10 years ago this week — 2013

The Astoria Regatta, which has celebrated the community’s connections to the water since 1894, has been named an Oregon Heritage Tradition by the Oregon Heritage Commission.

The Astoria Regatta is only the fourth event given the honor. The others include the Oregon State Fair, founded in 1858, the Linn County Pioneer Picnic (1887) and the comparatively young Pendleton Roundup (1910).

“The Heritage Commission wants to recognize those traditions that have helped define the state,” said Commission Chairman David Lewis. “They are distinguished events that are part of our heritage as Oregonians. This is certainly true of the Astoria Regatta.”

SEASIDE — Day one of the Cowapa League Track & Field Championships is in the book, as the best in Cowapa track gathered Thursday afternoon at Seaside High School, site of the 2013 league meet.

Nine events were scored as final on the first day, with the rest of the finals today at Seaside. And speaking of the Gulls, the host team picked up a few wins Thursday and hope to get a few more today.

The Loggers really are good loggers.

On May 10 and Saturday, approximately 30 Knappa High School students competed in the Future Farmers of America Oregon State Forestry Competition in Bend.

In addition to winning its fourth state championship, Knappa High School students brought home top awards. Pat Schmidt earned all-around technical forester; Warren Skirvin won top all-around Jack forester and Meisha Boettcher claimed all-around Jill forester.

Renovating a house can be hard work.

And when you throw required historical guidelines into the mix, the challenge tends to grow.

But at the end, the project comes with a beautiful reward once the home’s true beauty is restored.

The Astoria Historic Landmarks Commission has sweetened that reward with the Dr. Edward Harvey Historic Preservation Award , this year granted to Mike Covert, of Covert Properties, in the residential category, Bob and Nancy Ross in the multi-family category and the Columbia River Maritime Museum for the restoration of the train depot in the institutional category.

50 years ago — 1973

Pickets from the Astoria area seafood workers union were at six plants, including four in Astoria, again the following Saturday afternoon’s strike vote by Amalgamated Meat Cutter and Butchers union P554.

Being struck are the two plants maintained by Bumble Bee Seafoods in Astoria — the cannery cold storage — Union Fishermen’s Co-op and Pt. Adams Canning Co., Hammond; and Bioproducts, Inc., of Warrenton.

Clatsop’s new Dairy Princess likes working on a farm with animals, so promoting dairy products will be no problem for her.

Every afternoon for two hours, Dorothy Tetz, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tetz, of Scappoose, milks 33 cows with the help of machines. Her job is washing the cow’s udder with an iodine solution, putting on the machine and taking it off five minutes later.

Once in a while, if the cow has bad milk or the electricity goes off, she pulls out a stool and goes to work by hand.

“I started milking cows and feeding calves when I was 11,” said the 17-year-old, who has grown up on the farm.

The Port of Astoria has no commitment with American Metal Climax or any other firm to add facilities at the Port to accommodate increased industrial activity, Port Commissioner Martin West said Friday.

However, West also said Port commissioners have been meeting with investment banking consultants on the possibilities of revenue bonding in light of potential industrial developments like American Metal Climax.

Many North Coast residents are incensed and upset at the revelations in the Watergate scandal, but perhaps just as many think the scandal is nothing more than politics as usual and is being blown out of proportion.

There are others who are alarmed by the implications of the scandal surrounding the President Nixon re-election committee, but who are tired of reading about it and wish the matter would be dropped.

A unique U.S. Coast Guard surf boat rode high in the calm waters of North Tillamook Bay for the first time on Monday.

Painted white, the 26-foot experimental craft contrasted with the dark green waters of the bay as it sliced a path back and forth in front of the Garibaldi Boat Haven.

Eight years in design at a cost of more than $100,000, the boat is a radical departure from any current marine designs.

Among its unique features is a combination deep-V hull design, hydrofoil fins and a water jet power plant. It is self-righting and self-bailing.

75 years ago — 1948

Top prices for halibut moved up nearly 2 cents a pound here Monday when the vessel Holmes, captained by Chub Solberg, of Astoria, sold 15,000 pounds of mediums to the San Juan Fishing & Packing Co. for 19 1/2 cents a pound.

The highest price paid for mediums when the season’s first halibut deliveries were made here last Wednesday was 17 1/2 cents.

Astoria garden clubbers, who take great pride in exhibiting the fruits — that is, flowers — of their labors, were in awe Tuesday night.

Spiney gorse, Oregon’s No. 1 weed menace, which is persistently encroaching upon valuable southern Oregon soil, invaded “high society.”

Following the regular bi-monthly meeting of the Astoria Garden Club, a bouquet of gorse was beheld by members among arrangements of the city’s fine scintillating floral nobility. Gorse was hobnobbing with such bluebloods as pink primula candelabra.

Gorse, whose invasion by infiltration provided the tinder that brought about the disastrous fire of Bandon a number of years ago, heralded its attack on Clatsop County by invading the best of gardens.

The garden club member displaying the gorse was abashed; but with others, enlightened.

Army engineers’ proposals to build a new power dam across the Columbia River at Priest Rapids, near Hanford, added new fuel today to the Northwest’s salmon versus dams conflict.

Chief opposition to Priest Rapids dam at a public hearing here yesterday came from the Washington State Department of Fisheries, which claimed the dam would doom 10 to 15% of Columbia River salmon runs.

Otherwise towns, counties and public utility districts on the Columbia Basin gave enthusiastic endorsement to the project.

Tuesday evening’s Astoria Regatta board meeting ended in sharp disagreement within the board on whether to attempt a partial revival of the Regatta festival this year.

Chairman A.H. Wright adjourned the meeting until next Tuesday night when the directors were unable to agree on a course of procedure.

The meeting had been called to consider requests made last week by numerous citizens for some sort of community festival in connection with this year’s salmon derby.

It developed that some of the board members favored a queen contest, coronation, some sort of pageant and revival of fishing boat races to provide a show for nonfishing visitors at Regatta time and for home folk.

Others believed the time is not yet at hand to revive the Regatta and that money in the Regatta board fund should be saved until the mooring basin is completed and provides a suitable location for water events.

The U.S. Army department has just transferred Fort Stevens to the War Assets Administration and future disposition of that property will be determined by the War Assets Administration, Rep. Walter Norblad wired the Astorian-Budget Thursday.

The Fort Stevens reservation was declared surplus several months ago.

Approximately half the reservation will be retained by Army engineers for their own uses, leaving approximately 1,000 acres for disposal. This tract includes barracks and officers’ quarters surrounding the parade grounds, as well as the post headquarters building and a few others.