BAKER CITY — This weekend, Shrine Clubs from across the Northwest arrive in Baker City to celebrate the state’s top football players and raise money for the Shriners Children’s Portland.

Players selected for the East-West All-Star Shrine Football game practiced at Eastern Oregon University all week. They will travel to Baker City on Thursday, July 24, to tour the town and enjoy a community barbecue at 6 p.m. in Geiser-Pollman Park. Tickets will be available at the dinner, and the price will be announced soon on the Facebook and Instagram pages for the Oregon East-West Shrine All-Star Game Football.

Park and a parade

Activities start early on Saturday, July 26, with the 10th annual Gridiron Tailgate and Grill organized by the Baker County Cattlewomen and Baker County Livestock Association.

Grills fire up at Geiser-Pollman Park for breakfast from 7-10 a.m. The meal includes steak, pancakes and eggs for $12, or just pancakes and eggs for $7.

Events move downtown for the Shrine parade at 11 a.m. (line up at 10 a.m. at Baker Middle School). There’s still time to enter a float — find an application at Guyer & Associates, 2790 Main St.

Hopefully, your appetite returns by lunchtime for the third-pound “End Zone” burgers ($10) or quarter-pound beef hot dogs ($8) back in Geiser-Pollman Park from noon to 2 p.m.

Also, be sure to peruse the silent auction from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and a live auction at 1 p.m. will feature two footballs signed by the Shrine players and megaphones signed by the Shrine cheerleaders.

These meals and auctions help the Cattlewomen and Baker County Livestock Association purchase a steer from the Baker County Fair, which is then auctioned during halftime of the Shrine football game. (You can meet the steer at the park.)

In the last 51 years, the auction has raised $700,000 for the Portland Shriners hospital, which has a cafeteria wall dedicated to the Shrine steer.

Game

The football game, held at Bulldog Memorial Stadium, starts with pre-game pageantry at 6 p.m., followed by kickoff at 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at the park or at the gate — $15 for reserved seats (west side of the stadium) or $12 general admission (east side).

Eastern Oregon Shrine players:

Jesus Arellano, Stanfield Secondary School

Chris Entriken, Baker High School

Kenai Huff, La Grande High School

Deacon Pace, Pendleton High School

Colson Primus, Pendleton High School

Mason Strong, Pendleton High School

Kelton Shoemaker, Union High School

Nick Wenberg, Heppner High School

East cheerleaders:

Hailey Loiland, Pendleton

Sammie Stills, Pendleton

Eowyn Smith, Baker City

Kendal DeYoung, La Grande

East Queen:

Chelsie Thompson, North Powder