HOOD RIVER — You’ve seen the letters to the editor and the $1 off admission coupons in Columbia Gorge News for the Columbia River Gorge Quilt Guild quilt show this weekend. But due to unforeseen circumstances, guild members must cancel the show that would have run Oct. 2-3.
“The Hood River Fairgrounds has been appropriated for a Wildfire Response base camp by the U.S. Forest Service,” said Quilt Show Chair Kim Vogel. “The mop-up work has taken longer than anticipated and the crews need to leave the Mt. Hood Meadows property due to colder weather. The Hood River Fairgrounds operates as a location for firefighting base-camps during declared states of emergency. Hence, the move to the fairgrounds in Odell.”
Mt. Hood Meadows has been base-camp for those working the Grasshopper Fire since early August. As of press time, the fire was 98% contained. But containment doesn’t mean the work is over — as previously reported, firefighters are pushing into remote landscapes to restore them as close as possible to pre-fire conditions. Use of heavy equipment in both areas requires that Forest closures remain in effect so firefighters can focus on their work.
“Our Guild is proud to support the firefighters that protect our mountain and homes,” Vogel said. “Without them, we could have lost much more than the 100,000 acres that have been burned. We will be back in 2027 with even more quilts.”
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