Summer roundup on the Long Beach Peninsula
Published 4:58 pm Sunday, July 19, 2026
Hi (Unknown)
Politics are heating up… even on our little spit of land. Between the misguided president of the Timberland Library board of trustees, Brian Mittge, who thought maybe no one would notice his “desired outcomes” were anti-community; and the brouhaha stirred up by the unacceptable conduct of a nasty board member who snuck on to the Peninsula Senior Activity Center board without being properly vetted — we are finally emblematic of the same red/blue divide everyone else in the nation is feeling. It just took a tiny bit longer to reach our little hamlets.
What Mittge rejected as “radical inclusivity” is what most of us would call free speech and loving your neighbors. And the conduct of this unhinged senior center board member — political name calling on social media and at the last public board meeting (finally her mic had to be muted) — is just not OK.
Also I got a good laugh the other day when I received a missive from our current representative, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. I supported her before she was even a spark in the eye of our local media, let alone a darling of the New York Times. I had a direct line to her early PR team and was initially tickled when she started getting national attention. But I fear, as JD Vance fretted about himself last week, she may have gotten “too big for her britches,” and, along the way, she has betrayed many of her Democratic values.
Anyway, the note I received from her was addressed “Hi (Unknown), I’m proud to announce that…” It was an obvious programming mistake; my own name is apparent right there in my email. But it made me laugh and think — yep, that’s how it is for our politicians. They don’t know us from Adam. Once they get into office, they are only writing to ask for money and they have no idea who we are or what we’re struggling with.
At least at the county level we can still talk to our representatives. Think carefully about who to vote for in this upcoming primary.
Tee up for health
Get your clubs out! The Ocean Beach Hospital Foundation is holding its annual two-person team 18 hole scramble July 31st at the Peninsula Golf Course. Check in at 8 a.m.; the “shot gun start” begins at 9 a.m. Registration of $85 includes the 18 holes, complimentary pre-event coffee and goodies, box lunch to keep you going, post-event baked desserts, an ice cream float bar, and a swag bag. (Twenty local sponsors have contributed.)
Take your lucky clover leaf with you because there’s a $10,000 Hole-in-One prize as well as closest-to-the-hole, Mulligans, Marshmallow and longest drive. (Note: the hole-in-one prize is a whole other story and has to do with buying an insurance policy for that specific award. I had no idea.)
It’s another fundraiser for the new Ocean Beach Hospital clinic, an addition that is adding much-needed resources for women’s and children’s health. Jerry Macy, Foundation treasurer said, “This is the final push. The space is completed, but now what’s needed is the equipment and furnishings — and like everything else, it’s expensive to outfit. Last year, with your help, we raised $20,000 at the tournament!”
If you’re one of those folks who knows how to swing a club, get on out there. Have some fun and do some good at the same time.
Jazz and Oysters
And while you’ve got your calendar out, put an X on Aug. 8, for the Port of Peninsula Jazz and Oysters doings. Doors open at 10 a.m. when the Ilwaco High School jazz band kicks off a day of good food and great music. This is a fundraiser for the Water Music Society that supports our high school art and music programs and scholarships, as well as bringing great music to the Peninsula.
This year there will be three other groups picking up the baton from our local jazz band: the Midnight Serenaders, a Portland-based band known for their hot jazz and vintage 20s swing; Mel Brown and the B3 Quartet, a well-known Portland group with members viewed as tops in their class. The final act is Davina and the Vagabonds. Downbeat Magazine says of them, “Davina and the Vagabonds combat heartache with sugar and sass.”
Port of Peninsula is a great location for live music and good food. How can anything be better than a view of our beautiful Willapa Bay plus oysters hot off the grill, great wines and local beers on tap? Tickets are $35 general; youth $15, and kids under six, free.
Dangerous properties
And finally, you may remember I wrote several weeks ago about Peninsula properties that are not only eyesores but really dangerous. Concerned neighbors of these inattentive or simply scofflaw property owners have tried, and tried, and tried to get help from our county commissioners to no avail.
I’ll ask again — why can’t these properties be handled properly? Surely we must have laws on the books that allow our county to fine, jail, or otherwise deal with owners whose properties are a danger to others. A couple days after I drove around our Peninsula taking photos of known problem properties, one of them burned to the ground. This must certainly have cost our county in fire-fighting time and money. Plus there’s still clean up to be done. It could have been so much worse if the fire was not able to be contained and had engulfed other adjacent homes or properties.
This blackened mess is the first view folks visiting the Peninsula get as they swing onto Sandridge. What does this say about our public pride? It’s a perfect example of what happens when problems aren’t addressed in a timely manner.
C’mon commissioners — can we please have a pro-active method of dealing with problems that are visible to all? Do your jobs. Please don’t wait until some even larger tragedy takes place.
So, there you have it in a nutshell this week. Some events are joyful and contribute to public well-being. Some people are helping to support our health and the health of our kids, and some are dragging us into conflict. Do what you can to be on the right side of love and justice.