By Wendy Burroughs

The monthly Cape Meares Book Club has become one of my favorite social activities.  I have been introduced to books and authors that I may not have discovered on my own. I have also learned about the full range of services offered by our Tillamook County Library. In the club we take turns selecting a book and serving as meeting host. Many of the monthly reading selections are from the Library’s Book Club Kits. Each kit includes 10 copies of the book and resources to facilitate the book club discussions. 

At the July Cape Meares Book Club Meeting I presented the idea to raise funds for the Tillamook County Library Foundation dedicated for the purchase of books for the TCL Book Club Kits. The Tillamook County Library Foundation is happy to receive the donations and have created a tab on their website for Book Club donations. The Cape Meares Book Club is identifying books the TLC Foundation will add to the kits with a dedication on behalf of the Cape Meares Community.
To donate visit Book Club Kits – Tillamook County Library Foundation
Click on the donate button at the bottom of the page.
Type in the amount of your donation.
Click to pay with credit card.
In notes field type in Cape Meares Book Club Kits
Complete the information in the other fields to complete the transaction.
The transaction record is your receipt, and you will receive a letter from the TCL Foundation in recognition of your contribution.
The Tillamook County Library Foundation is an Oregon non-profit corporation a Section 501(c)(3) charity.

Meet the Artists Reception – Friday, August 29, 4-6PM

Your first chance to view all of the Art on display, visit with the artists and your neighbors, and sample some light refreshments.

Art Show & Sale – Saturday, August 30, 10AM-4PM

See the Art displays and if you are lucky, you can purchase your favorite pieces. All sales and methods for payment are handled by the individual artists.

2025 Exhibiting Artists: Kirsten Blair – Paintings; Wendy Burroughs – Gourd Art; Ciel Downing – Photography; Miriam Fultz – Photography; Emma Harris – Home Decor; Marjorie Hirsch – Kelp Baskets; Spike Klobas – Rugs, Plants, Bench; Narayan Lincoln – Sun Catchers; Stacy Mason – Ceramics; Deborah Thomas Neal – Sculpture & Paintings; John Olmsted – Painting & Sculpture; Raj Paonaskar – Sketches; John Providenza – B&W Prints; Ann Quinn – Prints; Jenny Stanley- Traditional Rug Hooking; Beverly Stein – Stitch Art

2025 GREAT SHAKEOUT EXERCISE on Thursday October 16
10:16 AM

It’s that special day of the year when we all “Drop, Cover, and Hold on”! It’s the Great ShakeOut!

This is a Worldwide, National, State, County and Local Awareness and Exercise Event!!

Join millions of people worldwide who will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.”

Participating is a great way for your family or organization to become better prepared to survive and recover more quickly from big earthquakes.

The Great ShakeOut serves as a stark reminder that preparedness is not an option, but a necessity. 

• Practice Saves Lives: The main objective of the Great ShakeOut is to practice what to do when an earthquake hits. Regular drills help individuals and communities develop muscle memory for responding effectively.
• Raise Awareness: This event raises awareness about earthquake risks and the importance of being prepared. It encourages individuals, schools, businesses, and organizations to take action.
• Community Resilience: A well-prepared community can better withstand the impact of an earthquake. The Great ShakeOut fosters a sense of collective responsibility to ensure that neighborhoods are ready to respond and recover.

Thanks so much to everyone who donated items and bought items at our Cape Meares Silent Auction. It was a huge success. We raised about $8400! We also took in about $1200 from the $5 potluck fee.

Go to the Cape Meares Life in Pics Page for a gallery of pictures of the festivities.

Proceeds from the auction support the maintenance of the Barbara Bennett Community Center and the programs and services made available to our community. Thanks to the generous contributions of local businesses and individuals, we already have an exciting array of items lined up. 

These include overnight stays in Astoria, Cape Meares, and the Columbia Gorge, as well as a variety of gourmet experiences, arts, crafts and furnishings handcrafted and contributed by the Cape Meares community.

We’re grateful to the many community businesses for their generous donations as well as the contributions from our Cape Meares Community. This year’s business contributors include Bay City Kitchen, Country Squire, De Garde Brewing, Jen’s Nails, Kristy Lombard, Les Schwab, Oceanside Surf Company, Pelican Brewing, Rosenberg’s, Salty Raven, SaraSotas Bakery, The Chamber of Commerce, Tillamook Creamery, Tora Sushi, and Werner’s.

In addition to local businesses, we’ve received beautiful original art, crafts, and ceramic donations from talented local artists such as Don Backman, Stacy Mason, Jenny Francis, Spike and Randy Klobas, Ann Quinn, Rajiv Paonaskar, Jim Cameron, Kim Freeman, Ted and Cass Mick, Ciel Downing, Ellen Steen, Bev Stein and Manon Veilleux.

We hope to see you all there!

Cape Meares Community Association received large grant from Oregon Resiliency and Emergency Preparedness (OREM) for a fully equipped Conex Box!

Huge thanks to Miriam Fultz who was the lead for a grant writing team working with team members Kathy Burke, Pam Robenolt and Charles Ansorge.

After initially receiving a notice from the Oregon Resiliency and Emergency Preparedness (OREM) office in early April that a grant request would not be funded, the lead for Emergency Preparedness for Cape Meares, Kathy Burke, received a surprise call from the OREM informing her that one of the items in our grant request had been funded. The award was for $98,749 for a fully equipped Conex box ($38,150 for the box and $60,599 for the contents).

In June 2025 the Conex box and contents were received and installed in a secured fenced area at the Oceanside Water District -Cape Meares water treatment plant.

The box has an electrical connection for a heater, humidifier, and built-in lighting. The electronic gear includes the ability to communicate with all local GMRS devices, short-wave communication, HAM connection to the world, and StarLink for wi-fi. This is now a “hot spot” for the community if the internet is disrupted.

This electronic gear enables our community to create an Emergency Operations Command Center (EOCC) which includes a 30-day full power back-up system.

CMCA has an agreement with the Oceanside Water District to site the Conex box at the water treatment plant and our water reservoir. This site was chosen for the following reasons:
Location is one of the five designated Assembly Points by DOGAMI,
It is a secure fenced-in compound,
Site has 12 concrete piers installed that reach a depth of nearly 80 feet below the surface to provide stability to the property,
Potable water may be available from the reservoir following an earthquake and tsunami, and
Site is near a drop zone that drones or helicopters may be able to deliver emergency supplies safely.

In order to accept this award from OREM, CMCA in partnership with OWD obtained required permits, insurance, and electrical connections. The box becomes the property of CMCA two years from the time of delivery and installation.

The Community celebrated the contributions of the retiring CMCA President Beverly Stein and Board members Claudia Cameron, John Harland and Steve Quinn. The incoming 2025 CMCA Board was confirmed: Dave Audet (President), Stacy Mason (Secretary), Guy Kyle (Treasurer), Sean Kohles (Assistant Treasurer), Patti and Mike Smith (community center managers), Kathy Burke, Simone Goldfeder, Scott Gordon, Randy Klobas, Jim Cameron, and Steve Lewis.