Tree lighting ceremonies were part of the fun in eastern Oregon this past weekend. Umatilla, Hermiston and Boardman all drew big crowds with their own celebrations. While they all had trees and lights, each event carried unique meaning.

Umatilla celebrates with ice-skating rink

The city of Umatilla has undergone changes in recent years, and city representatives have been searching for ways to celebrate their town. They also said they want to draw in visitors to show off their improvements.

After much deliberation, according to Hanna Keister, Umatilla community development coordinator, the town decided on an ice-skating rink. The rink was first opened to the public at the Umatilla Winter Festival, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4.

Keister said the original plan was to do something big in 2020, but COVID-19 concerns created a delay. There was not a festival last year, so plans changed, she said. Otherwise, the city might have had a big celebration with another idea — live reindeers — as the center to the event.

This year, too, may have included reindeers, Keister said. Unfortunately, she added, the animals were in low supply and high demand elsewhere, so the festival had to go with another plan.

“We decided we’d get an ice-skating rink,” she said, “and the city manager, David Stockdale, ran with that idea, and thought we should just buy one because it would be a boon to the community.”

The rink is 2,900 square feet.

So far, she said, a lot of people have shown interest, and the city had tried it out before the festival. The Monday before Thanksgiving, staff members skated on the rink, Keister said.

She added that the rink is available for rental during the week, $150 for two hours. On the weekends, individuals can use it for $3 per person.

She said she envisions the rink being a permanent fixture in a festival street, which could be built in the near future. For now, though, she said the rink will stay where it is December through February.

“We’ll see how it goes,” she said. She noted that there is “a lot of buzz around town” about the rink. On the first day of the festival, though, just prior to the start of the event, she admitted to being a little nervous whether people would attend.

Later Friday, after the rink was opened, several skaters were on the rink. It was, then, in use. And the rest of the festival was busy.

There were nine vendors at the festival. A couple of the vendors sold food crafts, and others sold crafts. Head Start also had a booth.

Live music from One Street Over was planned for Saturday. A Couer d’Alene band, One Street over was expected to play Christmas songs. On Friday, a kids’ choir was scheduled.

Keister said this was a special event for Umatilla. She said she wants people to come and recognize all of the work which had been done in the area — the new sidewalks, the new businesses and more.

“Sixth Street in the last couple of years is completely different,” Keister said.

Esmeralda Perches, development and recreation manager, also boasted of the town. She said new recreation activities will continue occurring alongside revitalization projects. A resident since 1995, Perches said she is excited about these projects. Improvements to local businesses, made possible by development revitalization grants, have made a difference, she said.

“We’ve funded about $225,000 this year to help them revitalize their buildings,” Perches said. She pointed to nearby businesses, including Java Junkies and The Bridge Bistro & Brews, and said, “We’re coming up.”

As a child, when she first arrived in Umatilla, it seemed like a ghost town then, she said. Having come from California, she said she wished Umatilla had more to offer. Now, she is pleased, because the town has more for its residents these days. She credits the city manager and others at the city for these developments.

“Umatilla’s absolutely on the rise,” Jacob Foutz, Umatilla senior planner, said. In this, he echoed Perches. He spoke of the “extraordinary growth” in both residential projects and business development.

“It’s an exciting time to be a part of Umatilla,” he said.

Keister said Umatilla will have even more to celebrate in the future, and she hopes people are paying attention.

“We have big dreams,” Keister said.

Hermiston celebrates with 2040 open house

The Community Vision Open House, Thursday, Dec. 9, was an opportunity for the city of Hermiston to gather input into what people want for the town’s future. Held in Grace Baptist Church, downtown, as the tree-lighting ceremony took place, the open house attracted the attention of people who had not heard of the project previously, according to Hermiston officials.

“This is a community vision, not just a city staff vision, so we are trying to encourage as much participation as possible,” Byron Smith, Hermiston city manager, said.

For those people who had not heard of the survey previously, they learned about it from city government representatives. The representatives, including city council members, explained that the Hermiston 2040 survey had previously collected opinions from the public, and they showed people the results of the survey.

According to the survey, people want more stores, additional restaurants, an indoor pool and aquatic center and more. These results had been discussed at The Hermiston Vision Labs, Nov. 16 and 17, and this open house was another chance for people to discuss.

Roy Barron, Hermiston city council member, was among the people discussing Hermiston 2040 to people. He spoke about the effort, and he said there had been a lot of excitement from the public. The item that attracted the most interest at the open house, he said, was a possible indoor sporting facility and aquatic center.

This is something that has long been a goal for the public, he said, but cost was always a concern. The project could cost around $28 million, so much planning is necessary to fund it in a “responsible way,” he said.

“I think it’s on the horizon, for sure,” Barron said.

In from Portland, Sarah Singer Wilson, of SSW Consulting, was in the building to meet locals and discuss the project, which she described as “asking people what Hermiston wants to be when it grows up.”

In the church, the list of goals were broken down into categories: “Safe and Healthy Hermiston,” “Sustainable Hermiston,” “Growing and Prosperous Hermiston” and “Connected and Engaged Hermiston.” Those categories were posted throughout a room, with lists of action items

Wilson invited visitors to place stickers next to goals they shared. There was also room for people to comment further. Once this was all done, the action items would be refined, she said, and a draft vision will be made to be presented to the city council.

The open house was kept busy throughout the night, as people filed in to see what the project was all about. Left outside, and busy with his work as emcee of the tree-lighting ceremony, David McCarthy said he was hoping to get inside the church later to check out the survey results.

A former member of the city council and candidate for upcoming election, he said he hopes Hermiston will some day get some sort of outdoor performing arts venue.

Boardman celebrates with children’s performance

A group of preschool students sang and danced for a large gathering of local residents. This was how the Boardman Tree Lighting celebration started, Saturday, Dec. 4. While the youngsters performed, other attendees stood, watched and smiled. They talked about their enjoyment of the event, their pleasure that they could gather as a community, even on a cold, dark December night.

The event was at the SAGE Center in Boardman. Besides the performance from the little ones, the event included a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus and cookies and hot cocoa from the Mid-Columbia Bus Company.

Ariel Lissman, owner of The Learning Adventure, was at the event. She led the 15 children, who were from her school, in their performance. She said it was a warm-up for a Christmas presentation which will take place later in the month for their families, also at the SAGE Center.

The event had a good turnout, according to Kelsey Salata, Boardman Chamber of Commerce member and events director. She credited the kids, refreshments and Santa for much of the attendance, but mentioned also the SAGE Center light show for attracting people.

The show, which started Dec. 4, will continue through the rest of the year, Lissman said. Hours are 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., seven days a week. Music accompanies the light show, and it can be heard on 88.3 FM or on the center’s outdoor speakers.

Torrie Griggs said she was also pleased with the event’s turnout. She added that community gatherings like this one are important, as they create unity. These days, they are especially important, she said, as people have struggled many months through the pandemic.