A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018
COMMUNITY
BRIEFS
photo credit in the publication.
Submission instructions and rules are
available at www.oregonfb.org/calendar.
For questions, contact Anne Marie Moss at
503-399-1701 or annemarie@oregonfb.org.
Domestic Violence Services seeks
assistance
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Patrick Temple will ride his unicycle 30 miles
to raise money for a church project.
Paving the way for Jesus
Facing much needed capital improve-
ments at Hermiston Church of the Nazarene,
a member is taking to the streets to raise
money.
As part of a GoFundMe campaign to raise
$3,000 needed to complete payment for the
church’s parking lot resurfacing project, Pat-
rick Temple will depart Thursday by uni-
cycle from the Eastern Regional Airport in
Pendleton. He will ride the roughly 30 miles
to the church, at 1520 W. Orchard Ave.,
Hermiston.
The first leg of the journey will take Tem-
ple via the Barnhart-Airport extension road
before taking to Interstate 84 with a flash-
ing chase vehicle close behind for rider
safety. The idea grew after months of gener-
ous donations by members and friends of the
church. With a balance remaining, Temple
decided to use a bit of imagination to help
raise the rest needed for the project.
Temple will be doing Facebook Live
broadcasts en route every half hour — look
for them via #NazUni. To donate through
the fundraiser, visit www.gofundme.com/
unicycling-for-hermnaz-parking-lot.
For more about the church, contact 541-
567-3677,
hermistonnaz@gmail.com,
search Facebook or visit www.hermiston-
nazarene.org.
Farm bureau sets calendar contest
The Oregon Farm Bureau is looking for
pictures featuring all aspects of Oregon
agriculture for its 2019 Oregon’s Bounty
Calendar.
Photos can show the products, peo-
ple, production, landscape — anything that
depicts the beauty, technology, culture or
tradition of family farming and ranching
in Oregon. The calendar is mailed to more
than 67,000 farm bureau members across
the state and thousands more are distributed
throughout the year.
The deadline for photo submissions is
Saturday, Sept. 15. Everyone who submits
an image and provides their mailing address
will receive a complimentary copy of the
calendar, which is valued at $20. Those
whose photographs are selected will receive
Domestic Violence Services has several
volunteer opportunities and can benefit from
donations.
The nonprofit organization provides shel-
ter, meals and support services for victims
of domestic/sexual violence in Umatilla
and Morrow counties. People are needed to
assist with yard work at the shelters, chil-
dren’s activities, light housekeeping in the
offices and help with outreach events. In
addition, training is available for the 24-hour
crisis line.
Also, a variety of food, personal hygiene
items and household supplies are needed.
For a specific list, visit the organization’s
website. Donations are tax-deductible.
In addition to the shelters, Domestic Vio-
lence Services provides a 24-hour crisis line,
safety planning, peer support and referrals
for temporary emergency shelter for adult
males.
Donations can be dropped off at Domes-
tic Violence Services offices in Pendleton
and Hermiston during business hours. For
directions, or to make donation arrange-
ments, call 541-276-3322. For more about
the organization, visit www.domesticvio-
lenceservices-or.org.
Ione auxiliary post plans bazaar
The Ione American Legion Auxiliary
Post 95 is getting a jump start on planning
for its annual holiday craft bazaar.
The event is set for Saturday, Nov. 17.
Reservations are currently being taken for
table space.
For more information, contact Becky
Rietmann at 541-720-2040 or becky677.
br@gmail.com.
Buttercreek Boys perform Monday
Old-time music takes center stage as the
Buttercreek Boys perform during Music in
the Parks.
The free event is Monday, July 30 at 7
p.m. at Irrigon Marina Park. People are
encouraged to bring chairs and blankets.
In addition, those attending are welcome to
pack a picnic and beverages to enjoy while
listening to the music. In case of inclem-
ent weather, the performance will be held at
Stokes Landing Senior Center, 150 Colum-
bia Lane.
A group of seasoned musicians, the But-
tercreek Boys features Lou Reeves (guitar),
Win Weston (guitar), Curt Claughton (fiddle,
stand-up bass), Jim Simpson (banjo, harmon-
ica) and Rusty Roe (saxophone). In addition,
several of the musicians share duties behind
the mic. Audience members are encouraged
to sing along as the music moves them. The
group plays in various regional venues and
holds regular rehearsal meetings the sec-
ond Wednesday of each month at the Chuck-
wagon Cafe in Hermiston.
Music in the Parks alternates each Mon-
day through Aug. 13 between Irrigon and
Boardman marina parks. For more infor-
mation, contact Jackie McCauley at utility.
clerk@cityofboardman.com, 541-720-1289
or 541-481-9252.
FILE PHOTO
John Kirwan of the Hermiston City Council took first place in the 2014 seed-spitting
contest during the Irrigon Watermelon Festival. This year’s event is Saturday at Irrigon
Marina Park.
Watermelon festival
offers slices of fun
By TAMMY MALGESINI
COMMUNITY EDITOR
A homegrown festi-
val that’s going on its 34th
year is ready to offer fam-
ily friendly fun to go along
with lots of watermelons.
The Irrigon Watermelon
Festival kicks off Saturday
with a breakfast from 6:30-
9:30 a.m. While there is a
fee to eat, there is no charge
to enter Irrigon Marina
Park for activities that will
run into the night.
A parade winds through
town beginning at 10 a.m.
People are encouraged to
register in advance, but
may sign up Saturday from
8-9:45 a.m.
The main stage enter-
tainment headliner is The
Wasteland Kings, a La
Grande rock ‘n’ roll band.
Most of the other acts
include people with local
roots — including Wade
Aylett on at noon and 5 p.m.
“He’s an Oregon native
and lives in Irrigon,” said
Charlene Cooley, one of
the event organizers. “He
sings country music and
he’s really good.”
Another highlight is the
City Leader Seed Spitting
Contest at 3:30 p.m. Area
government officials will
show their spitting prowess
with watermelon seeds.
Also back this year is
a lip sync contest. Popu-
lar during the early days of
the festival, it was brought
back in 2017 after a 12-year
hiatus, Cooley said.
“It went over really
well,” she said. “People
really seemed to like it.”
The festival also is
known for its raffles —
offering people several
ways to win. General raf-
fle tickets are $1 each
or six for $5. Items up
for grabs include admis-
sion to Triple Play Family
Fun Park, including Rap-
tor Reef indoor waterpark
near Coeur d’Alene; tick-
ets to Silverwood Theme
Park, Tri-City Dust Dev-
ils tickets, a Pendleton
Round-Up package, gift
certificates and swag from
local businesses. Also, a
50-50 raffle offers half the
pot from sales of the 2018
event button, which costs
$2. And, 300 Fishermen’s
Dream raffle tickets ($10
each) will be sold. Valued
at $1,200, the package fea-
tures a guided steelhead trip
for six people by Stahl’s
Guide Service and a cus-
tom steelhead rod by Cast-
away Custom Rods.
In addition to water-
melon sold by the slice,
a barbecue chicken din-
ner will be available for
purchase. More than two
dozen vendors are con-
firmed, Cooley said. The
Oregon National Guard
will land a helicopter on
the baseball field and dis-
play some of their armored
vehicles. The adventurous
can try the rock climbing
wall. The evening crescen-
dos with a street dance.
Derrick Kestler is get-
ting revved up for the
event’s car show. He invites
people to join the parade
and then display their vehi-
cle at the park. The partici-
pation fee is $15 with reg-
istration from 9 a.m. to
noon. There are multiple
categories and trophy pre-
sentations will be made at
3 p.m. For more about the
car show, call Kestler at
541-571-0421.
For more informa-
tion, call Cooley at
541-571-8541 or visit
w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /
irrigonwatermelonfestival.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The Buttercreek
Boys will perform
old-time music
July 30 at Irrigon
Marina Park. As
part of the Music
in the Parks
series, there is no
admission charge.
McKay Creek Estates
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• How will they react?
This could be one of the most challenging
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