The Columbia press., April 23, 2021, Page 4, Image 4

The Columbia Press
4
Fire: Crew is safe, haul of crab a total loss
Continued from Page 1
The Coast Guard closed the
channel to other boats. Gear-
hart Fire Department sent a
crew to cover the rest of War-
renton.
Those on watercraft were
able to secure the burning
vessel to a piling in the mid-
dle of the shallow river and
that kept it from drifting
toward Hampton Lumber,
which had gas lines close to
shore, and from Pacific Sea-
foods and the Warrenton and
Skipanon marinas.
Cause of the fire hasn’t been
determined, Alsbury said
Tuesday.
The vessel’s catch of crab
was lost in the fire.
The Pacific Cloud’s home
port is Coos Bay.
The vessel, owned by Mike
Lewis, was nearly 50 years
old and has had a number
Bella Byers
Warrenton Fire Department makes use of the Anchor Baptist
Church van to get its fire boat to Warrenton Marina.
of mechanical failures in the
past five years.
In January 2017, Pacific
Cloud experienced a loss of
propulsion while out at sea
and, three months later, lost
engine and generator pow-
er.
In December 2018, the crab
boat lost its steering while
out at sea.
In May 2020, it experienced
a loss of propulsion.
And this past Dec. 31, it ex-
perienced a complete failure
of propulsion south of Alsea
Bay near Waldport.
In every instance, the Coast
Guard towed the vessel to
shore.
April 23, 2021
Optog Parade grand marshal chosen
Astoria Scandinavian Mid-
summer Festival Association
has named Loran Mathews of
Astoria as grand marshal of
the 2021 Midsummer Festi-
val Optog Parade.
This year’s parade will be a
drive-by event held June 19
on Marine Drive in front of
the Maritime Museum.
Despite not being of Nordic
heritage, Mathews’ involve-
ment in the Midsummer Fes-
tival spans 50 years, when he
was asked to head the parade
committee. The next year,
Mathews became chairman
of the festival and has since
served as chair or held other
positions many times. Cur-
rently, he is president of the
nonprofit Astoria Scandina-
vian Heritage Association.
Mathews grew up in Kan-
sas and arrived in Astoria in
1958, when he served in the
U.S. Coast Guard. He met
Loran Mathews organizes the
raising of the Midsummer Pole.
Astoria native Corleen John-
son in 1959 and they married
in 1963. Corleen introduced
him to her Norwegian her-
itage and he has been “Nor-
wegian by marriage” for 58
years.
Mathews is retired director
of Support Services for the
Astoria School District and a
former Astoria City Council
member.
Festival: Scandinavian Festival Court selected
Continued from Page 1
senior at Tigard High School
and is sponsored by Sons of
Norway Nidaros Lodge 16.
Both of her parents are half
Norwegian. She has partic-
ipated in language camp at
the lodge and at Trollhau-
gen Lodge in Washington
state. She is a member of the
Leikarringen dance troupe.
Kaisa Liljenwall, Miss Swe-
den. She is a freshman at
University of Southern Cali-
fornia, where she is studying
biomedical engineering. Her
heritage is Swedish, Finnish
and Norwegian. She has been
involved with the Viking and
Nordic Dancers since second
grade and currently is active
with the university’s Naval
ROTC battalion and Women
in Engineering group.
Sofia Morrill, Miss Scan-
dinavia 2019-2020. She is
a Warrenton High School
graduate and currently at-
tends Oregon State Univer-
sity. In 2009, she was Junior
Miss Finland and, 10 years
later, named Miss Finland
before being crowed queen at
the 2019 festival. Her moth-
er, Annamaria, immigrated
to the United States from
Finland.