Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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Late summer is a productive time in the garden. There are moments when it feels like keeping up with the harvest is impossible, with mountains of summer bounty taking up valuable counter space in the kitchen. This week, we had beautiful tomatoes, cucumbers, and banana peppers that were all ready to be picked which inspired an exploration of classic recipes for Spanish gazpacho. Silky and vibrantly colored, this refreshing chilled soup is a wonderful way to celebrate the flavors of the season....
Fifteen Years Ago July 14, 2011 The Bulldogs may have won the first Touchet Valley Ryder Cup, but the stage is set for a new tradition in a longstanding rivalry with the ball in the court of Waitsburg and Prescott. Dayton beat the "WP" contingent of community golfers 27.5 to 23.5 after three days of golf one player said "made for a very interesting format." The event featured players from Waitsburg/Walla Walla County against Dayton/Columbia County in a European-style men's golf tournament....
Recently, a family friend presented us with a box overloaded with lovely, plump apricots from his yard. As they are one of my favorite fruits, and one that we don't have growing in our own yard, I was thrilled. After several jars worth of jam making, we still had some of these sweet stone fruits to experiment with in the kitchen. In my quest for effortless recipes for showcasing seasonal fruits, I had recently bookmarked a Julia Child master recipe for clafoutis, a classic dessert from the...
Karen Huwe is coaching the Waitsburg Parks and Recreation's soccer camp in Preston Park on Tuesday morning. (l – r) Ana Pennington, Karen Huwe, Maddie Severe, Kaitlyn Miller, Emma Zuger, Stella Severe, and Walker Lewison...
Fifteen Years Ago June 30, 2011 Waitsburg-Prescott graduate Kris Cady got the opportunity of a lifetime when he played in the Washington State Football Coaches Association East-West all star game in Yakima this weekend. The West won the game 23-14. The Earl Barden Classic was played at Zaepfel Stadium and consisted of some of the best football players in the 1A, 1B and 2A divisions in the State of Washington. The players were selected by the coaches association. Farmers in the Touchet Valley...
Recently, while preparing for a dear friend's birthday celebration, I came across a recipe for an old-fashioned buttermilk cake. After adding orange zest to accentuate the tangy flavor of the buttermilk, the resulting cake was rich and moist with a perfect texture. Topped with an orange infused cream cheese frosting, this cake was a smashing hit with the guests of the party, and most importantly the birthday girl. This week, I plan on making this cake again for another summer birthday of sorts,...
If you spend time with your dog outdoors in wild places, you may encounter snakes. Fortunately, Washington state has only one native venomous snake: the western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus), which is active from April through October in shrub-steppe habitats, often near water sources with woody debris or basalt outcroppings. Locally, they are common along the Snake, Palouse, Touchet, Tucannon, and Grande Ronde Rivers, as well as in hiking areas like Wallula Gap and Palouse Falls State Park....
Another school year has ended, and another Waitsburg class has left a lasting contribution. The Class of 2026 commissioned a Cardinal Country mural on the high school entrance. The Class of 2021 gifted new backboards on the outdoor basketball courts at the high school and at the elementary school. The class repainted the lines on the tennis courts and painted "Cardinals" on the tennis court net poles and basketball posts. The Class of 2014 had a water fountain/bottle filler installed in the...
Fifteen Years Ago June 23, 2011 Dayton School Superintendent Doug Johnson, local volunteer liaison to the Carson & Barnes Circus expected here June 30, dons his new nose after being made Honorary Clown by the real professional jester Lisa Babcock, or Penelope the Clown. Nate Wolbert, 22, is on the construction crew of Living Space and helps renovate two buildings on Waitsburg's Main Street. His parents bring back coffee beans from Ethiopia for their humanitarian work there. Touchet Valley Repair...
As we move into the summer months, my culinary inspirations become increasingly influenced by what is ready to be picked in the garden. Compared to years past, the strawberry plant that runs along the east side of our house, has been extra bountiful lately. With a big bowl of perfectly ripe strawberries on hand, I set out to make a special dessert this week, researching recipes for cakes, soufflés, trifles, and crisps. Then, inspiration hit me when I remembered the robust rhubarb we have...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg High School's one hundred and thirtieth annual commencement took place on Friday, June 5, in the WHS gymnasium. The Class of 2026 chose "The only impossible journey is the one you never begin," by Tony Robbins, as their motto. Class marshals Cody Coulston and Ellie Teal opened the ceremony by presenting flags. Music Director Elizabeth Jagelski led band members Rozalynn Harvey, Ellie Teal, Andrew Gillum, Cheri Mathews, Olivia Duncan, and Yaneli Flores in the processional...
The Waitsburg School's preschool class graduated at 2 p.m. on June 5 in the Waitsburg Elementary multi-purpose room. Fifteen boys and girls are now kindergarteners, starting in the fall of 2026. The lively students sang "It's a Happy Day," "We Are Graduating," "Follow the Rainbow," and closed with "Moving up to Kindergarten." Their teacher, Eleanora Montgomery, asked the students to introduce themselves and share what they wanted to be when they grew up. It seems we may have a lot of policemen...
Twenty-two Waitsburg Middle School eighth graders were promoted to high school freshmen in a ceremony on Monday, June 8, in the high school auditorium. Class President Kaitlyn Paul led the guests in the Pledge of Allegiance. Waitsburg Principal Joe Wirtzberger welcomed the friends, family, and teachers gathered to celebrate the students' promotion. Middle School Teacher Jessica Griffith gave an inspiring speech, followed by speeches from students Laila Long, Ollivyr Dahlby, and Kaitlynn Paul....
Tyler Coulston's 2026 Valedictorian Speech When I think about how far we've come, it's honestly hard to believe. It feels like just yesterday we were little kids playing with toy cars, and now we're driving real cars into the high school parking lot every morning. Somewhere between those little kid days and today, we grew up. The person I was at four years old, walking into preschool for the first time, is completely different from the person standing here now. And a huge part of that change cam...
WAITSBURG - Waitsburg Elementary's K-6 Spring Program, "A Blast From The Past," opened with the "National Anthem-Star Spangled Banner," sung by Kestrel DeFord, Kaidence Wilcox, Alyssa Cole, Olivia Long, Brooklyn Board, Azaliah Flores, and Foster Richardson, with Lencio Flores and Mitchell Hays on guitar. Music director Elizabeth Arebalos-Jagelski directed the program, held on June 3, 2026, at 1 pm in the Secondary School Gym. This event marks her last production as she begins a new chapter in...
Fifteen Years Ago June 9, 2011 Seventy-one Seniors Graduate from Waitsburg and Dayton. Prescott High Graduation Friday, June 10. 7 p.m. Lifeguards Cheyenne, Josh Baumgarner, Maya Rapp, and pool manager Sara Tomalinson prepare the apron at the Prescott swimming pool for the upcoming season starting this weekend. Festival founder Tim Christie, flutist Sarah Brady and harpist Amy Ley performed an open rehearsal at Sky Book & Brew in Dayton. They will perform several times in Waitsburg and Dayton th...
COEUR D' ALENE - On May 30, a combined band from the Waitsburg and Dayton school bands participated at a regional "Music in the Park" event at Lake City High School in Coeur d' Alene on May 30. After the performance, the band directors, Jagelski and Gillick, took the students to the Silverwood Theme Park for fun and an awards ceremony. Music in the Parks is a nationwide festival program where school bands and choirs perform, and are critiqued, before visiting local amusement parks, where they...
WAITSBURG — On May 18, Waitsburg Secondary School’s band and guitar classes teamed up with the Dayton High School band for the annual Spring Concert at the WHS Auditorium. Waitsburg’s music teacher, Elizabeth Arebalos-Jagelski, and Dayton’s music teacher, Amy Gillick, directed the event. Waitsburg guitar class members, Lencio Flores and Mitchell Hays, were accompanied by Kate Hockersmith, Carrie Hendrix, and Dan Nechodom. The quartet performed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Angeline,” “Ode to Joy,” “Rocky Top,” “Wagon Wheel,” “Battle of New Or...
"Alright, God, how about a little help?" I muttered through clenched teeth. Sweat soaked my brow and stung my eyes. Grass poked at the back of my neck as I lay on my back, reaching up through hoses, belts, and 49 years of grease and grime. For 15 minutes, I'd struggled to hold a new mechanical fuel pump in place while the bolts refused to thread. The words had barely left my mouth when the bolt caught and threaded in with ease. "Thank you!" I said, my left arm burning from the strain against...
Fifteen Years Ago June 2, 2011 Mandy Kiefel places flowers by the grave of Raymond Leroue, a Vietnam War Veteran who passed away this past year. Leroue was a first cousin of Kiefel's mother, Linda Zavala, here with her nieces, Marisa and Mikele Zavala and Kiefel's daughter Olivia in the stroller. Scholarship recipient David Brock, a Prescott High School senior, helps out at the Christian Aid Center in Walla Wala with fellow Cardinals Joe Purdin and T. J. Hofer. Vietnam Veteran Doug Kennedy from...
Blake Benevides Blake Benevides is the son of Valerie and Shawn and has siblings Quinn and Claudia, both WHS alumni. Benevides came to Waitsburg School as an eighth grader and attends WHS full-time. He has been a member of FFA for four years and was on the homecoming court his freshman year. As a basketball standout in his junior and senior years, Benevides received the Most Improved Award and All-League Honorable Mention his junior year and made the All-League First Team and was voted Most...
