Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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It may be September, but there is plenty of good weather left to get in a last minute camping trip and Alyssa Ravasio has come up with a creative way to make that a little easier, and possibly more interesting. Ravasio founded Hipcamp to solve the problem of popular camp sites filling up too quickly, leaving campers with nowhere to go. The Hipcamp CEO founded the company in San Franciso, Calif in 2013. Hipcamp creats new campsites by unlocking access to private lands such as nature preserves,...
WAITSBURG – September 17 marks the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States and Waitsburg resident Susan Donegan wanted to make sure the date was given proper recognition. Donegan is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and approached the Waitsburg City Council about issuing a proclamation recognizing Constitution Week. They gladly obliged. "I am a member of the Walla Walla chapter of DAR, and approached the city council on behalf of our o...
WALLA WALLA – Waitsburg resident and Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days Director Stan Bly went to some extra effort to make sure emergency responders received some well-deserved recognition at this year's fair. Bly organized a tribute to EMS personnel, filling the rodeo arena with EMS personnel and vehicles from various agencies from Walla Walla and neighboring counties, prior to this year's demolition derby. A portion of the announced tribute read: "Not everyone can do what they do. It takes a s...
WAITSBURG - Head cheer coach Vickie Hamman and JV coach Michelle Swan are looking forward to an enthusiastic year. Fifteen D-W cheerleaders, five from Dayton and 10 from Waitsburg, have turned out for the fall season. This is Swan's first experience coaching cheer, but she has also coached Color Guard. It is Hamann's tenth year coaching at Waitsburg. Four of the varsity cheerleaders are seniors with at least three years of cheer experience. The other members of the varsity squad are sophomores w...
WAITSBURG – Even though Waitsburg's City Council was one member short of a quorum at their Aug. 16 meeting, they opted to go ahead and hear testimony from those in attendance who had come to share their opinions on the reconstruction vs. demolition of the grandstands at the Waitsburg fairgrounds. At least two council members had sent out emails urging anyone who had used the grandstands or had feelings on the issue to attend the meeting. Just under a dozen people were in attendance s...
Like most anyone who has lived in the Touchet Valley for any length of time, I was vaguely familiar with Broetje Orchards and the work they do to help others. But when I learned that an upcoming Learning on the Land event called 'The Big Apple' included a tour of the orchards and the story of its founders I was quick to sign up. The opening talk took place at the Vista Hermosa chapel, under a mural of a smiling Jesus, opening his arms to the orchard and community below. Vista Hermosa, located ab...
WAITSBURG – On Sept. 17, pies will once again be judged and auctioned in the third annual Laurette McCaw Pie-oneer Fall Festival Pie Baking Contest during Waitsburg's annual celebration. Bake a pie and help support the pool! This will be the third year for Friends of the Pool to host the successful bake-off contest which raises funds to help support the operations of the city pool. In 2016, funds were used to purchase sun shades and seating. The money earned from last year's bake-off was used t...
WAITSBURG – "Apple Detective" David Benscoter will visit Waitsburg on Sat. Sept. 30 and is looking for some help in learning the location of the Columbian Orchards and Nursery (Babcock Orchard) and the Taggard and Dickinson orchards prior to his visit. The Columbian Orchards grew a variety of apple that Benscoter has been searching for. Hockersmith and Benscoter have pieced together some information on the Columbian Orchard. The owner, Col. E.F. Babcock was born in New York on Jan. 8, 1831 and d...
WAITSBURG – Cardinal volleyball coach Angie Potts is looking forward to facing the upcoming season with a scrappy, aggressive and close-knit team. Waitsburg is fielding both varsity and JV teams this year, with two coaches and two volunteer assistants. Potts has coached volleyball for 25 years and this will be her fifth year in Waitsburg. She is assisted by JV coach, Tammy Brown, who has been with her the last three years and was JV coach under Tracy Barron in years past. Jaidyn Brown is in h...
WAITSBURG – “Ginny and I have spent years trying to answer the question, ‘what can we do to give back?’” said Dan Butler, addressing attendees at the Christian Women’s Connection luncheon in Waitsburg last week. Now they feel like they have hit on an answer. The couple are honoring their hometowns in a big way, by organizing a Boys & Girls Club to serve children in the Touchet Valley. Butler said he grew up in Waitsburg, as did his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He said his wife fee...
As a former Oregonian, I couldn't help but follow how Monday's eclipse impacted my old stomping grounds. I grew up in Condon, Ore., a town very similar to Waitsburg. The City of Condon website describes it as, "a proud, century-old farming community nestled between miles of rolling, golden wheat fields." Sound familiar? In Condon, the 'Fabulous Fourth of July' is the equivalent to Waitsburg Celebration Days. The celebration includes a parade, soap box derby, family games, breakfast and dinner...
DAYTON - Eleven-year-old Elsie Mann has had a fun summer filled with new experiences while representing Columbia County as the 2017 Jackpot Rodeo Queen. Mann, daughter of Jeni Richie and Chris Mann, said she is excited to be in the arena during Dayton's Jackpot Rodeo on Sat., Sept. 9. While many of her summer experiences – such as speaking in front of crowds – have been new, riding in the Columbia County Fairgrounds arena is not. Mann began competing in leadline barrel racing when she was jus...
WAITSBURG – Kimmie Hamann is one of a select few Waitsburg High School graduates to earn the American FFA Degree – the highest one degree in the organization. "This is the highest degree one can earn in the National FFA Organization. In Washington State, there were only 38 members who qualified for the award, out of the more than 3,000 members," said Waitsburg FFA Advisor Nicole Abel. The twenty-one-year-old earned her degree by raising sheep for her Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) and...
WAITSBURG – In spite of a miniscule turn-out, the Waitsburg School Board voted to retain the district's cross-country program in hopes that numbers will increase in 2018-19 when Waitsburg will participate in a full athletic combine agreement with Dayton High School. "This is really that gap year. We don't know what's to come. It would be a shame to eliminate the program. Looking at past practice, if it goes away, it's going away for good," said district superintendent Jon Mishra. The exit of f...
Eighteen-year-old Josh Camacho was LifeFlighted from the Middlepoint Trail area in Columbia County when he was knocked unconscious after falling while attempting to climb a rock wall on Tues., Aug. 22. Camancho, of the Walla Walla area, was hiking with his girlfriend and father, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office press release. The group hiked two to three miles off the trail when Camancho decided to try and climb the wall. Comancho lost consciousness for a short time and sustained...
WAITSBURG – Anyone with a late-night urge to play basketball in Waitsburg is out of luck. Abuse to the school grounds and a lack of respect for neighbors has resulted in a closure of the playgrounds from 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. A Facebook post from the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office stated that increased reports of multiple people on the school grounds after hours, making noise, littering and being a "general nuisance" resulted in the decision. Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Sha...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg High School earned a well-deserved nod of recognition in an Aug. 10 article in The Seattle Times. The article, titled ‘Fewer Washington students who go to college need to take remedial courses,’ says that the state’s highest enrollment rate was in Waitsburg School District where 86 percent of the district’s 21 2015 graduates attended college. Issaquah was a close second at 85 percent, followed by Mercer Island and Bellevue, which both had 81 percent of their students...
WASHINGTON STATE - People don't typically think of an eclipse being an emergency, but depending on where you live, it could be something you need to prepare for well in advance. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, an estimated one million visitors are expected to arrive in Oregon to view the total solar eclipse crossing the United States on Mon., Aug. 21. The DOT expects the eclipse to be the biggest traffic event in the state's history. Residents who live in the direct path...
WAITSBURG – With six weeks on-the-job under his belt, new Waitsburg School District Superintendent Dr. Jon Mishra says his welcome has been "excellent" and he is excited about his future in Waitsburg. Mishra pointed to Aesop's Fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, as the guideline for the district. "That's what's going to drive our journey forward. We're going to take our time. Slow and steady wins the race. I've been an educator for 25 years and I've been through the system as a student and o...
Bailey Carlson is New Fifth Grade Teacher WAITSBURG – New Waitsburg Elementary School fifth-grade teacher, Bailey Carlson, shares a similar philosophy as her predecessor, Gabe Kiefel, who will teach high school science this year. "My favorite part of teaching is building relationships with kids and their families. I love getting to know the students and helping support them through education, life, sports, every aspect of a healthy lifestyle. I enjoy being another support system for them," s...
Zach Bartlow said his summer got "flipped upside down rather quick" when he received a surprise call from Finland asking him to play quarterback for the Turku Trojans, part of the country's Maple League. The Vaahteraliiga (Maple League) is the highest level of American football in Finland played under the American Football Association of Finland. The winner of the Maple League is the Finnish champion. The season is played in summer, with a schedule usually from May to September, and this year's...
WAITSBURG – A fast-moving wheat fire northwest of Waitsburg resulted in about 12 Weller Canyon homes being evacuated Saturday afternoon, but thanks to a fast-acting command and support from area agencies, the blaze was quickly contained. The 1280 acre fire burned mostly conservation reserve program (CRP) land and there was no known loss of structure or equipment according to Columbia-Walla Walla Fire No. 2 Assistant Chief Brian Callahan who served as Incident Command. The fire started about t...
HUNTSVILLE – For those looking to add a bit of adventure to the camping experience, two teepees have been installed at Lewis & Clark Trail State Park and became available for rent Aug. 1. The teepees will be rented on a first-come, first-serve basis through Oct. 31. Washington State Parks Program Specialist Clara Dickinson-McQuary said employees have spent the last two months establishing the sites and installing the teepees that had previously been used for events at Sacajawea State Park in Pas...
WAITSBURG – It was four years in the making, but 2017 Waitsburg High School graduate, Analisea Araya, spent part of her summer making a dream come true. The wait was worth it, and her three-week adventure spent serving children in Uganda, Africa was everything she hoped it would be. Araya said she has "always" wanted to go on a mission trip, but narrowed her destination to visiting Uganda after she was inspired by a good friend who served there when Araya was a freshman. Unlike most teens t...
WAITSBURG – It may not be back-to-school time for Waitsburg students yet, but kindergarten teacher Pam Nolan-Nolan-Beasley spent last week in "school," honing her skills along with other select teachers from across the state. She spent the week at the Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Wash. as part of the STEM-IT Now Project, which aims to strengthen the content knowledge and skills of selected expert teachers who are part of the SE LASER (Leadership Alliance for Science Education R...
