Spring is finally in the air in Northeast Oregon. It’s been a long winter and we are pleased the season brought lots of snow to the high country and valleys. The deep snow means the FS 39 road that connects the Pine Valley with the Wallowa Valley will almost certainly remain closed to vehicles through May. We will post on this site when we hear from the Wallowa Whitman National Forest that the route is passable. In the meantime, you can explore the rest of the byway and all of the communities along the route and know that you will be enjoying beautiful scenery and a warm welcome from businesses.

Oregon’s Alpenfest, the only Swiss-Bavarian cultural festival in the West, happens in the majestic Wallowa Mountains of northeast Oregon – a region whose spectacular scenery reminds many of the Swiss Alps.

Events are scheduled at Wallowa Lake, one of Oregon’s biggest attractions; the art colony of Joseph, and historic Enterprise. The glacier-formed lake is known for its pristine beauty and recreation assets ranging from boating, hiking, fishing and camping, to riding the tramway to the top of the surrounding peaks.

Featured performers are The Polkatones dance band, the Tirolean Dancers folk dance troupe, Swiss yodeler Shelby Imholt from Portland, Enterprise alphornist Bruce Coutant and accordion virtuoso Alicia Baker from Denver.

Polka stars Randy and Ashley Thull from Wisconsin will offer free polka lessons, and visiting accordionists will play on Main Street in Joseph and at the outdoor Alpine Breakfasts at Wallowa Lake.

Main performances take place Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and evening in the century-old Edelweiss Inn, traditional home of Alpenfest, next to the Wallowa Lake Tramway.

Numerous craft and food vendors will offer their wares Friday through Sunday at the outdoor Alpine Fair.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, pancakes, eggs and sausage will be served at the Alpine Breakfasts to benefit the Wallowa Lake Tourism Association.

Details about the performers and ticket information are available at oregonalpenfest.com or by phone to 541-426-2577.

Alpenfest was born in 1975 when business owners at Wallowa Lake sought to create a reason for visitors to come to “Oregon’s Little Switzerland” after Labor Day, the typical end of the busy visitor season. Tourism is a large driver of the county economy.

A natural for the end of September, when other regions are staging Oktoberfests, the original Alpenfest lasted until 2008. In 2011, after disappointed tourists kept asking what happened, business owners in Joseph and at the lake decided to revive the festival.

The new era was ushered in with a new name, “Oregon’s Alpenfest,” in 2012. Events were scheduled in three Wallowa County locations, as is the case today.

Beer offerings will differ from those in past years. Instead of importing German beers, Alpenfest will pour exclusively eastern Oregon brews in Alpine style. Attendees receive free 24-ounce glass mugs at entrance.

Terminal Gravity Brewing in Enterprise, which has honored the festival with an Alpenfest beer every year since 2012, will make a German kolsch. East Fork Brewery in Joseph will provide a Bavarian Hefeweizen, M. Crow Brewing in Lostine a Berliner Weisse and Side A Brewing in La Grande a German black lager known as Schwartzbier.

Alpenfest’s bratwurst is produced by Hines Meat Co. in La Grande. Hines, a family-owned butcher shop, is the latest of several providers of bratwurst for the festival following changes in the region’s sausage landscape. Chuck Anderson, the event’s alpenmeister, said Hines “has the best smoked German bratwurst in the state that I’ve tasted.”

The event’s parent organization, Alpenfest, is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Swiss and Bavarian traditions. Contributions are tax deductible.

It’s County Fair time in Byway Country! Attend a quintessential county fair to see farm and ranch animals, 4H and FFA competitions, and to experience life in the close-knit communities of Northeast Oregon. Sample fair food and visit commercial and non-profit booths to learn what is available and the hot topics in our neck of the woods. Many fairs include rodeo action and parades are common.

Here is a schedule of County Fairs along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway:
Union County Fair, August 1-4, La Grande
Wallowa County Fair, August 4-11, Enterprise
Baker County Fair, August 6-10, Baker City
Baker County Fair & Panhandle Rodeo, September 1-3, Halfway

Adjacent Counties:
Malheur County Fair, July 31-August 4, Ontario
Umatilla County , August 7-11, Hermiston
Grant County Fair & Rodeo, August 15-18, John Day
Morrow County Fair & Rodeo , August 15-19, Heppner

Get the information on locations, websites and activities for all Oregon county fairs by going to the Oregon Fair Association website: http://oregonfairs.org/images/downloads/2018_dates_book_final.pdf. The schedule starts on age 6.

Biz Buzz By Kathleen Ellyn, Wallowa County Chieftain

Updates on our local businesses are in order this week, with changes of business model, announcements of secured contracts and an exciting new business.

First up is our change of business model. Some of you may have heard that the Minam Motel is no longer acting as a motel. It’s true. Owners Grant and Lottie Richie are reconfiguring their business and plan to expand their store and use some of the motel space to house their river guides.

The business is doing well with their Wine and Food trips, guided fly-fishing trips, chukar hunts, rafting trips and raft rentals and the Richies want to focus in that area.

Those “Wine and Food on the River” rafting trips on the Grande Ronde or Snake rivers have received high praise in the press. Richie works with Walla Walla-based Chef Andrae Bopp and serves Walla Walla wines provided by Heirlinger Winery, Bergevin Lane Vineyards, Kontos Cellars, Skylite Cellars and Solemn Cellars among others. Expect to pay $995 for a three-day excursion and $1,595 for a five day trip.

Other rafting trips include Grande Ronde River guided trips, white water guided Snake River Rafting through Hells Canyon and lower Salmon River guided trips.

Sad news for some of you, the Morel Trip in late May is already fully booked. Better luck next year.

Off-season trips include the “Cast and Blast” (fishing and chukar) trips in late fall.

The contract to continue operating the Wallowa Lake Marina went to (no surprise) Casey Barstad. Casey was the sole applicant, but his experience working with former contract holders, his parents, Gina and Bob Barstad, would have impressed in thick competition.

“He’s had a lot of experience and his bid and proposal was very, very detailed,” said Shawnae Stanton, park specialist for Wallowa Lake State Park. “He’s also been working with us in terms of what we’d like to see in the park in the future. We want to expand the dining area out front so that visitors can enjoy the lake view more.”

Casey’s folks have held that contract for 30 years.

“Casey grew up with the business. He’s been around it since he was six years old,” said Bob Barstad.

And finally, get ready for the newest tourism idea in Joseph — the Joseph Trolley, touted as providing “The World’s Longest Trolley Tour.”

The trolley rolls out on its Grand Opening Tour, May 31. That tour is a live, narrated, three-hour drive to Joseph Creek Canyon for a total of 101 miles round trip with camera stops along the way and half hour at the scenic overlook.

Another, even longer four and one half hour tour to Buckhorn Springs Canyon is planned for the future. You’re advised that 63 miles of the Buckhorn Springs tour is on gravel and will be bumpy. Might want to take an extra cushion for that one. The trolley is wheelchair accessible for up to two wheelchair guests.

Prices are very reasonable: $30 adult on the Joseph Creek Canyon Tour with a senior discount of $5 available; lap riders 0-2 free; guests ages 3-11 $15. There are group rates and opportunities to book the whole trolley for your special event. You’ll want to check out all of the offerings on the Jo Trolley web page.  

P.S. some other big news was brewing at press time but not finalized. Stay tuned.

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Visitors can learn about wild horses on western lands, see a trainer doing a demonstration on getting the “first touch” in on a wild horse, and meet an adopted wild horse. BLM Wild Horse and Burro specialists will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about the herds, adoption program, and history of the program.  Two wild horses will be on site and available for adoption. The film “Unbranded” will be shown in the Leo Adler Theater at 10:30 and 12:30. There will be educational and fun materials for both adults and kids.

Guest trainer is Lesley Neuman. She has been working with wild horses since 1999 and has been involved with the Mustang Heritage foundation since 2006. She is known as a gifted trainer with a rare ability to understand, communicate with, and gentle wild and unhandled horses. She also has an uncommon gift for communicating with her human audience, while in the process of guiding a wild horse from panicked captivity to comfort and confidence in humans.

Norm the mustang is an adopted wild horse who assists Debbie and Calvin Henshaw with the program “Horse Sense”. This ongoing program explains how a horse’s habits, senses, and reactions have helped them survive against predators throughout time.

The documentary film “Unbranded” will be showing and runs one hour 46 minutes, The film follows the story of 4 young Texans who adopted 16 wild mustangs, trained them, and undertook an epic journey on horseback border to border from Mexico to Canada.

The Bureau of Land Management National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is located five miles east of Baker City, Oregon on Highway 86. Take Exit 302 from I-84. The Center is currently open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Admission for adults is $8 and $4.50 for seniors; children 15 and under are admitted for free. Federal passes are also accepted.  Call (541) 523-1843 for updates on programs and events or visit oregontrail.blm.gov.

The Hells Canyon Scenic Byway is a thriving this Memorial Day Weekend. Check out the following activities, then go to the Wallowa County, Union County and Baker County websites for even more happenings. Have a safe, fun and meaningful Memorial holiday weekend.

Saturday, May 27th
Eagle Cap Excursion Train / Two River Bonus, 10:00 am – 3:30 pm, Elgin Depot
Following the Grande Ronde and Wallowa Rivers as they tumble their courses and join together at Rondowa, this longer ride takes you to Minam, before returning to Elgin. The ride offers beautiful views that can’t be seen from the highways. The scenery is fantastic! Lunch is included. Departs from Elgin Depot at 10 a.m. and returns at about 3:30 p.m.

La Grande Farmers’ Market, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, and Tuesdays, 3:30 to 6 p.m.; Adams Ave. & Fourth St., Downtown La Grande
The La Grande Farmers’ Market is a seasonal open-air market featuring fresh local produce, baked goods, specialty foods, quality meat, eggs, garden products, arts, crafts, and live music. Enjoy shopping locally while interacting with farmers, artists, musicians, craftsman and friends. Also visit many of the market suppliers along the Cove-Union Farm Loop.

Wallowa County Farmers Market Opening Day, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m,, Joseph St. and Main St., Joseph
Spring Planting Fest/Opening Day for the Wallowa County Farmers’ Market!! Live music, plant starts, produce, handmade crafts, homemade baked goods and more!!

Lower Valley Farmers’ Market, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m,, 301 E. 1st St., Wallowa
Year-round indoor farmers market. Our mission is to increase our community’s access to fresh, local products from local producers and to offer a vibrant social gathering place.

Bigfoot Hot Air Balloons Is Open For The Season, 
Bigfoot Balloons is now open in Joseph, OR. We will be offering sunrise Hot Air Balloon Flights all summer long. We have 2 special pricing options for local Wallowa County and Union County residents. If you have a specific date that you would fly you may book our Shared Flight at $50 off per person and if you are flexible with your dates we will put you on a standby passenger list for our shared flight with a $100 per person discount. Look for us up in the sky at sunrise! To make reservations call 432-443-7994 or go to our website.

Joseph Branch Railriders Is Open for the Season
Joseph Branch Railriders will open  May 20  and end Oct 9, 2017  for our 4th season.  We will serve you five days a week, Thursday thru Monday.
Choose between the 2 hour Joseph departure or the 6 hour Minam adventure which includes a lunch break in Wallowa. Now is the time to plan ahead for your summer adventures. We are looking forward to seeing you all this summer. Online reservations are open and can be accessed through our website,

For most trips, the Eagle Cap Excursion Train departs at 10 a.m. from the Elgin Depot and returns around 2 p.m. For those trips, lunch is served on the train.

Rides this late-summer and fall season include train robberies, a photo run to capture the autumn colors, a Wine & Cheese Train and Brews & Brats. See the trip descriptions for details and the schedule.

To reserve your seat and ensure your lunch is on the train, make your reservations by 4 p.m., the Friday afternoon prior to the trip you want to take. The train can often handle some last-minute walk-on passengers, subject to seat availability. Those waiting to purchase tickets at the depot Saturday morning should arrive at the depot by 9 a.m. and should be aware some trains sell out.

Ticket prices are:  youth, 3 to 16 = $35 / adults = $70 / seniors 60+ = $65. Lunch is prepared by Ten Depot Street of La Grande and included in the ticket price. For train tickets and details on the excursions go to www.eaglecaptrainrides.com. Or, if you prefer to talk with an agent or want lodging options, contact Alegre Travel, 1.800.323.7330 or travel@alegretravel.com.

The historic Joseph Branch, now known as the Wallowa Union Railroad, was rescued from salvage in 2003 when the Wallowa and Union county governments formed the Wallowa Union Rail Authority and purchased the highly scenic railroad connecting Elgin with the Wallowa Valley. Volunteers with the Friends of the Joseph Branch, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, operate the train and depot, host passengers, renovate the passenger cars and preserve the history of the railroad.

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Representatives from the Wallowa Whitman National Forest, Federal Highways Administration, Senator Ron Wyden’s office, Tidewater Construction, Oregon Department of Transportation, Baker, Union and Wallowa County governments, the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association and the Baker County Chamber of Commerce were among the crowd of about 25 individuals. Some provided recaps of the project and of the history of the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, designated an All-American Road by the FHA in 2000. The importance of the road to the region’s tourism industry, ranching community and commerce was highlighted several times.

Why not mark the progression of fall with a scenic drive around the byway this weekend? There are still plenty of autumn leaves to brighten the landscape and make you want to stop for photo opportunities. Officials caution that wildlife is plentiful, so please slow down and take the time to enjoy this magnificent corridor through our corner of the world. Shops and restaurants are open throughout the byway to sooth a hungry stomach or provide what you want in picnic supplies or souvenirs. Check the Visitor Resources page for information from the chambers of commerce.