Chamber News Rodeo Steakhouse celebrates fifth anniversary
T
he Rodeo Steakhouse and Grill crew cuts a ribbon to honor their fifth year in business in downtown Tillamook. To include the community on its official anniversary, Dec. 13, the restaurant offered free food for kids all day, a free beer for each adult, and lunchtime drawings. Since opening in late 2007, the Rodeo Steakhouse and Grill has been a favorite among Tillamook residents and visitors alike. For more information,
drop by the restaurant, located at 2015 First Street in Tillamook, or visit www. rodeosteakhousegrill.com.
‘Tillamook’ apparel makes the perfect birthday present
D
on’t know what to buy that someone special for his or her birthday? Well look no further…your local Tillamook Area Chamber now offers a large line of Tillamook Oregon apparel. We have hooded sweatshirts for adults & kids, several styles of tee-shirts, rain jackets, fleece jackets and for the stockings we offer mugs, bumper stickers and stuffed cows. Stop by the Chamber office Monday through Friday, 9-5, to pick up your items. Don’t wait too long. ... They are going fast!
2-5 Chamber News 6-7 Business News 8 Community News 9 Fun Facts
Don’t miss ‘A Night on Mainstreet’ Nominees named for annual Chamber banquet awards
T
he nominees for this year’s Chamber banquet awards have been named. Find out which of these deserving candidates wins by attending “A Night on Mainstreet: New Orleans,” scheduled for Jan. 19. The nominees are: • Business of the Year - Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, Near Space Corporation, Pelican Pub/Kiwanda Hospitality/Five Rivers Coffee, and the Blue Heron French Cheese Company. •Small Business of the Year - Tillamook Meats, Inc., Local Dog House, Diamond Art Jewelers, Averill Landscaping Materials, and Rob Trost Realty. • Development Project of the Year - Manzanita Fresh Foods, Farm Power of Tillamook, Tillamook County Creamery Association expansion, Port of Tillamook Bay Business Park, Tillamook County Fairgrounds Pavilion, Tillamook County General Hospital expansion, and the Upstairs Bar & Grill. • Business Person of the Year - Eugene Tish (Garibaldi House Inn & Suites), Ken Fallon (Fallon Logging), Chris Stirk (Stimson Lumber), and Gary Albright (Tillamook County Pioneer Museum). The banquet will begin at --, and feature food from more than a dozen local restaurants, an oyster bar, and a few dishes hailing from the Deep South, along with silent and oral auctions.
The banquet is scheduled to begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m., on Jan. 19 at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds, located at 4603 Third Street, in Tillamook. Purchase your tickets online to make sure you don’t miss out on all the fun!
Chamber News
Meet the Chamber Board & Staff
Jennifer Purcell, Chair
Dave Lindstrom, Past President
Connie Green
Dan Leuthold
Gordon Plotts
Kelly Cook
Samantha Swindler
Justin Aufdermauer, Executive Director
Tammy Samagaio, Office Manager
Chamber News
T
he last Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce Cash Mob of 2012, held Dec. 28 in Tillamook, raised more than $300 for Rainy Day Books. A local landmark since the 1980s, Rainy Day Books closed on Dec. 30, making the recent Cash Mob a bit of a departure for the Chamber. “We stepped out of our rules this Cash Mob to help a longtime business owner with her exit plan,” said Chamber Executive Director Justin Aufdermauer.
Cash Mobs are held throughout the country as a way to give local business owners a shot in the arm. Participants agree to meet at a central location at which time they are told of the Cash Mob destination. They each agree to spend a designated amount - usually $20 - at the event business. Fat Dog Pizza, of Tillamook, donated a $20 gift certificate as a raffle prize at the Dec. 28 Cash Mob. Visit www.gotillamook.com to learn more.
More than one dozen shoppers joined the Dec. 28 Cash Mob at Rainy Day Books.
Rainy Day Books’ Karen Spicer took in $305 during a recent Cash Mob.
Karen Spicer rings up another Cash Mob purchase.
Business News
Help decide the future of local roads
T
illamook County has 300 miles of paved roads, 97 miles of gravel roads, 99 bridges, 3210 culverts, two dikes and 5310 road signs. This represents a public investment by taxpayers of $400 million. A recent review of the condition of county road systems in Oregon gave Tillamook County the worst rating of all counties. Poor roads impact the commercial, agricultural and industrial businesses in the county. But it also impacts public safety: properly engineered and maintained
Jon Carnahan Sustainable Roads Committee Chair
roads are essential to transportation safety, and deteriorating roads put all of us at increased risk and make it more difficult for police, firefighters and medical personnel to respond to emergencies. Our committee believes the county road department has done the best job it can with fewer and
fewer resources. Funding from federal forests harvests have been declining and will soon end, and voters turned down funding measures in 1996, 1999, 2008 and, most recently, in November, 2011. The first three measures were defeated by more than 60% of the voters. However, the November, 2011 property tax measure, which would have cost an estimated 46 cents per $1,000 in assessed value (less than half the cost of the 2008 measure), narrowly lost, 47% Yes, 53% No. That result encouraged us to keep thinking about how to improve our county roads. The Tillamook County Citizens Road Committee believes that the condition of county roads has deteriorated to an unacceptable point. At the same time, its members respect the wisdom of the voters of Tillamook County and have informally been asking citizens for advice on how to move forward over the last year. Two themes have emerged from our conversations: 1) make sure the tax is as low as it can be and is focused on essential work; and 2) look for ways to generate revenue from visitors to the county, who use and benefit from our road system. Therefore, we are considering two county ballot measures. The first is an even leaner version of the 2011 property measure, and the second is a new county room tax for motel and hotel rooms, camp grounds and
Tillamook County Roads are riddled with potholes.
vacation rentals for stays of less than 30 days. We have scheduled three Community Forums to meet with citizens to gather your opinions and input before making any final decisions on these measures. A forum will be held in North, Central and South County. You are invited to attend one or all of them. The South County Forum will be held on January 7, 2013, at 6:30 PM at the Kiawanda Community Center. The North County Forum will be held on January 8, 2012 at 6:30 PM at the Pine Grove Community House. The Central County Forum will be held on January 9, 2012 at 6:30 PM at Tillamook Bay Community College in Room 215. The forum held at Tillamook Bay Community College will be streamed live by the Headlight Herald on their website. We hope to see or hear from you. Jon Carnahan is chair of the Tillamook County Sustainable Roads Committee.
New year a good time to post minimum wage change status
B
rad Avakian, Oregon’s Labor and Industries commissioner, recently urged businesses throughout the state that to use the new year as an opportunity to ensure compliance with all minimum wage and mandatory posting requirements. Oregon´s minimum wage increased to $8.95 per hour in September. “BOLI is a strong supporter of Oregon’s business community,” said Avakian. “We
provide These reminders, and the ongoing services of our Technical Assistance for Employers Program throughout the year, because we want Oregon employers to be successful and we know that the best situation for workers as well as business people is to have the law followed correctly in the first place.” We offer the 6-in-one and 8-in-one
posters for just $10 plus shipping to make sure that every Oregon employer can easily and confidently post the required information and get back to running their business,”said Jennifer Germundson, Technical Assistance for Employers Program. Visit www.oregon.gov/BOLI for more information about all of BOLI’s work to protect workers’ rights and support local employers in Oregon.
Business News
Quilt Trail group raises mural funds
T
he City of Tillamook is considering approving the Tillamook Public Mural Program, which would consist of three murals inspired by the history of local quilt production. One of the murals would replace the one at Latimer Quilt and Textile Center. That mural, constructed in 1995, is faded and cracking, said Wilcoxson. The other two would be installed in downtown Tillamook. In each case, ¨agreements will be made with property owners specifying the minimum length of time the mural will exist on the structure,¨ she said. The intention of the project is threefold: convert blank, and in some cases unattractive, walls into points of interest; draw
attention to local history and culture; and support Tillamook´s creative institutions. To narrow down the design possibilities, the Tillamook County Quilt Trail group, with the support of the city, will hold a design idea competition in the spring, said Terra Wilcoxson, Tillamook urban designer. The Boards of of the Tillamook County Quilt Trail and Latimer Quilt and Textile Center will choose the winning proposal. A professional mural painter will complete the project in the summer. The Tillamook Urban Renewal Agency agreed to write a letter of support for the project in hopes of securing grant funding from the Tillamook County Cultural Coalition, said Wilcoxson.
More quilt murals may appear in Tillamook this summer.
Cyber tips - beware of the ‘tax attacks’
T
ax season looks like hunting season to criminals. TVs, iPods, refrigerators, even beds are not a sure thing. The only things in life that are certain are death and taxes, and criminals like a sure thing when it means a chance to take money! There are both active and passive attacks against tax payers. The passive attacks are the attacks against search results. The active attacks are the fake emails and fake claims made by some “businesses” that attempt to get some or all of your money through deception. All year long the criminals are monitoring what people are searching for online. The criminals then will either hijack legitimate web pages or put up their own web pages and make sure they are in the top search results. This type of attacks takes three forms. In some cases you might click on a search result and the web page you are taken to is an advertisement for pharmaceuticals, dating sites, or something else that had nothing to do with what you are looking for. These are the annoying attacks and
are fairly uncommon with most searches. Another attack might lead you to a webpage with hidden attacks called exploits. If your computer is vulnerable, simply going to the web page will cause your computer to download and install software that can steal your information or use accounts, such as an email, Twitter, or Facebook account to attack your friends. Emails claiming to be from the IRS and asking for any information at all are going to be scams unless you initiated the contact. Even then, be very careful of what information you include in an electronic response. Right from the IRS web site (http://www.irs. gov/uac/Report-Phishing) it says in large letters: “The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.” If an alleged tax service claims they can get you a refund faster than anyone else, it means they can relieve you of your money
faster than anyone else. Beware of such claims. The IRS does not let one tax preparer get faster refunds for their customers than another preparer. Many firms will advertise that they will get you the most back that is possible, however beware of anyone claiming they can get you more back than others. It is always good to get references for professional services. If you choose to use a tax preparer, make sure they are licensed and have good references. If you use the internet to get tax information, make sure that you are using reliable sources. Anyone can set up a web page or claim to be an expert! Finally, before you go searching the web for answers, be sure your operating system and programs are current or you’ll be searching the web for infections! I recommend using the Secunia Personal Software Inspector at www.secunia.com to make sure that your non-Microsoft programs are current. Randy Abrams is an independent security analyst.
Oregon Tuna Classic contributes money and fish to food banks
O
rganizers of the 2012 Oregon Tuna Classic, held last summer in Garibaldi and Ilwaco, recently contributed $20,000 and more than 10,500 pounds of fresh albacore to regional food banks. The event generated a total of 6,355
pounds of tuna that was processed and canned with the help of local Rotary club members, the Tillamook Bay Boathouse and the Smiley Brothers and distributed to the North Tillamook County Food Bank (769 cans), Tillamook Regional Food Bank (579
cans), and the Nestucca Valley Backpack Program (1,779 cans). Next year´s Oregon Tuna Classic will be held July 26 and 27 in Ilwaco and Aug. 16 and 17 in Garibaldi. OTC is a nonprofit organization.
Community News
Out & About in Tillamook County Place: Tillamook County Fairgrounds 4-H Dorm, 4603 Third Street Contact: 503-842-5663
January 19
Tillamook Area Chamber’s “A Night on Main Street: New Orleans” Banquet & Silent Auction. Time: 5:30 pm Place: Tillamook County Fairgrounds, 4603 Third Street Contact: 503-842-7525
January 20 Look for your new kitten, cat, or dog at the January 19 Adoptathon.
January 8
OSU Master Gardener Class Orientation Class Time: 9 a.m.-Noon, January 15-April 2 Place: OSU Extension Office, 2204 Fourth Street, Tillamook Contact: 503-842-3433
January 12
4-H Family Day Place: Twin Rocks Friends Camp Contact: 503-842-7030
January 13
Monday Musical Club presents “Tingstad & Rumble and David Lanz” Time: 7:30 pm Place: Tillamook High School Auditorium, 2605 12th Street Fee: Adult tickets $25/Seniors $20 Contact: 503-842-2078
January 19
United Paws/Tillamook Animal Shelter Adoptathon of Cats, Kittens, and Dogs Time: Noon-3 p.m.
Swiss Breakfast Time: 8 -11 a.m. Place: Swiss Hall, 4605 Brookfield Avenue Cost: $7 Contact: 503-842-6954
February 2
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day Time: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Place: Tillamook Transfer Station, 1315 Ekloff Rd. Contact: 503-815-3975
February 8-18
Quilt Run 101, Oregon Coast Hop Place: Astoria to Brookings Contact: 503-842-9392
February 9
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad Dinner Train Time: 4:00 pm Place: Garibaldi Contact: 503-842-7972
February 22-24
TAPA presents: “Memory” Place: The Community Barn, Corner of 12th & Ivy For tickets call: 503-842-7940
Fun Facts
Weird New Year’s Resolutions 1. Don’t get too stressed-out 2. Stop being a control freak 3. Learn to text using your thumbs 4. Learn useless facts 5. Learn to juggle 6. Grow something from seed 7. Learn to skim stones 8. Collect golf balls 9. Camp out in your backyard for one night 10. Build the Ultimate Sandcastle 11. Taste as many unusual meats as possible 12. Become a Party King or Queen 13. See you name in Print 14. Invent a New Trend 15. Never go barefoot on carpet 16. Become an Emo 17. Poke people who were glasses 18. Replace bad habits with new bad habits 19. Stop making New Year’s resolutions 20. Become a harmless liar 21. Break traffic laws 22. Start wearing sunscreen 23. Make 3 new friends 24. Stop eating meat 25. Take a risk 26. Master a party trick 27. Learn the names of flowers 28. Pay someone a compliment every day 29. Read one self-improvement book a month 30. Learn to belch the alphabet 31. Become a world record holder