SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
Poetry events set for October Art
The first 20 students from
ages 13 to 17 will receive free
tickets. A $5 fee covers the
performance and workshop in
Hip-Hop poetry. Bring a clip-
board, notebook or laptop.
Purchase tickets at the
FRAA Art Center, 120 Maple
St. in Old Town.
The event is sponsored
by Three Rivers Casino
Resort, Florence Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship and
Organic Pest Control.
For more information, visit
www.fraaoregon.org, or call
Bettie Egerton at 503-910-
3625.
Watch for the quarterly
poetry contest Friday, Oct. 9.
from 1A
The three-sided, hand paint-
ed tiled column represents
three of the most well known
features of Florence: the Port
of Siuslaw, the Siuslaw River
and the dunes.
“Off and on, it took me
about two months to com-
plete,” artist Kat Cunningham
said. “I went out and shot pho-
tos of actual scenes so that peo-
ple could recognize that this is
the town they live in.”
FRAA President Harlen
Springer first presented the
public art project to the Port of
Siuslaw in November 2014.
The port was already dis-
cussing locating art along the
boardwalk area east of Bay
Street.
After the positive response
to the initial presentation,
FRAA decided to approach the
City of Florence as well.
“We took that presentation to
the city council and showed
them what FRAA had done
already,” Springer said. “The
city passed a resolution that
formed a citywide, city-spon-
sored public art committee.
Hopefully in years to come
there will be a lot more public
art around.”
Once port commissioners
had approved the concept,
funding became the next hurdle
to overcome.
“The port has been com-
pletely supportive,” Springer
explained. “It donated this
piece of land. Following that,
Stocks.
Bonds. CDs.
IRAs. Mutual
funds.
Andy Baber, AAMS®
Financial Advisor
.
1010 Highway 101
Florence, OR 97439
541-997-8755
www.edwardjones.com
Member SIPC
City
from 1A
The city’s interest in increas-
ing economic development
goes hand-in-hand with local
state and county governments
that are creating initiatives in
energy and resources.
According to Henry, govern-
ment support is there, but the
city first has to step forward
with potential projects.
The focus of those projects,
FLORENCE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESENTS
ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE
ENTIRE FAMILY!
Florence, Oregon’s
SATURDAY
OCTOBER 3, 2015
8:30 am - 7 pm
JACK DAVIS/SIUSLAW NEWS
FRAA public art steering committee members Bob Forsythe, Bettie Egerton, Jennifer
French, artist Kat Cunningham, Sharon Stiles, Ron Hildenbrand and Harlen Springer
celebrate the unveiling of the group’s first public art project last Friday. Other mem-
bers (not pictured) include Wendy FarleyCampbell and Kelli Weese.
we had very generous contribu-
tions from Bob Forsythe and
Western Lane Community
Foundation.”
In total, $7,500 was raised to
fund the project.
In March, FRAA issued a
call to artists to solicit propos-
als for the public art piece. In
June, Kat Cunningham’s pro-
posal was selected by FRAA
and she began work on the
project.
Friday afternoon, the artistic
labor of love was unveiled to
an appreciative crowd that
included port and city officials
and many members of the
Florence artistic community.
A reception at the new
FRAA Art Center in Old Town
followed the unveiling.
he hopes, is to “attract some
entities or companies that can
create jobs that provide a living
wage. That will allow people to
buy a home, stay here and raise
a family.”
One supporter the city may
partner with is the Eugene-
based
RAIN:
Regional
Accelerator and Innovation
Network.
Another
is
FertiLab
Thinkubator, from the Eugene-
Springfield area.
Both services help entrepre-
neurs develop products, net-
work, find mentorship — and
FertiLab also provides work-
space.
If those programs worked
with Florence, they would pro-
vide local residents with
resources that aren’t currently
available to people who have
creative ideas, but no outlet.
Reynolds is scheduling two
informal “Coffee Meet-Ups” to
start to grow support among
the local population.
“They’re going to help us
and show us how to do it,”
Reynolds said. “I think we can
go out and make this work. If
we can get one business going
because of it, it’s great.”
Henry said, “What might
work really well in Florence is
that start-up, encouraging
atmosphere for entrepreneurs
and people that are innovative.
I think that what we have as a
resource is the mentors.”
He wants to work to create
the environment where innova-
tors can meet with mentors.
Reynolds said, “The reason
why Florence is more premier
— and we like to be competi-
tive — than some of our coun-
terparts on the coast is because
we were successful in turning
from a resource-based econo-
my, with the fishing and the
timber. It was a very strategic
and intentional thing that they
did with Old Town, tourism
FLORENCE EVENTS CENTER
“Gemutlichkeit”
FESTIVAL & BREAKFAST - $10.00
FESTIVAL ONLY - $5.00
VARIETY OF GERMAN FOOD, CRAFT BEERS, ACTIVITIES AND FUN!
KINDER
KORNER
OFF Implants NOW
WIENER
DOG
RACES
3pm
1am e event
8:30a y m ad -1
mission to th
all da
$10 includes
Dr. James Ridley,DDS
FREE CONSULTATION
10am TO 4pm
EAKF AS T
R
B
S
IS
N
A
W
IW
K
45%
ENTER
TAINM
E
NT
DANC
ING
GAME
S
BIER • BRATS
Authentic German Food, Wine & Cider
Benefi t for Florence Area Non Profi ts
WWW.FLORENCECHAMBER.COM
Underwriter: Th ree Rivers Casino Resort
Event Sponsors: Port of Siuslaw & Old Town Inn
Distinguished Sponsors:
101 Th ings To Do • Banner Bank • Bi-Mart • Burns’s Riverside Chapel
Coast Radio • Drift wood Shores Resort and Convention Center
Florence Heating & Sheet Metal Inc • Fred Meyer Stores • Oregon Pacifi c Bank
PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center • Sea Lion Caves
Siuslaw News • Spruce Point Assisted Living
TR Hunter Real Estate • Th e Shippin’ Shack/Siuslaw Signs
See the
DentureMaster’s
difference, we do
it all right here!
206 Nopal Street
Florence, OR 97439
CALL NOW
541-997-6226
VISIT THE
GREENMAN
Celebrating our
FIRST ANNIVERSARY!
Thank you for your patronage.
Remember that every Tuesday is
“Tie Dye Tuesday” Wear tie dye
into the store on Tuesdays and
get 10% off all purchases.
375 Laurel St.
Mon-Sat. 9am-5pm
541-741-3106
“Someone told me, ‘Now
we have a place to tell people
where to meet. We can meet
at the Florence scenic col-
umn,’” Cunningham said. “I
love that.”
__________
Follow Jack on Twitter
@SNews_Jack. Email him at
jack@thesiuslawnews.com.
and capitalizing on the recre-
ational tourism and being a
full-service city here. You have
what you need here to survive
and live and flourish.”
She added that Florence
appeals to people because of its
affordability and mild, temper-
ate climate.
“I don’t know if it’s some-
thing where you can say it’s
going to be like it ever was
before, but I think every one is
OK with that. (Our economy)
won’t be like it was before.
And there are talents and
resources left over that add to
who we are today and what can
work well here,” she said.
Currently, the city is work-
ing to create a climate where
developers want to come in.
Reynolds described the
Florence Planning Depart-
ment’s strengths in working
with developers on a seven-
acre plot of land near the
Florence Events Center.
This new construction,
which could begin in the first
half of 2016, will bring senior
housing and medical and build-
ing jobs.
“This is our first success in
our fledgling economic devel-
opment,” Henry said.
Florence is also trying to
work closer with other local
taxing authorities, like the
Tribes, Dunes City, schools
and the Port of Siuslaw.
They have many of the same
goals, Henry said, so working
together creates an economy of
scale.
“I think the key to our suc-
cess will probably be some-
thing we haven’t thought of
yet,” he said. “That’s where
those innovators come in.”
Reynolds followed with,
“Which means you have to cre-
ate the environment that the
mayor has created by saying,
‘Hey, we’re here and we’re
open to business.’”
They hope this environ-
ment for change, growth and
development will bring
small-scale manufacturing,
transportation, energy and
more art to the area.
“Our job is to try to make
Florence attractive and visi-
ble,” Henry said. “We have to
get out there and market
Florence, so people in turn will
come and get it done.
“I do think our city can
grow, and can grow economi-
cally. We’re just getting start-
ed.”
__________
Follow Chantelle on Twitter
@SNews_Chantelle. Email her at
cmeyer@thesiuslawnews.com.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
October celebrates the spo-
ken word with The Break-Beat
Poets’ special performance
and workshop Tuesday, Oct. 6,
at the Florence Regional Arts
Alliance Art Center.
The workshop will be from
4 to 5 p.m., followed by a
question and answer session at
5:30 p.m. Four members from
the group of 78 nationally
known poets will wow
Florence with this new wave
of poetry.
Break-Beat excites the Hip-
Hop generation. Poetic rhythm
has long been appreciated, but
this new brand of verse cap-
tures the lyrical and rhythmic
quality of today’s music.
9 A