A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2022
LIGHTER SIDE
THREE MINUTES WITH...
HERMISTON HISTORY
Harkenrider beats Portland
mayor in seed spitting in 1997
25 YEARS AGO
AUG. 19, 1997
Lori Davis
Who are you and what do you do?
I am Lori Davis. I have worked at Two Rivers Correctional Institution
for 22 years. I am also an elected Hermiston City Council member
since 2010.
Where did you grow up? When did you come to Hermiston?
I was born in Pendleton, Oregon. We moved to Hermiston in 1969. I
graduated from Hermiston High School — I have lived in Hermiston
most of my life except for about 12 years when I lived in Portland.
What are a few of your hobbies?
Beating Portland Mayor Vera Katz in
a watermelon seed-spitting contest was
sweeter than the watermelons themselves
for Hermiston Mayor Frank Harkenrider.
The Mayor’s Tailgate party and its
seed-spitting contest was started by Har-
kenrider in 1991 at Pioneer Courthouse
Square in Portland. Katz won the 1996
seed-spitting contest, and since watermel-
ons were his city’s claim to fame, Harken-
rider was not going to let it happen again.
This time, he bested her 9-foot distance
with a whopping 17 feet and three inches.
However, both lost to Hermiston Cham-
ber of Commerce President Ray Jones,
who launched a seed 25 feet, five inches for
first place. Gov. John Kitzhaber, making his
seed-spitting contest debut, was right be-
hind Jones with 22 feet and seven inches.
Aside from providing watermelons for
spitting, Hermiston growers sent eight
tons of watermelon and cantaloupe along
with more than one ton of carrots to Port-
land. Much of the food was then donated
to FISH, a Portland-area food program for
the needy.
Not only did the event provide some
friendly competition and food, but an op-
portunity for unity.
“We meet lots of people and get to see
what is going on in other cities,” Hermiston
City Council member Bob Severson said.
“I think it does build relationships between
the east and the west (of Oregon).”
I like to cook, read and am recently starting to sew quilts.
50 YEARS AGO
How do you spend your free time?
How would you describe yourself?
I like to think I am genuine and caring and kind.
What is something that you’re passionate about?
I am passionate about contributing to society in some way. We all
should be part of the solution.
What are a few of your proudest accomplishments (can be per-
sonal or job related)?
I am proud of my children and proud of my strong work ethic and my
commitment to our community.
out the need for surveying instruments, for
which he received a national SCS award.
But Weber did not just work on the land
of Hermiston. He was an active commu-
nity member, lending a hand with local
Boy Scout groups, vocational education
programs, teacher workshops and the cre-
ation of the new recreational complex,
which was named “Weber Field” in his
honor.
75 YEARS AGO
AUG. 21, 1947
In addition to the typical fair attrac-
tions, a special air show put on by a fighter
squadron would render the 1947 Umatilla
County Fair a memorable one.
Col. Frost would lead the squadron,
which would stage tactical maneuvers over
the Hermiston Air Field, and encouraged
Umatilla County residents to attend what
would be the climax of the fair. Among
other things, he planned to feature an AT-6
on the ground to display how airborne
planes could be controlled and informed
from the ground by radio.
The air field would be open at 10 a.m.
for people to inspect new aircraft and go
for short rides. The main show was sched-
uled to start at 2 p.m., with the fighter
squadron performing an hour later.
Sponsored by the Sky Roamers Club, all
proceeds from the air show would be put to-
wards improving the Hermiston Air Field.
AUG. 17, 1972
I like to read and watch movies and spend time with family.
Hermiston Herald, File
Hermiston Mayor Frank Harkenrider, front, and Umatilla Chemical Depot employee John Janis,
back, load a truck load of watermelons in August 1997 in preparation for the seventh annual
Mayor‘s Tailgate Party at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland.
While Hermiston would be sad to see
Soil Conservation Service employee Ed
Weber leave, with his new appointment to
the Corvallis unit, it was thankful for the
grand work he had done.
Weber served as a technician with the
SCS of the U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture in the Hermiston District for 16 years.
During that time, he assisted with the de-
sign, installation and development of nu-
merous projects. That included laying out
65 miles of irrigation and field ditches, 50
miles of irrigation pipeline, 45 drainage
systems, 250 sprinkler systems, 350 im-
proved flood systems, 9,000 acres of land
leveling and more.
Weber also developed a procedure for
grade control on land leveling jobs with-
90 YEARS AGO
AUG. 18, 1932
What becomes of the Indians when
Round-Up is over? This was a common
wonder of visitors who attended the Pend-
leton Round-Up.
Most assumed they went back to their
teepees, wearing full war regalia and
beaded dresses. However, the truth was
that their lives are not much different than
ours.
When the dust of packing up the
Round-Up had settled, one would see In-
dians sporting outfits similar to their white
counterparts. In fact, the elegant and costly
garments seen during Round-Up are worn
sparingly as they bear great religious and
cultural value.
As for the teepees made of elk hide and
other skins, they would be dismantled as
the Indians returned to their rather mod-
ern homes on the Umatilla Reservation.
There, their lives run fairly parallel to oth-
ers of Eastern Oregon as they farm or lease
land allotted by the government.
Then when Round-Up came around
again the next year, the traditional clothing
and teepees would be taken out once more
to share a part of their culture with the rest
of us.
█
McKenzie Rose, a junior at Echo High School,
searched Hermiston Herald archives to compile
these article summaries.
By The Way
Morrow County Fair runs Aug. 17-23 in Heppner
Just a reminder, the Morrow County Fair kicks off Aug. 17-23 at
the fairgrounds in Heppner. Gate admission is free.
In addition, it’s the 100-year anniversary of the Oregon Trail Pro
Rodeo, with performances on Aug. 19-20, 7 p.m. Tickets (www.ore-
gontrailprorodeo.com) are $10/general, $6/ages 7-12 and free/ages 6
and under. For rodeo questions, call 541-256-0217.
Fair highlights include an ice cream social on Thursday, Aug. 18,
3 p.m. People can enjoy Tillamook ice cream while the Blue Moun-
tain Old-Time Fiddlers perform from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Also, a pair of crowd favorites return to the fair’s stage — Jessie
Leigh on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 7-10 p.m. and Olivia Harms on Fri-
day, Aug. 19, 1-3 p.m. Also, Zac Grooms will play a pair of 90-min-
ute shows on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 12 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
For a full fair schedule, visit www.co.morrow.or.us/fair. For ques-
tions, call 541-676-9474.
• • •
If music is your thing, Wheatstock Music Festival will crank
things up Saturday, Aug. 20, 3-10 p.m. at Quantum 9 Arena, Helix.
The show features a trio of bands out of Austin, Texas — Josh
Abbott Band and Micky and the Motorcars, both from the red
dirt music scene, and Giovannie & The Hired Guns, who incor-
porate everything from Southern rock and stoner metal to la
musica nortena and Latin hip-hop.
Rounding out the lineup is the Oklahoma-based group
Ragland — offering up Okie Americana with a twist of edgy,
alt-country — and bands hailing from the area include Imperial
Twang and The Froghollow Band.
General admission tickets are $59 and VIP packages are $149,
which includes one admission ticket, a limited backstage pass,
a meet-and-greet with the Josh Abbott Band and a signed event
poster. For tickets or more information, visit www.wheatstock.org.
• • •
A ribbon-cutting is planned at the Cathy Wamsley Center for
Early Learning. Wamsley, who died Nov. 23, 2021, invested more
than three decades serving and supporting children and families
across Eastern Oregon.
The free event is Aug. 25, 1-3:30 p.m. at Umatilla-Morrow
Head Start, 160 N.W. Second St., Hermiston. In coordination
with the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce‘s ceremony, the pub-
lic is invited afterward to enjoy popsicles and activities hosted by
different Head Start programs and partners.
People are invited to donate their favorite children’s books for
Head Start classrooms. For more information, call 541-564-6878.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center menu for Thursday,
Aug. 18, is baked potato, fish, coleslaw and dessert. The menu for
Tuesday, Aug. 23, is stir fry with beef, rice, fruit 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 is open for dine-in lunches on
Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon at 100 Tatone St. Meals are $4 for
seniors and $5 for others. Take-out lunches are available by calling
541-481-3257.
priorities
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the Life of a Child.
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