Harrington news

The Society held their first meeting of the new year January 4, with new president Billie Herron at the helm. Mark and Sheryl Stedman, Ed and Bunny Haugan, Gordon Herron, Carol, Linda Wagner, Karen Robertson and Marge Womach also were present. The final payment for the grand piano for the opera house was made December 16, although donations continue to come in for that project. Wagner said she is working on the newsletter and Robertson will provide photos.

Gordon Herron, head of the building committee, acknowledged that the contract for construction of the elevator had been signed last month and that they are waiting on a building permit. The contract was awarded to Western States Construction in the amount of $305,000. In the meantime, minor demolition is occurring which has included the removal of the chimney on the north side of the opera house portion of the Bank Block. The chimney, of course, extended from the basement of the building, up through the two floors and out through the roof. Herron invited the group to take a tour after the evening meeting was adjourned.

The piano committee said movers will deliver the grand piano in January or February. A piano shuffle will occur when it arrives. The grand piano will reside in the art room until the construction is completed in May or June. The young piano students will have the unique opportunity to take their lessons on it during the spring months. The Society will return the piano that is on loan from the school. Music instructor Heather Safe will have eight students this month and will divide the lessons into two days.

Rummage sales will likely be postponed until Cruisin’ Days in May. Items continue to be accepted for future sales, the monies intended for the maintenance of the elevator.

A hiatus was declared for upstairs events, but the Art/Music Room will continue to be utilized, even though it will be a small part of the construction for ADA-compliant access to the elevators when the project is completed. Linda Wagner is continuing correspondence as event coordinator to align events for the summer and fall seasons. The meeting was adjourned and some members took the tour.

The grand tour: At the top of the old staircase there had been a wall with the ticket window, which has been removed and salvaged for potential use later. With all walls removed, the distance from the stairs to with the stage is as a long, 8-foot-wide hallway that will contain one unisex, ADA-compliant restroom on the west, a lobby between the restroom and elevator, the elevator itself and a small lobby between the elevator and the old long staircase. The old brick chimney area will contain a portion of the framing for the elevator. The pews, tables and counters were all carefully covered with plastic to minimize the cleaning needed following the project. Pathways in the auditorium were secured with temporary floor protection. The main floor has had the preliminary five-foot-wide hallway opened up from the art room to the ticket office at the main lobby. A slight modification will occur on one doorway, and the appearance of the lobby itself will retain its grand appearance. The ADA access will traverse across in front of the old vault and in front of the rest rooms into a lobby area for the elevator. Stairways no longer accessible in the basement have been removed. The foundation for the old bank vault remains as it has been since 1904, a rocked-in area about 18x18 feet.

President Cassandra Paffle-Dick opened the Chamber of Commerce meeting held January 5 at city hall with Kathy Hoob, Jenna Fries, Sharon Nighswonger, Kathy Hansell of Davenport, Allen Barth, Bunny Haugan, Karen Robertson, Paula Pike, Heather Slack, Cindy Haase, Tim Tipton, Becca Downing and Marge Womach present. With a hearty “Happy New Year,” the meeting quickly progressed through its agenda. Haase reported that $700 was received in Christmas donations. In the re-cap of the Santa event, appreciation was expressed for the performance by Mr. Colbert.

Heads of committees for Cruisin’ Days were appointed including Hoob for the quilt show, Paffle-Dick for yard sales, Barth for the car show and Haase for advertising. Cruisin’ Days will be May 21, and Barth has already been advertising and said that a Car Club Support Group is forming. Downing reminded the Chamber that EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) is an inexpensive way to send mail to advertise with mass mailings, which will be available for fliers for Cruisin’ Days. Discussion was held regarding the renewal of the Chamber’s contract with Robertson for the website and a unanimous vote was held to continue as in previous years. Haase is organizing a local “shred day” in which locked containers would be posited in several locations, attended, and for a fee, sacks of papers needing to be shredded could be left for pickup by a truck that would remove the papers for the process.

Sunday, January 10, the 4-H Leadership Council met in the art room of the opera house with about 20 persons attending. 4-H members had submitted record books at the Lincoln County Fair which were judged then. Esther Kik had created a “Best Story Award” for each age group, and the 4-H Council has continued this project. Winning participants received a check and a certificate, the latter being presented at this meeting. Each read their story to the audience which included quite a few relatives. Malea Canaday from the Sprague-Lamont 4-H Club was nominated “Member of the Year.” Finn Shumway of the newly formed Davenport 4-H club was the Junior Story Award winner. Senior Story Award winner was Katarina Knittel of the Almira 4-H Club. Christina Christopherson of the Almira 4-H Club won for Intermediate Best Story. Harrington does not have a 4-H club as there have not been any adult volunteers willing to take it on; however, some Harrington youths are in the Davenport club which has 35 youths, and seven or eight leaders including Farren Young at the helm, and Kathleen Shumway as a leader. Leaders Council members, who are all volunteers, elected officers: Joy Wilken of Sprague, President; Jill Schwartz of Reardan, vice-president and Terry Connolly of Odessa, treasurer. Lauren Hrncirik (Regional 4-H Youth Development Specialist for Grant, Adams and Lincoln counties), Marci Dayton (WSU Staff and Camp Director) and Karen Robertson (WSU Program Assistant for Lincoln and East Adams counties) were also present. A guest for the event was Kathy Hansell of the Lincoln County Women’s Resource Center. Following the Leadership Council meeting, several attendees took a brief tour of the opera house.

In response to local requests for the “rest of the story,” this tidbit is included. “Roadster Goes to Ritzville. Miss Hulda Reker, Ritzville, holding No. 1222 was given the Ford DeLuxe roadster at the big New Year’s Eve dance at the Harrington Opera house Wednesday night at close to 12 o’clock. How many were present at the dances at the Opera House and the City Hall, we do not know, but at 10:15 there were 150 cars parked on Harrington’s streets and this does not include those in storage for the night at the different garages. Sheriff F.J. Gilpatric, assisted by Sheriff-elect L. Hutsel, conducted the drawing. Mary Margaret Cobb was the little girl whom they blindfolded to draw the five tickets from the washing machine. Five tickets were drawn, the machine being started up and the tickets being mixed up after each of the tickets was drawn, and the fifth ticket drawn, as agreed upon, was the one on which the car was given away. There seemed to be a person for every square foot of floor space in the Opera House. On the platform at the time of the drawing were the Mayor of Davenport and the Mayor of Harrington, Marshal McKinnon and W.B. Hose.” (Editor’s note: The correct spelling for the name was likely Frieda Rieker, daughter of Chris Rieker, a pioneer owner of a car dealership; Citizen: 1-02-1931)

Harrington’s new mayor, Dillon Haas, has been making his presence known daily as he acclimates to his new duties. Former Mayor Paul Gilliland has not been a stranger either as both work together to complete the 1915 budget year and begin the 1916 budget. Similarly, they worked together on the necessary requirements for construction of the Opera House to obtain the permit so work could begin.