[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 126 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ASTORIA REGATTA

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                         HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 25, 2019

  Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Astoria 
Regatta, the City of Astoria, and Clatsop County on the 125th 
celebration of the Regatta. This is a joyous milestone for one of the 
oldest festivals west of the Rocky Mountains and an important moment to 
pause and reflect on the significance of the Regatta to our region.
   Since the Astoria Regatta's founding in 1894, it has celebrated our 
connection to the mighty Columbia River and our heritage as a seafaring 
and fishing community. The first festival, which evolved out of the 
custom of boat racing on the river, included a parade of 22 decorated 
yachts and the presence of the U.S. Monitor Monterey. Early Regattas 
featured a four-and-a-half mile swim across the river, and the popular 
Salmon Derby. Since then, the Regatta has grown with the additions of 
the Regatta Court, the Grand Land Parade, the Seaman's Memorial, the 
rose planting ceremony, and many other special community traditions.
   Today, the Astoria Regatta embodies the best aspects of our region. 
Through the Royal Court, the Regatta helps develop the leadership 
skills of young women. The Regatta is also an opportunity to praise the 
dedication of community leaders who serve as Regatta Dignitaries: the 
Admiral, Admiral's Aide, and the Grand Marshals. And through the 
Seaman's Memorial, the Regatta allows us to remember and memorialize 
those we have lost on the river and the ocean.
   Although World War I and World War II interrupted the celebration of 
the Astoria Regatta, the community always found a way to restore it. In 
fact, many of our long-standing community institutions have ties to the 
Regatta: in 1933, the newly-founded Astoria Yacht Club helped bring the 
Regatta back after the First World War, and the Clatsop County Fair 
began in 1905 as an agricultural exhibit of the Regatta. Past Regattas 
marked the Lewis and Clark Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1955, the 
opening of the Astoria-Megler Bridge in 1966, the U.S. Bicentennial in 
1976, and the Bicentennial of Astoria in 2011.
   We can only imagine what E.J. Smith, editor of The Daily Morning 
Astorian, and Frank M. Gunn, secretary of the Astoria Football Club, 
would think about the 125th anniversary of the tradition they started 
in 1894. Like us, surely they would be proud of the community that 
Astoria has become, the growth and vitality of this region, and the 
continuation of this grand tradition.

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