25 YEARS OF TRASHY FUN – TRASH BASH IS SOON
WHERE? White Clover Grange #784, Nehalem, Oregon
WHEN? Thursday, May 16 to Sunday, May 19, 2024
SUBMIT INTEREST BY: May 1st
www.heartofcartm.org
From Thursday, May 16 to Sunday, May 19, 2024, we will gather in Nehalem, OR, at the White Clover Grange for an unforgettable extravaganza of the senses as the Trash Bash celebrates its 25th anniversary with a Trash, Boom, BANG!
Under the banner of “Rising from the Trashes” storytellers, visual artists, community activists, musicians, and runway trashion models will show off their creativity and passion for the natural beauty that surrounds us and the environment we’re passionate about preserving by turning trash into art! Should you be there? Absolutely!
Each artist puts their own unique spin on the experience and “you walk away with a sense of common purpose with a community of people” says Jennifer Nightingale, an Astoria-based novelist and storyteller who has returned to the Trash Bash to tell trash-inspired tales again and again. “When I come to the Trash Bash, I feel understood . . . I’ve never participated in any group where I felt so instantly welcomed.”
What do all of the participants have in common? “They take great delight in our natural world and,” as Nightingale stresses, “if you don’t fight for it, it won’t be here. The interesting thing about the trash bash is,” she goes on, “that there are moments of humor, pathos . . . the experience really runs the gamut of emotions—but in the end, it’s fun. The feeling that runs throughout is JOY.”
A writer and storyteller from Astoria, OR, Nightingale and her husband adopted a stretch of river beach eight years ago that they clean up several days a week. This experience and the trash she has collected by doing so over the years inspired her most recent Trash Bash tale. But participation is not limited to storytellers alone! Visual artists, fashion models, musicians, passionate volunteers, and community activists are all encouraged to get involved: “Just bring whatever gifts you have.”
“By participating,” Nightingale reflects, “it changes your response to trash. It heightens your empathy, your careful skills of observation. It helps you value trash and see all of its potential. It helps you walk away with a new perspective: Can you find the story inside the trash? Can it be repurposed somehow? Each item of trash tells a story. You’ll learn to see in new ways, beyond the item’s initial purpose.”
Why should you participate? Nightingale doesn’t hesitate, “It’s very meaningful. No matter what [which art form] you do, you’re telling a story. We all have to step up and do a little piece.” Maybe best of all, by participating and submitting your work of art/story/trashion, it’s a way to love the Coast back: “I love it here,” Nightingale gushes. “I love the power of the Coast. The rivers and estuaries. To be with a community of people who care for the well-being of this community is just AWESOME!”
If that’s you too, we would love to see your trash craft or hear your trashy story!
To leave your creative mark on this year’s Trash Bash, go to www.heartofcartm.org/trash-bash-2024
Together we are Rising from the Trashes, to leave our hearts a little more full and our landfills a little more empty.
Photo by Broken Banjo Photography. Jennifer Nightingale at Trash Tales 2023.
