SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2021 | 3A
Community News
CROW closes curtains
on fall, winter events
CROW has decided to
cancel the 2021 Scare-
CROW Haunted Maze
and 2021 Holly Jolly Fol-
lies, in light of the rising
COVID safety concerns
in the immediate area.
“It is with great sad-
ness that this decision
was made by the CROW
Board of Directors in a
unanimous vote on Au-
gust 30,” said CROW Ar-
tistic Melanie Heard.
Due to the extensive
preparation that must
occur for both events,
and the fact that there
is so much uncertain-
ty about the COVID 19
variants, the board felt
that canceling the events
was the responsible
choice.
“ We a r e c u r r e n t l y
working on some safe al-
ternatives and virtual ac-
tivities for our local chil-
dren and families,” Heard
said. “We hope that ev-
eryone stays healthy and
takes precautions as the
new school year begins.”
Many months of work
go into planning events
such as live theater per-
formances or interac-
tive holiday activities.
CROW has a team of
volunteers and staff who
craft complicated de-
signs, build extensive
sets and create dozens of
costumes and props for
each production.
“Our Haunted Maze
takes at least two months
to design and build, and
the Holly Jolly Follies
requires months of re-
hearsals, which we don’t
feel can be done safely
at this time,” Heard said.
“The finished product
that our audiences see
is only the tip of the ice-
berg.”
To stay up to date
with CROW (Children’s
Repertory of Oregon
Workshops), visit www.
crowkids.com or www.
facebook.com/crow
theatrekids.
— DAV seeks drivers —
The Disabled American
Veterans (DAV) is in need
of volunteer drivers who
are willing to drive veter-
ans, in the DAV van, to
Portland for medical ap-
pointments .
The drive is about four
hours to Portland, four
hours for the return trip,
plus four hours waiting
for vets at the hospital.
This is a total of about 330
miles and 12 hours.
Call 541-997-1123 for
more information.
We are open and
ready to assist you!
Filling backpacks with milk and fruit
I
n August, Kiwanis Club of
Florence presented Food
Backpack for Kids with a
check for $5,420. These
funds will purchase all the
milk and fruit for the nearly
100 students Food
Backpack serves in the
Siuslaw and Mapleton
Elementary Schools during
the upcoming school year.
(From left) Cross Road
Assembly of God Pastor
Dale Edwards and Food
Backpack founder Marilyn
Barba accepted the dona-
tion from Kiwanis President
Megan Messmer on Aug. 23.
For more information, visit
www.foodbackpackforkids.
com and www.florenceki-
wanis.org, or find both
organizations on Facebook.
Starlight Cabaret presents Mark Levy in outdoor concert
On Friday, Sept. 10,
Starlight Cabaret alights
at the Florence Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship
(FUUF) for an Outdoor
Concert with singer/
songwriter Mark Levy.
For over five decades,
Levy has been writing
and performing songs
covering the vital social
and political issues of our
times. He has traveled
through 48 states and 10
countries with his guitar
and banjo in hand, sing-
ing for change.
His mentor Pete See-
ger once said Levy is
“inspiring. I don’t often
hear someone with such
a good voice and clear
sense of direction.”
Levy is known for
both satirical and serious
songs and also sings in
several languages.
He was born in New
Jersey, a fact that is not
lost on his detractors. His
mother submits he did
not speak until almost
four years, but has subse-
quently more than made
up for it. His first words
were, “Look, there’s a
man singing on TV,” pos-
sibly foreshadowing what
became his career.
Levy’s brief brushes
with fame were more like
brush-offs.
“I didn’t want to be
known, and prefer ob-
scurity. You can get a lot
more done that way,” he
said.
An activist to the core,
Levy pens songs about
social, political and en-
vironmental issues, often
laced with satire.
“You can’t make ev-
erything funny, so some
songs are serious, though
occasionally I cross the
line,” he said. “To para-
phrase Mary Poppins, a
spoonful of humor helps
the message go down.”
Like most traveling
musicians, he’s been laid
up at home for the past
year and a half, opting to
stay alive. This will be his
first in-person concert
since March 2020.
Attendees are asked to
bring comfortable chairs,
as the event will be out-
side in the fresh evening
air. Masks will be re-
quired.
A sliding scale dona-
tion of $10-20 is greatly
appreciated.
The concert will take
place on Sept. 10 at 6:30
p.m. at FUUF, 87738
Highway 101 at Heceta
Beach road.
For more information,
contact Sally Wantz at
541-901-9904.
Siuslaw School District announces educator COVID case
This week, just days be-
fore the start of the 2021-
22 school year, Siuslaw
School District learned
that a professional edu-
cator at Siuslaw Elemen-
tary tested positive for
COVID-19.
“The school district is
working closely with Lane
Johnston Motor Company
Since 1939
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475
S IUSLAW N EWS
County Public Health to
respond to this news to
protect the health of the
staff and the community,”
said Superintendent An-
drew Grzeskowiak.
According to the dis-
trict, each situation calls
for different protocols.
In this case, the district
will follow the following
steps:
1. The person will be
in quarantine, as per the
direction of Lane County
Public Health, for a peri-
od of up to 14 days.
2. The building admin-
istration has notified the
person determined to be
a “close contact” and is
following Lane County
Public Health isolation
protocol.
3. The common plan-
ning space used has been
disinfected with an elec-
trostatic sprayer, in ad-
dition to the high-touch
disinfection routines of
the custodial staff.
“The best way to
prevent the spread of
COVID-19 is through
vaccinations for those
who are eligible, wearing
face coverings, physical
distancing and to prac-
tice good health hygiene
habits,”
Grzeskowiak
stated. “Be sure to wash
your hands frequent-
ly with soap and water,
cover your coughs and
sneezes, and avoid con-
tact with people who
have signs of illness. Get
plenty of rest, exercise
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and eat healthy food.”
The Siuslaw School
District will keep fami-
lies and the community
updated with any new
information as it comes
out, while meeting the re-
quirements to honor ev-
eryone’s right to privacy.
More information can
be found on the Oregon
Department of Educa-
tion’s “Ready Schools,
Safe Learners” page at
www.oregon.gov/ode/
students-and-family/
healthsafety/Pages/Plan
ning-for-the-2020-21-
School-Year.aspx and the
Oregon Health Author-
ity’s COVID-19 page at
healthoregon.org/corona
virus.
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