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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2019)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper www.thecolumbiapress.com June 21, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 25 Port of Astoria Festival could bring out the Viking in you chief resigns Celebrate Scandinavian style Above: Norwegian folk musicians Bjorn Odde and Ole Nilssen perform all three days of the 2019 festival. Right: The 2018 Running of the Trolls. Bottom left: The Viking encampment includes sparring and sword fights. Bottom right: A couple gets in the Scandinavian spirit at the 2018 festival. Photos courtesy Astoria Scandinavian Festival The Columbia Press B y C indy y ingst Velkommen til Clatsop Fylke! That’s how a Norwegian might welcome you to the 52nd annual Scandinavian Midsummer Festi- val, which kicks off today and runs through the weekend. With April’s Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival, and the Regatta in August, “Scandi fest” is the top of the triangle in the county’s summer celebrations trifecta. “It’s a fabulous event,” said Judi Lampi, publicity director. “We try really hard to keep it authentic with Scandinavian traditions.” The Columbia Press the Warrenton area: Fort Stevens, the Daniel Warren House on Skipanon Drive and the Goodwin-Wilkinson Farmhouse west of Cullaby Lake. Clatsop County is the only location in the continental United States attacked during World War II and it happened 77 years ago today on June 21, 1942. During the War of 1812, Astoria was briefly owned by the British, who re- named it Fort George (yes, that’s how the popular brewery got its name). Clatsop County popularized Ameri- ca’s love of salmon in the 1870s when dozens of canneries sprung up along Port of Astoria Executive Director Jim Knight chose to resign Tuesday instead of face an inevitable firing. During a closed-door session, Knight verbally gave the five publicly elected directors his resignation effective im- mediately and agreed to sign a mutual release of claims, which means neither entity will sue the other. At a special meeting Tuesday evening, the board unanimously approved the resignation. Then the board voted 4-1 to approve the release and settlement agreement and ignored Commissioner Bill Hunsinger, who’d phoned in for the meeting from Alaska, when he attempted to speak in opposition to the settlement. Details of the agreement were ob- tained by The Columbia Press through a public records request Wednesday. Knight will receive $221,005 and has 21 days to sign. The sum was calculated as $145,406 for alleged emotional distress damages, $33,600 for alleged economic damages and $42,000 for attorney fees and costs. Knight also will get health in- surance for six months, unpaid vacation and sick leave benefits. The panel also named Finance Direc- tor Will Isom to serve as interim direc- tor, with a search for a new chief execu- tive to begin immediately. Knight did not attend the open ses- sion. “The only thing I would say at the end of the day is that I’m so very grateful for the opportunity to have served our com- munity,” Knight said Wednesday. “I’m very proud of our accomplishments and hope for the best for the port.” He wasn’t sure whether he’d retire or take a job elsewhere. “I still feel pretty young, I’m in great health and my brain is still intact after 4 See ‘Clatsop’ on Page 7 See ‘Port’ on Page 4 See ‘Scandi fest’ on Page 6 If you go Scandinavian Midsummer Festival When: 2-11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday Where: Clatsop County Fairgrounds, 92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria Admission: $8 adults, $3 children 6-12.Parking $2. More info: astoriascanfest.org How far we’ve come: Clatsop County turns 175 this week B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Clatsop County is officially 175 years old Saturday. While many like to think of our ru- ral area as one of the loveliest spots on earth, there are more reasons Clatsop County is noteworthy. We’re at the confluence of two mag- nificent waters: Columbia, the largest river in the West, and the Pacific, the world’s largest ocean. The region’s earliest residents, the Chinook, Clatsop and Kathlamet peo- ple, had an abundant and self-suf- ficient lifestyle with all the salmon, shellfish, deer, elk and other natural resources from which today’s resi- dents continue to benefit. Lewis and Clark slept here. Two years after the 1803 Louisiana Pur- chase added 827,000 square miles to the United States, President Thomas Jefferson sent the captains and their team off to explore the new land and the expedition ended its westward journey here. There are 61 buildings and sites on the National Register of Historic Plac- es, one of them an Indian site dating to the 1100s. There are three sites in
