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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2016)
12 // COASTWEEKEND.COM A ‘storm’ of new stories is brewing in republished book Author Peter Lindsey will relaunch his Cannon Beach history June 22 BOOK LAUNCH 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 22 Cannon Beach Book Co. 130 N. Hemlock St. No. 2, Cannon Beach By NANCY McCARTHY FOR COAST WEEKEND Back by popular demand, the storm is comin’ over the rock. The “storm” of new stories and historical photos of Cannon Beach will be released this month in the newly revised book, “Com- in’ in Over the Rock: a Story- teller’s History of Cannon Beach,” written by folklor- ist and former En- glish teacher Peter Lindsey of Cannon Beach. Lindsey’s book fi rst was published in 2004 and went out of print in 2008. Last November, the community collected $8,000 to revise and republish the book containing quintes- sential stories about the characters of Cannon Beach. “I’m excited about it,” said Lindsey. “It’s kind of exciting.” The new book will be launched during a gathering at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, in the Cannon Beach Book Co. Those who contributed $100 or more will receive a signed copy of the book. “I’ll scrawl anything they might choose,” Lindsey said. The project to republish the book began with a dis- cussion of locals attending a wedding two years ago. Although Rainmar Bartl, retired city planner for Can- non Beach, hadn’t attended the wedding, he heard about the idea and pursued it. He learned that Portland State PHOTO BY KATHERINE LACAZE ABOVE: Peter Lindsey, who grew up in Cannon Beach and attended Seaside High School, was selected as the recipient of the 2015 Oregon Coast Literary Award, presented by students from Seaside High School. SUBMITTED PHOTO LEFT: The cover of Peter Lindsey’s new edition of “Comin’ in Over the Rock: A Storyteller’s History of Cannon Beach.” when Can- non Beach’s “rascals” gathered in local gas stations, on the sidewalks University had a publish- ing program called “Write to Publish.” Instructor Abbey Gaterud and her students agreed to copyread and prepare the new book for publication. The book also was reviewed by several local residents before it was sent to a printer in Illinois, which published 1,900 volumes. While the new version re- tains the same stories of the earlier book, there are new stories as well. The stories come from Lindsey’s youth, and in the bars. The stories unfolded as “I and my testosterone-addled friends were hanging out,” said Lindsey, whose book is fi lled with adventures the teenagers encountered while roaming freely on the beach and in the woods behind the town before it became a tourist destination. “I think it should be required reading for people in Cannon Beach who have arrived in the last 20 years,” Bartl said. Although the book traces Cannon Beach’s history, it’s Seaside High School more than that, said Lind- students enjoyed the stories sey’s childhood friend and contained in the fi rst edition fellow author, Karl Marlan- of “Comin’ in Over the tes, who wrote the forward Rock” so much that they be- to the new book. stowed their annual Oregon “Histories Coast Literary inform: stories Award on him ‘I THINK IT connect,” Mar- last year. SHOULD BE lantes wrote. His favorite “If you want story in the REQUIRED to have the es- new edition READING sence of time, “A Logger FOR PEOPLE is Talks stories tell it IN CANNON which to he God,” best,” Lindsey calls BEACH WHO the “quintes- added. “My HAVE ARRIVED sential” story juices start to IN THE LAST 20 of the “heart quiver when of Cannon YEARS.’ I encounter a Beach and story. If you the culture of don’t collect those stories, Cannon Beach.” The story they vanish, just like people also appeared in a collec- vanish. So I cherish these tion of folklore stories to things.” which Lindsey contributed called “The Well-Traveled Casket.” Lindsey fi rst heard the story in the former Dueber’s variety store, a “hotbed of local interaction at one time because there was so little else going on in Cannon Beach,” he said. In addition to a new forward, Lindsey’s book also contains two maps of Cannon Beach and its surroundings drawn by Astoria artist Sally Lackaff. More historical photos — provided by local residents, including Jeanette Stevens, Heather Goodenough and Marlene Laws — also are included. Bartl’s stepson, Peter Grant, a graphic designer, was able to scan the historic photos and increase the resolution to improve the images for printing. A new cover features an illustra- tion of Haystack Rock in a rainstorm, and Oregon poet Kim Stafford summarized the contents on the back page. The book title comes from something Lindsey heard while hanging out at the old Shell gasoline sta- tion at the corner of Gower and Hemlock streets north of Haystack Rock. “She’s comin’ in over the rock, today, boys!” station owner George Malstead told them, as rain whipped around the shambling, yel- low-washed building. From there, Lindsey launched the stories that fi ll the book. “Everyone should have a copy,” Bartl said. “This is the essential history of Cannon Beach.”
