‘Lessor’ is more

Chelsea Yarnell • February 10, 2025

Local couple takes over Bunker Grille at The Mook

The Mook at Alderbrook Golf Course was recently awarded “Large Business of the Year” at the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Community Awards Banquet.

And now, Eric and Trina Lessor are ready to bring a dining experience, that matches the award-winning golf experience, to the property.

The Lessors took over the Bunker Grille and Event Center, located on the second level of the clubhouse at The Mook, in October.

“Everything just fell into place,” Eric said. “It’s a new adventure for us. It’s a challenge because this place hasn’t really been successful yet, but it really could be. This is just a beautiful facility.”

Eric had been catering in the area for years.

“I like to cook, make things, and be creative,” Eric said. “I like it when I watch people taste [the food that I make] and you see their eyes light up and come to life.”

He recalls learning to cook at an early age.

“Back when I was 12-years old, I had to cook Saturday night dinners,” Eric said. “My grandmother had cancer, so she would sit in her chair and tell me to do this, and then this.”

Since his grandmother’s kitchen, Eric has expanded an interest in cooking a variety of food, as is reflected in the Bunker Grille’s menu: Italian-style dishes, burgers, and house-smoked meats.

A standout item is the 1/3-pound ground brisket burger. Weekly specials, including burger of the week, are a nod to Eric’s continuous innovation.

“Our goal is to have people think of us when they want to go out to eat,” Trina said. “We really want to be family-friendly, and we have the space to host your special event or business meeting.”

The Bunker Grille and Event Center is open to the public, and serves lunch and dinner Monday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Thursday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. The restaurant features a full bar.

In addition to their main dining room, the Bunker Grille and Event Center also has two rooms that can be booked for events. One of the spaces is designated the “game room” and features foosball, air hockey, and plenty of comfy seating.

This Valentine’s Day, the Bunker Grille and Event Center has a special dinner menu for two. The menu includes hor d'oeuvres of sweetheart caprese skewers; shrimp cocktail or sautéed scallops appetizers; an apple blossom or Caesar salad; choice of cupid’s pinwheel steak, parmesan salmon royale, or roasted portobello mushroom; paired with stuffed red pepper, macaroni and cheese, or roasted red potatoes; and for desert: crimson brownie a la mode. The menu will be available for dinner Friday and Saturday Feb. 14-15. The cost is $60 a person. Reservations can be made by calling 971-289-4653.

Valentine’s Day is just one of the many special evenings the Bunker Grille and Event Center hosts. Since opening, the Lessors have hosted a family-friendly New Year’s Eve party, family game nights, and special dinners for high school dances.

For restaurant updates, upcoming specials and events, follow the Bunker Grille and Event Center (new Facebook page) here. Kids eat free on Thursday with a paying adult meal. Veterans and first responders receive 10 percent off every day.

In addition to the Bunker Grille and Event Center, Eric Lessor is the owner of Oregon Coast Wireless/Computer Support & Services and Trina Lessor operates Hope Inspired School & Tutoring4Success.

The Bunker Grille is located at The Mook at Alderbrook at: 7300 Alderbrook Rd, Tillamook.

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Run to the ‘Top of the World’

By Chelsea Yarnell • April 24, 2025

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.

Ultimook Track Club hosts youth summer running and track & field programs

By Chelsea Yarnell • April 15, 2025

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.”

Cloverdale bookstore is a ‘novel-ty’

By Chelsea Yarnell • April 9, 2025

Displayed inside the bay windows of the iconic purple house off Hwy 101 is a charming collection of used books. Their home, a 1930s riverside house, is now a bookshop. Stepping into the store is like experiencing a story in itself. Inside, the wide, wood plank floors (that I’m sure are original to the house) creak as you walk through the shop. The sound only adding to the antiquated atmosphere. Small genre sections are noted. Beautiful spines of carefully selected books line the shelves. Vintage décor is sprinkled throughout the little room. Eddy, the shop kitten, softly jumps up on the display table to greet me.

Lights and sirens for pizza delivery

By Chelsea Yarnell • April 2, 2025

There were a few double takes when Tillamook community members started seeing Domino’s Pizza signs mounted to Tillamook Police vehicles on Saturday night. No need to fret, there were no pizza emergencies, but instead a fundraiser for the Friends of Tillamook Police’s new partnership with Kindness 911. From 4-9 pm on March 29, five police officers helped deliver Domino’s pizzas in exchange for a percentage of the sales during that time. “The officers and the reactions we had from those who we were delivering it to were great. People absolutely loved it,” Tillamook Police Chief Nick Troxel said. “Some of them rolled up with lights and sirens. Some people thought it was a prank and didn’t know what was going on. And of course, we were all armed with a bunch of stickers for the kids in the house. I can’t think of one negative thing that went on with this.”

Local writer’s teleplay wins at comedy festival

By Chelsea Yarnell • March 27, 2025

It’s the “New Guy’s” first day on the job at the family-owned Smart Motors car dealership. Will he successfully fix, or steal it off the lot? Only the hours left until it’s time to clock out will tell. The storyline has all the makings for a sitcom, exactly how Bay City writer Robin Weber intended it. ANGST*, an acronym for “Another New Guy Starts Today,” won “Best Comedy Teleplay” at the Portland Comedy Film Festival back in December. The sitcom focuses on the new employees that are always coming and going from the car dealership. Every new “guy” has their own motives for accepting the job; some of them regret having done so, others cause chaos, either intentionally, or unintentionally. What they all have in common is each one is gone by the end of the episode making way for the next one. “It’s that kind of angst that you feel when you’ve worked at a place for a really long time and there’s a new person starting that day,” Weber said.

‘Waste’ no time: Meet the owners of Coastal Junkers

By Chelsea Yarnell • March 20, 2025

It’s time for spring cleaning. Declutter the house. Deep clean the garage. Spruce up the yard. But, what to do with all that junk? Don’t leave it in your trunk. Call Coastal Junkers. Local couple Halle Hartell, 21, and Wyatt Myers, 25, started the company in December 2023. Together, they built a business that offers residential and commercial junk removal, cleanouts, and demolition and construction site cleaning services. Their service area covers Astoria to Tillamook. With their branded truck, the couple often shows up to a job together ready to haul away anything unwanted. But, they truly believe that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Yet, each haul doesn’t necessarily end up in the landfill. Sometimes, items are donated, rehomed, or recycled. “The systems we have, in terms of how your junk is taken care of, is a priority for us,” Hartell said. “Our number one concern is how to correctly and efficiently divvy up where things are going so that all materials are getting their best life.” Hartell and Myers each recently completed Tillamook County’s Master Recyclers program, which provided a wealth of knowledge to the young business owners about the trash and recycling industry. “We’re going to take care of your items properly,” Hartell said. “We can tell the customer why we can’t take something and give them advice on what to do with it. If it does have an opportunity for another life, what is the best and most ethical thing to do with it.” Hartell and Myers understand that people’s “stuff” can be hard to part with. Both said they like to take the time to connect with customers and understand how best they can assist in their goals.

'Hank the Cowdog' steals the show

By Chelsea Yarnell • March 13, 2025

Bulls & Bronc (indoor rodeo event) was a sold out show on March 8, bringing out a crowd of 1,000 to the Tillamook County Fairgrounds. Check out the video The Newsie captured of “Hank the Cowdog” that has 3.7 million views on social media!

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By Chelsea Yarnell • March 2, 2025

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Food Roots focuses on school gardens, closes retail marketplace

By Chelsea Yarnell • February 27, 2025

Food Roots will dedicate the majority of its efforts to school gardens and supporting food producers in 2025. The non-profit was the recent recipient of a nearly $25,000 grant from the BottleDrop Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation . The grant will be utilized to fund the Learning Gardens at three Tillamook County schools: Liberty Elementary, East Elementary, and Garibaldi Grade School. “We have amazing school partnerships to nurture this education and food growth. We're excited to be working with teachers and have these gardens be a part of their classrooms,” Food Roots Executive Director Lindsay Ward said. “Then, all the produce that's harvested from these gardens will be donated to the school food pantries. We're able to provide materials, staff time, and volunteer recruitment efforts towards these gardens as a result of coordination between this and other wonderful grants we’ve received.”