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Vol. 109, No. 55
Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County
HOOD RIVER, OREGON
■
SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015
2 Sections, 22 Pages
www.hoodrivernews.com
Director’s
firing roils
Museum
Dee blaze contained
Quick collective
response to heavy
drought conditions
By PATRICK MULVIHILL
News staff writer
By PATRICK MULVIHILL
The Hood River County History
Museum is re-orienting following
the loss of its executive, as is the
Hood River Heritage Council —
one board member stepped down
citing a need to spend more time
volunteering elsewhere, as well as
“frustrations” with the council.
Museum director Megan Shue-
mate was dismissed June 26, less
than four months after moving
from Wisconsin to Hood River to
take the position. Later that
month, Ralph Staley, Heritage
Council Board Member, resigned
from his volunteer position.
Staley, who had served on the
board for three years, said he
wanted more time to volunteer at
his church, Seventh-Day Adven-
tist in Hood River, and to work on
News staff writer
A wildfire near Dee consumed
roughly three acres of trees and
brush Tuesday — and threated
nearby orchards and homes — but
a valley-wide response wrestled
down the flames within hours.
Every fire department in Hood
River County responded to the fire,
which broke out at about 1 p.m. on
Tuesday, July 7. Smoke billowed
from a patch of wilderness land be-
tween Tony Creek Road and Dee
Highway, half a mile south of Dee
Mill. The smell of smoke and
burned timber wafted for nearly a
mile downwind on the highway.
“It had the potential to get a lot
larger,” said Jim Trammel, West
Side Fire Marshall.
Trammel considered the joint
agency response a success. “The
fire services, as far as operational-
ly, almost work as one agency,” he
said. “It’s all part of our mutual aid
… it keeps getting better year after
year.”
At the scene Tuesday, officers
and deputies from Oregon State Po-
lice and Hood River County Sher-
iff ’s Office posted up at the conflu-
ence of Highway 281 and Lost Lake
Road, and closed off the latter road,
which leads to the popular recre-
See MUSEUM, Page A2
Parkdale man
dies in Dee
Highway
crash Sunday
See FIRE, Page A11
By PATRICK MULVIHILL
News staff writer
S p o t l i g h t
a
t
u
r
d
a
y
Photos by Patrick Mulvihill
PARKDALE FIREFIGHTER hoses down the scorched area during mop-up. Quick
and collective efforts by multiple agencies quelled the fire, which authorities
said could have been far worse. At left, smoke column pinpoints the location
south of the former Dee mill site, Mt. Hood the backdrop. A Parkdale fire rig dis-
patched as backup to Wasco County turned around and came back to the scene
with the Dee fire was reported.
A 51-year-old Parkdale man
died Sunday in a single vehicle
crash on Dee Highway, near Odell.
Frederick Cranston Schmidt
was heading southbound on State
Highway 281 at mile post 10.5
when the truck he was driving left
the road, struck a power pole and
slid down an embankment before
coming to rest against a tree, ac-
cording to report from Oregon
State Police.
OSP trooper Gavin McIlvenna
of The Dalles patrol responded to
the crash at about 9:15 Sunday
A weekly series about a day in the life ...
See FATALITY, Page A11
Genesis Quezada, 16, takes summer one scoop at a time
BY TRISHA WALKER
News staff writer
Photos by Trisha Walker
GENESIS QUEZADA, 16, runs The Heights Ice
Cream, located on 12th Street. She’s responsible
for ordering product, managing the workers, running
the cash register, serving customers and keeping the store
Genesis Quezada just turned 16, but she already has four
years of business experience under her belt.
Her parents, Socorro and Carlos, own The Heights Ice
Cream and the neighboring Hood River Taqueria Mexican
Restaurant (the family also includes brother, Diego, 12, and
Carlos, Jr., 22). She’s been working at the ice cream shop
since it opened in the summer of 2011. As an 11-year-old, her
sole responsibility was running the cash register.
These days, she runs the register, serves customers, trains
and manages employees, orders the supplies — ranging from
ice cream and cones to bowls and utensils — and cleans in-
side and out.
“I’m responsible for everyone, and to make sure things are
going right,” she said.
But her parents are in charge of the “really important
stuff, like with the money, they do all the deposits,” she said.
They also hire any new employees.
“I just learn more each year,” she said. “I become more re-
sponsible and learn to accept it — because when I was
tidy.
See GENESIS, Page A11
Four To Go
‘Movies in Park’ starts July 11
Movies in the Park starts Saturday, July 11 in
Jackson Park at dusk (around 8:45 p.m.).
“Frozen” (PG) starts the series. Bring lawn
chairs and throw on your PJ’s! Andrew’s Pizza
will be selling pizzas and the Leos Club will be
selling other refreshments and popcorn. There
is no movie July 25, Fair week, but they return
on Aug. 1, 8, 15, and 22. There are also movies
being shown at the Cascade Locks Marine Park
on July 24 and 31, Aug. 14 and 21, and Sept. 2.
All movies begin at dusk and are subject to
weather con-
ditions.
7
05105 97630
3
‘Movie on the Lawn’
July 12 at Town Hall
Calling all ‘Leaders
for Tomorrow’
Mount Hood Town Hall
will show “Big Hero 6”
(PG) at a free Movie Night
on the Lawn for the com-
munity July 12.
Community Ed will do
the honors; the movie will
start at about 8:45 p.m.
Popcorn, cotton candy,
soda, candy bars and
water will be for sale and
all proceeds for the
planned Town Hall
kitchen remodel project.
Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) cele-
brates its 20th anniversary on July 17 at
Best Western Plus Hood River Inn. Or-
ganizers are looking for alumni of the
program, originally called Leadership
for Youth with students from HRVHS,
Cascade Locks and Summit (now Hori-
zon).
Gov. Kate Brown will speak during a
brunch starting at 10 a.m.
Participants, alumni, sponsors, and
staff who have been involved should
contact Kristin Reese at 541-806-0278, (or
email kristinr@hrecn.net) by July 13.
HR Art Club celebrates 66 years
The Hood River Art Club is celebrating its 66th an-
niversary with an art show at the History Museum of
Hood River County July 10-18. The show will be open
daily, excluding Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the
upstairs balcony. Each of the club’s members will have
something special on display, some of which will be for
sale. On the lower level will be artwork by the club’s
founding members, including Norman Tucker and
Gilbert Clarke.
A reception will be held July 18 from 1-4 p.m. with
refreshments and exhibits. At 2:30 p.m., Percy Manser’s
granddaughter Marilyn Avolio will give a short talk,
and at 3 p.m., artist Gayle Weisfield will relate stories
about the classes she took with founding member Phil
Tyler. Please see related photo, page A2.