HARVEST SECTION INSIDE
Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2023
Vol. 144 No. 33
$1.00
Bishop Services celebrate Smokey’s bithday RICHARD LEFEVER FOR THE SENTINEL
ZACHARY VILLAR
GREETING SUPPORTERS: Washington State Patrol Trooper Anthony Maton, in wheelchair, greets Marc and Marsha Boardman at the spaghetti dinner and silent auction held at the Better Living Center in Goldendale to raise money for his medical expenses after he was injured in an on-duty car accident. About 250 people attended. The event raised close to $12,000, with more donations still trickling in. “The support this community has shown this young man is heartwarming,” said co-organizer Janet Matulovich.
See Smokey page B4
Parks & Rec levy passes ZACHARY VILLAR FOR THE SENTINEL
CONTRIBUTED
ON THE ROAD TO ZION: Sixty-two youths from around the Gorge, including Goldendale, reenacted the epic walk from Iowa City, Iowa, to Salt Lake City, Utah, by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1856. In the top picture at far right (straw hat) is Goldendale’s Ari Bartholomew.
Reliving a hard journey of devotion The last thing you would expect to see in eastern Washington on a 95-degree day in August is teenagers dressed like pioneers pulling their own camping gear in a handcart. But on August 1 to 4, that is exactly what you would have seen near Plymouth, Washington. Youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from all over the Columbia River Gorge, including Goldendale, arrived at the Bing Canyon Campground to re-enact the handcart journey of some of their ancestors. The young people from Gol-
Smokey Bear, the legendary mascot of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), shared his birthday last week with wildland firefighters and Goldendale’s Bishop Services support staff at the Black River Fire Complex outside of Alpine, Arizona. While wearing his favorite clothes, a personalized ranger hat, blue jeans, and belt, Smokey turned 79 on August 9. He left his iconic shovel behind to eat a special birthday cake made in his honor. He mingled in fire camp throughout the day, sharing his favorite fire stories. The concept of Smokey Bear was conceived during World War II. The Japanese military had launched thousands of pilotless balloons in 1944 hoping the wind currents would carry them to the U.S. mainland. The plan was that incendiary devices attached to the balloons would then drop, setting fire to the forest land between Los Angeles and Seattle. The project was mostly a failure. Only about 300 balloons made it to the American mainland. Two of those balloons landed in Klickitat County. The project caused little harm. The forest service was still concerned—most trained firefighters were serving in the military, leaving forest land unprotected. The Smokey Bear project was launched to educate citizens to keep an eye out for fires. The slogan “Only you can prevent forest fires” was created. Smokey wasn’t the first USFS mascot. The Disney movie Bambi appeared on movie screens in
dendale were Ari and Charles Bartholomew, Riley and Porter West, Evan Bischoff, and Abigail Hargrove. Adults from Goldendale who helped were Lynn and Crystal Bischoff (head cooks), and George and Shirley Ransom who helped with the food. Rene and Cori Christensen were the trail medic and rescue atv driver respectively. In 1856, Brigham Young, then president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, suggested the plan of using handcarts to cross the plains from Iowa City to the Salt Lake
Valley. There were many poor members of the church in Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany, and Scandinavian countries who wanted to come to America and gather with the Saints in the Utah territory. The cost of passage, ox teams, supplies, and wagons was prohibitive. With this new idea, they would use manpower to pull the carts with limited equipment, which would be cheaper and faster than the oxen. The first groups made the journey, and, although strenuous and uncomfortable, it was a success. There were 10 handcart
groups with over 2,500 people who made the trek between 1856 and 1860. Tragedy struck two of the companies when they left late in the season and got caught in early October snows, but most made the difficult journey successfully. In re-enacting the handcart journey, there were three objectives to the experience; coming closer to Jesus Christ, developing unity, and discovering they could do hard things. They were given the opportunity to hear of the grit, tenacity, and faith of the
See Trek page A8
The Central Klickitat County Park and Recreation District’s (CKCPRD) six-year maintenance and operations levy passed on August 3. A supermajority of 60% yes votes is required to pass a levy in the state of Washington (other than school levies). The CKCPRD levy received 1,692 yes votes and 538 no votes, or 75.87% yes and 24.13% no. This levy replaces the current CKCPRD levy that expires in 2023 and authorizes a regular property tax levy of $0.29 per $1,000 of assessed property value beginning collection in 2024 and continuing through 2029. This levy will allow the CKCPRD to continue to be able to provide many services to the community, such as the Goldendale Community Swimming Pool that offers swim lessons, water aerobics, American Red Cross lifeguard certifications, and other water activities. The CKCPRD also runs soccer and youth football programs in the area, as well as summer youth day camps, community gardens, trails, disc golf, exercise stations, and other recreational opportunities. Klickitat County Planning Office Associate Planner Lori Anderson said that without this maintenance and operations levy, which provides approximately two-thirds of the CKCPRD’s budget, they would not be able to continue offering these services in 2024. Anderson, who teaches swimming lessons at the Community Pool, spoke about the financial challenges of providing these kinds of activities and institutions for the community. “Swimming pools are historically expensive to own, operate, insure, and everything else, so we’re for-
See Levy page A8