LOCAL
6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally
MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016
BLESSING Continued from Page 1A
Kathy Orr / Baker City Herald
A Polaris Slingshot, left, grabs attention during the Main Street show of motorcycles Saturday.The threewheeled cycle is owned by Dave Ford (standing, center) of Kennewick, Wash. Above, enthusiasts have a look at intricately detailed HarleyDavidsons.
Who will be the Baker County Fair Friend or Family 2016? Nominate your choice to win this year’s award!
Do you know a person or family who has been an important part of the Baker County Fair and that you would like to see honored as this year’s fair friend or fair family? Write a one-page letter describing the friend or family’s involvement with the Baker County Fair and why they are the best choice for 2016.
Past Fair Family Honorees:
2001 - Markgraf Family 2002 - Bunch Family 2003 - Barr Family 2004 - Wendt Family 2005 - Cockram Family 2006 - Rohner Family 2007 - Jacobs Family 2008 - Beth & Fred Phillips Family 2009 - Bonnie & Gerald Colton Family 2010 - Coomer Family 2011 - Crabill Family 2012 - Rob & Diane Ellingson 2013 - Warner Family 2014 - Siddoway Family 2015 - Dan Morris Family
Send in your nomination by Friday, July 15 to: Mail: Fair Friend or Family Nominations Baker City Herald 1915 First Street PO Box 807 Baker City, OR 97814 Fax: 541-523-6426 Email: info@bakercityherald.com The winner will be profiled in the Baker City Herald fair preview edition on Monday, July 25, and honored at the 2015 Baker County Fair Friends of the Fair Appreciation Dinner on Tuesday, July 26. The 16th annual Fair Friend or Family contest is proudly sponsored by the
Selby later said that the scent contains around 300 ingredients straight from Thimphu in Bhutan, Rinpoche’s home country in the eastern Himalayas. “It gives healing to the environment,” Selby said. “If people are stressed, and they smell this, they feel better.” The animals are no exception as Selby waves the incense in front of them. Some of the dogs focus on and follow her graceful hand movements with their eyes and heads. Others shy away from the new smell. Though the majority of the animals brought to receive Rinpoche’s blessing are dogs, there is one exception. As the dog owners keep watch of the pooches secured to their leashes, Sandy Ford is clutching Ortega, her twoyear-old rooster, closely to her chest. Although Ortega is calm for the moment, that isn’t always the case. “He has kind of a little attitude,” Ford said. “He likes to attack me.” Ford raised Ortega from birth along with her five hens, who are well-behaved. Though she has owned many cats and dogs, Ford said she wanted to try something different for a while. After Rinpoche finishes his initial ritual, Ford gets in line with the rest of the pet owners to have Ortega meet Rinpoche individually. After a few dogs are blessed in front of her, Ford presents Ortega to Rinpoche. He pours a small amount of water on the calm rooster from the slim neck of a bumpa, a wide treasure vase used in Tibetan Buddhist rituals as a vessel for empowerment. Selby compared the experience to a practical example. “You know when you take a bath or shower — how much better you feel?” Selby
Kathy Orr / Baker City Herald
Sandra Ford's rooster, Ortega, receives a blessing from Rinpoche.
“I’m not here for magic, but I’m with the community to see them with their animals. That’s the magic part of it.” — Nancy Coffelt, who brought her dog, Twig, to be blessed by Buddhist monk Karma Namgyel Rinpoche during a ceremony Saturday at Geiser-Pollman Park
asked. “It’s cleaning your energy field.” For the second part of the blessing, Rinpoche lightly touches Ortega with a phurba, a silver casing that contains a dagger artifact. That part of the ceremony is meant to promote stability for the animal. Ford is uncertain that Ortega will see any behavioral improvement, but her previous exposure and enjoyment of Rinpoche’s visits were enough to inspire her to come back for an animal blessing. Not everyone attending the event has known
NEW NAME...
formerly Nelson Real Estate Agency
SAME....
Location, Realtors and GREAT SERVICE
Left to right, front row:
Karla Smith - 519-8182, Mary Jo Grove - 519-5539, Tamara Claflin - 519-6607, Shannon Downing - 519-4086 Back row:
Jim Grove- 519-5540 Mitch Grove - 519-3044 541-523-6485 fax 541-523-7870 845 Campbell Street, Baker City, Oregon 97814
www.TheGroveTeam.com
Rinpoche previously. In fact, one couple stumbled onto the ceremony by accident. Annie and Andrew Gilligan were passing through Baker City on their way to Portland when they came across Geiser-Pollman Park. “I saw a Buddhist monk get out of a big white van, and I was just really curious,” Annie Gilligan said. The couple had been on vacation in Wood River Valley, Idaho. They make it a routine to stop in Baker City for lunch and let Cedar, their yellow Lab, play in the park when traveling through the two states. What they found this time are more dogs than usual. “They told me, ‘We’re doing an animal blessing,’ ” Gilligan said. “Why not?” Cedar, the couple’s 2-year-old dog, was slightly anxious during the initial ritual, but calms as she nears Rinpoche. What waits for her is blessed water to drink and dried cheese as a treat. After several minutes, Rinpoche is able to get through the whole line of animals. Ford places her rooster back in a basket for safe transportation. Meanwhile, the Gilligans continue their journey to Portland. One pet owner remains after the first hour of the event. Nancy Coffelt used to live in Portland before moving to Baker City four years ago. She brought her miniature pinscher, Twig, to be blessed by Rinpoche. “I wanted to call her Stick because her legs look like sticks,” Coffelt said, “but I thought that might be confusing.” She rescued Twig when the dog was a year old. Coffelt said that now that Twig is 7, the dog acts “a little weird” based on its troubled early life. Despite that, Coffelt said she doesn’t expect any healing or physical treatment for Twig. She came to the event because she saw the benefit of a cultural exchange of ideas in Baker City. Regardless of anyone’s intent for being at the event, Coffelt said she’s just happy the community could experience the event. “I’m not here for magic, but I’m with the community to see them with their animals,” Coffelt said. “That’s the magic part of it.”