4A |
SATURDAY EDITION
| AUGUST 10, 2019
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
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Siuslaw News
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Letters to the Editor policy
LETTERS
Thanks to SHS football
team for help
I know the Siuslaw News will
be getting many letters giving
praise to National Night Out (the
Aug. 6 event hosted by the City
of Florence), on how wonderful
this event was. But I am writ-
ing in about a particular group
that helped out that night: our
local Siuslaw High School foot-
ball players and their new head
coach, Sam Johnson.
I oversaw the Kiwanis kids’
games that were set up in the
south field. Normally, it can be
difficult to fill the event with the
required volunteers to make sure
each game runs smoothly for the
kids. Before the event, I was short
some volunteers, so I reached out
to Sam Johnson and asked if any
of his players would be willing to
come help me out at this event.
Without any hesitation he was
on board and asked how many I
need. I told him six players would
be perfect, and he promised me
six players for this event.
I was blown away when the
entire team showed up. In their
yellow shirts, they all gave a hand
wherever they were needed. The
young men interacted with the
kids with excitement, encouraged
the kids to do their best and over-
all they had fun with the kids.
I watched a 6-year-old girl gig-
gle as she won a sack race against
“big bad football players,” and I
saw the eyes of a 4-year-old boy
light up with joy when he threw
a football to a real football player.
These young men were very po-
lite and did not complain when
I asked them to pick up the gar-
bage left around.
I even heard a “Yes, ma’am.”
We live in a world now where
our youth look up to “Social
Media Influencers”, but Tuesday
night’s event was a great oppor-
tunity to physically inspire the
kids. It really helped support so-
cial connections within our com-
munity.
I encourage the town to come
out Aug. 30 for the Siuslaw High
School Football Jamboree and
community barbecue (11 a.m. to
4 p.m.), or the first home game
Sept. 20 against Newport.
Come give them the support
they deserve.
A big thank you to Sam John-
son and his team. I wish them
good luck in the upcoming sea-
son.
I will be there for every game.
—Dawnell Spencer-Wright
Member of the
Kiwanis Club of Florence
Heartfelt thanks
In memory of Chris Hannam,
I would like to send my heartfelt
thanks to Dr. Stephen Kerner and
his staff — Donna, Nancy S., Mi-
chele, Marti, Penny, Susan, and
especially Lorie and Nancy A.
You are all truly angels on
earth.
God Bless.
—Susie Bianchi
Florence
Art is good for
business, mental health
Tourists from all over the
world stop in Florence and ze-
ro-in on our art galleries. They
may dream of being in Florence,
Italy, where they could be stand-
ing in long lines waiting to get
into the abundance of galleries
there, but instead they are spend-
ing their money and time in Flor-
ence — where they flow through
the doors of her art galleries.
Art is good for business.
As a founding member of
Backstreet Gallery, which has
been thriving since its inception
in 2005, I and other artist-own-
ers welcome people from all over
the world into our gallery. We
observe that people slow down;
meditate on creative objects that
some call art; and shed built up
stress.
They bring their children and
expose them to art; their own
creative muses stir and they
spend a fair amount of their vaca-
tion time looking at art. We hear
such statements as, “I always stop
in Florence because of its galler-
ies,” “I’m not creative but other’s
creativity makes me feel good,”
“This place is a gem” and “Thank
you for being here.”
My point is that art is good for
mental health and for business.
It is a unifier. Folks from around
the world and across America
love to look at — and buy — ob-
jects of art that are created by
other human beings.
Art can unite us if it is not
usurped as a tool to divide us. We
all can benefit from Florence’s
embrace of art in all its forms.
Thank you City Art Commit-
tee, FRAA, FEC and all our gal-
leries for your creative ideas and
efforts to keep Florence artistic.
—Kathryn Damon-Dawson
Florence
Smiling appreciation
I don’t know how I got so lucky.
There are those living in Florence
who were dismayed over plans
for the now-completed Rhodo-
dendron Drive bike path.
I’m grateful to have it, use it of-
ten and appreciate how it blends
with the robust rhodies along its
way. There are those who were
upset over the added cost of the
curved rock wall at the recent-
ly-remodeled City Hall. I admire
it whenever I pass by and am glad
to see a building with an elegant
and artistic flair along well-trav-
elled Highway 101.
There are those who were high-
ly disappointed with the Public
Art Committee’s mural selection
now painted on the exterior walls
of the PUD building. I’ve lived in
Florence for almost two decades,
and never have I felt more proud
of anything that has come to be
during my time here.
My eyes and heart see the mu-
ral as an exquisitely-beautiful
and deeply-thoughtful piece of
art, uplifting in every way.
Lucky me; three-for-three. I
can’t wait for the next space-en-
hancing project to come along,
criticism and all, as I expect it
will be yet another positive ad-
dition to our increasingly vibrant
and charming town.
Thank you to everyone who
puts time and energy into want-
ing to make it so.
The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi-
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WHERE TO WRITE
Pres. Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments:
202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line:
503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
A little ironic?
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate
Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
I can’t be the only one who
finds it a little ironic that the for-
mer “Patriot Place” is now a busi-
ness called “All Things Russian.”
—Bill DuBeau
Florence
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
www.merkley.senate.gov
—Aly LeCaux
Florence
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
(4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
541-269-2609
541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan
(Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@
oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep.
Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email: rep.caddymckeown
@oregonlegislature.gov
West Lane County
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email: Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us