Tradition was once again renewed during Garfield UMC’s Sunday morning Feb. 20, 2011, service. Tradition says that each time a church member has a birthday, they donate the number of pennies representing the number of years of age being celebrated. In this case, two church members were celebrating. One turned age 64 on Feb. 20 and the other age 63 on Feb. 19. Photo shows a penny donated by the Feb. 20 celebrant.
Story from Spring 2011 issue of Washington State Magazine by Larry Clark. Photo by Zach Mazur. WS Magazine video. Slight editing of story by by the Herald of Garfield UMC.
You’ve enjoyed the cheese, but what do you do with a Cougar Gold can?
John Elwood (WSU Class of 2001) builds fine stringed instruments—dulcimers, mandolins, banjos, harpsichords— so using the iconic WSU Cougar Gold cheese tin can to craft a banjo seemed a logical choice. The Elberton resident created a canjo, a fretless guitar, tunable instrument for all ages.
“These are three-string, robust instruments, have the scale dimensions of a violin, and are inexplicably pleasant to the ear,” says Elwood. “I blame it on the excellence of the cheese.”
His affection for WSU’s signature cheddar developed early as he helped his father, Lewis Elwood (WSU Class of 1965), clean Troy Hall. WSU cheese, including Cougar Gold, is made by the WSU Creamery. The creamery’s dairy bar, Ferdinand’s, was located in Troy Hall until it moved to its current location in the WSU Food Quality Building.
Elwood was not alone in thinking to put strings on the musical can. Last year, the creamery received a canjo built by Dennis Skelton, an instrument maker in Georgia and father of Pullman resident Duane Skelton.
Here’s bio information based on info about John Elwood posted by The Bank Left Gallery in Palouse:
John Elwood was born Aug. 12, 1951, in Pullman, Wash.
He lived in Albion and attended Pullman schools (K-12). He attended Washington State University in Pullman his freshman year. In 1969, he left the Palouse for a year and attended two quarters at Portland State University.
Following that, he worked on the Ozette Village archaeological site until the end of 1970.
John eventually relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, living in East Palo Alto and working at a medical clinic in Menlo Park. It was during this period that he built his first dulcimer, at the Genet Nicho Guitar Shop in Mountain View, California.
John spent several years on the southern Oregon coast before meeting Sally Burkhart on a visit to Albion, which began a fruitful musical partnership, as well as a family. He and Sally have lived in rural Whitman County ever since.
They have two sons, Robin Elwood and Brendan Burkhart.
In 1996, John returned part-time to Washington State University, and he earned his bachelors degree there in 2001.
John currently works as a piano technician, which subsidizes his instrument-building activities.
His future intentions include shifting emphasis toward building instruments, songwriting, performing and working with his children.
Franklin Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Lisa Cartwright is fulfilling her childhood passion a little late.
She and Macnetic, a 26-year-old Appaloosa who goes by Mackey for short, meet about every other day at Flying B Tack Shop and Stables in rural Pullman to socialize and enjoy some English-style dressage riding.
"He's what we call a schoolmaster horse," she said, because he knows what to do - he doesn't get fidgety or act out much. Although he was 16 when she started riding him, he has allowed her to learn how to ride.
"It's training the horse, but it's just as much training the rider," she said.
The dressage style lets horses maintain natural movement, even with a person riding them, say advocates. The style uses a flat saddle that is lighter than the Western saddle; the rider often, but not always, rises and sits as the horse moves; and the general goal is more flexibility and precision than speed.
Cartwright said when horses run freely, they are suspended way off the ground and are naturally balanced and agile. Their back comes up and the back end and legs come beneath them.
"You can imagine what happens when we sit on their back," she said. "All that just goes out the window."
The English style includes arena riding and jumping, be it cross country in which the horse runs miles or stadium jumping.
Dressage has been called horse ballet, and competitions are held at all levels, from beginners to the Olympics.
Cartwright, an intermediate rider, competes in dressage shows a few times a year.
Participants are given a riding pattern and are judged against a standard, not against other riders. Their numerical score is based on how well the horse does and the rhythm of riding, among other criteria.
A family camp held annually in the summer draws about 40 people, more adults than children, and they camp and take lessons in Deary for three days.
"That's probably the highlight of my year," she said.
Mackey isn't mounted during each visit - sometimes, he's just put on a line and allowed to run in the arena.
"The important thing is that he gets good exercise," she said, because he's just like an old person. "We gotta move. He's the same way. All horses are."
The up and down movement of riders, called posting, provides an aerobic workout - riding doesn't just benefit the horse.
She tries to visit Mackey as frequently during the school year, she said, which is a huge time commitment.
Her students know it's a hobby, and girls generally show more interest than boys, she said. She's even had a few students who have been very interested out to the barn.
Mackey first belonged to Cartwright's daughter. Mackey is not a fan of jumping, which didn't suit her daughter's interests. When she got a new horse, Cartwright took Mackey as a hand-me-down and learned the dressage style.
She said when she first started, she thought all control of the horse was with reins. Now, however, she knows it's a matter of legs, hands, how you close your hands and use of the rider's seat. Really fine movements in seat bones cue the horse to do what he does.
"It's a whole process," she said. "I've been 10 years at this."
John Elwood solos during Garfield UMC Choir's practice of "I Hear the Prophet Callin' " on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010. At 3 p.m. on that day at the church, the Garfield UMC Choir, directed by Janet Foley, performed as part of the musical portion of Christmas in the Country. Following the music, photos with Santa were taken and a craft fair held at the McCowan Building in downtown Garfield. At 5 p.m., the Starlight Christmas Parade was held.
During church service on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010 -- Second Sunday of Advent -- Mary Ann Storms lit two purple Advent candles.
