Oysterville Schoolhouse 2008

     For fifty years or maybe more, the “official” beginning of the Christmas holidays here in the village is the Oysterville Community Club Christmas Party.  It takes place in the schoolhouse which has been Community Club headquarters since 1957 when the last classes were held at the little one-room school building.  The Community Club, itself, can trace its ancestry back to the turn of the last century.
     It began in the early 1900s when the women of Oysterville met weekly in one another’s homes to work on sewing and knitting projects and to keep abreast of community news and needs.  They called themselves the “Sewing Bee” or the “Sewing Circle.”  In 1925, the group organized more formally, elected officers, and affiliated with the Willapa Harbor District Federation of Women’s Clubs.  They continued to sew but expanded their focus to include fund-raising for the school and for community projects.  In those days they mostly just referred to the group as “The Club.”
    During World War II, the women devoted their energies toward the war effort.  They continued to sew and knit, mainly for servicemen, and proceeds from fund-raising efforts went to the Red Cross.  After the war, the group focused once again on the needs of the school and community. Then, in 1957, the group again re-established itself, opening membership to all residents of the village and vicinity.  The vacated school was leased from Ocean Beach School District #101, giving the Community Club use of the property for 99 years in exchange for its continued maintenance – an arrangement that continues today.  Under the auspices of the Oysterville Community Club, the building was fully restored in 1998.
     These days, without school children in the village, the focus of the Community Club is primarily social and the most important event of the year is the Christmas party.  It changes in character from year to year – sometimes, patients from the nursing homes are honored guests; sometimes, there is a white elephant gift exchange; sometimes Santa makes an appearance.
     This year there was group carol singing, a surprise solo by an Oysterville newcomer, and the third annual reading of Robert Service’s “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”  The yearly raffle featured gorgeous baskets of local products, and the dinner – ham and turkey with all the trimmings, side dishes, and many kinds of decadent desserts – surpassed its usual high standards.  As always, the laughter and good fellowship among friends old and new set the tone for the season and for the coming year in Oysterville… or so we hope!