148TH YEAR, NO. 117
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
$1.50
CORONAVIRUS
State
virus relief
helps the
arts
Edward Stratton/The Astorian
Sondra Carr of Weird Sisters Freak Boutique
is planning a night market.
Night market
in the works
A parking lot off 10th Street
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Astorian
Sondra Carr, who runs Weird Sisters Freak Bou-
tique in the Astoria Underground, is exploring a
night market on 10th Street as soon as October.
The quarterly Portland Night Market brings
together food, drink, cultural and art vendors to an
industrial warehouse on the east bank of the Willa-
mette River. The event has continued through the
coronavirus pandemic, albeit with limited attendees
and vendors.
Carr is reaching out to the organization for help
to organize an Astoria variant , depending on the
severity of the pandemic. She recently came before
the Sunset Empire Transportation District for per-
mission to rent a parking lot at the Astoria Transit
Center as part of a larger market between Marine
Drive and the Astoria Riverwalk.
“The side of town that the bus terminal is in is
sort of becoming a more quirky and creative cen-
ter of town,” Carr said. “And so, I’ve been talking
with some of the other businesses in the area about
things that we could do to pull more people who
are interested in that sort of thing down to our side
of town.”
See Night market, Page A8
Kirista Trask is one of Astoria’s artists who received a relief grant from the Oregon Arts Commission.
Over a dozen
artists, groups
received funds
By ALYSSA EVANS
The Astorian
Edward Stratton/The Astorian
Bob Goldstick plans to play the piano daily from his studio in
the Astoria Underground and on YouTube starting in April.
A
Pianist turns to
‘safe busking’
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
The Liberty Theatre is among the arts organizations recently awarded state grants.
Goldstick able to
fi nd new audiences
By EDWARD
STRATTON
The Astorian
W
hen the coronavirus
pandemic
emptied
Seaside streets and restricted
visits to retirement homes,
local pianist and busker Bob
Goldstick lost the audiences
he loved to entertain.
The veteran of piano
bars and busking turned to
Twitch, an online stream-
ing platform more synon-
ymous with video gamers,
and amassed a global audi-
ence until he was recently
hacked and went offl ine.
After a short break, Gold-
stick plans to start “safe
busking” in April from his
studio in the Astoria Under-
ground, playing behind a
glass window for audiences
in the underground mall and
on YouTube for everyone
else.
Goldstick, 78, hails from
Philadelphia, where his par-
ents started him playing
piano at 6. He played clas-
sical until he was a teenager,
when he started seeing acts
like Nat King Cole and Lib-
erace on the television.
See Goldstick, Page A8
s coronavirus vaccines
become more available, local
arts venues are beginning
to decide how to reopen. In
April, the Charlene Larsen Cen-
ter for the Performing Arts is set
to host an in-person concert for the
North Coast Chorale. The Liberty
Theatre will host two livestreamed
concerts featuring Blind Pilot.
“(I remember) we thought it’d
be two weeks and we couldn’t
imagine what the theater would
do, being closed for two weeks,”
Jennifer Crockett, the Liberty The-
atre’s executive director, said. “I
hesitate to say it’s harder now but
it’s just as hard because it’s a judg-
ment call. How soon is too soon?
Will I jump the boat too soon? We
don’t want to get ahead of comfort
zones but want to start showing
some things on our stage.”
But getting to this point has
been the biggest battle for the
arts and culture sector. The Ore-
gon Arts Commission recently
provided local artists and art
See Relief, Page A8
MORE INSIDE
Alyssa Evans/The Astorian
Oscar de’ Masi stands by some of his work.
County reports new virus cases • A8