SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2021 | 7A COURTESY PHOTO PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS The Rhody Run and Rhody Poker Run were two events held to commemorate the 114th annual Rhododendron Festival, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the ab- sence of many traditional events, people came to Florence over the weekend to enjoy the sunshine and experience a little of the City of Rhododendrons. RHODY from page 1A “This will help the non-profit community which has struggled fi- nancially during this past year.” People came from out of town for the event, joining local participants Rhody Cruisers and Florence Jeeps R Us. “The event was intend- ed to provide a little nor- mality to our community on Rhody Days, and judg- ing from the vintage cars that participated, several 1255 Bay St • Next to Book N Bears 541-991-3322 • FlorenceArtefacts.com Clean the Air in Your Home Professional air duct cleaning can eliminate the circulation of dust, debris and allergens for a safer and healthier home. Living on Shaky Ground: Prepare-Survive-Recover A WLEOG Public Outreach Program Sponsored by West Lane Emergency Operations Group Web address: www.wleog.org COVID Special 10% Off Whole-House Air & Dryer Vent System Cleaning With Sanitation now through 05.31.21 NOW YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS - ON YOUR COMPUTER, PHONE OR TABLET! Go to WLEOG.ORG and click on PREPAREDNESS CLASSES for a menu of disaster prep subjects. Each has short videos on different topics that you can watch when it is convenient for you and your family. **SAFE WATER, SAFE SANITATION **EMERGENCY FOOD PLANNING AND PREPARATION **PET CARE PLANNING FOR DISASTERS **ARE YOU READY? **SENIOR CITIZEN PREPAREDNESS **DOCUMENTATION AND INSURANCE Free Estimate Call or contact us online today for details and scheduling. Ask us about other services we do also. Licensed & Insured from out of town, it was a success,” Cargill said. Beyond the poker run, Bay Street and Historic Old Town Florence were packed to the brim with motorcycles, who have visited Florence for the Rhododendron Festival weekend since the 1970s. Florence Area Cham- ber of Commerce, which sponsors the Rhodo- dendron Festival, posted about the weekend on its Facebook page. “We couldn’t do our an- nual Rhododendron Pa- rade again this year, but our faithful Ambassador Mike Bones kept up the tradition in a one-man Rhody Parade,” the post stated. In addition, the iconic and colorful rhododen- drons that inspired both the festival and the City of Florence’s tagline as the “City of Rhododendrons” have been bursting into bloom all over the region. This prompted the Siuslaw Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society to hold a plant sale at the Florence Municipal Air- port last night. Habitat to collect bottles, cans May 29 Tired of standing in line to return those redeemable bottles and cans? Florence Habitat for Humanity will gladly take them off your hands as they continue to raise funds for a new de- livery truck. Safe Shelter for Siuslaw Students and Safe Families for Children brings you... In addition to the classes, the WLEOG.ORG web- site has extremely useful information on NATURAL HAZARDS and EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. Each of these has videos on various topics that explain the hazards the Pacifi c Northwest faces, and how to prepare for them. Florence Habitat is host- ing its next bottle and can drive on Saturday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a social distancing, drive-thru event. People can bring their redeemable bottles and cans they wish to donate to the Florence Habitat ReStore parking lot, 2016 Highway 101. Volunteers will be on hand to unload them from your vehicle. If people are unable to make the event and would still like to donate, Flor- ence Habitat collects de- posit cans and bottles ev- ery day in our collection container located behind ReStore off Spruce Street. For more information, contact Ivy at the Florence Habitat for Humanity Of- fice at 541-902-9227 ext. 101 or visit Habitat online at www.florencehabitat. org. Visit us on the web For more information, visit these websites: A MERICAN R ED C ROSS — WWW . REDCROSS . ORG C ITY OF F LORENCE — WWW . CI . FLORENCE . OR . US FEMA — WWW . READY . GOV L ANE C OUNTY — WWW . LANECOUNTY . ORG S IUSLAW V ALLEY F IRE AND R ESCUE — WWW . SVFR . ORG WLEOG — WWW . WLEOG . ORG T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM S IUSLAW N EWS Sponsored by Follow us on C ENTRAL L INCOLN PUD Florence • 541-997-3414 Twitter Mon - Fri 8am to 5pm S TREETS I NSURANCE 1234 Rhododendron Dr. Florence 541-997-8574 @S IUSLAW N EWS Questions? Call Suzanne at (541) 590-0779