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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2015)
B USINESS Hermiston A4 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM Local dealership hits 70 year mark By JADE MCDOWELL Staff Writer Sherrell Chevrolet is celebrating its 70th anniversary this week with food, giveaways and tours of the deal- ership. “We want people to come in and just look around,” said business development manager Kari Christiansen. C h r i s t i a n s e n ’s grandfather, Al Sher- rell, started the car dealership in Arlington in 1945, then moved his business to Herm- iston in the early 1960s after the completion of the John Day Dam forced Arlington busi- nesses to relocate to higher ground. Her grandparents passed the business onto her parents, Rich and Donna Sherrell, who then passed the business on to Chris- tiansen and her hus- band Dave. She said Hermiston has been a welcoming community and a good place to run a car deal- ership. “It’s just kind of full circle,” she said. “We do a lot of things for the community and they do a lot for us. We’ve seen a lot of loyalty.” The business moved from Main Street to North Highway 395 almost two years ago, and Christiansen said it has been a great lo- cation and allowed for some much-needed ex- pansion room. She said she hoped community members would take the opportunity during the anniversary cele- bration to come in and check out the building. On Thursday, the dealership will have appetizers, desserts and wine tasting with Sno Road Winery from 5-9 p.m. On Friday ,from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., there will be coffee and donuts in the morning and hot dogs and soda in the afternoon, along with prize giveaways including Trail Blazer tickets. On Saturday the dealership is hosting a muscle car cruise. Owners of Cameros and Corvettes are in- vited to bring their car to display starting at 9 a.m., take a group photo at 10 a.m. and WKHQ GHSDUW IRU D ¿YH to eight mile cruise to- gether at 10:45 a.m. H(5A/D F,/( 3H2T2 Sherrell Chevrolet is located at 2258 N. Sherrell Chevrolet, as it looked story after the ribbon-cutting ceremony at its 2258 N. First St. location in Hermiston in 2014. First St. in Hermiston. Smitty’s used to mean soft pancakes not hardware By GARY L. WEST Herald Editor In September 1970 a new restaurant opened in Hermis- ton. Gilbert “Gib” Gettmann, then proprietor of Hermiston Drug, opened a restaurant be- hind the drug store on the cor- ner of Highway 395 and East Hurlburt Avenue. Smitty’s Pancake House held its grand opening on Sept. 4, 1970. The restaurant was part of a chain of restau- Gib Gettmann, owner of the Smitty’s Pancake House, receives an award for PaciÀ c Power’s Chuck Bailey for the electrical sSeciÀ cation the new building met when it opened in September 1970. rants that started in Seattle in 1957 by J. William “Smitty” Smith who attended the open- ing. The story in the Hermiston Herald at the time said: “The $145,000 restaurant covers 3,100 square feet and seats 150 persons, including 30 in the private dining room.” The story reports that the restau- rant featured all custom-built appliances and 18 stoves of various types to allow “many simultaneous instant-service cooking operations. Smitty’s was located where the Golden Palace restaurant is located today. The Seattle-based restau- rant chain did leave a leg- acy. There is a Smitty’s Pancake and Steak House in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and a Smitty’s Pancake House in Wenatchee, Washington, that still carry the name but are independently owned. There is a Smitty’s family restau- rant chain in Canada, which takes it’s name from Smith’s Seattle restaurant. Smith was the founder of what is today know as Perkins Fam- ily Restaurants, and some of the early restaurants were franchised under the Perkins name, for Mat and Ivan Per- kins, who took Smith’s reci- pes to the Midwest, where the two restaurant businesses — Smitty’s and Perkins — were separately operated. The Smitty’s name is gone from Hermiston now, unless you count Smitty’s Ace Hard- ware, but some of us still re- member things like pancakes for lunch after church on Sun- days. For us Smitty’s meant pancakes long before Shari’s or Denny’s came to town. Hermiston History is a regular feature in the Hermiston Herald. If you have something to share about the history of the greater Hermiston area, send your submission to editor@hermistonherald. com with “Hermiston His- tory” in the subject line. If you have a question about the area’s history you would like the Herald staff to look into, you can send your questions to the same email address with “Herm- iston History question” in the subject line. 3rinted on recycled newsprint Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532 Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539 Sam Barbee | Sports Reporter • sbarbee@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4542 BRIEFCASE Session provides free fi nancial info A curriculum that teach- es economic empowerment VNLOOV DQG ¿QDQFLDO NQRZO edge is being offered in Uma- tilla this fall. Cornerstones of Financial Literacy assists participants in creating a spending plan, improving debt to income ra- tios, build a good credit rating and exploring consumer pro- tection. There are no fees, and child care is provided Conducted in both English and Spanish, the sessions are Thursdays beginning Oct. 8 from 5:30-8 p.m. at McNary Heights Elementary School, 120 Columbia Boulevard. It runs for four weeks. For more information or to register, call 541-922-5574. GEODC hires new executive director Tillman Carr has joined the Greater Eastern Oregon Development Corporation as executive director. Carr, who started in the position Aug. 3, will oversee the activities of GEODC. He has a long career in banking, including 13 years as a bank Kim La Plant | Multi-media consultant • klaplant@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530 examiner, 14 years with the Farm Credit System, three years with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle and three years as commercial credit administrator at Spo- kane Teachers Credit Union. In addition, Tillman was a private business owner and a ¿QDQFLDOFRQVXOWDQW *(2'& LV D QRQSUR¿W RU ganization that provides a va- riety of economic development assistance and services for pri- vate sector businesses and pub- lic sector government agencies in Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Mal- heur, Morrow, Umatilla and Wheeler counties. For more information, contact 541-612-7090, till- man.carr@geodc.net or visit www.geodc.net. Irrigon chamber announces luncheons Marc Garst, manager of the Irrigon Fish Hatchery, is the featured speaker of the upcoming Irrigon Chamber of Commerce meeting. The no-host luncheon gathering is Wednesday, Oct. 14, at noon at Stokes Landing Senior Center, 195 Opal Place, Irrigon. The cost is $8 for members and $10 for non-members. In addition, Phyllis Dan- ielson, chamber director, encourages people to plan now for the Veterans Day chamber luncheon Wednes- day, Nov. 11. Bud Costel- lo, a World War II veteran from Irrigon is the featured guest. He recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as an honored veteran and will share his experiences and show pictures. All veterans are urged to attend. For more information, contact Phyllis Danielson at irrigonchamber@irri- gonchamber.com or 541- 922-3857. Business owner answers questions Carol Frink, owner of Real Business Solutions, will answer business ques- tions during an upcoming event sponsored by the Umatilla Chamber of Com- merce & Visitor Center. Coffee with Carol is Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at the Umatilla School District RI¿FH6L[WK6W)ULQN is a nationally recognized expert in assisting people with starting and keeping businesses. Space is limited to 10 people. To RSVP, contact karen@umatillachamber. net or 541-922-4825. Chamber plans orientation for trip The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce will host an ori- entation meeting for a trip to Ireland it is offering next year at 4 p.m. Oct. 13 in the board room at Hermiston Confer- ence Center, 415 S. Highway 395. The trip April 14 through April 22 costs $2,695, in- cluding airfare, lodging, meals, transportation and tour guides. For more information, contact Debbie Pedro, 541- 567-6151. Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536 Sean Hart | Reporter • smhart@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4534 Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media Consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop b\ our of¿ ces at 333 (. 0ain 6t. • visit us online at: hermistonherald.com ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays ,nside 8matilla0orrow counties .......... $42.65 2utside 8matilla0orrow counties ....... $53.90 The Hermiston Herald 8636 242220, ,661 8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 (. 0ain 6t., Hermiston, 25 97838, (541) 567-6457, FAX (541) 567-1764. 3eriodical postage paid at Hermiston, 25. 3ostmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 (. 0ain 6t., Hermiston, 25 97838. 0ember of (2 0edia *roup &opyright 2015 When Caring, Quality and Commitment Make a Difference. bla Ha ol Se spañ E Call Today for your FREE Assessment Providing Personalized In-home Care 24/7 541-429-8099 920 Frazier Ave ste 212 Pendleton Or 97801 www.aqhcinc.com • Personal Care • Checks • Housekeeping • Meal • Appointments Preparation • Bathing • Laundry • Companionship • Home Care • Respit Care • Grooming • Errands • Medication • Memory Care Assistance • Cognition • Insurance •Groceries Billing • Blood Pressure Insured • Bonded • Licensed McKay Creek Estates presents: SAFETY Join us as we host a lecture series to increase safety awareness on fall prevention, common home injuries and provide solutions to keep you and your loved one safe! 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