The INDEPENDENT, August 15, 2002
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L e tte rs to the Editor
Vernonia Cares says parade.
Additional assistance during
thanks for the help
Jamboree came from the St.
To the Editor,
How many ways can I say
thanks? Vernonia Cares Food
Bank has been helped in so
many ways in this past few
weeks! As usual, it’s been busy
as we are your hands extended
to this community. Thanks, con
tributors, for making what we
do possible.
During Jam boree, Cares
entered a float in the parade.
Thanks to my family, for helping
decorate it! And thanks, Ashley
Murray and Shawn Robertson
for riding on the float and hand
ing out the candy during the
Page 3
Helens Synchro Fire 2002
Summertime Water Show held
at Cedar Ridge on Saturday
evening. Thanks, Mike, Elin
and Alex Hayes for coordinat
ing this enjoyable activity.
Thanks, Synchro Fire, for pre
senting the program! Thanks,
Cedar Ridge, for donating the
use of the pool. Thanks, spon
sors, for your ads purchased in
the flyer. All proceeds from the
water show were given to the
food bank. Many attendees also
brought canned food and gave
money, too. Thank you all!
Don’t miss the “Dare to Care
5K
Fun
Run/W alk”
this
Saturday,
Aug.
17!
Jill
Wiseman, and many helpers,
have diligently been planning
this fun day in Anderson Park. I
hope you’ve seen a poster,
flyer, or entry blank about it.
Thanks, sponsors, for your
financial support! This is also a
great way for individuals to
donate to the food bank and
have a great time while doing
so.
Although we hope you’ll
enter the event, please come
and cheer on the participants
even if you don’t enter. Why not
bring
the
whole
fam ily?
Registration begins at 8 a.m. in
the covered picnic area at
Batwaon the Bookends
By Nancy Burch, Librarian
Vernonia Public Library
This Monday, with its
90+ degree weather would
have
been a perfect
evening to take advantage
of the library’s air-condi
tioning. The library will be
continue to be open from 7-
9:00 p.m. on Mondays
through the month of
August as a trial to see if
this is something of which residents would like to
take advantage. Monday, August 26, at 7:00
p.m. will also be the time when youngsters who
have met their reading goals will be recognized
and rewarded. Certificates and prizes will be
awarded; refreshments will be available, and
Muggins the Clown will be here to provide some
balloon fun. This will bring to a conclusion anoth
er successful Sum m er Reading Program.
Youngsters, parents, grandparents, and other
community members who participated in the pro
gram deserve many thanks and should feel grat
ified that they have read and encouraged read
ing throughout the summer.
Within the week, residents will see a new look
to the area between Wilcox & Flegel and the
library and to the library’s parking area. Library
patrons must enter the library’s parking lot from
Weed Avenue (Not from Maple) and exit only
onto Maple. Be prepared for this change in traf
fic pattern in the library’s parking area.
Two new computers, awarded by the Gates
Foundation, have been ordered and L.V.
Schoonover is preparing the library for its
Internet service via radio connection. With these
computers and this radio connection, library
patrons will be able to access the Internet on any
one of three computers at the same time. This
should be a beneficial service to the community
and the two new computers will also have some
wonderful new Software of which the public may
take advantage. More information on these com
puters, their capabilities, and their software will
be available shortly.
The book sale and raffle held by The Friends
of the Library during Jamboree was another suc
cessful summer event. The Friends would like to
thank everyone for supporting this fundraiser,
the proceeds of which will all be used to benefit
the library. The next meeting of the Friends will
be Tuesday, October 1, at 7:00 p.m. in the
library.
Recent acquisitions for adults include Her
Father’s House by Belva Plain, Unfit to Practice
by Perri O’Shaughnessy, Red Rabbit by Tom
Clancy, Stone Kiss by Faye Kellerman, The Art
of Deception by Ridley Pearson, and Dead
Midnight by Marcia Muller. First Day, Hooray*.,
Miss Malarkey Doesn’t Live in Room 10, and If
You Take a Mouse to School are some of the
new books for youngsters as they begin a new
school year.
The book that I most enjoyed reading this
month is True to Form by Elizabeth Berg. In this
novel, Ms. Berg describes a summer in the life of
13-year-old Katie Nash. It is 1961 and Katie, the
daughter of a remarried widower, craves popu
larity, a great summer job, and a direct line to the
local DJ to make requests. Instead, her father
has arranged for her to baby sit three neighbor
hood boys and to help take care of an elderly
neighbor lady. Katy spends her free time with her
one true friend, Cynthia, until she is attends a
party with some popular girls and jeopardizes
her friendship with Cynthia in an attempt to be
accepted by them. That is where Katy’s life takes
a turn and she starts to realize what is important
and how she is going to keep the important
things around her. This is Ms. Berg’s third novel
featuring Katie Nash. The first two, Joy School
and Durable Goods were just as entertaining,
and True to Form left me wanting to read even
more about Katie Nash and what life has in store
for her.
The next meeting of the book discussion
group will be Tuesday, August 20, at 7:00 p.m. in
the library. Even if you haven’t read the books
being discussed at this time, you are invited to
attend and to help choose and read the next
selection. This is a very informal group of indi
viduals who just like to read and to share their
thoughts about reading with others.
Vernonia Library 701 Weed Avenue
Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tues., Thur. 2 p.m.-7 p.m.
Sat. 10a.m.-2 p.m.
Phon«: (503) 429-1818
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Anderson Park. R egistration
and information are available at
the food bank, or by calling
503-429-1414.
The goal of Vernonia Cares
Food Bank, a non-profit organi
zation, is to provide three days
worth of emergency groceries,
once a month, to needy house
holds in and around Vernonia.
Statistics for 2002 show that
we’ve assisted a monthly aver
age of 85 households, contain
ing 249 people (97 of whom
were children). Each of those
numbers is nearly doubled from
this time last year.
Now, more than ever, we
need to be willing to share what
we have so others will not go
hungry. Many of you already
give to Vernonia Cares. Thank
you! For those of you who
haven’t yet given, won’t you
please consider a generous
tax-deductible gift to help the
less fortunate in our communi
ty? I am assured you will—
because I know that “Vernonia
Cares.”
Gratefully,
Sandy Welch, Director
Vernonia Cares Food Bank
Local business was
great aid to travelers
To the Editor:
We wanted to drop you a
line and let you know how
much we appreciate all D & R
Towing did in helping us get
back on the road again. They
really did go the extra mile.
We all were very tired and
em otionally upset after the
truck fire. They made us feel
safe and at home.
We enjoyed the town of
Vernonia. Everyone was so
friendly. We hope to be able to
come back again.
We are writing a letter to
AAA to let them know what
great service D & R gave us.
Take care and thanks again.
Doug and Sheri Hatch
Murray, Utah
Car Club thanks all
involved in cruise in
To the Editor:
On behalf of the Nehalem
Valley Speed and Beauty Car
Club members, I would like to
extend a gracious thank you to
all of our entrants, sponsors,
friends and families for the suc
cess of the 10th Annual
Jamboree Cruise In, August 3,
at V ernonia’s 46th Annual
Friendship Jam boree. This
year, we had 284 entrants to
our show. This show would not
be possible without all of your
generous support and partici
pation.
I hope that you all enjoyed
the show and had a chance to
listen to the Boomer Band and
the Legendary Boomettes, fea
turing Lee Garrett. W hile listen
ing to the band, checking out all
of those great cars, I hope you
were able to enjoy one of the
Booster Club’s great burgers! A
special thank you to all of you
who helped at the booster
wagon.
This year, we had 49 tro
phies, with three ways to win.
First, the Class Awards that
were voted on by the entrants
and calculated by a computer
program. Second, we offered
10 special awards selected by
our Judges and last, we offered
our Sponsor’s Choice Awards
(Sponsors attended the show
and selected their favorite car
or truck).
Two additional winners this
year were Gerald Blume who
won the Distance Award, driv
ing from Fruitland, Idaho, in his
1955 Chev P/U, and the Beach
Barons, who won the Club
Affiliation Award by bringing 15
vehicles to this year’s show!
Glenda DeLemos
Nehalem Valley Speed &
Beauty Car Club
Vernonia
County official won’t
respond writer says
To the Editor:
Last week, in a letter to the
editor of the South County
S potlight, Eric Jenson from
Scappoose told of his account
with our County Commissioner,
Rita Bernhard, and how she did
not want to respond to his
request that she begin courting
a large high tech Danish firm
deciding on a location between
Portland, Longview, Vancouver
or, with some encouragement,
Columbia County. This firm will
be hiring more than 1000
employees, but not here.
He (Jenson) said we have
double-digit unemployment and
a depression in Colum bia
County. Thank you, Mr. Jenson.
You’ve hit the nail on the head.
I sat through two meetings with
the mute Ms. Bernhard, when
asking for landowner rights. I
didn’t feel that our issues were
Please see page 17