RUNNER SOUL
XC FEST DRAWS
HUNDREDS TO
SANDSTONE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
>> PAGE A7
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018
HermistonHerald.com
$1.00
INSIDE
BIGGER BILL?
The Hermiston city council
is considering raising water
and sewer rates.
PAGE A3
GOING UP
Hermiston School District’s
enrollment numbers
continued to trend upward.
PAGE A6
BROKEN
Riding High Ministries uses
horse breaking to teach
Two Rivers Correctional
Institution inmates about
humility.
PAGE A13
BY THE WAY
Airport under new
management
The
Hermiston
Municipal Airport is
under new management.
On Monday the city
council approved a con-
tract for Gorge Avia-
tion Services to become
the new manager of the
airport.
Assistant city man-
ager Mark Morgan said
Hermiston Aviation Ser-
vices has always done
an excellent job for the
city but they are ready to
get out of the business.
Gorge Aviation was man-
aging the airport for The
Dalles (located across the
river in Dallesport, Wash.)
until a recent split in the
company. Morgan said
they were the only ones
to respond to the city’s
request for proposals but
the airport committee was
excited about what they
are bringing to the table.
He said they have a repu-
tation for good customer
service and increasing fuel
sales for airports. They
recently brought their air-
plane repair shop to Herm-
iston and Morgan said that
has already resulted in a
See BTW, Page A14
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
T
STAFF PHOTOS BY E.J. HARRIS
TOP: Will Jons of Hermiston rides into the arena carrying the U.S. flag during
the opening ceremony Wednesday, Sept., 13, 2017, at the Pendleton Round-Up.
CENTER: Flag bearer Will Jons of Hermiston screams at the crowd while
carrying the U.S. flag during the grand entry Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, at the
Pendleton Round-Up.
hough its name car-
ries a lot of hometown
pride, the Pendleton
Round-Up draws visi-
tors and volunteers from towns
near and far. Hermiston resident
and police officer Will Jons has
been one such die-hard, bear-
ing the American flag at the
Round-Up opening ceremony
for the last 25 years.
This Saturday, Jons will com-
plete what may be the most spe-
cial ride of his Round-Up career,
carrying the flag in for the 100th,
and last, time.
For Jons, this tradition started
before he was a police officer.
He was working as a cowboy,
and he was a volunteer at the
Round-Up. Two weeks before
the rodeo, someone asked him if
he could carry a flag.
“I said ‘you bet, let’s try it
out,’” Jons said.
He hasn’t missed a Grand
Entry since.
One of five flag bearers that
“run at the rail” each day of the
rodeo, Jons rides a horse, which
jumps into the Round-Up arena.
Jons carries a large American
flag, and rides a lap around the
arena, waving the flag. At the
end of the lap, he stands on the
field for the National Anthem.
Jons said he decided that this
year will be his last time as one
of the flag bearers.
“One hundred grand entries
— nobody’s ever done that,” he
said. “My biggest fear is being
the guy who stays too long.”
But others seem to think he’s
leaving too soon.
“I seem to be the only one
that thinks this is a good idea,”
See RIDE, Page A14
Hermiston celebrates opening of Harkenrider Center
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
The sun was shining and the mood
was festive as about 200 people gath-
ered Saturday to celebrate the open-
ing of the Harkenrider Senior Activ-
ity Center.
“This is what Eastern Oregon life
is all about,” Mayor David Drotz-
mann said.
Behind him was the new
7,000-square-foot senior center built
on Ridgeway Avenue downtown.
Its features include a large gather-
ing area, breakout rooms, offices, gas
fireplace, deck, unfinished basement
and a commercial kitchen stocked
with $100,000 of equipment.
The center was named after Frank
Harkenrider, who served as city
councilor or mayor of Hermiston
for a total of 50 years. His wife Bev-
erly Harkenrider noted that he was
excited to be there to turn over the
first shovelful of dirt for the ground-
breaking, but did not live to see the
building to completion.
“He would be thrilled to see
everyone here today,” she said.
Both she and Drotzmann noted
Harkenrider’s deep love of Herm-
iston that earned him the nickname
of Hermiston’s biggest cheerleader.
Drotzmann gave a “Go Bulldogs!”
and congratulated the Hermiston
High School football team for win-
ning its game against the Richland
Bombers the night before.
“He wouldn’t have let me get
STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL
See CENTER, Page A14
A few of the people involved in the project cut the ribbon at the Harkenrider
Senior Activity Center.