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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 4, 2018)
thesiuslawnews.com | siuslawnews | TUESDAY EDITION | JULY 3, 2018 | $1.00 @siuslawnews The Siuslaw News, 148 Maple St., will be closed Wednesday, July 4, as we celebrate Independence Day. 128TH YEAR | ISSUE NO. 53 Sponsored by: FLORENCE, OREGON SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 Sensational sparkle p Story & Photos By Mark Brennan Siuslat Nets An Americana holiday Florence embraces old-fashioned 4th of July “S tars and Stripes Forever” will be the centerpiece of Florence’s Fourth of July Fireworks Show at sundown Wednes- day, with other By Chantelle Meyer songs by famous Siuslat Nets American com- poser John Philip Sousa the American Heritage Orchestra playing in time with a synchronized fireworks show. People can view the show from the Port of Siu- slaw Boardwalk, areas in Historic Old Town and across the river in Glenada. “The old-fashioned Fourth of July is one of the nicer family-oriented events we do here,” said Chamber Executive Director Bettina Hannigan. “It’s a wonderful family event with a lot of peo- ple coming in and hanging out around the Port of Siuslaw.” Banner Bank is this year’s “Big Bang” sponsor of the 30-minute show, leading contributions from community members and organizations in supporting the chamber’s annual fireworks dis- play. In addition, KCST 106.9 FM morning show host Wayne Sharpe will broadcast Sousa’s and pa- triotic music from the port parking lot from 8 to 10 p.m. “The Fourth of July is a big deal in town,” said Chamber Assistant Director Terry Abeyta. “In my previous years in Florence, it feels very Amer- icana and small town. It’s a very special feeling when you’re walking down Bay Street and around the area.” The pyrotechnics will be launched from a barge on the Siuslaw River near the Port of Siuslaw. “It’s exciting to be able to do it off the barge this year,” Hannigan said. “It will be very special place to do it, as this is not something that happens in other communities.” Sparkle on the Siltcoos draws large crowd for fireworks, barbeque & fun D arlings Marina presented the second annual Sparkle on the Siltcoos fireworks show Satur- day night on Siltcoos Lake. The festivities began in the early afternoon with a barbeque, music, fishing and boating, all of which continued until the fireworks display began after 10 p.m. Hundreds of individuals and families made the trip to Dunes City for the free event. People young and old set up small grills and picnic blankets along the lakeside at the marina for most of the day. Darling’s owners, Rich and Lori Olson, thanked the sponsors and those who supported the event. “Wow! What a fun and amazing show. Thanks to everyone who came out,” they posted on social media. Since the Olson’s purchased and began making improvements to the business, located at 4879 Darlings Loop, they have helped revitalized not only the marina but also other motels and retail establish- ments around the lake. This year’s fireworks display had a number of sponsors, including Dunes City, Shervin’s Tire and Automotive, Torex ATV Rentals, Zolezzi Insurance, Wacoka Farm and Rick’s Quality Imports. Music was provided by Shoot Jake from Yakima, Wash. See AMERICANA page 7A DRIVING OUT CANCER Wings & Wheels touch down Friends of Florence helps isolated patients receive treatment By Jarel Anlerson Siuslat Nets inside “I do it because my father, years ago, had lung cancer,” said Friends of Florence Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Bart Mealer. “My folks were living in Sauvie Island and my mother had to drive my fa- ther to Portland every day. It’s a wicked drive in the winter time and they had to do it every day, back and forth. This is just my way of helping somebody not to do that.” For the past 10 years, Meal- er has been driving the Friends bus, helping transport those with cancer to receive chemo- therapy in Eugene and Spring- field. Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . Kid Scoop . . . . . . . . . . . . . Library Tidings . . . . . . . . . . . B6 A3 B5 A5 The Friends of Florence pro- gram, which has been in ex- istence since 1985, has helped thousands of patients receive much needed treatment five days a week, 52 weeks a year, free of charge to all those who need it. “Our riders come from all ages and demographics,” Mealer said. “Anybody that is suffering the malady of cancer getting treatment. They live in and around the Florence area, but we also do pickups in between. We’ll pick up people in Maple- ton, Veneta and Noti.” The trips, which head east at 8 a.m. and generally arrive back at noon, are needed due to the lack of chemotherapy programs in the area. The closest treat- Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 ment centers are in Eugene and Springfield at the Willamette Valley Cancer Center and the Oregon Urology Institute, re- spectively. The genesis of the program began in 1984, when Florence resident P.T. Smith was told a story about a man outside Sa- cred Health Hospital in Eugene. Smith had known the hospital well, taking his wife, Esther, there for treatments related to Lymphoma cancer. The story went like this: A el- derly man was lying on a bench outside the hospital, out of sorts. The police were called, and they asked the man if he had been drinking. See VAN page 7A this week’s today The eighth annual Wings and Wheels Car Show and Aircraft Fly-in will take place this Saturday, July 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Florence Munici- By Mark Brennan pal Airport, 2001 Siuslat Nets Airport Road. Each year, this free event brings together fans of vintage cars, airplanes and military vehicles. As always, the Oregon Coast Hot Rod Club has invited the owners of collector level classic cars to participate in the event, with a winner for Best in Show awarded at the event’s closing ceremony, held at 3 p.m. “This is one of the most entertaining shows in Oregon,” Mike Groshong, Wings and Wheels organizer, said. “In addition to 100 really cool cars, there are many antique and hot rod air- planes, plus military, police and dire displays. It is a full day of action with over 20 local and regional groups involved with displays and ac- tivities.” There will be two special aircraft this year, a Vought F4U Corsair and a North American T-6 wednesday thursday friday weather Full Forecast, A3 62 48 54 46 52 43 50 38 Jim Hoberg is a Florence native, and has been working in Real Estate since 1989. He has served as a Principal Broker for 29 years. He has obtained several designations that require continuing education, which keeps him on the cutting edge of the industry and he is constantly looking for ways to expand his areas of expertise. Jim enjoys helping people fi nd solutions to their real estate needs and discovering why Florence is such a great place to live. JIM HOBERG Broker/Owner SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO Vintage planes and automobiles bring enthu- siasts to the Florence Municipal Airport on July 7 for the eighth annual Wings & Wheels. Texan. Both featured planes should arrive at the airport on Friday afternoon, weather permitting. The Corsair was a workhorse for the Ameri- can military, but also was used by the British, The Royal New Zealand Air Force and the French Navy in military operations around the globe. See WINGS page 8A Siuslaw News 2 Sections | 16 Pages Copyright 2018 • R ESIDENTIAL • L AND • C OMMERCIAL • P ROPERTY M ANAGEMENT 541-997-7653 • WWW . JIMHOBERG . COM 1870 H WY . 126, S UITE A • PO B OX 3040, F LORENCE , OR • F AX 541-997-7654