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Headlight Herald
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 | Vol. 137, Issue
www.TillamookHeadlightHerald.com
$2.00
Board Garibaldi businesses ready for 101 reopening briefed on state S forester recruitment WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
WILL CHAPPELL
I
Headlight Editor
n the wake of senate bill 1051, members of the board of forestry were updated on Governor Tina Kotek’s plan for the recruitment of a new state forester, a responsibility reassigned from the board by the bill, on July 17. Several board members were dubious about the importance of their positions given the change with Kotek natural policy resource advisors Geoff Huntington and Chandra Ferrari reassuring the board that they would still have a role to play. “The board still, in my opinion has a very important role,” Ferrari said. “I still think you’re a very important interface point with the forester and with this agency and in terms of providing some clarity around how well the department is functioning in achieving the outcomes we’re all still going to collectively share for the department and for forest management in Oregon.” Senate bill 1051 reallocated the responsibility for the hiring and firing of Oregon’s state forester from the board of forestry to the governor, in the middle of the process to find a replacement for Cal Mukumoto, who resigned from the post in January. Kotek’s representatives were at the board meeting to detail the process the governor’s office will be using for the recruitment. Huntington said that Ferrari would be taking the lead on the recruitment and that their office was using the same framework they had in the recruitment of executives at six other natural resource agencies during Kotek’s tenure. Huntington told the board that a recruitment firm had been retained and that the job listing would be posted sometime on the day of the meeting and remain active through the end of August. At that point, applications will be reviewed by staff from the governor’s natural resource office, Board of Forestry Chair Jim Kelly and two board members, who will subjectively rank the candidates’ qualifications based on the recruitment criteria. Huntington said that in past recruitments, six to eight candidates have typically advanced. See BRIEFED TO, Page A2
ince last September, Garibaldi businesses have contended with difficult access slowing customer traffic throughout a major upgrade to Highway 101 through the city’s downtown. With the project set to wrap up this week, just in time for the annual Garibaldi Days festival, Garibaldi Business Association (GBA) President Valerie Schumann said that her members wanted to encourage locals to come out to support the businesses and thank the project team from K&E Excavating. “They were exceptional, really from the beginning they made a point to attend our Garibaldi Business Association meetings,” Schumann said. “Mike Zollner, who was their superintendent, was a face, he was really everywhere, and he came in and listened.” The project to overhaul 101 with a new alignment, bike lane, parking spaces and ADA-accessible crosswalks between First and 11th Streets began last September and came with a price tag of $10.5 million. Early on, the project did not cause many delays, but starting in March, intermittent one-lane closures began to disrupt traffic through the city, with waits to pass through sometimes surpassing half an hour, and impact
Workers making progress on the final touches of the highway upgrade project in mid-July. Photo by Katherine Mace
businesses. Becky Sage, owner of the Ghost Hole Public House, said that her revenues had been down at least 25-30% from a normal
year. Sage said that business during the days was particularly slow but that over the past month, evenings have begun to pick up. Sage credited the team from
K&E for doing everything they could to make sure her business stayed accessible but said that it See READY, Page A2
FAIR COUNTDOWN
Tillamook Fair musical lineup set A
Staff Report
strong three-day lineup of musical performances is set for Wednesday through Friday, August 6-8, at the Tillamook County Fair, with performances beginning each night at 8 p.m. in the Grandstand Arena. Admission is free with your fair ticket so get ready to enjoy Chase Matthew on Wednesday, Fleetwood Mac tribute band Taken By The Sky on Thursday and Waylon Wyatt on Friday. Chase Matthew opens the 2025 Tillamook County Fair’s concert series on Wednesday night, August 6th. Bringing raw, real country straight from the heart of Nashville, Chase is known for hits like “She Loves Jesus” and his breakout album Born For This. With gritty vocals, honest lyrics, and a live show packed with energy, Chase is one of country music’s fastest rising stars and you won’t want to
miss him under the Tillamook summer sky.
On Thursday, experience the magic of Fleetwood Mac brought
to life with Taken by the Sky. Known for capturing audiences with their authentic performances, this six-piece Portland-based band recreates the iconic sound and spirit of Fleetwood Mac at the height of their career. With gorgeous harmonies, impeccable musicianship, and a captivating stage show, Taken By The Sky delivers the music you know and love and a night you will not forget. Catch one of country music’s brightest young stars on Friday as Waylon Wyatt takes the Grandstand Arena, Main Stage at the Tillamook County Fair. An 18-year-old folk-country prodigy from Hackett, Arkansas, Waylon blends raw storytelling with Red Dirt soul. With over 100 million streams and his debut EP Til the Sun Goes Down already under his belt, he is carving his path alongside the genre’s greats, one song at a time. His live show is a must-see for any true country fan.
Garibaldi Days promises weekend of family fun Staff Report Returning for its 65th year from July 25-27, Garibaldi Days features a schedule filled with fun activities for all ages centered around the Port of Garibaldi. The main attraction will be Saturday’s parade, which, thanks to an ahead-of-schedule work completion by contractors overhauling Highway 101, will proceed on its normal course from the port down Seventh Street right on 101 to Third and back to the port via American Way at 11 a.m. on Saturday. On Friday, festivities will get under way in the port’s event tent and along Jerry Creasy Way as
IN THIS ISSUE News Opinion Obituaries Sports Classifieds
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more than 60 vendors set up from noon to 8 p.m. In the evening, both Kelley’s Place and the Ghost Hole Public House will have live music. Lumberman’s Park will feature a kid’s zone with bounce houses and Claudia the Chinook, an oversized, walk-in Chinook salmon classroom from the Nehalem Bay Watershed Councils, from noon to 4 p.m., a performance from the Tillamook School of Dance from 4-6 p.m. and a dance party from 6-8 p.m. Saturday will again feature the kid’s zone at Lumberman’s Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and vendors on Jerry Creasy Way and in the port’s event tent from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The annual Water Ball Challenge between the fire department and coast guard will take place at 3 p.m. Any Day Now will kick off Saturday’s musical acts at the event tent at 11:30 a.m., before a four pack of bands rock the night away from starting at 5 p.m. Ladies of the 80s will kick things off at 5 p.m., followed by Van Halen tribute band Jump at 6:15, Joan Jett/Pat Benatar tribute Jett-a-Tarr at 7:30 p.m. and AC/DC Tribute band Back Into Black capping off the night at 9:15 p.m. There will also be a beer garden open during the evening performances from 5-9:30 p.m. Sunday will see the Garibaldi Days Car Show take over Biak
Avenue between Fifth and Seventh Streets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with live music from 10 a.m. to noon, and vendors will have the option to remain on Jerry Creasy Way throughout. The Garibaldi Cultural Heritage Initiative will be hosting a silent auction, with a preview gathering from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday and bidding on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Berkshire-Hathaway Real Estate Office at 406 Garibaldi Avenue. Find additional information about all the events and a full schedule in the special section in this week’s paper or online.
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