Vernonia Booster Club

(Above photo is an example of what the Logger Stadium could look like at the Vernonia Schools.)


A message from Jim & Kathy (Minger) Eckland:

On December 3, 2007 the Vernonia community experienced a major flood which damaged homes, businesses, and all three school buildings.  

Following the flood the community undertook the huge effort of rebuilding, which included moving the school campus to a new location, out of the flood zone.

On  August 21, 2012 Vernonia celebrated the grand opening of the new school campus, but one thing was still missing – outdoor sports facilities for football, softball, baseball, and track and field. 

Through the determined effort of a group of volunteers and alumni, over $250,000 was raised, and the first pitch at the Alumni Field softball facility was thrown on  April 26, 2016, followed by the opening of Holce Baseball Field in 2019.

In 2017 Vernonia School District voters approved a bond measure which provided for the construction of the new all-weather track and field facility and football field.  The first football game at the new Logger Stadium was played on September 13, 2019 and Vernonia hosted their first home track and field meet in decades on May 2 the following spring.  There is still just one piece missing:  a covered stadium (like the sample stadium pictured above).

A local group of alumni and community volunteers have already raised almost $60,000, through direct mail, personal contacts and GoFundMe, toward the Phase One goal of $650,000.  The second and third phases will focus on separate concessions and restrooms along with team rooms and additional restrooms under the grandstands.  We need everyone's help to finish this last key piece of the school campus.  Contributions of any size are welcome.

The Logger Stadium will complete the school facilities and bring the community closer together.

Please consider what contribution you can make to help our community cross this goal line together.  If you wish to donate online, you may use our GoFundMe page.  Or, if you prefer, you may mail your checks (payable to Vernonia Boosters, Memo Line:  Logger Stadium); and mail to  Vernonia Logger Stadium, P.O. Box 73, Vernonia, OR  97064.   All contributions are tax-deductible. 

VernoniaSK8.com
The Vernonia youth suffer from a lack of places to socialize and recreate. Currently they have one covered area in the center of town with two basketball hoops - that is the only activity they have other than school itself. This is where the idea of Vernonia’s very own skatepark was born and the Vernonia SK8 Committee was formed. Vernonia SK8 is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax deductible organization, committed to enhancing the lives of our local youth focusing on one primary goal: give our local youth a designated place to promote positive engagement while being fun and appealing. A survey, including Vernonia High School students, showed over 230 signatures in support of a skate park, another 190 signatures were signed via petition on Facebook and nearly 80 citizens packed City Hall in support of the skate park.
The skate park will provide a positive activity that builds attachment to the community. The process of designing and building the skate park will provide a learning opportunity for the youth involved, as they help design aspects of the park, assist in prep/construction, and participate in youth-organized fundraising events. The high school will coordinate senior project hours and community service hours for the seniors who will work together and provide yearly maintenance of the skatepark. Skateboarding is a distinct sport because not only does it physically exert your body, but it also requires complex uses of the brain in order to maintain balance and individual limb movement. This unique combination makes the sport addictive and challenging, alluring today’s youth away from virtual fixations and into a physical exercise; provoking a healthier generation. As well as skateboarding, the Vernonia SK8 Park will also be dedicated to BMX bikes, scooters, and rollerblades.
Many volunteers have stepped forward to help us in our efforts to gift our youth a beautiful skatepark; the same youth that watched their families’ homes fall and their historic school destroyed, after the traumatic flooding that once claimed the town in 1996, and again in 2007. With the reconstruction of the new school in a new location, the old school grounds is now repurposed by the city as a community park known as Spencer Park; the city of Vernonia has dedicated a portion to the skatepark. The location and close proximity to the main road will generate high visibility as well as new pathways to local businesses increasing customers and sales.
Skateboarding happens whether or not there is a skatepark, but it is clearly safer when the participants have a refuge to practice in. With the participants having a place to chase their dreams, business owners no longer have to worry about detouring those skateboarders from riding near their business and possibly damaging property.

The Vernonia SK8 Park Committee is developing a 6000 square foot skate park as one of the elements of Spencer Park. We are working closely with the Tony Hawk Foundation to help us design a state of the art skatepark.The goal is to reach $60,000 with the target date of breaking ground in spring 2019. Much to our appreciation, the city is requesting a State Grant, but it will not be enough. We ask you to help us reach our goal by providing cash donation, items to auction, and/or materials to help build the site. Together we can surpass expectations and gift happiness to our youth that will last for generations to come.
There’s THREE ways to donate (all donations are 501(c)(3) tax deductible):
Donate Online or by Mail:
Online
With social media playing a huge role in millennial lives, we have set up an easy donation form on our Facebook page:
Facebook.com/groups/VernoniaSK8
Contact Wendy for a tax deductible donation receipt at: [email redacted]
Donate at Wauna Credit Union in Vernonia:
The Vernonia Booster Club is our fiscal sponsor, all donations will go through their account. Please ensure your check is made out to: “Boosters/SK8 Park”
Wauna Credit Union
1010 Bridge St Vernonia, OR 97064
You are also welcome to donate in person at Wauna. Just ask the teller how to donate to Vernonia SK8.
Hands On:
You can help in many ways other than donating money. We need help with the following:
• Fundraising (Planning, Coordinating, Conducting, Etc.) • Manual Labor (Physical)
• Non-Manual Labor (Using Your Mind)
• Volunteering
• Building Community Awareness, Support and Excitement • Materials
By Mail
Please make donation checks out to
“Boosters/SK8 Park” and mail them to:
Vernonia Booster Club/Vernonia SK8
P.O. Box 62 Vernonia OR 97064
To donate your time, contact Wendy at: [email redacted]