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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2017)
12A • October 20, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com As Halloween nears, witchy tradition comes to end After 40 years, a Cannon Beach woman gives away her witch collection By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette Lucia, named after St. Lu- cia D ay, fl ew in from Sweden. Snuffy the candle snuffer was brought in a box from a friend. Amelia Bedelia has been with her for 17 years, but doesn’t get around the way she used to since her batteries died and her wheels locked up. The 365 witches that hid in every nook and cranny of the Cannon Beach Commu- nity H all Saturday, Oct. 14, represent 40 years of family, friends and memories. Each one of the eerie creatures has a nametag and a story, and for more than 20 years, Helen Feldmeier would bring them out for the annual Halloween party she hosts . But this year, Feldmeier decided it was time for the coven to disband . “It’s gotten overwhelming. These were all in my attic at my little house on Jackson Street,” she said. “I tried to fi nd someone who would take all 300 or so, but that turned out to be easier said than done. So I’m giving them away.” Feldmeier always has had a love for Halloween. Ear- ly in her life she remembers celebrating the holiday with her family in Iowa, throwing corn on people’s porches or dressing up in parades. Her family’s extravagant and fes- tive outdoor decor was even featured in the local paper in Davis, Calif. She instilled her love for Halloween into her own family, who she said have all inherited “the witching gene.” In the early days, she would pick up the occasion- al witch here and there. One Sunday she invited friends to a spooky breakfast with witches on display, and ever since her “witch parties” have mushroomed into large neighborhood affairs. “It kind of just fed on it- self. Everyone who ever saw a witch would bring them to me,” Feldmeier laughed. There’s not a specifi c reason as to why she loves witches more than other Hal- loween staples , other than seeing them as “funny” with a “sense of mystique.” Universal symbol To Feldmeier, witches are a universal symbol rep- resenting years of travel and memories. “The concept (of witches) is universal. Most countries have some form of witch,” she said. “I will travel to oth- er countries and try to explain what I’m looking for, and in different languages they usu- ally get the idea after I de- scribe the broomstick.” Her guests are as diverse as the witches themselves. About 75 family members, neighbors and old friends fl y in on their broomsticks each year from all over for Feld- meier’s party — some as close as her next-door neigh- bors, others as far away as Australia. Ruthie Leonelli, a Cannon Beach local, remembers back in 2000 when Feldmeier fi rst knocked on her door to invite her to a witch party, and has been coming every year since. “She’s different. She’s out- going. She brings out the best witch in all of us,” Leonelli said. There’s some sadness in the fact this will be last big witch party with all 365 pres- ent, but Leonelli said what makes these events special is far from ending. The witch party isn’t the only way Feldmeier brings the neighborhood togeth- er. Her other local claim to fame is as the head of Cannon Beach’s “chair brigade,” a mainstay in the Fourth of July parade. COLIN MURPHEY/EO MEDIA GROUP Henry Ryan was just one of many people dressed up for an annual Halloween event in Cannon Beach. “There is more to this than the witches,” Leonelli said. “Sure, we fi rst got together for the witches, but we’ve all grown to have very special relationships because of Hel- en. She makes the neighbor- hood.” COLIN MURPHEY/EO MEDIA GROUP Taking selfi es was a popular activity during the Halloween party in Cannon Beach. uted many witches herself to the collection, which repre- sent moments the two shared together. While Ryan said she also has developed an intense love for Halloween and witches, she was not ready to take on the responsibility of housing a whole coven. “She knows every story, every name of each witch,” Bittersweet As party goers started tak- ing the witches one by one, Feldmeier said the feeling was bittersweet. “You know, I’ll tell you the real reason I chose to do it this way,” Feldmeier said, referencing her choice to give them away to family and friends. She twisted a knob on the back of one of her witch- es, who started to sing the song “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead.” “I remember visiting Sal- ishan with one of my favorite cousins, and my cousin’s wife called me over and said lis- ten to this — you know, the song. She said ‘We could play this at your funeral,’” Feld- meier said. “I guess I got to thinking I shouldn’t wait to have everyone take a witch at my funeral. 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