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WEDNESDAY EDITION
HOMECOMING
FOR VIKS
Domestic Violence
Awareness Month
INSIDE — A3
SPORTS — B
127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 81
O CTOBER
❘ OCTOBER 11, 2017 ❘ $1.00
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
MOMENTUM CONTINUES WITH
FLORENCE, OREGON
RAIN,
DEVELOPMENT
Florence-area economic development picks up with partner programs, property sales in Pacific View Business Park
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
F
lorence continues with its “City
in Motion” theme this October,
with increased programs from
Regional Accelerator and Innovation
Network (RAIN), continued success
with economic development partner-
ships and even the sale of two com-
mercial lots of land in the Pacific
Beyond
labels —
Part I
View Business Park.
“The City of Florence is thrilled
that our town has become a place of
year-round entrepreneurial activity
and enthusiasm,” said Florence City
Manager Erin Reynolds.
“Our rural coastal region is now
connected with resources more com-
monly found in metro areas that are
essential to any startup business. As
we begin our third year as partners
with RAIN, we can’t wait to see how
this startup community will continue
to grow and flourish.”
At Monday night’s Florence
City Council meeting, Venture
Catalyst Caroline Cummings high-
lighted some of RAIN’s victories
since it partnered with Florence
in October 2015, including the
recent “graduation” of six Florence-
based startups from a course
designed to activate and grow fledg-
ling businesses.
“The six companies ranged
from software and tech-based to
fishing products, art, over-the count-
er healthcare and at home design
products,” said David Youngentob,
who led the Pre-Accelerator
Course.
Youngentob was hired as RAIN’s
coastal venture catalyst in November
F LORENCE W INE & C HOWDER T RAIL
2016. Since then, he has worked
with Lane and Lincoln counties
to promote entrepreneurs on the
coast.
“You have some really cool
innovators in this community,”
Cummings said. “We catalyze these
individuals to help them create jobs
and bring wealth into Florence.”
See
DEVELOPMENT 8A
Camp teaches
youth to surf
Fe st iv e
s pi r i ts
An in-depth look into
the area’s LGBTQ
community and its
many facets
B Y JA RED A NDERSON
Siuslaw News
(Editor’s note: This is the first in
a two-part series examining the
LGBTQ community in the Siuslaw
region.)
Jane Hudson, along with others in
the Siuslaw region, are trying to keep
the Parents, Family and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) group
alive. But Florence PFLAG, along
with other chapters across the region,
has been seeing dwindling numbers
in recent years.
The goal of PFLAG is to help par-
ents and family members understand
what their loved ones who identify as
lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender
and queer (LGBTQ) are going
through, and in the process helping
those who are LGBTQ live better
lives.
One way PFLAG looks to help is
through an event held today — a
public meeting at Gazebo Park in
Old Town Florence at 5 p.m. in cele-
bration of National Coming Out Day.
“I’m thinking of having several
people show up,” Hudson, a trans-
gender woman who lives in
Mapleton and is president of PFLAG
Florence, said. “We’ll just kind of
rotate and have people tell stories.
We’re going to have PFLAG
brochures on the table so if anybody
comes by, we can explain and edu-
cate, whatever they need. I think
that’s what Florence needs.”
There are other PFLAG chapters
in the area. Coos Bay recently
opened one, and the Newport chapter
is thriving, according to Hudson.
Others haven’t been so lucky.
“Eugene PFLAG called up and
said, ‘We’re closing,’ about a year
and a half ago,” Hudson said.
“Couldn’t get anyone to get any offi-
cers. Everyone figures the battle (for
LGBTQ) is over, problem taken care
of, so we can all go home.”
Florence has seen its numbers
shrink as well.
In its heyday, PFLAG had dozens
of people coming to meetings.
“Now it’s to the point where
there’s the board and several other
people that show up,” Hudson said.
“We’ve had a pretty big drop over
the past couple of years.”
INSIDE
See
LGBTQ 7A
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Community . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Community Voices . . . . . . .
Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B6
A3
B4
B7
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Young surfers learn about the ocean and how
to surf at Warm Current Surf Camp on Oct. 7.
O
PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
istoric Old Town Florence was filled to the brim with wine and chowder this week-
end for the seventh annual Wine and Chowder Trail. Ten wineries came into town
to tempt tasters for Saturday’s Wine Walk, while 10 local businesses brought their
chowder chops to Sunday’s Chowder Trail. Voters bestowed “Best Chowder” to Novelli’s
Crab and Seafood, located on the dock at the Port of Siuslaw. And at the end of festivities
Sunday, crowds gathered around Gazebo Park in Old Town as glass floats and other prizes
were raffled away. “We gave away 30 beautifully blown glass floats,” said Florence Area
Chamber of Commerce Assistant Executive Director Terry Abeyta. “The crowds were up
substantially from last year, and many of the participants were from out of town and told
us they came back specifically for this event. The spirit was very festive.”
H
n Oct. 7, Warm Current, a nonprofit organiza-
tion focused on introducing young people to
the wonders of the ocean, held a surf camp at the
South Jetty of the Siuslaw
B Y M ARK B RENNAN
River.
Siuslaw News
Local Warm Current
coordinator
Chris
Chapman describes the program as a way to
encourage area youth to become more aware of the
benefits of the sport of surfing.
“Our surf camp program is designed to provide a
fun and healthy experience that will attract and
engage youth to the health benefits of outdoor
recreation and provide a long-term platform that
focuses on a healthy and active lifestyle, environ-
mental education and community service,”
Chapman said.
The surfing portion of the camps included an
introduction to the ocean environment, stretching
exercises, on-land practice drills and in the water
training.
See SURF 9A
Time passes but the Otter remains the same
Marina’s classic vessel passes the
century mark as owner reaches 88
alt Fossek is 88 years
young, and his boat, the
Otter, is 104 years old. Both
wear their
B Y M ARK B RENNAN age well.
Siuslaw News
Fossek is
active,
mentally sharp and a great sto-
ryteller and the Otter draws
daily interest from tourists
who wander around the mari-
na, wondering at the elegant
lines and excellent condition
of the old wooden boat.
If these visitors are lucky,
Fossek will be on board and in
a story mood, sharing tales
from his 50 years as the owner
and operator of the well-main-
tained antique vessel.
Fossek celebrated his birth-
day last month by doing one of
his favorite things in life —
W
Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . A5
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
working on his boat.
“I always like to talk about
boats, especially wooden
boats. There is quite a revival
in the area of wooden boats
and a lot of people are really
interested in Otter, because
over time this has become a
historical vessel, and now it is
over 100 years old. Originally,
I thought of it as an income
producing, but now it is more
of a piece of history,” he said.
Fossek is an angler and a
farmer and has been living in
Florence since World War II.
He has seen the area change
significantly in the intervening
years, moving steadily away
from an agriculturally based
economy.
THIS WEEK ’ S
See
OTTER 9A
MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Walt Fossek spends many of his days on board the Otter, currently docked at the
Port of Siuslaw, where he tends to the 104-year old vessel with continual mainte-
nance and care.
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
57 42
55 44
56 40
69 44
WEATHER
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