vernonia’s
voice community news
march
2008
17
Cedar Ridge – A Port in the Storm
By Scott Laird
It didn’t take
Kris Thomsen long
to get indoctrinated
into the community of
Vernonia.
Thomsen is the
new Director of Op-
erations at Cedar Ridge
Retreat Center which
became the main Emer-
gency Shelter during
the Flood of 2007. He
found himself right in
the middle of his new
community when he as-
sumed the role of host,
information distributor,
Kris Thomsen, Director of Operations at
head cook, and chief
Cedar Ridge Retreat Center
dish washer as literally
hundreds of people turned up on his doorstep when the flooding hit.
“It just kind of took us over up here,” said Thomsen as he recently reflected
on the first few days of the flood. “And I sure got to meet and know a lot of
people in the community really fast.”
Thomsen, who moved to Vernonia with his wife in July, started his position
at Cedar Ridge in October. On December 3, he received a call from the Vernonia
Fire Department asking if he could handle it “if some people show up.” He re-
ceived a call from the Red Cross around 1:00 PM to confirm he was ready. And
then, “hordes of people starting arriving,” said Thomsen.
Thomsen, who has worked in catering and served as many as 1,500 people at a
time, realized he better start preparing food. “I’m used to having some staff to help
out, but I was all alone up here. A number of the displaced people stepped up and
helped me out, and together we got the job done.”
Thomsen was also concerned because his home on Rock Creek was being threat-
ened with flood waters. “My wife was stuck in Portland, and I was running home
every few hours to check on our place. The water came within six inches of coming
over the bank. I was worried we were going to lose our brand new home. It made it
difficult to focus on serving everyone else.”
The Red Cross didn’t officially show up until Thursday evening, leaving Kris to
fend for himself for the first three days. “Supplies started showing up, and I wasn’t
really sure how to handle it all. I didn’t really have places to put everything that was
arriving.”
Thomsen prepared three meals a day for hundreds for the first few days. Some
teachers showed up and helped and Thomsen also praised Lisa Orth who helped him
establish and run the shelter those first few days.
Cedar Ridge served as the disaster shelter for three weeks. The Red Cross pres-
ence took most of the burden from Kris when they arrived. He even hosted a planned
wedding on the second Saturday after the flood, serving 200 guests while working
around the hundreds of flood victims.
Thomsen reflected on his experience serving as the shelter for the community.
He stressed the need for a more elaborate and thought out community disaster plan
to be in place. He expressed concern that the Red Cross policy doesn’t allow them
to enter a community with all their resources until seventy-two hours after an event.
“That is too long for a small rural community. I needed direction and help with
logistics right away, and I was mostly on my own,” said Thomsen. “It’s really for-
tunate Vernonia has a facility like Cedar Ridge on high ground that can be used as a
shelter in emergencies like this.”
Thomsen also mentioned an interesting point: Cedar Ridge does not receive rent
for use of their facility from the Red Cross; they only pay a portion of utilities and
for any damages that are incurred. Cedar Ridge is still waiting for the Red Cross to
take care of the bills that were submitted.
Thomsen now feels like he is really a part of his new community. “This is
something I had never been through before. I feel really good that we were here,”
he said.
The Legend of Aldie Howard
Dickerson Receives Endorsement
What do Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Washington, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jerry
Garcia, and Aldie Howard all have in common? OK, lot’s of white hair, but what
else? Give up?
The Vernonia Police Association joined more than 45 Columbia County pub-
lic safety servants and 14 county business owners in making up the first
round of endorsements of the Dickerson For Sheriff campaign.
They all have hotel rooms named after them at the McMenamins Grand Lodge in
Forest Grove!
During a recent visit to the Grand Lodge a friend who knows Howard (Vernonia’s
new Interim City Administrator) mentioned they had heard there is a guest room
named for Aldie Howard at the Lodge. All of the rooms at the McMenamins prop-
erties bear the names of “colorful and worthy characters who have notable associa-
tions to the hotel or the surrounding community,” according to the list the lodge
has available. A check with the desk clerk confirmed my friend’s story. The list
described Aldie Howard as “The Man Who Brought Liquor to Forest Grove.” I was
allowed to go visit the Aldie Howard room (#222) and discovered that the room con-
tains a story painted on the walls. According to local legend, Aldie Howard in the
early 1970’s was able to convince the local city council of the then dry Forest Grove
to allow him to begin selling alcohol at his local restaurant.
I don’t want to tell you all the details of the Aldie Howard’s story, you’ll just have to
visit the Grand Lodge yourself; better yet, stop and visit Aldie Howard in Vernonia
and ask him to share the story of how he became a living legend in Forest Grove.
A total of 47 police, fire, dispatch and health workers have signed on to
support Jeff Dickerson’s candidacy in the initial round of endorsements an-
nounced Friday, February 1. Also included in the announcement are endorse-
ments from City of Scappoose Mayor Scott Burge and City of Rainier Mayor
Jerry Cole. The Vernonia Police Association was one of three police unions
thus far giving strong approval of the campaign, voting unanimously to sup-
port the Dickerson effort.
“I’m honored and humbled by the support of those with whom I work on
a daily basis,” Dickerson said.
The official initial listing of civic leaders, public safety servants and busi-
ness owners endorsing the Dickerson For Sheriff campaign can be found at
www.dickerson4sheriff.com.
Additional business and public safety support is in the wings, the cam-
paign said. “Look for more endorsement announcements in the near future,”
said Campaign Manager Andy Moyer.
March Menu Includes:
*Tequila Lime Chicken,*Pineapple Pork Chops,
*Mushroom Smothered Roast Beef,
*Garden Veggie Alfredo, *Vanilla Apple French Toast.
Taste The Difference!
2296 Gable Road, Suite 230, St Helens, OR (next to Starbucks)
New Hours: Mon-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5
503-397-3077 www.entreesMadeEasy.com
S
ER
Marinades, salsas, and sauces made from scratch.
We assemble. Walk-ins Welcome.
Full Catering services. Wine Sales & Pairings.
S & FL
E
O
UR
W
Homemade from the freshest & highest quality
meats,cheeses,& vegetables.
CR
EA
T
Makes me wonder, what’s in store for Vernonia?
Pet Supplies, Livestock Feed
& Pet Grooming.
Full Service Florist.
736 Bridge Street
Vernonia, OR 97064
Ben & Lisa Edgar, Owners
503-429-PETS (7387)
www.creaturespetshop.com
The Buckhorn
Restaurant
presents...
c orned b eef and
c abbage - $ 9
after the
st. patrick’s day
parade