June 22nd -25th gathering to be one of Florence’s largest
Delegates from Oregon’s largest veterans organization will converge on Florence later this month for the American Legion Oregon Department annual convention.
Functions begin Wednesday, June 22nd and run through Saturday afternoon, the 25th at Three Rivers Casino and Resort.
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Bettina Hannigan said attendees will be staying at hotels all over the area and the visits will have a significant economic impact.
Bettina Hannigan – “You know you’ve got the disposable income these people are bringing, you know there’s extra money to go shopping, and that they’ll buy things when you’re on vacation that you don’t normally buy when you’re home. They’re going to eat out, they’re going to enjoy our activities you know. Go sand-duning and fishing I hope.”
An estimated 750 people will be visiting Florence over the four day period, making it one of the larger conferences to visit the community.
Cascadia Rising under way
The Pacific Northwest kicks off a massive earthquake and tsunami drill as part of a multiday event to rehearse scenarios on how the region would deal with a dual natural disaster.
The four-day event, called Cascadia Rising, begins Tuesday.
Federal officials say about 20,000 people will be involved in the disaster drill, representing various federal agencies, the U.S. military, and state and local emergency response managers from Washington, Oregon and Idaho, Native American tribes and emergency management officials in British Columbia.
One main goal of the exercise is to test how well they will work together to minimize loss of life and damages when a mega-quake of 9.0 rips along the Cascadia Subduction Zone and unleashes a tsunami. More than 8 million people live in the zone, which contains the most heavily populated areas of the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle and Portland.
Green fair to feature give and take
Are you ready to “go green”? The seventh annual Florence Green Fair set for this Saturday at the Florence Events Center will provide residents some tips and suggestions on how to create a more “sustainable” lifestyle.
The seventh annual Green Fair runs from ten to four Saturday and there’s no cost to attend. Organizers simply ask you to bring at least one item on non-perishable food as a donation.
One new aspect of the Green Fair this year is the “Give or Take”, operated by the Florence Area Humane Society Thrift Store. Simply bring a usable, but unwanted item from home and swap it for something of equal value. Organizers say that’s sustainability in action.
There will be educational and interactive seminars and activities throughout the day; all with the goal of “living lightly” on the earth.
Orcas regular visitors to area
The pod of orcas that visited the Siuslaw River over Memorial Day weekend may be a part of an endangered clan based in Washington State waters. The so-called “Southern Resident Killer Whales” have been on the endangered species list since 2005. Orca Network co-founder Howard Garrett says they make their way south along the Oregon Coast, feeding.
Howard Garrett – “The Southern Residents will typically go well into Oregon, down the coastline. It’s not a predictable migration, so they kind of range at will… basically, we assume, wherever they are finding some Chinook.”
Garrett says the Orca pods eat Chinook at the mouth of the Klamath River and sometimes travel as far as the Sacramento River.
Kiwanis hosting 19th annual duck race
Hundreds of tiny rubber ducks will be unleashed in the Siuslaw River for the 19th time this fourth of July during the annual Kiwanis Great Florence Duck Race.
Residents can “adopt a duck” for $5 each, according to spokesperson Judy Dahlberg. The first 43 ducks to cross the finish line in the Port of Siuslaw’s Commercial Boat Basin that day will win prizes ranging in value from $25 to as much as $600.
Dahlberg says only 2-thousand tickets will be sold. They can be purchased from most Kiwanians… or Dahlberg says you can email her at judyducktickets@gmail.com. All proceeds raised from the race remain in Florence and help fund the Florence Kiwanis Foundation. Last year the foundation contributed more than $20-thousand in grants and scholarships locally.