Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Parade marshals Florence and John Gahringer lead the Deutschesfest parade last Saturday morning in a Pontiac Bonneville convertible driver by Margie Mathews.
Chalk-drawing contest winners, left to right, Nicole Emerson, Leila Hardung and Elizabeth Peterson.
Bedrace winners, left to right, Ryan Janke, Wade Jordan, Larissa Zeiler, Brenick Iverson and Chris Jenness of the Davenport, Wilbur and Odessa offices of Leffel, Otis and Warwick.
Kerri Barglof took first place in the women's 5k Fun Run Saturday of Fest.
Karma Henry leads Cub Scout Pack 784 in the Deutschesfest parade Saturday morning.
The 41st Odessa Deutschesfest celebration is now behind us, and it’s time to regroup and think about what went right and what went wrong.
Most vendors of food, crafts and souvenirs that we spoke to appeared to have done quite well. According to Nancy Kramer of the Friends of the Library, the used-book sale made more money than it did last year. Kelly Kissler Korpenin of JonathINN’s said that on Saturday she had to run out to the farm for some of the food that they had set aside for Sunday, having run out of their Saturday supply. We also heard a report that even though gate receipts at the Biergarten were down somewhat from last year, beer sales were nevertheless up from last year. It would appear that the more serious drinkers were the ones who showed up this year.
Chalk-drawing contest
Wheatland Bank’s employees again this year sponsored the chalk-drawing contest for children in three different age groups. Marking off large squares in their parking lot, the employees then handed out chalk and gave the children a certain amount of time in which to complete their drawing. The winners in each age group received a piggy bank containing cash . The winners of the piggy banks, from oldest to youngest, were Nicole Emerson, Leila Hardung and Elizabeth Peterson. Every child who entered the contest received a shoulder bag/backpack from Wheatland Bank.
Bed races
The bed-race champions this year were from the CPA firm of Leffel, Otis and Warwick. Dressed in white shirts and ties, with black trousers and wearing black-framed, taped-together glasses, the team members looked their geeky best in their bed sporting a calculator for a footboard. What they might have lacked in fashion sense they made up for in speed, taking the championship.
One team of high school students who competed had bad luck when the wheels fell off their bed at the finish line after only the first heat, putting them out of contention.
Parade
The parade this year, organized by the employees of Bank of America, was once again a big draw for young and old on Saturday morning. The Kiddie Parade had 54 participants, dressed up to “Show Your American Patriotism.” The parade grand marshals, John and Florence Gahringer, rode in an open classic red convertible from the 1960s at the beginning of the grownup portion of the parade.
The float from Chewelah won the Grand Sweepstakes prize for best overall float. In Division A, the float from Deer Park took first and that from Connell took second. In Division B, Ritzville was first and Wilbur was second. A total of nine floats participated in the parade.
Four high-school bands appeared, as did two motorcycle clubs and two antique car clubs and one group of Shriners.
Fun Run
There were 88 participants in this year’s Deutschesfest “Fun Run.” The top three finishers in each category were:
5k Men:
1st Scott Strang (Odessa) 18:33
2nd Travis Schuh (Odessa) 19:57
3rd Steven Gabelein (Spokane)
22:54
5k Women:
1st Kerri Barglof (Odessa) 23:32
2nd Jesyka Morrison (Moses Lake)
26:15
3rd Hailey Wagner (Odessa) 26:21
10k Men:
1st Austin Johnson (Edwall) 55:43
2nd Seth Becker (Spokane) 56:03
10k Women:
1st Nicole Neale (Spangle) 49:41
2nd Jocelyn Charette (Lakewood)
51:21
3rd Cherie Gwinn (Spokane) 52:00
Fun Run co-organizer Travis Schuh (with Jeff Wehr) said that only the top three spots in each race are timed and awarded prizes. All other racers have to keep track of their own times or have someone with them to keep track of their time.
Horseshoe Open
The Odessa Horseshoe Club hosted the annual Deutschesfest Horseshoe Open on Saturday, September 17.
Coming from as far away as Miami, Fla., 28 players participated in the open tournament.
First place went to Kaiti Reeves and John McCarthy, both of Spokane. Harold Boyse and Elzya Jordan, also of Spokane, took second. Cindy Reeves of Spokane and Arlyn Thurber of Cheney got third, Earl Hertlein of Creston and Howard Ryder took fourth and Shawn Welt and Mike Watcher got fifth.
Trophies were awarded for first, second and third places, and cash awards went to finishers in first through fifth places. Trophies were provided by the following businesses: First place, Odessa Drug; second place, Ott Insurance; and third place, the Grange Supply Company of Odessa.
According to one of the event organizers, Kathy Ratkowski, “A good time was had by all!” She added that while the weather was a little cooler and windier than participants would have liked, it was better than if it had been extremely hot.
The businesses supporting the event with cash and gifts were Eldridge Chiropractic; Schmidt Insurance Services; Carpenter, McGuire & DeWulf, P.S .; Hair Haus; AgVentures NW; Costlow Services; Wilbur-Ellis, Inc .; Leffel, Otis & Warwick, P.S .; Chiefs Bar & Grill; Voise Sausage by Schumacher; Odessa Auto Parts; Crab Creek Coffee Haus; Loretta’s Barber Shop; Odessa Drive-In; Central Washington Grain Growers, Inc .; Ramm Hardware; Rocky Coulee Brewing Company; My Sisters’ Closet; Odessa Foods and Granny BarBar.
Ratkowski added that on October 1 the club will host the Odessa Open, a tournament sanctioned by the Washington State Horseshoe Pitching Association (WSHPA). More information on eligibility and fees can be obtained by visiting http://www.wshpa.com.
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