VERNONIA, OR (KPTV) –
A Vernonia dress shop is attracting teenage girls and women from across the Northwest and even Canada.
Christellas is jam packed with beautiful prom dress and gowns.
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Category Archives: Work
Timberbound – Music Rooted in a Place and Time
Joe Seamons grew up listening to his parents playing music. He was enraptured by the musicians and instruments they played at the living room sing-alongs, parties and concerts his parents and their friends would organize.
The songs told tales of places and people Seamons knew or had heard stories about. They contained accounts of fishermen and loggers and folks working at the mill in Vernonia.
The musicians and folk songs left an indelible impression on Seamons, an impression he is now exploring in his own career as a musician and musical archivist.
Seamons is a banjo player who plays music with several different artists, performing a blend of traditional blues, bluegrass, ragtime and folk songs. He has studied Woody Guthrie’s Columbia River songs, written when Guthrie worked for the Bonneville Power Administration. He fronts a bluegrass band called The Renegade Stringband. He recently spent several weeks on the road with fiddler Ben Hunter, traveling up and down the Mississippi River region, playing house concerts, learning the roots of local music and soaking up the culture of the region. Seamons and Hunter also created The Rhapsody Project, taking folk music into schools and sharing it with young students.
Seamons is in the midst of a long and winding musical journey – an exploration of history and culture and reviving old songs – a journey that began right here in Vernonia in a small wooden shack, in an old logging camp at the end of a long, winding gravel road.
Several years ago Seamons formed a band called Timberbound, a reincarnation of a previous group of musicians that Seamons grew up listening to. Seamons and the new Timberbound recorded a CD of old songs by the same name. The name Timberbound, the content of the music, and the source of the songs, are steeped in local significance. For many Vernonians the CD and the songs it contains are a treasure and a dream come true. For those unfamiliar with these old songs, it is masterpiece waiting to be discovered.
In the mid-seventies Kim and John Cunnick lived about twelve miles outside Vernonia in an abandoned logging camp called Keasey. Both were musicians, living with no electricity or running water, playing music and writing a small collection of folksongs. John was smart and funny – a self-educated and a self-taught musician who was beloved by those who knew him. His untimely death at age thirty in a car wreck was mourned by the wide circle of friends he made in his short time in Keasey.
Kim honored his legacy by forming the Timberbound Stringband (later shortened to just Timberbound) with some of their musician friends, Hobe Kytr, Dave Berge and Mark Loring. They performed some of the music John and she had written together. In 1977 Kim published the Timberbound Songbook which contained the lyrics, music and introductions to the songs John and Kim had written and random notes that John had jotted down about being a musician.
Timberbound disbanded in 1978 before entering a recording studio to memorialize John and Kim’s songs. Kim moved away and eventually remarried. Kytr and Berge continued to play together and recorded the album Dog Salmon and Rutabagas in 1985, which featured songs about commercial fishing, logging and life in the Pacific Northwest.
The music and stories, and especially the songbook that John left behind made him a local legend of sorts. Several musicians recorded his iconic song, ‘Boys of Columbia County,’ but beyond those few tributes to his life and the fading memories of his friends, the legend of John Cunnick laid dormant over the next thirty years.
In June of 2010 Kim returned to the Keasey property where she and John had lived and joined Kytr, Berge and Loring for the weekend in a Timberbound reunion. They spent the time visiting with old friends, playing music and even went into a cabin and recorded some of their songs. The musical playing and the melodies were a bit rusty but the spirit was revived.
Joe Seamons was there that weekend and was enraptured by Kim’s stories. The Timberbound Project was born.
Seamons studied music at Lewis and Clark College. “I was already exploring and performing the Timberbound songs at Lewis and Clark a couple years before the reunion,” says Seamons. Seamons’s explorations and curiosity led him to more deeply explore the lore behind the Timberbound songs.
Seamons began gathering musician friends and performing songs under the name Timberbound Project. They chose songs that described life in the Pacific Northwest – mostly Kim and John’s songs from the songbook, but also songs by Kytr, Berge, and Woody Guthrie. Eventually Seamons received permission from the original band to change the name of his band to just Timberbound.
The new incarnation of Timberbound has captured the tradition, atmosphere and 
essence of the original string music. The band includes Seamons on banjo, harmonica and vocals, Kate Sandgren on vocals, Jenny Estrin on fiddle, and Gavin Duffy on guitars, vocals, mandolin and more.
Seamons and Timberbound have developed a mixture of influences that is grounded in the geography and history of this region. “This music is trying to be texturally like the northwest-extremely varied and very rich and dense and detailed,” says Seamons about the Timberbound music.
Completing the first CD was a great accomplishment for Seamons and his band mates. “This kind of gives us a central identity,” says Seamons. “It’s a foundation that has us rooted and anchored in a place and a time.”
Seamons says he plans to continue in his quest to gather more stories, information and folklore from the original Timberbound time period and expand on what he still considers the ‘Timberbound Project.’ The possibilities continue to develop and multiply.
“I like the concept of the richness and texture and the abstract idea of music that reflects the Pacific Northwest,” says Seamons. “We want to broaden the horizons of that, because so far we’ve been very focused on this songbook and these songs. Now it can breathe a little bit and we can expand what we do. Maybe we’ll do more original songs. It’s all still fermenting.”
For Joe Seamons, his musical journey is just beginning.
Vernonia has Venues for Your Events
Looking for place to hold a quaint wedding and reception in the country? How about a business meeting or some type of retreat ? Do you have a family reunion, bridal shower, or surprise birthday party you need to plan?
Vernonia has several venues that might be just right for your upcoming event.
The Cabin in Vernonia, formerly known as the Scout Cabin and managed by the Friends of the Scout Cabin, is a beautifully restored log cabin nestled among huge trees in Vernonia’s Hawkins Park. The Cabin has a full kitchen, river rock gas fireplace, wrap around deck with tables and seating for 100 people. Hawkins Park features a gazebo perfect for taking your wedding vows.
The Cabin in Vernonia is also accompanied with a wonderful story about its history. Built in 1928 and used by local Scout troops for decades, the cabin was obtained by the City of Vernonia when it fell into disrepair in the 1980’s. It sat unused and was then further damaged in 1996 by a severe flood. A group of local volunteers, spearheaded by longtime resident Shirley Daughtry, organized the Friends group, developed a business plan, raised funds, and rebuilt the cabin over a three year period. The end result is a handsome and functional community center that hosts youth activities, town meetings, and other special events. The Friends of the Scout Cabin rent it out and continue to maintain the venue with the proceeds.
Cedar Ridge Conference and Retreat Center sits in the hills just outside Vernonia on twenty-eight acres along Rock Creek. Originally constructed in 1963 as a basketball camp, this staffed full service facility boasts a kitchen and dining area, a 1200 square foot conference center, lodging, a swimming pool and lots of open outdoor space. Owned by formed Portland Trailblazer and 1977 NBA Champion Larry Steele, Cedar Ridge continues to host basketball camps each summer, along with corporate picnics, weddings, retreats, youth camps, and more.
The Steeles are particularly proud of the outdoor wedding chapel located at the north end of their property. “That section of the facility has always stayed pristine,” said Larry, noting that he only recently decided that the best use was as a natural chapel. The giant cedar and Douglas fir tower overhead, allowing sunlight to filter through while still creating a foliage roof. Parking is convenient, and the facilities for pre- and post-wedding activities sit just out of sight of the chapel.
Vernonia’s Schools: A New Model of Sustainability
The center of any tight-knit rural community is its schools. This holds true in Vernonia, where the new K-12 school campus is quite unlike any other in Oregon or the nation.
A major flood damaged much of the town in 2007, and left the schools in dire need of repair. But residents banded together to turn this natural disaster into a powerful opportunity.
Residents rallied behind a vision for education in Vernonia that would tie to the area’s rich natural resource-based history and heritage and connect to a sustainable future. In 2009, district residents overwhelmingly passed a bond measure to provide the down payment toward rebuilding the entire K-12 school district in a safe, central spot on higher ground.
The community’s vision included designing an integrated building that would serve as a model for rural sustainability and also become a “living laboratory,” connecting students to the surrounding ecosystem. The new campus opened in August 2012 with a community event that brought leaders from across the state to Vernonia to help celebrate the momentous occasion.
After three years of operation, the school district announced at a May 2015 event that the campus had received a remarkable recognition. Vernonia has become the first LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™) Platinum certified integrated K-12 campus in the nation.
At the same time, the district announced that the school had also received a dual certification from the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes program, with three out of four globes. Green Globes is an emerging alternative to LEED that has recently been approved by the U.S. General Services Administration for federal ratings.
Points were earned for utilizing renewable energy resources, reusing and recycling building materials, improving the efficiency and performance of the building to reduce environmental impact, improving sustainable practices within the building, and many other efforts.
The new Vernonia K–12 Schools were designed and built to meet today’s classroom needs. There is the capacity to expand the school to serve up to 1,000 students—enough room to accommodate 30 years of population growth. The design includes integrated Kindergarten through 12th grade facilities, with a highly compact layout that minimizes cross-traffic among the youngest and oldest students and maximizes energy efficiency.
The building has been sited to provide for optimal solar orientation and natural ventilation, allowing for significant day lighting and reduced energy use. The site has been engineered with constructed wetlands and bioswales which treat, store and send all storm water for release into the nearby Nehalem River.
Some of the sustainability features in the building include radiant in-floor heating and cooling; heating from local biomass fuel; local materials and labor; and wetland education features. Building energy use is monitored as part of a new curriculum focused on natural resources. Overall, annual energy efficiencies will result in long-term operational savings for the school district.
The learning environment is critical to the success of students. And inside and outside of the school’s walls, Vernonia is forging innovative partnerships with higher education institutions and local businesses to conduct research and develop sustainable programs and learning opportunities for students.
As the home of the Oregon Solutions program, Portland State University has been an integral part of the Vernonia story. Oregon Solutions helped the district throughout the siting and new school development process, coordinated a PSU intern-led community vision effort and has helped develop the concept and programs involved with the Vernonia Rural Sustainability Center (VRSC).
PSU professors attended a collaborative campus tour, and used the work being done in Vernonia as part of their students’ research projects. Oregon Solutions continues to play a major role in the resource development efforts tied to the new K-12 school and supporting the recovery efforts in Vernonia.
Oregon State University faculty have been involved in the Oregon Solutions process since the beginning. They have performed professor tours and completed a baseline “Vernonia Vitality” study to determine the impacts and successes of how a rural town rises from the effects of two natural disasters. Vernonia collaborated with the OSU Extension Service, Knappa High School, Philomath High School and several others to develop the curriculum for its forestry program.
This program also has a connection with the local timber industry. Hancock Timber Management and Weyerhaeuser both have partnered with the forestry program, supporting the students with real work experiences as they learn about forestry and timber management.
Vernonia High School offers a natural resources curriculum, working with the Oregon Natural Resources Education Program through OSU to enhance the classroom experience by utilizing these resources, providing students with an opportunity to earn this new certification.
University of Oregon has also been an integral part of the Oregon Solutions process by collaborating on, and conducting, a basic feasibility study to determine the Vernonia Rural Sustainability Center scope and audience.
Another critical partner in helping the school district move forward after the flood has been Portland Community College. They have provided technical support with grant writing, community survey development and implementation of natural resources projects. Students in PCC’s Landscape Technology course engineered a landscape plan for a portion of the new campus that includes a bioswale. This was the first area to be landscaped by students, and it serves as a model for students who will undertake their own native plant landscaping projects in the future.
Vernonia has achieved its vision for sustainable schools quite unlike any other, with national certification recognizing its leadership. This timber town’s school and community center is creating a new model for other rural towns across Oregon and the Northwest.
The LEED® certification trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used with permission.
The Life of a Vernonia Commuter
In the old days Vernonians worked in the woods or the mill, cutting down trees and turning them into lumber.
The mill shut down over fifty years ago, and although some locals still work in the woods, things have certainly changed for workers who chose to live in Vernonia. Many work outside of town, commuting each morning to Hillsboro, Beaverton, Portland or other parts of the region. Others telecommute, working from a home office.
The commute from Vernonia is not too bad, depending on the time of day you are traveling. In fact some people enjoy the quiet and scenic drive. It’s just thirty-five minutes to Hillsboro; the first fifteen minutes is through a beautiful forest. It’s a little further to Portland, with a little more traffic, but locals don’t seem to mind the trip.
Jason Riddell works in Research and Development at the Nike campus in Beaverton, making prototypes for new equipment and shoes. He drives forty-two miles each way, five days a week and says it takes him about fifty minutes. Riddell has been making the commute for eleven years and says it doesn’t bother him. “You just get in the car and go on autopilot,” says Riddell. “I drive twice the distance that people I work with who live in Vancouver, but it takes me less time.”
Occasionally Riddell can work from home. “I know someone that lives in Vernonia and works in Accounting—she never comes into the campus. I have a lot of meetings and face time with customers that are required.”
Riddell says living in small town Vernonia makes the commute worthwhile. “I just like the community,” says Riddell. “I live a block away from Vernonia Lake and the Banks-Vernonia Trail system is right there. It’s quiet and you know people.”
Donna Webb is a full time medical transcriptionist for Providence Health and Services who telecommutes four days a week, ten hours a day. Webb says there are other Vernonians working for Providence who also work from home.
For Webb, working from home is not a new concept. “Our department started sending people home to work about twenty-five years ago,” explains Webb. “At first I worked part-time from home and as technology grew I was able to work full time from home.”
Webb says to do her job she just needs an internet connection. She can email or instant message co-workers as needed. Department meetings are held on line. If she has computer problems the IT department can take over her screen and usually fix the issue.
Webb says telecommuting has both pros and cons. The obvious pros are that she doesn’t spend time in the car or money on wear and tear and fuel. If she had to drive into the office on Portland’s east side, she would spend three hours in the car every day.
She says not having to deal with people—customers or co-workers has its advantages, although she does miss some of the human interaction.
She says telecommuting cuts down on employee sick days. She also said that occasionally she feels isolated or “out of the loop” when she works from home. She also noted that working from home requires great discipline. “People say they couldn’t work from home because they would be distracted and want to do housework or other chores. It’s not for everybody.”
A huge benefit for Webb is that she has more time to spend with family and more time to volunteer and be involved in the community. She says people who commute to work often don’t have the time or the energy to volunteer.
Even though she says she loves working from home, after twenty years Webb says she may be considering a change in the future. “I think I’m ready for more people contact again.”
Kathy Larsen is a data analyst at Daimler Trucks North America. Three days a week she drives an hour to her office on Swan Island in Portland; the other two days she works from the computer in her home office. “My job is very conducive to working from home,” says Larsen. She mostly works alone on ‘ticket driven’ projects and has a queue that gives her the tasks she needs to complete each day.
Larsen says her work doesn’t require a lot of interaction with her co-workers, but if she does need to talk with someone she can easily do so electronically through email or instant messaging.
Larsen has Frontier DSL service for her home computer to access her work server through a VPN (Virtual Private Network) and has two monitors and a Voice over IP phone system at her home work station. “Where I’m working from is invisible to my customers or my co-workers,” says Larsen. “They have no idea if I’m working from home or the office.”
Larsen seems to have the best of both worlds. She says she enjoys the days she goes into the office for the social interaction with her co-workers – going out to lunch, walks during breaks or after work drinks and shopping. When she works from home she saves two hours of commute time each day, plus the fuel expense. She can be at home during the day with her dog Harper and when she’s finished work at 3:30 she can head straight outside to her deck or work in the garden.
Although working from home allows her quite a bit of flexibility and independence in her day, (she can start a load of laundry, play with her dog, or run a local errand) Larsen says her work is monitored through the computer system. “They know when I’m on line and can see how much work I get done,” says Larsen. “Big brother is watching.”
Choosing Vernonia
Why would a family chose to move to Vernonia to live and work?
Tiffini Meyer and family have lots of reasons.
Meyer and her young family moved to the community from Beaverton in June of 2014 after Tiffini opened a retail store and workshop in downtown Vernonia. Meyer’s shop, Landon Avenue Design, features handmade, one-of-a -kind home decorations. “I take things that are useless and make them useful again,” explains Meyer.
“To rent space in Beaverton for what I’m doing – the cost per square foot is just outrageous,” explains Meyer. “You have to have serious cash to get up and running and I just didn’t have it.”
Meyer’s parents live at nearby Fishhawk Lake and saw the for-rent sign in the storefront window of the corner property where Meyer’s business is now located. “My husband and I came out and talked to the owner and it just kind of happened,” she explains.
To expound on Meyer’s business, she takes old wooden items she finds at garage sales and thrift stores – furniture, windows, doors, ladders and more – and re-purposes them. “I take things people normally wouldn’t or couldn’t use any longer and make them into something decorative or functional that they can put back in their home,” says Meyer.
In addition, Meyer is a Stampin’ Up demonstrator who creates invitations for weddings, baby and bridal showers, parties, and greeting, thank you and save-the-date cards. “Anything that involves paper,” she says. “That’s actually become a big part of my business now.”
She is also a vendor at a large Portland Christmas bazaar and is also exploring the idea of renting some of her furnishings and decorations for weddings and other events.
Her decorations, invitations and cards have become so popular she’s having trouble keeping up with demand and keeping items in stock. This is a good problem to have as a small business owner.
“I haven’t even been in business a year,” says a somewhat amazed Meyer. “I have lots of big ideas about where I’d like to go with this.”
Initially Meyer was creating her items in her garage at home and selling them on line. As her business grew she realized she needed a bigger workshop space, which is what initially brought her out to Vernonia. After seeing the corner space with the big windows the idea of a retail store took shape.
Meyer, twenty-six, and husband Ray, were renting a house in Beaverton along with six-year-old daughter Madeline and two-year-old son Landon. Ray, a manager at Cash-n-Carry, wasn’t happy and wanted them to own their own home. He also preferred that he be the one commuting to work. “We started looking in North Plains and out and quickly realized we could get more property and more house for our money in Vernonia,” says Meyer.
Meyer says they saw an opportunity in Vernonia. “We thought if we’re going to have a business why not start it somewhere where the town is growing, so the business can grow with the town,” she explains.
They bought a home in Vernonia within walking distance of her shop and moved two weeks after Landon Avenue Design opened.
Meyer says she loves living and working in small town, quaint Vernonia. She said she was surprised when they made an early purchase at the local hardware store and were handed a hand written receipt. “I felt like I had fallen back through time,” says Meyer with a laugh.
She and her husband are both naturally social and have made friends and gotten to know people quickly. “Everybody knows everybody here,” says Meyer. “I like knowing who is walking down the street, who is coming in my store, who my customers are. I like knowing who is dependable. You don’t find that in Beaverton or other bigger towns.”
New Health Center to Open this Fall
Vernonians are excited to see progress on the beautiful new Vernonia Health Center on the south side of town. Construction has been moving along swiftly through the summer with the new facility scheduled to open this fall.
Owned and operated by the non-profit Vernonia Health Board, the new health center will provide a “medical home” where several services can be offered under the same roof. Primary care, provided in partnership with the Public Health Foundation of Columbia County and Pacific University, will continue. The Health Board is planning to add mental and behavioral health and physical therapy in the near future and is exploring other support services that will benefit their patients and the community.
Health care services are currently being provided at the old clinic building which was damaged in the 2007 flood. The building was repaired following the flood, but the Health Board has made the effort to raise the funds and move to a safe location
The new construction was fully funded with generous support from Meyer Memorial Trust, the Ford Family Foundation, Collins Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Samuel S. Johnson Foundation, funds from Providence, their FEMA buyout, and many donations from community members to the Carolyn Keasey Memorial Fund.
The Health Board is happy to be able to provide service five days a week for their patients under primary care provider Albert Rodriguez. Additionally, the partnership with the Public Health Foundation allows a seamless transition so students seen at the student based health center, Spencer Health and Wellness, may also be seen at the Vernonia Health Center.
The clinic accepts the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid), Medicare, and a majority of private insurance. For those without insurance, the clinic has staff on site to walk you through the healthcare application process and they have a sliding fee scale for eligible patients waiting for approval.
A grand opening celebration is just around the corner and is another indication that Vernonia is continuing to move forward and grow as a community.
Reinvesting In Vernonia
As the economy slowly continues to improve, there are many positive signs that the recovery may finally be reaching Vernonia. Numerous signs indicate things are looking up around Vernonia, with local business owners reinvesting in their businesses by expanding or refurbishing.
Sharon Bernal is a local resident and real estate agent for John L. Scott. Bernal recently purchased the building where her office is currently located on Bridge Street In the space next door, she re-opened ‘Out on a Limb,’ a gift shop which carries cards, decorations, crafts and gifts with a country theme. Bernal is re-roofing and painting her building, along with remodeling its three apartments.
“I thought it would improve Vernonia, and it was time after the economic downturn,” explains Bernal. “Vernonia was ready for ‘Out on a Limb’ to come back. I thought I could take this old building, and some make improvements. When I looked at it, it was a win-win.”
Bernal says the real estate market continues to rebound and is particularly strong in Vernonia. “We have a lot of people from Intel who are looking to live in a small community that is half an hour from where they work,” says Bernal. “And many of them are younger families with kids. And I have to tell you, every person who comes into Vernonia just thinks it’s great. They absolutely love it!
Vernonia has something to look forward to this fall as word has spread that the former Vernonia Inn is being renovated. New owner, Jerry Cordell, along with his business associates, brothers Elmer and Santos Rivas, have begun work on the fifteen room lodge renamed the Ride Inn. Cordell says plans call for a complete rehabilitation to the building with a grand opening tentatively scheduled for October 1, 2014.
Cordell and his partners had previously purchased the old Masonic Lodge in Vernonia and are currently renovating it. That building will likely be a six room up-scale bed and breakfast.
Cordell says the name Ride Inn is specifically to help tap into the potential customer base of bicycle, motorcycle and other tourists who visit or pass through Vernonia.
Cordell, who currently lives in Portland, has a history of remodeling homes and has completed nine projects over the years. Cordell says he sees a lot of potential for Vernonia and has undertaken a significant investment. “It’s not the idea of making money,” explains Cordell. “It’s the idea of doing something with yourself and your money to improve the community. That’s what I’m about.”
Dana Roach is the owner of The Black Iron Grille, formerly known as Black Bear Coffee and the Bear Creek Pub. Roach recently did a major kitchen renovation, adding a grill and hood which has allowed him to expand his menu as well as his staff.
“After the flood in 2007 and the drop in the economy a large number of area restaurants closed down,” says Roach. “We saw a void and are trying to fill it.”
A favorite spot for visitors, especially tourists on bicycles, Roach expanded his outdoor seating area last year and added additional bicycle parking. Roach says he is betting on Vernonia becoming more of a destination. “I’m very excited about the future of this community,” says Roach.
Photo Solutions is a small manufacturing firm servicing global high tech industries and is one of the only light industry businesses in Vernonia. Owner Brad Curtis recently took advantage of Vernonia’s inclusion in the South Columbia County Enterprise Zone and expanded his business by purchasing $200,000 of new equipment.
“I see a lot of possibilities for firms to do business out here, especially for businesses where location doesn’t matter.” says Curtis. “The enterprise zone expansion helps level the playing field.” Curtis’s manufacturing plant was damaged in the 2007 flood and incentives available through the Enterprise Zone may allow him to move his business to higher ground at the California Avenue industrial site currently under development in Vernonia.
Local businesses and owners see great things happening in Vernonia and are choosing to re-invest in the community. “If you just come to Vernonia you’re going to love it,” says Bernal. “If you just get to know some of the people in this community, you’re going to love it. I do. That’s why I’m here.”
Diamond in the Rough
A visitor to Vernonia might be surprised by the quality of the small but enthusiastic art scene this community has carved out. Not only was Vernonia the one time home to Christopher Burkett, considered by many to be the greatest color landscape photographer alive, it also has a non-profit community group, the Vernonia Hands On Art Center, dedicated to promoting the arts and heritage of Vernonia. Additionally, young artists are discovering their artistic talent through Artist-in-Residence Kerri Boutwell and the Grace Fine Arts academy she has established. The annual Salmon Festival, held the first Saturday in October, is a great opportunity to see the work of local artists; this year the Salmon festival will include the work of Boutwell and others.
In other words, the arts are alive and well in Vernonia.
Any visit to Vernonia certainly must include a visit to Grey Dawn Gallery, which features some of the finest in northwest art. The gallery is owned by Dan and Heidi Brown and includes, in addition to Burkett’s work, Dan Brown’s own Hardwood Originals custom wood furniture. The gallery also features artistic pottery by Jeff Patterson, also a former Vernonia resident, as well as the bronze sculpture work of Jacques and Mary Regat.
The Browns established their business in 1991 and moved it to their hometown of Vernonia in 2000 to a custom designed building at 879 Bridge Street they designed themselves. The front is home to the gallery while the back contains the workshop where Dan designs and builds his locally famous “Dan Brown Kitchens” and other fine furniture. The Browns also do custom framing for the art work they sell.
Brown says he and Heidi were hoping to help revitalize downtown Vernonia following the 1996 flood by locating the gallery and workshop there. “We wanted to convey the image of what we saw as the potential for Vernonia,” says Brown during a recent visit to the gallery. “I had gotten to know several local artists and thought we could showcase our work, have space for the wood shop, and hopefully do something for the local artist community at the same time. There was kind of budding artist community at that time and it seemed like the logical thing to do.”
Burkett is considered one of the world’s foremost experts in Cibachrome printing, the process he uses to uniquely capture the color and light of his work. He has painstakingly developed his
system of sophisticated masking techniques over thirty years, hand making each individual print without the use of digital or computer enhancement, creating a unique and individual piece of art work. Burkett signs and numbers each of the three sizes of prints he produces and therefore controls the number of prints released to the public, usually in the low hundreds. His work has been displayed in galleries worldwide, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and has been compared to the work of the great Ansel Adams.
“Christopher’s work has, beyond a shadow of a doubt been the main reason we have remained in business over the years,” says Brown. “He has a world-wide reputation and we ship his work all over the U.S. and abroad.” Brown notes that their custom framing work has made them a sought-out source of Burkett’s limited edition work.
In addition to Burkett’s work, Grey Dawn Gallery continues to show a small collection of Jeff Patterson’s work. He is no longer producing his fine art pottery. “We were sorry to see Jeff stop working,” says Brown. The bronze work of Anchorage, Alaska based Jacques and Mary Regat is focused on wildlife. The inclusion of the Regat’s work allows Grey Dawn Gallery to display and sell some of the finest regional art, and makes the gallery a must visit for anyone interested in seeing some beautiful creations.
Kerri Boutwell and the other instructors at Grace Fine Arts offer after-school classes in acrylic painting, sculpture, drawing, and watercolor. Boutwell also conducts workshops for adults. She has held two art shows locally, displaying the surprisingly impressive work of her youth students. Her instructional classes have been fun and popular and have uncovered some artists who have found talents they were unaware they possessed. Grace Fine Arts is encouraging a new generation to appreciate and participate in the arts in Vernonia.
Alongside Boutwell at Salmon Festival will be local realist Randal Harvey, potter Wanda Aszman, and Nicole Gray, who specializes in photographic portraiture and local landscapes. Coined “Art in the Woods”, this event showcases local artists but also hosts a salmon-themed art auction which funds art scholarships for local youth. In 2014 the inaugural scholarship was awarded. It is the first local scholarship offered to students interested in exploring the arts.
The Vernonia Hands On Art Center has been encouraging the Vernonia art scene through its volunteer and financial support of various artistic endeavors within the community. Hands On Art has supported community theater, the Vernonia Ballet, First Friday gatherings and the Vernonia Salmon Festival. Hands On Art has been encouraging learning environments with financial grants, advertising assistance and volunteer manpower since 1997, continually helping to raise awareness of the arts in Vernonia.
Vernonia: A great place to Live, Work and Play
Rich in history, bountiful forested hillsides, and a thriving small town culture, the town of Vernonia offers both visitor and new residents a warm welcome. Travel through the trees, over the streams and under the railroad trestles and you’ll find a small, tight knit community that is ready to be discovered.
Vernonia is a small town of just over 2,000 people, nestled in the Upper Nehalem Valley in the foothills of the Pacific Coast Range. It sits at the confluence of the Nehalem River and Rock Creek and is surrounded by forests. Less than an hour from from SW Portland and Hillsboro employment centers, Vernonia is also just 60 minutes away from the Oregon Coast.
Known for it’s logging history, Vernonia is remaking itself as a outdoor recreation destination as well as a great place for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle and relocate to the peace and quiet of the country.
We invite you stop by for a visit. Come see why Vernonia is such a great place to live, work and play.
Live – With a charmingly old-fashioned downtown and a brand new school, life in Vernonia is a mix of old and new.
The new Vernonia K-12 school offers a green design, two gymnasiums, new computer labs and a natural resources curriculum that connects to an eight acre wetland just across the road. The high school robotics class has earned awards at several competitions!
The walkable downtown core offers shopping, a full service post office, grocery store and two hardware stores. The town has eight restaurants; seven are in the downtown area.
The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is a collection of artifacts from throughout the county including items from the local Native American tribes, early settlers and logging.
The community library offers after school and summer reading programs for children. A chess and stamp club meet there regularly as well. The Vernonia Library is also a favorite stop for Oregon Humanities special programs.
A brand new Health Center has broken ground and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014; a new Senior Center and Food Bank is also in the planning stages at the same development.
Vernonia has a very active Lion’s Club, a PTA and a Booster’s Club that supports children’s activities. There are eleven active churches in town.
Work – Known for the huge trees that once grew in the area, Vernonia’s nearby forests still support both large and small natural resource-based businesses. But today you are just as likely to bump into a computer programmer or high tech fabrication plant employee when stopping to fill your tank and grab your morning coffee at the Mini Mart.
Vernonia is the ultimate small-town bedroom community for the high tech industry. Intel employees who have moved to town get the best of both worlds – high tech opportunity a short drive from a quiet, safe and friendly small town to raise their families.
Local business is another key element in the employment market in Vernonia. Full time, part-time and seasonal jobs are available; some of the larger local employers include the Vernonia School District, Sentry Market, Photo Solutions and Cedar Ridge Conference and Retreat Center.
Numerous home-based businesses have become successful; those with an entrepreneurial streak may find an opportunity in Vernonia. Work-from-home is also an option for some as high speed cable internet service is available in town.
Play – Vernonia is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream, with multiple parks, trails, streams, rivers and logging roads to explore.
We are proud of our city Park system which includes full hook-up RV camping at Anderson Park and primitive camping at Airport Park. Both parks are set along the Nehalem River and offer river access. During summer months, we also enjoy an old-fashioned swimming hole at Hawkins Park.
The 42 acre Vernonia Lake is regularly stocked with rainbow trout by ODFW and anglers can also catch largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and brown bullhead – there may even be a steelhead or two! The lake features a paved trail, a wheelchair accessible fishing platform, restrooms, drinking water, and on-site bait shop/concession stand during the spring and summer months.
Vernonia, once the terminus of several logging railroad lines, is now the terminus of two great area recreation trails. The Banks-Vernonia Trail is 21 miles of paved multi-use trail that is now included as part of the Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway. The trail is accessible from six trailheads. The Crown Zellerbach Trail travels from Vernonia to Scappoose and offers over 20 miles of multi-surfaced trail more suitable for fat tire bikes, hikers and horseback riders.
Hunting and river fishing are two other popular pastimes that beckon Vernonians into the nearby hills. The Nehalem River, which runs 90 miles to the Oregon Coast, is a premier spot for wild native salmon, steelhead and cut throat trout.
The Vernonia Golf Club offers a nine hole course and year-round alpine golfing.
Other Nearby Attractions:
The Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area is a 1114 acre refuge for Roosevelt Elk. Open pastures border the highway, offering excellent
views of elk during winter and spring. There are two paved parking areas, four viewing areas.
- L. Stub Stewart State Park is just 10 miles south of Vernonia and offers camping, and day use areas for hiking, biking and equestrian riders. 25 miles of trails, RV and primitive camping, 18-hole disc golf course, mountain bike riding area, cabin village, and equestrian camp make
this a family-friendly and fun vacation spot.
The Oregon Coast is just an hour away from Vernonia with easy access to Cannon Beach, Seaside and Manzanita. Portland, Beaverton and Hillsboro offer shopping, entertainment and sporting events ranging from Single A baseball to MLS soccer to NBA basketball.
Whether your interest is finding a new home, a new place to open a business, or just a new spot for a favorite hobby, Vernonia offers all that in one charming package. Give it a try, and be amazed at what you find. Come visit Vernonia, and stay a while.