The INDEPENDENT, May 21,1997
PageS
The Pro Rally returns to Vernonia and will start from high school
The Oregon Trail Rally is
once again on the Portland
Rose Festival Association
calendar, after taking last
year off due to the storm and
flood damage In this corner of
the state. The level 3 division
al SCCA PRO rally will take
place Saturday, June 7, on
Tillamook State Forest roads
near Hwy. 26, west of Timber.
Oregon Rally Group, orga
nizers of the rally, is quite
proud of the show that they
plan to offer to the fans who
venture out to witness race
prepared, yet street legal,
cars roaring down narrow,
twisting gravel roads. Drivers
set up to take corners they
have never seen before;
preparing just from mileages
and descriptions that the co
driver reads from the route
book!
Vernonia NAPA Auto Parts
and citizens of Vernonia are
sponsoring the start of the
Oregon Trail Rally with activi
ties starting at 9:00 a.m.
along Bridge Street in Ver
nonia, across from the NAPA
store. After final registration
and tech inspection, all cars
will line up for a Parc Expose
display for the public. The
Vernonia Chamber of Com
merce encourages the public
to step up and mingle with the
teams and inspect the cars.
Rally cars will be flagged
off one at a time, starting at
11:00 a.m., as they head
south out of town toward Tim
ber and the race stages.
Stage 1 is sponsored by En
gine Rebuilders Supply of
Troutdale. Stage 2 is spon
sored by Hillsboro’s Royal
Moore Subaru, homebase of
National
Production
GT
points leader Lee Shadbolt’s
Subaru Impreza.
Spectating is free at rally
events, and fans may pick up
a spectator guide at the start
RIVERCITY
S t r e e t S to c k
S p o r ts m a n
W om en
Modified
Dirt Flingin*, Ground Poundin',
1/4 Mile Oval flctionl
Columbia County Fairgrounds, St. Helens
Time Trials 3:30 p.m. • Racing 6:00 p.m.
Info: 503-397-2393 Race Day Only: 503-397-6506
Sponsored by CCRA
location in Vernonia, at Ver
nonia Auto Parts or at the ral
ly service area at milepost 34
along Hwy 26. The rally cars
will use the ODOT mainte
nance yard located on the
south side of the highway all
afternoon to service their
cars. Access to the main
spectator viewing area is from
the east at Timber, or from the
west at Hwy 26 milepost 32,
event come off smoothly. The
public is invited to the $10
post-rally dinner banquet at
Pacific University, but volun
teers get their meals free!
EMTs, ham radio operators,
time keepers, or just crowd
and side-road control mar
shals are all needed and ap
preciated. Call Mike Nagle at
503-244-8570 or Ben Bradley
at 503-231-1328.
via Salmonberry Rd. From
this locale, fans can view two
rally stages. Since the stages-
are run twice during the day,
that’s four times that the com
petitors will pass the viewing
area. Get a spectator guide,
viewing is in the great out
doors, it’s fun and it’s free!
Want to help out? It always
takes dozens of day-of-the-
event volunteers to help an
Great 1/4-mile action at Rivercity Speedway opener
By Mike Weber
Special to The INDEPENDENT
After ending the 1996
stock car season with two
straight wins, Dan Fox of
Portland extended his streak
to three as he won the sports
man main event May 10 at
Rivercity Speedway's 1997
season opener.
Longview’s Troy Schreiner
started on the pole of the
street stock feature and led
from start to finish on the
quarter-mile clay oval.
The three divisions of
stock car racing at the Colum
bia County Fairgrounds in
cluded the women’s division
with Jackie Fratto of Portland
capturing the 15-lap main.
Over 70 drivers entered this
opening event of the Colum
bia County Racing Associa
tion, which was originally
scheduled a week earlier but
was rainied out on May 3.
Driving the Northwest Com
petition Motorsports Chevrolet
Lumina, Fox passed Long
view’s Tim Gosch with just
three laps remaining in the
35-lap feature. Gosch won
the 1996 street stock title and
was competing in the sports
man division for the first time.
Gosch started sixth in the
16-car field and took the lead
after passing frontrunner Al
7:30 p.m., VHS Library
Boosters
2nd Wednesday
7:00 p.m., LDS Church
Boy Scouts
Wednesdays
7:00 p.m., Crazy Charlie’s
Cemetery Beautification Comm. 2nd Thursday
7:30
a.m., Gran-Ma’s Eatery
2nd
Wed.
Chamber of Commerce
7:00 VHS Library
2nd Wednesday
Community Center Board
7:00 p.m., WGS Gym
Tuesdays
Cub Scouts
1:00
p.m., Senior Center
3rd Wednesday
Doll Club
6:30-8 p.m., Christian Church
Thursdays
3irl Scouts
429-7193, Call for location
3rd Thursday
zaak Walton League
7:00 p.m., VHS Library
2nd Tuesday
Jamboree Committee
6:30 p.m., Lew’s Place
1st
&
3rd
Tuesdays
_ions Club
For Info Call 429-4074
Nehalem Valley Car Club
7:00 p.m., WGS Library
3arent-Teacher Assoc. (PTA) 3rd Tuesday
10:30 a.m., City Library
Wednesdays
5reschool Story Hour
1 p.m., Senior Center
1st Friday
Senior Center Directors
1:30 p.m., New China Rest.
2nd Thursday
Society of Arts & Crafts
7:00 p.m., City Library
/emonia Airport Committee 3rd Wednesday
627 Adams, 429-1414 for info.
Quarterly
/emonia Cares Directors
6:30 p.m., City Library
1st & 3rd Mondays
/emonia City Council
7:00
p.m., Grange Hall
2nd Friday
/emonia Grange
7:00 p.m., 854 Grant Ave.
2nd Wednesday
/emonia Health Center
7 p.m., 627 Adams
/emonia Preschool Directors 1st Tuesday
7:00
p.m., City Library
'emonia Planning Comm. 1st & 3rd Thursdays
7 p.m., VHS Library
4th Thursday
'emonia Pride
7:00 p.m., WGS Library
Last Thursday
'emonia Ridge Riders
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
2nd Tuesday
'emonia RFPD Board
8 p.m., District Office
2nd Thursday
'emonia School Board
7 p.m., Fire Station
2nd Monday
’emonia Volunteer Firefighters
7 p.m., WOEC
3rd Tuesday
VO EC Directors
7
p.m.,
Senior Center
4th Monday
Vomen’s Aglow
and that was really the turning
point in the race that enabled
me to get the victory.”
Schreiner, 29, started on
the front row of the street
stock main event since the
top-eight from qualifying were
inverted at the front of the 14-
car lineup. He stayed up front
throughout the 35-lap race,
while receiving the first main
event win of his career in the
Rainier Texaco sponsored
Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Vernonia’s Gary Meyer
took second followed by Port
land drivers Greg Jeffries and
May Sayre, Longview’s Jackie
Olson was sixth and Michelle
Mears of Rainier finished
tenth. It was the street stock
debut for Olson and Mears,
the only women competitors
in the division.
Ernie Connall of St. Helens
started on the pole and led all
the way in the 25-lap caution-
free street stock B Main.
Doug Lockwood won the
sportsman B Main, but per
haps the most impressive
performance was by Lee
Thomas of Longview, who
started 11th in the field and
finished third.
The next event for CCRA is
Saturday, May 24, with quali
fying at 3:30 p.m. followed by
racing at 6:00 p.m.
JULY
JUNE
Community Calendar
VERNONIA
Cardwell of St. Helens on lap
12. He quickly zoomed ahead
in the Little Caeser’s Pizza/
E.C. Exhaust sponsored Pon
tiac Grand Prix and led by a
straightaway length over Fox
and Cardwell by lap 20.
He lost the advantage on
lap 24 when a caution flag
came out for debris on the
track. Gosch maintained a
slim lead until he was caught
in lapped traffic, when Fox
made a slick move. The lead
ers came out of turn two side-
by-side onto the back straight
with the lapped car driven by
Bruce Liner just ahead in the
middle of the track. Fox
ducked underneath Liner and
Gosch went to the outside,
losing the lead. Fox easily led
the last three laps and won by
four car-lengths over Gosch.
Cardwell, who led the first 11
circuits, took third and de
fending sportsman champion
Paul Liner of St. Helens fin
ished fourth.
‘This was a great race and
it was one of the toughest
wins I’ve had in my 14-year
career,” said Fox, who was
seventh in the division last
year. “Gosch could’ve won
because I wouldn’t have been
able to catch him if he didn’t
get caught in lapped traffic.
He went high and I went low
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26
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13
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27
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28
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29
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16
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30
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10
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12
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MIST-BIRKENFELD
M-BRFPD Board
2nd Tuesday
7:30 p.m., Main Fire Station
M-B Firefighters Assoc. 1st, 2nd & 3rd Wednesdays 7 p.m., Main Fire Station
7 p.m., Main Fire Station
M-B Ambulance Assoc. 1st, 2nd & 3rd Thursdays
7:30 p.m., Grange Hall
Natal Grange
2nd Wednesday
BANKS
8:00 p.m., Methodist Church
Alcoholics Anonymous
Fridays
7:00 a.m., Brown Derby
Banks Area Merchants Assoc. 1st Thursday
7:30 p.m., City Hall
Banks City Council
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Banks Planning Commission Last Tuesday
7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library
2nd Monday
Banks School Board
Sundays, Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg.
Banks Youth Group
3rd Monday, odd months
7:15 p.m., City Hall
Citizen Participation Org.
1st Saturday
10:00 a.m., City Library
Friends of the Library
1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., Methodist Church
Lions Club
8:00 p.m., Gun Club
3rd Wednesday
Sunset Park Assoc.
7:00 p.m., Jr. High Library
Wednesdays
TOPS
7:00 p.m., Station 13
2nd Wednesday
Tri-City RFPD Board
COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.)
10 a.m., Courthouse
Wednesdays
Board of Commissioners
7 p.m., Sunset Park Church
2nd Tuesday
Citizens for Senior Justice
10:30 a.m., Courthouse
2nd
Friday
COLCO Transportation
1:00 p.m., Courthouse
2nd Friday
County Council of Seniors
7:30 p.m., 800 Port Ave.
3rd Wednesday
Columbia ESD
7
p.m.,
4-H Bldg., Fairgrounds
2nd & 4th Tuesdays
County Fair Board
6 p.m., 1054 Oregon St.
3rd Thursday
County Parks Commission
7 p.m., Courthouse
Emergency Comm. Dist. (9-1-1) 3rd Tuesday
Noon,
location
call 429-3713
Historical Society
4th Wednesday
7 a.m., Village Inn
Traffic Safety Commission 1st Wednesday
Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410,
or by mail to The INDEPENDENT, 1206 State Avenue, Vernonia, OR 97064.