13th Winter Folk Festival

Coast Radio News
Local News

16 January 2015

13th Winter Folk Festival to bring variety

The stage is set; two Kids Koncerts yesterday introduced about 900 area elementary students to folk music; there’ll be selected performances around town and a jam session at Pier Point Inn this evening; then shortly after the doors open tomorrow morning at ten, the first of nine performers will take the stage at the Florence Events Center. It’s the 13th annual Winter Folk Festival.

Larry Potts – “I cut my teeth listening to people like James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, and John Denver. Of course, there are elements of Bob Dylan that are definitely Folk.”

The first performer, at 10:30, is a retired high school teacher from Petaluma, California; Larry Potts. He says he’s a story teller.

Larry Potts – “Folk Music usually has a message of some kind. I was a real fan of Peter, Paul and Mary. I just loved the social background that informed their songs. And all of those people; telling stories that were personal. Some that had real impact politically.”

Potts performed some in the 60s when he was going to Salem’s Willamette University and started writing songs and performing them 12 years ago when he retired from the class room.

The headliner concert for the festival is Grammy award winning singer songwriter Tom Paxton. There are still a few tickets left for his performance at 7:30 tomorrow evening.

Editor Says Farewell to Florence

Theresa Baer stresses she is not retiring. But, but after eight years at the Siuslaw News; 7 ½ as Editor; she’s returning to Southern California to be with her aging parents.

Theresa Baer – “I think I’m going to miss being the editor of this paper the most. Once in a while we can be meaningful. And accomplish something, be productive, make a difference.”

Baer is spending today as she would any other Friday since August of 2007; working to put Saturday’s edition “to bed”. The only difference: tomorrow will be the final for her. Next week, Features Editor Ryan Cronk will take over. Baer is proud of her work and the role the twice-weekly paper plays in the community.

Theresa Baer – “At the simplest and most community oriented level it’s when we let people know that something’s happening and that’s what brings them in the door. That’s a good thing and all of those people are terribly grateful for what we do.”

She was only the second editor at the local paper in the past 30 years… and as far as she can tell, the only woman editor in the entire 125-year history of the publication. Baer says she will continue writing, free-lancing for different publications. And… she doesn’t rule out an eventual return to the area someday.

Lower Umpqua Walk In Clinic Expanding

A long time Family Nurse Practitioner in Reedsport is returning to that community in an effort to bolster the availability of immediate health care.

Kathy Moon spent 8 ½ years with Dunes Family Health Care beginning in 1999 before leaving to work in Florence. The Board-Certified practitioner will join Dr. Audrey Shank and the staff at Lower Umpqua Hospital’s Walk-In Clinic in March.

Moon says she sees her role as one of helping patients meet their immediate needs while assisting them in finding a health care provider for long term needs.

Police Corral Alleged Burglar

A homeless man was arrested early Tuesday morning after police responded to an alarm at an old town restaurant. The alarm was at one AM and officers found the break-in at the Bay Street Grill. During the course of the immediate investigation, they discovered a similar situation next door at the Beach Comber.

Liutenant John Pitcher said they arrested 38-year old Jesse Wayne Ferrel on two counts of burglary, criminal mischief and theft.

John Pitcher – “He didn’t leave a trail, we just started searching the area. One of our guys sees the guy on the bridge, makes contact and then develops the evidence and the information to tie him to it.”

Pitcher said police recovered several items that were stolen from the Bay Street Grill and the Beach Comber.

No More Timber Payments

The Obama Administration has told 41 states how much money they are losing after Congress ended subsidies to counties that contain national forest land.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this week that the U.S. Forest Service is distributing more than $50-million to timber counties nationwide… far less than the $300 million shared by the 746 counties during the final year last year of the Secure Rural Schools subsidies program.

For decades, the Forest Service has paid a quarter of its logging revenues to counties with forest lands to be used for roads and schools. About 20-years ago, with logging reduced to protect the spotted owl and salmon, Congress began approving the subsidies.

Efforts to renew them died last month in Congress.

Documenting Highest Tides of the Season

If you can get to the beach with your smart phone the first part of next week, you could play a role in this year’s “King Tide” project.

Some of the highest tides of the year will happen Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and the CoastWatch program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition is hoping to document them.

Volunteer photographers are asked to take photos showing the relationship between the tides and the “built environment” like roads, buildings and bridges. You can post your pictures online at www-dot-OregonKingTides-dot-net. This month’s king tides follow similar ones in December… then more will show up again in about four weeks.