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Tribal Traditions Reflected in Elementary School project

The spirit of the Lamp Lighting remains forever in the heart of Cannon Beach

Deb Atiyeh Reporter

The Spirit of Christmas in Cannon Beach came to life in Sandpiper Square on Saturday, December 3rd. The Square was full of people with their faces aglow from the sparkle of Christmas lights filling the square; who were there to watch the traditional annual Lamp Lighting Ceremony.

Margo Dueber spoke about how the lamp lighting tradition began in 1973, amid an oil crisis that drove down the number of visitors coming to Cannon Beach. The tradition began as an idea to create a holiday celebration with a Charles Dickens theme to brighten up the season. Dueber told the story of the lamp lighter who would fire up the lamps along Hemlock Street at 4 PM each evening during the holidays. It has continued for 49 years, and Dueber hopes it is a tradition that lasts forever in Cannon Beach.

Bill and Sally Steidel, both precious to Cannon Beach, attended with their son Mayor Sam Steidel, and wife Deborah, by their side. Mayor Steidel mentioned that the top hat he was wearing was the hat his dad, Bill Steidel, wore when he played Scrooge at the Coaster Theater for many years. A hat he will always keep as he ends his term as Mayor. “This is one hat that I will not be passing on as I finish my term as Mayor.”

Mayor Steidel was followed by the Cannon Beach Academy Children’s Choir directed by Ryan Hull. Then, the Cannon Beach Choir directed by Roy Seiber sang some holiday favorites while the crowd joined in with Silent Night. Paul and Margo Dueber sang the Cannon Beach Christmas Song “Christmas in Our Hometown” written by Bill Steidel. The crowd joined in on the chorus. Special guests were Natalie Fitch and Chris Wesley playing beautiful Christmas tunes on their flutes. The one Christmas song that we all could have sung was: “Baby It’s Cold Outside!”, as it was so cold with the penetrating chill of the wind. Then came the special event; the Lamp Lighting Ceremony. Elliott and Valentina from the 5th grade class of the Cannon Beach Academy lit the lamp while the crowd watched silently in the twilight. The lighting of the lamp seemed to warm the hearts and sent a radiant glow throughout the Square. Christmas is here in Cannon Beach. Christmas is here.

The finale was the arrival of Santa Claus;

the children’s eyes lit up with joy as they watched Santa arrive on the Cannon Beach fire truck with lights flashing. Santa made his way to the front of the square and handed out gifts as he greeted all of the children, which brightened the night as it began to grow dark and cold. The Christmas lights were shimmering in the night as people began to leave. The wish of Love, Light, Hope and Peace to all went with them.

A Christmas Wish From Cannon Beach: May The Light From The Lamp Remain In Your Hearts And Forever Shine Bright.

To collaborate or compete; Cannon Beach Gallery Group confronts hurdles and paints a picture of a brighter future

Miska Salemann For the Gazette

Roughly twenty two years ago, a group of Cannon Beach creatives came together with a shared vision: work together to enliven the art scene in the community. And, success they’ve had. There is no shortage of fine arts establishments in Cannon Beach, yet prosperity does not come without some compromise.

The gallery group is not immune to occasional disputes, strain from event planning, and questions over the future of major events like Spring Unveiling, Earth and Ocean Arts, Plein Air and More, and the Stormy Weather Arts Festival.

Earlier this year, Jim Kingwell, an owner of Icefire Glassworks, dropped out of the Cannon Beach Gallery Group. IceFire was a founding member of the group at its conception, and enjoyed many years working with other galleries.

Kingwell has seen firsthand the ebbs-and-flows of group participation and membership over the years, “We’ve had turnover,” said Kingwell. “Mainly based upon the willingness of people to put in time and effort, that’s going to be an ongoing concern, whether or not all of the galleries focus on common goals versus individual goals that prevent participation in the actual work of the organization.”

In addition to balancing diverse views from many gallery owners, Kingwell notes that the gallery group has struggled to decide how to best use grant money to amplify events and steer public relations.

Back in 2014 and 2015, Kingwell sent questionnaires out to each

member gallery for input. “They generally felt the events we did were a benefit,” noted Kingewell. “But they were unwilling to spend more if we didn’t have TAC or TAF funding for the hiring of personnel to help run those things. No one wanted to dip into their own pockets for that sort of thing.”

Eventually, the group received Tourism Arts Commision (TAC) and Tourism and Arts Fund (TAF) funding to offload some of the workload. However, personnel conflicts, disputes over roles, and retirements have made it difficult to keep those outsourced positions filled permanently.

Kingwell believes many of the challenges the gallery group faces have an underlying cause. “My

personal take on it was that we originally talked about coming together to promote Spring Unveiling, a single event. I think we have done it and established it, I think the gallery group never should have expanded beyond that singular goal.”

Since opting out of the group, IceFire Glassworks has seen no impact on sales revenue. With the time Kingwell previously spent sitting on various committees and attending meetings, he now hopes to redirect focus to his own gallery and elevate the quality of experience for his own clientele.

Allyn Cantor, the owner of White Bird Gallery, currently sits on the Gallery Group’s Marketing Committee, and has previously

She feels that joining the group was in her best interest as a gallery owner. “We get more advertising for your dollar, in terms of just getting Cannon Beach on the map, when you go in on these bigger ads with a group effort for multiple galleries or for events,” said Cantor. “It’s also easier to promote a big art event like Spring Unveiling if you know that a bunch of people are participating in it.”

As enthusiastic as Cantor is about these events, she also recognizes that it takes a momentous

Fire District to hire 3 Firefighters with food tax revenue

Bob Atiyeh For the Gazette

Most people don’t think about or care much about their local fire department until they need them, and then they want them now!

Since becoming Chief of the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District in early 2020, Marc Reckmann has been working to make sure that our Fire District has the resources and staffing to provide a rapid response when someone calls 911. The extra revenue from the new Prepared Food Tax will make that job easier.

The Cannon Beach Fire District is responsible for responding to emergencies from the north entrance of Cannon Beach all the way to an area north of Oswald West State Park, including the communities of Arch Cape and Falcon Cove/Cove Beach. The Fire District responds to a wide variety of emergency calls: structure and wildland fires, medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, cliff rescues and surf rescues.

Formed in 1947 (a decade before Cannon Beach was incorporated into a town) the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District has been struggling with one of the lowest permanent tax rates of any Fire District in Oregon; locked in place by Ballot Measure 50 at $0.35 per thousand of assessed property value. With the addition of two temporary 5-year tax levies, over the next couple of years the total tax rate for the Fire District will be $0.89 per thousand. For comparison, neighboring Nehalem Bay Fire and Rescue has a tax rate of $1.15; with an average tax rate of $1.67 for all fire districts on the Oregon coast.

With 3 paid personnel (including the Fire Chief) and the crucial support of 14 volunteers, the Cannon Beach Fire District has been responding to an increasing number of calls for help, climbing 30% over the past two years. The Fire District will respond to 600 calls by the end of 2022, with around 70% of these emergency responses involving people living outside the area. Fire District volunteers don’t just respond to emergency calls; their job includes many hours of hands-on training and drilling. District volunteers have other full-time jobs, and unlike paid firefighters, have no legal “duty to respond”. Because of the increasing demands of the job, volunteer fire departments throughout the state are having difficulty recruiting and retaining volunteers, and the Cannon Beach Fire District is no exception, having lost four of their volunteers over the past year.

When responding to medical emergencies, the goal of Cannon Beach Fire District personnel is to rapidly stabilize a patient using Basic Life Support skills. The Fire District does not transport patients to a hospital; that responsibility lies with the four privately-owned Medix ambulances in Clatsop County. It is not unusual to wait up to 30 minutes for the arrival of a Medix ambulance with a paramedic able to provide Advanced Life Support and transport. The goal of the Fire District is to arrive on the scene of

(Top) Elliott places the lamp during the Lamp Lighting ceremony. (Bottom) Valentina and Elliott light the lamp. More event photos on page 4. Photos courtesy of Trish Dickerson

served on the Plein Air and More Festival committee, as well as the committee for Earth and Ocean Arts Festival.

In this Gazette file photo an artist paints during a gallery group’s Plein Air and More event.

Clatsop-Nehalem Tribal traditions reflected in restoration of elementary school project

Members of the Clatsop-Nehalem tribes, Cannon Beach City Council, Cida Architects, Bremik Construction, Kelli Ennis from HRAP, and Cannon Beach residents met Wednesday, November 30th to discuss progress on the Elementary School restoration.

It was the fifth community outreach session, and the second involving the “schematic design.” There was a complete step-by-step overview of the updated site plans for the parties to consider; with the discussion focused mainly on the entry, a larger kitchen, classrooms areas, and the not-to-be-overlooked pickle ball courts.

The meeting began with a blessing from a Clatsop-Nehalem tribal member, giving thanks for the land,

the people, the wildlife, the water, the salmon, and their ancestors; asking that we never lose sight of the value of this land and it’s people.

Dick Basch of the Clatsop-Nehalem tribe talked about the history of the Clatsop, Nehalem, Chinook, and several other native tribes of the lower Columbia, and how they originated from the Thunderbird eggs that rolled down from Saddle Mountain.

It is important to learn about the tribe’s inherent connection to the land that we live on, Basch said. The Thunderbird and the eggs, and their importance, will be reflected and visible in the design of the outdoor landscape.

Doug Deur, a professor of anthropology at Portland State University, spoke about the significance of tribal cultural in a historical context as it relates to Necus’ Park and the Lewis and Clark

expedition. He talked about tribal traditions and ecology, and it’s relation to native plants, animals, and the environment. Duer spoke about the profound and unique significance of this area, and of the tribal village that once existed in this location.

The village along the river at Necus’ Park was a place for people along the coast traveling and trading using ocean-going canoes. He spoke of the difficult paddle around Tillamook Head, and the people who came to rest at the village at Necus’ before and after crossing, and how the people who lived at Necus’ would host them.

The village was the center of activity as they hunted elk, seals, and shellfish. Duer added that the area at Necus’ is a “Natural Cultural Hub of Significance” and Register Eligible as a Lewis and Clark Heritage site, and there is

evidence of archeological materials below the surface.

Kelli Ennis from HRAP spoke about her vision for the classrooms as an interpretive center that will be a source of information of local nature, wildlife and tribal ecology, and she would like to see murals on the walls that depict the natural history, rocky shores, and cultural history.

More outreach meetings are scheduled to give all parties an opportunity to provide input and express their views.

Necus’ is the home of tribal ancestors and a place that welcomes all visitors, Basch said. The Clatsop-Nehalem tribes, the City of Cannon Beach, and members of the community will begin to see their visions unfold as the restoration of the Elementary School evolves into the realization of a dream.

Rare November wildfires burn in Clatsop County

During what is normally the wettest month of the year, Clatsop County fire crews responded to multiple wildfires over a 9-day period in mid-November. At one point, every fire department in Clatsop County had personnel fighting the blazes, with the Cannon Beach Fire District responding to several wildfires in the area. No structures were damaged,

as all of these fires occurred in uninhabited areas.

After being drenched with over seven inches of rain during the first week of November, skies cleared as high pressure anchored itself over the Pacific Northwest, pushing storms north into Canada and Alaska. Strong east winds began blowing through the Columbia River Gorge and over the Coast Range. As the air descended the western slope of the Coast Range, temperatures

increased and humidity plunged, creating the perfect combination of conditions for rapid fire spread.

On Sunday, November 13th, fire was reported along the Hug Point Mainline Road resulting from an unattended campfire. By Thursday, November 17, at least two large fires were burning on private timber land west of Saddle Mountain, and at 8 p.m. that night fire was reported on Tillamook Head. The “Square Creek Fire” was burning in the forest

a medical emergency within seven minutes, 90% of the time. With the added delay of volunteers needing to drive to the station before responding, that goal was being met only about 50% of the time. Last summer, with a $35,000 grant from the Oregon State Fire

west of Highway 101, eventually spreading to 62-acres before being contained within the road system a few days later. Seven firefighters from the Cannon Beach Fire District spent the night fighting the blaze, with numerous spot fires igniting beyond the fire lines.

The next morning around 10 a.m., fire was reported in the forest near the Short Sand Mainline Road east of Oswald West State Park, with another fire reported on private

Marshal’s office, the District was able to hire a firefighter to staff the fire station for 12 hours a day over the busy summer months. As a result, the goal of a seven-minute response time to medical emergencies increased from 50% to 75%-80%. This proved the value of having personnel at the station ready to respond to emergencies.

The Cannon Beach Fire District recently received $297,000 in first quarter revenue from the new local 5% Prepared Food Tax. With this extra funding, Chief Reckmann plans to hire three full-time firefighter/EMT’s in early January, who will staff the fire station 24/7. With the

timber land that afternoon. Monday, November 21, fire crews responded to wildfire on the North Fork Road east of Nehalem.

The eventual return of normal wet fall weather ended the fire danger. With several large wildfires burning hundreds of thousands of acres in Oregon over the past few years, these rare November wildfires were a reminder that even in our “wet season,” wildfire can still be a threat.

extra revenue from the Food Tax, the District hopes to hire an additional three full-time firefighter/EMT’s by the middle of 2024. Reckmann also applied for a Federal FEMA grant along with a State grant, and if the District receives both of these 3-year grants before the end of 2022, three additional firefighters will be hired in early 2023, giving the District six full-time firefighters. Even with the addition of full-time firefighters, Fire District volunteers will continue to play a critical role in the District’s ability to respond to emergencies.

Besides hiring full-time firefighters, the Food Tax revenue will provide funding for

a Fire Marshall and Division Chief, along with paying for equipment such as fire hose, protective clothing, self-contained breathing apparatus, radios, medical equipment, cliff and surf rescue equipment, as well as providing for a reserve fund to replace aging fire vehicles, which will free the Fire District from asking local taxpayers for additional tax levies to fund the purchase of new vehicles. The annual Volunteer Firefighter ham dinner, with the support of Cannon Beach residents, has provided funding for needed equipment for many years, and this tradition will continue.

Chief Reckmann applied for and recently received a $1.9 million State grant to pay for seismic upgrades to the fire station. With funding from a separate State grant, a new brush truck (for fighting wildfires) will be in service by the end of December. A new fire engine and rescue vehicle are expected to be in service by the spring of 2023. The Fire District board is developing a new 10-year financial plan, along with a new 5-year strategic plan that will replace the outdated plan from 2003.

The Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District faces many challenges as it attempts to adapt to the new reality of our town. A well-staffed, well-trained, well-equipped fire department is expensive, but necessary to enable a rapid response to a wide variety of calls for help as Cannon Beach evolves into an increasingly popular tourist destination.

Bob

Deb Atiyeh Reporter

At the Library

Mid-Century modern fiction & new books in December

Phyllis Bernt Library Board President

Aquick reminder about two library events this month.

The World of Haystack Rock Library Lecture Series, sponsored by the Friends of Haystack Rock, will meet at 7 p.m., Wednesday, December 14, at the library, 131 N. Chinook.

Allison Anholt, Coastal Community Science Biologist for Portland Audubon, will discuss efforts to monitor the status of the western snowy plover, whose numbers are declining rapidly. Monitoring is being done by members of the public working in collaboration with professional scientists, a process called community science monitoring.

This is both an in-person and virtual event. Participants can join the speaker at the library or enjoy the talk virtually through the Friends of Haystack Rock website at https://friendsofhaystackrock.org.

The Cannon Beach Reads book club, which meets on the third Wednesday of each month, will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 21, at the library, to discuss “Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Ev-

n Future

Continued from Page 1

amount of effort to put them on. “We’re like cleaning up until 10 O’clock at night, you know it takes a village for one of these things and to make it happen,” admitted Cantor.

Cantor explains that prior to the pandemic, the group had used TAF and TAC funds to hire a marketing coordinator and event planner. She was especially helpful in what Cantor calls the “herding to the cats,” referring to the fact that it is not easy to get all twelve galleries on the same page.

erything About the World” by Tim Marshall.

Marshall argues that an accurate assessment of a country’s strategic position requires an understanding of that country’s geography, and he demonstrates that point by analyzing the geopolitical situations of Russia, China, the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Japan, Korea and the Arctic (including Greenland}.

Tim Marshall is a British journalist, author and broadcaster who specializes in foreign affairs and international diplomacy.

Lorraine Hopper will lead the discussion of “Prisoners of Geography” at the library. A Zoom link will be provided for those who would rather participate from home. Contact Joe Bernt at berntj@ohio.edu to get the link. Cannon Beach Reads is open to everyone. New participants are always welcome.

If learning about sea birds or discussing geography isn’t enough of a break from Christmas shopping and holiday parties, Natalie Jenner might provide a welcome breather in her recent novel “Bloomsbury Girls.”

It’s 1950 in post-WWII London. Food is still

Unfortunately, the coordinator retired the year before the pandemic, the next hire had much less experience, and then COVID-19 hit. “We kind of let her go,” said Cantor. As of now, much of the event planning is done in house. Cantor notes that the last couple years have been particularly difficult for galleries, many of which are facing staff shortages. “There’s a whole shuffling of the deck, reprioritizing your priorities.

Volunteering to put on an event that may or may not benefit your gallery is an area where you may have to trim the fat off the edge because you need to be focusing on

Phyllis Bernt

being rationed, women have limited options in both their domestic and professional lives and Bloomsbury Books remains unchanged after 100 years, despite the efforts of three under-employed, frustrated women.

Grace Perkins, a mother of two young boys, feels trapped in an increasingly suffocating and loveless marriage. Vivien Lowry, an aspiring author, is angry at the loss of her fiancé during the war and at her inability to publish her work because she is female.

Seventeen-year-old Evie Stone, one of the first women to earn a Cambridge degree, doesn’t understand the politics of the academic old-boys network that deprived her of a research position at Cambridge, in spite of her hard work and obvious academic talent.

paying your rent.”

Cantor is hopeful that the gallery group will hire a new event planner if they can find someone who is qualified for the job.

Joe Clayton currently serves as the President of the Cannon Beach Gallery Group. He was urged to take part back in 2017, when he purchased Bronze Coast Gallery.

As the leader of the group, he juggles various responsibilities. “Almost any volunteer position you make of it what you have the time available and your interest in it. I am deeply interested in it, so I spend the time.”

Clayton is optimistic for

Despite these women’s abilities and innovative ideas for modernizing Bloomsbury Books, they are limited to making tea, taking dictation, typing letters and ringing up book sales. Only managers can make decisions about which books to buy, which authors to invite for speaking events and how to publicize the bookstore. None of the managers are women.

That all changes when Herbert Dutton, the store’s general manager, falls ill. In the shakeup that follows, Grace, Vivien and Evie get a chance to do things their way, and everything changes for the better, both at the bookstore and in their personal lives.

They succeed in implementing changes in no small part because Vivien happens to meet several famous, free-spirited, wealthy women, including four historical figures. The widow of a wealthy publisher, Ellen Doubleday; the widow of George Orwell, Sonia Brownell Blair; heiress and art collector, Peggy Guggenheim; and novelist Daphne du Maurier are so impressed with Vivien and the Bloomsbury women’s plans, that they invest in their vision of what an ideal bookstore should be.

the future and cherishes the work the group is able to do together. “It’s a worthy cause, it’s a trade organization that allows the galleries to come together and basically support each other, even though we are competitors.”

According to Clayton, the pandemic has posed many challenges for galleries, specifically with their ability to hire employees in the present market. Most gallery owners have to oversee participation in the gallery group without extended support from staff, which can be a hefty responsibility.

When asked how he feels about bringing in more external support, Clayton explained,

“Bloomsbury Girls” is so well written and such a feel-good read that it is easy to overlook its imperfections. The triumph of female solidarity, ambition and empowerment seems more likely in the New York City of 2020 than in the London of 1950. Which may be why the ending, though satisfying, seems a bit too perfect; everyone gets their just desserts, with the bad guys losing out and the good guys—and gals— finding happiness.

“Bloomsbury Girls” is Jenner’s second novel. Her debut novel, “The Jane Austen Society,” was an instant bestseller, for many of the reasons readers will enjoy “Bloomsbury Girls.”

The characters are likable and well developed, the plot is interesting and unexpected and the ending is satisfying.

Jenner provides a link between her two novels, with three characters, including Evie Stone, appearing in both books. Both novels are available at the library.

The library added six fiction titles in December. They include “The Rabbit Hutch” by Tess Gunty, “Across the Sand” by Hugh Howey, “A Quiet Life” by Ethan Joella, “Gilded Mountain” by Kate Manning, “Marmee” by Sarah Miller and “We

“I don’t think it’s a solution, but it’s a possible tool going forward. At the end of the day, someone still has to hire that person, someone still has to give that person directions, still has to spend time with the person, making sure that whatever money you’re paying that person, you’re getting a return on your investment.” As nice as it would be to be able to hire someone and walk away, he would not be comfortable with that.

Clayton hopes to focus efforts on bringing value to the member galleries and supporting a larger mission of serving the wider community. “We hope to have another Earth and

Are the Light” by Matthew Quick.

December proved a good month for mystery novels, with new titles from several bestselling authors. The eight new mystery titles are “Peril in Paris” by Rhys Bowen, “No Plan B: A Jack Reacher Novel” by Andrew Child and Lee Child, “Desert Star” by Michael Connelly, “Going Rogue” by Janet Evanovich, “Bleeding Heart Yard” by Elly Griffiths, “The Twist of a Knife” by Anthony Horowitz, “Blackwater Falls” by Ausma Zehanat Khan and “A World of Curiosities” by Louise Penny.

And finally, the library added five works of nonfiction, including “Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening” by Douglas Brinkley, “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century” by Beverly Gage, “American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis” by Adam Hochschild, “Number One is Walking: My Life in the Movies” by Steve Martin and “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times” by Michelle Obama.

Ocean Arts Festival in 2023,” added Clayton. “Two previous festivals of this type, not only brought energy and people to the community, it also brought large donations to five local environmental organizations.” For now, the Cannon Beach Gallery Group treks forward, placing one step in front of another, to maintain the events that have been long-adored by locals and tourists alike. Each gallery must strike a balance of taking care of themselves, while collaborating in a group effort; a dichotomy that illustrates the struggle many small businesses face as they open back up to the world.

When you’re feeling your best, it’s easy to find more reasons to celebrate. The providers and staff at Adventist Health are dedicated to helping you enjoy the important moments this holiday season. Staying healthy this winter is as easy as catching up on your annual

help keep you healthy and ready for more. To protect yourself against the flu, COVID-19 and

provider, or visit AdventistHealthTillamook.org to see a schedule of flu clinics near you.

Did you know? The CDC recommends that everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, including all primary series doses and boosters according to their age group. Learn more at CDC.gov/coronavirus

Scan this QR code and schedule an appointment with a primary care provider today

wellness exam to

variants, schedule an appointment with your

Lamp Lighting Ceremony

‘Tis the Season

Jazz Vocalist Lauren Kinhan brings Love Letters and Ornaments to the Coaster Theatre this Holiday Season

On Friday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. the Coaster Theatre welcomes Lauren Kinhan for an evening of “Love Letters and Ornaments in Blue.”

Admission is $25; tickets can be purchased at the theatre box office (503-4361242) or online at coastertheatre.com.

“Love Letters and Ornaments in Blue” features Oregon expat, Lauren Kinhan, in the place from which all her music and inspiration springs. Cannon Beach holds some of Lauren’s most precious “ornaments:” her family. So these sandy streets are tried and true muses for her genre merging music that celebrates her bicoastal love affair.

Living in New York City since the late ’80s, Lauren became a hearty artist, singer / songwriter of numerous highly respected solo records and a long-time bandmate

of the New York Voices. Her career has taken her all over the world, allowing her to add songs to her bag, influenced by the times we are living and the people she is loving.

At this time, everyone must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter the theatre on performance day. Face masks are optional but encouraged when attending a show at the Coaster Theatre. The theatre recommends visiting coastertheatre.com or contacting the box office closer to the performance for any possible changes to the theatre’s COVID policy.

Upcoming shows and events at the Theatre

Suite Surrender auditions, Jan. 17 & 18

Guilty Conscience, Feb. 3-25

Paul and Margo Dueber singing the Christmas song written by Bill Steidel. photo by Deb Atiyeh

Sally, Bill and Sam Steidel listen to the son Sam wrote being performed by Paul and margo Dueber. Photo by Deb Atiyeh

Santa made a visit to the event to listen to Christmas wishes. Photo by Deb Atiyeh

Students excited the crowd with Christmas carols. Photo by Bob Kroll Photography

Children got a front row seat while enjoying the festivities. Photo by Bob Kroll Photography

It was a snuggle up type of night. Photo by Bob Kroll Photography

Recollections of Grant Wood

By John Taylor December 3, 2022

Few of you would know this man but many of you would have seen him. Some might recall him as “The Flower Man of Wheeler”. He used to take care of a hundred flowerpots downtown and swept the sidewalks of gum wrappers and cigarette butts. No one paid him to do it. He just noticed that Wheeler needed some T.L.C.

Grant Wood was enigmatic. I first met him in Cannon Beach in 1990 when my sisters and I opened Jupiter’s Rare and Used Books. He was a presence in town in that he was always out walking, peddling his Whale Song magazine. I could read a sadness in him from thirty paces, as though he was not dripping with rain but with melancholy.

After work, I’d go to “The Bistro” and there would be Grant sitting quietly at the end of the bar. Over the course of several “happy hours” a friendship developed. It was instantly apparent that Grant Wood was not your typical barstool conversant. He could easily explain the differences between Einstein’s Special Relativity vs. General Relativity, or the logical problems presented by Quantum Physics.

Grant had a wide array of interests; he was writing sci fi screenplays, publishing a magazine, was a talented photographer and born philosopher. He was not one for easy answers. He thought that same question needed to be asked fifty different ways. This would in turn give birth to insights sitting in the shadows waiting to shake hands with his brain. He was a man of many theories, including how the universe functioned at its most basic level.

Grant thought his first task in life was to get control of time. There are really only two ways to go about this: 1. You spend a couple of decades getting wealthy enough to buy your freedom and then do whatever you like or: 2. You tighten your belt, you live on the cheap and work for wages only as necessary. Obviously, he chose door #2 because he felt that option #1 was fool’s gold. He lived for years on as little as $500 a month.

One of Grant’s bedrock beliefs was that we have an intuitive function that transcends the physical world. Like poets Mary Oliver and Walt Whitman, Grant chose to wander the roads, the beaches, the creeks and the woods. He collected all matter of natural treasures and brought them home to buff, polish, oil and wax. Each little piece needed

its own special treatment to bring out its innate beauty or gritty soul.

Eventually he made these into a unique art form of collage and sculpture. If I was to summarize the underlying message it would be this: “For God’s sake people, stop for a moment and gaze at these beautiful seeds of your existence.” All of his work sold. Not an easy thing for any artist to achieve.

The other grand pursuit that Grant gave his time to was a game of “what if?” that he applied to our society. He spent at least fifteen years trying to write a book about an alternative society. He filled a dozen three-ringed binders with notes. He invented words and concepts to try to explain new ways of looking at the world and our role in it. This book was too large, and he could never finish it. And then his brain gave out. About 12 years ago he began showing signs of dementia.

I watched his powerful, searching mind go into a death spiral until he could no longer live on his own. On New Year’s Day 2018, he was evicted. It was pouring rain and cold and he had nowhere to go. I took him to my home, and we fixed a little tiny house in my backyard. Where he stayed for three and a half years. Of course, deterioration continued.

In April of 2021 his brothers rode to the rescue and took him to a rest home in Minnesota near his sister. He died of Alzheimer’s Disease the day before Thanksgiving.

I started out describing Grant as sad. He often was. He was not wired to be a success in social realms, nor did he wish to be. But his path was often a lonely struggle.

I was fortunate to have more than a hundred lengthy conversations with Grant I always found him deep, insightful and original. I always came from those talks feeling enriched. I miss them.

I would like to say thank you to the good people of Wheeler who were kind and understanding as Grant declined. I would also like to think that his indiscretions were the product of his disease.

I leave with one little thought: next time you see a quiet soul sitting in the corner and maybe you wonder what’s on their mind? Might just be quite a lot. Goodbye old friend. Rest in peace.

John Taylor

P.S. We are looking for two copies of Grant’s book, The Colors of Cannon Beach, circa 2000. One copy will be gifted to his family. Please call John at (503) 738-5041.

Hanging Out

Edward Grant Wood April 21, 1950 ~ Nov. 23, 2022

their lives around while he was in Colorado. Eventually, Grant settled on the Oregon coast where he became an integral part of the community and established himself as an accomplished artist.

Grant was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Elizabeth Wood, his halfbrother John Humerichouse and his brother Chris. He is survived by his sisters Susan Wood and Kim Larsen along with his brothers Mike and Tim Wood.

battle with Alzheimer’s. Grant was born on April 21, 1950 in St. Louis, MO. Grant graduated from University High School in Normal, IL and graduated from University of Colorado with a degree in sociology and psychology. He spent 8 years as a counselor helping deeply troubled youths turn

Elementary rejuvenation well represents area heritage

I attended the Elementary School Rejuvenation Project outreach session, November 30th at City Hall.

I want thank the Cannon Beach city employees, City Council members, city committees and the Native American organization and the

In memory of Grant Wood, his family requests financial donations be made to The Cannon Beach Arts Association (CBAA) to help them support creativity within the local arts community for generations to come.

CBAA PO Box 684 Cannon Beach, OR 97110

design firm for the time and effort put into this project.

I feel the design covered all aspects that are representative of the history and heritage of Cannon Beach. I feel all stake holders are represented in this design and usage of this project.

This will be a great addition to Cannon Beach, along with our other historical places.

Bev Graver Cannon Beach

ACCOUNTING/PAYROLL SPECIALIST

FT w/benefits

Monthly Range $3,707 to $5,566

Plus Sign-On Bonus Open Until Filled

ACCOUNTANT

FT w/benefits

Monthly Range $5,065 to $7,602 Plus Sign-On Bonus Open Until Filled

SUPPORTIVE EMPLOYMENT SUPERVISOR

FT w/benefits

Monthly Range $4,118 to $6,173 Plus Sign-On Bonus Open Until Filled

SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST

FT w/benefits

Hourly Range $17.42 to $26.08

Plus Sign-On Bonus Open Until Filled

CERTIFIED PEER SUPPORT/RECOVERY MENTOR FT w/benefits

Hourly Range $17.42 to $26.08

Sign-On Bonus Open Until Filled

Deadline for letters is noon Thursdays. The date of publication will depend on space.

Edward Grant Wood, 72, passed away November 23, 2022 in Crookston, MN after a ten year

Cannon Beach Fire District was called to a cliff rescue at Hug Point as captured by Tim McGee

Planning Commission rejects cluster development

Will Chappell Gazette Reporter

The Cannon Beach Planning Commission rejected an application for a cluster development including workforce housing at their meeting on November 22.

The proposal from David Pietka would have seen four market-rate, single-family homes and a six-unit

apartment building offering workforce housing built at the corner of First and Spruce streets.

Commissioners rejected the proposal’s request for a conditional use permit, citing insufficient details and a lack of assurances on conditions attached to the below market rate portion.

They expressed concerns that

the developer would convert the six units into vacation rentals or condo units given the lack of specifics offered in the proposal.

The proposed development site lays in Cannon Beach’s wetland overlay and is zoned for limited commercial use.

There was a desire from commissioners to see more workforce hous-

ing included in the plan, in addition to their apprehension about guarantees on the term of that housing.

When rejecting the proposal, the commission laid out guidelines for what they would want to see in future proposals to approve them.

They said that they would want developers to commit to constructing a minimum of six units of hous-

ing that would be offered at a rate affordable to people making 80% of the area’s median income.

Further they would want for that commitment to be made for 60 years and to be attached to the property via deed restrictions.

Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia. net.

Council approves merit raise for City Manager, contract to replace water pipes

Will Chappell Gazette Reporter

Cannon Beach City Manager Bruce St. Denis has received a 5% merit-based pay increase following his

performance review.

The city council found that St. Denis had successfully performed his duties as city manager and voted to give him the pay increase, effective retroactively on

December 1.

St. Denis was hired by the city in 2017, with a starting salary of $130,000. He also receives a $14,400 housing allowance annually.

City council was required to consider a merit increase by St. Denis’s employment contract.

The council also voted to approve a $450,000 contract

with Windsor Engineers to develop a plan to replace concrete asbestos piping that moves the city’s water supply.

Pipes running from a natural spring to the water treatment plant and from that plant to the reservoir are vulnerable in the case of seismic activity.

The Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund has

directed $3.2 million, of which $515,000 is forgivable, to fund the replacement of the old pipes with new, seismic-resistant piping.

Windsor Engineers will devise a plan for the project so that contracting firms can submit bids to complete the work.

City Council also made three appointments to differ-

ent city government groups: Amy Jones was appointed to the Farmers Market Committee, Hannah Buschert to Parks and Community Service Committee and Erik Ostrander to the Planning Commission.

Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia.net

County accepting budget committee applications

Clatsop County is accepting applications for a vacancy on the county Budget Committee.

The Budget Committee reviews the proposed overall county budget and makes recommendations to the county commissioners. The committee is made up of five county commissioners and five other local residents they appoint. The committee generally meets in May to review the proposed budget.

The vacancy is for a term ending February 28, 2026. It is preferred but not required that applicants live within Commissioner District 2, which covers Gearhart and Clatsop Plains, and portions of Seaside and Warrenton.

The Board of Commissioners will make the appointment. Applications will be taken through Dec. 31. To apply, submit a printable application to the Clatsop County Manager’s Office at 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria OR 97103 or complete an online application forms are available here. Printable applications can also be found at the Clatsop County Manager’s Office at 800 Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria OR 97103.