Community Coordinator
Quarterly Report
April - June 2007
Report by: Tim Hoone

The Del Norte County Historical Society, together with the "Admiral Sponsor," The Elk Valley Rancheria, California was proud to welcome the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain to Crescent City Harbor in May, 2007 for a six-day celebration of Maritime History, Tall-Masted Ships, and Del Norte County's 150th Anniversary!

While in port the brig Lady Washington and the ketch Hawaiian Chieftain conducted a series of educational and public tours as well as educational and public sailings, adventure cruises, battle sails, and sunset dinner cruises.

Thanks goes to Rural Human Services (RHS) and Workforce Center staff for their early involvement in the Festival planning and coordination. Many RHS staff persons went on to become core volunteers for the Festival.
Concurrent with the ships' presence in Crescent City Harbor, the Celebration included a Harbor Fair (May 5-6), with arts, crafts, and food vendors. The Cultural Pavilion provided a sheltered, harbor-side venue during the Harbor Fair for presentations and displays by local ethnic and cultural organizations. The Pavilion's Cultural Stage featured free musical and cultural performances throughout the event.
Attended by thousands of visitors, the Tall Ships Festival likely brought $500,000 into Del Norte County's economy, event officials say. The economic impact estimate was assessed by Larry Lakes, co-leader of the Tall Ships event and executive director of Rural Human Services.
" Our community is just now waking up to economic development and possibilities after 30-plus years of limited activity. There is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding out there about it."
His report projects the circulation of money through the community based on the Tall Ships Committee sample records before the event and monitoring of traffic at the event.
Lakes used a multiplier effect to compile the $500,000 figure.

When the dollar is received and spent in the community, a multiplier effect occurs.
Lakes' conservative estimate translates to $2.50 for every dollar spent during the week of the festival, according to the report. This indicates that the return of investment beyond the dollar is $1.50 per dollar.
The report also says that "overnight visitors contributed $96,000 to the economic impact."
Rural Human Services and Workforce Center staff got involved early in the Festival planning, laying the groundwork for a successful event
Brian O'Callaghan of the Del Norte Historical Society and co-leader of the Tall Ships festival said the figure was exactly what he and Lakes estimated.
" That is a significant bump for a weekend." he said. "I think the community should view it as a significant program. We did our best to count cars and people.
" It shows that well-planned and coordinated events throughout the year can do a lot to boost local economy and create a perception of what the community is about in tourism."
Plans are underway to insure the Tall Ships return to Crescent City next year.

Rural Human Services
Tailgate Food Distribution

On May 22, the California Emergency Foodlink out of Sacramento delivered 12 pallets of fresh vegetable, fruits and other products to the Del Norte County Fairgrounds. Rural Human Services Staff and Volunteers sorted and distributed 15,627 lbs of brussell sprouts, artichokes, broccoli, apricots, peaches, breads, and assorted products. A total of 209 Households showed up at the event representing 333 Children and 409 Adult Family members from Crescent City, Smith River, Fort Dick, Klamath and Gasquet. The program, nicknamed “Tailgate”, is scheduled to run once a month through the harvest season and is open to all.

Del Norte High School Student visit to
The Workforce Center April 23, 2007

Del Norte High School’s Transition Partnership Program brought six groups, consisting of 38 students, for a tour of the Workforce Center’s Computer Lab and Job Finder’s Workshop, The students learned of the many services that the Workforce Center provides to those interested in Training and Job Search.

Parkway Feed Rebuilds after fire.

Taz, shown with Parkway Feed owner Dewey O’Dell is the sole survivor of a fire that started six months ago that consumed Parkway Feed and everything inside, including the animals. More than 1,000 animals perished in the fire. Dewey managed to save Taz Marie by kicking down the back down of his burning business and pulling his friend from the scalding flames. As of today, the cause of the blaze – which started between 2 and 2:30 a.m. Jan. 7 – is unknown.
The fire began in the hay storage area of the store and moved westward toward Parkway Drive, destroying everything except a couple of farming artifacts that hung on the wall and the original cedar business sign.
Workforce Center staff met with Dewey immediately, ready and willing to assist both owner and employees with employment services, support, and advice. Incredibly, Dewey was able to reopen his business mere days after the fire destroyed their building. Not a single person was laid off, and it was back to business for Parkway Feed – though today things operate a little differently at the feed store. Business is about two-thirds of what it was before the fire, partially because they cannot offer as large a variety as they did in the past. Since the fire, Parkway Feed has operated out of an office trailer that was lent to them by Frank's Heating and Refrigeration.
Currently, Parkway Feed operates out of six 40-foot long cargo containers separated by product classification. Dog and cat supplies are in one container, while rodents, rabbits and birds are in another. The owners plan to build a new store, just like the old one, with some extra features. In fact, the new Parkway Feed will be built on the same foundation as the previous building. Dewey said he hopes to have a building up by winter, in order to protect his product – mainly the hay – from the rain. He said the new building will be larger than the old one and will include a drive-thru so customers can load their vehicles without having to back up.
" It'll come along," he said of the rebuilding process, but that so far business is good. "Actually and truly, the business is great and the people have been great." And it's the customers and other people in the community that Dewey and Diana say helped to revitalize Parkway Feed during the past six months.
But Dewey said coming back wasn't easy. After the fire the added stress made him and Diana discuss how, though they loved the business, it would be easy to quit.
" We wouldn't do it if it wasn't for the people," Dewey said. "We've been here for so long that it's like it's a part of life." And customers might not need to wait too long before everything at Parkway Feed is back normal, especially if the new building is up by winter.

Workforce Center Welcomes New Partner

The Workforce Center in Del Norte County welcomed a new partner to the One Stop, Experience Works. Experience Works “helps seniors get the skills they need to compete in today’s marketplace”. Providing training and employment for up to 12 local seniors, Experience Works is a great addition to Workforce Center Services. Persons 55 and older are eligible, if they meet income guidelines. Experience Works Regional Manager Butch Barker oversees 11 Northern California counties, so Workforce Center staff handles the screening and site recruitment in-between Butch’s weekly visits.

Workforce Center Welcomes New Partner

The Workforce Center in Del Norte County welcomed a new partner to the One Stop, Experience Works. Experience Works “helps seniors get the skills they need to compete in today’s marketplace”. Providing training and employment for up to 12 local seniors, Experience Works is a great addition to Workforce Center Services. Persons 55 and older are eligible, if they meet income guidelines. Experience Works Regional Manager Butch Barker oversees 11 Northern California counties, so Workforce Center staff handles the screening and site recruitment in-between Butch’s weekly visits.

Farmer’s Market Open for Season

Local growers, artists, and craftspeople were welcomed by hundreds of shoppers as the Crescent City Farmer’s Market opened for the season in June. Organized and supported by Rural Human Services, the Farmer’s Market is open every Saturday at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds, from 9:00am -2:00pm. The market has grown each of the last 4 years since RHS began overseeing it. “This year, we have the largest number of vendors ever” Said market coordinator Teri McCune. For the best produce, arts, and crafts the region has to offer, visit the Farmers Market at the County Fairgrounds every Saturday through October.