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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2019)
SN THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM TH Siuslaw News VOL. 129, NO. 73 NEWS & VIEWS THAT DEFINE OUR COMMUNITY F LORENCE , O REGON WEDNESDAY EDITION | SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 | $1.00 2 ND S ATURDAY G ALLERY T OUR I NSIDE — A10 FLORENCE’S 12TH ANNUAL CAR SHOW SEPTEMBER 13 & 14, 2019 rodsnrhodies.org S PECIAL S ECTION I NSIDE Postal Customer Florence, Ore. 97439 ReVision Florence undergrounds utilities on highway WEATHER Partly sunny with a high of 70 and a low tonight of 52. Full forecast on A3 COMMUNITY Rhodies accentuate Florence area Story & Photo By Chantelle Meyer Siuslaw News This south-facing view of Highway 101 in Flor- ence shows the new streetlights and lack of vis- ible utility lines as part of the ReVision Florence Streetscaping Project, set to be completed by November. House Concert Series continues Friday INSIDE — A3 SPORTS On Tuesday, the City of Florence an- nounced that new streetlights started go- ing up on the west side of Highway 101 as part of the ReVision Florence Streetscaping Project. The project is adding pedestrian ameni- ties, sidewalk improvements, streetscape beautification and new paving to High- way 101 from the Siuslaw River Bridge to Highway 126 and on Highway 126 down to Spruce Street. With this week’s work, the utilities on the west side of Highway 101 have been moved underground, which means people won’t see any of the lines running parallel to the street. See REVISION page 7A 12TH ANNUAL RODS ‘N’ RHODIES SEPTEMBER 13 & 14, 2019 Mapleton beats Riddle INSIDE — SPORTS RECORDS Obituaries & emergency response logs Inside — A2 KID SCOOP Activities and comics every Wednesday Inside — B5 CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices Inside — B6 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /S IUSLAW N EWS @S IUSLAW N EWS T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM S IUSLAW N EWS 3 S ECTIONS | 24 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2019 This weekend offers some- thing for nearly everyone with the long-stand- ing combina- tion of the 12th annual Rods ‘N’ Rhodies Car Show on Friday and Saturday and the seventh SIUSLAW NEWS annual FILE PHOTO Community- wide Garage Sale this Friday to Sunday. Visit Siuslaw News Section C inside this edition to read more about the changes to this year’s car show lineup, the new orga- nizing entity Rods ‘N’ Rhodies, Inc., and how two days is hardly enough to spot every classic car coming to Historic Old Town Florence. Then, follow the treasure map included on pages C5 and C6 to find your way to the best deals on the Oregon coast with Flor- ence’s Community-wide Garage Sale from Sept. 13 to 15. Organized each year by the Siuslaw News and the Florence Area Chamber of Com- merce, the community-wide sale features dozens of sales in and around Florence. People can find anything from vintage toys to name-brand clothing, project-worthy fur- niture to craft supplies just waiting for a new use, as well as tools, household goods, artwork and more. Each day offers new sales opportu- nities as well as the chance to strike a deal. See more in the RODS ‘N’ RHODIES Special Section Inside MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Spring-blooming rhododendrons have become an iconic symbol for the Florence area, even winning awards for shape and color during the Siuslaw Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society’s twice-yearly Rhody Flower Shows. Local chapter of Rhododendron Society celebrates 50 years F lorence has been associated with the “rhody” for decades, even taking on the moniker “The City of Rhododendrons.” This year, the Siuslaw Chapter of the American Rhododendron Soci- ety is celebrating 50 years as an organization. The rhododendron, while originally imported from Asia, has taken root and blossomed in the area for more than a cen- tury. The name is drawn from the ancient Greek and translates in English to “rose tree.” There are more than 1,000 varieties of rhododendrons and a fair num- ber of those can be seen in and around Florence, many in Galla- gher Park. While the plant blooms in the spring, the flowers are also one of the headliners for this weekend’s By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Rods ‘N’ Rhodies Car Show. For 50 years, Members of the Rhody Society have been teach- ing and sharing information on the many different varieties of rhodies available in this area, which is the mission of the chap- ter. Day Farrald is a longtime member of the group and is working with the Rods ‘N’ Rhodies organizers to showcase the plant during the busy week- end. Unfortunately, the beau- tifully colored blooms of the rhododendron will not be on display this weekend, but infor- mation will be shared and un- flowered plants will be available for sale. “The mission of the Rhodo- dendron Society is to dissem- inate information about the genus Rhododendron, and that includes a little bit of every- thing,” Farrald said. “Not only is the group there to share in- formation on the culture, which fertilizer to use, the right amount of sun or shade and the amount of water they need, but we also talk about the history of plant.” The next meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Pres- byterian Church of the Siuslaw, 3996 Highway 101 in Florence. One of the main reasons the Siuslaw Chapter is involved with this week’s event is let the com- munity know about the group and invite interested people to the group’s meetings. See RHODIES page 7A Habitat hosts annual Beachwalk By Mark Brennan Siuslaw News Sometimes a walk on the beach is more than just a great way to relax; it can be an opportunity to help friends and neighbors. That will undoubtedly be the case this Saturday, Sept. 14, when Flor- ence Habitat for Humanity holds its annual Beachwalk. The event sign-in will be at the South Jetty Parking Lot and walkers — many with fami- ly dogs — will make their way along the sand a mile or so to the finish line at Driftwood Shores, where there will be refresh- ments, live music and a dog cos- tume contest. Alice Sichting-Burns, one of the coordinators of the Beachwalk, shared her enthusi- asm about this year’s event. “The Beachwalk Commit- tee has been working hard the last few months rounding up sponsors and getting the word out about our annual Habitat Beachwalk,” she said. If people are still interested in participating, it’s not too late to sign up. “People can form a team, gath- er sponsorships, collect money or just donate to Habitat Beachwalk 2019,” Sichting-Burns said. “If MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Florence Habitat for Humanity includes vibrant kites, music and large bub- bles as part of the finish line of the nonprofit’s annual Beachwalk fundrais- er, coming this Saturday to the North Jetty and Driftwood Shores. you raise at least $100, you earn a T-shirt, or you can purchase the day of the walk. Come out and join the fun and walk the beach with us.” One of the most popular of the activities Saturday will be an assortment of large unique kites flown by Archie and Jeanie Clay of the Rogue Valley Windchas- ers. The Clays are a retired cou- ple that have participated in the Beachwalk previously, pro- viding stunning aerial images using huge, multi-colored kites set against the sky. These will be flown near the Beachwalk’s fin- ish line at Driftwood Shores. See BEACHWALK page 8A VAN FANS FUNDRAISER WILL BE WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16 FUN AND GAMES Get together with friends for a fun day of card games and lunch hosted by the Van Fans Friends of Florence Van Fans is a nonpolitical organization that sponsors this event twice a year. All proceeds go to support WKH&DQFHU%XVZKLFKWUDQVSRUWVSDWLHQWVHYHU\ZHHNGD\WRDQGIURP(XJHQHDQG6SULQJƓHOGIRUUDGLDWLRQWUHDWPHQWV at the Elks Lodge 1686 12th Street. Check in time is 11:30/Lunch at Noon Tickets are on sale now for $15 and includes lunch. To reserve a table for the game of your choice contact: Sharon Gelmstedt 541-991-3209 Lynn Kayser 541-902-2547 Marianna McConville 541-991-3092