4 letters to the editor/community bulletin board april3 2014 P.E.O. Rummage Sale Upcoming Events Baby & Toddler Time - Wednesday, April 9, 11:00-11:30 AM at the Vernonia Public Library. Songs, rhymes, very short books, toys and bubbles. Ages 0-3. Older sib- lings welcome. Empty Bowls Fundraiser - Friday, April 11, 5:00-7:00 PM at the McBride Elementary School, 2774 Columbia Boulevard in St. Helens. Sponsored by the Columbia Pacific Food Bank. Make Vernonia Shine Day - Saturday, April 12, 9:00 AM-Noon, register at City Hall. Bags and gloves available while supplies last. Water and snacks will be provided. Hazardous waste collection at Vernonia Lake 9:00 AM-Noon. Vernonia Transfer station open 8:00 AM-2:00 PM. Contact Donna Webb 503-429-5201 or donnat- webb@gmailcom open to anyone in the community. RSVP to: madeinvernonia@gmail.com or call 503-449-3591. Community Wide Easter Egg Hunt - Sat- urday, April 19, promptly at 10:00 AM at Hawkins Park. Rain or Shine. Bring your own basket to collect your eggs. Spon- sored by the Vernonia Community PTA. VHS Athletic Hall of Fame Induction - Sat- urday, April 19, 6:00 PM at Cedar Ridge. Tickets $15 at the door, includes dinner. Upper Nehalem Watershed Council Meet- ing - Thursday, April 24, 6:30 PM at the UNWC office, 1201 Texas Ave. The en- trance is downstairs, around the back of the Vernonia School District office build- ing. Vernonia Sportsman’s Banquet - Saturday, April 12, 6:00 PM at the Vernonia Chris- tian Church, 410 North St. Tickets are $10 available at the Sentry Market Video Dept. Contact Chad Hewitt 503-429-0511 P.E.O. Rummage Sale - Friday, April 25, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM and Saturday, April 26, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM at the Grange, 375 North St. All proceeds go toward P.E.O.’s ongoing commitment of providing scholar- ships to women. BJ the Clown - Wednesday, April 16, 6:00 PM at the Vernonia Public Library, 701 Weed Ave. An hour of comedy, magic, juggling, music, storytelling, puppetry, physical comedy & audience participation. Ages 3 and up. 503-429-1818 Columbia County Master Gardeners™ 19th Annual Spring Garden Fair - Satur- day, April 26, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM at St. Hel- ens High School, 2375 Gable Rd. Over 5,000 tomato plants from 30 varieties at $1.50 a plant. How to use Square to process payments, - Thursday, April 17, 6:30-7:30 PM at the Vernonia Community Learning Center, sponsored by the Vernonia Area Chamber of Commerce. This free presentation is Oregon Humanities Discussion - Saturday, April 26, 4:00 PM at the Vernonia Public Library. “We Are What We Eat: Connecting Food and Citizenship,” a free conversation with Wendy Willis. Men’s Golf Assoc. Starts Season The Vernonia Men’s golf Association (Men’s Club) began the 2014 season with a round of golf and the annual membership meeting. This Wednesday night play consisted of a game of “least putts”, and was won by Joe Hult and Brian Colson, with 14 putts for 9 holes. The KP’s (closest to the pin) were won by Jim Pirpch, and Brian Colson. After the Wednesday night play, the organizational meeting for this year was held. This year’s officers are President Rick Brown, Vice President Randy Aultman, and Treasurer Brian Colson. May 4 th was chosen for this year’s “Spring Handicap Tournament.” Please come join us, and learn the game if you’re a beginner or teach us something if you are an old pro. We are a fun group, and have a great time on Wednesday afternoons and evenings. Vernonia Golf Club 503-429-6811 Readers Lend Their Voices... To the Editor, How does someone say THANK YOU in a way that everyone who helped feels it personally? 1 st , the Lions club had a “Texas Hold Em” on a cold, snow laden day at the “All In”. Thirty-seven people came out in spite of the weather and contributed for us to receive $1,248.00. We are so grateful for each of you that gave and had a part in that. 2 nd , the individual contributors - anonymous and otherwise. You know who you are. Sonia and I truly appreciate each and every one of you. 3 rd , the coin drive by the students at the Vernonia School District. The children and staff contributed $1,862.98. I was completely amazed and it brought Sonia to tears when they gave us the envelope. We want each student, parent, and staff member to know we are truly grateful to you for your gifts and your sacrificial giving. 4 th , the spaghetti dinner and silent auction by Sally Harrison and her team was so festive and joyful. They brought in $1973.00! That was such a surprise! This festive time was so enjoyable and encouraging to us. Lastly, we certainly feel the love and caring from this little community. We are so amazed at how when someone is down - this town is a lifter of our spirits and a constant source of encouragement in spite of the difficult days. You lift us up. Thank you so very, very much from the bottom of our hearts. Sincerely, David and Sonia Spackman To the Editor, I have been visiting your fair community on Thursdays for years now and wanted to make an observation about how I feel about my weekly visits to Vernonia. First of all I always look forward to driving up the mountain and seeing all the beauty of this part of the state, when I arrive in Vernonia I get a sense of peace and tranquility. One of the most striking things P.E.O. is planning a huge Rummage Sale, to be held at the Grange Hall on Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26 th . The hours will be from 9:00 - 4:00 on Friday, and 9:00 - 3:00 on Saturday. There will be a wide array of treasures, from antiques and collectibles to household goods, clothes, books and much more. The proceeds will go toward P.E.O.’s ongoing commitment of providing scholarships to women. P.E.O. assists women in meeting their college goals with scholarships and other financial aid. The Vernonia chapter awards two or more scholarships every year to graduating seniors from VHS, and also assists women in all stages of education, whether an upperclassman, postgraduate, or those returning to college later in life. “We couldn’t begin to accomplish what we do without the support of our community. Helping women in financing their higher education is a very rewarding endeavor, and we are always very grateful to our friends and neighbors for their interest and support in the work that we do,” says Ilene Grady, P.E.O. President. Other P.E.O. Notes: P.E.O. has lost two of its long- standing members in the past few months. Carolyn Keasey, who passed away in October, 2013, will be honored with a VHS scholarship this year. And, a generous donation to the Educational Loan Fund (a National P.E.O. organization offering low- interest loans to college women) has been made in Pauline King’s name, per her request to the local chapter. Pauline died at age 95 in January. Both of these awards are due to memorial gifts. Carolyn and Pauline were long-time residents of Vernonia, and were loyal members of P.E.O. They were an active, vital part of the community. The Vernonia chapter recently elected new officers for the upcoming year: President: Ilene Grady; Vice President: Janet Parker; Secretary: Katie Poetter; Treasurer: Tobie Finzel; Chaplain: Myrrhina Kibben; Corresponding Secretary: Coni Hodgson, and Guard: Claudia Oblack. PTA Easter Egg Hunt April 19 It’s time once again for the Easter bunny to make his special appearance at the community wide Easter egg hunt, sponsored by the Vernonia Community PTA at Hawkins Park on Saturday, April 19th, the day before Easter. The hunt begins at 10:00 AM sharp, rain or shine, so please come dressed accordingly. You will also need to bring along your own basket or bag to gather your eggs in. Hope to see you there! The VCPTA is excited to announce that the 2014 fall carnival will be held Saturday, September 27th. We would love to have people start signing up for committees as soon as possible to help make it big- ger and better than ever. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Susan Ely 503-429-5709 or come to our next PTA meeting on Thursday, April 17, starting at 7:00 PM. Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursday. Our next issue will be out April 17th. to me is how polite the drivers are in Vernonia. I walk a lot when I’m in town and I have yet to cross a street where the drivers did not go out of their way to give me the right of way, not my experience in other towns. It sometimes surprises me how courteous you all are when driving, it catches me off guard that I don’t have to play a game of chicken to get across the street. Thank you all for being so courteous. I know all small towns are struggling but as long as you keep showing respect and care for one another Vernonia will continue to be a great place to visit and to live. Phil Bettin Clatskanie, OR To the Editor, A heartfelt “Thank you” to all who helped with the Spackman Benefit. A special shout out to Mario and his crew for their culinary delights, all who attended, all the dessert providers, all the Silent Auction donors, all the bidders and winners, all the setup and cleanup gang and all who went above and beyond to make the event a wonderful success. Blessings on you all. Sharron, Gayle, Janelle and Sally HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and re- quests your thoughts, opinions and ideas. Please include your name, address and phone number, limit your letters to 300 words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted. We will print letters space permitting. Deadline is the 1st and 3rd Mon- day of each month. Email: scott@ vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064.