PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 19, No. 7
“Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley”
Unusually warm weather last Monday let folks shed jackets and enjoy the warmth of
the sun. It also brought 4 year-old Matea Tait and her dad, Ben, over the hill from Scap-
poose to do a little fishing at Vernonia Lake.
Get ready for Vernonia River
Fest, Saturday, May 1, for a full
day of fun for all ages and
many interests. Rock Creek,
the Nehalem River and two city
parks located on their banks
will be the focus of activity.
Scappoose Bay Kayaking and
Andy and Bax will provide
demonstrations and rentals so,
if you don’t have your own
kayak or raft, you will still be
able to float down river from
Anderson Park to Big Eddy
Park, about a three-hour float.
There will also be a take-out
point at approximately the
halfway mark. Transportation
for boaters will be provided
back to Vernonia from the two
take-out points. Reservations
for water equipment can be
made through Mark or Debbie
Hall at 429-8382 or <halldeb
by@verizon.net>.
While Dad or Mom is floating
or paddling down the river and
enjoying the scenery, there will
be many activities and events
for everyone else to do in town.
Kids games and activities will
be set up throughout Anderson
Park. Hawkins Park will be full
to bursting with River Fest ac-
tivities and the Vernonia Coun-
try Market. Several events op-
erated by the VRF committee
will be used to fund the in-
creased costs of holding multi-
Nebraskan accepts contract as Vernonia Police Chief
24,000, has 37 officers in its
police department.
Since starting as a patrol of-
ficer in 1991, Workman has
progressed to increasingly re-
sponsible positions, including
supervision and/or training of
both regular and reserve offi-
cers. He also has extensive ex-
perience with the many ele-
ments of community policing.
His current position is with the
April 1, 2004
Vernonia River Fest
will debut May first
Yes! 75 degrees in March!
Mathew Workman, the top
pick of the Vernonia City Coun-
cil to head the local police de-
partment, has accepted a con-
tract with the city and will as-
sume the position of police
chief on May first.
Workman comes to Vernon-
ia with 13 years of law enforce-
ment experience with the Hast-
ings, Neb., Police Department.
Hastings, with a population of
FREE
department’s Office of Profes-
sional Standards.
Workman has a Bachelors
degree in Criminal Justice from
the University of Nebraska, and
a Masters in Organizational
Management from the Univer-
sity of Phoenix.
“I am an advocate for com-
munity involvement as well as
youth programs, and look for-
ward to serving the citizens of
the City of Vernonia,” Workman
told The INDEPENDENT.
“During our short visit to Ver-
nonia,” Workman said of a fam-
ily visit last month, “we were
able to meet several people
and look forward to being able
to interact with even more,”
Workman and his wife, Tess,
have two children, 10 year-old
Bethany, and Brenton, who is
Please see page 3
ple events and to benefit local
projects, particularly a pro-
posed skate park.
Plastic ducks will race (okay,
float) down Rock Creek in three
separate classes. Big spenders
who want a chance to win 40
percent of the purse, can pur-
chase a Blue Duck for $25.00.
A $5.00 Pink Duck will net 30
percent for first place and 10
percent for second place. Kids
will be delighted with the $1.00
Yellow Duck, earning prizes for
first, second and third places.
Ducks may be purchased in
advance at Vernonia Mercan-
tile, Triple S Saw Shop, or by
contacting Mark or Debbie Hall
at the numbers above . They
will also be available at River
Fest.
Several festive Maypoles
will be erected in Hawkins
Park. Participants will have fun
with this traditional springtime
activity, making wreaths or
crowns and dancing to deco-
rate the pole.
Do you make great chili?
The River Fest Chili Cookoff
will give you an opportunity to
see who agrees with you. For
information, contact coordina-
tor Nancy Dailey at <www.new
moonllamas.com>. The INDE-
PENDENT doesn’t know if fire
extinguishers will be provided.
Please see page 15
Kids! Meet the
Easter Bunny
at the Vernonia
Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 10
10 AM SHARP!
Hawkins Park
Sponsored by the Vernonia
Chamber of Commerce