It was the day after Easter, with Passover still in swing, as BWNA President Al Ellis welcomed a packed house to the annual Taste of Beaumont General Meeting. Vibrant music from 20 talented Beaumont Middle School musicians—the “Beaumont Jazz Ambassadors” under the direction of dynamo band director Cynthia Plank—resonated throughout Bethany Lutheran Church’s Fellowship Hall. A long line formed to dine on samples from some of the community’s favorite local restaurants— Alameda Brewhouse, Alameda Café, Amalfi’s, Delphina’s, Fire on the Mountain, Papa Murphy’s, Pizza Nostra, and Red Fig. Additionally, Beaumont Market and Wilshire Market donated soft drinks and ice, and Beaumont Florist provided ten beautiful floral arrangements for the tables (which would be raffled off at the end of the evening).
Musicians delighted the audience with several toe-tapping pieces from the Big Band era and displayed outstanding talent for their age through a combination of group precision and individual flare on the solos. Director Plank noted that the performance was a dress rehearsal of sorts for an upcoming competition, and she exhorted her students to strive for excellence— which they succeeded in doing to the approving applause of the audience. The musicians’ proud parents who had assisted earlier with hauling in instruments and equipment, captured photos.
While the band took a pizza break, Portland Police officers Martley and Brockman gave a Beaumont-Wilshire crime report and fielded questions afterwards. Officer Martley delivered the same message that officers had at past BWNA general meetings: namely, that Beaumont-Wilshire has one of the lowest incidences of serious crime in the area, with auto break-ins the most commonly reported problem.
After admonishing her musicians to brush their teeth before returning to play, Director Plank guided the group through a few more numbers, culminating in a peppery Latin dance number that had the room bouncing and smiling.
The business portion of the evening was delayed until after the students and parents had completed their clean-up. First on the agenda was approval of the minutes from February’s general meeting. Then Al Ellis (substituting for Treasurer Gwen McPherson, who had been hospitalized with a serious illness) gave the Treasurer’s report and followed up with announcements about upcoming local events. Next, Board member and new BWNA Newsletter Distribution Coordinator Serah Breakstone paid tribute to the dedicated volunteers who deliver the newsletters to residences and businesses every other month. Distribution captains and on-foot distributors in attendance were asked to come to the front of the room to be recognized for their service and to receive extra raffle tickets as a token of the neighborhood’s appreciation.
It was then time for nominations and elections for Board and officer positions. All but two of the positions had incumbents running unopposed. The incumbents were asked to say a few words about themselves and why they chose to serve on the Board. They also encouraged residents remaining in the room (whose number had dwindled considerably after the conclusion of the band’s performance) to consider filling the two vacant Board positions, but there was only silence, and the Board positions remained unfilled. Elected by unanimous consent to two-year terms were President Al Ellis, Treasurer Gwen McPherson, and At-Large Board members Bob McKibben, Tom Melville, Bryan Green, Michael Gray, and Larry Freeborg. (The other half of the Board and officer positions will be up for election next year.)
The evening ended on a festive note with the raffling off of free door prizes——first the ten floral arrangements from Beaumont Florist, then three gift certificates from Grand Central Bakery (which will be moving into the vacated Soluna Grill building on Fremont Street come June). Each gift certificate entitled the winner to a free loaf of bread each month for an entire year!
BWNA thanks all who contributed to the success of this year’s Taste of Beaumont—the Beaumont Middle School musicians and their director Cynthia Plank, the local merchants who donated cuisine samples and door prizes, and last, but certainly not least, the dedicated crew of BWNA Board members who worked so diligently in soliciting merchants to participate, moving heavy tables in and out of the hall, arranging the room, and staying late to clean up.
On balance, it was a positive and productive evening, but not without its shortcomings—one of which was a shortage of food for the large turnout. The BWNA Board of Directors will be discussing what went right, what didn’t, and how to improve things for next year at its next meeting on Monday, May 14th, beginning at 7:00pm at Bethany Lutheran Church. As always, Board meetings are open to the public, and your input is welcome.