Glenwood Happenings: Rodeo athletes host successful fundraiser

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Missoula Children’s Theater (MCT) is coming back to Glenwood School in March. This year the students will present “Alice in Wonderland.” As many of you know from attending any or all of the previous 17 Missoula Children’s Theater presentations here, the story you remember will likely not be the same story presented by the actors. The productions are always fun and unique, with lots of music and some dancing. The play will be presented to the community on Friday, March 11 at 7 p.m., following a dinner served from 5-6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room. Tickets are $5 each and are good for both the dinner and the play. This is something really fun for the students and their parents and we are so fortunate that Glenwood School continues this tradition.

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There will be no Kids Jam at the church for the month of March, as most of the community kids will be participating in the Missoula Children’s Theater production.

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Although the Glenwood/Klickitat sports combine known as Klickwood did not advance to post-season play in basketball this year, we should be very proud of the season both the boys and girls had. Meanwhile, we can also be proud of a Glenwood kid who attends school in Trout Lake and has had a great basketball season. Willa McLaughlin, a junior and daughter of Bridget and Jay, has been a strong force for the Mustangs. The Trout Lake girls finished in first place in their first year in the Big Sky Conference of the Oregon State Activities Association, and won their first two State playoff games, taking them to the elite eight of the State 1A girls finals. The team traveled to Baker City March 2-5 for the finals. I’ll share results in the next news column.

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A contingent of Glenwood rooters traveled to St. Paul, Ore., on Feb. 26 to support the Mustangs as they won an exciting and close game against the Buckaroos to advance to the state finals. Many of us here in Glenwood were rooting for our neighbor school just over the hill as they competed in their playoff games and their games at the state tournament. On a personal note, two of my nieces are also on the Mustangs team, so there’s a lot of excitement in our family that our girls have been part of such a phenomenal team. This has been a great experience for them and their teammates.

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Another young Glenwood athlete, Jocee Hoctor, a sixth grader and daughter of Josh and Jaecee, has been competing in club volleyball this winter on the Goldendale 12UGold team. She was in her first year of club volleyball for the 2019-2020 season when the COVID pandemic abruptly brought their season to a halt before they could play in the wrap-up tournament. The girls were all very happy for the return of club volleyball this winter and the team has traveled to a few tournaments so far with good success. On Feb. 27, Jocee and her team played two scrimmage matches against a White Salmon team in the Columbia High gym. Goldendale won both matches in two games each. Jocee’s younger sister Jentry, in second grade, got to participate in club volleyball in a younger group of girls who, while not playing actual games, had practices and learned some basic skills. Both girls have thoroughly enjoyed club volleyball this year.

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A young Glenwood competitor in a different sport, snowmobiler Ty Murray, has had great success in races in Priest River, Idaho, this winter. Ty, son of Eddie and Darlene, is a freshman at Glenwood high school and his love of racing anything motorized is well known here. Ty competed in his age group in the Champions Races and took two first places. Also competing and finishing in fourth place in his adult division was Mike Emerson. Congratulations, Ty and Mike.

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The Glenwood Women’s Club will soon, once again, begin collecting donations to help cover the cost of backpacks full of supplies for foster and homeless children in Klickitat County. Donation jars will be placed in various businesses throughout the county. Children who are being placed in foster homes are frightened and very insecure, as are the children of homeless families who also come through the DCFS offices in White Salmon and Goldendale. Many of the foster children arrive at their new foster homes with their meager belongings in plastic garbage bags, and, sometimes, are removed from their homes with only the clothes on their backs.

The Women’s Club began this annual project in 2017 and with the valuable help of many generous businesses and private donors, each year the club puts together the backpacks to give the children something that is their very own to take to their new foster homes or to shelters where they may be temporarily residing, to ease the trauma they are going through. The backpacks and contents will be theirs to keep as they move to new homes or cope with their current situations.

The backpacks are divided into three age groups: Infants and toddlers, ages 3-9, and children 10 and older, and includes 10 backpacks for each group. The children will have these backpacks in which to carry their personal belongs and to use when they start their new schools. The backpacks will be filled with age-appropriate items, such as a blanket, book, pajamas, school supplies, stuffed animal, and hygiene items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, and soap, deodorant for the older children, a coloring book and crayons for the 3-9-year-olds, and pens and journals for the older children. The toddler packs contained some of the same items, but also include disposable diapers.

According to the social workers in the White Salmon and Goldendale offices, the need for items such as these for foster and homeless children is very great and never-ending. With that in mind, the Women’s Club continues to gather needed supplies and raise funds for the next delivery for this annual project. The club appreciates any help you can give to this very worthwhile project.

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Mary Pierce writes about the community of Glenwood and her own personal musings every other week in Columbia Gorge News. Please send any news items to gmpierce09@gmail.com.