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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 2019)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2019 | 3A Community News Talk about travel with LCC Florence Center Lane Community Col- lege’s Florence Center will be hosting a travel presen- tation, led by Laura Her- nandez of Collette Travel, to talk about upcoming travel opportunities for lo- cal community members. Join LCC Florence on Monday, Feb. 25, at 1 p.m. in Room 103 to learn more about the 2019-20 travel Building from a successful foundation schedule, featuring the Is- lands of New England in the fall, the Christmas Markets of Germany and Austria in December and Sunny Por- tugal (recently featured on Wheel of Fortune) in spring 2020. Contact LCC Florence for more information at 3149 Oak St. or by calling 541-997-8444. Military Heritage Day today explores Civil War connection The next Military Heritage Day for the Oregon Coast Military Museum is set for Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. at the Florence Municipal Air- port located on Kingwood Street. Board Member Dave Burkett will be sharing his knowledge as a Civil War Living Historian — with a focus on Oregon’s connec- tion and the Civil War. “While none of the battles from the war between the states took place here in Or- egon, that doesn’t mean Or- egon didn’t feel the impacts from that war,” said Execu- tive Director Cal Applebee. “When the Civil War started in 1861, Oregon was a fledg- ling state, having attained statehood only two years earlier. The United States Army already had consider- able presence in Oregon, but primarily because of con- flicts between the growing number of settlers who were newcomers, and the multi- ple native American tribes around the state, who had been here first. As the troop demands for the Civil War increased, the North began withdrawing federal troops to feed that need.” Burkett will share histo- ry on this element as well as some of the more personal connections between Ore- gon and several Civil War personalities. There is no charge for at- tending the presentation. The museum, located at 2145 Kingwood St. in Flor- ence, is open to the public Wednesday through Sun- day, from noon to 4 p.m. For more info, visit oregoncoast militarymuseum.com. RETIREMENT RECEPTION JODI Monday, February 25th 4:30-6:30 Abel Insurance will be hosting a retirement re- ception for Jodi to receive farewell wishes from her clients. Please join us at the Florence Senior Center on Kingwood. Light appetizers and desserts will be served. HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US ~ALSO~ Stop by our office and meet SHARI, who will help you with your life & health insurance needs. PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Community tours newly reopened Florence City Hall On Tuesday, Florence City Hall held its official grand reopening, in- By Chantelle Meyer viting more than 200 Siuslat Nets communi- ty members inside to tour the newly remodeled building. The reception encouraged residents to view spaces that are not regularly open to the public as well as get a view of the new council cham- bers. Inside, Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors gathered with members of the Florence City Council for an official ribbon cutting, followed by a ribbon cutting with city staff. Florence Mayor Joe Henry wel- comed the community to the renovat- ed space and introduced City Manag- er Erin Reynolds. “Thank you all for your support of city staff over the last several years and supporting us to rebuild City Hall and provide a great community space,” Reynolds said. She gestured to the council cham- bers, a 2,000-square-foot addition at the front of the existing City Hall, and said it was the only new construction on the building. “The rest is renovated and remod- eled and made into a wonderful, effi- cient and effective space. We’re really proud of it. I’m glad you all feel com- fortable here,” she said to the mem- bers of public. “Thank you for coming and visiting and seeing us here, and we look forward to years to come as we grow Florence and make it the best place to live, work and play.” During the grand reopening, the City of Florence also displayed historic See CITY HALL page 5A Chamber Visitor Center features Blue Heron Gallery The Florence Area Cham- ber of Commerce’s Visitor Center features a different local art exhibit each month. In February the exhibit spot- lights a variety of works by local and Northwest artists from The Blue Heron Gallery in Old Town. “We are delighted to have a sampling of The Blue Her- on’s collection on display at the Chamber’s Visitor Center this month,” said Chamber Executive Director Bettina Hannigan. “The chamber is listed in the local art tour map because of our month- ly displays of photography, paintings or 3-D art by local artists and galleries. Our lo- cal art community is a major contributor to our success in promoting tourism.” Jack Butler, owner of the COURTESY PHOTO The Blue Heron Gallery, 1385 Bay St., is the featured exhibit at Florence Area Chamber of Commerce’s Visitor Center, 290 Highway 101. Blue Heron Gallery, Sticks and Stones Gallery and Wind Drift Gallery, said, “Visitors will find a beautiful display of a wide variety of jewel- ry, sculpture, and artwork in several mediums by lo- cally-, regionally- and na- tionally-acclaimed artists. It’s exciting to be invited to participate in the Chamber’s monthly exhibit. We appre- ciate that the chamber sup- ports our vibrant arts com- munity.” The Blue Heron Gallery is a contemporary craft gallery focusing on American-made craft at 1385 Bay St. in Flor- ence. For more information, call the gallery at 541-997- 7993 or visit oregoncoastgal- leries.net. “Each of our three galleries offers something different,” Butler explained. “The vari- ety found in our shops, and the other great shops in Old Town, sets Florence apart from other communities on the coast where you can go into a half-dozen differ- ent shops and find the same thing over and over. There is a tremendous diversity of artistic work, especially local work, in Florence.” The Chamber’s Visitor’s Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more in- formation about the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and how to join or volunteer, drop by 290 Highway 101, visit www.FlorenceChamber. com or call 541-997-3128. “It’s exciting to see the Florence art community’s profile growing,” Butler add- ed. “This area has always had an appreciation for art and an abundance of talent. With every new artist who moves to town they bring new flavors to add to our diverse offerings, and that keeps our local arts commu- nity on the upswing. Art is growing in its importance in enhancing Florence’s tour- ism business, and that helps all businesses.” WEDNESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23 FEBRUARY 24 FEBRUARY 25 FEBRUARY 26 FEBRUARY 27 FEBRUARY 28 FEBRUARY 29 Showers Rain Rain Rain Rain Showers Mostly Cloudy 46°F 41°F 45°F 39°F 45°F 34°F 47°F 41°F 49°F 42°F 51°F 42°F 53°F 41°F FRIDAY Receive $5 off when you spend $100! WE ARE YOUR ONE STOP CAR CENTER • Full Service Repair • ASE Certifi ed Technician • Shrink Wrap • Tire sales Locally Owned. Community Minded Aj Shervin, Owner