COMMUNITY
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021
HERMISTON HISTORY
High school reporters run sting operation
IRMA SOLIS
Clinic Manager at
Mirasol Family Health Center
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
We moved from Stanfi eld to Hermiston when I was
12 because my mother liked the location in the out-
skirts of Hermiston.
Where is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
I love Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe and their taco pizza.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy spending time with my family, baking, cro-
cheting, crafting, and would like to get back into
running.
What surprises you about Hermiston?
The amount of growth our town has seen!
What was the last book you read?
“Cat Kid Comic Club” by Dav Pilkey. My son loves
this book and requests if for bedtime reading often!
What website or app do you use most other
than Facebook?
Instagram or allrecipes.com
If you could travel anywhere, where would you
go?
I would like to go Greece.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever hap-
pened to you?
I wore my blouse inside out for half of the day until
my front offi ce supervisor noticed it and informed
me!
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
I would love to do more exploring with my family on
the weekends, hikes, day trips, etc.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My children are my proudest accomplishment, I’m a
little biased, but they are pretty awesome and keep
my husband and me on our toes!
Breath of Life fundraiser
benefi ts cystic fi brosis
The Bearded Villain Ore-
gon Woodsmen are co-host-
ing a fundraiser in support
of Jessica Brown-Grooms’
annual cystic fi brosis fund-
raising event.
Those in attendance are
in for an evening of fun
while raising awareness and
money to help fi nd a cure for
cystic fi brosis. The event is
Friday, May 14, beginning
at 5 p.m. at The Bridge Bis-
tro & Brews, 1501 Sixth St.,
Umatilla.
Tickets will be available
at the door — spectators are
$10 and competitors are $25.
Organizers promise that you
don’t want to miss this beard
competition. It will feature
multiple categories for beard
types, and no experience
is necessary. Those with a
beard who want to partici-
pate should send a message
via
www.facebook.com/
rachelle.reed.73113.
Brown-Grooms of Herm-
iston, who has hosted a
yearly Breath of Life fund-
raising event, was diagnosed
with cystic fi brosis when she
was 18 months old. The dis-
ease causes the lungs to pro-
duce a thick, sticky mucus.
For more about the dis-
ease, visit www.cff .org;
and for more about the
upcoming fundraiser, go
to
www.facebook.com/
events/2911224389163317.
Hermiston Herald, File
Hermiston residents listen to a performance by the Oregon Symphony at the Hermiston Community Center in 1996.
25 YEARS AGO
April 20, 1996
A trio of young investigative
reporters from Hermiston High
School discovered last week that in
some cases, crime does pay.
The trio surveyed three local
pawn shops to see who would pur-
chase obviously stolen items. One,
they discovered, took the bait.
It all started when Wilma Ward,
the school’s photography and news-
paper teacher, was asked to examine
the camera at a local pawn shop. A
student, looking for a camera, asked
Ward to check one out at a pawn
shop. The check led Ward to look
around at other area pawn shops.
A camera she found at a down-
town Hermiston pawn shop looked
like a heck of a deal — a $200
camera for less than $100 — until
she noticed the “Hermiston High
School” engraving on the base.
“I was just horrifi ed,” she said.
Upon telling the clerk about the
engraving, Ward was given the cam-
era at no charge to return to the
school. Ward took the camera and
her tale back to her newspaper stu-
dents who decided to use it as the
basis for a story in the school paper,
The Bulldog.
The three students, John Edwards,
Tucker Bounds and Seth Crutcher,
borrowed the paper’s two week
old VCR, engraved its top with the
words, “Property of Hermiston High
School,” and asked Ward if they
could shop it around to pawn shops.
At their fi rst stop they were off ered
$35 for the $120 VCR despite dis-
playing the engraving.
50 YEARS AGO
April 20, 1971
The annual spring square dance
jamboree, sponsored by the Herm-
iston Square Knots, the local square
dance club, held at the Junior
High Gym last Saturday night was
enjoyed by many square dance clubs
and spectators.
Members from the visiting clubs
fi lled the gym until 16 squares were
on the fl oor dancing to the calls of
Ross and Penny Crispino of Nampa,
Idaho.
Members of the Knots and
Squares from Boise, Idaho and
Alpine Swingers from Nampa trav-
eled the farthest. The Goofer-Hoof-
ers from Prosser, Washington and
members of the club from Grand-
view, Washington represented square
dancing friends across the river.
Hermiston Herald, File
Shelly Knerr pets one of her llamas, Black Shadow, during an annual open house
at Knerr’s State Farm Insurance in Hermiston in 1996.
west end of Umatilla County devel-
oped sleeping sickness. They were
treated for this disease but this year
it is practically impossible to pro-
cure the medicine for such treatment.
However, the vaccination serum is
still available.
If you have not already notifi ed
the Assistant County Agent of the
number you want vaccinated there is
still time to do so before it is neces-
sary to order the vaccine.
Vaccination will be done at your
own place and you will be notifi ed
when to expect the veterinarian,
according to LeRoy E. Fuller, Assis-
tant County Agent.
Hermiston Herald, File
Mrs. and Mrs. Gilbert Gettman
dance at a square dance jamboree in
Hermiston in 1971.
75 YEARS AGO
May 2, 1946
With an all-time high vote of
414, the people of Hermiston went
on record last Thursday as favor-
ing purchase by the city of the USO
building.
A total of 246 ballots were cast in
favor of the purchase and 168 voted
against the measure.
Throughout the day various cit-
izens were hastening about the city
taking voters to the polls, and both
sides of the contest were taking an
active interest in the voting until the
polls closed at 8 o’clock.
2) Last year several horses in the
100 YEARS AGO
Friday, April 29, 1921
Bad baseball weather was partly
to blame for the loosely played
games last Sunday in the Irrigation
League.
The wind blew at a gale that made
fi elding balls a hard task, especially
in the outer gardens.
Hermiston played Irrigon and
defeated the Irrigon team 11 to 5.
Hermiston’s team did not play up
to their standard form, and Irrigon
nearly beat them in the latter part of
the game.
McMillan pitched for our team,
and was doing good work, but for
lack of practice, he wore out before
the game was over, and manager
Voyen send in Phelps to fi nish the
game. McMillan is a good pitcher,
and when he gets going will be an
added asset to the team.
BY THE WAY
Sen. Ron Wyden to hold virtual town halls May 1-2
Sen. Ron Wyden will hold live online town halls
for residents of several Eastern Oregon counties next
week, according to a press release on Friday, April 23.
The town halls will be livestreamed on the Peo-
ple’s Town Hall Facebook page.
Residents of Morrow County can pose questions
to the senator on May 1 at 3 p.m. The following day,
May 2, a town hall for Umatilla, Union and Wallowa
County residents will be held at 11:30 a.m., and for
Wasco County at 3:30 p.m.
• • •
Hermiston School District and Good Shepherd
Health Care System opened the Wellness Clinic at
Hermiston High School on Wednesday, April 21.
Staff ed by Good Shepherd Urgent Care medical
providers, the clinic will be open to students, district
staff and children of staff on Mondays from 8 a.m. to
noon and Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m. Services
include diagnosis and treatment of illness, vaccines,
routine checkups and sports physicals.
For students that are under 18 years of age, a parent
or legal guardian must sign a parental consent form
and complete a medical history form and return it to
the clinic before the student can receive care. If insur-
ance is available, the clinic will bill it.
Call 541-667-6199 to schedule an appointment or
walk in during hours of operation.
• • •
A Umatilla police offi cer was recognized by city
offi cials in a Tuesday, April 20, meeting for his “valor
and professional actions under potential deadly cir-
cumstances” during a house fi re on April 3, according
to a press release.
Cotter Butler rescued an elderly resident during
the fi re without hesitation, the press release said, kick-
ing in the front door and entering the house as it was
engulfed in fl ames before the fi re department arrived.
Butler then alerted neighbors to evacuate their homes
as well.
Umatilla Fire Chief Steve Potts commended
Butler’s actions, which “made an immense diff er-
ence in the successful outcome of the traumatic inci-
dent for not only the resident of the home and nearby
residences, but by also allowing the fi re department
to focus on the fi re rather than to engage in a rescue
operation,” the press release said.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center menu
for Thursday, April 29, is baked chicken, parsley
potatoes, vegetable and dessert.
For a Meals on Wheels delivery in Hermis-
ton, call 541-567-3582 before 10 a.m. to place an
order.
To pick up a meal from the center at 255 N.E. Sec-
ond St., call the same number before 11 a.m. Meals
are $4 and can be picked up between 11:45 a.m. and
12:15 p.m.
The Boardman Senior Center is now providing
meal delivery. Meals are $4 paid upon delivery. Call
541-481-3257 to order.