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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2009)
welcome from the editor... October is always one of my favorite times of year, especially in Vernonia. I just had an email that reported a first sighting of salmon in Rock Creek, which is always a highly anticipated event and reminds me ex- actly where it is that I call home now- - the Pacific Northwest. Because I spend so much of my time these days inside working on the computer, watching the salmon fight their way upstream gives me a thrilling and gut feeling, a real connection to the natu- ral world. In honor of the salmons’ return, in Vernonia we celebrate with Salmon Festival on the first Saturday in October. This year’s Fest is extra special, with an old-fashioned melo- drama play being performed as part of the festivities. Make sure to stop by with the family-- there’s some- thing for everyone at the Vernonia Salmon Festival. October is also an exciting time, especially if you are a sports fan. Professional football season has start- ed, baseball season is headed down the stretch toward the fall classic, and hockey and basketball are getting ready to start. And of course, here in Oregon, Duck and Beaver fans have renewed their rivalry to see who can suction cup more flags on their cars each weekend. This fall is especial- ly nerve-wracking for me, as my old hometown Philadelphia Phillies try to defend their World Series title, and my new hometown Portland Timbers, fresh off an undefeated run of twenty- four games during this season, try to bring home their first championship for their Timbers Army fans. That computer I’m always strapped to does have its advantages-- it allows me to keep up with all those sports scores, especially those Phillies scores, with the push of a button. Fall sports here in Vernonia means Logger Nation is back in ac- tion. I had the privilege of speaking with all three fall sports head coaches and they are all excited about the pos- sibilities this season. Football coach Brad Baker’s team is struggling through a very tough non-league schedule, but is confident his team will be in the running when they start league play. Volleyball coach Brooke Vanmeter is enthusiastic about her veteran squad and is encouraging the community to come and out and support her Lady Loggers, who just might be the best in their league this year. And Cross Country coach James Brookins has deep teams on both the girls and boys side, with lots of great potential. Homecoming week is Oc- tober 19-23-- make sure to come out and support your Loggers throughout the season. Speaking of our schools, October will be the month the cam- paign to pass a School Bond Measure here in Vernonia really heats up (you didn’t really think I was going to get through this piece without mention- ing new schools, did you?). This is an opportunity for Vernonia to build an entire new campus, get a ton of help and financial assistance to do it, and show our kids that we value them and care about their education. By the time our next edition is published on November 3, it will already be Election Day and whether Vernonians have “passed the bond, not the buck” will be decided. So this is pretty much our last chance to remind you to “Vote Yes for Vernonia Schools and Vote Yes for our Future.” Actually, that’s not true. Ver- nonia’s Voice decided it was important to get as much information about this school bond out to the community. So with the help of the School Bond Committee, we will be publishing a School Bond Special Edition, a short guide that will hopefully answer some of the many questions surrounding this issue for members of our com- munity. In it, we will discuss such issues as, “Where will the rest of the money come from?” “How much will this actually cost me?” and “What is the future of the current school cam- pus?” Look for that Special Edition of Vernonia’s Voice in the second or third week of October. One last thing this month: Darrold Mushatt, a long-time resident of this community and a husband with four young children, has been fight- ing a tough battle. Darrold is in need of a kidney transplant, and needs to raise $8,000 to cover expenses so he can be placed on the transplant list. With help from the Northwest Kidney Transplant Fund, and through various fundraisers here within the commu- nity, Darrold has a good start towards raising those funds. Two more fund- raisers take place this month, a Ben- efit Dinner at the Blue House Cafe on October 11, and a Benefit Concert on October 17, featuring a host of local talented musicians. Hope you can stop by and give a hand to a local family that needs your support. Scott Laird Editor and Publisher october 2009 3 Publisher and Managing Editor Scott Laird 503-367-0098 scott@vernoniasvoice.com Contributors April Bamburg Nancy Burch Kim Camarda Mackenzie Carr Janelle Thomas - Cedergreen Heather Curry Brandy Fosdick Jeana Gump Jill Hult Seth Lenaerts Heather Lewis PJ O’Leary Erika Paleck DeAnna Pearl Sonia Spackman Burt Tschache News Editor Scott Laird Copy Editor Dennis Nicks Photography Scott Laird Barb Carr Jon Steward Want to advertise? Contact: ads@vernoniasvoice.com Have an article? Contact: news@vernoniasvoice.com PO Box 55 Vernonia, OR 97064 503-367-0098 www.VernoniasVoice.com Need body work? Time to call Meyer’s Auto Body Meyer’s Auto Body 493 Bridge Street, Vernonia. 503-429-0248 Benefit Concert for Darrold Mushatt SatP October 17th at 6 PM at the Vernonia Community Church Darrold is a young man with a family in our community who is in need of a kidneyP Artists so far include: Please do your part to Strand, Dennis Chadek, help while enjoying Shawn Baker, Mark Brown, some of our local Elin Hayes, Clark McGaugh, artists who also Grant Williams, Brian Maynard, want to helpP Burt Tschache, Disaster Relief All proceeds go to NTAF Northwest Kidney Transplant Fund in honor of Darrold MushattP Country Dance At Vernonia Grange Hall Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 Following Salmon Festival Activities 7:00 PM - $20 per couple Former western swing instructor Rebecca Arlint will teach: cotton eyed joe and 4 count swing half hour instruction each, followed by social dance. Purchase tickets by September 30th at Double C Tack or contact Allison McLeod at 503-429-0734 all proceeds benefit vernonia community garden project.