Proud of ‘Bugsy’

I am one of the parents whose child was in the “Bugsy Malone” play. We are very happy with Rebekah Meyer’s guidance of the children. The context gave room for great discussions; my child is quite aware that it is a play and not real life that they were performing on stage. Also, my child (who initially was feeling shy and reserved about acting) walked away feeling very confident in herself.

Thank you, Rebekah!

Compelling ‘Diary’

On May 1, the eighth-grade teachers and students from Hood River Middle School attended a matinee performance of “The Diary of Anne Frank” at the CAST Theatre.

I was very proud of our students’ attentiveness during the play, thereby demonstrating their respect for the performers as well as the gravity of the subject matter.

Sullivan Mackintosh, as Anne Frank, embodies the vitality and resilience that stitch the plot and characters together throughout this literary work. Sullivan is a fellow eighth-grade student at HRMS; having her among us continues to be a special treat.

I want to thank the CAST Theatre, Lynda Dallman, and the talented cast for a true and compelling production. The set, blocking, costumes, casting, and lighting worked so well to create the dynamic tension between historical events and the intimacy of private lives. The tone was pitch-perfect for a truly memorable experience. The message is so critical in these times — and nothing strikes the heart like live theater.

Why is he laughing?

This morning as I was taking a walk, I walked by the Cascade Market. I stopped to take a look at the news headlines on the two newspapers displayed in front of the store. One headline blared “Six slain troops from Ft. Lewis.”

The headline on the other paper was about the Queen’s visit to the White House and the lavish dinner party held to welcome her. The accompanying picture showed a beaming, smiling George and Laura in all their regalia. What a contrast between the two news stories! Repeatedly Bush has been seen laughing and cracking stupid jokes at news conferences and public appearances. Why is this man laughing?

What is so funny? Is he living in the same reality as the rest of us? I often wonder, with all the blood on his hands, how he manages to do this.

Who will feed us?

My great-great-great-grandfather came to Oregon with his family over the Barlow Trail in 1853.

He settled one of the first Donation Land Claims in Jackson County on the banks of a creek near Ashland that now bears his name, Neil Creek. He planted fruit trees, raised food for his family and farmed.

He valued the land, both its beauty and its ability to help his family survive. Though much has changed in Oregon in the last 150 years and much of the state would be unrecognizable to him, there are still places that he would find familiar.

The Hood River Valley is one of those places. The fertile soil, fruit trees, organic farms, and vineyards speak to a place bursting with life, a place that can provide a bounty of both beauty and food — each necessities of life in their own way. These rich and fertile places across our state are facing their biggest threat ever in Measure 37.

We all need food to live. We do not need more golf courses, condominiums, subdivisions, vacation homes or resorts for survival.

Much of our food currently travels great distances to get to us, using huge quantities of fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are finite and eventually will be prohibitively expensive, and ultimately, gone. When that occurs, and the “bottom line” of profit is sufficiently impacted, corporations will no longer ship food around the world.

Who will feed our county, our state, our country? It will be the local farmers in places with rich and fertile soil and a cooperative climate, just like our beautiful valley (and we can make a difference by buying locally grown food now). Measure 37 threatens not only the beauty of our valley and our state, it threatens our ability to provide food for ourselves.

It looks like our legislators will be sending to the ballot a revision of Measure 37 that will allow our farmers to make a living, save our rich and fertile farmlands, and preserve the beauty and integrity of our state.

Oregonians will have a chance to rectify some of the inequities of Measure 37.

Let’s hope our ancestors, like my grandfather, will smile upon our efforts and our great-great-great-grandchildren will thank us.

A treasured family

A treasure of an evening occurred this last Tuesday, May 8, when Lise Yasui appeared in person to show her Academy Award-nominated documentary, “A Family Gathering.” This was not only a fine film, but an incredibly moving personal story. The audience was then treated to a discussion with three of the oldest Yasui family members who grew up here, one coming from as far as Williamsport, Pa. We all should feel honored to have this amazing family in our midst. They have gone on to great personal achievements despite the deep injustice of internment camp and the humiliating treatment in the post-war years.

Their positive attitude and forgiveness is an example to everyone. But the lessons to be learned are something currently just as needed: that we should not demean, insult or discriminate against people different from ourselves. There are always new types of people coming into our arenas of life and work.

We need to closely examine our own judgmental attitudes and see how WE can change, respecting them and learning new things from them.

The entire Yasui family deserves great thanks for the contributions (including the Dialysis Center at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital) and the Columbia Center for the Arts deserves thanks for hosting a number of worthwhile programs, including this one.

Speak, leaders

As a voter, I want to know what people I elected are doing for me and the other voters in Hood River.

Seems that once they are elected, they no longer do anything for the voters of Hood River till the next time they want to be elected.

Greg Walden has learned to say what he is doing for the voters. Why not our county commissioners and others?

‘Bugsy’ fun-filled

“You give a little love and it all comes back to you!”

That is one of my favorite lines in this year’s production by Rebekah Meyer Performing Arts.

This theme in “Bugsy Malone” is actually something that can be lived by in reality. The energy you put forth will come back to you. If you are loving and caring, that Karma will come back to you.

Sadly, if you put out negativity, that will also come back to you. I am feeling very saddened by the criticism Rebekah Meyer received last week over the play she directed for children in grades 2-12.

The apprehension and fear Lori Buchanan felt seems to be a bit unreasonable. This is, after all, a children’s play — the children are fully aware that they are pretending and wearing a form of dress-ups. This was simply meant to be a form of entertainment for our community as well as a theatrical experience for the children. It happens to be that this play could be considered historical fiction.

Is Ms. Buchanan troubled by such historically based plays as “Me and My Girl,” “Grease,” “Evita,” “The Sound of Music,” “The Diary of Anne Frank”?

I am also wondering if she watches television, listens to the radio or reads the newspaper. There is without a doubt a lot of very scary things going on in our REAL world today!

Ms. Buchanan, please take a deep breath — try to enjoy a fun-filled song or the beauty of children involved in the arts!

Exhibit excels

Tobi Kuykendall and her staff made it possible for our 8th grade reading classes to attend the Holocaust/Anne Frank Exhibit for the first week of the Justice series at the Columbia Art Gallery.

We study the Holocaust each May, Holocaust memorial month. In addition to hosting our classes, Tobi and her staff trained eight of our students as docents for the week-long exhibit.

The exhibit, in Spanish and English, was rich inhistorical detail and photographs, and we are grateful to Tobi for arranging this work as a companion piece to the Cast Theater’s production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

The simple power and grace of the exhibit, along with the youth of the guides, was particularly effective in conveying the tragic solemnity of the events.

Thank you, Tobi.

Sincerely,