The 53rd Annual Gales Creek Strawberry Festival drew more than 600 visitors to the heart of the Gales Creek Community on Saturday.

Gales Creek, May 1930. These are the diary entries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek with the Lilly clan after the family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They paint a picture of what it was like to live in Gales Creek and the surrounding areas. They are published as they were written, with original spelling.

In this column, Sharon explores the topic of emergency preparedness and our farm-style education in Gales Creek. Gales Creek Gatherings is a column by guest writer, Sharon Hundley. Sharon covers local events and gatherings in the Gales Creek Valley, featuring community events, businesses, and special happenings. If you know of an upcoming event and would like to see it in here, please contact news@galescreekjournal.com, with Sharon Hundley in the subject line.

The old Balm Grove Tavern will receive a fresh coat of paint after community members voted on a new color scheme at a Clean Water Services open house at the Balm Grove property.

State Representative Tiffiny Mitchell, representing Gales Creek, Banks, Gaston, and cities and communities up and down the North Coast will hold a town hall event on Sunday, June 2 at 3 p.m. at the Banks Public Library.

Anne and her husband Rene’ have been growing heirloom organic vegetables at Gales Meadow Farm in Gales Creek since 1999. If you have a question about vegetable gardening, Anne might be able to answer it. Send your question to news@galescreekjournal.com with subject line “Question for Gales Meadow Farm”

Early election results show that in local fire board races, incumbents appear to be losing their seats in the May special district elections, while the Forest Grove School Board will retain Kate Grandusky, and fill position 5 with Narce Rodriguez.

The May special elections will end at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, and according to the Washington County elections office, just 15% of registered voters have turned in a ballot so far.

Western states are preparing for summer and wildfire season. And although it may seem counter-intuitive, some of the most urgent conversations are about getting more fire onto the landscape.

A driver who the Washington County Sheriff's Office says struck a cyclist in Hillside, leaving him bleeding on the ground before speeding away has been arrested.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office is asking the public to help them find a driver who witnesses say fled the scene after striking a bicyclist on NW Hillside Road on Saturday, May 11.

The Washington County Museum is inviting the public to hear Dr. David Lewis, a local author, Native American historian, ethnohistory consultant, anthropologist, and teacher, discuss on Saturday, May 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m his knowledge of the Kalapuyan cultural practices around food and land management.

On Oregon Department of Forestry protected lands, 126 fires have burned nearly 1,000 acres this year so far. The burned acreage doesn’t take into account fires burning on federally-controlled land, such as vast swaths of Bureau of Land Management and national forest lands, or fires burning in other jurisdictions.

Gales Creek, 1930 By Esther Lilly Hundley. Transcribed by Sandra Evans. These are the diary entries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek with the Lilly clan after the family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They paint a picture of what it was like to live in Gales Creek and the surrounding areas. They are published as they were written, with original spelling.

Washington County issued a burn ban that runs from today, May 9, through the upcoming weekend as the region continues to experience record high temperatures for this time of year.

Governor Kate Brown joined governors from nine other states in declaring May 2019 wildfire awareness month.

An open house for the public to tour the Balm Grove property will be held Wednesday, May 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided

The Forest Grove School District will close amid planned teacher walkouts in support of education funding at the state level.

Wildfire season is nearly upon the Gales Creek Valley and surrounding Tillamook Forest, and the Gales Creek Neighborhood Watch wants you to learn how to prepare your home at an upcoming community gathering.

Dozens of contenders have thrown their hat into the ring to lead, represent, and hold positions of authority in local school and fire boards that will define where the tax dollars of voters go to provide fire and emergency services, education and more.

The Oregon average price is 17 cents more than it was in April 2018, the sixth-largest annual increase in the U.S.

A wildflower and butterfly sketching workshop hosted by Seaside-based artist, educator and forager Dorota Haber-Lehigh is coming to the Tillamook Forest Center Sunday, April 28 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Preregistration is required.

In this column, Sharon explores the topic of Balm Grove and our local CPO program. Gales Creek Gatherings is a column by guest writer, Sharon Hundley. Sharon will be covering local events and gatherings in the Gales Creek Valley, featuring community events, businesses, and special happenings. If you know of an upcoming event and would like to see it in here, please contact news@galescreekjournal.com, with Sharon Hundley in the subject line.

A roundup of Easter events in Gales Creek, Hillside, Banks and beyond. See one we missed? Email us at news@galescreekjournal.com!

The "Art of the Story" is returning to Washington County for its 15th year. Catch events locally at the Forest Grove and Banks libraries.

After initially announcing in 2017 that the bridge over Prickett Creek on Stringtown Road would be replaced in the summer of 2019, the county now says its characterization of the bridge as a "decaying timber structure" was somewhat misleading and that construction has been pushed to 2022.

Gales Creek Gatherings is a column by guest writer, Sharon Hundley. Sharon will be covering local events and gatherings in the Gales Creek Valley, featuring community events, businesses, and special happenings. If you know of an upcoming event which is outside the regular community calendar events and would like to see it in here, please contact news@galescreekjournal.com, with Sharon Hundley in the subject line.

Gales Creek, 1930 By Esther Lilly Hundley. Transcribed by Sandra Evans. These are the diary entries of Esther Lilly Hundley, who lived in Gales Creek with the Lilly clan after the family moved to Gales Creek in the 1880’s. They paint a picture of what it was like to live in Gales Creek and the surrounding areas. They are published as they were written, with original spelling.

A community gathering in Gales Creek will feature a potluck, an update on the Balm Grove Dam removal project, and a presentation on recycling.

A public roundtable meeting will be held in Salem on Friday, April 12 to discuss the timeline and processes behind proposed changes to how the state manages some 667,000 acres of state-owned forestland west of the Cascade Mountains.