9 September 2013
Sunshine, Classic Cars and Cruising
There was plenty of “jay-walking” going on in Old Town Florence Saturday and Sunday. Bay Street was closed from the bridge to the boardwalk and just under 100 classic cars and hot rods lined both sides of the street. Music blared from the speakers at the Gazebo Park and spectators strolled back and forth;
up and down the middle of the street enjoying the view and the weather.
All of the cars and trucks on display were there by invitation… all of them showed a high level of care and restoration.
It was the sixth annual Florence Rods and Rhodies Classic Car show.
It was also just part of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce’s Fall Festival. The other part was a community wide garage sale featuring dozens of sales and attracted hundreds of bargain seekers from outside the community.
Later in the evening Saturday the cars cruised through Old Town, drawing a crowd of spectators.
The show wrapped up yesterday afternoon.
Ropin’ in the Rods
One thing about the weekend festival and the near-perfect weather over the weekend, it brought out some street performers. At one end of Bay Street Billy Jones stood in front of the huge anchor near Mo’s Restaurant, playing his guitar and singing behind a tip jar stuffed with cash.
At the other end of the Street, former calf-roper Dennis Smith was brushing the dust off his roping skills, twirling his lasso in a “flat spin” and performing for the crowd.
Dennis Smith – “Fun… practice… and getting my flat spin stunts back. A little jumping in and jumping out…”
Smith spent time preparing for a move called the “puntanegra”… something taught to him by legendary roper Gene McLaughlin several years ago. After a few unsuccessful tries, Smith had limbered up enough to complete the move several times.
Lane County to Talk about Fairgrounds
The Lane County Commissioners will discuss a staff recommendation tomorrow to maintain direct control over the cash-strapped Lane Events Center.
Commonly referred to as the county fairgrounds, the facility relies on revenues from hotel and motel room taxes to break even. It faces a growing backlog of repairs.
The former manager of the facility had requested more autonomy to run the center last year. Instead, Rick Reno was terminated in a cost-cutting move. The Commission will talk about either exercising more control or going the other direction and contracting management of the facility to a private enterprise.
Award Winning Bio Solids
For the past three years City of Florence crews have been mixing yard debris with sludge from the waste treatment plant and letting it compost… the results have been a rich and natural source of nutrients for plants.
The project was recently recognized by the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies for its work in pollution prevention and environmental leadership.
Public Works Director Mike Miller said he was surprised by the award… he didn’t know they had even been nominated.
The project is still in the developmental stage and the final product can’t be distributed on a wide basis. Miller said as soon as they’re able to get regulatory approval, they’ll begin giving it away for free. Eventually, he added, they want to package it and distribute it commercially.
