eBay item 5575620305 (Ends Apr-29-05 12:46:18 PDT) - Help Us Save Our Fairgrounds...

Halfway, Oregon, got a little worldwide notoriety a few years back when an Internet company (one selling used books, in fact) convinced enough people there to agree to 'change the town name' to Half.com for a specified period of time. It was a publicity stunt, and the name change was never official, but in return for going along with the gag the little town got some new computers and a whole lot of free publicity, etc.

I should probably mention that not everybody in the little town was happy to go along with the lark. My husband and I drove through there after the fact, and noticed yard signs that made it clear that some folks found the whole matter somewhat insane and demeaning. But, well, that is water under the bridge now.

Halfway is back in the news, apparently because some community leaders banked a little prematurely on getting government grants. (We've had a bit of similar difficulty closer to home, by the way. A word to the wise: even if you think you've been approved for a grant, don't spend the money until it's actually in your hands. Grants, believe it or not, can fall through.) You can read about Halfway's current woes at http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050411/STATE/504110337/1042 and http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1113674139131440.xml&storylist=orlocal and at the title-linked eBay listing.

Halfway is a very small town, with a population of 345. There are people who live outside the city limits but who are still part of the community - but there aren't very many of them, either. When they've got troubles, they don't have a lot of pockets to draw from, in other words. The community lost its fairgrounds at an April 15 sheriff's auction, but they have a "right of redemption" that extends for 180 days past that date. And so they are scrambling to raise more than $200,000 so they can buy their fairgrounds back.

The title-linked eBay auction is selling tickets to the 2005 Baker County Fair and Rodeo, Sept. 3, 4 and 5, for a $10 'Buy It Now' price (you pay the stated amount, instead of bidding) - but it also will steer you toward a "We Gave to Save" fund set up at the local US Bank if you'd rather contribute directly. I found out about this too late today to contact the bank, or otherwise verify this story except through the Statesman Journal and OregonLive/Oregonian articles linked above, but at this point I'm assuming it's a legitimate fundraiser. Whether it's too little too late I guess time will tell. I'm neither arguing for nor against this effort. I just found out about it this evening, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do myself, if anything. But time being short, here's the information for anyone who might be interested.

The Half.com publicity stunt never did generate the tourism that some folks up there envisioned. But in my opinion it's a beautiful drive to get there no matter which road you take (although Highway 71's Kleinschmidt Grade on the Idaho side of the Snake River is daunting enough to make some cars whimper - fair warning). Halfway sits just outside the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, which has some spectacular views.

UPDATE: Here's a link to information on the "Hells Canyon Scenic Byway", a suggested auto tour that goes through Halfway: http://www.eova.com/byways/hells_canyon/