The INDEPENDENT, October 16, 2008 Page 9 Bits & Bites By Jacqueline Ramsay On October 10, the Vernonia Lions Club, represented by Marge Lowrance on left and Larry Snethen on right, hand over a donation check to Sandy Welch of Vernonia Cares. Chautauqua scheduled for Library “Innovators and Traders: The Indigenous People of the Columbia River” is the subject of the next Chautauqua pro- gram to be presented at the Vernonia Library, on November 6 at 1:00 p.m. Pat Courtney Gold will dis- cuss how the Indigenous Peo- ple of the Columbia River cre- ated the first environmentally friendly model of commerce in Oregon and why it affects the way we live today. The people in the Columbia River area were trading with Russia, Spain, England, China and America by the 1700s, yet their story is often untold in regional histories. Gold is an enrolled member of the Wasco Nation of the Warm Springs Confeder- ated Tribes or Oregon. This Oregon Chautauqua program is made possible by funding from the Oregon Coun- cil for the Humanities and pre- sented by the Vernonia Study Club. Please Vote! Basket by Pat Courtney Gold 10 am - 7 pm Mon. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm Saturday Closed Sundays VISA/Mastercard Accepted New York Life Insurance Company Life Insurance - Long Term Care Insurance - Retirement Planning - Fixed Annuities* - Mortgage Protection Mutual funds - Business Insurance - IRA/SEP/TSA Jim Presley, Financial Services Professional Vernonia, Oregon Office: 503-429-0747 Cell: 503-929-3455 *Issued by New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corporation (A Delaware Corporation) First off – Br- rrrr! Sec- ond – A great Big Thank You to Te r r y, Greg, Mike and Brenda for replacing my car cover. It should stand many wind and rain or snow storms. Again, Thank You. I know folks say, “That’s what friends are for,” but that was a Big job – not a flash in the pan. (Am I showing my age with my jargon?) Also, thank you Polly for the butterfly. Have you noticed a glut in your mail box or over the phone line? Thank heaven I do not have any way to receive inter- net spam – junk or whatever it is called. My T.V. is off until evening and so is the radio. I play cassettes, videos, CDs or DVDs. Ah – just entertainment. Or, I and a friend gab, drink tea and play Rummikub or Mexican Train. I haven’t resorted to earplugs yet – but, I might. What’s going on in town? What’s City Hall talking about? Someone asked me these questions last week. My an- swer – How should I know? I observe what’s around me – I’m not a digger for Bla, Bla Topics. Sorry, and since it’s turned cold and rainy I’ve not been too active. The “Arthritis” boys have moved in on my bones. The hunting season should be fruitful now the rains have come but I’ve not heard as many guns being “lined in” this year. Last year it was daily tar- get practice echoing at the lake. Not sure what to save your change for – or spend it on? Christmas Bazaar time is just around the corner, so is the Turkey Drive for the Vernonia Cares Christmas food baskets. You know turkey goes on sale for Thanksgiving if you’ve a mind to be kind. Cares stores them up and I’ve a feeling the count will be at least 200 or bet- ter this year. If you’ve a feeling, follow it by doing, not just think- ing. 50 Years Ago This Month The October 2, 1958, issue of the Vernonia Eagle included the following letter to the editor on page 4, in response to an article that was re-run in the September 18, 2008, issue of The Independent , page 9: To The Editor: After reading the “Rube Gold- berg” proposal of Hi Scott con- cerning the damming of the Ne- halem river and tunneling of the water to Scoggins (Death) Valley, one reaches the conclusion that one of two things must surely have prompted such a scheme. First: Please see page 20