Wander Columbia County

10/16/2026

Great b**r. Great food. Amazing people. A community that shows up for its own. 🍻

Our friends at Crooked Creek Brewery brewed up something special for someone who's spent years helping local businesses and entrepreneurs.

It's the people who make this place special. And seeing neighbors show up for neighbors is a pretty good reminder of why we love calling this place home. ❤️

Hey friends, tomorrow will be the release of the Jason B**r as we’ve been calling it in the brewery. After reviewing all the awesome name suggestions we decided to go with Supermoon IPA, suggested by both Kim Kantrowitz and Amber Atkins. We were looking for a name that honors Jason’s work, dedication, and reputation in our community, as well as his courage and determination as he’s endured brain surgery and is now undergoing multiple types of therapy and ongoing treatment. Thank you all for submitting your suggestions, in the end Supermoon stood out as the perfect name.

In case you haven’t been following or haven’t heard, our good friend Jason Moon was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor requiring emergency surgery and will be going through ongoing therapies as part of his recovery. Because Jason means so much to our community we decided to brew a b**r in his honor and will be donating 100% of the profits from this b**r to help offset his medical bills. Please come by and help us move this b**r for Jason.

Kim and Amber… we’re not sure who suggested Supermoon first but we love the suggestion and we’ll give both of you a $25 gift card to the taproom.

The b**r will be on tap starting tomorrow!

10/14/2026

🍂 The leaves are falling, but we're not slowing down!

Our October newsletter is out, and there's plenty happening around Columbia County.

We're talking Scappoose Bay Marina, free social media training for small businesses, lodging tax updates, and how we're helping local businesses get discovered by more visitors.

Plus, a little reminder that small towns deserve nice things, too. 😉

Whether you run a business, work in tourism, or just care about the place we call home, there's something in here for you.

☕ Grab your coffee, settle in, and catch up on what's happening around these parts.

👉 Read the October newsletter: https://conta.cc/4ikquus

10/06/2026

🎃 Turns out, Halloweentown’s Rec Center is real. And you can go inside.

On October 17 & 18, head to the Columbia County Museum’s Spirit of Halloweentown fundraiser at the historic John Gumm Building. The actual “Halloweentown Recreational Center” from the movie.

📸 Snap photos with original movie props
🎬 Hear Jerry Cole’s behind-the-scenes filming stories
👻 Wander a building decked out in Halloweentown movie magic
🎃 Grab postcards, stickers & T-shirts

And while you’re in town, pull up the museum’s Halloweentown + Twilight filming-location walking tour. It’s been viewed more than 665,000 times. Apparently, we’re not the only ones who like a little movie-location snooping.

👉 colcomuseum.org/walking-tours

Tagging our friends at Oregon Film Trail because, well… this one is literally part of the trail. 🎬🍂

On October 17 & 18, the Columbia County Museum will host a Spirit of Halloweentown fundraising event at the John Gumm Building. (https://sites.google.com/colcomuseum.org/recreational-center/home)

Groups of visitors will be guided into the Auditorium for photo opportunities with original movie props and to hear Jerry Cole share his experiences during filming. The Auditorium was the "Halloweentown Recreational Center" in the movie. The John Gumm Building will be decorated with movie-themed decor.

Postcards, stickers, and T-shirts will be available for purchase.

The Google Map walking tour of filming locations for Halloweentown and Twilight is available on the museum's website at (https://www.colcomuseum.org/walking-tours) or via this QR code, which takes you to the map viewed over 670,000 times. It contains movie clips and information about the scenes filmed at specific locations in downtown St. City Of St. Helens - Government

09/27/2026

Did someone say planes, tacos and pie? 🤩 Come celebrate the new and improved Scappoose Airport!

Join us SUNDAY, September 27 from 12–3 p.m. as we celebrate the return of flight at Scappoose Airport!

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Come out and enjoy the NWAAC Annual Pie-In Fly-In, biplane rides, a formation flying demonstration, aircraft, live music, Amelia’s Mexican Food, Willamette Valley Pie Co. and more!

The event also supports the NWAAC Scholarship Fund, helping encourage the next generation of aviation enthusiasts and pilots.

📅 Sunday, September 27
⏰ 12–3 p.m.
📍 Scappoose Airport (KSPB)

Bring the family and come celebrate with us! Our Airport. Our Community. Our Future. ✈️

09/25/2026

Well, well, well… St. Helens is getting spooky again. 🎃👻

Spirit of Halloweentown starts tomorrow, September 26, and takes over weekends through November 1. Come for the Halloween magic. Stay to wander the Riverfront District, grab a bite, and see what’s lurking in the local shops.

Sharing the City of St. Helens’ post so you can check the street closures and parking details before you go. Even witches need a parking plan.

🎃 Spirit of Halloweentown 2026 begins Saturday, September 26 (THIS WEEEKEND) and is held every Saturday and Sunday through November 1, 2026.

🎃 LOCAL INFORMATION:

🎃 STREET CLOSURES: South 1st Street and the Plaza Square will not close until after 8 p.m. on Fridays. South 1st Street will remain open on Friday evenings to give locals close access to restaurants and shops in the Riverfront District.

The timing of street closures during the event are as follows:

➡️ Strand Street from Cowlitz Street to the Plaza Square: Fridays at 5 p.m.

➡️ South 1st Street from Old Portland Road to Cowlitz Street: Fridays at 8 p.m.

➡️ Plaza Square: Fridays at 8 p.m.

➡️ All streets will reopen at 12 a.m. (midnight) on Monday

🎃 LOCAL PARKING: All local parking questions, passes, and signs are being handled through the Spirit of Halloweentown gift shop at 231 S. 1st Street.

Parking passes are being given to residents and businesses who are inside a street closure area. These are available at the gift shop.

No event parking signs for posting on private property are available for pickup at the gift shop.

If no one is at the gift shop, a phone number will be posted on the door to call so an event staff member can arrange for passes or signs for you.

🎃 EVENT PARKING: Attendee event parking has moved this year. It has returned to the vacant Riverfront Property between the end of South 1st Street and Plymouth Street.

🎃 Full Spirit of Halloweentown event information is available at https://spiritofhalloweentown.com

09/23/2026

Our latest tourism industry newsletter is out!

If you work in lodging, dining, retail, outdoor recreation, attractions, events, or another business connected to Oregon’s visitor economy Travel Oregon wants to hear from you.

Please take a few minutes to complete the Travel Oregon Industry Survey. Your feedback helps shape future programs, resources and support for tourism businesses and destinations across the state.

Read the newsletter and find the survey here:
https://conta.cc/46zB4Hv

Please share this with others in Columbia County’s tourism industry. The more local voices represented, the better!

Email from Port of Columbia County, OR Industry surveys, Outdoor Recreation Summit & Celebration   Columbia County Tourism Is Back After an eight-month hiatus, Columbia County’s tourism program is

09/18/2026

The sun is still shining. Don’t waste it indoors! ☀️

Pick a direction and enjoy a little Columbia County wandering this weekend:

🥾 Walk or bike a stretch of the Crown Zellerbach Trail
🛶 Explore Scappoose Bay Marina
🌊 Grab some ice cream and stroll the St. Helens waterfront
🚗 Take a scenic drive thru Clatskanie
🌲 Walk around Vernonia Lake
🌊 Follow the riverside path in Rainier

No big itinerary required. Grab your sunglasses, choose a destination and go enjoy the day.

Where are you wandering today?

09/10/2026

One more stop on our trip around Columbia County: Clatskanie.

It's easy to keep heading west on Highway 30 toward Astoria and the coast.

Don't.

At least not yet.

Turn into town. Grab something to eat. Wander around. Look for the local art. Then look beyond downtown, where rivers, sloughs and forests tell another part of the Clatskanie story.

This week we've wandered from Scappoose to St. Helens, Vernonia, Rainier and finally Clatskanie.

Five communities. Five very different reasons to make the turn.

And we've barely started.

📍 Clatskanie, Oregon
📸 Sean Banesh

09/09/2026

If you've driven Highway 30 through Rainier a hundred times, here's our challenge:

Turn off the highway.

Rainier's setting along the Columbia River is hard to beat, with the Lewis and Clark Bridge overhead and ships, boats and working river traffic moving past town.

Take a walk. Find something to eat. Explore a little.

Sometimes the places we've driven through the most are the ones we've explored the least.

📸 Sean Banesh

09/08/2026

You don't accidentally end up in Vernonia.

And that's part of what makes it so good.

Surrounded by the Coast Range, Vernonia combines small-town Oregon with some seriously good reasons to get outside.

There's history here. Trails. Bikes. The river. Local businesses. And the kind of downtown where wandering around is still an acceptable way to spend an afternoon.

Take the road west.

See where it leads.

📍 Vernonia, Oregon
📸 Sean Banesh