JUNE 15, 2017 // 23 Coast Guard Auxiliary teaches boating safety ILWACO, WASH. — The Coast Guard Auxiliary will offer a recreational boating safety class to the public 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at the Port of Ilwaco Conference Room (street side upstairs), 165 Howerton Ave. Students should arrive at 7:45 a.m. to sign in. Successfully completing the class meets the require- ments for the Washington Boater Education Card. Washington law requires recreational boat operators ages 59 or younger to take a boating safety class and carry an Oregon Boater Ed- ucation Card when operating a recreational boat in Wash- ington. This includes oper- ating a personal watercraft SUBMITTED PHOTO or any motorized watercraft 15 horsepower or greater. Boaters older than 59 may want to obtain a card if they plan to operate in Oregon or Canada, which do not have an age exemption. Topics include safe boating laws; operating your boat safely and other boating tips; avoiding collisions and accidents; navigation; boat- ing emergencies and rescue; and trailering, storing and protecting boats. Boaters are reminded that safe navigation is the re- sponsibility of each vessel’s operator. The cost is $10 and includes all class materials and a Washington boating booklet. To register, or for more information, contact Elena Righettini, Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 62, Ilwaco, Washington, at mrighettini@yahoo.com or 360-642-0039. Continued from Pg. 4 When Supple became a mother herself, she realized what Tinner and the other troop mothers did for their children, from sewing their dancer costumes to pulling off the annual event. “When we were little, sure, we appreci- ated it, but we didn’t really get it,” Supple said. “And now it’s like, ‘Whoa’ … I think a lot of us girls are all thankful, and in awe of what our moms did. It’s really cool” From the 4-H building, the festival later relocated to the Astoria Armory, then to Astoria High School before moving to the county fairgrounds. The event caters to more visitors and has more to offer — for example, the Sunday church service — but these additions merely expanded on Tinner, Obie and Norrman’s original concept. Cultural integration In the early 20th century, Astoria’s Scan- dinavian immigrants stayed largely within their own groups. The Finnish settled in Uniontown, the Swedes and Norwegians in Uppertown, with a smattering of Danes and Icelanders taking up residence. They spoke their own languages and upheld their own traditions, identifying solely with their own culture and nationality. But two things happened to bring them together: the exceptional Astoria High School basketball team in the 1930s that in- tegrated athletes from the different Scandi- navian groups, and the Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival — two projects that required cooperation and camaraderie. After these milestones, the groups began to see themselves as part of a larger fam- ily of immigrants with a shared stake in the town and a mutual interest in working together. “I think we brought them all together,” Tinner said. “I really do.”