Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2019)
T he C olumbia P ress 1 50 ¢ C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly December 20, 2019 Vol. 3, Issue 51 Painting the town red, green and sparkly The Columbia Press Downtown Warrenton has put on its sparkly party dress and is ready for the holidays. Volunteers lined the first two blocks of South Main Av- enue with candy cane stripes and hung banners and pole decorations. Storefronts got fancified. WBA Chair Mike Moha, with son, Sunday afternoon, May- Connor, and Mayor Henry Balensifer. or Henry Balensifer – with the help of several children – threw the main switch to light the decorations on and around the lighthouse muse- Photos by Cindy Yingst um at the four-way stop. Elliott Strain, 4, visits with Santa. Below: A group of young- “We wanted to support the sters helps the mayor throw the switch to light up downtown. community and it’s just a good kickoff to Christmas,” Sara Rehnert (center) and her family. said Sara Rehnert, who brought her large family to the lighting ceremony. Spruce Up Warrenton and Warrenton Business Asso- ciation sponsored the event, which included visits with Santa, an appearance by a snowman and elf, hot cocoa and treats, plus holiday mu- sic. Everyone waits for Santa’s arrival. As time goes by, so do the whales. Especially next week Courtesy Oregon State Parks Visitors watch for whales at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Ilwaco, Wash.. Thousands of gray whales are migrating past Clatsop County and you’re invited to view them at several state parks during annual Winter Whale Watch Week, which begins Dec. 27. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will have trained volunteers from the Whale Watching Spoken Here pro- gram stationed at some of the best spots between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day until Dec. 31. Sites closest to Clatsop County are the Peter Iredale Shipwreck in Fort Stevens State Park, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington state, Ecola State Park, and the Highway 101 turn- out at the Neahkahnie Mountain Historical Marker. The volunteers will help vis- itors spot whales and answer questions about the animals. An estimated 25,000 gray whales are expected to swim past Oregon’s shores over the next several weeks, part of their See ‘Whales’ on Page 7 Fire destroys home at marina Seven children, three adults are displaced B y C indy y ingst The Columbia Press Fire destroyed a house at Warrenton Marina Tuesday afternoon, leaving 10 people homeless. Ben and Christina Secord, their five children, plus Christina’s sister, Heath- er, and her two children, all were able to leave the house and there were no injuries. “When I got there, four to five min- utes after the first engine got there, there were multiple reports of people trapped in the building and we went right into rescue mode,” Fire Chief Bri- an Alsbury said. “Once we determined no one was in the house, we went into suppression mode and were able to knock it down in an hour.” The fire was reported about 12:45 p.m. at 826 N.E. First Court, next door to a city-owned property that burned in 2018. The fire was deemed accidental, Als- bury said. Investigators believe it was caused by a heat lamp over a metal tub full of chicks that was just inside the garage door. The chicks and a fami- ly pet, Lola, a 15-year-old great Dane, perished in the blaze. See ‘Fire’ on Page 4 How to help Donations of new clothes or chil- dren’s Christmas presents for the Secord family can be dropped off at the Fenton Building across from El Compadre Restaurant on South Main Avenue between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. today through Sunday. Money can be donated to the family through any Columbia Bank branch.