25 YEARS AGO

Dec. 30, 1997

When Cathy and Dennis Barnett received the Good Shepherd Community Hospital Foundation 1997 Christmas Spirit Award, everyone agreed it was well deserved.

To start off, they were very active in the community as coaches of Hermiston Youth Basketball and Little League and members of the Highland Hills Elementary School parent group. Cathy also catered meals for charity events and they made it a point to provide anonymously for the less fortunate.

Their goodwill did not stop there, though. With the Farm-City Pro Rodeo and Umatilla County Fair being a couple of the biggest events in Hermiston, and as they require a lot of preparation, the Barnetts pitched in.

The Barnett parents assisted in cooking and serving the Rodeo Appreciation Barbecue. Dennis Barnett kept books and the kids even joined in pounding nails and driving tractors to improve the fairgrounds.

There were nine Barnett children, spanning 15 years. The oldest was Katie, 18, followed by Thomas, 16, Paul, 15, John, 13, Adam, 11, Annie, 9, Mary, 5, Mark, 4 and David, 3.

In addition to acting out of generosity, the Barnett parents said they wanted to pass on some morals.

“The most important thing, as far as helping others, is the gift itself. And we hope to instill this in our children,” said Dennis Barnett.

50 YEARS AGO

Dec. 28, 1972

Some locals found themselves on the naughty list, as Hermiston suffered a great deal of vandalism over the Christmas weekend.

A series of lights in the parking lots along East Hurlburt Avenue were damaged. According to City Manager Tom Harper, approximately eight of the lights, with a cost of $25 each, were damaged to the point that replacement was required.

On Christmas morning, a rock broke a glass window at Down’s Supply on Southeast Fourth Street. Later that same day, resident Peter Meyers reported that a window in his 925 West Hermiston Ave. home had been broken as well. Yet another window was broken, this time at Smitty’s Pancake House, where $160 was also taken from the cash register.

Other crimes included the theft of a $160 Citizan’s Brand Radio from a parked pickup truck, an Eastern Oregonian newspaper box from outside of Sprouse-Reitz and $50 worth of items from a resident garage on 110 W. Logan.

While the motives were unclear, the “Season of Giving” was mistaken as the “Season of Taking” that year.

75 YEARS AGO

Jan. 1, 1948

After several years of operation, the Hermiston Seedless Hop Yards were sold to New Yorkers.

The business had been owned by Williams & Hart Co., with Harry Kessler as manager for the past five years and Barney Lucas as assistant manager for the latter two.

It sold for $100,000 to Ray Kerr and Howard Eisman of Salem and Harvey Kayser of Silverton, representatives of the New York firm. The sale would become effective on New Year’s Day, upon which Kayser was to assume management.

Included in the sale were 185 acres of land four miles east of Hermiston in the Columbia district. Three electrically operated kilns, five tractors, three trucks, two mechanical hop pickers and a re-cleaner were also part of the purchase.

Although the reason for selling the business was not stated, it can be reasoned that it was simply not a sought-after commodity. After all, growing seedless hops was uncommon in Oregon and the Hermiston establishment was one of the few.

90 YEARS AGO

Dec. 29, 1932

The residents of Cold Springs were treated to a fun-filled night with a splendid Christmas Program put on by the local school children.

Directed by Catherine DeMoss, students performed a combination of classic and unique songs, recitations and plays.

Several carols were sung, including “Peace on Earth,” “Away in A Manger” and “Little Lights For Jesus.” Then came numerous recitations of Christmas, such as “The Brightest Tale of Christmas,” “Santa’s Whiskers,” “If Santa Claus Was Paw,” and “What Happens Every Year.”

These were given, separately, by Oliver Greetings, Ivy Parsons, Jane and Warren Higgenbotham, Faye Allen, Marie Hanry, Herbert Allen and Rosalie and Francis Shaw.

As with just about every Christmas program, a play was also on the itinerary. Not just one play, however, but both “A Truly Christmas” and “Mrs. Santa Comes Into Her Own.”

To wrap up the evening in a true Christmas fashion, Santa made a special visit and distributed treats and presents to the little ones. The result was a magical evening where Christmas Cheer filled the atmosphere.