No Sternwheeler Days in Cascade Locks, but …‘Mountain Man Rendezvous’ still on

Sternwheeler Days is organized each year by Columbia Gorge Lions, who are in “a bit of an upset,” as former president and event planner Samantha Verschuren said Friday.

The event cancellation was announced via Facebook.

Also still on, at a later date, is the Duck Derby fundraiser, rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. on July 4. Tickets are available from any Columbia Gorge Lion.

Verschuren’s daughter, Jessica Bennett, was scheduled to take on the Lions president role at an induction meeting on June 21. Bennett is also Cascade Locks fire chief.

Verschuren resigned this spring, and former president Martina Pennington said. “We thought it better to cancel (the event) for this year and do it again next year and try to do it bigger and better.” Verschouren and two other members — her son and a friend of his — resigned at the same time.

Pennington said another reason for the cancellation was that Veschouren has not turned over all the information the club needed to plan the event, which Vershouren denies. Pennington said vendor lists and other information are being withheld, but Verschuren said, “I turned over all the records I have,” including computer files and Facebook and Twitter accounts, and said no current vendor list exists, and that Lions have copies of past vendor lists.

Verschuren is working with the Port this weekend to host the one vendor that had been confirmed: Carnival Cannons, which will provide a “human arm” attraction, akin to the coin-operated booths found at grocery stores. Funds will go to the Community Art fund Verschuren coordinated, which has paid for installations such as the statues of the cougar and Sacagawea and Seaman by Cascade Locks artist Heather Soderberg-Greene.

Verschuren said Lions was withholding the $3,600 in the fund, which Pennington confirmed had happened because most of the checks had been made out to Lions, “and we were concerned about our responsibility,” but said they plan to return it to her soon, to complete the separation from Verschuren. The fund had used the Lions non-profit donation number, which Verschuren will no longer be able to use, according to Pennington. Verschuren said she plans to set up a new account for Community Art at a Stevenson, Wash., bank.

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Anyone wishing to participate in the planning of the Sternwheeler Days for 2017 is invited to meetings held the third Thursday, of each month, 6:30 p.m., at the Cascade Locks Community Church, 5 SW Benson St.