4
community bulletin board/letters to the editor
march22
2011
UNWC Annual Meeting
Great selection of yarn and needles
available at Vernonia Florist.
1 st & 3rd Thurs 10-Noon.
$10 For Intro Session
$5 for each additional Session
Please feel free to request any type
or color of yarn.
Kits for each class and patterns will
also be available.
The Upper Nehalem
Watershed Council’s (UNWC)
Annual Meeting has been changed
from March 12th to Saturday May
21, 10 AM- 2 PM The meeting is
open to the public. UNWC will
show the community what they
have accomplished and what is
planned for the future, explaining
their goals, asking for community At the Vernonia Grange
The Grange has a change of
input, electing new Board Members
date on the April one day rummage
and amending their Bylaws.
sale - it will now be held on Saturday,
April 16 from 10:00-4:00
VHS CRLE Presentations
There will also be Bingo at
Senior Career Related
the Grange on Saturday, March 26,
Learning Experience (CRLE)
presentations are on Wednesday, April 9, April 23 at 6:30 PM.
March 30, 2011. Times to be
County
announced but working schedule is: Columbia
Senior
arena
style Commission on Children
presentations in the ‘Logger Dome’ and Families
The Columbia County
are from 9:00-11:00. Public invited.
Commission
on Children and
Speeches are at 7:00 PM
with students arriving at 6:30 and Families holds public meetings on
judges at 6:00 (Student displays the 3rd Thursday of each month at
will be available for judges to view 5:30 PM. The meetings are held at
the OSU Extension Office, 505 N.
starting at 5:30).
Anyone interested in being Columbia River Hwy., St. Helens,
a judge contact Rachel Wilcoxen Oregon. The next meeting is March
or Dana Hyde at 503.429.3521 or 17, 2011.
email dhyde@vernonia.k12.or.us,
Skein Slayers Knitting/
or rwilcoxen@vernonia.k12.or.us
Crocheting Group
Sponsored by the Vernonia
Craft Class Scheduled at
Prevention Coalition, the Kiwanis
Vernonia Florist
Sip-N-Knit
With Katie Organ, learn to knit while
enjoying your favorite beverage and
treat, from Katie’s own kitchen.
and community volunteers, Skein
Slayers is a knitting/crocheting
group whose goals are to invite
people of all ages who can knit
or crochet or just want to hang
out and talk on the second and
fourth Mondays at 6:00 PM. The
hope is that this will become a
multi-generational group that talks
about whatever the hot topics are,
particularly teens, and knit or crochet
hats and scarves for our students
in need and for the Community
Closet. We’ll have topics that we’ll
talk about each night and a table of
supporting materials for the topic;
i.e. suicide prevention, bullying,
etc. Flyers will be posted around
town. Join us Monday, March 22nd
and April 11, 6:00 PM. Contact:
Catherine Helmer, 503-914-9525.
2011 Spring Garden Fair
Don’t
miss
the
Columbia
County
Master
Gardener™Association’s
16th
annual fair on April 30th at St. Helens
High School, inside the Commons
and outside in the courtyard. The
sale starts at 9 am and ends at 3 pm.
Admission and parking are free.
Master Gardeners will offer over
6,000 plants from 34 varieties of
standard and heirloom tomatoes,
still only $1.25 per plant. Come
early for the best selection. We will
also have certified members on
hand to provide general gardening
information at the Education table
and tomato-specific information at
the tomato sale. Of course, we will
also have our raffle, with tickets on
sale for $1 each and hourly prizes.
You don’t need to be present to win.
Readers Lend Their Voices...
Creatures and Vernonia Florist
Have Parted Ways
Not sure what you have heard
so we wanted to make it official. After a
few months of prayer, Ben and I decided
to sell the pet portion of our business.
When the decision was made, it was
only a month from start to finish. We
have sold the “Creatures” pet business
to Dennis and Michal Smith (yes Michal
is a girl), they will be staying in the
same space in the building for at least a
couple of years. We would love for you
to come in, welcome Michal, and enjoy
the changes that Michal is making along
with the supplies she is adding. She is
definitely an asset to “Creatures” and
we look forward to working side by side
(in the building) with her for as long as
possible.
We are planning to expand the
Vernonia Florist business and stay in
Vernonia of course. The phone number
for Creatures will stay the same, however
the Vernonia Florist is 503-429-2000,
please call this number to reach Ben or
I for any reason and of course for your
floral needs. We appreciate all of the
support we have had for the last 10 years
and will miss many things, however we
are very excited to be able to focus on one
business and look forward to growing
Upcoming
Events
Kids Fishing Derby, March 26, 10:00
AM —FREE! At Vernonia Lake, sponsored
by Pioneer Baptist Fellowship. Prizes and
refreshments.
QPR for Suicide Prevention, March
29, 6:30-8:30 PM —For anyone interested in
preventing suicide in their community. Part of the
5th Tuesday Community Coalition Meetings, at
the VCLC.
“The Voters Have Spoken: Oregon’s
Controversial Ballot Initiatives,” March
31, 6:30 PM --At the Vernonia Library. Part of
the Oregon Humanities Conversation Project, the
presentation will be led by Dr. Jackson Miller.
Spaghetti Feed and Bingo, April 16,
4:00-7:00 PM —Fundraiser for “Joy for Jaden.”
Sunset Park in Banks.
Make Vernonia Shine Day, April 16 -
Vernonia’s annual clean-up day, sponsored by
Vernonia Pride.
Vernonia Sportsman’s Banquet, April
23-- Guest Speaker, Larry D. Jones. BBQ Dinner.
Tickets $10, available March 21st at Sentry Market
video department.
Community Talent Show, April
23-- Fundraiser for “Joy for Jaden.” All acts
welcome, sign up at VHS or call 503-429-3521.
Vernonia Fire Pancake Feed, May 15,
8:00 AM-- Benefits the VRFPD
Vernonia’s Voice is
published twice
each month on the
2nd and 4th
Tuesday.
Look for our next
issue in three weeks
on April 12th.
as Vernonia Florist. Please stay tuned beforehand on the school
for a “Welcome New Owners, 10 Year district reader board and/
Anniversary” Celebration in May.
or in the local newspapers.
School groups participating
Sincere Blessings to our loyal customers, in the drives will have a
Ben, Lisa and Edgar Family
school ID/Lanyard with
“VHS Fundraiser” printed
on it. If they don’t have
Dear Editor:
the fundraising ID card,
they will be wearing team
I first want to thank our sweatshirts
identifying
community for all they do to support themselves properly.
our school district fundraisers. Without
Our students are
you, our students would not be able to grateful for all the time and
do many important and enriching things effort Vernonia community
like purchasing uniforms and equipment members put in to help
needed for a sport, raising money for them reach their fundraising goals. If
prom, and traveling to California, you have any questions or concerns,
Europe and Costa Rica.
please contact me at VHS. Thanks for
Pop Can and Bottle collecting supporting our students!
is an important fundraiser for many of
our groups. Recently, a few high school Sincerely,
groups have been misrepresented by Teri Willard
individuals soliciting donations for cans Vernonia High School
door to door. My apologies go out to Student Activities Director
anyone who has been misinformed by
these individuals.
Please know that any Vernonia To the Editor
High School pop can/bottle drive
fundraiser will never happen during
Sally Harrisnon presented
school hours. Most of the drives are her numbers, Scott Laird described
held on Saturdays and are advertised Vernonia’s history of the process,
Dr. Cox alerted all to the
importance of the timing,
HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
and Jim Krahn addressed the
Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your thoughts, opinions and ideas. micro-management and the
Please include your name, address and phone number, limit your letters to 300 pay. The people stood and
words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for showed the council members
a response to letters submitted. We will print letters, space permitting. Deadline that represent them what they
is the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Email: scott@vernoniasvoice.com or wanted. The leaders and the
people of this town spoke.
mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064.
I have a question. Is it
is their inexperience, lack of common
sense, or personal agenda that caused
them not to acknowledge the people
that came or spoke? Wouldn’t there be
more respect for the town’s people, and
the town’s people for the council, if the
council decided to table this for more
consideration?
I have more questions. Do these
council members know the regulations,
ordinances, policies, and laws regarding
their own positions? Why would a
council member make derogatory
statements about Bill in public?
Couldn’t this council member potentially
cost the city millions in a lawsuit for
these opinionated statements?
Last question; The people came
to this council meeting using the process
to make their needs known. Isn’t this
another example of how the process
doesn’t always work well?
Sonia Spackman
Vernonia
