COMMUNITY
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021
HERMISTON HISTORY
First fair queen has history of misspelled name
25 YEARS AGO
Aug. 13, 1996
DAN DURFEY
Middle school science teacher and
coach for the Umatilla School District
• CORRECTION: Irene VanPat-
ten, the fi rst Umatilla County Fair
Queen in 1933, was misidentifi ed
and her name was misspelled in
last week’s Hermiston History. Her
grandson, Kevin Fisher of Hermis-
ton, received numerous phone calls
regarding the error. A correction was
made the week following the photo
and article’s original publication on
Aug. 13, 1996. However, her name
was misspelled again in that correc-
tion. Rest assured, we got it right this
time!
• The viability of the Hermiston
Airport was an issue at last night’s
city council meeting, drawing
almost as much discussion as bicy-
cles on the sidewalk.
The airport advisory committee
has been holding meetings recently,
weighing the pros and cons of con-
tinuing to subsidize the Hermiston
Airport.
Countering gossip that the city
Hermiston Herald, File
Draft horse teams, such as this one, performed in August 1971 at the Umatilla
County Fair.
Fair. These additions are the second
stage of what Cooper claims to be a
“fi ve-stage improvement program.”
Cooper believes there would be a
record number of livestock exhibits
and horses. The latter is based on the
fact that there are 40 stalls available
for 4-H exhibits for the fi rst two days
and then rodeo horses the last three.
When and why did you move to Umatilla?
In 2005. It was hard trying to fi nd property in Uma-
tilla County that you could have horses and 4-H pigs
that was aff ordable. Found some property here for a
house, raising kids and animals.
Where is your favorite place to eat in
Umatilla?
Acapulco Food Truck.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Raising two awesome kids. I am still involved in the
family rodeo business supplying bucking bulls to
all of the amateur rodeos in the Pacifi c Northwest.
Fishing, hunting, camping and traveling.
100 YEARS AGO
Aug. 11, 1921
Hermiston Herald, File
What surprises you about Umatilla?
Small-town feel. I grew up in a town a lot smaller
than Umatilla and living here has the same small-
town feel.
What was the last book you read?
“The Plague of Swords” by Miles Cameron.
What website or app do you use most other
than Facebook?
Google Chrome.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you
go, and why?
Australia. I visited Sydney in high school and really
want to go back because of the people and the sites.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever hap-
pened to you?
Some of the high school players that I coach took a
picture of my face and then supersized it into a giant
poster cutout, and the players were wearing my face
around the Umatilla High School gym during a bas-
ketball game.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
Try to make it through a full school year with stu-
dents in school the whole year.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My two kids, Trent and Taylor.
depot and learn about an area veiled
in secrecy since it was built. Approx-
imately 2,000 people attended the
picnic that Sunday.
The tour included the magazine
and west areas, the second of which
having been open to the public for
the fi rst time. The visitors also got
to see the roughly 3,00 vehicles cur-
rently being processed for storage
(jeeps, ducks, trucks, and trailers)
as well as the warehouses made for
small arms and inert components of
ammunition items.
The picnic itself was claimed to be
one of the most successful ones put
on by the employees welfare asso-
ciation, with ice cream, soft drinks,
and coff ee provided while visitors
brought their own lunches. Harry
Nelson was the offi cial announcer
and the Echo High School Band pro-
vided music for all the visitors. Even
a baseball game was featured later
in the afternoon, in which Ordnance
beat Touchet, Washington, 15-14.
Dillan Massey of Hermiston tries to hang on during the mutton bustin’ event at
the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in August 1996.
is closing the airport, Mayor Frank
Harkenrider said the city is continu-
ing to support the airport. “It’s just
being discussed.”
According to the advisory com-
mittee’s minutes, the city wants to
privatize the airport. While they
agree that a viable airport is good
for the area, there is concern of how
much money leaves the city coff ers.
The council aired comments on the
airport but no action was taken.
75 YEARS AGO
Aug. 15, 1946
At some point, we’ve all wanted
to explore, open, or experience
the top-secret or off -limits; and we
go all-in when we fi nally get the
The July weather of 1921 was
a far cry from the weather we’ve
been dealing with this summer. It
showed no outstanding variations in
conditions when compared to past
records, unlike our record-breaking
heat and duration of such high tem-
peratures. Their highest recorded
temperature was 100 degrees on July
24 and their lowest was 41 degrees
on the 10th, while we suff ered 115
degrees and rejoiced in the low 50s.
Some common factors: 1921 saw an
(0.8) increase in the average max-
50 YEARS AGO
Aug. 12, 1971
This fair hosted quite a few new
attractions, additions, and fi rsts:
the fi rst Umatilla County Fair
horse-pulling contest, redecorated
grounds, record livestock exhibits,
and more.
After two years of planning
and preparations, the fi rst ever
horse-pulling contest was fi nally
coming to the Umatilla County Fair.
The horses performed in teams of
two on Wednesday night, weighing
from 3,600 to 6,000 pounds. Accord-
ing to fair manager Bob Cooper,
the fair board had been waiting for
the ten draft horse teams — which
were sponsored by Washington State
Horse Pullers Association (Belling-
ham, Washington).
A new fence for the horses, as well
as new lights on the midway and the
displaying of animals by breed, were
also added to the Umatilla County
Hermiston Herald, File
Umatilla County Fair Court — Princess Joan Howard, Princess Karen Cramer,
Queen Doneva Shockman and Princess Cheri Smith — and Hermiston Mayor L.
P. Gray encouraged all to attend the 1971 Umatilla County Fair.
chance. The Eastern Oregonians of
1946 didn’t react diff erently when
the Umatilla Ordnance Depot was
fi nally open to the public during
the annual UOD Employees Picnic
held on its grounds. Though a good
amount of the people had worked
there, many were excited to tour the
imum temperature, as well as a
(0.02 inches) lower rainfall than the
July averages.
———
McKenzie Rose, a sophomore at
Echo High School, searched Herm-
iston Herald archives to compile
these article summaries.
BY THE WAY
Red Cross still needs blood donors
The American Red Cross recently
reported it has been distributing about 12%
more blood products to hospitals across
the United States compared to this time
last year. To meet demands and to end the
severe shortage, the Red Cross has been
giving incentives for people to donate.
To thank donors, all who come to give
blood in August will receive a free four-
month subscription off er to Apple Music
by email (new subscribers only). Upcoming
blood drives in Hermiston and Pendleton:
• Monday, Aug. 16, from 12:45-
5:30 p.m. at Good Shepherd Medical
Center, 610 N.W. 11th St., Hermiston.
• Tuesday, Aug. 17, from 12:30-
5:30 p.m. at the VFW Hall, 1221 S.E.
Court Place, Pendleton.
• Tuesday, Aug. 31, from noon to 5:30 at
the Pendleton Convention Center, 1601
Westgate.
For more information, to schedule a
donation time or to fi nd other blood drives
in the region, visit www.redcrossblood.org
or call 1-800-733-2767.
• • •
The Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department is seeking a recreational vehi-
cle owner and a representative of a county
parks department to serve on the County
Opportunity Grant Program Advisory
Committee. The seven-member commit-
tee allocates funding to county projects that
involve recreational vehicle camping.
The group’s main function is to read,
assess and score grant applications submit-
ted to the program, and attend a one-day
grant application presentation meeting, typ-
ically held in Salem each November. (The
meeting may be virtual, depending on the
status of the pandemic.)
For more about the responsibilities, visit
www.oregon.gov/oprd and click on the
menu for Commissions & Advisory Com-
mittees, click on the link to County Parks
Assistance Advisory Committee and under
“Grant Advisory Committee” open the
link to Committee Roster and Application
Information to access a “Committee Inter-
est Form,” or go directly to www.oregon.
gov/oprd/GRA/pages/GRA-cogp.aspx.
The form is due by Wednesday, Sept. 15.
For questions, contact Mark Cowan,
grant program coordinator , at 503-951-
1317 or mark.cowan@oregon.gov.
• • •
The SAGE Center in Boardman urges
people to “save the date” for the Morrow
County Harvest Festival. In its eighth
year, the event will be held exclusively out-
doors on Saturday, Oct. 2.
The festival will feature a variety of
vendors with high-quality, regionally pro-
duced agricultural goods and handmade
artisan crafts. In addition, Threemile Can-
yon Farms will provide an opportunity
for attendees to “fi ll-a-bag” full of locally
grown produce with “Harvest Bounty for
Youth in Agriculture.”
Many other fun activities are planned
during the event. For more informa-
tion, visit www.visitsage.com or call
541-481-7243.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity
Center menu for Thursday, Aug. 12, is
pulled pork sandwich, macaroni salad and
dessert. The menu for Tuesday, Aug. 17,
is ham, scalloped potatoes, pea salad and
dessert. (In-house meals will be served
from noon to 12:30 p.m. People planning
to dine in are asked to call by 11 a.m.)
For a Meals on Wheels delivery in
Hermiston, call 541-567-3582 before
10 a.m. to place an order. To pick up a
meal from the center at 255 N.E. Second
St., call the same number before 11 a.m.
Meals are $5 and can be picked up between
11:30 a.m. and noon.
The Boardman Senior Center now is
providing meal delivery. Meals are $4 paid
upon delivery. Call 541-481-3257 to order.