🛩️ Bad News for the Tillamook Blimp Hangar

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2026 · ISSUE NO. 5

📜 THIS WEEK IN OREGON HISTORY

May 20, 1976 - Did you know that Oregon was once home to a nuclear power plant? On May 20th, 1976, PGE fired up the Trojan Nuclear Plant in Rainier, Oregon. While running, the plant provided 12% of the state’s entire power demand, but the run didn’t last long. The plant was shut down for good after just 16 years when needed repairs were deemed too costly.

The board of the Port of Tillamook announced that they have voted against making repairs to the historic WWII blimp hangar that suffered severe damage during a storm over the winter. Erected in 1943, the 175-foot-tall, 1,072-foot-long hangar houses the Tillamook Air Museum, which will remain closed indefinitely. (More)

Ever dreamed of bringing your art to life at a lighthouse? Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (located just north of Newport) is looking for an artist-in-residence who will work on-site from September 11 - 27. You’ll get a stipend and a chance to display your work locally. Unfortunately, the residence portion of the artist-in-residence is not part of the arrangement (just in case you were hoping to get to live in the lighthouse). (More)

Anyone who has visited the coast on a summer weekend knows what a headache parking can be (I’m looking at you, Cannon Beach). In four coastal towns, you can ditch the car and hop a trolley to get around. Seaside and Astoria have had trolleys for years, and now Yachats and Tillamook are joining the party. (More)

We’ve already mentioned the Timbers’ struggles a few times in this newsletter’s very short history, and that disappointment has come to a head as the Timbers have relieved coach Phil Neville of his duties. Since he took over head coaching duties in 2024, Neville had led the team to a record of 27-31-24 (not great!). (More)

⚾ EUGENE / SPORTS

Fans of collegiate baseball in Oregon are in luck as both the Ducks and Beavers will be playing in the NCAA baseball regional in Eugene this upcoming weekend. This is the first time that both teams will be playing in the same regional. Oregon State (the #2 seed) will play Washington State on Friday at noon, and Oregon will play Yale at 5 PM. The winners and losers games will be on Saturday, and the regional final on Sunday. (More)

☀ STATE / ENERGY

Want to power your home with the sun (and save a few bucks in the process)? The state is opening up its solar and battery rebate program on June 15th. They expect the funds ($1.1m) to go fast, perhaps even within a day. So if you’ve been on the fence, you best get on it! (More)

🐝 STATE / PESTS

A yellow-legged hornet was spotted (and killed) by an agricultural inspector at the Port of Vancouver last month. These hornets are native to SE Asia and, while smaller than their murder hornet cousins, are still aggressive and pose a big threat to honeybee populations. Here’s hoping it was a one-off and no more hitched a ride (the hornet was found on a cargo ship from South Korea). (More)

🔥 EASTERN OREGON / WILDFIRE

Oregon’s largest wildfire of the (still very early) season started over the holiday weekend near Clarno. The Zen Fire has burned through grass and shrubland in eastern Oregon and, thus far, has not been a threat to any structures. Want to keep tabs on wildfires around the state? I’d highly recommend downloading the Watch Duty app. It has near-realtime updates on fires, AQI, evacuation notices, and more. (More)

🟣 LINCOLN CITY / ART

Want to boost your odds of finding one of the prized glass floats that are hidden on the beaches of Lincoln City? Starting on June 1 (and running through June 13), the float Fairies will be hiding an additional 130 floats in honor of Marie Lamfrom (you can read more about Marie’s incredible life here). (More)

🎭 ASHLAND / THEATRE

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has revealed the shows that will be playing for the 2027 season. They include classics like Hamlet and not-quite-yet classics like Shrek the Musical. The season runs from March through October at stages across Ashland. (More)

In what year did the Portland Rose Festival begin?

Answer at the bottom of today’s newsletter

☀ SummerFest takes over Bend

SummerFest is taking over Bend for a weekend of live music, art, food, vendors, and more! This annual event usually takes place in July, but this year they’ve moved it up to welcome in the summer season.

🎆 Portland Rose Festival Continues

The Portland Rose Festival continues on for its second weekend of fun. The waterfront’s CityFair and the Bloom Tour are happening every day throughout the entire festival, and this weekend’s highlights include the Junior Parade, firework show, and the Rose Festival street mile race.

🏀 Portland Fire host the Dream

The Portland Fire have had a respectable start to their inaugural season with a 4-3 record so far. They’ll look to continue their winning ways against the top team in the league, the Atlanta Dream, at the Moda Center on Friday evening.

🪕 The Grand Dalles Music Festival

Head to the heart of the Gorge for three days of bluegrass, old-time, and country music. Bring your fiddle for open jam sessions, workshops, or just sit back and enjoy some free music in the park at this laid-back weekend of tunes.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Eugene Scottish Festival

Dust off your kilt and brush up on your bagpipe skills for a day of everything Scottish in Eugene. There will be live music and dancing, Highland Games demonstrations, authentic cuisine (this includes haggis!), and an artisan market.

🍸 Bloody Mary Festival

Want to treat yourself to a Bloody Mary from one of Portland’s top brunch spots but don’t feel like waiting in line? Well then, I’ve got just the event for you. The Bloody Mary Festival is bringing in some of the city’s top eateries to showcase their best cocktail recipes. There are multiple sessions to choose from, and each includes your choice of drink and food tastings.

Late spring means the annual arrival of some of Oregon’s tastiest wild treats in the Cascades. Each year, as the soil warms, you’re likely to see a larger-than-normal number of folks walking slowly around the forest staring at their shoes.

They aren’t lost (although a few folks do end up getting turned around every year), they’re scanning the forest floor for a wild delicacy - morels. Visit any specialty grocery store around this time of year, and you’re likely to see these mushrooms selling for upwards of $50/pound. If you’re willing to head out to the forest, though, you can bring home a haul for nothing more than the cost of a tank of gas (although that ain’t nothin’ these days!).

The Cascade Range is one of the most popular spots to seek out morels. Starting early in the spring, you can find them in lower elevations and, as temperatures warm, they slowly make their way up the mountains.

Want to get started finding your own mushrooms? Look for a local mycology club as they often host classes and guided foraging tours. You can also book a commercial foraging tour that will take you out to the forest and help you identify what you’re finding.

Final word of warning - If you can’t 100% positively ID a mushroom, don’t eat it! And stay safe in the forest. Its surprisingly easy to get turned around when you’re off trail and aimlessly wandering without looking up to check your surroundings.