july26 2011
V E R N O N I A’ S
reflecting the spirit of our community
City Releases
Statement About
Kay Termination
On June 27, 2011, the Vernonia City Council
unanimously voted to terminate Sgt. Michael kay’s
employment as a police officer with the City of
Vernonia. The following is an official statement
released by the city:
“The City Council considered an extensive
record consisting of the City’s own investigations and
findings, reports and findings from DPSST, and sgt.
Kay’s comprehensive written responses to the City’s
findings. The City Council recognizes the dedication
and years of service Sgt. Kay provided to the
community. It was determined, with the advise and
recommendation of legal counsel, that violations of
the standards of conduct contained in the City’s Police
Department Manual and Personnel Policies Handbook
had been committed, warranting termination as a
Police Officer for the City of Vernonia.”
When asked later what the City was doing to
fill the vacant spot on the force, Mayor Josette Mitchell
responded that the City is currently considering all
it’s options in regards to fiscal impacts and will bring
forward a plan to hire another officer sometime in the
future.
Save the Date!
AUGUST 5-7
55th
ANNUAL
VERNONIA
FRIENDSHIP
JAMBOREE AND
LOGGING SHOW
free
volume5 issue14
Get Ready for Birkfest 2011
A new event is coming to
town on August 12-13.
Actually it’s coming to the
county, about 4 miles past Birken-
feld. The event is Birkfest 2011,
an over twenty-one music festival
being organized by the folks that
run The Birkenfeld Country Store,
also known as, The Birk. Mike and
Wendy Ingraham owners of The
Birk have been hosting live music
at the Birkenfeld Store events on
weekends for over a year. Now
they are branching out to a full
weekend on their 65 acre property,
Riverbend 202, just down the road.
Riverbend 202 is the site that has
hosted the Run 21 Motorcycle Run
for the last few years.
The event will include
camping, a Rat & Rod Revival Car
Show, the Erik Kesterson Memo-
rial Motorcycle Show, and at least
fourteen live bands. Headliners
performing on Saturday are Jimmie
VanZant, cousin of former Lynyrd
Skynyrd lead singer--the late, great,
Ronnie VanZant, and Peace Frog,
Tony Fernandez’s Tribute to Jim
Morrison and The Doors. Local
area acts make up the rest of the
music lineup, including favorites
at The Birk—Lock, Stock and Bar-
rel, Christine Snow Band, Third
Member, Saturated Phats, The
Megan James Band and T-Bones.
Also scheduled to appear: Ramble
On—a Led Zeppelin Tribute and
Dragon fly, featuring Kimberly
Hall—a Stevie Nicks Tribute Band.
Advanced tickets are $50
for the entire weekend, including
camping and are available on-line
at www.thebirk.com.
“This is an idea we’ve
been talking about for the last
two years,” says Mike Ingraham.
“We’ve wanted to get the Ratrod,
music and camping out here—not
a Run 21, but an extension of what
we do at the store with the live mu-
sic now. People like when we move
it out on the deck in the summer
and we’ve seen an increase of non--
bikers wanting to come out for Run
21. So we figured it was time to try
from Vernonia will be providing
food for the weekend. There will
also be local artists on site as ven-
dors. There will be no beer, wine or
alcohol for sale on site—it will be a
BYOB event. “If there are other lo-
cal businesses that would like to be
involved in some way, we would
like to talk with them,” says In-
graham. “We do need more sup-
port. We’re hoping that a lot of
local businesses will want to get
involved; there are a lot of cre-
ative things we can do with ad-
vertising. It’s just being brave
enough to throw yourself out
here for the first year with us.”
Headliner Peace Frog, now
in their thirteenth year, recreates
Wendy and Mike Ingraham with Jimmie the magic and intensity of a Doors
VanZant. VanZant will be headlining
concert experience, with Tony
Birkfest 2011.
Fernandez delivering a powerful
something like this out here.”
performance, living out every move
The festival will be fully of Jim Morrison on stage.
enclosed and self sufficient—once
Jimmie VanZant performs
you are on site, you won’t need to pure southern rock in the VanZ-
leave for anything.
ant family tradition—in addition
Ingraham sees Birkfest to the Lynyrd Skynyrd connection,
2011 and some of the other activities other cousin Donnie VanZant is the
he promotes as a sort of economic lead singer for .38 Special. Jim-
stimulus—a way to introduce peo- mie VanZant has recorded several
ple to the area and draw out a dif- albums including “Southern Com-
ferent clientele. “We’re not looking fort,” “My Name is Jimmie,” and
at the bikers solely with this, we’re the newly released “Cut From the
looking at bringing out the hot rod- Same Cloth.”
ders and rat rodders, which are an
Ingraham wanted to send
interesting group,” says Ingraham. out a big thank you to the Verno-
“And then of course the music; nia Freewheelers Club, who have
we’ll be showcasing at least twelve been volunteering to help prepare
of them which are local Portland the Riverbend 202 site for the Run
area bands who play week in and 21 and Birkfest 2011 events. “They
week out in the area. It’s a chance have made a big commitment and
to show case those bands under a have been a big help to Wendy and
national sound system and hope- me,” says Ingraham. “Their heart
fully help them get another gig or a is in the right place—in their com-
chance somewhere else.”
munity.”
Ingraham is looking to in-
Hope to see all of you out at
clude as many local businesses as Riverbend 202 for Birkfest 2011!
possible. The Blue House Cafe
A Timeline of Vernonia Events: June
2010-July 2011
In an effort to help clarify
some of the questions and concerns
circulating throughout Vernonia,
Vernonia’s Voice has attempted to
gather relevant and significant in-
formation and events concerning
city activities surrounding Verno-
nia Police Officer Mike Kay, previ-
ous Interim City Administrator Pro
Tem Bill Haack and the Vernonia
City Council. We have organized
this information chronologically
with the hope that it help clarify the
events that have occurred over the
last year.
Prior to June 2010 Vernonia City
Administrator Bob Young and Po-
lice Chief Frank Grace initiate an
investigation by Craig Stoelik/
LPGI to investigate concerns raised
about the relationship between the
Vernonia Police Department and
the Columbia County Justice Court.
Jun. 7, 8, 2010 City Administra-
tor Bob Young resigns on June 7
and Bill Haack is appointed In-
terim City Administrator Pro Tem
on June 8, 2010 with a contract
that runs through December 31,
2011—Haack inherits the LPGI in-
vestigation that was already started.
Haack is under contract with Col-
Pac and is being loaned to the City
of Vernonia.
Jun. 8, 2010—In a letter dated June
3, 2010, but received June 8, 2010,
Mike Kay voluntarily steps down
from his position as Police Cap-
tain to Sergeant, gaining protection
from the Police Union. In his letter
Kay states this decision is based on
several issues and in no way is a re-
flection on the current chief or other
police staff.
continued on page 13
