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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2017)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 1, 2017 Bob Baker Memorial Fundraiser March 11 - FIVE Ione FFA helps CARE for local families Poker, bunco, bingo and more at yearly event The 13 th annual Bob Baker Memorial Fund- raiser will take place Satur- day, March 11, at the Ione American Legion Hall. The doors will open at 5 p.m. for the sandwich and salad bar meal and bake sale; cost of the meal is by donation. Beverages for the evening will be provided by Bucknum’s. Bunco play will take place from 5-7 p.m. Texas Hold ‘Em poker sign-ups will begin at 6 p.m. with play to begin at 6:30 p.m. Poker buy-in will be $40 with re-buy available until 7:30 p.m. Winners will receive cash prizes. Bingo play will run from 7-9 p.m. In addition to the food and game play, raffles will be held for a Howa 7mm Rem Mag rifle and for two beef halves, cut and wrapped. Raffle tickets are available at Ione Market, MCGG Ione, at the door, and from Ione Legion and Auxiliary members. Ione Fourth of July planning meeting next week This year’s first planning session for the Ione Fourth of July Celebration will take place at Route 74 restaurant on Wednesday, March 8, at 7 p.m. The meeting is intended to last only an hour. Anyone who cannot attend the meeting or who has an organization or activity they would like included in the Fourth of July lineup is asked to contact Heidi Nelson at heidi@hen-online.com or 541-256-0411 (text or call). Both repeats of past events and new ideas are welcome. WCVEDG ANNUAL MEETING becomes a serious issue -Continued from PAGE ONE activities of the organi- zation over the past year and its goals for the com- ing year. President Sykes said a shortage of housing in South Morrow County is still top of the list and a major concern for the group. Easing that short- age is the main goal, and he pointed to the major businesses located in south county, including the health district and hospital, Forest Service, MCGG, Morrow County government, the school district and the Bank of Eastern Oregon (which has its headquarters in Hep- pner), as employers who need to recruit good people. And these new employees need places to live when they take jobs here, Sykes said. “If these major employ- ers and economic engines cannot find housing for their new employees, it for our economy here,” he emphasized. WCVEDG has in the past received operational and grant funding from Morrow County and the Columbia River Enterprise Zone, and Sykes thanked those groups, as well as the individual members for their support of the orga- nization this past year, and asked for their continued support in the future. Membership to WC- VEDG is $25 per year, and anyone wanting to join is urged to contact Bates at the Chamber of Commerce office 133 N. Main Street Heppner, 541-676-5536, or Sykes at the Heppner Gazette-Times, 541-676- 9228. You can also send an email to david@rapidserve. net and an invoice for mem- bership dues will be mailed to you. The Ione FFA Chapter recently wrote a grant for a service learning project through the national FFA organization. This past week during an all school assembly—in honor of FFA week—the chapter members donated 20 blankets and toiletry items to the Morrow County CARE program. Pictured are many of Ione’s chapter members presenting Yvonne Morter, CARE nurse, and Peggy Doherty, CARE coordinator, with the fruits of the chapter’s efforts. Each bag had a fleece tie blanket, toothbrush in a case, toothpaste and a toy. -Photo by Erin Heideman A View from the Hill By Doris Brosnan Residents at Willow Creek Terrace view the turning of the calendar to March as a good sign that Spring really is around the corner, even though snow greeted everyone just a few days ago. Won’t the hills of Heppner be a great green for St. Patrick’s Day? Moving into the Ter- race in time to enjoy those green hills and the com- ing St. Pat’s celebration is Marjorie Gorham. Hav- ing moved in last month, Marjorie continues to get a bit more settled and bet- ter acquainted with new neighbors. She has moved from Salem, but she is fa- miliar with Eastern Oregon, having taught several years in EO high schools that in- clude La Grande, and with Heppner, where her daugh- ter Karen Wolff also lives. Among her many “likes,” Marjorie enjoys stimulating conversation, reading and Bridge. March also happens to be a bright spot on the cal- endar for Manager George Nairns and some of the Residents who share her love of chocolate. Included in the days that celebrate particular foods this month are Chocolate Cake Day (March 6), Chocolate Chip Cookie Week (beginning on the 12 th ), American Choco- late Week (beginning on the 19 th ), and Black Forest Cake Day (on the 28 th ). Many menus will include many uses of chocolate, obviously! (The Black For- est Cake that will be served on the 28 th is the one that the Terrace won first place with a few years ago in the “Celebrate Heppner” des- sert competition.) Other days marked for celebration in March will provide some activities and some topics for morning discussions. Any GIs who feel the need for a hug might con- sider visiting the Terrace on March 4. That is desig- nated Hug-a-GI Day. This could be a great opportunity for the Residents who are proud to be GIs-retired. The Monopoly board will probably be set up on the seventh, which cel- ebrates the birth of the game in 1933. The next day might witness some stimulating conversation as the morning discussion focuses on Women’s Day, and the next day could be interesting when the group discusses the doll Barbie, who stepped into phenom- enal popularity in 1959. To acknowledge Pack- Your-Lunch Day, the kitch- en will be serving a sack supper on March 10. When Daylight Savings Time begins on the 12 th , the Staff will check/replace all the batteries in Willow Creek Terrace. Baseball Cap Day on the 14 th will be a good excuse for fans to don their favorite cap and discuss changing customs that now WATER DAMAGE -Continued from PAGE ONE of days for that much water water to the entire building Lankford put in a full ceil- on the corner of Main and Willow in Heppner, flood- ing the downstairs offices in the old building. The build- ing is owned by the Hep- pner Masonic Lodge. Ma- son Gene Orwick said the breakage was not caused by a frozen pipe, but by pres- sure in the hot water line that blew the lines apart. He said they estimated 10,000 gallons of water flooded the building before it was dis- covered by Sheena Shank, operator of Artisan Village on the downstairs floor. “There wasn’t anyone in the building until (they) opened their shop and there was water coming down through the ceiling,” Or- wick said. “We figured it had to have run for a couple to go through there.” Shank called the fire department, and the water to the building was shut off. Shank recalls that there was a downpour in their fabric shop storage room, which took days to clean up and dry out. In the optometrist’s office next door, though, a false ceiling in the waiting room collapsed, flooding the whole waiting area. “The whole waiting room was demolished,” said Rolen’s wife, Margaret Rolen. She said the floor was full of water and the flooring and the wall panel- ing were destroyed. “It was very extensive,” she added. The bathroom hall in the back of the building was also damaged, and the apparently had to be shut off for a couple of weeks. Shank told the Gazette that Artisan Village closed the day the damage was dis- covered and had to cancel several sewing classes due to the bathroom closures. Margaret Rolen said the damage to their office made it impossible to function; the Rolens thought it might be the end of their business in Heppner, but then the Masons agreed to undertake repairs to the building. “My husband wanted to keep coming, and they fixed it up, so we’re back in busi- ness,” said Margaret Rolen. It wasn’t an overnight affair, however. A con- struction crew led by Jim ing, repaired the floor and put in new carpet, took off the wall paneling and redid the wall, and conducted re- pairs to the bathroom hall. Orwick said most of the costs should be covered by insurance; the damage was estimated at $63,000. In all, it was nearly two months before the Rolens were able to move back into their Heppner office, which they did on Feb. 14. “They’ve been very un- derstanding,” said Orwick, but in speaking with the Gazette, the Rolens simply expressed gratitude. “We’re very thankful to the Masons for everything they did,” said Margaret Rolen. Boots in the Air is back for 2017 The boots are set to fly during the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on Sat- urday, March 18 at the annual Welly Toss. Those who want to compete in the team event should get their teams entered soon. Or, throw as an individual and bring the kids. The event will be held on Willow Street in Hep- pner between Murray’s Drug and Artisan Village. Team will be from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Teams may come when they can and the Welly crew will work them in. Forms are available from the chamber office and should be re- turned to the chamber office by Wednesday, March 15, or turned in at the registra- tion desk the day of the event. A $20 registration fee will be charged for team play. The fees collected fund the prizes and supplies for the event. Individual play is free and begins for all partici- pants at 10:30 a.m., lasting until 12:30 p.m. Brackets are: kids, two to 12; teens, 13-17; and adults, 18 and seem to allow this ubiq- uitous fashion piece to be worn almost anywhere. Some Residents plan to attend the drama at St. Pat- rick parish hall on March 16, the event that kicks off the Wee Bit O’ Ireland celebration, and some will hit Main Street for the Big Green Parade that weekend. That is also designated Quilting Day, so the morn- ing discussion may include the sharing of quilts made by and made for individu- als. After the weekend variety of activities that some Residents will enjoy, a somewhat routine week will begin with another celebrity’s birthday: Big Bird came into being on Sesame Street on March 20, 1969. If anyone needs an excuse to just goof off, the 22 nd provides designated Goof-Off Day. And then on the 26 th , Residents and Staff will be invited to Make- Up-Your-Own Holiday, for which they will explain their reasons and invite oth- ers to celebrate with them. (These might take a few days to accomplish?) March 30 is Walk-in- the-Park Day, so Residents have hope that more of the landscaping will have been completed in their adjacent lot, so they can go for a walk there and see how it is developing into a relaxing, colorful space. After discussing Bach and while listening to some of his compositions on the 31 st to mark his birthday (1685), the Community on the Hill might find the soothing notes great back- ground to their planning for the next day: April Fools Day always brings a few surprises to the Terrace. One might wonder if someone who might be good at creating some con- fusion on April Fools Day is Carolyn Hall. This March 5 Birthday Girl has a lot of spunk, a ready smile and a twinkle in her eye. (But maybe she won’t pull any pranks on her neighbors who were so happy for her on her special day.) Carolyn and her neigh- bors are truly happy that the employees of the Heppner Library are volunteering to bring a rotation of books to the Terrace. The hours of pleasure the books bring are many every week. As the Community on the Hill view the com- ing month with interest, they also wonder if anyone might decide to bring back the reading of the Heppner Gazette-Times on Wednes- days. That is an activity that always brought pleasure to the listeners and opportu- nities for some wonderful discussions. If interested in volunteering, even for one reading a month, a person should call 541-676- 0004 or visit with Manager Nairns. Opportunity grant awarded to county park The Morrow County Public Works Parks Depart- ment has announced that it has received a $47,835 grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department through the County Oppor- tunity Grant Program. This funding is for the purchase and installation of a concrete dual vault rest- room facility to be installed at Cutsforth Park. Installation of this fa- cility is intended to “further enhance the amenities for park patrons by providing accommodations that are more centrally located in the campground and are ADA (Americans with Dis- abilities Act) accessible,” the parks department stated in a release. Park personnel will complete the necessary groundwork for the instal- lation of the facility and oversee the project until its completion, estimated in the spring of 2018. Morrow County Parks Department’s mission is to maintain, improve, pro- mote and protect the county parklands while provid- ing diverse facilities and recreational opportunities along with natural and his- torical area conservation/ preservation, education and inspiration for this and future generations. The County Opportu- nity Grant from Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department goes to Oregon counties to purchase land for campgrounds, improve or plan camping areas, and other similar purposes. The grants, which come from a portion of RV registration fees, have been funding Oregon camp- ground projects yearly since 1983. Button, button, who’s got the buttons for sale? A young participant gets ready for her toss during the 2016 Welly Toss in Heppner. -File Photo over, with brackets for men and women. All children will re- ceive a gold coin for play- ing. Prizes will be awarded for the top youth, male and female winners. The top teams will receive a prize, and the first-place team will have its name engraved on the Traveling Boot Award, on display at Peterson’s. The Heppner Chamber of Commerce would like to remind everyone that a good way to support the annual St. Patrick’s event is by purchasing this year’s St. Patrick’s button, created in honor of Jimmy Farley. The buttons are $3 each and will qualify purchases for two chances to win $100. The buttons can be purchased at Community Bank, Heppner chamber, Heppner City Hall and Murray’s Drug. Koozies may be purchased for $3 at Community Bank, Heppner chamber and Heppner City Hall.