As the kids call it these days: Tillamook Fire District and Bay City Fire are soft launching. During the City of Tillamook Light Parade on December 6, fire vehicles from both Tillamook and Bay City drove through the streets sporting banners reading “Tillamook Bay Fire & Rescue.” The union is a proposal for both fire organizations to come together and form: Tillamook Bay Fire & Rescue Rural Fire Protection District. The combined district would serve approximately 18,385 permanent residents in the Tillamook and Bay City areas. The new district would be overseen by five Board of Directors elected by the voters. The Board of Directors will be responsible for carrying out a hiring process for the selection of a new fire chief for the newly formed district. Currently, the Bay City Fire Department operates as a municipal fire department under the authority of the Bay City Council. Tillamook Fire District operates under the governance of a five-member elected Board of Directors. “I support the formation of a new fire district as it looks at the long-term sustainability of emergency and fire response to our communities,” Bay City Mayor Liane Welch said. “Currently, Bay City Fire Department has two full-time employees while Tillamook has one full-time and several part-time personnel. This is not sustainable for the multitude of calls for service, especially during tourism season. We heavily rely on volunteers to respond to emergencies, and we need full-time staff to provide support for volunteers, training, documentation, turnouts, and administration support.”  The unification of the two fire organizations will ultimately be decided by residents in Bay City and Tillamook with a measure on the May ballot.

Ready to dig deeper into gardening and give back to your community? The Oregon State University Extension Service in Tillamook County welcomes everyone interested in participating in the 2026 Master Gardener Training, running January 8 th to April 2 nd , 2026. The Master Gardener Training will take place weekly on Thursdays from 9 am to 3 pm in-person at 4506 3 rd Street, Tillamook, Oregon 97141 in OSU Extension Service room 105 with a few classes on Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm at North County Recreation District, Nehalem, OR. The Master Gardener training will feature weekly in person classes exploring different topics, engage in hands-on activities as conditions allow and connect with other continuing Master Gardeners. This thirteen-week in-person training will be available for $150. Registration is open now and will close on January 5 th , 2026. Becoming a certified OSU Master Gardener™ also includes a volunteer component. Participants are expected to complete 40 hours of approved volunteer service during 2026 , helping share research-based gardening knowledge throughout Tillamook County. The breakdown of approved volunteer hours is listed on the Extension Page: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/tillamook Ready to grow your skills and your community impact? Apply online at https://beav.es/4MJ or call 503-842-3433 for more information. 

Law enforcement personnel from the City of Tillamook Police Department (TPD), Manzanita Police Department, Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO), United States Coast Guard, US Forrest Service & Oregon State Police participated in the 21st Annual “Shop with a Cop” event on Saturday, December 20, 2025, from 7am-11 am. The Tillamook Fred Meyer generously provides breakfast snacks for the children, volunteers, and Officers. This year a $200 gift card will be given to each child to purchase gifts for themselves and their family. Many of the Officer’s dig into their own pockets to ensure the children are provided with something their heart is set on, that exceeds the amount donated to them. These children were selected by a committee through referrals. This committee is comprised of Tillamook School District staff, DHS representatives, TCSO, TPD and Tides of Change Staff. Shop with a Cop gives children an opportunity to see law enforcement Officers in a different light building those everlasting relationships, many times just the look of joy on the children's faces means the world to the officers helping them. This program is supported entirely by donations; financial contributions are collected year-round. TPD would like to thank the Tillamook County community & Friends of Tillamook Police for the money raised to make the event a success. If you are interested in supporting this event, please make a check out to; “The Friends of Tillamook Police” or go to the website at www.friendsoftillamookpolice.org and click on the donate button. You can send or drop off a donation to the Tillamook Police Department at, 207 Madrona Avenue, Tillamook, OR 97141  For questions, please contact Chief Nick Troxel with the Tillamook Police Department.

Sometimes, Santa needs a little extra help and this year Tillamook and Bay City volunteer firefighters were ready to pitch in. At their Santa’s Toy Bag event hosted at Fred Meyer on December 6, the group of volunteer firefighters were able to collect enough toys (or cash to purchase toys) for 300 local children within 155 families in Tillamook County. “To collect all those gift cards and toys in four hours was a great success,” Bay City Fire Chief Alan Christensen said. “This program gives back to the community every single year with the toys being dispersed to families in our communities.” 

Eat local this Thanksgiving!

This celebration is bound to be crumb-licious! For the second year in a row, a fun-filled, family Christmas event with holiday themed activities, food, and music will be hosted at Twin Rocks Friends Camp on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Gingerbread House Party is an open invitation to the community to come partake in the merriment and visit the Twin Rocks campus. “Last year we had 400 guests, it was a really great event that brought the community together. So, we wanted to recreate and grow upon it,” Twin Rocks Development Director Liz Seume said. “This year we’ve expanded our stained glass painting activity, added ornament making, are hosting a modern day nativity play, and have a snow globe photo opportunity.” Entry to the event is free with happenings located inside many of the camp’s buildings. “This is a great time for the community to visit the campus and get to know our organization a bit better,” Seume said.

While many still have turkey dinners on the mind, the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum is gearing up for a tree-mendous time that you won’t want to miss. The 21st annual Festival of Trees fundraiser returns this December with an expanded schedule to allow for even more people to enjoy the magic of the season. Festival of Trees includes four events: three, free community celebrations and the traditional Festival Fundraiser Gala and Silent Auction.  “We’re delighted to expand beyond our usual one-night event to create a month-long Christmas celebration to bring together our community and supporters,” Tillamook County Pioneer Museum Director Peyton Tracy said.

Orange you glad it’s Halloween time? This October, the Tillamook Revitalization Association (TRA) will host their annual downtown Tillamook Halloween decorating contest. Businesses are invited to dress up there windows, doorways, or front entrances for the spookiest time of the year.