Over half a century, 60 years ago, a group of friends, cowboys at heart, got together and held the first rodeo in Coulee City. It was the Last Stand Rodeo beginnings. That little rodeo continues proudly as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo. It’s one of the oldest and smallest, yet kicks off the Columbia Basin River Circuit PRCA season.
Wondering why this rodeo is so special? Imagine sitting in stands only feet away from the action, the safety fence separating you. A bronc bucks wildly; you can even hear his snorts. A bull thrashes mercilessly to throw his cowboy; you feel the ground tremble with his power. A stick horse race for kids or the over 40 crowd; you can enter.  Add to that the citizens of the oldest town in Grant County, a community of neighbors and friends dusting off their boots, working hard together, and bringing you one of the best rodeos around, every Memorial Weekend.
Rodeo Queen, Katy Dieringer welcomes you to the 60th year of Last Stand Rodeo. Starting Friday night, May 25, the action packed, hair-raising Bullarama at 6:30 p.m. pits cowboys against beasts weighing up to 2000 pounds. Add the wild and wooly action of Mutton Bustin’ for children ages 3 to 8 years old, 60 pounds and under, and you have an evening of fun and entertainment.
Rodeo action continues both Saturday and Sunday, May 26 & 27, at 2 p.m. with more bull riding, bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping and the great entertainment of famous rodeo clown, Kevin Higley with bullfighters Danny Newman and Donnie Griggs.
The Last Stand Rodeo attracts many of the top cowboys in the PRCA. In past years, world champs like Allen Bach, Dan Mortenson, Brad Goodrich, Ross Coleman, Clint Corey, Paul Rice, Jr., Myron Duarte, Mike Beers, Bobby Mote, Billy Etbauer and many others have added their presence to this entertaining and tough rodeo. Up and comers of the PRCA are seen here first each year at the historic Ted Rice Rodeo Arena. The Big Bend & Flying 5 Rodeo Company, a top rough stock company in the United States, provides the rodeo stock.
On Saturday morning the community adds a cowboy breakfast, Cow Pie Jog, and Last Stand Parade, all you can become a part of. A traditional Cowboy Breakfast starts at 7 a.m. at the Old Coulee City School next to the rodeo grounds. It’s always a delicious and friendly way to start off a rodeo weekend, plus it supports the local St. Andrews Grange – a great group of folks.
At 8 a.m. Saturday, the gun sounds for the start of the 26th Annual Cow Pie Jog, also at the Old School grounds. It’s 5K of jogging and watching your step! It is a “cow pie” jog after all! If you’d like to be a part of this jog, contact Dawn at 509.977.1177 or visit www.couleecity.com for a printable entry form. And then just remember to mind your manures.
The parade at 11 a.m. is packed with fire trucks, veterans of all ages, kids, farm implements, even entire families participating and there is always room for more. It’s as easy as showing up (and of course filling out the entry forms – printable version available on www.couleecity.com or call Stacey 509.977.1216).
A taste of Americana, the Last Stand Rodeo, great weather, spectacular scenery and exciting atmosphere promise to provide a great weekend of action packed entertainment for the whole family. Don’t miss this chance to be up close and personal with the cowboys AND the rough stock.
Come on down to Coulee City Memorial Weekend, May 25, 26 and 27 for great rodeo action! ACTION SO CLOSE YOU MAY GET A LITTLE DIRTY! www.laststandrodeo.com.

Raising money to help the fight against cancer

VM: What is Stand Up for the Cure?

Bob: Stand UP Paddle for the Cure is a fairly new event as Stand Up Paddle is a new sport here on the mainland. SUP for the Cure is a 10K course in the Newport Beach Harbor where well over 300 paddlers are attending.  It’s an event to raise awareness of breast cancer, raise funds in support of the OC Affiliate of the Susan G Komen for the Cure all while having a blast out on the water.  For every $125.00 raised potentially saves a life by enabling a mammogram to those that cannot afford one.   Early detection is a key in fighting this horrible disease.

VM: Is this your first time participating in SUP for the Cure?

Bob: Yes, but it will not be my last.  I look forward to attending this event with my sister. Who knows maybe someday we could have a SUP for the Cure here on Moses Lake waters.  It feels good to be able to participate in something that can truly make a difference in people lives.

VM: Who are you paddling for?

Bob: We all know too well that cancer shows no preference and unfortunately every single person will be affected by this horrible disease at some point in their life directly or indirectly.  I am paddling in honor of loved ones who fought with all they had and lost. I am paddling to celebrate with friends that have won their battle and are cancer free today.  I am paddling to join the fight of friends who are in the midst of this today.  I paddle to help find a cure so no one else has to fight this battle.

VM: How long do you think it will take you to complete this 10k course?

Bob: Usually when I paddle I am in ‘go mode’ music on, busting it out and breaking a sweat.  But this is a different kind of paddle.  I will be reflecting back and looking forward.  I will paddle in honor of my mother Cynthia who fought this horrible disease during an era where it was not spoken of and had to be kept a secret.  She fought this cancer head on with all that she could until the age of 33 where she lost her battle. I will paddle in honor of my Uncle Bruce, Uncle Ladd and friend Larry Brice and many others while reflecting on all the great memories.   I will paddle, rejoice and celebrate with all my friends and family who have won this battle.  I will also be praying for those and their families who are in the fight for their lives.  I am paddling for a cure.

VM: How can others join in the fight?
Bob: You can go to http://www.active.com/donate/standup-for-the-cure/RJohnso1009.  Or visit Gone SUP’n on Facebook and click on the link.  Any donation no matter how small can make a big difference.

A wildlife wonder, the Sandhill Crane (Grus candensis), returns to the Othello, Washington area just in time for the Sandhill Crane Festival, March 23 to March 25, organized in their honor. Established in 1998, this unique festival celebrates the yearly arrival of approximately 25,000 Sandhill Cranes to the area and hundreds of people for activities, lectures on a variety of wildlife, geology and history topics, presentations, tours for viewing the area wildlife, including the cranes, as well as some of the interesting landscape created by the Ice Age floods 12,000 years ago.
The cranes migrate in great flocks from their wintering areas in California all the way to Alaska. Why do they stop in Othello? A bird guide will tell you the cranes are here because like the farmers, the cranes are drawn by the irrigation project. What the birds find today are safe haven roosting sites by seep lakes, plus lots of food in the form of residue grain. Fields of corn stubble are a favorite as they bulk up for the last leg of their journey.  In the Spring, crane flocks spend about six weeks in the central part of the Basin.

Featured speakers see page 9.
“Birding the Basin”  ~ Friday evening

“Calling all Bird(er)s” ~ Saturday evening banquet

Both Friday and Saturday, more energetic visitors can take part in a Biking for Crane tour. Join in the fun as the group pedals 20 to 25 miles round trip to view the sandhill cranes and, hopefully, a few burrowing owls – another feature of the festival that draws visitors each year. These whimsical creatures are a joy to watch and are becoming rarer every year.
After a day of tours and lectures, head for Reichert’s Showhouse to view the movie “Return of the Eagle,” narrated by Billy Ray Cyrus. The small $6 entry includes popcorn and soda.
This family festival is designed to be of interest to anyone, not just birdwatchers. Even the children will learn about wildlife with a variety of activities designed just for them.
All presentations are held at the Othello High School. There is a $7 entry fee for adults. Seniors are $5 and children under 12 are free with paid adult admission. All lectures and activities are free. Bus tours range from $10 to $50 and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to get your reservations soon.
Friday evening’s tours board at the local U.S. Fish and Wildlife building. Saturday’s events and Sunday’s tours take place at Othello High School.
The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival is run by an all volunteer committee. All proceeds go toward providing the following year’s events.

The brochure is available for download on the website, through e-mail by contacting Marie Lotz at marie-lotz@wa.nacdnet.org or regular postal service by calling
(866) 726-3445.

by Doug Sly

For Education….
BBCC 50th Anniversary Theme

It was easy to pick the theme for this year’s scholarship fundraiser Cellarbration! For Education at Big Bend Community College.
The College celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012.
“We hope people can put together alumni tables from each decade since 1962 to help us with the 50th anniversary theme,” said Judy Oakes, co-Chair of this year’s event. “We want to recognize the accomplishments of Big Bend’s students of the last 50 years at the same time we are supporting scholarships.”
Cellarbration! For Education is a premium wine dinner and auction known for pairing a five-course gourmet dinner with Washington wines, combined with exceptional service and décor.
The event raises funds through cash sponsorships, ticket sales and auction items. The proceeds support scholarships for recent high school graduates, returning students, professional/technical students and for helping students cope with financial emergencies.
Back again this year is the “Bling” raffle for a one carat diamond from Harrison’s Diamonds and Designs.  The event again includes another Leonetti wine auction—a chance to bid on wines unavailable to those not on the winery’s waiting list.
The committee is soliciting sponsorships and auction items for the event. Those who would like to be involved can contact the BBCC Foundation at 793-2006 for sponsorship forms, auction donation forms or to make reservations.

Facts from Big Bend’s Past

•    A summer labor strike delayed completion of the first BBCC campus in 1962, so the first classes were held in Moses Lake High School in September.
•    There were 20 “Charter Graduates” in the first graduating class of BBCC in 1963.
•    Ty Ballinger, a successful Moses Lake businessman, was BBCC’s first basketball coach in 1963.
•    Gov. Albert Rosellini gave the dedication address for Big Bend Community College on April 5, 1964.
•    The price of coffee in the student union building was increased from a nickel to a dime in 1964 because students were leaving such a mess. It was lowered to a nickel again after students agreed to clean up after themselves.
•    Enrollment at BBCC dropped 30 percent in 1966 following closure of Larson Air Force Base.
•    All full-time female students were members of the Associated Women Students (AWS) in 1964. Their activities included organizing the Festival of Hearts Ball, Mothers’ Banquet, and Installation Lunch.
•    Full-time male students were members of the Circle K, a men’s service organization affiliated with the Kiwanis Club.
•    In 1967, BBCC men played on the tennis team and women played on the badminton team.
•    The Rifle Pistol Club was one of the first clubs formed at BBCC in 1963 and had three female members.
•    Jon Lane was won a national junior college wrestling championship at 152 lbs. for Big Bend in 1967. Today Jon is a member of the BBCC Board of Trustees.
•    A student was dismissed from the Big Bend commercial pilot program in 1968 for growing a beard. The student took the matter to court, and a judge ruled in favor of the College.
•    Tuition for 18 credits at BBCC cost $83 per quarter in 1976, and people complained about the high cost. In 2011, tuition for an 18-credit load costs $1,180.
•    From 1973 to 1977, Big Bend awarded 18,000 Washington State High School diplomas to U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe through the PREP program. No other high school in the state awarded that many diplomas during that time.
•    BBCC journalism students interviewed Walter Cronkite by speaker phone for 40 minutes in 1980. Journalism instructor Dave Johnson worked with Cronkite for United Press International in the Midwest in the 1940’s.
•    The BBCC administration presented tentative plans to start the commercial pilot and aviation maintenance technology programs on Nov. 25, 1964. The proposal was submitted to the Moses Lake School Board.
History of Cellarbration! for Education
…What does black tie optional mean?

The Big Bend Community College Foundation Scholarship Fund was in decline in 2001. A new annual scholarship fundraiser was needed, or scholarships would have to be reduced.
The Board met with John Allen for four hours to learn about organizing a fund raiser featuring a gourmet dinner prepared by an executive chef.  Allen, owner of Vino! A Wine Shop in Spokane, had been instrumental in aiding a number of organizations in raising revenue with similar models.  Allen’s message boiled down to this:  charge $100 a plate for a dinner of fine food and wine, advertised as black tie optional and paired with silent and live auctions.
Doubt filled the room.  Board members squirmed.  This board had never risked anything like this before.  Were there enough people in this area who would dress up and pay $100 to attend a fundraiser?  Allen knew it could work.
“What does ‘black tie optional’ mean?” the board asked.
“It means women dress their men,” said Allen.
The first “Gourmet Wine Dinner and Auction” was held in 2002 at the Moses Lake Golf Club.  Seating was limited by the venue to 110 guests and the event sold out.  The Foundation raised $25,000 for scholarships.  It was a rewarding start—at that time the most successful fund raiser ever held by the BBCC Foundation.
In 2005 the event was brought home to the BBCC campus with the opening of the Grant County Advanced Technologies Education Center (ATEC).  The new Masto Conference Center provided a venue for 225 guests and a new kitchen worthy of an executive chef.  The event was renamed “Cellarbration! for Education”
Income increased each year and topped $90,000 by 2010.  In its first 10 years, gross proceeds from Cellarbration! for Education have topped $700,000 and the Foundation’s scholarship fund is being fed by increased generosity.
Most important, the success of Cellarbration! for Education has provided new opportunities for the Foundation to educate local people about the needs and successes of the College’s students, for increasing donors to share in that success, and for the community to celebrate it with a cork-popping blast.

John Allen was right…..about everything.

Impact of Cellarbration! for Education

•    The BBCC Foundation awards scholarships to recent high school graduates of 15 primary communities in the College’s service district.
•    Cellarbration! for Education also funds scholarships for returning students who have been out of school awhile. The average age of BBCC students is 28.
•    The Foundation Scholarship Fund has a special application to make scholarship awards to professional/technical students.
•    Cellarbration! for Education raises money for the Intervention Scholarship Fund, which helps students cope with financial emergencies so they can stay in school.
•    Since 2002, more than 600 scholarships have been awarded from the Foundation Scholarship Fund, all made possible by the success of Cellarbration! for Education.

Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Contributors, MLBA Members, LakeTown Landing business owners and those interested in the Moses Lake Business Association attended the Moses Lake Business Association’s Quarterly Nite Out on Tuesday, February 21st.
There was networking, hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting by Camas Cove Cellars in MLBA’s conference room in Desert Plaza at Third & Alder in LakeTown Landing.
The featured speaker for the evening was Patrick Malone (MS/PCED) WSU Extension Service Community Vitality and Columbia Area Asset Building Team Member. Patrick is passionate about small business and their importance in our communities. He spoke about the benefits of working with other businesses, cross promotions and more. He touched on topics all business owners could relate too and told the group of 50 attendees to think larger than they are, being a part of a group such as the MLBA gives businesses and even larger voice and presence in the community. It’s about the “experience” of downtown and shopping local and not about individual businesses. Creating strategic business partnerships with other businesses and how these partnership come into play on a day-to-day basis makes businesses stronger.  Patrick says, “Businesses need to build a cohesive puzzle, don’t just be an isolated piece (an integrated network of businesses performing together.”
Patrick also touched on the idea that small business is not sales based, small business is customer service based. How can we partner with our other local businesses and create value added incentives, share referrals and drive business between our businesses? It’s about building these relationships with each other than makes the community stronger.
Patrick currently teaches the “Starting Your Own Business” workshop put on by The Prosperity Center. In his class of business entrepreneurs and those looking to freshen up their business skills he encourages them to have $0 startup costs, he suggests doing this by looking beyond purchasing items but using the bartering system. Because cash flow is a challenge to all businesses it’s worth taking a second look at how you can barter. For example, bartering with a local furniture store for a display in your store, thus making everything for sale, driving traffic to the furniture store and then in turn they can give your business name out as a referral as well.
The evening concluded with prize giveaways donated by area businesses. The prize winners were: Stephanie Voigt (Cornfusion Gourmet Popcorn) winning the full-page ad from The Columbia Basin Herald & Royal Register; Joey Hernandez (Inland Cellular) winning a full-page ad in VENUE Magazine; Cindy Alporque (Essentials Skin & Wellness Center) winning radio spots from KWIQ-Country 100.3; LuAnn Hayford (Furniture Center) winning graphic design and business cards from Michaelle Boetger Graphic Designs; and Jenelle Ottmar (SocialBasin.com) winning a gift basket from Inland Cellular.
Thanks to all our sponsors for making this event possible. The next quarterly MLBA Nite Out is scheduled for Tuesday, April 17th from 5:30-7:30pm at Desert Plaza (Third & Alder) in LakeTown Landing. If you area Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Contributor, MLBA Member, LakeTown Landing business owner or interested in the Moses Lake Business Association you are invited to attend this event. For more information check out our website, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter or become a fan of MLBAcares.org on Facebook.