WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
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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.