Clatskanie Arts Commission in need of volunteers

Though the Clatskanie Arts Commission (CAC) is gearing up for its 35th Annual Performing Arts Series, the organization is seeking volunteers to ensure that bringing the arts to Clatskanie can continue for years to come.

Elsa Wooley is a board member and organizer for the (CAC) and has been since the organization began in 1988. Wooley has been involved with the CAC from the beginning, along with her husband, Donovan “Dee” Wooley, who was the music teacher at CMHS.

Wooley said that she and “Dee” have been involved for such a long time but that right now, “it’s a lot of work for very few people.”

“We had a couple of people leave our board last year that we thought would have longevity and would carry on. But it didn’t work for them,” Wooley said. “The bottom line is if we don’t get the volunteers, we really can’t sustain the Arts Commission and what we bring here. It takes manpower. I’m sure there are people in our community that have skills and believe in the arts, and they just have never thought about the need for somebody to continue this longevity.”

There are three vacancies on the CAC board at the moment. Wooley said it isn’t just the CAC that needs help but that many of the non-profits she’s spoken to in Clatskanie have struggled to get volunteers involved.

The CAC is a non-profit corporation, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization created to provide a variety of entertaining programs and events that enrich the lives of the people of the Lower Columbia River Region.

Wooley said that as a small town, it’s essential for people to get involved in the community and support each other.

“That’s the heart of this community. We’ve always been volunteers. No one is really helping us. We’re too far from Portland and we’re kind of far from the coast, so we just have to do our own thing,” Wooley said. “That’s our strength, that we come together and make things happen.”

One stark example of what can happen without support is that the CAC has had to cancel the revival of the Clatskanie Bluegrass Festival scheduled for this fall. The festival was set to take place in September after an 11-year absence, an effort headed by Nate Hendricks, a member of the CAC Board.

In a message on the CAC website, Hendricks said that despite the CAC’s best efforts, there was “not enough funding available to support the operational costs of the festival.” As a result, funds received were returned to businesses and leftover funds were donated to the Clatskanie Arts Commission in support of future performances.

“It broke our hearts to cancel it. With a couple of key people stepping away from that project, we just were not getting the funding that we were hoping for. So, those two things we knew we had to pull the plug while we could still cancel the bands,” Wooley said. “It was a hard, hard decision. I know it’s a disappointment to us and the people who were hoping to come.”

Some of the areas Wooley said they could use volunteer support are with website management, lighting for performances, ticket taking at performances, performer hospitality, set up and break down at performances, publicity, booking and negotiating affordable contracts, and board members who are interested in “taking over the future leadership of this organization.”

The CAC is effectively seeking volunteers who can help strengthen the organization as it moves forward. As a small town, one thing Wooley wanted to emphasize is that many of the non-profits and organizations lean on each other for support.

“We work so closely with so many organizations. The Clatskanie Foundation and the Cultural Center, we work with the library and the schools. It’s a real collaboration. We could not do it without their support, business sponsors, and ticket sales,” Wooley said. “I just want the community to know how grateful we are for that, because we can’t survive in isolation.”