S OUTH S LOUGH R ESERVE D ECEMBER E VENTS
South Slough National Es-
tuarine Research Reserve holds
many events at the Charleston
Visitor Center, at 91141 Cape
Arago Highway in Coos Bay.
Events may require regis-
tration at www.southslough-
friends.org.
For more information on
these events, call 541-888-5558
ext. 126.
WINGED WILDLIFE, HOLI-
DAY ORNAMENTS ON DEC. 2
On Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 to
11:30 a.m., Th e South Slough is hold-
ing an event on “Birds on the Estu-
ary.”
Explore the shores of Charleston
in search of winged wildlife. An in-
terpreter, binoculars and spotting
scopes will be provided. Th e cost is
$1 per birder.
Th en, from 1 to 4 p.m. there is an
ornament making workshop. Partici-
pants will learn various wire-wrap-
ping techniques to make beautiful
Oregon coast inspired ornaments
that can be used to decorate a home
or give to someone special.
Attendees will have the opportuni-
ty to complete three projects ranging
from beach glass and rock ornaments
to artistic pendants. All supplies are
included but people are welcome to
bring any of their own beach trea-
sures to incorporate into one of the
projects.
For this event, meet at the South
Slough Interpretive Center, 61907
Seven Devils Road in Charleston.
Cost is $20 per person.
Fall Mushrooms and Crab
Life-Cycles and on Dec. 9
On Saturday, Dec. 9, from 9 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m., discover the world of
mushrooms with local expert John
Schaefer. Learn how to identify at
least 15 local mushroom species and
techniques for mushroom hunting.
Th is workshop takes place indoors
and along trails, so people are asked to
dress for the weather and wear sturdy
hiking shoes.
Participants should bring a basket
and a knife for collecting.
Cost is $20 per person.
Th en, from 1 to 3 p.m., come learn
about the amazing life cycles of crabs,
their importance to the local economy
and experience the various techniques
for capturing this delectable Crusta-
cean.
Dress for the weather. Cost is $3 per
person.
Hit the road with
Mac’s Run on Dec. 9
Mac’s Run has traditionally been a
fun, scenic race complete with a rifl e
shot start, handmade awards, and
toasty, warm cider to follow.
Staged at beautiful Sunset Bay
State Park, runners and walkers
interested in a rolling hills road
course with views of shoreline
vistas through the winter fog
will not be disappointed.
Join the South Coast Run-
ning Club Saturday, Dec. 9, at
10 a.m.
Registration is at the Yurt
near the bathrooms at the south
end of the beach. Sign up via
southcoastrunningclub.org/ or
register in person.
Day-of-race registration is from 9 to
9:45 a.m. race day.
Participants are invited to stick
around aft erwards to enjoy snacks,
warm beverages and engage in the
South Coast Running Club Member-
ship Meeting to learn what’s coming
up in 2018.
Holiday Kayak Trip on Dec. 16
On Saturday, Dec. 16, from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m., experience the rich cul-
tural and natural history of the South
Slough on a trail that fl ows with the
tide. During the fi ve-mile paddle, ex-
perienced guides will show areas of
the South Slough Reserve rarely seen
by visitors.
Participants are asked to bring their
own kayak or canoe, paddles, PFDs,
water and lunch.
Feet and legs may get wet and mud-
dy at launch points.
A driver and shuttle will be pro-
vided.
Call for meeting place.
Cost is $15 per boat.
FRAA to hold its annual Holiday Arts Festival
T
he holiday season is here and the
2017 Florence Regional Arts Alli-
ance (FRAA) Holiday Arts Festival is
a great place to shop for unique gift s
and fi ne craft smanship. Th e festi-
val opens Friday, Dec. 1, from 1 to 7
p.m., and continues Saturday, Dec. 2,
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Florence
Events Center.
Attendees can meet local and coast-
al craft smen and artisans who will be
showing off their latest creative de-
signs and unique works of art.
Artists include: Barbara Campbell,
stained glass; Rich Huckins, wood
creations; Kristin Anderson, fused
glass; Kim Miller, watercolors, prints
and cards; Tina Shoys, mosaic art;
Lori Muir, local fi ne art photography;
Debbie Kiturkes, hand painted pot-
tery; Maggie Bagon, homespun and
hand-dyed wool hats; Beverly Apple,
copper roof jewelry; Kathi Smith,
hand knitted/crocheted hats, scarfs
and shawls; Patti Williams, Silver art
jewelry and paintings; Peggy Good-
row, stained glass; Sherry Seacrest,
steampunk, altered art mobiles; Cin-
dy Covert, crocheted and seasonal
items; Janette and Kevin Square, in-
tarsia wood art and fractal art; Ralph
and Vicki Martin, scrollsaw wood
art; Foggy Bay Studios, wood items,
hand-felted scarves and more; Peggy
Brewster, mushroom art and encaus-
tic paintings; Joyce McCutchen, knit
items, pens, bottle stoppers and more;
Kris DeNoyer, ceramic critters and
ceramic ornaments; Pat Tellez, bead-
work; and Claudia Brown, bead, wire-
work and sea glass designs.
Artisans exhibiting in the Holiday
Arts Festival will be donating 10 per-
cent of their sales to the FRAA Art
Center.
Admission is free.
For more information, contact
Claudia Brown 541-902-1933.
12 • COAST CENTRAL • Arts & Entertainment • DECEMBER 2017
F LORENCE NAMED
AMONG TOP 20 FINALISTS
FOR SERIES FEATURE
Th e City of Florence has been selected as one of the
top 20 towns nationwide to possibly be featured in Sea-
son 3 of “Small Business Revolution — Main Street.”
Th is is an online series that focuses on transforming
downtowns and is streamed online and on Hulu.
If selected, Florence would be awarded $500,000 for
a downtown makeover and be featured in an eight-
part series on www.smallbusinessrevolution.org.
Chairwoman of the Downtown Revitalization
Team, Ellen Huntingdon of Oregon Pacifi c Bank, sub-
mitted an application for the series last fall.
“I am very proud that Florence has made it to the
top 20 out of thousands of applicants,” said Hunting-
don.
On Sept. 28, Deluxe launched the second season of
Small Business Revolution – Main Street, featuring the
community of Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania and six
businesses selected to receive the $500,000 makeover.
Th e series, which airs on www.smallbusinessrevolu-
tion.org, Hulu and YouTube, features marketing and
business expertise for small businesses in one small
town. Host Amanda Brinkman, Deluxe’s chief brand
and communications offi cer, along with a host of mar-
keting experts from Deluxe, help struggling business
owners fi nd their path to success.
Between now and Dec. 4, the Florence Downtown
Revitalization Team will be working with community
leaders to provide Deluxe Corporation with additional
information to help them narrow down their selec-
tions.
To further narrow down the selection, Deluxe Cor-
poration is also looking for information about local
businesses and non-profi ts to get a better feel of the
community.
“We would like to encourage any and all business
owners and nonprofi t organizations to contact me,”
said Huntingdon.
Aft er reviewing all the information, Deluxe Corpo-
ration will further narrow down the towns and deter-
mine the top 10 cities on Dec. 12. Th ey will then send
representatives to visit the top 10 communities chosen
in early January and spend roughly two days in each
town.
Aft er the visits, they will determine which towns
will be eligible for fi nal national voting in February of
2018.
“Th ere are so many deserving towns that need this
boost,” Brinkman said. “Our team decided to an-
nounce 20 deserving communities so we can do a
deeper dive into their structure and their needs before
moving on to the next round.
“No matter what, each of these 20 would make a
great winner for our contest.”
To submit information about your business or non-
profi t organization to be included, contact Hunting-
don at ellen.huntingdon@opbc.com or call 541-902-
1509 to complete a short survey.