e e r F
news/advertiser Wednesday October 21, 2020
Contact The Chronicle and The Chief
Phone: 503-397-0116 Email: chroniclenews@ countrymedia.net Email: chiefnews@ countrymedia.net Below is a list of WHERE to pick up a FREE copy of the print edition of the News-Advertiser. Also available every week at: thechronicleonline. com and at thechiefnews.com CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE SAFEWAY • HI SCHOOL PHARMACY IN CLATSKANIE • DISCOUNT & DEALS • CLATSKANIE MARKET
marketfreshonline.com Curbside service, with same day ordering. Download our app today
Come check out our NEW Deli Remodel 7 AM - 10 PM EVERY DAY • (503) 397-2288 1111 Columbia Blvd, St Helens, OR 97051 • marketfreshonline.com
Who We Are: The Sand Island hosts
SCAPPOOSE • ROAD RUNNER GAS & GROCERY • JACKPOT 76 • ENGSTROM CHEVRON • B&B MARKET • FRED MEYER • SMOKE SHOP • NELSON NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET • ACE • GROCERY OUTLET ST. HELENS • CHUBB’S CHEVRON • SHERLOCK’S • YANKTON STORE • ZATTERBURG’S • MARKET FRESH • WALGREENS • BEST WESTERN • MOLLY’S MARKET • WALMART • ACE • DON’S RENTAL DEER ISLAND • DEER ISLAND STORE COLUMBIA CITY • COLUMBIA CITY GROCERY & GAS RAINIER • ALSTON STORE • DOLLAR GENERAL • GROCERY OUTLET
Andrew and Becki Barnard are the camp hosts at Sand Island. The shuttle boat is operated by Andrew and can carry about 1,000 pounds.
Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 138 October 21, 2020 MONIQUE MERRILL chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Between the Oregon-Washington border in the Columbia River just beyond St. Helens is a tropical island experience: Sand Island. Sand Island has long attracted locals and visitors during the hot summer months, but how they arrived on the island hasn’t always been the same. Until two years ago, the island lacked a consistent shuttle service to bring visitors over. People interested in visiting the island had to find a way to boat out there themselves. When the Building Bridges to Self Sufficiency
Community Action Team
City of St. Helens allowed two local businessmen to take over campground services on the island in 2019, the job position of camp host and shuttle driver was created. Who are the lucky two who spend their days boating the Columbia River and maintaining the roughly 42-acre desert island? That would be Andrew and Becki Barnard, married couple and island hosts. The two, and their kitten Panda, live in a fully off-thegrid outfitted sailboat docked at the island. During the daytime Andrew is on call to shuttle campers back and forth, and Becki stays on the shore to greet new arrivals with a tractor ready to haul gear to campsites. “We love our customers, they’re amazing, some of the best people we’ve met,” Andrew said. Before the island sites were developed into a somewhat more formal campsite with dedicated camp hosts, the island was often the site of mischief.
“It’s a great thing for the community, it’s great for us, it’s great for folks who travel the river.” ~ Andrew Barnard, Sand Island host
It had become so much of an issue that the topic of party problems came before the St. Helens City Council in 2010. The council described issues on the island that ranged from visitors dragging picnic tables into the water to drunken brawls, according to Chronicle reporting. Now, the island is a far cry from those lawless days as it is maintained and overseen by Andrew and Becki. “There’s definitely been a lot of crazy things that go on out here,” Andrew said. “The presence on the island is definitely a good thing. We’ve done major strides
to maintain a fun, friendly, family atmosphere out here compared to how it was before.” The island still has fairly primitive features — a lack of tap water, primarily— but it has continued to draw interest as a private, sandy getaway. “It’s a great thing for the community, it’s great for us, it’s great for folks who travel the river,” he said. Andrew said one of his favorite parts is getting to know the visitors to the island, and, based on reviews of the campground many people identify Andrew and Becki Barnard as their favorite part of visiting the island as well. This summer he met people from all around the world, who had been traveling to the area and been stuck when the pandemic hit and restricted movement. “We’ve had a lot of folks who have come out over the season to camp and they come out here and they’re mad, they’re angry, they’ve
Monique Merrill / The Chronicle
had a long week and they’re tired,” Andrew said. “By Sunday they’re going home with a big smile on their faces, they love it. It’s a wonderful feeling.” The man-made island was formed from silt dredged from the Columbia, and in a sense will continue to grow as dredging continues. There are 61 campsites now, but Andrew expects that number to rise to 78 by next season. “We’ve done a lot of work to increase the number of sites while still keeping them spaced out enough enough that they’re still a private experience,” he said. For more information visit sandislandcampground. com. If you know of someone, an agency or business, or a group, that is making a positive difference in our community and would like to see them featured in Who We Are, email details to jruark@ countrymedia.net.
BLINDS & DRAPES
Are you a veteran? You may be entitled to benefits for serving your country.
Contact your Veteran Service Officer • 503-366-6580 Call CAT at (503)397-3511 to find out if you qualify. Rental and energy assistance applications are available at 125 N. 17th St., St. Helens, OR. Also available on our website at www.CAT-TEAM.org
Need a job? check the classifieds online at www.thechronicleonline.com & www.thechiefnews.com to find your perfect job offer.
Simple Direct Cremation $795 Simple Direct Burial $995 Church Funeral $2,965
Portland 832 NE Broadway Portland, OR 97232 Phone: 503 783-3393
Discounted price, caskets, urns & other memorial items.
Privately owned cremation facility. Locally owned and operated by Oregon families Offering online arrangements - CrownCremationBurial.com
Blinds 4 You Direct • Blinds • Shutters • Drapes & More •
• FREE Measuring • Repair services • FREE Consultation available • FREE In Home Service • Best Prices
CALL TODAY! UP TO 75% OFF!
(971) 719-7119
JUSTICE WITH INTEGRITY COLUMBIA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE DISTRICT 19, POSITION 3 Endorsed by: The Honorable Judge Cathleen B. Callahan, Circuit Court Judge of Columbia County • Stephen D. Petersen, attorney in Rainier • Agnes M. Petersen, attorney in St. Helens • David B. Herr, attorney in Scappoose • Mary Anne Anderson, attorney in St. Helens Paid for by Clarke 4 Judge