New commander prepares for fruitful trek

This story was published Fri, Aug 3, 2001

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - Umatilla Chemical Depot's newest commander got his first real taste of rural Oregon's agricultural roots Thursday - and it was sweet.

Lt. Col. Fred Pellissier helped load about 10,000 pounds of watermelon and cantaloupe that will be given away today at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland.

Pellissier, his wife, Debbie, and their daughter Olivia will be attending the annual Hermiston Watermelon Tailgate Party.

Former Mayor Frank Harkenrider organized the event in 1991 to draw attention to Western Oregon's dependence on Eastern Oregon's farmers. Skip Walchli, owner of Walchli Farms, was happy to donate to the cause when Harkenrider approached him.

Walchli's son, Bob, who manages the farm's watermelon patches, is carrying on the tradition, which is only accentuated this year by the Klamath Basin farmers' water woes, Bob Walchli said.

"This helps people understand why we need the water," he said. "Without the water, there would be nothing here but sagebrush."

Instead, the Walchlis are able to produce 25 to 30 tons of Hermiston's sweet and juicy signature melons on what would otherwise be desert and dust.

The publicity generated by the annual trek to Portland doesn't hurt, either, he said.

"Hopefully they'll walk into a grocery store and look for Hermiston melons," Walchli said.

Produce also is donated by Bellinger Farms, Amstad Farms, Bud-Rich and Hermiston Foods.

And there are always plenty of people waiting for the Hermiston watermelons when driver Doug Barnett pulls into Pioneer Square.

The depot chemical operations leader, who ordinarily works in the K-Block area where chemical weapons are stored, is driving the melon-laden truck to Portland for the third consecutive year.

About 3,000 pounds of fresh Hermiston produce will be given to Fish Emergency Services, a nonprofit Portland food center. The rest is given away to whoever happens to be passing through the town square during the lunch hour.

"The line starts as soon as the truck pulls in off Broadway," Barnett said. "We are there right at lunch and it really gets busy. It's very intense for about a half-hour."

The early morning preparations for the trip at Walchli farms are a lot more light-hearted. Mayor Bob Severson and council members Jackie Myers, Walt Achuff and Rod Hardin joined Harkenrider and Pellissier to help farm workers load up a truck donated by the depot.

Before the produce leaves the truck, Portland Mayor Vera Katz and Harkenrider will deliver speeches in Pioneer Square today and participate in an annual watermelon seed-spitting contest, which Harkenrider has won in previous years.

 

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