10 years ago this week — 2006

You don’t have to be Scandinavian to enjoy Astoria’s Scandinavian Mid-summer Festival. After 39 years of operation, the festival itself is as important to Astoria’s heritage as the five nations it celebrates.

This past weekend, hundreds of people of different ethnicities gathered to celebrate the food, fun and traditions of Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden.

A comprehensive traffic plan designed to accommodate future development on Port of Astoria property in the Uniontown area got a thumbs-up Tuesday from the Port Commission.

Valerie Grigg Devis, northwest senior planner for the Oregon Department of Transportation, called the Astoria/Port/Uniontown Transportation Refinement Plan a model of cooperation between a port and a city.

Grigg Devis said she looked closely at the port’s goal of having working industrial area as well as other uses including a marina and accommodations for visitors when developing the plan. In the short term it features an improved entry to the port, new linkages to West Marine Drive and better access to new waterfront businesses.

Seals used to authenticate documents have been around since biblical times.

The practice continues, even in today’s high-tech, wired world. Nations, states and cities still have seals, including Astoria.

The Astoria City Council got a good look at the details of the Astoria’s seal Monday when City Manager Paul Benoit showed off a replica, hand-painted on a 2-foot circle of plywood by local artist Roger McKay. It will be on display at City Hall.

50 years ago — 1966

The MR Chessman and Tourist II ferries ran aground Tuesday morning in the Columbia river main channel during a minus 1.5 foot low tide.

The Chessman went aground at 9 a.m. On its return trip to Astoria, while the Tourist II became stuck en route to Megler about 90 minutes later. The two vessels were about 200 yards part in a shallow spot in the dredged river channel and were approximately 2,000 yards from the Astoria shore.

Concrete decking may be completed Friday on the Astoria bridge’s 2464-foot truss across the Columbia River main ship channel.

Robert Ellison, resident bridge engineer, said Wednesday, “If we adhere to our present work schedule, we should be finished by then.” Pouring of concrete began June 13 on the last undecked segment of the bridge.

To ensure proper balance, the concrete has been poured from the middle toward both ends of the truss. If the final batch of concrete is poured Friday on the undecked section, the bridge still will not be ready for use as curbs and parapets must be added to make the roadway safe.

75 years ago — 1941

The keel of the first of several minesweepers to be built by the Astoria Marine Construction company will be laid next Wednesday.

This is the first keel for a war vessel ever laid in the lower Columbia and the first craft of considerable size to be constructed here since the first World War.

Forty men on the day shift and a small crew at night have been engaged at the Lewis and Clark plant of the boat building concern for more than a week in preparing for the laying of the first keel. Piling for the first ways has been driven by the Gilpin Construction company.

Gearhart, Ore., is rapidly assuming a position high among the convention cities of this state. Realtors, druggists, trap shooters, publishers, bankers, pottery makers, savings and loan men, circulation managers, sociologists, golfers. They are swarming into the big, gray Hotel Gearhart, talking, convening, listening and funning, then fanning out over the 18-hole golf course, the beach and into Astoria and Seaside. The suitcase crowd is from every western state and Canada and now and then, some with stickers from heck and gone.

Twenty-four boys 16 to 19 years of age inclusive will leave from the court house at 10 o’clock Sunday morning in a six-car caravan for Corvallis where they will register for the one-week Beaver Boys State, June 22 to 29.

Beaver Boys State, sponsored by the American Legion, is a plan for training in the functional aspects of citizenship. Its purpose is to teach the youth of today constructive attitudes toward the American form of government.

OLYMPIA, Wash., The proposed $30,000,000 ship canal connecting Puget Sound with the Columbia River, shelved six years ago, was dusted off today and discussed at a public hearing held by the U.S. Army Engineer.

Col. B.C. Dunn, district engineer, was in charge of the hearing. It was ordered by the house of representative in Washington, D.C., to determine whether the plan should be revived as a defense measure.