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area news
october9
2012
PTA Press
Extra!! Extra!!
Read All About It
By Melissa Zavales
The Vernonia PTA is off
to an exciting year. We are ready
to host a “fun filled” Fall Car-
nival that will be sure to bring
smiles to the faces of people of all
ages. We will have many games,
good food, great prizes, and in-
formation booths from different
organizations within the commu-
nity. The carnival will be held Sat-
urday October 20, from 5:00-9:00
PM. We hope to see you there!
We still need volunteers to help
with activities.
Also if you can donate
any time to this fundraising cause
to purchase playground equip-
ment for the new school, and to
purchase furniture for the Middle
and High school commons area,
please contact Susan Ely at 503-
429-5709. Please assist our com-
munity in making our schools
complete.
***
We have a new PTA bul-
letin board right inside the en-
trance doors to the school. Come
check it out. It provides informa-
tion such as upcoming events,
PTA forms, and contact numbers.
If you are interested in joining
the Vernonia PTA please contact
Camrin Erryick at 971-258-9994.
***
We are a community
PTA! That means that we sup-
port all schools in our community,
not just the grade school. We are
looking for new members! There
are many opportunities for us to
help, encourage, and support our
students.....all that is needed is a
willingness to give some of your
time. So, Grandmas, Grandpas,
Aunts, Uncles, Moms, Dads.....
anybody who would like to make
a difference in our schools- please
contact us!
***
Here is a friendly remind-
er of items needed for themed
baskets that will be auctioned/
raffled off at the “Fun Filled Fall”
CARNIVAL!!!!
Kindergarten Class = Family
night/ Movie, Game and/or Read-
ing theme
Mrs. Murphy Shaw = BBQ/Pic-
nic
Mrs. Hansen = Puzzle theme
Mrs. Louder = Tea party
Mrs. Gingerich = Gardening
theme
Mrs. Richmond = Baking theme
Mrs. Hoerauf = Bath/Spa theme
Mrs. Shaw = Pet theme
Mist School = Christmas theme
Middle School = School Spirit
theme
High School = 1 U of O themed
basket and 1 OSU themed basket
NW Oregon Transit Alliance
Receives Public Transportation
System Innovation Award
The NW Oregon Transit Alliance a
five-agency rural transit partnership in North-
western Oregon received the Oregon Public
Transit Division’s System Innovation Award
at the Oregon Transit Association Confer-
ence held in Seaside Oregon. The Conven-
tion attendees included over 250 transporta-
tion professionals from all over Oregon. The
award honors a public transit project that has
demonstrated innovative concepts or effective
problem-solving techniques not previously
applied in the public transit industry.
The five agencies that make up the
NW Oregon Transit Alliance are Columbia
County Rider Transportation, Sunset Empire
Transportation District, Tillamook Transit
District, Lincoln County Transit District and
Linn/Benton Rural Transit.
The project is a collaborative effort of
the five transit agencies to enhance the livabil-
ity and economic vitality of the communities
they service, while preserving their unique
character. This is a landmark project for rural
public transportation in Oregon, and a model
for other communities and transit providers in
the rest of the nation.
Funded through a $3.5 million US
Department of Energy General Innovation
Fund grant (through the American Recov-
ery and Reinvestment Act funding), which is
aimed at increasing transit use by commuters
and visitors in rural northwest Oregon and re-
ducing greenhouse gas emissions by making
public transit options easy to use and relevant
to visitors and everyday riders.
The goal of the project is to stream-
line connections between the Oregon Coast
and the I-5 corridor; coordinate routes, sched-
ules; and create a fare structure for travel fo-
cused on tourism. All of the tasks are crucial
aspects of an integrated approach to creating
a seamless regional transit system. The goals
of this project are to remove transit barriers
between counties, brand and market a region-
alized system, and implement innovative part-
nerships with coastal business communities
and the travel industry for long-term opera-
tional sustainability.
Additional tasks covered by the proj-
ect are to improve service coordination and
provide better information systems for pub-
lic use. As a part of that task the alliance has,
through its Consultant, David Evans & Asso-
ciates, developed site-specific branding that
enhances the visibility of the system while
lending itself to local ownership and partici-
pation.
The final piece is that of developing
strategic partnerships, including the creation
of a new non-profit foundation to assist with
fundraising and promotion of regional transit
programs. As transportation budgets shrink,
we expect this model to suit other regions
across the country that will need to use their
resources in a smarter, greener way.
For further information please con-
tact Janet Wright at 503-366-8504.
ShoeString Players Present
St. Helens Haunted Tours
ShoeString Community Players is
proud to present its fall production, “St.
Helens Haunted Tours”. This is Shoe-
String’s first Halloween based tour in con-
junction with St. Helens’ “Spirit of Hal-
loween Town” down by the river.
The haunted tour utilizes the back drop of
St. Helens Olde Towne. With the help of
The Klondike, ShoeString Players have
been able to bring back characters from
the town’s past. It is truly a paranormal
hot spot.
On this tour come see and learn
about the local haunts, and re-live the
secret, spooky, and creepy history of St.
Helens. This is family friendly, but may
be scary for young children, parental dis-
cretion advised.
When are the shows? October 18,
19, 20, 25, 26, & 27. “St Helens Haunting
Tours” will tour on the hour and half hour
from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM. There will be
six shows a night, please be there thirty
minutes early for the show that you would
like to attend. This event takes place out-
doors, please dress accordingly and warm
as Oregon rainy weather is unpredictable
in October.
The thirty minute play starts at
the Gazebo on the river at Columbia View
Park next to the Columbia Courthouse.
The stories are true to recorded
history although the enactments depend a
bit on the imagination. Tom McKay’s tale
of St. Helens is embellished more than
the others writers, because he was known
to tell a good tale and used key phrases
to keep the suspense running. All of the
characters in the show, except for Molly,
lived in Columbia County between ap-
proximately 1820 to 1930. In addition
to a little Halloween entertainment, the
strength and resilience of the pioneers that
settled in Columbia County is evident. A
special thanks to Debra Brimacombe for
writing the script and Keith Marks for
adapting the play.
The cast includes: Anthony Har-
rell, Keith Marks, Jaxon Buschko, Keaton
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