Port Orford News
THE MOST WESTERLY WEEKLY IN THE CONTIGUOUS 48 STATES
Volume 55, No. 16
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Inside
Rusted ...
Art lies in the eye of
the man or woman
behind the shutter.
The old catapillar
shown here is a study
in black and white
photos, courtesy of
our own Lance Nix.
— Page 5
Sports
Some great pix of the
Blanco Invitational
Track meet held last
week at Pacific High,
and the latest in
ODF&W and other
state hunting and
fishing news.
— Pages 7-8
Price - Fifty Cents
Port Orford, Curry County, Oregon 97465
Exploring the wonders of nature
with the Wilderland School
E
students will get a chance
to see and learn about
fish of all sizes at the
Elk River fish
hatchery. In May
we will visit our
closest neigh-
bors when we
walk around
Langlois and
see the Post
Office, the
Feed Store and
the Langlois
Valley Flora on Floras
Creek, rode horses
and visited with
miniature don-
keys at the Van
Den
Abeelen’s
stables near
Bandon, and
explored sea-
life on Orion
Ashdown’s
fishing boat in
Port Orford.
This month
very month the students
at the Wilderland School
make a trip into their
community to see first-hand the
variety of activities that take
place where they live.
Just a few weeks ago students
went on a fieldtrip to see the
Wahl family lambing barn at the
mouth of the Elk River.
Earlier this year, students vis-
ited the cranberry bogs on air-
port road for harvest time, went
on a scavenger hunt and ate
good food in the gardens of
Market. And as an end of the
year send-off we will make a
trip to the beach.
The Wilderland School has
offered a preschool program for
the last four years, and for the
last three it has offered K-1.
Next year a morning preschool
program will be offered with an
option for extended child-care
in the afternoons.
If you would like to visit the
school, feel free to give us a call
at (541) 348-2414 and set up a
time to stop by.
Photos by Kelly Fleming
RIGHT: Kobe Ashdown, 4, is
shown holding a lamb dur-
ing the Wilderland
Schoolʼs recent visit to
the Wahl lambing barn.
BELOW LEFT: Tucker
Long, 4, reaches
down into a pen to
pat a soft, wooly head.
BELOW RIGHT: Jack
Sorensen, 3, has his
hands full of his
very own little lamb.
Ollie Jones
It was a lot of fun, and
informative at last
weekʼs P.O. Rotary
lunch. A min-auction
and Ollie Jones
shared some of her
“story” with those
present.
— Page 10
Coming up
David Brock Smith kicks off local campaign
By Matt Hall
LWV Voterʼs Forum
PON staff writer
David Brock Smith, Port Orford councilman and
president of the Northern Curry County Chamber
of Commerce, took time out from a very busy
schedule Sunday to host an informal gathering of
friends, supporters and interested observers while
stating his candidacy for Curry County
The League of Women Voters will hold a candidates
forum at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 21. See below.
P.O. Rotary Club
The Port Orford Rotary Club will meet at noon,
each Thursday at the P.O. American Legion Hall.
Commissioner, Position No. 1.
The gathering, which was held in the “Freedom
of Speech” room of the Port Orford Public Library,
featured Smith at his most earnest, a gathering of
over 40 very interested citizens, and of course, due
to the family business, the Port & Starboard
Restaurant and Lounge, a well-stocked buffet.
Smith began by welcoming the crowd, introduc-
ing himself, and offering background.
“Who am I?,” he asked retorically.
PON photo by Matt Hall
David Brock Smith at Sundayʼs kick-off event.
See SMITH page 4
Astronomy at the library
A r t o f f t h e W a l l : Rebekah Wagner always played
From 1-5 p.m., Saturday, April 24, National
Astronomy Day will be celebrated at the P.O. Library.
By Shirley Nelson
Also inside
L
Rays Food Place and McKayʼs Market
News briefs
LWV to hold voter forums
The League of Women Voters of Curry County will hold
three candidate forums for County Commissioner candidates
in the May 18 Primary Election. The forums will be in Port
Orford, Wednesday, April 21 at the public library; and in
Brookings, Thursday, April 22 at Chetco Public Library. All
forums begin at 7 pm.
Three candidates are running for Commissioner Position #1
on a nonpartisan basis. They are David Itzen, Brookings; Lucie
La Bonte, Gold Beach; and David Brock Smith, Port Orford.
If one candidate receives 50 percent of votes plus one in the
Primary, he or she wins the seat. Otherwise, the two top vote-
getters run in the November General Election.
Voter registration deadline is April 27
Curry County Clerk, Renee’ Kolen reminds residents that
are new to Curry County that the deadline to register to vote in
the May 18 Primary Election is April 27.
“You must register with the county elections office by April
27 if you wish to vote in the May 18 Primary Election and you
are not currently registered. April 27 is also the last day to
change party affiliation for the Primary Election.” said Kolen.
Mail registration cards to Curry County Clerk/Elections
Division, PO Box 746, Gold Beach, OR 97444.
Voter registration cards are available at your local city hall,
post office, library, on line at http://co.curry.or.us/
Clerk/Registering or contact the County Clerk’s Elections
Office so they can make arrangements to get you registered.
Ballot packets will be mailed out to registered voters
between April 30th and May 4th. If you have not received
your ballot packet by May 7, or need help in registering,
please call Kolen’s office at (541) 247-3297 or toll free at
(877) 739-4218.
National Astronomy Day at P.O. Library
A National Astronomy Celebration will be held from 1-5
p.m., Saturday, April 24, at the Port Orford Public Library.
See BRIEFS page 2
For the Port Orford News
anglois native Rebekah Wagner can-
not remember a time when she was
not playing the piano. The Pacific
High School senior relates that when she
was very young, “Mom would play as I fell
asleep at night; mostly Beethoven.” A
favorite was the Sonata in C Minor
(“Pathetique”), a composition Wagner
played in the recent Mildred Hill concert at
Zion Lutheran Church. Other numbers on
the program, played for a full house, were
by Chopin, Brahms, George Gershwin, and
Norman Dello Joio.
Wagner’s mother, a mostly self-taught
pianist, held the two year-old girl on her lap
as her little hands played notes. Her mother
continued teaching Wagner until the girl
began working with other teachers from
about age seven. While in the eighth grade
she decided she would pursue music as a
career. Though her two sisters and two
See ART page 5
Photo by Shirley Nelson
Rebekah Wagner at Zion Lutheran.
Council hears engineer’s report on water system
By Matt Hall
PON staff writer
The Port Oford City Council met at 6 p.m.,
Thursday, at the Gilbert Gable Council
Chambers in the Port Orford City Hall.
Present were city staffers Mike Murphy, city
PON photo by Matt Hall
Steve Donovan of SHN Engineering is
shown talking about Port Orfordʼs water.
To be wed
It was a
bad
feather
day
Photo by Lance Nix
Kimberly Kerr & David Michael Compton
On Feb. 13th, David Michael Compton pro-
posed to Kimberly Dawn Kerr. They plan to
marry June 4th, 2011, at Oregon Beckenridge
See WED page 10
This Stellar Jay was
caught in the midst of a
“bad feather day,” accord-
ing to Port Orford
Photographer Lance Nix,
who says that he shot the
picture of the brilliant blue
bird “north of Port Orford.”
Itʼs a great shot, Lance,
thanks again for sharing.
Send your “unretouched,
raw” pictures to portor-
fordnews@gmail.com.
administer; Allan Wagner, director of public
works; Shala Kudlac-McKenzie, city legal
counsel; Beverley Manes, city recorder, and
Marvin Combs, chief of police.
Councilors present included David Smith,
John Hewitt, Bill McArdle, Caroline Clancy
and Scott Luhr. Councilor Tim Pogwizd was
absent.
Mayor Jim Auborn officiated.
See COUNCIL, page 4