Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG-Dayton and Waitsburg volleyball players took advantage of coaching from Whitman College Head Coach Matt Helm at a three-day volleyball camp in Waitsburg last week. Camp organizer and middle school head volleyball coach Wendy Richards said she reached out to several colleges and universities and is grateful for Helm, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience, who was the only one willing to provide the home camp. Helm worked with 21 middle school athletes in the mornings and...
WAITSBURG—The Huichica Music Festival will make its debut in the Walla Walla Valley this fall with a two-day festival at Stella’s Homestead, the former site of Jim and Geraine’s Hansen’s farm on the south fork of Coppei Creek. Located along the winding South Fork Coppei Creek and the foothills of the Blue Mountains near Walla Walla, Stella’s Homestead grew out of the historic Hansen wheat and cattle farm, established by Jim and Geraine Hansen in 1947. Today, their daughter Cheryl hosts eve...
DAYTON-Rolling Thunder, the Blue Mountain Rocketeer's (BMR) most popular event of the year, will take place over three days, June 21-23. Model rocketry enthusiasts from all over the Pacific Northwest are anticipated to attend the event that is open to all NAR/TRA and non-members as well as the general public. BMR was created in November of 1994, as a youth and family-oriented model rocketry club, and has consistently ranked among the five best rocketry groups in the nation during the annual...
In this multi-part series, The Times visits with businesses, organizations and agencies to learn their plans for 2019. This week, we wrap up our walk around Main Street. In future issues we will talk with off-Main businesses, churches, clubs and organizations. Waitsburg Town Hall Waitsburg's Town Hall operates on a one hundred percent volunteer basis and is supported solely by community donations. The building was donated to the city by the American Legion in 1976 and the Town Hall Association...
WAITSBURG – Following nearly two years of planning and preparation, Waitsburg’s Main Street Bridge will finally close on July 5. Demolition and replacement will follow, with the expectation that a new bridge will be ready for use this fall, City Manager Randy Hinchliffe told city council members at their June 21 meeting. Environmental regulations require that work in the river takes place during the low fish window which, unfortunately, coincides with harvest. Hinchliffe said that in-stream wor...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Christian Church pastor Matthew Wyatt is excited to finally be planning a long-anticipated service trip with Carl Robanske, founder of Embracing Orphans. The Waitsburg Christian Church will host a Race for Grace 5K run/walk on Sunday, July 30, to raise funds for the trip, which will take place during spring break in 2018. "The idea of this mission trip is a culmination of many years of friendship," Wyatt said. Robanske graduated from high school in Dayton in 1997 while Wyat...
WAITSBURG – There's rarely a day goes by that at least one passerby doesn't stop in front of The Times to have a photo taken with Jeffrey Hill's Founding Fathers sculpture. Now, that sculpture, along with Wayne Chabre's interactive Fanny Weller bronze and Squire Broel's The Waitsburg Monument obelisk, are receiving statewide recognition as subjects of a feature story in the May/June 2017 Cityvision Magazine. The Association for Washington Cities, publisher of Cityvision Magazine, got the h...
Teeny is on vacation so I (Dena) am filling in for her. She's asked repeatedly if I have any good recipes and I've told her that my grandma's bean recipe is a favorite. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to send it to her. (She even made a subtle reference to that in her column a couple of weeks ago.) Anyway, I told her I'd handle things while she's on vacation. I think she's still skeptical since she sent in a "repeat" recipe "in case of emergency." (At least she's polite about it!) My recipe...
WAITSBURG – Earlier this month, the Dayton School District approved a full athletic combine with Waitsburg, for both middle and high school. With recent survey results showing approximately 80% of respondents in favor of the combine, it was generally expected that Waitsburg would do the same at their June 14 school board meeting. That was not the case, though the board was ultimately given little choice in the matter. WIAA District 9 Director, Bob Kirk, opened the discussion by passing out a l...
Board members present: Ross Hamann, Christy House, Randy Pearson, Marilyn Johnson, Russ Knopp. Facilities/Maintenance/Transportation Report: -Supervisor Colter Mohney said he had made a clerical error in figures given for the Preston Hall lighting upgrade. He said the total error was $3,200, but $1,000 of that included a buffer. The total cost to the district will be $5364 rather than $3164. It is anticipated that the upgrade will save the district $4250, annually. The board directed Mohney to...
WAITSBURG – Bob Brock met his goal of driving his Patriot Jeep in the Washington D.C. Memorial Day Parade, but says "the journey is not over." Brock, who recently returned from his cross-country quest, gave a presentation in Preston Park on Saturday and shared about his experience. He said he and the Jeep, which he has come to regard as having a voice of its own, made it through many adventures and terrains. They survived a tornado in Indiana, crossed the desolate Dakota badlands, gave three l...
WAITSBURG – Operating and maintaining the Waitsburg City Pool can be a drain on the city's budget, but council members continue to agree that keeping the community asset up and running is worth the effort and expense. This year, several community groups have stepped in to lend a helping hand. The donor that has sponsored Saturday swims in recent years has bowed out this year, which means the pool will be open on weekdays only. City Manager Randy Hinchliffe told the city council that, s...
WAITSBURG – It was the guys cooking for the gals as the Waitsburg Lions Club members wrapped up their year with a traditional Ladies Night thank you dinner of hamburgers salads and oysters, on Tues., June 6. After dinner, Kevin House was named Lion of the Year, Dan Cole received the prestigious Melvin Jones Award, and a new slate of officers was installed. It was business first for the Lions who raise and return thousands of dollars to the Waitsburg community each year. Cardinal's Nest S...
Graduates are looking happily to the future PRESCOTT – Thirteen Prescott High School seniors were all smiles as they walked the aisle to collect their diplomas at the 2017 commencement ceremony held in Stueckle Gymnasium on Sat., June 10. The smiles were fitting for a class who chose the Dr. Suess quote, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened,” as their motto. Christian Caro led the flag salute, followed by Superintendent Brett Cox who introduced the class and welcomed...
State 4-H Shotgun Shoot earns Timothy Daves a spot at Grand Island, Neb. competion WAITSBURG – Training and hard work paid off for 4-H sharp shooter Timothy Daves, whose performance in the Washington State 4-H Shotgun Shoot in May earned him the opportunity to compete in the National 4-H Shooting Sports Competition in Grand Island, Neb. Daves knew he would perform well in the trap category, where he placed 4th in the senior division. He has spent the last two years as a participant of the P...
WAITSBURG – Friends and family members stood as the traditional strains of 'Pomp and Circumstance' marked both an ending and new beginnings for the Waitsburg Class of 2017 on Friday. Thirty-three seniors made the traditional walk down Kison Court at Waitsburg High School's 121st commencement ceremony to receive their diplomas. Kelsey Alleman and Karlie Pettichord-Mathews, siblings of graduating seniors, served as class marshals, and 2016-17 ASB President Jacob Dunn led the flag salute. Dr. Carol...
PRESCOTT – Graduating members of the Prescott High School Class of 2017 will walk the aisle to receive their diplomas at noon on Saturday in the high school gymnasium. This year's honor speakers are Valedictorian Eddie Perez and Salutatorian Tiffany Robinson. Perez, son of Monique and Juan Perez, will graduate at age 16, with a GPA of 3.74. He has attended Prescott school district since kindergarten. Perez said he took extra courses during summer school which allowed him to skip his freshman a...
WAITSBURG – Thirty-three seniors will end their high school careers with a walk down Kison Court during Waitsburg High School's 121st commencement ceremony on Friday. Baccalaureate will be held at the Waitsburg Christian Church at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Jacob Dunn is valedictorian of the Class of 2017, and Taylor Hays is salutatorian. Skylar Wood and Selena Mercado are honor speakers. Dunn, son of Marty and Becky Dunn, holds the top grade average in a very competitive class with a GPA of 3.984. H...
WAITSBURG – This year's annual American Legion/Auxiliary Memorial Day Service included the addition of two names, Mel R. OpBroek and John A. Lanning, to the memorial wall, and included a muster for graduating seniors, David Just and T.J. Morrison. Legion Commander Ron Standring and Auxiliary President Rose Engelbrite opened the ceremony which began with a flag lowering by the Swine Swaggers 4-H group. Standring led in the Pledge of Allegiance and Pastor Matthew Wyatt provided the invocation. T...
WAITSBURG – The late Tom Baker has held the honor of awarding the Waitsburg Commercial Club's Community Service Award for many years. While he wasn't present in body this year, he was very much present in spirit, at the May 16 award ceremony, where Jim Davison received the Community Service Award and Marci Perkins was awarded Business of the Year. Prior to reading their nomination letters, Joan Helm placed a pair of Tom's shoes on a table next to the podium, and commented that it would take t...
WAITSBURG – After 30 years teaching in Waitsburg, Mel McWhorter will be the third long-time staffer to retire from the Waitsburg School District this summer. Mc Whorter, a favorite among students, will join first-grade teacher Dinah Lindsey and superintendent/principal Dr. Carol Clarke, and wrap up his teaching career this school year. "Teaching in Waitsburg has been a real positive career," McWhorter said. McWhorter grew up in the Kalispell area of Montana, where he graduated high school. He e...
The Smith family has farmed in Waitsburg since 1919 WAITSBURG – Because she has never driven a truck, and has sat in the saddle only one time (and immediately wanted off!) Dona Jean Smith said she was "flabbergasted but very honored" to be chosen parade marshal for the 2017 Waitsburg Celebration Days Parade. Husband and co-marshal, Howard, a third-generation Waitsburg wheat farmer, heartily agrees with the honor of being selected. Howard's great grandparents migrated from Missouri to settle in M...
WAITSBURG – Members of the Waitsburg Historical Society received some unwelcome news while trying to be proactive about maintaining the Bruce Museum Complex properties. Inspectors discovered structural damage to the Wilson-Phillips House, which will cause the building to be closed this summer until repairs – which are estimated to cost about three times the society's annual budget - can be made. Historical Society President Richard Hinds said the group realized last year that they needed to sta...
WAITSBURG – Carol Clarke has faced and overcome many challenges in her life, but when it comes to retiring she's already chalked it up as a "fail." The school district superintendent and elementary school principal will wrap up her 13th year and officially retire from Waitsburg on June 30, but will leave for a new job in Panama City, Panama in July. As with most of the experiences in her life – many that could be described as difficult or unpleasant – Clarke is excited to pursue just one more op...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Celebration Days, held the third weekend each May, is just around the corner. The weekend, May 19-21, promises fun for everyone, with a parade, car show, brewfest, bonfire, ATV events, food, dancing, vendors, live music, and fun and games. Friday Celebration Days will kick off on Friday at 4:30 p.m. with the second annual Historic ATV Sunset Cruise, organized by Andy and Denise Winnett. The guided cruise takes Saturday’s poker ride route in reverse, with stops at historical...
