Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The Yachats Gazette, Issue 47, July 1 2015

 Click to download a printable version of Issue 47

Interview with Joanne Kittel,
Volunteer With the Yachats Music Festival

The Yachats Gazette was delighted to have a talk with Joanne Kittel about the Yachats Music Festival, which will be taking place from Thursday, July 9 to Sunday, July 12, at the Presbyterian Church in Yachats. Tickets are available at the door, from the Adobe Resort, or from the Yachats Visitors’ Center.

TYG: Why did Dr. Hazaiah Williams found the Music Festival [in 1981]?
Joanne:
Well, he was out of San Francisco, and loved classical music, and also felt strongly that classical music belonged to everybody. Back in the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s, only very rich people could go and be involved in classical music. So he sponsored a non-profit, which eventually became Four Seasons Concerts of Berkeley, California. He first sponsored his first concert in California, for all people to go to, with Marian Anderson—who was a famous mezzo-soprano—in 1958. Dr. Williams was the first African-American impresario to head a concert-giving organization in the United States. There’s a quote of his that I like: “The opportunity to hear, to know, understand, and appreciate good music will lead to far greater communication between races and people.” Over those last 42 years of his life, he was passionate about presenting concerts to a wide variety of audiences of all different economic levels. He would bring in seniors, by buses. He particularly catered to families and students to learn about classical music. And he was on vacation, because one of the volunteers, who still works with the festival, Barbara Bauer’s family, had a cabin at Ten Mile Creek. He came up to visit her and her family, and it was during a boat trip down Ten Mile Creek, where he was mesmerized by the beauty of this natural area that he [proposed] to bring the most renowned artists to the most beautiful area in the world to perform exquisite music. He was a minister, and then he met the then-minister of the Presbyterian church, Mickey McGuire. He worked with other parishioners, so that in one year they were able to have the first Yachats Music Festival, in 1981.

TYG: That is amazing.
Joanne:
And you know what? The Presbyterian church as you know it now wasn’t even built yet. So for the first three years, they presented concerts at the Bauer home on Ten Mile Creek.

TYG: Where were they preaching?
Joanne:
At the Little Log church.

TYG: So that’s not big enough for any kind of an orchestra. [laughter]
Joanne: [laughing]
No, it’s not. Still isn’t! So it became a reality, with the intention to do it annually. Of course, as you know, it has been done annually.

TYG: 35 years!
Joanne:
35 years, yep.

TYG: I’ve been to several of them while we’ve been here. I don’t remember so much from the first ones, because I was only four and five.
Joanne:
That’s neat! It’s exactly what Dr. Williams envisioned, was to have children attend. [...] The other part that he was very impassioned about was to make the concerts affordable. [...] Not just the Yachats Music Festival, but all the other concerts he put on in the San Francisco/Bay area, New York, Europe.

TYG: So what is your role with the Yachats Music Festival?
Joanne:
This is my sixteenth year of volunteering as part of the public relations committee. We have Barbara Covell for the human interest stories, and Jan Brown, who is an excellent public affairs officer and can get the word out, and just old-fashioned distribution of posters! A number of the different committee members, like Nancy Hull and Curtis Brown, distribute.
We also have a reception. That’s on Thursday night, and it’s a little late—it starts at eight pm. It’s a wonderful [occasion] for the artists’ introduction—artists that are new, artists that have been coming for years—to work with the cast and the volunteers from Yachats, and they have a tour that comes up from San Francisco. So it’s a fun reception, and we use the volunteers from Yachats to put together this evening reception for people to socialize. It’s sort of like a warm-up to the Festival that starts up the next morning. 

TYG-Editorial Assistant: I have a question. I’ve gone all eight years that we’ve lived here, and every year I see a lot of the same faces who are not performers, and also some young adults. Who are those people who attend the festival every year? I think they’re people who are behind the scenes in some fashion, but I don’t know who they are and what they do.
Joanne:
Well, they’re staff, and mostly volunteers [...]—some who are now maybe in their forties were kids who came as volunteers for the Festival. They’ve grown up with the Festival, coming year after year after year. They’re totally dedicated to this festival and to W. Hazaiah Williams’ vision. So they enjoy coming up here, because it’s so different from Berkeley, California. It’s really a close-knit family affair between the staff and volunteers of Four Seasons [...] and Yachats—it’s a reunion!

TYG: Are there any new artists this year?
Joanne:
Let’s see... Chiao-Wen Cheng, pianist—it’s her first year here. Tom Rose, clarinetist—I don’t remember him coming before. And Betty Woo, a pianist. The rest have all come here before. Some of the ones that have been coming for most of the years are Leon Bates [pianist]—I think he started coming the third year; and Thomas Buckner [baritone]—these are people who travel extensively, but they’re from the East coast. Marco Granados [flutist] has been coming for a number of years; Joseph Kubera [pianist]; and then Rafael LeBron [baritone] and Ilya Martinez [soprano] have been coming since about year three. They’re husband and wife. Anthony Turner [baritone]: he’s been coming since about 2000. These have been really constant. And then, you know, there are people who have passed away, who were wonderful, like William Warfield, who was a very famous baritone. He starred in the movie “Showboat” in the 1950’s and immortalized “Old Man River.” And his last concert, before he passed away, was at the Yachats Music Festival.

TYG: Where are you from originally?
Joanne:
I’m originally from Chicago, but I moved here via Minnesota, and I’ve been here 22 years; my husband and I have owned the property for 28 years.

TYG: What did you do before this?
Joanne
: Before the music festival? Well, I’m a trained psychotherapist and I have a Master’s degree in clinical social work, and still do volunteer work—a lot of volunteer work. I was in private practice in the area of trauma and other areas of clinical practice, and now I volunteer on committees and boards, and do a lot of trails work, too.

TYG: Did you know the first director?
Joanne:
Yes, I was acquainted with Dr. Williams. My husband, Norman, talked to him a lot. It was tragic that he died so early in his life, in 1999—it was a big loss for so many people. But that just made the staff and the volunteers even more determined to keep going the Festival going in his honor, his memory, his vision.

TYG: How did you get involved with the Festival?
Joanne:
The first Festival Norman and I attended was in 1988. We were visiting here, and just coincidentally we stumbled across the Yachats Music Festival. Norman volunteered us to help do the public relations work. Neither one of us had any background in it, so we just started volunteering. And with the reception committee, many of the volunteers were having medical problems. So I decided maybe I would help with that too, and then kept going with the Reception Committee. The director after Dr. Williams passed away was Barbara Bauer and then the director after her is Janet Warzyn, even though Barbara still comes and volunteers.
Living in this gorgeous place, and listening to gorgeous classical music: it’s just magic. And we want to keep that magic going!

TYG: Well, thank you so much for your time!
Joanne
: You’re welcome, and thank you!




Yachats Farmers Market
Continued



The Yachats Gazette continues last month’s series of discussions with vendors at the Yachats Farmers Market.

Interview with Nick Gade of Stargazer’s Gourmet


TYG: So, how did you get involved in the Farmers Market?
Nick:
In the past, being a part of different communities... if there’s a farmers’ market in a new community, it’s always a good idea to join it! Got started with just making the candies, asking some questions, setting up the biz.

TYG: So how has business been treating you?
Nick:
Good! Business has been good—I’m looking forward to the summer months. Had a good winter: it was nice being indoors for the winter up in Newport.

TYG: Nice! Well, thank you very much for your time!
Nick:
Great to meet you—I love the Gazette!

Interview with Mickey of Velasquez Organic Farm

TYG: So, how did you get involved with the Farmers Market?
Mickey:
A friend of mine, who’s Mexican; I’m helping him out because he doesn’t speak English. So I’m just being a friend and doing the market for him. He’s the one who chose the Yachats Farmers Market for me to contact, and I did, and we’re here! I like it. I like the people here—very nice people.

TYG: What kinds of things do you sell?
Mickey:
Lettuce, carrots, onions, garlic, spinach, lots of kale, zucchini, and we have coming up beans, corn, peas, cucumbers, squashes, melons—they’re being planted now. But there are four different kinds of lettuce, four different kinds of kale.

TYG: So how’s business been treating you?
Mickey:
Here? I love it. I love the people.

TYG: Okay—thank you so much for your time!
Mickey:
Nice to meet you!


Interview with Jesse Wolfe of Alsea Valley Farm

TYG: So, how did you get involved with the Farmers Market?
Jesse:
Well, we were looking for a local market where there weren’t too many other farm vendors, and we also just loved coming to Yachats here.

TYG: [...] How’s business been treating you?
Jesse:
It’s good—I think it’s a little slower in the springtime. The market last year picked up pretty well toward the end. There seem to be more people in town come July, August, September. And that’s a good time for us, because most of our crops come in then: all the good tomatoes, eggplants, and stuff.

TYG-EA: Have you been growing here a long time?
Jesse
: No, we’ve owned our farm five years now. It takes a little time to develop—I’ve been trying to put us completely off the grid. Everything on [the farm] is either run by solar power or hydro-electric.

TYG: I wonder if you have water wheels as well.
Jesse:
Yes, I do—a little Pelton water wheel. It produces electricity that runs all the timers, that lead to the irrigation, and then on down.

TYG-EA: Nice! So you have a stream running through your place?
Jesse:
Yes, we have two creeks that run through our property.

TYG: Enough flow to actually make some electricity?
Jesse:
Yeah, I have about 122 watts from those.

TYG: Great, thanks so much!

Interview With Vicke Fronk

TYG: So, how did you get involved with the Farmers Market?
Vicke:
Oh, well I’ve lived here quite a while, and I just started making shirts and giving them as presents, and somebody said, “Why don’t you do a market and sell them?” So I started, and I started spreading out when the economy got bad, and was trying some of my crafts on potholders. Now I’m into buying regular strips of material, because there are different things people want on them. Then I spread out into towels—there are some that are higher in value, and lower in value.

TYG: They’re beautiful! How has business been treating you?
Vicke:
This is only the second market, so it’s a bit slow to start with. It always gets better when school’s out.

TYG-EA: Do you make all these yourself?
Vicke:
I do all the appliqué or embroidery myself. I buy the shirts.

TYG: Beautiful. I just like that little cat sticking out, especially because that’s realistic. Because if you had thick snow, a white cat with blue eyes would look just like that!


Interview With Juan Ramos, Wire Artist

TYG: So, how did you get started with this?
Juan:
Well, it was about ten years ago—I was birthday shopping for my sister, and I ended up making a wire sea horse instead of buying something.

TYG: They’re beautiful! How did you get started with the Farmers Market in particular?
Juan:
Oh, well, I kind of moved around trying to learn more on the trade, the wire-working trade. We moved to Oregon about a year ago. We moved to the south coast of Oregon, so I try to stay local to where I’m living. So I learned about [Yachats] through the circuit of meeting vendors, figuring out what markets happen what days. In order to do this, you kind of have to fill up your slots so that there are still a couple of days of work you can have.

TYG-EA: Where do you get your ideas?
Juan:
Oh, it’s a lot of different artisan tricks—I learned from a lot of different people. I can’t really put my finger on “Well, this person taught me this, and that person taught me that.” Because there are a lot of different things that go into each piece. So ten years ago, when I started doing this, my jewelry didn’t look anything like this. It just constantly changes. When you like doing something, you repeat and repeat it, and you get better at it.

TYG: So I assume that this is more covered wire, and this is more copper wire?
Juan:
Yes. This is actually recycled wire, and this is craft wire. I don’t usually go out and get craft wire—somebody gave it to me, so I thought I might as well use it.

TYG: Beautiful!
Juan:
Thank you!
 
Interview With Jean Hayes
of Jean’s Jams

TYG: So how did you get started—here at the Market, I mean?
Jean:
Well, I retired ten years ago and got bored! [laughter] I was born and raised on a farm, and I’ve traveled all over the world. I worked in the City of Portland for a long, long time, and when I retired I bought property here, and retired here, and was bored! So I started [participating at] the Market!

TYG: What kind of jams do you have here?
Jean
: All kinds. I make European-style, which is less sugar.

TYG: They’re beautiful—the different color variations, different densities—like these over here.
Jean:
  Thank you! These are jellies, and they’re like wine jellies. And these are actual preserves: peaches, and pears.

TYG: Oh, cool! Is that for added flavor?
Jean: 
Well, yes—they’re made to eat as a fruit, like with ice cream or something.

TYG: How has business been treating you?
Jean:
  I do very well here, thank you.

TYG-EA: How did you get started doing jams and such?
Jean:
I was born and raised on a farm, you know. My mother had six kids—you know how to can, and I’ve canned tuna and everything. The type of work I did for the City of Portland was not something I could sell, so when I got here, I had to go back to my roots. [...] And I do make fruitcakes, but that’s generally just for Christmas.

TYG: Thank you so much!


Interview With Bob Barter
of The Old Strawberry Farm

TYG: So, how did you get started here?
Bob:
Well, we have a farm about 60 miles out on Highway 34, and we wanted to sell at markets, so we started in Newport; now we’re down here in Yachats. I think this is our third year here.

TYG: It looks like you do mostly woolen products, but some other things as well?
Bob:
Almost everything here is from our farm in one way or another. The market bags are from feed—we started off when we were feeding our ducks. The soap is made from lard from our hogs. We sold hogs last year, but we’re not doing that this year. We sold pork shares—that’s where the lard came from.

TYG-EA: “Pork shares”?
Bob:
Yes. If you want to sell meat, it either has to be through a USDA meat processor, or you can sell what’s called a share: If a person buys a share, they’re buying a portion of the hog before it’s slaughtered. Then, because it’s your hog, it doesn’t have to be USDA-inspected. We use Oregon Coastal Cutters, up in South Beach. They come out to the farm, and they slaughter the animal there, and then Eric [Clark] does the butchering there for people, also. We did that last year for our hogs, and we’re doing it this year for our sheep. You can buy lamb shares—we’ll be slaughtering in January of next year.

TYG: What’s the deal with the eyes?
Bob:
Oh, well, the breed of hog that we raise is called the Large Black hog. They’re a heritage breed, so their meat is tastier than the average pork that you buy in the store, and the Large Black hogs have ears that flop down over their eyes. It’s very funny to watch them run! They have to bob their head up and down to see where they’re going.

TYG-EA: Do they run into things a lot?
Bob:
Well, nothing much gets in their way! [laughter] They can see fine, they just have to get their ears out of the way. We have Shetland sheep, and we sell the lamb shares. We shear the lambs once a year, and so this is fleece, down there, from one of our lambs.

TYG: Can I feel it?
Bob:
Oh sure! So, you take the fleece like that, that’s been cut off the sheep, and you wash it, and card it—where you get all the fibers to line up—and then you spin it into wool, and then you knit it into something.

TYG: Well, thank you so much!
Bob:
Bye!

Interview With VeunKham Virasak-Holmes
of Veun’s Garden

TYG: So, how did you get started with the Farmers Market?
Veun:
We started farming in 2001. We originally started to sell local restaurants and markets. We used to sell to Ricky’s in Corvallis, but they decided to sell their business. So we didn’t have a place to unload our produce, so we started to go to farmers’ markets in 2007.

TYG-EA: Where do you do your farming?
Veun:
We farm in Corvallis, and we farm approximately 15 acres. Fruit, vegetables, blueberries, raspberries...

TYG: ...Strawberries, eggs...
Veun:
Mm-hmm—a variety of stuff, so we always have something to do.

TYG: So how’s business been going here?
Veun:
It’s been good, pretty good. Well, you know, the first couple of weeks are kind of slow.

TYG: Well, thank you so much!
 
Interview with Judy Kauffman
of Seeds of Oregon

TYG: So, how did you get involved here?
Judy:
Well, I’ve been involved for almost fifteen years, doing markets. It started when it was out at the Galleries.

TYG-EA: Which gallery was that?
Judy:
Touchstone.

TYG: Wow, that must have been the very start of it!
Judy:
Pretty much, yes.

TYG: So, it looks like you have mostly jams, jellies, and some preserved fruits?
Judy:
Yes.

TYG: Looks like you also have some stones over there...
Judy:
Yes, it was my mother’s collection. She’s not with me any more, but I like to bring her rocks so people can see them.

TYG: Well, so how’s business been treating you?
Judy:
Well, this is only the first time I’ve been here this year, but business is usually pretty good.

TYG: It’s always a little slow at the start.
Judy:
Yes it is. It’s always better when we have our produce. [...] I’ve almost got broccoli ready to bring to market, and some lettuces, and of course the tomatoes will come later on.

TYG: Thank you so much for your time!


Interview With Ellen Oare
of Cowboy Cadillac Horseshoe Art

TYG: So, how did you get started with the Farmers Market?
Ellen:
Well, I always loved coming to Yachats—I’m from Eugene, Oregon—and I love this market. So when I started, two years ago, I thought this would be a good place to tent my wares and see if it would be a viable business for me, selling horseshoe art.

TYG: You’ve got some really cool stuff, especially these little cup holders. They’re really cool.
Ellen:
Mm-hmm, they’re really popular—and here in Yachats, the crabs.

TYG: And the spoon, I like that. [laughter]
TYG-EA: How did you get started doing horseshoe art?
Ellen:
Well, I have horses, and I used to co-own a landscape business. I got a lot of experience welding with the equipment for the landscaping business. So when we sold the business a couple of years ago, I needed something to do. I made a few items for personal gifts and whatnot, so I thought I’d try it and see if people bought it. I came to Yachats, and I did really well.

TYG: Wow, thanks so much!



Interview with Charmaine Pesnell
of Fusion Art and Glass

TYG: So how did you get started with this market?
Charmaine:
I started this market about five years ago, six years ago—something like that. I’ve been making my product about 30 years.

TYG: These are beautiful! What kind of gems are these?
Charmaine:
The green and white are beach glass from Kauai—that’s where I used to live. I found the glass—it’s dated between 1890 and 1920—and then I did all the silver work around it.

TYG: Woah! So this is all beach glass? Cool!
Charmaine:
The other glass is dichroic glass, and that’s glass I make in a kiln.

TYG: [gasps] Oh—this is beautiful!
Charmaine:
Everything is my original design.

TYG: You fit in so well in this market! Beach glass, and the rainbow colors...
TYG-EA: How did you get started with that?
Charmaine:
I just love to make things! I had to figure out how to make the glass on my own, because I couldn’t find any information. And the bead-work: I’m self-taught, and I was honored to win, in 2009, to win the top competition in the world, at Hiroshima, Japan.

TYG: Wow! Amazing!
Charmaine:
I figured I’d be rejected, because I didn’t know what the rules were, and I’m sure I broke them all. I was in the Hiroshima Glass Museum for a year and a half.

TYG: Wow! How’s business been going for you?
Charmaine:
We’ve only been open for the last two weeks, but business has been going good.

TYG: Thank you so much!
Charmaine:
You’re welcome, and thank you!