The Year in Review 2020

Continued from last week

JUNE

The Chamber board announced that the 50th anniversary of Deutschesfest would be postponed.

Odessa High School senior Maddy Wagner was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, one of only 161 high school seniors in the U.S. to be so honored.

The senior class held a parade of cars along First Avenue in downtown Odessa, then gathered at the golf course for photos.

A windstorm damaged farm homes in the Mohler and rural Harrington areas, sparing Odessa by veering away to the northeast.

JULY

At the Spokane Youth Sports Awards, held virtually this year, the Odessa High football team was named the Top Male High School Sports Team of the Year for 2019/2020 in the 1B/2B/1A classification. Senior running back and three-sport athlete all through high school Marcus King was named Top Male Athlete of the Year, edging out fellow nominee and basketball teammate Ryan Moffet.

The Old Town Hall yard sale was held on the museum grounds, where social distancing was easily achieved.

The July 4 firemen’s barbecue was a take-out only affair, but the group sold out early.

Comet Neowise, last visible to Earth 6,800 years ago, was visible just after dusk in a photo taken near Odessa.

High school graduation finally took place under Covid restrictions at the football field. A stage was set up on the field and families and visitors were scattered along the edges of the field. It was a beautiful summer day, and the ceremony went on without a hitch.

AUGUST

August dawned with a back-to-school issue, although administrators were still trying to figure out how to proceed under the various government mandates that seemed to change daily.

Covid-19 finally reached Odessa, with a few people testing positive and/or becoming ill. There no fatalities in Odessa due to the virus.

Wildfires began to flare out of control as dry weather kept vegetation tinder dry.

LimitBid Packing, owned and operated by a Ritzville-area rancher and an Oregon rancher, have reopened the meat-packing plant in Odessa’s industrial park.

Elizabeth Stuhlmiller, M.D., originally from Reardan, will make regular monthly visits to the Odessa Clinic. Her practice is in Spokane.

SEPTEMBER

As fires raged throughout eastern and central Washington, Odessa was covered in haze and smoke for several days. Whitman County towns were not so lucky, as 80 percent of the towns of Malden and neighboring Pine City burned to the ground.

Meri Jane Bohn was hired as the Odessa town clerk.

The 50th anniversary of Deutschesfest was postponed, but some diehard fans of the event decided to come to Odessa during the third weekend of September anyway. Campers arrived at the tourist park and at the small green house right across Crab Creek from it. The folks said they just couldn’t stand not being in Odessa, Covid be d___d.

Continued next week