Locals prepare for Summer
With all the vicious weather in the midwest this year, local residents are preparing for another of our glorious Summers here on the coast. Our Winter was long and dreary with one major storm raking our area, but all came through with just minor damage to both property and psyche. While the Spring plantings are not doing too well with the lingering cool and damp weather, spirits are non-the-less high as we move towards all the Summer festivals in our area. Waldport will kick off the festivities with their Beachcomber Days starting June 20th and running until the 22nd. Locals and visitor's alike are urged to get out the sunscreen and beach blankets, pack the picnic lunch, dig out the kid's kites, and hit the beach. All the merchants are gearing up for the event and many good deals are available on all the beach goodies you will need. "This year promises to be one of the best" said local chamber of commerce president, Samuel Clements (no relation to Huck Finn's press secretary). Community optimism certainly does seem to be running high. Not all locals are as optimistic though. Long time Yaquina resident, Rockwell (Rocky) Barr said he looks forward to Summer's arrival and plans to hit the beach this weekend for a beachcomber party with family arriving from Iowa. "We told them to just get on the plane and leave all the rain and floods behind for the weekend. They lost everything back there this last week, but we keep extra beach gear handy for when the grand kids visit, so we're prepared. I just hope the weather breaks. I don't know about this year though, might be another liquid Summer; but hey, we're ready anyway." Visitors will recognize the Barrs by their distinctive "coastie" attire and the smell of their whale blubber based sun screen. Yes, there is nothing like a Summer day at an Oregon beach. Perhaps the Beach Boys said it best, If everybody had an ocean Across the U.S.A. Then everybody'd be surfin Like californ-i-a You'd seem em wearing their baggies Huarachi sandals too A bushy bushy blonde hairdo Surfin U.S.A.
Entertainment Guide
Log Jam to perform at Yaquina Pete's The popular local band Log Jam will perform this Friday and Saturday night at Yaquina Pete's Restaurant and General Store from 8:00 to 11:00 pm. The group, composed of unemployed loggers, specializes in long impromptu sets of music played on instruments made from leftover "slash" they retrieved from the abandoned logging camp where they live. Their style of music ranges from early logger work chants to reggae. Asked how these vastly different styles of music come together in their spontaneous compositions, lead singer Ragnar the Rowdy said, "We just jump in the river and let it carry us down stream 'til we be jammin'." Yaquina Pete's features a full menu including 22 varieties of flap jacks and a wine bar; their in-house brewery features their signature brew "Buzz-saw Bitters". The restaurant is located in the back of the General Store where patrons can purchase custom made hob-nail boots in a variety of designer colors to use on the dirt dance floor or on the restaurant's spruce tree climbing wall. Yaquina Pete's is located in the heart of Yaquina City's Disco District next to the lumber yard.