Ella Nichols, 3, of Bend, plays a ring toss game at the sixth annual Monument Buckaroo Festival and Harvest Auction, held Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, at the Monument Senior Center.

Grant County is a big place, and it takes more than a little time (and gas) to get from one end to the other. So it was a treat for me to be able to head over to Monument the weekend before last to check out the Monument Buckaroo Festival and Harvest Auction. I wasn’t able to stay for the whole thing because I was on my way to Wheeler County to cover some happenings at the Spay General Store (look for that story in next week’s paper), but I was there long enough to get a taste of a wonderful community event. Dozens of people were on hand to enjoy family activities, bid on auction items, sit down to a sumptuous dinner of salmon and elk, and support the Monument Senior Center, a focal point for community activities. Hats off to the organizers for a great party!

Now I’d like to take a moment to brag on my staff a little bit. On Friday, the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association held its annual awards luncheon, and the Blue Mountain Eagle did very well, walking away with 14 awards, eight of them first place honors. For the second year in a row, your local newspaper won first place for general excellence in our circulation division. The award is based on all aspects of the paper, from news and opinion content to photography, design, advertising and special sections, and it’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire staff.

The paper also won first place for best story of the year for Tony Chiotti’s story about the arrest of a Forest Service burn boss after the prescribed burn he was supervising spread beyond national forest boundaries and charred 20 acres of private ranchland. Tony did an exemplary job of digging into the details and ramifications of the arrest, which became national news. His fine work is reflected in the best story of the year award, which is judged across all circulation divisions. The Eagle is in the smallest circulation category, but our story won top honors over competitors that include the biggest newspapers in the state.  

Did I mention how proud I am of my staff?

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If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to register your subscription for digital access to the Blue Mountain Eagle. Call 800-781-3214 to talk to one of our customer service staff, who will be happy to walk you through the process. It’s easy, takes just a few moments to get set up and allows you to take advantage of our e-edition, app and website delivery along with your print subscription.

We’ll have more details on the Eagle’s showing at this year’s state press awards, as well as a full slate of stories on happenings from all over Grant County, in this week’s edition. Thanks for reading.

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As always, if you have comments or questions about the Eagle, or want to pass along a story idea, send me an email at this address: editor@bmeagle.com.

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Finally, if you’d like to help support our independent local journalism, please consider subscribing to the newspaper. And if you’re already a subscriber, please accept our heartfelt thanks — we can’t do this work without you!

— Bennett Hall, Editor