As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
Apr 25, 2018
This first picture I am sharing is one of my recent finds as I have started scanning some of the negatives that I found in a box, which had not previously been gone through. And this set contained some real treasures.
March of Dimes drive on Second Street, 1970
This picture was taken in March of 1970 as the always active Bandon Lions Club conducted their annual March of Dimes drive on Second Street. Here, Howard Tucker is wheeling Shindler Drug Store owner John Fetterman down the street in the hope of drawing attention to their fund-raising activities. At left is Harvey Calame, and at right are Ernie Wehner, Silver Martindale and (in white jacket) Ernie Luther. Ronnie Larsen is a ways down the street asking a motorist to donate to their cause.
There were so many great photos taken that day that from time to time I will also share others. As you can see, this was a one-way street in those days, but with parking allowed on both sides of the street.
I am not sure exactly when the second photo was taken, but I have learned recently that the Bob-Otto Court (pictured here during a flood, maybe in 1955) opened just two months before the Bandon Fire of 1936. And since it survived the fire, it became the headquarters for a number of essential services as the community quickly tried to regroup.
Bob-Otto Court during a flood
Ray Bates, a long-time cranberry grower, who worked for West Coast Telephone Company at the time of the fire, recounts in Dow Beckham's book "Bandon By-The-Sea," that he was sent to Gold Beach on the day of the fire, but was told to return to Bandon. He arrived at about 4 Sunday morning after having driven through smoke and flames most of the way.
The book recounts that "Bates saw the flames of the burning telephone office going high in the sky." Later he went out to Azalea Gardens, located four miles east of Bandon, climbed a telephone pole and tapped into the line to Coquille.
"He reported that the telephone office was gone and ordered a new switchboard. Bates installed the switchboard in a room at Bob-Otto Court and had it ready by 6 o'clock that morning."
Beckham adds: "The term 'going downtown' now meant going to the Bob-Otto Court, a service station and a few motel units. One could always find someone who knew what new buildings were being constructed or information on friends not yet seen. The Court also maintained a bulletin board for messages."
Another story recounts how medical professionals from Myrtle Point rushed to aid the injured. "When it was safe they drove to Bob-Otto Court ... where they quickly set up a work space where they began treating burned victims with dressings and ointment and also helping to clear smoke-filled eyes."
"On Friday after the fire, the National Guard Band from Marshfield played a concert at the Bob-Otto. To the scores of people assembled there, in ill-fitting clothes, it was a spiritual tonic. We clapped, we hummed, we whistled ... it was marvelous," one person is quoted as saying.
The Bob-Otto Court provided housing at least through the mid-50s before it fell into disrepair and was torn down to make way for new development. It is now the site of the Shell Service Station.
The third photo, taken in June of 1973, is the launching of Mickey Hurley's new vessel, Barbara J, which was built by the Bandon High School boat building class in the shop on the lower floor of the old Coast Guard Station building.
Launching the Barbara J, 1973
Mick, who taught and coached wrestling at BHS for many years, is on the deck, while Police Chief D.S. "Big Mac" MacDonald, at left, guides it into the water.
Mick's wife, Barbara, christened the vessel that day. Mick spent many summers as a commercial fisherman before retiring some years ago. He still lives in Bandon.
* * *
I was so sorry to learn of the death of Judy Reynolds Morrow, who passed away Thursday. From the Facebook posts, it must have been sudden as I had seen Judy in the post office not long ago.
She was a hostess/waitress at Edgewaters for several years, and was well-loved by those she served and those who worked with her. She always had a smile on her face and she made everyone feel special.
Her sister, Lani Reynolds, also lives in Bandon and has a shop in The Laurel, located at the intersection of Highway 101 and Fillmore Avenue.
* * *
I recently learned that several weeks ago two people ended up in the emergency room at Southern Coos Hospital after both were bitten by the same pit bull.
According to the police, a woman was caring for someone else's dog, which ended up attacking another small dog. The woman was badly bitten on both arms as she tried to intervene, and a man was bitten on the thumb after he, too, tried to separate the two dogs.
I do not know what the outcome of this is, but I certainly hope this dog is not allowed around young children.
* * *
I again want to urge people, who are pulling out of Fillmore Avenue onto the highway, not to depend on the traffic light to determine if it is safe. As David and I were pulling onto the highway Saturday, headed to dinner, a car blasted through the light, which was very clearly green (for us). This continues to be a dangerous intersection; either people simply don't see the light or they choose to ignore it. Either way it creates a potentially deadly situation.
* * *
A well-known Bandon couple, Clayton and Jean Duval, will be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary with a party on June 30 at the VFW Hall. Jean's youngest brother, Eddie, who was the ring bearer, sent me their wedding picture, which also includes a young Kathy Lakey (now Phillips) and Eddie's older brother, Jack, in the wedding party. The Lakeys, Duvals and McMahons are cousins.
* * *
I am never sure if my letters to the editor will be printed in the Register-Guard but I was pleasantly surprised to see my latest letter in Sunday's Guard.
I was appalled at the negative front-page publicity surrounding a long-time University of Oregon law professor, who was blackballed and ostracized for painting her face black at a Halloween party in her own home, as she was dressing up as a character in a book she was reading. The outcry was unbelievable.
In my letter, I said, in part, "It's not what the article contained, or even the placement, that concerns me. It's what was omitted. The writer forgot to say that the Halloween party was at Shurtz's home, which is significant to me.
"But we liberals have become so judgmental and politically correct that we can no longer determine what is actually bad behavior and what was simply poor judgment.
"Hopefully the media have now finished desecrating the reputation of this outstanding law professor. Or maybe it's time to rehash the mascot issue, which is equally ridiculous.
"I wonder how long it will take the PC police to decide that 'men' can no longer be in the word 'women.' "
* * *
There is a new series on Netflix called "Wild Wild Country," which details the story of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, head of the infamous cult, which took over the small town of Antelope (near The Dalles) in the early '80s.
Sunday's Oregonian contained a very lengthy article concerning files found many years ago, but only recently released, which detail much of the inner workings and plans of the cult.
I saw a segment on Forensic Files recently, and it wasn't until then did I realize how serious these people were about taking over Wasco County.
The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack was the food poisoning of 751 people in The Dalles, through the deliberate contamination of salad bars at 10 restaurants with Salmonella. They had hoped to incapacitate the voting population of the city so that their own candidates would win the 1984 Wasco County elections.
I remember vividly seeing their "councilors" at the League of Oregon Cities conference ... all dressed in red. They were definitely an oddity, but no one realized at that time just how deadly this group would become.
I am sure "Wild Wild Country" will be a fascinating series.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
Apr 18, 2018
The first picture I am sharing this week was taken in 1971 when Bandon Fisheries operated the former Bandon Seafood building on the east side of Chicago Avenue, across from the Port of Bandon's building which lately has housed The Loft restaurant.
Unloading crab, 1971
Gary Wallace, at right, and an unidentified boy work to unload crab from the back of a dump truck.
In the background you can see the two-story building that is now The Wheelhouse Restaurant and Crow's Nest Lounge. I am not sure if it was still Bandon Plumbing in those days or if Graydon Stinnett was using the upstairs part for his office.
The second picture was taken in 1974 during a Bandon Aero Club Fly-in Crab Feed, held annually at the airport south of town.
Bandon Aero Club Fly-in Crab Feed, 1974
Bill Ellis, back to the camera, is talking with, from left, Marcella Giles, Romalou Beckham Giles, Harold Russell, and Howard Kehl who was best known for his tireless efforts to establish the airport.
This picture of the old high school gymnasium was taken in 1980, which was not long before it was torn down and burned as part of a training exercise by the Bandon Fire Department.
High school gymnasium, 1980
This was a very important building after the Fire of 1936 as it served as the grade school, which had been located across town and was destroyed in the fire. The high school, which was just to the west of this building, survived the fire, so high school students (unlike their counterparts in 1974 when the "new" high school was burned by an arsonist) did not suffer a loss like the younger children.
In his book about the fire, Dow Beckham interviewed Marge Boak, a long-time teacher in the Bandon Schools, who recalled that "the superintendent partitioned the high school gymnasium into classrooms for the grade school youngsters. Adding to the confusion was a very noisy heating system, but classes got underway."
Having gone to PE classes in that old gym when I was in high school in the '50s, it is difficult to comprehend how it could have served as the grade school, but it was a matter of necessity. It wasn't long before a new grade school was built at its present site and the children returned to school across town.
I started grade school in 1945 at Ocean Crest and didn't realize just how new the school was, but I remember the gym looking pretty much like it does today. For years the gym at the grade school served as the community center until the gym was built behind the high school and dedicated in the fall of 1957. It is now the junior high gym.
My class, 1957, held its commencement exercises in Ocean Crest gym, which was apparently the last to do so.
* * *
Several weeks ago I asked if anyone knew where Dreamland Pavilion was located, and I got my answer, although I am still not sure exactly what it was.
One of my faithful readers found an article in the Bandon Recorder of June 19, 1914 (a week after fire destroyed much of the business district) that mentioned Dreamland when it was describing the location of another business.
The city council was busy considering a fire district, "which was to include all of the business district commencing 100 feet west of First Street from Edison avenue to Baltimore avenue (Street between Bandon Furniture Co. and Dreamland Pavilion), also takes in 100 feet on each side of Wall Street and Second Street as far as Baltimore Avenue." Wall Street has long since been vacated, but it ran below the hill alongside where Devon's Boutique is located.
The council determined that "all buildings included in the district must pass the city's engineers inspection and that all new buildings built in the district must be of the construction to be designated."
That was 22 years before the Bandon Fire, which destroyed pretty much all of the district described in that article.
Robin Miller also sent an article from a March 2, 1915, newspaper, which I assume was the Recorder, but it could have been from the Western World, which was purchased by my grandfather in 1912. It talked about a basketball game between Coquille and Bandon, which saw 400 people crowd into Dreamland Pavilion to watch the game ... with Bandon defeating Coquille for the first time in three years by a score of 31-11.
Sharon Ward Moy recalled that her uncle, Bum Gartin of Bum Gartin's Silver Spray Orchestra, also played there.
Among my collection of old things, I also found a card for commencement exercises for the Bandon High School Class of 1922, which were held at Dreamland.
By 1931, when Marjorie Bullard Stephenson (who recently celebrated her 104th birthday) graduated, commencement was held at the Silver Spray Gardens. There were 25 graduates, among whom included familiar names like Walter J. Langlois, Carl A. Lorenz (of M&L Grocery), Rosina Munck (later Stevens), George L. Nodurft, Leland Panter, Hamilton Thrift (long-time grocer), Stanley Tucker and Neodolph G. Wilson.
The class of 1934, of which my mother, Martha Virginia Felsheim, was a member, held their commencement program at the Hartman Theatre.
* * *
It is hard to adequately describe New Artists Productions "The Lion King Jr.," which I attended on opening night, Friday, at the Sprague Theater. It was absolutely sensational. The young actors were superb, the costumes out of this world, and the lighting and sound were tremendous. You really have to see it for yourselves.
It is playing again this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 2, and you don't want to miss it. Dan, Daniel and Anita Almich and their crew of wonderful volunteers have outdone themselves with this masterpiece.
I took about 100 pictures that night and can truly say that, in spite of the multi-colored and changing lightscape, I really got some magnificent photos.
And although tickets are available from Bandon Ace Hardware, Bandon Mercantile and Olivia's Cottage, don't worry if you didn't get a ticket, they will be available at the door at a cost of $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and $5 for students (K-12).
I plan to attend again this weekend. It is that good!
* * *
An estimated 80 people enjoyed the Bandon Aquatic Center's Spring Fling Saturday night at The Barn, where a wonderful dinner was prepared by pool committee board members Brad Taylor and Rick Jackson. Jackson recently moved to Bandon from Curry County, where he was well known for owning several high-end restaurants in both Gold Beach and Brookings, and his culinary skills certainly showed Saturday night.
There were also a number of great silent auction items ... which I determined I couldn't live without, and David and I ended up spending over $200.
I have recently written a letter of support for the pool committee to use in their fund-raising efforts, as well as pledging $5,000 toward the construction of the pool.
I was approached by a member of the pool committee at the dinner who said she'd heard I no longer supported the pool, but I reminded her of my letter (which was prominently displayed at the dinner) and my monetary pledge which indicated otherwise.
What I have said, and will continue to say, is that the City of Bandon cannot afford to be in the business of operating a swimming pool.
I wish the committee well in their endeavors to build a pool for Bandon and will help in any way I can.
* * *
During Monday night's council meeting, we were surprised to hear a number of vehicles scream past city hall with sirens blaring. It wasn't until the meeting was over that I learned that a man had come into Fast Mart and told the clerk that he had been stabbed. The clerk put a tourniquet on the stab wound and called 9-1-1. Police said the man was a transient.
A Bandon woman, Amber Rashelle Holden, 45, was arrested on charges of second-degree assault, first-degree menacing and unlawful use of a weapon. The stabbing had apparently taken place at her home, and the victim and his girlfriend had jumped into Holden's vehicle to find help.
Later that same evening, the clerk at Fast Mart said a man came in and tried to cash a $50 bill that was actually a doctored $5 bill. The clerk held it up to the light and could see that it was an altered bill. The guy then grabbed the bill out of the clerk's hand and fled out the door.
Merchants are reminded to be on the lookout for altered or forged bills.
* * *
I have also learned that the tires were slashed on Fairway Shuttle's big bus and several other vehicles, while they were parked the other night on 8th street. I understand damage was done to more than 10 tires.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
Apr 11, 2018
The first picture I am sharing this week is the former Millard School on Langlois Hill, 14 miles south of Bandon.
Millard School on Langlois Hill
At the time this photo was taken in the 1950s, it was home to Millard School, owned by Colonel Homer Millard and his wife, Esther, who taught for many years at Bandon High School. It was a prep school for boys, who were planning to enter one of the military academies. They came from all over the country for intense classes in math, science and English. Mrs. Millard was my grammar teacher at BHS, and I can honestly say I was well prepared in the art of punctuation, thanks to several years in her class.
In 1998 Jaime Burpo-Sterling established the Langlois Mountain Retreat, now known as Highland Woods Group Getaway out of the 1800s homestead which had at one time served as the post office and a hotel.
Jaime lived in Bandon at the time she established the retreat, but has since moved to McMinnville with her daughters, Marin and Tegan Sterling, who also spend time in Bandon with their father, Mike.
The second photo is Franklin's Court, which was owned by K.I. (Kelly) Franklin and his wife. K.I. served as mayor of Bandon from January 1939 to 1947 when Rudy Backlund became mayor.
Franklin's Court
His cluster of small cottages was located on Ocean Drive just east of Madison Avenue, which is the gated street that accesses a substandard road in and out of the South Jetty, which can be used in the case of an emergency. Actually in the case of an emergency, you probably would not be headed onto the jetty, but would more likely be preparing to leave.
The small cabins are now gone, but I believe the office/large house is still on the property.
I love the third picture, which I believe was taken sometime in the '70s during a program in City Hall, which was narrated by Joanne Metcalfe, assisted on the slide projector by Carol Tucker Acklin.
The man standing up to speak is Curt Beckham, a native of Bandon, who authored the small book, "The Night Bandon Burned." He lived in Myrtle Point for many years where he taught school. He died in 1990.
Curt Beckham
The man alongside him is his brother, Dow Beckham, who wrote many books, including the one I often quote from: "Bandon By-The-Sea: Hope and Perseverance in a Southwestern Oregon Town." He also wrote "Encore: A History of Theaters and Theatre on Oregon's Southwestern Coast," from which I quoted last week. Other works written by Dow Beckham are "Swift Flows the River: Log Driving in Oregon" and "Stars in the Dark: Coal Mines of Southwestern Oregon."
But it is Dow's son, Stephen Dow Beckham, who is the noted American historian, and professor emeritus of history at Lewis & Clark College in Portland.
Bandon native Romalou Giles was a Beckham, and I believe was the sister of Curt and Dow, which would make Stephen Dow Beckham a cousin to Jeff and Doug Giles.
Both the Giles family and the Beckhams lost their homes in the Bandon Fire.
* * *
Bandon has a new police officer, or at least he's been offered a job, and hopefully he will accept the position. I was on the police oral board, which interviewed 19 men and women last month for two openings on the department. The choice of who would be hired, of course, was left up to Chief Bob Webb, and the one that he settled on was Zack Carpenter, a Grant County corrections officer in John Day, whose father, Jim Carpenter, is the district attorney of Grant County.
He graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho, where he studied communications and served as a campus security officer.
I believe he is expected to arrive in Bandon this week.
Apparently, the department is once again advertising for officer candidates to fill the other vacancy.
* * *
I've learned that retired attorney Harry Slack, who practiced in Coquille for many years and was also associated with the Port of Bandon, was the victim of a burglary recently.
He had apparently left his Randolph area home for a couple of days, and when he returned he discovered that someone (or more than one) had broken in and stolen his gun collection and other possessions, valued at over $10,000, which qualifies the crime as first-degree aggravated theft. I understand that another home in that area may also have been burglarized, but I don't have any details about that. The Slack burglary is being handled by Adam Slater of the Coos County Sheriff's Department.
Slack's home along the Coquille River had recently sold for more than a million dollars, but I've been told he had retained occupancy rights for a period of time.
Crime is becoming a way of life for many in Coos County, and at the very least, if you are preparing to leave your house unattended for any period of time, it might be wise to wire it with an extremely loud alarm system.
* * *
Speaking of the Bandon Police Department, their new German Shepherd police canine, Penny, has arrived and will be making her home with officer Jordan Waddington, who lives in the Coos Bay area.
Penny has been trained in the detection of heroin, meth and cocaine, according to Sgt. Larry Lynch.
* * *
Facebook is a great source of information about Bandon people, and this week I've learned that Annette Lou Hunter, age 57, who attended Bandon High School, died March 15 at her home in Clearlake, Calif., according to her brother, Aaron Hunter.
Tracee Nagel-Eggert has been posting about the condition of her husband, Steve Eggert, who is in OHSU (Oregon Health and Sciences University) in Portland, with serious heart problems. Tracee, who worked many years as a popular waitress at Fraser's, is now employed at the Station Restaurant.
Another well-known Bandon man, Goodnight Lucas, who is best known as the force behind Bandon Animal Rescue, has been ill with congestive heart failure, and his partner, Lynette Walker, posted this week that he had been released from the hospital, but is unable to lift, push or pull, and she is hoping that their small corps of volunteers will lend a hand. Last year alone, they rescued and found homes for more than 80 animals.
But now, more than ever, they need the community's help. Goodnight's business, Bandon Feed and Firearms, is located just east of town at 88674 Highway 42S. If you have never been there, stop in and see what they need or send a donation. I know it would be appreciated.
And maybe you'll fall in love with one of their cats or dogs that are looking for a home ....
* * *
I saw an obituary in the World for long-time Harbor Lights Middle School teacher Claire Bennett, who died March 30 at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Lorna.
The Bennetts moved here in 1978 and in addition to teaching at Harbor Lights, Claire also coached middle school sports before retiring in 1993. He was very active in the Catholic Church.
He served in active duty as a Marine in Korea and later served in the Oregon Army National Guard. He was also very active in the Knights of Columbus, serving many years as lector and pro-life chairman.
* * *
Bandon Western World recently carried a nice article about the Veterans Memorial, which will recognize all past and present community members who have served our country in times of peace and war. The memorial will be located near The Barn in Bandon City Park.
People can now purchase memorial bricks for themselves, as well as their qualified friends and relatives, and even if you don't have a particular Vet in mind, please just mail a donation to Bandon VFW Memorial Fund, Post 3440, PO Box 992, Bandon, OR 97411.
Spokesman Bill Smith said they hope to break ground sometime during the latter half of this year, but that, of course, " is subject to the availability of the necessary funds."
People with questions can call Smith at 541-347-3674.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
Apr 04, 2018
This week I am going back in history for the three photos that I am sharing, because I am fascinated with the story of the Gallier Hotel. The first picture shows First Street (known as Main Street in the early days) with the Hotel Gallier being the light-colored building at the left end of the picture. To the left of it, but pretty much out of the photo, would be the Gallier Hotel annex.
Gallier Hotel Full size photo
Stephen and Edmund Gallier purchased what was then known as the Bandon Hotel in 1900 and changed the name to Hotel Gallier. In his book about the Bandon Fire, Dow Beckham recalls that "the Galliers soon installed a concrete sidewalk in front of their hotel. The only concrete sidewalk in town lent elegance to the facility. In 1907 they added a three-story extension to the old building for a total of 106 rooms. They finished the new section in hard-finish plaster and natural woodwork, both new innovations in Bandon's buildings of the time. They also wired all rooms for electric lights. A large dining room and display rooms gave attractive comfort to guests, many of whom were salesmen. In 1912 the hotel registered 9,126 guests." (The sidewalk, with a brass Gallier Hotel plaque embedded in it, stood for many years, but when new sidewalks were installed several years ago, I think the plaque was moved to the museum).
As firemen battled the Bandon Fire of 1936, assistant fire chiefs Forest Norton and Floyd Nickerson had their crew at the west end of Main Street while Chief Curly Woomer and his volunteers fought the fire on the east end of the town's business area near the waterfront.
"Norton and Nickerson finally gave up the fight when the tires burned off their truck in front of the Coast Guard station near the river. The nearby three-story pioneer Gallier Hotel perhaps made the largest blaze of all as it shot flames hundreds of feet into the air. The fight was over!!!" recounts Beckham.
To get a better idea of where the hotel was situated when this picture was taken, shortly before (I believe) the Fire of 1914, Cleveland Street is the street between the second and third buildings. Today, it is the short street just behind the Bandon Old Town Marketplace that runs between First Street and the river. It is also known by locals as "Short Street." That would mean that the Gallier Hotel and the building next to it, the Lorenz Building, were about where the three small houses are now located just east of the Coast Guard building.
Across the river, you can see Moore Mill & Lumber Co., and a building on pilings, which advertises "Pearl, the best lamp oil."
As you can see, most of the storefronts were along the river on First Street, and at the far right side of the picture you can see the Coast Lumber Yard at the other end of town.
The second picture is actually a close-up of the Gallier Hotel, cropped from the larger picture. It allows you to see the detail on the hotel. Next door there is a banner advertising "Edison phonographs & records," and a sign for the Bandon Athletic Club and a tailoring and pressing business.
Gallier Hotel
I have chosen the third picture because it shows Alice Gallier, long-time Bandon School District clerk and daughter of one of the original owners of the Gallier Hotel. She is volunteering at the Red Cross Bloodmobile, held in the Ocean Crest Gym, and is assisting Joe Turner after he has donated blood. This photo was taken 47 years ago in 1971.
Alice Gallier, 1971
The Gallier Hotel was owned by Stephen Gallier and Edmund M. Gallier, sons of William Gallier, who in 1903 constructed a wooden building on the north side of First Street, which was later sold to the Bandon Hardware Company. In addition to owning the hotel, Stephen Gallier served as Coos County Sheriff from 1902 to 1906. Alice was the daughter of Edmund M. and Alice C. Gallier. Her brother, Ed Gallier, owned a plumbing shop in Bandon in the '40s and '50s in the building which now houses Bandon Mercantile. Her other brother was Reed A. Gallier, who had one son, Reed A. Jr., who served on the Bandon City Council in the mid-80s.
* * *
I have often been asked how I can see the detail in the pictures, which appear in the paper. The answer, of course, is that I blow them up on my computer to see the minute details that I often mention. I believe that in addition to being in the paper, they can also be found on the Bandon Western World website, which will allow you to blow them up to see more detail. They are also posted each week on Bandon.tv.
* * *
There are several big events coming up, including Project Graduation's Bash for Cash this Saturday night, April 7, and the Bandon Aquatic Center's Spring Fling dinner and silent auction the following Saturday, April 14. Both are at the Bandon Community Center, and more details can be found in the Bandon Western World.
It is also important to note that the Bandon Rotary Club's annual wine and cheese extravaganza, usually held in the spring, is now slated for September.
* * *
I almost missed the women's national championship basketball game between Notre Dame and Mississippi State because I had read that the game would start at 6, and I was fully prepared to watch. Thankfully I purchased a paper shortly after 4 and noticed that the 6 p.m. start time was actually on the East Coast; the game here started at 3. I was pretty upset, and by the time I found the game it was halftime and "my" team Notre Dame had been trailing by as many as 15 points.
This was the same team who two nights earlier had knocked off UConn in a buzzer beater, but it didn't appear that was going to happen Sunday.
It was a different story in the second half as Coach Muffet McGraw's Fighting Irish roared back, and with three seconds showing on the clock and the score tied, the same young woman, Arika Ogunbowale, who had scored the winning bucket against UConn in overtime, threw the ball wildly toward the bucket under heavy pressure ... and it fell through the net without so much as touching the rim. It was one of the best college games I have ever watched.
I'm looking forward to the men's championship game Monday night between Villanova and Michigan.
* * *
I sometimes read comments on Facebook lamenting the fact that Bandon doesn't have more good restaurants. My experience (and I eat out a lot) is that Bandon has some of the best restaurants in Southwestern Oregon, and not just high-end restaurants, but prices and foods of all types. Everyone has their favorite.
Two of our best restaurants, Alloro Wine Bar and Edgewater's, often have wine dinners or specialty dinners during the winter/spring months. Friday night, Alloro co-owner and chef Susan Hayes served four different delicious pastas along with four wines from Italy, and it was a wonderful gourmet treat.
On April 30, Edgewaters is hosting one of their famous wine dinners.
* * *
If Spring Break was any indication, it should be a very busy summer for Bandon. It was difficult even finding a place to park this week, and it was certainly reminiscent of a busy day in August.
* * *
I get rainfall information from two different friends, one who lives in the Prosper area and one who lives in east Bandon just above the Face Rock Creamery.
Gerry Terp, who lives in east Bandon, recorded 56.83 inches of rain for the current rain year (Oct. 1 through March 31). For the same period last year, he had recorded 78.87 inches, but we all know that was one of the rainiest years on record.
In spite of the fact that we have had 20 inches less rain this year, Gerry said for the month of March he recorded 13.74, compared to "only" 12.295 last March.
My pal who lives on Prosper said he recorded over 20 inches for March, but I haven't gotten his "official" figures yet, but when I do I will share them because his rain gauge records way more rainfall than others do.
* * *
I enjoy following the Oregon State Beavers men's baseball team because infielder Andy Armstrong is the son of Rich Armstrong, a standout baseball player and friend of the late John Conrad, who played baseball for Myrtle Point and the University of Oregon. Rich and I dated back in the mid-'80s and have been friends for many years. Rich coached baseball and golf for North Bend High School. He later married and moved to Salem where his wife, Susi, was a highly successful volleyball coach at West Salem High School. One of Rich's "claims to fame" is the fact that his niece, alpine skier Debbie Armstrong, won the first gold medal for the United States in the 1986 winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
Andy was first-team all-league in football, basketball and baseball at West Salem.
About 6 months ago I happened to run across Rich in Ray's Food Place, and he told me his son was playing for OSU. I am sure he and Susi travel wherever the team goes.
Our own Pete Goodbrod of Bandon was on the OSC team that played for the national championship in the 1952 College World Series. He was starting centerfielder and the team captain.
Previous columns by Mary Schamehorn
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