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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2017)
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017 ‘A Christmas Story’ raises funds for scholarship The community is invited to attend a fun evening to raise scholarship money for a schol- arship for Florence’s Future First Citizens on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at City Lights Cinemas. “This a great way to kick off the holiday season, have a glass of Christmas cheer with Florence friends and support this very important scholar- ship,” said organizer Lisa Walter Sedlacek. The scholarship team and Michael Falter, owner of City Lights Cinemas, are hosting the event, complete with beer, As soon as the commercial crabbing season opens, Florence Food Share will begin selling tickets for the seventh annual Florence Crab Crack. “We expect this will be in December, but please check our website or facebook page for updates,” said Crab Crack organizers. Happening at the Florence Events Center, 715 Quince St., on Saturday, Feb. 3, from 4 to 7 p.m., attendees will enjoy Oregon coast crab along with pasta, coleslaw, garlic bread, sodas, coffee and dessert by BJ’s. A no-host bar will be avail- able. There will also be a silent auction held during the event that will include a beautiful selection of items. Ticket price is $35 per per- son. Advance purchase is required. Only 400 tickets will be sold and the deadline to purchase is Jan. 25. The Crab Crack usually sells out early, so people are encouraged to purchase tickets early once they become avail- able. Let me Showcase your property. Desiree Clifton Principal Broker 541 999-5223 4 TH ANNUAL F ESTIVAL OF T REES wine and popcorn — plus the classic holiday movie, “A Christmas Story.” The $2,500 scholarship, named for Past First Citizen Marteen Wick, is awarded each year to Florence’s Future First Citizen. Tickets are for a tax- deductible donation of $30 and include a reception at 6 p.m. with beverages, popcorn and desserts. Tickets are available at Oregon Pacific Bank and Laurel Bay Gardens. A drawing will be held at the conclusion of the event for a door prize. Crab Crack tickets on hold until start of the season Sand Dune Park Drive #800 – North Lakes area lot in wind protected area. Almost half an acre. Place or build your dream home here. Water and Power at lot line. Private setting near dead end street. Just minutes to town. Come see what this lot has to offer, don’t miss it! $45,000. #2769- 17009383 1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200 VOICE YOUR OPINION! Write a Letter to the Editor: E DITOR @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM 3 A Festive trees provide Winter Wonderland PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON AND MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Florence Festival of Trees featured dozens of hand- decorated wreaths and small and large Christmas Trees Nov. 25 and 26 at Florence Events Center. Basset Hounds took pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus and guests. he Festival of Trees returned for its fourth year at the Florence Events Center last weekend. Produced by Cindy Wobbe and Lynn Malaspino-Badel, the event is a fundraiser for Oregon Coast B Y C HANTELLE M EYER M i l i t a r y Siuslaw News Museum. On Saturday, nearly 800 people visited the tree-filled event center to “walk through a winter wonderland.” “Lisa was our boots on the ground,” Wobbe said, saying that Malaspino- Badel’s crew made the more than 80 wreaths and designed and decorated the “Walking Through the Winter Wonderland” tree display. “This was the first year where the pub- T lic could come in and purchase tabletop trees and wreaths during the two-day event,” she said. In addition to touring the trees, visitors were encouraged to take a picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as other spe- cial guests. Florence Houndful, a local Basset Hound rescue, brought “Dasher” and “Dancer” to act as Santa’s helpers. “They were huge hits,” Wobbe said. “I noticed that children who were too fright- ened to go see Santa would go up to see the dogs. Mom and dad were able to take the Christmas picture that way.” On Sunday, 185 people attended the sold-out Festival of Trees Dinner and Auction, also at the Florence Events Center. All of the proceeds from the evening go to the Oregon Coast Military Museum. “We’re very pleased. It was a great time,” Wobbe said. The weekend netted more than $20,000 from the sale of wreaths, tabletop trees and the many live and artificial trees auctioned by Bob and Katie Sneddon. Many of the trees were created by local sponsors. Sue Gilday started the festival four years ago and ran the event the first three years. Organizers decided to take 2016 off, but that allowed Wobbe and Malaspino- Badel to step in with renewed interest, cre- ativity and drive. “We were a good team, and we’re tak- ing notes for next year,” Wobbe said. “I hope we drew a lot of attention to the mil- itary museum.” Patient-support volunteers ‘pay it forward’ “Pay it forward” is the response many volunteers give when asked why they got involved in the Peace Harbor Palliative Care program. “I was drawn to this program from my personal experience caring for family members who wanted to remain in their own home during an illness,” said Jane Conkling, a new volunteer. “I was all nerves and emotions and could not have navigated those rough seas without the compassionate help we received from the program. Now it is my turn to pay it back.” The Peace Harbor Palliative Care program is designed for patients who want comfort and treatment at any stage of a life- limiting disease, whether termi- nal or chronic. The primary focus is on pain and symptom management — whether social, physical, emo- tional or spiritual — with the goal of improving quality of life. “Services offered by a com- munity-based palliative care program is a relatively new con- cept here in Florence,” said Stephen Kerner, DO, palliative care physician. “We are now able to provide support to the most medically frail in their own homes.” However, the program wouldn’t be successful without patient-support volunteers. “I remember how impactful volunteers were when my loved one was receiving palliative care,” Conkling recalled. “They provided much-needed com- panionship and support to both patient and family, and respite care for caregivers so they could take breaks. They even assisted with errands and transportation. They may seem like small things, but they made a world of difference for us.” Patient-support volunteers are provided with 21 hours of training that include an intro- duction to palliative care, the role of the volunteer, communi- cation and boundaries, spiritual- ity and responding to loss and grief. Training for new volunteers begins on Jan. 10, 2018, and will continue through Feb. 14. Sessions are 8:30 a.m. to noon every Wednesday at Lane Community College. Said Conkling: “I know first- hand how vital these volunteers are. My hope is that by volun- teering, I can provide the same comfort and care to others who need it just as much as I did.” Anyone interested in volun- teering or who has questions can contact Donna Becker at dbecker@peacehealth.org or call 541-902-6734. SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 DECEMBER 3 DECEMBER 4 DECEMBER 5 DEMBER 6 DECEMBER 7 DECEMBER 8 Rain Showers Partly Cloudy Sunny Sunny Sunny Mostly Sunny 48°F 41°F 51°F 38°F 50°F 38°F 54°F 38°F 55°F 39°F 54°F 40°F 54°F 42°F RECEIVE $10 OFF WHEN YOU SPEND $100 OR MORE. (VALID WITH THIS COUPON ONLY) Open Monday - Friday 8am-5pm 4515 Hwy. 101 N., Florence 541- 997-5049 AJ and Megan Shervin, Owners
