WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021
HermistonHerald.com
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UPDATES
Morrow
County
Fair off ers
country
fun
By TAMMY MALGESINI
COMMUNITY EDITOR
With a theme of Mor-
row County Country
Strong, this year’s Mor-
row County Fair got
underway Tuesday, Aug.
17, and continues through
Aug. 21 at the Morrow
County
Fairgrounds,
74473 Highway 74, Hep-
pner. It runs daily from 10
a.m to 10 p.m., and fea-
tures open class displays,
live music, a hypnotist
and the traditional fair
activities involving youth
livestock projects.
Fair Secretary Ann
Jones is excited to again
off er free entry to the
fair. She said they have
worked hard to obtain
sponsorships so people
can merely walk through
the gates.
“It just helps peo-
ple out so more people
can get out and enjoy the
fair,” Jones said.
Highlights of the fair,
Jones said, includes lots
of live music. Aug. 18 fea-
tures Fat Bottomed Girls
at 7 p.m. The evening also
includes a best dressed
‘80s-themed contest. Fri-
day evening brings Olivia
Harms to the stage, play-
ing country music.
Portland-based coun-
try-rock musician Nate
Botsford performs Aug.
19 at 2:30 p.m. Also, an
ice cream social featuring
the Tillamook brand is at
3 p.m.
Botsford has per-
formed at the Morrow
County Fair several times
and Jones said he’s a
crowd favorite. And the
feelings are mutual —
Jones said he loves to play
music in Heppner.
Looking for something
new to bring to this year’s
fair, the board decided on
Justin James, a comedian
and hypnotist who has
performed in Las Vegas.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Quinn Duff , of Milton-Freewater, shows his grand champion market goat Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, at the Umatilla County Fair Youth Livestock Auction in
Hermiston.
Emotions run high at livestock auction
By NICK ROSENBERGER
STAFF WRITER
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
undreds of attendees of all ages and from
all corners of the Northwest gathered Satur-
day, Aug. 14, for the fi nal day of the Uma-
tilla County Fair and its annual Youth Livestock
Auction at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event
Center.
Emotions ran high throughout the auction as
youths said goodbye to their animals, while adults
shouted bids trying to snag the prized animals. For
many of the children involved, it was a bittersweet
moment. After months of hard work, patience and
dedication, it was time to say goodbye to those
they’d formed a strong bond and connection with.
“I’m sad but I’m happy that I’ll get more sheep
and it’ll happen again,” said Elsie Bowman, a sixth
grader from Echo who sold her lamb. “We’ve had
struggles and good times.”
After receiving awards earlier in the day, the
children and teens spent their day receiving bids on
the lambs, goats, steers, rabbits, turkeys and hogs
that they have spent the last couple of months rais-
ing. Ford Bonney, Nick Nelson and Jack Seavert
presided as the auctioneers who whipped the crowd
into a buying frenzy and helped the day see the sale
of more than 200 livestock.
Buyers check in Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, at the 2021 Umatilla County Fair Youth Livestock
Auction in Hermiston.
See Auction, Page A8
H
See Morrow, Page A8
A new generation of fi refi ghters
By NICK ROSENBERGER
STAFF WRITER
The day starts as the sun
rises for the new resident
interns at Umatilla County
Fire District 1. With dark-
ness slowly fading around
5:45 a.m., the interns tug
on their shoes and head
out the door for an hour
at the gym before getting
ready to face the gruel-
ing 10-hour day in front of
them.
The long hours might
dispel some from even try-
ing to become a fi refi ghter,
but for Tyler Couch, Dil-
lon Tucker, Nick Dona-
hue and Rylee Geddes, the
hours are just a part of pur-
suing their dreams as they
approach graduation from
the fi re district’s academy
on Aug. 20.
INSIDE
Nick Donahue, a recent
grad of University High
School in Spokane Valley,
has wanted to become a
fi refi ghter since his sopho-
more year of high school.
He knew he didn’t want
to sit at a desk job all day
and desired something
more exciting.
“I’ve also loved help-
ing people and I’ve grown
up helping people,” Dona-
hue said. “And whether
that’s just my close friends
or my family or anything,
I’ve just always had a
heart for that so I decided
to look into fi refi ghting.”
He asked his cousin,
Jason Donahue, a fi re-
fi ghter in Spokane, for
advice. His cousin showed
him the station and took
him on a few ride-alongs.
“And that’s when I
really fell in love with it,”
Donahue said.
The program consists
of structural and wildland
fi refi ghting along with
emergency medical ser-
vices and CPR. One day
the interns may be learn-
ing how fi res behave in
the wild, while other days
they’ll be throwing lad-
ders and hooking up fi re
hydrants.
The interns all noted
how many of these lessons
and activities have become
competitive, which in turn
has pushed them to be bet-
ter fi refi ghters. Couch, of
Rigby, Idaho, said one of
his favorite activities was
competing with the other
interns to see how fast they
could put on their gear.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
See Interns, Page A8
Rylee Geddes, a resident intern with Umatilla County Fire District 1, uses a fi re hose Tuesday, Aug.
10, 2021, at the district’s training facility in Hermiston.
A3  Hermiston’s population
tops 19,000
A6  Faith-based festival read-
ies for opening
A7  Police use Taser on
robbery suspect
A9  New high school football
coaches