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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2018)
A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018 COMMUNITY Advance tickets on BMCC to host art, sale for fair’s main culture festival stage concerts By TAMMY MALGESINI COMMUNITY EDITOR By TAMMY MALGESINI COMMUNITY EDITOR Tickets are on sale now for this year’s con- cert line-up at the Umatilla County Fair. Organizers with the fair are looking forward to an exciting line-up of main stage performers during its second season at the East- ern Oregon Trade and Event Center. The acts include: Country music group Sawyer Brown (Tues- day, Aug. 7), Ned LeDoux (Wednesday, Aug. 8); hair metal band Skid Row (Thursday, Aug. 9) Latino Night will feature still unnamed performers (Fri- day, Aug. 10); and rock band Blues Traveler (Saturday, Aug. 11). Fair-goers can sit in gen- eral admission seating for the concerts. For an additional fee, people can reserve seats in advance. Angie McNal- ley, fair administrative assis- tant, said the reserved ticket prices remain the same as 2017 at $12, with premium seats at $20 for an up-close experience in the first three rows. With more than 4,500 shows under their belts, Sawyer Brown has criss- crossed the country living the life of a ‘travelin’ band,” as one of their hit songs shares. In the early days, the group played everything from clubs to pig roasts. “There’s no such thing as a gig we wouldn’t take,” said Mark Miller, the band’s lead singer. Keyboardist Hobie Hub- bard said there’s a synergis- tic energy between the band members and the audience. Their live shows have been described as “the Rolling Stones of country music.” Ned LeDoux, who played drums in his dad’s band, Western Underground — he is son of the late Chris LeDoux — never had a “Plan B.” “Once I got the taste of the road, and being in front of a crowd and just the sound of it — it was freedom,” the younger LeDoux said about performing. When his father died in 2005, Ned LeDoux picked up a guitar and belted out “Western Skies.” In 2015, LeDoux traveled to Nash- ville — digging through some of his dad’s unfin- ished songs for inspiration. While he wants to carry on his father’s legacy, he’s also bringing a new voice to the LeDoux name with music from his debut EP, “Forever a Cowboy.” In addition, Brewer’s Grade Band (with frontman Zac Grooms of Hermiston) will perform Wednesday, Aug. 8. The band’s name is a tip of the hat to their roots in The Dalles and the vast array of microbreweries in the Pacific Northwest. New Jersey kids with a punk and metal attitude, Skid Row started out in 1986. They stormed stages with a single purpose — an “us-against-them musical coup d’état.” Despite an ill-advised tour in 1996 that took a toll on the band, the core cama- raderie never died — and the band refused to fade into obscurity. After opening for Kiss in 2000, the band was reinvigorated. “When we put the band back together, we needed to reintroduce Skid Row as relevant without relying too much on past success,” said bassist Rachel Bolan. “We wrote songs and hit the road. We sunk our heart and soul into it, letting people know we weren’t doing it for lack of anything better to do.” Blues Traveler emerged in the late ‘80s and possess a reputation for improvisa- tional live shows and tire- less touring. Featuring John Popper (lead vocals, har- monica), Chan Kinchla (gui- tar), Tad Kinchla (bass), Brendan Hill (drums), and Ben Wilson (keyboard), the group’s most recent release, “Blow Up The Moon,” was its first collaborative album. It enlists a range of artists across the musical spectrum, representing country, pop, reggae and hip-hop. The group’s 12 studio albums include four gold, three platinum and one six- times platinum. Their hit “Run-Around” is the lon- gest-charting radio single in Billboard history, earn- ing them a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Reserved and premium seats for the fair concerts can be purchased at www. umatillacountyfair.net, by calling 541-567-6121 or by stopping by the fair office, located at EOTEC, 1705 E. Airport Road, Hermis- ton. The concert tickets do not include fair admission, which is $10 for ages 13 and up, $8 for seniors, $6 for ages 6-12 and free for kids under 6. A black feminist writer/ poet, facilitated discus- sions, fireside chats and even food are featured in Hermiston during Blue Mountain Community College’s Arts & Culture Festival. The event, in its 20th year, is free and open to the public. The festival kicks off Monday, April 16 in Pendleton and includes activities on the Hermiston campus of BMCC, 980 S.E. Columbia Drive. The poetry, academic papers and personal essays of Natasha Ria El-Scari have been published in anthologies, literary jour- nals and online. In addition to presentations in Pend- leton, the festival’s art- ist-in-residence is featured Tuesday, April 17 at 1 p.m. in Hermiston. El-Scari’s 2015 DVD, “Live at the Blue Room” demonstrates how she connects with peo- ple with warmth and unre- lenting honesty. When asked in an inter- view what makes her unique, El-Scari said “… most people lie to them- selves, but I like to reveal myself.” A past Kansas poet lau- reate, Denise Low speaks CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Natasha Ria El-Scari is the featured artist-in- residence during Blue Mountain Community College’s Arts & Culture Festival. highly of El-Scari. “Poems lift off the page, almost reading them- selves,” Low said. “Unlike some performance poetry, her words translate well to the printed page.” The Oregon Human- ities Conversation Proj- ect brings Oregonians together to discuss import- ant and challenging issues. The topics as part of the Arts & Culture Festival include “In Science We Trust,” (Wednesday, April 18, 10 a.m.). Gail Wells of Corvallis will lead the dis- cussion, including exam- ining issues of misunder- standing and mistrust. And “Talking About Dying,” a statewide conversation series that includes profes- sionals in the fields of chap- BRIEFS Chocolate Derby benefits Dream Catcher Put on your best Kentucky Derby attire and head down to Oregon Grain Growers Brand Distillery for the inaugural Choco- late Derby. The event, which benefits Dream Catcher Therapeutics of Pendleton, fea- tures dinner and a variety of chocolate dishes created by Pendleton restaurants. The 21-and-older event is Saturday from 6-9 p.m. at the distillery, 511 S.E. Court Ave. The Chocolate Derby also includes live music, dancing and an auction. Tickets are $30 per person or $225 for a table of eight. They can be purchased at Dan Ceniga’s State Farm office, 1704 S.W. Frazer Ave., Pendleton, or by calling Mor- gan at 541-377-1479. Dream Catcher provides individuals with emotional, physical and mental chal- lenges an opportunity to participate in equine activities. Participants gain thera- peutic benefits through riding, grooming and forming bonds with the horses. Pro- ceeds from the event will help fund rider scholarships and care for Dream Catcher’s horses. For more information about the program, visit www.dreamcatchertrc.org. Democrats invited to unite in Hermiston PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY KRISTI SMALLEY Avena Garrett, Reagan Stanek, Alea Garrett and Hailey Magallanes, a Highland Hills Elementary School Oregon Battle of the Books team, gets ready for a match at Chemeketa Community College in Salem on April 7. Highland Hills team turns page during book battle HERMISTON HERALD The Highland Hills Ele- mentary School team rep- resenting Region 6 of the Oregon Battle of the Books had its eye on the prize. Out of the hundreds of elementary schools who participated in the Bat- tle of the Books program this school year, only the top 25 teams are allowed to compete, said Kristi Smalley, Hermiston ele- mentary librarian. Team members Rea- gan Stanek, Avena Garrett, Hailey Magallanes and Alea Garrett were focused on making it to bracketed play during the April 7 event at Chemeketa Com- munity College in Salem. None of the previous teams from the district’s elemen- tary schools who had qual- ified for the state compe- tition had made it that far, Smalley said. After two rounds of pool play, the top 16 teams who would move to brack- eted play were announced in the auditorium. Start- ing with the first place team of Alameda, the Highland Hills team anx- iously awaited to find out if their point total would allow them to continue the battle. The shouts of joy when “Highland Hills” was announced as the 16th team to qualify very well may have been heard on the east side of the state, Smalley said. After an extremely close match ending 30 to 35 points, the top- seeded team from Ala- meda defeated the High- land Hills team by one question. There was still much to celebrate, Smalley said, since this was the first team from Highland Hills to make it to the state competition. A send-off celebra- tion on Friday empha- sized showing “Husky Pride. The Highland Hills team members, Smalley said, worked very hard and answered some extremely difficult questions. “I was especially proud of the girls when they went up to the Alameda team members and congratu- lated them on the win,” Smalley said. “I also want to thank their parents and extended family members for mak- ing the trip to Salem to support these amazing readers.” laincy, counseling, geron- tology and hospice care. Jennifer Sasser, an educa- tional gerontologist at Port- land’s Marylhurst Univer- sity, (Wednesday, April 18, 1 p.m.) offers participants an opportunity to reflect on what shapes their thinking about death and dying. Other festival high- lights in Hermiston include a focus group about food insecurity (Tuesday, April 17, 11 a.m.), interactive African drumming with Mike Kellison (Wednes- day, April 18, 11:30 a.m.) fireside chats about a Holo- caust survivor (Thursday, April 19, 11 a.m.) and a survivor of a World War II Japanese-American intern- ment camp (Thursday, April 19, 1 p.m.) and a pre- sentation by Jesse Roa of the Tri-Cities Immigra- tion Coalition about immi- grants’ rights and DACA. A barbecue and photo booth fun is Wednesday, April 18 at noon and food by Ruty’s Restaurant, lawn games and an alpaca display is Thursday, April 19 at noon. For a full schedule of events, visit www.bluecc. edu. For questions, con- tact Casey White-Zollman, vice president of public relations, at 541-278-5839 or cwhitezollman@bluecc. edu. Members of the Democratic Party are invited to meet with others to discuss rel- evant issues and candidates. Living Blue in Hermiston Democratic Party meets the third Sunday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Desert Lanes, 1545 N. First St., Hermiston. Those interested in purchasing no-host snacks are encouraged to arrive early. In addition, the meetings are family-friendly gatherings. For more information, call Bernie Sand- erson at 541-626-9189 or Yvonne Griffin at 541-567-1072. Discovery Day offers genealogical help Encouraging presentations from experts to help people interested in genealogical research are available during Family Dis- covery Day. All ages are welcome to the free event Saturday, April 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1821 S. Second Ave., Walla Walla. In addition, lunch is provided. The event is open to everyone who is interested in genealogical research, from beginners to advanced. To ensure there are adequate materials available and for appro- priate seating, those planning to attend are asked to register at www.lds.org/familydis- coveryday or contact Becky Harmon at harmon2026@msn.com or 509-240-7244. Recycling program benefits Agape House People can help support Agape House through its bottle and can recycling program. There are three ways people can donate recyclable cans and bottles to help support programs and services for those in need in the area. The options include dropping off cans/bottles at Agape House, 500 Harper Road, Hermiston. For those with a large amount to donate or if your business col- lects recyclables, people can call executive director Dave Hughes to arrange a pickup. Cans and bottles donated at Agape House will be used for the organization’s gas pro- gram, the weekend food program for needy students and other small needs. For those who use the BottleDrop Redemption Center, you can go to www. bottledropcenters.com and click on “Give” and search for Agape House to make a donation directly from your account. A confirmation email will be generated. Money donated this way will be used for the student weekend food program. Also, people can stop by Agape House to pick up special blue BottleDrop bags, fill them up and take them directly to the Bot- tleDrop Redemption Center, 740 W. Herm- iston Ave. For more information about Agape House, including services, other ways to donate and volunteer opportunities, call Hughes at 541-567-8774. Cattle Barons extends scholarship deadline The deadline for Pendleton Cattle Barons Weekend scholarships has been extended. Graduating seniors or college students who plan to study or who are pursuing a degree related to agriculture are invited to apply. Eligible students must be from des- ignated Eastern Oregon counties, includ- ing Umatilla and Morrow. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 20. The organization has contributed more than $60,000 to support the education of young adults to preserve the region’s ranching heritage. Held May 11-12, Cat- tle Barons Weekend features saddle bronc and ranch rodeo championships, a horse and working dog sale, a trading post and gear show, demonstrations and the Bucka- roo BBQ & Home Brew Challenge. For more information or a scholarship application, visit www.cattlebarons.net. Griswold High School plans all school reunion A group of Griswold High School grad- uates are seeking contact information for people for an all school reunion. The event is planned for June 8-9. Activ- ities will include a social time and dinner Friday, June 8, a community picnic and a fun run. The cost is $50. Childcare is available during the eve- ning social time and dinner through Wild- horse (www.wildhorseresort.com). In addition, Wildhorse offers shuttle service to and from Pendleton hotels. The all day picnic in Helix includes a barbecue, kids’ games and swimming. Participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and spend the day catching up with classmates. In addition, school tours will be arranged. A block of rooms have been reserved at Wildhorse. For the discount booking identification code, contact June Mohr- land (class of 1969) of the Griswold High School All School Reunion Planning Com- mittee at ghsreunioninfo@gmail.com or 541-969-1141. For more information or to register, visit https://sites.google.com/a/ jmolsen.com/ghs. Also, search Facebook for “Griswold High School Reunion.”
