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Shirley Tinner named honorary
grand marshal for Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival parade
ASTORIA — The 2017
Astoria Scandinavian Mid-
summer Festival has named
Shirley Tinner as honorary
grand marshal for the OpTog
Walking Parade, to be held
11:30 a.m. Saturday, June
17, at the Clatsop County
Fairgrounds.
Tinner was part of the
group that founded the orig-
inal Midsummer Festival
fifty years ago.
Born and raised in Asto-
ria, Tinner graduated from
Astoria schools and worked
as a judicial assistant to
Circuit Court Judge Thomas
Edison for 23 years.
Tinner’s father, Franz
Olaf Fransen, was a Swede-
Finn and her mother Hilja
Maria Eskola a pure Finn.
Shirley learned “Union-
town” Finnish and can still
speak it. Her only daughter,
Kim Supple, was Miss Fin-
land in 1976 and crowned
Miss Scandinavia.
When Kim and her
classmates Gail Norrman
SUBMITTED PHOTO
“Swan Mom” by Jean Nitzel (watercolor)
Art show — and inaugural
art contest — in the offing
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Shirley Tinner
and Debbie Obie were in
first grade, they joined a
Brownie troop. Carol Obie
was the troop leader and
Nelly Norrman and Tinner
were assistants. This group
is credited with founding the
original Astoria Scandina-
vian Midsummer Festival in
1968.
CLATSOP COUNTY
FAIRGROUNDS
7:30
PM
Doors open at 7PM
Free admission to
the festival
after 5PM
General Admission
Tickets availale at the
LIberty Theater
Box Offi ce
through June 15
Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival
ASTORIASCANFEST.COM
SUBMITTED PHOTO
“Horses,” by Betsy Teopfer
ASTORIA.OREGON
Tinner was active in
the festival for 25 years,
chairing the entertainment
committee and making pro-
grams. She later alternated
these duties with Maureen
Sundstrom. The leaders of
the first festival spent many
hours at the Astoria Library
researching midsummer
traditions in Scandinavia and
interviewed local families
who had immigrated to the
Astoria area from Scandi-
navia.
Tinner is delighted that
the festival continues to be
authentic and thrive. She
hasn’t missed a festival in
50 years, and is pleased that
many of traditions her group
started fifty years ago are
still used today.
These traditions include
the hex burning and bonfire,
the OpTog Walking Parade
and the princess speech-
es focused on “What My
National Heritage Means to
Me.”
Tinner is unable to walk
in the OpTog herself this
year but will be represent-
ed by Supple and other
members of the original
Brownie troop that started
the festival.
LONG BEACH, WASH. — On
the eve of summer, North-
west Artist Guild — now
entering its sixth year — is
holding an art show and
evening reception 5:30 to 8
p.m. Friday, June 9, at the
Picture Attic (711 Pacific
Highway North). The event
includes treats, as well as
music by Fred Carter.
“There are new guild
members with differ-
ent pieces to add to the
mixture of mediums and
the energy of their art,”
organizers wrote.
The whimsical acrylic
paintings of Mary Timm
will be on display. A new
member, Joyce Wingett,
will be showing her large
oil paintings and have
some prints available.
In addition, Wes
Moehnke, Cindy Keyes,
Annie Unwin, Jean Nitzel,
Linda Marsh and other
artists will be showing
new work.
The guild is always in-
terested in bringing in new
members. Applications are
available at The Picture At-
tic, open 10 a.m to 5 p.m.
Tuesday through Friday,
and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat-
urday. The shop is closed
Sunday and Monday.
For more information,
call 360-642-4770.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
“Bridge” by Mary Timm (acrylic)
ART CONTEST
Soon, the guild will launch a new event: an art
contest for nonmembers. Artists from the Lower
Columbia region are encouraged to enter up to
three paintings or three-dimensional art works.
Prizes: $25 and a year’s membership to the guild for
first place in each category; $25 for second place;
and $50 for one people’s choice award.
Contest categories include: Oil and acrylic; water-
color and pastel; collage; and 3-D (mosaic, ceramics
and sculpture). Judges will include guild members.
Entries are due Saturday, July 8. All entries will be
displayed at an opening reception the evening
of Friday, July 14. Artists are encouraged to invite
friends and family. Prizes will be awarded. The exhi-
bition will stay up for two weeks.