Methow Valley News, Aug. 30, 2017

Rodeo time again

4-H flourishes

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Local kids get animals ready for county fair

Methow Valley News

PROGRAM Inside B section

EXTRA Page B1

PUBLISHED WEEKLY SINCE 1903

TWISP, WASHINGTON

VOL . 115 NO. 17

WWW.METHOW VALLEYNEWS.COM

AUGUST 30, 2017

$1

New building in Methow Valley once again tops county values Local taxing districts will get increased assessment revenues

By Marcy Stamper

Okanogan County Fire District 6 and the towns of Twisp and Winthrop will get a bonus in property taxes from the almost $15.9 million worth of new con-

struction in the Methow Valley in the past year.

As in most years, new construction within the Methow Valley School District led the county, accounting for 36 percent of the total of all new building.

The value of construction in the Methow is typically one-and-a-half to two times the amount added in other school districts.

Overall, Okanogan County recorded $43.6 million in new construction in

the 2017 assessment, which lowers the tax rate for all taxpayers because the total amount the county can collect in property tax remains flat, according to Okanogan County Chief Deputy Assessor Dee Wood.

The higher value of construction in the Methow is attributable primarily to the quality of construction, with many second homes being built by people with considerable financial resources, said Wood. In the Okanogan Valley, it’s

By Marcy Stamper

School administrators have their own homework this year as they try to figure out how education will be funded under a new law that alters formulas for teacher compensation and local levies, and lowers class sizes.

The Legislature passed the law in a rush to meet a deadline to comply with a 2012 state Supreme Court order requiring the state to fully fund basic education. The Supreme Court still has to review the new law to determine if it complies with its mandate.

The main changes in the law are how much money the state will provide to school districts and how much districts can collect through voter-approved levies — and what those levies can pay for.

“There are some changes I’m not certain we fully understand yet, and I’m not certain the Legislature fully understands what the impacts are,” said Methow Valley School District superintendent Tom Venable, who spent two days this week going over details of the law with the district’s financial team.

The Supreme Court ruling, known as the McCleary Ruling, comes out of a lawsuit filed in 2007 by a coalition of parents and school districts. The majority of school districts across the state, including the Methow Valley, ultimately joined the suit.

Starting in the 2018-19 school year, local levies will be strictly limited to “enrichment” and can’t be used to raise money

cent increase allowed by law) because of new construction in the Methow last year, said Wood. The Town of Twisp will receive $7,000 and Winthrop will get $2,700, based on new building in the towns, said Wood.

Lower values elsewhere

Building in the Methow added more than twice the value of construction See BUILDING, A2

Need for firefighters grows as volunteer numbers decline

School funding changes require study, educators say New state formulas create confusion about intent

more common to see smaller, singlefamily homes, she said.

The assessor calculates all totals by school district. In 2015, the Methow accounted for 28 percent of the county total. Last year, it reached 45 percent.

The new assessments provide additional revenue to individual taxing districts, such as fire and EMS, and to the towns. For example, Fire District 6 will collect an extra $8,000 in taxes this year (on top of the standard annual 1-per-

to pay for basic education. But school officials say it is not clear how enrichment and basic education are defined.

Officials in some districts have expressed concerns that levies will only be allowed for extracurricular activities and athletics. But Lisa DawnFisher, chief financial officer for the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), said that’s not true.

Basic education is covered by state formulas for staff (including teachers, counselors and nurses) and for supplies, based on the number of students, Dawn-Fisher said.

If a district wanted to use a levy to add more teachers, or to have a fulltime nurse — anything beyond the basic staffing model — that would be considered enrichment, she said. Buying extra computers or art supplies also would likely be deemed enrichment.

In addition, enrichment dollars could be used to lower class size. The state formula sets teacher-student ratios for each grade, but a district could run a levy to hire additional teachers or to add subjects, according to Dawn-Fisher.

Despite that explanation, even legislators have had trouble differentiating basic education and enrichment. In briefings about the new law, legislative staffers continued to express confusion. Dawn-Fisher said they told her: “We tried to define enrichment. But it’s really, really hard — it’s like nailing Jell-O to the wall.”

Originally, local levies were designed to raise money for extras based on community values, said 12th District state Sen. Brad Hawkins (R-Wenatchee). He said legislators worked hard to increase See FUNDING, A2

Photo by Mandi Donohue

Drive time

Dave Crosby, left, and Alan Fahnestock are volunteers at Fire District 6’s Mazama station.

Jobs, home life leave less time for training, responding

By Mandi Donohue

Photo by Marcy Stamper

This 1977 Plymouth Prowler from Arizona was one of dozens of vintage, new and otherwise unusual cars at last week’s Cruise-in at the Twisp airport. Car buffs got to admire a ’36 Ford pick-up, a ’49 Willys Overland and a completely electric Tesla.

From the top of Washington Pass to two miles south of Carlton — a distance of some 50 miles and an area of roughly 350 square miles — the Methow Valley is served by just five paid, full-time firefighters. That means a heavy reliance on volunteer firefighters to respond to emergencies ranging from structure and wildland fires to vehicle accidents.

But the number of volunteers has dwindled nationally, and is at critically low levels in the Methow.

“We just don’t have the people,” says Dave Crosby, a volunteer in the Mazama station. “It’s our biggest problem as a fire department. None of the stations have enough.”

“We should have three times as many,” agrees his fellow volunteer, Alan Fahnestock.

Ideally each of the four stations in Okanogan County Fire District 6 would have between 20 and 25 volunteers on call, according to Interim Fire Chief Cody Acord. But at this point, the entire territory is served by only about 35 vol-

unteers.

T he t i me a nd sp e cia l i z at ion demanded of most modern jobs has contributed to the decline in volunteers, Acord said. “They put in long hours every day at their job, come home and have little ones and stuff they have to do at home,” he said.

Lifestyle preferences are another factor, Acord said. More people now live in remote areas and at greater distances from central communities, or have See VOLUNTEERS, A3

Additional recreational trail construction will begin soon in Twisp and Winthrop Plans have been in the works for several years

By Ann McCreary

Construction is expected to begin in September on recreational trails in both Twisp and Winthrop, with the goal of completing the trail segments this fall.

The towns have awarded separate

contracts for the trail segments to a local company, Lloyd Logging Inc., the only bidder for each job.

In both Twisp and Winthrop, plans for the trails have been underway for years.

The stretches to be completed this year are part of longer trail systems envisioned in each community.

In Winthrop, the project is the second phase of the Susie Stephens Trail.

This phase will connect to the existing trail, which extends from its start near the Methow Conservancy office and

ADDRESS LABEL

crosses Methow River on the Spring Creek Bridge, ending at Little Star Montessori School.

The new segment continues from Little Star past the Wellness Center and Jamie’s Place, then follows the Foghorn Ditch southeastward almost to Highway 20. The total length of the trail will be just about 1 mile when the new segment is completed, said Rocklynn Culp, Winthrop town planner.

The project also includes a crossing

THURS.

FRI.

SAT.

with pedestrian warning signs at White Avenue near Winthrop Physical Therapy, safety signage along the existing and new trail, a split rail fence to replace ecology blocks along Norfolk Avenue (next to Little Star school), and paving three accessible parking places adjacent to the trail at the Town Trailhead. The first segment of ADA-compliant trail is 12 feet wide, and the new stretch will be 10 feet wide.

T he Wi nt h rop Town Cou nci l approved a contract Aug. 10 not to

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exceed $338,922 to Lloyd Logging for the trail construction. Among other funding, Winthrop received a $180,000 grant for the project from the state Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), said Culp.

The trail segment will end about 20 feet from the edge of Highway 20 just south of the Friendship Church, Culp said. That is because the town has been unable to secure a right-of-way across a See TRAILS, A2

INSIDE ...

OPINION . . . . . . . . . .

ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SPORTS. . . . . . . . . . . .

WHAT’S HAPPENING .

CL ASSIFIEDS . . . . . . .

COMMUNIT Y . . . . . . .

VALLEY LIFE . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

. . A4 . . A8 . . A9 . A10 . . B3 . . B7 . . B8

Page A2

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

FUNDING

From Page A1

state education funding while preserving local control, and that he expects future levies to be used for extras like clubs and athletics.

The state superintendent’s office likely will produce a list of qualified enrichments for 2018. It also will have to approve levies before districts put them to voters in the future, said Dawn-Fisher.

All but nine of the state’s 295 school districts rely on funding from levies.

T h e $1. 8 m i l l io n l ev y approved by Methow Valley voters in 2016 runs through 2020.

That money will still be collected — up to the limit allowed by law — but can only be spent on enrichments starting in the 2018-19 school year.

Currently, the Methow gets enough funding from the state to pay for 36 certificated staff, and uses the levy money to pay for another 12, said Venable. The state allocation makes up 68 percent of the district’s current bud-

get, with another 10 percent from federal sources, leaving almost a quarter of the budget to be covered through the levy. The district also pays for professional development, robotics and construction classes with the levy, said Venable.

The new law also establishes a new salary range for teachers, with first-year teachers starting at $40,000 and the top end of the scale at $90,000.

In the Methow Valley, the average teacher salary is $59,000.

First-year teachers here earn about $37,000 and those at the top of the schedule get close to $68,000, said Venable. So the district will have to come up with more money to comply with the minimum starting salary by 2018.

Hurried passage

Part of administrators’ frustration and confusion over the new law is because the Legislature drafted the bill at the last minute.

“The Legislature adopted a budget that was presented to the public 36 hours before adoption,” said Venable. “As the superintendent of a school district, I would

BUILDING

From Page A1

in other school districts. Brewster came in second with $7.4 million (17 percent of the county total), Omak recorded $5.6 million (13 percent) and Tonasket had $4.6 million (11 percent). Okanogan and Oroville both recorded about $2.6 million, or 6 percent of the total, followed by Pateros with $2.3 million (5 percent) and Coulee Dam with $633,400 (1.5 percent).

The value of new construction in the county — which includes new residential and commercial buildings that are 50-percent complete — was almost $2.8 million more than last year’s. The total includes new buildings that have been dried in for winter, as well as additions to existing structures and garages added in the 12-month period ending July 31.

The proportion of residential build-

TRAILS

From Page A1

small wedge of privately owned land between the end of the trail and the highway.

“We’ve been trying to get them [the property owner] to respond for years,” Culp said.

The owners are not local “and have not responded to the town’s inquiries,” she said.

Ultimately, the town would like to be able to extend the trail to the highway to provide access to businesses on the other side.

The long-range goal would be to extend the trail from town to the public school campus, if ease-

have appreciated an opportunity to review the budget and weigh in, given the implications. I didn’t see anything until they signed off, which is no different than 295 other superintendents.”

“It was a huge hurry — we didn’t get to look before it passed,” said Dawn-Fisher of the state superintendent’s office. “It’s somewhat unusual in my career, for a bill of that magnitude or that complicated, not to know what’s going on.”

State school officials received a final draft of the legislation just hours before it was passed, but that was not enough time even to read the 121-page bill, much less analyze it, she said.

However, because many provisions won’t take effect until the 2018-19 school year, DawnFisher said there will be an opportunity for clarification during the 2018 supplemental session of the Legislature.

New taxes, new levy formula

The law increases the portion of the state property tax that is earmarked for school by 81 cents

ing in the county dropped slightly this year, going from 90 percent in 2016 to 88 percent this year, with a slight uptick in commercial construction.

While new construction in the past six years has fluctuated, the overall spread, at just $10 million, has not been substantial. Since 2012, last year saw the smallest growth, at $40.7 million, and 2015 was the highest, at $50.6 million.

Since 1993, the four highest values were recorded from 2006 through 2009. The six lowest years were from 1993 through 2000, when new construction totaled from $15.7 million to $32.7 million.

The only times in more than two decades when the Methow didn’t lead the county in the value of new construction were in 2010 and 2012, when residential building on Lake Osoyoos, and two industrial projects, the Buckhorn Mine and a wood-product facility, caused Oroville to sur-

ments could be acquired, Culp said.

Twisp town trail

I n Twisp, the town has awarded a contract not to exceed $104,611 to begin construction of a recreational trail that will connect to a short, paved trail on the east side of Twisp Park, and extend along the Methow River to Methow Street. The length will be about 1,500 feet, said Andrew Denham, Twisp public works director.

As in Winthrop, Twisp officials have been planning a trail for several years, and received a 50 percent matching grant for design and construction from the

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per $1,000, bringing it to $2.70.

Local districts still will be able to seek approval of levies of up to $1.50 per $1,000 in valuation, or $2,500 per student, whichever is less.

In districts where $1.50 per $1,000 valuation brings in less than $2,500 per student, the state will make up the difference, but only up to $1,500 total per student, according to Dave Arp, executive director of administrative services for the North Central Educational Service District.

“Levy reform is not so much about generating revenue, but about creating a more equitable system across the state,” said Wenatchee’s Hawkins. “So if you’re in Brewster or Bellevue, you’ll still get the same money from the state.”

Inequities in school funding can be seen in the current levies in Okanogan County, where in 2016 people in the Pateros School district were paying almost $4 per $1,000 of assessed value — but raising only $664,000. By comparison, in the Methow, with higher overall property values, a tax rate of

pass the Methow Valley, according to Okanogan County Assessor Scott Furman.

The valuations of new construction are determined by the four real estate appraisers in the Okanogan County assessor’s office, who physically inspect all new building every year and add the value to the tax rolls.

The appraisers use a nationally standardized list of values for architecture, building size, materials, and number and type of windows. They calculate only the replacement cost of the structure and do not include intangibles such as location, water access or view, said Furman.

All property owners who have had new construction valued by the county will receive a notice from the assessor by the end of August. The changes will be reflected in property taxes paid in 2018.

For more information, call the assessor’s office at (509) 422-7190.

RCO for $173,211. The town’s match was primarily in-kind labor and donations, said Clerk Jackie Moriarity.

Through a separate contract with the town, Lloyd Logging will provide $18,700 worth of in-kind services for the trail construction. The agreement, signed last year, was created to compensate the town for the withdrawal in 2015 of a promised trail easement along the Methow River on property owned by the Lloyd family, doing business as Lloyd Holdco LLC. The easement would have allowed construction of a trail segment following the route of the former Wagner Street along

Methow Valley News $1.36 per $1,000 brought in $1.75 million.

But it’s still unknown what this will mean for individual taxpayers. “This is a whole new paradigm and a whole new structure for funding,” said Arp. “To compare what we’re paying today, versus what we’re paying tomorrow — there are so many variables.”

Confusion about law

Districts are also confused by the so-called regionalization provision, which allows some districts to pay teachers more to compensate for higher housing costs based on comparisons with neighboring districts. In the North Central Educational Service District, three school districts were granted the extra money — Wenatchee, Stehekin and Moses Lake — said Venable.

“It’s not clear how it was determined,” he said. “They haven’t spent time in the Methow Valley.”

Venable anticipates getting more money from the state, but less from the local levy in the future. Increased enrollment will

help — there are 25 new students at the elementary school and 15 new students at Liberty Bell, bringing total enrollment to a little more than 600. But that might not be enough to cover increased costs, particularly for salaries.

“The Legislature says they have fully complied and funded basic ed,” he said. “To me, that would mean there’d be no need for a school district to run a levy.”

Hawkins said passage of the law represents significant progress, but not a complete solution.

“I do believe the levy reform will help,” he said. “I don’t believe it’s all over and done with.”

As educators and financial experts study the law in detail, there are likely to be more aspects in need of elucidation.

Among the most pressing are how the state will calculate the number of students, since that fluctuates throughout the year, and how the state will define enrichment, said Arp. “But the highest, biggest question mark is whether the Supreme Court is going to accept this as a solution,” he said.

Photo by Marcy Stamper

New construction in the Methow Valley accounted for more than a third of the value of new building across the county.

the east side of the Methow River on Lloyd property. The in-kind services can include materials, labor, equipment, construction or maintenance of the trail.

Twisp’s long-term goal is to continue the trail over the bridge that crosses the Methow River on Twisp’s south end and along the river on the east side of the bridge.

Twisp officials had also hoped to begin construction of tennis courts behind the pool at the Twisp Park, but shelved that project when the construction bid came in too high, said Denham.

Lloyd Logging was the only bidder on the tennis courts, but

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the $128,752 bid was far over the $68,790 RCO grant the town had received to fund the proj-

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Methow Valley News

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Page A3

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Opinion

Page A4

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

No Bad Days

Ready for re-entry

I was in the checkout line at a Safeway store in Monroe last Thursday when the clerk blurted that I looked “like someone who just escaped from somewhere.”

She had a point. I hadn’t had a shave or a haircut in more than a month. I had the gaunt, hollow-eyed look of someone who had endured more than a bit of institutionalization.

I was a little slow on the uptake and my clothing was clean but haphazard, as if hastily borrowed from multiple closets.

Since I was in fact a bit of a shambles, I couldn’t take offense at the Don Nelson clerk’s observation. I was less than four hours removed from the hospital, still wearing my plastic patient ID bracelet — which I flashed as proof of my recently concluded incarceration.

After precisely four weeks at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, where I underwent two surgeries and intense IV antibiotic drips for an invasive infection, I had been sprung — with a prescription for several more weeks of scorched-earth antibiotics in hand.

After a long weekend in Seattle, I’m back in the Methow Valley, wondering how re-entry will go. I look different, having kept the better part of the beard (we’ll see what people think of that). I’ve been away while a lot of interesting things happened — the news just kept on coming. Winthrop hired a marshal; the smokejumper base got a reprieve; the Three Devils Road issue was settled; Little Star Montessori School launched its expansion — and much more.

I figure a month out of commission will require at least another month of catching up. Maybe more. But if I run into you — I hope I run into you — and still seem a little unfocused, be assured that I’m delighted to be back and can’t wait to be fully assimilated again.

Meanwhile, the Methow Valley News kept up with everything in grand fashion. To my everlasting, inexpressible gratitude, the newspaper staff and columnists cranked everything up a notch to ensure that 115 years of publication wouldn’t be interrupted. You might not have noticed the repeat bylines, but I sure did.

They were assisted by some of the best journalistic talent and community commitment this valley has seen. Karen West and Solveig Torvik, experienced newspeople with distinguished careers, interrupted their retirement to make substantial contributions. Columnists Mandi Donohue and Ashley Lodato filled in admirably with news and feature coverage. Ranger Rick Lewis has been showing off his chops as a sports writer.

And while she shuns the spotlight, I have to credit my partner, Jacqui Banaszynski, with helping to steer coverage and shape stories the past few weeks. Jacqui, a Pulitzer Prize-winnng reporter, has been a top editor at several large newspapers including The Oregonian and The Seattle Times. When I bought the News six years ago, we agreed it was my dream and my responsibility — not hers. You wouldn’t have known that these past few weeks.

While we needed those people’s best efforts to ensure the newspaper’s ongoing integrity, I have always thought of the News as a community effort. We rely on so many people in the valley and beyond to help us with news contributions, interviews, tips, advertising support, advice and perspective. The News is, in a sense, an information cooperative — everyone here has a role in making community journalism as good as it can be. That’s especially important now, when credible information can be hard to come by. If I haven’t thanked the Methow Valley enough for that in the past, let me reiterate my appreciation.

And I would be remiss in not thanking, again, everyone near and far who expressed their wishes for a speedy recovery — in emails, on Facebook and in cards and packages mailed to the hospital — or who called me or brought me books or dropped by for a few minutes.

Hospital hours are not easy to fill with anything that isn’t about being sick, so every contact was appreciated.

We drove back into the valley Sunday afternoon on Highway 20, the way I first discovered it more than 20 years ago. It was wonderfully familiar — and, as usual, a revelation. I’m always struck by the beauty and serenity of this amazing place, and impressed with the powerful sense of community that shapes how we live. It would take a lot more than a month away to make me lose sight of that.

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502 S. Glover Street • P.O. Box 97, Twisp, WA 98856 (509) 997-7011 • FAX (509) 997-3277 editor@methowvalleynews.com www.methowvalleynews.com Don Nelson, PUBLISHER/EDITOR Jacqui Banaszynski, EDITOR Marcy Stamper, REPORTER Ann McCreary, REPORTER Darla Hussey, PUBLICATION DESIGN Rebecca Vaughan, OFFICE MANAGER Sheila Ward, SALES ASSOCIATE Dana Sphar, AD DESIGN•PRODUCTION Mark Hutson, DISTRIBUTION

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Box 97: Letters to the editor

Methow Valley News

By Tania Gonzalez Ortega

Applause for Senior Center

Dear Editor: Our Methow Valley Senior Center takes care of us all! Thanks to our cooks who provide lunches for senior citizens as well as other members of our community at an affordable price. Volunteers offer a top-notch rummage room to provide clothing, books and household goods for sale. They support graduating high school seniors with college and technical school scholarships. There are many other services they provide always with a comforting smile.

But, what many of you don’t know is that they have provided tuition assistance to women and men in our community who have taken the CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) fast-track class offered by Wenatchee Valley College. This program has been offered in Winthrop for four years during the summer and taught by Sheila Brandenburg. As

a shout-out to all the volunteers in the rummage room, they collected donated scrubs and have passed them on to the students.

Everyone knows at least one volunteer at the Senior Center or on the board, and I

applaud everyone one of them. Let’s keep supporting this wonderful organization that takes care of so many of us.

Carol Gaston Winthrop

Hello?

Where are the Dan Evans Republicans?

“The Republican Party did not achieve greatness nor will it regain greatness by being a party of radicalism or of the lunatic fringe.”

Gov. Daniel J. Evans, 1965

As we were absorbing the fallout from electing a Republican president who waffles on white supremacists, an event at Olympic National Park recalled a moment when t he word “Republican” before Solveig Torvik a politician’s name wasn’t such a pejorative.

The recently designated Daniel J. Evans Wilderness in Olympic National Park honors the three-term Republican governor, former U.S. senator and president of The Evergreen State College. It’s a fitting tribute to his leadership in preserving this state’s most treasured landscapes.

A legislator who was elected governor in 1964 at age 39, Evans, now 91, authored the Washington State Wilderness Act that protects 1.5 million acres. He supported many conservation efforts such as creation of North Cascades National Park and pushed through completion of the North Cascades State Highway.

Whenever he was asked how much wilderness is needed, Evans recalled at the park ceremony, his reply was: “More,” the Seattle Times reported.

Try, for a moment, to put that answer into the mouth of today’s Republican leadership.

“To be called a Dan Evans Republican still bespeaks a high calling of bipartisanship and effectiveness in public service,” the Times rightly wrote.

It also bespeaks a certain measure of compassion, integrity and dedication to the larger public good that seems to elude so many of today’s Republican leaders.

So where are they, now that we need them, these Dan Evans Republicans? Hello?

Evans and I arrived in Washington, D.C., the same week in 1982. Evans had been appointed to the seat of Democratic Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson, who died unexpectedly. I had come to cover Washington’s Congressional delegation for the Seattle Post-

Intelligencer.

My first glimpse of what to expect from Evans by way of private comportment while in pursuit of the public’s business came around a dinner table. Someone made fun of Democratic political rival Mike Lowry, saying he looked like Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Others around the table laughed. But Evans said: “That’s unkind.” Full stop.

Imagine a Republican governor today calling the Legislature into special session just to focus on environmental protection, as Evans did. The resulting Department of Ecology was the nation’s first, established in 1970, even before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Would a Republican governor today kick the ultra-right wing John Birch Society out of the party, as Evans did? Create a state Department of Social and Health Services?

Generously invest in a community college system to broaden access to education? Or repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, try to reform an indefensible state tax system that requires those with the least to pay the most in terms of percentage of their incomes?

Evans was hardly the only Dan Evans Republican around. William Ruckelshaus moved from D.C. to Washington state, working on environmental issues. He had been appointed by President Nixon to be the first head of the EPA. Yet later, as deputy attorney general, Ruckelshaus resigned rather than cave to Nixon’s demands that the prosecutor investigating Nixon’s Watergate scandal be fired.

The late U.S. Rep. Joel Pritchard, whom Evans called his “chief political strategist,” plotted with Evans and future U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton to seize control of their ossified state Republican party.

Pritchard authored, and successfully battled to pass in the Legislature, the measure that led Washingtonians to vote to legalize abortions.

An outspoken critic of right-wing demagogue Joseph McCarthy, Pritchard also refused to defend Nixon during Watergate.

Republicans were in the minority during Pritchard’s 12 years in Congress. Widely respected for his bipartisanship, Pritchard

would have been sorely out of step in today’s Republican Congress.

Gorton became state attorney general, earning a reputation for vigilance in protecting consumers. Yet this ostensible Dan Evans Republican veered sharply right with his declaration of war against treaty tribes over fishing rights. Gorton re-litigated, and lost, the Indian Wars before the U.S. Supreme Court.

(The Makah Tribe, meanwhile, bestowed an honorary name, “Step by Step,” on Evans.)

With a sharp mind and sharp elbows, Sen. Gorton wandered further afield from Dan Evans Republicanism, savaging environmentalists. He lost his senate job to Democrats, twice.

Ralph Munro, who served as secretary of state for 20 years, indisputably was the state’s most popular politician. Best known for his spirited battle to prevent Puget Sound’s Orca whales from being captured to perform in aquariums, he was an irrepressible defender of Washington’s environment and heritage.

Evans called Munro, his former aide, “the man who taught me how to care.” Why? Rejected for military service, Munro decided to serve some of what would have been his military duty time as a volunteer at Fircrest, the state’s home for developmentally disabled youth. There Munro met a young man whom he visited every day except nine over a two-year period. And 47 years later, The Olympian reported in 2013, Munro was still serving as that young man’s guardian.

It didn’t stop there. Munro authored a referendum that paid for 100 new facilities for the disabled, got the words “imbecile” and “idiot” removed from the state constitution, pushed to get public school classrooms opened to the developmentally disabled and promoted legislation to require sidewalk curb cuts and wheelchair ramps.

To me, all this looks very much like a blueprint for progressive governance.

Absent the real thing, maybe the flailing Democratic Party should scrutinize the Dan Evans Republican playbook?

Solveig Torvik lives in Winthrop.

Sportsmen can thank themselves for public lands attack

By Ted Williams Writers on the Range

“I’m a Teddy Roosevelt conservationist,” declares Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

Really? Roosevelt pushed and ultimately signed the Antiquities Act of 1906 that gave presidents the authority to create national monuments. He then established 18 of them.

But now, at President Trump’s request, Zinke works to open national monuments to fossil fuel extraction.

Hunters and anglers say they are astonished and outraged. But without their support, Trump wouldn’t be president and Zinke wouldn’t be running Interior. If sportsmen read newspapers instead of hook-and-bullet rags, they’d have understood that state seizure of public lands is a plank in the GOP platform and that state lands get sold off or reserved for extractive industry.

In a Petersen’s Hunting piece entitled “Why Sportsmen Should Vote for Donald Trump,” the magazine’s editor reveals his reaction to meeting the candidate: “My heart

started to pound, my breath coming in short gulps.”

A group calling itself Sportsmen for Trump offered this: “Mr. Trump is the only candidate that will represent our values.”

“We as hunters, anglers and Americans can chalk this day up as a win for our sport,” effused Outdoorhub on Trump’s inauguration.

“Zinke a Good Choice as Interior Secretary,” proclaimed Bow Hunting.

As a condition for entering the union, most Western states agreed to disclaim all right to unappropriated public lands. In exchange, the federal government gave them “trust lands” with which to generate revenue through sale and development. So far, Utah has sold off 4.1 million acres of its trust lands, New Mexico 4 million acres, Montana 800,000 acres, Idaho 1.5 million acres, Colorado 1.7 million acres, and Arizona 1.7 million acres. Of the 2.7 million acres given to Nevada, only 3,000 acres remain.

One might suppose that the state wildlife professionals who belong to the Association

of Fish & Wildlife Agencies would work for the best interests of the hunting- and fishing-license buyers who help pay their salaries. Instead, they led the successful charge against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule to reassert control of the American public’s 73 million acres of national wildlife refuges in Alaska. Necessitating that rule was the board’s attempt to convert both federal and state lands to a vast “Stop & Shop” for moose and caribou meat by killing off bears and wolves.

Traditionally, the Fish and Wildlife Service has allowed states to manage wildlife on the agency’s refuges, but things got so out of hand in Alaska it had to protect the public’s wildlife from the board’s 1920s-style predator jihad. As then-Director Dan Ashe wrote in the Aug. 3, 2016, Huffington Post: “The Alaska Board of Game has unleashed a withering attack on bears and wolves that is wholly at odds with America’s long tradition of ethical, sportsmanlike, fair-chase hunting.

See LANDS, A5

Methow Valley News

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

VOLUNTEERS

From Page A1

longer commutes to work. When people lived closer together in a town, a siren would alert the community to emergencies and people would run to assist.

“People live so far out now,” he says.

And today’s volunteer firefighter also must meet more rigorous qualifications.

Rather than just showing up to do whatever needed doing, recruits now take required courses over several months and are drilled by the paid professionals to ensure they understand firefighting basics — everything from tying knots to proper use of equipment.

“If you’re watching that firefighter’s back,” Acord says, “he’s expecting you to know that knowledge and have that ability.”

Practicing skills

Once certified, volunteers also are

expected to attend weekly meetings to keep their skills updated. Specialized training, such as driving the fire engines or working controls of the pumps, is optional.

The time demands makes recruitment difficult, especially of younger people.

Crosby says the average age of volunteer firefighters here is now close to 60. He’s 63 and has been a volunteer with the district for four years. Fahnestock is 64 and a five-year volunteer.

But a shortage of volunteers can have costly consequences, according to Acord. Response times to emergency calls will be slower, and structures will burn longer, he said. And volunteers, who are paid $10 per event, save taxpayers in Fire District 6 an estimated $2.4 million a year, according to Acord’s calculation of what it would cost to support paid crews for round-the-clock coverage.

“It is definitely a commitment and definitely a need,” Acord said. “Please volunteer.”

Typically, only 50 percent of volun-

Page A5

teers per station will have the time and ability to show up to a call. So at a station like Mazama — that currently has only seven volunteers — “that really leaves us with three and half people,” Crosby says.

“Not to mention, one is out with a knee problem and another splits his time between here and Alaska,” Fahnestock continues.

The decline in volunteer firefighters is a nationwide problem, and exacerbated by a dramatic increase in the number of emergency calls. In the last 30 years, the number of volunteers has dropped from a high of 898,000 in 1984 to 808,000 in 2015, according to statistics kept by the National Volunteer Fire Council.

But during that same period, call volume has tripled, from just under 12 million a year to almost 34 million. That’s because volunteers are now tapped to respond to a greater range of emergencies, calls for medical emergencies have risen and there are more automatic fire alarms.

“Therein lies a lot of the issue for these departments,” said Kimberly Quiros, chief of communications for the volunteer council.

The volunteer council recently launched a nationwide recruitment campaign to “get the younger generation back in,” Quiros said. A survey at the beginning of the campaign found that 44 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds were interested in volunteering, but many didn’t know their local departments needed more recruits.

“There’s a big awareness gap,” Quiros said.

Small communities impacted Dave Crosby, left, and Alan Fahnestock relax at the Mazama station.

LANDS

From Page A4

… There comes a time when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must stand up for the authorities and principles that underpin our work and say, ‘no.’”

That thinking doesn’t compute with Congress or the Trump administration. In April, the president signed legislation repealing the federal wildlife agency’s Alaska refuge rule. On federal lands Alaska now allows the shooting of grizzly and brown bears over bait, shooting mother bears with cubs as well as killing the cubs themselves, shooting bears and wolves from planes, and dispatching wolves and wolf pups in their dens.

When the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies attacked Ashe for standing up for the wildlife that belongs to all Americans, it was joined by The Pope and Young Club, Quail Forever, Orion the Hunters Institute, Pheasants Forever, Wild Sheep Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Boone and Crockett Club, Ducks Unlimited, Quality Deer Management Association and Safari Club, to mention just a few.

The hypocrisy is mind-boggling. Consider some of the pious statements issuing from these same groups on the issue of public lands remaining in public hands:

Small communities in rural areas are especially hard hit as young people leave

Pope and Young Club, Quail Forever, Orion the Hunters Institute, Pheasants Forever, Wild Sheep Foundation: “As sportsmen-based organizations, we are alarmed that some decision makers are promoting the idea that federal public lands should be transferred to individual states.”

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: “Transferring or selling these lands to states … may also close the door to public access for hunters, anglers, hikers and others.”

Boone and Crockett Club: “Federal lands are the foundation of the most successful conservation system in the world.”

Ducks Unlimited: “We do not believe it would be constructive to … liquidate the national interest in federal land management.”

Compounding their hypocrisy, these groups were virtually silent about the felonious, 41-day armed occupation and trashing of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

With friends like the publications that “educate” them and the organizations that “represent” them, hunters and anglers don’t need enemies.

Ted Williams is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News. He writes the monthly “Recovery” column for The Nature Conservancy’s online magazine, Cool Green Science.

Photo by Mandi Donohue

Training in how to use equipment is part of the volunteers’ regimen. for better job opportunities in urban areas or young couples work multiple jobs to make ends meet, she said. “And any community with under 2,500 people is protected entirely by volunteers,” she said.

The unincorporated area of Mazama hasn’t experienced a wildfire in more than a decade, and might only receive 15-20 calls in a busy year. But that doesn’t minimize the potential problems. For example, aside from the Edelweiss community, Mazama has no water hydrants. The Mazama Station houses a structure engine, commonly known as a fire truck, a tender truck that holds backup water and a brush truck used to fight wildfires.

The equipment is in good shape and upgrades are scheduled regularly, but with no hydrants available, firefighters have to rely on the water at hand. A fire truck holds 1,000 gallons of water, and is capable of running 1,250 gallons

a minute through its hoses, meaning it empties in less than a minute. A tender holds 3,000 gallons, but even at that “you need guys running back and forth to a water source as fast as they can,” Crosby says. “It’s crazy.”

Those challenges aside, both Crosby and Fahnestock agree that once you become a volunteer firefighter, you’re hooked. “The adrenaline— unlike anything I’ve ever done in my life,” Crosby says. “Spike-oh! Your mind is thinking and your heart is beating from the minute you leave the house.”

Crosby also says he’s benefited personally from his firefighting experience.

He has learned how to better protect his own house and how to identify risks in the surrounding neighborhood.

For information about becoming a volunteer firefighter, visit their website: http://okanogancountyfd6.com or reach out to your local fire station.

Paint job

Photo by Ashley Lodato

Members of the Liberty Bell High School senior class individualized their personal parking spaces last week.

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Page A6

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Methow Valley News

Diamond Creek Fire advances north toward Canadian border Local efforts focus on southern perimeter

By Ann McCreary

Fire officials on both sides of the border were keeping watch on the Diamond Creek Fire as it advanced northward early this week toward Canada.

“There was substantial growth” on the north end of the wildfire, which had moved to within about 3 miles of the border, said Connie Mehmel of the Methow Valley Ranger District. The district took over command of the fire last week from an incident management team.

The fire advanced in the East Fork Pasayten Creek into Whistler Basin and around Deception Pass, Mehmel said.

She estimated that the fire burned about 1,000 acres on Monday (Aug. 28), fed by high temperatures and low humidity. Although an infrared flight had not pinpointed exact acreage as of Tuesday (Aug. 29), the estimated growth would bring the burned area to about 34,000 acres.

The northward movement of the fire forced closure of a portion of the Boundary Trail between Spanish Camp and the Pasayten Airstrip. To avoid the closed area, hikers coming from the east would probably need to head out Andrews

Creek, and hikers coming from the west would have to travel out via Robinson Creek, Mehmel said.

The Methow Ranger District is coordinating closely with the British Columbia Ministry of Forest Land and Natural Resource Operations, which is doing additional reconnaissance flights to monitor the fire’s northern perimeter, Mehmel said.

“We may get some assistance from Canada on the north end,” she said.

“Everybody’s looking at it and trying to make a plan.”

Mehmel said the primary focus for the Methow Valley Ranger District is holding the fire on the southern perimeter. A helicopter is making repeated water drops on the Drake Creek and Pat Creek areas to cool the fire, she said.

“We have to concentrate our efforts on the south end. That’s where we have values at risk,” she said.

Fire crews over the past several weeks have tied together old roads, skid roads, harvest units and prescribed burns to create a contingency fire line south of the fire extending almost all the way from Highway 20 to the West Chewuch Road.

Chippers were continuing this week to treat slash that was created as part of preparation work on the indirect fire line along Ortell Creek and Deer Creek

Roads. A road grader and three water tenders have repaired damage to Goat Creek Road past Spokane Gulch that was caused by heavy traffic during fire suppression.

The repair work on the road was expected to continue moving toward Goat Peak Lookout trailhead this week.

People traveling on Goat Creek Road (5225) should be aware that heavy equipment is on the road, Mehmel said.

Some unburned interior areas of the fire around Goat Mountain were burning out early this week, and the upper end of the Eightmile Creek drainage in the wilderness is still burning, Mehmel said.

The increase in the fire’s activity filled the valley with smoke again on Monday and Tuesday (Aug. 28 – 29).

The extended forecast called for continued hot dry weather with temperatures in the 80s and 90s.

There has been no change in road closures. Road and trail conditions can be found at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/ closures/5409/. Fire restrictions remain in place.

The fire was reported on July 23 by a hiker in the Pasayten Wilderness who hiked to a ridgetop to call it in. It is determined to be human-caused, and an investigation is underway. The fire is expected to continue burning until a wetting rain or snow occurs.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service

Active fire in the upper Drake Creek drainage has been the target of ongoing helicopter water drops.

Okanogan PUD general manager put on paid leave while conduct is under review

Paving the way

“We have received some information concerning Mr. Grubich’s conduct in his role that causes us significant concern. The extended leave of absence will allow us to gather the complete facts so that we can make a decision regarding the next steps in the best interests of the Okanogan Public Utility District.”

The commissioners also met in an executive session at the end of last week’s meeting. Vejraska said in an interview that he could not provide any additional information at this time.

Don Coppock, the PUD’s director of accounting, finance and administration, is acting as interim general manager.

The commissioners’ next board meeting

By Marcy Stamper

The general manager of the Okanogan County Public Utility District (PUD) has been placed on paid administrative leave so that the utility’s board of commissioners can gather “complete facts” regarding information they received about his conduct, according to board president Scott Vejraska.

John Grubich was initially placed on leave from Aug. 4 through 22. But at the Aug. 21 board meeting, commissioners unanimously voted to extend the leave until Sept. 11.

The extended leave was voted after Vejraska read this statement into the meeting record:

is Sept. 11.

Grubich was hired as general manager at the Okanogan PUD in October 2007, coming from a job as the chief financial officer for the Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks, Alaska. When he joined the PUD, Grubich brought more than 30 years of experience in business, finance and accounting, 20 of them in the electric utility industry.

Grubich has a law degree and an MBA from Gonzaga University and was in-house counsel for six years for a large, privately held corporation in Spokane.

Grubich’s annual salary was increased to $195,458 in May 2016.

New marijuana farms in county on hold Photo by Ann McCreary

Crews were preparing early this week to pour concrete for a new sidewalk and bike path along Highway 20 on the south end of Twisp.

The project began earlier this summer with replacement of 50-year-old water mains between Marble Street and Airport Road prior to sidewalk construction. The water line replacement was funded through a Rural Development low-interest loan obtained by Twisp from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The sidewalk project received funding through the Federal Highway Administration and the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board. Completion is expected in mid-September.

A moratorium on new marijuana farms is in effect until the end of the year, but the Okanogan County commissioners lifted the moratorium on new marijuana processing operations after a public hearing on Aug. 21.

The commissioners had imposed a six-month moratorium at the end of June on new operations to grow, process or sell marijuana. It also had halted the expansion of existing operations.

At the first public hearing on the mat-

ter in July, the commissioners allowed new retail operations to go forward.

After last week’s hearing, processing operations will also be allowed to set up in the county.

The Okanogan County Planning Department is creating an advisory committee with representatives of the cannabis industry and the public to provide input to the county’s planning commission to address concerns about marijuana farming.

The committee will review where

farms can be located and whether permits for them would be subject to conditions. The aim is to avoid siting cannabis operations in areas where they are incompatible with surrounding land uses, and to increase certainty for those applying for permits, according to the commissioners’ resolution.

The planning commissioners will advise the county commissioners. The moratorium can be repealed or extended as needed, according to Laleña Johns, clerk of the board.

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Methow Valley News

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Page A7

Fishy reasons behind big Atlantic salmon escape Did eclipse-driven tides release a pen of salmon off the coast of Washington?

By Mark Yuasa Crosscut

Lummi Tribal fishermen fishing near Samish south of Bellingham Bay have already reported catching some of the thousands of Atlantic salmon escapees that recently fled a Cooke Aquaculture fish farm over the weekend.

State fisheries issued a freefor-all emergency sport-fishing bounty on an unknown number of farm-raised Atlantic salmon that escaped from net pens in Deepwater Bay, located on the east side of Cypress Island in the San Juan Islands. The Cooke Aquaculture net pen holds about 305,000 fish averaging 8 to 10 pounds each, a news release said.

The Cooke Aquaculture farm blamed “exceptionally high tides and currents coinciding with solar eclipse” for the net pen failure.

But tribal fishery managers disagree about what might have caused the accident reported to

Fish and Wildlife on Saturday, Aug. 19.

“I don’t understand why they claim the big tidal exchange is to blame since we’ve recently had bigger tidal exchanges,” said Casey Ruff, the management director of the Skagit River System Cooperative, a tribal natural resource management group for the SaukSuiattle Indian Tribe and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

“If that was the case then this failure should’ve happened earlier. We have surveyors out keeping an eye on the spawning grounds since currently there are no fisheries in the (Skagit) rivers.”

Ruff’s concern has raised a red flag for many Puget Sound tribes as Cooke considers placing another net-pen farm in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca near Port Angeles, Washington.

“Amongst the tribes, these net-pen operations have been a big concern, and we have grave issues with their proposed expansion and negative effects to wild salmon resources,” Ruff said.

“Our hope is the Department of Ecology comes up with a best management framework for these operations trying to get permits to expand.”

The tribes are most concerned that the escaped Atlantic salmon may negatively impact native

Puget Sound salmon stocks by competing for food and/or possibly passing along disease. Some of the native salmon stocks are listed under the Endangered Species Act. State Fish and Wildlife is also concerned about the impact these escaped Atlantic salmon might have on the ecosystem.

“Our first concern, of course, is to protect native fish species,” said Ron Warren, head of WDFW’s Fish Program, in a press release issued Tuesday. “So we’d like to see as many of these escaped fish caught as possible.”

The department is monitoring the situation and crafting a spillresponse plan with Cooke. It is also investigating whether this was eclipse and/or tidal-related — or not.

In the meantime, state fisheries are asking sport anglers who are fishing in open marine areas like the San Juan Islands and Bellingham Bay, as well as in nearby rivers, to keep as many Atlantic salmon as possible — and to report their catch immediately to a hotline at (360) 902-2700.

“We’d like to gather as much information as possible on where folks are catching them, and how far they have dispersed from the net pen area,” said Ryan Lothrop,

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

A male Atlantic salmon. Thousands were accidentally released off Washington’s coast. the state Fish and Wildlife Puget Sound recreational salmon manager. “Also, if anglers figure out how to catch them, we’d like to know what technique works best.”

Anglers must possess a valid fishing license (to catch salmon in saltwater and trout in freshwater), and there is no daily catch, possession or size limit on Atlantic salmon caught in open anad-

romous waters. Anglers must stop fishing for Atlantic salmon once they attain a daily limit on other salmon species.

An Atlantic salmon is identifiableby the large spots on the gill cover. There is no silver on the tail, and the dorsal, ventricle, and tail fins are likely eroded from containment in net pens.

Anglers who catch Atlantic

salmon, and who want to deliver the fish or its head to the department for research purposes, are asked to call the hotline.

There have been previous escapes of Atlantic salmon from commercial net pens in Puget Sound in the mid-to-late 1990s.

This story was made available by the High Country News.

State agencies on alert for Atlantic salmon heading to Columbia River

By Marcy Stamper

Although the thousands of Atlantic salmon released when commercial nets ruptured are a long way from the mouth of the Columbia River — the portal to headwaters in the Methow Valley — state agencies responding to the crisis are proceeding as if it’s a real possibility that some fish could enter the Columbia.

“Concerns run the gamut.

We’re treating it as a serious environmental incident,” said Cori Simmons, public information officer for the multiagency incident com ma nd

handling the spill.

Cooke Aquaculture notified the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on Aug. 19 of the failure of a net pen near Anacortes that held about 305,000 Atlantic salmon.

Current estimates of the number of fish released range from 4,000 to 185,700, according to WDFW. “The Columbia River is so far from the location of this accident that it hasn’t even come up,” said Bruce Botka, a spokesman for WDFW, one of three state agencies collaborating on the response. “It doesn’t mean people aren’t thinking about it, but

we’re focused on recovery.”

Cooke Aquaculture, the company that has a permit to raise the salmon, is responsible for recovering the fish and salvaging the badly damaged containment structure, said Simmons.

While there is no estimate about how long that part of the recovery will take, officials are hoping to accomplish most of the work during the low, slack tides this week, she said.

Most of the fish are congregating in the shallows in the sound near the pens, said Botka. Some fish have swum north toward the Strait of Georgia, and there are reports of fish caught in the

Puget Sound, but the fish do not appear to be heading far south, he said.

Cooke Aquaculture produces eggs at a hatchery in Thurston County and transfers them north to the net pens. “These fish spend their lifetime in nets, so there’s none of that generic material that tells them to go to a place to spawn,” said Botka.

“These are definitely not wild fish, and they’re not behaving like wild fish.”

Still, some of the salmon have headed toward freshwater. WDFW, tribal fisheries and Cooke Aquaculture are all working to recover those fish,

said Botka.

After “catastrophic events” resulted in the spill of 591,000 Atlantic salmon in three consecutive years in the 1990s, a 1999 WDFW study conducted found that escaped fish were not colonizing local watersheds and had not significantly affected native fish.

The study found some evidence of naturally produced Atlantic salmon in streams on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, indicating that escaped Atlantic salmon are capable of successfully producing offspring in the wild.

Nevertheless, the researchers

said, “To date, there is no evidence of a naturally-produced Atlantic salmon surviving in the wild to maturity and spawning. Much is still unknown about escaped Atlantic salmon in Washington.”

W DF W is enc ou r ag i ng anglers to catch as many Atlantic salmon as they can. The fish weigh 8 to 10 pounds and are safe to eat.

The Washington Department of Ecology is handling waterquality issues associated with the breach.

The cause of the net failure is still under investigation, said Simmons.

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Page A8

Arts & Culture Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Methow Valley News

Return of the big screen The Barnyard Cinema aims to offer a classic movie-going experience

By Ann McCreary

The ambiance of The Barnyard Cinema is reminiscent of elegant movie houses that thrived during the glamour days of Hollywood, and that will be a big part its attraction, the theater owners hope.

Despite a barn-like exterior and name that implies rustic simplicity, The Barnyard Cinema’s interior is decorated with original art, art deco design elements, blue velvet curtains, a pressed-tin ceiling, vintage lights, a chandelier, and distinctive plush movie theater carpeting.

“The spirit is an old-world movie theater. Theaters were more elegant then. There was a glamour to it,” said Genevieve Cole, a partner in the new cinema.

The Barnyard Cinema, located on Highway 20 on the south end of Winthrop, opens to the public on Thursday (Aug. 31). It offers Methow Valley residents and visitors a new, yet old, experience — going out to the movies.

In these days when people can watch movies in their living room, on their computer or even on their smart phones, the creators of The Barnyard Cinema are providing an alternative — a stylish, comfortable space where people can come together to share the experience of watching films.

“You have to bring that back a little bit if you want people to

Arts briefs Logjam Festival at Old Schoolhouse

Old Schoolhouse Brewery in Winthrop will host its annual Logjam Festival this weekend, featuring four nights of music.

All of the events are free. Thursday (Aug. 31) features Americana and folk by Jess Clemons, Okan Annie and Matt Gentry; on Friday (Sept. 1), Lynette Westendorf, Howie Johnson and Jason Russell will perform as a jazz trio; on Saturday (Sept.

2), more folk music will be presented by Robert Sarazin Blake & the Put It All Down in a Letters; and Sunday will conclude the event with hip hop music

by Barren Eyes, Okan Annie and DJ Bullfrog. All the shows begin at 7 p.m. For more information, call 996-3183.

Artist-in-residence applications

Confluence Gallery in Twisp is soliciting applicants for its artist-in-residence program for fall/winter 2017-18. The selected artist will receive three free

The Barnyard Cinema hosts its grand opening beginning Thursday (Aug. 31) and continuing through Labor Day weekend. The lineup includes: • “Cinema Paradiso,” Thursday, 5 and 8 p.m.

• “Beatriz at Dinner,” Friday, 9 p.m.; Saturday, 5 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 8 p.m.; Monday, 5 p.m.

• “Step,” Friday, 4 p.m.; Saturday, 3 p.m.; Sunday, noon; Monday, 3 p.m.

• “Unforgiven,” Friday, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 7:15 p.m.; Sunday, 6 p.m.; Monday, noon • “Spirited Away,” Saturday, noon; Sunday, 2 p.m. leave their homes. You’ve got to offer something different,” Cole said in an interview last week as the final touches to the theater were being completed.

Watching a movie in a theater with other viewers is a much different experience than viewing it privately. The Barnyard Cinema seeks to counteract the isolation brought about by technology and sustain movies as the shared event that they used to be, Cole said. “People are wanting these institutions not to disappear. It’s a cultural experience,” she said.

As part of the movie-going experience, The Barnyard Cinema includes a concessions counter with traditional movie fare — candy, hot dogs, drinks and popcorn with a variety of seasonings.

The cinema will also sell wine and beer at a bar with a shiny zinc countertop, offering six beers including one local brew from Old Schoolhouse Brewery, and four wines, including two local Lost River Winery choices.

The theater will also offer Blue Star coffee.

Flexible space

The lobby includes several small tables with chairs and bench seating, and a shaded outdoor deck with custom-made Adirondack chairs where customers can

months of studio access, and will have a solo exhibit on Jan. 13, 2018. The application fee is $15, and the deadline is Friday (Sept. 1). For more information, call 997-2787 or email salyna@ confluencegallery.com.

Paintings by Kimberly Trowbridge

Large-scale oil paintings by Kimberly Trowbridge will be displayed at the 24HR Mart in Twisp from Sept. 2 – Oct. 21.

There will be an opening reception on Sept. 9 from 6-10 p.m., and a gallery talk on Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. For more information, email max@twentyfourhourmart.com.

Orchestra rehearsals

Rehearsals begin Sept. 7 for the Cascadia Holiday concerts on Dec. 12 and 13 at the Methow Valley Community Center, Room 3. Local musicians are welcome from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (and weekly thereafter). For more information, call 997-0222.

take food and beverages.

The screening room, where movies are shown, seats 78 people. It includes comfortable chairs, including some recliners, on a center floor, as well as tiers of traditional fixed seats at the back of the room and balcony seating. The chairs on the floor can be removed for other events, increasing the room’s capacity to 300 people.

The seats face a wall of floorto-ceiling windows that frame a dramatic mountain view. When it’s movie time, blue velvet curtains slide across the windows and a large screen descends slowly from the ceiling. “Isn’t it dramatic?” Cole asked as she brought the screen down.

While film is the primary focus of Barnyard Cinema, the facility will also host other events, such as live music and lectures.

Cole, who is in charge of lining up movies and programs, said she want to tap into the ability to stream arts, sports and current events. Picture sitting in the theater and watching a recent performance of the Bolshoi Ballet while sipping a glass of champagne, for example, Cole said.

“That’s how small theaters are staying alive today — through varied programming,” she said.

“I would have killed to have been open for the presidential debates

Artist-to-Artist

Join fellow artists for a Artistto-Artist gathering at the home studios of Joanne Marracci and VBlast in Twisp on Sept. 9, 5 – 7 p.m. Marracci is a silversmith and VBlast is a multimedia artist working in sculpture and painting. The studios are located at 451 Balky Hill Road, Twisp.

The gathering is free, but bring your own beverage and a snack to share. Artist-to-artist gatherings are presented by Confluence Gallery.

Hart’s newest book

Local author and historian Richard Hart invites the community to celebrate the release of his new book, “Lost Homeland: the Methow Tribe and the Columbia Reservation,” on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. at the Shafer Historical Museum in Winthrop. The book was published by the museum. For more information, call 996-2712.

‘Land and Sky’ art exhibit

A new exhibit opens at the

Photo by Ann McCreary

Comfortable seating is part of the experience at The Barnyard Cinema. last year.”

Cole also wants to offer educational programming in collaboration with local schools. “I want to support what they’re teaching through film.” That could include showing film versions of books that students are reading, or presenting movies and documentaries related to subjects that are being studied.

In choosing what movies to offer the community, Cole said her goal is to select films representing six genres — classic, documentaries, foreign, cult, family and new releases. She wants to bring films that appeal to different tastes, but draws the line at some movies. “I am not going to play ‘The Emoji Movie’ no matter what,” she said.

Filling the void

The Barnyard Cinema was inspired by a longing for movies that persisted after Cole and

Winthrop Gallery from Sept.

13 to Oct. 16. There will be an artists’ reception on Sept. 15 from 5 – 7 p.m. For more information, call 996-3925.

Methow At Home benefit

Hank Cramer will perform at the Twisp Valley Grange on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 6:30 p.m.

Admission is by donation and all funds raised will benefit Methow At Home. The event is BYOB plus some finger food to share. Contact methowathome@gmail.com for more information.

Plein Aire workshop

Join master painter Rod Weagant for a two-day workshop painting en plein aire on Sept. 15 – 17.

Weagant will teach strategies for seeing with a painter’s eye and how to paint in the open air. Demonstrations will be in oil paint but students may use any medium. All levels are welcome.

The workshop costs $225

her husband, Steve, moved to the Methow Valley from Seattle five years ago. The Coles, who live in Mazama with their three daughters, loved going to movies and found it hard to shake that part of their former urban life. So they decided to fill the void by building their own theater.

They partnered on the project with two other Mazama couples, Robert and Sally Gatlin and Kirk and Jennifer Schumacher, arranging financing with a Wenatchee bank through the Small Business Administration.

Construction by Blackcap Builders Collective began a little over a year ago.

“We a ll st uck it out. We c ont i nue d t o buy i nt o t he idea. I can’t believe this is happening,” Cole said.

The Barnyard Cinema has a membership program for individuals, couples and families at different membership levels that

per student, with a materials list provided upon registration. To register, or find out more, contact Confluence Gallery at 997-2787 or email salyna@confluencegallery.com.

Guitarist Pierre Bensusan

Award-winning French-Algerian guitarist, singer and composer Pierre Bensusan, who plays world, classical, jazz, traditional and folk music, will appear at The Merc Playhouse

offer benefits including reduced or free tickets, free popcorn and admission to an Academy Awards party. Cole said 40 people have become members.

The Barnyard Cinema will offer movies throughout Labor Day weekend grand opening, including Monday. For the cinema’s first night on Thursday, Cole has chosen a film that is centered on a movie theater.

“Cinema Paradiso” is a 1988 Italian film about a filmmaker who recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village’s theater. “It’s a film everybody can watch. It just resonates with me on so many levels,” Cole said.

Ticket prices at The Barnyard Cinema are $12 for adults and $10 for youths 16 and under.

For information about upcoming movies and show times, visit the website at www.thebarnyardcinema.com or call 996-3222.

on Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 at www.brownpapertickets. com; $25 at the door. For more information, call 997-0222.

Celebrating cultures

Reggae artist Clinton Fearon and Tex-Mex band Juan Barco y Amigos perform in an outdoor concert at Pearrygin Lake State Park on Sept. 17 from 2 – 5 p.m..

The park provides lots of space for dancing and celebration of Mexican Independence Day. The event is free.

Methow Valley Farmers Market

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Methow Valley News

Sports & Recreation Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Page A9

Lady Lions aiming for another trip to state soccer finals

By Rick Lewis

For 17 seasons, the Liberty Bell High School girls’ soccer teams have been building a rich tradition of winning on the field and in the classroom, which they are poised and ready to continue this year.

In the past 10 years, the Lady Lions have made regular trips to the WIAA state tournament, earning final four berths three of the past four years and establishing themselves as the premier 1B/2B class program in eastern Washington.

Add to the success on the field their six WIAA academic state titles in the past 10 years, the past three consecutively, and one finds a recipe for success that places Liberty Bell among the state soccer elite, regardless of classification.

Coach Lincoln Post, now in his fourth year at the helm, is high on this year’s squad, despite the departure of four key players to graduation. While filling those spots might prove problematic, some 20 young women, led by a strong senior class, look to again make the state final four and bring home some hardware. Post will be assisted by Katie Overbeck and volunteers Daniel Ochoa

and Paul Niccolazzo.

Post really believes this squad has that potential. Experience is the key factor, as well as an advantage for his charges. He recognizes that the competition at the final four level is tough.

Indeed, other coaches at the state tournament are surprised when they learn that Liberty Bell doesn’t have any players participating in club or “elite” teams in the high school off-season.

Instead, Post looks toward his team’s defensive play, tournament experience, teamwork and camaraderie as key factors in Liberty Bell’s success.

“A strong team ethic can beat a team with premier players,” Post said, referring to how his girls play, interact and care about each other.

Returning this year are some hungry players who have been to the final four twice recently and have lofty ambitions.

Senior goalkeeper Lauren Ochoa looks to be the vocal leader on the field, constantly barking out directions, calling the defense and shouting encouragement from her station protecting the front of the Liberty Bell net. She smiles confidently when asked about this team’s potential. “I think we can win the whole thing,” she said. Her desire to succeed is

matched only by her confidence in her team, with a realization that they have been there and know what it takes to move up the ladder.

Joining Ochoa are a number of veterans who have been playing together for years. Hailey and Anna Post, Stella Gunnip-Hunter and Cece Odell all are back for their senior year, joined by incoming senior Carlynn Treise. The underclasses are also infused with quality players including “legacy players” sophomore Tommy Ochoa and incoming freshman Julia Dietz, who both are following the Lady Lions’ family tradition.

Treise is a three-sport athlete who has found a home on the pitch, settling in and transferring her experience on the basketball floor to the grass. According to coach Post, she is a quick study, having not previously played soccer at the high school level. In their first practice, “I pulled her aside and told her this was just like basketball,” he said. “If you have the ball, find someone open and get it to them. If you don’t have the ball, get open and get ready.”

The coach said it all clicked in at that moment for Treise. “She is going to be a significant contributor. She is a very good athlete,” Post said.

Photo by Rick Lewis

Sophomore Tommy Ochoa looks to blast the ball past her sister, senior goalkeeper Lauren, in fall practice.

For her part, Treise says she really enjoys the soccer experience. “It’s outside in the fresh air, lots of exercise and the team environment is wonderful,” she said.

It’s that environment, and experience, that Post hopes will again carry the Mountain Lions to the lofty heights of

state soccer success this year.

Early home action for Liberty Bell includes a match versus Okanogan on Tuesday (Sept. 5) at 4 p.m.; Sept. 16 against Lake Roosevelt; Sept.

19 at 4 p.m. versus Omak; and 4 p.m. on Sept. 26 when the Lady Lions entertain Manson.

Liberty Bell girls’ volleyball team sees net gains in upcoming season

By Rick Lewis

With the loss of five seniors from last year’s squad, the Liberty Bell High School girls’ volleyball program might be looking to rebuild itself, one would think.

That is not necessarily the case, however, as there are again five seniors on this year’s team who look to build on the foundation set by second-year coach Christine Scott.

Scott sets as a team goal “to continue to improve their skills and competitiveness” as they transition from 2016 into the 2017 season. While last year’s record did not advance Liberty Bell to district play, Scott said that several coaches commented on the feistiness of the Lady Lions and their competitive nature, which makes the matches fun.

A priority for the Mountain Lions this year is to work on physical endurance and mental toughness. On several occasions, Scott noted that “we just seemed to lose energy” as the match wore on. As a result, there are some opportunities in practice to enhance stamina through increased conditioning and drawing out the competitive nature in the girls. With the help of junior high coach Stephanie Mitchell, a regimen of constant skills drilling, running and competitions within practice are the routine.

It is difficult to coach height, and it’s the lack size in the front row that may provide a challenge for this year’s Liberty Bell team. Scott hopes to overcome that with competitiveness, spirit and hustle.

Key retur ning players include

seniors Katie Labanauskas, Devin Surface and Emily Paul. Liliana Hart-Beck looks to step up and join her classmates at the varsity level this year. Also looking to join the varsity as full-timers are Hannah Bakke, Isabella Dinsmore and Hailey Dammann.

Junior libero Ruthann Matteson has already taken on the leadership role left open by the departure of the graduated Erin Schuh.

Some newcomers to watch include Spencer Hoffner, who moves over from soccer, and freshman Arabella Chrastina, a new arrival in the community from Texas. Both are showing some early talent and could be fun to watch as they learn and blend in with this team.

Maddie Surface moves up from the junior high squad this year. Senior

Devin Surface is ready for the chance to play alongside her freshman sister.

It is their “first chance to play a sport together,” said Devin. “I’m excited.”

Defensively, the Lady Lions look skilled and quick with Matteson and Hoffner in the back row. Both move laterally very well and show quickness with the hands in diving and digging.

Surface and Paul are capable setters, with Labanauskas and Chrastina providing height in the front row for the offense.

For consistency in the program, the varsity and junior high programs are practicing together in the two-week period before school opens. It makes for a rather impressive fall camp, and senior Liliana Hart-Beck likes the format. “It’s so exciting to see so many young players,” she said. The future is

bright as there are several eighth-graders who appear ready to challenge the upper classes.

Mitchell will serve as full-time assistant once the junior high season is complete. Schuh is helping with the team until she heads to Corvallis for college at Oregon State University. Meghan Dammann, another 2017 graduate, is also volunteering her time this early fall.

Early matches include the County Jamboree at Okanogan High School on Thursday (Aug. 31). Liberty Bell is on the road to open the season on Sept. 5 at Manson, then on Sept. 12 at Oroville.

The first home match they will host will be on Sept. 19 versus the Omak Pioneers. Other September home dates include Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. (Brewster); Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. (Bridgeport); and Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. (Waterville).

Sports briefs Regional fish and wildlife issues

Residents of north central Washington who are interested in fish and wildlife issues can talk with local Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff at a pub-

lic meeting on Tuesday, Sept.

19, in Pateros. The meeting is scheduled from 6 – 8 p.m. at Howard’s on the River Central Building, 233 Lakeshore Drive.

In a press release, WDFW North Central Region Director Jim Brown said the last few

years of wildfires, drought and low fish returns have affected fish and wildlife populations and the local fishing and hunting economy. These trends have challenged area residents and WDFW resource managers alike, he said.

“This is an informal oppor-

tunity to talk with our fish and wildlife biologists and enforcement officers about these issues, whether they relate to post-wildfire habitat recovery, this summer’s new wild chinook salmon fishery, or other concerns area residents might have,” Brown said.

Brown said WDFW staff will provide updates on some issues, but that most of the meeting will be dedicated to questions, comments and discussion with attendees. WDFW’s North Central Region includes Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties.

Physicals for high school athletes

Family Health Centers in Twisp is offering free sports physicals for high school athletes until Sept. 15. Call ( 8 0 0) 6 6 0 -21 2 9 f o r a n appointment.

free introduction to

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WINTHROP MARKET EVERY SUNDAY 10AM-2PM

Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend

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Local produce, art, crafts & more.

In the shady Winthrop Town Park

Sponsored by the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce

The San Francisco-Munich Duo Saturday September 9th, 7pm at The Merc in Twisp Rebecca Rust & Friedrich Edelmann have played together in duos, trios and larger chamber music groups for over 30 years. They’ve performed in Prague, Warsaw, Szczecin, Gdansk, Tunis, Rabat, Casablanca, Israel, and the US as well as in Japan (concerts for the memory of the victims of the Hanshin Earthquake in 1995); and as soloists together with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra). They have performed on multiple occasions at the Imperial Palace for the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Free admission, suggested donation $20 For additional information: 509-923-1934 www.edelmann-rust.com www.facebook.com/RustEdelmann

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BUSINESS

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Don’t delay - advertising deadline is Friday, September 1 (509) 997-7011 advertising@methowvalleynews.com

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What’s Happening

Page A10

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

AUG. 31 – SEPT. 3

Meetings, etc.

LOGJAM FESTIVAL: Four nights of music at Old Schoolhouse Brewery, Winthrop. Free. 996-3183.

7pm

and other weekly things

THURSDAY AUG. 31

Wednesday 8/30 AWANA: Games, songs and story time for 3-year-olds to 6th graders, at Cascade Bible Church, Twisp. 977-8312. 6:30-8pm

SPINNING: Bring your wheel and join other spinners at Twisted Knitters at 109 N. Glover St., Twisp. Free. 997-0233. 1-4pm ULTIMATE FRISBEE: Play pick-up games of ultimate Frisbee at Twisp Town park. Free.

449-2346. 5:30pm DRUM CIRCLE: Drum circle around the fire pit at Methow Valley Ciderhouse, Winthrop. Free.

341-4354. 7:30pm

Thursday 8/31 GERMAN CONVERSATION: An informal group of conversational Germanspeakers at all levels. Rocking Horse Bakery, 265 Riverside Ave., Winthrop.

557-5769. 9-10am SPINNERS & WEAVERS: Meets at 137 Old Twisp Highway. 997-5666. 1pm FOOD BANK: “More than just food” at The Cove, 128 Glover St., Twisp. 997-0227.

1-4pm FIRE DISTRICT 6: Training and meetings at local fire halls. 997-2981. 6:30pm

FRIDAY SEPT. 1

VALLEY TEEN CENTER NIGHT: Games, socializing and a meal, at Valley Teen Center on TwispWorks campus. Free. 449-8041. 4-9pm COUNTRY-FRIENDLY JAZZ: Kris Borgias and friends at Methow Valley Ciderhouse, Winthrop.

341-4354. Free. 7pm

SEPT. 2 – 3

METHOW VALLEY RODEO: At rodeo grounds on Twin Lakes Road between Twisp and Winthrop. $10. www.methowvalleyrodeo.com. 1pm

SATURDAY SEPT. 2

BOOK SALE: at MV Community Center Gym. $1 or less. 449-2594. 8:30am-12:30pm METHOW VALLEY FARMERS MARKET: At MV Community Center, Twisp. Free. www. methowvalleyfarmersmarket.com. 9am-noon MUSIC: Rico Stover and Joe Marver at Twisp River Suites. Free. 997-0100. 5-7pm MUSIC: Singer/songwriter Ken Bevis at Methow Valley Ciderhouse, Winthrop. Free. 341-4354. 7pm CLASSIC ROCK: Fender Benders at BJ’s Branding Iron, Twisp. Free. 997-0040. 9pm-1am

SUNDAY SEPT. 3

FREESTYLE DANCE: Drop-ins welcome, at the Twisp Movement Studio, $5. 996-2017. 9-10am WINTHROP MARKET: Food vendors, local arts and crafts and entertainment at Mack Lloyd Park, Winthrop. Free. www.winthropmarket.com.

10am-2pm DINNER AT TWISPWORKS: Annual Fundraiser benefiting the TwispWorks Foundation and featuring a menu pairing local chefs with Methow Valley producers. $50/person. 997-3300. 4-8pm ORIGINAL AND CLASSIC ROCK: Gregg Hardy Band at Methow Valley Ciderhouse, Winthrop. $3.

341-4354. 7pm

TUESDAY SEPT. 5

THURSDAY SEPT. 7

Out of the gate

ULTIMATE FRISBEE: Play pick-up games of ultimate Frisbee at Twisp Town park. Free.

449-2346. 5:30pm DRUM CIRCLE: Drum circle around the fire pit at Methow Valley Ciderhouse, Winthrop. Free.

341-4354. 7:30pm

FRIDAY SEPT. 8

VALLEY TEEN CENTER NIGHT: Teens can drop by for games, socializing and a meal, at Valley Teen Center on TwispWorks campus. Free.

449-8041. 4-9pm

SATURDAY SEPT. 9

METHOW VALLEY FARMERS MARKET: Local produce, arts and crafts, food and music at MV Community Center, Twisp. Free. www. methowvalleyfarmersmarket.com. 9am-noon WINTHROP VINTAGE WHEELS SHOW: Showcasing vintage automobiles, motorcycles, tractors, travel trailers and bicycles in downtown Winthrop. Free. www.winthropwashington.com.

10am MUSIC: Rico Stover and Joe Marver at Twisp River Suites. Free. 997-0100. 5-7pm ARTIST-TO-ARTIST: Artists visit the studios of Joanne Marracci and Vern White (Vblast) at 541 Balky Hill Road, Twisp. Free, but BYOB and a snack to share. 997-2787. 5-7pm FREESTYLE DANCE: Drop-ins welcome, at the Twisp Movement Studio, $5. 996-2017. 9-10am BOOK LAUNCH:Release of local author Richard Hart’s book, “Lost Homeland: the Methow Tribe and the Columbia Reservation,” at the Shafer Historical Museum in Winthrop. Free. 996-2712. 1pm

SPINNING: Bring your wheel and join other spinners at Twisted Knitters at 109 N. Glover St., Twisp. Free. 997-0233. 1-4pm FIX YOUR GEAR NIGHT: Get your outdoor gear fixed for free at eqpd on the TwispWorks campus.

997-2010. 4-7pm

File photo by Dana Sphar

Saturday and Sunday, the Methow Valley Labor Day Rodeo takes to the arena starting at 1 p.m.

SUNDAY SEPT. 10

ADVENTURE READING PROGRAM: For home-schooled kids ages 7-14 at Twisp library.

Free. 997-4681. 11am BLUEBIRDS: Film and presentations about bluebird conservation at The Merc Playhouse.

Free. 996-2870 or mary@methowconservancy. org. 7-8:30pm

TUESDAY SEPT. 12

MV GARDEN CLUB: Exchange gardening ideas and info at the Twisp Valley Grange Hall. 997-0515.

1:30pm ADVENTURE READING PROGRAM: For home-schooled kids ages 7-14 at Twisp library.

Free. 997-4681. 11am

MIRAGE THEATER

Grab Fresh Popcorn To Go! Movie Info Line: 509.826.0860 101 S Main St • 2 blocks from Omak Theater

SEPT. 13 – OCT. 16

EXHIBIT: “Land and Sky” at Winthrop Gallery.

Free. 996-3925.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14

SPINNING: Bring your wheel and join other spinners at Twisted Knitters at 109 N. Glover St., Twisp. Free. 997-0233. 1-4pm STEM PROGRAM: Science, technology, engineering and math activities for kids at the Twisp library. Free. 997-4681. 3:45pm ULTIMATE FRISBEE: Play pick-up games of ultimate Frisbee at Twisp Town park. Free.

449-2346. 5:30pm CRAMER CONCERT: Hank Cramer in concert at the Twisp Valley Grange to benefit Methow At Home. By donation. methowathome@gmail.com.

6:30pm DRUM CIRCLE: Drum circle around the fire pit at Methow Valley Ciderhouse, Winthrop. Free.

341-4354. 7:30pm

SEPT. 15 – 17

PLEIN AIRE PAINTING WORKSHOP: With Rod Weagant at locations around the Methow Valley. $225. Register at Confluence Gallery, Twisp, 997-2787.

FRIDAY SEPT. 15

VALLEY TEEN CENTER NIGHT: Teens can drop by for games, socializing and a meal, at Valley Teen Center on TwispWorks campus. Free.

449-8041. 4-9pm

SATURDAY SEPT. 16

METHOW VALLEY FARMERS MARKET: Local produce, arts and crafts, food and music at MV Community Center, Twisp. Free. www. methowvalleyfarmersmarket.com. 9am-noon MUSIC: Rico Stover and Joe Marver at Twisp River Suites. Free. 997-0100. 5-7pm CLASSICAL GUITAR: Guitarist Pierre Bensusan at The Merc Playhouse, Twisp. $20-$25. 997-0222.

7pm

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Horror/Mystery/Thriller-Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto, Lulu Wilson 110 Min Fri: 7:30 • Sat: 6:30, 9:30 R PG13 Sun-Mon: 6:30 • Tues-Thurs: 7:30

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 ~ 6PM GREGG HARDY BAND EW!

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Friday 9/1 BINGO: Play at Eagles Hall, Twisp.

997-8133. 6pm Monday 9/4 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: Open meeting, Okanogan County Admin. Bldg., 123 Fifth Ave. N., Okanogan. 422-7100.

9am-5pm AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY: Unit 120 meets at Winthrop Barn.996-3522.

Noon SPEAK FRENCH: Revive or improve your French in Hank's deli. 997-0717.

4:30-5:30pm GAME NIGHT: Darts, cards and free pool at Eagles Hall, Twisp. 997-8133. 5:30pm WINTHROP BARN: Board meeting.

996-2117. 6pm BEAVER CREEK CEMETERY: Board meeting at Cascade Center, 125 Hwy. 20, Rm. 2. 997-3569. 6pm Tuesday 9/5 WINTHROP KIWANIS: Meets at the Winthrop Barn. 997-1086 or 997-5666.

7am TOPS: Take Off Pounds Sensibly at MV United Methodist Church, between Twisp and Winthrop. 997-2242. 8:30-10am COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: Open meeting, Okanogan County Admin. Bldg., 123 Fifth Ave. N., Okanogan. 422-7100.

9am-5pm Wednesday 9/6 WOMEN RECOVERING FROM ADDICTION: Support group at Room One. 997-2050. 9:30–11am CLOSET QUILTERS: Open studio, 309 Highway 20, Twisp. Free. 997-7020.

Noon-5pm AWANA: Games, songs and story time for 3-year-olds to 6th graders, at Cascade Bible Church, Twisp. 977-8312. 6:30-8pm WINTHROP TOWN COUNCIL: At Winthrop Barn Hen House. 996-2320. 7pm EAGLES AUXILIARY: Meeting at Eagles Hall, Twisp. 322-3341. 7pm EASTERN STAR: Meets at Masonic Hall in Okanogan. 997-2071. 7:30pm Thursday 9/7 WOMEN, INFANTS & CHILDREN: WIC help with nutrition, health care and food. Room One, 315 S. Lincoln, Twisp.

997-2050. Call for hours GERMAN CONVERSATION: An informal group of conversational Germanspeakers at all levels. Rocking Horse Bakery, 265 Riverside Ave., Winthrop.

557-5769. 9-10am SPINNERS & WEAVERS: Meets at 137 Old Twisp Highway. 997-5666. 1pm FOOD BANK: “More than just food” at The Cove, 128 Glover St., Twisp. 997-0227.

1-4pm FIRE DISTRICT 6: Training and meetings at local fire halls. 997-2981. 6:30pm MV BACKCOUNTRY HORSEMEN: Meeting at MV Senior Center, Twisp.

997-4802. 7pm ATV CLUB: ATV recreation, trail & campsite maintenance, and roads discussed at Eagles Hall, Twisp. 996-2154. 7pm Friday 9/8 BINGO: Play at Eagles Hall, Twisp.

997-8133. 6pm

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Wednesday 9/13 WOMEN RECOVERING FROM ADDICTION: Support group at Room One. 997-2050. 9:30–11am CLOSET QUILTERS: Open studio, 309 Highway 20, Twisp. Free. 997-7020.

Noon-5pm MV SCHOOL BOARD: Meeting in the school district office. See agenda: www. methow.org, click “District,” then “School Board.” 996-9205. 5:30pm TWISP VALLEY GRANGE: Potluck (5:30pm) and meeting (6:30pm) at the Grange Hall. 997-8050 or 997-4841.

AWANA: Games, songs and story time for 3-year-olds to 6th graders, at Cascade Bible Church, Twisp. 977-8312. 6:30-8pm MV EAGLES AERIE #2584: Meeting at Eagles Hall, Twisp. 997-8133. 7pm Thursday 9/14 WINTHROP CHAMBER: Meets at Winthrop Barn. 996-2125. 8:30am GERMAN CONVERSATION: An informal group of conversational Germanspeakers at all levels. Rocking Horse Bakery, 265 Riverside Ave., Winthrop.

557-5769. 9-10am SPINNERS & WEAVERS: Meets at 137 Old Twisp Highway. 997-5666. 1pm FOOD BANK: “More than just food” at The Cove, 128 Glover St., Twisp. 997-0227.

1-4pm FIRE DISTRICT 6: Training and meetings at local fire halls. 997-2981. 6:30pm TWISP LIBRARY FRIENDS: Meets in the library. 997-4681. 7pm AMERICAN LEGION: Regular meeting at the Legion Hall, 626 Bridge St., Twisp.

997-5838. 7pm MV MASONIC LODGE #240: Meets at Masonic Hall, Twisp. 997-5423. 7:30pm Friday 9/15 BINGO: Play at Eagles Hall, Twisp.

997-8133. 6pm Saturday 9/16 OKANOGAN COUNTY DEMOCRATS: Meeting locations vary, call 826-9492.

Noon AMATEUR RADIO: Anyone interested in ham radio invited to a meeting at Hometown Pizza, Twisp. 996-2545. 5pm Sunday 9/17 FAMILY CAREGIVERS: Support group meets at Room One. 997-2050. 1-2:30pm

Submit your event to: Calendar@MethowValleyNews.com

Please include the name of event, a short description, date/time, address, cost and phone number.

Deadline: Fridays at 5pm *all phone numbers are 509 area code except where noted

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Tuesday 9/12 WINTHROP KIWANIS: Meets at the Winthrop Barn. 997-1086 or 997-5666.

7am TOPS: Take Off Pounds Sensibly at MV United Methodist Church, between Twisp and Winthrop. 997-2242. 8:30-10am COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: Open meeting, Okanogan County Admin. Bldg., 123 Fifth Ave. N., Okanogan. 422-7100.

9am-5pm TWISP TOWN COUNCIL: Meets at Town Hall. 997-4081. 5:30pm

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Monday 9/11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: Open meeting, Okanogan County Admin. Bldg., 123 Fifth Ave. N., Okanogan. 422-7100.

9am-5pm METHOW VALLEY COMMUNICATIONS DISTRICT: Meets at Twisp City Hall. 996-2061. 1pm SPEAK FRENCH: Revive or improve your French in Hank's deli. 997-0717.

4:30-5:30pm GAME NIGHT: Darts, cards and free pool at Eagles Hall, Twisp. 997-8133. 5:30pm TRANSIT: Okanogan County Transit Authority public board meeting in council chambers at Omak City Hall. 557-6177.

6pm MV IRRIGATION DISTRICT: Meeting at Riverbank building, Twisp. 997-2576.

7pm FIRE DISTRICT 6 COMMISSIONERS: Public meeting at Twisp Fire Hall, 434 W. 2nd Ave., Twisp. 997-2981. 7pm COMMUNITY CENTER BOARD: Room 4, MV Community Center, Twisp. 7pm

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Extra

B Section

4-H kids carry on tradition of responsibility by caring for, showing animals Cattle and pigs and bunnies … oh my!

By Karen West

Nearly three-dozen members of the Methow Valley 4-H program, the county’s largest, will be showing pigs, steers and rabbits at the Okanogan County Fair this year.

Many are carrying on family tradition; about half of the local 4-H members are at least the second generation of their families to be involved.

Emily Paul,17, and her brother, Bodie,15, are among the 22 Methow Valley Cascaders participating in the flourishing swine program who will take pigs to the fair to show and sell.

Emily has been raising and selling swine since she was 11. This summer she also worked full time at the Cinnamon Twisp Bakery, starting her shift at 5:30 a.m. And Bodie has been learning wrangling skills with Cascade Wilderness Outfitters. So the siblings, who raised three pigs — two for the fair and one for their family — helped each other with pig care.

“I save all my money for college,” Emily said. The Liberty Bell High School senior wants to become a nurse and will apply to the four-year nursing degree program at Wenatchee Valley College.

Her pig, Einstein, weighed in at 270 pounds late last week, which could mean another $1,000 toward college tuition if he sells for the $4 a pound her swine usually fetch. Pigs have to weigh between 230 and 290 pounds for the fair. Asked what the judges want to see, Emily said a long back and nice back legs are important.

And like all other exhibiters, her project

Photos by Karen West

Three generations: Quincy Scott shows Thunder, the steer he raised for the fair. He is following the footsteps of his dad, Colt, center, and grandma, Jill Scott, on right. record book will be judged. It contains photographs of Einstein and details such as what kind of feed he was given, when he was fed,

health and weight records and receipts for all costs.

But there’s a lot more to 4-H than the annual county fair. Emily, like others interviewed for this story, said 4-H is a really important youth organization because of the skills it teaches — public speaking, presentation, the importance of teamwork and community service.

“4-H teaches you responsibility,” she said.

“What was really good for me that my mom noticed is that I learned how to finish a project, not just stop in the middle.”

Community service is required. Local 4-H youth make candy ball decorations for the Neighbors Helping Neighbors holiday food baskets each year. They’ve also re-seeded fire-scorched land and cleaned up the Shafer Museum’s grounds in the spring.

Three-generations raise steers

Longtime 4-H member Emily Paul feeds Einstein, the pig she plans to sell to add to her college fund.

Carlton resident Jill Scott grew up with three sisters and a dad who raised a few head of cattle and got all his girls started in 4-H showing steers. “We were strictly animals,” she said of their 4-H projects; no crafts and

To join 4-H Methow Valley School District students can watch for posters and announcements of a meeting in October at their school. Or, call Suellen White at 997-3252. sewing for those girls.

These days Scott co-chairs the 4-H steer group with Erin White. Steers are more expensive to raise and show than pigs or sheep and require more infra-structure, she explained.

But for families that raise cattle, they often are the animal of choice. For the Scotts, showing steers is a three-generation legacy.

Scott’s son, Colt Scott, is a grown man raising cattle on adjacent land. He and his wife, Christine, have three children, plus more than 100 chickens, two ducks, two rabbits and a dog.

Colt Scott said he started showing steers at the fair when he was 6, in the junior open

See FAIR, B5

Aspiring to the crown

meaningful the 4-H experience has been. “It’s amazing to see how the community can come together” and how kids get to know each other in many different ways through 4-H, she said.

White and the other aspirants will deliver a five-minute speech that incorporates this year’s fair

By Marcy Stamper theme, “70 Years of Pride, County Wide,” at the pageant on Thursday Shelby White has been showing night, Sept. 7. Making the speech pigs and steers at the Okanogan doesn’t feel daunting, since White County Fair since she was 6 years has been making public presentaold. Now White, age 15, is compettions through 4-H since age 6. ing to be queen of the fair — to be The contenders will an ambassador for the also have to a nswer event as it enters its Ever since I was a little girl, I impromptu questions, and eighth decade. will be observed through“Ever since I was a looked at all the royalty from out the fair by “secret” little girl, I looked at judges, said Marcie Howall the royalty from around Washington at the fair, ell, the royalty adviser. around Washington and it was a really cool experience The aspiring queens at the fair, and it was will get to do some judga really cool experito see the role models … ing of their own. They’ll ence to see the role — Shelby White help this year’s queen models” — and the pick winners in contests sashes and tiaras, said such as the Dynamic Duo White. Not only do queens from other fairs around the raised a pig. White said she loved on Friday, Sept. 8, where children state stop by the fair, but rodeo roy- showing steers because it gave her dress themselves and their sheep as more time to raise and train them. pairs (like ketchup and mustard or alty also make an appearance.

White and three other girls from But that extra time also meant it Batman and Robin, said Howell). around the county are competing to was more difficult to part with the They’ll also help select the bestdressed chickens and rabbits. be fair queen. They’ve already given animal, she said.

This year, White is president of Being queen is open to all girls radio interviews, explaining why they want to be queen and what they the Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H age 15 to 19. Two of the other conwould do to promote the fair during Club. In her essay for the royalty tenders are from Tonasket and the their reign, and prepared a three- competition, she described how other girl is from Omak.

Shelby White is competing to be queen of the county fair

“

ring binder with letters of recommendation, photos and an essay.

As ambassador for the fair over the next year, the queen will travel to at least five parades, rodeos, schools and chamber of commerce meetings to promote the fair and encourage participation.

The fair has always meant a lot to White, who’s been attending as long as she can remember. White’s comfort with animals comes naturally, since she’s been raised on a ranch.

White has shown steers the past three years, but this year she’s

”

Photo by Marcy Stamper

Shelby White is vying to be queen — and ambassador for the fair — over the next year. She has been showing animals at the fair since she was 6.

The girls are scored on their interviews; on speech, poise and etiquette; and on their essays and binders, said Howell.

The fair runs from Thursday, Sept. 7 through Sunday, Sept. 10.

The coronation of next year’s queen is Sunday at 2 p.m.

Page B2

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Methow Valley News

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STORY Page B4

But lessons learned during that conflict still guide the Methow Valley Citizens Council (MVCC), created four decades ago to lead the fight against the proposed Early Winters ski area.

“Forty years is a long time,” said Maggie Coon, who helped found MVCC in 1976, and has been involved in the organization for 15 of its 40 years, including her current position as chairman of the MVCC board of directors.

“MVCC has had significant influ-

ence on the way the Methow Valley has grown and developed over the last 40 years. We’ve helped … instill a culture of advocacy, which is very much alive and well in the Methow Valley today,” Coon said.

One of those early environmental advocates was Isabelle Spohn, who learned about plans for a destination ski hill at Sandy Butte soon after moving to Mazama in 1978. Spohn became involved in the new grassroots

group fighting the resort, and remained actively involved for 35 years.

“It seemed to me that many people [in the valley] hadn’t seen that kind of [development] happen before, and didn’t understand how quickly something like that could happen,” Spohn said.

“It had the possibility of having an enormous impact on the valley. It was so out of scale for the valley,” she said.

Even before MVCC was officially incorporated in 1976, some local citi-

See MVCC, A1

zens were raising alarms about rumors that Aspen Ski Corp. was making plans for a destination ski resort called Early Winters that could accommodate as many as 10,000 skiers a day — at a time when the entire population of the valley was only about 3,500 year-round residents.

Bev and Jeff Zwar had recently moved to McFarland Creek when they

Friday night light

Cody Wottlin wrapped his shoelaces in duct tape because his pig Schnizel finds them so irresistible.

But nibbling on the shoelaces is just for entertainment, said Wottlin, since Schnizel (formally known as Frederick Esquire III) is hardly lacking for nourishment. In fact, this year several of the pigs being raised by the Methow Valley Cascaders 4-H Club are on diets because they’re already nearing the maximum weight to be auctioned at the Okanogan County Fair.

(Pigs need to be between 230 and 290 pounds to qualify for the market auction at the fair.)

McKenna Ott is dealing with the opposite problem — she’s raising a pig from a late litter and it may not weigh enough for the auction.

“You never know till you show up — as soon as you cross the scales,

By Marcy Stamper

“I don’t know if people are making a fuss, although I have seen more people than in a long time,” said Enid Shaw, just over a week shy of her 100th birthday.

“It’s a lot of attention — that’s all I can

By Marcy Stamper

when she was in her early 20s, after studying typing and commercial subjects in Spokane. She married Roy Richard Shaw (known as “Dick”) in 1937.

They raised their five children in a rudimentary two-room cottage that had once served as a teacher’s residence at

Photo courtesy of Bear Fight Institute

See CERES, A3

Finding the water ice on the surface was surprising, Combe said.

The water ice was detected using a Visible and InfraRed Mapping Spectrometer (VIR) carried aboard the Dawn spacecraft, which began orbiting Ceres in March 2015.

The VIR measures the sunlight scattered on the surface of Ceres in a range of wavelengths from the near ultraviolet to the near infrared. Data obtained through VIR reveals mineral and molecular composition, and in this case revealed the presence of water.

The water ice was observed in a 10-kilometer-wide crater named Oxo.

A surprise

That’s not to imply that Ceres provides any indication of supporting life, Combe said. Of interest, though, is the presence of the water ice on the surface of Ceres, Combe said.

Planetary scientists have long suspected that the interior of Ceres is composed of large amounts of water or ice, Combe said.

“We knew that from the measurements of density of Ceres there has to be some ice in the bulk of Ceres. It is not dense enough to be made entirely of rocks. The obvious component was ice,” he said.

Jean-Philippe Combe of the Bear Fight Institute near Winthrop has identified the presence of water ice on the dwarf planet, Ceres.

At 100, Enid Shaw reflects on a Methow Valley life well-lived

See FAIR, A3

pig at auction for $4 or $5 per pound, and some have scored as much as $7 per pound, earning more than $1,000 to put toward a college fund or a car.

The fair guarantees a price of 60 cents per pound, but that doesn’t come close to covering the typical $500 investment in the pig, food and supplies.

Emily and Bodie Paul like pigs for their generally equable disposition and the ability to earn money for college.

Their older brother raised steers, but steers demand a longer commitment and a bigger investment. They also tend to have less predictable personalities, said Emily, a junior in high school. She remembered one steer that was so gentle that her brother could read a book while lying on its back, but other steers would attack everything in sight, including the fence.

4-H exposes kids to a lot more than raising an animal. “It’s part of life — they learn that even if they feed the animals every day and do everything they’re supposed to do,” sometimes it just doesn’t work out, said

MVN, pg 4

Methow Valley kids expect to bring some 6,000 pounds of pork to the county fair this year — 22 kids have spent the past six months raising pigs.

“Kids tell their friends how fun it was, so lots join,” said White.

It is not uncommon for kids to sell a

Learning experience

there’s no turning back,” said Erin White, the 4-H swine leader.

Every year there are a few pigs that don’t qualify for the weight class.

“Kids are devastated, but the parents are a lot more devastated,” said White.

“It’s hard to watch the kid put in all that work.”

If a pig is over or underweight, the child can still compete in fitting and showing, but will have to sell the animal privately, which rarely brings as much money as the auction at the fair.

“It was a cake-walk with these pigs — you could go right up to them from two months,” said Wottlin, an eighth-grader who speculated that the pigs he and his brother raised this year were so calm because they’d been handled from birth. “They’re pretty goodlooking, too,” he said.

Emily Paul put her pig, Darwin, on a diet to be sure it qualifies for the market auction. A high school junior, Paul said raising pigs for the fair has made a big difference in her college fund. In addition to the pig, she plans to exhibit homemade caramels.

Local 4-H swine raisers look forward to county fair, auction

Photo by Marcy Stamper

A scientist at the Bear Fight Institute near Winthrop has described the first and only confirmed detection of water-rich material at the surface of Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Jean-Philippe Combe authored a research article published Friday (Sept. 2) in the journal Science, detailing the discovery of water ice on Ceres.

Information leading to Combe’s discovery was transmitted by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, which is orbiting Ceres.

The detection of water ice on Ceres is inherently intriguing, Combe said in an interview last week.

“Anything that involves water is very interesting and exciting. Water is an essential substance in the general evolution of any planet, and also for the creation of life, the type of life that we know anyway,” Combe said.

“Water in our solar system is potentially related to creation of life. You have to start with detection of H20 to go further,” he said.

By Ann McCreary

Vital information transmitted by Dawn mission spacecraft

evidence of water on Ceres

THESE BIG PIGS WENT TO M ARKET Bear Fight scientist discovers

For many Methow Valley residents, the battle fought over a downhill ski resort in Mazama is a distant memory, or was over before they moved here.

By Ann McCreary

Fight against ski resort launched broader agenda

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MV Citizens Council celebrates 40 years of activism

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Above all else, Methow Valley Rodeo clown Scott Wagner, “Scottie Too Hottie,” will be remembered for his enthusiasm.

Every Memorial Day and Labor Day for the past six years, Scott Wagner traveled from his home north of Seattle to the Methow Valley, where he would apply makeup and dress in a clown costume to entertain the rodeo crowds.

“He loved it,” said his wife, Leslie Wagner.

Born in Grand Prairie, Texas, Scott was no stranger to the rodeo scene. However, his love for rodeo flourished after he moved to Washington. The Methow Valley Rodeo was where he first tried clowning, remembered Christopher Wright, a rodeo volunteer and friend of Scott’s. It started with a dare, Wright said, and “Scott being Scott said, ‘I’ll do it!’”

By Matt Taylor

MVN, pg 1

Photo by Dana Sphar

Scott “Scottie Too Hottie” Wagner, in pink shirt, was a popular figure at the Methow Valley’s two annual rodeos.

A supplement to the Methow Valley News, August 30, 2017

“He was a clown, a husband and a dad,” said Wright. “He was everything any man would want to be.”

“Everybody who went to the rodeo knew who Scottie was,” said Wright. His job as clown, the Methow Valley Rodeo’s first, was primarily to entertain the spectators.

He would show up about an hour before the rodeo began to “get the crowd pumped up,” said Wagner. While wandering the stands, Scott would often ask spectators and young admirers to sign his hat, rather than have them ask him for his autograph, she added.

And when the rodeo began, Scott would sit in a barrel in the middle of the arena.

If the bull riders ever found themselves in trouble, Scott would serve both as a distraction to the bulls and a safe zone for riders. “He would play with the bulls, distracting them,” said Wagner. That distraction provided valuable

‘Scottie Too Hottie’ leaves a legacy of entertaining rodeo crowds

Page 2

protection for the rodeo participants.

At one rodeo a few years ago, a young Winthrop boy named Lucien Paz approached Scott, grabbed his shirt, and said, “I want to be a rodeo clown just like you!”

Scott told him to show up the next year in makeup and costume, and then forgot about the encounter. The following year, Lucien showed up just as Scott had instructed, and “Goofin’ Lucien” was created.

In every rodeo since, Scott served as a mentor for Lucien, allowing the boy to follow in his footsteps. Lucien, now 10 years old, is “taking the reigns of the Methow Valley Rodeo,” said Wright.

“He has a long career ahead of him.”

Scott worked rodeos across the state, from Darrington to Wiley City. However, Scott and his family loved the Methow Valley for its beauty

and people. “The people embraced us as family,” said Wagner. “We just fell in love with it.”

Outside of rodeo, Scott worked in insurance investigation as his company’s national auto theft expert.

Always the entertainer, he would often amuse his family by showing them how to

break into cars and would occasionally give interviews to local news outlets about the new trends in auto theft.

“He loved being on TV,” said Wagner.

Scott was diagnosed with lymphoma at the end of January. He died July 23 after developing a secondary infection. He was 50 years old.

“Goofin’ Lucien” and “Scottie Too Hottie” performed together several years.

Methow Valley News Find us on

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www.methowvalleynews.com MVN, pg 2

46th Annual Methow Valley

File photos by Dana Sphar

“Scottie Too Hottie” played with his sidekick, “Goofin’ Lucien,” during the 2013 Memorial Day Rodeo.

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28 Hwy 20, WINTHROP methowcider.com 509-341-4354

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Mitchell

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Sun, Mon, Wed & Thurs 12pm-8pm

Queen Mihayla Phillips, in blue, and princess Jadyn Mitchell took a break for photos before the Fourth of July parade in Twisp. The pair have been representing the Methow Valley at rodeos around north central Washington all summer long, including the Omak Stampede.

R O O F I N G

Survive the Ride!

tttroof@centurytel.net

#TTTCO1*066DU

(509) 996-3808 “we cover your investment”

Twisp Feed & Rental

Equipment Rentals

h Ho m nc e Ra Garden

111 West 2nd Ave, Twisp, WA 98856 • 509-997-3621 • twispfeed.com Monday-Friday 9am - 5pm • Saturday 9am - 4pm

MVN, pg 3

Rodeo royalty

Page 3

File photo by Dana Sphar

1-877-422-3030

1-877-422-3030

1 Patrol St., Okanogan 1 Patrol St., Okanogan

Riding in parades is one of the duties enjoyed by Methow Valley Rodeo royalty.

2370000

# 1 PATROL OKANOGAN, WA

2370000

# 1 PATROL OKANOGAN, WA

Offers vary by model. Rebate offers valid on select 2014-2017 new and unregistered models purchased between 7/26/17- 9/30/17. Finance offers valid on select 2014-2018 new and unregistered models purchased between 7/26/17- 9/30/17.

See your authorized dealer for complete details. Rates as low as 2.99% APR for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a 36-month term at a 2.99% APR rate: $29.08 per $1,000 financed; and at an 6.99% APR rate: $30.87 per $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 2.99% APR for 36 months at a MSRP of $9,999.00 is $290.74; total cost of borrowing of $467.60 with a total obligation of $10,466.60. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. See your local dealer for details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris’ sole discretion.

Warning: Polaris® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All Offers vary byalways model. wear Rebate offers valid on select 2014-2017 new and unregistered models between 7/26/17FinanceNever offers valid on selectdriving, 2014-2018 new and unregistered purchased between 9/30/17. riders should helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing.

Always use seatpurchased belts and cab nets or doors 9/30/17. (as equipped). engage in stunt and avoid excessive speedsmodels and sharp turns. Riding and7/26/17alcohol/drugs See dealer take for complete asCall low800-342-3764 as 2.99% APR for months.information.

Examples ofCheck monthly payments required a 36-month at aIndustries 2.99% APRInc. rate: $29.08 per $1,000 financed; and at an 6.99% APR rate: $30.87 per © don’tyour mix.authorized All riders should a safety details. trainingRates course. for 36 additional local laws before ridingover on trails.

2017term Polaris $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 2.99% APR for 36 months at a MSRP of $9,999.00 is $290.74; total cost of borrowing of $467.60 with a total obligation of $10,466.60. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. See your local dealer for details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris’ sole discretion.

Warning: Polaris® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2017 Polaris Industries Inc.

Methow Valley News

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Page B3

Classifieds DEADLINE: MONDAY, NOON ~ ALL CLASSIFIEDS TO BE PREPAID

Weekly: $6.75 for 15 words or less. $8.75 with email or web site address.

20 cents for each additional word.

CLASSIFIED SPECIAL: BUY 3 WEEKS, GET 4TH WEEK FREE. No refunds or changes please. Prepayment required to qualify.

Classified display ads: $10.00 per column inch.

DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIED DISPLAYS & LEGAL NOTICES: MONDAY, NOON

Directory

FOR SALE .......................................10 YARD SALE................................14 AUCTIONS .................................16 REAL ESTATE.................................20 MOBILE/MFD. HOMES ..............22 FOR RENT..................................24 WANTED TO RENT ....................25 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ........30 EMPLOYMENT................................31 WORK WANTED ........................32 SERVICES ..................................34 CARS & TRUCKS ...........................40 RVS.............................................42 ANIMALS-PETS, HORSES, LIVESTOCK................................... 50 MISCELLANEOUS ..........................70 WANTED .........................................75 THANK YOU ....................................80 COMMUNITY EVENTS...................83 PERSONALS...................................85 FREE ...............................................90 LOST & FOUND ..............................95

10 ....................................FOR SALE

HUGE LABOR DAY SALE at Cascades Outdoor Store. September 1-4. Need to upgrade your gear? Now’s the time! 509-9963480.

17 NORDIC TRACK A2050 treadmill- excellent condition $250.

Baldwin PKO-1000 electric console keyboard and bench $75. Set of twin beds with head boards and bedding $300. Call evenings 509996-2674.

17 WEAR A SMILE; drive in STYLE. 1990 Mazda Miata, less than 90,000mi. Still gets 30mi/gal. Perfect running order, new battery.

Wants cosmetic overhaul. $2,300.

509-997-9805. carolanne@centurylink.net.

19 FOR SALE OR TRADE- New enclosed utility trailer, black 8’x20’.

Willing to trade for used 10’ to 16’ unit. Also, free laying hens (8) plus rooster. 509-429-6698 17 FOR SALE- LAST chance deals.

Deluxe king mattress $50, welding table on wheels $75, 8’ heavy duty rubber raft with motor mount $150, 250’ 1 1/2-2” poly pipe $100, 16” Powermatic planer 3ph $300. 509-429-6698. 17 14 ................................. YARD SALE

20 .............................. REAL ESTATE PUBLISHER'S NOTICE: All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.”

Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law.

Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal

Kristin Devin

Real Estate Broker 30 Years of Real Estate Experience in the Methow Valley

509-996-4400 www.kristindevin.com 24 ................................... FOR RENT

CASCADE C OND O, WINTHROP, Unit 16, easy, upscale living. 3bdr, 2.5bth, garage, furnished, pleasant view, services included except elect/internet, 907-382-7572 or 907-349-4839, svf@gci.net.

20 30 ......... BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

BUSINESS FOR SALE in downtown Winthrop: The Iron Horse.

Strong business with a loyal customer base. Very popular store in a great retail location. Serious inquiries only. 509-996-3674. 21 31 ............................ EMPLOYMENT

GLOVER STREET MARKET is now hiring. We are looking for an individual who is hardworking and committed to customer service. We sell products that are healthy and organic and we are looking for a new team member who is excited to work in a natural grocery store where people find the foods they love and are inspired by healthy lifestyles.

Part time or full time possibilities, Saturdays required. Please drop off or email resumes to office@gloverstreetmarket.com.

No phone calls, please.

17 FREESTONE INN, LOCATED in Mazama, WA, is currently seeking housekeeping staff.

This is a full time position with benefits, paid vacation after 6 months, and a competitive starting wage. Previous housekeeping experience is a plus, but not required. Applicant must be flexible, creative, and have the ability to work as a team as well as independently. Please apply in person, or forward resumes to jhoward@freestoneinn.com.

509-996-3906.

18 TWISP RIVER SUITES is looking for 3 part time team players to join our guest services at the front desk. Duties include, but not limited to, answering phones, making and cancelling reservations. Some cooking and baking required. Must be available for evening and weekend shifts. Wage-DOE. Come by the Suites for an application.

20 METHOW VALLEY SCHOOL District is accepting applications for several coaching positions: HS Volleyball Assistant. Coach 7th Grade Volleyball Assistant Coach, JH Football Assistant Coach. Submit an online application at http:// methow.org/district/employment/ (509) 996-9205.Please apply September 8, 2017. Position is open until filled. EOE. 18

34 ....................................SERVICES

PHOENIX WINDOW CLEANING and Pressure Washing. Tree pollen stuck on your home and windows?! Call us for free estimates. Licensed, bonded, insured and references! 509-429-4129. 18 ART OR MAGIC? Face painting makes every party or event more fun! Email darlahussey@yahoo. com or call/text 509.488.5930 for a quote.

20 CRYSTAL CLEAR WINDOW Washing, bonded insured. A+ BBB. 5 stars YELP. Over 20 years in the Methow Valley. 509-997-0808 or 509-341-4686. 20

J. HAASE EXCAVATING Lic.# JHAASHE896MN

l’n

1993 DODGE CARAVAN (white). LIC ANY5002.

VIN 2B4GK55R7PR202764.

09/06/2017, 10:00AM, 20356 HWY 20, Twisp, WA 98856. 17

NEW LOWER PRICE! No more camping next to strangers. Tall pines, open fields, cool breezes overlooking the Twisp. 15 minutes to Black Pine Lake. Short 4-wheel to Sawtooth Chelan Wilderness.

Share the views with family and friends from this 3.6 acre private retreat. Better call Val! (206) 3101036, licensed WA Broker, Blue Sky Real Estate.

18 NEW, MODERN CONSTRUCTION in Mazama! $349,000- Visit: www.tiny.cc/31. for more info. By appointment only: laurie@hiltonconstruction.com or cell/text: 509-341-4561.

19

FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS -Your Family, Your Health, Your Choice. Are you looking for a great place to work? We are looking for YOU to join our team! We are dedicated to our employees’ job satisfaction and take pride in providing a place to work that encourages growth, teamwork, communication and positive employee/supervisor relationships. We offer a generous benefits package, including employer paid Health & Life Insurance and vacation/ sick leave to full-time employees.

Pro-rated benefits are available to part time employees (over 20 hrs. per wk.). You may also choose to participate in our 401K, Dental and Short Term Disability programs. Okanogan: Accounts Payable Specialist- full time, Health Homes Care Program Coordinator- full time. Omak: Lead RN- full time, Pharmacy Assistant- full time- bilingual English/Spanish required, Facilities Assistant- full time. Brewster/ Bridgeport: Behavioral Health Specialist- full time. Bridgeport: Dental Patient Registration Rep- full time, bilingual English/ Spanish required, Lead RN- full time, Patient Navigator- full time- bilingual English/Spanish required. Brewster Indian Ave: Promotor(a)- full time- bilingual English/Spanish required, MA-Cfull time, Patient Navigator- full time- bilingual English/Spanish required Dental Clinics: Must be available Saturdays. Dental Assistants- 8 Full time & per diem (as needed basis)- bilingual English/ Spanish required. All locations.

See www.myfamilyhealth.org for job descriptions. Submit cover letter and resume or application to FHC, c/o Human Resources, PO Box 1340, Okanogan, WA 98840 or email: HR@myfamilyhealth. org.Open until filled.FHC is an EOE. 17 LINE COOKS, DISHWASHERS needed at Sun Mountain Lodge, immediately. To apply, look online at www.sunmountainlodge. com for a printable employment application on our employment page, pick up a form at the front desk, or call Leslie for more information or an appointment.

509-996-4720.

17 WENATCHEE VALLEY COLLEGE at Omak is looking for part-time INSTRUCTORS in history, philosophy and political science.Masters required (BA plus 24 graduate credit hours may be accepted).Send resume and cover letter to Dr. Lori Keller at lkoblenz@wvc.edu. AA/EOE. 1

ea

16 .................................. AUCTIONS

opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll-free at 1-800-669-9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

31 ................. EMPLOYMENT, Cont.

“D

G A R AG E / M OV I N G S A L E : MOSTLY free, lots of good stuff must go! September 1st & 2nd.

9-2. 28 Hillside Lane, Winthrop (300 yards past Bear Creek on East Chewuch).

17 MOVING SALE- SEPTEMBER 2 & 3, 9am-3pm. Some of everything and everything must go. 807 Marble St, Twisp.

17 YARD SALE- SEPTEMBER 1 & 2, 8am. 618 June St, Twisp. Electronics, girls clothes, 2001 VW Jetta, KDX 200, bikes, and more.

17 POT O’GOLD @ end of rainbow Labor Day weekend yard sale. 1860 SR 153, 4 miles below Carlton. Air compressor, furniture, tools, artwork, much more. September 1-4, 9am-?.

17 MULTI-FAMILY YARD SALE. Clean, quality items. Friday & Saturday, Sept 1 & 2. 8am-4pm. 6 miles up Twisp River Rd. 17 MANY QUALITY HOUSEHOLD items, antique church pew, electronics, kitchen stuff, chairs, bedding, filing cabinets, brass bed, bar stools, futon, framed prints. Time: Sunday, September 3rd, 9am to 1pm. Place: 9 Wilson Rd, Winthrop (near Smokejumper’s Base) Under cover in large shop.

17 YARD SALE- SATURDAY & Sunday, Sept 2 & 3, 9am-4pm. No earlies please. 3 decade collection & some choice items from friends.

711 Lookout Place, Twisp.

17

20 ................... REAL ESTATE, Cont.

METHOW VALLEY SCHOOL District is accepting applications for a Washington Reading Corp (AmeriCorp) Reading Enrichment Coordinator. Visit the district website for a complete job description and application procedure at http:// methow.org/district/employment/ (509) 996-9205.Please apply by September 8, 2017. Position is open until filled. EOE. 18 KIND GRINDS ESPRESSO Bar and Cafe is hiring baristas/food prep for year-round part time and full time position. Stop by shop and pick up an application or call 509429-2041 and ask for Kaarin. 20 DISHWASHER NEEDED; TAPPI in Twisp. Weekend nights. Minimum wage to start. Call John 509997-3345.

17 SERVERS NEEDED AT Tappi in Twisp. Weekend nights. Fine dining in a casual setting. Call John 509-997-3345.

17 THE TOWN OF Twisp is seeking to fill ONE of the following positions: Public Works Operator 2- Candidates should have one or both: WWTPO 2, WDM 2 and experience with water distribution and wastewater treatment operations, State regulations and preparing required reports, road maintenance, as well as written, verbal and skills. $22.94 per hour. Public Works Operator 1- Candidates should have one or both; WWTPO 1, WDM 1 and experience with: water distribution and wastewater treatment operations, State regulations and preparing required reports, road maintenance, and written, verbal and computer skills. Pay $20.57hr. Public Works Operator in Training- Familiarity with: General maintenance, operation and repair of public works facilities.

Operation of equipment: mowers, loaders and power tools. Perform heavy manual labor under adverse climatic conditions. Experience in written, verbal and computer skills.

Pay scale is $17.48hr. An application packet and job description can be obtained by visiting Town Hall, 118 S. Glover St., Twisp, online www. townoftwisp.com, email: clerktreasurer@townoftwisp.com. Open until filled.

18 RIVER’S EDGE RESORT is hiring for a Front Desk Agent. We are looking for an individual who is reliable, enjoys providing excellent and professional customer service, can problem solve, prioritize daily tasks, perform light maintenance and be a team player. 36 hrs/week, $20/hr, permanent position, must be flexible with scheduling which will include some holidays and weekends. Send resume to heidi@ riversedgewinthrop.com or stop by resort office with your resume to meet Heidi or Jim. No phone calls please.

18 WENATCHEE VALLEY COLLEGE in Omak is looking for a SCIENCE LAB TECHNICIAN (Instruction and Classroom Support Technician 2). Half-time, ninemonth, cyclic position starting at $1761 per month plus benefits. See application materials, qualifications and description at www.wvc.edu/ jobs. AA/EOE. 18 WENATCHEE VALLEY COLLEGE in Omak is looking for a parttime biology instructor.Masters required. Send resume and cover letter to Dr. Lori Keller at lkoblenz@ wvc.edu. AA/EOE. 18 SUN MOUNTAIN LODGE has a position available for Houseman/ Laundry Attendant. Come by the front desk for an employment application, or to find a printable employment application see our website at www.sunmountainlodge.com on our employment page. Call Leslie for more information or an appointment. 509-9964720.

1 METHOW HOUSING TRUST is hiring!The Outreach & Communications Coordinator is a 20/hr per week position with the valley’s newly established Community Land Trust. Applications due August 25th. See full job description at methowhousingtrust.org 509-9965943.

17 RIVER RUN INN is seeking a self motivated person for housekeeping, who can work independently and with a team. Must be available to work Sundays. Year-round position.

Fun place to work. Please pick up an application at the office. Or email your resume to rooms@riverruninn.com.

20 RIVER’S EDGE RESORT is hiring for part-time housekeeper to join our team. Must be teamspirited and enjoy housekeeping. $13/hr. Send resume to heidi@ riversedgewinthrop.com or stop by the resort office to complete an application.

17

t”

E-MAIL TO frontdesk@methowvalleynews.com

31 ................. EMPLOYMENT, Cont.

ir

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING - 997-7011

D

ISE ADVERT HERE!!!

with

and all your Excavating needs!

509-341-4109 996-2595

Pennock’s Excavation, LLC Toby Pennock

P.O. Box 1152, Twisp, WA Lic #PENNOEL831D2

Owner/Operator toby.pennock@yahoo.com (509) 429-2695

40 ......................... CARS & TRUCKS

1 9 9 6 D OD G E DA KOTA , NEED someone to put linkage back on. Please call 509-3414992.

17 STATEWIDE ADS EVENTS-FESTIVALS PROMOTE YOUR REGIONAL EVENT for only pennies. Reach 2.7 million readers in newspapers statewide for $275 classified or $1,350 display ad. Call this newspaper or 360-344-2938 for details.

STATEWIDE ADS, Cont.

ANNOUNCEMENTS WA S H I N G T O N D I V O R C E S E PA R AT I O N , $ 1 5 5 . $ 1 7 5 w i t h c h i l d r e n . N O C O U RT APPEARANCES. Includes property, bills, custody, support. Complete preparation of documents. Legal Alternatives, 503-772-5295. www. paralegalalternatives.com LIFE ALERT, 24/7. One press of a button sends help FAST! Medical, fire, burglar. Even if you can’t reach a phone! FREE brochure. Call 866691-1479.

STOP OVERPAYING for your prescriptions! SAVE! Call our licensed Canadian & International pharmacy, compare prices & get $25 OFF your first prescription!

CALL 1-855-543-2095, Promo Code CDC201725.

A PLACE FOR MOM. The nation’s largest senior living referral service.

Contact our trusted, local experts today! Our service is FREE/no obligation. CALL 1-866-916-7507.

GOT AN OLDER CAR, BOAT OR RV? Do the humane thing. Donate it to the Humane Society. Call 1-855706-7910.

LEGAL ADS LEGAL NOTICE Okanogan County Fire District #6 is accepting bid proposals for installation into the existing PUD/ OCEC electrical service supply for 4 generators and all necessary automatic power switches. Installation shall include all electrical parts associated with the generator/auto transfer switch. Generator install shall include the cement pad for placement of each generator. Bid proposals will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. September 11th 2017. Bid proposals will be opened at 4:00 p.m. September 11th 2017 at the District office 434 W 2nd Ave Twisp, WA. Bids may be sent to P.O. Box 895 Winthrop, WA 98862. Additional information may be obtain from the Interim Chief. Please mark bid proposals “Install of generators and switches.” Interim Chief Cody Acord can be contacted at the District office Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m.

Phone: 509-997-2981.

Email: cacord@okanogancountyfd6.com Published in the Methow Valley News August 30 & September 6, 2017.

TOWN OF WINTHROP NOTICE OF APPLICATION & PUBLIC HEARING MOUNT GARDNER HEIGHTS PRELIMINARY LONG PLAT FILE ID#: WIN LP 17-2 TAX PARCEL # 3421110152 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT Richard Hamel, PO Box 388, Winthrop, WA 98862 has submitted application for a 10lot preliminary long plat, entitled Mount Gardner Heights, under Winthrop Municipal Code (WMC) Chapters 16.20 and 19.04. The application is consistent with the standards for the Residential 2 zone, in which the property is located. The applicant proposes to provide domestic water through a Group B well unless Town water becomes available, Town sewer service, and access via a private road off of SR 20. The subject property is 9.56 acres in size. The project is located in the SE quarter of the NW quarter and the SW quarter of the NE quarter of Section 11, Township 34, Range 21, in the Town of Winthrop.

Public Hearing: The Winthrop Planning Commission will hold an open record hearing on the application on September 26, 2017 at 7:05 pm, at the Hen House in the Winthrop Auditorium, 51 Highway 20, Winthrop, Washington. The hearing will be conducted in accord with WMC Chapter 19.10.

Any person desiring to present written or oral testimony may do so at the hearing, and by doing so shall have standing as a party of record. Any person requiring assistance to access the hearing is urged to contact Town Hall at least 24 hours in advance.

Information available: Application materials are on fi le at Winthrop Town Hall. Persons wishing to view project information or receive a notice on the action taken on the application may contact Winthrop Town Hall, 206 Riverside Ave. between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday - Friday. Pursuant to WMC 19.06.040, a staff report summarizing application materials, comments and relevant regulations will be available seven days prior to the public hearing. For further information contact Rocklynn Culp at (509) 996-2320.

SEPA Determination and Critical Areas Review: A threshold Determination of Nonsignifi cance and Notice of Critical Areas Review was issued for the project on August 25, 2017. The comment period for the SEPA determination and critical areas review ends on September 15, 2017. The Town of Winthrop, as lead agency, has determined that this project does not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment.

An environmental impact statement is not required under RCW 43.21C.030(2)(c). This decision was made after review of the application materials and a site visit.

The DNS has been issued under WAC 197-11-340(2).

Comments: Written comments received prior to 4 pm on September 15, 2017 will be entered into the record and considered in the staff report; comments received

LEGAL ADS, Cont. after the above date but prior to the public hearing will be provided to the planning commission and admitted to the record at the hearing. Comments or requests for notice should be submitted to the Town Planner, Town of Winthrop, PO Box 459, Winthrop, WA 98862, or by email to planner@townofwinthrop.com.

This notice is given pursuant to Winthrop Municipal Code Chapter 19.06.

DATED: August 25, 2017, Rocklynn Culp, Town Planner.

Published in the Methow Valley News August 30, 2017.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Board of Okanogan County Commissioners that a Public Hearing is set for 11:30 AM on Monday, September 11, 2017 to consider a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $46,675 within the Current Expense budgets of Juvenile and Central Services. Funds are from Block Grant Revenue and Unreserved Beginning Fund Balance and will be used for Salary and Benefits, Supplies, Travel, and Communications. The hearing will be held in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room located at 123 5th Avenue North, Okanogan, Washington. Persons wishing to comment may attend the hearing or submit their comments in writing to the Commissioners’ Offi ce at 123 5th Avenue North, Rm 150, Okanogan, Washington 98840.

Published in the Methow Valley News on August 23, 30 2017; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune on August 24, 31, 2017. OVG#773558 PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Board of Okanogan County Commissioners that a Public Hearing is set for 11:40 AM on Monday, September 11, 2017 to consider a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $2,225 within the Fair Budget Fund 112 from Other Non-Revenue and will be used for Small Tools and Operating Supplies. The hearing will be held in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room located at 123 5th Avenue North, Okanogan, Washington. Persons wishing to comment may attend the hearing or submit their comments in writing to the Commissioners’ Office at 123 5th Avenue North, Rm 150, Okanogan, Washington 98840.

Published in the Methow Valley News on August 23, 30 2017; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune on August 24, 31, 2017. OVG#773566 VACANCY NOTICE LODGING TAX ADVISORY COMMITTEE Notice is hereby given concerning an opening on the Okanogan County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) for Commissioner District #3 and Commissioner District #1 as a Collector of the Lodging Tax. The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a seven member LTAC to serve Okanogan County. Each of Okanogan County’s three commissioner districts are represented on the LTAC with one member who is a Receiver of LTAC funding and one member who is a Collector of the tax that is eventually released in the form of LTAC funding for the purpose of increasing tourism in Okanogan County.

If you are interested in serving on the Okanogan County LTAC, a letter of interest from you will be needed. This letter of interest should include the following information: · Your Name, mailing address, phone number and email · A statement describing why you are interested in filling the position · A statement of eligibility from the entity you work for that includes the business name, in what capacity you wish to serve on the LTAC (in this case, as a Collector of the tax), and that you do represent that entity.

Anyone wishing to serve on the committee should send a letter stating interest and qualifications to the Okanogan County Commissioners either by email to ljohns@co.okanogan.wa.us or by mail to 123 5th Ave N, Rm 150, Okanogan, WA 98840. Call Lanie Johns for more information at 509-422-7105.

Published in the Methow Valley News August 30, 2017 and September 6, 2017; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune August 31, 2017 and September 7, 2017. OVG#774530.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Board of Okanogan County Commissioners that a Public Hearing is set for 4:50 PM on Monday, September 11, 2017 to consider a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $55,470 within the Current Expense Fund from Beginning Fund Balance and will be used for Courthouse Maintenance Salary and Benefits, Professional Services, Utilities, Repairs and Maintenance, and Supplies. The hearing will be held in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room located at 123 5th Avenue North, Okanogan, Washington. Persons wishing to comment may attend the hearing or submit their comments in writing to the Commissioners’ Offi ce at 123 5th Avenue North, Rm 150,

Page B4 B4 Page

Wednesday, 30, 2017 Wednesday,August July 12, 2017

Methow Valley Valley News News Methow

Basic information for visitors to the Methow Valley NEED A PLACE TO STAY?

Central Reservations: 996-2148 or (800) 422-3048; www.centralreservations.net; info@centralreservations.net

INFORMATION CENTERS

Twisp: 997-2926; 201 Methow Valley Highway (Methow Valley Community Center) Winthrop: 996-2125 or (888) 463-8469; 202 Riverside Ave.

CAR WASH

Cascade King’s: 1421 Methow Valley Hwy S. Twisp; 997-2513; www.kingstire.biz

NEED A TOW?

Classic Towing, Twisp: 997-2333 Winthrop Motors: 996-2277

OPEN LATE

Hank’s Mini Market: 410 E. Methow Valley Highway, Twisp; 997-4332; until 10 p.m. every day; 24-hour fueling Mazama Store: 50 Lost River Road, Mazama; 996-2855; 24-hour fueling Pardners Mini Market: 900 Highway 20, Winthrop; 996-2005; until midnight every day; 24-hour fueling Twisp Chevron: 126 N. Methow Valley Highway; 997-3181; until 10 p.m. weekdays and Sunday, 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; 24-hour fueling

POLICE/EMERGENCY

Emergency: 911 Twisp Police Department: 997-6112; 118 S. Glover St.;

townoftwisp.com /index.php/ departments/police-department/ Winthrop Marshal’s Office: 996-2160; 206 Riverside Ave.; www.winthropmarshals.com Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office: (509) 422-7232; www.okanogansheriff.org Washington State Patrol: (509) 422-3800 Okanogan County Fire District 6: 997-2981 Aero Methow Rescue Service: 997-4013; www.aeromethow.org

CAB AND SHUTTLE

Cla s sic Mou nt a in Cabby: 996-2894; classicmountaincabby@ gmail.com

AIRPORTS

Twisp Municipal Airport: 40 Wagner Road, Twisp; 997-2311.

Methow Valley State Airport: Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road; (360) 618-2477

NEED TO CHARGE YOUR ELECTRIC VEHICLE?

Pine Near RV Park: 316 Castle Ave., Winthrop; (509) 341-4062, www.pinenearpark.com Mazama Country Inn: 15 Country Road, Mazama; 996-2681; www.mazamacountryinn.com Sun Mountain Lodge, Winthrop: 996-2211; www.sunmountainlodge.com

PET PROBLEMS?

Methow Valley Veterinary Hospital: 523 Highway 20, Winthrop: 996-3231 Valley Veterinary Clinic: 20335

Highway 20, Twisp; 997-8452 Winthrop Veterinary Services: 19100 Highway 20; 996-2793

HIGHWAY INFORMATION

Washington State Department of Transportation: Dial 511 for pass and road information; www. wsdot.wa.gov

NEED TO CLEAN UP?

Laundromat, showers and free Wi-Fi at Washworks: 325 E. Highway 20, Twisp; 997-0336; www.hwy20washworks.com

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

Twisp: 997-2020; www.twispinfo. com Winthrop: 996-2125; www.winthropwashington.com Omak: (509) 826-1880 or (800) 225-6625; www.omakchamber. com Okanogan: (509) 422-4034; www. okanogachamber.com Brewster: (509) 689-3464; www. brewsterchamber.org Pateros: (509) 923-9636; www.pateros.com

BANKS

North Cascades Bank: 101 Methow Valley Highway N., Twisp; 997-2411; www.northcascadesbank.com Farmers State Bank: 159 Riverside Ave., Winthrop; 996-2244; www.farmersstatebankwa.com

POST OFFICES

Carlton: 997-6091; 2274 Highway 153 Methow: (509) 923-2759; 34 Main

St. Twisp: 997-3777; 205 Glover St. Winthrop: 996-2282; 1110 Highway 20

LIBRARIES

Twisp: 997-4681; 201 Methow Valley Highway (Methow Valley Community Center); wireless hot spot Winthrop: 996-2685; 49 Highway 20; wireless hot spot

RECYCLING

Methow Recycles: 997-0520; 12 Twisp Airport Road; www. methowrecycles.org

GOVERNMENT

City of Pateros: (509) 923-2571; www.pateros.com Town of Twisp: 997-4081; 118 S. Glover St.; www.townoftwisp.com Town of Winthrop: 996-2320, 206 Riverside Ave., www.townofwinthrop.com

RECREATION INFORMATION

U.S. Forest Service: 996-4000; 24 West Chewuch Rd., Winthrop Methow Tra ils: 996 -2387; 309 Riverside Ave., Winthrop; www.methowtrails.com; info@ methowtrails.com Winthrop Rink: 996-4199, www. winthropicerink.com Wagner Memorial Pool, Twisp: 997-5441 Pearrygin Lake State Park, Winthrop: 996-2370; www.parks. wa.gov/563/Pearrygin-Lake Cascade Loop Scenic Highway: www.cascadeloop.com

North Cascades National Park: Newhalem visitor center, (206) 386-4495 ext.11; www.nps.gov/ noca/index.htm Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: (360) 902-2200; www.wdfw.wa.gov

HEALTH CARE

Three Rivers Hospital, Brewster: (509) 689-2086; www. threerivershospital.net Mid-Valley Hospital, Omak: (509) 826-1760; www.mvhealth. org Confluence Health Methow Valley Clinic, Winthrop: 996-8180 Family Health Centers Medical Clinic, Twisp: 997-2011 Brewster Clinic: (509) 826-1800 Steven C. Harrop DDS, Winthrop: 996-2164 Sawtooth Dental Care, Twisp: 997-7533 Family Health Centers Dental Clinic, Twisp: 997-0922 Ulrich’s Pharmacy, Twisp: 997-2191

INFORMATION & MEDIA

Methow Valley News: 997-7011; 502 S. Glover St., Twisp; www. methowvalleynews.com; frontdesk@methowvalleynews.com www.methownet.com www.methow.com KTRT, 97.5 FM KCSY, 106.3FM KOZI, 93.5FM KTWP (public radio), 91.1FM KOMW, 95.1 All 996 and 997 prefixes are in the 509 area code.

LEGAL ADS, Cont.

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Okanogan, Washington 98840.

Published in the Methow Valley News August 30, 2017 and September 6, 2017; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune August 31, 2017 and September 7, 2017. OVG#774548.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Board of Okanogan County Commissioners that a Public Hearing is set for 4:45 PM on Monday, September 11, 2017 to consider a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $66,753 within the Noxious Weed Fund 103 from Beginning Fund Balance and will be used for Salary and Benefits, Small tools, Communication, Repairs and Maintenance, Advertising, Capital Outlays and the remaining to the Ending Fund Balance. The hearing will be held in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room located at 123 5th Avenue North, Okanogan, Washington. Persons wishing to comment may attend the hearing or submit their comments in writing to the Commissioners’ Office at 123 5th Avenue North, Rm 150, Okanogan, Washington 98840.

Published in the Methow Valley News on August 30, 2017, September 6, 2017; Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune on August 31, 2017, September 7, 2017. OVG# 774480.

NOTICE OF DECISION APPLICATION FOR WATER AVAILABILITY Locations: 1) Parcel #3526100003 248 Hubbard Road, Riverside, WA WRIA #49 HUC #12 Pine Creek 2) Parcel #3726334002 Henry Road, Tonasket, WA WRIA #49 HUC #12 Whitestone Coulee-Okanogan River The Planning Department has reviewed two applications for

building permits for single family residences at the above listed locations and has determined that the proposed use of a permit exempt well in accordance with RCW 90.44.050 will provide a legal and physically adequate supply of potable water.

This decision will not be final until September 19, 2017. Anyone with standing who desires a public hearing be held on this application to determine water adequacy must submit a written request by the deadline listed above. The request must state the basis upon which the request is made which must include a statement that the requesters lawful use of water from a senior source will be impaired if the decision stands.

Any request for public hearing must be directed to the Director of Planning at the above listed address and received prior to 5:00 p.m. on September 19, 2017.

Information regarding this proposal can be obtained from: Okanogan County Office of Planning and Development, Perry Huston, Director of Planning, 123 5th Avenue North, Suite 130 Okanogan, WA 98840 (509)4227218 or phuston@co.okanogan. wa.us Published in the Methow Valley News on August 30, 2017 and Okanogan Valley GazetteTribune on August 31, 2017.

OVG#774554 NOTICE OF DECISION APPLICATION FOR WATER AVAILABILITY Location: 1) Parcel #9103100300 Goat Creek Rd, Mazama WA WRIA #48 HUC #12 Goat Creek 2) Parcel #9800840020 Hwy 20 MP 179 Mazama, WA WRIA #48 HUC #12 Fawn Creek-Methow River The Planning Department has

reviewed two applications for water availability for single family residences at the above listed locations and has determined that the proposed use of a permit exempt well in accordance with RCW 90.44.050 will provide a legal and physically adequate supply of potable water.

This decision will not be final until September 19, 2017. Anyone with standing who desires a public hearing be held on this application to determine water adequacy must submit a written request by the deadline listed above. The request must state the basis upon which the request is made which must include a statement that the requesters lawful use of water from a senior source will be impaired if the decision stands.

Any request for public hearing must be directed to the Director of Planning at the above listed address and received prior to 5:00 p.m. on September 19, 2017.

Information regarding this proposal can be obtained from: Okanogan County Office of Planning and Development, Perry Huston, Director of Planning, 123 5th Avenue North, Suite 130 Okanogan, WA 98840 (509)4227218 or phuston@co.okanogan. wa.us Published in the Methow Valley News on August 30, 2017 and Okanogan Valley GazetteTribune on August 31, 2017.

OVG#774574 OKANOGAN COUNTY NOTICE OF FINAL DECISION Project: Big Daddy Purp Corp and Pam’s Plants LLC, CUP 2017-5 Decision: Approved Publication Date: August 30, 2017 Appeal Deadline: September 20, 2017 The Okanogan County Hearing Examiner denied the above-noted

project. Within 21 calendar days of the publication date; parties with standing may appeal this decision pursuant to RCW 36.70 C. Published in the Methow Valley News on August 30, 2017 and Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune on August 31, 2017. OVG#774600 NOTICE OF FINAL SEPA DETERMINATION AND HEARING DATE CUP 2017-6 Gardner View Ranch LLC Notice is hereby given that an application has been submitted

by Chris Johnson on behalf of Rick & Jan Fulcher to permit an event center for weddings in accordance with Okanogan County Code 17A.220.010. The CUP, if approved, would allow an existing renovated 36 foot by 48 foot barn to be used as an event center that will host a maximum of 12 wedding events per year with guest facilities for up to two members of the wedding party. The events will range from 40 to 200 guests and participants. Temporary sanitation facilities will be onsite for scheduled events. Parking will be on a mowed portion of the agricultural field. Water will be provided from an exempt well; the use of the well for commercial purposes will be interruptible.

The site is located South-East of the town of Winthrop via TwispWinthrop East Side Rd. and accessed off of Bean Rd. on tax parcel numbers 3421110040 and 3421123004. According to Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) regulations, the office of Okanogan County Planning and Development issued a final environmental mitigated determination of non-significance (MDNS) for this proposal. This decision may be appealed in accordance with OCC 14.04.220. Appeals must be made in writing to the Okanogan County Hearing Examiner, 123 5th

Ave N Ste. 130, Okanogan, WA 98840. Appeals must be submitted or postmarked by 5:00 p.m. on September 14, 2017. Appeals shall state with specificity the elements of the environmental checklist and resulting determination the appellant finds objectionable and shall state the reason therefore. Appeals must include the $300.00 appeal fee. The public hearing for this project is scheduled for October 12, 2017 at 10:00 am in the Commissioners Hearing Room. Project comments can be submitted up to the hearing date and testimony may be given at the hearing. Failure to comment by this date denies a party standing to appeal the final decision. Direct questions and comments to: Okanogan County Office of Planning & Development, Pam Wyllson 123 5th Ave. N, Suite 130, Okanogan, WA 98840, (509) 422-7122 pwyllson@co.okanogan. wa.us Published in the Methow Valley News on August 30, 2017 and Okanogan Valley GazetteTribune on August 31, 2017.

OVG#774605 OKANOGAN COUNTY NOTICE OF FINAL DECISION Project: Potvin Administrative Variance 2017-6 (parcel 5550090000) Proponent: Terry & Nanette Potvin Decision: Approved Appeal Deadline: September 19, 2017 The Okanogan County Office of Planning and Development approved the above-noted project.

Within 20 days of publication, parties with standing may appeal this decision to the Okanogan County Hearing Examiner at 123 5th Ave. N. Suite 130, Okanogan, WA 98840, pursuant to OCC 2.67.010.

An appeal must include the $300.00 appeal fee.

Published in the Methow Valley News on August 30, 2017 and Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune on August 31, 2017. OVG#774609 OKANOGAN COUNTY NOTICE OF FINAL DECISION Project: Exempt Segregation / Boundary Line Adjustment - Parcel 3929280007 Proponent: Jan W. Payne Decision: Approved Appeal Deadline: September 19, 2017 The Okanogan County Office of Planning and Development approved the above-noted project.

Within 20 days of publication, parties with standing may appeal this decision to the Okanogan County Hearing Examiner at 123 5th Ave. N. Suite 130, Okanogan, WA 98840, pursuant to OCC 2.67.010.

An appeal must include the $300.00 appeal fee.

Published in the Methow Valley News on August 30, 2017 and Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune on August 31, 2017. OVG#774614 OKANOGAN COUNTY NOTICE OF FINAL DECISION Project: Boundary Line Adjustment: (parcels 3322354007 & 3322354006) Proponent: Penelope Varn Decision: Approved Appeal Deadline: September 19, 2017 The Okanogan County Office of Planning and Development approved the above-noted project.

Within 20 days of decision, parties with standing may appeal this decision to the Okanogan County Hearing Examiner at 123 5th Ave. N. Suite 130, Okanogan, WA 98840, pursuant to OCC 2.67.010.

An appeal must include the $300.00 appeal fee.

Published in the Methow Valley News on August 30, 2017 and Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune on August 31, 2017. OVG#774615

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Methow Valley News

FAIR

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

From Page A1

category. At age 8, the 4-H program considers members old enough to sell market animals.

Colt raised and showed steers all the way through high school.

Asked what was memorable about 4-H, he said it taught him to accept the hard work and responsibility for “doing stuff you don’t want to do, when you don’t want to do it.”

Now those lessons are being passed on to Colt’s children.

Colt’s son Quincy, 10, started showing steers in the junior open category. This year he is eligible to take Thunder, his 1,400 pound, 18-month-old steer to the fair as a market animal that could fetch $3 a pound. Steers must weigh a minimum of 1,000 pounds. There is no upper weight limit.

“4-H teaches you

responsibility.

What was really good for me that my mom noticed is that I learned how to finish a project, not just stop in the middle.

— Emily Paul

”

Quincy has been responsible for Thunder since he was a calf weighing just 80 pounds. Back then he was fed one coffee can of

Page B5

2017 Okanogan County Fair The four-day Okanogan County Fair opens Sept. 7 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 10. Online registration for entries closes Sept. 4; registration in writing closes Sept. 1.

The fairgrounds are at 175 Rodeo Trail between Okanogan and Omak just off Highway 97. For complete details: www.okanogancounty.org/ fair

grain and one flake of hay twice a day. Thunder now eats six coffee cans of grain and two flakes of hay twice a day.

Besides feedings, Quincy’s care has included cleaning Thunder’s stall, disposing of his waste, and grooming and trimming him for presentation at the fair.

By the time the judges call his name on show day, Quincy said he will be standing “in a big line” with an animal he has watered, fed, exercised, washed and combed.

He will relax Thunder the steer with a belly scratch, hold his head just so, and use a small pole called a “show stick” to get the steer squared up and looking good.

Four Methow Valley 4-H Cascaders will show steers this year. And like many families, all the Scotts will camp at the fairgrounds for four nights. Quincy’s 3-year-old sister, Teagan, and 4-year-old brother, Ole, likely will show chickens or rabbits in the open division. Ole has been given his own steer to raise for next year’s fair.

Jill Scott said she looks forward to the fair for the chance to visit with friends made when she was a kid in 4-H and who like her, are now there with their kids and grandkids.

said there are nine Methow Valley youngsters showing rabbits at the fair — the most in several years. Her daughter, Layla, 10, is the oldest child in the rabbit group. Typically two to four kids enter the category. None are showing feathered animals this time.

“I’ve been involved in 4-H my whole life,” said Buzzard.

When she was very young she showed horses, then switched to hogs when she was old enough to show market animals.

Buzzard, who went to school in Brewster, said she moved from 4-H to the Future Farmers of American (FFA) program in high school and became an FFA leader.

She and Scott both lamented the lack of an FFA program at Liberty Bell High School, which would build on 4-H skills and expose rural kids to the numerous areas of study available within the field of agriculture.

There are nearly six million members in the national 4-H program, which is more than 100 years old, and another one million kids enrolled in independent programs in 50 other countries, according to the organization’s web site.

More fur but no feathers

Suellen White, the coordinator of the Methow Valley Cascaders, got involved with 4-H when her own now-grown children were

Emily Buzzard, leader of the local Fur and Feathers division,

A committed coordinator

Photos by Karen West

A family tradition: Teagan Scott, 3, her brother, Ole Scott, 4, and big brother, Quincy Scott, 10, show off some of their chickens.

5 and 7 years old and never quit.

“We’ve always had a farm and had animals and it’s a great organization for teaching kids things they use in everyday life,” she said.

Most towns in the county have a 4-H group, White said. Some are project-specific while others, like the local organization, have something for almost everybody, including kids as young as 5. There also is a separate local group focused on horses called the Wild Riders.

White, former superintendent

of the Methow Valley School District, and her husband, Bill, moved to the valley in 1991 from Colville, where they had developed “a top-notch strain of pigs,” and helped the local fair organization “build a huge pig barn,” she said. When they moved to the Methow, their son, Tom, was a junior in high school and wanted to continue with pigs, but most local kids were raising steers at the time.

That changed after Tom and another kid took pigs to the Okanogan County Fair and won

the Champion and Grand Champion titles. Hank Konrad bought their swine, and “the program has grown every year since,” White said.

She, and others, have high praise for the strong community support the Methow Valley Cascaders receive, from the committed leaders and parents who invest hours in 4-H to the financial support from those who buy the animals, especially Hank’s Harvest Foods in Twisp and the Evergreen IGA in Winthrop.

W W W. M E T H O W VA L L E Y N E W S . C O M

Service Directory

HEALTH & SERVICE DIRECTORIES - Deadline for ad placement & changes is Friday at 5pm for insertion in the next Wednesday’s paper. Directory ads are $8 per column inch. Additional charges may apply for color. To have your service listed please call 997-7011.

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Page B6

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Methow Valley News

Dwight, Annie Filer see a clear line to an active retirement Local plumbing business served Methow Valley for nearly 30 years

By Ashley Lodato

When Dwight and Annie Filer removed the Filer Plumbing sign from the plumbing shop on Second Avenue in Twisp last Friday (Aug. 25), it was a momentous day for many reasons.

First, as Dwight was quick to point out, it was the last day for those 62 and older to purchase the lifetime Interagency Senior Pass from the Forest Service for $10 (the price will increase on Aug. 28, but our local forest service office is closed on Aug. 26 and 27). Conveniently, Aug. 25 was Dwight’s 62nd birthday — eligibility just in the nick of time.

But even more significant is the closing of a Methow Valley mainstay business that opened its doors 29 years and four months ago.

Dwight says that he never envisioned himself owning a plumbing business. After college, Dwight moved to the Methow Valley — part of the sixth generation of a long line of Methow Valley Filers — to work for the U.S. Forest Service, which is where he met Annie. But he soon realized that he didn’t want a government job.

“I’d always had an interest in the trades and working with my hands,” Dwight says, “but there were already enough carpen-

ters and electricians in the valley to answer all the needs.” So Dwight explored plumbing and eventually apprenticed to Shaw Plumbing in Chelan. He liked it immediately. “So I got my license and hung out my shingle,” he says.

Filer Plumbing has always been a partnership, say both Dwight and Annie, despite Dwight being the face of the operation. “She’s my boss,” he jokes of Annie, quickly adding, “This is absolutely a 50 percent partnership. I never would have stayed self-employed if Annie hadn’t held up her half of the business.” Annie’s half includes the office, the books, and the management of fixture packages with customers, while Dwight does the on-site plumbing work.

A plumber who Dwight volunteered with in his exploratory stage of plumbing gave the Filers some advice that both say they are infinitely glad they heeded.

“Keep it small,” the man told them. And they did.

Keeping it small

Keeping the business small, Annie explains, means that Dwight did every Filer Plumbing job. “We can uphold a standard with Dwight doing the work,” says Annie. “And our name is on the business. We feel proud of our work, and that would have been harder if we had expanded and taken on a crew.”

That first summer of business was nerve-wracking, say the Filers. “We weren’t in the phone book and there was no internet in 1988,” says Dwight, “so we just went around town

“So I’m under the sink working, and I’m

pretty sure I’m alone in the house, but I keep hearing a woman’s voice saying ‘I love you. I love you. I love you.’ So I get up and look around, but no one is there.

But the minute I get back under the sink I hear it again. ‘I love you. I love you. I love you.’

— Dwight Filer, discussing one of his more interesting projects

An apple a day …

”

Walking through Twisp on Monday, this doe paused to munch on apples she found on the ground next to the Methow Valley Inn.

and handed out business cards.”

But there were many new houses being built in those years and Filer Plumbing’s schedule soon filled up.

The Filers’ intent was always to focus on service and repair, rather than new construction. It took nearly 25 years, however, before Filer Plumbing was able to give up new construction entirely and focus on service and repair, which is what Filer Plumbing has specialized in for the past five years. “Those were five really satisfying years,” says Dwight. “I never lacked for work and it was all pretty interesting.”

Dwight kept the work interesting in other ways, too, such as working stints at research stations in places like Greenland, the South Pole and Alaska’s Brooks Range. “You can take a trade like this anywhere,” Dwight points out. Although he is officially retiring, Dwight still entertains the possibility of doing occasional work at other remote locations. “I’d really like to work at Palmer Station [Antarctica],” he says. “Work like that is really interesting and challenging.”

Those in the plumbing business see and hear their fair share of unusual things, but one memory that stands out for Dwight is a job he did for Bart and Velma Bradshaw about 22 years ago, fixing the kitchen sink.

“So I’m under the sink working,” Dwight says, “and I’m pretty sure I’m alone in the house, but I keep hearing a woman’s voice saying ‘I love you. I love you. I love you.’”

“So I get up and look around, but no one is there. But the minute I get back under the sink I hear it again. ‘I love you. I love you. I love you.’”

The process repeated several more times until Dwight finally realized that there was an African grey parrot in a cage in the corner of the room. Every time Dwight went back under the sink, the parrot professed its love for Dwight.

Dwight was so tickled by his discovery that he used the Bradshaws’ home phone and called Annie, then left the phone off the hook while he went back under

Dwight and Annie Filer closed their plumbing business in Twisp on Aug. 25. the sink just so she could hear the parrot.

Other activities

Dwight has also led a noteworthy civic life. He has twice served on the Twisp Town Council, and has also been a member of the planning commission and parks and recreation committee. He has also been chairman of the town’s Tree Board, which assumes stewardship for public trees in Twisp and promotes the town as a Tree City USA. Although they are not passing the family business down to their daughter Molly (she’s in graduate school for mental health counseling), the Filers are quick to encourage young people

to enter the trade. “It’s a great thing for a young kid to go into,” says Dwight. “If you haven’t found your niche, try working with your hands. You are doing something concrete. It’s very satisfying.”

“We are forever thankful that we became self-employed,” the Filers add. “We planted roots in the Methow Valley, we were our own bosses, we had independence and freedom, and we could rearrange our life whenever we needed to.”

This rearranging often took the form of things like the summer the three Filers spent in Alaska. “We put a sign on the door of the plumbing shop,” says Annie, “and we took the pipes

off the truck and put on a canoe and camper instead. It was a wonderful summer.”

That canoe is likely to see some more time on the top of the former Filer Plumbing van, as long expeditions on rivers and lakes and into the backcountry are at the top of Dwight’s bucket list for retirement. “We finally have some free time to enjoy this place,” he says.

As retirement approached, Annie says, the experience became very nostalgic. “The people here have been so wonderful since the first day we opened our doors,” she says.

“There have been so many rewards in having this business in this community.”

State officials warn consumers of Hurricane Harvey-related scams Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman and Attorney General Bob Ferguson are urging consumers to be aware of scam artists exploiting Hurricane Harvey, which struck the southeastern Texas coast over the weekend, causing extensive flooding and widespread damage.

The two statewide officials said in a press release that rip-off artists follow media coverage of natural disasters and then attempt to victimize well-intended charitable donors.

“When there is a natural disaster, scam artists try to take advantage of people’s compassion,” Wyman said.

“Scammers might try to lure consumers into giving money for Hurricane Harvey relief.

We encourage people to check our website when they come across charities related

Photo by Ann McCreary

Photo by Ashley Lodato

to relief efforts.”

“Cha r it able giving at times like these should be not only encouraged, but commended,” Ferguson said.

“However, be careful – donations to scammers help no one. Take the time to investigate the charity before donating to ensure your money goes to help those who truly need it. In the unfortunate event you do get scammed, contact my office.”

The Secretary of State’s Charities Program and the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division urge consumers to be cautious when donating to a cause related to a natural disaster. Here are tips for wise and prudent giftgiving: • Be suspicious of solicitors requesting immediate donations. Don’t give in to high-pressure tactics. Be sure

to take time to research the charity. Check out the organization’s registration status at www.sos.wa.gov/charities, or call 1-800-332-4483.

• Pay with care. Never give out credit card numbers over the phone. Avoid cash donations. Write a check directly to the charity, not the fundraiser.

• Be wa r y of “new” charities with unverifiable background or contact information.

• Don’t be fooled by a name. Watch out for charities that use sympathetic-sounding names or names similar to well-known legitimate charities. Watch out for requests from fake “victims” or memorial social media accounts.

For consumer complaints, call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-551-4636.

Real Estate PUBLISHER'S NO TICE: All

real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise "any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or dis crim i na tion."

Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with

parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwell ings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1-800-669-9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

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Methow Valley News

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

New wine bar in Winthrop offers variety and expertise — without intimidation

By Mandi Donohue

Owners of the Brix Wine Bar, opening this weekend in Winthrop, hope to share their passion for all things wine, to introduce area residents to the endless variety of wine flavors and to make wine-tasting a relaxed experience.

“One of the things we’ve been talking about is that we want this to be fairly laid back,” said co-owner Melanie Whittaker.

“For us, it’s all about having fun.”

Whittaker is partnering with Larry Miller and her son, Gentry Miller, to run the 24-seat tasting bar, at 229 Riverside Ave. in the heart of downtown Winthrop. They will pour from a rotating tasting menu of 20 to 24 bottles daily, drawing from some 300 bottles kept in stock. Guests can enjoy a glass or bottle on site, paired with small nosh plates, or buy a bottle to go.

The bar’s mission is to let people experience new tastes without feeling shy or intimidated. When a guest is stuck on a Washington wine or popular varietal like cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay, she’ll encourage them to try something a bit different: “What about an albarino? How about vermentino?” Whittaker said. “And then seeing them say ‘Wow, this is so good!’ That really excites me.”

Originally from Eugene, Oregon, Melanie Whittaker grew up in a farm family that also was involved in the wine and spirits industries. She came to the Methow Valley for a ski race in the early 1990s and “fell in love with the place.” She and her then-husband moved here to raise their children, Sophie and Gentry.

After teaching yoga for many years in the valley, Whittaker decided to pursue an education in oenology, the study of wine, and viticulture, the study of grape cultivation.

She took classes at The Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California, where she also worked in the vineyards.

Working at the Wine Shed in Winthrop, with owner with Dave Swenson, “even

Photo by Mandi Donohue

Melanie Whittaker and Larry Miller will offer different tastings daily at the Brix Wine Bar.

moreso made me want to be involved in “Here, we will have small plates to pair wine somehow,” she said. She eventually with the wines,” Whittaker said. “Not only earned her credentials as a Certified Wine will we do tastings at the bar but we’ll serve Specialist (CWS) through the Society of wine by the glass or bottle. We have a small Wine Educators. retail area as well.”

Last September, she and The bar also will One of the things Gentry Whittaker travserve non-alcoholic elled through Burgundy, d r i n ks a nd some we’ve been talking France, where they visited beers. world-renowned wineries Wa s h i n g t o n i s about is that we such Clos de Vougeot. “To second only to Caliwant this to be go into a cave where there fornia among wineare wines that are hunproducing states, and fairly laid back. For dreds of years old, it was is the fastest growing us, it’s all about really amazing,” she said. wine region in the She decided it was time country. Whittaker having fun. to turn her passion into a is talking with a few business, and felt a wine regional wineries in bar would fill a niche in Chelan and Walla — Melanie Whittaker the Methow Valley. The Walla about the posco-owner of Brix Wine Bar Wine Shed has a larger sibility of carrying inventory but sells mostly their wines in the retail, with only occasional future, and having tastings. Tasting rooms like Lost River fea- their winemakers come to the Brix for speture their own label wines. In Twisp, the cial tasting events.

Glover Street Market hosts tastings on SatBrix Wine Bar will be open 11 a.m. to urday afternoons, featuring a wide variety of 8 p.m., and closed either Monday or Tueswines that also are available for retail pur- day. It may expand to include a back patio chase. next summer.

Methow Valley Senior Center This Labor Day weekend on Saturday (Sept. 2), we will be having a sidewalk sale. There will be all kinds of Western wear, fleece vests and jackets, designer purses and a lot of fishing poles all ready to catch fish.

Thanks to Dick Hill for all his work getting them ready.

There may be a few more surprises, so come and check it out.

The Senior Center is located next

News briefs County Fair entry deadlines

The deadline to register entries for the Okanogan County Fair is Friday (Sept.

1) for write-in entries and Monday (Sept. 4) for online entries. Registration is free.

Find more information online at www.okfair.org or call (509) 422-1624. The Okanogan County Fair runs Sept.

7-10 at 175 Rodeo Trail Road, Okanogan.

Twisp Library book sale

“

”

The Brix Wine Bar is in downtown Winthrop.

Page B7

to the Methow Valley Community Center on Highway 20 in Twisp. Lunch is served at noon by the Okanogan County Transportation and Nutrition Program on Monday, Thursday and Friday. The suggested donation for lunch is $3.50 for seniors over age 60; the cost is $8 for those under 60. Annual membership dues are $1.25.

Transportation is available locally for the senior lunch program, and for

monthly trips to Omak/Okanogan the second Tuesday of the month and to Wenatchee the third Tuesday of the month. Call 1-800-635-4391 for additional details.

Rosalie Hutson

Lunch menu

THURSDAY, AUG. 31: Salisbury steak, potatoes and gravy, broccoli, tossed vegetable salad, fruit cocktail,

whole wheat bread, dessert.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 1: Chili mac, mixed vegetables, green salad, pears, whole wheat roll, dessert.

MONDAY, SEPT. 4: Labor Day, closed.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 7: Beef stew, kale salad, pineapple, herb biscuit, dessert.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 8: Crunchy chicken salad on croissant, sliced tomatoes, coleslaw, mixed melons, dessert.

Mobile Food Twisp, WA 98856

509-449-2089 Available for private parties TwispWorks Open Wed-Sat 11-3 #FORKTWISP

Ulrich’s Pharmacy s of g n i v a s y o Enj 1 Patrol St., Okanogan

6

f f o 0%

1-877-422-3030 2370000 # 1 PATROL OKANOGAN, WA

Offers vary by model. Rebate offers valid on select 2014-2017 new and unregistered models purchased between 7/26/17- 9/30/17. Finance offers valid on select 2014-2018 new and unregistered models purchased between 7/26/17- 9/30/17.

See your authorized dealer for complete details. Rates as low as 2.99% APR for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a 36-month term at a 2.99% APR rate: $29.08 per $1,000 financed; and at an 6.99% APR rate: $30.87 per $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 2.99% APR for 36 months at a MSRP of $9,999.00 is $290.74; total cost of borrowing of $467.60 with a total obligation of $10,466.60. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. See your local dealer for details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris’ sole discretion.

Warning: Polaris® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2017 Polaris Industries Inc.

www.methowvalleynews.com

aturday S & y a d i r F 1&2 September Hours: 9-6 M-F • 9-1 Sat

armacy 9-6 M-Sat Ph 997-2191 Store Hours: Methow Hwy. • Twisp 509423 E.

The Twisp Library will hold a used book sale on Saturday (Sept. 2) from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Methow Valley Community Center Gym. There will be thousands of great books costing $1 or less. If you would like to help set up, please call Sharon at (509) 449-2594. To donate gently used books, please bring them to the Methow Valley Community Center through Friday (Sept. 1) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Annual ‘Dinner at TwispWorks’

The second annual “Dinner at TwispWorks: A Cultivated Evening” will be on Sunday (Sept. 3), featuring food prepared by local chefs and caterers, and performances by local musicians.

The event is a fundraiser supporting TwispWorks’ programs and services. Tickets are $50. For more information, call 997-3300.

Campus tours and happy hour will run from 4 to 6 p.m., with dinner immediately following. The event is for people 21 and older, but childcare will be provided on campus.

Methow Valley Head Start currently enrolling

Okanogan County Child Development Association (OCCDA) and the Methow Valley School District are currently accepting applications for enrollment in their full-day preschool program for the 2017-2018 school year.

OCCDA also offers Early Head Start, a home-based program for prenatal women, infants, and toddlers in the Methow Valley. For more information on services and to apply for the full-day or Early Head Start programs, please call (509) 826-2466.

Register for Cub Club, After-School Childcare

Methow Valley Elementary Cub Club and AfterSchool Childcare Program registration is now open. This year registration will take place online, through FamilyID, the same online registration program being used at the high school.

After-School Childcare will start on Tuesday (Sept.

5), and serves children in grades K-6. The program focuses on building positive relationships with peers and adults, and includes art projects, outdoor games, reading time and snacks.

Fall Cub Clubs will include choir, art, theater, horse, Green Team and fifth- and sixth-grade homework.

Visit https://methow.org/ activities/cub-club/ for more information and to register online; or call (509) 341-4210.

About bluebirds

“Bluebird Man,” a 30-minute film about bluebird conservation, will be shown at The Merc Playhouse on Sept.

5 from 7-8 p.m. Following the film, local biologist Ken Bevis and birdbox-maker Patrick Hannigan of Nice Nests will speak about cavity-nesting birds and the role that nest boxes can play here in the Methow. Admission is free; refreshments will be available

Photo courtesy of Gregg Thompson

Mountain bluebirds will be the focus of a Sept. 5 presentation at the Merc Playhouse. for purchase. For information contact 996-2870 or mary@ methowconservancy.org.

Winthrop parks survey

The Town of Winthrop is updating its Park and Recreation Plan to maintain its eligibility for grants through the Recreation Conservation Office (RCO), and is seeking citizen input. A survey can be found at www.surveymonkey. com/r/WinthropParks2017.

Please respond by Sept. 8.

Also, a public workshop will be held on Sept. 12 by the Planning Commission, in the Hen House room at the Winthrop Barn starting at 7 p.m.

For more informtion, call 996-2320.

Info on health care options

Pateros Brewster Community Resource Center will host several free seminars on “Learning the Basics of Health Options” at the resource center in the Pateros Mall. The sessions are on Sept. 21 and Oct. 12. They start at 6 p.m. The center will also host free presentations on “Understanding Medicare” on Sept. 20 and Oct. 11, also at 6 p.m. For information, call Grace Larsen at (509) 670-1381.

Take a survey, win a prize

The Twisp Chamber of Commerce, Town of Twisp and TwispWorks are working together to enhance the town’s commercial areas and overall economy. Readers who take the survey at https:// www.surveymonkey.com/r/ GJ8WGYJ will be entered to win a $20 gift card to Hank’s Harvest Foods. Results of the survey will be shared at the Sept. 19 luncheon sponsored

by Twispworks.

Advice on growing businesses

Twisp business and downtown property owners are invited to meet with Michele Reeves, a consultant who specializes in commercial development and community revitalization, on Sept. 19. at the Methow Valley Community Center from noon to 1:30 p.m. Interested businesses and property owners should contact Hannah McIntosh at 997-3300 or cmcintosh@ twispworks.org. Attendees should bring lunch or order one for $15.

The event is being hosted

by TwispWorks.

Workshop for nonprofit board members

The Nonprofit Practices Institute is hosting “Boards in Gear,” a workshop for nonprofit board members and staff to help strengthen the practice of board leadership.

The “Boards in Gear” workshop will be held Sept. 27 at Aero Methow in Twisp, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Deadline to register (cfncw.org/npiworkshops) is Sept. 15; registration is $15 and includes lunch.

Be a master gardener

Applications are due Oct. 6 to take part in the WSU Master Gardener program.

Classes will begin in January and likely run through April.

For more information, call (509) 667-6540.

LET’S BE FRIENDS Find us on Facebook: Methow Valley News

Valley Life

Page B8

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Mandi Donohue

Mazama “Quiet on the set!” This weekend was all about movies in the Methow Valley.

The Telluride Film Festival took place at the Mazama Trailhead and it was the soft opening of the long-awaited Barnyard Cinema in Winthrop. These events have me feeling a bit giddy and very nostalgic.

Somewhere in my bank of hazy memories exists a very sharp and vivid recollection— probably my very first. “Fade in” on a little girl with blond curls curiously watching her father fumble with cables and wires, hooking up a VCR to the TV for the first time. I couldn’t have been more than 4, and this was our family’s first experience with “renting a movie.” It was “The Empire Strikes

Ashley Lodato

Winthrop Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of the 1980s cover band Squirrel of Shame.

Until two weeks ago, I hadn’t either. But if you’ve got the beat and you love rock ’n’ roll, you’re going to want to jump at the chance to see a Squirrel of Shame show some time.

Back.” I loved it.

“Cut to” the same girl, age 5, standing in a line that wrapped around the length of the mall for “Return of the Jedi.” I wasn’t really sure what was happening but I remember my older sisters, with their popcorn already half finished, squealing with delight as the line began moving. And as a dancer, don’t even get me started on such wonderful gems like “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” or “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo!” Thanks to those experiences, I fell in love with movies and have never looked back.

The story continues to my junior high and high school years, when I’d visit the local Video King for movie posters. I’d collect my favorites, and the posters I couldn’t get, they eventually ordered for the “weird kid.” I began daydreaming about moving to Hollywood and becoming an actor. I didn’t tell anyone, of course. Instead, I got a communications degree, worked at the local phone company for a year and saved up enough to break the news to my mom.

When I was 22, I moved to Los Angeles — wide-eyed, painfully naive and, looking back, entirely unsure of myself.

However, in a Groundlings class for beginner improv, someone laughed at me and in my heart I knew I had found “my people.” We would write sketches The Methow connection to Squirrel of Shame is part-time Pine Forest resident Scott Wiltamuth — who, incidentally, turns out to have graduated from college in the same class as me, but we only recently met. I’ve tried to identify common connections we had in college, but I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

It all started a decade or so ago, says Scott, when the band members were just livin’ on a prayer and playing the “Rock Band” video game, where people play on fake instruments that feed into the video game console. One night, someone looked straight into the eye of the tiger and said, “Let’s go crazy. We should start a real band!” The fact that three of the four people present had little or no musical experience in their adult lives deterred no one; they knew they couldn’t fight that feeling to start a real band.

Scott was assigned the bass, so he

Methow Valley News

The Barnyard Cinema in Winthrop opens this week. For more information, see story on page A8.

Photo by Mandi Donohue

together, and film movie shorts. We would go to the park with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (which was all we could afford) to rehearse lines.

It was a group full of other dreamers who knew not to take life — or themselves — too seriously, and found laughter and solace in every situation, even the painful ones. And believe me, there are plenty of painful ones living as a dreamer in a big city. But even in

the loss and the drudgery of survival, we found joy in trips to the Hollywood Bowl, listening to John Williams conducting all of his compositional greats (“Jaws,” “Superman,” “Indiana Jones,” “Harry Potter,” etc.) underneath the stars. We had Academy Award parties where everyone would show up in a costume from that year. If you’ve got the love for movie magic, it’s just something that never goes away.

Movies taught this imaginative kid to dream, and movies continue to remind this adult to be a kid. I couldn’t wish more success for The Barnyard Cinema and hope the Telluride Festival was a smashing success.

I’m bummed that I missed Telluride (sometimes adult-ing has to come first — wah!), but Barnyard, I’ll be seeing you soon. It would be “Inconceivable” not to. And scene.

went out and bought one. He showed up for the first practice the following day not having even taken the bass out of its case yet. “I won’t back down,” he thought, and turned to the internet (and later an instructor) to learn to play his new instrument.

Scott had played saxophone in middle and high school, so he wasn’t completely clueless musically. He says that the band members practiced faithfully, as “no one wanted to show up to the next practice without having made some progress.” As the band prepared for its first public gig after about a year of rehearsal, everyone became a maniac about practicing. Scott adds, “If showing up at practice unprepared is motivation, think how much more motivating it is to prepare for playing in public!”

Almost everybody wants to rule the world, but Squirrel of Shame is content with its modest level of local fame, as

their jobs at Amazon, Adobe and Microsoft keep them workin’ 9 to 5. They tend to play at small events, such as a bridal shower for a friend (which, in a scene practically straight out of “This is Spinal Tap,” was held in an optic shop), at Seattle and Bellevue bars filled with friends, at charity fundraisers, and at various private events. Basically, they’ll play a show any way you want it and all night long, if you open your heart. (Although, “our song choices are not subtle,” says Scott.)

Squirrel of Shame’s audiences are enthusiastic, footloose, and show up for their concerts time after time. That’s what friends are for, right?

Squirrel of Shame’s true colors really came shining through when they added a female lead vocalist, “whose vocal range is good for covering the many relatively highpitched male vocalists from the ’80s,” says Scott. When Michelle, the lead

singer, took a year off from the band to travel, they told her “we’ll keep playing with or without you,” but she came back and nothing’s going to stop them now.

Every rose has its thorn, however, and the band has had some mishaps along the way. In the early years, the band barely had enough material for a onehour set, which made for some short shows. Other gigs have included misfortunes like a band member kicking out a power cord in the middle of a show.

Still, Squirrel of Shame soldiers on, playing at consistently bigger venues, such as their now-annual gig at Benson Vineyards in Chelan. This success story is, to me, a perfect illustration of how if you don’t stop believin’ you can become a jukebox hero.

You can learn more about Squirrel of Shame by visiting their website (squirrelofshame.com) or by calling (509) 867-5309.

Chicken feedback

Sarah Schrock

Twisp We’ve all heard of the childhood prank “ring and run,” when kids ring the doorbell, hide and then watch the innocent homeowner come to the door dumbfounded to find no one there.

Dwight and Annie Filer were dumbfounded to come to work on their last day to find a mysterious golden plunger dropped on their front desk. Conveniently, Annie forgot to lock the shop door on the evening of Aug. 23, a rare oversight as she rarely forgets to lock up.

Someone must have known how busy she’d been tying up loose ends before the last day of work.

Instead of being the brunt of an adolescent joke, however, the couple was thrilled by the clever and thoughtful gift.

Attached was an anonymous thank you note expressing gratefulness for “keeping the valley flowing” for 30 years.

Annie equated receiving the golden plunger to the plumber’s equivalent of an Oscar. The golden plunger acknowledges their dedication and hard work to a job that doesn’t always evoke images of the red carpet and certainly calls for less exquisite attire.

I asked Dwight what was one of the dirtiest jobs he ever had to do. Specializing in repair and service, rather than new construction, Filer Plumbing had a steady and reliable client base. He recalled one job that was by far the most miserable. It involved a sewer pipe failure in a crawl space. The break went undetected for a quite a while before the homeowners caught on that their crawl space was filling up with sludge. Dwight

Valley Life Contacts

Photo by Ashley Lodato

Dwight and Annie Filer are looking forward to a relaxing retirement. suited up in fishing waders and rubber gloves, leaving little skin exposed while he repaired the broken line. I’ll let you fill in the blank, but it was a _____ job.

O ne of t he more memor able moments in a crawl space came a few years ago at Brown’s Farm. Crouched down on all fours, Dwight was nudging his way forward to fix a frozen pipe, guided by the beam of a flashlight behind him held by Jeff Brown, the owner, when the reflection of animal eyes flashed right in front of him. He pulled out his own light and found himself eye to eye with a skunk. Thankfully, the skunk didn’t spray.

Dwight recalls his earliest years as a plumber in the valley with the most fondness. He spent countless visits fixing leaky faucets and cleaning drains for Twisp: Sarah Schrock sjschrock@yahoo.com

old timers, especially his grandmother’s friends, who’d share stories of his grandparents and great parents. Dwight’s heritage goes back to the earliest days of white settlement in the valley when his great grandpa homesteaded in 1889.

Retirement coincides, but not coincidentally, with Dwight’s birthday and the couple chose Aug.25 to round out their careers with a celebratory day.

Even though they’ve received the honor and distinction that comes with the golden plunger, there’s no pomp and circumstance surrounding their retirement. Rather, the couple wants to relax into retirement and fade into the sunset. They would like to thank whoever bestowed the golden plunger upon them.

In Annie’s words, “it might just remain a great eternal mystery.”

Winthrop: Ashley Lodato, 996-3363 or ashleylodato@alumni.stanford.edu

Photo courtesy of Emily Post

About 15 Methow Valley residents gathered Monday evening (Aug. 28) to petition Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, to hold a public town hall meeting. Holding signs asking for a public meeting, the group intercepted Newhouse and his local aide, Jessica McCarthy, as they were driving up Signal Hill Road, between Twisp and Winthrop, on their way to a private meeting. One of the participants, dressed in a chicken costume, “stepped in front of the car, which made them stop and roll down the window,” said Cameron Green of Carlton. “We asked Representative Newhouse to please schedule a town hall meeting in Okanogan County. A lot of us have been asking for one since February.” She said Newhouse did not indicate whether he would grant the request.

Lower Valley: Joanna Bastian, MethowJoanna@gmail.com

Mazama: Mandi Donohue mandi0459@yahoo.com