HERMISTON â As Cindy Middleton accepted Hermistonâs Woman of the Year award on Wednesday, Feb. 24, she thought back to the day in 1992 that her father called her while she was away at college to tell her that her own mother, Judy Bracher, was Woman of the Year.
âI was deeply touched by the way that Dad described what Mom was being recognized for,â she remembered.
Middleton was one of several people recognized during the Hermiston Chamber of Commerceâs annual Distinguished Citizens Awards banquet, along with Ken Huber as Man of the Year. The event, which usually hosts several hundred people in the Hermiston Community Center, was limited to award winners and their families this year and was held in a greenhouse at Bennett Botanical Gardens.
Guidelines imposed because of COVID-19 have altered how people work, socialize and participate in recreational activities. Stay home orders, social distancing and restrictions on group gatherings have also changed how people engage in service organizations and volunteer activities. This series in the Hermiston Herald highlights how area service clubs and groups have responded to the pandemic.
While American Legion Post 37 and Auxiliary Unit 37 had a year of cancelations because of the global pandemic, nothing was going to stop many veterans and their supporters from celebrating Veterans Day.
In lieu of Hermistonâs annual Breakfast for Vets â the event was nixed because of COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings â the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce prepared to host a parade on Nov. 11, 2020. Then, several days prior, the chamber announced it wouldnât be hosting the parade as Gov. Kate Brown ordered a two-week âsocial pauseâ from Nov. 11-25, 2020, to help cur