A8 • Friday, August 23, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
Digging into a historical novel set in Seaside
By EVE MARX
For Seaside Signal
The genre of historical
fi ction is a popular one and
growing all the time. Tell-
ing a story about a particu-
lar time and place and devel-
oping characters based on
actual living people requires
a talent not just for writ-
ing fi ction but an interest in
research as well.
There are a handful of
authors who do it really
well, including Ken Fol-
lett (“World Without End”);
Philippa Gregory (“The
Other Boleyn Girl”), E.L.
Doctorow (“Ragtime”), and
Umberto Eco (“The Name
of the Rose”). It’s a gift to be
able to do historical fi ction
well. Linda B. Myers, a Port
Angeles, Washington-based
author, has the gift.
In a telephone interview
from her home, Myers said
the idea for her latest novel,
“Fog Coast Runaway” set in
Seaside and Astoria in the
1890s, started at a turnout on
Highway 101 near Cannon
Beach where she strained
to read the words stamped
into a a monument telling
the story of a dog rumored
to have been the lone sur-
vivor of an 1890’s ship-
wreck. Doing research about
that dog, who in her story is
called “Shep” led Myers to
learn more about the many
shipwrecks in the area and
the men who built and then
manned the lighthouse that
‘IF YOU WANT TO KNOW
WHAT FLOWERS BLOOMED IN
SEASIDE IN 1890, THE SEASIDE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
IS A MUST-SEE VISIT.’
came to be known as “Ter-
rible Tilly.”
“Fog Coast Runaway”
isn’t a story about dogs,
however, or even men.
Mostly it’s about the life
and times of a handful of
plucky women. A tough
Finnish lady runs an Asto-
ria boarding house with an
iron fi st. A 16-year-old girl/
woman on her own starts up
a hairdressing business and
masters the fi ne art of “keep
‘em separated” to serve
her cheerful prostitute cli-
ents as well as respectable
matrons. Another Finn-
ish woman creates a niche
as a hotel cook. A wealthy
married lady visiting Sea-
side from San Francisco
becomes a benefactress
to the novel’s protagonist,
Adelia, a 13-year-old run-
away who left home after
her brother tried to rape
her. A twist on the story is
the secret that must be kept;
the wealthy woman mistak-
enly believes she murdered
her violent husband in self
Author Linda B. Myers, whose book “Fog Beach Runaway” is set in Seaside.
defense when in fact Adelia
killed him.
“Fog Coast Runaway”
doesn’t pull any punches
what life was like on the
north Oregon coast in the
1890s. The author skillfully
brings to life the daily dan-
gers. She also does a deli-
cious job describing the idylls
of Victorian-era Seaside from
a vacationer’s point of view.
“Two-thousand
ships
went down against those
rocks,” Myers said, wonder-
ingly. She said it took her
two years to research and
write the novel. She thanks
Liisa Penner, the archi-
vist at the Clatsop County
Historical Society in Asto-
ria, and the Society’s Heri-
tage Museum for providing
a font of information. Elaine
Trucke, executive director
of the Cannon Beach His-
torical Center and Museum,
she called a “gold mine” of
information.
“If you want to know what
fl owers bloomed in Seaside
in 1890, the Seaside Histor-
ical Society Museum is a
must-see visit,” Myers said.
She also thanked the Seaside
Public Library librarians who
helped her dig for tidbits.
“Fog Coast Runaway” is
a brisk, page-turning read.
There are some saucy scenes
and the author mastered
the slang of the day scatter-
ing throughout her charac-
ters’ dialogue logger terms,
sailor speak, and brothel lan-
guage. She makes it crystal
clear what it was like to be a
woman in Seaside and Asto-
ria in 1890, which, amazingly,
turns this historical fi ction
into quite the feminist story.
“Fog Coast Runaway” is
available at Beach Books in
Seaside and also the Can-
non Beach Book Company.
Or order on line via LindaB-
Myers@yahoo.com. For a
complete list of this author’s
work, log on to lindabmyers.
com.
Hood to Coast: Teams can now sign an online pledge to prevent creating waste
Continued from Page A1
snacks in reusable contain-
ers, as opposed to individu-
ally wrapped items.
Teams also can sign an
online pledge to commit to
preventing creating waste. If
every van were to convert to
reusable water jugs and bot-
tles, they could collectively
avoid an estimated 157,000
single-use disposable plas-
tic bottles throughout the
course of the race.
The implementation of
these strategies will allow
organizers to establish met-
rics for determining the
event’s average resource
recovery rate and gauging
waste reduction efforts in
the future, as well as identi-
fying new sustainable solu-
tions and waste preven-
tion incentives that could be
used.
“This year, we’ll at least
be able to create a baseline,”
Newkirk said. “We can use
that baseline for creating
goals for increasing that
recovery rate over time.”
Finish line
This will be the 30th year
Hood to Coast has used Sea-
side to host the Finish Line
Party at the beach for par-
ticipants. Like the varied
terrain and starting point at
Timberline Lodge on Mount
Hood, Floyd said, the party
on the beach is one of the
iconic aspects of the event
that people have come to
expect and look forward to.
“They defi nitely like
coming and experiencing a
lot of the same things,” he
said. “We are selling people
on the venue as much as the
actual race.”
Teams fi lter into town
from early morning until
night during the second day
of the race, and the public is
welcome to join the party.
This year, the Brian O’Dell
Band will perform from
1:45 to 4:45 p.m., followed
by the sponsor awards and
a trophy presentation for the
overall winning women’s
and men’s Hood to Coast
and Portland to Coast Walk
teams. At 5:30 p.m., orga-
nizers will announce the
results of the Providence
Cancer Center fundraising
campaign. Radical Revo-
lution will then perform at
6:45. The awards ceremony
will be held at 9 a.m. Sun-
day at the main fi nish area
stage on the beach.
Even though Hood to
Coast continues to pres-
ent an athletic challenge
for those interested in the
sport of running, the appeal
has shifted over the years to
encompass those who aren’t
serious runners but appre-
ciate the team-building and
bonding that occurs along
the way, Floyd said.
“It’s more about the
memories people are mak-
ing and experience,” he said.
Hood to Coast Race Series
The annual Hood to Coast Relay, an overnight race that starts at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, will conclude on the Seaside beach.
Community Calendar
Saturday, Aug. 24
Dance Fitness
8:30-9:30 a.m., Bob Chisholm
Community Center, 1225 Ave-
nue A, Seaside.
winning women’s and men’s
Hood to Coast and Portland to
Coast Walk teams; 5:30 p.m.,
Providence Cancer Center over-
all fundraising results announce-
ment; 6:45 to 11 p.m., Radical
Revolution performs onstage.
Learn to Play Ukelele
9:45 a.m., learn how to play the
ukelele with instructor Kathy
Ryan; conference room, Bob
Chisholm Community Center,
1225 Avenue A; sunsetempire.
com.
Qi Gong
10-11 a.m., A mind-body-spirit
practice that improves one’s
mental and physical health;
Bob Chisholm Community
Center, 1225 Avenue A; sunse-
tempire.com.
North Coast Newcomers
Picnic in the Park
Noon-4 p.m., Gearhart Park,
corner of Pacifi c Way and Mar-
ion. Celebration of Gearhart
families and friends. Bring a
dish to share.
Paddle Quest: Going Batty
5-7 p.m., Lewis and Clark Na-
tional Historical Park host a
paddle quest from 5 to 7 p.m.
Participants will paddle along
the Lewis and Clark River and
fi nd clues to solve a puzzle. Af-
ter the paddle, visit with ecolo-
gist Dr. Tara Chestnut and join a
discussion about bats of the Pa-
cifi c Northwest; 503-861-2471.
Wes Wahrmund
6-9 p.m., classical guitar, clas-
sical guitar, jazz and original
tunes, The Bistro, 271 N. Hem-
lock, Cannon Beach.
Cannon Beach
Hootenanny
7:30 p.m. Coaster Theatre Play-
house, 108 N. Hemlock, Cannon
Beach; coastertheatre.com.
Certifi ed gemologist
1 p.m., antique jewelry apprais-
al with Danuta Hackett; Sea-
side Library, 1131 Broadway.
Hood to Coast Relay
Runners fi nish on the Prom in
Seaside; 1:45 p.m., Brian O’Dell
Band performs on stage; 5:15,
sponsor awards and thank you
to the city of Seaside; 5:25 p.m.,
trophy presentation for overall
Bar-K Buckaroos
8-10 p.m., mix of country, west-
ern and “good time” music,
Public Coast Brewing Co., 264
E. Third St., Cannon Beach.
Sunday, Aug. 25
Hood to Coast Relay
9 a.m.. Portland To Coast Walk,
PTC High School Challenge,
and Hood to Coast Awards cer-
emony (main fi nish area stage
on beach).
The Marin and Erin Show
7 p.m., Marin Donohue and
Erin Grauff in Musical Comedy
Duets accompanied by Dr. Su-
san Buehler and Dawby Barnes;
fundraiser for the Astoria High
School Theatre Department.
Suggested $10 donationl CCC
Performing Arts Center (the
PAC) at 588 16th St., Astoria.
Monday, Aug. 26
Bingo
12:30 p.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
Taekwondo
6-7 p.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
Tuesday, Aug. 27
Pilates
8-9 a.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
TOPS Meeting
9:15 a.m., Take Pounds Off Sen-
sibly focuses on healthy life-
style changes for weight loss,
meets weekly. North Coast
Family Fellowship, 2245 N. Wa-
hanna Road, Seaside. For more
information, visit ncff church.
org or call 503-738-7453.
Pickleball
10 a.m., free drop-in game on
the courts located behind the
Seaside Youth Center, 1140
Broadway.
Yoga as Medicine
10:45-11:45 a.m., Bob Chisholm
Community Center, 1225 Ave-
nue A, Seaside.
Reading the Land
1-3:30 p.m., nature hike with ge-
ologist Tom Horning, presented
by North Coast Land Conser-
vancy, Circle Creek Conservation
Center, Seaside; nclctrust.org.
Taco Tuesday
5-7:30 p.m., Seaside American
Legion, 1315 Broadway, Sea-
side.
Tabata
6-7 p.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
Author Karl Marlantes
7 p.m., Seaside author shares
new book, “Deep River,” Beach
Books, 616 Broadway, Seaside.
Wednesday, Aug. 28
working; Seaside Chamber of
Commerce; contact for details,
www.seasidechamber.com.
Pickleball
Preschool storytime
10 a.m., bilingual storytimes
in English and Spanish; 1131
Broadway.
10 a.m., free drop-in game on
the courts located behind the
Seaside Youth Center, 1140
Broadway.
Seaside Farmers Market
Senior Movie
2-6 p.m., products grown,
raised, produced or collected in
Oregon or Washington; Broad-
way Middle School parking lot,
U.S. Highway 101, Seaside.
1 p.m., Bob Chisholm Commu-
nity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
Taekwondo
6-7 p.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
Barre
6-7 p.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
Nunsense
6-7 p.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
And Then Were None
7:30 p.m. Coaster Theatre Play-
house, 108 N. Hemlock, Cannon
Beach; coastertheatre.com.
Friday, Aug. 30
Sunset Golf Tournament
1 p.m.; four-person scramble
presented by Sunset Empire
Park and Recreation District
Foundation.
Thursday, Aug. 29
Maggie and the Katz
SDDA Breakfast
Presented by Seaside Down-
town Development Associa-
tion.
Good Morning Seaside
Pilates
8 a.m., Weekly coff ee and net-
Get Fit!
7:30 p.m. Coaster Theatre Play-
house, 108 N. Hemlock, Cannon
Beach; coastertheatre.com.
8 a.m., Pig ‘N’ Pancake, 323
Broadway, Seaside, 503-717-
1914, www.seasidedowntown.
com. Weekly speakers, discus-
sions and a no-host breakfast.
Seaside Golf Classic
munity Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside.
8-9 a.m., Bob Chisholm Com-
6:30-9:30 p.m., New Orleans
gumbo of soul, blues and R&B;
Sweet Basil, 271 N. Hemlock;
Cannon Beach.
Nunsense
7:30 p.m. Coaster Theatre Play-
house, 108 N. Hemlock, Cannon
Beach; coastertheatre.com.