A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021
HERMISTON HISTORY
DEQ to accept comments about weapons disposal
25 YEARS AGO
Aug. 20, 1996
ERICK PETERSON
Editor/senior reporter of the Hermiston Herald
When and why did you move to Hermiston?
I met a wonderful Hermiston woman and her amaz-
ing sons. They welcomed me into their family.
Where is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
I enjoy going to the Pod, where I can order from
food trucks and then eat outdoors. It can some-
times be diffi cult to choose between hot dogs and
burritos, though.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I haven’t been lifting weights lately, but that is some-
thing I enjoy. I have an excellent trainer over at Club
24 who is working with me. Also, I like to read and
watch movies. Nothing beats a good horror movie.
With World War II and the Cold
War well over, the Umatilla Army
Depot had a tough problem to fi g-
ure out: how to safely and effi ciently
dispose of its stockpile of chemical
weapons.
The Army had long determined
that incineration was the “safest
and fastest” way to get rid of the
chemical weapons stored at eight
sites throughout the country (the
Umatilla Army Depot being one of
them), but the method still causes
concern among health offi cials. To
destroy the hazardous materials,
they planned to build an incineration
facility consisting of fi ve furnaces.
But fi rst, the Army had to con-
vince Oregon’s Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality and its govern-
ing body, the Environmental Quality
Commission, that their method was
safe. In addition, they will be con-
sidering public comments and opin-
ions — with draft and water and air
permits being issued to the public,
comments will be accepted from
April 5 to Nov. 15. Other technolo-
gies and alternative solutions to dis-
pose of the chemical weapons had
been brought up, and two upcoming
meetings will discuss those options,
both of which will be open to the
public.
50 YEARS AGO
Aug. 26, 1971
The turnout and excitement
expectations were blown out of the
water as Hermiston began its annual
Hermiston Herald, File
First graders Hanna Cortez and Rosie Waterhouse enjoy lunch on the fi rst
day of school Monday, Aug. 26, 1996, at Highland Hills Elementary School in
Hermiston.
Sidewalk Sale. “The crowd was
waiting when we were ready to go
at nine,” Jack Sobotta of Hermiston
Drug noted. In fact, participating
merchants claimed it to be “the big-
gest Sidewalk Sale yet” with over
half of the customers coming from
areas out of town, like Pendleton,
Arlington and Heppner.
Bruce Giddons of Burnham’s
estimated a 22% increase in sales
while Phil Hector of Hector’s
Family Shoes is already plan-
ning for next year’s sale, say-
ing, “We’ve got to, we sold out of
everything we had. It was a major
merchandising event.”
The Sidewalk Sale occurs annu-
ally during Fair Week and is spon-
What surprises you about Hermiston?
There is always something to keep me busy. Some-
times, a big event at Butte Park captures my inter-
est. Other times, it is a small activity provided at the
Hermiston Public Library. This town always has
something fun for me.
What was the last book you read?
I just read “I Am Malala.” In it, Malala Yousafzai, a
girl from Pakistan, tells about her life and activism
under the Taliban. It’s a harrowing story and unfor-
tunately relevant.
What website or app do you use most, other
than Facebook?
I check in with TikTok often for jokes and funny
dance videos.
Hermiston Herald, File
Incineration alternatives were being considered in August 1996 by the
Environmental Commission regarding the chemical weapons stockpiled at the
Umatilla Depot.
If you could travel anywhere, where would
you go?
Tokyo.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever hap-
pened to you?
I don’t know if it’s the funniest, but I recently (and
mistakenly) used coff ee creamer instead of milk to
make a creamy potato dish for my family. It tasted
awful, and I don’t think they will ever let me forget it.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
I was just hired as the editor for the Hermiston Her-
ald. My goal is to do a good job for this community.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My family loves me. Gaining their aff ection and
their trust means more to me than anything.
Hermiston Herald, File
Hermiston Hustler’s Chairman Phil Hector announces Diane Morris as the fi rst-
place winner of the Kraziest Kostume contest held during the August 1971
annual downtown Sidewalk Sale.
sored by the Hermiston Hustlers, the
merchants committee of the Herm-
iston Chamber of Commerce. Prizes
were awarded to personnel from
participating stores for funniest cos-
tumes, with Diane Morris getting
fi rst, Garnett McLaughlin was sec-
ond, and Mrs. Robert Rothermel
garnered third.
75 YEARS AGO
Aug. 29, 1946
As school continues to draw
nearer, it’s rather interesting to look
back and see what school was like
in the 1940s. For Hermiston, each
student had to pay only $3 to cover
costs of typing paper, workbooks
and laboratory materials. The rental
fee for books was 40 cents a term,
with any unused portions being
refunded at the end of school.
At a Tuesday meeting, Associ-
ated Student Body offi cials planned
activities and decided to leave the
price of the student body ticket at
$2.50 for the year. Mrs. Hibbard was
still in charge of the lunch room,
with the lunch prices being the same
as the prior year.
A late resignation caused an
unexpected vacancy and at the time,
Hermiston School was still looking
for someone to fi ll the position —
teaching ninth grade and two hours
a day of upper elementary grades.
100 YEARS AGO
Aug. 25, 1921
The girl’s club contests seem
very similar to fair exhibits, but with
a chance to win a trip to the Oregon
State Fair in Salem. The local con-
test will be held before the county
one, and the winning team of each
category at the county contest will
receive a trip to the fair in Salem.
The county contest of the girl’s
club will take place at Pendleton
High School on Thursday, Septem-
ber 22, during the Grain and Hay
Show at Pendleton. The judge of the
bread baking contest will be E.O.
Matherson, while Mrs. I. M. Schan-
nepp will judge the canning contest.
Individual prizes for the best
members of the boy’s and girl’s
clubs will also be awarded, with the
recipients earning a trip to the State
Fair as well. The individual prizes
for the best loaf of bread baked by a
Umatilla County girl ages 9-18 are:
$10 for fi rst place, $7.50 for second,
$5 for third and $2.50 for fourth.
———
McKenzie Rose, a sophomore at
Echo High School, searched Herm-
iston Herald archives to compile
these article summaries.
BY THE WAY
United Way announces grant awards
The United Way of the Blue Mountains, which includes
Umatilla and Morrow counties, recently announced grants
awarded for fall 2020 and spring 2021.
Area organizations that benefi ted from the United Way’s
recent disbursements include: Youth for Christ Blue Moun-
tain-Hermiston Campus Life, SMART reading programs in
Umatilla and Morrow counties, The Salvation Army-Pend-
leton Corps and Walla Walla YMCA Summer Enrich-
ment Program in Athena.
The United Way brings together community resources to
focus on key problems and issues families face and invests
in solutions to those problems. Through partnerships, the
United Way connects the community to ensure people fi nd
the help they need.
For more information, contact Monica Boyle at moncia@
uwbluemt.org, 509-529-1183 or visit www.uwbluemt.org.
• • •
The artwork of Amy Fuentes will be on display during
the month of September at the Hermiston Public Library,
235 E. Gladys Ave. A local artist, she started painting in
2018 when she was 19 years old. However, she has been
an artist as far back as she can remember.
Fuentes’ current artwork is a refl ection of one of the many
things she enjoys, which is music. Her paintings include
re-creations of rap album covers and portraits of the musi-
cal artists. Follow Fuentes on her art journey on Instagram
via @amyfuentesartistry.
• • •
Members of the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce
can be featured during a 30-minute spot on KOHU The
Q during the Hermiston Business Connection. The show
runs Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m. on KOHU 1360 AM.
For more information, call Val at the chamber at
541-567-6151.
• • •
Join Hermiston area residents in learning to better under-
stand local government and tackle community needs.
The nonprofi t Rural Development Initiatives is hold-
ing trainings on how to make local government work for
you. This 5-session training will help you learn to connect
to elected offi cials, navigate government processes, orga-
nize issue and candidate campaigns, and defi ne issues and
action plans.
Sessions will be in person in Hermiston 4-7 p.m. on
Thursdays from Sept. 30 through Oct. 28.
Rural Development Initiatives is providing the training,
thanks to support from the Ford Family Foundation and
the city of Hermiston.
RDI stated it will comply with state and federal guide-
lines related to mask-wearing and social distancing to ensure
the health and safety of its staff and rural communities.
Register at bit.ly/3xQ6nuu. For questions, contact Jen-
nifer Groth, RDI, at jgroth@rdiinc or 458-215-8396 ext. 3.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center menu for
Thursday, Aug. 26, is beef stroganoff , vegetables, fruit
and dessert. The menu for Tuesday, Aug. 31, is barbecued
chicken, pasta 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 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.