The Polkatones play rousing Swiss and Bavarian folk songs Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, for Oregon’s Alpenfest at the Joseph Community Events Center. The group donated toward the Joe Ehrler scholarship sponsored by the Rotary Club of Wallowa County.

JOSEPH — The 2024 Oregon’s Alpenfest and the family of Josef “Joe” Ehrler are donating over $4,000 to the Rotary Club of Wallowa County for a scholarship in honor of Ehrler, according to a press release.

Rotary and Alpenfest announced the donation Friday, Oct. 11. Alpenfest was held Sept. 26-29 in Enterprise and Joseph to celebrate Wallowa County’s Swiss-Bavarian connection.

A scholarship of $1,000 honoring Ehrler is to go to a student in the 2025 graduating class who pursues a trade school or community college degree. The remainder of the donation will fund future trade school scholarship s for local students.

Ehrler, who died in November, was an electrician who spent many years involved with Alpenfest. He immigrated from Switzerland and settled in Wallowa County in the 1960s with his wife, Rita. They chose Wallowa County because the mountains reminded them of the Alps. Their kids, Heidi and Kurt, graduated from local high schools. Heidi now runs Heidi’s Gift Shoppe at Wallowa Lake and Heidi’s Towne Shoppe in Joseph. Kurt lives in Portland but returns to the county often. He and his family are major contributors to Alpenfest.

Joe owned the Swiss Village store at Wallowa Lake. He was also an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed skiing, hiking and rafting in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hells Canyon.

“My dad made his living as an electrician and always believed in the value of trade school,” Heidi Ehrler said. “My family is glad we can work with Rotary to help students follow my dad’s path and contribute to the county through the trades.”

The Rotary Club will administer the scholarship along with its other college and trade school scholarships. The club holds a scholarship dinner each April to raise money for its scholarship program. In 2024, the club awarded $14,000 in scholarships for local students pursuing four-year degrees, community college and trade schools, ranging in amounts from $1,000-$5,000. The donation includes a generous gift from Alpenfest performers the Polkatones, who have played at Alpenfest for decades and knew Joe well.

“Alpenfest is proud to honor Joe Ehrler’s memory and we look forward to raising money for trade school scholarships at Alpenfest 2025 and beyond,” said Stefan Hasselblad, alpenameister and an Alpenfest board member.

To apply for the trade school scholarship, students in the 2025 graduating class should look for flyers, ask any rotarian or visit the Rotary Club of Wallowa County Facebook page in the spring when information will be available.