8A | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS
RODS
from page 1A
chief would have something
to say about that, but cruising
Main Street would be fun.”
Dee Osborne nodded her
head and smiled.
“Those days were fun,” she
said. “A little more carefree. I
think we all like to visit our past,
and our parent’s past. It’s just a
lot of things that make good
memories.”
Cargill and Osborne were
looking to define the cultural
allure surrounding classic cars
in the Siuslaw region. These
classics are celebrated multi-
ple times throughout the year
through various events, such as
Wings and Wheels and the Rho-
dodendron Festival’s car show.
The two sit on the board
of the newly created Rods ’N
Rhodies Inc, which is an out-
growth of the annual Rods ’N
Rhodies Invitational Car Show.
Traditionally, Rods was simply
an event, bringing in cars from
around the country for the sec-
ond weekend in September to
allow classic car enthusiasts to
show off their work, swap parts
and reminisce about the days
when cars were king.
But now, the two and their
committee are looking for part-
nerships and funding to expand
the reach of Rods ’N Rhodies,
creating connections with local
automotive retailers to initiate a
year-round foundation that will
help Siuslaw residents in need of
car repair.
“There’s a lot of people where
the families both work, or sin-
gle head of household, and they
have to get to work with their
car,” Osborne said. “One of the
last things when you’re doing
food, housing and healthcare is
new tires, which are not cheap.
In my career, I’ve had employees
who couldn’t get to work: Their
car couldn’t run, and it wasn’t in
their budget.”
The plan is to work with or-
ganizations such as Siuslaw
Outreach Services (SOS) to find
people in need of car repairs
and set up those repairs at plac-
es like Les Schwab or Hoberg’s
Complete Auto Repair.
They’re also changing up
the format of Rods, dropping
the word “invitational” from
their name, adding new cars to
the lineup such as rat rods and
making the annual event more
family friendly. All of this to
help support those in need of
car repairs, and bolster classic
car culture in the community,
which has become something of
a phenomenon over the years.
“You would be surprised how
many cars are in this area, es-
pecially in the gated communi-
ties,” Cargill said. “Look in their
garages, there’s a lot of classic
cars in there.”
Why?
“Guys like cars,” Osborne re-
sponded. “This is a retirement
town, and when men get older,
they have the ability to follow
their passion with cars.”
Cargill agreed.
“This is one of men’s pas-
sions and dreams — to always
want to have the allusive hot
rod or dream car that they once
wanted, or had, in high school,”
he said. “But they want it on a
different level. Now that they’re
retired, they don’t have anything
to do, now they come to the ta-
ble and say, ‘I can do it now. I
can get this dream car.’”
Classic cars are a form of nos-
talgia, a bygone era where the ti-
tans of the past are resurrected,
tuned and brought roaring back
to life.
“Myself, I have a ’66 Chev-
elle Super Sport,” Cargill said.
“The first car I ever owned was
a ’66 Chevelle Malibu, which
is the same thing; this one is
just more hopped up. I’m go-
ing back to my high school
days when I had that Malibu.
I got married with the car. So,
that’s why, this year, I went and
bought the ’66 Chevelle SS fig-
uring, ‘This is going to be my
last car.’”
Osborn laughed. “I doubt it,”
she said.
It’s a tactile way to remem-
ber and share those memories
with other generations.
“Most of the time you’ll
hear, ‘Oh, my father had one
of those when I was in high
SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO
A car enthusiast looks under the hood of one of dozens of classic automobiles on display
during last September’s Rods 'N Rhodies event.
school,’ or, ‘I took that car to the
prom,’ or ‘My grandfather had
one of those,’” Cargill said.
Family stories about those
times ensue.
“It’s very infectious,” Osborne
said. “Even my grandaughter,
when we were walking around
the flames and stuff on some of
the cars, she was really into that.
She could be a future car show
girl.”
Classic cars aren’t just toys for
boys.
“There are a lot of women
getting into it more,” Osborne
said. “Gary and I make a good
partnership on this because he’s
more on the car side, and I’m
trying to make it more family
friendly, so the families bring
their cars and there’s more for
the kids to do. But there are
more women getting into it. It is
not just a guys sport.”
One woman, Carol Hood,
regularly brings her ’57 T-Bird
from the Albany area.
“She brings it every year, and
it’s a beautiful car,” Cargill said.
“So, there are several female
owners, and there’s a lot of them
in the industry.”
“And when you’re with a guy
who’s in to it, it’s hard not to get
into it also,” Osborne said.
Car culture is different these
days, more of a mode of trans-
portation than a work of art.
The kids don’t have the same
type of culture.
“I’ve talked to the high
school,” Cargill said. “They’ve
got a nice group of kids who
are interested in automotive re-
pair. They get involved with the
show, but their culture nowa-
days, their cars, it’s not like ours
were. They’re more imports
now. In this area, it’s all about
the trucks and Jeeps. It fits the
area; you have to take those out
on the sand. But that’s okay,
their interest is still there. By
having a show like this here, it
sparks their interest.”
Even though the classics may
not serve the utilitarian pur-
poses of today’s young drivers,
the cars have a certain allure as
works of art.
“They’re still taking cars out
of yards and rebuilding them,”
Cargill said. “Graveyard Carz
is a tv show out of Springfield,
where they take mutilated cars
that you would never think
could be fixed, and they put
them back together again. And
they’re beautiful when they’re
done with it.
“In order for someone to
bring a car that’s been sitting for
so many years and bring it back
to the pristine condition it was
in the factory, and spend that
kind of money to do it … Yeah,
the culture is still there.”
“And you can build one from
scratch,” Osborne said. “You can
go out on Amazon, and some-
body is going to have some-
thing. A fender, a panel, a nob.
An original speedometer off
a ’68 Charger. You can put the
whole car together by just go-
ing out and finding people who
have different parts. Piece by
piece.”
The finished products can
become fortunes that can be
passed down the generations.
“The Copper Caddy we had
two years ago was insured for
$800,000. It was actually built
by a professional builder. There
was a show called Bitchin’ Rides
and that car was built on that
show over two episodes. I found
out the the owner lived in Hill-
sboro, and I tracked him down
and talked to him. I asked him
if he would bring the car to the
show, and he said he would love
to,” Cargill said.
He added that the typical car
featured on the show is worth
around $45,000.
But not everybody in town
can afford such a hobby. In fact,
they can’t even afford to take
care of their own cars, and that’s
something that Cargill and Os-
borne hope Rods ’N Rhodies
Inc. can help with.
“People don’t think car prob-
lems are life or death,” Osborne
said. “You gotta eat, or you’re
going to die. You have to have
shelter, or you could freeze
to death. I don’t think people
know, especially in Florence
and rural areas, how important
transportation is. I don’t know.
I think we’re too focused on the
critical life issues to think about
the smaller things. We have help
with food, we have help with
shelter, with electricity, sleep-
ing bags, safehouses. But there
is not a lot to offer for help with
transportation.”
Having a reliable car means
being able to get to work on
time in Florence, or dropping
kids off at daycare, or going to
the grocery store. But as families
look to make ends meet in the
region’s boom-and-bust vaca-
tion economy, regular car main-
tenance can go to the wayside.
“It’s not so much that the ve-
hicle is a big important part of
their life,” Cargill said. “They’ll
fix it, when they can afford it.
That is, if they can afford it. ‘I
gotta fix this car, but to do that,
I can’t pay my mortgage this
month.’ And they go without
paying their mortgage or with-
out fixing their car.”
“Or food, so they put it off,”
Osborne added.
“And the car’s unsafe,” said
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going to be dropped from ‘Rods
‘N Rhodies Invitational Car
Show’ to just ‘Rods ‘N Rhodies
Car Show.’ We’re still reviewing
the vehicles, and the committee
is still approving the vehicles…”
“...But we’re expanding it,” Os-
borne said.
More cars will be allowed
downtown for the event, and
different types of cars as well.
“We’re also including Rat
Rods to this, looking for maybe
25 to start with so that we can
have something different to see,”
Cargill said. “They are neat to
look at.”
The usual staples of the show
will remain: The Friday night DJ
party, the classic car showcase in
Old Town and, of course, the car
cruise. Instead of an all-week-
end event, as it usually was, the
festival will end on Saturday
night so downtown merchants
can still get weekend summer
business.
“I’d like to see a few more ven-
dor booths geared toward kids,”
Osborne said. “You can almost
bribe a kid to walk through a car
show with you if there’s some-
thing along the way that piques
their interest. We want to make
it so it’s not just a guys’ event.”
Cargill agreed, saying, “More
events, more things for families
involved. We’re looking for any
ideas that people have.”
The goal is to reinvigorate,
and organize, car culture in the
region all year round.
Plus, “I’m hoping Dee will get
her own car,” Cargill said.
“I just might,” Osborne said.
“One day, a ’68 Charger.”
City of Florence
2675 Kingwood Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
INVITATION FOR BIDS
th
December 19 , 2018
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed bids will be accepted by the City Public Works
Director or Directors’ designee at the City of Florence, 2675 Kingwood Street, Florence,
Oregon 97439; the time of the bid receipt will be recorded by either offi cial. Acceptance of
bids will be offi cially closed at 2:00 PM Pacifi c Time: January 24 th , 2019 and immediately
thereafter the bids will be publicly opened and read in the conference room of the Public
Works Operations Center.
The City of Florence is requesting qualifi ed Contractors to submit bids on the CITY OF
FLORENCE HIGHWAY 101 SEWER IMPROVEMENTS. The project generally consists of
the following work: 3,360 linear feet of 12-inch diameter PVC sanitary main pipe, ten 8-inch
diameter PVC sanitary sewer laterals, ten 6-inch diameter sanitary sewer laterals, sixteen
48-inch diameter sanitary sewer manholes, and two connections to existing sanitary sew-
er facilities.
The schedule for the work is time-sensitive and the Contractor is expected to be prepared
to begin construction by February 18 th , 2019. The work shall be substantially complete by
June 28, 2019 (130 calendar days).
The bid proposal shall be submitted under sealed cover and marked with the Contractor’s
name and following project:
CITY OF FLORENCE
HIGHWAY 101 SEWER IMPROVEMENTS
CITY PROJECT NO. WW 17-03
All proposals must be submitted on the regular forms furnished and shall be accompanied
by an unconditional certifi ed check or bidder’s bond in an amount equivalent to fi ve (5)
percent of the total amount of the bid. The award will be made to the lowest responsible
bidder who will be asked to furnish a separate 100% Corporate Surety Performance Bond
and a separate 100% Payment Bond for the faithful performance of the contract. The
Contractors may be asked to have their Surety furnish a letter certifying they have
currently reviewed the Contractor’s fi nancial statement and that the Contractor is
fi nancially sound prior to award.
Complete digital contract documents are available at http://www.rh2.com under the
Bidding tab. The complete digital contract documents may be downloaded for a $15.00
non-refundable fee by inputting the QuestCDN project #6051833 on the website. Please
contact QuestCDN.com at 952-233-1632 or info@questcdn.com for assistance in free
membership registration, downloading, and working with this digital project information.
An informational copy of the contract documents is on fi le for inspection at the City of
Florence offi ce. All prospective bidders must provide a valid e-mail address and be added
to the Plan Holders List by downloading the documents from www.questcdn.com. Notifi -
cation of Addenda issuance will be issued via e-mail to the addresses listed on the Plan
Holders List. Bid results will be made available on the city’s website.
Technical questions regarding the project should be directed to Tyler Duncan, PE at
541-665-5233 ext. 5413, tduncan@rh2.com.
This is for public work and therefore subject to prevailing wage requirements of ORS
279C.800 thru 279C.870. A subcontractor listing is required and shall be submitted with
the bid. If the subcontractor listing is not submitted with the bid, it must be received within
two (2) hours after the bid closing time and date at the City of Florence, 2675 Kingwood
Street, Florence, OR 97439 to the attention of Mike Miller (facsimile is acceptable) at 541-
590-4017. Failure to supply a correct subcontractor listing will result in bid rejection.
Request for specifi cation changes must be made a minimum of ten (10) days prior
to the proposal receipt date. Protests of bid results must be in writing, must be
made within fi ve (5) days of the posted award date, and must otherwise be in accor-
dance with City Public Contracting Rule 137-049-0260.
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Cargill. “Let’s say a side window
breaks, now it’s cold. You’ve got
black plastic up there. That’s
making the vehicle unsafe, but
you can get by. People do it all
the time. Tires. One that doesn’t
hold air very well. You keep
putting air into it. It’s not safe,
but you can get by. By repairing
those kinds of items, it makes it
easier for the family to get by on
a day-to-day basis.”
Rods ’N Rhodies Inc. has al-
ready received partnership let-
ters from Hoberg’s Complete
Auto Repair, Shervin’s Tire and
Automotive and NAPA Auto
Parts to help those who are put-
ting off car repairs “just a little
longer.”
“If somebody says, ‘I don’t
know what I’m going to do, I
have a flat tire and I can’t afford
to get it fixed,’ we hope at some
point they’ll say, ‘Call Rods
’N Rhodies because they have
funds available for that,’” Os-
borne said.
She stated they already have
partnerships with agencies such
as SOS and Caring Pregnan-
cy Center to help get them in
touch with people in need.
“There are companies in
town that we would like to
reach out to and say, ‘We have a
person or a family who needs a
windshield for their car, can you
do it at a discounted rate?’” Car-
gill said. “If we have the money
for it, we can send that person
to them, repair the windshield,
and we’ll float the bill. We’ll
send the check directly to the
repair shop.”
The organization is also look-
ing to to get vouchers go give to
cab companies, in case some-
one’s car breaks down and they
need a lift somewhere.
None of this is funded at
this point: they’re still applying
for their 501(c)(3). But they’re
reaching out to any group or in-
dividual that would be willing to
help build up the program.
“We’re hoping this program
to be a year-round program, not
just part of the car show,” Cargill
said.
As for the car show itself,
they’re already working on
making changes.
“We’re trying to keep the same
feeling of the show, trying to
keep it going,” Cargill said. “It’s
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Financing: Citi Health Card
12 Month no Interest
The City may reject any bid not in compliance with all prescribed public bidding proce-
dures and requirements, and may, for good cause, reject all bids upon a fi nding by the
City of Florence if it is in the public interest to do so in accordance with ORS 279C.395.
Published
Date: December 19 th , 2018
By Mike Miller, Public Works Director