SN
TH
THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM
Florence
prepares
for 13th
annual
Veterans
Day
Parade
Siuslaw News
VOL. 129, NO. 89
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
F LORENCE , O REGON
WEDNESDAY EDITION | NOVEMBER 6, 2019 | $1.00
I NSIDE — A3
OCHS
opens annual
Christmas Store
I NSIDE — A6
Postal Customer
Florence, Ore. 97439
T R U E C O L O R S
Siuslaw School District
holds annual Color-A-Thon
WEATHER
S
iuslaw School District’s annual Col-
or-A-Thon event was held on Satur-
day, drawing hundreds of children,
parents, educators and school supporters
who splashed a rainbow of powdered color
over their clothes and ran (or walked) a 5K
marathon to help support the district.
“This is the largest event yet,” said organiz-
er Crystal Osburn. “It was just phenomenal,
all the way around. It was great to see a huge
dynamic of people show up to support the
schools.”
Thanks to registration fees and sponsor-
ships from 19 local businesses, this year’s
event raised over $20,000. After paying for
the color and prizes for the runners, such as
rainbow wigs, tutus, color blasters and tie-
dye bandanas, the Color-A-Thon brought in
$17,286.70 for the school.
The kids also earned a bouncy house par-
ty because they raised over the year’s goal of
breaking $20,000.
On race day, the morning started out with a
swarm of children descending on the Siuslaw
Middle School parking lot, dressed mostly
in white or pastel colors. Prizes were handed
out, along with multiple forms of color that
participants can paint, throw or dump over
each other.
Partly cloudy with a
high of 60 and a low
tonight of 41.
Full forecast on A3
COMMUNITY
Yachats festival
celebrates local art
INSIDE — A3
SPORTS
Story & Photos
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
See COLORS page 12A
Florence-Yachats Connector
introduces Saturday service
Mapleton plays
under the lights
INSIDE — SPORTS
New bus offers
great views,
relaxation on
Highway 101
RECORDS
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
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
2 S ECTIONS | 20 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2019
The Florence-Yachats Con-
nector Service, operated by the
Lane Transit District (LTD),
recently celebrated one year of
operation with the addition of a
new Saturday schedule.
The additional trip offers rid-
ers four more opportunities to
enjoy a reasonably priced ride
to the small, but popular, tourist
destination of Yachats, located
just 25 miles north of Florence.
Yachats has become a higher
profile destination in the last
few years, receiving accolades
in 2011 from travel guide au-
thor Arthur Frommer, who pro-
claimed the community as one
of his top 10 favorite vacation
destinations in the world.
The name Yachats, according
to the reference book Oregon
Geographic Names, is derived
from the Native American Siletz
Tribe’s phrase that translates as
“Dark waters at the foot of the
mountain.”
This description rings true
to any that have sat at the many
public viewing areas that skirt
the bay and motels just south of
PHOTO BY MARK BRENNAN.SIUSLAW NEWS
The Florence-Yachats Connector Service will now operate on
Saturdays. For more info, visit lcog.org/1068/Public-Transit.
town. The gulls are often hun-
kered down, picking their way
through the suds and seafoam
in search of a meal. The wind
is not as impactful as it is fur-
ther north, as the large hill that
serves as the backdrop for the
town protects it from the worst
of the coastal winds. Now resi-
dents and visitors to Florence
can visit this quaint seacoast
town without the stress of driv-
ing up Highway 101.
Local operation of the Flor-
ence to Yachats Connector
route for LTD is managed by
Josh Haring, owner of a com-
pany that operates two other
transportation sector business
entities, The Rhody Express and
River Cities Taxi.
Haring is a member of the
City of Florence Environmental
Management Advisory Com-
mittee and is an active volunteer
at the Siuslaw School District.
He has had been an advocate
for expanding the transporta-
tion options in Florence and
was instrumental in acquiring
the funding and the permission
from LTD to explore and ulti-
mately initiate the Florence to
Yachats Connector service.
As part of this story, I was
asked by Siuslaw News Editor
Ned Hickson and Haring to take
a ride to Yachats on the first Sat-
urday of the new schedule and
share my thoughts on the trip.
Simply put, I may never drive
to Yachats again.
Like many Florence residents,
I have made the trip to Yachats
on dozens of occasions. Usu-
ally, I drive, but the potentially
fatal dangers that are a real part
of the drive to the north have
always caused me to focus pri-
marily on navigating the chal-
lenging route safely.
See SERVICE page 11A
Florence approves
new Public Art
Committee workplan
The first of two Florence City Council meet-
ings scheduled for November was held Mon-
day evening at Flor-
By Mark Brennan
ence City Hall with a
Siuslaw News
small group of citizens
in attendance. Perhaps
the most anticipated
agenda item facing councilors Monday was
consideration of Resolution No. 23, Series
2019, a resolution approving the City of Flor-
ence’s Public Arts Committee (PAC) workplan.
The meeting began with the introduction of
a new public works employee, Teresa Samuel,
who has been hired as a building maintenance
worker. Samuel was introduced by Public
Works Director Mike Miller and will now be-
come a full-time employee following a stint as
a seasonal worker for the department.
See COUNCIL page 10A
alert
Police seek man
in school incident
The Siuslaw School District has issued a
warning to residents to be on the lookout for
a white male driving a white Crossover SUV
who tried to coerce a student into the vehicle
Tuesday morning.
Florence Police Department and its law
enforcement partners are currently looking
for the van. The incident occurred at a bus
stop near Highway 101 and Surfview Lane.
Reedsport, Mapleton and Lincoln County
school districts have been alerted as well.
Anyone who sees the suspect should noti-
fy local police by calling 911.
Veterans Day - November 11, 2019
Florence, Oregon • Parade Begins at 2pm
Great viewing along the Port Parking Lot and Bay Street.
Tributes and treats for Veterans will be available at Veterans Memorial Park and at several local restaurants.
www.facebook.com/FlorenceVeteransDayParade/