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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2018)
4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2018 FIREWORKS LIGHT UP ASTORIA Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian TOP: The 20-minute display in Astoria capped off a day of festivities all across Clatsop County. LEFT: Fireworks spray sparks in the air as Lylah Huff watches from a safe distance. MIDDLE: Katelynn Gadberry and Ryker Keeler watch fireworks on the Astoria Riverwalk before the big show. RIGHT: Samantha McAllister and Daniel Savage light sparklers along the Astoria Riverwalk. Parade: Firefighters handed out 1,200 free hot dogs Continued from Page 1A Gearhart Volunteer Fire Depart- ment trucks. Considering the city’s roots, the trucks were a fitting escort. Before 1918, Gearhart was a destination for family vacations. The people who lived here year- round were mostly workers at hotels and other tourist attrac- tions, said Bill Berg, the town’s historian, who serves on the centennial committee. Two large hotels — one in 1913 and the other in 1915 — burned down, and cottages were catching fire. To prevent further incidents, locals incorporated the city in 1918 largely so that the area could have a fire depart- ment, Berg said. “It’s part and parcel in the foundation of the city,” he said. Unlike larger parades in more populated cities, including Warrenton, the procession did not have sizable floats. Some people brought camping chairs to view the festivities, but not many. Rather, the attention was on children in Radio Flyer wag- ons tossing candy and others in holiday-themed costumes. With a number of beach homes lin- ing the route, many watched the parade while sitting on front decks. Some even decided to host lemonade stands and yard sales. Pat Oser, who has owned a home in the city for 35 years and switches time between here and Fort Lauderdale, has hosted his yard sale for six consecu- tive years to raise money for his grandchildren. “They want to go to Harvard University, so it takes a lot of garage sales,” Oser joked. Following the roughly 20-minute march from Eighth Street and Marion Avenue to the National Guard flyover brightens parade The Daily Astorian Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian WARRENTON — Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Fighter Wing included Warrenton in the F-15 flyover this year — a first for the city. Mayor Henry Balen- sifer and City Manager Linda Engbretson toured the unit’s facilities this year and arranged the flyover. The F-15 Eagle fighter jets made appear- ances at other parades on the coast before roaring over Warrenton ahead of the city’s Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Parade. “What a way to start the Warrenton Parade!” Balensifer wrote in social media posts. He included a video of the jets zoom- ing over to cheers from the crowd below, a Coast Guard helicopter trailing behind. Hundreds flocked to the parade in Gearhart on Wednesday. Gearhart Fire Station, firefight- ers stood and began handing out 1,200 free hot dogs. “It’s super relaxed. It’s nice,” Lt. Josh Como said. “They just kind of jump in, paint their bikes and ride on down to the station for some lunch.” In the 100 years since its shift from almost entirely a resort town to a more residential city, disagreements about how to bal- ance vacation allure with year- round residents’ needs have been common. Most recently, voters in November decisively rejected a ballot measure that would have repealed the city’s vacation rental regulations. Munching on a hot dog across the street from the fire station Wednesday, Berg offered a prediction about the city — and its Fourth of July parade — during the next centennial cel- ebration. “If we’re not under water,” he said, “I can’t imagine it looking much different.” Hundreds of people lined up to take part in the parade in Gearhart on the Fourth of July.
