8 The Columbia Press January 22, 2021 Local artists receive pandemic relief funds More than 600 artists across Oregon – including 11 in Clat- sop County – will receive pan- demic relief grants through the Oregon Arts Commission. The commission received 1,158 eligible applications re- porting more than $18 million in lost revenue. “Artists are the creative core of our communities and help define who we are,” said Bri- an Rogers, executive director of the arts commission. “They inspire us to innovate, to learn and grow. We are thankful to be able to provide support as our artists continue to suffer great losses due to the pan- demic.” Requests for funding far ex- ceeded available funds, he said. Panelists from around the state served on five disci- pline-based panels that eval- Kirista Trask works on a proj- ect at Astoria Visual Arts. uated applications based on artistic practice, impact of can- cellations and loss of revenue, and access to resources. The awarded artists repre- sent a wide array of artistic disciplines including litera- ture, dance, music, theater, folk and traditional arts, visu- al arts, design arts and media arts. Local artists receiving awards: Julie Adams of Can- non Beach Music, $1,000; James Crowe of Warren- ton Visual Arts, $2,100; Jen Crowe of Warrenton Visual Arts, $3,600; Oscar Demsi of Astoria Visual Arts, $1,700; Audrey Long of Astoria Folk- life/Traditional Arts, $2,600; Gabrielle Macrae of Astoria Music, $2,500; Lisa Sofia Robinson of Seaside Visual Arts, $1,000; Kirista Trask of Astoria Visual Arts, $3,900; Myshkin Warbler of Astoria Music, $1,200; Susan Cur- ington of Deer Island Visual Arts, $1,000; and Timothy Van Cleave of Scappoose Mu- sic, $2,300. Upcoming events Mask give-away is Thursday Free KN95 masks will be given away through drive- up events throughout the county on Thursday, Jan. 28. All the giveaways are from 2 to 4 p.m. When recipients reach the front of the line, they should put their car in park, hold up fingers to show how many face cover- ings are needed, roll down the window the receive the bag of masks. Warrenton: Fire station, 225 S. Main Ave. Gearhart: Fire station, 670 Pacific Way. Astoria: Aquatic Center, 1997 Marine Drive. Lewis & Clark: Fire sta- tion, 34571 Highway 101 Business. Seaside: Fire station, 150 S. Lincoln. Cannon Beach: City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. Knappa: Fire station, 43114 Hillcrest Loop. Elsie: Fire station, 42644 Loyd Lane. Chamber banquet will be different Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual meeting and banquet at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. Although it will be held vir- tually, the chamber is work- ing to make sure it doesn’t feel virtual. Participants will be placed at a random table where they can chat with others or click open seats at tables around the virtual room. Those who attend can use their comput- er’s camera and mic to video chat with others at the table and there’s a text-based chat feature to address the entire group of attendees. The initial social time will be followed by an interactive cocktail demonstration, a raffle, live presentations by chamber staff and spon- sors, plus an awards cere- mony for top volunteers in Astoria (George Award) and Warrenton (Richard Ford award). Tickets are $25 for access to the live stream and one raffle ticket, a $45 ticket adds on an individual par- ty box including a drink kit and $10 coupon to a local restaurant, and $75 adds dessert, event swag and delivery of the items. Addi- tional raffle tickets in packs of 5, 12, and 25 are $5, $10, and $20. There’s also an option to purchase bottles of wine that won awards at the 2020 Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival. Tickets and more infor- mation are available from the chamber’s website, old- oregon.com, or call event coordinator Bayly Lay at 503-325-6311.