A1
Clatskanie Venom
Columbia County braces for wildfires See page A3
heads to State competition See page A7
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Friday, June 24, 2016
The Chief
$1 Vol. 125, No. 6 10 Pages
Serving the Lower Columbia Region Since 1891
The classics return to Clatskanie
Pie baking contest June 25
Prize-winning, homemade pies will be sold by the slice on Saturday, June 25, from the snack shack at the southwest corner of the Clatskanie City Park. Members of Clatskanie Chapter T P.E.O (T Philanthropic Educational Organization) invite all bakers to enter the annual “Pie in the Park” baking contest held in conjunction with the Heritage Cruise Car Show. Entrants should bring their pies to the snack shack between 9 and 9:30 a.m. on June 25. Judging will begin at 10 a.m. and winners will be announced at approximately 12 noon. For adult bakers (age 18 and older) pies will be judged in the
See BAKING Page A4
JEREMY C. RUARK / THE CHIEF
Members of the Clatskanie Cruisers Club pose for a photo showing off some of the classic cars to be on display at the 26th annual Clatskanie Cruisers Car Show Saturday, June 25.
BY JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
It’s been a 26-year local tradition that brings in folks from far and wide and the annual Clatskanie Cruisers Car Show on June 25 signals the start of Clatskanie’s Heritage Days. Co-founder Eddy Wood said the car show at Clatskanie Park is a good time for all. “Just being around all the car enthusiasts is fun,” Wood said. “It’s a good way to meet and you see a lot of old friends you may
not have seen in a long time.” Wood said the car show is also good for the local economy. “It brings a lot to the economy,” Wood said. “There are folks downtown eating and buying stuff. We also give quite a bit of the money raised at the car show to the Heritage Days Committee to help support the events.” Wood will bring in the host car, his1940 ruby red Ford deluxe coup. “It’s my favorite of the six or seven cars I’ve restored,” he said. “I’ve liked the Ford 40’s since I
was a little kid.” During the car show several raffles are held, line-dancers perform and the car show participants vote on more than 40 categories including host car, early model stock, muscle cars, street rods, trucks and motorcycles. There is also a youth classification for young participants 16 to 25 years old. At 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, the Cruisers hold an awards ceremony. During the day, food, music and vendors will be at Clatskanie
Park, a pancake breakfast will be offered at the American Legion Hall and the Farmers Market will take place at Cope’s Park. At dusk, a drive in movie night is set for Clatskanie Park. Other Heritage Days events are scheduled for next weekend and on July 4. (See Page 8 for the complete Heritage Days schedule). Clatskanie Cruisers past president Fred Dyson said the nostalgia of the classic cars is
COURTESY PHOTO
Members of Clatskanie Chapter T P.E.O (T Philanthropic Educational Organization) invite all bakers to enter the annual “Pie in the Park” baking contest held in conjunction with the Heritage Cruise Car Show on Saturday.
See CLASSICS Page A4
Changes ahead for Heritage New faces at The Chief Days fireworks show BY JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Following grass fires and safety concerns associated with the annual Clatskanie Heritage Days Fourth of July fireworks, officials have moved the launch site from an area near the Clatskanie wastewater plant to Cope’s Park.
“A couple of years in a row we had the grass in the nearby field catch fire,” Clatskanie Rural Fire Protection District Chief Steve Sharek said. “So we looked at alternative ways to make it safe, including sprinkler systems and cutting the grass, but it turned out to be a logistical problem for us in getting all that done,” Heritage Days Chair Debi Smiley said the decision to move the fireworks launch site was based on safety. “We have been working carefully with the professionals and the fireworks company to ensure that this is a beautiful and safe show,” Smiley said. All the safety areas at Cope’s Park have been defined and
determined and Sharek said the Oregon State Fire Marshal has approved the necessary permit changes. According to Clatskanie Police Sgt. Shaun McQuiddy, a 200-foot safety buffer is required at the new launch site and that will mean some street closures will take place beginning at about 3 p.m. Monday, July, 4. “Prior to the display we will block off NW Conyers Street and Steele Street from the bridge entrance to Nehalem Street,” McQuiddy said. “This will allow fire hoses to be laid across the streets. Cope’s Park will also be closed to the public during the
See FIREWORKS Page A5
COURTESY PHOTO
From left to right: Jeremy Ruark, Dawndi McQuiddy, and Frank Perea.
newspaper. Mann has, for the previous year, served as editor of the Clatskanie Chief and frequently contributed to The Chronicle. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and a long-time Oregon resident. Replacing Mann as editor of the Chief is Jeremy Ruark. An Oregon native, Ruark served as executive editor of the News Guard in Lincoln City for six years. He also held the position of editor of the Seaside Signal, a weekly newspaper on the northern Oregon coast. He has years of experience in media management, working at television stations in Eugene and radio in Central Oregon. We are very fortunate to have a journalist of Jeremy’s experience and talent. A third reporter has yet to join The Chronicle staff. In the advertising department, Frank Perea assumes the title of marketing manager. His resume includes more than 13 years as a newspaper executive, including publisher and general manager positions with Lee Enterprises, Yel-
BY DON PATTERSON Publisher
The Chief and The Chronicle announced today, the addition of three new staff members. Both editorial and the advertising teams are being reorganized to better meet the changing demands of our readership and advertisers. The Chronicle placing greater emphasis on our digital products, while adding new print products and services. In the coming weeks you’ll see expanded digital offerings. You’ll see more in-depth journalism and stories of interest from throughout Columbia County. Having a staff located in the northern and southern parts of the county gives us the ability to gather news from throughout the lower Columbia River region. On the advertising side of the business, The Chief and Chronicle reach, by far, the largest audience in Columbia County. The current ad staff is bolstered by the addition of another sales professional. At a time when newspapers are laying employees off, we are adding staff. Cody Mann assumes the role of lead reporter at the St. Helens
See NEW FACES Page A9