Pacific Sing-Along Sat. Jan. 3: FREE Community Event – Featuring Song, Ukes, Food & Stories in Cannon Beach

By Watt Childress

What do many citizens of the Pacific have in common with my Appalachian kin? One cultural link is a fondness for pigs. Those squealing bundles of protein come in handy for inhabitants of tight spaces like islands and hollers.

Did a hefty taste for pork precede the deployment of American troops to the Pacific along with SPAM during WWII? Such questions whet my appetite to learn more about the spread of cultural foodways.

As much as I enjoyed fried SPAM sandwiches as a kid, there’s no comparison between that product and what we stored up after hog butchering during the winter. So when I was thinking about what to offer for a Pacific cultural event, I contacted a local farmer friend.

If you like pork shoulder, come join us this Saturday, January 3rd at Tolovana Hall in Cannon Beach. No worries if you prefer a vegetarian alternative. We’ll aim to have a little something for everyone to eat. Then we’ll sing some songs, share a few stories, kick off a new year of peace through friendship.

I met Kathryn Claire many moons ago at Jupiter’s Books. She was browsing for good words about the benefits of raw foods. Looking back over decades of friendship, that beginning makes sense given the nourishing raw beauty of her muse.

Not long after our first encounter Kat organized a Peace Walk between Whale Park and Haystack Rock, to protest the Iraq War. I was blessed to bring up the rear with another soul who became a special friend. As Chuck McLaughlin and I made our way by the Pacific, we spoke about the terrible toll taken by society’s glorification of war.

The Pacific is a mighty raw force, like friendship. Here’s a beautiful tune to activate a new year of Peace with friends who are with us in body and spirit. I am so grateful for both.

And for anybody who can make it, please bring voices and ukuleles to Cannon Beach on Saturday January 3rd. We’ll gather at Tolovana Hall from 1 to 3 pm, celebrate the Pacific with songs, food and stories. Even if Kat can’t be there in person, I’ll feel her presence in my heart, along with Chuck and so many other souls who work for peace.