29 June 2015
Fourth of July Celebration Set
Wings, wheels, Ducks, fireworks, live music, a pie eating contest, and a museum opening are among the many activities planned for Florence this Saturday, July 4th.
The Florence-Siuslaw Lions Club will host the annual Wings and Wheels Aircraft Fly-In and Car Show from ten to three at the airport. Right next door is the Oregon Coast Military Museum. That will be celebrating a grand opening from ten to four.
The Rhody Express will be operating a special shuttle between parking at the Siuslaw Middle School and the Senior Center to the airport. Additional parking is available at the airport.
In Old Town there will be a patriotic display about the flag on the boardwalk from 11 to 5. The annual pie-eating and watermelon contests will be in front of the Silver Sand Dollar at one; The annual Kiwanis Duck Race is at two.
Making a return to Historic Old Town will be live music in the Port’s Nopal Street parking lot beginning at six. That will be followed by the community fireworks display over the river.
Firefighters extinguish unattended cooking fire
An unattended kitchen fire Saturday afternoon heavily damaged the home of a Florence couple.
Joyce and Wilbur Ternyik were not at home when the fire broke out. Siuslaw Valley Fire Chief Jim Langborg said the cause was traced to a garbage can that Joyce Ternyik had put on top of the range to keep the family dog out of the garbage while they were gone. She had apparently cooked earlier in the day and did not turn off the burner. The dog was rescued unharmed.
Langborg said fire damage was confined primarily to the kitchen of the 929 Rhododendron Drive home, but heat and smoke damage was spread throughout. He estimated the cost of the damage at around $30-thousand.
Langborg said this was the second “unattended cooking fire” that caused considerable damage to homes in the past several weeks.
Lawmakers Heading for Adjournment
The current legislative session in Oregon is headed for wrap up and there are several items getting plenty of attention.
Transportation funding; marijuana; standardized testing and immigration are the top-four.
Governor Kate Brown rolled out a plan last week that would have raised gas taxes at the same time it repealed carbon-reduction goals. It was intended to pick up bi-partisan support but instead was opposed by all.
A plan to temporarily allow recreational sales of marijuana through medical dispensaries by next fall gained support in committee; and the governor signed a bill making it easier for parents of Oregon students to opt out of standardized testing. That’s despite warnings from federal officials that it could jeopardize millions of dollars in education funding.
And… lawmakers approved a plan to allow some Oregon students living in the U.S. without legal permission to qualify for state financial assistance to pay for college.
The legislature has until July 11th to wrap up the 2015 session… but leadership in the House and the Senate are targeting July 3rd.
Overnight traffic delays near Walton
It’s going to be a short week of construction on Highway 126 near Walton. Contractors for the Oregon Department of Transportation are planning on wrapping up work well before the busy July 4th holiday weekend begins.
Motorists should still expect overnight and daytime delays of up to 20 minutes through Thursday.
Mike Stennett with the Oregon Department of Transportation says paving work will be predominately between 7 PM and 7. Other work will likely continue through daytime hours, but delays are not expected to be as long.
Lighthouse tours scaled back
Guided tours of the Heceta Lighthouse are being offered, but they don’t include access to the upper levels of the tower.
Park Manager Kevin Beck says because of lighthouse maintenance and inspections, the tours will be operated between 11 AM and 3 PM daily on the lawn adjacent to the light, and on the first level only.
Heceta Head State Scenic Viewpoint, 14 miles north of Florence, features the lighthouse, several short trails, picnicking, a small beach and the historic lighthouse keeper’s home.
Beck says approximately 625-thousand people visit the viewpoint each year.
Volunteers to play key role in museum opening
A volunteer chief of staff has been selected to oversee operations at the Oregon Coast Military Museum when it opens formally next week.
Judy Murphy has been the “creative impetus” behind the life sized dioramas depicting World Wars One and Two, Korea and Viet Nam. Murphy and her team of artists are hurrying to finish as much as possible before the July 4th Grand Opening.
Museum spokesperson Pat Sapp said as Chief of Staff, Murphy will work with the board of directors to oversee “day-to-day” operations until the group can hire a formal director.
A grand opening is set for a week from tomorrow… on July 4th from 11 to 2 PM at the museum on Kingwood Street.
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