B5
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021
Scandinavian festival
princesses announced
RELIGION BRIEFS
Pacifi c Unitarian
Universalist
Astoria Christian
Church
For service information
and updates, go to asto-
riachristian.org or bit.ly/
AstoriaChristian, call 503-
325-2591 or email Astoria-
Christian@gmail.com
The Astorian
The court for the 54th
annual Astoria Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival has
been announced. As ambas-
sadors for the festival, the
princesses are speaking to
local lodges in preparation
for their “What My Heritage
Means to Me” presentations
in mid-June.
The Senior Court mem-
bers are: Sofi a Morrill, of
Warrenton, who attends
Oregon State University, is
Miss Finland 2019 and Miss
Scandinavia 2020; Lila-June
Anderson, a junior at Asto-
ria High School, is Miss
Denmark; Emma Bieder-
man, a senior at Astoria High
School, is Miss Finland;
Grace Maier, a senior at
Tigard High School, is Miss
Norway; and Kaisa Liljen-
wall, a freshman at the Uni-
versity of Southern Califor-
nia, is Miss Sweden.
The Junior Court mem-
bers are: Salome Kancharla
is Junior Miss Denmark;
Astoria First Baptist
Church
Constance
Waisanen,
Junior Court
chaperone
Max Rathfon,
Crown Bearer
Carole Chase,
Senior Court
chaperone
Kaisa
Liljenwall,
Miss Sweden
Avery Hoyer is Junior Miss
Finland; Kilee Svensen is
Junior Miss Norway; and
Petra Cereghino is Junior
Miss Sweden.
Carole Chase, of Warren-
ton, is the Senior Court chap-
Petra
Cereghino,
Junior Miss
Sweden
Kilee Svensen,
Junior Miss
Norway
Avery Hoyer,
Junior Miss
Finland
Salome
Kancharla,
Junior Miss
Denmark
Grace Maier,
Miss Norway
Emma
Biederman,
Miss Finland
Lila-June
Anderson,
Miss Denmark
Sofi a Morrill,
Miss Finland
2019 and Miss
Scandinavia
2020
erone; Constance Waisanen,
of Knappa, is the Junior
Court chaperone; and Max
Rathfon is the Crown Bearer.
The Astoria Scandinavian
Midsummer Festival started
in 1968 and is sponsored
by the Astoria Scandinavian
Heritage Association.
This year the festival is
being held June 18, 19 and
20 but will be limited. For
information, go to AstoriaS-
canFest.org
4-H off ers two youth activities
The Astorian
Two youth activities are
being off ered by 4-H.
A 4-H babysitting train-
ing series is being off ered
via Zoom from 4 p.m. to
5:30 p.m. May 5, 12, 19 and
26 for youth ages 10 to 19.
Registration is open until
the class is fi lled. To register,
go to bit.ly/31AZVZM; for
information, contact Dani
Annala at 541-386-3343,
ext. 38260.
The 4-H Commit to Be Fit
30-Hour Challenge, which
takes place now through
April 30, is for youth ages 5
to 19. Go to https://beav.es/
JjP to download the tracking
grid and goal sheet to begin
logging hours.
Turn the form in to the
4-H Offi ce at 2001 Marine
Drive, Room 210, or use the
“Register” button at https://
beav.es/JjP at the end of the
month to submit online.
Every entrant who com-
pletes at least 30 hours will
be entered into a $100 prize
drawing. For questions, con-
tact Sandra Carlson at san-
dra.carlson@oregonstate.
edu
People fi nd escape outdoors during pandemic
By PAT GRAHAM
and TALES AZZONI
Associated Press
For those venturing off the
beaten path, be advised —
it’s a little crowded out there.
By nature’s standards,
anyway, as the great outdoors
has become the great escape.
Hiking
trails,
parks
and other open spaces
were packed in 2020 with
a cooped-up population
searching for fresh air during
the coronavirus pandemic.
Locked down, shut in or
just fearful of crowds, peo-
ple took up hiking, biking,
cross-country skiing, snow-
shoeing, camping, tennis and
golf — to name several — in
signifi cant numbers.
“It’s both heartening and
a little bit mind-blowing to
think how things are going
this year,” said Richard
Hodges, the Nordic director
at White Pine Touring in Park
City, Utah. “It’s been really
fun — a lot of work, but
really fun. All we’re doing is
trying to get people outside
to go play in the snow.”
BY THE NUMBERS
8.1M
more Americans went hiking
in 2020 compared to 2019.
7.9M
3.4M
more went camping last year.
more participated in
freshwater fi shing.
Outdoor enthusiasts are
certainly stepping outside
to play in whatever envi-
ronment — when pandemic
restrictions permit it, of
course, and in accordance
with stay-at-home guide-
lines. But the numbers illus-
trate that many are heeding
the call to the wild:
— 8.1 million more
Americans went hiking in
2020 compared to 2019,
according to a preview of
an upcoming outdoor partic-
ipation report from the Out-
door Foundation, the philan-
thropic wing of the Outdoor
Industry Association.
— 7.9 million more went
camping last year.
— 3.4 million more par-
ticipated
in
freshwater
fi shing.
The foundation’s research
also refl ected a decline
in inactivity for most age
groups and across all income
levels. There was a 52.9%
surge in outdoor participa-
tion, an increase from 50.5%
in 2018 and 50.7% in 2019.
The upward trend in hik-
ing doesn’t come as a surprise
to Sandra Marra, the presi-
dent and CEO of the Appala-
chian Trail Conservancy.
From nearly day one of the
pandemic, a myriad of hik-
ers have been trekking along
the Appalachian Trail, which
encompasses about 2,200
miles, traverses through 14
states and sees about 3 mil-
lion-plus visitors a year.
Word of caution before
going: Check the weather
reports and dress accord-
ingly. And don’t park on
someone’s property, even if
the trailhead lots are full.
“What’s happened is a
whole bunch of people that
never really recreated out-
doors like this, suddenly dis-
covered the fact there are
these easily accessible trails
not that far from their back-
yard,” Marra explained.
“That’s wonderful. But we’re
fi nding a lot of people are out
there not prepared for just
how rugged this trail is. It’s
not a walk on the bike trail in
the middle of the city.”
Daily walks — “constitu-
tionals” in another era, per-
haps — are on a rapid rise,
too. No numbers needed to
refl ect that — just meander
down any block or street in
any city or any country.
In New York City, when
the weather is good, people
are out in droves — conjur-
ing images of Edith Whar-
ton characters strolling the
promenade. It just so hap-
pens there is an Edith Whar-
ton Walking Tour in New
York. For now, it’s limited to
an online stroll through the
Gilded Age.
Al-Anon Family Groups
information — Oregon Area
Al-Anon website, orego-
nal-anon.org
Alateen
(Tillamook)
— For information, call
503-730-5863.
Alcoholics Anonymous
— To fi nd a meeting in Clat-
sop County, call 971-601-9220,
in Tillamook County, call 503-
739-4856, or go to aa-oregon.
org
Celebrate Recovery —
Faith-based 12-step recov-
Phillips places at FFA events
ery from hurts, habits and
hang ups. For information, call
503-738-7453.
Sexual Purity Recovery
Group — Part of the Pure Life
Alliance (purelifealliance.org)
in Portland. For information,
call the confi dential voicemail
at 503-750-0817 and leave a
message.
Narcotics
Anonymous
— For full schedule details,
as well as upcoming special
events, call the helpline at 503-
717-3702, or go to na.org
Overeaters Anonymous
(Astoria) — For information,
call 425-287-0806.
Overeaters Anonymous
(Seaside) — For information,
call 503-738-0307.
TOPS (Take Off Pounds
Sensibly) (Astoria) — For
information, call Trisha Hayry-
nen at 503-298-9058.
TOPS (Seaside) — For
information, call 509-910-0354.
TOPS (Warrenton) — For
information, call Cheryl Nitz at
503-338-2132.
Church off ers clothes bank
The Astorian
The Astorian
Jack Phillips competed
in March at the FFA sec-
tionals for the job interview
career development event,
designed for FFA members
to develop, practice and
demonstrate skills needed
in seeking employment.
Phillips placed second in
sectionals and moved on to
compete at the state level,
where he placed sixth.
WARRENTON — A
free good condition clothes
bank, for children in sixth
grade to infants, is being
off ered from 3 p.m. to
6 p.m. Friday, and from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday,
at Warrenton First Baptist
Church, 30 N.E. First St.
For information, contact
Sandi Bridgeman at 503-
338-6073 or 503-791-7522.
WANTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA
Jack Phillips
Astoria First United
Methodist Church
For livestream service
information and updates,
email the church offi ce
at
offi ce@unitedmeth-
odistastoria.org or call
503-325-5454.
Grace Episcopal
Church
For updates, food pan-
try hours and in-person and
livestream service infor-
mation, call the church at
503-325-4691, email gra-
ceastoria4691@gmail.com
or go to graceastoria.org or
fb.me/Grace Astoria
Peace First Lutheran
For service informa-
tion, go to astoriafi rstlu-
theran.com under “Wor-
ship & Music/Videos
& Resources” or bit.ly/
FLCAstoria. To receive a
DVD of the services and
bulletin, call the offi ce and
leave a message.
Pioneer Presbyterian
Church
WARRENTON — For
service information, call
the church at 503-861-
2421 or go to pioneer-
churchpcusa.org
St. Mary, Star of the
Sea Parish
For information about
the St. Vincent de Paul
Food Pantry hours, and
service and livestream-
ing information at both the
Astoria church and Ham-
mond mission, call 503-
325-3671, email offi ce@
stmaryastoria.com or go to
stmaryastoria.com or bit.
ly/stmaryastoria
Mathews named grand marshal
of Scandinavian festival parade
tival. He has since served
as chairman, co-chairman,
The Astoria Scandina- budget offi cer, logistics
vian Midsummer Festi- chairman and downtown
val Association has named fl ags and signs chairman.
Mathews is president
Loran Mathews of Astoria
the grand marshal for the of the nonprofi t Asto-
2021 Midsummer Festival ria Scandinavian Heritage
Association.
Optog Parade.
He is also the
The
drive-by
retired
direc-
event will be held
tor of support ser-
from 11 a.m. to
vices for the Asto-
noon on June 19 in
ria School District
front of the Colum-
and a former Asto-
bia River Maritime
ria city councilor.
Museum.
Mathews arrived Loran Mathews He serves on the
city budget com-
in Astoria in 1958
when he served in the U.S. mittee and as treasurer for
Coast Guard. He mar- the Astoria-Warrenton Area
ried Astoria native Cor- Chamber of Commerce. He
leen Johnson in 1963, who is also a motorman for the
shares her Norwegian heri- Astoria Riverfront Trolley
tage with him, making him and a member of the Sons
“Norwegian by marriage.” of Norway Lodge.
The Astoria Scandi-
Mathew’s involvement in
the midsummer festival navian Midsummer Fes-
began in 1972, when Ella tival Association will not
Simonsen asked him to hold an in-person festival
be chairman of the parade in 2021, but there will be
many virtual and drive-by
committee.
The next year, Mathews events. For information, go
became chairman of the fes- to AstoriaScanFest.org
The Astorian
ith an
W
h
t
Pa
Forge Your Own
SELF-HELP GROUPS
Al-Anon
(Astoria)
— For information, call
503-325-1087.
Al-Anon
(Clatskanie)
— For information, call
503-728-3351.
Al-Anon
(Nehalem)
— For information, call
503-368-8255.
Al-Anon (Seaside) — For
information, call 503-810-5196
for information.
Al-Anon (Tillamook) —
For information, call 503-842-
5094 or 503-730-5863.
First Baptist Church,
349 Seventh St., holds an
in-person worship ser-
vice at 10:45 a.m. Sunday.
Social distancing is prac-
ticed, face coverings are
required and hand sanitiz-
ers are available. The ser-
vice is also broadcast at
fb.me/astoriafi rstbaptist
Sunday school starts
at 9:30 a.m. There is no
child care, but children
are encouraged to join the
service. For information,
call the church offi ce at
503-325-1761.
A Pacifi c Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship
service is being held via
Zoom at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Speaker Cliff Taylor, a
member of the Ponca Tribe
of Nebraska, talks about
his book, “The Memory of
Souls,” part memoir and
part letter to young Native
Americans. For Zoom
information, go to pacuuf.
org
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
n
a
o
L
e
Adventur
Now more than ever, you’re ready for a vacation.
Kick off your journey with a low-rate loan on the RV, boat,
motorcycle, ATV, or wave runner you've always wanted.
4.74
%
APR*
We practice Rate Equality, so every qualified member gets
the same low rate. We’ll even refinance loans from other
lenders so you can save big.
Apply Online or in a Branch Today!
For more information, text: Adventure to 360-351-4111
*Annual Percentage Rate effective 3/1/2021 and subject to change. Ten year old recreational
vehicle or newer. 84 month term at this rate. Extended term available at a higher rate.
Full-service coffee shop inside and
drive-up order & delivery outside at
our Warrenton branch!
85 W Marine Dr Astoria
2315 N Roosevelt Dr Seaside
1771 SE Ensign Ln Warrenton
www.tlcfcu.org • 503.842.7523
FibreFamily
ILikeTLC