They gathered in the center of Half Moon Bay at Main and Kelly, 8,000 strong, to hear music, eat and mingle with their neighbors - but mostly they came to honor a store, a store owner and a way of life.
Two square blocks were cordoned off downtown, and that area was quickly packed, Mill to Miramontes, with charmed, delighted people.
|
|
Those thousands of people came out on a misty Tuesday night to hear jazz vibraphonist great Bobby Hutcherson and garage-band legend The Tubes, to eat at the dozens of food booths, to make their silent auction bids to raise money for the Cunha's Store Employee Relief Fund.
And they were there because of the way they feel about Cunha's Country Grocery store, a 100-year-old landmark that burned down May 21, and they came out because of its owner, Bev Ashcraft.
"It's absolutely inspiring," councilwoman Toni Taylor said, waving a hand, palm up, at the big crowd. "When the entire town comes out and says we support you and we love you, then obviously you've made something of yourself."
Ashcraft held court in the center of the intersection, a constant stream of well-wishers stopping by with a touch, a hug, a nod, an anecdote.
"We told her we really missed Cunha's, and we hope it comes back," 12-year-old Regina Sena said, 5-year-old Emma perched on her back. "Bev, she's so sweet, she's such a sweet lady."
Nearby, Kathy Trainer and other Cunha's workers passed out pink and white circus animal cookies - just like the ones in the cookie jar for kids up at the front of the store.
"I found that it works better opening the packs up, and giving them one cookie at a time, then they see what it is and they just love it," Trainer said.
"I like the pink ones," said cookie connisseur Neil Sterling, 7, of Half Moon Bay. "They're more colorful. Not like the white ones, I like the pink ones."
Up on stage, between music acts, Taylor presented Ashcraft with a plaque from the city.
It proclaimed May 21 Cunha's Country Store Day.
Ashcraft looked out over the sea of people and cried. She couldn't talk for long.
"I'm happy we're welcomed back," she said. "We'll be back, we'll be back in a short time."
Organizers raised an estimated $80,000 in entry fees, another $10,000 from T-shirt sales, and the amount from the silent auctions hasn't yet been added up.
Promoter Bob Lacey strutted around the side of the stage, flush with the event's success. He had to call off singer Joan Baez, he said - there just wasn't enough time, since the event had to end at 10 p.m. There was only one thing that irked him about the night, he said.
"When you ask people to work for free," Lacey growled, "you can't yell at anyone."
"This store has been part of our holidays for years and years," Montara resident and musician Hutcherson said. "Hey, I can't get jerk sauce anymore. We brought a bunch of it back from Jamaica and we ran out. And it was at Cunha's - Cunha's market was the only place we could get it.
"This store, it was almost like the sun coming up every day, you don't realize what you have every day. It's a spoke in the wheel of the coast. And that spoke is missing, and everybody wants to do something to put it back right."
"This is just amazing," Half Moon Bay resident Annie Ingraham said, tucked among the crowd. "I've seen people here I haven't seen in years. It's like a family."
Ashcraft held court in the center of the intersection, a constant stream of well-wishers stopping by with a touch, a hug, a nod, an anecdote.
"We told her we really missed Cunha's, and we hope it comes back," 12-year-old Regina Sena said, 5-year-old Emma perched on her back. "Bev, she's so sweet, she's such a sweet lady."
Nearby, Kathy Trainer and other Cunha's workers passed out pink and white circus animal cookies - just like the ones in the cookie jar for kids up at the front of the store.
"I found that it works better opening the packs up, and giving them one cookie at a time, then they see what it is and they just love it," Trainer said.
"I like the pink ones," said cookie connoisseur Neil Sterling, 7, of Half Moon Bay. "They're more colorful. Not like the white ones, I like the pink ones."
Up on stage, between music acts, Taylor presented Ashcraft with a plaque from the city.
It proclaimed May 21 Cunha's Country Store Day.
Ashcraft looked out over the sea of people and cried. She couldn't talk for long.
"I'm happy we're welcomed back," she said. "We'll be back, we'll be back in a short time."
Organizers raised an estimated $80,000 in entry fees, another $10,000 from T-shirt sales, and the amount from the silent auctions hasn't yet been added up.
Half Moon Bay police Sgt. John Sanchez estimated the crowd at about 8,000 people.
Promoter Bob Lacey strutted around the side of the stage, flush with the event's success. He had to call off singer Joan Baez, he said - there just wasn't enough time, since the event had to end at 10 p.m. There was only one thing that irked him about the night, he said.
"When you ask people to work for free," Lacey growled, "you can't yell at anyone."
"This store has been part of our holidays for years and years," Montara resident and musician Hutcherson said. "Hey, I can't get jerk sauce anymore. We brought a bunch of it back from Jamaica and we ran out. And it was at Cunha's - Cunha's market was the only place we could get it.
"This store, it was almost like the sun coming up every day, you don't realize what you have every day. It's a spoke in the wheel of the coast. And that spoke is missing, and everybody wants to do something to put it back right."
"This is just amazing," Half Moon Bay resident Annie Ingraham said, tucked among the crowd. "I've seen people here I haven't seen in years. It's like a family."
w