INSIDE SPORTS
BULLDOGS TAKE BITE OUT OF EAGLES. A10
Hermiston
Herald
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017
HermistonHerald.com
$1.00
INSIDE
3 MINUTES WITH
MEET THE MANAGER OF THE
RECENTLY REMODELED LA PALMA
RESTAURANT.
PAGE A2
SOLD
THE THIRD STUDENT-BUILT HOME
IN HERMISTON HAS BEEN SOLD.
PAGE A3
OPEN HOUSE
HISTORIC CHURCH WELCOMES
VISITORS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
MORE THAN 20 YEARS.
PAGE A4
THE REAL DEAL
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR REAL
NEWS, GET A REAL NEWSPAPER.
PAGE A8
BY THE WAY
Reading challenge
pays off in pizza
“I haunted for the fi rst time last year,”
Tyhuis said. “It’s fun to see people smile
and have a good time.”
The $10 wristband includes wandering
through the corn maze, the corn crib (like
a big sand box, only with kernels of corn),
a mini maze, straw bale maze and a tunnel
maze (for wee ones). Additional activities,
including the zipline and kiddie carts are
$2 per ride. The Field of Screams is $12,
which includes the regular maze. The event
also offers limited concessions.
Hermiston Senior Cen-
ter offi cers Irene Miller,
president, and Virginia
Beebe, vice-president, were
recently thrilled to accept
a $180 donation from Jan
Ross and Neila Wallace
of the Greater Hermiston
Area Republican Wom-
en’s Group. Judy Fordice,
the senior center’s secretary,
said the money will go into
the center’s new building
fund and will be used to as-
sist in purchasing new kitch-
en equipment.
• • •
A Children’s Read-
ing Challenge will pay off
in pizza. Kids can earn a
free mini pizza from Papa
Murphy’s just by reading
(or having someone read
to them) books during the
month of October. For more
information, stop by the
Hermiston Public Library
or call 541-567-2882.
• • •
Kricket Nicholson dons
her jacket, helmet and black
leather chaps, and then
straps her United Way gym
bag to the rear rack of her
motorcycle as she gears up
for the annual United Way
of Umatilla and Morrow
Counties fundraising cam-
paign. Joe Zoske, United
Way board member, said
See MAZE, Page A16
See BTW, Page A16
FILE PHOTO
Brent Tyhuis, son of organizers Bob and Gina Tyhuis, runs through cornstalks before the opening of the 2016 Echo Corn Maze. This year’s
Echo Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch is open for the season.
By TAMMY MALGESINI
COMMUNITY EDITOR
Growing up in and around the agricul-
ture industry, Bob and Gina Tyhuis enjoy
sharing their love for the outdoors with
others.
For the second year in the row, the Echo
transplants have revived fall fun with the
Echo Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch. The
attraction opens this week with two miles
of winding pathways cut through an 8-acre
cornfi eld near downtown Echo at 100 N.
Dupont St.
Regular hours are Wednesdays from 3-9
p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and
Oct. 26-27 from 3-9 p.m. A decision will
be made as the date gets closer if the attrac-
tion will be open on Halloween. The Field
of Screams, which offers a haunted experi-
ence, is available Saturday, Oct. 21, Friday,
Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, from 7-9
p.m.
Gina Tyhuis is particularly looking for-
ward to the frightful fun. This summer’s
warm weather contributed to extraordinary
growth by the cornstalks, which tower at
12-13 feet, she said.
Board moves graduation to Kennewick
Hermiston Class of
2018 will graduate in
Washington state
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
After three months of discus-
sion, research and community
surveys, the Hermiston School
Board made its decision Monday
night: Hermiston High School’s
Class of 2018 will celebrate com-
mencement at the Toyota Center
in Kennewick, Washington.
The board voted 6-1 to move
the ceremony across the river in
June 2018, and will revisit local
options afterward.
Board member Jason Middle-
ton was the lone “no” vote.
“This has been a long process,”
said board chair Karen Sherman.
“But we know (the decision) is
the best we can do for students
and families.”
The decision was a contentious
one, as many Hermiston residents
and even board members raised
concerns about moving the cere-
mony out of the city and across
state lines.
The decision caps a months-
long process by district and high
school administrators to fi nd a
place to house the growing grad-
uating classes, after last year’s re-
cord class reduced the number of
guest tickets to fi ve. This year, ad-
ministrators estimated they would
only be able to allow four tickets
per student. District offi cials said
Monday they also had growing
concerns about the safety of the
current venue, the Hermiston
High School gymnasium, due to
the large crowds.
The Toyota Center seats more
than 5,000 people, and will elimi-
nate the need for tickets. Accord-
ing to numbers published by the
district, holding graduation at the
Toyota Center would cost about
$6,500, while holding it in the
gym would cost about $11,000.
At September’s meeting, the
board was about to make a fi nal
decision when Middleton made
a counter-motion, requesting that
more data be collected and the
issue be looked at in greater de-
tail. That motion won out, and the
district conducted another round
of surveys, this time focusing on
responses from Hermiston High
School seniors and their parents.
Though many comments re-
fl ected residents’ hesitation, the
majority still appeared to be in fa-
vor of the move — at least tem-
porarily.
The most popular option in ear-
ly surveys, the rodeo arena at East-
ern Oregon Trade and Event Cen-
ter, was ruled out last month due
to what district offi cials said was
a lack of infrastructure and staff-
ing at EOTEC Interim EOTEC
manager Nate Rivera said facility
would like to be able to host events
like graduation in the future, but it
was not currently feasible.
The Toyota Center ceremony
will likely be held on Thursday,
June 7, at 7 p.m.