A5
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019
Disc golf course: ‘Can challenge all skill levels’ Warrenton: ‘We’re
interested in shaping
our future for ourselves’
Continued from Page A1
“The wind is like the great
equalizer,” said Dane Osis, a
park ranger who helped guide
the installation of the course,
and has lost a disc of his own
to the river.
The addition has attracted
a new group of people to Fort
Stevens — both locals and
tourists .
“We’ve seen an uptick in
usage here,” Osis said. “We
get lots of people playing the
course, and we get people vis-
iting the park and checking out
new areas that they normally
wouldn’t.”
To help promote the new
course, Fort Stevens will
waive its day fee over Labor
Day w eekend and invite visi-
tors to try out disc golf for a
chance to win prizes.
Since the course’s instal-
lation, the park has extended
hours and now remains open
until dusk for players.
“I just get surprised by the
amount of people,” said Ray
Smith, one of the park’s vol-
unteer groundskeepers.
“People just go around
and around” the course, he
said. “They’re proud of what
they’re doing.”
The nine-hole course cov-
ers about 30 acres in the north-
eastern section of the park . The
course leads players along the
river and winds around natural
barriers and historical mark-
ers, such as the mine cable hut
near the sixth h ole .
Two years ago, that hut and
the rest of the area were basi-
cally inaccessible, overgrown
by S cotch broom and other
brush.
“You couldn’t even see the
river,” Osis said of the space
before the project began. “We
removed the invasive spe-
cies and reclaimed it. It’s riv-
erfront property, and we now
have people playing disc golf,
walking their dogs and just
hanging out in those areas.”
“Disc golf is kind of what
drew people out here, but the
overall park improvement
benefi ts everyone that uses the
park.”
Chad McHugh, a seasonal
ranger, designed the course.
McHugh, who has played
disc golf casually for over
a decade, spent the spring
working with Osis to create a
course that capitalizes on the
historic space without disturb-
ing the archaeologically sensi-
tive area.
The result is a combination
of rubber tee pads and cement
blocks that keep the baskets
sturdy without breaking into
the protected soil.
“We’ve gotten a lot of pos-
itive feedback,” McHugh said
as he and Osis played through
the course, each carrying more
than a dozen discs in their
bags.
The rangers meet regularly,
about once a week, to play
after their shifts and on their
days off.
Each hole has a designated
tee pad decorated with a small
broom, thanks to a miscom-
munication that resulted in an
array of miniature brooms far
too small for custodial duties,
but perfect for keeping tee
pads debris-free.
All holes have at least one
tee pad, but most have two —
a long tee and a short tee.
“It basically can challenge
all skill levels,” Osis said.
“The more advanced players
can play from the longer tees,
the newbies can play from the
short tees and have fun doing
it.”
The versatile course is part
of the reason people keep
coming back.
“It’s such a great design,”
said George Pinney, who has
been playing at the course
at least three times a week
since before its grand open-
ing in June. The tee variety
makes it “approachable for
youngsters,” and he brings his
11-year-old daughter out to
practice with him.
Disc golf is a relatively
affordable and easy sport to
approach skill-wise, which
is why people of all ages and
all levels enjoy the park, Osis
said.
The most frequent com-
plaint they receive about the
course, according to Osis, is ,
“That there is only nine holes.”
Continued from Page A1
invest in ourselves, not
for others but for our own
sakes.”
As part of its campaign
for better quality of life, the
city plans to declare new
heritage districts, charted
along the lines of the his-
toric towns and neighbor-
hoods that dissolved to
form modern-day Warren-
ton. The fi rst heritage dis-
trict will be in Hammond,
where Balensifer and
other commissioners hope
changes at the marina and
infrastructure
improve-
ments will inject new
energy into the neighbor-
hood’s sleepy downtown.
“I’m not interested in
chasing tourists,” Balen-
sifer said, adding, “We’re
interested in shaping our
future for ourselves, imme-
diately and in the long
term. It is my hope that we
can delve a bit deeper into
what does it mean to be a
Warrentonian.”
Doughnuts: Bruhn
hopes to one day add
beer and wine to the cart
Photos by Lucy Kleiner/The Astorian
ABOVE: The park’s gift shop now sells all the discs you
would ever need to play through the course. BELOW: The
state park branded its own discs.
Continued from Page A1
His doughnuts use a
baking soda base that rises
as they run through the oil
bath, as opposed to yeast
doughnuts needing hours in
the oven, which he would
like to one day add.
Doughnut shops are a
notoriously fi ckle business
with low profi t margins.
Half Pint also serves cof-
fee, burgers and other lunch
and dinner items. Part of the
name comes from Bruhn’s
plans to one day add beer
and wine.
Bruhn has received help
from his father, Michael
Bruhn, who owns the lot.
The pod is likely done
growing unless another cart
leaves, Michael Bruhn said,
but he hopes to add cov-
ered seating, live music and
alcohol through his son’s
cart to attract more visitors.
“I’ve got to go with
the reality of it,” Michael
Bruhn said. “People want
that with their lunch.”
Edward Stratton/The Astorian
Samuel Bruhn turns out small batches from his automatic
doughnut maker at Half Pint Donuts.
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