Although I don't have a story to go with it, I love this first historic picture of Eugene Strain, taken many years ago. A long-time resident of the Langlois/Bandon area, Gene was the father of three well-known Bandon women, Margaret Gorman, Nellie Biggar and Agnes Wilson. Margaret and Nellie taught school here for many years ago, while Agnes and her family owned and operated Wilson's Grocery.
The second photo I am sharing came from an article in the Bandon Recorder, dated May 2, 1911, and headlined "At Last."
"The manager of the Grand Theatre (second photo) takes pleasure in announcing to the patrons of this popular Play House that a new metallic picture curtain will be installed the latter part of this week that promises to show motion pictures with a greater depth, clearer, more brilliant and lite light than any scheme heretofore tried. The manager has spent over $75.00 trying to produce a curtain that would give the desired results and he is satisfied that the screen now in the making will be as near perfect as a metallic curtain can be made. The curtain is 10x14 feet in size, without a seam, without a wrinkle, without a scratch or a pimple on it.
"It will reflect the darkest picture as well as the lightest, giving greater depth and sharper outlines than any curtain heretofore tried. Watch for it, look for it. It will please you."
An item from March 7, 1911, is headlined Coquille River Boats.
"To those who may not know of the importance of the Coquille river as a shipping port, it may be of interest to learn that there is a constant increase in the commerce both in and out of this port.
"Since January 1, there were even 40, in February 34 and to date in March thirteen vessels (third photo) have crossed the bar. This is the 65th day of the year and with 87 arrivals and departures of ocean going boats, it makes an average of nearly 1 1/3 boats a day, which is certainly a good record, and shows that the port is gaining in importance all the time. We were unable to get the total tonnage in and out of the port on the various boats, but it runs up into the many thousands of tons, thus showing the vast wealth of this great country."
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Bandon residents are in for a treat when one of the scheduled events for the Jet Boat Championships on the Rogue River will be held on the Coquille River, with boats racing between Bandon and Coquille on Monday, May 6.
The Southern Oregon Power Boat Association is hosting the 2024 USA UIM "Leo Wright Memorial" championships starting May 4 and ending May 11 on the Rogue River in Gold Beach.
Time trials will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, to determine starting order for the races on Sunday, May 6.
The teams will be coming to Bandon on May 6, for the day of racing from Bandon to Coquille and back. The first boats leave Bandon at 10 a.m., with the second race, leaving Bandon, to begin at 1:30 p.m. For those watching from Coquille, the first race returning to Bandon starts at noon, and the second at 3 p.m.
Each team will bring two boats, one to put in the water and one for backup. The back-up boats will be across the street from the Bandon Fisheries Warehouse, according to a chamber press release.
For more information about the events slated for Gold Beach, go to southernoregonpba.org.
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A press release from the Coos County Sheriff's Office, dated April 8, explained that a concerned citizen had brought a silver brick-type object to the sheriff's office for disposal. On the outside was printed "Warning - USAF IR Flare Explosive/Highly Flammable." The citizen reportedly found the item in the Burnt Mountain area of Coos County.
Upon further research, Sgt. S. Moore discovered this was a U.S. Air Force countermeasure flare that did not ignite after being expelled from a military aircraft, probably during a training mission.
Sgt. Moore contacted the 142nd Oregon Air Guard EOD unit in Portland. On April 9, two members of the Explosives Ordnance Division (EOD) unit responded to this area and disposed of the flare at a safe location.
The Sheriff's Office would like to remind the public that if you find such items, please leave them in place and contact the authorities so they can be properly handled and disposed of.
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The Bandon City Park playground will be closed from Wednesday, April 24, to Monday, May 6, for the installation of new playground equipment, according to information from the city's planning department.
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The public is invited to attend the Bandon Transportation System Plan open house on Wednesday, April 24, from, 4 to 6 p.m. at City Hall. The TSP will recommend policies, programs and physical improvements to streets and sidewalks to address current and future transportation needs in Bandon.
In partnership with ODOT, the City is hosting the open house to "hear your thoughts on draft solutions that address transportation issues in town. The City wants to ensure that the solutions reflect the needs and values of Bandon's community members," said a city spokesman. "The Open House will ask for your feedback after a short presentation."
The project team has drafted solutions to address community-identified issues, including: options for reconfiguring and improving US 101 to address speeding and safety issues; safer and more comfortable connections for people walking and biking; parking and demand management for busy areas; pubic transportation improvements and additional roadway connections.
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I saw a Facebook post this week that indicated Coast Community Health Center is looking to hire physician assistants and family nurse practitioners for both the Bandon clinic and the Port Orford Tichenor clinic.
The new interim CEO Kendra Newbold has recently arrived, replacing Eddie Larsen, who was hired in July, and terminated in February. Coast is a FQHC (federally qualified health center) governed by an appointed board of directors, with J.J. McLeod as chair.
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The League of Women Voters is sponsoring two candidate forums, with one on Wednesday, April 17, at the Coos Bay public library, 6:30 to 9, with pros and cons of the public safety levy scheduled for 8 to 9 pm, featuring the Sheriff, District Attorney, Commissioner John Sweet and Radio Commentator Rob Taylor participating.
On Wednesday, April 24, from 7 to 9, a forum will be held at The Barn (Community Center) in Bandon, to listen to state senate and representative candidates, including incumbents David Brock Smith and Court Boice.
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The annual Bandon Chamber of Commerce dinner is set for Tuesday, April 23, at the Bandon Fisheries warehouse, with tickets at $30, purchased through zeffy.com. Doors open at 5:30, dinner (catered by Wilson's Grocery) is served at 6:30, and the program, including Brenda Meade of the Coquille Indian Tribe and Jeff Simonds of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, starts at 7:15 p.m.
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Bandon Showcase is hosting The Undercovers, with music of Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson, on Wednesday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the Sprague Theater. General admission tickets are $35 and are available at bandonshowcase.org or at the door.
This should be a wonderful program, and is one you won't want to miss. It's especially important to support programs like this, so that the Bandon Showcase will be able to continue bringing top-notch entertainment to Bandon. For more information call 541-290-9989.
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A friend contacted me recently with concern that several older woman she knew left their outside doors unlocked in case emergency personnel needed to access the home if they needed help. She felt this was dangerous.
She said that the sheriff's department has a program where a person can contact them with information as to where their house key is located in the case of an emergency. She said people could contact 541-269-8911 or 541-396-2106, to provide the information, although she admitted she had not checked with them first to see if those numbers were still viable. But if you explain what you want, possibly someone will be able to help.
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Southern Coos Hospital and Health Center is sponsoring the first Living &Aging Well event Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Bandon Community Center. Theme of the free event is exploring the basic foundational elements of Living & Aging Well, with Alix McGinley as facilitator.
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Tuesday, April 16, Port Commission Chairman Reg Pullen, Jim Proehl and I will be at the Meet & Greet at Bandon Fisheries Warehouse with the program "Ask An Expert a Bandon History Question." Seating opens at 11:30 a.m., with the program to begin at noon. And if someone happens to ask a city or a port question, we will probably try to answer that, as well.
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People often tell me that a lot of the information in my column, which appears in Friday's Coos Bay World, is outdated. But that is because of a change in their print schedule which moved the publication date ahead a week. It also appears on Bandon.tv on Monday mornings and the following Thursday in the Coquille Sentinel, as well as on several Facebook sites.
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