- Kemmer-Heckes Gathering, Oysterville, May 2010
Among the greatest pleasures of being ‘rooted’ in a small community are our many family connections, and not just our own family, either. There are the in-laws, the outlaws, and the totally unrelated families who have known us and ours for generations. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t see someone who could be considered ‘like family.’
Yesterday’s Kemmer-Heckes family gathering at the Oysterville Schoolhouse was a perfect example. Several dozen people were there during the course of the afternoon, ranging in age from a few years old to even older than I (which we agreed was getting on toward ancient.) A number of us were not “family” in the strictest sense, but we certainly felt right at home.
Here were the “kids” I had known since childhood, now gray or bald or dyed or bleached but still with the same infectious laughter and crazy sense of fun. Here, too, were the “kids” I remember from my years as a teacher at Ocean Park or Long Beach or Hilltop schools, now all grown up and with children of their own. And here were the “little kids,” young enough to be my grandchildren or even my great-grandchildren, some of them look-alikes of their forebears whom I had known when I was their age.
We had a great time! The food tasted extra good, reminiscent of the days that the Kemmer sisters, “Aunt Rye,” “Aunt Ann,” “Aunt Ev,” and “Aunt Nanny” (all even older than my own grandmother!) were still running the Heckes Inn just up the street from us. We retold the family stories that we had heard as children and laughed about our own childhood escapades back in Oysterville’s blue collar working years. We made promises to get together more often and said reluctant goodbyes when the time for departure came. It was a perfect “Oysterville Day” in every possible way.
I believe that the event you describe is the cement that binds families and communities together. My son once asked why so many family pictures involved eating. Because eating together is elemental and sacred. It’s why so many religions have the breaking of bread as part of their ritual. Our gatherings together as families and friends are rituals, too, as well as memories for the next generation. You’ve made memories for all of the “kids.”
Oysterville is an idyllic setting to remember the past. Last weekend we drove from Ilwaco up to Oysterville with friends and family. I showed my daughter-in-law the Oysterville Church where Dave and I were married and the Oysterville School where we had our reception. Visiting Oysterville is definitely a trip back in time for locals and visitors alike.