The Year in Review

SEPTEMBER

Two new practitioners began work at the Odessa Clinic. Russell Jones, a certified nurse practitioner, was hired as a full-time employee. Gregory Proulx, also a certified nurse practitioner, was hired to fill in for other providers needing to take time off. He lives in Texas, but has agreed to come to Odessa as needed.

Members of the Odessa Lions Club and of the OHS chapter of FBLA worked together doing some demolition work on the Old Town Hall interior prior to the installation of new walls and flooring.

Reports from the Lincoln County Fair in Davenport showed participation by local youth and adults.

Preparations for the 50th Deutschesfest celebration continued under new Chamber President Norman Ott. Ott says the Biergarten will be held mostly indoors, with live music on the indoor stage, something the previous board had tried to hold mostly outdoors on the advice of the county health department. Last minute preparations also include the making of sausage and repainting of the town’s welcome signs.

The 50th Fest went into the record books. Thanks and gifts were presented to the many former Biergarten chairpersons who attended the 50th.

Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center reported the purchase of a new mobile clinic using some of the government funding for Covid relief. Also planned are the purchase of a CT scanner and some construction work to accommodate the scanner and provide a garage for the ambulance at the hospital.

OCTOBER

Renovation work continued on the Old Town Hall, as workers from Lowe’s and volunteers from Odessa ripped up flooring, carpeting and walls.

A community meeting was called by OMHC’s CEO John Serle and CFO Kimberly Dalrymple to discuss recent hirings, terminations, puchases and the general uproar that appeared to be taking place on the medical campus recently.

The Odessa Athletic Booster Club held its annual dinner and auction to raise $50,000 for sports-related items such as uniforms and warm-ups. Many residents and businesses donated items for the auction.

The school building in neighboring Almira that housed the elementary and middle school grades burned to the ground after a fast moving fire started. The school had been closed the previous day due to an electrical problem and was unoccupied when the fire started that evening. Firefighters battled the blaze most of the night, but the building was a total loss. No one was hurt.

A luncheon for senior citizens was held to celebrate completion of the Old Town Hall project.

NOVEMBER

The Halloween Carnival recorded a fantastic turnout of 245 people to the community center, which offered burgers and hot dogs for dinner, in addition to games and prizes.

The streets and water mains project was finally completed long past its pre-Fest deadline.

The Odessa Tiger volleyball team took fourth place at the state tournament held at the Yakima SunDome.

The Veterans Day dinner was held a week later than normal, so that more of the veterans could attend.

DECEMBER

A group of volunteers decorated the large evergreen on the grounds of the Old Town Hall. A group of citizens arranged to rent the food service trailer from the Chamber of Commerce and served refreshments free to the public from it during the lighting ceremony on Nov. 28. A crowd of 50 to 100 people was present.

The SAIL class for senior citizens held its first session in two years in the newly finished Old Town Hall.

Christmas Fest was held the first Wednesday in December with many new vendors offering their wares. The event was put on the Jr. Livestock 4-H Club and was a successful money-raiser.

The Lions Club held its annual Christmas lighting contest, awarding prizes to the three top homes their club’s judging committee deemed most impressive.

The final days of 2021 brought bitter cold to the area, with lows dropping below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

Schoonover Farms voluntarily recalled raw milk that it had sold to retail outlets after a test for E coli came back positive. No reports of illness have been received.