Queen Rhododendra CIX, Hannah Anderson
Siuslaw High School junior Hannah Anderson was crowned Queen Rhododendra 109 last night, capping off an evening of performances on the stage at the Florence Events Center.
Anderson’s talent was a humorous radio show based on the 1940s according to Chantelle Meyer with the Siuslaw News. Her public platform was on “body positivity”.
Queen Hannah was crowned by last year’s queen Kennedy Roylance, she was presented with the purple robe and a truss of native rhododendrons.
Senior Court Princess Taylor Coolidge demonstrated martial arts for her talent. Princess Lindsey Keppol sang Colby Caillat’s “Try”.
Each Senior Princess led a team of Junior Court members in a round of games, then each team performed a sketch.
Queen Hannah and her courts will preside over the Festival next week, including the Junior Parade on Saturday May 21st and the Grand Floral Parade Sunday the 22nd.
Rhody Express offering free shuttle during festival
Revelers in Old Town Florence during the 109th Rhododendron Festival won’t have to worry about getting a ride. The Rhody Express will be offering a free shuttle service between Bay Street and any lodging facility within the Florence City Limits between nine p.m. and three a.m. Friday and Saturday, May 20th and 21st.
That will be in addition to the Express’ regular weekday schedule from ten to six on Friday.
Glenn Southerland with the City of Florence says the free nighttime shuttles during the festival can be a safe and convenient way to end your evening of fun.
The free shuttle is just another method used to encourage people to not drink and drive. Another that weekend will be an enforcement blitz by area police officers.
Missed the mail? Use a drop box for ballot
Elections officials in Lane County said yesterday was the last day to drop your ballot in the mail for the May 17th election and be certain it would be received in time to be counted.
Lane County Clerk Cheryl Betschart said an increase in the number of registered voters in Lane County this year may mean the U.S. Postal Service would need more time to process and deliver ballots for counting. That makes it critical, she adds, for voters who choose to mail their ballots to allow adequate time.
There are about two-dozen ballot drop off locations in Lane County that can be used as an alternative. Only one is in Western Lane County. It’s in front of the Florence Justice Center just off 9th Street.
In order to be counted, all voted ballots must be received at the Elections Office; or an official drop site; no later than eight p.m. Tuesday, May 17th. Betschart says also to be sure to sign your own ballot return ID envelope… and do it in the same manner as your most current voter registration card.
Port Commission to meet in Triangle Lake
The Port of Siuslaw Commission will meet outside of Florence twice in the coming months.
The first time will be next Wednesday for the regular May meeting at Triangle Lake School in Blachly. The meeting will begin at 5:30 according to Port Manager Steven Leskin. He said it will give people interested in the functioning of the Port a chance to attend a Commission meeting in their own community.
Next week’s meeting will include consideration of several resolutions, including one to sell surplus items and another concerning the distribution of literature and public gatherings on Port property.
A second outlying meeting will be held in Mapleton in August.
If you can’t, or don’t want to make the long drive up Highway 36 to attend next week’s meeting, Leskin said video of the meeting will be posted online at the district’s website within 48-hours.
Tsunami debris threatens ecological balance
An Oregon State researcher who has been studying tsunami debris washing ashore along the Oregon Coast over the past five years will talk about how the debris made the journey from Japan to the Oregon Coast… and why it will likely continue to wash up on area beaches in coming years.
John Chapman is a zoologist who studies aquatic biological invasions. He says the tsunami debris, especially that with cavities that could provide “protected temporary habitat” for creatures can threaten local organisms and cause environmental damage.
Chapman and other scientists began studying the debris from the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami when it began washing up on Oregon beaches about a year later.
He, along with CoastWatch volunteer Fawn Custer, will present a talk at Lane Community College in Florence Tuesday, May 17th at 6:30. It’s presented by the Oregon Shores Coastal Conservation Coalition. The talk is free and open to the public, but a $5 donation is suggested.
