There are few things more inspiring than seeing community members come together to support each other, and Grant County’s community spirit was on full display last week as more than 40 people volunteered their time to dish up more than 400 free Thanksgiving dinners at the John Day Elks Lodge. 

It’s a holiday tradition at the lodge, which uses a grant from the national Elks organization to cover the cost of a traditional holiday feast with turkey, ham and all the fixins. But finding the money to pay for it is just the start: Somebody has to order the supplies, cook the food, carve the meat, slice the pies, brew the coffee, dish up the goodies and clean up afterwards. More help is needed to deliver takeout meals to shut-ins throughout the county. Somehow, there always seem to be enough volunteers to get the job done.

You can read about some of those volunteers in this week’s edition of the Blue Mountain Eagle. We’re also working on stories about the potential impact of Oregon’s controversial new gun control law, efforts to hold onto a $2 million state pool grant and Painted Sky’s impending move to a new location.

In case you missed it, last week’s edition included stories on a recall effort against a parks and rec board member, an underutilized home rehabilitation loan program, the crowning of the 2023 Grant County Fair & Rodeo Court and all-league honors for Grant County high school athletes.

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