Kelso pastor finds dynamite before Christmas party

KELSO — The pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Kelso made an unwanted find as she was preparing for a Christmas party: a stick of dynamite.

A bomb squad from Portland disposed of it and cleared the church by 6:02 p.m. Wendesday — just two minutes after the party was to begin.

Pastor Hanna Peterson says it’s not entirely clear where the dynamite came from. It may have been among old items donated for a garage sale by church members. It was apparently set on a bookcase in May during the sorting and forgotten about until Peterson found it.

She said it took a couple of calls before emergency crews realized she was talking about dynamite — and not a bottle of nitroglycerin pills.

Information from: The Daily News, www.tdn.com

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