T he C olumbia P ress
1
50 ¢
C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper
October 20, 2017
503-861-3331
Vol. 1, Issue 42
House comes alive with historic spookiness
B y C inDy y ingst
The Columbia Press
Mike Adelmann’s holi-
day decorating passion is
so strong it helped him and
his wife decide which house
to buy when they moved to
Warrenton three years ago.
They rejected a house in
Lewis and Clark because it
was too far off the road.
“It was one of the require-
ments when we bought the
house,” admits Teale Adel-
mann, 46, who has grown
to love her husband’s desire
to give the community some
fun each Halloween and
Christmas.
“I’ve been doing Christ-
mas lights for 30 years and
Halloween lights, probably
only six or seven years,” said
Mike Adelmann, 53. “I like
to do it for the kids. I like to
hear the kids. When we go
to the bedroom at night, we
can see and hear the kids.”
But “lights” doesn’t quite
describe the event that oc-
See ‘House’ on Page 3
Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
Mike and Teale Adelmann elaborately decorate their home -- built in 1885 by town namesake
Daniel Warren -- each year at Halloween and Christmas. The house at 107 N.E. Skipanon
Drive is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a must-see at the holidays.
More chills and thrills
Harvest festivals, spook houses and
cemeteries take center stage this time of
year and there are several family friend-
ly activities open this weekend and next
to celebrate Halloween.
• Haunted Tunnels is a haunted
house-style walk-through activity put
together by the Astoria-Warrenton-Sea-
side KOA, 1100 N.W. Ridge Road, Ham-
mond.
Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Sat-
urdays through October. Admission is
$3 per person or three nonperishable
food items. Proceeds benefit Clatsop
Community Action Regional Food Bank
and KOA Care Camps.
There is a black-light carnival and sev-
eral routes through the tunnels, with
one suitable for ages 6 and younger who
don’t want to be scared.
Visitors should stop at the KOA en-
trance and get directions to the Haunted
Tunnels.
• Sunset Thriller and Fall Fun
Fest sponsored by Sunset Empire Parks
& Recreation includes a carnival and
haunted house.
The carnival is from 5 to 8 p.m. Satur-
day, Oct. 21, at Bob Chisholm Commu-
See ‘Chills’ on Page 8
When Martians threaten, Clatsop County hams are ready for action
B y D.B. L ewis
The Columbia Press
Martians landed in Oregon Saturday,
causing local county officials to activate
Emergency Operation Centers across
the state.
That was the premise for the training
exercise, which gave local emergency
leaders an opportunity to practice for
crucial radio communications when
other modes aren’t sufficient.
As in the December 2007 hurricane
here, military and police radio systems
were knocked out by electrical fail-
ures. Even the Internet, landlines and
cellphones wouldn’t work. Roads were
blocked with no way for crews to com-
municate with each other, and even
the Red Cross couldn’t know where the
needs were.
So, once again, it was up to local li-
censed amateur radio operators – aka
“hams” - to get the word out using bat-
tery-operated gadgets.
Saturday’s statewide training event
was dubbed “Mars Attacks! – The Se-
quel.” It simulated emergency radio
procedures by local volunteer hams in
an “incident,” FEMA’s term for any-
thing that suddenly impacts a commu-
nity’s well being.
When the chips are down, practiced
hams like Frank Van Winkle will be
ready for The Big One. He supervised
Saturday’s simulation at the EOC with
a half dozen other local volunteers.
“If we don’t practice continually, we’ll
See ‘Emergency’ on Page 6
To learn more
Information about Amateur
Radio Emergency Service or
becoming a licensed amateur
operator is available at www.
clatsop-ares.org.
The Sunset Empire Amateur
Radio Club, or SEARC, will
meet at 10 a.m. Saturday in
Room 219, Columbia Hall,
Clatsop Community College.