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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2016)
Hermiston BULLDOGS TAKE 4TH AT STATE Herald INSIDE SPRING SPORTS 2016 SPECIAL SECTION HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016 SPORTS Page 10 $1.00 ABOUT TOWN VOTE ONLINE: NEEDED: Volunteers! www.hermistonbrand.com Local help in short supply PAGE 3 Holding on to a taste of yesteryear Panel presents two options The height of popularity fo the soda foun r was during th tain 20th century e early peak in the 19 with a 1950s when p 40s and atr could socialize ons drink and eat , a the counter. t By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer Watermelon is return- ing to the Hermiston wa- ter tower. The branding com- mittee commissioned by the city of Hermiston and Hermiston Chamber of Commerce unveiled two possible branding concepts for the city on Tuesday, and both logos feature a slice of Hermis- ton’s famous melon. Residents have until the end of March to vote on the two logo designs, two font choices and between two taglines: “Where Life is Sweet” and “Where Opportunity Shines.” The city council got a sneak peek at the com- mittee’s work on Monday night and were pleased with the results. “I’m very happy with what you’re bringing for- ward,” Doug Primmer said. “This is what I was hoping for.” Doug Smith said he would be “happy as a clam” with any of the op- tions presented, and Jack- ie Myers said she was im- pressed with the results. The tagline that gets the most votes from the community will replace “You Can GROW Here,” which drew jokes about cultivating marijuana after it was painted on the water tower south of town. When residents were surveyed about the brand, 67 percent said they disliked the “You Can GROW Here” tag- line, and 92 percent said the logo needed to in- clude a watermelon. In response, the city and chamber of com- merce put together a 25-person committee of citizens to work with Fo- cal Point Marketing of Kennewick, Washington, on a new set of logos, taglines and fonts to pres- STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON Customers Walter Liebe, from front, Milroy Meyer, Judy Meyer, Kay Sobotta, Jerry Sobotta and John Price, sample 15 cent coffee at the soda fountain at Hermiston Drug. By JENNIFER COLTON Staff writer F or as long as locals can remem- ber, there’s been a soda fountain on Main Street in Hermiston. Tucked away in the back of Hermiston Drug and Gifts, the old-fashioned fountain still brings food and drinks to patrons of all ages after more than a half-century. Although Hermiston Drug opened in 1927, if anyone knows exactly when the fountain ¿ rst opened, they have kept the secret well. The Eugene Register-Guard refer- ences a Hermiston soda fountain — unsure if the same location — in 1941, and in a folder of newspaper clippings in the business of¿ ce is a reference of the fountain — with wood À oors and a lunch counter — in 1943. The exact date may be lost, but the popularity of the soda fountain is al- most as old as Hermiston itself. The ¿ rst soda fountains, the tapped ma- chine that fuses water and carbon di- oxide into soda water, came from an attempt to replicate natural mineral waters, and a Yale chemistry profes- sor was one of the ¿ rst to sell “mineral waters” through a soda fountain appa- ratus — in 1806. The fountains began to appear in pharmacies where patrons could sample the healthy soda water while waiting for other prescriptions or have a pharmacist mix the carbon- ated water with medicines and sweet- eners to mask the taste of bitter drugs. Slowly, the drinks transitioned from See SODA, A6 STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON Customers Judy Meyer, from left, Kay Sobotta, Jerry Sobotta and John Price sample 15 cent coffee at the soda fountain at Hermiston Drug. STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON Irma Neilson talks with server Bobbi Picker at the soda fountain at Hermiston Drug. Committee recommends $104 million school bond School funding could hit 2017 ballot By JENNIFER COLTON Staff Writer Hermiston could place a $104 million school bond on the ballot next year. The Citizens Review Committee, a volunteer board of 16 community members, presented its capital needs recommendations to the Hermiston School Board on Monday night, including two bond proposals: a “recom- mended” $104 million and a “minimum” $84 million. According to the Hermis- ton School District website, the Citizens’ Review Com- mittee was charged to: Review the outcomes from the 2008 Bond Program Familiarize themselves with the analysis, ¿ ndings and recommendations identi- ¿ ed by the District’s Facility Master Planning Committee Request additional data or support deemed necessary to inform the committees’ work Recommend a capital planning program that meets Little Darlings ! Hermiston schools plan for growth By JENNIFER COLTON Staff Writer The Hermiston School Board of Education unani- mously chose to plan for modest growth in the 2016- 17 budget. Monday night, the board approved the “Financial Planning Parameters” for district staff to use to build See GROWTH, A16 See BOND, A16 This special section will be full of adorable little darlings and a special keepsake for their family for years to come. Submit a photo of your Little Darling (Age 0 - 3) & be entered into a drawing for prizes by local sponsors! Publishes April 13th Send a high resolution photo, a message to your child and your child’s name to classifieds@eastoregonian.com by April 4th.