Top 5 Reasons To Love A Small Town
April 9th, 2008 Categories: Life in General
Photo by Shirley Morisse
I was born and raised right here in good old Clatsop County. Like most 18 year olds who spent their youth in a small town, I was really only certain about one thing: I was getting out of this one horse town and never looking back. Fast forward 14 years and here I am BACK in this one horse town and discovering how great small towns can really be. (Provided you don’t want to FedEx something on a Saturday, hit the gym for a workout after 10pm, anonymously have a post-work cocktail to unwind, or anonymously do anything really.)
- People talk to you! Yes, it’s true what they say, friendliness abounds in small towns. This can be both good and bad, but mostly good. Bonnie the checker at Safeway will tell you the recent hijinks of her Terrier named Rascal despite the long line; Jimmy at Pro Lube who hasn’t seen you since you were 10 will loudly exclaim you aren’t the homely girl they remember you being; and if you unknowingly drop a dollar bill, a stranger will happily chase you down the street to return it without fear of being maced.
- There’s no carpool lane! Say goodbye to your depressing morning commute that requires you to roll out of bed at 5am so you can beat the 7am stampede at the local Starbucks, then drive 10mph in the carpool lane for an hour and MAYBE make it to work on time. Some old timers here in the county may argue that nowadays we have a rush hour akin to Seattle at 4pm, but I’ve yet to hear a traffic report on any local radio station. Amen.
- Escape civilization in 5 minutes or less! Hankering for some Zen time void of all humanity? No need to schedule that 7 hour drive to the nearest State Park into your Blackberry a month in advance. Here in Astoria you can drive a few miles in any direction and find beaches to walk, mountains to hike, and rivers to fish.
- Kids still play outside! If you are accustomed to driving the sprawling subdivisions of any major metropolitan area, seeing children playing outside is a rare occurrence. Around here, it’s still commonplace to see kids running rampant through neighborhoods until the final waning hour of daylight. Depending on your parental status, or “auntie” status as is the case for me, this is another one that can be both good and bad.
- Coffee on demand! This is not a universal small town perk, but it certainly is true here in Astoria. We love our lattes and you can get one just about anywhere. We have a plethora of drive-thru stands, sit-down coffeehouses, and various conglomerations of businesses where you can do your laundry, tan, rent a movie, and have your double mochaccino to boot.
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Spring Break at the Beach
April 7th, 2008 Categories: Weather
A time for bikini’s, beach volleyball and ……….snowmen? While typically we would expect to see rain with an occasional sunny day, this spring break was not at all typical. Easter Sunday ushered in the week with cool, wet, gray weather. However, on Monday the temps continued to drop and by nightfall we were at the freezing mark.
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Pilots work behind the scenes to keep Astoria safe, economy moving
April 7th, 2008 Categories: Columbia River
An interesting article in the Coast River Business Journal highlights many of the benefits the Columbia River Bar & Columbia River pilots contribute to Astoria, Warrenton, Hammond and surrounding areas. As a native Astorian, watching ships go by the Astoria’s waterfront is a daily occurance, one that doesn’t phase most of the locals. We don’t think about the many dangers the pilots face, the trickle down effect to local small businesses and the safety they provide on our waterways.
A rich history dating back to what many consider the original Columbia River Pilot Capt. Flavel, the pilots have maintained the extremely high standard set before them. The duty of the pilots includes many things, first among them is safety. The Columbia River Pilots represent the State Of Oregon on the Columbia, and maintaining flow of goods while preventing mishaps is no easy task.
What started as brave men in row boats navigating without GPS or even computer generated charts has become an organization on the edge of technology. These cowboys of the Columbia ride in to battle not on horseback, but by helicopter or a highly specialized boat capable of rolling over without any ill effects. Keeping our rivers safe and Clatsop county’s piece of the $16 Billion in goods imported/exported on the Columbia is no easy task, but the Pilots make it happen each and every day.
Chopper lowering a pilot onto a ship for piloteage on the Columbia
The pilot vessel Chinook
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Thank God we can sell Real Estate better than we can sing!
April 2nd, 2008 Categories: Fun Stuff
This post is for all my fellow RE/MAX’ers who went to Vegas! A fellow concert-goer shot this not far from where we were sitting. Dave Liniger sure knows how to put on a party! What happens in Vegas…..
RE/MAX puts on an annual convention at various locations. It was in Las Vegas this year and they ended the 4 days of education with a Fun Night! The rock band Journey was the live entertainment this year. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next year!
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Crab & Seafood Festival Coming to Astoria April 25-27
March 24th, 2008 Categories: Local Events
The 26th annual Astoria/Warrenton Crab & Seafood Festival is coming to the Clatsop County Fairgrounds April 25-27. The festival features lots of delectable local seafood, top wines from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and local entertainment.
More info from the Chamber website:
April 25, 26, 27 2008
Hours:
Friday 4-9pm
Saturday 10-8pm
Sunday 11-4pm
Admission:
Friday $8
Saturday $10
Sunday $5
Weekend Pass $18
Free to those under 12 years.
The Crab and Seafood Festival is held at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds, 4 miles southeast of Astoria on Hwy 202.
Shuttle service is available for $1 from area hotels, campgrounds and park-and-ride locations at the Port of Astoria and Astoria High School.
Over 200 vendors bringing together the flavor of the Northwest in food, arts, crafts and wines.
Enjoy the Crab Dinner served by the Astoria Rotary Club (market price)
Live Musical Entertainment All Weekend
For more information, contact the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce at 503-325-6311 or 1-800-875-6807.
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Be part of a winning team with RE/MAX!
March 21st, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News
I grew up playing on teams. My father raised his 3 daughters as if we were his own special team, My mother coached our softball teams, I am part of a team in my professional life, my husband coaches highschool softball. It seems teams are everywhere in my life.
The decision to open a RE/MAX office was a no-brainer. I have never regretted affiliating myself with the fine folks at RE/MAX. The article in yesterday’s Oregonian just reinforced that one more time. Smart man, solid advice. Thanks Dave!
What do you think?
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Cruise on into Astoria
March 12th, 2008 Categories: Local Events
Monday March 31st the first cruise ship of the 2008 schedule sails into the Port of Astoria. Anxiously awaiting the arrival will be some of the 140 “blue coasted” volunteers, 20-30 vendors, music, and shuttle buses ready to take visitors all over the North Coast. The volunteerism and organization that has been established to enhance the “cruisers” experience here is something for the community to be proud of! The number of cruise ship visitors is rapidly increasing every season as more and more ships make Astoria a “port of call”. The biggest benefit is for Astoria- our local economy is receiving a major boost every time a ship pulls in!
So I say Ahoy! to the cruisers and Thank You to the many volunteers who have helped to make their stops a success!
2008 Cruise Ship Schedule from the Port of Astoria
(may be updated)
Day Date Cruise Line
| Monday | March 31 | Celebrity |
| Monday | April 7 | Celebrity |
| Monday | April 14 | Celebrity |
| Tuesday | April 22 | Celebrity |
| Wednesday | April 30 | Celebrity |
| Thursday | May 1 | Norwegian |
| Friday | May 2 | Holland America |
| Monday | May 5 | Royal Caribbean |
| Wednesday | May 7 | Celebrity |
| Friday | May 9 | Holland America |
| Friday | May 16 | Holland America |
| Sunday | May 18 | Regent 7Seas |
| Wednesday | May 21 | Celebrity |
| Sunday | September 21 | Royal Caribbean |
| Monday | September 22 | Royal Caribbean |
| Tuesday | September 23 | Norwegian |
| Monday | September 29 | Holland America |
| Wednesday | October 1 | Celebrity |
| Thursday | October 16 | Celebrity |
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Jennie
