Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2017)
18 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Hear Gerle Haggard at the Sou’Wester SEAVIEW, Wash. — Gerle Haggard returns to the Wash- ington coast and the historic Sou’Wester Lodge this weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 18, this eight-piece ensemble will perform a post-Val- entine’s Day sweetheart show for music lovers in the lodge’s intimate parlor room. The show starts at 8 p.m. This marks the fifth appearance of the all-female Merle Haggard tribute band to the Seaview venue on the Long Beach Peninsula. Gerle Haggard Band brings the best of Merle Haggard’s timeless music to audiences who’ve been loving songs like “Mama Tried,” “Misery and Gin” and “Working Man Blues” for nearly five decades, as well as introducing these and many more classics to a whole new audience. Old and new outlaw country listeners will enjoy hearing T he Frank lin A partm ents SUBMITTED PHOTO Gerle Haggard will perform Feb. 18 at the Sou’Wester Lodge. pepperings of The Hag’s more obscure singles as well as carefully chosen covers of some of his own idols: Bob Wills, Jimmie Rodgers and Lefty Frizzell. The band’s original instru- mentation, tight harmonies and a mix of showmanship from lead singer Tave Fasce Drake are woven together. This appearance will fea- ture national fiddle champ Aarun Carter who brings her own finesse to these classic country songs. The show is free and open to the public. The Sou’wester Lodge is located at 3728 J Place. For more information, call 360-642- 2542. Oregon’s poet laureate will visit Cannon Beach on Friday CANNON BEACH — Oregon Poet Laureate Elizabeth Woody will give a reading at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 at Tolovana Hall, located at 3779 Hemlock St. The reading is free and open to the public. Appointed in 2016 by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Woody is the eighth poet to hold the post. Among the poet laureate’s duties are to “foster the art of poetry, encourage literacy and learn- ing, address central issues relating to humanities and heritage, and to reflect on public life in Oregon.” Woody’s work is rooted in both personal experience and her American Indian heritage. She is an enrolled member of the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs. In a review of Woody’s “Luminaries of the Hum- ble,” Judy Elsey observed: “Woody’s poetry acts as a tool for rebuilding history, reconstituting dignity, and communicating culture.” The title of that book — SUBMITTED PHOTO Oregon Poet Laureate Eliz- abeth Woody will appear in Cannon Beach on Feb. 17. “Luminaries of the Humble” — is instructive. Woody says her poems are often inspired by observing extraordinary people in their day-to-day lives. “They could be my grandparents,” Woody says. “They could be my little sisters. They could be someone in the street. I don’t know who I will see next and have a poem come out of it.” Astor Street Opry Company Youth Theater presents The Jungle Book PRODUCED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH PIONEER DRAMA SERVICE, INC., ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO. Directed by: Heather A. Yadon-Ramsdell Showtimes Providing Elegance & Efficiency to D ow ntow n Astoria for O ver 100 Years 1432 Franklin Avenue Easom Property Management, Inc. 503-325-5678 Friday, February 17 th - 7 pm Saturday, February 18 th - 2 pm Sunday, February 19 th - 2 pm Friday, February 24 th - 7 pm Saturday, February 25 th - 2 pm Sunday, February 26 th - 2 pm This production was made possible by a generous grant from the City of Astoria. ASTOR STREET OPRY COMPANY 129 W. BOND STREET, ASTORIA OR 97103 TICKET LINE (503) 325-6104 CITY OF ASTORIA For more information on this or other productions at ASOC visit www.AstorStreetOpryCompany.com. Besides reading at the Cannon Beach event, Woody will dive into her process, provide background on her poems, and hold a ques- tion-and-answer session. As such, aspiring writers are encouraged to attend. Woody got her start in academia. She studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Evergreen College and Portland State University. Over her two-year term as poet laureate, she hopes to visit far-flung pockets of the state, bypassing popula- tions centers like Portland that she feels are well-served by the arts. In the early 2000s, Woody was part of the group that revived the state’s poet laureate position, which had laid dormant for decades. She remembers some of the criteria the group set for the prospective poets. “I didn’t want (poet lau- reates) to be namby pamby,” Woody says. “They have to have some kind of back- bone. They have to have really strong community ties and have been in Oregon a long time.” Woody inhabits those ide- als. She is passionate, tied deeply to community, and views the position in terms of service. “I think that’s my natural inclination,” Woody says. “Because I’m not going to make money out of it. I have to get something out of it. Service is import- ant. I was raised in a family that always had me thinking about other people. “It’s good for people to be gathered for at least a few moments,” she adds. “And the literary community has a lot of opportunities for that to happen. It’s a good place to draw in folks.” For more info, visit tolo- vanaartscolony.org, email tolovanaartscolony@gmail. com or call 541-215-4445.
