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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2018)
1B THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018 CONTACT US ewilson@dailyastorian.com (503) 325-3211 ext. 257 COMMUNITY FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON WHO ARE WE? ‘THE POWER OF POSITIVITY’ en-month-old Cyrus “Squishy” Churches of Astoria, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia shortly after he was born, has been named one of the Children’s Cancer Associ- ation (CCA)’s Heroes for 2018. Photos of Cyrus and his family are courtesy of CCA. CCA Heroes are selected annually by medical teams at Ran- dall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, Doernbecher Chil- dren’s Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children and CCA staff. Cyrus’ chemotherapy treatments required monthlong hospital stays, with only a week off in between. Visits from the MyMusicRx team cheered him up, though, during his ordeal. “That was his favor- ite!” said his mom, Toniann. “At first, he would just stare or chase after them, but soon he was wanting to play along.” He also enjoyed jam sessions with his guitar-playing dad, Chad, and lullabies. “Cyrus has zero self-pity or judgment,” said Chad. “Even if the doctors came in and did something that was painful, he would just smile at them.” Toniann agreed. “He brings so much joy to other people — especially to us.” Now that Cyrus is in remission, he can do typical baby activ- ities, like learning to walk, bouncing in his Jolly Jumper, and his forte, being charming. He can also get back to enjoying his favor- ites — crackers, pickles, the color red, and banging blocks. “Even at his young age,” Whitney Wilhardt of CCA added, “his parents say that their son has already taught them a valuable lesson about the power of positivity.” T BEAR WITH IT any of you may have noticed a naked man holding a sign on the side of the road near Second Street in Astoria on Saturday. The sign said: “How we care for the least of us defines us as a community. Who are we?” In case you’re wondering what that was all about, the man was Michael “Sasha” Miller, and he was protesting that Astoria icon John Wedell, aka “Helmet John,” and all his belongings, have been moved from his usual roost on 11th Street to a spot out of sight from the downtown busi- ness district. Michael and John are both pictured, courtesy of Michael Miller. “I wrote about John Wedell being shoved out of the downtown area in my last letter to the editor,” Sasha explained on his Facebook page. “Of course, I was limited to a couple of hundred words, and have no money to pay to say something longer. “While many have commended me on my letter, it doesn’t change anything. John is still being treated like the junk he collects, something that can just be put someplace else, and therefore denied the warmth of affection some have for him, all because the 11th Street adults, cops, and city couldn’t, in the past two decades, come up with a way of helping and managing one of their mentally ill residents. “How much time and money have we wasted arresting people for marijuana, when we could have been spending time and money coming up with constructive approaches to dealing with the mentally ill in our community? “So, as not to allow the town to ignore their lack of guardianship over John Wedell, I’ve tried to talk myself into committing a nonviolent protest, but it just scares me. What happens when my nerve runs out to stand up for the things I believe in?” M PILFERING PRIMATES F un rerun from 2013 in honor of Goonie Days, June 7-10: The Ear came across a Goonies trivia tidbit the other day on the Ain’t It Cool News website, featuring two still shots of two gorillas that were taken during the filming of “The Goonies” (tinyurl.com/2gorillas). One is shown; a section of the other is inset. The article noted that “apparently these gorillas … were released during the initial Fratelli car chase at the beginning of the movie, and were to pop up at different times throughout the film.” The Ear looked up the script, and yup, it’s true. The apes turn up on pages 5, 12A, 12B and 101 (tinyurl.com/goonapes). From page 101: “The two gorillas leap out of their red golf cart on the other side of the pumps! Grunting in ecstasy at the sight of Troy’s red automobile, they lumber toward it, tossing Troy and his friends to one side like Cabbage Patch dolls. “Bonzo jumps onto the hood, caving it in, as Bertha leaps into the car. Bonzo takes his familiar place behind the wheel, reaches out to stomp on the pedals. The car lurches forward and drives away erratically, spinning from side to side.” This subplot didn’t make it into the film or the extra features on the DVD and Blu-ray editions, so the pilfering primates are gone — but not quite forgotten. OTTER STUFF FOUR BROTHERS ACROSS AMERICA storian Jennifer Lindstrom had an interesting encounter last weekend. “Well, I was just riding along the waterfront between Warrenton and Hammond, when I spied an otter swim- ming toward the rocks,” she wrote. You can watch her video at tinyurl.com/otterstuff; a screen shot is shown. A few North American river otter facts are in order, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo. Fur trapping dramatically reduced their numbers in the 1800s, but they have rebounded well. Otters swim about 7 mph, and the average dive is 1-2 minutes — but if needed, they can stay underwater for 4-6 minutes. Ranging up to 40 miles of waterway, their favorite snack is “the slowest fish,” but they also enjoy “frogs, crayfish, turtles, insects and sometimes birds or small mammals.” Strangely enough, otters aren’t born knowing how to swim — they have to be taught by their mothers. “He came right out of the water to do otter stuff,” Jennifer recalled. “I backed up so he couldn’t see me, got closer, popped up, and filmed the cutie.” A ot something you see every day on the North Oregon Coast: A bear was spotted in Nehalem Bay State Park on Memo- rial Day afternoon, the Tillamook County Pioneer reported (tinyurl.com/nehalembear). It was a single adult who wasn’t bothering anyone, just rambling along. “The animal was simply crossing the road,” Park Manager Ben Cox reported, “no aggressive or alarming behaviors were noted.” Even so, if you’re headed out that way this weekend, be sure to keep your pets on a leash. N WHERE’S BUGBY? tidbit from the Friday, June 1, 1888 edition of The Daily Morning Astorian: • Advices from Bugby, between Clifton and Westport, are to the effect that James Cusick, of Knappa, has succeeded in open- ing up an excellent quarry at that point, and one that the report states can furnish suitable and sufficient rock for the Fort Ste- vens jetty. Note: This snippet refers to an obscure area called Bugby, or Bugby’s Hole, on the Columbia River. A map is shown, courtesy of Topozone.com. A Feb. 3, 1902 edition of the Morning Orego- nian mentions that an Army engineer, Capt. William C. Lang- fitt (pictured inset), was blasting away the face of a bluff, “try- ing to open up a stone quarry at Bugby’s Hole” for rocks for the South Jetty, which was then being supplied by a quarry at Fish- er’s Landing, much further north upriver. “Capt. Langfitt feels very confident that he will be able to get the rock he needs from Bugby’s Hole in the future,” the article states. There’s no mention of what happened to James Cusick’s quarry plans, however. A he Four Brothers Across America, deaf young men who met at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., are leaving Astoria this week to bike the 4,230 miles of the Transamerica Trail to Yorktown, Virginia, Astorian Ardi Chapman told the Ear. They will camp out along the way. Pictured, from left, Jake Grindstaff, Gilwon Seo, Dakota Daniels, and Jerrod Grill. In a note, Jake explained that he wants to become an actuary or teacher at the college level, and coach his favor- ite sport, basketball. He is making the trip because this journey has been a childhood dream. Seo’s major is physical education and recreation. “I’m not sure about my future,” he wrote, “but I am sure to sup- port the deaf community in South Korea however I can. I know it will be difficult … (and) I will try for 101 percent.” He’s making the cross-country trek to learn about what’s special about America and the Lewis and Clark Trail. Dakota explained he is studying digital media and graphic design. His goal is to become a “deaf soldier” in his deaf community, and become a digital media teacher and football coach. “I’m doing this (ride) because my father did it in 1991, from Portland, Maine, to San Diego, California,” he wrote. “I want to try this trip so I will be the second generation to bike across America — and to have plenty of stories to share with my dad and everyone.” Jerrod plans to get a master’s degree in deaf studies, with a concentration on cultural studies. His goals are to “be happy and love my life,” and “to teach the people in physical culture with deaf culture.” He’s biking across the country because he loves to go hiking, climbing moun- tains, and enjoying the beauties of nature. The team also shares the bond of belonging to the same fraternity, Kappa Gamma, the oldest fraternity of the deaf (kappagamma.com). “We know each other in our deaf community as defining a small world that we know,” Dakota added. “We have a common togetherness by our Blue Brotherhood.” You can follow their journey on their Facebook page, “Four Brothers Across America.” Bon voyage! T ‘QUIRKY BLEND OF ODDITIES’ he website Atlas Obscura, which specializes in “Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations,” recently featured Trish Bright’s Museum of Whimsy at 1215 Duane St. in Astoria (museumofwhimsy.com), calling it a “delightfully quirky blend of oddities spread throughout an old 1920s bank.” It appears that’s an understatement. The Ear was curious enough to go to the Museum of Whim- sy’s Facebook page, fb.me/MuseumofWhimsy), and the pho- tos alone are intriguing. One is shown, courtesy of the Museum of Whimsy, but frankly, it was hard to choose just one, as there are so many wondrously unusual items to feast your eyes on. To enter, it costs $5 per person, or $10 per family, and it looks like it’s worth a visit. T COMMUNITY NOTES SATURDAY Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m. to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420 17th St. Cooked to order from menu, includes coffee. Cost is $5 for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for those under 62. Breakfasts are open to the public. Proceeds after expenses help sup- port local and other charities. Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Homespun Quilts & Yarn, 108 10th St. Bring knitting, crochet or other needlework projects to this community stitching time. All skill levels welcome. Detachment 1228 Marine Corps League — noon, El Compa- dre, 119 Main Ave., Warrenton. For information, contact Lou Neubecker at 503-717-0153. Columbia Northwestern Mod- el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in Hammond. Group runs trains on HO-scale layout. For information, call Don Carter at 503-325-0757. Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m., Astoria Fiber Arts Academy, 1296 Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel. For information, call 503-325-5598 or go to astoriafiberarts.com SUNDAY Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m. to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420 17th St. Cooked to order from menu, includes coffee. Cost is $5 for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for those under 62. Breakfasts are open to the public. Proceeds af- ter expenses help support local and other charities. Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m., Seaside American Legion, 1315 Broadway. For information, call 503-738-5111. No cost; suggested $5 tip to the instructor. MONDAY Chair Exercises for Seniors — 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior Center, 1111 Exchange St. For in- formation, call 503-325-3231. Scandinavian Workshop — 10 a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725 33rd St. Needlework, hardanger, knitting, crocheting, embroidery and quilting. All are welcome. For information, call 503-325-1364 or 503-325-7960. Grace and Encouragement for Moms — 10 to 11:30 a.m., Crossroads Community Church, 40618 Old Highway 30, Svensen. GEMS group is a time for moms to relax and enjoy each others’ com- pany. Free childcare is provided. For information, call Rachael Bid- dlecome at 503-458-6103. Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m., Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Suggested do- nation $3 for those older than 60; $6.75 for those younger than 60. For information, call Suzanne Bja- ranson at 503-861-4202. See NOTES, Page 3B
