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The FFA Christmas Wreath Sale will be Friday, November 28th in the Country Cupboard Bakery parking lot from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale is a fundraiser for the Dayton FFA Club, led by Steve McLean and Ilene Hall.
Club members will gather boughs in the Blue Mountains, then make and decorate the wreaths on November 15th. If you want specific colors or decorations on your wreath, special orders will be accepted only on the 15th between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the FFA greenhouse.
Last year, the wreaths sold out by 3:30 p.m. The cost is $25 per wreath. All proceeds will go to help fund club field trips, competitions and travel to the annual spring FFA convention. For more information, contact Vicki Frame at 382-1108.
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Sixty elementary and middle school students are currently enrolled this school year in the 21st Century After-School Program at Dayton Elementary School. The federally funded program provides students a chance to supplement their regular education with more hands-on and project-based learning as well as cultural enrichment and community involvement.
This is the program's second year in Dayton. Any student at Dayton Elementary or Middle School is eligible to enroll. The program is led by Site Coordinator Susan Alves, along with five assistants.
The goal of the program is to provide something different from students' regular classroom experience, while still teaching science, math and reading skills and making time for schoolwork. In the past year, students have taken field trips to local windmill sites, a goat farm and the nursing home. Future plans include inviting community members to offer lessons in anything from science to art and dance. "Having this program truly is a privilege both for students and parents," Susan Alves says.
In hopes of continuing the program after funding ends in three years, an advisory board of parents, teachers and community members is being formed. This group will consider options for maintaining an ongoing after-school program in Dayton.
Anyone interested in joining the advisory board, teaching lessons, or enrolling their child in the 21st After-School Program, should contact Susan Alves at 382-2507. The after-school program runs Monday-Thursday, from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Dayton Elementary School.
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For the second year in a row, Dayton High School was recognized as a "School of Distinction" in Washington State. The award is given by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to the schools who rank in the top five percent of improvement in WASL test scores over a six-year period. This is the second year that the "Schools of Distinction" awards have been given in Washington.
On Wednesday, October 22, Dayton School Superintendent Rich Stewart, along with Principal Jude Cornaggia and teachers Shelly Franklin, Mary Pryor and Dan Nechodom, traveled to Garfield High School in Seattle to accept the award.
Stewart says that 98 schools in the state received the award this year, out of 2,200 eligible schools. "We're one of only four high schools in the state to receive the award two consecutive years," he says. Stewart says that the award is a testament to the effort put out, not only by teachers, but also by students and parents, to improve academics at Dayton High School.
Test results and other WASL information for all schools in the state are available on line at http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us.
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The Dayton Depot's Christmas Market will be held Friday and Saturday of Christmas Kickoff weekend, November 28th and 29th. The Market takes place upstairs in the Depot, which is located at the corner of 2nd and Commercial Streets.
For sale at the Christmas Market will be fine art created by many local Columbia County artists, fresh home-made candies, "new-to-you" holiday ornaments and decorations, gently-used toys, games, puzzles and cookbooks, and other gift items. There will also be fresh holiday wreaths and greens plus the PEO bean soup mix.
Santa will be on the Depot's main floor for several hours both Friday and Saturday, ready for photos. There will be raffle items with tickets selling for $1 each. The drawing for raffle winners will be held Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at the Depot.
The Depot Museum Gift Shop, located on the main floor, has many new "train-related" gift items, plus historical books, cards and other unique gifts for sale. The Gift Shop also now offers a Depot blend of Dyer's fresh coffee beans, as well as Bruttles fine gourmet confections.
There is no admission fee to the Christmas Market or to the Depot during this annual holiday event. Proceeds will go to the Dayton Historical Depot Society and used for Depot operating costs and activities.
The Depot will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Call for more information at 509-382-2026.
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Changes are happening at Lyons Ferry Park and Marina. "We are undergoing a change in management at our Lyons Ferry facilities, but we're still open for business," stats Jennie Dickinson, manager of the Port of Columbia, which operates the marina.
The port has hired temporary staff to provide 24-hour coverage at Lyons Ferry Marina. Camping, RVing, and boating activities are taking place as usual, and limited supplies, such as propane, gas, ice, and soft drinks are available on site. However, the full-service restaurant is currently closed, as is Lyons Ferry Park, which is normally closed for the season at this time of year.
The port is seeking applications for a new private concessionaire. Application packets are available on the Port of Columbia's website at www.portofcolumbia.org. Moorage customers should receive a letter from the port shortly regarding the status of moorage contracts.
The Port of Columbia holds a long-term lease with the Corps of Engineers on both Lyons Ferry Marina and Park. Both facilities have historically been subleased to a private concessionaire, who is responsible for upkeep. Anyone with questions about the facility are asked to call the Port at its Dayton office.
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The Harper Joy Theater in Walla Walla is two plays into its 2008-2009 season. Coming up next is "Perfect Pie," written by Judith Thompson. In it, estranged friends relive the childhood experiences they shared and the dark secret that drove them apart. The play grapples with themes of abuse, memory and friendship as the women reunite over a rhubarb pie and try to rekindle their long-dormant relationship.
"Perfect Pie" runs from November 12th through 16th on the Freimann Stage in Harper Joy Theatre on the Whitman College campus. Show times are 8 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, with a Sunday matinee at
2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for kids and seniors.
With an economic recession on the horizon, there are more than a few people singing the blues. But why leave it to the amateurs? The Walla Walla Blues Society has been doing their best to bring some of the best regional and national blues bands to town to show us how it's really done.
Junkyard Jane will be passing through Walla Walla on Friday, Nov. 21. Having spent a few years in Kentucky before returning to the Northwest in 2006, they've now added southern rock to their list of influences that already includes blues, rockabilly, old engine parts, country, motor oil, folk and funk. The end result is something called "swampabilly roots music" and it makes for a rollicking live show.
The band will take the stage at 8 p.m. at the Crossroads Steakhouse in Walla Walla, located at Veterans Memorial Golf Course.
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The Blue Mountain Chorus of Sweet Adelines International will be "on the Road again" in Dayton and in Waitsburg, November 15th. Under the direction of Andreanna Flores, the chorus will present "Bits…of Broadway & Pieces…of Barbershop". The program features Kevin Loomer, Doubletake quartet, and Blueprint quartet.
A 2:00 pm matinee at Dayton High School Auditorium will include songs by the Dayton High School Choir, directed by Tabitha Bower. An evening performance at Waitsburg High School begins at 7:30 pm and will feature the Waitsburg High School Choir, under the direction of Brad Green.
The "Bits & Pieces" performances will support the music program of each school by sharing the ticket proceeds in each area. Tickets may be purchased in advance at ETCETERA in Waitsburg or contacting Barb Knopp, 386-8901 and at the door on the day of the show. Tickets are $5 per person or $10 for family.
Women interested in learning more about Sweet Adelines are invited to any rehearsal. The Blue Mountain Chorus rehearses at 6:30 pm each Monday in the 2nd floor board room at Wheatland Village in Walla Walla. Call 526-0499, or visit the chorus website www.sairegion13.org/bluemountainchorus for more information.
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Discover "The Town That Still Believes" during the annual Christmas Kickoff celebration on Dayton's Historic Main Street on Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Activities include holiday barrel tasting, mule-drawn hayrides, live theater production of "Fiddler on the Roof," and Friday-night Fireworks at 7 p.m. And it's all free.
Downtown Dayton's Classic Main Street Shopping features Friday-night Christmas shopping for unique items you won't find anywhere else. Register for a free Main Street Shopping spree at merchants listed on the schedule you will find at all stores. Enjoy live music around town, as well as at the Weinhard Hotel. Art galleries on Dayton's Main Street feature beautiful Christmas selections, along with those pieces you would expect to see in an artists' community.
Families will enjoy a mule-drawn wagon ride through the wide streets of Dayton both Friday and Saturday. Dayton's Historic Depot features a Christmas Market and Art Show, with Santa stationed at the Depot both days for pictures with children.
For a schedule of events and visitor information, visit www.historicdayton.com or call 382-4825.
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Home and cabin owners in Columbia County are encouraged to take responsibility for reducing fire risk on their property with the help of Firewise. Firewise is a fuels reduction program available through the Columbia Conservation District.
The Conservation District has a wide variety of printed materials and videos aimed at showing home and cabin owners how to reduce their fire risk. Conservation District staff are also available (and very willing) to perform onsite property assessments. A checklist and point system evaluation is used to help make recommendations for property maintenance, landscape plantings, construction materials and other means of reducing fire risk.
The public is encouraged to take advantage of this program now. Contact the Columbia Conservation District at 202 S. 2nd, or call (509) 382-4773 ext.5 for more information.
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The Dayton Seventh Day Adventist Church is hosting an A Capella Hymn Sing on the third Saturday of each month at 4 p.m., until further notice. The sing-along is open to anyone in the community who enjoys singing hymns.
"Singing hymns together strengthens and refreshes the participants," say Robin and LaRenne Lacey, event organizers. "Singing without accompaniment allows for more focus on the words and musical harmonies."
Well-known hymns will be selected and stories shared about what prompted certain hymn writers to put pen to paper. The organizers want the Hymn Sing to be a time of fellowship for people of all faiths who enjoy the comfort and encouragement that comes from singing together.
Contact the Laceys at (509) 386-8175 for more information. The Adventist church is located at 1525 S. 4th Street in Dayton.
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