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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 2017)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2017 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 COMMUNITY Rock hunt group providing cure for summer boredom Fragrant festival blooms for Agape House, Martha’s House By JADE McDOWELL STAFF WRITER HERMISTON HERALD Hermiston parents looking for a way to keep the kids enter- tained for the summer can add rock-hunting and rock-painting to their list. Painting colorful, fun designs on rocks and hid- ing them for people to find isn’t a new idea, but the rocks have been popping up around town in abun- dance lately after local mother Cassandra Evens created a rock-hunting group on Facebook that gained more than 700 members in two weeks. She said she got the idea from a woman on a Face- book group for moms and found a lot of local interest. “Everyone was telling me, ‘If you start a group, I’ll join,’” she said. The group is “just for fun,” she said, and she doesn’t want to set up elaborate rules or see anyone get frustrated. All she asks is that people be polite and responsible. That means keeping the messages on rocks ap- propriate for children, not trespassing and not taking large numbers of souve- nirs without contributing any artwork in return. Evens said she encour- aged the group to start out placing rocks along the Oxbow Trail and in Riv- erfront Park so that begin- ners had an idea of where to start looking. Several painted rocks that looked to be the handiwork of multiple artists could be seen along the trail last week. But she said peo- ple have also been posting pictures of their painted rocks in the Facebook group with clues that they hid them on the Hermis- ton Butte or elsewhere in town. STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL A painted rock sits in the grass near the Oxbow Trail. She said luckily right now the painter-to-hunt- er ratio has been in good balance and people have been able to enjoy both activities. The fad calls to mind a low-tech version of the Pokemon Go craze last summer, which got young people outdoors together in unusually high num- bers to hunt digital mon- sters that appeared on their smartphones when they visited certain lo- cations. Evens said she hopes finding and hiding rocks gets families out to- gether in the nice weather. She said she has enjoyed painting with her niece and nephew and 2-year- old son. “I had him in mind be- cause he loves rocks,” she said. “Every day I walk inside and there are rocks lining my coffee table and shelves and everywhere, so if he found a painted rock on the trail he would be ecstatic.” She said she had some ideas for future activi- ties to keep interest in the group going, includ- ing rock-painting parties at the park and prizes for finding certain rocks pictured on the Hermis- ton Rock Hunt Facebook page. ——— Contact Jade McDow- ell at jmcdowell@eastore- gonian.com or 541-564- 4536. The Purple Ridge Lav- ender Festival has officially become the top fundraiser for Agape House and Mar- tha’s House, bringing in about $6,000 this past week- end for the Hermiston non- profit organizations. Executive director Dave Hughes said the event stepped into the top slot after the last A Very Poplar Run was held this past fall. Fea- tured in “Runner’s World” in December 2012, the pop- ular event came to an end after the sale of tree farm by GreenWood Resources. Buzzing with activity, in addition to the multitudes of bees that were busy in the lavender fields, an esti- mated 800 adults and 600 kids attended the Saturday event. Held at Purple Ridge Lavender in Hermiston, Jim and Sheri Konningrud have hosted the fundraiser for seven years. All vendor fees and gate receipts were donated to Agape House and Martha’s House. STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI Hermiston residents Joleen Pruett and her mother, Sharon Ekenstam, cut fresh lavender during Saturday’s Purple Ridge Lavender Festival. Hosted by Jim and Sheri Konningrud of Hermiston, the event raised about $6,000 for Agape House and Martha’s House. In addition to enjoying the lavender fields, festi- val-goers were treated to live music, art displays, ven- dor booths, a quilt display, food, a visit by Penelope Pendragon and her Whim- sical WiSH Wagon, and an opportunity to shop at the farm boutique. Agape House and Mar- tha’s House serves those in need in the community. For more information, call 541- 567-8774. www.facebook.com/herm- istondowntown. are: Ashley Erevia, person- al banker in the Hermiston branch; Gordon MacKen- zie, a Hermiston branch teller; and Yadira Murillo, a Boardman branch teller. Each of the employees surpassed individual pro- fessional goals in 2016, as well as providing excep- tional customer service to the bank’s clients and their fellow colleagues. Less than four percent of all Banner employees receive the award. They are select- ed by members of executive leadership. “Banner’s Best recipi- ents exemplify our value proposition — connected, knowledgeable, responsive — yet what truly sets them apart is how they constantly strive for a higher standard in all that they do,” said Mark Grescovich, Banner Bank president and CEO. Headquartered in Wal- la Walla, Banner Bank is a Washington-chartered com- mercial bank that conducts business from more than 200 locations in Washing- ton, Oregon, California, Utah and Idaho. For more information, visit www. bannerbank.com. NEWS IN BRIEF First Thursdays sizzles during summer months The First Thursday event continues during the summer in the downtown Hermiston business dis- trict. People are encouraged to meet up with friends and shop local. The event features refreshments, dis- counts and a bonus draw- ing. The next First Thurs- day is July 6 from 4:30-7 p.m. More than a dozen businesses are participat- ing. For more information, call 541-667-5026 or visit Banner Bank recognizes top employees Three local Banner Bank employees have been se- lected to receive the Ban- ner’s Best award. The award represents the highest level of recognition within the company and the recipients are truly Banner’s best, said Kelly McPhee, vice president of commu- nications. The recipients Feel the Thrill of a New Toyota! Discretion and Comfort 10 New 2017 TOYOTAS with over $ 2000 Cash Back that’s ready-to-wear. 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