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Tree lighting, bazaar,
start holiday season
Living history...
The Christmas season be
gins this weekend in Vernonia
with the annual “Christmas in
Vernonia” bazaar and the Com
munity Christmas Tree lighting
on Saturday, December 1.
The tree lighting will be at
6:00 p.m. next to Vernonia Re
alty & Insurance, with caroling
by the Vernonia High School
choir beginning at approxi
mately 5:40 p.m. In case of bad
weather, the choir will sing at
the Vernonia Public Library.
Many businesses will stay
open to accommodate shop
pers after the tree lighting, and
Grey Dawn Gallery will be open
with a new show of Christopher
Burkett’s awe-inspiring Oregon
images.
Two day bazaar
Descendents of Nehalem Valley pioneers celebrated the restoration of the Mist Church,
last Sunday, enjoying reminders of the past that included the original church bell and the
roster of Nehalem Valley Pioneers charter members, with many names that are still very
much a part of life in the area. See article and more photos on page 12.
Vernonia school bond defeated at poll
A bid by the Vernonia School
District for a $14.9 million bond
measure to replace Washing
ton and Lincoln Grade Schools
and Vernonia High School, was
defeated, with 720 ballots cast
in opposition and 508 in sup
port of the measure. Nearly 60
percent of the district’s voters
participated in the election.
There was little difference
between voters in rural Vernon
ia precincts and City of Vernon
ia voters. Mist voters, however,
opposed the bond measure by
68 percent to 32 percent. Mist
also had a lower voter turn out,
with only 50 percent returning
their ballots. To be valid, the
election required a majority of
Interested in parks? Get involved
The City of Vernonia is seeking an interested person to fill a
vacancy on the Parks Committee. The Parks Committee acts as
an advisory board to the City Council, making recommendations
for long-range plans for the development and use of City parks.
The committee meets monthly at City Hall. Committee members
are appointed by the mayor with the consent of the council.
Letters of interest may be submitted to Director of Public
Works Robyn Bassett at Vernonia City Hall, 1001 Bridge Street,
Vernonia, OR by December 30, 2001.
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registered voters to cast ballots
because it was a money mea
sure in a general election of a
non-presidential election year-
that may be confusing, but that
is the system previously ap
proved by voters.
“Christmas in Vernonia,” the
twenty-third annual Vernonia
Booster Club bazaar will be
held on Saturday, December 1
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
and Sunday, December 2 from
noon to 5:00 p.m., in the Wash
ington Grade School gym, 199
Pictures with Santa
Bridge Street.
Organizers are predicting
Santa Claus will be very
that this year’s Bazaar will be busy around town, too, as he
one of the best ever! There will makes himself available for pic
be approximately 50 tables with tures at both the bazaar and at
handcrafted items such as Buds and Blooms, 859 Bridge
wooden toys, wreaths, dolls, Street.
ornaments, handmade cards,
At the invitation of the Ver
ceramics and quilts, plus many nonia High School Cross Coun
different raffles and much, try Team, Santa Claus will be at
the Bazaar so everyone, in
cluding the family pets, can
of Columbia County has long have pictures taken with him
been recognized. In addition to (Pets may be at the Bazaar
“dead” radio reception areas only long enough to have pho
caused by the terrain, the tos taken with Santa.).
floods of 1996 made the prob
On behalf of the Toy and Joy
lems inherent in a telephone program operated by volunteer
line-based system even more firefighters of the Vernonia Fire
obvious, when landslides top District, Santa will be at Buds &
pled poles and lines, obliterat Blooms (Vernonia Photo) for
ing communication between 9- photos from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
1-1 and many areas of the The price is either a new, un
county.
wrapped toy, or a comparable
Please see page 3 cash donation.
Feds provide $1.4 million for 9-1-1
An announcement last week
by Congressman David Wu
that Congress has approved
$1.4 million for improvements
to the Columbia County Emer
gency Communications District
(9-1-1) was met with delight
and near-euphoria by CCECD
Director Sally Jones and the
district's directors.
The need for a microwave
system that would be effective
throughout the hills and valleys
much more.
The gym will be transformed
into a delightful holiday shop
ping mall and the cafeteria will
be filled with enticing aromas
from the hot cinnamon roils,
homemade chicken noodle
soup with hot rolls, corndogs,
nachos, pizza and lots of
homemade desserts, featuring
pies from our local Booster
elves. There will also be hot
coffee, hot chocolate and cold
pop.
There may be a few tables
available for late participants.
For information, call Rietta
Behnke at 503-429-‘6975, or
Nona Skinner at 503-429-8401.
The kitchen staff of Wash
ington Grade School has volun
teered their weekend to help
prepare and serve the food.
Students and coaches will help
set up and clean the gym for
the Bazaar, and the youth of
Vernonia, through the Booster
Club, will benefit from all profits
from table and space rents and
food sales.