Mocktail

Results of a national poll to establish each state’s unofficial state mocktail says ‘Cascade Mountain Mist’ was voted in as Oregon’s.

If each state were to have its signature ‘Mocktail’, inspired by local flavors, ingredients, or cultural icons, what would it be? Zinnia Health, a behavioral health treatment network, sought to find out, and tabulated replies from 3,000 respondents. The result? A coast-to-coast guide to sipping state pride without the spike.

What’s in Cascade Mountain Mist? Blueberry juice, lemon juice, and a splash of soda water; garnished with fresh blueberries and a sprig of mint, and a sip of Oregon’s majestic Cascade Mountains.

World record?

April Fool’s Day was no joke for Oregon angler Rebecca Jones when she caught a monkeyface prickleback weighing 4.8 pounds and 28 inches long, potentially the new world record.

Jones had dug sand shrimp early Monday morning then headed to Barview Jetty near Garibaldi hoping to catch rockfish for dinner. Instead, she hauled in an eel-like fish she’d never seen before, the monkeyface prickleback.

“I’m relatively new to fishing and was losing bait off my line, but I kept at it. Within an hour of fishing, I felt another hit. It wasn’t a hard fight, the fish came right up,” Jones said. “But it was a very strong fish though, I had to sit on it to get the hook out.”

Once Jones realized what she caught, she weighed and measured the fish, knowing this was a keeper and a potential record fish. She is applying to the International Game Fish Association to see if her catch could be a new record. The current world record monkeyface prickleback is three pounds four ounces, caught in Yaquina Bay in 2008.

Earth Day

Celebrate Earth Day with the McKenzie River Trust from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 20th, at the Finn Rock Reach. The Trust will provide light refreshments, and people are welcome to bring a picnic lunch.

Some work will include walking on uneven ground, bending, and carrying buckets of mulch to hundreds of baby trees and shrubs planted in the property’s recently completed restoration area, while others are busy filling buckets from the mulch staging area. It’s highly recommended that people bring rain boots and clothing that can get muddy. The bucket brigade is a great way to get out and get active while giving back to this special place. Sign up at: tinyurl.com/yrwbasjj