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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2016)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7 Our Community E-mail your community news items to: community@hermistonherald.com Buttercreek Boys step out with foot-stompin’ music By TAMMY MALGESINI Community Editor PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY NICK BEJARANO The Good Shepherd Medical Center Hospital Auxiliary recently installed oficers for 2016-17. They are, Geri McMullen, president; Pat Moncrief, vice president; Lena Ray, treasurer; and June Rosenberg, secretary. Hospital auxiliary elects new oficers HERMISTON HERALD Good Shepherd Medical Center Auxiliary recently installed new oficers for 2016-17. Those elected were Geri McMullen, president; Pat Moncrief, vice president; June Rosenberg, secretary; and Lena Ray, treasurer. Membership in the aux- iliary is open to all qualiied persons who are interested in volunteering at Good Shepherd Medical Center. Volunteers are expected to conform to the same stan- dards of conduct as hospital personnel. In addition to represent- ing the hospital, members participate with fundraising projects to provide medical equipment for the hospital and scholarships for Good Shepherd employees want- ing to further their educa- tion and community mem- bers interested in pursuing a career in the medical ield. To learn more about op- portunities to share time, talent and energy to sup- port the community through Good Shepherd, contact Cindy Schaan, director of volunteer services, at 541- 667-3690 or Room M-09 in the hospital’s Medical Of- ice Plaza, 620 N.W. 11th St. Also, applications are avail- able at the hospital gift shop. IN BRIEF Meet and greet set for Vendors fair benefits seniors on services The Arc on Sunday People are invited to meet the Governor’s Com- mission on Senior Ser- vices, learn about their work and share thoughts on issues related to seniors. The special luncheon event is Thursday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Pend- leton Senior Center, 510 S.W. 10th St. Lunch is pro- vided, but reservations are required. People can sign- up at the senior center at 541-276-7101. The commission is made up of volunteers ap- pointed by the governor and two legislators. It’s dedicated to enhancing and protecting the quality of life for all older Orego- nians. For more information, contact Rebecca Arce at rebescca.e.arce@state. or.us, 503-947-5029 or visit www.oregon.gov/ dhs/seniors-disabilities/ advisory/gcss/pages/in- dex.aspx. Community choir to perform Thursday More than 70 local vo- calists, young and old, will present a free performance for the public. The Summer Communi- ty Choir, directed by Herm- iston High School teacher Josh Rist, will present a concert Thursday at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Herm- iston High School, 600 S. First St. For more information, call Hermiston Parks & Rec- reation at 541-667-5018. People can shop for items and help raise mon- ey for The Arc Umatilla County during Christmas in July. The vendor’s fair event is Sunday, July 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Arc, 215 W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston. Home-based businesses will be on hand offering a variety of items. Admission is $3 at the door. The event will in- clude refreshments, prize drawings and giveaways. The Arc advocates for the rights of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabili- ties. For more information about programs, services and activities, call 541- 567-7615 or visit www. facebook.com/arcofuma- tillacounty. For more information about the vendor’s fair, call Lynne Hamblin at 541- 571-5691. Pro-life group needs help with fair booth Plans for manning a pro- life booth during the Uma- tilla County Fair is on the agenda of the West Uma- tilla County Right to Life organizational meeting. Open to anyone interest- ed in the cause are invited to attend. The meeting is Monday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m. at The Arc build- ing, 215 W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston. For more information, call Deanna Leonard at 541-667-8537. MARRIAGES Marriage licenses have been regis- tered in Umatilla County for: Atrayu Madesi Corpus, 24, and Kristen Adel Frederickson, 18, both of Boardman. Alvaro Mendez Rosas, 25, and Ma- ria Luisa Lorenzo Pineda, 27, both of Umatilla. Derek Kyle Stratton, 25, of Matta- wa, Wash., and Laura Alexandra Day, 24, of Pasco, Wash. Dominique Jumal Williams, 25, and Melissa Renee Knapp, 21, both of Hermiston. Veronica Zapata Auto Health Home Life habla español 541/289-3300 • 800/225-2521 The Stratton Agency Hermiston / Pendleton • stratton-insurance.com Veronica Zapata Family Insurance Agent Old-time music is king at the Chuckwagon Cafe. The Buttercreek Boys, who hold their monthly meetings and rehearsals at the Hermiston restaurant, feature six musicians rang- ing in age from 60 to 93. Among their ranks are a pair of World War II veter- ans. The group started play- ing at the Chuckwagon af- ter owner Cathy Stolz was approached by a bluegrass group from the Tri-Cities. The group requested a sti- pend and dinner. That got the wheels in Stolz’s head starting to turn. Figuring there were many talented musicians in the Hermiston area, the cafe owner determined she could offer space to some- one local. The Buttercreek Boys had been regulars at the Chuckwagon’s annual Dutch Oven Cook-off, playing good foot-stomp- in’ music. So, Stolz called stand-up bass player Curt Clauton and asked if they’d be interested in playing monthly at the cafe. “I said, ‘I can’t pay you other than a free meal,’” Stolz recalled telling Clau- ton. The boys were game and have been heading up to the Chuckwagon once a month since November 2010 for their meetings and rehearsals. After calling the meeting to order on the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m., the group plays a variety of old-time music. The cafe is located at 81027 N. Highway 395, Hermiston. In addition to Clauton, the Buttercreek Boys in- clude Wynn Weston, guitar; Tom Watkins, violin-iddle; Jim Simpson, banjo and harmonica; Lou Reeves, guitar; and Rusty Roe, sax- ophone. The group plays old fa- vorites and is always work- ing on new tunes, Stolz said. They also perform some originals, she added. “We kind of have a fol- lowing up there,” Roe said about playing at the Chuck- wagon. “Sometimes people get up there and help sing or they sing along while they’re eating.” Roe and Reeves recent- ly hooked up as a duo to perform at the Hermiston Elks Lodge. The pair plays music of the ’50s and ’60s. In addition, Roe said they play country hits and a little bit of everything else while taking requests from the crowd. The duo performs Wednesdays (except the second Wednesday of each month) from 6-8 p.m. Roe and Reeves also will perform Friday, Aug. 12. The lodge is located at 480 E. Main St., Herm- iston. “We’ll play even lon- ger if people are still dancing and enjoying themselves,” Roe said. Jim Voss of the Elks said members and guests are welcome. In addition, he extends a special invi- tation to former members of the Hermiston Eagles Lodge. To make an eve- ning of it, dinner is avail- able beginning at 5:30 p.m. For more information about performances at the Elks, call Voss at 541- 571-5116; and for more about meetings and prac- tices at the Chuckwagon, call 541-567-6329. Family history enthusiast digitizes 1 million names for database By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer Technology has changed quite a bit over Vernon Cook’s lifetime, but that hasn’t stopped him from em- bracing the advance. Cook, 90, a family his- tory enthusiast from Echo, spends two to six hours each day digitizing historical re- cords from around the world. So far he has entered more than a million names into his computer. Each day he boots up his computer and downloads a new batch of census records, ship manifests, immigration papers, birth certiicates, obituaries, marriage licenses, draft cards or other records that might enable someone to locate information about an ancestor. He looks at the scanned-in PDF im- age and deciphers the handwriting, typing the information by hand into a database that makes the names searchable online. Cook said it’s a good way to keep his Cook brain active. “I’m 90 years old,” he said. “I can’t do much of anything else. It’s good to sit down and do something pro- ductive.” The program, known as indexing, is through Fam- ilySearch.org, a free fami- ly history database run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Last weekend the website spon- sored a worldwide indexing event, chal- lenging participants to get online and in- dex names from July 15-17. The goal was to get 72,000 people participating over 72 hours. Organizers are especially interested in people luent in multiple languages to help out with non-English records that are piling up fast. Cook doesn’t get paid for his work for the website, but said he enjoys the idea of helping thousands of people ind their ancestors and learn about their heritage. “I enjoy doing obituaries and getting that information about families and relation- ships,” he said of his favorite type of record to index. “... Once it’s indexed it’s in the electronic database. You can call up a program and ind a relative instead of having to go to the cemetery or the courthouse.” Cook said he started al- most 10 years ago. This month alone he has indexed 4,032 names and over his lifetime he has entered a total of 1,016,337 names into the website. His daughter Darla Hartsteen said the project gives purpose to her father’s day.