Sue Bert, Jack Buddeke and Chris Beach met at Manzanita City Park ten years ago while on vacation and have been jamming’ together ever since. Beach, an academic who lives in Southern California and spends most of the summer in the area with his wife and children, remembers that day ten years ago playing at the park when a couple of vans pulled into the parking lot and “two wonderful families poured out of them.” The parents and the children, then four- and five-years-old, hit it off immediately with the adults common interest in music cementing the relationship.

Bert and Buddeke live in Portland and vacation each summer in Manzanita for a couple of weeks where they meet up with the Beach family. Vacation time each year is coordinated so the threesome can dust off their guitars and make music. “Music, music, music…it’s all about music,” said Beach.

This summer the group has a new gig. At the urging of family friend Jane Comerford who owns a cottage in Neahkahnie, they approached Jim and Lynn Mudd, who own and operate Manzanita Mudd Dogs, a popular hot dog stand offering Chicago-style hot dogs, about performing. For the past couple of weeks, eight days in all, the “Mudd Dogs,” as Beach jokingly dubbed the group, have played afternoons while patrons, passer-bys and anyone in earshot enjoyed the music.

Not only does he serve up a tasty dog, but Jim Mudd, himself, sings and plays the guitar and joined the group on occasion to belt out a tune – a little ditty called “Day by day” his favorite. Even the children, still good friends and now teenagers, joined in.

It’s all about fun and music with the tips generated from the tip bucket going to the Mudd Nick Foundation. “We play for hot dogs,” said Bert.

“We’re all real in love with the community,” Buddeke added.

Already, the threesome is looking forward to next summer and another stint at Manzanita Mudd Dogs.