Kyle VanCleave, 12-year-old grandson of Colleen VanCleave of Pendleton, has designed a new logo for The Dalles Middle School. The wildcat mascot sports the school’s new colors, crimson and gray, that will appear on T-shirts, binders, report cards and possibly other places around the school.

The gray wildcat with outstretched, sharp claws swipes a path toward the letters “TD,” for The Dalles.

The new mascot and colors were selected by students last spring before completion of their school’s new building. A contest narrowed the entries to three, including VanCleave’s, that students and faculty voted on.

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The Bloomer Girls garden club and the city of Hermiston planted a freedom tree at Belt Park in memory of 9-11.

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The Athena Chamber of Commerce Community Yard of the Month award for September has been presented to the Zdrojewski family – Jim, Lisa, Jane and Zachery.

The focal point of this yard at 435 E. Park Lane is the newly constructed pond. It features Koi, gold fish and interesting plants.

Lots of shade is a challenge in this yard. Many blooming hosts, impatiens and other shade-loving plants have been used to the best advantage.

The Yard of the Month sign will be displayed for the month. The family will also be presented with a certificate from the Athena Chamber of Commerce.

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Robby and Bell Robbins of Milton-Freewater are home from a trip to Denver and the reunion of the USS Topeka crew.

They toured the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Trail Ridge Drive, Denver mountain parks, Lookout Mountain and the site of Buffalo Bill’s gravesite and a museum.

Along the route home, they drove through Moab, Utah, along the Colorado River through deep canyons and Arches National Park.

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More than 90 camp enthusiasts celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Wallowa Lake Camp of the Methodist Church during the Labor Day Weekend.

Campers came from southern Idaho, Vancouver, Wash., and all over Oregon.

The three days were filled with campfires, guided tours of the camp, exploring the mountain area and large group gatherings. The Rev. Edsel White, senior pastor at the Vancouver First United Methodist Church, gave the celebration address. Retired Bishop Calvin McConnell dedicated the new cabins. Miranda Lovegren, co-director of the camp, shared plans for increased emphasis on adult and family camp experiences.

The Alpenfest Adult Camp Sept. 20-22 will be the final organized Methodist campout for the season. For more information, contact the conference camp secretary, 1-800-593-7539.