Local News Digest – Chowder Blues and Brews; Wild Coho; and Sewer Extension

16th Chowder Blues and Brews

The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a party this weekend at the Events Center… the 16^th annual Chowder Blues and Brews festival opens at five this afternoon.  Executive Director Cal Applebee says there are plenty of samples of all three namesakes…

Cal Applebee – “Total of five beverage offerings, four beer or brewers and one wine on tap.”

Those include the popular Deschutes, Ninkasi and Wakonda Breweries from Oregon, along with the Lost Coast Brewery from Humboldt County, California.  The food line up, says Applebee, is broad as well.

          Cal Applebee – “We have chowder and we have cinnamon roasted nuts, so we literally have everything from soup to nuts, including sushi, pulled pork, pasta, ravioli, so, we’ve got a great food court this year.”

The Oregon Coast Professional Chowder Cook Off is tomorrow with the People’s Choice tasting at one.  There are six entries, including last year’s defending champion, the Tides Inn out of Reedsport.

As attractive as the food and drink may be, for many the draw is the music.  Three bands play tonight, including the headliners, an all star collection of some of the top artists in Oregon… the I-5 Nine.  Tomorrow there are five bands on tap including local favorites KUSH, opening for the Saturday night headliner Lloyd Jones.

Sewer Extension moving past schools

Work on phase II of a $1.2-million sewer expansion and extension along Oak Street will be moving past area schools next week.  But drivers along Oak Street will still have to deal with gravel a while longer.

The contractor will be working between 30^th and 35^th Streets and Florence Public Works Director Mike Miller says they should begin repaving when they get a favorable weather forecast.

Mike Miller – “It’s just timing, we’re again getting into the fall with the rains. We can’t pave during heavy rains, we can pave when there is some moisture in the air, it just depends on temperatures.”

The work will disrupt access to Lane Community College next week.  Then later this month it will move to the north of 35^th.

Mike Miller – “A portion of Oak Street, closer to 43rd, about probably at 41st street or so, the entire street will be closed because we’re taking out all the asphalt. It’s a very deep sewer and the water line’s going to relocated as well.”

The project is funded by a no-interest water quality loan from the state and will be repaid by user and systems enlargement fees.

Last Chance for Wild Coho on the Siuslaw

Anglers hoping to catch a wild coho salmon this season will have until Sunday afternoon on three coastal streams.  Fisheries managers say quotas for the season are expected to be met by Sunday on the Siuslaw, Yaquina and Nestucca rivers.  The quota for the Umpqua River was met two weeks ago, but, says Derek Wilson with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Alsea will remain open, as will Siltcoos and Tahkenitch Lakes.  Anglers can still catch fin-clipped hatchery coho as well as Wild Chinook on all streams.