HEADLINES & HISTORY SINCE 1879
Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2023
Vol. 144 No. 31
$1.00
County begins recovery from fire ZACHARY VILLAR FOR THE SENTINEL The Newell Road Fire was declared 100% contained by the Washington State Department of National Resources (DNR) on July 29. Local and state firefighters spent nine days battling the blaze that started on July 21 and burned 60,551 acres in an area between Bickleton and Roosevelt. It is the largest fire Klickitat County has experienced so far this year, and it tested the county’s readiness for this kind of natural disaster. The cause of the fire is still undetermined, though DNR has an interest in a VW Rabbit spotted on Rock Creek Road. After the fire was reported 100% contained and evacuation alerts began to be lifted, people who lived near or were directly affected by the fire were able to reflect on the disaster. Joe Shattuck of Roosevelt said his home has survived five wildfires burning through the area. He said during this fire, there was one fire truck that came to keep the fire away from his home. “That fire exploded after it started,” said Shattuck. “And it was rough country over there, so they couldn’t just get on it.” The land around his home is dry because his only source of water is a spring that does not produce much these days, and most of
SENTINEL ARCHIVES
THE 1945 FAIR: The Sentinel archives of the Klickitat County Fair Premium Book–back then called the Premium List–go back 79 years. In all that time, the book has been produced and printed by the newspaper. ZACHARY VILLAR
DEVASTATION: A single patch of unsinged ground remains at the corner of Newell and Dot Roads. People in the area are coping with various stages of loss. his water goes towards watering his feedlot and for domestic use. “I’m going to have to drill a well, I guess,” he concluded. Not everyone came away from the fire unscathed. Matt Spalding of Bickleton said he lost 1,500 acres of pastureland to the fire. He grazes his cows in different parts of Klickitat County, and he didn’t have any cattle in the acreage that burned. “Every third year I rotate out of there and go somewhere else for a year. It happened to be this year, so I didn’t have to worry about the cows getting fricasseed down there.” He said that the amount of time he’ll need to wait to put his cows
back to pasture on that land depends on the weather. “It’s going to be a minimum of one year and probably two.” Ashley Wright of Bickleton said a firefighting team contracted by her home insurance company showed up as a precaution to help ensure the safety of her home. She and her family evacuated to a friend’s house west of town, but they got the all-clear and were able to return to their home within a couple of hours. Her husband is a volunteer firefighter who went out and helped fight the fire for several days. “It definitely wasn’t his first fire, unfortunately,” said Wright.
“This is one of the biggest ones we’ve had for a long time. I think they’re a great little volunteer fire department. They have two drill nights every month, so they know the routine, and they know what positions they’re supposed to be in, what trucks, and how everything goes. We’re very proud of the guys.” Bob Powers of Powers Ranch in Bickleton said the fire burned 90% of their wheat and burned all their pastureland, a total of about 4,500 acres. His son runs the ranch and is now trying to find a place to pasture their cows. He said that even though their
See Fire page A8
ZACHARY VILLAR
AUTO PILOT: For more than three decades, Brad Payne has guided shoppers around the NAPA Auto Parts store.
GRACE BLAND
GOING, NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN: Colleen Schafroth is retiring as executive director of the Maryhill Musuem.
Schafroth retiring from Maryhill Museum GRACE BLAND FOR THE SENTINEL After more than three decades of service, Colleen Schafroth is retiring from her role as executive director at the Maryhill Museum. “I have loved every minute of it,” she states. “I’m only leaving because the museum is at a great point, and I think it’s time they get a new direction.” The museum has known her presence since 1986, but her impact will still be felt for years to come. Schafroth was just on the edge of completing her master’s program when she heard of a job opening for curator of education at the museum. She had been studying art history and was at a crossroads, trying to decide whether she should go for a Ph.D. or do something else. “I came and applied, and for whatever reason, it clicked,” she recalls. “I started and have been working here ever since.” Schafroth started out as curator of education before moving up to executive director in May
of 2001. In her latter position, she oversaw many projects, marketed for the museum, and worked with fundraising. “I have dealt with a lot of projects—that would include the new wing that opened in 2012,” she says. The new wing was a $10 million project that took countless hours on the road to raise funds. Aside from that major project, she also worked on getting the museum stucco redone and creating a sculpture garden. “I’m very, very happy that we were able to do so many things,” she professes. “That’s because of the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, and the State of Washington.” With the combination of the building makeovers and the incredible art, the museum has bloomed into a special place. “Honestly, this is a real treasure here,” Schafroth states. The museum is a gathering place for knowledge and culture that stands out here in the Gorge. One of her favorite aspects of the place is education. “I love that
See Maryhill page A8
Payne calls it a career ZACHARY VILLAR FOR THE SENTINEL Brad Payne has retired from his job at NAPA Auto Parts in Goldendale after working there for 34 years. Payne, born and raised in Goldendale, first started working at the store when he was 27 years old. At the time he was working for a farmer in Centerville who asked him to go into town to buy some parts at the auto supply store. The manager who was working then asked Payne if he ever thought about selling parts. He said no, but he decided to give it a try. “I’ve been here since,” says Payne. Payne’s father was a welder, so he grew up in welding shops. He was in the army for six years, where he learned he didn’t like living in big cities and preferred small towns. He’s organized the Goldendale Truck & Tractor Pull out at Joe Sellers’ place every year for the past 20 years, and he’s currently working on repairing an old International tractor. When asked what keeps him in Goldendale, he states, “It’s home.” The Sentinel featured Payne in 2014 for his 25-year anniversary of working at NAPA Auto Parts. He’s worked there through three different owners. NAPA is a franchise, so they sell NAPA parts, but the store is owned by
the franchisee. “Originally it was Wayne Carsey, then Skip took it over,” said Payne. “Then Gary Ward bought it, and then the P&F group out of Yakima owns it now.” Payne doesn’t have any big plans for his retirement. “I’ll take some vacations, we’ll go some places. But there’s nothing specific planned.” When asked what made him want to retire, he said jokingly that it was because he wanted to get off the concrete floor before he can’t walk anymore. Despite some customers telling him they didn’t want him to retire, Payne says it’s time. “Brad’s the best,” asserts Dave Galewski, current manager of the NAPA Auto Parts in Goldendale. He said Payne’s retirement leaves the store a bit handicapped. “I’d say it’s a loss because you can’t replace that kind of knowledge. You can’t replace that kind of experience and expertise. He’s part engineer, he’s a little bit of everything. It’s sad.” His coworkers are sorry to see Payne go, too. His daughter-inlaw, Elizabeth Payne, who works with him at the store, says he’s indispensable. “He knows everything about tractors, and he’s going to be missed because he knows so much and he’s our go-to guy. Now he’s getting ready to take off. I’ve definitely got him
See Brad page A8
Eight decades of The Sentinel and the Fair Premium Book LOU MARZELES EDITOR
The 1945 Klickitat County Fair Premium List (it would be called “Book” later) housed in The Sentinel office proclaims that year’s County Fair and Western Horseshow as its second annual such event. And it said it was changing the name from “Fair and Rodeo” to “Western Horseshow”— perhaps because of the dearth of young men who were fighting in Europe and the Pacific. It spoke of hoping to welcome home its county sons soon. The Sentinel has been continuously publishing the Klickitat County Fair Premium Book in its different iterations at least since World War II—some 80 years now. Only recently did the newspaper come across some of those early editions. There is the book from 1945. And 1954. And ’58, and on and on. The early editions were tiny things compared to the 56 pages in the contemporary book. Advertising was present in the book from the beginning. In close to 80 years, the production, printing, and distribution of the book have never cost the County Fair Board a penny, so the expenses involved have always been covered by advertising. Most advertisers in those bygone days are themselves now long bygone, but a few names from back then are still recognizable. The 1954 book has an ad from Allyn’s Building Center. That same year the PUD put in an ad celebrating the benefits of getting your farm fully wired with electricity. One benefit the ad didn’t mention was being able to watch all the amazing shows on TV then. Who would want to miss the latest episodes of “I Love Lucy” or “Roy Rogers”? Feel free to stop in and take a look at our well-preserved and historic old Fair Premium publications. They are slices of history that showcase the close bond between the Fair Board and The Sentinel for almost eight decades.
SENTINEL ARCHIVES
THE 1954 FAIR: Still called the Fair Premium List.