lively
An appetite for
competition
Reflect on Taft’s spooky past
Friday the 13th; unlucky for
some. But this fateful date brings
only good luck to Lincoln City
this year, signaling the return of
the popular Haunted Taft walking
tour.
First launched in October 2018,
these fun and spooky excursions
quickly became an overnight
sensation, with sold-out tours
and rave reviews. The new season
offers an ever-richer collection of
history, local lore and first-hand
accounts, all woven together to
create a night-time walk through
the historic Taft district you’ll
never forget.
“We’ve added new stories
for 2020 and built new facets
into others,” said Shellie Stuart,
Haunted Taft’s tour director and
executive director of the Bay Area
Merchants Association. “This
year marks 100 years since the
start of Prohibition, and the coast
has its share of rum-running and
bootlegging stories. Tour guests
Haunted Taft schedule
• Friday, March 13: Friday the 13th Tour at 7 pm
• Tuesday, April 7: Full Moon Tour at 7 pm
• Thursday, May 7: Full Moon Tour at 8 pm
• Friday, June 5: Full Moon Tour at 8 pm
• Saturday, June 20: Summer Solstice Tour at 8 pm
• Saturday, July 4: Post-Fireworks Midnight Madness Tour at 11 pm
• Monday, Aug. 3: Full Moon Tour at 8 pm
• Tuesday, Sept. 1: Full Moon Tour at 8 pm
• Thursday, Oct. 1: Full Moon Tour at 7 pm
• Saturday, Oct. 31: Halloween Full Moon Tour at 7 pm
For the complete, up-to-date schedule and to purchase tickets, go to
HauntedTaft.com.
will learn about Whiskey Jack,
who’s been seen up and down
the coast for much of the past
century.”
On full-moon nights, a tour
guide leads guests through Lincoln
City’s historic Taft district. Along
the route, the group pauses at
“haunted” locales to hear tales.
Ghosts and creatures are known to
roam Taft during the tour.
“Our home base is the Sapphire
Center,” Stuart said. They
graciously provide the perfect
22 • oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • March 6, 2020
haunted space in the historic
Bailey Building for guests to
check-in and get comfortable
before the tour begins.”
“Seeing the Taft historic
district come alive with more
and more offerings for our
guests is a demonstration of how
Lincoln City is a vibrant, growing
destination,” said City Manager
Ron Chandler. “Haunted Taft
combines the rich history of our
area, mixes it with a bit of fancy
and turns our bayfront area into a
compelling night-time attraction.”
Beginning on Friday, March 13,
the tour will be offered monthly,
with most tours falling on the full
moon. Special tours will also be
offered Summer Solstice, Fourth
of July and other notable dates.
Haunted Taft gratefully
acknowledges support from
Chinook Winds Casino Resort,
the Oregon Coast Visitors
Association and Oregon Coast
TODAY.
Elementary school students
in Lincoln County School
District will use their culinary
skills to re-imagine their
favorite lunch meal at the
2020 Sodexo Future Chefs
Challenge this Saturday,
March 7, in Newport.
Fifty-four elementary
school students submitted
healthy recipes inspired by
their favorite lunch meals
and 16 finalists were selected
to participate in the district-
wide finals event. Finalists
will prepare and present their
creations before being assessed
on criteria including originality,
taste, kid friendliness and use
of healthy ingredients.
Lincoln County School
District joins 253 other school
districts across the country
holding Future Chefs events
throughout February and
March. The winning student
from each district will be
considered for 40 regional
finalist awards, and the selected
regional finalists will vie to
become one of five national
finalists competing for the
public’s vote on SodexoUSA.
com.
The national initiative, now
in its 10th year, was created to
get students thinking about
making healthy food choices
while also encouraging them
to be active and creative in the
kitchen.
“According to the American
Heart Association, about one
in every three American kids
and teens is overweight or
obese,” said Stephen Dunmore,
CEO North America, Schools,
Sodexo. “This staggering
statistic demonstrates why it
is more important than ever
to engage youth to become
advocates for their own health.”
Saturday’s competition
will run from 9 am to 1 pm
at Yaquina View Elementary
School, 351 SE Harney Street,
Newport.