SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
Port
A PRIL F LORENCE F EST
from 1A
Huntington said. “I know
that it was probably a hard
decision for the commission-
ers, and their concern is the
port. The decision to find a
port manager is something
they don’t take lightly. They
want to do the right thing.
It’s going to be a position
that affects this port for years
to come.”
The appointment of a
commissioner as interim
manager is not unheard of
and was needed in this case,
the commissioners felt,
because of McClure’s imme-
diate departure. Having
someone with knowledge of
the port as interim is particu-
larly important in this active
period, as Rhody Days quick-
ly approaches, and the port’s
yearly budget comes due.
“We’re coming up on this
time of the year, and think
we’re going to need some
time to put some things
together,”
Commissioner
Mike Buckwald said. “I think
it’s important.”
Huntington
will
not
receive benefits during his
tenure, though he will work
full time in the temporary
position, making an hourly
wage equivalent to the man-
Interim Port Manager
Dave Huntington
ager’s posted salary, which
equals $31.25 and hour.
He will not be voting in
any Port of Siuslaw Board of
Commissioners issues as
long as he is interim director.
Huntington, who owns
HuntingFish Charters, a
guide and charter service that
takes people fishing in the
river and offshore, initially
joined the port commission-
ers because he had concerns
with the Port of Siuslaw’s
direction and wanted to get
involved.
“It’s more of a community
port than anything else,”
Huntington said. “I’ve grown
up here. I’ve been dealing
with this port since I was a
kid, and it’s always been
important to me.”
The Florence Regional Arts
Alliance (FRAA) is very
excited to invite all artists to
participate in the second annu-
al FlorenceFest to be held at
the Florence Events Center on
April 27 and 28, 2018.
Last year’s event was a
huge success as over 700 peo-
ple attended. FRAA sold
almost 40 percent of the art
selected. This year’s event,
which will feature two days of
jazz, art and wine, will be
highlighted by talented jazz
musicians and outstanding
wine from some of the best
wineries throughout the state.
Selection for the exhibit will
be made by Margaret Prentice,
who is an accomplished painter
and printmaker and has curated
numerous exhibitions through-
out the Northwest. She is cur-
rently Professor Emeritus in
the Art Department at the
11 A
EXTENDS CALL TO ARTISTS
University of Oregon, where
she taught drawing, intaglio,
and relief printmaking, paper-
making
a n d
a r t i s t ’s
books for
26 years.
H e r
original
prints are
included
in
the
b o o k
“Contemporary Print-making
in the Northwest” published by
Craftsman House. She has
exhibited her work in over 250
collections nationally and
internationally.
Her work may be found in
over 55 public collections
including
the
Houghton
Library and Harvard Uni-
versity, Dartmouth Univers-
ity, Northwestern University,
the National Library of New
Zealand and the Getty Mus-
eum Collection, among others.
H e r
paintings
are cur-
rently
repre-
sented by
White
L o t u s
Gallery
i
n
Eugene.
This year, FRAA will be
expanding the awards. The
selection committee will select
three overall winners with
cash prizes:
First place = $1,000
Second place = $500
Third place = $250
In addition, three separate
cash awards of $250 each will
be given for outstanding work
in 2D, 3D and photography.
There will also be a “People’s
Choice” selection, which will
be awarded based on votes of
those in attendance.
Selected artists can also
continue to exhibit their work
at the Florence Events Center
in Galleries 1 and 5 through
the end of May.
For additional details and
to submit an entry, go to
the
Café
website:
www.callforentry.org. This is
a well-respected and profes-
sional site for managing
entries. It is easy to register
and there is no charge for
artists to use Café’s website.
The deadline for entries is
March 18, 2018.
This is an opportunity to be
part of a very successful event.
If
you
have
any
questions,
contact
FRAAFlorenceFest@gmail.
com.
Rhododendron Society to hear about shade gardens
The Siuslaw Chapter of the
American
Rhododendron
Society (ARS) has its next
meeting on Tuesday, March 20,
at 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian
Church of the Siuslaw, 3996
Highway 101. This free event
features coffee and cookies and
Get Wild
from 1A
Pierson continued, “Dina
was one of those people who
was looking for a way to do
something for the whole
region and she had these ideas
and thoughts about the out-
doors and education. Since
she has a great Rolodex of
people she knows, it helped
this get started pretty quick-
ly.”
Vision Quest’s mission is
to offer programs and experi-
ences that reflect the diversity
of the Siuslaw region’s natu-
ral environment. As part of
the Siuslaw Vision, volun-
teers under Pavlis came
together to focus on outdoor
education for community
members and people beyond
the region. The initiative’s
programming includes part-
ners from LCC Florence
Center, Oregon State Parks,
Siuslaw Public Library and
a social environment.
This month’s topic is shade
gardens, with information from
Seabright Gardens.
So you have lots of shade
and don’t know what to grow.
There is a fix for that! Hostas,
ferns and epimediums are just
three groups of plants that will
prosper under that oak tree or
in the shade of the neighbors
house.
Hostas are super hardy easy
to grow shade plants that have
little care issues.
Ferns come in many shapes
and sizes and add a peaceful
and fresh look to the landscape.
Epimediums are like little
harbingers of spring; many
shoot forth from the ground in
February and immediately
cover themselves with cute lit-
tle columbine type flowers.
the U.S. Forest Service who
want to bring high-quality,
free programming about the
outdoors.
“When we first met, we
realized that a lot of people —
like me, and I’ve lived here a
few years — are still trying to
‘live like a local,’” Pierson
said. “These programs will be
a point of enjoyment for both
our residents and new people
to get introduced and figure
out everything they wish they
knew. And we’re hoping to
get some folks from the val-
ley to come and engage.”
Vision Quest plans to have
a dual component to each
month’s program, both indoor
and outdoor. The March 17
and 18 programs will look at
whales, since Oregon’s Whale
Watch Week is officially
March 24 to 31.
“Park Ranger Parsons is
going to be at Cape Perpetua
literally showing people how to
use binoculars to spot whales
on Sunday,” Pierson said.
“We’re super excited about
that one, since it’s going to be
hands-on and kids will be
able to come,” Pavlis said.
“I’ve heard the whales are
early this year, that they’re
already coming through.
People said they’ve already
had lots of sightings, so we’re
hopeful that we’ll have good
sightings, too.”
On April 21 and 22, Vision
Quest will learn “All About
Birds” with the Cascade
Raptor Center and then go on
a half-mile birdwatching hike
on the Lagoon Trail at
Siltcoos Lake.
On May 12 and 13, “Tracks
in the Sand” will look at
wildlife in the Oregon dunes
and the tracks animals make.
Pavlis will lead this program.
Future Get Wild topics will
depend on input from a sur-
vey Vision Quest plans to run,
but Pavlis said the group has a
whole list of ideas. These
including trail and “hidden
hikes;” river exploration
starting in the Upriver com-
munity; foraging for edibles
and learning how to cook and
prepare them; geology of the
area featuring agates and fos-
sils; and the history of log-
ging in the region.
“I can see these topics just
rotating forevermore, both in
terms of attracting people
from the valley and hoping
our kids get educated in out-
door stuff,” Pierson said. “We
wanted these programs to be a
little bit different — by hav-
ing one at the cinemas, bring-
ing in the raptor center, and
having food and drink avail-
able at some of them — to
spice things up so people
aren’t coming to the same talk
they always come to.”
Even the indoor compo-
nents of the Get Wild series
will be interactive, such as
cracking open the right rocks
to find fossils or meeting a
raptor in person.
Currently, Vision Quest is
able to run through a grant from
Western Lane Community
Foundation
and
Siuslaw
Vision’s funds, but it is looking
for ways to access other grants
or sources of income.
Some of that will come
through partnerships already in
the works with other groups that
focus on the coast’s natural
resources.
“Once people meet us and
see our energy, there might be
more opportunity for connec-
tions,” Pavlis said. “They need
to know about us, too.”
For more information about
Vision Quest’s upcoming
programs,
visit
www.
f a c e b o o k . c o m /
visionquestlivelearnexplore/
and rivercal.org.
Deadlines for press releases and news items are by noon
Mondays and Thursdays. Email them to:
P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM .
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Ambulance District
Invites You to
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Total - $75 for both
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Call
541-997-9614
www.westernlaneambulance.com