The Good Cheer Food Bank invites children and their parents or guardians to dress as a healthy food item and march with them in the Island County Fair Parade, Saturday morning, August 21st. Every costumed adult, teen, and child (along with parent/guardian) in the Good Cheer parade group will receive a free admission pass to the Fair that day, plus a gift certificate for $10 good at Good Cheer Thrift Stores.

The 2009 Good Cheer Parade Group

There were a wide variety of costumes at last years parade. Here again is an opportunity to show your creativity and support a good cause.  Many people look for our group in the parade, and the kids love being cheered on as they show support for our community food bank.

The Grape theme

Musical farmers and carrot people

Strange creatures lurking around the parade grounds

Pretty girls

Hot dogs, not sure how healthy they are, but it looks like good fun!

You can find childrens registration forms by clicking here.  Adult forms are here. They will also be available at the Good Cheer Thrift Stores in Langley and Clinton, plus the Food Bank in Bayview.

Participants should meet in costume for the parade at 9 a.m. in front of Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley.

Come and march with us!

Good Cheer!

Wondering what the word “Choochokam” means? Choochokam is a Hopi word which roughly translates as “a Gathering of Stars.” Our “stars,” a diverse group of several hundred local artists, inspired by the early organizers to create what we now know as The Choochokam Festival of the Arts.

The Festival, which began as a dream, has been a reality for the past 35 years! This years event was a wonderful mix of art and music; the weather was just perfect.  The Choochokam Arts Festival has become a stage for our community artists and one can see that it is a true reflection of the richness and depth of talent found on the island.

On a warm sunny day what better than a root beer float!

Kay Stanley (pictured on the left) is a member of the board for the Good Cheer Food Bank. She headed the committee that put together this effort to raise money for our organization.

Kay organized 20 volunteers with shifts that included 3 volunteers per shift.

Good Cheer was spread through-out the weekend Food Bank fundraiser.

Total income from the event was $1090.55.

Another step in creating a hunger-free community.

Good Cheer!

Summer is finally here and it got me to thinking about the hydroplane races on Lake Washington.  Having just celebrated the 4th of July I thought it might be appropriate to bring you a story on Mira Slovak; the famous pilot of the Miss Wahoo. It is a story that talks about the desire to be free and it brings back memories of my childhood, hydroplanes and the Pink Lady.

There were many memories of working with my father in his workshop building a wooden hydroplane; the Hawaii Kai. We would tie the boats to the backs of our bicycles and run them around the baseball diamond; nails in back of the boat provided the rooster tail effect.

I wanted to share an article written by Bob Karolevitz on Mira Slovak and his flight to freedom. They have just recently restored the Miss Wahoo; you’ll find the photos interspersed throughout the article. I spoke with David Williams at the Hydroplane and Raceboat  Museum in Seattle and he directed me to some photos by Jim Clark Photography. If your a hydroplane buff; they are both great sites!

Dr Randy Pillow (on the left) longtime hydroplane racing enthusiast and Seafair supporter sharing a moment with Myra Slovak in 2009. Dr. Pillow is a friend of mine who served as a driver, owner, medic, and general chairman for numerous hydroplane races throughout the Pacific Northwest from 1950 to 1975.

The men who pilot unlimited hydroplanes are a brave, speed-loving lot with many interesting stories to tell. One such story begins when the late Major General Claire L. Chennault unfolded a letter which reached him in Taipei, Taiwan. The writer was a crop-dusting pilot in Yakima, Washington, a young man whose message moved the fighting old general who knew first-hand the ravages of Communism.

The letter read:
“I escaped from Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia last year by flying an airliner from Prague to Frankfurt, West Germany. I was granted political asylum in the United States in December, 1953. I feel an obligation to fight against the Communists because I saw what happened in my country. I will fly with you, against the Communists, anywhere, and for no salary. I have only one wish in my life and that is to fight these terrible aggressors.”

The letter was sent by Myra Slovak who later became a favorite of many hydroplane fans here in the Pacific Northwest.

The escape would be made on a scheduled flight from Prague to Brno. Mira would be the pilot of a C-47 Dakota which would carry 26 passengers and three crew members. Among the passengers were Hana and Helmut Cermak and Bozidar Medic, a television engineer who was a last-minute addition to the conspiracy. At 7:20 p.m. the plane lumbered down the runway and took off in the direction of Brno, 115 miles to the southeast.

Once in flight, Slovak turned the controls over to his Communist co-pilot and walked back among the passengers. Helmut Cermak and Medic then accompanied him up front on the pretext of seeing the pilots’ compartment. With weapons brought aboard by the pilot, the escapees overpowered the other crew members and locked them in a baggage compartment. Almost casually Slovak made his final radio contact over Benesov, then tipped the ship downward in a steep dive.

Leveling out well under 1,000 feet, which was below the effective radar screen, the pilot banked the plane sharply toward the west and the 45-minute hedge-hopping flight to freedom. At any moment they expected MIG fighters to pounce upon them. As an additional menace, an attempt was made by Communist passengers to break down the door of the pilots’ compartment. Mira pulled back hard on the wheel and then shoved it forward quickly. The effect was like hitting a huge air pocket and the lurching plane dissuaded any further passenger counter-revolt.

By this time colored lights began to appear in the towns and cities below them. “We knew we were over West Germany then,” explained Mira. “In Czechoslovakia we had no such lights, just dim white ones because of the power shortage.”

Circling high above the American Air Force Base at Rhein-Main, Slovak contacted a passing jet and was led down. The time was then 9:50, and a more suspenseful two-and-a-half-hour drama could not he created on stage or film.

This chapter of Mira Slovak’s life came to a close when he and five of his passengers were granted political asylum, and the next morning headlines throughout the Free World proclaimed the escape.

For over a year Mira worked closely with the U. S. Air Force, in Germany and in Washington, D. C., where he arrived in December of 1953. For his cooperation during those long months of interrogation, he won permanent residency in the United States.

The rest of Mira’s story — from crop-duster to hydroplane pilot — is familiar to all devotees of the sport.

Jim Clark sent me a photo of Mira Slovak riding in the Wahoo with David Williams, Director of the Hydroplane Museum, at Seafair last year, The one on the right is Miss Wahoo.

This post was from Mark Clawson who helps Kathy with the blog site for Good Cheer.

Kathy will be back on Friday for more Good Cheer!

Good Cheer is raffling off a custom built garden shed/greenhouse. The garden shed is on display in front of the Good Cheer Food Bank in Bayview. The proceeds from the raffle will be used to support the Good Cheer Garden. Last year the garden produced more than 5,800 pounds of produce for the Food Bank; a lot of good eats!

The shed was built and donated by Bob Bowling Rustics right here on Whidbey Island. Hanson’s Building Supply stepped in and helped to move the structure to Good Cheer just last week.

Bob Bowling Rustics creates a wide variety of unique structures that will enhance your yard and garden. Made from reclaimed and recycled materials, these functional art pieces are designed to invoke whimsy and a sense of playfulness to your outdoor living spaces.

Bob builds one of a kind playhouses, chicken coops, greenhouses, tool sheds, outhouses and garden chapels that are made to order. He will even incorporate your own treasured pieces into the design!

Tickets for the  for the 5 by 8 foot structure, valued at $6,500, are $5 apiece or five for $20 and are being sold at all Good Cheer Thrift Stores, the Food Bank office, and at Bob Bowling’s booth at the Bayview Farmer’s market. Tickets should be available at all the sites mentioned by the 4th of July weekend.  The drawing will be held at Good Cheer’s Harvest Party & Music Fest on Saturday, September 11 at 3 p.m. Winners need not be present to win.

If you don’t have a place for the garden shed; it would fit in nicely at the Good Cheer Garden:-) We can mark the piece with a copper nameplate for all to see!

The partnership of small businesses and non-profits or charities is not a new to Good Cheer; we have been blessed with strong business support from our community.

There are a number of reasons why businesses support  charities and non-profit endeavors in our community.

There is the opportunity to give back.  It allows the business to share and pass on some of its good fortune and success.

Being part of a community is vital for small business. In the days of the mega stores and the internet, it can be difficult to sustain a small business. One way to ensure that a business thrives in the community is to help build a thriving community.

When a business donates money, time, products or services; that enterprise gets instant recognition from the community.  People are more apt to support businesses they feel are part of their world. There is also the opportunity to support causes that the business believes in.

The opportunity to be involved in the local community is a great business strategy for many reasons. As you get to know others and work with others for a cause that you believe in, you will have fun and, you’ll become a part of the group. You will be involved and that can help you with marketing your business in many ways. You will know the needs of the community and be able to find ways to meet them.

All in all, supporting a charity or non-profit group can help a business grow, but most of all, it can be a great way to give back to your community and help support causes that need your help.

Our thanks goes out to Bob Bowling and the other businesses in our community that continue to support The Good Cheer Food Bank.

Good Cheer!