.
Sign-ups are at 7
a.m., a rider’s meeting will
be held at 8:30 a.m., and
races will start at 4) a.m.
Sign-ups will also be held at
the fairgrounds from 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m. on Friday, March
12. A dm ission is $5 per
person and free for children
age six and under.
Entry prices are:
$25 each class for 80-85cc
and above including wom
en and 30+ (motorcycles);
$10 each class for 50cc
and 65cc (m otorcycles);
$25 each class for ages
12-16, beginner and expert
including women and 30+
(quads); and $ 10 each class
for age classes up to age 11
(quads).
Special events in
clude: PIT Bike Races -
entry fee o f $25 for Pit
Bike llO cc and Pit Bike
50cc (lottery payout); Razr /
Rhino Barrel Race - $25
best o f two runs.
The arenacross is
presented by the Morrow
C o u n ty F air B o ard and
ClearView Auto Glass.
For more informa
tion call 541-314-2876 or
541-571-3847.
Cowboy mounted shooting demonstration to be held March 13
The Columbia Ba
sin Mounted Shooters Club,
the local ch ap ter o f the
Cowboy Mounted Shooting
Association (CMSA), they
will be holding a Cowboy
M ounted Shooting Dem
onstration free o f charge on
March 13 from 11 a.m. - 12
p.m. at the Morrow County
Fairgrounds. The mounted
shooters will be practicing
all day in preparation for
the upcoming North Pacific
Regional Championships to
be held May 1-2 in Herm-
iston.
The Cowboy
M ounted Shooting A sso
ciation, better known as the
CMSA, is the national or
ganization that governs the
sport of Cowboy Mounted
Shooting. Dubbed by many
as the “ultim ate w estern
shooting and riding chal
lenge,” Cowboy Mounted
Shooting is sighted in for
shooters and horseback-
ers who want to combine
the rom ance o f the O ld
West, with the excitement
o f a high speed shooting
and riding co m petition.
M ore precisely, Cowboy
M ounted S h o o tin g is a
full-tilt timed event, where
contestants, many dressed
in colorful 1800s Wild West
clothing, gallop their horses
through varied courses that
require firing frontier-era
sin g le -a c tio n rev o lv ers,
while putting their mounts
through some rodeo style
barrel racing, pole bending,
a bit o f reining competition,
and lots o f speed.
S pecially loaded
O’ Flock and Fiber Event to be held
during St. Pat’s Celebration
A member of the Columbia Basin Mounted Shooters Club
gets in some practice. -Contributed Photo
blank cartridges, which can
break a balloon at a distance
o f about 15 feet, are used
in this arena sport, with
5-second penalties for each
missed target, and penalties
for not following the pre
scribed course, dropping a
Leprechaun Fun Run
to be held March 13
T he L ep rech au n
Fun Run will be held again
this year on March 13 for
K indergarten through 6,h
grade children. Applications
are available at the schools
and Heppner Chamber of
fice. E ach p a rticip a tin g
child will need a parent’s
signature before running.
The Fun Run will
begin at the Heppner Li-
brary/M useum City Park,
Members of the Heritage Fiber Arts Guild demonstrate spin
The H eppner St.
ning techniques at the Morrow County Museum. -Contributed
P
a
tric
k
’s
Day Sheepdog
Photo
The Heritage Fiber Arts Guild from Heppner
is organizing a new event for the St. Pat’s weekend call
the O ’ Flock and Fiber Event. This event will bring fiber
related vendors offering hand-knitted scarves, shawls,
hats, gloves, handspun yam, mgs, tanned sheep skins, and
live fiber animals to the Morrow County Fairgrounds for
a one day sale event on Saturday, March 13.
The guild plans best fleece and best skein o f
handspun yam contests, with prizes to include savings
bonds from Bank o f Eastern Oregon and Community
Bank. Dino’s Catering will have a food booth along with
Italian Ice Cream by DeSalvo’s.
Heritage Guild members will present spinning
and weaving demonstrations throughout the day. In ad
dition, there will be opportunities for spectators to join
in and try their hands at these ancient arts.
Vendors will be open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
and the Old Time Fiddlers will perform in the building
from 6:30 p.m. until the event closes.
Heppner FFA to hold
donkey basketball game
The Heppner FFA will take on the Pilot Rock
FFA in a game of donkey basketball on Thursday, March
11, at 5:30 p.m. at Heppner Elementary School. During
half-time there will be donkey petting and pictures. Also,
the alumni will be having a dessert auction.
Ticket prices are: $8 (adult), $6 (6th grade-12th
grade), and $4 (k-5'h grade) if the tickets are purchased
ahead o f time. Tickets are available through the FFA pro
gram at Heppner High School by calling 541-676-9138.
The tickets prices will $1 more if purchased at the door.
Doors will open at 5 p.m. at the HES gym.
Trial is a premier trial of
the northwest. This year’s
sheepdog trial will be held
March 13 and 14 at Thomp
son Ranch, three miles west
o f Heppner.
World class stock
dog handlers travel from all
over western United States
and Canada for the opportu
nity to test their stock dogs
and handling skills against
the incredible range ewes
supplied by Krebs Farms.
The Thompson Ranch has
supported the City of Hep
pner’s St. Patrick’s celebra
tion for many years. The
Thompson’s faithfully do
nate the ideal trial field and
have supplied the overall
trophy and set out trailers
and hay for the 200 head of
ewes. The trial is a fundrais
er for the local 4-H group.
The 4-H members lend a
hand separating ewe, in the
stock trailer, for the set out
for each run.
Bill Berhow from
Zamorra, CA will judge the
event this year. Berhow is a
three-time National Finals
Champion in 1988, 89 and
93. He and his border collie
Sheep Dog Trails
Th om pson R anch
3 m ile s N o r t h o f H e p p n e r
B e g i n s a t d a y l ig h t
I
I
Agriculture more
than business.
It’s a way of life
Saturday & Sunday
March 13th & 14th
■ You're welcome to join the handler's Potluck Lunch \ 1
Featuring a Lucky Lamb Drop Contest ^ k J
§
Scwccc 'Dwtidtruf
Agriculture is about making
things grow.
Please mine visit
us in llermiston!
The feeling you get when you
look across a field at a crop
you put in the ground. That’s
the spirit o f agriculture.
From regular cleanings and exams to
reparative dental work to educating
young patients about proper brushing
techniques, you can count on Hayden
Dental to take exceptional care of
your family’s smiles.
We believe in agriculture.
We invest in it
HAYDEN DEN 1/
Get your ag loans from us.
1050 W. Elm Ave, Suite 240
Hermiston
S trom , roots i \ hi riohrimt )
(541) 567-8414
www.HaydenDental.com Open Monday - Friday
♦ L in e s o f c r e d it
♦ T erm loans
♦ R ea l E state loans
Agricultural & Commercial Loans
www.beobank.com
down M ain Street to the
comer o f Les Schwab and
back to the finish line in
the center o f H e p p n e r’s
M ain Street. Participants
are asked to meet at the park
by 11:15.
Follow the Lepre
chaun and the magic gold
dust. A pot of gold dollars
is at the end o f the fun; one
dollar for each participant.
Heppner St. Patrick’s Day Sheep
dog Trial to be held March 13-14
The Spirit
of Agriculture
Bank of
Eastern Oregon
gun, and so on. The action
is non-stop, with a rider
racing through the course
about every 60 seconds.
For more informa
tion contact Cindy Griggs
at 541-571-1153 or www.
cbmshooter.com.
John Qualls, Lender
Heppner Branch
541-676-9125
Tucker Rice, Lender
lone Branch
541-422-7466
Veteran’s Services
Hours: 9-12 am Sr I -4 pm
First Thursday of each month
Gilliam Building, Heppner
Please call for Appointment
Phone 9 2 2 -6 4 2 0 « ■
Please leave a detailed message
Nick were inducted to the
ABCA hall o f fame.
36 top h a n d le rs
and 60 dogs from Oregon,
Idaho, Washington, Utah,
California, and Canada will
vie for the Heppner title
this year. Francis Chai from
Oregon with Belle, 10-year-
old Border Collie, will be
back to defend their title.
The co m p etitio n
will consist o f two one-day
trials at Thompson Ranch.
Each day 55 teams will take
to the post starting at day
light. Due to the overflow of
entries, teams will be drawn
to receive a slot to run. The
contestant will receive 10
m inutes to com plete the
six-obstacle course. The
run start with a perfect 100
point possible. Points are
deducted for any deviation
from a perfect course.
Following the pa
rade on S aturday som e
fun events have been add
including a 50/50 lucky
lamb drop contest. A pot
luck lunch w ill be held
each day.
40-mile Iron
Man bike ride to
be held
As part of the Hep
pner St. Patrick C elebra
tion, a 40 mile Iron Man
bike rid e sp o n so re d by
Scotts Cycle and Sports,
will be held March 13. The
bikers will start at 10 a.m.,
on the sham rock, in the
center o f town.
T he b ik e rs wi l l
cycle to lone and back. A
poker ride can be incorpo
rated for $5 in this cycling
event. A shorter ride has
been designed for the day
if wanted. The cyclist can
sign up at a booth in the
park prior to the event.
For more informa
tion call K athy at 541-
980-2352 or the Heppner
Chamber office at City Hall
at 541-676-5536.
Mrs. O’Leary’s
Irish beef stew
feed to be held
M rs. O ’L e a r y ’s
Irish beef stew feed will be
held on Friday, March 12,
at the Saint Patrick's Senior
Center on Main Street in
H eppner betw een 5 p.m.
and 7 p.m.
B e e f stew , c o le
slaw, rolls, beverage and a
variety o f desserts will be
served for $6-adults; $2 for
children 6-12; and free for
children five and under.
The feed is spon
sored by the Heppner Unit
ed Methodist Church.