~July 2009 Newsletter~
Calendar of Events
July 6 - City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. – Council Chambers
July 7 - Ambulance Meeting 6:00 p.m. - Ambulance Bldg
July 8 – Tekoa Fair Association 7:30 – Prairie Grain Office
July 8 – Caregiver Coffee 10:00 a.m. – Tekoa Retirement Apartments,
Community Room
July 10 – Chamber of Commerce 7:00 a.m. Feeding Station
July 13 – Jaycee Club Meeting Jaycee Club
July 14 - Senior Pinochle Tekoa Community Church
July 14 – Park and Rec. Meeting 7:00 p.m. – Tekoa Pool
July 20 - City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. – Council Chambers
July 27 - Ambulance Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Ambulance Bldg
July 28 - Senior Pinochle Tekoa Community Church
July 28 – School Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. – District Board Room
July 30 - Dist. Commodities
To our neighbors in Tekoa,
Congratulations on yet another highly successful Slippery Gulch celebration.
You are to be commended for the tremendous job in organizing the parade,
and all the great events that now surround this terrific event. Your town
could nothave been more inviting and hospitable! More importantly,
it was so heart warming to see that traditional small town values are alive
and well in Tekoa.Thank you for proving that deep down, it’s the spirit of
the people that make a town great! Keep up the good work!
Darin Watkins and family, 9th District legislative candidate, Republican
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~The office will be closed on Friday, July 3, for the 4th of July Holiday and
will be openfrom 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. from Wednesday, July 8, to Friday, July 17.
The clerk will be on vacation.
~The City of Tekoa has a website! www.tekoawa.com It has the minutes
from the council meetings, newsletters, information about the City, our local
businesses, organizations and up-coming events! You will also find links to print
our water application, dog tag forms, and citizen complaint forms.
~Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Feeding Station at 7:00 a.m.
will be changed to the 10th instead of the 3rd, due to the holiday weekend.
~ Park and Rec. meetings will be held at the swimming pool at 7 p.m.
for the months of July and August.
~FERAL CAT SOLUTIONS: Trap, Neuter, & Return Program of
Humane Society of the Palouse in Moscow, Idaho. Spay/Neuter Clinic:
August 30, 2009, for feral (wild) & barn cats ONLY. No house cats allowed.
Cost is $25 per cat. Includes spay/neuter, FeLV/FIV test, FVRCP/rabies
vaccines & ear-tipping for identification. Advanced reservations necessary.
Call 509-334-7099, or email hsopfcs@gmail.com.
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~TEKOA EMPIRE THEATRE NEWS~
More new members! Linda & Carl Eggers, Peggy & Jerry Jones, Café Artisan,
and Tekoa Hardware
It’s no secret that “PAGES OF HARMONY” from Spokane is a great Barbershop
Chorus. If you want to come and enjoy them, TEKOA EMPIRE THEATRE is the
right place. It will start at 5:30, Saturday, July 11, at the Tekoa Feeding Station
for aLasagna Dinner and a ticket for the performance for $16.00 (includes garlic
bread, salad, drink and dessert). The Barbershop Quartets will be singing
during dinner. If you want to come only to the show, it will start at 7 p.m.,
and the cost will be $10.00. Come and bring a friend! It’ll be a great night!
For additional information, call (509)284-5173 or (509)284-3801.
~Messages from the Mayor~
~~Donations for the Rest Stop
After visiting with Jerry and Mary Heitt concerning the rest stop, it appears
necessary to infuse more funds into this facility. My predecessor,
Rich Weatherly, had used this newsletter to ask for donations to help maintain
the restrooms and grounds. So, I’m doing likewise, and if anyone is interested,
donations are accepted at the AmericanWest Bank.
~~Study of our Water Reservoir
The council decided to have a structural engineer determine the condition
of our reservoir. Hopefully, his recommendations will allow us to replace
some much-needed water lines and fire hydrants rather than have to work on
the reservoir. With this in mind, we have again hired John Sypher to help with
mowing and maintenance projects, freeing Duane and Rob to work on
the water lines and hydrants.
~~Tire Amnesty Program
The Whitman County Solid Waste and Recycling agency is again accepting
tires to be recycled. Our plan is to begin accepting tires at Nick’s Tire Shop
at 218 N. Ramsey Street the week of July 6 to July 10. (Tires cannot have
rims on them, so please make sure the rims have been removed.)
For more information, call Paul Fuchs at 284-2861. Be sure to call city hall and
notify us with the number of tires left at the tire shop. We plan to haul the
tires to Colfax on July 11th.
~~Slippery Gulch Celebration
The skies cleared up for us on Slippery Gulch Day, and we all enjoyed a
great day of activities. Most of you know I don’t enjoy writing these
newsletters (it’s hard work!) except at times when I can single out individuals
who deserve some well-earned recognition! Some help with the celebration;
other provide services throughout the year. Let me start with Randy Wise.
Randy has, for years, mown several areas in town that don’t even belong to him.
I believe the city actually owns more than a few! You would think that the
“chintzy” mayor would at least provide some gas for his mower!!I know that the
Chamber of Commerce serves breakfast during Slippery Gulch, but who does
the preparation? You will find Linda Babb in the school’s kitchen Friday and
again Saturday doing the prep work. As we were preparing for the celebration
day, the question was asked about the truck that is parked on Crosby Street
and used as a stage for the parade. People say it just shows up on Friday night.
Well, the rest of the story is that, in 1962, Tom Dorsey, who was chairman of
Slippery Gulch Day, asked Larry Heaton to use his newly purchased truck
as a platform during the parade. For the next 47 years and several trucks later,
Larry has parked a truck on Crosby Street…..most of the time without even
being asked! Thanks Larry!!!!And then, there is Jerry Heitt voluntarily takes
care of the rest stop. This is an every day responsibility that generally goes
unnoticed. The city crew is giving Jerry the summer off……only if he continues
to check the facility to make sure it is “up to snuff”.And finally, three ladies
who can take the credit for our successful celebration, Linda Zehm, Melinda
Wilkins and Becky St. John! Linda and Becky are the main officers for the
Chamber of Commerce, and Melinda served as co-chair, with the Mayor, for
the 2009 Slippery Gulch Day. Those ladies and their husbands spent time
and effort so Tekoa could be a proud host for the celebration.Now, I need
everyone’s attention. I called for volunteers in one of my newsletters, but did
not get much of a response. We need someone to help with the organization
of vendors, the dunk tank, the window displays, and even just sell raffle tickets.
There was also a need for someone to replace Laurie Overton, who oversees
the fishing derby and along comes Mackenzie Ramirez, and we have new
chairperson. Please help us continue to make Slippery Gulch the success
it has enjoyed over the years!! I know I left out many active volunteers and
city activists. It is your turn to let me know who these people are and we can
thank them in the newsletter!P.S. Wasn’t John Heaton a great MC at our
initial American Idol Contest?!!!!
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