Hermiston
Herald
HermistonHerald.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2016
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ABOUT TOWN
Hermiston police
respond to
clown sighting
A person dressed as a
“scary clown” was reported
to Hermiston police Monday
night, and though offi cers
weren’t able to locate the cos-
tumed person, they did issue
a warning on Facebook about
appropriate public behavior.
The clown was spotted
near Wal-Mart headed to-
ward the Apsen Apartments
at about 10:30 p.m. wearing
dark clothing and bushy hair.
There have been many po-
lice reports of people dressed
as scary clowns across the
United States in the past few
months and several in Oregon
in recent weeks.
Hermiston police in a
statement said people have
the right to dress however
they want — like a clown,
ballerina or wearing “that
ugly sweater your aunt knitted
for your birthday in 1993.”
But if those donning strange
outfi ts are acting “weird” to
intentionally scare people, the
department warned it would
investigate the suspicious
activity to see if a crime was
committed.
Most of the reports in oth-
er areas have been non-crimi-
nal, though arrests have been
made for trespassing, making
threats and inducing panic.
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
Echo Corn Maze organizer Gina Tyhuis pulls her son Brent in a wagon Friday near the maze’s entrance.
By TAMMY MALGESINI
Community Editor
ob and Gina Tyhuis’ 2-year-old
son, Brent, is thrilled to have a
corn maze in his back yard.
“When we come down the
hill he points and says, ‘Corn
maze, mama.’ He absolutely
adores the farm, he loves farming. Re-
ally, that’s the motivation for the corn
maze,” said Gina Tyhuis.
The Tyhuis’ have been in Echo for
about 18 months, although Gina’s fami-
ly has farmed in the area for some time.
Juggling responsibilities with grape har-
vest, Gina has been busy gearing up for
the Echo Crazy Corn Maze & Haunt.
The Tyhuis’ opened the corn maze this
past weekend and will be open Thursday
through Saturdays throughout October
from 2-10 p.m. The maze is located off
Echo’s Main Street. People should park
at 111 W. Main St. The entrance to the
maze is several blocks north of down-
town, between the 100-200 block of
North Dupont Street. The cost is $10 for
ages 3 and up. Major credit cards and
debit cards will be accepted.
Also, special haunts are planned for
the maze Oct. 15, 22, 29 and 31 from 7-9
p.m. People will take a separate path for
the fright experience, so participants can
choose between the mild or scary path.
The maze encompasses eight acres
with pathways of about 1.5-2 miles.
Gina Tyhuis said the maze wouldn’t be
possible without the help of Barton La-
ser Leveling, which spend a couple of
days cutting the paths.
See FUN, A14
School district to
conduct second
bond survey
Hermiston Herald
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
A elevated view of the Echo Corn Maze gives a glimpse of some of the almost two miles of
pathways inside the eight-acre corn fi eld. Work on the maze was scheduled to fi nish on Friday.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Brent Tyhuis, 2, son of organizers Bob and Gina Tyhuis, plays in the corn pit at the Echo Crazy
Corn Maze & Haunt.
Vendors showcase their homemade,
homegrown goods at Harvest Festival
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Staff Writer
The bounty was plentiful
both inside and outside the
SAGE Center during Satur-
day’s third annual Morrow
County Harvest Festival.
More than 30 vendors
from across Eastern Or-
egon set up to showcase
their homemade and home-
grown goods, including
everything from fresh pro-
duce to art, crafts, jewelry
and quilts.
SAGE Center Manager
Kalie Davis said the festi-
val, which drew approxi-
mately 1,000 visitors last
year, is a fun way to bring
the community together
and give people an oppor-
tunity to share their talents.
“Our whole goal is to
provide free activities for
families,” Davis said.
The event is present-
ed by the SAGE Center,
in conjunction with the
Boardman, Irrigon and
Heppner chambers of com-
merce. While the focus is
primarily on local agricul-
ture, there were plenty of
other items to pique shop-
pers’ interests.
See FESTIVAL, A14
STAFF PHOTO BY GEORGE PLAVEN
Free horse and buggy rides were offered outside the
SAGE Center as part of the third annual Morrow County
Harvest Festival.
Hermiston School Dis-
trict is looking for a second
round of opinions before
deciding whether to place
a $104 million bond on the
May 2017 ballot.
The Nelson Report is
conducting a telephone sur-
vey of registered voters on
behalf of the district this
week. The questions will
gauge community support
of a $104 million bond that
would cost property owners
approximately 90 cents per
$1,000 of assessed value.
The district completed an
initial community attitude
survey in April 2016. The
results showed that after
being informed of crowd-
ing and security issues at
local schools, 63 percent
of community members
supported replacing Rocky
Heights and Highland Hills
Elementary Schools, ex-
panding Hermiston High
School and conducting dis-
trict-wide improvements
such as new roofi ng and
HVAC systems at Sand-
stone Middle School.
Results of the new sur-
vey will be shared with the
school board as they prepare
to make a fi nal decision on
whether to place the bond
on the May 2017 ballot. For
information about the bond
or to schedule a presenta-
tion from the school district
about it, call the district of-
fi ce at 541-667-6000.
Irrigon city manager
to speak at luncheon
The upcoming Irrigon
Chamber of Commerce
meeting features Irrigon
City Manager Aaron Palm-
quist as the special speaker.
The no-host luncheon
gathering starts with a meet
and greet Wednesday, Oct.
12 at 11:45 a.m. at Stokes
Landing Senior Center, 195
N.W. Opal Place, Irrigon.
The meal is $8 for members
and $10 for non-members.
For more information,
contact irrigonchamber@
irrigonchamber.com.