A8 Wednesday, January 8, 2020
HOOD RIVER NEWS | Hood River, Ore.
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
D ALE L OVE R ETIRES
Dale Love celebrates his retirement Dec. 27 with an old friend, Peggy Kinsey of Mosier, at Hood
River Supply. Love, long a friendly fixture at the fuel station at the Heights store, finished 16 years
with the store. Friends and co-workers came to greet Love and enjoy cake and refreshments. Love
holds the handy notebook he used to record fuel amounts before ringing up transactions. “I’ll miss
the people most of all,” said Love, though he was known for the preferential treatment he gave to
canine passengers in vehicles stopping by. Judy Gottschalk of White Salmon noted that people
would often stop by the station on walks with their dogs, saying often the dogs would not allow
them to get past the place without a treat from Love.
Locals Wednesday
Downtown offers free
parking, events
The Hood River Coun-
ty Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Business Advisory
Committee (DBAC) and the
Downtown Business Owners
have created a program in
partnership with the City of
Hood River to invite locals to
shop, dine and enjoy down-
town with free parking every
Wednesday from 3-6 p.m.
Downtown owners, DBAC,
the chamber, and city council
listened to the community and
business partners and learned
that the biggest barrier to
locals being downtown is the
perceived hassle and expense
to park, according to Chamber
Executive Director Kate Schro-
eder. Offering a midweek after-
noon where locals can come
downtown without fishing for
quarters or figuring out the
parking machine (or shopping
longer than expected and get-
ting a ticket) appealed to the
community.
“We know we needed to give
something to locals that feels
tangible and is about THEM.
Many locals want to support
Hood River businesses and
contribute to our economic
vitality by shopping local,” said
Schroeder.
“We want to recognize and
invite community participa-
tion in our downtown. In short,
we want Locals Wednesday
Downtown (LWD) to be about
supporting the people who
live, work and contribute to
our community every day,”
she said.
The Locals Wednesday
Downtown pilot project, ap-
proved by the city council,
began Jan. 1. Free parking will
be available every Wednesday
beginning at 3 p.m. during the
months of January through
May, then hiatus for the sum-
mer, and will resume again
September through December.
Surveys will be conducted
throughout the program to
measure response and im-
pacts, said a press release. If
successful, the city will consid-
er implementing the program
permanently.
Word of mouth will be an
important way to share the
launch of Locals Wednesday
Downtown, said Schroeder.
Posters and window clings
in downtown businesses will
remind locals to think about
and plan for Locals Wednesday
Downtown and its free park-
ing. A social media messaging
campaign and public service
announcements will addition-
ally alert the community to this
exciting new opportunity to
support local businesses.
This Holiday Season,
give someone you love the
GIFT of
HEALTH
Purchase a
$100 gift certifi cate
to give to someone
special for $25.
HOOD RIVER
1330 Brookside Dr | 541.386.3230
THE DALLES
731 Pomona St | 541.298.8508
Certifi cates may be used for enrollment fees or fi rst month’s dues. Not
valid for use by current members. Local address, proof of employment and
a 12-month agreement required to redeem. Must be redeemed by Jan 31,
2020. One certifi cate per new membership agreement allowed. May purchase
multiple certifi cates to gift. Not refundable. See club staff for complete details.
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