COMMUNITY
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021
HERMISTON HISTORY
County fair history a little confusing
25 YEARS AGO
Aug. 20, 1996
RON GIBBS
Retired
In the stretch of just a few days,
three deadly accidents occurred
on Highways 730 and 395, near
Hermiston.
The fi rst one, happening around
11 a.m. on Thursday, killed Ernest
L. King, 50, and Trinette Statton, 19.
King was traveling westbound on
Highway 730 when his sedan crossed
the centerline, resulting in a head-on
collision with Statton’s pick-up truck.
Statton died at the site, while King
died later that day at Good Shepherd
Hospital. David Karlin, 22, was rid-
ing with Statton when the accident
occured, but walked away without
major injuries. According to senior
OSP Trooper Rod Hansen, both Stat-
ton and Karlin were wearing seatbelts
— while King wasn’t.
The second accident happened
around 5 a.m. on Saturday when
Christopher Thomas Gumpert, 20,
was thrown from his pick-up after it
drifted off the road and rolled over
In 1937, the Umatilla Project Fair
celebrated its 25-year anniversary in
their new location near the junior high
75 YEARS AGO
Aug. 22, 1946
Hermiston Herald, File
Paramedics remove Ernest L. King
from the site of his head-on collision
with a truck on Highway 730 in
August 1996.
school. The following year was the
fi rst time that 4-H and FFA exhibi-
tors were entered as part of the show.
The fair board was expanded
to 15 members in 1939, represent-
ing all areas of the county, to estab-
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
Moved to Hermiston in 1975 from Umatilla. I
worked at JR Simplot until they closed.
Hermiston?
Hales.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Follow the grandkids’ sports, travel memorabilia
collector.
What surprises you about Hermiston?
The amount of growth. So many new homes.
What was the last book you read?
“The Last Pass” by Gary Pomerantz.
What website or app do you use most other
eBay and News app.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you
go?
New York, Washington, D.C. and Boston.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever hap-
pened to you?
Going to visit my high school friend at Christmas
and walking in to fi nd a strange family at the dinner
table. They had moved and didn’t tell me.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
To be alive.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My wonderful family.
In this day and age when vaccines
are a very common topic of discus-
sion, it’s important to remember when
there weren’t any. Around this week
in 1946, there was a confi rmed case of
polio that was diagnosed as “infantile
paralysis” at a Walla Walla hospital.
The illness was described as
“slight” with the patient getting along
“satisfactorily,” though there was no
mention of any treatment. Although
it was only one case, it was enough
to remind people to be cautious and
observant.
The public was warned to keep
out of drainage and irrigation ditches,
as well as the Columbia River, and
instead stick to swimming in public
pools. Also noted were symptoms,
the fi rst of which being sleepiness and
headache. Those noticing such symp-
toms were even requested by public
health offi cials to get plenty of rest
and consult a doctor if the conditions
continue or worsen.
100 YEARS AGO
Aug. 18, 1921
Where is your favorite place to eat in
than Facebook?
ing Victory Gardens and selling war
bonds instead of creating fair exhib-
its, it resumed with as much spirit and
entries as before. In addition, 1946 was
the fi rst year a full queen and court
were chosen.
Hermiston Herald, File
Two of Umatilla County’s best products were on display at the fair this week —
watermelons and beautiful girls. The 1971 fair court, from front to back: Queen
Doneva Shockman, Princess Joan Howard, Princess Cheri Smith and Princess
Karen Cramer.
multiple times. He was headed east
on Highway 395 and wasn’t wearing
a seatbelt at the time. When emer-
gency medical personnel arrived, he
was already dead.
The last of the accidents involved
a tractor-trailer and sedan near the
Hermiston Municipal Airport. Mat-
thew A. Prentice, 27, crossed over the
center line and several lanes of traf-
fi c, hitting Orville G. Blazer’s trac-
tor-trailer. Prentice, at the time, was
remaining in serious condition at Ore-
gon Health Sciences University while
Blazer was uninjured.
lish the Hermiston show as a county
fair. Though it was somewhat put on
hold during the duration of World
War II, as people focused on grow-
Oregon’s newest town at the time,
Boardman, boasted quite a grand
school. In fact, it’d been hailed as
“probably the fi nest school building
in the northwest in a place of Board-
man’s size” by a Hermiston Herald
editor.
The new public school building cost
more than $50,000 and had manual
training, domestic science, and other
classrooms. It also hosts an engine
room in the basement and an audito-
rium on the upper fl oor. The school
was built on the unit-basis, which
means that new wings could be added
on whenever necessary.
This, in addition to the cost, makes
it “a great monument to the public
spirit of the citizens and shows how
confi dent the people are in the future
of their town,” said the Hermiston Her-
ald editor. Perhaps the only thing that
seemed to be missing was a gymna-
sium, which was deemed unnecessary
since the climate permitted outdoor
activities practically year-long.
———
McKenzie Rose, a sophomore at
Echo High School, searched Hermis-
ton Herald archives to compile these
article summaries.
50 YEARS AGO
Aug. 19, 1971
The history of the Umatilla County
Fair is an intricate one, though many
disagree as to when the fi rst offi cial
fair actually was. Numerous fairs,
under just as many names, have been
in the area since the 1870s.
Contributing to the confusion is
the fact that many of the early fairs
were held as add-ons to the Pendle-
ton Round-Up. However, many deem
the 1939 Umatilla County Fair as the
fi rst full-fl edged real one.
Hermiston Herald, File
A Quetzalcoatl dance was performed by Costa de Nayarit during the 1996
Umatilla County Fair. The group put on crowd-pleasing shows demonstrating a
variety of dances for fairgoers.
BY THE WAY
CityFest gets nod for top parade entry
The Best of Show for the Umatilla County Fair
Parade went to the Greater Hermiston CityFest with
Andrew Palau! If you don’t know about the upcom-
ing faith-based event, check out the community story in
today’s Hermiston Herald.
Other entries recognized during the Aug. 7 parade
included:
Best Theme (Ready, Set, Show!: Hermiston Drug
& Gift; Best Float: Atkinson Staffi ng; Best Equestrian:
Happy Canyon Princesses; Best Motorized: Desert
Shrine Club; Best Royalty: Walla Walla Fair & Fron-
tier Days; Best Dance: Steppin’ Country Dance Club;
Best Bands & Music: Main Street Cowboys & Pend-
leton Side Saddlers; and Best Non-Float: Happy Can-
yon Directors.
• • •
Tony and DeAnn Amstad of Hermiston have
amassed a mighty collection of John Deere collectible
tractors, which will be auctioned off Saturday, Aug. 21
at noon by Booker Auction Company. It will be held at
the Amstad Farm, 79480 Canal Road, Hermiston.
The auction will feature more than 100 rare and col-
lectible John Deere tractors, Caterpillar tractors and a
few select classic automobiles. In addition, a band will
play in the afternoon, and food and beverages will be
available.
The auction preview is Aug. 20 from 9 a.m to 6 p.m
and Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon. The collection also will
be available for online preview Aug. 20. For more infor-
mation, visit www.bookerauction.com.
• • •
Conexion de Madre, a group designed to provide
support to mothers of all ages, recently started in Uma-
tilla. It’s held the last Thursday of each month from
6-7:30 p.m. at Umatilla City Hall, 700 Sixth St.
The free event includes snacks, crafts, community
resources, guest speakers and more. Infants are welcome
if you don’t have childcare available.
The next group is Thursday, Aug. 26. For more infor-
mation, visit www.umatilla-city.org/parksrec or call
541-922-3226.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center menu for
Thursday, Aug. 19, is spaghetti, garlic bread, fruit and
dessert. The menu for Tuesday, Aug. 24, is roast beef,
mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables 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.