Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WALLA WALLA-Blue Mountain Land Trust partnered with the Umatilla National Forest to bring BioBlitz to children in the Walla Walla Valley. This Nature Kids event was supported by Blue Mountain Audubon Society, Sustainable Living Center, Tri-State Steelheaders, WWCC Water and Environmental Center, US Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla County Conservation District, Whitman College, Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, and Outside the Lines Art Studio. The event, held at Rooks Park in Walla Walla...
Congratulations to the Waitsburg Elementary School students who celebrated moving up at a celebration held on Monday, June 5. The public is invited to the elementary school's Spring Concert on Wednesday, June 7, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Join music teacher Elizabeth Jagelski and her students for an evening of music. Preston Hall Middle School students will enjoy a day of fun at the Milton-Freewater Park and Pool on Thursday, June 8. They are scheduled to depart from the school at 10 a.m., retu...
WAITSBURG-Weller Public Library began its Summer Reading Program on June 1, 2023, offering every K-12 student in the Waitsburg school district a summer reading kit. Students received a nylon drawstring backpack, a Bingo Summer Reading Activity sheet, a pencil, a booklight for reading, a journal notebook, and a quilt-square coloring page. When students participating in the Reading Bingo activity complete a line across, up, down, diagonal, or a blackout they will receive a free book and be...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg FFA held its annual Awards Banquet on May 24 in the elementary multi-purpose room. FFA President Garret Palmer began the opening ceremonies before guests and members enjoyed dessert. A list of names, including parents, community members, and businesses, was read in appreciation for all they do for the Waitsburg FFA Chapter. FFA members of numerous career development events were honored and received certificates and pins. The guests heard the FFA Creed before members were...
WAITSBURG-Dayton native Dave Woolson and Waitsburg's Paul Gregutt founded their band - the DavePaul5 - in 2015. Accomplished songwriters and lifelong guitar players, they weren't afraid to dream big - hence the band name for an upstart duo. Sometimes dreams take a while, and as the band prepares to celebrate the release of its first studio recording this Friday at the Royal Block, some long-awaited goals are about to come true. During the past eight years, the duo grew to a trio with the...
WAITSBURG-The Celebration Days Committee will honor Bill and Linda Stonecipher as the 2023 Parade Marshals this year. The couple are fourth-generation farmers related to Waitsburg's early pioneer families. When Bill was young, he was involved in 4H, FFA, and activities on his family's farm. As an adult, he was on the FFA Advisory Board for many years. He attended Waitsburg Schools, later graduating from St. Patrick's High School, Walla Walla, in 1958. Bill graduated from Seattle University in...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg high school and middle school bands and choir, with director Elizabeth Jagelski, presented a spring concert on Monday, May 8, in the Waitsburg High School Auditorium. The sixth-grade band began the program by playing "Symphony No 1" by Brahms, "Erie Canal Capers," and "Bungo." The choir sang "The Old Mill" and "Shenandoah." The sixth and seventh grade mixed intermediate band presented "Frere Jacque" in a round, "Sawhill Mill," and "Jump Street Boogie." Senior Natalie...
WAITSBURG - The Royal Block Reading Series celebrates World Collage Day with its inaugural CollegeCollage event at the Royal Block in Waitsburg on Saturday, May 13, 2023, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event is free to 21+ public. CollegeCollage is the Royal Block's inaugural contribution to World Collage Day to celebrate the poetry, wine, art, and food created by local college students and their professors. This year's line-up includes: • 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. - Walla Walla Community College stu...
WAITSBURG-The eighth-grade Intro to Ag class organized a fundraiser to benefit the building of a community swimming pool. For ten dollars, a student could "pie a staff member." The event was held on Thursday, April 27, with eight staff members ending their day with a smile and pie on their faces. The event raised $210!...
WAITSBURG-"Through the Looking Glass," inspired by Alice in Wonderland, was the theme for the 2023 Prom held in the Waitsburg High School Cage on Saturday, April 29. This will be the last Prom the Dayton and Waitsburg High Schools will share as the athletic combine will end this school year. Waitsburg crowned Garrett Palmer as King and Natalie Teal as Queen. Vaughn Walter and Milena Gemmell were crowned King and Queen for Dayton. Teal said that everyone had a blast hanging out with friends and...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council accepted an offer on Waitsburg’s former city hall at 147 Main Street. The offer made by Mark and Miriam Grant is for the listing price of $210,000. The council approved accepting the offer, adding a provision requiring occupancy of the ground floor commercial space within one year, with a possible one-year extension. There is no occupancy timeline requirement for the upstairs portion of the building. In October 2021, the city council first adopted Resolution 2021-735 to surplus the property after the cos...
WAITSBURG-On Wednesday, April 19, Waitsburg FFA competed at a local district contest in Dayton. Jessika Lambert, William Daves, Marion Duncan, Alyssa Hollingsworth, Cedar Stegall, and Sarah Daves placed first in Vet Science. Individually, Hollingsworth placed ninth overall, W. Daves placed eighth, Duncan placed fourth, and Stegall placed third. They will compete at the State FFA Convention in May. First-year members participated in a Career Development Event (CDE), taking a comprehensive exam...
WAITSBURG-This Saturday, businesses in Waitsburg are extending hours, offering pop-up retail, live music, food and drink specials, and art for the first of three Waitsburg Happenings. Here are only a few treats in store for visitors and guests. Visit the Grand Opening of the Touchet Valley Accoustic Music Project (TVAMP) studio at 141 Main St. Project founder and leader Kate Hockersmith has taught and arranged international travel for youth bluegrass bands through her program under RYES. Be...
WAITSBURG-Beekeepers Mark and Eleanora Montgomery held the beekeeping club's first field class on Tuesday, April 18. Three school club members were available to witness the release of the queen bee. Students Reagan Milliman, Dexter Collins, and Verbena McLaughlin donned new bee suits while Mark started the smoker. He said using the smoke makes the bees gorge with honey and masks alarm pheromones. Montgomery discussed smoke temperature; you do not want to shoot flames from the end of the smoker....
WAITSURG-About 120 people came to Waitsburg's Town hall making the Waitsburg Celebration Days spaghetti feed fundraiser a success. Lanny Adams was the emcee for the April 15 event, including a spaghetti dinner, silent auction, and lively dessert auction. Mark Holtz provided live music. The spaghetti dinner, silent auction, and live auction for desserts raised money to support the Waitsburg Celebration Days Queen. Queen Hannah Peralez and her advisor Cheyenne Reed thanked Table Rock Meat Company...
WAITSBURG-This year's Business of the Year is Nancy's Dream Garden, owned by Janet Biolo Lawrence and her brother Doug Biolo. The business was nominated by Waitsburg City Council member Jillian Henze who presented the award. From providing beautiful plants and trees to hosting the Waitsburg Friday Market, Henze noted how the business had contributed to the town. After moving to the current location, the garden center has worked towards expanding its operations. It is a work in progress that...
WAITSBURG—At the April 18 meeting, the Community Health and Protection Committee (CHPC) discussed drug use, overdoses, and the use of naloxone to prevent deaths from opioid deaths. The CHPC was concerned about the increase in fentanyl use in the community. According to data from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), fentanyl replaced methamphetamines as the drug most involved in overdoses in Washington state in 2020. A big concern for local healthcare and law enforcement organizations is that people unknowingly purchase and use fake...
WAITSBURG-Waitsburg District students were the first to receive new electronic library patron cards donated by anonymous donors. The donation of $1,000 allowed the library to purchase 1,500 cards, more than enough for every Waitsbrug resident to have one. Library staff member Sarah Roberts visited K-5 classes between April 10-12 to present students with the new colorful plastic cards. Roberts also shared a Burke Box, the visiting exhibit on whales provided by the University of Washington's...
WAITSBURG-Hannah Peralez, an eighth grader in Waitsburg, is the 2023 Queen of Waitsburg Celebration Days. Peralez will ride Stubs, her 15-year-old chestnut quarter horse, to parades and fairs this year. Working with Paralez, Cheyenne (Shoun) Reed is in her first year as a fair court advisor. Reed grew up in Dayton and competed in barrels and roping competitions from 2013 through 2019. Her first horse was a small wild Mustang named Penny. At age 13, she had a great horse, a paint named Forrest...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg annual Easter egg hunt has been a tradition for the Rick and Terry Ferguson family for over 40 years. The Fergusons, with the Penny Hazelbaker family and fellow Waitsburg Grange members, prepare and dye all the eggs before the event. On the day of the event, they arrive early to rope off the areas for each age group, scatter the dyed and chocolate eggs, and award prizes to the lucky ones who find golden eggs. The Ferguson's daughter, Angela, has been a Grange member and...
WAITSBURG-Roseann Groom's high school leadership class has organized special events and projects for students and staff during the school year. This year, junior Blake French suggested an art show as a leadership class project. The work was exhibited at the school on March 29 and 30. Fifteen students entered creative pieces in categories including poetry, woodcraft, drawings, and home décor. Before the show, Susan DeRuwe, a retired Prescott School District art teacher, spent two days with...
WAITSBURG-Last fall, Waitsburg School's Superintendent Mark Pickel read an article about getting kids active in programs after the pandemic. The article encouraged schools to utilize faculty and staff members' talents, interests, and expertise to develop new student programs. Pickel contacted preschool teacher Eleanora Montgomery and her husband, Mark, who are skilled beekeepers. Mark Montgomery grew up in Western Washington, where his father raised bees as a hobby. After graduating from WSU in...
WAITSBURG-Allison Bond is the founder and project leader for Rural Youth Enrichment Services' (RYES) Waitsburg Urban Forestry project. This mentoring project provided evergreen seedlings to Waitsburg Elementary School students on past Arbor Days. Bond arranged for a row of trees to be planted in front of the elementary school to celebrate International Day of Forests this month. Volunteers included Andrew Knee, Doug Biolo, Kate Hockersmith, Eric Umphrey, and Bruce Donohue, who joined Bond in...
WAITSBURG-The annual St. Patrick's Day fundraiser for the Waitsburg Town Hall was attended by around 150 guests on Saturday, March 18. Proceeds from the evening's ticket sales and auction will benefit the Waitsburg Town Hall Association's work maintaining and operating the historic community space. Town Hall Board President and head chef Jim Romine served a delicious corned beef and cabbage dinner. Assisting Romine were board members Allen Huwe, Louie and Marie Gagnon, Ron Standring, and Ron...
UPDATE WAITSBURG-After interviews with staff and community members held on March 13, the Waitsburg School Board of Directors voted to offer the superintendent and elementary principal position to David Woods. The unanimous decision was announced on the district's website and on social media on Friday, March 17, 2023. Pending contract negotiations, Wood will start July 1, 2023. Chairman of the Board, Dr. Carol Clarke said in the announcement, "The Board of Directors is excited to invite David Woo...
