Ranch House Coffee offers a place to sit and linger over a cup of Joe

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Jeni Stevens opened Ranch House Coffee in February of this year to provide Harney County residents with a comfortable place to hang out and chat with friends while enjoying an espresso drink.

She developed the Ranch House Coffee concept in talking with locals about the kind of coffeehouse they wanted in Burns. Ranchers and farmers wanted a place they could walk into and not be afraid of getting mud or hay on the floor. Local professionals wanted a place they could get healthy take out for lunch.

Stevens decided to combine rustic decor with a menu full of soups, sandwiches and a salad bar in hopes of creating a relaxed, welcoming coffeehouse that everyone would enjoy.

Ranch House Coffee, located at 83 W. Washington in downtown Burns, has been doing a brisk business since opening earlier this year. While customers stop in to get their morning coffee, Stevens said lunch time is when things really get busy. “I need to find a way to add more seating,” she said.

Stevens was born and raised in Hillsboro and worked for seven years as a Regional Foods Specialist for Starbucks. As part of her duties she traveled the Northwest region, going from Starbucks to Starbucks checking on food quality.

About three years ago, Stevens moved to Harney County after marrying her husband, David Ward. Ward works for Harney County Parole and Probation, but is currently serving a 13-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Stevens’ experience with Starbucks has come in handy in running her own full service coffee house. “I can pretty much make any espresso drink you want,” she said. And if she hasn’t heard of it, she can usually figure it out if you describe it to her.

The coffee brewed at Ranch House is her own blend of beans. The Ranch House blend is smooth and dark, while the Long Horn blend is a little lighter and brighter, according to Stevens.

Pastries on the menu include scones, muffins, cookies, biscotti and bundt cakes, some of which are made by Dana Copenhaver. Stevens said she would like to add Danish and a German chocolate brownie to the list.

Lunch items change monthly (sometimes weekly) and include soups, paninis, sandwiches and salad bar. In September, Stevens anticipates adding soup bread bowls and a baked potato bar. “I think we try and offer a little bit of a healthier option,” she said as far as lunches go. “I like to come up with fast food options that aren’t fast food.”

Stevens said in the future, she may add a delivery service for area businesses. She noted that when customers only have a 30-minute lunch, it can be hard to get in and out quickly enough to get back to work on time. So a delivery service would help. She also noted that people can call in orders so they are ready to pick up when they arrive at the coffee house.

Another future priority will be adding wireless Internet access.

Stevens said that what she enjoys most about her Burns business is the customer interaction. “Everybody’s friendly. If people come in and there’s no place to sit, they usually know somebody who invites them to sit at their table,” she said. “I call it the “Cheers” syndrome — when everybody knows you. That would never happen in Portland.”

Ranch House Coffee, 83 W. Washington, is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Cyclist hopes his own tragic experience will raise awareness

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

While bicycling near his home on June, 2006, Pearson Constantino of upstate New York, was hit from behind by a sport-utility vehicle. The impact knocked Constantino off his bike and broke his left femur, crushed his lumbar vertebra and left him with head trauma. The driver who hit him fled the scene, leaving Constantino unconscious under a parked vehicle.

Two years and hundreds of hours of physical therapy later, Constantino and his brother, Peter, are traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast to promote safe co-existence between bicycles and motor vehicles. Constantino said that while recovering he has, “dreamed of that irreplaceable sensation and freedom that comes with riding. I willed myself to heal faster.”

On Aug. 12, Constantino’s 30th birthday, the brothers left Newport on their cross-country trek to Cape Cod, Mass. The trip is expected to take approximately seven weeks, following U.S. 20 about 3,500 miles. Along the way, Constantino hopes to share the story of his come-back with schools, cycle organizations and communities through 12 states.

The trip is also being filmed by Constantino’s wife, Julia Wrona, and will be made into a documentary. Wrona has chronicled Constantino’s recovery and training, and will be with her husband every mile across America. The project has been given 501c3 non-profit status through the Film Forum in New York City.

Constantino said he would like to use the film to lobby Congress, saying that  accidents such as his happen more often than people realize. In 2006, 44,000 cyclists were injured by motor vehicles in the United States. Of the driver that hit  Constantino’s, he said, “I want him to know his habits behind the wheel that morning forever altered my life. But I am using anger as motivation to ride, to share my story and to work to change the driving culture of our roads.”

On Saturday, Aug. 16, the cycling brothers and their two-person film crew, made their way through Harney County, reaching Juntura by evening. During the long pedal across the desert between Bend and Riley, the brothers said there were very few motorists who were not respectful to the cyclists. “There’s usually one or two a day,” said Constantino.

For more information on Constantino’s bicycle trip, and the film, go to:
www.longbikeback.com.

Vancouver, Wash., company looks to locate a total of four projects in Harney County

By Lauren Brown and Randy ParksBurns Times-Herald 

In Harney County’s quest to re-invent itself economically, options such as harvesting juniper for fuel and other biomass energy projects have emerged. Now, another energy solution, which has been flying under the radar for a couple of years, is on the table: wind energy.

Columbia Energy Partners has three permit requests that will come before the Harney County Planning Commission at the Aug. 20 meeting. These wind projects would all be located in the south end of the county. The company already has one project on the east side of Mann Lake Ranch in the works. The permit for this project was approved by the county in the spring of 2007.

South end projects

Columbia Energy Partners (out of Vancouver, Wash.) President Chris Crowley and Vice President of Project Development Marl Kane are excited to have a slight edge on the competition for wind in Harney County. “There are a lot of companies looking at projects in this area,” Crowley said.

His company already has a project running in the Columbia Gorge. While their Gorge project utilizes the strong wind there during the summer months, the Harney County projects would provide a strong source for wind during the winter months. “We’ve found a windy place at a time when that energy is in high demand,” said Crowley. 

 He believes in his company’s projects from a moral standpoint because they use a renewable resource to provide green energy.

“It doesn’t create pollution,” he said. Of all the renewable forms of energy, Crowley said wind is by far the best way to generate a large amount of energy.

Columbia Energy’s wind projects will each consist of approximately 45 wind turbines, capable of producing 100 megawatts of power, or enough to power 30,000 homes. 

The turbines stand 80 meters high, with three blades that create a 92-foot diameter. The turbines are constructed on the ground, lifted by crane to a vertical position and then placed on a base that extends approximately 30 feet into the ground. 

Once winds reach a speed of approximately 10 miles per hour (mph), a computer within the turbine switches it on, and the blades begin to turn at a rate of 13-18 rotations per minute (rpm). Built-in sensors are used to keep the blades turned into the wind, and the blades themselves are also automatically adjusted for maximum output of energy. 

The rotor, which turns the blades into the wind, is capable of turning 360 degrees, but if it makes three complete revolutions in one direction, it will then shut down the blades and turn three revolutions in the opposite direction so the cables connected in the base don’t become tangled. 

The turbines are also programmed to slow themselves down by blade adjustments if winds are in excess of 50 mph. The number of turbines in operation at any one time  depends on wind direction and siting of the turbines. Crowley was quick to point out that the energy generated by these projects would not power homes in Harney County.

“These projects are not being designed to serve local customers,” Crowley said. So locals who get their power from Oregon Trail Electric Consumers Cooperative or Harney Electric Cooperative don’t need to worry about rate changes.

Economic boon

The real boost to Harney County in these wind energy projects would be in their construction, contribution to the county tax base and long term maintenance.

It will cost Columbia Energy more than $200 million to build each project. While the construction phase can be completed fairly quickly,  Crowley said they will employ about 200 people  and will be using as many local workers as possible. Once the construction phase is done, each project will employ eight to 12 people for long term maintenance — a total of 32 to 48 jobs in Harney County.

“To have wind power come to Harney County is going to be significant from an economic standpoint,” Crowley said.  He went on to point out that it was of paramount importance to Columbia Energy to establish a good rapport with the people in Harney County.

Two out of the three proposed projects are on private land, while the third is on state property near Riddle Mountain. Columbia Energy Partners will hold a series of town hall meetings hosted by the Harney County Community Response Team in September.

These meetings will give locals a chance to ask questions and comment on the proposed projects. So far, Crowley said he has truly enjoyed getting to know the people of Harney County.

“We’ve had a great reception here, and we really appreciate it,” he said.   Harney County Judge Steve Grasty pointed out some benefits of having the wind projects in the county. “This is the best opportunity for job growth that’s happened in Harney County for a long time,” Grasty said. “It also assures some of our culture, like ranching and the outdoors, remains intact. I think people in Harney County realize, just like everyone else in the country, we need to get away from dependence on foreign oil, and this is a good start.” 

Green energy

Crowley said that what he likes most about wind energy is its small carbon footprint on the environment. Cows can graze right up to the base of the turbines, and after the construction of the projects, Columbia Energy will go back and restore and revegetate the land.

“I was reading about wind power in 2000, and I was fascinated because wind is one thing that unites the west and east sides (of the state),” he said, noting that while the two sides fight about a lot of things (i.e. grazing, owls, transportation, the environment, etc.), wind energy is one thing people can agree on. “Everyone wants green power,” he said. 

The Bistro and Rhojo’s team up to give Harney County residents a taste of something different

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Thursday and Friday evenings in downtown Burns just got a little more interesting as Rhojo’s offers up three-course Italian dinners with Nights at the Bistro, located in the 300 block of Broadway.

Rhojo’s combines the talents of Rhonda Petty and her son, Chef Michael Johnson.

Johnson graduated from Burns High School and went on to culinary school, graduating in 1999. He was employed at Il Fornaio, a five-star Italian restaurant in Portland, where he worked his way up to sous chef. At Il Fornaio he learned to make pasta by hand, prep the entire restaurant and at one time managed 30 prep cooks. He also served celebrities such as former Trail Blazer Scottie Pippen and band members of the rock group Everclear.

Johnson went on to be a culinary consultant, helping restaurants retrain staff to become more efficient. He ran a Greek restaurant in North Bend and then left the restaurant business to be a mortgage broker for a while.

Now that he has returned to Burns, he is ready to get back in the kitchen. “I’ve still got the skills and the knowledge to do it. So that’s what I’m doing,” he said.

Johnson and Petty hope to open their own restaurant called Rhojo’s within the next year, but until then, he is happy to be working out of the open kitchen at the Bistro. “This will give the town a little more exposure to our food,” he said.

Johnson describes the Nights at the Bistro experience as a unique niche in Burns. “We’re doing five-star quality at family prices,” he said.

The three-course menu changes weekly. Diners receive an appetizer, salad and choice of entree. Iced tea and water is included in the $13.95 price (which is also subject to change depending on the menu). Last week, the appetizer was an antipasto plate of marinated baby artichokes, kalamata olives and salami.0

Diners chose between entrees of penne de salmon and lasagna primavera. The salmon entree consisted of penne pasta with sauteed garlic, diced tomatoes and wild, Alaskan-caught salmon tossed in the chef’s marinara and vodka cream sauce; finished with extra-virgin olive oil while the primavera featured fresh lasagna noodles, grilled eggplant, zucchini, mixed mushrooms, diced tomatoes, bocconcini mozzarella, parmesan and the chef’s marinara.

Homemade desserts are also available for diners but are not included in the meal price.

Petty likes the atmosphere at the Bistro and is grateful for the collaboration with Bistro owners Kelly and Samantha Landon. The Landons feel that it’s important for local businesses to work together and are pleased to host Nights at the Bistro to provide some variety among the dining establishments in town.

Petty noted that the open kitchen gives customers an opportunity to interact with the chef. “Michael has a chance to come out and talk to people and see how they liked the meal,” Petty said.

Johnson said that Nights at the Bistro is a true collaboration. “It’s a family business. I’m the head of the operation, and she’s the backbone,” he said of Petty.

Rhojo’s requires that diners make reservations, which can be scheduled for any time between 6 and 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.

Weekly menus are on display at the Bistro. Diners can request that menus be e-mailed or faxed by calling 589-1034. Leave a message, and Petty will return your call.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

If you envision yourself as a master chef of the outdoor barbecue, you’ll have a chance to show off your skills at this year’s Harney County Fair.

The Oregon Fryer Commission Big Cluck Grill-off Competition will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and offers a grand prize of a Traeger wood pellet grill.
Each county fair’s winning entry will also automatically qualify for the Oregon State Fair Championship.

Carrie Winstead, assistant fair manager, said she hopes the event will attract local civic groups. “This is a chance for the Lions, Kiwanis, the Elks or some other group to win a new barbecue for their organization.”

Some of the competition guidelines are as follows:

• Each contestant or team will need to supply their own charcoal, gas or pellet grill and racks for grilling.

• Contestants must bring their own ingredients and dishes for preparation.

• Each contestant will be supplied with six thigh cuts of Oregon-grown chicken for grilling.

• Grilling teams must enter through the Oregon Fryer Commission’s Web site:
www.oregonchickens.com

• Grilling teams will be selected to participate in the Oregon Fryer Commission Big Cluck Grill-off based on a first-come, first-served basis.

The competition will consist of a minimum of four teams and a maximum of eight. Both individuals and teams may compete, but the teams may consist of no more than three members.

The grand champion will receive a Li’l Tex Traeger wood pellet grill valued at more than $700. Reserve champion will receive a 22 Mag manual wood pellet grill valued at more than $185. Third place receives a knife set, and fourth place will receive a grill accessory set. Each placer will receive a ribbon.

For a complete listing of rules and guidelines, visit the Oregon Fryer Commission’s Web site.

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

One of Cheryl Hancock’s dreams was to be the director of a small, rural library.

“This fit the bill nicely,” she said of the Harney County Library.

Hancock recently took on the director role as Jolyn Wynn left to be closer to family in Wyoming. After a few weeks in the position, Hancock said she feels as though she has been warmly welcomed to the community.

Hailing from Prineville, Hancock had been with the Crook County Library for 18 years. She worked her way up from shelving books part-time to being a full-time reference librarian.

Hancock grew up on the west side of the state, but has a soft spot in her heart for Southeastern Oregon as this is where she met her husband. They were both getting summer college credit at the Malheur Field Station when they met for the first time.

In fact, they both liked the High Desert so much, they eventually found themselves in Prineville, where they both found jobs — Hancock at the library and her husband with the Forest Service.

The couple still has their house in Prineville, where they raised their four children, and Hancock has been commuting to Harney County during the week and driving to Prineville on the weekends. One of her passions is gardening, so she returns home not only to see her family, but to tend to her garden.

However, she said that they will be buying some property in Harney County soon.

One of Hancock’s first priorities at the Harney County Library is to de-crowd the shelves.

The staff will be working on moving some of the worn out, older books off the shelves to sell in a book sale to be held within the next few months.

Hancock said she will also continue to offer educational programs for community members.

She would like to thank the community for making her feel at home here in Harney County. “There are a lot of people out there who really support the library,” she said with a smile. “That’ll make my job easier.”

Demonstration illustrates how juniper trees can be harvested and used for fuel

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The return of logging to Harney County could be right around the corner.

It may not be the days of old when large pine trees rolled out of the forest on log trucks, but the harvesting of juniper for biomass fuel could provide both jobs and energy.

Last week, July 8-10, a crew from John Deere was in town to demonstrate how juniper could be harvested and bundled, ready for transport to an energy-producing facility.

Mike Schmidt, forestry biomass manager for John Deere, said they wanted to demonstrate how juniper could be used for product. “It is an invasive species, and if it is harvested, landowners will be reclaiming the rangeland for forage and water,” he said.

The machinery

Working on a slope of land a few miles from town, a stand of juniper was cut using a carbide blade, mounted on the front of a feller-buncher. Depending on the terrain and the density of the stand, Schmidt said the feller-buncher could cover 20 to 30 acres a day.

Once the trees are cut, a slash bundler moves in. It picks the trees up whole and places them on a high-tech compactor. Using 150 tons of compression, the juniper is compacted into 30-inch diameter bundles, wrapped with twine and cut at a designated length.

The slash bundler can handle trees up to 20 inches in diameter and averages about 20 bundles an hour.
Because of their design, neither the feller-buncher nor the slash bundler have much of an impact on the land. “They’re not dragging anything on the ground, there’s no ground pressure, so soil compaction is a non-issue,” Schmidt said. He then invited those in attendance to take a walk through the harvested area to see for themselves.

Once the juniper is bundled, it can lay on the ground for several years and not lose its usefulness. “The bundles are compacted so tight, they won’t shrink,” Schmidt said. “They will dry out, which will make them weigh less, and that will result in lower transportation costs.”

On average, enough juniper can be harvested on one to two acres to fill up a log truck.
Another benefit is that the entire tree is used, so there are no slash piles left behind.
Schmidt stated that because the machinery is designed using the latest technology, they hope to attract more young people to the industry. “Training to operate these machines is available, and they use a simulator much like an airplane simulator,” Schmidt said. “And they’re good paying jobs.”

Power generation

Once bundled, the juniper is transported to a facility where it is shredded and used to create electricity and heat.

Gary Callihan of EnvioEnergi said a 25 megawatt (MW) power plant could create enough energy to power Burns and Hines, and provide a number of jobs. The plant would require around 250,000 tons of fuel a year, which equates to approximately 10,000 truckloads of bundles.

Callihan said one MW can provide electricity for 1,000 homes per hour, and if you add in heating, the number of homes rises because they are no longer using electricity for that purpose.

“Most of Europe is heated hydronically right now,” Callihan said. “And it can also be used for cooling.”
Callihan said that from the time the first permit was applied for, it could take as little as 24 months to have the plant built and the infrastructure in place. He added that the U.S. Department of Energy has money available for these types of projects.

“You’re using a renewable resource, reducing dependency on oil and lowering your energy cost,” Callihan said.

Community impact

When asked about what a power generation plant could do for the community, Schmidt said, “A rule of thumb is six jobs for every megawatt of energy, so there’s the possibility of around 120 new jobs.”

Schmidt also stressed the fact that John Deere is investing in this venture for the benefit of everyone. “We want this to be around for a long time,” he said. “Deere is a community-based company, and we want to see this succeed.”

Harney County Judge Steve Grasty agreed that the county could see benefits from the proposal. “The county has worked to get John Deere to demonstrate their equipment here for a couple of reasons. All are tied to the hope of job creation,” he said.

Grasty stated they have had conversations with wood pellet and biomass energy producers as to the possibility of them locating in our community. Both have indicated the first requirement is a dependable source of biomass and the second requirement is the ability to get that biomass to a plant location.

“John Deere has been a supplier of logging equipment aimed at biomass for some time,” Grasty said. “They have demonstrated their equipment on thinning slash in the general area several times but never on juniper. We believe that juniper may be a less controversial source of biomass, and obviously we have plenty. So we asked John Deere to demonstrate their equipment here, and Tony Urizar allowed the use of his property.”

Grasty added that between private landowners desiring to remove some of the juniper that has encroached onto their property,  the BLM’s efforts to remove juniper for watershed health improvement and the possibility of thinning slash, they believe the supply questions can be answered. “As John Deere reviews their costs, we will be able to answer the questions of delivery and at what cost to the folks we have been talking with,” he said.

As for the economic impact, Grasty said, “Assuming this all works out, we may be able to attract new business or industry to the community, along with the jobs we so desperately need. I also want to add that this does not downplay the need to manage our forests and seek a predictable supply of products from them. This is simply a parallel attempt to attract industry and jobs here.”

Both Schmidt and Callihan said they were impressed with the cooperation of community members in working on the project. “Steve Grasty and the commissioners, and Mark Maliwauki (Harney County Economic Development Coordinator) have been great to work with,” Callihan said. “We first met with them about a year ago, and then a month later, Steve and Mark really got the ball rolling. You’ve got some good leadership in this county.”

With the cost of oil and gas on the rise, Harney County and new technology have the opportunity to lead the nation into new independence.

As an OSU Extension Agent, Shana Withee helps 4-Hers achieve success through clubs, camps and fair

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

As a handful of giggling 4-H Crazy Cookers scurry around a kitchen cutting up chicken and vegetables to add to a stovetop stir-fry, county extension agent/4-H leader Shana Withee seems at home amongst the frenzy of activity.

She calmly gives her bubbly 4-Hers instructions on how to prepare the meal at hand as the kids talk excitedly about the upcoming 4-H camp and other summer activities.

The making of an extension agent

Withee’s college degrees are in nutrition and international economics. She is a tenured professor at Oregon State University who has been a 4-H extension agent in Harney County for 22 years now. Before that, she spent time in Utah and Thailand doing extension work.

The two and a half years she spent in Thailand educating farmers on nutrition and installing sanitation systems had a huge impact on her life. She learned the language and made many lasting friendships. “It was one of those life-changing things — one of those things that makes you who you are,” she said.

It’s been about 25 years since that initial stay in Thailand. Now married and a mother of four, Withee looks back on her Thailand days fondly and knows they were instrumental in shaping her career.

About five years ago, she returned to Thailand and realized the full impact of her work there. Vegetable crops that she had introduced to the opium farmers (that weren’t a traditional part of the Thai culture) had been integrated into their daily diet. “That was exciting to see,” she said. “I’d like to go back again and bring my children.”

OSU camp

Summers are a busy time for Withee. Between OSU conferences, 4-H camp, 4-H clubs and fair, she hardly has any time to squeeze in a little rest and relaxation. “It gets a little hectic this time of year, but I really enjoy what I do,” Withee said.

At the end of June she took off on a bus with 25 Harney County middle schoolers to Corvallis, where the OSU Camp Conference was held on the university campus. There she taught knitting, crocheting and other crafts classes.

She likes the camp conference because it gives kids experience on a college campus. Campers can tour the physiology and veterinary labs and perhaps glean a little inspiration for their future careers.

In addition, campers are taken to Corvallis’ Avery Park where they perform some community service by cleaning up the grounds.

4-H camp

Next up on Withee’s agenda is the 4-H camp held at Lake Creek Camp for about 100 Harney and Grant County fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders July 7-11. High schoolers serve as counselors and are put through 42 hours of training for the week-long camp.

This year’s theme is a medieval one. Withee said there will be minstrels, damsels in distress and Maid Marion costumes. “The kids really get into it,” she said.

Last year’s pirate theme was also a hit with the kids. Hailey Sanders, 11, remembers making boats and hardtack as part of the memorable camp experience. “It was pretty much all fun,” she said. Sanders said she is looking forward to going back to camp this year.

Withee’s son, Nick, also attended the camp last year. He mentioned the hike to High Lake, the tug-o-war and evening campfire activities as his camp highlights.

In addition to being fun, camp activities are also educational. Forestry, wildlife and outdoor cookery classes are popular with campers. Withee said a weaving project, talent show and marshmallow catapult building activity will also be part of this year’s camp experience.
4-H campers must also do chores, which include dishwashing, litter patrol and cleaning the latrines.

Withee noted that kids don’t have to be 4-Hers in order to attend the camp. She also wants to make sure that every child who wants to attend camp can, so there are scholarships available for kids who would like to attend next year’s camp.

On to fair

Once camp is over, Withee will enjoy a brief respite when she travels back to Montana, where she grew up, for her 30th high school class reunion.

But then it’s right back to work in August as 4-H record books are due Aug. 5 (see sidebar). Locals help with the judging, which takes some time because every 4-Her has to create a record book to go with their fair exhibits.

On Aug. 18, Withee will help 4-Hers drop off their exhibits and displays in Salem at the state fairgrounds. “Then we’ll come back and do the county fair,” Withee said.

As everyone knows, fair is a big deal in Harney County, and it takes quite a bit of preparation. Withee has been ordering ribbons, selecting judges and picking out awards. This year’s award for 4-H fair champions will be an embroidered folding chair.

In addition to leading four 4-H clubs in cooking, knitting, crocheting and scrapbooking, Withee has been busy helping kids register and work on their record books.

While Withee’s schedule would likely flatten the average person, she seems to thrive on the energy of the kids she works with. She enjoys educating kids and making the community a better place in the process. “I’ve been very happy here,” she said of Harney County, where she and her husband Jim have raised their four kids, Katee, Kenny, Julee and Nick. “It’s a neat place to live.”

4-H record books

Record books are an important part of the 4-H experience. No 4-H exhibit will be accepted without an accompanying completed 4-H record book. Books are due on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the 4-H office downstairs in the Harney County Courthouse. The books will be judged on the basis of:
1. Cover (5 points)
2. Photograph (10 points)
3. Tab dividers (5 points)
4. Permanent record (20 points)
(complete and understandable)
5. Project record(s) (15 points)
6. 4-H Notes/story (20 points)
7. Project pictures (5 points)
8. News clippings (5 points)
9. Correspondence (5 points)
10. Previous year’s records (5 pts.)
11. General (5 points)
Club secretary records will be judged at the same time as the record books.

Owners of restaurant in John Day adapt old West concept to Hines lodge

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

The Outpost restaurant is up and running in the Big Bear Lodge in Hines.

Owners Bill and Janet Robertson and Matt and Kim Randleas already have a successful business in the Outpost in downtown John Day. Kim said they had been thinking about setting up a restaurant in Burns, and they saw an opportunity in the Big Bear Lodge. “As soon as we walked in, we knew it fit us,” Kim said.

Officially called the Outpost at Big Bear Lodge, Kim said the rustic log cabin feel of the lodge perfectly emulates the Outpost’s themes, which are geared toward the outdoors, wildlife and the old West. Diners can peruse a menu filled with a variety of outdoor-themed food and drinks including Mountain Man steaks, the West’s Best Burgers and Big Foot Margaritas. Pasta, fajitas, salads, sandwiches and fish and shrimp entrees round out the menu.

“The atmosphere here is just incredible,” Kim said of the lodge, which opens each day at 11 a.m. for lunch and dinner. While there is plenty of seating in the dining room and bar areas, outdoor seating will be added so patrons can sit outside and take in the view. Kim said they also hope to continue the lodge’s tradition of hosting horseshoe tournaments.

The Robertsons and the Randleas have been running the Outpost in John Day since 1998. The restaurant there grew from being a pizza joint to a full-service restaurant. It grew so much, it had to move to another location where it can presently be found in downtown John Day. The building has three levels, which includes the restaurant, arcade, offices and an apartment.

Kim said they are really pleased to have further expanded their business to Burns/Hines. “I’m really happy that we could come here and employ 20 people,” Kim said. New staff went and trained at the John Day Outpost, some for as long as six weeks prior to the June 30 opening in Hines.

Some of the Outpost’s signature dishes include the Alice chicken with chopped bacon, mushrooms, cheese and a honey mustard sauce as well as the burgundy peppercorn steak, which is a tender tri-tip. “It’s really tasty. It’s one of my favorite dishes,” Kim said.

While the Outpost is open for lunch and dinner every day, Kim said they would like to add a Sunday brunch at some point.

She hopes that locals will see the Outpost at Big Bear as a viable option for a night on the town. “Instead of going to Bend and spending money out of town, they can get their entertainment here,” she said. “I believe that a new venture like this can help the community, and it’s a benefit to everyone.”

While the restaurant officially opened on June 30, the staff held a trial run on June 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. The $1,200 made off those meals was donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Harney County, which underscores the Robertsons’ and the Randleas’ dedication to the community.

“We want to support the local businesses as much as we can,” Kim said. She noted that the people of Harney County have been very welcoming. “I already feel like part of the community,” she said.

BHS graduate is one of 15 in Weill Cornell Medical College’s first graduating class

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

“When I grow up, I want to be a doctor,” a common statement made by children. As most kids grow up, their plans and dreams for their future change many times, but not so for Sharon King.

When King was growing up in Burns, she said she was always interested in serving others, and every time she turned around, things in her life were pointing her to medicine. She followed where her life’s arrows were pointing her, and on May 9, King took the Hippocratic Oath, and formally became an M.D. She is now Dr. Sharon King.

While becoming a medical doctor is in itself an accomplishment, King’s story goes a step further.

In 2004, 15 medical students made history by becoming the first class to enter Weill Cornell Medical College in Doha, Qatar (WCMC-Q). King was among those 15.

King said that when she graduated from Burns High School in 2000, her plans did not include attending medical school in a foreign country, let alone in the Middle East. While attending Eastern University in Pennsylvania, an organic chemistry professor suggested she consider Qatar. King said she felt it would be a great opportunity; one that would enhance her competency as a doctor. “You can learn so much by studying in another culture. It adds more understanding.”

So King applied and was accepted to WCMC-Q. Her class consisted of students from eight different countries. She would be studying medicine approximately 7,000 miles away from the United States. Making the transition from living in the U.S. to living in Qatar, wasn’t a big cultural shock to King, she said, thanks to previous stays in Costa Rica and Mexico. The biggest disparity between the countries she had visited previously and the country she was about to call her home for the next four years was the abundance of wealth in Qatar.

The WCMC-Q campus itself is state-of-the-art, with a 335,000 square-foot academic building and more than 38,000 square-feet of lab space. Lectures from Cornell’s Manhattan and Ithaca, N.Y., campuses are video-streamed to the facilities and more than 10,000 research resources are available electronically.

The most difficult challenge King said she faced while living in Qatar was the language barrier. Even after spending a year learning Arabic, she said that there are so many different languages and dialects, that she couldn’t communicate verbally with the majority of the patients she dealt with at the college.

She learned to communicate by reading her patients’ body language; and at times, King said finding someone to translate, such as cleaning ladies, was necessary to talk with patients. To some this may have seemed an inconvenience, to King it was a lesson in humanity. She said it will help her throughout her career to understand and be compassionate to all of her patients.

In October 2007, King and her classmates went through a white-coat ceremony, marking their move into the final stage of medical school. Upon receiving her coat, King said she was excited, but did have a moment of anxiety. “You think for a minute, ‘I’m not ready to fill these shoes.’” King soon found that she was not only ready to put on the shoes, they were a perfect fit. In May, the day before graduation, the Senior Honors Convocation was held, and as the Gulf Times, dated Thursday, May 8, said, “American student Sharon King was the star, bagging eight awards.”

She won pre-clinical scholastic awards for academic excellence in the human structure and function course, the brain and mind course and the basis of disease course. In the clinical scholastic awards, she won for excellence in pediatrics, primary care and public health. To top it off, King was the recipient of the good physician award and the humanism in medicine award.

Of all of these, King said the humanism award meant the most, as the selection was voted on by faculty members and students, and presented to the student who has demonstrated the highest standard of compassion and sensitivity in their interaction with patients.

King and her classmates became very close through their time of study at WCMC-Q. She said she built especially strong bonds with her roommate Rana Biary, who is from New York, and friend Jehan Al Rayahi who is from Qatar. She believes they will remain friends for life; they share a strong connection as members of the WCMC-Q’s first graduating class.

Following a second graduation ceremony at the Cornell campus in New York, King now begins a three-year residency in Cheyenne, Wyo., with her pediatrics’ residency to be done in Denver, Colo. Her career of choice is rural family medicine. In an interview with the Cornell Chronicle Magazine, King said, “Family medicine covers all the topics, and I haven’t found a field that I don’t like. You have such great continuity of care. You build relationships with people.”

Where would King like to practice? “I would be very open to working in Burns. I always wanted to see the world, now, I can’t wait to get back. And I am slowly coming back.”

When she does make it back, she has one request. “I am Dr. Sharon, not Dr. King.”