A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016
Our Community
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Blue Mountain
Community
Foundation awards
grants, scholarships
FILE PHOTO
Beautifi cation efforts in Echo continue to be recognized. The town recently received a 3-bloom award from America in Bloom.
ECHO BLOOMS WITH NATIONAL AWARD
HERMISTON HERALD
The city of Echo received
a 3-bloom rating out of a pos-
sible fi ve blooms and special
recognition for its environ-
mental efforts during the 2016
America in Bloom National
Awards Program.
The announcement was
made Oct. 8 at the annual
awards held in Arroyo Grande,
California. In addition to its
2016 honors, Echo has an im-
pressive history of past suc-
cesses with America in Bloom,
winning its population cate-
gory three times, said Laura
Kunkle, America in Bloom ex-
ecutive director.
All participants were eval-
uated on six criteria: overall
impression,
environmental
awareness, heritage preser-
vation, urban forestry, land-
scaped areas and fl oral dis-
plays. In addition, they were
judged on community in-
volvement across municipal,
residential and commercial
sectors.
America in Bloom is the
only national awards program
that sends specially trained
judges to personally visit par-
ticipants. In addition, each
participant receives a detailed
written evaluation that can be
used as a guide to future im-
provements.
To date, 250 communities
from 41 states have participat-
ed in the program and more
than 22 million people have
been touched by it. Regis-
tration for the 2017 national
awards program can be sub-
mitted until Feb. 28, 2017.
Eligible participants include
towns, cities, college and uni-
versity campuses, business
districts, military installations,
and recognized neighborhoods
of large cities.
For more information, visit
www.americainbloom.org.
HERMISTON HERALD
The Blue Mountain Community Foun-
dation recently awarded $44,595 in grants
and scholarships for Umatilla County non-
profi t organizations and students in 2016.
The grants, totaling $21,600, were
awarded under the foundation’s Discre-
tionary Grants program. The organizations
or programs are in Pendleton, Hermiston,
Milton-Freewater, Athena, Weston, Pilot
Rock and Stanfi eld. The local recipients
include:
Blue Mountain Wildlife, $3,000 for ed-
ucational outreach; Children’s Museum
of Eastern Oregon, $1,000 for education-
al programming; Clearview Mediation
and Disability Resource Center, $3,000
to improve transportation for people with
disabilities; College Community Theatre,
$1,300 for 2017 summer youth camp; Ore-
gon East Symphony & Chorale, $1,500 for
Young People’s Concert; Pioneer Humane
Society, $800 to replace washer and dryer;
Inland Northwest Musicians, $1,000 for
chorale concerts; Umatilla-Morrow Head
Start, $500 for Cooking Matters classes.
Scholarships totaling $22,995 were giv-
en to 19 students (class of 2016 as well as
returning college students). The local stu-
dents were:
HERMISTON: Estala Fuentes, Andrea
Gispert Tello, Sofi a Gispert Tello, Laura
Zepeda
STANFIELD: Madeline Griffi n, Coralia
Rojas
For more than 30 years, the Blue Moun-
tain Community Foundation has worked
to strengthen the health of communities in
the Walla Walla Valley, including Umatilla
County. It distributes nearly $2 million in
grants and scholarships each year.
For more information, contact Exec-
utive Director Kari Isaacson at 509-529-
4371, kari@bluemountainfoundation.org
or visit www.bluemountainfoundation.
org.
IN BRIEF
First Draft features
Portland poet
A writer with some of
the nation’s most presti-
gious poetry awards under
her belt is the featured pre-
senter during the First Draft
Writers’ Series.
Born in Berlin, Germa-
ny, Andrea Hollander later
spent 30 years in the Ozark
Mountains in Arkansas.
Now living in Portland,
Hollander is the author of
four full-length poetry col-
lections, including a fi nalist
for the 2014 Oregon Book
Award in Poetry. Also, she’s
the editor of “When She
Named Fire: An Anthology
of Contemporary Poetry by
American Women.”
Hollander will take the
stage Thursday at 7 p.m.
at Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St. The
event is free and open to the
public. After her presenta-
tion, local authors will have
an opportunity to read from
their works during an open
mic.
For more information
about First Draft, call 541-
278-9201. For more about
the Hollander, visit www.
andreahollander.net.
Film festival opens
Thursday
More than 30 indepen-
dent works will be screened
during the Eastern Oregon
Film Festival.
In its seventh year, the
event also includes mu-
sic programming and after
parties. The festival runs
Thursday through Saturday
with the headquarters locat-
ed at 112 Depot Street, La
Grande. Screenings are at
The Granada 3 Cinemas,
Stage Door Theatre in The
Liberty Theatre and a spe-
cial screening at Eastern
Oregon University’s Hu-
ber Auditorium, all in La
Grande.
Festival passes are $60,
which provide access to all
screenings and after par-
ties. If seats are available,
people can purchase tickets
($9.50-$11.50) at the door
for individual events.
For more information,
including fi lm synopsis’
and schedules, music line-
ups and band information,
and to purchase festival
passes, visit www.eofi lm-
fest.com.
Guardian Angel Homes
off ers freaky fun
A kids’ costume contest,
food and fun are planned
during the Fall Festival at
Guardian Angel Homes.
The public is invited to
attend the free event, which
features two “freaky”
rooms, candy and treats,
spooky picture cutouts,
pumpkin decorating, face
painting, cupcake decorat-
ing, a bouncy house, fi shing
pond game and a haunted
graveyard.
The event is Friday from
5:30-7 p.m. at the assisted
living facility at 540 N.W.
12th St., Hermiston. Food
offerings include chili or
hot dogs, cotton candy,
popcorn, cider and witch’s
brew and desserts. Cash
prizes will be awarded for
fi rst-third places in each of
four age groups for the cos-
tume contest.
For more information,
call Leilani Pratt at 541-
564-9070.
Music workshop
addresses
performance anxiety
The Umatilla-Morrow
District of the Oregon Mu-
sic Teachers Association,
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
Festival features
gospel bluegrass
Some of the best blue-
grass musicians in the re-
gion will perform during a
Gospel Bluegrass Festival.
The public is invited to
the free event Saturday at 7
p.m. at the Milton-Freewa-
ter First Christian Church,
518 S. Main St. A time of
fellowship will follow the
concert.
For more information,
contact mfjjcollins@q.com.
TOPS group off ers
support
A local TOPS (Take Off
Pounds Sensibly) group
meets weekly in Hermis-
ton.
The organization of-
fers support and focuses
on health as people work
to lose weight and main-
tain weight loss. There is
a nominal fee for yearly
membership. The fi rst visit
is free.
For more information,
call Janell Bailey at 541-
571-5744 or visit www.
tops.org.
VOLUME 110 ● NUMBER 41
Gary L. West | Editor • gwest@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4532
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Shannon Paxton | Offi ce coordinator • spaxton@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4530
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
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in partnership with the Or-
egon Community Founda-
tion and the Nellie Tholen
Fund, will present a free
workshop for music teach-
ers on performance anxiety.
The event is Saturday,
Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to noon
at the Hermiston Church of
Christ of Latter-day Saints,
850 S.W. 11th St. Diane
Baxter, professor of music
at Western Oregon Univer-
sity, will present “Stepping
into the Light: Thoughts on
Performance Anxiety.” The
workshop is open to all who
are interested; no pre-regis-
tration, membership or fee
is required.
Performance anxiety is a
complex topic that involves
how people think, feel and
behave, Baxter said. The
results may range from
mildly discomforting to
completely paralyzing. The
workshop will introduce
some of the causes of per-
formance anxiety and will
offer some tips on how to
do your best under duress.
For more information,
contact Sue Nelson at mu-
sicdoc3@mac.com, 541-
276-0346 or visit www.or-
egonmta.org.
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STUDENT
Friends of the NRA
off er raffl e prizes
Rifl es, guns and a Yeti
package are among the
items available in the
Friends of the NRA raffl e.
Tickets are $20 each. In
addition, winning tickets
will go back in the drawing
— every ticket purchased
will be eligible for each gun
drawing. Only 400 tickets
will be sold and the winner
doesn’t have to be present
to win.
The drawing will be
held Monday, Oct. 31 at
123 Pawn Shop, 1500 E.
Isaacs Ave., Walla Walla.
Winners of fi rearms must
pass the National Instant
Criminal
Background
Check System.
For tickets or more in-
formation, contact 509-
730-5871 or wallawallaf-
nra@gmail.com or search
Facebook for “Walla Walla
Valley Friends of NRA.”
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OF THE
WEEK
Braydon Postma
P ILOT R OCK H IGH S CHOOL
Pilot Rock High School student of the
week is Braydon Postma. Braydon is an
outstanding student, carrying a 4.0 GPA
in to his senior year. He is a member of
National Honor Society, FFA and a three
sport athlete throughout high school. He
actively participates in classes and always
encourages other students. He a friend
to all and meets everyone with a smile.
PRHS is a better place because of
Braydon. Congratulations on this honor.
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