Yachats is all set for the equinox
By Barbara Covell
For the TODAY
An old English proverb says “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.”
Here in the Pacific Northwest, the promise of spring is a welcome relief after a wet winter with shorter days and chilly nights.
The spring, or vernal, equinox will occur when the length of day and night are of equal duration in the world’s northern and southern hemispheres. This is the magic of the first day of spring.
In the community of Yachats, two non-profit organizations are pooling their efforts to celebrate the occasion in style this Saturday, March 20, in the Yachats Commons.
Friends of the Yachats Library and Polly Plumb Productions are launching back-to-back events for residents and visitors to enjoy before or after taking a stroll around the “Gem of the Oregon Coast.”
Beginning at 10 am is the popular Friends of the Yachats Library annual book sale in the Yachats Commons multipurpose room. This is the first large-scale, indoor book sale since the COVID shutdowns in 2019.
Once a two-day event that was the group’s largest fundraiser, the book sale consists of donations and titles culled from the Yachats Library stacks.
“Space and history of checkouts dictate when books are pulled from the library resources,” group President Sandy Dunn said.
All books are arranged by categories, making browsing easy for book sale aficionados. All are priced at $2 except pocket paperbacks and the specially priced rare books, classics, signed copies, book sets and coffee table books.
“We have some beautiful Easton Press leatherbound classics, puzzles and a collection of Muffy Vanderbears,” Dunn said.
The Friends of the Yachats Library was formed in 2004 to promote community interest in library services and resources and raise funds for special needs that are beyond the scope of the library budget.
Dunn said that the group plans to hold popup sales occasionally on Sundays during the summer in conjunction with the Yachats Farmers Market.
The book sale will run until 3 pm, when the second annual Spring Equinox celebration begins at the Commons Pavilion.
In 2021, the Board of Polly Plumb Productions initiated a Spring Equinox event as a safe, masked, family-friendly gathering to help people socialize, enjoy free music and stroll throughout Yachats. It was such a success that it was followed by Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice outdoor celebrations.
Michele Robbins, a volunteer for the Polly Plumb board, says all these events were so well received that they will continue the four annual concerts indefinitely.
“Last year at this time, so many events had been canceled in people’s lives,” she said. “We thought it would be a good idea to help people get out of their houses.”
This year’s Spring Equinox event will consist of free popcorn and live music from Steve Cook on guitar and vocals and Curtis Colt on drums. Cook and Colt are local favorites who play rock ‘n roll standards guaranteed to have the audience dancing.
Event Coordinator Robert Rubin said that, thanks to the fact that the pavilion is entirely sheltered, “It’s still happening even if it rains!”
The book sale runs from 10 am to 3 pm and the live music is from 3 to 5 pm. The Yachats Commons is located at 441 N Hwy. 101. For more information on the Spring Equinox and future events, go to Pollyplumb.org.