Rockaway Beach Fencepost November 22

Take a breath, mark your calendar and take step back in time; a treat that now-a-days you will only experience in a small town. The festive entertainment begins at 6pm at the wayside in the heart of the city. This is my town, Rockaway Beach, and this social is our way of opening the door to the yuletide.

During the day you will witness a hustle and bustle in our town, a flurry of tents going up, holiday lights twinkling and perhaps even some holiday music filling the air with the backdrop of the ocean roaring. The atmosphere will be slowly shifting to festive and nostalgic, with a slight chill in the air.

The folks that are unwrapping this event for all, which gets better every year, is the City of Rockaway Beach and the Rockaway Beach Merchants Association, and they know just how to deliver.

There will be a cornucopia of fun and refreshments for your loved ones. You can enjoy hot cocoa and cookies, which will be really yummy on a cool evening.

As evening tide sets in, the shops will remain open with sales and specials. The town will be alive with shoppers searching for gifts for loved ones for Christmas. Many shops will be open all throughout the celebrations.

Back at the wayside, as folks gather for the tree lighting, Ronnie Duckworth will be the MC, and listen for the caroling with the Salty Strings Ukulele Group under the big tent. We are a small group of amateur musicians that love to bring holiday cheer through our song. Jen Troxel will be performing a traditional Christmas song, acapella. Soon in the distance you will begin to faintly hear the “Candy Cane Express” steam trumpet whistling in the night and the train will be laden with folks and most importantly, Santa Claus and his elf! He will soon be greeting each and every child at the Rockaway Beach Wayside, and making his list…. The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad enters from Garibaldi, and this train ride is truly delightful.

Once Santa and his elf arrives, he will be visiting with all of our children. Then comes what we have all been waiting for. The townsfolk and visitors who have been busy decorating the tree with homemade, weatherproof ornaments, hopefully tied on with twist ties, will make way for the countdown to the “Lighting of the Christmas Tree” which is truly a Hallmark moment. There is always a hush, then the cheers, as the tree illuminates the festivities!!

Also, donations of canned goods for our local Food Bank will be collected at the ‘Letters to Santa’ and ‘Can Donation’ tent.

Don’t forget, after the lighting, plan to jingle and mingle in the shops with stressless shopping and sales abound. I don’t know about you, but like a child counting down to Christmas morning, I am here at the

beach counting down the seconds to this gathering. This is truly the door opening up to the holiday season, Rockaway Style.

While I am bragging about our town, let me tell you a few more events coming up over Thanksgiving weekend. First, there will be a community Thanksgiving Dinner at St. Mary’s by the Sea parish hall from 1-5pm on Thursday, November 24th. Absolutely all are welcome! The menu will offer ham, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, veggies and dessert. This awesome meal is sponsored by Judy Sours, Leon and Teri Bruneau, Manzanita Grocery and Deli, Garibaldi’s Bay Market and Liquor and Tillamook Fred Meyer. The best of all, all the donations at this fundraiser will go to Rockaway Beach’s Meals for Seniors Inc. program. Another perk is you won’t have to spend all day in the kitchen and you can simply enjoy your turkey day with your friends, family and neighbors.

Second, you must go to the Rockaway Beach Library at 120 N. Coral, and check out their holiday table filled to the brim with wonderful reasonably prices gifts. This is a perfect opportunity to teach your children the value of giving gifts, and the cost is by donation. But, there are gifts you yourself may want to check out. And the quality of the gifts are phenomenal. This sale is sponsored by the ‘Friends of the Library’ and begins on November 22nd daily through Christmas. The hours the library is open is Tuesday through Friday: 10am-6pm and Saturday: 10-5pm. Of course, they are closed for lunch. All the proceeds of this sale will go toward their building maintenance and operation bills.

The third event is the Meals for Seniors French Toast Breakfast which is Saturday, November 26th from 8am-noon. The cost, as usual, is by donation and all are welcome. The Meals for Seniors program delivers meals each Monday, Wednesday and Friday to homebound seniors in the Rockaway Beach and Garibaldi area. There is also a holiday bazaar held during this event. Okay, where is this delicious meal going to be? Why, St. Mary’s by the Sea (275 S Pacific) in Rockaway Beach. See you there?

That’s just a small taste of a Rockaway Beach ‘Exclusive’, “Sugar Coated