FROM INGLENOOK TO WHITESBORO—
Sunday Breakfast on the Coast

Story by Debbie L. Holmer

One way to bring a community together is to break bread together. Here on the Mendocino Coast, a fund-raiser of any type without food would be, to put it mildly, extremely unsuccessful. When a fire station, school, church, political group, or historical preservation committee needs money, they hold fish fries, crab feeds, spaghetti feeds, and more.

All of these events are worth attending, especially since they offer the opportunity to help one’s community. Or perhaps they just offer an excuse to stuff one’s face while helping one’s community. Is that so wrong?

One of my favorite community fund-raisers are the area Sunday community breakfasts. Though these are usually called “pancake breakfasts,” don’t be misled: even if you don’t like pancakes there will be plenty of other sweet and savory goodies to fill your plate. They are guaranteed to offer the best deal in town.

Incidentally, you don’t need to be a card-carrying member of a particular religion/organization to attend one of these events; no one is checking IDs at the door!

Seating (as is often the case) is in a sprawling “multi-purpose” room. After one pays at the table by the door, a short wait may ensue before sitting down to “breakfast heaven!”

The kitchens are staffed by friendly volunteers who, while usually not professional chefs, are certainly enthusiastic amateurs. From homemade biscuits and gravy to scrambled eggs to French toast to homemade blackberry syrup to organic potato hash, you can’t beat the camaraderie and you surely can’t beat the price.

So seek out and attend these community breakfasts whenever you can. You’ll actually be doing good for the community by eating well.

Here on the Mendocino Coast we have five regular community Sunday breakfasts. They include breakfasts hosted by the Fort Bragg Grange, the Whitesboro Grange, Knights of Columbus at Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Caspar Community. There are other community breakfasts further south of Whitesboro and east of us, but the five breakfasts from Inglenook to Albion are the focus of this article. Also from time to time the Knights of Columbus at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church has a pancake breakfast fund-raiser, and the Mendocino Lions Club hosts a pancake breakfast at the Mendocino firehouse on holiday weekends.

It’s a great place to meet your neighbors from all walks of life. Who attends? Local teachers, business owners, doctors, lawyers, writers, artists, children and seniors, and tourists. It’s a great blend.

The Grange Movement
The National Grange is the nation’s oldest national agricultural organization, with grassroots units established in thirty-six hundred local communities in thirty-seven states. Its 300,000 members provide service to agriculture and rural areas on a wide variety of issues, including economic development, education, family endeavors, and legislation designed to assure a strong and viable Rural America. It was formed in the years following the American Civil War to unite private citizens in improving the economic and social position of the nation’s farm population. Over the past 137 years, it has evolved to include non-farm rural families and communities.

On December 4, 1867 in a small Washington, D.C. building, the Order of Patrons of Husbandry (commonly known as the Grange) was born. There, sitting around a plain wooden table, a group of seven earnest men planned what was destined to become a vital force in preserving and expanding American democracy. They were all men of vision—they had faith in God, in their fellow man and the future.

The California State Grange was organized at Napa on July 15, 1873. The Shasta Dam was built, and many other local projects have been achieved by individual community Granges and by the collective effort of all of the Granges throughout the state of California. Membership has varied over the past seventy-five years and currently stands at approximately twelve thousand in two hundred local, community Granges.

The Grange is America’s Family Fraternity; family and community are foundations of the Grange. Traditional family values are promoted and woven into the fabric of Grange activities and events. They promote good citizenship and patriotism. Men, women and youth are admitted on equal terms.

The Fort Bragg Grange No. 672 was formed in 1938 when thirty interested people met at Pudding Creek Hall. It was so cold the organization had to move to Runeberg Hall. The building they now meet in was once the Ocean View School.
In a conversation with Master Randy “Head Guru” Marler (a Fort Bragg resident since 1953), I learn that the Fort Bragg Grange has been serving Sunday breakfast on the coast since 1957. It takes about thirty-two volunteers for each breakfast. Randy praises the workers, “the volunteers are amazing.” Their record-breaking breakfast was on July 4, 1994 when they served 711 people!

The funds raised at the Sunday breakfast go to a lot of different organizations in the area, toward their scholarship funds for area students, and to pay for building materials for the Grange. The day I attend breakfast, Jan Kessner is entertaining those sitting comfortably in the waiting room on her accordion; ninety-three-year-old Julie Angelo and Cee Cauckwell are manning the crafts table; Nancy Herronpike and Zay Little are collecting the money. Three Fort Bragg High School exchange students are waiting tables. The dining room is bright and cheery with huge paintings on the walls painted by Sylvia Gustafson, who recently passed away.

Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, they have completed their plan of installing sidewalks from the front to the back of the building (providing handicap access to the bathrooms); they also bought new chairs.

I talk with longtime residents and Grange members Carmen Beck and Carol Ann Wuoltee. Carol Ann tells me that the Grange used to have lots of dances in order to pay off their loan for the building. She is just one of the ladies who make beautiful handicrafts for the crafts table. Carmen joined the Grange in 1940. Her son Ken volunteers on the kitchen crew.

For more information on the Fort Bragg Grange, call Randy Marler at (707) 964-3542.

The Whitesboro Grange No. 766 has been in existence for over fifty years. The building itself, once the old Whitesboro School, will soon be celebrating its hundredth year. Bob and Marialice Canclini (coastal natives) have been Grange members for about thirteen years. They attend the state conventions and even went to one of the national conventions. Bob (at the breakfast he’s a cook and his wife waits tables) says that, in addition to “just” serving breakfast, the Whitesboro Grange has done a lot for the community through the years. “We have a good crew here and have served about 167 breakfasts in the past ten years. We usually serve around sixty-five hungry folks on any given fourth Sunday of the month.”

Bob goes on to say, that the breakfasts fund building maintenance. However, the dinners they have from time to time go for other things; for instance the spaghetti/pot roast dinner funds go to the Albion-Little River Fire Department and the chicken cacciatore/gnocchi dinner proceeds go to the Little River Improvement Club. They also host a luncheon for the Mendocino Historical Society meetings and once a year put on a corned beef and cabbage dinner.

Longtime Mendocino Coast resident Verna Hayter is president of the Whitesboro Grange Women’s Association. They do all the sewing and crafts work. Quilts and dish cloths and assorted other home-sewn items are always for sale in the outer room. Malcolm Macdonald, son of Margaret Macdonald (The Mendocino Beacon “River Views” columnist who just recently passed away), says that his mom had two quilts made by Verna.

Malcolm also says, “Marie Koskela, an Albion native, born in 1922 like my mother, gets up before dawn and arrives at the Grange Hall by 6:00 a.m. each of those ‘breakfast’ Sundays to start the heat going. Marie is the first person you are greeted by when coming in the door. She takes your money.”

Malcolm goes on to say, “One of my mother’s (and my) favorite people at the Grange is Ela Pierce. She almost always gives me extra orange juice and/or milk!”

The Sunday I attend, longtime members Marie Koskela and Verna Hayter are manning the front tables. The kitchen crew that day consists of Betty Latham, Bob Canclini, Walt Koskela, Josh Latkin, 2D (yes, that’s her name), Ned Latham and Jerry Sommer. And don’t forget Grace Sandifer, as she is cooking up the ham that day!

John Ross, whose family has lived on the Coast since 1869, waits on our table and provides some of the friendliest conversation. John is past seventy-five [years of age] and yet recently worked nearly a full year in the woods, operating “CAT” in 2008! He is also the direct descendant of the Reverend John Ross, a coastal minister (sometimes traveling) during the 1800s.

Ela Kierce is pouring orange juice. She’s the one that makes the delicious homemade blackberry syrup that Grange members pick every month for just that purpose. Ela has been a volunteer at the Grange for eighteen years.

As Malcolm says in a recent conversation, “The Whitesboro Grange breakfasts not only provide a fine meal, but also, most of the Grange members are repositories of vast amounts of local history—past and ongoing.” Malcolm has taken over his mother Margaret’s “River Views” column in The Mendocino Beacon.

For information on the potluck Grange meetings, call Bob Canclini at (707) 937-5283.

Other Sunday Community Breakfasts
There are three other “regular” Sunday community breakfasts on the coast in addition to the two offered by the Granges.

Saint Anthony’s Catholic Church has been an integral part of Mendocino since the late 1850s. It’s the oldest parish in Mendocino County. The original church building was across the street in what is now the cemetery. The parish hall was renovated in 2004.

The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus and describes itself as being dedicated to the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. There are more than 1.7 million members. In 2007, the Knights of Columbus gave almost $150 million directly to charity and performed over sixty-eight million man hours of voluntary service.

On a local level the Saint Anthony Knights of Columbus’ breakfast proceeds go to such organizations as the Redwood Coast Senior Center, Hospitality House, Food Bank and scholarships for area students.

I talk with Knights of Columbus member and breakfast volunteer Bill Brannan. He says they’ve been serving these breakfasts for approximately eighteen years. He’s been a volunteer for the past ten.

Every second Sunday, Knights of Columbus members attend the 5:30 a.m. Mass, then go over to the parish hall, setting up the dining room and kitchen for the 8:00 a.m.-to-noon breakfast. On the Sunday that I attend the breakfast, the kitchen crew is already hard at work. Dennis Smith, “Captain of the Kitchen” is already setting up tables and chairs before the breakfast and is busy in the kitchen. Also on kitchen duty that day are Knights of Columbus members Mike Williamson (cooking eggs), John Scott (preparing sausage) and Rosalio Martinez who is in charge of the pancakes.

The parish hall has been beautifully renovated and it is warm and cheery on the inside. Everyone is chatting and having a good time with background music softly piping in. It’s a very pleasant atmosphere.

Every fifth Sunday, Knights of Columbus member Enrique Quinones chairs an all-you-can-eat Mexican breakfast. I am not able to make it to that one, but it’s definitely on the list of things to do the next “fifth” Sunday! I hear it’s excellent.
For more information on the Knights of Columbus pancake breakfast, call Bill Brannan at 937-2188.

Veterans Helping Veterans and People Helping People
Established in 1899 by veterans returning from action in the Spanish-American War, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) was formed to help these soldiers, sailors and marines readjust to civilian life and to protect their benefits. In their over a century of service, members of the VFW have been at the battle front in the protection of the rights of veterans nationwide. Many VFW Posts such as our own Post 11166 of Fort Bragg, California also take a leading role in community activities and service to their neighbors.

On the third Sunday of every month (except September) the Fort Bragg Post 11166 prepares breakfast for the community. Proceeds from the breakfasts are put back into the community—either as veterans’ assistance, phone cards for veterans in Afghanistan and Iraq, or in high school scholarships. They also do other fund-raisers for the community from time to time.

I talk with Quartermaster John Goodrich, who has been a part of the Fort Bragg VFW for six years. He orders the food and helps organize the Sunday breakfasts.

The VFW Hall was built in the early 1930s for the American Legion Veterans. The land was donated to the county for that purpose. The VFW breakfast was started back in 1992.

In March, The American Legion Auxiliary Sequoia Unit 96 and VFW Auxiliary 11166 sponsored a food sale at the monthly breakfast to raise money for Pathway House. Pathway House is located on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California, Yountville. It’s a transition center for the care of combat veterans. Its program is specifically created for and dedicated to serve our nation’s “New Warriors”—those of any age who have served our nation’s Global War on Terrorism in areas of the world such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Pathway House is run mostly on donations. They also have a White Elephant table set up at every breakfast.

I talk with Betty Goekler, five-year charter member of the VFW Auxiliary 11166. Betty tells me that when her children were little they used to have a well-baby clinic in this building where she would take them for shots (this was about fifty years ago). They also used to have American Legion dances there many years ago. She says that the Auxiliary also gives out Pledge of Allegiance pencils and rulers to Dana Gray and Redwood elementary schools. They also help the Humane Society, and they are taking donations for a new ultrasound machine at the Mendocino Coast Clinics. There are twenty-three members in their auxiliary, nine are active. For more information about the VFW Auxiliary 11166, call Betty at 964-0035.

For more information on the VFW Fort Bragg Post 11166, call John Goodrich at 962-0220.

At one time, during the heyday of logging the Mendocino Coast to build and rebuild San Francisco and the Bay Area, some old-timers maintain that Caspar was almost as big as Fort Bragg is now. Caspar comprises about twelve square miles of area and boasts a population of approximately sixteen hundred residents, known as “Casparados.”

The Caspar Community Center is dedicated to providing a place for sustainable, civic-minded culture in the heart of Caspar village on the Mendocino Coast. A nonprofit organization, Caspar Community Center organized itself in 1997, and adopted as its mission, “to preserve and enhance the quality of all life in Caspar.”

The Caspar Community Center is housed in what was once the old schoolhouse. According to “Caspar Calling,” by Ann M. Connor in collaboration with Mabel Johnson, the first section of the present schoolhouse was built in 1912.
That year, so the story goes, a tornado came through town and tore up the ship-loading chute, scattered piles of lumber and knocked the school privies this way and that. The second room of the school was added in 1914. In 1966 Caspar School was no longer in use as a regular school. The Head Start program started a child development there in October of 1966.

Caspar Community Center founding member Mike Dell’Ara says that with the help of folks such as Judy Tarbell and so many others (too many to list in this article) the Caspar Community Center building was purchased in 2001. The founding members created a “list of values”—inclusive, collaborative, consensual, peaceful, tolerant, diverse, fair, kind, passionate and visionary. They wanted a venue in which folks could feel comfortable; a non-religious and non-political environment.

Caspar Community Center began serving its fourth Sunday breakfast three years ago. Mike says that most of the food for the breakfast comes from the community garden and also donations from local stores and individuals. The menu varies each month depending on the “guest” chef. Proceeds from the breakfast will be used to build a new kitchen.

Dalen Anderson moved to Caspar in 2000, right around the time when Caspar Community Center was put together. She says, “I showed up at one of the board meetings, and I raised my hand and said, ‘I could do that!’” She’s been the manager of the Caspar Community Center ever since. She goes on to say that, “We are trying to create a viable center for the community and keep it affordable for people to eat here and for folks to rent out the hall and make it available for all on the Mendocino Coast to use.”

“We have a blast doing this,” says Dalen.

Local chef and caterer Oscar Sedman says, “It’s the most fun kitchen experience I’ve ever had.”

David Alden, enjoying his breakfast, says, “It’s great. Where else can you go to enjoy exotic recipes and convivial conversation at a reasonable price?”

Following is the list of volunteers working on the day I attend: In the kitchen—Marilyn Katzel, Oscar Sedman, Carlie Abbot, Obe Brown, Ellen Albrecht, Dalen Anderson. On the floor—Jim Katzel, Lydia Shepard, Christine Samas, Star Decker, Jackie Dooley, Jessie VanSant. At the sink—Greg Valles. With the coffee—Beverly Remer. At the door—Rochelle Elkan, Sienna Potts.

After breakfast I wander over to the room next door and visit with Annie Lee and her Guatemalan imports and the Caspar Bookster—Jima Abbott, who “harvests” books for the monthly Caspar book sale.

For more information on the Caspar Fourth Sunday Breakfast, call Dalen Anderson at 964-4997 or e-mail caspar@mcn.org.

The community Sunday breakfasts on the Mendocino Coast all share the feeling of warmth and friendship—more than just eating a meal they are a social gathering. It’s a way of life on the Mendocino Coast. Each of the Sunday breakfasts that I mention above is unique. They all have good food and a fun atmosphere. Why don’t you start your week out right? Attend one (or all!) of the Sunday breakfasts on the Mendocino Coast. Take a friend or two or three…