SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2017
Committee hosts Public Art Forum Aug. 14
Florence
Public
Art
Committee (PAC) is hosting
“Bringing Art to the Streets: A
Community
Forum”
on
Monday, Aug. 14, at 6:30 p.m.
at City Lights Cinemas, 1930
Highway 101.
PAC would like to share
information about upcoming
projects and the history of pub-
lic art in Florence, as well as
begin the process for including
public input into the entire
process.
PAC Vice Chair Susan Tive,
who also co-owns City Lights
Cinemas, said, “We want arts
to have an impact on everyone
who lives in Florence and the
community. It’s as essential as
the roads being safe and the
water being good to drink. We
want people to know it’s for
them. Public art is for Florence,
not just the people who are vis-
iting.”
Members of the volunteer
committee include artists,
gallery owners, art profession-
als and community members
who want to bring the “wow
factor” to Florence through
increased visibility of murals,
sculptures and other artwork.
The committee’s tagline is,
“Experience Florence — where
every day is a celebration of the
arts.”
PAC is funded through the
Florence Urban Renewal Area,
which budgeted $250,000 for
PAC, so most of its efforts are
centered around Historic Old
Town Florence and the
Highway 101 corridor from the
Siuslaw River Bridge to
Highway 126.
Several of PAC’s projects
will coincide with the City of
Florence ReVision Project, a
long-term partnership with
Oregon
Department
of
Transportation,
Urban
Renewal, private landowners
and the city.
Florence City Recorder Kelli
Weese, an ex-officio member
of PAC, said the arts are very
much a part of the city’s fabric.
“It ties into the city’s objec-
tives of livability and quality of
life and economic develop-
ment,” she said. “It’s one of the
reasons people to want to stay
in a community. Recreation,
parks and the arts are a big part
of what makes people want to
stay and move here.”
PAC volunteers have spent
the past two years gathering
data from successful art desti-
nation cities in Oregon,
researching mural codes and
creating five action items.
These include beautifying
utilities such as trash recepta-
cles and bus shelters; installing
a mural on the Central Lincoln
PUD building at the corner of
Highways 101 and 126; updat-
ing the steps connecting
Highway 101 and Old Town;
placing five art pieces on Bay
Street for Art Exposed; and
creating places and a process
for donatedart.
The five projects’ one to
two-year processes will allow
for a comparatively quick com-
pletion.
“These are our definitive
projects that are being worked
on,” PAC Chairman Harlen
Springer said. “Now it’s time to
engage the public into that dia-
logue.”
Besides the forum, commu-
nity involvement will be neces-
sary as PAC sends out calls to
artists, creates selection com-
mittees, writes grants and
begins projects.
“We don’t want to do this in
a vacuum,” Weese said. “We
want to get input from the pub-
lic and stakeholders, people
who have businesses or homes
nearby, for each of these proj-
ects.”
For more information on
PAC and the “Bringing Art to
the Streets” Public Forum, visit
ci.florence.or.us/
bc-pac or contact Weese at
541-997-3437.
9 A
Jason Wood ‘untucks’
for new show Friday
Florence vocal coach, actor
and singer Jason Wood steps
out of his “Fanny Rugburn”
high heels and onto the stage
at Class Act Theatre, 509
Kingwood St., for “Jason
Wood: Untucked” on Friday,
Aug. 11.
This 8 p.m. show will be for
mature audiences only.
The price is $10 and reser-
vations are encouraged, as
seating is limited. Buy now at
catproductions.org.
“It’s an evening of stories
and songs about me growing
up ‘sissy,’” Wood said.
Wood will again give a
unique performance of funny
anecdotes and serious stories
as he tells the story of his life.
Follow him from a small town
in Southern California and all
the way to Florence, Ore.
Then, on Saturday, Aug. 26,
Wood as Fanny Rugburn, will
Jason Wood
host four other drag queens in
a traditional drag at 8 p.m. at
Class Act Theatre.
This show will feature
Florence’s Ana Khonda and
Eugene’s Faye Kit Knightly,
Facisha Farce and Cookie
Glaciers.
Tickets are required, and
this show will be for mature
audiences.
For more information, visit
catproductions.org.
‘Words on the Coast’ writers conference
set for Sept 29, 30 in Old Town Forence
“Making Your Writing the
Best it can Be” is the theme of
a new writers’ conference,
Words on the Coast, to be held
the weekend of the Florence
Festival of Books, Sept. 29 and
30.
Sponsored by the Florence
Regional
Arts
Alliance
(FRAA), Florence Festival of
Books, Port Hole Publishing
and Lane Arts Council, the
conference will feature several
regional authors who will lec-
ture on the theme.
Bob Keefer, arts editor for
Eugene Weekly and longtime
arts reporter for the Eugene
Register-Guard, will teach
“Making Your Writing Sing,”
a presentation dessigned to
assist writer’s in polishing their
work.
Bestselling author and pub-
lisher Ellen Traylor will teach
aspiring writers, “How to be
Your Own Editor,” a discus-
sion on perfecting prose and
following modern style.
Ned Hickson, Siuslaw News
editor and syndicated humor
writer, will teach “Getting
organized: Eight steps to map-
ping out your novel or mem-
oir.”
Karen Nichols, novelist and
leader of a local writing group,
will teach “Jump Starting Your
Writing,” generating ideas and
motivation to tackle writing
projects.
Patricia Marshall, publisher
at Luminaire Press, will teach
the “Who, What, When, Where
and Why” approach to receiv-
ing and giving writing feed-
back.
In addition, Barbara Giles,
writing instructor at Lane
Community College, will teach
a class on developing charac-
ters in your writing.
“We appreciate the support
from local arts groups in get-
ting this conference off the
ground,” said Traylor. “If this
event is a success, we hope to
make in an annual event.”
Words on the Coast work-
shops will be held at the FRAA
Gallery and at Porthole Books,
schedule to be determined.
Details on cost and schedule
will be announced soon, but
anyone interested in reserving
a place at the conference may
contact Ellen Traylor at 541-
999-5725 or porthole@century
tel.net.
Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care is a 65-apartment Assisted Living facility as well as a
25-room secured memory care facility. Living at Spruce Point has many benefi ts such as
restaurant-style dining, housekeeping services, a full and thriving activities program as well as medical
management from an on-site nurse. Staff is available 24-hours a day using the latest technology in the
iAlert system. Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care is proudly managed by Prestige Care, Inc.
Transportation
Resident Parking Available
Medical Transportation
Transportation at cost
Property Convenient to Bus line
Additional Amenities
Activities Onsite
Activities Off site
Devotional Services Onsite
Outdoor Common Areas
Indoor Game Room and
Common Areas
Beautician and nail-tech onsite
Other Services
Wheelchair Accessible Showers
Outside services management
(hospice, home health)
Respite Rooms
Aging in place
Just a “Stone’s Th row” Away!
375
3
7 5 9th St, Florence, OR 97439 • (541) 997-6111
EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS
Living on Shaky Ground:
Prepare-Survive-Recover
A WLEOG Public Outreach Program
Sponsored by West Lane Emergency Operations Group
Web address: www.wleog.org
Dealing with Disaster
NOW YOU CAN LEARN
HOW TO PREPARE FOR
EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS -
ON YOUR COMPUTER,
PHONE OR TABLET!
Go to WLEOG.ORG and click on
PREPAREDNESS CLASSES for a menu
of disaster prep subjects. Each has short
videos on different topics that you can
watch when it is convenient for you and
your family.
**SAFE WATER, SAFE SANITATION
**EMERGENCY FOOD PLANNING
AND PREPARATION
**PET CARE PLANNING
FOR DISASTERS
**ARE YOU READY?
**SENIOR CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS
**DOCUMENTATION AND
INSURANCE
In addition to the classes, the WLEOG.ORG web-
site has extremely useful information on NATURAL
HAZARDS and EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.
Each of these has videos on various topics that
explain the hazards the Pacifi c Northwest faces, and
how to prepare for them.
For more information, visit these websites:
A MERICAN R ED C ROSS — WWW . REDCROSS . ORG
C ITY OF F LORENCE — WWW . CI . FLORENCE . OR . US
FEMA — WWW . READY . GOV
L ANE C OUNTY — WWW . LANECOUNTY . ORG
S IUSLAW V ALLEY F IRE AND R ESCUE — WWW . SVFR . ORG
WLEOG — WWW . WLEOG . ORG
W
e often consider the physical dangers of emergencies – injuries from flying
debris or car crashes, for example – but can overlook the mental impact associ-
ated with such incidents.
Crisis situations can result in loss
of loved ones, debilitating injuries
or traumatic stress that can change
lives forever. And because these
events are few and far between,
they can be hard to deal with when
they occur. Experts urge people of
all ages who may be experiencing
psychological distress as a result of
natural disaster or incident of mass
violence to seek the help of trained
and caring professionals.
THE SIGNS
The Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) identifies the following
physical and emotional reactions as
being warning signs for seeking
professional assistance.
• Irregular sleeping patterns.
• Painful stomachaches or head-
aches.
• Anger or edgy attitudes.
• Overwhelming sadness.
• Increased worry or guilt.
• Lack of energy or always feeling
tired.
• Drinking alcohol,
smoking or using
tobacco more than
usual.
• Using illegal drugs.
• Eating too much or
too little.
• Not connecting with
others.
• Rejecting of help.
HOTLINE HELP
SAMHSA has set up a
free hotline to assist
United States citizens
dealing with a traumat-
ic event in their lives.
The hotline is staffed by
trained counselors from
a network of crisis call
centers located across the U.S. They
are trained to provide crisis coun-
seling for those who are in emotion-
al distress caused by any natural or
human-caused disaster, informa-
tion on how to recognize distress
and its effects on individuals and
families, and tips for healthy cop-
ing. The hotline’s counselors can
also provide referrals to local crisis
call centers.
The confidential and multilingual
hotline is available via telephone
(1-800-985-5990) and SMS (Text
‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746).
Sponsored by
C ENTRAL
L INCOLN PUD
966 Highway 101, Florence • 541-997-3414
S TREETS I NSURANCE
Mon - Fri 8am to 5pm
1234 Rhododendron Dr. Florence 541-997-8574