36th Annual

we awoke to another 1-1/4” of snow. And thus ended February 2023.

Another bonding experience has been less enthralling, but the good news is that the 11 individuals stricken by the outbreak of COVID in our community are on the mend. I don’t know of anyone who was seriously ill or hospitalized—just a number who were miserable for several days, including Capt. Pete and me. There was one rebound case. All are on the upswing now; we can be grateful this didn’t occur earlier in the pandemic.

Cape Meares had a team all signed up for the Three Capes Marathon, the “race with a view,” scheduled to be held Feb. 25. Due to inclement weather, however, the race was canceled. Snow and ice undoubtedly coated the raceway up Cape Meares Mountain on that day; we still had quite a bit of snow and ice here in the village through that weekend.

Robert “Butch” Freedman will be reading at the Writers Read Celebration at the Cannon Beach Library (131 N. Hemlock St.) on March 10 at 7 p.m. The theme this year is “Hemingway at the Beach.”

Writers were asked for sub- missions written in the style of Hemingway—or imagining what Hemingway would think about the North Coast. Butch’s submission was among 10 chosen to be read. His story imagines Hemingway as a Cape Meares surfer. Sounds intriguing; hope some of us can attend.

Two households from Cape Meares are taking treasures up to exhibit at the Beachcombers’ Fun Fair, now renamed the Beachcombers and Glass Float Expo, in Ocean Shores, Wash., on March 4-5. Tune in next week for the results.

TheNeskowin, Nestucca, Sandlake Watersheds Council will host a Science Pub Tuesday night. Dave Wells from Oregon Natural Forestry will present a program titled “Trees, Water and Family.” The free event is planned from 6 - 8 p.m. on March 7 at Pelican Brewin Company, 33180 Cape Kiawanda Drive, Pacific City. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

South County Food Pantry serves households in Nestucca Valley School District. They’re open from 12:30-6 p.m. every other Tuesday. In March (this year) open dates fall on the 7th and the 21st of the month. They’re located in the annex of the Presbyterian Church in Pacific City; it’s on Brooten Road, just south of the Inn At Pacific City. A harm reduction syringe exchange happens from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Wednesn See MELONIE, Page A5

The Rockaway Renaissance Artists group has several upcoming milestones worth noting. First is an exhibition at the Rockaway Beach Library, 120 N. Coral, beginning Wednesday, March 8. This marks the first example of a partnership that’s been discussed for months, and is an exciting development for both sides.

If you’ve followed my previous columns about the library, you might recall that the library has been investing in display space near the front door. First, the many commemorative plaques honoring the initial contributors who made it possible to convert a private home into the Rockaway Library some 30 years ago have been consolidated into a single plaque, now mounted behind the librarian’s desk. (If you, a friend or family member were honored in one or more of the original plaques, please contact the library and arrange to have it presented for you.) That wall space now makes it possible to hang all kinds of art works, from photographs to paintings to fabric art, and from what I know of the creativity represented by the Rockaway Renaissance Artists, there are likely to be several of each, and perhaps even greater variety.

The theme of this exhibit is The Pacific Northwest, and the artists’ interpretations of why and how much we love this part of the coast are sure to be varied and engaging.

Rick Hampton, known on social media as “Rick’s Pics,” is one of several group members who are coordinating the efforts and preparing the exhibition. Rick’s photographs of the scenic beauty, wildlife, and grandeur of the coast are well known, but always breathtaking, and the sheer volume of images is impressive on its own. Naturally, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, Rick has some incred- ible sunsets in his portfolio.

“People ask me how I can have more than a thousand sunset photos when there are only 365 days in a year,” Rick told me. “Well, there are 22 spots along the highway from Cannon Beach: pull outs, scenic overlooks, and more. Every spot is different.”

In addition, Robin Bock is coordinating the event, and I for one look forward to her fabric art. In addition to traditional quilting patterns, Robin’s fabric art includes a beautiful, impressionistic representation of our iconic Twin Rocks, which she displayed last September at the North Coast Recreation District (NCRD).

Speaking of NCRD, the Renaissance Artists will be returning there on April 1, this time in the Fireside Room. This lovely spot has a gas fireplace, a kitchenette, a baby grand piano and a gallery wall for displaying artworks. NCRD is located at 36155 9th St in Nehalem. The exhibit begins at 8 AM on Saturday the 1st.

Janeane Krongos Tillamook Family Counseling Center

March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Each March, health professionals, community members, state entities, and the National Council on Problem Gambling come together to observe Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The goals of this month-long observance are to raise awareness of problem gambling, promote problem gambling prevention, encourage health providers to screen clients for problem gambling, and to raise awareness of problem gambling treatment and recovery services. To learn more about Problem Gambling Awareness Month visit:www.ncpgambling. org.

Gambling is an activity that carries risk and some people who gamble may develop problems. Problem gambling can be defined as when a person’s gambling disrupts their life or the lives of others (family members, friends, coworkers, and clients).

Common consequences of problem gambling include relationship strain, financial instability, loss of productivity in school or work, increased anxiety, depression, and substance use. Each year, there are Oregonians of all ages are impacted by problem gambling. According to the Oregon Health Authority, there are an estimated 84,000 Oregon adults and adolescents who meet the clinical diagnosis for a gambling disorder; and another 180,000 Oregonians who are at risk of developing problem gambling. Free and confidential problem gambling treatment is available to Oregonians.

This year, local health providers will be participating in the observance of Problem Gambling Awareness Month. One provider who will participate in this month-long observance is the Tillamook Family Counseling Center (TFCC). This month, TFCC will present a resolution request to the Tillamook County Board of County Commis- sioners, present a virtual ‘Introduction of Problem Gambling Prevention’ presentation, and other outreach activities.

This month, I encourage all community members to take some time to participate in Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Continue reading to get ideas on how you can participate in this observance.

• Follow TFCC’s prevention programs Facebook page (SOS Tillamook). This Facebook page shares prevention information twice weekly. If you would like to help broaden the reach of the messaging, be sure to like, save and share problem gambling prevention post.

• Discuss the health consequences of problem gambling with your human resource officer. Offer to email them the Oregon Health Authority’s document titled Impacts of Problem Gambling on Public Health. A PDF file of this document can be found at www.oregon.gov.

• If you choose to gamble, create responsible gambling guidelines. Examples of responsible gambling guidelines include setting a time and dollar limit, not gambling to cover pain, create a healthy life balance, and not gambling with money that is set aside for personal/household bills.

• Learn the warning signs of problem gambling. Common warning signs include gambling to escape from pain, isolation from others, absences from school or work, or chasing losses with more gambling. A list of common warning signs can be found on the Oregon Problem Gambling Resource website(www. opgr.org).

n Melonie

Continued from Page A4 day, March 8 at Hebo Fire Hall. The address is 30710 U.S. Highway 101 in Hebo.

Thanks to Rachelle DeLoe for word that Pacific City Joint Water Sanitary Authority will hold their monthly business meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14th at Kiawanda Community Center. The address is 34600 Cape Kiawanda Drive in Pacific City.

Thanks to Merrily Ario for letting us know that Nesko Women’s Club will meet for March at 11:30 on Friday March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day).

A program will be presented by John Tenny, Director Emeritus of the Post Graduate School of Education at Willamette University. He will speak on how the brain learns. For reservations, call Cathy, 541-622-3104.

Fencepost readers appreciate Doug Olson writing with updates regarding recurring events that we may be wondering about. The annual “Birding and Blues Festival” is not happening this year. And the yearly “Reach the Beach” bicycle ride has relocated its finish line to Astoria for 2023. The event was held in May for the past decade plus finishing at Cape Kiwanda. It’s among the single largest fundraisers for the American Lung Association.

• Request a free problem gambling prevention presentation for your school, club, workplace, or group.

To learn about problem gambling prevention services, visit www.tfcc.org.

• Take a short self-evaluation to learn if you are at risk of developing a problem with gambling. The Oregon Problem Gambling Resource (OPGR) website has a free 20 question evaluation. The evaluation can be found at www.opgr. org. • Have a conversation about problem gambling with adult family members or friend. In the conversation discuss problem gambling, warning signs, responsible gambling guidelines, and share information about free problem gambling treatment.

• Have a conversation with a child about problem gambling. Age-appropriate conversation tips can be found on the OPGR website (www.opgr.org).

• Attend the ‘Introduction to Problem Gambling Prevention’ presentation. In the presentation participants will learn about problem gambling, learn warning signs, responsible gambling guidelines, conversation tips, and about problem gambling treatment services in Oregon. The presentation will take place virtually March 29th from 10 -11 AM. To learn more about this free presentation email Janeanek@ tfcc.org.

• Become aware of local problem gambling treatment options. TFCC employs a certified gambling treatment provider. For information about services, call (503)8428201. For more information about problem gambling treatment call the OPGR helpline at (877)695-4648.

• Display problem gambling prevention and treatment brochures and pamphlets at your business, school, or health center. For more information about these handouts, email me at Janeanek@tfcc.org.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions about this column at Janeanek@tfcc.org.

Chamber will not be sponsoring fireworks on July 4th. The annual professional fireworks display “costs about $17,000, it requires about a dozen volunteers from the community and requires quite a bit of up-front work,” according to Olson. There is time for another community group to take that on, if there’s interest, he said.

Clover’s Day (traditionally the first weekend in July) and Dory Dats (traditionally the third weekend in July), however, are off to a great start. Watch this space for details as they are made available.

Happy birthday this week to: Piper Armstrong, Jo Baker, Patrick Byrd, Jesse Cantlon, Hilary Gallino, Keegan Jones, Jim Kiser, Denise Lane, Jay Lane, Kristi Miller, Candy Pengelly, Al Randall, Kathy Schaefer, Tegan Slavens, Trudy Small and Brett Webster.