Harrington news

On August 30, the Harrington Publlic Development Authority held their monthly meeting with Josh Steward, Allen Barth, Bunny Haugan, Heather Slack, Paul Charlton and Jay Kane present. Discussion was held regarding the progress of Iverson with Spectrum Online in the setting up of high-speed Internet for the business district of Harrington. Barth reported that it is installed in the business district, and that the bill had been submitted. Plans for promoting this new Internet service will be presented at the September 20 meeting.

The empty buildings in the business district were discussed, as well as how many of the building owners had subscribed to the Internet service. Concern was shown for the lack of housing available in Harrington for new families wanting to move to town and rent rather than purchase.

Driving through town one can sense that a few houses are vacant based on their dried-up lawns, but in terms of available houses for rent, there is no clear indication that any are available at the present time in Harrington. There are at least five houses presently in foreclosure. There are perhaps as many as six homes that are for sale, with owners who have no desire to rent them out. Some home owners are leery of renting, reluctant to have their homes poorly taken care of and in some cases having previously experienced huge losses on such ventures. Homeowners have little recourse with bad renters. Homeowners who rent their places are ultimately responsible for the water and sewer bills of the tenants. It is rare that a tenant treats a rental as well as a private owner would. The Landmark Apartments are not yet available; the Community Church owns them now and has been working inside.

A Corbin Center group of 10 and their van driver came from Spokane to Harrington August 26. Their first stop was the Studebaker Garage where they received a tour by Allen Barth. The Studebaker Garage was built in 1916 by J.O. Kerrick, a Spokane contractor, who was very active after the turn of the century in Harrington. At that time the property was owned by McInnis Bros., whose OK Barn and Stables had been burned to the ground. That fire destroyed seven head of horses, two automobiles, five rigs, three sleighs, 20 tons of hay, two tons of oats, harness and livery accessories. Three horses and a Jersey cow were rescued. The structure that was toured was estimated to have cost about $8,000. From the garage, the group went to the Harrington Opera House, where Ed Haugan met them and gave them a complete tour including the piano and elevator. Billie Herron sat at the grand and played a few “oldies” that she thought they would recognize; they were delighted. They showed great appreciation for the structure and the labor of love that had gone into its renovation over the years. Haugan also had them visit the Harrington museum on the premises. The entire structure, completed in 1904, was estimated to have cost $25,000. From the opera house, the Corbin Center group visited the Beth Oestreich gardens and the Ed Haugan Dahlia farm. The tour concluded with a visit to the Ron and Linda Mielke estate nine miles from town where they had lunch on her veranda.

September 1 saw the conclusion of “Game Night” at the Harrington Memorial Hall when the faithful three, Mayor Dillon Haas, Peter Davenport and Alex Soliday, suffered through a very challenging Scrabble board. The statistics showed that when the z, w, and J were deducted, the mayor won the finale. There may be room for arbitration, as each player had used a word that was not in the newly expanded Scrabble dictionary; two of the three words were “etc” and “ibid”. No challenges were made, and the atmosphere remained rather playful.

Harrington’s Fall Festival is just around the corner. The Needhams will perform on Friday, September 23, at the Harrington Opera House. The festivities begin on Friday, September 23. Vendors will be setting up from 7 to 8:30 a.m. The Huff ‘n Puff race is slotted again this year for 9 a.m. Mudfest registration begins at 7 a.m. and the racing begins at 9. The Studebaker Garage will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A rummage sale will be held at the Opera House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours of the Opera House will be conducted before and directly after the parade. The parade line-up is scheduled for 10 a.m. with the parade at 11 a.m. The new pavilion at the park is completed and ready for use with the Lions Club BBQ at noon. From noon to 3:30 p.m., the Lions Club festival activities will take place in the park. Letters have been circulated to many of the honored classes for the reunions and banquet. The Harrington Alumni Banquet will be at 5:30 p.m., gathering to occur at 5 p.m. The Harrington Golf and Country Club will have “Glow in the Dark” night golf at 8 p.m.