Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
January 2, 2025 |Vol. 145 No. 1
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF At least 179 die in South Korean crash
The surprising and seasonal appearance of the Mari Lwyd. Music is a major part of every Welsh holiday, but especially Christmas!
A Welsh Christmas in Samaria For the second year, Samaria’s Heritage Square played host to a weekend of activities designed to bring some of the seasonal traditions of Wales to the valley. Visitors took a tour through the Square’s restored historic cabins, and learned a bit about Welsh Christmas practices, traditions, songs, and stories. Donna Whipple demonstrated the tradition of “Calennig,” which has some similarities with trick or treating. It’s a New Year’s tradition where fruits such as apples are decorated with cloves, branches, leaves, nuts, and all manner of other objects and then taken from house to house during the holiday in hopes of receiving small gifts or songs in exchange for the visit. Also on display was the striking “Mari Lwyd” tradition, which is a uniquely Welsh affair. A person costumed with a cloak or sheet and an animal skull (often a horse) is the visual centerpiece of the tradition, which sees groups of singers going from house to house asking for admittance. Entry is denied to the visitors until they have competed in a singing/rhyming contest with the homeowners to their satisfaction, and then the whole group eats and drinks together in celebration. Music, as you can tell, is a major
part of Welsh life, and certainly of Welsh holiday traditions. The Samaria Christmas featured Christmas songs played on a violin and other sounds of the season. Visitors were told a bit about the historic cabins that occupy the grounds at Heritage Square. Luke Waldron chose to tell us a story about his connection to Wales, in which he recounted the journey of his “little Welsh grandmother” to the Samaria valley. Afterward, Waldron explained that a recently received grant would allow for a number of improvements and repairs to the Square, including chinking the cabins, adding windows to some that need them, and otherwise weatherizing and improving the comfort and appearance of the restored structures. The Welsh tradition of hand-making ornaments was explained by Geneal White, who led visitors through the process of preparing and creating their own tin ornaments with the use of a nail and hammer. Tammi Benson provided a selection of stories and poems in the final cabin, one which is bedecked in Welsh dinnerware and glassware, as well as a cookstove that is planned to be a future source of Welsh food preparation as improvements to the site continue. We were treated to the following
poem, by Welsh poet Jayne Davies: My Welsh Valley Standing on the hillside, Gazing at the view, The valley I was born in, Still fresh from the morning dew. I look down on my village, The mist, just starts to rise, And in the far, far distance, I hear a Vixens cries. Sounds of people rising, Starting a new day, I wouldn’t wish my hometown, To be any other way. As I start the steep slope down, My little dog, by my side. I welcome this lovely valley of mine, With arms held, open wide.
The visit finished with an invitation to partake of wassail and chocolate milk, and then join the group around the fire in a communal sharing of time and space. Like the other traditions on display in Samaria, the central role of spending time with one another, laughing, singing and sharing are key elements of the Welsh tradition. Heritage Square is a unique and wonderful addition to the Malad Valley, and offers a year-round look at the county’s past and its deep Welsh roots.
Luke Waldron reads from a story recounting his grandmother’s experience in Samaria.
Geneal White shows Luke Waldron how to make Welsh style ornaments.
2024 Year in Review—Sports It was a busy, busy year in 2024. The Malad Valley saw a lot of highlights (and some lowlights) and memorable moments over the course of the year. Due to our first ever (in my experience) week off for the Christmas vacation, we will need to allocate space for our Year in Review across two papers worth in order to keep up with ongoing news. In this issue, you will find Allison Eliason’s overview of the year in Malad sports. With a few championships to brag about, and strong seasons
across the board, the sports year was a busy and exciting one for local athletes. There are even more stories we could have gone into, and some things that are going to end up being left out as a consequence of trying to fit the space, but you should find more than enough to keep you reading over the next week or so. In next week’s issue, we’ll present the news stories that made 2024 the year that it was, including a seemingly endless election, a new school building and the accompanying bond headache,
INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE
Candlelight Service.............................Pg. 2 Sports Year in Review.........................Pg. 3 School Board Reports.........................Pg. 4
the merging of the two theater communities, changes to the development code, the impending Bannock street project, local student club and organization achievements, the fair, Welsh festival, fourth of July, and much more. Enjoy a recap of an amazing sports year this week, and stay tuned for a look back at more events that shaped 2024 next week. We are of course also anticipating the birth of the first 2025 baby in Oneida County, and we’ll bring you that news when it breaks.
Puzzles................................................Pg. 6 Obituaries............................................Pg. 9 Event Calendar.................................. Pg. 10
On Sunday, a passenger jet crash-landed at an airport in South Korea, ultimately catching on fire as it slid down the runway. Two people were reported to have survived the crash, with 179 dying in the crash and conflagration. This is the largest air disaster in the country of South Korea since a Korean Air Boeing 747 crashed in Guam, killing 228. Footage of the crash indicates that the immediate cause of the crash was the failure of the landing gears to deploy as the plane attempted a landing. The cause of the failure itself is unknown. There has been some speculation on the part of some Korean officials that a bird strike was responsible for the incident, though aviation officials have cautioned that it is far too early to make such a claim. The 747 and Korean Airlines both have strong safety records. The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board of South Korea will be investigating the crash, with assistance from international groups including the US NTSB.
Former President Carter dies at 100
James Earl Carter—Jimmy Carter—the 39th president of the United States passed away on Sunday at 100 years of age, making him the longest lived president by a good margin. Carter was elected in the election of 1976, defeating incumbent Gerald Ford and then losing to challenger Ronald Reagan in 1980. Carter achieved a number of successes on both the foreign and domestic fronts, with expansions of the national park service, consumer protections, and civil service reform. Relevant to recent development, Carter was responsible for the Camp David Agreement of 1978 creating a tense peace between Egypt and Isael, the SALT II nuclear arms limitation treaty with the Soviet Union, and ratifying the Panama Canal treaty. Also relevant to today’s environment, Carter’s loss in 1980 is often seen as a result of high inflation, high fuel prices, and general distrust of governmental agencies. Carter will likely be remembered for his continued involvement in national life after his presidency, most famously as the iconic head of Habitat for Humanity. The “new oldest living president” is now Joe Biden, at 82, followed by 78 year old Donald Trump, who is just a bit older than Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Barack Obama is 63.
Two Oregonians die in search for Bigfoot
The AP is reporting that two men from Oregon were found dead in a Washington forest after going missing on a hunt for Sasquatch. The two men, 59 and 37 years old, were believed to have died from exposure, according to Skamania County Sheriffs. The weather has been cold and wet, and the two men were reportedly not well outfitted for an extended outdoor trek. Drones, volunteers, and canines assisted the search team from Search and Rescue in locating the men. Apparently, they had headed out into Gifford Pinchot National Forest north of Portland on Christmas Eve on a Bigfoot hunting trip and family contacted authorities when they had not returned as planned.