Dancing Sea Lions Arrive

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Events Center celebrating 20th anniversary

The remaining 19 life-size fiberglass sea lions have arrived. The centerpieces of the upcoming Dancing With Sea Lions promotion celebrating the Florence Events Center’s 20th anniversary were delivered by truck last week. Those, along with the lone prototype that arrived late last year, have already been distributed to the 20 different artists that were selected last fall to personalize each one.

FEC Marketing Director Jennifer Connor said the designs run the gamut from the whimsical to nautical and natural, all the way to a performing arts theme.

The completed sea lions will be unveiled during a “splash off” celebration at the center April 9th, then placed at various locations in and out of the community where they’ll remain until the Florence Events Center’s 20th anniversary in August.

Police investigating dead body found on beach

Oregon State Police and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office are continuing their investigation into the identity of a man found dead on Baker Beach, seven miles north of Florence.

The body of the man was discovered just before two pm Saturday where it appeared to have washed up on the beach.

Sergeant Michael Berland said the Lane County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to determine the identity of the man; as well as to determine the cause, time and manner of death.

Boys and Girls Club on the way to solid footing

A year ago, things at the Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County were quite bleak. The club was facing considerable debt, they had to limit programs and lay off staff.

Now, says Interim Director Chuck Trent, they’re back to focusing on their main mission… helping kids.

A generous donor stepped forward in the fall to pay off about $120-thousand in debt. The same donor also funded a few other programs, then local donations and grants helped put the club on a more solid footing.

Trent says they are still working on finding a way to pay off the mortgage for the club’s Teen Center… and sell the former Quality Child Care Facility.

The most important thing he said, was that there are 60 elementary students and 25 teens taking advantage of after-school activities.

Sonshine School hosting science and social studies fair

The Sonshine Christian School will be hosting a community science and social studies fair this week. Between six and 7:30 tomorrow, students at the school will exhibit displays about Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony and Patrick Henry. Principal Karen Nelson said there will also be some science displays featuring what she called “pretty cool” electrical projects.

The Sonshine Christian School is located in the Florence Seventh Day Adventist Church at 4445 Highway 101 next to Potter’s Automotive.

Westlake ramp reopens

Repairs to the Westlake boat ramp on Siltcoos Lake have finally been completed. Work began November 6th to repair the dock abutment that had been damaged by storms in 2012. It was expected to reopen by mid-december, but Lane County spokesperson Devon Ashbridge said a series of storms and high water delayed work for several weeks.

It reopened last week. The majority of the $45-thousand price tag for repairs came from federal disaster relief funding.