John Nalivka, a member of the Vale FFA scholarship foundation, and Adam Tolman co-owner of Malheur Drug in Vale hold up two rifles donated by the Vale FFA Foundation and Malheur Drug. The rifles will be auctioned off in annual FFA auction.
VALE – There are several annual autumn traditions in Vale.
Football season begins, pheasant hunters gear up for another season – and the annual Vale FFA scholarship auction kicks off.
This year the auction will be at the same place – the Vale School District Bus Barn just off South Cottage Street behind the elementary school – but there will be new items for sale in an effort that helps area youth get money for post-high school education.
“Since we’ve had the first auction, we’ve given away 173 scholarships totaling $166,000. We’ve also given the (Vale) FFA chapter $11,000 for travel money to go to the national FFA convention. So, the auction is kind of a big deal,” said John Nalivka, a member of the Vale FFA scholarship foundation.
[ Award-winning news coverage for $5 – SUBSCRIBE ]
Nalivka said the auction will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, and will feature more than 100 items.
Nalivka said feature items this year include two rifles donated by the Vale FFA Foundation and Malheur Drug.
Now a nearly four-decade-long tradition in Vale, the auction is crucial for many students, said Nalivka.
“It’s for anything they do post high school education. Could be a trade school, a two- or four-year college, anything they do toward a career after high school,” said Nalivka.
Nalivka said the number of scholarships varies each year.
“We probably average now on our scholarships somewhere around $15,000 a year. It depends on the number of kids applying. We’ve had as many as eight or ten apply,” said Nalivka.
Nalivka said among the host of items to be auctioned off will be goods baked by Vale FFA chapter members.
Nalivka started his involvement with the auction in 1994.
“We had a tractor (that year), an older Ford Tractor, they redid it at the shop at the high school. That was a great item,” said Nalivka.
The first auction, he said, was in 1992.
Nalivka said there will not be a tractor for auction this year but there will be plenty of other interesting items to buy.
Reporter Pat Caldwell: [email protected] 541-473-3377.
For the latest news, follow the Enterprise on Facebook and Twitter.
SUBSCRIBE TO HELP PRODUCE VITAL REPORTING — For $5 a month, you get breaking news alerts, emailed newsletters and around-the-clock access to our stories. We depend on subscribers to pay for in-depth, accurate news produced by a professional and highly trained staff. Help us grow and get better with your subscription. Sign up HERE.