SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2019 | 3A
Community News
Library invites community to celebrate life of Mary Colgan-Bennetts
The Siuslaw Public Li-
brary will host a communi-
ty gathering in memory of
longtime Library employ-
ee Mary Colgan-Bennetts,
who passed away at the end
of November.
The Irish wake celebra-
tion will be held on Sunday,
Jan. 27, from 1 to 4 p.m., at
the main library in Flor-
ence.
A short formal remem-
brance will begin at 1 p.m.
and last for approximately
thirty minutes. This will be
followed by an open house
featuring light refresh-
ments, music, fellowship
and reflection.
The Library asks that you
wear purple, Colgan-Ben-
netts’ favorite color, and
bring a favorite memo-
ry. Also, if you have any
memorabilia related to
Colgate-Bennetts to share,
such as a photo or art piece
she made, they would be
welcome for display at the
gathering.
Those who knew Mary
Colgan-Bennetts knew she
had many interests and pas-
sions including the library,
art, genealogy and her dog
Max. Mary worked for the
library for over 20 years and
was instrumental in bring-
ing the work of local artists
into the library for all to see
and enjoy.
As an extension of the
art displays, she developed
a hugely popular and suc-
cessful public annual event
known as demARTS where
artists demonstrated their
varied artistic talents and
invited attendees to try
their hand at new tech-
niques.
At the October 2018
demARTS program, the
library lobby art display
area was renamed the Mary
Colgan-Bennetts Gallery in
honor of her commitment
to bringing art into the
public arena.
Colgate-Bennetts’ art was
photography and superb
crafting. She was adept at
capturing contrasts be-
tween dark and light and
colors and showcased this
talent when she displayed
her many photos of Ore-
gon’s covered bridges at the
library in 2017.
She generously shared
her crafting skills and wares
with friends and co-work-
ers.
Colgate-Bennetts
also
spent many years working
on her family history and
was a member of the Siu-
slaw Genealogical Society.
Note that the library will
be closed for library busi-
ness on Sunday Jan. 27.
For more information
about the gathering, visit
the library or its website at
www.siuslawlibrary.org, or
call the library at 541-997-
3132.
COURTESY PHOTO
Mary Colgan-Bennetts with her favorite book.
Annual Agate Festival in Yachats this weekend
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The picturesque coastal
town of Yachats, Oregon is
gearing up for its “Eighth
Ever” Agate Festival, to be
held Saturday and Sunday,
Jan. 19 and 20 from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m., the weekend of
the Martin Luther King
three-day holiday.
The event is free.
Dubbed the “Gem of the
Oregon Coast,” Yachats
is internationally known
for its natural beauty, in-
cluding the treasures un-
covered by winter storms
and winds, making Janu-
ary a prime time for agate
hunting. Vendors
from
throughout the state as
well as from Washington
and Northern California
will be on hand to display
and sell rough specimens
and finished artistic cre-
ations of minerals, gems,
crystals and fossils.
The show will take place
at the Yachats Commons,
located at Highway 101
and West Fourth St. in the
heart of town. In addition,
there will be speakers,
demonstrations and fun
things to do for all ages.
Today, Jan. 19 at 11 a.m.,
the featured speaker will
be Marli Miller, a geolog-
ical sciences faculty mem-
ber at the University of
Oregon since 1997. She is a
COURTESY PHOTO
The annual Agate Festival in Yachats gets underway
today and continues through Sunday, with speakers
and events on the schedule both days.
geologist, photographer
and author of the new sec-
ond edition of Roadside
Geology of Oregon. Her
work showcases the state’s
splendor while also help-
ing enthusiasts understand
geologic processes at work.
She will be available to sign
her book at the Agate Fes-
tival.
At 1:30 p.m., Cameron
Rauenhorst (also known as
Captain Clameron because
of his knowledge of clam
dig-ging in this area) will
speak about the variety of
treasures that can be found
on local beaches. Rauen-
horst has been an enthusi-
ast of beach rock-hound-
ing for many years. He has
been a part-time Oregon
Park Ranger and has given
many talks for kids of all
ages on what you can dis-
cover on the beach — ag-
ates and much more.
The speaker on Sunday,
Jan. 20, at 11 a.m., will be
K. Myers, who has served
as the Yachats Agate Fes-
tival’s “Rock Doc” for a
number of years. Myers
is the author of Agates of
the Oregon Coast, a handy
guide to finding agates,
jaspers and other natural
treasures on the Oregon
Coast.
Other attractions will
include
demonstrations
in the art of making cabo-
chons and the age-old art
of flint knapping.
Once again, the Yachats
Area Presbyterian Church,
also known as the “church
of the agate windows,” will
offer access to the sanc-
tuary where the six large
agate panels are displayed
for easy viewing. A volun-
teer will be available at the
church from 1 to 2 p.m. on
Sunday, Jan. 20.
The festival will be of-
fering three separate draw-
ings for valuable baskets
of fine prizes from many
local merchants.
This
year all proceeds from the
raffle will be donated to
Lincoln County Sheriff ’s
Office Search and Rescue
(SAR), which provides a
well-trained and equipped
professional team of vol-
unteers who are prepared
to respond rapidly, effec-
tively, and safely to serve
as an additional resource
in the search and rescue of
lost, missing, and overdue
persons.
Currently there are 28
trained volunteers in the
non-profit organization.
Since the festival be-
gan in 2012 the January
event has been a big suc-
cess, drawing visitors from
throughout the northwest
and beyond. Merchants,
restaurants and lodging
providers enjoy participat-
ing in the weekend activi-
ties.
More information may
be obtained by visiting
the Yachats Agate Festival
Facebook page, the festi-
val’s website at www.yach-
atsagatefestival.com,
or
by contacting the Yachats
Visitor Center at 800-929-
0477.
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
JANUARY 19
JANUARY 20
JANUARY 21
JANUARY 22
JANUARY 23
PM Light
Rain
Rain
PM Showers
Showers
Showers
53°F
42°F
47°F
39°F
52°F
41°F
52°F
46°F
53°F
42°F
JANUARY 24
FRIDAY
JANUARY 25
Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy
57°F
41°F
58°F
42°F
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