THS prepares for field house construction
Three new trails open near Pacific City
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Neah-Kah-Nie little league team wins district tourney Page B1
Headlight Herald Photo by Ben Moon
Tuesday, July 7, 2026 | Vol. 138, Issue 27
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www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
Tillamook County celebrates America’s 250
th
Will Chappell Headlight Editor
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uge crowds gathered in Rockaway Beach on Independence Day, to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday with the city’s annual parade and fireworks show in the evening. Dozens of floats, marchers, local officials, classic cars and first responders displayed their patriotic fervor and celebrated the small-town coastal lifestyle of Rockaway Beach, and after nightfall, the fireworks display delighted. Participants in the parade included Grand Marshal Barbara Trout, Rockaway Beach Mayor Charles McNeilly, Garibaldi Mayor Linda Bade and Bay City Mayor Liane Welch, Tillamook County Commissioner Paul Fournier, members of the Watseco Rockazoos and representatives from the Firecracker Wiener Nationals, which held their 20th annual Dachshund races at Phyllis Baker Park following the parade. Other parades were held in Manzanita, Cape Meares and Oceanside, while Neskowin hosted a fireworks display. See events, Page B3
New district forester takes reins in Tillamook Will Chappell
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Headlight Editor
ollowing the departure of longtime Tillamook Forester Kate Skinner to serve as deputy state forester, Kevin Hill took over the position in an interim capacity in April and permanently in mid-June. Hill brings more than three decades’ experience with the department and two decades in the Tillamook office, all in firefighting, to the position and said that he is focused on supporting staff as he learns the intricacies of the job. “To me, the district forester role is really about the people and making sure they have what they need to get their jobs done,” Hill said. “So, that’s how I’ve really approached it and knowing that I have things to learn.” Hill was born and raised in Rainier and joined the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) as a seasonal firefighter in the department’s Columbia City unit in 1994. Hill moved to a full-time role at South Fork Forest Camp in 1998, where he worked as a crew coordinator for four years, before a two-year stint as a forest management technician in the Astoria field office. In 2004, Hill accepted a position as wildland fire supervisor in Tillamook, a role which he has held since. This spring, after Skinner was selected to serve as the new deputy state forester, Hill took over the district forester position on an interim basis, before he was ultimately selected for the permanent position in May. Since taking over, Hill said that he has been working to get up to speed on the non-firefighting aspects of the position, which oversees a staff budgeted at 32 full-time positions and ten seasonal firefighters. Hill said that he has been having frequent conversations with staffers in charge of coordinating state forest timber sales, managing reforestation efforts and coordinating with private landowners to regulate their harvests. Hill said he was grate-
ful he had taken over the position near the end of a fiscal year, as he felt it had given him a good opportunity to observe how staff prepare the annual operating plan that lays out sales in the district. “One of the benefits is that we’re at the tail end of a fiscal year, an annual operating plan, we’re starting a new one July 1,” Hill said. “So, I think being here for that transition is helping me because I’m able to see that process starting and I’m able to learn that.” Another priority, Hill said, will be bolstering communications with the Tillamook County board of commissioners and public. Hill said that he hopes to increase public awareness of the agency’s responsibilities in the forest, specifically mentioning its coordination of reforestation efforts, and mitigate fire risk by making clear information about restrictions consistently available to the public. On that front, Hill said that fire season had begun on June 15, with those operating in the forest asked to step up fire precautions, while a countywide burn ban took effect July 1. As a long-time firefighter, Hill said that he did not like to make predictions about how a fire season would progress and instead encourages citizens to keep an eye on the fire risk level. When it comes to the county commissioners, who manage a budget supported in part by state forest timber revenue, Hill said that he plans to meet with the board quarterly to provide updates about recent and forthcoming harvests and their impacts on revenues. “Part of what I’m trying to do moving forward is keep the county commissioners a little more informed as to when those sales are going out and kind of where that flow is occurring,” Hill said, “where we’re at with loads of logs coming in, when they can expect revenue, what those numbers might be so that they can help with their budget need a little bit more.”
Jockeys vying for position down the homestretch in a 2025 race.
Tillamook County Fair less than a month away Will Chappell
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Headlight Editor
illamook County’s favorite summer tradition, the Tillamook County Fair, kicks off on August 5, celebrating its 135th edition with a theme of Old-Fashioned Country Fun. Fairgrounds director Camy VonSeggern recently sat down with the Headlight Herald to discuss the packed fair week schedule. Crowd pleasers abound throughout the week, starting with each afternoon’s pari-mutuel horse racing from 1-5 p.m. Thoroughbreds and quarter horses will compete separately as fairgoers have the opportunity to wager on the action. The fair’s racetrack will then be taken over by the Tillamook Pig-N-Ford Races, which begin at 5:30 p.m. each evening, with championship races taking place on Saturday. Arrive early to secure a seat for the only-in-Tillamook tradition that turned 100 last year and sees seasoned drivers wrangling piglets before crank starting their Model Ts and racing around
the track. Wednesday through Friday evenings culminate with concerts, with Niko Moon playing Wednesday, Oregon’s 234th Army Band performing Thursday and Collective Soul taking the stage on Friday, before a demolition derby caps fair week on Saturday, with all beginning at 8 p.m. During the day, in addition to horse racing, various performers will take to the fair’s courtyard stage, including hypnotist Tammy Barton and Willy’s Washboard Jamboree, while local businesses and organizations set up booths across the fairgrounds. Exhibits from locals will also abound, with more than 3,000 on display at last year’s fair, and 4H and FFA competitions will take place throughout the week, before Friday evening’s Junior Livestock Auction. Entries for exhibits are now being accepted online at tillamookfair.com and are open through 10 a.m. on August 3, while residents preferring to register exhibits in person will be able to do so on August 1 and 2. VonSeggern said that fair staff and volunteers are also working to
organize a slate of old-fashioned games such as sack and threelegged races and potentially a tug of war throughout the week that will harken back to fairs before carnival amusements became widespread. Fairgoers will not have to do without carnival rides, though, as Rainier Amusements returns with its lineup of attractions. Tickets for the carnival went on sale on July 6, and cost $39 when purchased online or $45 at the gate. Fair wristbands are also available online, and cost $15 for adults and $10 for children, with no discount for prepurchase. Wristbands will also be available for purchase in the coming weeks at Oregon Coast Bank’s branches in Pacific City and Tillamook, TLC Fiber Federal Credit Union in Tillamook, and First Security Bank’s branches in Tillamook and Manzanita. On Wednesday, children under 16 can obtain a wristband by bringing two canned food items if they arrive before 1 p.m., while on Thursday, veterans and senior citizens will be able to purchase tickets for $10.
IN THIS ISSUE Send us a news tip at tillamookheadlightherald.com | Your message could be the first thing our readers see! News A2-3, 6-8, B1-3 Opinion A4-5 Obituaries A7 Sports B1 Classifieds B4-8
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