Week of September 11, 2025
Week of September 11, 2025
WAITSBURG - This year, the Waitsburg Historical Society has selected the Gagnon Family as the Pioneers of the Year. Members of the family will be honored at Fall Festival on September 21 at the Bruce House Museum. The Gagnon family's deep roots in the Walla Walla Valley farming community date back to the arrival of Marcel Gagnon in 1855. He immigrated from Quebec to the United States and became a citizen at the age of 18 in 1849. Along with other retired Hudson Bay fur trappers, he settled in...
WAITSBURG - September is the American Library Association's Library Card Sign-up Month. The theme "One Card, Endless Possibilities" is a reminder that signing up for a library card can be the first step toward academic achievement and lifelong learning. Weller Public Library Director Sarah Roberts visited Waitsburg Elementary classes on Monday, September 8, to show students how library cards can give them access to books, ebooks, audiobooks, games, and other resources. Roberts also helped new...
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Cardinals' season-opening football game against DeSales on Friday, September 5, did not go as Coach Gabe Kiefel had hoped, resulting in a 66-16 loss. The DeSales Irish won the coin toss and deferred the opening kickoff to the Cardinals. JJ Gleason received the kick and ran the ball for 30 yards. The Cardinals went four and out, and the Irish took over and scored on a long pass. After making the two-point conversion, DeSales led 8-0 with 8:43 remaining in the first...
Waitsburg Middle School volleyball team's first match of the season will be in Waitsburg on Monday, September 15. Coach Savannah Castillo invites the community to come to the game to cheer for the...
Waitsburg High School has a new varsity volleyball coach. Jamie Smit coached the Waitsburg Middle School team for the past three years. Smit's previous volleyball coaching experience was in Nezperce, Idaho, coaching the high school junior varsity team. "We have a very young team, and I am hoping for the best," said Smit. Her team consists of one senior, one junior, three sophomores, and seven first-year students. The Cardinals had their first non-league game against Prescott on Thursday,...
DAYTON/WAITSBURG — Afterschool programs in Dayton and Waitsburg have started the new school year with grant funding. The Club in Dayton recieved funding from the Educational Service District 123’s Cohort 20 program through its 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative. The ESD123 funding was awarded to programs in three communities, inclucing Dayton, to expand high-quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities. “Cohort 20 allows us to bring more consistent, high-impact learning time to students and families,” said...
DAYTON – “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is the last chapter of one of television and film’s most enduring period dramas, with five seasons and three movies. The Crawley family, staff, and the grand house are entering the 1930s and must navigate how to embrace the future. The familiar cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Joely Richardson, Paul Giamatti, Jim Carter, and Joanne Froggatt. One Rotten Tomatoes critic wrote, “Fellowes and Curtis have gifted audiences with a trilogy closer that’s worth...
DAYTON - The 2025 Columbia County Fair was held September 4 through 6 at Dayton's fairgrounds with the theme "Celebrating Columbia County - 150 years of Heritage and Heart." The fair hostesses were Kayla Mikesell and Sarah Wilson. The fair opened with a flag opening ceremony on Thursday morning. Breakfast was included with the general gate admission. Attendees spent the day enjoying live entertainment, livestock judging, and a large variety of craft, art, and food booths. On Friday, events...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg Booster Club held its annual "Back to School" kickoff for the Cardinals at the Waitsburg Elementary's multipurpose room on Tuesday, September 2. The event was a big success, with lots of kids and community members who came to help start the new school year with enthusiasm and energy. "This was the largest turnout yet," said Waitsburg Booster Club's President Ross Hamann. David Long from Walla Walla DJ provided music, coaches introduced the fall sports teams, cheerleaders...
Fifteen Years Ago September 9, 2010 On Tuesday, September 14, the population of Waitsburg will triple in size, at least for a few days. Normally around 1,250, the addition of about 2,500 bicyclists and support personnel from Cycle Oregon means there will be almost 4,000 people in town. Waitsburg is used to having lots of visitors. The annual Lion's Rib Fest and Days of Real Sport horse racing event in May, and the Commercial Club's salmon barbeque and the Pioneer Fall Festival in September...
Terry Dean Linville Hoon, 75, of Dayton, Washington, passed away peacefully at home on August 23, 2025, surrounded by his family, due to complications from pulmonary fibrosis. He was born on August 25, 1949, in Walla Walla, Washington, to Bill and Phyllis (McFalls) Linville and spent most of his life in his beloved hometown of Dayton. Phyllis later married Roy Hoon, who became a second father to Terry. Terry completed his early education in Dayton, graduating from Dayton High School in 1968. He...
Pearl (Stedman) Bickelhaupt passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at home, at the age of 91, with the gentle calm that always followed her. She was the anchor of her family, shaping memories that will never fade: childhood birthdays, long summer days on the farm, pool parties, kitchen-table chats, harvest nights, and a house that always had room for everyone. Her love was practical and constant: birthday cards always remembered, pen-pal notes to the kids, quick snacks for the...
