Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 10,2011 - FIVE
C ham ber C hatter
Heppner
H eppner’s Farm
er’s Market will be held at
the Heppner City Park on
Main Street every Friday
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
through October 7. Make
sure you stop by and check
out all the vendors.
The Veteran’s As
sociation has scheduled a
“meet and greet” on August
11 for the new com mu
nity provider/informational
meeting regarding the new
VA clinic opening in Mor
row County. All Morrow
County area veterans are
invited to attend a meeting
at the Irrigon City Hall at
9:00 a.m. or at the Port of
Morrow Riverfront Confer
ence Center in Boardman
at 1 p.m.
R e p r e s e n ta tiv e
Greg Walden will be at
Heppner City Hall for a
Town Hall meeting from
3:30-4:30 p.m. on Thurs
day, August 11.
The C ham ber is
coordinating the Gate Vol
unteers for this year’s ro
deo, August 19-21, and is
looking for volunteers to
fill specific time slots and
gates. Volunteers receive
free admission into the ro
deo. Please let the chamber
office know as soon as pos
sible if you can help out.
M orrow C ounty
Fair and Rodeo is Wednes
day through Sunday, Au
gust 1 7 -2 1 .
Join Senator Ron
Wyden on Wednesday, Au
gust 17 at 6 p.m. at the
W heeler County C ourt
house in Fossil for Oregon
town hall meeting #600.
On Monday, Au
gust 22 from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. there will be a Heppner
blood drive at the senior
center.
Boardman
Correction: Join
the Columbia River Com
munity Health Services
in celebrating N ational
Health Center Week at the
Community Appreciation
Barbecue - Thursday, Au
gust 11 from 11:30 a.m. to
1:30 p.m. Hope to see you
there.
A ground-breaking
ceremony for Castle Rock
A partm ents, “providing
easy family living,” will be
held on the comer o f Main
and Wilson St. on August
24 at 3:00 p.m. Bring your
family, friends, and every
one else; light refreshments
will be provided.
Sunday, A ugust
14 at the Port of Morrow,
the Columbia Youth Soc
cer Club will be holding
a “Meet the coach” night.
Coaches will be given their
equipment and their list of
kids, as well as the opportu
nity to see the smiling faces
of those they will be coach
ing. This is also a night for
us all to come together and
ask and answer questions.
Music in the Park
on Monday, August 15 is
at the Boardman Marina
Park at 7 p.m. The guest
entertainers are the Rolling
Hills Chorus (Sweet Ade
line’s). This is the last of the
season series for Boardman.
August 22 will finish the
season series with Sidewalk
Stompers in Irrigon.
Free Sports Physi
cals are available by ap
pointment only at Columbia
River Community Health
Services on August 10 from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and August
29 from 3 to 7 p.m. Call
541-481-7212 for an ap
pointment.
The last Farmer’s
Market of the season will be
Monday, August 15 from 6
to 8 p.m. at the Boardman
Marina Park.
Bow Fishing Tour
nament
The Kiwanis Club
o f Boardman is holding
w eekly S aturday night
dances. Each evening will
include dance lessons and
open dancing from 7:30 to
10 p.m. Open to all indi
viduals, but children under
14 will be required to have
an adult present. Cost is
free.
Chamber monthly
lunch will feature Wild-
horse Resort and Casino as
the speaker on Wednesday,
August 17 at noon at the
Port o f Morrow. Lunch
is catered by Judy Scott’s
Chuck Wagon and is $10
per person. RSVP by Mon
day, August 15.
The City of Board-
man will pay for the col
lection o f puncturevine
throughout the month of
August. The puncture vine
and their seed pods need to
be collected in bags provid
ed by the city and returned
to City Hall to receive $1
per bag in bounty, until the
entire $300 has been paid
out.
Heppner Garden Club surprises
yard of the month winners
By Kay Proctor
C ra ig and D eb
Gutierrez both expressed
disbelief when the Heppner
Garden Club recognized
their home at 460 S. Court
as the July Yard o f the
Month.
“ A re you sure?
We don’t have much in
our yard,” were some of
their reactions, along with
claims o f not having “a
green thumb.” They were
reassured that recognition
of all styles of yards, full
and minimalist, was impor
tant to the community.
The couple has a
goal o f a “ low m ainte
nance” for their yard, which
is kept neat and tidy year
round. Front and back yards
have an expanse of lawn
with some clover. Sons Jus
tin and Austin along with
Craig share lawn-mowing
duties, although Justin will
be missing his turn when
he begins classes at Wash
ington State U niversity
this fall.
The home, built in
1958, was purchased in the
mid-60s by the U.S. Forest
Service (USFS) to provide
housing for Heppner’s Dis
trict Ranger.
“The ranger’s resi
dence” was home to several
families until the federal
government sold it to a pri
vate party in the early 90s.
Craig and Deb purchased it
in 1996 and have aimed to
do one major improvement
yearly. Some of the projects
have been new windows,
gutters, garage doors and a
roof. Cement driveway and
curbing were also added.
Future plans are to com
plete the privacy fence.
Willow Creek runs
alongside the home, provid
ing a cool breeze. A huge
weeping willow tree used
to tap into the creek and
provide abundant shade.
Unfortunately, it shattered
during a storm a few years
ago. Craig had no choice
but to finish the job Mother
Nature started. Although
no damage was originally
done, their garden shed was
These are only three of the seven aprons vying for viewers’ dented while Craig was re
choice in Quilter’s Roundup’s first-ever great apron contest. moving the tree’s remains.
The wood was claimed 15
-Photo by Megan Fuller
minutes after they placed it
is encouraged to stop by voting is open to all local by their street with a “free”
and pick a favorite. The area residents.
sign. The long-gone willow
and its character are still
missed.
Crimson and Au
tumn Blaze maples were
Quilter’s Roundup holding
great apron contest
Quilter’s Roundup
is holding its first annual
great apron contest. The
entries are on display in the
Quilter’s Roundup window
on the comer of Main and
Willow streets in Heppner.
The first-time con
test has had a good turnout,
with seven aprons com
peting for first prize and
several more entered for
display only. Prize winners
will be selected based on
judging as well as viewers’
choice.
Voting for view
ers’ choice will be open
August 7-14, so everyone
Make your dream home
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Bank of Eastern Oregon.
BEO Mortgage Division provides
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cals will be available at lone
Elementary School from
5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday,
August 18. Physicals will
be available for students
grades six through 12.
Students must have
a sports physical every other
year in order to participate
in athletics. Students must
have physical exam forms
filled out and signed by
parents; forms are available
at the school office or at the
OS A A website.
For more informa
tion on the free physicals,
call 541-422-7131.
planned
All Morrow Coun
ty area veterans are invited
to attend one of two “meet
and greet” events regarding
the new VA clinic opening
in Morrow County.
The first informa
tional meeting will be held
on August 11 at 9 a.m. at
Irrigon City Hall at 500 NE
Main in Irrigon. Interested
vets can also attend an open
meeting at 1 p.m. on Au
gust 11 at the Port of Mor
row Riverfront Conference
Center at 2 Marine Drive in
Boardman.
Host an Exchange
Student Today !
Make a lifelong
friend from abroad.
Bank o f
Eastern Oregon
Ê
Boardman Branch
541 - 481-3445
www.beobank.com
1 - 877 - 472-6217
\itcha from Thailand, 16 yn
Enjoys dancing, playing the piano
Enrich your family with
another culture. N ow you can
host a high school exchange
stu d en t (girl o r hoy) from
France, G erm any, Scandinavia,
Spain, Australia, Japan, Brazil,
Italy o r o th e r countries. Single
parents, as well as couples
w ith o r w ith o u t children, may
host. C o n tact us for more
inform ation o r to select your
stu d en t today.
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Lows skiing playing w r r r and
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Cathy at 541-422-7107
OR
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Hometown People Hometown Spirit
♦
planted, although digging
proves challenging. The
soil lies shallow over large
river rock and boulders,
and the house sits solidly
on near-bedrock.
Potentilla, barberry
and boxwood shrubs line
the house in beds added
by the couple, with small
river rock used as cover.
An Oregon grape had to
be moved when a volun
teer Japanese elm grew
through the middle of it to
the eaves. Orange flower
ing lilies along a side yard
were planted as a surprise
by C raig’s dad, the late
George Gutierrez, because
he wanted to add some
color. Granite rocks are ar
ranged in a well-groomed
corner with thoughts o f
George in mind.
The low -m ainte
nance goal has resulted in a
pergola built for a hanging
vegetable garden. Strawber
ries grown in hanging bas
kets were tried and did well,
but wouldn’t winter over.
Now, six plastic buckets,
some painted black to retain
heat, hang with a variety of
healthy tomato plants grow
ing from beneath. Craig put
mulch in the bucket tops to
retain moisture. When pep
pers were grown, it was a
challenge keeping up with
harvest.
Deb has worked
for the USFS for 24 years
and has been commuting
to Pendleton the past six.
Her father also worked for
the USFS, and she grew
up in various Oregon loca
tions. Craig is originally
from lone and has worked
for Morrow County Public
Works for 18 years. The two
met at college in LaGrande.
The family includes cat,
Stanley, and chocolate Lab
rador Retriever, Boggs.
Spending minimal
time in their yard frees the
family up to follow sports.
Deb has coached whiffle
ball and Craig has been
deeply involved with lo
cal baseball for 26 years;
watching, coaching, umpir
ing, helping build fields and
maintaining them. Seems
like a “home run” for the
Gutierrez family and the
community.
Yard of the Month
recognition is co-sponsored
by the City o f Heppner,
MCGG-Greed Feed and the
Heppner Garden Club.
Lexington’s Sarah
Stillm an, a graduate o f
lone High School, was one
of only a few area athletes
named to the Northwest
Conference all-Academic
team for the 2010-11 year.
Stillman made the
women’s track and field
all-academ ic list in her
freshman year. She rep
resents the University of
Puget Sound in Tacoma,
WA, where she majors in
international political eco
nomics.
In order to qualify
for the distinction, students
had to have a cumulative
GPA of 3.50 or above and
must have participated in
varsity athletics throughout
the season.
lone offers
free sports
VA “meet Lexington girl named
physicals and greets” to all-NWC squad
Free sports physi
(for 3,5 or 10 months)
Irrigon Branch
541 - 922-2828
Top: July Yard of the Month winners Craig and Deb Gutier
rez pose in their tidy yard on Court Street. Bottom: One of
the appealing features of the Gutierrez yard is their hanging
vegetable garden with its flourishing tomato plants. -Photos
by Kay Proctor
US News gives Heppner
school bronze ranking
H eppner Junior/
Senior High School re
ceived a bronze in U.S.
News and World Report
magazine's rankings of best
high schools in the nation.
Schools that made
the list from neighboring
counties included Grant
Union High School, Crane
Union High School, Nyssa
High School. McLoughlin
High School (Milton-Free-
water) and Pine Eagle High
School (Halfway), all of
which also received bronze
rankings.
No Oregon schools
received gold status. How
ever, there were 33 Oregon
high schools that received
ndedm I97i
gram it a Pu
V
I
I
bronze or silver.
Only 100 school
nationwide received gold
rankings, out of more than
21,000 public high schools
included in the judging.
Statistics in the re
port for Heppner, which
listed an enrollment of 226,
with 33.2% o f those eco
nomically disadvantaged.
Heppner received a state
test performance index of
104.0, with a disadvantaged
students’ state test profi
ciency rate of 63.2 and non-
disadvantaged students’
state test proficiency rate
of 83.9. There was a 22.3
disadvantaged students per
formance gap.