December 16, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 9A
Recapturing the stories
of dory boat fishermen
Cannon
Beach Arts
Association
presents grant
to storyteller
By Lyra Fontaine
Cannon Beach Gazette
Local storyteller and for-
mer commercial fisherman
Peter Lindsey remembers
when Cannon Beach had an
active dory fishing fleet.
“It was a significant
feature of our little coast-
al community,” he said.
“Over the years, we had
some rather interesting ex-
periences … Sometimes we
would battle with sharks
that would get on the lines
and chew off the fish we
were catching.”
Now, Lindsey is embark-
ing on a project to collect
the histories and tales about
dory fishing off the Cannon
Beach coast, which will
culminate in a historical
document.
To help facilitate his
work, Lindsey received
a grant from the Cannon
Beach Arts Association.
The $3,000 grant, funded
by the Mike Clark Foun-
dation, was presented this
month by Lila Wickham,
president of the art associ-
ation’s board.
“The more projects we
can do or facilitate in this
way, we definitely want to
be involved in,” said Jane
Brumfield, the art associ-
ation’s program director.
“We are looking forward to
reading the finished publi-
cation.”
An active dory fleet op-
erated in Cannon Beach
during the late 1960s and
early ’70s, Lindsey said.
The boats have a flat bottom
and are about 20 feet long.
LYRA FONTAINE/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Local storyteller Peter Lindsey received a grant from the
Cannon Beach Arts Association for his project on Cannon
Beach’s formerly thriving dory fishing fleet. Board presi-
dent Lila Wickham presented him with a check Dec. 2.
“Like loggers, fishermen as a
subculture have very interesting
goings-on in their lives, the
way they rig their gear or the
stories they tell, the legends
and the general high jinks.”
Peter Lindsey
local storyteller
“Like loggers, fishermen
as a subculture have very in-
teresting goings-on in their
lives, the way they rig their
gear or the stories they tell,
the legends and the gener-
al high jinks,” he said. “I
thought it would be fun to try
to recapture some of those
moments. This will give me
a chance to do that, and I’m
really excited about it.”
With subgroups such as
loggers, weavers or fisher-
men, “the techniques don’t
necessarily die, but some-
times they do, and along
with them, the stories die,”
Lindsey said, which is
why he hopes to capture
the stories.
Dory boats were used in
Cannon Beach for commer-
cially harvesting salmon, as
well as other fish like cod,
Lindsey said. Though the
earliest dory boats were
often built by the fisher-
man himself, people began
to build and manufacture
them, most notably in Pa-
cific City, which continues
to have a substantial fleet
today, he said.
Lindsey recalled the ex-
citements and challenges
COM ING IN FEBR UAR Y!
20 17 EDITIO N
of th e a w a rd-w in n in g publica tion from
th e publish ers of Coa st W eeken d
of dory fishing in Cannon
Beach. They would launch
the boats at the needles
by Haystack Rock and on
a good day, he said, they
might catch 65 fish.
“Rather than go across
a bar like you would in the
Columbia in a big boat,
these boats would take
you off the beach and al-
most instantaneously you
could fish, once you got
past the surf line,” Lind-
sey said. “We would go on
the south side of Haystack
early in the morning and a
pickup truck would launch
the boat into the water. You
had to be careful because
you didn’t want too big of
a wave to swamp your boat.
… It was often done with a
sole fisherman. You had to
have your wits about you.”
A former English teacher,
Lindsey’s background is in
folklore and mythology, and
he completed graduate work
at the University of Oregon.
Lindsey’s family moved
to Cannon Beach in 1954.
In 2004, he published his
anecdotal book “Comin’ in
Over the Rock: A Story-
teller’s History of Cannon
Beach,” which was recently
revised and republished.
Lindsey said he has seen
the town undergo changes,
but some things — like the
rock, ocean and forest —
have stayed the same.
“The woods, although
they have been harvested,
are still not housing de-
velopments or resorts,” he
said.
The most notable things
about Cannon Beach, he
added, are its shoreline,
“one of the most pictur-
esque pieces of shoreline in
the world,” and the people.
“We have some wonderful
characters.”
SUBMITTED DRAWING
Site plan for proposed Seaside campus.
Seaside School
District develops
construction timeline
School district
must act
quickly to
avoid interest
costs
By Katherine Lacaze
For EO Media Group
The passing of the $99.7
million bond was neces-
sary for the Seaside School
District to move forward
with relocating three of its
schools, but a considerable
amount of work lies ahead.
District staff is meet-
ing with bond advisers
and preparing a request for
proposal to hire a project
manager. The district also
must approach City Coun-
cil with an Urban Growth
Boundary expansion pro-
posal for the schools to be
built at an 80-acre location
in the city’s East Hills ad-
jacent to Seaside Heights
Elementary. Traffic and
civil engineering reports
are being prepared in the
process.
The district is required
to expend 85 percent of the
bonds within three years
of when they are issued
to avoid paying taxes on
the funds. If the ground-
breaking does not happen
prior to the spring of 2018,
it may create a cramped
timeline, but Superinten-
dent Sheila Roley said at
the November meeting of
the district’s board of di-
rectors she is confident
they can pull it off.
Not all the bonds have
to be issued immediately
and the district can pur-
chase various equipment
and furniture and keep it in
storage until the buildings
are completed.
On Election Day, 65
percent of residents en-
dorsed the plan to replace
deteriorating schools at
an 80-acre location in the
city’s East Hills adjacent to
Seaside Heights Elemen-
tary School. The district
will add another $4 million
from the state’s Depart-
ment of Education Office
of Finance and Administra-
tion, which brings funding
to more than $103 million.
The district was required to
pass the bond to receive the
state funds, which match
up to $4 million of a dis-
trict’s bond levy.
The district plans to cre-
ate a advisory team of 15-
20 members to gather data
and help guide the project.
Haystack Holidays
CANNON BEACH
Holiday Foods Around The World
Celebration… Coming to you on:
12/26 MONDAY THRU 12/30 FRIDAY
International Festival of foods from 9 different countries!
Special menus for just one night only each, you will
want to dine out all week for this extravaganza!
12/26 Monday
Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse – Mexico Featured
Celebrate the Holidays with Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse presenting Pozole.. Enjoy a Holiday beer pairing for the
event, both will be served all day! At 188 N. Hemlock Street.
12/28 Wednesday - The Coats Concert Night
EVOO – Sicily Featured
Travel to Sicily with Bob and Lenore at EVOO and experience a 5-course, with 4-wines, and dessert Holiday extrava-
ganza. Contact EVOO at 503-436-8555 for reservations. At 188 S. Hemlock Street.
Pelican Pub and Brewery – Italy Featured
Don’t miss this new, major restaurant addition to Cannon Beach introducing a unique new Italian offering. At 1371 S.
Hemlock Street.
The Bistro – Vietnamese Cuisine Featured
Try the new Vietnamese featured menu by the recently purchased Bistro Restaurant’s new Chef, Jack Stevenson.
Reservations at 503-436-2661. At 263 N. Hemlock Street.
12/29 Thursday
The Wayfarer Restaurant – Spain Featured
One of Cannon Beach’s few Ocean View restaurants is showcasing the Cuisine of Spain.Enjoy the talents of Chef
Josh Archibald and his crew producing some incredible Spanish Specialty items. Call 503-436-1108. At 1190 Pacifi c
Drive.
Public Coast Brewing Company – Germany Featured
What better match for German food than great seasonal beers. This newly renovated restaurant and new
Brewpub is ready to tickle your tastebuds with German cuisine. At 264 E. Third Street.
T h e on ly region a l
m a ga zin e focused on
just th e Colum bia -
P a cific region
12/30 Friday
Seasons Café – Thailand Featured
Your world will rock with Thai Cuisine created by Chef Doug Brown, one of Cannon Beach’s acclaimed catering
Chefs. Call 503-436-1159. At 255 N. Hemlock Street.
Sweet Basil’s – Poland Featured
John Sowa, Co-winner of Iron Chef Goes Coastal 2016 shares his Old-Country recipes with you for a traditional meal
for the Holidays from Poland. Call 503-436-1539 for reservations. At 271 N. Hemlock Street.
Newman’s at 988 – France Featured
Chef John Newman will roll out their French-focused Prix Fixe menu including 8 fabulous menu items sure to satisfy
your special occasion cravings. Call 503-436-1151 for reservations. At 988 S. Hemlock Street.
www.cannonbeach.org/events/Main-Events/Holiday-Foods-Around-the-World-Haystack-Holidays
Holiday Concert with
The Coats
The PNW’s premier
A cappella band!
December 28 th
at the
Coaster Theatre
Limited Seating
Tickets Only $ 39
RES ERVE Y O UR S PACE TO DAY !
Advertisin g dea dlin e: D ecem ber 31, 2016
Presenting a hilarious, interactive performance of music and comedy
Purchase online at: www.cannonbeach.org
Or call Cannon Beach Chamber 503-436-2623