Rhody Court Crowned
It was a packed house at the Florence Events Center last night for the coronation of the Rhododendron Queen and the King of the Coast. The spectacular that signifies the beginning of the Rhododendron Festival here in Florence was filled with entertainment and laughs as 5 young men and 5 young women along with 5 junior princesses wowed the crowd. Dancing and music was the center focus as some performed piano, some sang and some danced their way across the stage. Runner up to queen Rhododendra, Cameron Kentta performed a monologue and addressed her trials as a young person on the Autism Spectrum. In the end the coronation handed out several individual scholarships, one which included a $500 prize for performance which was won by Mapleton Senior Joe Shepard for a latin dance, the other awarded to Haylee Cole for a Jazz dance routine. The pair also went on to take the Crown as Queen Rhododendra and King of the Court. As mentioned before Princess Cameron Kentta was runner up and Prince Chad Hughes was runner up for the King of the Coast.
Another Arrest in ATV Theft
The Lane County Sheriff’s office has released an update on the recovery of their stolen ATV which was taken from the Siltcoos storage facility. Deputies have determined that 48 year old Denver Vollie Bell is not a suspect in the case, but did arrest 26 year old Denver Timothy Bell was the outstanding suspect in the case. Bell was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, burglary in the second degree, criminal trespass, theft in the third degree and criminal mischief in the first degree. Investigators are following other leads in the case.
Pfizer Recommendation
Pfizer has received a recommendation from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices for a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11. Last night the Western States Scientific Safety Review workshop met to see if the recommendation will pass its review and then be available for use in Oregon. That determination could come as early as today. Meanwhile the Oregon Health Authority reported 1,644 new cases yesterday and Lane County added 130. Hospitalizations have also risen significantly with 285 individuals now in Oregon Hospitals, 30 of those are in ICU.
Rhody Festival
Rhododendron Festival is well under way with today marking the first full day of the Davis Carnival. Coast Radio will be covering as much of the weekend as possible with visits to many of the events including the Kiwanis Kids games, junior parade, the Saturday Morning Rhody Run, Show and Shine Classic Car Show on Saturday and the Rhody Flower Show and FRAA Art show at the Florence event center also on Saturday. On Sunday Coast Radio will cover the Rhododendron Parade from its new location at Sears Hometown Store.
