Scavenger Hunt Begins Today
The City of Florence has instituted a community wide scavenger hunt that incorporates a host of medium throughout the next two weeks. Beginning today and ending on July 17th you can download an app to your smart phone or tablet and participate in the 2022 Florence Community Scavenger Hunt. There are missions to complete that involve taking photos, recording videos, questions and riddles to answer. The game is designed to be fun but also informative and educational. In addition there will be new missions announced on different dates beginning tomorrow. In order to participate you will have to download the goosechase app and register for an account, then search for the 2022 Florence Community Scavenger Hunt. Completing missions will earn you points and the top five players with the most points will receive a Florence Swag Bag filled with prizes. Game closes at midnight on July 17th.
4Th of July
City offices will be closed on Monday in observance of the Independence Day. Over the weekend businesses and home owners can participate in a porch parade by decorating ther front window or porch to show their patriotic spirit. On Monday there will be a bicycle parade, registration is from 9-9:45 at Gazebo Park in old town. There will also be the annual pie and watermelon eating contests. The events are being organized by Florence Habitat for Humanity and the City of Florence. The Florence Chamber of Commerce will set off the fireworks display on Monday evening around 10 pm.
Wildfire Risk Map Launched
Yesterday the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University launched the Oregon’s Wildfire Risk Map. The map identifies properties that may be subject to further defensible space regulations as set forth by the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal. The fire marshal’s office was tasked with developing the Oregon Defensible Space Code through Senate Bill 762. The code is slated to be completed by December 2022. State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple says the map will not include everyone but even if you don’t find that you are within the current map boundaries, the majority of Oregon is still at an elevated risk. They are asking everyone to consider creating defensible space around their home.
Guard Pulls Back From Volunteer Duty
Hospital’s around the state have been receiving support from the Oregon National Guard since August of last year. Yesterday their mission ended. Over the course of the past year over 47 guard members participated in helping hospitals with the overwhelming amount of COVID-19 patients. Oregon Air National Guard Lt. Col Jason Baldy says the team from the guard did a great job and the majority of volunteers found the experience rewarding. He says some guard members even applied to work for the state hospital after the end of their mission. Most of the team provided support for the mental health technician staff with some assisting in kitchen services and supporting patient care.