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
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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.
