Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSURG – The Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District #2 will hold an open house on Wed., Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Waitsburg Fire Station at 234 Main St. Officials and representatives will be on hand to answer questions about two items that will come before voters on November ballots: fire department annexation and an EMS levy. After 70 years of service, the Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire Protection District #2 is looking at some major changes. While it will continue as a volunteer fire department...
DAYTON – Watching a movie or live event at Dayton’s Liberty Theater will soon be even more enjoyable than it already was. This week, the theater was closed to allow for the installation of new, modern seating, complete with cup holders. The new seats replace historic chairs that came from a western Washington theater in 2001. “Those chairs served the community well this past fourteen years, but the internal springs, difficult and costly to replace, have broken down over time,” theater manager Ki...
DAYTON – One of Dayton's favorite events – Dayton on Tour – will take place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents and visitors are invited to bring the whole family and participate in this free event, sponsored by the Dayton Chamber of Commerce and the Dayton Historical Depot Society. This year's free activities include an Art Crawl, kids' fall festival, museum tours, wagon rides, artist demonstrations and horse drawn wagon rides. Tickets for the historic home tour, featuring four exceptiona...
PRESCOTT – Some may consider Prescott the middle of nowhere, but in the late 1800's, many considered it halfway to somewhere. Beginning in 1869, Prescott residents Benjamin and Malinda Flathers provided a forage station and accommodations for travelers along the Mullan Road. Their station was called Halfway House because it was located halfway between Fort Walla Walla and the road's Snake River crossing near Lyons Ferry. Last Friday, Walla Walla 2020 Historic Sites & Markers Project c...
WAITSBURG – "Being flung unwillingly through the air has a very specific feeling. Like you're stuck inside a lurching brutal gyroscope, with flashes of light and color, but no image you can process." Those words, written by Suze Wood in a blog post entitled "Cheating Death," describe the feeling of being hit by a speeding truck, while riding her beloved Bay gelding, Duke. Both Wood and Duke miraculously survived the traumatic event, but Wood is now trying to raise funds for necessary d...
WAITSBURG – “As a board, we have made a decision that it is our goal that it will not raise taxes,” said Waitsburg School Board Chairman Ross Hamann. The statement was made during the Sept. 23 community forum held to determine community priorities for future capital improvements. With the 1999 $1.62 million capital improvements bond nearly paid off and the 2016 expiration of the 2014 maintenance & operations levy, the district must determine what projects to tackle next as they ask resid...
WAITSBURG – Nearly two dozen parents – more than board chairman Ross Hamann said he'd seen in attendance in his 12 years on the board – showed up at the Sept. 16 Waitsburg school board meeting to voice concerns about work crews from the Washington State Penitentiary performing work on the school grounds. The public comment session of the meeting was moved from the small Preston Hall Board Room to a larger classroom to accommodate the crowd. Parent Melanie Gagnon initiated the discussion by sa...
DAYTON – Defense Attorney Michael De Grasse petitioned Judge Scott D. Galina to dismiss all charges against archeologist Richard Lee Lyman in Columbia County Superior Court on Sept. 16. Columbia County Prosecuting Attorney Rea Culwell requested that the case proceed to trial but said charges against Lyman’s associates, Dave Schmitt and Matthew Boulanger, would be dropped. The three out-of-state professional archeologists were charged in July with theft of prehistoric artifacts from the Uma...
WAITSBURG – Karen Gleason has been happily serving up breakfasts and sandwiches at her cheery mobile unit next to the Ag Link building here since she opened shop last Mother's Day. But she was getting a bit worried about not having indoor dining facilities with cooler weather just around the corner. On Tuesday, Gleason's Galley moved to Main Street, occupying the former home of Carmen's Deli, located between the Plaza Theater and Waitsburg Grocery. Gleason is not only happy to provide her r...
WAITSBURG – The Lady Cards had a busy week last week, taking on Spangle on Wed., Walla Walla Valley Academy on Thursday and attending the Yakima Sundome Volleyball Festival on Friday. The Lady Cards lost an away non-conference match to Spangle on Sept. 16 in three sets: 21-25, 16-25, 7-25. "We started out well but played flat in the last set. Part of the goal was to use this non-league match as a warm-up for league and finish looking at combinations on the floor," said Coach Angie Potts. Stat l...
DAYTON – The Dayton Bulldogs scored a big win Saturday in a home court match against the Davenport Gorillas. The Lady Dogs played a tough five sets to take the win: 18-25, 25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 15-6. “The Lady Dogs went in ready to play. They worked well together and put it all on the court,” said Coach Shannon Turner. She credited the win to the girls’ great teamwork, solid defense and “very scrappy” play. “The last time we beat Davenport was in 2005. This is a big win for the Bulldogs!” sh...
WAITSBURG – In honor of the City of Waitsburg's sesquicentennial, the Waitsburg Historical Society found it fitting to commemorate its own history by recognizing the two surviving members of the society's founding group as Pioneers of the Year. Bob Patton and Dona Jean Smith hold that honor. The Waitsburg Historical Society was founded in 1971 and the original board included Roberta Broom, Jan Zuger, Joe Abbey, Dorothy Kison, Bettie Chase, Dona Jean Smith and Bob Patton. Carolee Jantz joined t...
WAITSBURG – If asked, Waitsburg High senior Trey Potts would have no trouble writing a typical "How I Spent my Summer Vacation" essay. His summer was anything but dull, though it may not qualify as a vacation. The 18-year-old spent his entire summer fighting fires for the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association (C-PTPA). That was aside from the one week he attended the Kiwanis Youth Law Enforcement Career Camp in Shelton, Wash. Both experiences had a significant impact on his plans f...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg harriers competed, and fared well, against runners from Mac-Hi and Pomeroy at the Asotin Island Run at Chief Timothy Park in Clarkston on Saturday. Junior Emily Adams placed fourth in the girl's race and junior Landon Callas placed 9th in the boys'. First-year Cardinal X-C Coach Ann Adams said the day was beautiful, warm, and sunny, and that the 2.6 mile course was fast. "Emily ran a strong race, passing on the big hill for an 18.14 minute 4th place finish (out of 51 r...
WAITSBURG – "When I thought of all the things that could possibly go wrong with growing a giant pumpkin, this is the last thing I would have expected," said Gayle Broom. Her group's pumpkin was the largest at the Walla Walla fair, weighing in at 195 ½ pounds, but failed to bring home a ribbon because of a (disputed) late entry. Broom grew her first giant pumpkin, weighing 114 pounds, in 2013 and took first place in the weight class at the Walla Walla County fair. In 2014, Rebecca W...
DAYTON – In an effort to encourage visitors and residents to spend time, and hopefully money, in downtown Dayton, three entities have joined forces on a two-phase project to enhance Dayton's downtown historic district. Phase one of that project, the construction of year-round, ADA-compliant public restrooms, broke ground this month. The Dayton Development Task Force, the Dayton Historic Depot Society and the City of Dayton have partnered together to continue improvements to the Commercial S...
WAITSBURG – First-time 4-Her Lash LaRue admits that showing an animal at the Walla Walla fair is hard work, but says it's well worth it. "I had fun with it and I'll definitely do it again next year. I'm saving some of my money to buy just the kind of lamb I want and saving some for feed for next year," Lash said. Eleven-year-old Lash, along with his older brother Joseph, joined the Crafty Farmers R Us 4-H group this year, after his parents asked if he'd be interested in raising a 4-H animal. "...
PRESCOTT – It may look a bit like a game of musical chairs – library style – but returning library branch manager Amy Rosenberg feels like she's found a perfect fit. Rosenberg is pleased to be back in Prescott and is looking forward to facing new challenges. Rosenberg served as branch manager in Prescott for a year before assuming the same position in Dayton in early 2013, where she stayed for about two years. Now Rosenberg is back in Prescott as district manager for both the Prescott and Plaza...
WAITSBURG – The Waitsburg Lady Cardinals were full of spunk and sass when The Times joined them for a team dinner following their Sept. 3 practice. When asked what they planned to focus on this year, the answer was simple and optimistic. "Win everything!" If their performance at Saturday's jamboree in Kahlotus is a season indicator, they may not win "everything," but they're off to a good start. The Cardinals scrimmaged against five teams and walked away with four wins. With only seven girls sui...
PRESCOTT – "With the return of varsity volleyball to Prescott, I look forward to building a program here for which the student body and community can be proud of," said first-time Lady Tiger coach Bob Young. And while Young is new to Prescott, he's not new to coaching. Most recently, Young coached 7th grade volleyball at Sager Middle School in College Place, from 2011 to 2013. He also coached at Republic High School in Republic, Wash. from 1977-79 and was head volleyball coach at Central W...
WAITSBURG – Waitsburg’s annual Pioneer Fall Festival, a community celebration honoring local history, is just around the corner. On Sunday, Sept. 20, visitors to the Bruce House Museum complex will step back in time as they enjoy food, music, games, historical demonstrations, a vintage fashion show and museum displays. The festival kicks off with a nondenominational church service on the Bruce House lawn at 11 a.m., followed by the introduction of the Pioneers of the Year. Visitors are rem...
I've known Gabe Kiefel (now referred to as "Mr. Kiefel," by my two youngest sons, which continues to throw me for a loop) since he was in elementary school. He graduated from WHS, along with my oldest son, as a member of the Class of 2005. These days, he is a busy husband, dad, Waitsburg middle school teacher and coach. When my youngest son returned home from football practice one night, saying that coach Kiefel, wasn't at practice because he was donating bone marrow, I was surprised, but...
DAYTON – Christina Betts said she's always adhered to the advice of her father, who subscribed to the adage, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Still, she didn't deter husband Jon from responding to a Craigslist ad promoting a "wonderful career opportunity" with the ability to take over ownership of an existing, successful restaurant. Columbia County Economic Development Coordinator Brad McMasters placed the ad in an effort to help former Manila Bay Café owners, Justin Jaech an...
WAITSBURG – When The Times arrived to interview Waitsburg's new social studies teacher, Matt Elder, he was seated at his classroom desk, flanked by presidential candidate buttons and political comics, drinking coffee from a Roswell, New Mexico mug, and preparing to download text- to- speech software to his computer; all examples of his teaching philosophy. Elder is confident his love of 20th century history, appreciation for travel and heavy utilization of technology will make history classes f...
This year's rotating display in the Wilson-Phillips house pays tribute to the Native American, showcasing Indian blankets, beaded items, tools, arrowheads, and more. Glass display cases are filled with beautifully beaded Indian artifacts, handmade by members of the Cayuse tribe. The items were gifted to the Lloyd family of Waitsburg over their 80 years of friendship with the Indians. The late Bettie (Lloyd) Chase recalled that the Indians would often show up at their home at dinnertime, causing...
