Harrington news

The Harrington Opera House Society met June 4 for its monthly meeting with the following present: Ed and Bunny Haugan, Mark and Sheryl Stedman, Billie and Gordon Herron, Linda Wagner, Becky Moeller, Ellen Evans, Marge Womach, Carol, and Karen Robertson. Reminders were given for members to turn in their “in-kind” forms, which collect the number of hours individuals spend on various projects. Minutes and financial reports were given.

Billie Herron told the group that the Society has received a grant from US Bank for use with the Art Room and Music. Brief comments were made regarding structural projects for the building committee.

Pride and pleasure were heard in reviewing the KREM 2 News spot which highlighted the Opera House and also crafted photos of the cemetery, new signs, Lincoln Hotel, The Post and Office into their presentation. Kierra Elfalan of KREM 2 was easy to speak to and receptive to ideas from members who met with her on Memorial Day. She has been invited to return when there is more activity in town as there would be for Fall Festival or Cruizin’ Harrington.

It is definite now that Heather Safe will be moving and will no longer be our music teacher, a position which the Society is hoping to fill by summer’s end. Art lessons have been suspended for the summer.

Nu-Blu will be performing bluegrass music this Friday, June 15, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15. On June 30, a Saturday, also at 7 p.m. the Panhandle Polecats will also perform bluegrass music.

A few events for the fall have appeared on the calendar: John Nilsen, pianist, October 6; Scot Kirby, multi-media/piano, November 9; Peter Davenport, lecturer, in October and Santa pictures are planned for December 1.

The Society’s July meeting is postponed from the first Monday to July 9, due to the July 4 holiday. The rummage committee is planning a summer fundraiser for July 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Preparations are under way for the Summer Reading Program at the library to continue this summer as in previous years on each Thursday in July, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. As it turns out this year, the 4th of July is on a Wednesday, and our program will begin July 5.

The Harrington Chamber of Commerce met Wednesday, June 6, at The Post & Office. For unfinished business the group planned to recap the Cruizin’ Harrington event and make suggestions for next year. In the approved minutes from last month, Tim Tipton and Karen Allen, with help from Mayor Dillon Haas, submitted a grant proposal on April 28 for $15,000 to begin the prep work on the vacant lot.

Wendy Cronrath was a guest speaker and gave a presentation on her in-home business, crafting ribbons and awards for organizations such as the Lincoln County Fair. She brought examples of varying sizes and styles.

Discussion was held regarding the Fall Festival. The Studebaker Garage is planning to host a Pinewood Derby, which has been contemplated for a number of years. The next Chamber meeting will be July 11.

Harrington’s young mayor Dillon Haas ran for the position of mayor with no political experience, but with high ideals and dreams for the town he considers his home town. He was a 2007 Harrington High School graduate. At the University of Pittsburgh he majored in neuroscience and music with minors in chemistry and economics. He spent two years teaching with Teach for America in Jackson, Miss. Then he returned to Harrington, desiring to “work my contacts all over the United States, and utilize my skill to bring young families and commerce here. I worry about the state that the school might be in if there isn’t an increase/positive trend in enrollment in the next four years, and I believe there is much to be gained from a marketing and collaborative community focus.”

Prior to the election, Haas wrote: “My primary day job is working as a web developer and contractor...” After winning the election of 2016, he became a homeowner. Saturday afternoon, June 9, Dillon Haas and Joselyne Vazquez (Inzunza) were married in a small, quiet and informal civil wedding at the Harrington Church of the Nazarene. A short exchange of vows was read by Pastor Cade Clarke and the group moved to the social room for a lovely reception.