The story of the small Oregon coast town of Neawanaka and its people was the perfect book to do a community read and celebrate a book that was written by one of our own Lake Oswego residents, Brian Doyle. There were a total of 31 programs at 20 venues and a whopping 10,000 participants. Of the 31 events, 28 were free, including a barbecue dinner that tied into the book attended by 600 people. During February there was an opportunity to learn Gaelic, have a “cow” barbecue, listen to opera, learn about crows, see 25 artists’ paintings inspired by the book, ride a bicycle with the mayor, see a photo exhibition inspired by the book, and visit the Public Works Department and operate a piece of heavy equipment. There was such a sense of happiness and friendliness during the entire month.
