The INDEPENDENT, February 6, 2002
Page 3
¿attars to tha Editor
See your name on a
brick for Shay Park
To the Editor:
Several years ago bricks
were sold to raise money for a
community center in Vernonia.
The community center never
came about and the group dis
banded. At the time, they ap
parently needed a minimum of
200 bricks to be sold before
they could get them engraved.
That is not so now. Vernonia
Pride is taking over this en
deavor and is in the process of
taking more orders for bricks
before the order goes in. There
is a sample brick in the window
of the old J.C. Penney building
[Bridge and Jefferson].
You can have your name, or
the name of an organization,
school class, etc., engraved on
a brick for $25 each. The bricks
will be placed around the train
at Shay Park.
For more information or to
place an order, call Enid Par-
row at 429-8134 or Donna
(Gehrke) Webb 429-5201.
On another subject, Vernon
ia Pride would also like to thank
By Cindy Stanley, Library Assistant
Banks Public Library
Ed Edmo an internationally acclaimed poet,
performer and Northwest tribal storyteller will
bring his one man show to the Banks Public Li
brary on Saturday, February 16, from 2-3:00
p.m.
Edmo currently works with the Oregon Folklife
Program at the Oregon Historical Society and
the Chautauqua Program with the Oregon Coun
cil for the Humanities. A Native American with
Shoshone-Bannock tribal affiliation, Edmo is a
consultant to the Smithsonian Museum of the
American Indian. For the past 13 years, he has
narrated the production “Children of the Raven”
for the Eugene Ballet Company. Edmo received
a National Endowment for the Arts Grant for his
adaptation of the Klickitat legend “Bridge of the
Gods” for the Tears of Joy Puppet Theater in
1997. In 1998 he taught “Legends as Drama” at
Evergreen State College in Tacoma. Edmo con
ducts workshops and performs in theaters all
over the country. We are honored to have him
perform for us.
Lorna Poetter at Farmwoman’s
Nursery for the generous dona
tion of plants for landscaping
the welcome sign.
Donna (Gehrke) Webb
Vernonia Pride
Class lockout was a
surprise to everyone
To the Editor:
To the students who came to
Vernonia High School for the
P.C.C. Extension Spanish Con
versation class on Thursday
evening, January 10, and found
The performance will be free to the public,
and is brought to you by the Washington County
Cooperative Library Service, the Regional Arts
and Culture Council and the National Endow
ment for the Arts. Mark your calendar for our
March 9th program featuring Irish music by Inn-
isfree.
February 9th is also Recycling Saturday,
sponsored by the Friends of the Banks Library.
Bring all those holiday wrappings down to the
Swatco Service Yard on Sellers Road between
9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Banks Library patrons with Internet access at
home or work can browse the library resources
by clicking on www.WILInet.wccls.lib.or.us. Ma
terials can be reserved electronically.
Banks Public Library: 111 Market Street.
Hours: Tues., Wed., Thurs., 11 a.m. - 7 p.m,;
Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Preschool Story Time: Wednesdays, 10:15
a.m. when school is in session.
Phone: (503 ) 324-1382
internet: www.WILlnet.wccts.tib.or.us.
Ike Says.. .
From page 2
get to all of the casinos. Then there is the old
town and its covered roof with the laser light
shows at night.
There is a lot to see in Vegas, especially the
free outdoor shows that occur at night. My fa
vorite was the water fountain show at the Bella-
gio. The show takes place in a pool at least two
football fields long and almost as wide. There
are over 1000 fountain jets that squirt into the air,
some as high as 240 feet. Each jet of water is in
dividually controlled by computer for angle and
intensity. At times the noise of the jets bursting
from under water into the air sounded like fire
works and echoed off of the giant Bellagio hotel
in the background. I watched this show four
times and I could have watched it a hundred
more, it was absolutely incredible. There are
many more shows, such as the pirate ship battle
in front of Treasure Island Casino, the erupting
Volcano in front of the Mirage and the Lions in
the MGM.
We also attended three of the paid atten
dance shows. Our favorite was the Cirque Du
Soleil’s Mystere, which played at Treasure Is
land. I can't even begin to describe all the acro
batic and strength-type routines of this show.
The visual and audio pleasures kept your head
on a swivel so as to not miss anything. These
shows are truly world class and something that
this small town hick had never seen before.
We lucked out and Las Vegas was not very
crowded when we were there. This was definite
ly a plus. We helped pay the electric bill by do
nating some money to the slot machines and we
were constantly full from the buffets. I have nev
er eaten so much shrimp and prime rib in such a
short time in my life. Vegas is definitely the place
to eat.
My only thrill ride was at the Nascar Café.
They have simulator cars that make you feel like
you’re in a stockcar. I raced against three other
people and actually finished first; I even lapped
some of them. I reached a top speed of over 160
miles an hour and I can tell you that things were
a blur at that speed. Kissing the wall at 150 mph
is also a thrill.
Well, back to reality, see you next month.
Izaak Walton League
Nehalem Valley Chapter meetings are on
the third Thursday of sach month at 7:00
p.m. The public is welcome.
For meeting location, call (503) 429-7193.
the doors locked, I can only say
that, along with the student who
brought me, I was locked out
too, and I am extremely sorry
for your inconvenience. I am
not sure what the confusion
was, as the classes have been
cleared and scheduled for over
three months.-
I can assure you, after talk
ing to my boss, Ed Kaiel, head
of Portland Community College
Extension classes for Columbia
County, that the class will again
be offered for the Spring Quar
ter, on Thursday evenings, from
April 4 to June 6, and I will do
my level best to guarantee our
scheduled access to the facili
ties, if not the High School, then
at the Library or even the Se
nior Center, for use of which I
am also negotiating.
Yours very sincerely (and
apologetically),
Carol Sawyer,
Spanish Teacher
Vernonia
Donations make Toy
& Joy efforts work
To the Editor:
Another successful Toy &
Joy effort was the result of do
nations and volunteer efforts.
Members of the Vernonia
Volunteer Fire and Ambulance
crews, along with families and
friends, donated many, many
hours to solicite funds, shop,
wrap gifts and deliver them to
local families in need of holiday
help. The volunteers are repaid
with the smile of a child, which
brings the kind of fulfillment the
holidays are designed to in
spire. Without these volunteers,
Toy & Joy would not be possi
ble.
The donations are equally
important and we thank the fol
lowing individuals and busi
nesses for their contributions to
Toy & Joy this year: Holce Log
ging, Randy Holce, Evelyn
Holce, The Yard Doctor, Valley
Veterinary Clinic, Providence-
Vernonia Health Center, Robert
Isted, Kelley and Laura Hillyer,
Casteel Construction, Robert
and Lola Gregg, Dick and
Kathy Gwin, Buds & Blooms,
Mike Strassel, Jerry and Glen
da Raney, Vernonia Friendship
Jamboree, Postmaster Sally
Phillips, Bernice Frey, Faye and
Bill Sword, Soderback &
Daughters, John and JoAnn
Beamish, Tim Bero and Eagle
Star Rock.
Sincere apologies to anyone
who may have been omitted.
The efforts of all who participat
ed are greatly appreciated.
Peter O’Leary
Vernonia Toy & Joy
Program
VHS wrestling team
young, hard-working
To the Editor:
I would like to congratulate
the Vernonia High School
wrestling team for their hard
work and dedication this sea
son. Whether traveling to Sea
side or to Redmond, wrestling
is in their blood.
With eleven freshmen and a
handful of upperclassmen, they
appear destined to mature in a
very positive way. There’s noth
ing like the excitement of the
Oregon Wrestling Classic, now
featured in Redmond, with over
five hundred high schools, one
hundred colleges and one hun
dred little person wrestlers par
ticipating. The OWC and Pacif
ic Rim Classic in Seaside give
these young people the oppor
tunity to experience the finest in
wrestling competition.
A successful program such
as this also needs financial
support. Business support, raf
fles, or whatever, generate do
nations to help insure Vernonia
representation in quality invita-
tionals.
A special thank you to the
coaching staff, James Brookins,
Jeff Parker, Chris Barnes, Russ
Linde, my son Jason’s volun
teer time, the ever faithful bus
driver, Jo Ann, terrific active
parents, the stat gals and to
you, Vernonia Loggers. Good
Luck at Districts.
David Schmidt
Humble Mtn. Logging
Brightwood
Adult behavior
learned in youth
is
To the Editor:
In response to Pat Janac’s
answer to my critique of the
overwhelmingly common atti
tudes toward education in this
country, first, I am sorry to have
taken so long to respond. I
missed that issue of The Inde
pendent and, after my students
at the high school informed me
that my letter had gotten a re
sponse, it took a while to locate
a copy of the response.
Second, I thought I had
made it clear that, although I
mentioned it, I was not writing
Please see page 12