FROM A1
A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
FRUIT
Continued from Page A1
“Right now they’re not ripe, but I
expect to have good quality from what
we’ve seen,” he said.
He said in Eastern Oregon you never
know what you’re going to get, weath-
er-wise, during a growing season.
The region’s climate is one of the rea-
sons Hermiston watermelons are so sweet,
however. Hot days spur the plants to pro-
duce more sugar for energy, and cool
nights help them retain the sugar. The taste
makes the melons a coveted commodity
around the United States, and draws peo-
ple to Hermiston each year.
In August, Portland residents will get
to taste the fruit that put Hermiston on the
map during the city’s annual watermelon
giveaway.
The event in Portland’s Pioneer Square
at noon on Aug. 2 will include free water-
melons and other fresh Hermiston-grown
produce, plus a seed-spitting contest
between Hermiston and Portland officials.
It is sponsored by the city of Hermis-
ton, the city of Portland and the Greater
Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce,
with produce donated by Botsford and
Goodfellow, Pollock and Sons, Bell-
inger Farms, Walchli Farms and Walchli
Organic.
The annual giveaway began in the
1980s when then-mayor Frank Harken-
rider loaded up a pickup truck with water-
melons and challenged Bud Clark, then
Portland’s mayor, to a seed spitting con-
test. After a haitus in 2007 it was restarted
in 2015 as a way for Hermiston and Port-
land officials to network and discuss issues
facing both communities.
“This is a great event that continues to
build on our relationship with our partners
in Portland,” Mayor Dave Drotzmann said
in a statement.
WEDNESDAy, JuLy 17, 2019
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Bobby Bellinger rings up watermelons and other farm produce at the Bellinger Farms store on
Highway 395 in Hermiston.
STEM
Continued from Page A1
The camp was brought
to Oregon with the help
of Community and Shel-
ter Assistance of Oregon,
which received a Neighbor-
Works grant. The grant was
able to fund about half of the
spots for the camp, and Sky-
hawks took care of the rest.
“We thought children
with the most need were
already located by Made to
Thrive,” said Monica Cer-
vantes of the Oregon Child
Development
Coalition,
who is part of CASA of
Oregon.
More than 15 differ-
ent businesses and orga-
nizations donated to the
effort, including the Herm-
iston School District, which
offered Sandstone Middle
School as a place to host the
camp. Sullivan said the dis-
trict also offered free break-
fast and lunch to children in
the area at the school.
Made to Thrive currently
serves 267 children in Herm-
iston, and organizers of Sky-
hawks STEM Sports Camp
are hoping to reach more of
them every year.
“We’d like to be able to
do this on an annual basis
Staff photo by Jessica Pollard
Campers settle down outside Sandstone Middle School.
so we can track if we get
the same kids year after
year, and to be able to find
a way to measure the impact
that it has,” said Teresa Best
of New Hope Community
Church, who is also part of
CASA.
Dammeyer said the
coaches at camp were start-
ing to learn more about the
lives of the kids participat-
ing. She said some are fac-
ing poverty, foster care, and
incarcerated parents.
“This is bringing tears
to my eyes, these kids have
been labeled so many differ-
ent things,” Dammeyer said.
“We’re proving a lot of peo-
ple wrong right now.”
With a ratio of four
coaches to 48 kids, she
hopes next year they will be
able to up the staff.
Last Wednesday was a
particularly notable day at
Skyhawks STEM Sports
Camp, because the children
received gifts from com-
munity partners, includ-
ing ice cream courtesy of
Helados La Michoacana in
Hermiston. At the end of the
camp this week, all children
received a soccer ball cour-
tesy of Skyhawks.
As kids filed into the gym,
their camp T-shirts were still
crisp white, but Dammeyer
said they wouldn’t be for
long.
“It’s just really special,”
she said of the camp.
Many of the children who
went to Skyhawk STEM
Sports Camp last week are
attending
Ambassadors
Soccer Camp, sponsored
by New Hope Community
Church, this week.
“It wrapped up very
well,” Dammeyer said.
“The kids went home really
excited.”
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