THE ARTS

Whether you prefer rock and roll or classical music, street dances or formal balls, line dancing or the waltz, movies or live drama, small intimate plays or large stage productions, there is opportunity to enjoy it all in Union County. The diversity and quality of cultural activities and enjoyable entertainment is rivaled only in large population centers and major urban areas.

The presence of Eastern Oregon University adds a great deal to the cultural scene. Symphony concerts, theater and dance are an important part of life. The Mary Jane Loso Hall, an eight million dollar arts center, has expanded our cultural horizons several times over. This state of the art performing arts facility houses two theaters and an art gallery. The 450 seat McKenzie Theatre is home to several major dramatic productions and Broadway musicals each year. The 125 seat Lyle Schwarz Theatre offers a setting for student directed plays and smaller, more intimate productions.

McKenzie Theatre is also home to a number of community sponsored and produced events annually. The Observer, a local newspaper, sponsors an annual Festival of Christmas Music each December featuring both college and community performers. The Blue Mountain Barbershoppers, a large close harmony men’s chorus, showcase their annual Parade of Harmony in the theater.

Performances of the Grande Ronde Symphony Orchestra and a The Community Chorus, as well as student and faculty recitals are also held in the theater.

The Nightingale Art Gallery, located within the Mary Jane Loso Hall, exhibits work from many local, Oregon, and nationally known artists, as well as student exhibits. The La Grande Arts Commission hosts an annual event known as Season’s Faire – a northwest regional artists event with sculpture, water colors, oil paintings, and other media on display – each fall. The evening includes an art auction, entertainment, wine and hors d’oeuvres.

Children are not left out of all this cultural activity. The La Grande Arts Commission also sponsors Arts for All, an exciting hands-on art event for more than 1,000 children from Union, Baker and Wallowa counties. This festival of art for kids is multi-disciplinary, including visual arts, music, dance, theater and language, and allows the children to become involved in the processes of creation.

Think Link, a nonprofit Discovery Center for Children and Adults, is a community resource which provides a variety of novel, dynamic, thought-provoking educational experiences to expand curiosity, creativity, inventiveness and global awareness in the humanities, arts, and sciences through hands on, educational experiences.

Opportunities for actors, musicians and dancers abound in campus productions, and in concerts and recitals held elsewhere across the county. The Blue Mountain Barbershoppers, The Grande Ronde Symphony Orchestra, and The Grande Ronde Community Chorus all welcome new members.

The Elgin Opera House, a theater built in the town of Elgin in 1912 is another performing arts center of importance to Union County. Located inside Elgin’s city hall, the theater was fully restored in 1985 to reflect its original elegance. Movies are shown weekends, and live performances are often featured. A local Elgin theater group, The Eighth Street players, schedules melodramas and plays each season.

EDUCATION

Most of the communities in Union County have their own school districts with the exception of Summerville, whose students attend schools in Imbler. Each district serves grades K-12, usually with an elementary school and high school, and each is served by its own elected school board. Island City has an elementary school that is part of the La Grande School District. The La Grande School District offers a high school (grades 9-12), middle school (grades 7-8), and five elementary schools (grades K-6). In addition to its regular schools, the district offers a comprehensive set of services for students with special learning problems and to students with unusual academic abilities. Scheduled activities are offered at the La Grande Middle School as well as intramural athletics and a beginning band program. An extensive athletic program is in place in the La Grande High School, along with a variety of clubs and a widely-recognized music program.

The Union/Baker Education Service District (ESD) provides a wide variety of additional services to all school districts within the county. The ESD oversees special education programs designed to provide an appropriate public education for all disabled students. In addition, the ESD provides a variety of integrated services for the county, offers alternative educational programs, provides GED preparation and high school completion programs and non-traditional programs for at-risk students. They also provide coordination for credit and non-credit continuing education courses through Eastern Oregon University and Blue Mountain Community College. School to Work programs are under development or in place in all of the county school districts and are administered by the Regional Workforce Quality Council.

Adult training programs are available through Training and Employment Consortium and the Vocational Rehabilitation Division in La Grande.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Eastern Oregon University is a regional university and center for education, culture and scholarship, providing affordable access and engagement to rural Oregon and beyond since 1929. Students receive personalized education for personal success, all available on campus, online and onsite. With 23 bachelor’s degrees ranging from anthropology to theater arts and everything in between, degrees available through cooperative partnerships also include agriculture, nursing and engineering. There are over 40 different minors to choose from, as well as multiple pre-professional programs. EOU’s three master’s degree programs are in business administration, teaching and science in education. Nine complete degrees and 18 minors are offered entirely online.

At EOU students interact directly with high-caliber teaching faculty in small classes, providing them a private college experience at a public university. Led by new president, Dr. Bob Davies, EOU is a national model of providing higher education based on access that is not restricted by time, place, socioeconomic status, disability or any other unique characteristic. More than half of Eastern students take at least one class through flexible delivery, including courses offered online or onsite at 16 extended campus locations in Oregon. And, EOU does not charge out-of-state tuition, making it one of the best educations money can buy. By participating in undergraduate research, internships, international experiences and community service, EOU graduates are well prepared to succeed in today’s global environment.

ACTIVITY AND INVOLVEMENT

There are many opportunities for involvement in Union County with more than seventy clubs, sororities, fraternities, and other organizations of every sort. Participation may range from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts through fraternal orders such as the Elks, Eagles and Eastern Star, to chapters of the Good Sam club, coin and gem clubs, a photography club, and two dozen or more athletic clubs and groups. Whatever your interest – clogging, square dancing, bow hunting, weight loss, neighborhood fellowship, model aircraft, classic cars or ham radio – there is a group with which to become involved.

The Union County Ambassadors, a group of residents banded together to promote the county and assist local business with ribbon cuttings and grand openings, offers a great way to make a contribution beyond self. The Ambassadors serve as the right arm of the Chamber of Commerce, helping to promote growth and development. Rotary International has two clubs in La Grande, a Thursday morning club, and one meeting at noon on Tuesdays. The Lions have a club in La Grande, Island City, Elgin and Union. Soroptimist International, the Optimist Club and Kiwanis hold weekly meetings in La Grande.

In addition to these clubs and organizations, there are at least sixty associations, councils, volunteer programs, agencies, festival groups, support groups and ministries with programs in Union County. The La Grande-Union County Chamber of Commerce maintains lists of all of these, which are available upon request by mail or telephone.