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On the cover - Clockwise from
right: TubaChristmas veteran, Grace Kerr;
Lost Coast Art Glass paperweight; The Nutcracker Bon-Bons and
Flowers;
A Humboldt County Christmas dancers; Humboldt County Toy Run
Biker Dave;
and the cast of Captain Kat and the Isle of Dreams.
The Eureka Inn Christmas Tree is in the background.
by BOB
DORAN
THANKSGIVING
FLEW PAST LAST WEEK LIKE A WILD TURKEY skittering off into the
woods -- December and its associated holidays are upon us. It's
the time of year when we roll out clichés along with the
yule logs, when we start using words like 'tis instead of it's
or it is.
'Tis the season. The season
for what? Whichever holiday we observe, be it Christmas, Hanukkah,
Kwanzaa, or the Winter Solstice, we're all likely to be doing
the same sorts of things: lighting candles or strings of lights
to shine in the darkness on these long nights; thinking about
friends and family, and loved ones no longer with us; shopping
hurriedly; giving (hopefully) to the less fortunate.
There are those who try to maintain
a bah-humbug attitude, but it's not easy when faced with so much
holiday cheer. Whether it's just the parties, anticipation of
time off, or Santa coming to town, people seem to be nicer to
each other at this time of year.
But there's also an expectation
that comes with giving and receiving, an expectation that can
breed desperation. Ask anyone in retail, and they'll tell you
the next few weeks are crucial.
According to statistics gathered
by the U.S. Census Bureau, retail sales in American department
stores were 43 percent higher in December 2001 than in November
of that year (and keep in mind that Christmas-related sales typically
begin in November on the day after Thanksgiving). No other month-to-month
increase in department store sales comes anywhere close. And
it's not just retailers who are sweating. One of the stories
in our holiday package, by Journal arts columnist Linda
Mitchell, has to do with the importance of holiday sales to local
artists. [Art Beat]
On
the other side of the counter you have shoppers making their
lists, checking them twice, then checking them against bank balances
and maximum credit lines. And outside the store are people, plenty
of them, with no money at all, or very little; some of them have
children scratching out notes to Santa, too, you know.
That's where giving takes another
turn. A number of community organizations collect toys for kids
who might otherwise find an empty stocking Christmas morning
-- among them, what might seem an unlikely group: motorcyclists.
For more on that, see our interview with one of the organizers
of the United Bikers annual Toy Run. There
is also a piece on the Eureka Rescue
Mission, which as you read these words is already preparing
to stage another big holiday meal, just like the one they served
on the day before Thanksgiving.
Christmas is also about celebration
and, as always, there's a myriad of Humboldt holiday activities
to choose from, including ballet performances, musical gatherings,
even a parade of trucks and tractors festooned with lights. A
special "Calendar" section
covers the spectrum of holiday events.
So there you have it. Christmas
time is here. Relax and maybe, for once, you really will feel
joy and compassion. But if instead it's just the usual hectic
struggle, keep this in mind: It'll all be over in a few weeks.
Photos above: Bon-Bons and
Flowers rehearse for the North Coast Dance presentation
of The Nutcracker Dec. 19-21 at HSU in Arcata.
Bikers'
Xmas
Local
motorcyclists make the season brighter for needy kids
by BOB
DORAN
YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T MISTAKE
Dave Davis for Santa Claus: His beard isthe right length, but
it's grey, not white. Still, the biker known as Dirty Dave embodies
the spirit of Saint Nicholas. For more than a quarter century
he has helped put local motorcycle organizations to work helping
Santa gather toys for local children.
This
Sunday, Dec. 7, he and scores of local bikers will ride together
for the 29th Annual Humboldt County Toy Run presented by United
Bikers of Northern California.
The local bikers group evolved
out of a Modified Motorcycle Association chapter. "We ride
for motorcyclists' rights," was how Davis explained the
purpose of the group. "We started doing these toy runs `cause
we hate kids so much,'" he added with a grin that let you
know he meant the opposite. "It's a way for us to get together
-- and to help out needy kids."
Toys can be dropped off at three
motorcycle shops in Eureka: Redwood Harley-Davidson, 21 W. Fourth
St.; Richard Miller Motorcycles, 1725 Tomlinson; and Eureka Motor
Sport Center, 1610 Broadway. "Right now we've got folks
running around gathering up toys. They have to be unwrapped so
we can see what they are," he explained.
"Then on Sunday we'll gather
at the Arcata Plaza. We try to get there starting at 9 o'clock
to take up all the parking places around the plaza; then at high
noon when the whistle goes off, someone from Arcata's volunteer
police patrol leads our caravan around the square and out of
Arcata."
The toy-laden motorcycle convoy
will head out Samoa Boulevard to Manila, go down the peninsula
and then across the bridge to the Veteran's Hall in Eureka. "It's
the same route we've been riding for years. We go the same way
for our annual Veteran's Day ride," said Davis. "Last
year we had 256 bikes parked around the hall. We wrap them all
around the building and across the street."
The toys are checked in by a
local Boy Scout troop upstairs in the Vet's Hall. A party downstairs
includes food and live music. Admission is one new toy, or $5
cash, all of which goes to the Eureka Rescue Mission.
"They give us hundreds
of toys every year," said Mary McGill of the Rescue Mission.
"We give out around a thousand toys every year to anywhere
from 200 to 250 families and they are our biggest supplier of
toys."
"Anyone is more than welcome
to come to the party," Davis emphasized. "It's sponsored
by motorcyclists but we have no prejudice towards any race, color,
creed, sex or national origin, type of motorcycle you ride or
if you ride a motorcycle at all. This is for the kids, that's
what's important."
For more information about the
toy run, call (707) 442-4469.
Food and Faith
Eureka
Rescue Mission spreads the Word -- and the turkey
by HELEN
SANDERSON
LEANING
BACK AGAINST A WHITE WOODEN COLUMN IN THE dining hall of the
Eureka Rescue Mission, Chaplain Steve Lorenz belts out a stirring
rendition of "O Holy Night," accompanied by house manager
Doug Garrett on piano, as the remaining stragglers finish their
meals. Thanksgiving dinner -- served one day early -- is coming
to a close.
The song about Christ's birth,
and its passionate delivery by Lorenz, not only signals the beginning
of the Christmas season, it serves as a testament to the uncompromising
objective of Eureka's Rescue Mission -- to aid the poor through
an unrelenting Christian faith-based program. In fact, from the
moment you walk in from the dingy Second Street sidewalk, God's
word is inescapable. Posters with verses from Genesis
and Revelation adorn the walls, orange pocket Bibles are
given to anyone who will accept one, dozens of audio cassettes
with titles like "Leviticus Study No. 1" are stacked
outside of the men's lounge, hymns reverberate through the halls.
Next door, in a shelter for women and children that's run by
the mission, a brightly painted mural of biblical scenes covers
the stairwell. [Steve
Lorenz, photo at right]
Business is booming at the mission,
which has been aiding the homeless and hungry in Eureka for the
past 37 years. The mission served 6,000 meals in October alone,
but the holidays always mean a spike in meals served and beds
occupied -- over Thanksgiving the mission was filled to capacity
with 95 people. To cope with the crush, the mission works in
tandem with another Old Town charity, St. Vincent de Paul's,
which served its annual turkey spread on Thanksgiving Day, the
following afternoon. The organizations will follow the same drill
during Christmas, with the mission serving its feast on Christmas
Eve and St. Vinny's dishing out the next day.
"It's best for us to work
with other charities in the community," said Mary Magill,
associate director of the mission. "That way our services
don't overlap and the people who need the most, get the most
out of what we can give."
And like the 433 people who
filled their bellies there last Wednesday, the rescue mission,
too, is reliant on what people can give.
In 1997 the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Social Services,
concerned about a blurring of the divide between church and state,
stopped providing food to charitable organizations that required
the needy to attend a religious service. Faced with the ultimatum,
most shelters decided to drop the pre-dinner worship. Out of
164 "soup kitchens" in California faced with the decision,
only seven charities told the government to keep the food if
it meant losing their religion -- the Eureka Rescue Mission was
one of them.
While their immovable beliefs
put the mission in a financially tight spot, donations from citizens,
churches and local organizations poured in, offsetting the loss
of government funding. And the trend of community support has
continued.
"We've been tremendously
blessed," Lorenz said.
This
season, 200 turkeys were given to the Eureka Rescue Mission;
105 were cooked for Wednesday's dinner. Forty of those birds
came from the Pacific Lumber Co., one of the largest donors this
Thanksgiving. The uneaten birds will be frozen until they are
cooked Christmas Eve.
While the mission certainly
offers a helping hand to those in need, it has a few stipulations
tucked up its sleeve. For instance, those who want a meal and
a place to stay for the evening are required to take a Breathalyzer
test -- if they have been drinking, they don't eat. If you stay
for more than 10 nights in one month, you're required to help
with the chores in and around the mission. A group called the
"God Squad" cleans up the streets of Old Town and washes
windows for area businesses.
Speaking of cleaning up Old
Town, Lorenz said arrests for public drunkenness in the shopping
and entertainment hub have declined from what they once were,
a trend Lorenz attributes to the mission's strict ban on alcohol
use. Police Capt. Murl Harpham said he would have to do a computer
analysis to say for sure, but that officers have told him that
drunkenness is less of a problem in Old Town. (Citywide, however,
arrests for public drunkenness are higher this year compared
to the past, Harpham said.)
But it's the emphasis on religion
that's most striking. Daily, before dinner and breakfast, a 45-minute
Christian sermon is given by an area pastor. The staff at the
mission believes that the religious message provides the destitute
with spiritual nourishment, which they say is imperative to the
success of the mission's services -- most notably its "New
Life" program, a yearlong behavior modification course for
men only.
Currently, 17 individuals are
receiving instruction; most of them are battling alcohol or drug
addiction. They attend religious studies, anger-management and
life development classes. In exchange for room and board at the
mission -- the former Bay Hotel, built at the turn of the century
-- the men keep the mission clean and help serve the food.
"I've seen men graduate
from the program and reconcile with their families, go back to
school and work for God and the community," Lorenz said.
Men are not the mission's only
clients. Thirty-four of their beds are reserved for women and
children. Women are also expected to do their part in keeping
the mission ship-shape and running; their quarters must remain
clean, and some sort donations at the Rescue Mission Thrift Store,
just a short walk away on Fourth Street. Also, the mission offers
Bible study classes for women, although not as in-depth as the
men's New Life program.
Since its inception five years
ago, 20 men have "graduated" from that program.
What about non-Christians who
want to change their lives?
"We're here to help anyone
in need, that's first," Lorenz said. "People with alternative
faiths may come to see that they're in error. We preach the Lord
Jesus Christ and Him only."
Magill said that those who choose
not to pray before their meals don't have to, but they are expected
to sit through the entire sermon. Since the mission's chapel
doubles as the dining room, it may be distracting for those just
there for the meal to remain attentive to the church service
when smells from the kitchen waft in from a few feet away.
In the future, temptation may
not be so close. Mission officials recently purchased the empty
lot on the corner of B and Second streets, where they plan to
build a new chapel and living quarters, separate from the dining
room and kitchen. The new building would also serve as the check-in
area, which means that those waiting for a meal or a bed would
no longer linger outside on Second Street; instead, they would
be on the B Street side, farther away from retail shops.
"I know that it can be
intimidating to see a bunch of homeless men hanging outside on
the street, close to businesses," Magill said. "It
will be better for everyone when we have a new building. The
city has been responsive to our ideas."
But an expanded mission remains
at least another two years away. Until then, beds will be made,
prayers will be said, songs will be sung and meals served, just
as they are every day at the Eureka Rescue Mission -- in God's
name.
MUSIC
& DANCE
A Humboldt
County Christmas. 2 and 7:30 p.m., Dec. 6. 2 p.m., Dec.
7. Eureka High Auditorium, 1915 J St., Eureka. The Dancers Studio
and BRAVA! present a holiday celebration of music and dance,
a "live art project" sponsored by the Morris Graves
Foundation. $12 reserved, $8 general admission, $6 kids under
12. 443-4390. [photo at
right: Carrie Maschmeier and Linden Glavich in rehearsal]
The Nutcracker. 8 p.m. Dec 19-21.Van Duzer Theatre, HSU. Opening
night gala performance Dec. 19. North Coast Dance presents the
classic holiday ballet about a young girl on a magical journey.
$30/$25 general. Saturday, Dec. 20, Sugarplum Fairy Matinee;
2 p.m. $15. Sat. eve; 8 p.m. $20/$15 general, $12 students and
seniors. Dec. 21, 2 p.m. 442-7779.
Messiah Sing-Along. 3 p.m. Dec. 7. Morris Graves Museum,
636 F St., Eureka. North Coast singers join an impromptu afternoon
performance of Handel's Messiah, conducted by Don Cushman.
Soloists perform with piano accompaniment. $5 donation. Rehearsal
1:30 p.m. 442-2078. [photo
below left]
Christmas Celebration in Song.
8 p.m. Dec. 6. Ferndale Community
Church, Ferndale. The Ferndale Community Choir inspires the spirit
of the season with traditional and contemporary songs plus readings.
Also Dec. 7 at 3 p.m., Church of the Assumption, Berding Street,
Ferndale, and Dec. 14, 3 p.m., River Lodge, Fortuna. 786-4477.
All
Seasons Orchestra Christmas Concert. 6 p.m. Dec. 6. Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1660 Heartwood Drive, McKinleyville.
The Orchestra performs holiday music. Also Dec. 14 at 12:30 p.m.
at Fortuna's River Lodge as part of Fortuna Christmas Festival.
822-4462.
Songs for the Holidays. 6 p.m. Dec. 6, Morris Graves Museum
of Art, 636 F St., Eureka. A festive evening of holiday music
during Arts Alive!, with the Redwood Country Chorus, a women's
a capella barbershop-style ensemble, plus Gospel Outreach Youth
Choir. 845-4730.
ArMack Orchestra Winter Concerts. 7 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11,
McKinleyville High; Dec. 18, Arcata High w/Arcata High Chorus
and Madrigal Choir. 442-9121.
57th Annual Community Christmas Concert. 7 p.m. Dec. 14.
Van Duzer Theatre, HSU. Local university, high school and elementary
school choruses present an evening of community sing-along with
traditional carols and a mass performance of "The Hallelujah
Chorus." $1. Bring canned goods for the needy. 826-3531.
Eureka High Winter Concerts. 7:15 p.m. Dec. 4, 17, 18.
Eureka High Auditorium, 1915 J St., Eureka. On Dec. 4 the Eureka
High Jazz Ensemble performs; Dec. 17, the Orchestra, Wind Ensemble
and Symphonic band performs; and Thurs., Dec. 18, Eureka High
presents a Choral Concert. $2.
Fortuna Christmas Music Festival. Dec. 14. Fortuna River
Lodge. From 12:30 to 6 p.m. Enjoy the music of the season performed
by more than 400 musicians in ensembles, choirs and bands from
high schools, colleges and surrounding towns. 725-3760.
Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir. 3:30-5 p.m. Dec. 14. Eureka
Inn, 7th and F streets. Eureka. Dec. 21, 11 a.m. First Baptist
Church, 422 Del Norte, Eureka. 725-6358.
TubaChristmas.
1 p.m. at the Old Town Gazebo, Eureka, and 3 p.m. at the
McKinleyville Shopping Center. Dec. 6. A blast of holiday cheer
in music from a tuba and euphoniums chorus. 822-7917. [photo at right]
Madrigal Singers and Mad River
Transit. 8 p.m. Dec. 7, Fulkerson
Hall, HSU. Madrigal Singers offer a program of traditional carols,
madrigals, solos and duets in Renaissance costume; MRT program
includes cool jazz standards. $6, $2 seniors, HSU students free.
826-3531.
[photo below left: Mad
River Transit singers]
Christmas Carols and Lessons.
7 p.m. Dec. 11, First Presbyterian
Church of Blue Lake, 214 H St. Northern Humboldt Ministerial
Association presents a program with choirs and bands from six
area churches joining forces for seasonal hymns with associated
scriptures. 822-7454.
Arcata United Methodist Church Christmas Program. 4 p.m.
Dec. 7. 1761 11th St., Arcata. Bells of the Redwoods and other
musical groups perform.
Holiday
Stories from Around the World. 1-3 p.m. Dec. 14. Eureka Inn,
7th and F sts., Eureka. The Humboldt Literacy Project invites
the community to join an afternoon of multicultural storytelling
with a book giveaway for children. Anita Punla, a story drummer,
the North Coast Storytellers and Chamber Readers entertain the
crowd with their stories. Rhonda Geldin signs for the hearing
impaired.
Redwood Coast Children's Chorus. 4 p.m. Dec. 13. Calvary
Lutheran Church, 716 South Ave., Eureka. Free.
HOLIDAY
EVENTS:
OPEN HOUSES, PARADES, ETC.
Humboldt Light Up a Life Tree Lighting.
7 p.m. Dec. 4. Arcata City Hall,
Eureka City Hall, Six Rivers Bank, McKinleyville and Humboldt
Bank, Fortuna. Local officials take part in the tree-lighting
ceremony and local school choirs sing holiday carols. 445-8443.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park Christmas Tree Lighting. 6
p.m. Dec. 10, Park Visitors Center, Burlington Campground, Avenue
of the Giants, two miles south of Weott. Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive
Association presents an open house; Santa arrives at 7 p.m.
Lighting of America's Tallest Living Christmas Tree. 5:30
p.m. Dec. 7. Main Street, Ferndale. The huge, radiant spruce
tree, strung with colored lights, will be visible from miles
away. The Booster Band, the Ferndale Community Choir and Chameleon
Singers perform. Followed by a Portuguese linguica and beans
dinner. 786-4477.
Arcata Home Tour. 1-5 p.m. Dec. 7. Tour five Arcata homes
decorated in holiday finery. Reception held at the Bayview Courtyards
senior housing complex features a silent auction, apartment tours,
a dec-a-door contest and hand-crafted ornaments for sale by teens
in the Arts in the Afternoon program. Proceeds benefit Humboldt
Bay Housing. $15. 826-7619.
Fortuna Christmas Home Tour. 1-9 p.m. Dec. 10. Tour five
homes beautifully decked out for the holidays in Fortuna and
Hydesville followed by a raffle and refreshments at the Fortuna
Monday Club, 610 Main St., Fortuna. $7.
28th Annual Humboldt County Toy Run. Noon. Dec. 7. The
United Bikers of Northern California ride from the Arcata Plaza
to the Eureka Veterans Bldg., 10th and H sts., Eureka. Enjoy
live music and lunch when you bring a new children's toy or a
$5 donation. 442-4469.
Fortuna Electric Light Parade. 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12. Vehicles
adorned with lights leave Redwood Village Shopping Center and
head down Fortuna Boulevard. Music, refreshments and appearances
by Mrs. Claus and Santa. 725-3959.
Truckers' Christmas Convoy. 6-8:30 p.m. Dec. 13. Eureka.
Hundreds of trucks shining with holiday lights parade through
Eureka beginning and ending at Redwood Acres. 442-5744.
Ferndale Lighted Christmas Tractor Parade. 7 p.m. Dec.
14. Main Street, Ferndale. Local farmers parade fancifully decorated
tractors and tractor-drawn wagons through town. 786-9675.
Season of Wonder and Light: Downtown Arcata Open House.
6-9 p.m. Dec. 5. Marching Lumberjacks herald Santa's arrival
on a firetruck; he visits with children on the Arcata Plaza or
(if raining) in Jacoby's Storehouse. 822-4500.
Old Town Holiday Open House. Noon-9 p.m. Dec. 6. Santa
arrives at the Gazebo; merchants are open late for a special
holiday Arts Alive!
Arcata Historical Sites Society Holiday Tea. 1-4 p.m.
Dec. 14 at the Phillips House Museum, 7th and Union
sts., Arcata. Merry Melody Makers at 2 p.m.
Santa Claus in Ferndale. 10:30 a.m. Dec. 6. Main Street,
Ferndale. Jolly Old St. Nick makes his appearance in the Victorian
Village with a bag full of toys. Kids take carriage rides around
the town. 786-4477.
Redwood Village Open House. 6-9 p.m. Dec. 11. Redwood
Village Shopping Center, Fortuna. Carriage rides, live nativity
scenes, carolers, refreshments and giveaways make the holiday
shopping night one to remember. 725-2281.
Fortuna Downtown Christmas Open House. 6-9 p.m. Dec 12.
Downtown Fortuna. Fortuna has holiday fun for the family with
music, refreshments, Santa and Mrs. Claus.
New Year's Eve Rodeo Bash. 8 a.m. Humboldt County Fairgrounds
indoor arena, Ferndale. Team penning, branding, roping, steer
wrestling, barrel racing, loggers cow riding and bull riding.
Prizes awarded. Buffet and dance at Belotti Hall, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.
Need Music? The Eureka High School Mixed Ensemble will
happily perform both classic and modern carols at your holiday
get-together. 476-1757.
Food for People. Through the month of December, Opie's
Chevrolet Buick donates $10 to the food bank for each person
who test-drives a vehicle from Opie's, 1900 Central Ave., McKinleyville.
839-5454.
Holiday Movies at the Minor. Noon. Saturdays and Sundays
Dec. 6-21. Minor Theatre, 1013 H St., Arcata. Dec. 6-7, kids
watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey;
Dec. 13-14, The Wizard of Oz; Dec. 20-21, Ice Age.
Limited to first 300 attendees. Kids under 8 must be accompanied
by an adult. 822-FILM.
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