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. Instead they can
take them now.” Anne Ryan,
Feldmeier’s daughter, has
seen the important role the
witches have played in her
mom’s life. She has contrib-
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Ryan said. “These witches
are her history. That’s why
she couldn’t just give it away
to someone who didn’t care
about it. They are such a large
part of who she is.”
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