Good Old Days: Pep Club Hopes

By Mildred Olson

Sometime during the 1930s (fictitious names of the schools)--

Cigarettes! Cigarettes! Butts! Butts! Willowoods team: Nuts! Nuts! Nuts! Nuts! Yellow over and over.

And then...

1-2-3-4-5-6-7... Shannen's team can go to heaven.

When they get there, they will yell the Mud Rat's team will go to 1-2-3-4-5-6-7...

They were a newly formed pep club, probably the first their high school had ever had. They thought they were rather cute, dressed in matching peach-colored dresses, trimmed in brown. (Always wondered whey they didn't use the school colors.) Their mothers made them and never questioned the colors.

Their first night to show off was at a boys basketball game. They gathered in the balcony of the high school and started their yells as the boys waited for the tip-off. Suddenly, the girls became aware of the principal gesturing for them to come down. The angry expression on his face warned them that something bad was going to happen.

And it did. He gave them fiery, strict orders to get out, to leave, and to not come back, and to never try such a “trick” again.

Their plans for a pep club suffered and early death. None of them ever wore that cute dress to school. 

Not ever.

In fact, she doesn't remember what happened to hers. It seemed to disappear sometime during those good old days, just like their hopes for a pep club.

State FFA Co-op Quiz

Every year, the Department of Applied Economics and Cooperative Extension Service supplies a Cooperative Quiz prepared by Dr. Ruby Ward, and sponsored by the Utah Council of Farmer Cooperatives.  This year our payson FFA Chapter was represented well at the State FFA Cooperative Quiz Competition on October 14, 2014.

The quiz is made up of about 30-40 questions about cooperatives.  Each Chapter in the state is allowed to take a maximum of three of its members to compete.

After the Quiz has taken place the competitors have the privilege of a free dinner with the rest of the contestants, advisors and all those present. During the dinner the winners are announced and awards are given out.

Cash awards of $150, $100, and $50 are given to the top three scoring individuals is offered $1000 to attend the FFA washington Leadership Conference during the summer.  Chapter awards of $150, $100, and $50 are awarded to the chapters with the best scoring team.

From our chapter, Melanie Ward, Carlysa Openshaw, and Rylan Huff attended the competition and all did very well.  Rylan was Third High Individual and won $50! Way to go Rylan! Our team took first place and received $150! Great job to those who competed! We cannot wait until next year!

Good Old Days: 1926 Headaches

By Mildred Olson

1926 – It was a beautiful, warm November morning. Not a cloud in the crystal blue sky. She was a happy fourth grader on her way to school. She hopped, she skipped, she jumped-- always being careful not to come down on a crack in the sidewalk. You know, “step on a crack and you'll break your mother's back”?

She loved her school. She loved her teacher. Even though her teacher had whacked her hard across her hands, because she had snapped and clicked her fingers, being overly anxious to answer a question. The teacher had warned the class to never do that, so she did not blame her. She knew she had been wrong.

Before school ended for the day, clouds covered the sky like heavy dark drapery. The wind started to blow. And she developed a painful headache. Home seemed miles away. She was so sick, she did not care if she stepped on all the sidewalk cracks.

As soon as her mother saw her, she pulled the rocking chair close to the big kitchen stove. She tugged her shoes and socks off, and placed her feet in the warm oven. She handed her a cup of something black and smelly. She was told to drink every drop. She gulped and gagged and struggled, but her mom insisted until the cup was empty. She then helped her into bed, propped her head up, made sure she was warm, and then left her to get to sleep.

Over the years, those devastating headaches became more frequent. They turned to doctors, hoping for relief, only to be told they were migraines and there was not a great deal they could do. But imagine their surprise when more than one advised, “As soon as you feel one coming on, drink a cup of hot black coffee.”

So much for the good old days.

Veterans Honored This Morning In Payson

Major General Jefferson S. Burton (pictured, center), The Adjutant General, Utah National Guard, spoke to a crowd of hundreds who came out to honor veterans this morning in Payson.  He was the keynote speaker at a Veterans Day program held at the Central Utah Veterans Home, located on North Main, an event co-hosted by the City of Payson.  Find additional photos and stories on today’s Veterans Day activities in the next edition of The Payson Chronicle.

Haunted Yard Arises From Love For All Things Halloween

The Jarvis family stand at the spectacularly built "Spider Gates Cemetery" gate leading at their haunted yard in southwest Payson last night: (pictured, left-right): Ryker, Jenny, Jarrod, and McKayla.

As the sun dipped down on Halloween night, a haunted scene replete with headstones, skeletons, ghouls, and eerie mist stirred fascination in a southwest Payson neighborhood.  The scene was the home of Jarrod and Jenny Jarvis, and the couple’s two children, McKayla and Ryker Jarvis, a place where, for the second year in a row, they have deployed their artistry in celebration of a favored holiday. Halloween.

Jarrod Jarvis is the mastermind behind the haunted yard family project.  His skills were honed while young, working at the Utah State Hospital’s Haunted Castle with his mom, Lori Nuttall.  

Thus began his love of all things Halloween.

Over the years, Jarrod slowly built up his collection of decorations, buying many at post-Halloween sales.  Last year, he finally decided to start his own Halloween yard haunt, because McKayla and Ryker were getting too old to go trick-or-treating.  He found great ideas online, and then built the fence and small pillars around the front yard last year.

After months of preparation leading up to this year’s celebration, the Halloween house was ready for trick-or-treaters trickling through the neighborhood as darkness drew over the town Friday night.  Spotlights were aimed at the ghoulish figures resting among the mist blowing from a smoke machine, highlighting a scene on par with virtually any professional set.  

The yard drew passersby from their cars to take photos and chat with the Jarvises about their process.  They have had such a great reaction from neighbors and trick-or-treaters that, this year, Jarrod decided to add to the scene all the more than last year’s display.

Not too many people these days decorate their yards in such a way.  But Jarrod loves making Halloween fun for kids of all ages.  Every year, he works to make it bigger and better, and he has already begun to plan out next year’s haunted yard scene.

Veteran Santaquin Firefighter’s Heroics Lauded: Scott Bernards Named AAA Utah Rescuer of the Year

Scott Bernards (pictured, right), an 11-year veteran firefighter who currently serves the Santaquin Fire Department, was named Rescuer of the Year in Utah by AAA, with a room full of his peers and family members watching on inside the Santaquin Publilc Safety building Tuesday evening, October 21 . While on vacation in November 2013, Bernards rescued his 80-year-old aunt from a fire that destroyed her Idaho family home and sustained injuries as he helped extinguish the blaze alongside the local fire department. At the ceremony, AAA Utah  awarded $10,000 in Bernards’ name to a nonprofit rescue organization of his choice, the Santaquin Fire/EMS Association.   (Story published in the print edition of The Payson Chronicle.)

Scott Bernards, eleven-year veteran firefighter with the Santaquin Fire Department, received an award last week befitting his heroics.  While on vacation a year ago, Bernards rescued his 80-year-old aunt from a fire that destroyed her Idaho family home, and sustained injuries as he helped extinguish the blaze alongside the local fire department, according to reports. AAA Utah awarded $10,000 in Bernards’ name to non-profit rescue organization of his choice as he was honored among family and peers in the Public Safety Building, located on the west end of Santaquin Main Street.  

Bernards has chosen the Santaquin Fire/EMS Association as recipient of the funds. AAA presented an additional $3,000 to Bernards directly to use to fund another vacation.

“He is being honored as a hero tonight,” Santaquin Mayor Kirk Hunsaker said, as he opened the October 21 ceremony.  “And I don’t think he feels like he is, but I want him to know he is tonight.”  

Bernards, along with his family, had traveled to Samaria, Idaho, to visit his aunt, Kay Higley in November 2013. He had been helping hang sheetrock inside a cabin when he and his younger brother, Daniel, noticed smoke smoldering out from the rooftop of their aunt’s home, close to a half a mile away.   

With his brother, Daniel, “He headed down there and, sure enough, there was a fire which had spread from the chimney, the fireplace area, right up into the attic space, and proceeded to make a mess of things,” Stephen Olson, Santaquin Fire Chief said as he lauded Bernards’ efforts last week.

Higley, an 80-year-old widow, was living in the house with her two dogs.  Bernards pulled his aunt out of the house just before the roof over her collapsed and then returned back inside to attempt to save one of the dogs.

Bernards instantly became the incident commander, although he was covered in burns. When the local fire department arrived to help contain the fire, Bernards mentored and lead the fire crew, despite his injuries. Today, Bernards’ family is rebuilding a house on the same property for Higley so their family tradition of visiting a special place will continue for many generations to come.

Chief Olson noted last week that a firefighter’s role is not one that he or she steps in and out of to perform only within the region their department is assigned.  “Being a firefighter, being an EMT, a paramedic, is not just something that you do,” Olson said.  “It’s who you are, it’s what you are.”  When needed, firefighters are there to serve, regardless of where they are, according to Olson.

Bernards’ family were among those in the audience last week to support him as he was named AAA Rescuer of the Year.  Including his brother, Daniel, with whom he humbly shared credit, his wife and fellow firefighter, Alison, with whom he shared the spotlight, and Aunt Kay, whose life was saved when a Santaquin firefighter found himself needed in Idaho.

Payson Cross Country Girls Win Region for the Second Year in a Row

Payson Cross Country Girls returned from North Sanpete High School last week, once again winning the Region Championship.  Pick up a copy of this week's edition of The Payson Chronicle for the complete story, written by Haley Dixon.

Pictured above (left-right): Girls Varsity team and coaches: Coach David Rockwood, Alyssa Sutton, Middy Gladden, Claire Rowley, Haley Dixon (holding the Region Championship trophy), Tiana Argyle, Britteny Wayne, Kea Hancock, and Coach Stan Peck