Real Diamond

Episode Highlights: 

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…Will the real Neil Diamond please stand up? 

In this episode, we lean into the sparkle and the spectacle—talking with guests connected to a Neil Diamond tribute band headed to Chinook Winds Casino Resort, and shining a light on Song Sung Blue, now playing at the Bijou Theatre. The film, based on a true story, explores the heart, humor, and humanity behind tribute music—and why these songs still hit home.

Then we widen the lens from stage lights to city lights with Sandy Gruber, talking Community Days and the many ways Lincoln City proves itself to be a real diamond of a place. From music and movies to celebration and community, this episode is all about what dazzles—and why it matters.

• Heather Hatton, Chinook Winds Casino Resort
• Betsy Altomare, Bijou Theatre
• Sandy Gruber, Lincoln City Community Days

Transcript

Jana 0:06

Welcome to the Double R Show, the podcast that features everything about North Lincoln County. The Double R Show, directed and produced by Paul Robertson and hosted by the voice of Lincoln City, Roger Robertson.

RR 0:30

Diamonds are definitely forever, and we're going to talk about diamonds. Real diamonds. Well, real diamond. Real diamond. I love it. Not Neil Diamond, real diamond. Oh, but I can't think of anything better than a diamond.

Son Paul 0:42

A diamond in the rough. Yeah, yeah. This is great. This is good. It's going to be a good show. Folks that uh are ready for a little uh Neil Diamond impersonation. Got a couple opportunities this week. And uh and then on the 28th, I think it is February.

RR 0:55

Oh, February. Yeah. Come into town. Yeah, it's gonna be good. We'll talk about diamonds in the rough and polished, all coming up on today's double R show.

Zellers 1:06

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Jana 1:19

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RR 1:23

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RR 1:46

Serving Lincoln, Tillamook, and Yamhill County's Northwest Septic Service. Diamonds are forever. And diamonds are shining brightly in and around Lincoln City, and especially at Chinook Winds Casino Resort with us is Heather Hatton. Neil Diamond Music Alive.

Heather Hatton 2:03

Yeah. Happy New Year, by the way.

RR 2:04

Happy, happy new year. Yeah. I'm really happy when we can talk about Neil Diamond. That's my all-time favorite.

Heather Hatton 2:10

He's he's a good one. And and the you know, the tribute artist we have is Jay White, and you can go and check him out. And he's really good. And I think it's gonna be an amazing show. And just, I mean, I think anybody getting up there singing those those songs, everybody's gonna sing along. You're not even gonna know if they're a good singer or not, because they're gonna join. That's got nothing to do with it. Right. It's just gonna be just the music. So it's like, you know, he and he's a he's an incredible tribute artist, so I'm excited that we have him.

RR 2:40

The tribute artists that come into town uh come from all over the countryside, do they not?

Heather Hatton 2:46

Yeah, and and how we really research that and and check into it is we look at their performances and see how they did at other locations and and you know, and do they bring their own style to it? Um how close can they get to it? Uh so and we like to make sure that obviously they're not performing within 90 days of us, within so many miles. And so, but we've had some really good tribute artists, and and I'm really excited that we've gone that direction where we have headline shows and we mix in tribute artists because obviously a small casino like us, we can't afford Neil Diamond. Oh, well, right. That's just not gonna it's not in the cards.

RR 3:24

No, and so to bring Vegas has got a tough time putting up the Neil Diamond.

Heather Hatton 3:29

Right. It's I mean, and and to bring that level of fun and nostalgia to our small community is pretty incredible. So I'm excited about that.

RR 3:40

Now, as we get into the new year that we're in now, uh are most of the shows still gonna be either a Friday or a Saturday, but not not both. Right.

Heather Hatton 3:49

Yeah, they're gonna be Saturday night shows. You know, I I think what we were finding is on Friday nights it was tough to draw from out of the area. I mean, uh people are getting off work and and that's hard to fill those seats on, especially in the wintertime, people are not driving. And we also, you know, a lot of times people will come up and back. So they'll come from Salem and go back home. And you know, in the wintertime, that's just not the best thing to do. But I I think it's just really to make sure that we can provide a sold-out venue to these artists that are coming to our community, and it's just more fun that way. So that's the route that we we wanted to go.

RR 4:25

And what kind of feedback do you get from the artists that that uh uh appear in the big stage of at Should I Gwyns?

Heather Hatton 4:31

You know, it's interesting because it's a vacation for them. They love the hear, they love the they love the view, they they get to, you know, a lot of times like I took uh Mater, you know, Larry the cable guy out to play golf. And and um so they were yeah, that was terrible. I did beat him on a couple holes. I have a video on my Facebook, follow me on Facebook, other hand. It was hilarious, him and his buddy and I. But you know, they enjoy the area and they and they love the hospitality. I don't I don't think that that they see the hospitality they get here at a lot of places, and we really treat them right, and and so I think that they just have such a good time. And that's why we have a lot of repeat. Air supply has been here a couple times. We've had some repeat artists because they asked you to come back. You know, if they've done well here, then we tend to go, you know, let's see if we can we can get them back, and if it works on the routing, then and then we're gonna look at that. But uh yeah, I mean air supply really enjoys it here, and then and there's some others smattering of others that that have enjoyed it over here uh, you know, throughout the years.

RR 5:30

You had some big names on a stage.

Son Paul 5:32

Yeah.

RR 5:32

I mean, you you get Jay Leno.

Heather Hatton 5:35

Yeah, and and those, and I think we've had him twice overall. You know, we had Howie Mandel, we've had Winona Judd, and uh we've had Melissa Etherich and Teresa Caputo, and you know, we've just had some really some big names. And I think that you know, it's they just enjoy these smaller venues. It's their way of just kind of connecting with the audience. And you know, one of my all-time favorites is Tony Orlando when he came here.

Zellers 6:02

Greg.

Speaker 10 6:02

And um, and then David Casty, he he came here and I think about a year later he passed away. But when he was here, he just really enjoyed he you know, those artists, those older artists are the ones that connect the most. They are you know entertainers in their core. And so when we get those here, it's it's a real it's a real treat.

RR 6:24

The office behind the stage had uh sheetrock that all of the artists had signed. Is is that still going on?

Heather Hatton 6:31

You know, they took it down. And yeah, they had to when you know, I mean, things happen, and so I'm not sure what they did with that. I don't know if they kept it. I hope so, but I I don't know if they did keep that. But that was pretty cool with all the artists' signatures on that.

RR 6:45

Okay, we got the Neil Diamond Show web.

Speaker 10 6:48

Yeah, February 28th.

RR 6:49

February 28th.

Heather Hatton 6:49

Yeah, it's the week after Seafood and Wine, which is you know, where presenting sponsor at that. And we've got Terry Fader coming up. Uh we've got Queen's Reich that was just posted to the website. I think they're going on sale here soon. And so we've got, you know, a lot of the good ones. And Sebastian Bach is coming up here shortly, and he's sold out already. So already our kickoff to 2026 is pretty solid. And and, you know, I just want to quickly mention that I'm really proud of our team members. You know, we raised $4,655 for Figs Dog Rescue. They raised 135 pounds of food. You know, we um raised a thousand over a thousand dollars for the Christmas baskets for the Eagles, and we delivered, you know, enough food for 300 meals for North County families and at Thanksgiving and you know, and then 82 uh Christmas tags for DHS.

RR 7:35

And on top of that, the food that they presented for Angels Anonymous Festival of the Trees was dazzling.

Heather Hatton 7:42

Yeah, it was great. And our team is just uh exceptional. So I'm proud to be, you know, every time I get to bus with them, I'm like, I I just I'm in awe of the hard work that they do, and it's pretty cool. So um, yeah, I'm really proud of them, and we had a great New Year's, and uh so our team is the best. I just you know, if you ever have a any anything to do there, just thank a team member because you don't know what they go through.

RR 8:07

Well, you may have a diamond jubilee.

Speaker 10 8:09

Hey, we should have a diamond jubilee. That's a good diamond jubilee.

RR 8:12

And again, uh happy 30th anniversary celebration Chinook Winds. Uh that's coming to a close.

Heather Hatton 8:19

Yeah, yeah. We we're, you know, we're in our 31st year. I just celebrated 20 years with them, and and we have a team member that just celebrated 30. We got some more coming, so we're excited about it, and uh it's gonna be another great year.

Bobs Beach Books 8:32

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RR 8:44

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RR 9:14

We talked with Heather Haddon about diamonds are forever, and diamonds are the golden thing with right now at the B's U Theater with this Betsy Altamir. Diamonds, Neil Diamond?

Besty Altomare 9:26

Neil Diamond, the movie. It's a tribute act in the movie Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as his wife. And they do a tribute act, and so many people in this town I never knew were Neil Diamond fans, and they've been coming here and just watching the movie and loving it. Many of the shows have gotten applause.

RR 9:50

Are they returning again and again?

Besty Altomare 9:53

Yes, we've had a few returns. Yes. Those people that have year passes that can come as many times as they want.

RR 10:00

Year pass at the Bijou?

Besty Altomare 10:02

Yes, year passes. Two hundred dollars for the whole year. You can come to any show as many times as you want, except if it's uh a benefit or something like that, then they need to pay.

RR 10:13

Now the show that you've got on right now uh has been a sellout on different dates, right?

Besty Altomare 10:19

Well, close sellout. Uh we opened on Christmas Day, and that was actually our biggest day of this of this show. Uh 94 people. But it's been very consistent. I mean, we've been playing it for nearly two weeks already, and uh we've got almost forty in there right now. So people are coming, they're loving it.

RR 10:41

Day and night.

Besty Altomare 10:43

Day and night, two o'clock and seven thirty shows.

RR 10:46

Now you you also have an opportunity as a uh theater goer to sit in some very comfortable seats.

Besty Altomare 10:55

We do. We have added first six and now nine comfy recliners that we charge an extra three dollars above the ticket price that goes to nonprofits. And we've raised gosh, it's gotta be upwards of twenty-seven thousand dollars now for nonprofits.

RR 11:13

So how does a nonprofit get in on that?

Besty Altomare 11:16

Well, that is a very good question. You should email Keith at bijutheater541 at gmail.com. Be sure to spell theater with an R E at the end, the old timey kind of spelling of theater, and ask. I mean, early on we had to look for people to give away money, but now they are coming. So if you have a nonprofit, you need uh few extra bucks, get in touch with Keith and we could set you up.

RR 11:42

And y you get a show, a week, uh whatever.

Besty Altomare 11:46

You get a month of the recliner money, that extra three dollars per seat. Yep.

RR 11:53

And the recliners are very comfortable, I have to add.

Besty Altomare 11:56

Yes, they are very cozy. We in fact have two at our house.

RR 12:00

Yeah, but the problem is is I fall asleep in the recliners and I don't want to want to miss a movie.

Besty Altomare 12:05

Well, don't recline all the way back. Sit up.

RR 12:08

Just have an extra bag of popcorn.

Besty Altomare 12:11

You gotta come to a more interesting movie instead.

RR 12:14

What's next?

Besty Altomare 12:16

Next we have uh we like to play the movies that are nominated for Academy Awards. So on the 16th of January, we will be opening Hamnet, which is nominated for five Golden Globe Awards. The Academy Award nominations actually come out at the end of the month, but I'm pretty darn sure that's going to be nominated. And also Marty Supreme with Timothy Chalamet and uh some other ones probably that are nominated for the awards this season.

RR 12:44

Yeah, you did mention that uh you select a movie based on what may happen with the Academies. Is that uh always a good yardstick?

Besty Altomare 12:53

For ticket sales? Yeah. Is that what you mean? Not necessarily, but it is certainly a good one to go by. We've had tons of requests for this Hamnet movie. It's about William Shakespeare and lots of requests. People email, people hear coming to the movies, and of course we're playing the trailer, so people ask about it. I read all the trades online and whatnot, so but it does give it a big boost if it's nominated for a bunch of awards, yeah.

RR 13:21

The name becomes familiar.

Besty Altomare 13:23

Right, right.

RR 13:24

And the uh Song Sung Blue, everybody knows what's it's gotta be about Neil Diamond.

Besty Altomare 13:30

Right. And like you had mentioned earlier, a lot of people thought it was a biography of Neil Diamond, but not quite. It's uh about another family. It's based on a true story. The couple in the movie were real people. So it's a tribute band of Neil Diamond.

RR 13:48

It's good stuff. It it really is a good movie. I highly recommend it, and I will come again.

Besty Altomare 13:55

Well, great, thank you very much. One more thing I want to add if you want to get those recliners, you need to email early. We often uh sell out of the recliners, because there are only nine, so you can email as much as two weeks before you plan on coming, which is recommended. And what you do is you email Keith at that same email address at bijou theater541 at gmail.com.

RR 14:20

Does Betsy Aldemir have an all-time favorite movie?

Besty Altomare 14:24

I do. I've been asked that a lot. I would have to say my all-time favorite movie, although there's a lot of good movies these days. Um, but I've always said Chinatown with Jack Nicholson's my favorite all-time movie.

RR 14:35

Are movies getting better and better, or are they just holding their own?

Besty Altomare 14:40

They're holding their own, but every now and then there will be a diamond in the rough.

RR 14:48

Way to go, I love it. Diamond in the rough, diamonds are the girl's best friend. You should have James Bond.

Besty Altomare 14:55

Yeah. Is that how they're doing more? We played.

RR 14:58

No, they're there. There's the the diamonds are forever.

Besty Altomare 15:00

Yeah. Oh, I see what you're saying. Gotcha. Diamonds are diamonds.

RR 15:04

It's a good thing. Do appreciate it. I do did enjoy the movie, and I encourage people to come in again show times.

Besty Altomare 15:12

Two o'clock and seven thirty.

RR 15:14

Every day.

Besty Altomare 15:15

Every day. We work the evening. We have five employees.

RR 15:24

That works as well. So it's at the Bijou, and uh I I thoroughly enjoy it. Betsy, thanks for the time.

Besty Altomare 15:32

You're welcome. Don't forget to go to our website at cinemalovers.com for more information about everything, Bijou.

RR 16:10

Diamonds, diamonds, diamonds, and we'll have a diamond jubilee. Well, maybe not, but close. Sandy Gruber from Community Days is with us, and Community Days is what?

Sandy Gruber 16:22

I describe it as a celebration of us, the residents of the greater Lincoln City area.

RR 16:29

That's a diamond activity.

Sandy Gruber 16:31

That is we have the beaches, we have the mountains, we have the parks, and we have the open spaces, and we have a lot of things going on here, the businesses, the local citizens that chop at those businesses and promote them. And it's us.

RR 16:48

It's kind of fun to be proud of where you live and what you do, is it not? And that's kind of what this event is all about.

Sandy Gruber 16:56

It is all about celebrating this community and being happy we're here, yes.

RR 17:01

Aaron Ross Powell Okay. What type of celebration activities will take place during community days?

Sandy Gruber 17:08

We haven't yet to have our first meeting, but I guarantee you we will have mudflat golf, which is nine holes on Silets Bay at low tide, and being a good golfer makes you bad at mud flat golf. So come if you don't know how to play.

RR 17:25

You don't even have to bring your own clubs. Don't even have to or balls, anything. Just show up. Just show up.

Sandy Gruber 17:30

Uh we will have a ducky derby, we will have a food drive, we will have an end-of-event celebration with awards. We are, I'm hoping we will end up with a putt-putt course again this year, hopefully at the mall, so you don't need to get in and out of your car. We'll have something with the Hispanic community. They haven't told me what they're thinking. They're changing some things up there. The library will most likely have an event. Like I said, we haven't had a meeting yet, so don't know at all. Hopefully, we'll have the barbecue at Johan Plaza again. Sure. Or at least try to give that a worldwide.

RR 18:07

When when does this all take place, Andy?

Sandy Gruber 18:10

It takes place the third week of April, so April 17th to 25th.

RR 18:15

Okay. And who can participate?

Sandy Gruber 18:18

Absolutely everyone.

RR 18:20

Oh well, okay. That kind of doesn't arrow down at all, is it?

Sandy Gruber 18:24

It's everyone. And we know that everyone can't be at every event because of work schedules and family schedules, sporting events. But if you try to come to even one event, you will find out it is a happy, happy time. It is people just doing fun things that don't normally happen here.

RR 18:43

You know, the one thing I probably enjoy as much as anything is sitting down on the beach eating a hot dog.

Sandy Gruber 18:50

Northwest Natural puts on a great barbecue and s'mores.

RR 18:54

That is so relaxing, so much fun.

Sandy Gruber 18:58

And the people they kind of come out of the woodwork and enjoy it. Yeah. And well, the last few years have been pretty darn nice weather, and we're hoping for that for that again. We have had rain on one scheduled barbecue night, and we just moved it to the next Friday.

RR 19:15

Not a problem. Not a problem. We'll make that. Yeah, it it it can it's rather fluid.

Sandy Gruber 19:22

Very fluid, yes. Yes, it's exactly that. But uh Community Days is really a week-long party, fundraiser, supporting our community in so many ways. So this event might be free, so absolutely anybody can afford it. This event might be five bucks, and you might donate one can of food to the food drive, or you might donate five hundred dollars. It doesn't matter. It is to allow everyone to participate in the best way they can and leave with a smile on their face.

RR 19:56

And uh uh Mo's always says the pancake feed for the

Sandy Gruber 20:01

Pancake feed is fabulous.

RR 20:04

That's really neat.

Sandy Gruber 20:05

It's delicious. It supports a good cause. It's put on by a great organization in the community, the koanas. They do so many things in the community. And they all serve our meals with a smile. Luckily for everyone, they don't do the cooking. So the pancakes are delicious.

RR 20:24

Don't even do the mixing.

Sandy Gruber 20:26

Don't even do the mixing. But no, that's a fabulous way. It's usually on the last weekend of the event. And delicious, delicious early morning come and get it breakfast.

RR 20:38

Let's go back to the Budflat Golf Classic. I don't know of another community, any place in the world, that has golf like that in the Celeste Bay.

Sandy Gruber 20:48

Or with Hula Hoop says the holes, and you still have a hard time getting it in the hole.

RR 20:53

There is that.

Sandy Gruber 20:58

Golfing barefoot sometimes can be great. There are incredible water hazards. Wind can be quite tricky to play. And yeah, it is just one because it is a best ball. You don't need to all be good. So you just play where the best of the previous shots went.

RR 21:17

So the name of the game is you get three people that really can play golf and me. So then there's uh gotta be a pigeon in every crowd.

Sandy Gruber 21:28

The name of the game is to be close enough to another team to be cheering or jeering them, depending on how good of friends you are.

RR 21:36

Yeah, but and and how how you want to be treated after it's uh all over with, yeah. Yes, and that's it's at Sluts Bay, so we can go warm up and and get a nice meal right there at uh Pelican and There are a number of events that take place down and in and around Sluts Bay. The the pancake feed uh is uh is at Mo's and and uh the uh fire barbecue.

Sandy Gruber 22:01

Well the bonfire bar barbecue, yep. Yeah. If you want, we could bring back the standstill parade. I don't see if it could pour rain on us again.

RR 22:10

I love that. I and again, it is so hometownish uh that it's uh it's just fun.

Sandy Gruber 22:19

It's just crazy. And uh maybe next year the park, the new park, uh Schooner Creek Park, maybe will be enough built that we can do something there too.

RR 22:30

And last but not least, if somebody or another group or an organization or a business or a nonprofit wants to become involved in Community Days, what do they do?

Sandy Gruber 22:41

They can contact me via Facebook through the Lincoln City Community Days Facebook page or email me at sgruber9g at gmail.com.

Lehto 22:53

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RR 23:16

Uh throughout the course of the program.

Son Paul 23:19

Yeah, we didn't get Sandy's uh diamond uh baseball metaphor in it. Oh, that's right. Yeah, she brought that up. We missed that one, but yeah, uh pretty fun little uh uh piece there we've got to assemble for you, and uh people enjoyed that. And we'll be able to get to see the bijou movie and uh also go uh to Chinook Winds and uh catch the tribute artist uh coming there on the 28th.

RR 23:41

Well, this uh has nothing to do with the program, but uh some other activities in and around the Lincoln City community, Lincoln City Caregiver Support Group, presented by the Alzheimer's Association of Oregon and Southwest Washington. They meet the first and uh third Thursdays of each month from 10 to 11:30 at the Lincoln City Senior Center. Lincoln County Job Fair save the date for the first Lincoln County Job Fair scheduled for March 13th. Work Source and Oregon Coast Community College are working together on this countywide job fair for both high school students and the general public. If you're a veteran, enjoy a free lunch and sandwich luncheon at the Lincoln City Elks Lodge. This is twice a month, the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, noon until two. And if you're into music and the big band sounds, the Lincoln Pops Orchestra rehearses the third Thursdays of every month from 7 to 9.30 at the Glening Beach Community Club. This is your opportunity to get out and shake a leg and dance it up as if you will. And the Parade of Flags, uh sponsored by the Lincoln City Kawanas Club. If you'd like to put up a uh flag, contact any Kiwanian. It's 40 bucks a year, and it uh all of the money goes to providing scholarships for primarily Taft Eye seniors. Right.

Son Paul 25:06

And if you don't have a business frontage, you can have one maybe in no man's land, right? There's lots of sponsors that they uh put up flags for folks, uh 40 bucks again for the year, parade flags through the Lincoln City Kowanas.

RR 25:18

And it may be a flag that you want to put up, and that's fine. Uh an American flag, it also could be a uh military flag. Uh we'll uh be happy to have them all. So, anything else to your side of the table?

Son Paul 25:29

Just wanted to mention that you know the Oregon Coast Community College has got their community uh education uh events going on right now. Some of them already started or will start this week, but there's lots of classes that uh you can get involved with community ed. Just go to Oregoncoast.edu, uh, look at the uh issue and uh find something to do this winter.

RR 25:49

So that'll do to the dunes on a double R show. Please remember to like, subscribe, and share so you, your family and friends around the world and across the street can join us on the Double R Show for Paul and Jenna. I'm double R. Have yourself a happy day.

Jana 26:05

You've been listening to the Double R Show. Join Roger and Paul Robertson as they explore everything about North Lincoln County. The Double R Show produced by Always Productions and hosted by Roger Robertson. Have a story? Email contact at alwaysproductions.com or call four five eight two zero one three zero three nine. For the Double R Show, I'm Janna Gron.