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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 2018)
10A | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS WHALE from page 9A The long running animated show “The Simpsons” tackled the tale in 2010, with members of the town using dynamite to blast a massive blue whale. “Backup everybody, but not too much, you’re definitely gonna want to see this,” Police Chief Wiggum tells a group of onlookers in the episode. After the explosion, Wiggum says, “So clean, how part of it just disappears like that.” Then the guts started falling. A car is taken out. An old man walking with a cane is flattened. A clip of “The Simpsons” ep- isode is on YouTube. “Based on a true story, se- riously,” is the first comment. Then comes the comments on Florence, and how close it is to Springfield, which has its own special meaning to the show’s fans. Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who grew up in Ore- gon, named the animated town after Eugene’s sister city. In fact, there’s an unofficial tour of Springfield that’s based on “The Simpsons.” Saturday Night Live took a deep dive into the whale guts in 2014 with a parody of the film “Beach Blanket Bingo.” The skit, called “Bikini Beach Par- ty,” has a pair of young surfer lovers named Gadget, played by Charlize Theron, and Dar- ren, played by cast member Taran Killam, who attempt to share their first summer kiss by a beached whale. Killam asked to play a song on his ukulele before they shared their kiss. “Okay, but a short one,” Theron said. “It smells very bad here.” As Killam began to sing, the whale exploded, bloody intes- tines coming from the side and above. “Oh my God!” Theron screamed as Killam cried, “I’m blind with whale guts!” They take cover by another beached whale, which also ex- plodes. There’s music on the website as well, most notably from in- die-darling Sufjan Stevens, who was recently nominated for an Academy Award for his song, “Mystery of Love.” Another Ste- vens song, “Exploding Whale,” uses the incident as a way to describe a big mistake. “The thing I most regret is having to repress what I’m feel- ing, while expressing delight as a myth,” the lyrics state. “Em- brace the epic fail of my ex- ploding whale.” The term “exploding whale” is sometimes used as a phrase describing an idea that seemed good at the time but ends in di- saster. There’re even obituaries post- ed on Thornton, who passed away in 2013. “Man Behind Oregon’s Fa- mous Exploding Whale Dies,” reads a National Public Radio (NPR) story. “One of the most common questions I get is, ‘Why do you do this?’” Steve Hackstadt wrote as to why he maintains the exploding whale website. “To put it simply, I think this is one of the greatest things to happen in the history of hu- mankind. Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration, but there is truly something special about this event. Not only is it a unique and quirky aspect of Oregon culture, it contains a more universal element. To me, it is less about one man’s mis- take (because it could be any one of us in a similar situation) and more about how we as hu- mans so often think we have all the answers. Yet, so often we don’t. If we acknowledged that fact more often, accepted our limitations and had a good laugh at them once in a while, I think the world would be a bet- ter place.” The exploding what has cer- tainly brought a smile to the face of many worldwide fans, but in Florence, the excitement has yet to really catch on. “Whale-Go-Boom Day” “This is what the world knows Florence about, and I think the we should embrace it,” Gunder- son said. He has found people getting a kick out of the shirts he’s been selling, which come in various forms. The mainstay of design is a round logo with an exploding whale, surrounded by the phrase “I Love Florence — Nov. 12, 1970.” One sweater had the logo in color, another in black in white. One shirt has specks of red cov- ering its entirety. “The happiest moment of the week was when this young person looked at the shirt, and you could just see total puzzle- ment on his face,” Gunderson said. “And then he instantly got it, and he was so happy. Yay! It makes sense to at least one oth- er person.” The main reason for the shirts is to raise money to give as a prize for Florence and Ma- pleton high school students who participate in the annual Volunteer for Friends of Florence Fresh Impressions art show. Gunderson has already sold $500 worth of shirts, and since then he has seen a groundswell in interest and support for the exploding whale. Okonski, who had spent the weekend creating an online video commercial for the shirt, agreed. “We were at Jerry’s Place yesterday, and we said, ‘Hap- py Whale-Go-Boom-Day,’” he said. “It just sparked a huge conversation with everyone in the bar. ‘It’s been 48 years al- ready?’” Okonski, Gunderson and Beaudreau hope to keep the exploding whale train going. In fact, Gunderson was just able to purchase a go-cart that can be dressed up as an exploding whale float. “We’re going to build a dead whale float for the next Rhodo- dendron Festival,” Gunderson said. As for other plans for the 50th anniversary in 2020, “We have two years to figure that out,” he said. Raia and Spangler were pret- ty happy with how their perfor- mance worked out, and don’t really see a future for it. “I’m not going further than this,” Raia said. “If we do a crap- py recurring exploding whale interpretative dance every year, it takes away the specialness of it. It’s just going to get boring. But I hope that other stuff like this happens.” Spangler brought up other cultural phenomena in the Siu- slaw region that rarely get cele- brated. While Eugene commemo- rates famed author Ken Kesey with Kesey Square, it’s a lesser known fact that Kesey wrote his seminal work “Sometimes a Great Notion” while living in the Siuslaw region. “The Siuslaw is Wakonda,” Spangler said of the fiction- al town portrayed in the book. “That’s not embarrassing. I wish that stuff was more known.” And then there’s the global phenomenon of Frank Herbert’s science fiction series “Dune.” In fact, the genesis of the series began when Herbert traveled to Florence to write about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ef- fort to stabilize sand dunes with European beach grasses. That led to the multipart “Dune” se- ries, which has since gone on to The nonprofit Friends of Florence, which provides free bus transportation for cancer patients, is seeking volunteer drivers. A commercial driver’s license is not required. For more info, call 541-997-8663. inspire a television series, a film by David Lynch and is now be- ing made into a series of motion pictures by the Academy Award nominated director of “Blade Runner 2049” and “Arrival.” The Siuslaw Public Library holds a collection of first edi- tion work by Herbert, donated specifically because of the area's history with the series. “Why there isn’t a science fic- tion convention here every year is beyond me,” Gunderson said. “Why isn’t there a sandworm sculpture three stories high in the sand dunes area? People would freak out over stuff like that.” Beaudreau, who besides own- ing BeauxArts Fine Art Materi- als serves on the City of Florence Public Arts Committee and the Siuslaw Vision 2025, added, “It would bring a lot of economic development.” But to get that, there needs to be a groundswell of ideas. Shirts, parade floats and interpretive dances are only the beginning. “People have to do something like this, it has to start some- where,” Spangler said. “I don’t know why there aren’t more fun, crazy things here. There needs to be more going on. It doesn’t have to be so crazy, because people come here to retire. I understand that a big part of the community feels that their peacefulness has been taken from them. But there’s space for everything. We could do some really fun stuff.” Avoid spreading the flu It’s flu season, which means the familiar drill: If you get sick, stay home from work. But what if you have a big meeting or an important deadline? “Most people know they should stay home, but still find reasons to go into work,” said Liz Hill, SAIF’s Total Worker Health® adviser. “Not only does this expose your co-workers to an illness, it also makes it a lot harder for your body to recover.” Hill suggests managers can help set expectations during flu season. This includes: • Encouraging workers to use their sick leave. Oregon law requires employers with 10 or more employees to provide 40 hours of paid leave per year. • Making it easy for workers To view more photos of the reenactment, the commercial for the shirts and the original KATU broadcast, visit thesiu- slawnews.com. To purchase exploding whale shirts and memorabilia, visit www.etsy.com/ca/shop/whale goboom or stop by BeauxArts, 2285 Highway 101 in Florence. to wash their hands. Consid- er having alcohol-based hand sanitizer available on worksites where handwashing facilities are not available. • Planning for flu season. When employees are out, ex- tra work can fall to other staff members—increasing their likelihood of getting sick or in- jured. Have a contingency plan for being short on employees. Most importantly, managers should lead by example. “It sometimes seems manag- ers are the least likely to take a sick day,” said Hill. “Remember, you are setting the tone for the whole team—if you get sick, stay home.” For more info on flu preven- tion at work, visit saif.com/flu. Formally On Your Feet with a Splash New Name, New Style, Same Great Shopping Experience 1377 Bay St. Old Town Florence 541.997.7463 Deadline for Press Releases Is Every Monday and Thursday by Noon. Email PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Florence Food Share Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser Please join us Nov. 30 through Dec. 2, 2018 at the Florence Event Center. Event hours will be: Friday. 5pm to 8pm, Saturday, 10am to 5pm, Sunday, 12pm to 3pm. HOLIDAY Arts FESTIVAL Saturday, December 1, 2018 11 am - 5 pm Sunday, December 2, 2018 11 am - 5 pm An eclectic showcase and shopping experience for unique works of art and fine craftsmanship Free Admission Florence Events Center • 715 Quince Street (10% of Artists’ Sales during the event will benefit the Florence Art Center) For more event information call 541-902-1933 Hundreds of handmade ceramic bowls created by local artists will be sold to the public. With each bowl or auction item, you will receive a coupon for a FREE bowl of soup of the day to use at participating restaurants. Artwork of many kinds will be available for bidding at the silent auction section of the event. Sponsors, local artists and restaurants donate their talent, time and wares to make this event possible. All proceeds from Empty Bowls will benefi t Florence Food Share.