The INDEPENDENT, September 95, 2002
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Letters to tbe Editor
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Sunnyside Cafe is
closing its doors
To the Editor:
We are sorry to say that we
will be closing our doors at
Sunnyside Cafe on September
27 at 2:00 p.m. Most of you
know that we have been strug
gling for some time. We just
wanted to be able to thank all of
you who have supported us for
the last 2-1/2 years. We have
had a great time and made
some wonderful friends, but it is
just not possible for us to re
main open any longer. We will
miss all of you!
Sincerely,
Kelly Sohler
Melissa Hunt
Vernonia
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celebrating our nation’s inde
pendence.
We would also like to ex
press appreciation to Gardner’s
Feed Store and Vernonia Hard
ware. These companies sup
ported us at the Columbia
County Fair this year by pur
chasing a market pen of rab
bits.
Finally, last, but not least,
thank you to Grandpa and
Grandma Saunders for all of
the behind-the-scenes work
you do for all of us.
Sincerely,
D’Lisa Watts, Leader
Amanda Watts, Jr. Leader
Billi Avila, Marissa Clement,
Torie Clement, Elliott Graf,
Kim Stringfield,
Mikeal Walter
Vernonia
4-H Club appreciates Riders invited to try
community support out new BMX track
To the Editor:
All Creatures Great and
Small 4-H Club would like to
thank the following people for
all their help and support this
year. Thank you, Billy Leach,
for supplying the music for the
4th of July parade, Kody Watts
for the use of your truck, and
Jessica Bergstrom, Linda Graf
and Larry and Judy Clements,
for your help with the decora
tions. We all had a great time
To the Editor:
I am writing to let everyone
know that Columbia County
now has a real live BMX racing
track for the youth of our com
munity. We at Columbia River
BMX would like to take this op
portunity to invite everyone to
come to St. Helens’ McCormick
Park and check out Columbia
County’s latest attraction for the
youth of this area. We are very
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excited at being able to bring to
this County not only a BMX
track, but an American Bicycle
Association Sanctioned Track.
In just 4-1/2 months from the
time the City of St. Helens gave
us the green light to build the
track, we were running our first
races. In just a little over 4
weeks time, we have already
signed up over 70 riders, most
ly from St. Helens and Scap
poose. We know that there are
kids all over this County that
have not heard about this track.
We would like to take this op
portunity to invite them, as well.
We really would like to see all
of the different communities
within Columbia County get ex
cited about this. Once again,
thank you for your time, and we
look forward to seeing you at
the track shortly.
Sincerely,
Paul M. Barlow
St. Helens
We watch movies and
read books where (for the
most part) the good guy tri
umphs. Harrison Ford, por
traying Jack Ryan in Tom
Clancy’s thrilling novels of
espionage, always out-
thinks and out-maneuvers
the enemy to save his fam
ily and his country. James
Bond, in Ian Fleming’s novels and movies al
ways (through the use of all kinds of ingenious
devices and maneuvers) wins the struggle and
the girl. Lucas Davenport and Lincoln Rhyme,
protagonists created by John Sandford and Jef
fery Deaver, respectively, solve crimes and save
lives time after time. In books and in movies peo
ple walk across narrow logs spanning wide and
deep chasms, are rescued from burning build
ings by grabbing lines attached to helicopters,
and escape man-eating sharks. The events of
this past week have shown that we live in a real
world and that even the most extraordinary indi
viduals cannot always find ways to prevent
tragedy.
At times like this, though, fantasy may help by
interjecting some diversion from thoughts and
news coverage of this horrible event and its pos
to all who suffered from the ef
fects of that horrible terrorist at
tack.
A special thanks to Sheriff
Phil Derby, Chief George
Dunkel, Chaplain John Stetzer,
Mayor Don Kalberg, Diane Dil
lard from Boise-Cascade,
Trevor Hall and Forest Viles
from the VFW, and many other
law enforcement, emergency
responders and military per
sonnel, along with private indi
viduals who helped organize
this event.
We would also like to ac
knowledge Steve Atchison,
who played taps, bagpiper G.N.
Thoen, and Lisa Sigler for
singing the Star Spangled Ban
ner. It was gratifying to see
such overwhelming public par
ticipation. Thank you everyone.
Board of County Commissioners
Commissioner Anthony Hyde
Commissioner Rita Bernhard
Commissioner Joe Corsiglia
Sept. 11 ceremony Members sought for
was gratifying
bike advocacy group
To the Editor:
The Board of County Com
missioners for Columbia Coun
ty would like to thank all those
who made the September 12th
Remembrance at Columbia
View Park a huge success. The
ceremony was a fitting tribute
Between the Bookends
By Nancy Burch, Librarian
Vernonia Public Library
Page 3
1111
sible consequences. If this is the case, the li
brary has some recent acquisitions that might
fulfill this need. These include Envy by Sandra
Brown, The Associate by Phillip Margolin, The
Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans, Tell No One
by Harlan Coben, Love Among the Ruins by
Robert Clark, and Comfort Me With Apples by
Dean Harding McGarity. Remember that, in ad
dition to the books of fiction and non-fiction, the
library has a nice collection of audio and video
tapes that may be checked out, as well as cur
rent issues of 35 magazines. The latest issue of
Northwest Travel features drives that may be
taken to enjoy the beautiful fall leaves, Family
Fun has some great ideas for Halloween cos
tumes, Better Homes and Gardens highlights
ideas for fall decorating, and Crafting Traditions
is full of autumn craft ideas for both inside and
outside your home.
The next scheduled meeting for the Friends of
the Library will be October 9th, at 1:00 p.m. in
the library. Suggestions are still being accepted
for the project or projects to best benefit the li
brary with the funds raised during the Jamboree
book sale/raffle.
Vernonia Library 701 Weed Avenue
Hours: Mon., Wed., F it 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tues., Thur, 2 p.m.-7 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Phone: (503)429-1818
To the Editor:
Columbia County has its
own bicycle and pedestrian ad
vocacy group. We are the Co
lumbia County Chapter of the
Bicycle Transportation Alliance.
All of our active members are
centered along Highway 30
from Scappoose to Rainier.
That is unfortunate because we
are not aware of local problem
areas around Vernonia, Mist
and Clatskanie. We are having
our first meeting of the fall sea
son on Thursday, September
26, 2002. We meet at the Co
lumbia Tech. Center in St. He
lens, and we would like to ex
tend an invitation to the walk
ers, runners and bicyclists of
these communities to join us at
this meeting.
Perhaps in this age of chat
rooms and other electronic
communication devices we can
figure out a way to unite people
in the far flung corners of our
county into an effective lobby
and educational group. Our
meetings are from 7:00 to 8:00
P.M., and they really do start
and end on time because they
throw us out if we run over. The
Tech. Center is located at 375
S. 18th. You can also contact
me via e-mail at gdinsmore®
columbia-center.org
Gary Dinsmore, Chairman
Columbia County Bicycle
Transportation Alliance
Scappoose
Picnic fun for foster,
adoptive families
To the Editor:
On August 24, 2002, Colum
bia DHS Child Welfare held its
annual picnic for foster, relative
and adoptive families. The
hamburgers, hotdogs and soft
drinks provided for the families
were supplemented by potluck
dishes brought by the families
and agency staff. All of the chil
dren received prizes for partici
pating in fun games and there
were raffle prizes for the fami
lies.
We would like to take this
opportunity to thank the many
local businesses whose gener
ous donations helped to make
this event a success. Those
businesses include Blue Moon
Gifts, Don’s Rentals, El Tapatio
Restaurant, Friesen Lumber,
Grammy’s Used Books &
Espresso, Oregon Trails Lanes,
Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Red Ap
ple, Rite Aid, Safeway, St. He
lens Book Shop, Dollar Tree
and What’s Upstairs.
We would also like to thank
Melody Killens for once again
organizing
the
children’s
games, which is always a high
light of the picnic. It is heart
warming to see how our com
munity values children.
Sincerely,
Sandy McMillan
Columbia Branch Child
Welfare, Community Human
Services
Gail Mitchell
Foster Home Certifier
Promises, promises,
time for promises
To the Editor:
Bring your children indoors,
lock the doors, and shutter the
windows! Possibly you should
turn off your radios and televi
sion sets as well. "Why", you
may ask. The political season
is once upon us, that’s why.
It is once again “promise
season." It’s the time of year
when many (but not all) political
candidates will be telling us
how much they will do for us
and how we won’t have to pay
for it. They’ll tell us that others
should and will pay for what we
receive. Who are these others?
We will be told that “they” are
nasty, profiteering businesses
and greedy rich folks.
The truth is quite different.
We all pay for current govern
ment programs and will pay for
Please see page 16