A gathering with a good heart… coming in May
Preparations are well underway for the 119th annual Rhododendron Festival coming next month in Florence. (Bettina1) – We’re full speed ahead. We’ve got the vendor fair, got over 35 vendors that are going to be there down on Maple Street. Lots of food vendors, which will be fun.”
Bettina Hannigan is the President and CEO of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. The Grand Marshals for the festival this year will be the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, something she calls a “collaboration long overdue for Florence”. (Bettina2) – “They picked our theme, they created the logo and we’re really excited about it.”
That theme is “A Gathering with a Good Heart”. Most things will stay the same come the third weekend in May. One change though… the Classic Car Show and Shine returns to the Grocery Outlet Shopping Center. It has been held at the Middle School parking lot for the last few years. The festival officially opens the week before on Saturday, May 9th for the annual coronation pageant at the Florence Events Center.
DAR and the nation’s 250TH CELEBRATION
The Daughters of the American Revolution in Florence are encouraging the community to begin celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday. Organizer Jacquie Beveridge says the milestone should be a time for people to come together and feel united as a community. She hopes events like the Rhododendron Festival and Fourth of July fireworks will help spark that spirit. Beveridge also says they’re looking for volunteers willing to dress as historical figures.[beveridge1] “One of our members dresses as Betsy Ross and hands out flags and so we hope to do something like that, normally we do that at veteran’s day, but it can be done at Rhody Days as well”
For more information or to get involved, contact the Oregon Dunes Chapter of the D.A.R. at oregonduneschapter@gmail.com.
DISTRACTED DRIVING ENFORCEMENT
The Florence Police Department will take part in a focused distracted driving enforcement campaign throughout the month of April. Officers will increase patrols targeting behaviors like texting, using handheld devices, and other distractions that take attention off the road. The effort is funded through a federal traffic safety grant administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Officials say distracted driving remains a serious issue nationwide, with more than 3,200 people killed and over 324,000 injured in 2023. Police remind drivers that distractions include more than phones and encourage motorists to stay alert to help keep roads safe.
Puffins are back on the coast
No foolin’, it’s puffin season on the Oregon Coast. The Oregonian/Oregon Life is reporting that the annual nesting population of tufted puffins appears to have returned to the North Oregon Coast. The distinctive looking waterfowl with bright orange feet and a large orange beak spends most of its time at sea but come breeding season they can be found at a limited number of spots on the Oregon, Washington and Northern California coast. In the Beaver State the birds take up residence at Haystack Rock near Cannon Beach and Three Arch Rocks near Oceanside. Friends of Haystack Rock and the Haystack Rock Awareness Program have teamed up to host a free event April 18th to celebrate the return of the puffin and to help people safely observe them.