July 6, 2002

Tristan Clarridge is the 2002 Grand National Fiddling Champion. At fifteen, he is the youngest fiddler ever to achieve this honor at the annual Grand National Championship in Weiser, Idaho. His talented sixteen year old sister, Tashina, won third place.

Lucky for Happy Camp - they decided they wanted to perform at our Second Annual River Run and blessed us with two afternoons of some of the best music this town has seen. Their music is exquisite and exciting, and the honor of having them choose to come here was uplifting for all of us, bikers and Happy Camp volunteer workers alike.

If you missed their stellar performances at River Park, don’t despair. Their CDs are available for sale on the web at http://www.clarridgefiddlers.com. Three MP3s from their first CD are available for download there - try before you buy - these fiddlers and their mom are great!

Thanks go to Jeff and Lisa Wade, the new owners of the Indian Creek Café, for providing meals for the Clarridge Fiddlers during their stay here.

Tashina playing the fiddle, Grand National Fiddling Champion Tristan Clarridge playing mandolin, and their mother, Janet, on guitar.

May 24, 2002

About twenty local artists displayed their work
at the Family Resource Center.

Local artists displayed their paintings at the Family Resource Center during the last week, with a reception on the evening of the 23rd. Artists were present to discuss the local art class and the work they’re doing. Gourmet refreshments kept everyone’s attention when they weren’t busy discussing and learning about art.Children danced to jazz provided by Happy Camp musicians as adults examined the paintings and chatted with the artists.

The painters were enrolled in an art class through the College of the Siskiyous, and more classes are planned. They intend to gather in nearby places of natural beauty (we’ve got plenty of them around here) for group painting sessions during the summer months.

This group painting was the talk of the show.
Each artist completed one small square.

Artists and friends.

May 2, 2002

Judi Armbruster, known locally for Bigfoot Cookies and the poetic meditations she leaves on Happy Camp bulletin boards, had her work chosen for an international publication commemorating the 911 disaster in New York City.

The Book of Hope compiles the inspired work of numerous poets from around the world. The anthology starts with a poem by the Dali Lama and ends with Judi’s poem, Meditation.

On May 18 the St. Agnes Library in New York City hosted a reading of this poetry. Editor Birgitta Jonsdottir from Iceland and twenty contributors read from the companion anthologies, The World Healing Book and The Book of Hope. Although Judi couldn’t attend, she had a friend, Candice Falloon, there to read her poem.

“The anthologies were a direct response to the fall of the towers and its outcome around the world. Major poets, artists, writers, and spiritual leaders contribute to the books with their thoughts and anyone reading the two books will hopefully feel joy, hope and understanding,” said editor Birgitta Jonsdottir.

The two anthologies are published by Beyond Borders, an Icelandic publishing house. Additional information can be found at http://this.is/poems/hope.

Judi, a descendant of natives Ah Ish K’ and “Shorty”, came home to Karuk ancestral land a few years ago after living in Sacramento. Her father, Weldon Edward Brannan, was a member of the Karuk Tribe.

January 20, 2002

Billed as “The Son O’ Pop’n Jam” and as “an evening of music and popcorn”, the jam session on January 19 was an attempt to discover if there’s local interest in having a coffee house type evening in Happy Camp. I could not resist the opportunity to see who might show up and with what. My curiosity was not disappointed.

Wandering into the Family Resource Center an hour after the jam began, I found Robert Goodwin at the mike, playing his acoustic guitar and singing with a friend. About twenty people sat in the darkened back room, listening; the only light came from the stage where a drum set, keyboard, amps, mikes, and electric guitars were set up. Goodwin’s final tune was one he had written himself, and I heard Coreen Davis say it was the best song he had sung that evening. I agreed - it was awesome and heartfelt. It seems that the songs best suited for our voices are often the ones we write ourselves.

Next Coreen and her husband, Scott Hampson, played with a friend, Denise, on guitar, Scott on banjo. They did a few blue-grass mountain-folk tunes.. very entertaining. I had to leave about then, but later in the evening returned to find a group of about ten musicians still at it. There were several electric guitars, drums, two keyboards, and a bass guitar. The music was loud! We heard Dylan’s tune, All Along the Watchtower, in the Hendrix style, and something that sounded like Pink Floyd. Some of the musicians are very talented and some are beginners, but everyone was having a good time groovin’ with the music, deep into the night.

July 14, 2001

An amazing Bigfoot is about to rise up out of the junk pile in the Forest Service parking lot. Sculptor Ralph Starritt, famed for transformation of junk into works of art, was in town on July 13 and 14 for the start of the Bigfoot project.
Local citizens have contributed junk metal to the project, organized by Carol Wainwright of Happy Camp. Keep an eye on the Forest Service parking lot this summer as Bigfoot grows in stature.

Renowned sculptor Ralph Starritt adds another piece of junk metal to Happy Camp’s new Bigfoot project on Saturday afternoon.

Donations are still being accepted

Metal donations are still welcome in the Forest Service rear parking lot. Any volunteer sculptors in town can participate in the building of Bigfoot. Monetary donations are needed for supplies, equipment and Mr. Starritt’s lodging and other expenses while he is in town. Donations are tax-deductable and can be mailed to “HCAP Bigfoot Project” P.O. Box 640, Happy Camp, CA 96039. Donations have already been received from Frontier Café, Evans Mercantile, Clinic Pharmacy, Happy Camp Elementary School and the U.S. Forest Service.

July 1, 2001

Bigfoot is coming! An artistic rendition of the legendary forest creature is to be created from metal collected by the community. Sculptor Ralph Starritt will be in Happy Camp for a few weeks this summer to create this unique Bigfoot sculpture. Mail went out to all Happy Camp residents requesting metal pieces of all sorts brought to the Forest Service parking lot on Friday, July 13 from 9 to 5. This metal will be incorporated into the sculpture project, and donating a piece of it is the opportunity of a lifetime for Happy Campers.

Examples of metal donations needed are sheet metal, baling wire, cable, chain, rebar, and round or square tubing. Welding and cutting supplies and a grinder will also be useful. Also needed is a 12-16 foot long dual axel trailer, requested for about three months to build the sculpture on, and a bit of land for putting the sculpture on permanent display.

Any volunteer sculptors in town can participate in the building of this monster. Monetary donations are needed for supplies, equipment and Mr. Starritt’s lodging and other expenses while he is in town. Donations are tax-deductable and can be mailed to “HCAP Bigfoot Project” P.O. Box 640, Happy Camp, CA 96039. Donations have already been received from Frontier Café, Evans Mercantile, Clinic Pharmacy, Happy Camp Elementary School and the U.S. Forest Service.