Rhododendron Festival
Another Rhododendron Festival is in the books. The 112th Rhododendron Festival saw some rain but the festivities kept going. The Public Arts Committee hosted a paint day for the new mural on the Central Lincoln PUD building. PAC Chairman, Harlan Springer was excited for the turnout.
“This is outstanding. The public has shown up, they’re now painting on the wall, and so they’re leaving their mark on this historical wall.”
Springer says the artist will now come in and complete the project over the next several weeks. Thousands of visitors and local residents turned out for the Festival which included classic cars and the 40th annual 5k and 10k Rhody Run the 5k runs top finishers were Siuslaw High school students with Brendan Jensen taking the Men’s first place trophy and Anne Wartnik taking the woman’s prize. German Runner, 53 year old Thomas Kruezpeinter won the men’s 10k in just under 37 minutes. On Sunday the parade was halted for a short time as EMS responded to a juvenile that had fallen while attempting to get on to a float, but after a brief delay the event continued. Float winners included the Habitat for Humanity entry which received the Mayor’s Award, the United States Coast Guard received the Queen’s Award and the Last Resort Players received the King’s Award.
Missing Salem Woman
Police out of Salem are asking for the public’s help in locating a mother and her three year old son who they say have been missing for about a week. 25 year old Karissa Alyn Fretwell and her son Billy have not been seen since last Monday. Police say Karissa is about 5 foot 9 inches tall with blue eyes and dyed red hair and weighing about 135 pounds. Billy is about 3 feet tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. And weighs about 30 pounds. There is no information about their disappearance or whether or not they were in a vehicle. If anyone has information they are urged to contact the Salem police.
WLCF Scholarships
The Western Lane Community Foundation has announced that it will be offering 16 scholarships for continuing education in the 2019/2020 school year. The Scholarships total $18,000 and are designed for students that have a permanent residential address in the Florence, Dunes City, Mapleton and Deadwood areas. The deadline for applying for the scholarships is June 30th. Scholarships are available for traditional four-year universities, colleges, community colleges, and accredited trade schools and special arts programs.
City Council Meeting
The Florence City Council will meet this evening at 5:30 at the city hall. They will be considering several resolutions including one that approves the 2019 Florence Stormwater Master Plan. They will also be looking at approving a non-exclusive franchise to WAVE Broadband to operate and maintain a communications system within the city limits. The city will also announce its participation in the National Night Out which is planned for August 6th this year.
