Last Thursday evening as black and gold balloons floated up in to threatening skies Debbie Scannell, Coordinator at the Forks Extension site, welcomed dignitaries and west end residents to the grand opening of the Peninsula College Forks extension site. The event which was held outdoors drew several hundred people.
Steller’s jays were discovered on an Alaskan island in 1741 by 33 year old Georg Wilhelm Steller (1709-1746) a German naturalist on Vitus Bering’s last expedition. When a scientist officially described the species, in 1788, he named it after Steller.
With back-to-school time just around the corner, I asked some friends to recall some of their memories from their days in the Quillayute Valley School system. Surprisingly nobody recalled anything about what they learned, or did they?
Imagine my excitement when I was contacted a few months back by a former Forks High grad that wanted to do a travel story about Forks. She asked me a few questions about if Forks had ever had any women’s lib-type rallies and a few other questions about the rebuilding of the Rainforest Art Center.
In June 1956, a contest was held to name Rayonier’s new roadside park situated near Sappho. School children in Forks and Clallam Bay were invited to send in their suggestions. Three finally were selected by the judges; Tumbling Rapids, by Rochelle Mains (the late Rocky Hinkle), See-See-Chem by Robert Swanson and Muk-Kan-Kula by Nancy Whitney.
Interfor announced the permanent closure of its Beaver-Forks operation today, July 31, 2014. The Beaver facility employs 52 people and the Forks mill has 35 employees that will soon be out of work.
On June 27, 2014, Interfor announced a curtailment of its Beaver-Forks operation on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
In the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” George Bailey does not realize what a wonderful life he has or how the wonderful life he has lived has touched so many people in so many ways with even the smallest of actions. Unlike George Bailey, sometimes people know what a wonderful life they have been blessed with living. Such was the case when former Forks Mayor Richard Haberman called me in the spring of 2012.
Fourth of July 7:30 a.m., I hit the streets of Forks early as I headed for Forks Outfitters and the parade registration table. As I drive down Main Street, many of the parade watching hopefuls already have staked out their parade watching areas with vehicles and chairs.
I drive by the Wentworth family staking out their parade watching claim in front of Dana’s Barber shop at about 7:35.
As I approach Pacific Pizza, I see nobody, great I am too early, but then no, I see Pat Soderlind, she has my table and I proceed to get set up for the onslought of parade entries. The “parade anxious” start registering even before 8 a.m.
Nine years ago Joni Evans saved a newborn puppy that had been tossed out in the woods. Somehow it and several of its siblingS survived for about 36 hours on their own, so Joni named the dog Gunnar Grip in memory of her grandfather who after being injured in a timber falling accident had survived 36 hours before dying.
Nine years ago Joni Evans saved a newborn puppy that had been tossed out in the woods. Somehow it and several of its siblingS survived for about 36 hours on their own, so Joni named the dog Gunnar Grip in memory of her grandfather who after being injured in a timber falling accident had survived 36 hours before dying.
The Forks Old-Fashioned Fourth of July celebration is under way! How did Forks come to host this event as it is known today? How has it changed and how has it been able to survive for 120 years?
Well, 120 years may be stretching it a bit but in an interview in 1970, Elma Mae Peterson Good remembered the few people that inhabited the Forks area getting together for a picnic and music around 1890.
Receiving a mysterious phone call at 6:55 p.m. Wednesday evening, I was instructed to meet at the Forks sign at the North end of town, so I loaded up my dogs, they wanted a ride, and my camera, and made my way there, arriving at 7:01. There I found two individuals in disguise with fake noses and glasses that were a bit too small thus revealing their real identities multiple times.
For Mother’s Day I asked friends for some words of advice that their mother’s had shared as they were growing up and received a good number of comments. So that dads get equal time, I did the same thing this week for Father’s Day and got way more “advice,” apparently fathers are way more full of it, advice that is, so, here are some words of wisdom via our dads.
