DECEMBER 30, 2016 • VOL. 40, ISSUE 28
WWW.CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
COMPLIMENTARY COPY
‘ WE’RE HERE FOR THE
COMMUNITY’
2016:
the Year
in Review
PAGE 10A
Departing
councilors
celebrated
Cadwallader, Higgins
say goodbye
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
CANNON BEACH FIRE AND RESCUE
Cannon Beach fi refi ghters and police help load and deliver boxes of food to local families for the holidays for the
American Legion Christmas Basket program.
A community eff ort
to deliver food, gift s
to families in need
By Lyra Fontaine
Melissa Cadwallader and Wendy Hig-
gins were recognized this month for their
commitment and accomplishments on the
Cannon Beach City Council. Both complete
their eight-year term limits on the c ouncil at
year’s end.
In January, newly elected councilors
Nancy McCarthy and Brandon Ogilvie will
step up to fi ll the vacant seats.
At the December council work session,
Mayor Sam Steidel honored Cadwallader
and Higgins as well as former Parks and
Community Services Committee Chair Barb
Knop and former Emergency Preparedness
Committee member Les Wierson for com-
pleting their maximum time of service.
“I want to thank everybody for stepping
up and spending that time, for putting in
eight years of commitment,” Steidel said. “I
really appreciate it.”
Cannon Beach Gazette
See Councilors, Page 6A
E
very year since the 1970s, the Cannon
Beach American Legion Post 168 and local
volunteers have spent almost a week gath-
ering, organizing and distributing items to
make sure families have food on their tables and
gifts under their trees during the holidays.
This year, the post’s Community Christmas Bas-
ket Program delivered children’s gifts, whole turkeys
and various other items, from milk to paper towels,
to 55 households. About 30 people total were in-
volved in preparation, food gathering and wrapping
the toys, said Dan O’Reilly, the post’s commander.
“The American Legion is the one that puts it all
together and gathers all the toys and food,” O’Reilly
said. “We get this all going without the city’s help.
It’s very signifi cant.”
On Thursday, Dec. 22, the American Legion Post
168 building was fi lled with piles of wrapped pres-
ents — games, puzzles, books, stuffed animals and
more — meticulously organized by age group and
household.
“It’s a big job trying to fi gure out who gets what,”
said Nancy Teagle, who has volunteered for the pro-
gram for about 20 years.
See Christmas, Page 5A
DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP
American Legion First Vice Commander Don Boehm fi lls
a box with eggs and milk for delivery to families in need on
Friday, Dec. 23, in Cannon Beach. Boehm has been helping
organize this charity with the American Legion since 1977.
Beyond the
Beach Bill
Local naturalist
explores history and
future of Oregon’s
public beaches
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP
Volunteers prepare to deliver boxes stuff ed with food and
household supplies for families in need.
‘We wish to thank all the people who donate and
make it known that we appreciate their support.’
Don Boehm,
American Legion fi rst vice commander
The public has enjoyed access to state
beaches since the Oregon Beach Bill passed
almost 50 years ago. Although Oregon’s
beaches are now celebrated, public access
to beaches was challenged by a Cannon
Beach hotel owner, and the Beach Bill al-
most died before citizens brought it back to
life.
On Dec. 14, local naturalist Neal Maine
delved into the history of the landmark leg-
islation and discussed future opportunities
for public education at a Cannon Beach Li-
brary lecture sponsored by Friends of Hay-
stack Rock.
PAID
PERMIT NO. 97
ASTORIA, OR
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
See Beach, Page 8A
Spreading holiday cheer at ‘Shop With a Cop’
Cannon Beach,
Seaside offi cers
participate in
Rotary event
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
Donning Santa hats, 10
police offi cers from Cannon
Beach and Seaside paired
with local children to help
them shop for Christmas gifts
at Fred Meyer in Warrenton.
The Dec. 10 event was the
Rotary Club of Seaside’s fi rst
time adopting the nationwide
“Shop With a Cop” program
that connects local police of-
fi cers with children.
“It was an absolutely won-
derful event,” said organizer
Maureen Casterline. “The
kids had a great time and the
police had an equally good
time.”
After the loss of Seaside
Sgt. Jason Goodding earli-
er this year, the Rotary Club
searched for a way to help
build relationships and appre-
ciation for their local police
force.
“We put our heads together
and this is what we came up
with,” Casterline said. “We
think of it as a small step.”
The Rotary Club provided
the children with gift cards to
purchase presents for family
members at Fred Meyer. Of-
fi cers also purchased a gift
for each child and drove them
back to Seaside in the squad
cars.
“It was a lot of fun to see
the children so excited to ride
in the police cars and activate
the lights and sirens,” Can-
non Beach Police Chief Jason
Schermerhorn said. “They
were also so happy to be able
to buy items for their par-
ents and siblings. It was fun
watching them shop for great
deals and put a lot of thought
into their purchases.”
Broadway Middle School
helped identify 10 students
who might benefi t from the
experience.
After the event, the chil-
dren started referring to the
offi cers as “my police offi -
cers,” Casterline said. “Some-
times that relationship-build-
ing piece takes a bit of a
commitment, but the kids will
now think of police offi cers
as someone who could help
them if they needed help.”
See Shop, Page 6A
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Cannon Beach police offi cers Josh Gregory, Lt. Chris Wil-
bur, James Jordan, Chief Jason Schermerhorn, Jodi Sy-
monds and Matthew Nunnally participate in the Shop With
a Cop program.