PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 19, No. 18
“Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley”
FREE
September 16, 2004
Summer is over, fall
events are featured
SalmonFest – Let’s do it again!
Quilt Fair opens for 34th year
St. Mary’s 34th Annual Quilt
Fair started today and will con-
tinue through Sunday, from
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily at
960 Missouri Ave., Vernonia.
Throngs of people will enjoy
the multitude of quilts – both
hand and machine crafted
quilts – plus wall hangings and
unique craft items for sale and
display.
The annual Star of Bethle-
hem raffle quilt will be on dis-
play and will be raffled off on
Sunday, September 19, at 4:00
p.m. (need not be present to
win). There will be door prizes,
“Bed Turning” storytelling, a
Craft Bazaar and more.
The justifiably noted lunches
of specialty soups, rolls, pies
and cinnamon rolls will be
served daily from 11:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m.
Door admission/donation is
$1.00.
SalmonFest set for Oct. 2nd
Fanciful scarecrows, pumpkin carving and hay rides to salmon viewing sites were just a
few of the activities at Vernonia’s first SalmonFest, last year. Even more activities are
planned for the 2004 SalmonFest coming up October 2nd.
Oktoberfest will oompah at Fairgrounds
The first Columbia County
Oktoberfest will debut Friday
and Saturday, September 24
and 25, at the Columbia Coun-
ty Fairgrounds in St. Helens.
A celebration of the harvest
and rural traditions, Oktober-
fest will feature German-in-
spired foods and beverages,
the work of local crafters and
artisans, music, dancing, and
kids’ activities. Old and new
tractors, BMW automobiles,
and farm implements will be
displayed.
Germany’s legendary Fisch-
er Brewery beer will be avail-
able and evening entertain-
ment will showcase a German
oompah-pah band.
Proceeds will benefit area
youth programs, Columbia Pa-
Banks Tractor Pull, Saturday
The rescheduled Banks
Tractor Pull, Combine Demoli-
tion Derby and Bar-B-Q will rev
up again Sept. 18 at Sunset
Park in Banks.
The Truck and Tractor Pulls
will start at 3:00 p.m. Registra-
tion for the pulls will be from 11
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for all farm
stock tractors, all farm modi-
fied tractors, all farm exhibition
tractors, all country modified
pickup 4x4s and all other pick-
ups.
The crowd-favorite Combine
Demolition Derby will get off to
a roaring start at 7:00 p.m.
In addition to the much-an-
ticipated barbecued beef, live
music from Robby Laws
Hoodoo Nation will also keep
the evening lively.
cific Food Bank, and the Co-
lumbia County Fair.
Activities will start at 11 a.m.
and continue to midnight on
both days. Admission will be
$5.00 per person, except on
Friday, when admission for
seniors over 55 will be $3.00
between the hours of 11:00
a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Children 12
and under will be admitted free.
An exciting array of activities
will provide something for
everyone in the family during
Vernonia’s second annual
Salmon Festival on October 2.
Take a hayride to a salmon
viewing site, help kids at the
trout pond, build your own
scarecrow or carve a creative
pumpkin. Join the apple pie
baking contest, or enjoy tasting
some fine Oregon wines.
For an entertaining explana-
tion of the life cycle of salmon,
don’t miss the presentation by
Sheryl Cochran, of the Colum-
bia Maritime Museum in Asto-
ria. The three-part presentation
will use puppets, illustrations, a
short video and – best of all –
include children in interactive
story telling to explain both the
life cycle of salmon and where
they fit on the food chain…
“There was an old lady who
swallowed a trout”. This will be
presented several times during
the day.
There will be some really
great vendors, for both food
and merchandise, plus fine arts
contests and exhibits, and an
exhibit of amateur crafts,
needlework and more.
Silent and oral auctions will
keep bargain seekers happy,
and the kids can learn gyotaku
– yep, gyotaku. If you’re unfa-
miliar with the term, don’t miss
this chance to learn something
new at the Vernonia Salmon
Festival.