Orofino LoggerXross coming May 14

The exciting Orofino LoggerXross event is scheduled for Saturday, May 14 at Orofino City Park.

Due to trademark issues with the term Endurocross, the group that is organizing this year’s event elected to call it the Orofino LoggerXcross. “We felt like honoring our community and workers, since our mission is to put on a community oriented race; a race that is for the community,” said organizer Jim Willis.

The Orofino LoggerXcross will carry on the tradition of motorbike racing in the Orofino City Park’s fairground arena. Track designers for this year’s event are very excited as they work to create a layout that will provide an incredible show for spectators while giving riders a thrilling set of obstacles and challenges.

Professional rider confirmations have already come in. Everything is in motion for the creation of another spectacular event. “We have had an uproar of support from the community, and are very excited for this event. We have great hopes to put on this race, and have so many people working hard for it. We are ready to make it happen!” said organizer Kim Bonnalie.

Organizers meet every Thursday at 6 p.m. at Camas Financial Services, located at 230 Johnson Avenue in Orofino. Anyone who can help in any way is invited to attend.

This year six VIP seats will be donated to the Orofino Chamber of Commerce auction, which takes place May 6.

Rider sign-ups begin at 9 a.m. on race day. The entry fees are as follows: $20 for 50cc/65cc, $30 for amateur classes, and $50 for pro classes.

The cost of admission for adults is $10. Kids ages six to 12 pay $5, and ages five and under are admitted free of charge.

This year the race is offering sponsorships with five levels ranging from $100 to $1,000. Orofino’s DEBCO Construction is the title sponsor. A limited number of spots are available. One hundred percent of sponsorship money goes to the riders.

A limited number of vendor spots will be available. These are for non-profit groups.

To reserve a sponsorship spot, call Misti Tolman at (208) 553-2740. Rider inquiries can be directed to Jim Engle at (208) 816-6253. For vendor opportunities, call Dana Losey at (208) 553-3335. For advertisement questions, volunteer opportunities, or general inquires, call Kim Bonnalie at (208) 819-5475.

Orofino Junior High building hits the market

The Orofino Junior High School building closed last spring after celebrating its 100th anniversary and countless hours of controversy concerning the closing of the school went on the market for sale this week with bids being due April 25 at the Clearwater Realty.

The school district is also putting up for bids property on Ahsahka Road known as the ‘old forest service building.’

Bid documents and detailed specifications are available from Clearwater Realty at 233 Johnson Ave., in Orofino between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until April 22.

Bids must be submitted on or before 3 p.m. April 25 at the realty or the school district office. Bids after that time will not be considered. At the stated time and place bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

Passover dinner to be held in Orofino

A Passover (Seder) dinner will be held on Sunday, April 10 at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Orofino.  All are welcome to attend, both the Christian and Jewish communities, however, the church can accommodate only 100 people.  If you haven’t been to such an event you won’t want to miss this opportunity to do so.

The Seder is like a family dinner where the family gathers around the table to worship God and follows a prescribed order of service to celebrate the miraculous events of the first Passover.  Thus, the Seder plate will be presented to help tell the story of Passover, the most important Biblical holiday for Christians.  There are several interesting items on this plate, all which have ceremonial significance.

Passover is both a holiday of remembrance and a holiday of prophecy, as in all Biblical holidays. For the Jewish people it is the annual celebration of God delivering Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 12).   For the Christian it clearly pictures the redemption Jesus provided for our sin.

The last meal Jesus ate with His disciples in the Upper Room was a Passover meal, and First Baptist Church is providing this beautiful opportunity to recreate this same historical, New Testament setting related in 1 Corinthians 5:7.

This special event is called “Messiah in the Passover,” and conducted by Carole Bahm from Chosen People Ministries, a worldwide ministry that presents a powerful visual message designed to give participants a deeper understanding both of Passover, and of the Communion Table.

Being proficient in French, Ms. Bahm has ministered in Quebec, Paris, and in Toronto, and in her earlier years, received a missionary appointment to Belgium with United World Missions. She now serves in Florida where 90% of the residents are Jewish.

To RSVP and to purchase tickets, please call pastor Hale Anderson at 476-5412.  The last day to reserve your seat is Wednesday, April 6.

Tickets for the meal cost $5/single, $7.50/couple, and $10 per family.  The church is located at 291 118th Street, Orofino. A love offering will be taken for Chosen Peoples Ministries.

Pierce-Weippe Chamber Profile: Whiskey Creek Artisans

Roger and Amy Smith began spending time in Clearwater County after passing through on their honeymoon in 2001. They absolutely loved everything the county had to offer and hoped to eventually move to the area. In 2004 they purchased property in the Grangemont area and had a “ten-year” plan. The ten-year plan changed to a three year plan as they were more than ready to leave the big city of Boise behind.

Whiskey Creek Artisans was started out of their home in 2008 and then expanded and moved to the current location in the Burns building, 217 College Ave., in downtown Orofino (above Augie’s Deli).

Roger has been in the wholesale jewelry trade business for over 35 years, starting as an apprentice out of high school, learning all aspects of the jewelry business from the ground up. Roger was also interested in the process of creating custom jewelry so he taught himself the “lost wax” casting process from reading books and lots of trial and error.

Roger now enjoys sharing his experiences and knowledge with others and hopes to be able to expand the business enough to offer an apprenticeship.

Amy is an independent contractor for a health insurance provider out of Boise, but helps out when and where she can. She creates gourd art and other items for the gift shop. Amy is always on the search for affordable jewelry and gift options to offer to customers.

Roger and Amy both value the one-on-one interaction they have with their jewelry and gift shop customers. They also appreciate being involved in the community and hope to become more involved as time goes on.

When Roger and Amy are not at the jewelry shop they are most often enjoying the outdoors. In their free time they love hunting, fishing, hiking and camping throughout Clearwater County - accompanied by their black lab, Zip.

You can contact Whiskey Creek Artisans by calling 208-476-5026, emailing  wca@cpcinternet.com, or stop by their shop and say hello.

ExxonMobil submits plan to move equipment on U.S. 95, I-90

BOISE - Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil is proposing to transport 60 oversized loads on U.S. 95 and Interstate 90, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.

Mammoet, the contract hauler for ExxonMobil, submitted a travel plan to the transportation department. Engineers from the department have just started analyzing the plan. The department does not have an estimate of when it will complete the analysis. The travel plan must be approved by the department before an over-legal permit could be issued to allow the loads to be transported.

The largest shipment proposed is 24 feet wide, 15-feet-10-inches-tall and 207 feet in length, including the transport truck and trailer. The heaviest load proposed weighs 165,347 pounds, not including the transport truck and trailer.

Each shipment would move between 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., and take three nights. Traffic delays would be limited to 15 minutes. The proposed schedule is:

First night - Port of Lewiston to approximately the Latah/Benewah county line.

Second night - Latah/Benewah county line to three miles east of Coeur d'Alene, stopping at milepost 18.3 in a pullout on the side of I-90.

Third night - Milepost 18.3 to the Idaho/Montana state line.

Motorists using U.S. 95 would be guided around the shipments by a pilot car or wait at designated pullouts. Vehicles on I-90 will be guided around the loads by pilot car. Two Idaho State Police vehicles would accompany the oversized loads for traffic management and emergency services coordination.

U.S. Senator Risch taps local gourmet food business for holiday luncheon needs

A little bit of Clearwater County has made it to Washington D.C. for two years in a row, to help sweeten the holiday palates of U.S. Senators in Congress.

For the second year in a row, "Tastes of Idaho", located at 143 Johnson Avenue, in downtown Orofino, was a supplier to U.S. Senator James E. Risch (R) - Idaho, for Christmas-time political entertaining.

Forty (40) "Gold Mountain" brand huckleberry pancake mixes were ordered in 2009, and 40 Idaho-shaped baskets in 2010, according to Sandy Dell, owner of Tastes of Idaho.

Both were used and "very much appreciated" as part of holiday gift luncheons for fellow senators and dignitaries, according to Christin Parras with Senator Risch's office in Washington DC.

"We really appreciate Senator Risch's efforts to include rural Idaho small businesses for his holiday gift giving," Dell said.

For more information, contact Dell at (888) 231-1699, or stop by the store to see a close-up photo of Senator Risch holding the Idaho basket with genuine Idaho spuds neatly layered inside.

U.S. Senator James E Risch (R-Idaho), holds up an Idaho-shaped basket purchased from Tastes of Idaho in Orofino, for his 2010 holiday entertaining in Congress. The baskets were layered with genuine Idaho 'bakers', which are highly treasured in the eastern U.S.

Elk poacher pleads guilty to felony charge

By Evin Oneale, IDFG

Nearly one and one-half years after poaching two bull elk near Idaho City, a former Meridian man will pay thousands of dollars in fines and restitution to the residents of Idaho.

In October 2009, and accompanied by his seven-year-old son, Gary A. Parrott, 37, poached the two trophy six-point bulls outside of Idaho City before the elk hunting season. While he took the time to remove and transport the antlers from both animals to his vehicle, Parrott made only a feeble effort to care for the elk meat. By the time he returned more than 24 hours later, both animals had spoiled and were abandoned.

Eyewitness accounts, a website and other scraps of information helped Fish and Game conservation officer Rob Brazie piece the poaching case together. When two of the eyewitnesses picked Parrott out of a photo lineup, Brazie obtained a search warrant, which was executed on Parrott's Meridian home in June, 2010. There Brazie and other officers found photos of both elk taken in the field, the antlers from both animals, and a small amount of elk meat. DNA testing positively linked the antlers and meat with samples from both carcasses collected months earlier.

Faced with this evidence, Parrott confessed to the poaching, and was charged with the unlawful possession of two bull elk, hunting elk without the proper tag and littering. One of the elk racks met the legal definition of a trophy animal, upgrading the unlawful possession charge to a felony.

  Shortly after the search warrant was served, Parrott relocated to Great Falls, Montana. He soon found himself in the county jail on the felony charge and was extradited to Idaho where he negotiated a plea agreement with Boise County prosecutors. Under the agreement, Parrott entered a guilty plea on the felony charge, with the other charges dismissed.

On March 10, Fourth Judicial District Judge Patrick Owens sentenced Parrott to:

·   A $5,000 fine ($2,500 suspended).

·   A $2,750 civil penalty.

·   Five years of supervised probation.

·   A 10-year hunting and fishing privilege suspension.

"This is one of the worst poaching cases I've investigated in my 20 years as a conservation officer," Brazie noted after the sentencing. "Stealing from all of us by poaching two trophy bull elk is bad enough, but to do so in the presence of his young son, that's unconscionable."

Anyone with information about any suspected poaching incident are encouraged to contact Citizens against Poaching at 1-800-632-5999, 24 hours a day. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. In addition to the CAP hotline, people may also contact their local Fish and Game office with information. In the local area, contact the Nampa Fish and Game office at 465-8465.

Evin Oneale is the conservation educator in the Southwest Region.