july10 2012
VERNONIA’S
reflecting the spirit of our community
free
volume6    issue13
Crown Zellerbach Trail is a Gem
CZ Trail is now open for use
By Scott Laird
project from the beginning. “This was one of
the first things I initiated when I took office

Columbia County has a new jewel in sixteen years ago and I am really pleased to
its crown.
see it opened.”

The Crown Zellerbach Trail, spanning
The trail is mostly hard pack, with
the twenty miles from Scappoose to Vernonia some areas of gravel and portions towards
is open and ready for use this summer. Al- the Scappoose end that are paved. “My hope
though Columbia County has not held an of- is that by maintaining the surface as it is, we
Community Pride
+ School Spirit
= $10,000 Success!
By Jill Hult

The organizers, school
district, community, and guests
should all be proud of themselves
for the effort they put forth for the
Last Chance School Dance event
held on June 23, 2012.
many is still going strong as the
event highlighted superbly.

A couple of special
guests who attended the event
were Senator Betsy Johnson
and Congresswoman Suzanne
Bonamici.
Congresswoman
Bonamici gave a short speech
Photos courtesy of Jill Hult.
Trailhead at Highway 30 in Scappoose.
ficial opening ceremony, the trail is accessible
to users from end to end.

Stretching from Chapman’s Landing
on the Columbia River to the outskirts of Ver-
nonia, the CZ Trail, as it is known, is open
for use by all non-motorized traffic, including
bikes, horses and hikers.

The trail gives local users and visi-
tors a new opportunity to experience the beau-
ty and history of Columbia County and could
become an outdoor recreation draw and eco-
nomic stimulus for the region.

“This is very exciting,” says Colum-
bia County Commissioner Tony Hyde, who
has been a proponent and champion of the
inside
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water
fun
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senior
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4th
of july
can allow some types of cycling to take place
and fully capture the equestrian users and of
course the hikers,” says Glen Crinklaw, As-
sistant Public Works Director for Columbia
County who oversees the county Parks De-
partment.

The trail follows logging roads and
abandoned rail lines and is accessible at sever-
al locations along Scappoose-Vernonia Hwy.
The trail starts (or ends) at the top of Knott
Street, off Highway 47, north of Vernonia.

Vernonia now becomes a central hub
for trail users. CZ Trail users can connect
with the Banks-Vernonia State Linear Trail,
continued on page 10

The event raised almost
$10,000 for the Vernonia
Education Foundation.

The entire school grounds
were open to the public at 4:00
PM for touring, the dinner and
live auction started at 5:30 PM in
the cafeteria followed by a dance
in the Washington Grade School
gym at 7:00 PM. The event
also featured a silent auction
throughout the night. Community
members both new and old
joined in the celebration of their
community’s dedication to honor
the past and excel into the future
with bold determination. An
accomplishment that has taken
the time, money, and efforts of
telling those in attendance that
they should be very proud of
themselves as a community for
their accomplishments and that
she would be here for the grand
opening of the new school.
Superintendent, Dr. Ken Cox
spoke about improving school
education and thanked the
government representatives and
all those involved in making this
endeavor achievable including the
community for passing the school
bond. He stated there would be an
opportunity to volunteer and help
move items up to the new school
on July 10, 2012. He gave an
update on the demolition timeline
continued on page 9
Columbia County Fair: A Tradition to Treasure

It’s time once again to head
over to St. Helens for the 97 th annual
Columbia County Fair and Rodeo.

The Fair will be held from
July 18—22. Opening ceremonies
will be held at 12:00 PM on Wednes-
day July 18. The Rodeo takes place
on Friday and Saturday, July 20-21.

This year the Fair will cel-
ebrate tradition with all the usual
activities including the carnival and
midway, 4-H exhibits and livestock
showmanship, live music and enter-
tainment and much more.

Wednesday is Senior Day
with free admission all day for all
seniors sixty and over. The “My
Fair Lady” pageant, which honors
senior women for their outstanding
service in their community, will be
held at 1:00 PM. Representing the
Vernonia Senior Center this year
is Lilja “Tobie” Finzel. Stock car
races will also be held Wednesday
evening.

Thursday is Kids Day with
Above: Nicole Glass at last year’s fair
with her prize winning steer.
free admission to the Fair for all
kids seventeen and under until 3:00
PM. Thursday features annual fa-
vorites like the Teddy Bear Picnic,
the Columbia County Talent Show,
and the Junior Rodeo. Columbia
Kids Stand will perform Thursday
afternoon.
Friday and Saturday the Ro-
deo takes the stage. The Columbia
County Rodeo Court pageant will be
held on Saturday. Columbia Coun-
ty hosts one of the biggest NPRA
rodeos, so make sure to check it out
both Friday and Saturday evenings.
After all the action, kick up your
heels both nights at the “Dancin’ in
the Dirt” concert with music pro-
vided by Back Stage Pass.
Sunday is half price admission
all day. Don’t miss the Chili Coo-
koff and the Duck/Geese Call Con-
test.
Live entertainment will be ongo-
ing all week, with featured musi-
cal performers Amanda Ply, Brady
continued on page 16