The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Ten Years Ago

April 26, 2007

When the movie “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” was released in 2000, the country witnessed a revival in true American music-bluegrass. It also inspired a group of young people from Waitsburg to learn to play that type of music. Today, those young people have established their own bluegrass band: The Blue Mountain Troublemakers.. . Chris Carpenter, Zach Beasley, Nick Carpenter, Austin Beasley, John Hockersmith, and Will Garcia make up the band, which will leave October 3 for Sasayama.

Photo caption: All of you mushroom hunters will be salivating over this dandy picked by Mike Hubbard – in his front yard on Fourth Street. This Morel tipped the scales at 5 ½ ounces.

The April, 2007 issue of Wheat Life, the official publication of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, contains a familiar face on page 8. Beneath a pie chart showing that agriculture is expected to be 1% of the 2008 U.S. discretionary budget request, is a photo of our fair city, Waitsburg, surrounded by golden bands of grain, set off by the rich brown summerfallow, awaiting harvest.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

April 23, 1992

She has taught a generation and their children to cook. Now Waitsburg home economics teacher Donnie Henderson is taking her turn at the dessert table. On June 2, Henderson announced last week, she will retire from full-time teaching in the Waitsburg School District after a 25-year career.

A Waitsburg resident who collects newspapers and other recyclables has told the City Council it would be too costly for him to use the old bunkhouse on the city land at the former Green Giant Co. cannery. Jack Cyr has said liability insurance on the property would cost about $700 a year. Councilman Don Wills said Cyr told him it was “too much to pay for a hobby.” Cyr has been performing the public service of picking up discards for recycling in town.

Fifty Years Ago

April 20, 1967

Lewis D. Neace, son of Mr. and Mrs. Denney Neace was this week named as valedictorian of the class of 1967 of Waitsburg High School. He has maintained a grade point average of 3.9 through four years of study. Named to the salutatorian position was Karen Hansen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hansen. She has a GPA of 3.71.

Al Watson of Waitsburg has been appointed by the Commissioners of Walla Walla County to serve as acting Justice of the Peace for Walla Walla County to take the place of Barbara White Lesmeister, who resigned the position. Watson will also serve the City of Waitsburg as a Police Judge.

Lee Mantz, Jr. was a member of a tremendous survey crew that spent last Saturday morning making a survey of Preston Park in Waitsburg. Their mission: To establish a suitable spot for equipment is being donated and installed by the Waitsburg Lions Club.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

April 24, 1942

E. L. Wheeler, for thirty-eight years publisher of The Waitsburg Times, and a prominent figure in the affairs of the City of Waitsburg and of his chosen profession, passed away Friday afternoon at the family home here. He was 64 years old.

Queen Alice Leid will reign over May Day, 1941, in Waitsburg.

Waitsburg’s first Pre-School Clinic sponsored by the local Parent-Teacher Association is to be held Thursday afternoon, April 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the high school basement.

Members of the Christian Church Canteen Unit under the direction of Mrs. Harvey Mills, served their practice dinner for fifty Wednesday evening in the basement of the church. Tables were gaily decorated in yellow and white.

One Hundred Years Ago

April 27, 1917

Clarence Carpenter, who was so severely injured in the accident with a gang plow on Brotherton farm two weeks ago, was brought home Sunday. He is getting around with the aid of crutches.

Charles E. Singer and Wilbur E. Bradbury of this city, have joined the aviation section of the Signal Corps for the duration of the war.

A fifty-cent chicken dinner every Sunday until further notice at Hotel Bradley.

A delegation of young people of the Christian Church attended the Dayton Endeavor Convention in Dayton Sunday. Among them were Ernest Tell, Fern McCord, Loretia Loundagin, Celestia Loundagin, Anna Hoover, Giles Callahan, Charles and Averill Monnett.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

April 29, 1892

There will be a bonnet and cravat social at the First Presbyterian Church this evening. The social will be given under the auspices of the Y.P.S.C.E. and all are cordially invited.

Don’t forget for a moment that the new cow ordinance goes into effect on Sunday, May 1, and that after that date you cannot allow your cow to roam at her own sweet will within the city limits any time, day or night.

Last Sunday night a body of masked men in Dayton made a visit to all the Chinese houses of that city and told the heather he must go and that at once. The mob did not contain the better element of society. A mob never does.