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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2015)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 COMMUNITY Volunteers ‘slam dunk the junk’ in cleanup day BY JADE MCDOWELL EO MEDIA GROUP Sunshine and warm weather helped encourage Umatilla residents to “slam dunk the junk” on Saturday. Some people volunteered for work crews to help clean up neighbors’ yards and pub- lic property. Others used the free dumping opportunity to do their own spring cleaning. “It looks like folks have been pretty active all week long in cleaning up their own places,” Mayor David Trott said. He joined a group of vol- unteers who had been clean- ing up the South Hill, hauling away an old couch, a water heater and a “hodgepodge of things” from the yards of private property owners who agreed to let the volunteers remove the eyesores. “We cleaned out a pretty sizable area,” he said. As the day wore on, they switched to weeding around City Hall. Nancy Sandoval, the city recorder, was one of the vol- unteers helping pull weeds. She said she likes the idea of encouraging residents to join in a community-wide cleanup day. “I think it creates a catalyst to let them know they have power to change their com- EO MEDIA GROUP PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL Volunteers help move a trailer full of discarded items from a yard in McNary during the city of Umatilla’s Slam Dunk the Junk Saturday. munity,” she said. Over in McNary, Roak TenEyck and Judy Simmons were leading a team of four community volunteers in cleaning up the yard of a woman with three small chil- dren. Two truck loads and a trailer later, the team had to head back with the emptied vehicles to pick up another round of broken bicycles and cracked plastic tubs. The team leaders had driven through their assigned zone earlier in the week and knocked on the door at prob- lem properties, asking if they could come by on Saturday and help haul some things away. In many cases, Simmons said, people said they knew their yard was a mess or they needed to get rid of a set of rusting appliances. For rea- sons ranging from a recent heart surgery to a lack of ve- hicle, however, they hadn’t done it. “We’re improving things little by little,” Simmons said. “It takes time, but look at just the improvement we’ve made from last year. Properties are still clean. Once it’s done, people can maintain it, but they just get overwhelmed.” Last year was Umatilla’s ¿UVW 6ODP 'XQN WKH -XQN event, marking a sharpened focus on cleaning up the community’s image. Sim- mons said that last year she had four pages of addresses that needed cleaned up in McNary. This year, when she drove through with the same FULWLFDOH\HVKH¿OOHGXSMXVW one page. City Manager Bob Ward, who used his own truck to help transport garbage to dump sites, said the event was growing as the day went on. “It helps it’s a nice day,” he said. “People see us out and about and suddenly re- member they’ve got things to get rid of, too.” Given the growth from 8PDWLOOD¶V ¿UVW FRPPXQLW\ cleanup event to its second, he said he hopes one day the town will eventually “work ourselves out of an event.” Teatro Milagro presenting Desert Arts Council hosting art show, festival ‘Searching for Aztlán’ The Desert Arts Council The Desert Arts Council is proud to present Teatro Mila- gro’s national touring produc- tion “Searching for Aztlán,” written and directed by Lakin Valdez, at 7 p.m. April 17 at Armand Larive Auditorium, 1497 S.W. Ninth St. The event is free, and donations will be accepted for the DAC’s chil- dren’s arts program planned for this summer. The play, Searching for Aztlán, is set in January 2012 with the Tucson school board’s acceptance of HB 2281, shutting down Mexi- can American Studies and re- moving its books from class- rooms. A giant dust storm, or “haboob,” strikes the city and leaves Dolores Huelga, a teacher, unemployed and in an alternate reality. Lost in the desert, Dolores sets out on a quest for the mythical city of Aztlán. Along the way she en- counters quirky a High-Span- ic, a militant Super-Chicano, and a working class Latina immigrant — all dispos- sessed exiles — with whom VKH MRLQV IRUFHV WR ¿JKW IRU truth, justice and the “indige- nous way.” With the support of the Or- egon Arts Commission Arts Build Communities, Teatro Milagro will present a bilin- gual play and theater work- shops to schools for two days in April. For area schools, Mi- lagro “Journeys” workshops use a combination of theater of the oppressed, comedy and improvisation techniques to engage students in an explo- ration of self-expression and community building to ad- dress current socio-political issues, such as gender, cultur- al competence, tolerance and acceptance of otherness. The actors will be visiting English and drama classes at Hermis- ton High on April 17. On April 15, residents are invited to join the Milagro cast for an informal potluck dinner and workshop at the Hermiston Public Library, Lantham Room. The fun be- gins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6, and dessert is followed by a Movement & Metaphor workshop from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The mission of the Mi- lagro is to provide ex- traordinary Latino theater, culture and arts education ex- periences for the enrichment of all communities. Since its founding in 1985, Milagro has given a primary voice to issues affecting the local and national Latino communities and has introduced a host of new performers to the local DUWV DQG HGXFDWLRQ ¿HOG 7H- atro Milagro, the company’s education and outreach pro- gram, tours Oregon and the nation with original bilingual theater productions and edu- cational residencies. Current global issues are crafted into cutting edge dramatic plays infused with Latino culture and Spanish language. Since 1989, Teatro Milagro has pro- vided culturally appropriate arts education and enrichment programs that build cultural appreciation and further Lati- no participation in the arts. This 2015 OAC ABC Residency is made possible in part with the additional support of the Desert Arts Council, the Hispanic Advi- sory Committee, Radio La Ley, Autzen Foundation and the Juan Young Trust. For more information about the events, call Desert Arts Council at 541-720- 3859, or visit Teatro Mila- gro’s website, www.milagro. org. When they say is hosting its annual Eastern Oregon Arts Festival May 8-9 in downtown Hermis- ton. The event features local arts, food and entertainment, including a wine garden, art activities, live music and plant sales. The festival be- gins with an artists reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. May 8. The main activities are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 9. A new addition to the Eastern Oregon Arts Fes- tival is the Eastern Oregon $UW6KRZ)RUWKH¿UVWWLPH artists will be able to enter one to two pieces of artwork in a group show. All artists older than 18 are welcome to show their work. The show will be judged by juror Lori Sams, and awards will be announced at the opening reception May 8. The Peo- ple’s Choice Award will be announced at the end of the festival. “We really would love art in all media for this show so we are welcoming all art- ists,” Mary Corp, show chair and Desert Arts Council president, said. The artwork will be judged based on skill in the use of a variety of materials; how well that medium re- lates to the concept or move- ment; and how fully the art- ist’s intention or concept is presented and realized. The MXURU¶V DZDUGV ZLOO UHÀHFW that artistic judgment. Virtu- ally every medium is accept- ed, including oil, acrylic, wa- tercolor, photography, pastel, drawing, print, mixed media, sculpture, assemblage, in- PHOTO COURTESY ROBERT LUKE A band performs at last year’s Eastern Oregon Arts Festival, hosted by Desert Arts Council. 7his year’s event takes place May in doZntoZn +ermiston and for the Àrst time features an open art show. stallation and fabric. All art- work must be family-friend- ly. Show organizers prefer the artwork be for sale, but artists can choose to mark the work NFS. The purchas- er and artist are responsible for completing the sales transaction. Artwork must be de- livered ready to hang or display — no sawtooth hangers. Three-dimensional pieces should be on a stand, self-supporting or in a dis- play case. The entry form must be completed and at- tached to the artwork. A fee of $5 per entry must be paid at the time of delivery. Artwork will be accepted: • 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thurs- day, May 7, 201 E. Main St. (Old Roemark’s building) • 9 a.m. to noon Friday, May 8, 201 E. Main St. Exhibition Dates: May 8-9. Opening Reception: 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 8. Cash awards up to $1,500 will be presented. At the opening reception, the artist whose work is jur- ied as “Best of Show Gold” by the juror will receive a $500 cash prize. The art- ist whose work is juried as “Best of Show Silver” will receive a $300 cash prize. The artist whose work is voted “Best” by attendees during the course of the arts festival will receive a $250 cash prize at the end of the festival on May 9. The juror ZLOODOVRDZDUG¿YHFHU- WL¿FDWHVRIUHFRJQLWLRQDWWKH opening reception. ELIGIBILITY: This call for submission is open to all residents of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. All artwork must be original in concept, design and execu- tion. Note: Crafts, kit work or reproductions of original works in other media, such as giclee, unless used as part of a mixed media work, will not be considered. JUDGING: All judging will be on site. Decision of WKHMXGJHVLV¿QDO SUBMISSIONS AND FEES: Only original works may be submitted. Works may be submitted in one or multiple media. In addition, artist ven- dors are also being accept- ed, and space will be avail- able in the festival area and inside businesses on the 100 and 200 blocks of East Main Street. More informa- tion and registration forms are available online: http:// www.desertartscouncil. com/event/9, or call 541- 667-5018. and you hear “Spring Is Here!” “You Like Beer?!” Sound Advantage Hearing Aid Center 541-567-4063 405 N. 1st St., Suite #107, Hermiston 541-215-1888 Ric Jones, BC-HIS 246 SW Dorion, Pendleton Verna Taylor, HAS STUDENT OF THE WEEK Oskar Peterson I ONE C OMMUNITY S CHOOL Oskar Peterson is an outstanding Ione Community School Student. Oskar is ASB President and shows all the quality characteristics that would make any President or student succeed. He is responsible, dependable, intelligent, and kind. Oskar volunteered last summer for the local reading program, during which he helped prepare materials and helped get students excited about reading. He plays the trumpet in the Ione advanced band, the Ione community pep band, and the Eastern Oregon Symphony. Oskar will graduate from Ione in June with over 40 college credits and ready to take on his next adventure. While at Ione he has been a leader, a positive community member, and a model student! Proudly Sponsored by 5K RUN, 5K WALK, 10K RUN, KID'S BUTTE SCOOT All races begin & end at Hermiston's Butte Park DRAWINGS • FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Online registration & race information at WWW.BUTTECHALLENGE.COM REGISTER ONLINE BY APRIL 23RD TO ORDER A CUSTOM TECHNICAL RACE T-SHIRT All proceeds benefit THE HERMISTON CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM Working Every Day for a Healthy Community 541-667-3400 • 610 NW 11 th • Hermiston Thank you for your suppor t!