By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
You could say that the calendar for Yachats Youth and Family Activities Program started on Dec. 3, 2011.
That’s when Ken Gagne of Yachats was loading his fishing boat at South Beach Marina and turned around to experience “the most beautiful sunset I’d ever seen.” He took out his $100 point-and-shoot camera and fired off a shot.
Some 12,000 photos later Gagne says it’s still his “favorite picture ever.”
That sunset shot spawned Gagne’s interest in photography, an upgrade in equipment and an obsession where he now shoots 500 frames a day, mostly in and around Yachats.
“I’m self-taught,” says Gagne, 71. “I just go out there. I’m out and about every day.”
Gagne came up with the idea of a calendar featuring his photos, first offering them as a fundraiser for Food Share of Lincoln County in 2013. After learning about YYFAP’s child- and family-focused programs, he approached them about a calendar for 2014.
Six years later, the 2019 YYFAP calendar is out and on the market. There are 750 available. People can buy them for $20 at C&K Market, the Just Local store and Dark Water gallery. They are also available at YYFAP in the Yachats Commons or via the organization’s website www.Yachatsyouth.org
The calendar sale is one of the organization’s major fundraisers for the year, said program assistant Pam Luderitz.
The organization, based in The Commons’ basement, offers year-round programs for children and their families. This includes a pre-school, an after-school recreation and learning program, monthly dinners for kids and their families focusing on literacy, summer camps, swim lessons and special events. The October family dinner, for example, attracted 176 people, Luderitz said.
“Calendar sales help our programs a lot,” she said.
It is Luderitz’ job to hunt down all the special dates and activities for the months of the calendar and sell ads for two inside pages. Executive director Alice Rose Beck usually helps choose the photos – Gagne usually offers 40-50 — for each month.
Gagne tries to offer photos for major events that month – a couple marrying on the beach for February, clouds forming a jack-o-lantern in October, snow-covered trees on Cape Perpetua for December.
“I’ve got quite a big library to choose from,” he said.
The photos are selected in August, the calendar heads to the printer in September and is available to buy in October. Luderitz said there’s a buying rush when it first comes out, then around Christmas and then in January when people realize they need a new calendar.
It’s the second year YYFAP has offered to mail the calendar, which is popular with out-of-town property owners and visitors. This year they’ve gone to people in Alabama, New Jersey, Florida, and Missouri.
“We sold all but four last year,” Luderitz said.