may1 2014
VERNONIA’S
volume8 issue9
reflecting the spirit of our community
www.vernoniasvoice.com
Candidate
Questionnaire
and Responses
The Boys (and Girls) of
Columbia County are Back!
Joe Seamons has
revived the music
of Timberbound
with a new CD
By Scott Laird
Joe Seamons grew
up listening to music with his
parents. They and their friends
would sing and play instruments
at parties, sitting around living
rooms and sometimes at concerts.
The songs told stories about
places and people Seamons
knew or had heard stories about.
They told tales of fisherman
and loggers and folks working
at the mill. The musicians
and folksongs left an indelible
impression on Seamons, an
impression he is now emulating
in his own musical career.
A new band, featuring
Seamons and calling themselves
Timberbound, has recorded a
new CD by the same name.
The old songs are steeped in
local historical significance
Cover art work of the
Timberbound CD.
free
Columbia County voters will vote in a primary
election on May 20. There are several contested non-
partisan positions up for election on this ballot including
County Commissioner Position 2, and Judge of the Circuit
Court, 19 th District, Positions 1 and 3. Anges Peterson is not
on the Ballot for Judge Position 3, but is running a write-
in campaign and was included in our questionnaire. In an
effort to help Columbia County voters be better informed,
Vernonia’s Voice sent questionnaires to local candidates in
these races.
What is your background and your qualifications for this
position?
County Commissioners
Joe Seamons in the recording studio. Photo by Scott Bergstrom.
for the people and region
around Vernonia. The name
Timberbound, the content of
the music, and the origin of the
songs are held dearly by some
locals. For many Vernonians the
new CD and the songs it contains
are a treasure and a dream come
true. For those unfamiliar with
these old songs, it is masterpiece
waiting to be discovered.
The
original
Timberbound was an old-time
stringband back in the mid 1970s,
made up of Kim Cunnick, Hobe
Kytr, Dave Berge and Mark
Loring. They are the musicians
and the creators of the music
Seamons was raised on.
The reincarnation of
Timberbound has the blessing
of the original members and was
inspired by those living room
sing-alongs of Seamons’ youth.
inside
3
family fishing
at vernonia lake
4
keep the jail open
14
vhs class
of 2010 revisited
22
vhs sports
The band includes Seamons on
banjo, harmonica and vocals,
Kate Sandgren on vocals, Jenny
Estrin on fiddle, and Gavin Duffy
on guitars, vocals, mandolin and
more.
Seamons
and
Timberbound have developed
a mixture of influences that is
grounded in the geography and
history of this region. “This
music is trying to be texturally
like the northwest-extremely
varied and very rich and dense
and detailed,” said Seamons
about the Timberbound music
during a recent interview.
Vernonians will have a
chance to hear the group live in
the near future. Timberbound
is scheduled to perform at the
Vernonia Friendship Jamboree
this summer and a concert is also
Henry Heimuller - I currently serve as Columbia County
Commissioner, Position #2. Prior to that I served as Transit
Coordinator for Columbia County Rider. I spent most of my
adult life working as a paramedic. I serve as a board member
for Columbia 911 Communications District, Community
Action Team, NOHA, TOC/OWA, Association of Oregon
Counties Human Services Committee, National Association
of Counties Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee, and
The Kiwanis Club of St.Helens. I serve as a volunteer in
many other capacities as well.
Wayne Mayo - 1. Educated in St. Helens, class of 72.
Studied Engineering at OIT; Economics at Portland State.
2. Construction Businessman in community 31 years. Paid
payrolls first in 1975 and then on for decades.
3. Executive Director employment exchange service;
“Service Exchange.” A 501(c)(3) corporation. Executive
Director, education to employment “Senior Skills Registry”
putting the retired craftsman together with the young who
want to learn his skills. Another 501(c)(3) corporation.
4. Account Executive for Hasselblad Lumber Wholesale.
5. Chief petitioner on numerous local measures including
one that would have stopped illegal immigrants from doing
construction work in Columbia County. Though it passed
continued on page 12
continued on page 10
VHS Inducts First Hall of Fame Class
Vernonia High School held
the induction ceremony on Saturday
April 19, 2014 for the very first class
of their newly formed Athletic Hall
of Fame.
The induction ceremony was
held at Cedar Ridge
Retreat and Conference
Center. Over 140 people
were in attendance
for the dinner and the
presentation of plaques
to the inductees.
Inductees will
have a plaque installed
at the Vernonia School
on the wall outside the
gymnasium.
The initial class of inductees was:
• Gilbert Bergerson, 1928
• John (Gordy) Crowston, 1952
• Leonard Schmidlin, 1962
• Marvin Crowston, 1962
• Steven Hanso, 1970
• Patrick Curl, 1975
• Dean Bernardi, 1978
• Travis Gwin, 2005
• Joreigh Landers, 2007
• The 1976-77 Cross Country Team
