For two days at the end of October, the Umatilla School District is encouraging their staff and the parents of district students to shop in Umatilla exclusively. It’s just one way the district’s employees and parents can say thank you to the businesses that help support them.

The question is what shopping? There isn’t any place to shop in Umatilla, someone might say. Not true. There are many businesses in Umatilla that can get you what you need without having to drive the seven miles south to Hermiston. I know I am going to miss a business, and if I do, it isn’t intentional; there are just so many businesses in Umatilla, it is almost hard to keep track of.

For example, at Carlson’s Umatilla Drug, you can have your prescription filled, and while you are waiting, you can sit and read a book from the Friends of the Umatilla Public Library used book rack, shop for a gift for that special someone, purchase a card, buy a Beanie Baby or support the Vikings by purchasing a sweatshirt or hat; you can even buy buttons, ribbon or thread. If you haven’t been in Carlson’s, you need to go in — there is just about everything you need for gift-giving or other stuff. Cathy Putnam and her staff do a great job helping customers feel welcome.

A person can shop for groceries at Columbia Harvest Foods and find fresh produce and a great meat department, as well as a very nice deli. Bill and Dave Meade have done a lot in the past years to make the store be THE place to go for your grocery needs. The famous cowboy just had a little sprucing up, and he looks like he will be around for another 50-plus years. Plus, the staff is friendly and helpful.

While there is only one bank in town — Banner Bank — Cathy Kaden and her crew do an awesome job of helping people with their banking needs. A real personal touch.

Need a place for relatives to stay while they are in town? There are three motels in town — Umatilla Inn and Suites, Desert River Inn and the Tillicum Inn. The Desert River Inn has banquet facilities and a wonderful dining room. Owners Angella Lambert and Marianne Brown and their staff are terrific, and it’s always service with a smile. Umatilla Inn and Suites owner Hasu Mistry just had his buildings painted, and they are looking great.

And what about playing golf? Big River Golf Course owners Ron Hosek and Megan and Gunner Olsen have done so much to the golf course since they purchased it a few years ago. Newly improved greens, tee boxes and other improvements have created a great place to play 18 holes.

Speaking of food, there are all sorts of places you can go to eat. El Asadero Mexican Restaurant is open on 6th Street as well as G & J Dairy Freeze, Java Junkies — serving subs and coffee — Nick’s, The Riverside Sports Bar and Lounge, McNary Market, Abel’s, Subway — right inside Tesoro — the Crossroads’ café and the Lucky Dog Lounge and Grille and Russ’ Tavern. Everything from soup and sandwiches to burritos and pizza — Umatilla has a lot to offer the dining public.

There are three businesses in town that specialize in automobile repair — Ed’s Automotive, Duke’s and Beteran’s. Why drive anywhere else? These guys do a great job. NAPA Auto Parts has a great staff that is knowledgeable about just about everything for your vehicle. A. Burk and Co. Glass can fix your broken window in a jiffy.

Other places to shop in Umatilla include the Avon store, Irene’s Massage, Lolita’s Total Image Salon, Pandora’s Box, Tom Camp Antiques, Hometown Video — where you can purchase a fishing or hunting license for both Oregon and Washington and grab the latest DVD — the What Not Shop, the Oregon Trail Gallery and Trading Post and the Cigarette Store. Umatilla has a liquor store and even a heating and cooling business, Comfort Time Heating and Cooling, for those pesky furnaces that tend to break down at the worst possible moment. If you need a place to take your dog while you go on vacation, there’s Love My Dog, a business that owner Libby Bovent says is dedicated to treating your dog just like it were her own.

I encourage Umatilla residents — and even those folks who live in Hermiston and are looking for something different — to shop at the wonderful stores and other businesses we have in Umatilla. Why go anywhere else?

Karen Hutchinson-Talaski is the executive director of the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce.