Newport/Oregon Coast Community Drum Circle Presents

06/07/2026

Chandler Davis
Chandler Davis
PROGRESS (6-6-26): I had the follow-up visit with the surgeon in Corvallis – and his PA, who has been over to Newport and participated in the Newport/Oregon Coast Community Drum Circles at the Don Davis Park Gazebo (and loved it)!! -- on Friday and the news continues to be encouraging. Dr. Bird is confident that he got the cancer with sufficient margins and the recovery process is now moving forward through all of it’s charming and entertaining phases. He did find cancer in one of the lymph nodes he removed to biopsy which I will be following up on (probably with chemotherapy, unfortunately) with Oncology at PCH in Newport.
NOTE: The routine Colonoscopies that we have all been urged to get every few years apparently are no longer recommended beyond age 80. You can get one and it should be covered by insurance, but YOU MUST REQUEST IT. I insisted on the one in February (at 83) and that is when the cancer was found. Probably would have died of it had I not insisted!!! CONTINUE WITH YOUR ROUTINE COLONOSCOPIES!
THE BEAT GOES ON! It will likely be weeks to a month or more before I can get back to drumming: I’m not to push, pull, lift, or otherwise fool around with anything that weighs 20 pounds or more. That covers both my Traditional/World Beat Percussion Set and the casual Pop/Contemporary accompaniments. Sandra will continue to add color to the popular rhythms at the Thursday Jams with Donny King (every Thursday, 6-8p.m.) at the Newport Eagles. I’m going to use the break to try to develop some licks on several Folk/Melodic instruments that I’ve wanted to learn to play for a long time.

04/21/2026

THANKS to everyone who turned out for the LOVE MELTS ICE Rally and Free Concert last Saturday (April 18) at Newport City Hall to raise money to help local Lincoln County residents who are continuing to be impacted by the Trump Administration’s brutal immigration policies.
We especially appreciated all of you who stayed around for the ending set with James J. Ferguson and I (your “regular” music stalwarts at Newport’s HANDS OFF, NO ICE, and NO KINGS Rallies for the past year or so)!
James J. and I were joined – in appropriately inclusive and collaborative fashion -- by Donna Hill, drummer from Mamadou Thioub’s wonderful Daray Baye Fall Senegalese drum ensemble, Alex Llumiguinga (of Chayag en Familia), the PipeDance Irish band’s flutist, Nyla’s tambourine, and the No-Ice Hippopotamus!
Funds raised at Saturday’s event were to be divided among the three main local organizations that work directly with the most affected communities to provide support services and promote cultural awareness: CENTRO DE AYUDA, ARCOIRIS CULTURAL, and CONEXION PHOENIX. If you were unable to attend Saturday’s fundraiser, you can donate directly. All three organizations are on Facebook.

04/17/2026

UPDATE: Brought to you by the folks who have been organizing the HANDS OFF, ICE OUT, and NO KINGS rallies in Lincoln County, Saturday’s (April 18) LOVE MELTS ICE RALLY AND FREE CONCERT in Newport shifts to raising funds to help law-abiding Lincoln County residents whose lives have been impacted by the administration’s immigration policies.
And GOOD NEWS: The expected storm blew itself out last night and the probability of rain has just been revised by the National Weather Service from a previous 50% on Saturday to 3 per cent. That’s partly SUNNY, ALL DAY!
It’s taking place again on the front lawn of Newport City Hall, Saturday, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and features LIVE MUSIC by LOCAL MUSICIANS. The card includes World Beat Percussionist Chandler Davis who has been presenting the music at the previous Newport rallies accompanied by frequent rally guests James J. Ferguson, acoustic guitar and vocals, and percussionists Sara Heimlich and Donna Hill.
Lively drumming will continue to drive the event with the amazing Daray Baye Fall African Drum Ensemble led by Senegalese Master Drummer Mamadou Thioub, and with Siletz Tribal Pow Wow Drummers from the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians. A bit softer, but no less entrancing, well-known Lincoln County singer/songwriters and acoustic guitarists Barbara Lee Turrill and Dylan Crawford and the Irish music band Pipedance will also be performing on the City Hall lawn while rally participants fly signs and banners along Highway 101 protesting ICE’s continuing illegal and immoral actions.
There will also be food trucks at the site. Bring your own lawn chairs and blankets if needed. Donations in any amount are invited.

Great news: The storm blew itself out overnight and the official Probability of Precipitation for Saturday has gone from 50% to 3 per cent! "Partially Sunny" ALL DAY!

04/17/2026

Great news: The storm blew itself out overnight and the official Probability of Precipitation for Saturday has gone from 50% to 3 per cent! "Partially Sunny" ALL DAY!