Opera House Society and City Council meet; Willows perform to acclaim

 
Series: Harrington News | Story 47

Last updated 9/19/2019 at 1:16pm

Karen Robertson

The Willows perform a tribute to Peter, Paul & Mary at The Harrington Opera House Saturday, September 14. Left: Bill Klein as Paul Stookey, Valerie Hughes as Mary Travers and Kelly Brogan as Peter Yarrow. After the performance the crowd of about 70 people could hardly contain themselves giving a standing ovation and shouts for an encore.

HOHS meeting

Mark and Sheryl Stedman, Ed and Bunny Haugan, Billie and Gordon Herron, Kris Moritz, Becky Moeller, Ellen Evans, Carol, Marge Womach, Linda Wagner and Karen Robertson attended the Sept. 9 meeting of the Harrington Opera House Society. President Evans opened the meeting and last month's minutes and treasurer's report were approved.

Several items of correspondence were mentioned: 1. Margie Hall of the Lincoln County Economic Development Council invited HOHS to attend a meeting Sept 26. 2. FBLA asked if HOHS wanted to be a sponsor and have the HOHS listed on the shirts for the Huff & Puff race. 3. The public TV/radio station KSPS sent a request to continue our membership with them. Linda Wagner had HOHS placed on the Community Calendar.

The building committee noted that HOHS received a total of $1,300 for rebate and reimbursements on the two furnaces installed this year. Herron noted that he had not tried to exchange the handle parts for the lobby door, but anticipated it would be completed before the Fall Festival. Robertson and Carol acknowledged that the new cables are working fine for the projector/computer. Stedman stated that the gate for the top of the long staircase is on site and ready to be installed. The state elevator inspector found three minor items, including that the basement elevator room fire extinguisher had been relocated.

Billie Herron volunteered to meet with the Innovia Foundation for the interview they had requested for Sept. 11. They wanted to film how their grants to HOHS had benefited our building, our group and our community. Kysar has offered a maintenance contract for $24 per month, or $300 per year; the group requested more details before voting. Robertson noted that the Chamber Newsletter insert is due, which will be completed to meet their deadline.

Stedman stated that the Community Church would have "The Jonah Project," a presentation on human trafficking, on Sept. 12, at 5:30. The Willows were set to perform a Peter, Paul & Mary Tribute on Sept. 14, while Sept. 27 and 28 are the dates for the Fall Festival. The Chamber is asking that HOHS leave a few lights on for ambiance, and that staff provide tours for one hour at the beginning of the 6 p.m. Street Dance. A rummage sale will be Friday 10-2 p.m. and Saturday 9-3 p.m. JayDean Ludiker and the Fiddle Orchestra perform Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. A tentative date of Nov. 3 was set for a one-man dramatic presentation on Mark Twain by Patrick Treadway. Watch for details. Bel Canto, a choral group of Yakima is arranging a date to entertain here.

Harrington City Council

The Harrington City Council meeting began at 7 p.m. (this month and next) at city hall with the following present: Mayor Justin Slack; council members Peter Davenport, Nathan Luck, Cherie MacClellan and Tim Tipton; Clerk Bunny Haugan; Asst. Clerk Janice Ceteda (Jantz); Maintenance Supervisor Scott McGowan; Code Enforcement Coordinator Jesse Silhan and Treasurer Mike Cronrath, as well as Marge Womach, Steve Marsh (of engineering firm TD&H), Tyler James and Brent Wilday. The mayor opened the public hearing on the 6-Year Street Program. Councilman Luck handed out a prepared data sheet which listed the projects and estimated cost, which is like a wish list for the priority of which projects the city would like to see completed in a 6-year period. Luck stated that he had worked with Rick Becker, former council member.

Steve Marsh of TD&H discussed the Water System Plan. Dept. of Health funding is available. Our project gets elevated because we have a plan in place. It creates an owner's manual for our well and water system and outlines potential expenses over time for repairs. We are asking for $88,000; $34,000 has already been awarded through the loan. We can now apply for a Community Development Block Grant next June and this fall for a $30,000 USDA grant. This comes out to be 38 percent in loans and 62 percent in grants. The council voted to accept the grant from the Public Works Trust Fund.

Jesse Silhan resigned his position as Code Compliance Coordinator with no public explanation. A total of 20 letters had been sent out and the process seemed to be effective. The council accepted his resignation by a 3-1 vote.

Mayor Slack discussed his conversation with Andy Tom who had phoned him regarding the Hydrogeology Report from the Dept. of Ecology on the Waste Water Treatment Project and the combined loan and grant total of $45,000 for the report.

Tipton discussed his findings regarding the cost of replacing the kiosk in the parking lot outside city hall. The board at the cemetery is also in need of repairs or replacement. Further research is needed. The new niche for the cemetery has been ordered. Scott stated that he had not yet cleaned up the section markers, which needs to be done prior to placing them in the cemetery.

Council received a cost proposal for 2020 from MKB, the lawn care providers for the city this year. They have increased their cost by 64 percent, from $18,000 to $29,000. The reasons for such an increase were that they underbid this year, there will be an increase in the minimum wage in 2020 and there are increasing maintenance and equipment costs. Council will need to weigh if a new lawnmower is a better solution or to continue to outsource the job. No action was taken, but will be discussed during the upcoming budget meetings.

The Town Square Fundraiser has received $12,320 toward the goal of $30,000 in the matching funds grant from Innovia. The wall repair is in the works. The Chamber of Commerce made a request for the city to donate $350 toward the $1,100 that they estimate it will cost for supplies to put on the Street Dance, an event hoped to draw attention to the vacant lot where a Farmer's Market and tables for the sale of paver blocks and an opportunity to donate to the project will be located. Council voted to donate the $350 shortfall to the Chamber to get out of the red. Tipton abstained, since he is spearheading the Town Square project.

Mayor Slack stated that the assistant clerk will be going for training for the Bias Financial Software. He also discussed the GIS mapping consortium, stating that the AWC contract has been signed and they will come out and start their field work with Scott. He mentioned the potential of getting EWU students for free to help.

Councilmember MacClellan shared some points of interest from the AWC Budgeting workshop she attended. Presenters suggested that there is a need to educate the public and make them aware of the budget process. They suggested that surveys be given to the residents and that efforts be made to keep communication open, i.e., get feedback from public and keep public informed.

The mayor discussed policies and procedures recommended by the state auditor for the city to consider. A major item is the need for a policy regarding when Fire Chief Scott McGowan is to be paid by the city and when he would be paid by the Fire District, as well as our policy for providing water and sewer to the Fire District.

Council discussed whether or not probationary city employees should receive paid sick leave or vacation time. The council voted 4-0 against the extra pay.

City Treasurer Mike Cronrath brought information on the State Investment Pool as an option for the council to consider for the investment of city monies rather than CDs, Money Markets, bonds or savings accounts. Cronrath, with years of experience as a councilman, strongly encouraged the council to join the State Investment Pool, with its two greatest assets being the probable rate of return and the liquidity of the investment. MacClellan made a motion, second by Tipton, to approve Resolution 216 and put the city investments into the State Investment Pool. Vote was 4-0. The Mayor closed the Public Hearing on the 6-Year Plan. The Council meeting then adjourned.

The Willows

The audience began flowing in this past Saturday evening, showing an eagerness to hear The Willows as they presented their Peter, Paul & Mary Tribute. Mark Stedman welcomed the audience of nearly 70 and quickly turned the spotlight on the narrator, Laurie Klein, who introduced the performers: Kelly Bogan as Peter Yarrow, Bill Klein as Paul Stookey, Valerie Hughes as Mary Travers, and Bruce Pennell as Dick Kniss (the bass player). The narrator introduced the audience to the origins of the Peter, Paul & Mary trio, which for a period of time called themselves "The Willows." All of the narration was accompanied with a media presentation, taking the audience back to the 1960s. And the music began. During the first set of songs there were five dialogs by the narrator, explaining the origin of the songs and their significance in society at the time: "Early in the Morning," "If I Had a Hammer," "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," "Blowin' in the Wind," "Don't Think Twice," "Tell It on the Mountain," "Very Last Day," "There is a Ship," "Come and Go with Me," and "Wasn't That a Time." "Mary" encouraged the audience to sing along and many enjoyed the opportunity.

Following intermission, the narrator compared the earlier years to 1965 and after and continued to provide the historical review of each title: "For Lovin' Me," "San Francisco Bay Blues," "Early Morning Rain," "The First Time," "Betty & DuPree," "Kisses Sweeter than Wine," "Well, Well, Well," "Hurry Sundown," "The Marvelous Toy" and "There but for Fortune." The audience could not be contained, a standing ovation, shouts for encore, shrill whistling and more applause. All of which brought about their desired result. "Mary" graciously offered to provide more music in a sing-a-long. The audience was thrilled and anxious to accommodate in singing "500 Miles," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Following the spectacular performance, Peter, Paul & Mary mingled with the audience, sharing experiences and memories. HOHS was pleased with how well received the performers were and how well the audience responded to the opportunity to sing with the professionals.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Our Family of Publications Includes:

Cheney Free Press
Ritzville Adams County Journal
Whitman County Gazette
Odessa Record
Franklin Connection
Davenport Times
Spokane Valley News Herald
Colfax Daily Bulletin

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024