Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 19, 2018 -- FOUR
Thompson yard receives
Garden Highlight award
Chamber announcements and
upcoming events
By Kay Proctor
A terraced yard over-
looking Willow Creek and
farmland was recently rec-
ognized with the Garden
Highlight award.
Brian and Susie
Thompson built their home
in 2004 off Highway 74
between Lexington and
Heppner. They both wanted
a low maintenance yard.
First, they needed decent
soil for the rocky hillside
so they brought in over 200
dump truck loads of dirt.
Next, Brian brought
in hundreds of large basalt
rock from the Wilkinson
Ranch. Using an excavator,
he carefully placed, then
replaced the rocks into
terracing that he uniquely
designed to curve around
half of the property. Setting
and resetting the rocks was
like putting together a giant
puzzle.
A patio sits on the up-
per terrace, which is Susie’s
favorite outdoor area. Ter-
races, beds and yard have
plantings that are fairly
easy to care for. The yard
includes aspens, Shasta
daisies, willows, crabapple,
variegated dogwood and
decorative grasses. Yard art
is displayed throughout the
grounds.
Underground sprin-
klers and driplines keep
everything green and river
rock mulches the beds to
hold in the moisture and
keep weeds down.
The front entrance pro-
vides extra protection from
the elements and an ex-
ceptional Rose of Sharon
does well there. Near the
entrance is a rustic, red
wagon full of colorful annu-
als grown by Heppner High
School’s FFA chapter. On
Wednesday, Sept. 19
at 6 p.m., Neighborhood
Watch workshop at Hep-
pner City Hall. There will
be a PowerPoint presenta-
tion by the Morrow County
Sheriff’s office to teach the
basics of a neighborhood
watch program, with dis-
cussion following.
Saturday, Sept. 22 from
12-4 p.m., Suicide Aware-
ness barbecue and entertain-
ment event at the Heppner
Fit Park. Hot dogs with all
the fixings will be served,
along with Tillamook ice
cream provided by Morrow
County Veterans Services.
Music will be provided by
The Jagerbums.
Saturday, Oct. 6 from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Annu-
al Morrow County Har-
vest Festival at the SAGE
Center in Boardman. Do
you make a unique artisan
product? Grow delicious
produce? Are you located
in or near Morrow County?
If you think your products
are what we’re looking for,
then we invite you to apply
to become a vendor at the
event. The vendor applica-
tion can be completed on-
line at: www.tinyurl.com/
Above: Hanging baskets from the Thompson’s daughter’s June
wedding. Below: Bella guards the little red wagon of blooms.
-Contributed photos.
the other side of the entry-
way, a hydrangea is loaded
with large blooms.
A circulating basalt
fountain attracts chukars to
the water with their babies.
The chukars also like to
roost on the roof. Below,
wild cottontail rabbits have
taken up residence in the
rock terrace.
Next to their long
driveway, Brian planted
sweet cherry trees and put
them on a dripline system.
The trees were doing well
until deer found a way
through the electric fencing.
The Thompson’s black
Labrador, Bella, watches
The City of Heppner in
partnership with the
Morrow County Sheriff Office
have planned a
Neighborhood
Watch Workshop
September 19th at 6:00 p.m.
at Heppner City Hall
Come and join with others
and learn the basics of a
Neighborhood Watch Program
Power Point Presentation
followed by discussion
the yard and their border
collie, Carlos, usually ac-
companies Brian to work.
Both of the Thomp-
son’s children have grad-
uated from college after
attending Heppner High
School. Stephen works for
NW Farm Credit in Ken-
newick. Daughter, Emily,
is nearing completion of
medical school at OHSU.
Emily was married this
June to Keenan Jack, also
from Heppner. Huge bas-
kets of annual flowers used
in their wedding now hang
from the covered front steps
of the Thompson’s home.
While Susie was born
in Heppner, she grew up in
Gresham. Summers were
spent in Heppner stay-
ing at the Brosnan ranch,
her mother’s family. Su-
sie works for the Morrow
County Health District as a
registered nurse.
Except for some time
in Portland, Brian has lived
in Heppner his entire life.
He operates the Thomp-
son family ranch which
was established in 1909.
Emily and Stephen are
part of the sixth generation
of Brosnans and the fifth
generation of Thompsons
in Heppner.
The Garden Highlight
award is sponsored by
MCGG/Green Feed and
Seed and Heppner Volun-
teers. It is given to those
with exceptional seasonal
features, special outdoor
projects or yards that are
outside the city limits. For
any suggestions, contact
kayproctor@gmail.com.
Please join us for
I one e ducatIon
F oundatIon ’ s
16 th a nnual d Inner
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Ione American Legion Hall
SAGE-2018HarvestFesti-
val. For more information,
please contact the SAGE
Center at 541-481-7243.
Please note we are not ac-
cepting direct sales vendors
at this event.
Saturday, Oct. 13 at 6
p.m.at the Heppner Elks
Lodge, Heppner High
School Booster Club’s an-
nual steak dinner and auc-
tion. Doors will open at 5
p.m. with dinner served at 6
and the live auction begin-
ning at 7 p.m. Dinner will
consist of steak, potatoes,
salad, bread and homemade
dessert for $20 per person.
A limited number of VIP
Tables will be available and
can be reserved by calling
541-561-0234. VIP tables
include reserved seating,
special table décor, two
bottles of wine and wait
service during the meal.
For additional information
or to make a donation,
contact Brandi Sweeney at
541-246-0358. This event
is open to the public.
Saturday, Oct. 20, 4 th
Annual Oktoberfest Auc-
tion and Dinner. This event
is a benefit for The Woolery
Project and will be held
Tugboat crew saves lives on the
Columbia River
Derek Alan Ness, 38, of
Umatilla and Laurie Dawn
Merrell, 47, of Umatilla,
owe their lives to the cap-
tain and crew of the tugboat
Ryan Point. Captain Josh
Burrows and his crew spot-
ted the pair after their boat
overturned in rough water
on the Columbia River on
Tuesday, Sept. 11.
The Morrow County
Communications Center
received a call from the
US Coast Guard about 6
p.m. last Tuesday, advising
that the Tidewater tugboat
Ryan Point had spotted
two people in the water
clinging to their very small
overturned boat. The rough
water and angle of the sun
made it difficult to see, but
the crew of the Ryan Point
are no strangers in assisting
those in need on the Co-
lumbia River as they work
running their tugboat from
Longview to Pasco.
The Coast Guard ad-
vised that the Ryan Point
was headed downstream
near river channel marker
72 when they spotted the
man and woman in the
water, clinging to their
small capsized boat. The
two were hypothermic and
extremely weak from being
in the rough water for three
hours before the Ryan Point
came to the rescue. One
person’s temperature was
so low it did not register
on the thermometer. Since
the conditions on the open
water were very rough,
there were no other boaters
in the area. According to the
report, a tugboat had passed
them about 30 minutes be-
fore the Ryan Point, but due
to the conditions did not see
the pair in the water.
Above: The crew of the Ryan Point rescue two people. Below:
The Ryan Point tugboat. -Contributed photos.
Morrow County Marine
Deputy Mike Cahill was
immediately dispatched.
Cahill was in touch with
Captain Burrows on the
Ryan Point via phone and
marine band radio. Due
to the rough water, Cap-
tain Burrows determined
it would be best to treat
them on-board while en-
route to the Tidewater dock
in Boardman, rather than
risk a boat transfer in open
water. The crew is well
equipped and well trained
for just such emergencies.
The Boardman am-
bulance and Boardman
fire were dispatched to
assist Deputy Cahill when
the tugboat arrived at the
Boardman Tidewater facil-
ity. Medics took the boaters
to two waiting ambulances.
DINNER SPONSORS: Bank of Eastern Oregon, Wheatland Insurance, Morrow Coun-
ty Grain Growers, ICABO, Mid Columbia Producers, Columbia Basin Electric Co-Op
The Marine investiga-
tion is still on-going and
will consider the condition
of the boat for seaworthi-
ness and if all required
safety items were aboard
at the time the craft was
launched out of Umatilla.
Investigators deferred to let
the families reunite and let
the boaters recuperate from
their ordeal.
Morrow County Sher-
iff’s Office Marine Patrol
would like to remind all
boaters to make sure to
always carry the required
safety equipment, be vig-
ilant about keeping your
craft seaworthy and be
aware of the conditions on
the water. If in doubt about
any of these, please wait,
there will always be another
day to be on the water.
Cemetery to fix irrigation
The Lexington cemetery district has announced that there are some problems with
their irrigation system that is causing the grass to dry out. The district spokesperson
would like the community to know that they are working on correcting the problems.
Social Hour 6:00 PM / Dinner 7:00 PM
Prime rib and salmon dinner
Live auction, raffles & silent auction
Tickets available at Ione branch of
in the big tent on the Port
of Arlington peninsula. A
prime rib dinner prepared
by Paradise Rose Chuck-
wagon Catering will be
served. There will be dinner
music by One Hum and
Wheeler County Ramblers,
a huge silent and live auc-
tion (with 2 Henry Tribute
Edition rifles). Dance music
will be provided by Coun-
tryfied. Tickets are $35
each and may be purchased
at MCGG-Wasco, Thrifty
Food Center-Arlington,
Condon Chamber, Murrays
Drug-Condon and Dinty’s
Market-Biggs Junction.
More information is avail-
able on the Woolery Project
Facebook page at www.
facebook.com/thewool-
eryprojectinc or via email
to info@thewoolerypro-
jectinc.org.
Saturday, Nov. 17 at
5 p.m. at the Riverfront
Center, Port of Morrow,
Boardman, First Annual
Morrow County FFA Din-
ner/Auction to benefit the
Heppner/Irrigon/Ione, Riv-
erside Chapters. There will
be a live and silent auction
along with a meal.
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