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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2017
Manzanita Holiday Kids Fair highlights local nonprofits
Fair is back
after tornado
canceled last
year’s event
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
MANZANITA — Doz-
ens of families packed into the
Pine Grove Community Cen-
ter on Friday to ring in the hol-
iday season at the Manzanita
Holiday Kids Fair.
Glitter, markers, paints
and other craft supplies were
strewn about a dozen tables.
Each of the tables were hosted
by a different local nonprofit
organization, offering activ-
ities like ornament painting,
printmaking and a photo booth.
Santa and Mrs. Claus were
there, too, asking what every
kid wanted for Christmas.
The event started about
three years ago, but it’s the
fair’s first time back since last
year’s tornado ripped through
downtown, said Dan Haag,
coordinator of the Manzanita
Visitor Center.
“We weren’t sure what
interest was going to be like
since we took a year off after
the tornado,” Haag said.
But after looking around a
room packed with people, he
assessed it “looked like they
were interested.”
The purpose of the event is
to offer families a way to get
to know different organiza-
tions in the area, Haag said,
including some from Clat-
sop County like the Haystack
Rock Awareness Program and
Cannon Beach History Center
& Museum.
Nestled in the corner was
Megan Sokol, the arts edu-
cation director of the Can-
non Beach Arts Association.
Sokol taught kids how to make
“whimsical shrinkies,” or
more commonly referred to as
Shrinky Dinks. Kids can draw
on a special plastic that when
exposed to heat will shrink
the design more than 50 per-
cent of the original size and
harden so they can hang them
as ornaments.
“I got the idea when I
started making little hands
with Shrinky Dink for the arts
association — helping hands,
I called them. I got requests
to make jewelry with them
and sold them at the gallery,”
Sokol said. “Then the funds
went to our summer camp
program.”
Sokol hoped the presence
at the kid’s fair would educate
more kids and parents about
the association’s efforts to
expand its annual summer arts
camps. Sokol, in her first year
Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian
Debbie Freeman shows Cameron Whittle the ornament
they made together at the Manzanita Holiday Kids Fair.
Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian
Megan Sokol of the Cannon Beach Arts Association takes a ‘Shrinky Dink’ ornament out
of the oven at the Manzanita Holiday Kids Fair.
Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian
Ty Scalabrin, 4, makes a Christmas tree ornament at the
Manzanita Holiday Kids Fair.
at the nonprofit art gallery, is
working with the association’s
new director, Cara Mico, to
expand the camp to offer more
variety in classes and schol-
arships to allow more kids to
attend them.
In the past, the associa-
tion has offered classes like
watercolors, spray paint art
and printmaking, but hopes to
offer music and movement art
classes next July. Sokol also
plans to have a pop-up exhibit
for the first time at the end of
the program, which will fea-
ture all of the creations stu-
dents worked on throughout
the week.
In general, most of the kids
left the fair with tree orna-
ments or doodles of reindeer.
But Sokol argues there’s a
larger picture kids are taking
home.
“Art and play is how chil-
dren express themselves, how
they speak to us,” she said.
“When kids do art, they are
developing self confidence
that they bring into adulthood.
And that’s invaluable.”
WANTED
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Nutcracker
The
Dancers with 50 piece symphony
Saturday
December 2 nd
2 pm and 7:30 pm
MADDOX
Dance Studio
Sunday
December 3 rd
2 pm
AHS Auditorium
Tickets Liberty Theatre online and box office
389 S. MAIN AVE. · WARRENTON
503-861-1971 · maddoxdancers.com
Life member of Dance Educators of America | Certified to teach Dance Masters of AmericaMember Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce
Astoria Band Boosters
CAN & BOTTLE DRIVE
HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 TH
k th e L a b e
Ch ec
l
!
P LEASE , NO EARLY DROP - OFFS
Items must have the 10 cent, OR redemption label
in order to benefit the band programs
Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian
Don Vallaster has opened a
new co-working space on
Pier 12.
New co-working
space opens on
Astoria waterfront
The Daily Astorian
Don Vallaster, an archi-
tect helping to develop the
new Astoria Co-op Grocery,
has opened a new co-working
space on Pier 12.
The
2,500-square-foot
space includes several offices
and conference rooms for rent
between $800 and $1,000 a
month, along with a kitchen-
ette and a central seating area
looking out over the Columbia
River.
“It was kind of designed
for people who might work in
the creative fields,” Vallaster
said, noting he already has
tenants including musicians,
web designers and the Astoria
Co-op Grocery.
Managing the space for Val-
laster is Portland-based Cen-
trl Office, which also offers
co-working spaces in Portland.
People who join Centrl Office
can also access the company’s
other co-working spaces, Val-
laster said.
The Band Boosters are the primary source of
funds to keep Astoria’s school band programs
functioning. Please help by dropping off your
empties or making a donation.
Call (503) 791-8134
or email i_want_to_help@astoriabands.org
for more information.
The Familiei of
R enae O degaRd -C aRpenteR
wiih to expreii their heartfelt gratitude
to all of our friendi, family and
community during thii difficult time.
Brighten your holidays with the
20th annual
Festival of Trees
Saturday, Dec. 2
Community open house featuring
Santa Claus
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Free admission
Beautiful trees and Candy Cane Lane
festivities for kids!
Gala Dinner and Auction
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets: $100 per guest; $1,000 for table of 10
Seaside Civic and Convention Center
415 First Ave., Seaside, OR 97138
For reservations or information, please call 503-717-7604
or visit ProvidenceFestivalOfTrees.org/Seaside.
Wordi cannot expreii how thankful we
are for the kind thoughti & prayeri,
cardi, gifti and donationi.
Thank you to thoie who came to viiit
Renae in the lait few weeki. You provided
comfort and lifted her ipiriti.
t hank Y Ou
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