The INDEPENDENT, May 7, 2009
Want to get Knee Deep in Salmon?
The Vernonia Salmon Festi-
val Committee hopes to inspire
artists of all mediums to partici-
pate in the 4th annual Knee
Deep in Salmon event, an ex-
citing fundraising auction.
Carvin’ Marvin Howard, of
North Plains, has carved ten
(10) salmon blanks from prime
cedar or fir for the 2009 Knee
Deep in Salmon event. They
are at least 30” long and 1-1/2”
thick — ready to provide the
perfect foundation for your cre-
ative interpretation. The cost of
entry is $50.00 to cover the
cost of the salmon blanks.
Deadline to get your salmon
is June 15. Decoration needs
to be completed by July 15.
For details or to get a
salmon,
contact
Josette
Mitchell: mitchelljosette@ya
hoo.com or Erika Paleck, 503-
429-0898 or: epaleck@gmail.
com.
Andersen 2nd at Sr. Spelling Bee
by Tobie Finzel
Noni Andersen, Vernonia,
won Second Place in the 12th
annual Oregon Senior (50 and
older) Spelling Bee held April
18 in Aurora. Twenty-two senior
spellers competed in the tour-
ney which began with a qualify-
ing written round of 75 words.
The top fifty percent then com-
peted in the oral round. Each
competitor received a different
word to spell aloud in succes-
sive rounds; competitors were
eliminated after three incorrect
spellings.
First place went to Maggie
Stuckey, Portland, and a play-
off round for the four spellers
tied for third gave that prize to
Barry Pelzner, also of Portland.
A separate certificate for first
place in the written portion
went to Linda Goertz of Port-
land.
Some of the words in this
year’s Senior Spelling Bee
were gneiss, piscivorous, joule,
cere, ophidian, inchoate and
exuviation.
Andersen won the local Se-
nior Spelling Bee in 2001 and
has participated in prior years’
state bees. Prior local winners
of the Oregon State Bee in-
clude Audeen Wagner, Second
Place 1998, First Place 1999;
Carol Sawyer, Second Place
2002 and First Place 2003; and
Tobie Finzel, who moved up
from Third in 2002 to Second in
2003 to First in 2004. Once a
competitor has won First Place,
he or she may no longer com-
pete. Retired champions are
then invited to participate in the
volunteer committee that runs
the Bee; the three local women
all do. The three have also
competed in the National Se-
nior Spelling Bee in Cheyenne,
Wyoming. Wagner was the
2000 winner and Sawyer won
in 2003. Finzel placed third in
2003 and 2004.
See Spelling page 14
Senior News
By Karen Miller, Senior Advocate
Community Action Team
May is
O l d e r
Ameri-
c a n s
Month.
O l d e r
Ameri-
c a n s
Month is
a great
time to bring attention to issues
that affect older adults and cre-
ate community-wide opportuni-
ties to help improve the quality
of their lives. This year’s theme
is “Living Today for a Better To-
morrow.”
Did you know by 2030 one in
every five Americans will be
age 65 or older? Although the
risk of disease increases with
advancing age, poor health is
not an inevitable consequence
of aging. Many illnesses, dis-
abilities and even deaths asso-
ciated with chronic disease are
preventable.
Nearly 40 percent of deaths
in America are attributed to
poor health due to things such
as lack of physical exercise,
poor eating habits and smok-
ing. Older Americans can pre-
vent or control chronic disease
Vernonia EMS
offers free BBQ
The community is invited to
learn more about the Vernonia
Emergency Medical Services
team and the Vernonia Fire
Department while enjoying
tasty barbecue, at their Open
House and BBQ. It will be held
May 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m. at the Fire Department.
In The Service
Get someone a flock of flamingos
Bryan D. Benes
Flocks of flamingos will be
arriving in Vernonia soon. Boy
Scout Troop 201 will be doing
their annual summer camp
fundraiser when the flamingos
land.
Beginning Monday, May 4,
and flying through Friday, May
29, in the dark of night, flamin-
gos will be landing around
town. If you would like to
choose a friend, neighbor of
family member to be greeted
by the pink flock upon awaken-
ing in the morning, call Jon
Steward at 503-819-2656 or
Air National Guard Airman
Bryan D. Benes graduated
from basic military training at
Lackland Air Force Base, San
Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an
intensive, eight-week program
that included training in military
discipline and studies, Air
Force core values, physical fit-
ness, and basic warfare princi-
ples and skills.
Benes is the son of Dave
and Diane Benes, of Vernonia,
and a 2008 graduate of Ver-
nonia High School.
Tera Roberts at 503-429-6006
to make arrangements. If you
are paying by check, please
make it payable to Boy Scout
Troop 201.
If you are one of the “lucky”
ones to be visited by the flamin-
gos, you can call to make
arrangements for them to fly
away into another “lucky” yard
by contacting either Jon or
Tera. The flamingos can fly
around only within the city lim-
its. Put a pink flamingo smile on
someone’s face.
Page 7
by adopting healthy habits such
as exercising regularly, main-
taining a healthy diet and not
smoking.
It’s important to maintain not
only physical health but also to
continue to cultivate positive
mental health. Engaging in so-
cial activities in the community
can greatly improve your men-
tal health.
So, in the wake of that infor-
mation you just read: Come on
in to the Senior Center for nutri-
tious lunches, get out of the
house and come in on
Wednesdays for our Golden
Oldies Band Day, come in and
see our new look and more
room to put on your dancing
shoes, exercise with the Wii,
exercise your mind with games,
or join the ladies on Tuesdays
for fun with quilting or any
sewing project! See you here!
Foot care is here at our cen-
ter twice a month: Still only
$15.
Free blood pressure checks
here, May 20, at 11:00 a.m.
Columbia Hearing will be
here May 13. Free Hearing
tests.
Call my office to sign up for
our next AARP Safe Driving
Class.
Maple donuts on sale here
every morning for $1.00.
Great buys here at the cen-
ter: Check out the dollar rack.
Watch this column for infor-
mation on the breakfast at Jam-
boree.
Also, more information com-
ing for our plant sale.
Membership dues, still only
$10.
Come join us on TUESDAY,
May 26, for our five-area lunch
here at the Center, with enter-
tainment by the Blind Rootin’
Hogs.
Congratulations to the Se-
nior Police Academy graduates
Class of 2009! The attendees
thank Interim Chief Kay and his
fellow officers for leading this
informative class in teaching us
how to be better prepared for
issues dealing with our age
group and in the community.
If you missed out, sign up for
the next one.
Call my office for any senior
issues and concerns you may
have at 503-429-9112.
INFORMATION NUMBERS
Senior Advocate...429-9112
Senior Center.......429-3912
Transportation......429-4304
State Farm ®
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710
Bunny Girt, Agent
1229 N. Adair
PO Box 543
Cornelius, OR 97113-0543
Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667
bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com