Editor’s note: This feature story contains information about suicide and suicide prevention and awareness. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, help is available: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline : Call or text 988. 24/7 Tillamook County Crisis Hotline : 1-800-962-2851 or 503-842-8201 24/7 AgriStress Helpline (available specifically for people in farming, ranching, fishery, and forestry industries): call 833-897-2474 Mental health and behavior health services are available at: Tillamook Family Counseling Center: 503-842-8201, tfcc.org Adventist Health : 503-815-2292 Nehalem Bay Health Center : 1-800-368-5182 Tillamook County Community Health Centers: 503-842-3938

The Tillamook Police Department is proudly announcing the launch of MyPDConnect, a cutting-edge online reporting platform designed to allow you to report low-level crimes online right from your phone, tablet or desktop! MyPDConnect empowers residents and visitors to quickly and easily report crimes directly to local law enforcement without having to wait for an officer response or spend unnecessary time calling dispatch. Key Features of MyPDConnect: • Report Crime Easily: Report low-level crimes such as Damaged Property, Theft, Graffiti, Shoplifting, Ordinance Violations (to include parking) and other crimes or violations, right from your mobile device, tablet or desktop. • Upload Unlimited Pictures, Videos and Documents: An unlimited number of pictures, videos and documents can be uploaded with each report to easily provide information to law enforcement. • Multi-Language Support: Submit the report one of the available languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, Korean and Chinese. Additional languages available! • Instant Notification: Receive text and e-mail updates when your report has been processed and completed. • Easy Access: You may text the word report to 971-265-9906 to receive a text link to file a report. “We are thrilled to launch MyPDConnect, a platform that will truly enhance the way we can serve our community,” said Chief Troxel. “With MyPDConnect, we are providing additional ways for the community to connect easily with our department to report crime and receive faster service.” You may visit https://tillamookpd.mypdconnect.com to report a crime at any time.

Inside the Tillamook Farmers' Co-op , a new boutique is offering western wear, but elevated. The Cowboy’s Closet softly opened June 1, but celebrated their grand opening and ribbon cutting on August 22.

Starting a business is already a leap of faith for most. And when you have question as a small business owner, who do you call for help? That’s where the Tillamook Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is able to assist. “A lot of our students are experts in the goods and services that they provide, but need training in other areas,” Tillamook Bay SBDC Director Leon Telesmanich said. “There’s a lot of people who are starting out and don’t know what to do, or they get going and have questions.”  Tillamook Bay SBDC serves a variety of businesses, from small commercial fishing operations to restaurateurs to manufacturers. The organization offers free, confidential one-on-one advising for businesses in every phase of development, from a rough idea to a small empire. Additional workshops and classes focused on other business-related areas of need are also offered.

They’re elusive, a mystery: the band that doesn’t exist. When the Neah-Kah-Nie Coast Art and Music Cultural (NCAM) Foundation decided to host the Rockaway Beach Music Festival, they wanted to bring together talented musicians from the greater Northwest area as well as showcase local talent. That includes budding youth artists. “Dead Lines is a group of local musicians who together to write and rehearse a set of original music and debut at the Rockaway Beach Music Festival,” NCAM volunteer and Dead Lines band member Cosmo Jones said. “Our goal was to be able to incorporate student performers and our lead guitar player is going into his senior year at Neah-Kah-Nie High School. Go Pirates!” Coming together to form the band is Jones on drums, Chad Martin (you may know him from Brittney Bakes) on vocals, Mike Simmons (NKN music teacher) on bass, and NKN senior Lucien on guitar. “The band plays a genre of our own making called ‘ill ass yacht rap’ and it blends mega-lyrical hip hop with danceable grooves, live players with yacht rock tinted funk that can go from one to 11,” Jones said. When settling on a name, “Dead Lines” was chosen for many reasons. “One, we needed a deadline as several of us have always talked about working on music,” Jones said. “Two, we all live and work here, and own businesses. The Rockaway economy is designed for tourism and in the winter the lines are dead, so we need to do more. Three, it's hip hop and our rapper resurrected some old lines to get the ball rolling.” As a new band, Dead Lines doesn’t have any merch of their own yet, yet encourage guest to purchase NCAM items to raise money for the foundation. “This performance is a demonstration of what happens when a student gets to have their education supplemented and excels because of that opportunity,” Jones said.

Cars parked in just about every available spot surrounding the Tillamook Airport on Aug. 4. Peoples’ eyes scanned the sky for a much anticipated site: the arrival of a combat-tested AV-8B Harrier II. Most heard it before they saw it. The Harrier arrived under its own power: a rare moment that allowed the public a unique opportunity to witness military aviation history in motion. The jet’s capabilities were demonstrated to the gathered crowds: a tour through the skies of Tillamook County, takeoff and landing, and (most impressive) a hover maneuver. The Harrier will become a part of the Tillamook Air Museum ’s collection as a long-term loan by the National Naval Aviation Museum. “This aircraft represents an extraordinary chapter in modern military aviation,” said Christian Gurling, Museum Curator. “We are proud to accept this historic piece of Marine Corps history. Acquisitions such as this are fast positioning the Tillamook Air Museum as a world-class destination for aviation heritage, as we continue to broaden and enhance the scope of our exhibits. We look forward to interpreting its legacy for the public in a way that honors its service and the people who flew it.”

Spike served as a Private for most of his military career. He was a member of a Marine Detachment at Naval Air Station Tillamook during World War II. His job: improve morale amongst other service members. It was a role that probably came naturally…considering he was an English bulldog. Learn more about Spike and other animals with local military connections at the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum’s (TCPM) newest exhibit: “Loyal Service: Working Animals at War and Home.” This is the first installation of “The Searchlight,” a rotating exhibition series dedicated to showcasing the stories of military personnel, operations, and conflicts that have shaped our local community. “The Museum wants to highlight Tillamook County’s military history,” said TCPM Executive Director Peyton Tracy. “We hope to better preserve the legacy of those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and their communities, whose stories are inextricably woven into the fabric of local history.” The new exhibit showcases the stories of local veterans who worked with animals during active combat and after returning home. From Civil War cavalrymen and Vietnam War Point Men, to the Oregon National Guard practicing skirmish lines on horseback at Camp West Tillamook, to a World War I veteran advocating for guide dog training programs.  It also shares stories about the beloved mascot animals from Tillamook’s Naval Air Station during World War II. Like Spike who served at the base until his death in 1943. He was posthumously awarded the rank of Sergeant and buried at the Naval Air Station with full military honors. And Zippy, most likely a golden retriever breed, who was the unofficial mascot for the Naval Air Station Tillamook’s Blimp Squadron. “‘The Searchlight’ is a rotating series located in an updated room separate from the original military exhibit,” shared Exhibit and Program Developer Jenny Teece. “The Museum has had many conversations, internally and with our community partners, about how we utilize the historic 1905 Tillamook County Courthouse’s space to interact with and engage our visitors. The need for a community space to host meetings, presentations, and educational programming has been a prominent topic in those discussions.” The original military exhibit is robustly researched and expansive, however only a quarter of the artifacts on display have any relation to Tillamook County’s residents or their involvement in military history. “The main goal of ‘The Searchlight,’ and this first exhibit, is to engage our local community with memories and stories they can see themselves, their friends, and family members in,” Teece said. “Moving and curating the military exhibit opens a space for a community room to fulfill that need, and allows us to provide more opportunities for visitors.” Another goal of rotating exhibits at TCPM is to preserve the items on display. “We want to take care of artifacts so families and friends can come see them another 90 years from now,” said Collections Manager Clara Scillian Kennedy. “The Museum has the honor to preserve so much military history, starting with the Civil War all the way up to modern conflicts of the 1990s. We hope the community continues to entrust us with their memories so we can share them with generations to come.” The “Loyal Service: Working Animals at War and Home” exhibit opened June 14 and is expected to be on display for a year. About the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum Founded in 1935 by Tillamook Oregon pioneers, the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum offers 19 display areas that focus on the history of the North Oregon Coast. The museum’s mission is to preserve and interpret the Cultural Heritage of the North Oregon Coast and to foster appreciation and respect of the North Oregon Coast's environment. The current collection includes 55,000 items and 20,000 photographs ranging from prehistoric specimens to modern-day. The Tillamook County Pioneer Museum is open to the public Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm. The research library can be used by the public by appointment only.

Join Friends of Netarts Bay, Watershed, Estuary, Beach and Sea (WEBS) and celebrate Huehca Omeyocan’s ninth year at Cape Lookout State Park on August 3. Huehca Omeyocan will be sharing art, culture, music, and dance in a vibrant, colorful, generous, and transcendental way to strengthen the connection with nature and bring communities together during this inspiring celebration. Huehca Omeyocan will be joined by Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS, Oregon State Parks, OSU Extension, the Juntos Afuera Program, and Oregon Shores for an inspiring day with opportunities to explore, learn, celebrate, and act for the ocean. Huehca Omeyocan was founded in McMinnville Oregon in 2016 by artist, drummer, performer, and cultural promoter Eduardo Cruz Torres Amictlan and his wife and main dancer of the group Maria Elena Cortes Duran Malinalmiquiz. Maria started dancing when she was only 12 years old, and it has been a part of her life ever since. The Mexica-Chichimeca or Aztec dance and music connect the natural world, human body, and spirit with everything that exists. It is a cosmic integration — a prayer in motion that delights the senses. Led by Maria Elena Cortes Duran, dancers’ regalia vibrantly display colorful ancestral symbols and vivid feathers. At the Huehuetl drum, Eduardo Cruz Torres sets the rhythm for the flight of ceramic flutes, ocarinas, and wind whistles, while traditional Nahuatl rattles, stones, seeds, and bones stir the atmosphere of each performance. The movements and sounds of these spirited presentations mirror the energy that joins each of us with each other and the entire cosmos. With joyful generosity, Huehca Omeyocan aims to inspire this transcendent connectivity in every community they touch. Enjoy the ceremony and various other educational and service activities on August 3 starting at 11 a.m. This is a full day event and often stretches beyond the advertised end time for the celebration. Bring a chair, a picnic, and enjoy the day at the coast! Registration is highly suggested. Learn more and register for this event at: https://www.netartsbaywebs.org/even ts