December 28, 2018
T he C olumbia P ress
8
Designs approved for Scandinavian Heritage Park
The city of Astoria, its parks
board and the Historic Land-
marks Commission recently
gave approval for the de-
sign of a park on the Asto-
ria Riverwalk to honor the
hardships and contributions
of early Scandinavian immi-
grants to Clatsop County.
The approvals were the re-
sult of a three-year process
Helping hands for the holidays
The official logo and an aerial view of the park’s design.
by the Astoria Scandinavian
Heritage Association, which
included input from Scandi-
navian lodges and the general
public and the design talents
of the West Studio, a land-
scape architect firm in Seat-
tle.
Early funding came from the
Oregon Community Founda-
tion, but most of $200,000
to cover architectural and
engineering costs came from
local donors and subsequent
grants from Astoria Sunday
Market, the Pacific Power
Foundation, the Samuel S.
Johnson Foundation, the
Finlandia Foundation’s Co-
lumbia Pacific Chapter, and
the Oregon Cultural Trust.
Construction costs are es-
timated at $980,000 and
fund-raising efforts are under
way.
The Fort George Brewery
will host a benefit night for
the Astoria Scandinavian
Heritage Park from 4 to 9
p.m. Jan. 29.
The association will provide
a silent auction, live music by
the Polka Dots (duo accordi-
ons and bass), performance
and participatory dance with
the Nordic-Viking Dancers, a
visit by the Astoria Scan Fest
Troll, Scandinavian trivia
contests, and an Ole and Sven
joke contest.
More information about the
park is available at www.asto-
riascanpark.org, including a
link for online donations.
Courtesy Warrenton Firefighters Association
Warrenton Firefighters Association provided Christmas food
boxes for 57 residents. Each had an opportunity to drive
through the truck bay and pick up a box loaded with Christmas
dinner food items.
Meanwhile, Warrenton-Hammond Healthy Kids had its third
annual toy drive and provided toy and gift baskets to 255 chil-
dren.A gift-wrapping party was held the Friday before Christ-
mas at Christian Church of Warrenton.
Fun run planned New Year’s Day
Astoria’s Parks & Recre-
ation invites runners and
walkers to join in a New Year
Fun Run at 11 a.m. Jan. 1.
The 5-kilometer run or
family stroll will take place
on the Riverwalk. Partici-
pants should meet on the
Riverwalk across the street
from the Aquatic Center. All
abilities are welcome.
The top male and female
finishers will receive prizes.
Registration begins at 10 a.m.
at the Maritime Memorial
Park adjacent to the Colum-
bia River Maritime Museum.
Cost is $10, which supports
parks and recreation pro-
grams.