Have an evening on the town with the Coaster Theatre's performance of "Butterflies are Free"

The Coaster Theatre is bringing Broadway to Cannon Beach this May with its staging of the play Butterflies are Free.

The story, loosely based on the life of attorney Harold Krents, follows a blind man as he moves out of his overbearing mother’s home and learns how to live his own independent life. When he befriends a free-spirited hippie and connects with a neighbor girl, his mother’s stifling love becomes an obstacle to his freedom — an obstacle he must acknowledge and confront.

Performances run on weekends from May 4 – 27. In addition, a special “Talkback Thursday” performance on May 17 will give theatergoers the opportunity to ask questions to the actors and learn more about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into staging a play.

The original Broadway play, written by Leonard Gershe, ran for 1,128 performances from 1969 to 1972 at the Booth Theatre. It was nominated for three Tony Awards and won one for best featured actress in a play. In 1972, it was adapted into a movie starring Edward Albert and Goldie Hawn.

The rest of the Coaster Theatre’s season promises more theatrical favorites: Read the rest of this entry »

Artists unveil their latest works in Cannon Beach during the Spring Unveiling.

Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. In Cannon Beach, Oregon, spring is the time when new pieces of fine art make their world debuts.

The twelfth annual Spring Unveiling in Cannon Beach welcomes you to three days of celebrating the arts over the weekend of May 4 – 6, 2012. Come explore the town’s renowned art galleries, speak with the artists about their artistic ideas, and be the first to see their latest works.

Saturday will highlight the newest works of a variety of local, national, and international artists. About every half hour, an artist will “unveil” his or her newest works at one of the thirteen member galleries of the Cannon Beach Gallery Group. Painters, sculptors, photographers, jewelers, glass workers, and even a book artist will reveal and discuss their works. Read the rest of this entry »

Help us welcome back the tufted puffins during Cannon Beach's Twelve Days of Earth Day celebrations.

“Welcome back, puffins!”

So reads a handmade sign held by a flock of school children in front of Cannon Beach’s most prominent landmark, Haystack Rock, every April.

Haystack Rock is home to a colony of 200-300 tufted puffins during the summer months, where they congregate after many months on the open ocean to mate and raise chicks.

Their arrival is a sure sign of spring in Cannon Beach and is celebrated during the annual Twelve Days of Earth Day celebration.

During the event, April 11 – 22, 2012, volunteers with the Haystack Rock Awareness Program set up puffin-viewing stations on the beach with spotting scopes. They are also available to answer questions about the distinctive birds.

Tufted puffins are striking birds during the summer breeding season: each sports a thick, bright orange bill, a bright white face atop a jet-black body, and a pair of golden tufts curling from orange-rimmed eyes down the back of the neck. In the air, they fly purposefully with constantly flapping wings. Read the rest of this entry »