50 YEARS AGO

from the Democrat-Herald

July 5, 1971

Ingenuity, creativity and showmanship were evident again this year as approximately 250 children paraded down Main Street Saturday in the annual July 3 Kiddies’ Parade sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

25 YEARS AGO

from the Baker City Herald

July 5, 1996

Baker County has joined 16 other Central and Eastern Oregon counties in signing an agreement with the state that’s designed to prevent juveniles convicted of crimes from committing other offenses.

The 17 counties of the Central and Eastern Oregon Juvenile Justice Consortium signed the pact recently with the Oregon Youth Authority, which operates juvenile corrections facilities in the state and the Oregon Department of Human Resources.

10 YEARS AGO

from the Baker City Herald

July 6, 2011

Salmon are late in returning to the Powder River this year, but they are coming,

This week, possibly.

For the sixth year in the past eight, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) will release spring chinook in the river and let anglers try to hook them.

Salmon runs went away in the upper Powder River in 1932 when Thief Valley Dam, which lacks fish ladders, was finished.

ONE YEAR AGO

from the Baker City Herald

July 7, 2020

HAINES — Every year, citizens of Baker County and beyond look forward to the Haines Stampede rodeo, and every year the bulls, broncs and riders put on a show to celebrate Independence Day.

Organizers were determined not to let the coronavirus pandemic cancel the holiday tradition.

“My family’s been helping put on this rodeo for 20 something years,” said Randa Alton, a rodeo volunteer. “This rodeo has been going on every year for so long, and it needed to happen. Everybody needed to be able to celebrate the 4th.”

The Stampede had performances on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

Bill Harvey, chairman of the Baker County Board of Commissioners, said rodeo officials had to make major changes due to the pandemic, but he said residents were determined to make it happen in a summer when most other major local events have been canceled.

“This is a cultural thing for Baker County, there’s ranches around here that do stuff like this all the time and they want to compete against one another, it’s a good thing,” Harvey said. “This is where I got my first ride when I was a youngster a long time ago, so I think it’s great for kids to get their start and see if they like it here.”

The rodeos were also televised by the Blue Mountain Translator District.

Vendor Randy Garnett, owner of Sammy’s BBQ and Appleflat Catering of Wallowa County, said events such as the rodeo are crucial to his business — especially this year, with rodeos and many other events being canceled.