Let’s hear more cowbell for the fastest growing sport in the country: pickleball! The Tillamook Pickleball Club is bringing the competition and hype to the coast this month. The “Cowbell Classic” will be hosted June 21-22 at the outdoor courts at Al Griffin Memorial Park in Bay City, as well as the indoor courts at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds. The pickleball tournament is round robin style with events in men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles that are also categorized by skill and age groups. The cost is $50 for one event, and $25 for an additional event. All participants receive a commemorative t-shirt and gift bag. A raffle and barbeque will be held at Al Griffin Park in Bay City following the completion of events on Saturday, June 21. “This is our first tournament, so we’re trying to make it memorable,” Tillamook Pickleball Club President Roger Miller said. “We have enough players that are pretty active and have played in other tournaments. We felt that the time was right and we had some people who were willing to step up and pull this together.”

More than a dozen community partners were selected to receive funds as a part of Tillamook High School’s Charity Drive Community Grants. In total, $57,000 was awarded. Some of the receiving organizations included: Tillamook Fire Department, Tides of Change, Tillamook VFW Post 2848, Tilly Tots Preschool, Tillamook Oddfellows, Compassion Tillamook, The Grinch Gang, and the Tillamook Early Learning Center. A complete list of recipients is below. 

Oregon State Representative Cyrus Javadi said the 2025 legislative session has been “productive” and the “busiest session in two decades” referring to the nearly 4,000 bills introduced since January. Rep. Javadi hosted a town hall event at Tillamook Bay Community College on May 21. He invited constituents to attend and receive a legislative update as well as ask questions. The town hall gathering began with an update on bills that could potentially have an impact in Tillamook County including the much anticipated transportation package. “The Oregon Department of Transportation finds themselves in a 2 billion shortfall,” Rep. Javadi told the town hall gathering. “The department does not receive money from the income tax, but rather from the fuel tax and DMV fees. They miscalculated how much people would be driving and the impact on fuel efficient and electric vehicles. This has led to a gap.” Rep. Javadi said that the bill is expected to be revealed on May 22. “Tillamook could benefit with some desperately needed funds for Hwy 6,” he said. Other updates included the reopening of Tillamook’s dialysis center that Rep. Javadi called a “big win,” as well as HB 3556 which would change what percentage of transient lodging taxes can be used for public services. “This would be a huge win for rural communities…it would give our [community] leaders some flexibility,” he said. Overall referring to the news about the state’s potential budget deficit, Rep. Javadi said that there’s “plenty of revenue coming in, it’s a spending problem that we have…we need to go in and find out what matters the most. There’s a lot of pressure and talk about whether to tax people or not.” Rep. Javadi also mentioned that he has sent letters to Congress and the White House concerning the freezing of federal dollars that were being utilized for housing projects on the Oregon Coast.

Since becoming Tillamook Police Chief, Nick Troxel has made it a point to connect with the community. “I’ve spent the first six months as police chief building the foundations,” he told the Tillamook Newsie. “Now, in the second six months I want to focus on community engagement; I want to tell the story of all the good things we are doing and recognize the community.” This past week, the Tillamook Police Department hosted one of their outreach programs: “Coffee with a Cop.” Every few months, community members are invited to attend the low-key gather to meet and dialogue with the officers of the Tillamook Police Department.

Jeff Wong owns, what’s viewed as, a very difficult lot to build on. It’s in a flood zone, zoned commercial, and particularly small. It’s not exactly a developers dream. But, Wong is determined to show that, despite the challenges, a little creativity and persistence can create housing opportunities in Tillamook County. Wong, owner of CS Fishery (Garibaldi), saw an urgent need for housing during the pandemic. “Covid took out a lot of housing inventory when people decided to come down here full time and not rent out their homes,” Wong said. “And then I think people also did investment buying and short term rentals came in. Many of my employees could no longer work out here. They wanted to work and I depended on them a lot in the summer for seasonal help, but they just couldn’t find any long-term housing for those windows. Out of survival for, not only for myself, but other businesses, we needed workforce housing. That’s how this came about.” Wong detailed that he walked through the steps to get a permit in the floodplain, and hired an architect to draw up plans for a building: four small apartments to occupy the second floor and a commercial kitchen on the first level. “The facility will have a kitchen to support my business so I can cut and sell my fish and other seafood products,” Wong said.

In honor of Mother’s Day, from May 5-10 businesses in downtown Tillamook are hosting a free build-a-bracelet trail. “We’re always trying to do family-friendly events and get people to town and get them to businesses they might have never been to before,” Tillamook Revitalization Association [TRA] President Kristy Lombard said. “There’s no obligation to buy anything. But, people are encouraged to look around.” Presented by TRA, mothers are invited to collect their silver bracelet base and map at ReCurrent. Then, participants can visit the sixteen different business in downtown Tillamook; each with a different collection of beads and charms. “There will be a random array at each location, so people can build their bracelets how they’d like,” Lombard said. “You won’t have a bracelet like anyone else.” 

The Ultramook 50k & 30k is a race like none other. Traveling the Tillamook Ridge Trail, the race is made up of a larger 30k loop and a smaller 20k loop. Participants will either run the larger 30k loop and finish or run both loops to finish a total of 50k. This year’s race will be hosted July 12 at 8 a.m. The race is staged at the Hydrangea Ranch in Tillamook, with the starting line directly across the Kilchis River from the farm. The rest of the race runs through the Tillamook State Forest and BLM managed lands.

Have a young runner? Each summer Ultimook Track Club facilitates a youth summer running program for Tillamook-area athletes. “Our mission is to develop young runners in both mind and body. Young runners require a fun, supportive environment to aid in aerobic development,” Ultimook Youth Director Chelsea Yarnell said. The Ultimook Youth Track Club is a running club designed for athletes entering PreK-eighth grades. “Last year we have over 80 athletes that participate in our club,” Yarnell said. “Each of our practices educate young athletes on the different elements of running such as warm ups, dynamic drills, running workouts, and stretching. We modify all activities based on ages and break our crew into age groups who are overseen by coaches with running and fitness backgrounds.” Registration is currently open. The 2025 season will run June 3 - July 31 with practices for all age groups meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-6:30 at the Tillamook Junior High School. Each group is led by a coach (or two) with experience in the areas of running, track & field, or fitness. The cost to participate is $110 for the season; financial assistance is available. “Our practices are always a highlight of my day,” Yarnell said. “Our coaches love to share their passion for running with the community, and in return, we’re always rewarded with so much enthusiasm and joy from the kids on our team.”