As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

December 31, 2014

In this week's history lesson, the first picture I've chosen is Ed Capps, former Bandon mayor and long-time owner of Capps Motor Co., handing the keys to the new driver education car to teacher/coach Tex Whiteman, while BHS principal Alvin Mullikin looks on. This took place in December of 1958 in front of the high school, which later burned to the ground in an arson fire in 1974. The car was donated to the school by Capps Motor Co.

Ed Capps 1958
The second picture, of a thriving commercial fishing industry, was taken in the Bandon boat basin in 1981 when Moore Mill & Lumber Co., back left, and the Moore Mill truck shop were still very much in the picture.

Commercial fishing 1981
The third picture, taken in May of 1963, shows a workman tearing down the old Chappell's Chevron Service Station to make way for the new station, which met the same fate years later. The site of both stations is now a vacant lot across from Face Rock Creamery and adjacent to the Station Restaurant, where the Shell Station once sat. In the background, at far right, are several small houses built along Creek Street. The street was closed and the houses torn down, and the property is now occupied by the City of Bandon sewage treatment plant.

Chappell's Chevron 1963
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While recently spending an evening at the home of friends, Jackie and Tom Orsi, I spied a small, but beautiful, hard-cover book of Bandon beach pictures (Tom is the photographer in the family) and Orsi family mementoes from the past year.

I was intrigued ... especially when Tom told me he had paid less than $15 for the book, because he had something called Groupon coupons. I had never heard of this, but I had heard of Shutterfly, where the book was printed.

I decided to give it a try. I did learn one thing, even though I had a 40 percent off coupon, I ended up ordering four books (two 8x8 and two 8x10 size) and in spite of them saying that anything over $39.99 would be shipped free, the shipping alone came to over $28 (I guess it was only free if you didn't have any kind of coupon). The total for the four books came to $110.

I spent hours huddled over my computer ... not really sure what I was doing. The first book (of which I ordered a duplicate copy) was the 8x8 size and featured nothing but my photos of the Bandon Beach and the Coquille River lighthouse. Rather than customize it myself, I let them place the photos, and then where text space popped up, I would write the standard: "Face Rock in the sunset" or something equally as homogenous.

But as I lay in bed Friday night, I began thinking of my huge collection of old photos and decided to venture into something on a larger scale and ended up picking 41 photos for the 8x10 20-page book. I learned a lot and realized later that some of the pictures weren't as sharp as they could have been, and several of them appeared twice in the book. But I was too afraid to make many changes for fear I might have to start over . . . and it was already midnight and I wasn't through yet. I still had to write captions for all 41 photos and that was the hard part. I captioned the book something like ... "Only a Memory . . . ." with photos of people and places that were no longer here or had changed dramatically (the places not the people) over the years. All of the photos came from the collection of negatives I had saved from Western World, so they came out of the '60s, '70s and a few from the '80s. When it came time to name them, I stumbled over one photo and wasn't sure which of the Lee brothers was an ambulance driver at the time of the dedication of the then "new" hospital overlooking the Coquille River. So I just said "Kenneth (or maybe Robert) Lee." It wasn't very professional, but at midnight I wasn't sure where I could find the answer even if I was able to close out my book to look for it. So I just guessed . . .

Without a coupon, the bigger book cost $39.99, and maybe there would be no shipping charge, but with all the work that went into them, I probably won't be selling them anytime soon. And if I do order more of the same book, I will definitely find out which Lee brother is in the picture, remove the out-of-focus harbor picture and replace one of the two pictures of the parking lot behind the old Arcade Garden building.

I can't wait to see the books. I have an idea what they will look like after seeing the one at Tom and Jackie's house; I only hope mine will look half that good.

My coupon expires Jan. 1, so before I even receive the others, I may do one dedicated solely to the lighthouse ...

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While going through a box of old papers, saved when I left Western World over 10 years ago, I discovered a priceless notebook titled: "Mary's spelling of people's names and phone numbers DO NOT REMOVE ..." underlined twice.

It even had sports stats in it dating back to 1965 when Bandon finished second in the state football playoffs under Coach Dick Sutherland, losing to Serra Catholic 19-6. And it notes the year we were state champions (1968) when we beat Marist 26-13. I had gone back through the bound volumes to compile that info as the notebook is probably only about 25 years old.

This was my bible, and every time I came across the spelling of a name that might be a bit out of the ordinary: Clacia Carver, Amaliya Brown, Lyall Chalker, Paul Calentine, Diepenbroek, Berniece Croxall, Cleone Lyvonne, Laurea Arnoldt, Marie Ducharme, Doernbecher Children's Hospital, etc. it went into my trusty notebook.

You will never know how many times this saved me from misspelling someone's name, and I am sure they appreciated it as much as I did.

Just something else to add to my history collection . . .

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One of my friends recently said "less history, please and more hard news," but he is definitely in the minority. More and more people stop me in the Bakery, on the street or in stores telling me how much they love the old photos and the bit of history about Bandon. Sorry, Fred, I, too, love the history part of my column. (And no, it's not Fred Gernandt).

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I will be the first to say that I occasionally make a mistake, and some of you will probably suggest that I spend more time proofing my own copy before I start criticizing others' copy. But I can't help it. I was a journalist for 55 years and it's in my blood. One of my favorite "subjects" to look over with my red pen is The World of Coos Bay, which I pretty much read every day that it's printed.

I can't help but share one of my finds from Saturday's "Go!" section. The headline was "Quit smoking class coming to community center." It has a North Bend dateline ... but apparently no one proofed the first sentence. It says: "Have you tried smoking and failed? Are you looking to kick the habit for good?"

I am pretty sure they meant have you tried to quit smoking, and just omitted a couple of key words ... but it made for a good laugh.

But, seriously, if you are interested in quitting smoking, you might want to call 541-271-1096 for more information and talk to Pastor Charles Stout of the Coos Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church, who will be conducting the class (Jan. 1-5). I was surprised to see that the first class would be on New Year's Day, but that's what the article said.

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During a gathering of friends Friday night, I casually mentioned that I thought Bill Clinton was a better president than Barack Obama, and was met with some pretty serious opposition. But it didn't change my mind.

Then Sunday while surfing the Internet, I found a survey titled the 15 best and 15 worst presidents of all time on a website called Rant Political.

My friends will probably think I made it up . . . but Bill Clinton was No. 5 on the list of best presidents and Obama was No. 7 on the list of worst presidents.

Other well-known presidents on the best list were Franklin D. Roosevelt (D), No. 1; Harry S. Truman (D), No. 4; John F. Kennedy (D), No. 9, and Lyndon B. Johnson (D), No. 12.

Presidents of note who made the worst list were Ronald Reagan (R) No. 15; George W. Bush (R), No. 8; Obama (D), No. 7; Richard M. Nixon (R), No 6; and Warren G. Harding (R), No. 1.

Not sure who voted on this list, but I did find it interesting ...

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Not sure I agree with this, but apparently there has been a request for a STOP sign on First Street near the big green building (used to be called the blue building) which houses the Old Town Marketplace.

I know there is a lot of pedestrian traffic in that area two days a week about 8 months out of the year, but I am not sure it warrants stopping all traffic on First Street 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Oh well, just one more stop sign to sit on . . . waiting for the poor soul who thinks he or she is stopping . . . but is still rolling a bit . . . to the tune of $260.

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It was interesting to learn that the Bandon School District would be receiving $824,000 to rehabilitate its schools so they will be better prepared to withstand a major earthquake.

But what was really surprising is that the money is designated to correct structural deficiencies in certain areas of Bandon High School's classroom buildings. The high school was built in 1974, according to a press release. (That may be true, but since the old high school was destroyed by fire in January of 1974, I thought the new school wasn't occupied until 1975, but I could be wrong).

At any rate, I am sure that a group of parents, who are very concerned about the safety of the Ocean Crest Elementary School, will not be happy that the dollars are designated for the high school rather than the grade school, which was built in 1939.

The choice was not made by the school board ... but by Business Oregon, the state's economic development agency, which awards the grants through the Infrastructure Finance Authority.

Hopefully it won't be long until money is awarded to the district for Ocean Crest, Harbor Lights and the gymnasium.




As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

December 24, 2014

One of my favorite memories of the "good ole' days" was covering the annual visit of Santa, sponsored by the Bandon Lions Club, under the marquee at the Bandon Theater. The first picture shows a big group of people waiting for Santa to arrive. when you blow it up, you can see Lions Max Howe and Eddie Waldrop under the marquee, as well as Alda Mars in the ticket booth. Out front, I can identify Lion Stuffy Hendrickson, at right, and probably George Kronenberg at left. The woman facing the camera on the far right is Agnes Kronenberg. This picture was taken in December of 1966. The site of the theater is now a vacant lot between the Harbortown Events Center and Bandon Coffee Cafe.

Bandon Theater 1966
The second picture, taken in June of 1965, shows the Snack Shack, while it was under construction by the Gordon Texley family. At the intersection of Highway 101 and 42S, the much enlarged building now houses a Mexican restaurant.

Snack Shack 1965
It hard to imagine that the old Coast Guard station was ever in such disrepair, but it was. This picture was taken in June of 1977; note all the boarded up windows, and the Tiger Boat Mfg. Co. sign on the front of the building, letting people know that Bandon High School's boat-building class took place in the area, which once housed Coast Guard boats. This building has been lovingly restored by the Port of Bandon.

Coast Guard station 1977
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I was blown away when I saw the video of a whole house in Grayland, Wash., falling into the ocean because of severe erosion. I heard a lot about Grayland while growing up because my dad, who was Oregon manager of Ocean Spray (at the Bandon plant), often went to Grayland, which was part of Washington's Cranberry Coast.

For years, we've been concerned about the possibility of the bluff eroding in the area north of Face Rock, and after reading about the homes that have been rendered uninhabitable at Washington's Washaway Beach, it certainly makes one stop and think about any development ... path or otherwise ... right along the edge of the bluff.

Property owners bought those homes years ago and although there was a page that said "erosion," they signed their name to the deed, saying that really didn't concern them because in some cases the beach was miles away.

And to make matters worse, there is no insurance and no government assistance.

One homeowner, whose home is perched and ready to fall, said the erosion has been going on for quite some time, but said it is extremely aggressive this year.

The area is actually called North Cove, with school and dozens of homes. Now the school is gone and most of the homes are gone.

I hope that a Cranberry Festival is not the only thing that Bandon, Oregon, has in common with Grayland, Washington.

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I have AOL News on my Firefox home page, and generally don't expect to see mistakes, so I was puzzled when I read the headline: "Tress crash into Washington homes." I wondered if it was a new kind of drone or private plane, so I quickly clicked on it . . . only to discover (duh) that it was "trees" that had crashed into homes.

As much time as I spend playing word-type games like 7 Little Words, you would have thought that I would have figured it out ... without clicking on it. But I guess not . . .

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The vote on recreational marijuana really hit home for me last week when I received the South Coast Gospel Mission's December newsletter from the executive director Jennifer Palmer.

She did not mince words. Here's what she had to say:

"I can't help but to shout my utter horror and disbelief. WHAT WERE THE VOTERS THINKING??? Marijuana was legalized by a 55% to 45% vote. Just imagine the battles we already face because of the existing medical marijuana card.

"Did they forget to consider the increase in crime and traffic accidents? How many more idle hands draining this community? What will the children be learning? How job performance will suffer? Don't be naive, this will affect everyone, and OH JOY ... it's going to be added to food & drinks as well. Really??? How is this helping? Please help me find all the YES voters. I'd like to bring them here to help me supervise the residents once this law goes into effect. If you voted yes I won't be able to apologize (sorry)."

I think it's safe to say that she deals with a great number of people whose life choices probably had a lot to do with abuse of drugs and alcohol.

Jennifer said she would welcome comments and suggestions. She can be reached at her email: gospelmission@frontier.com.

I appreciate the work they do and have donated to their cause in the past, which is probably why I am on their newsletter mailing list.

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In a season where shipping often is free, it's a bit misleading to read on Macy's website, in big red letters, FREE SHIPPING, but below that in very tiny (almost non-readable) words it says: "with purchases of $99 or more."

Either it's free or it's not, and it's pretty plain that if you shop online at Macy's, you will definitely pay the price.

That's why it's cheaper and less frustrating to just spend your dollars at home.

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If anyone knows of someone who owns an Epson RX500 all-in-one printer, and they want to sell it, I would love to buy it . . . or if it's not for sale I have a bunch of ink cartridges for it. My beloved printer (I know, how can anyone get attached to a 10-year-old printer) has died and in spite of spending all day Friday trying to figure it out (Takashi said it's too old to fix and I guess he was right), it's finished. Plus, why would I pay big dollars to have someone work on it when I can probably buy a new printer for $99. But I love that printer. So if you know anyone who has one and they might be willing to part with it, let me know.

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Four of us councilors (Claudine, Madeline, Geri and I), along with others from the community, spent the better part of four hours Thursday afternoon wrapping presents for youngsters who were invited to Shop with a Hero (generally a police officer or firefighter) . . . and all I can say is: it wasn't easy. It's one thing to wrap presents for a friend you are trying to impress . . . but this was basically speed wrapping as each of the 80-plus children who chose their gifts had an average of 8 or 10 presents which had to be individually wrapped for mom, dad, brother, sister, grandparents, etc.

I actually felt sorry for the children at my station, because I have never been known for my present-wrapping skills . . .and they watched my tablemate (Claudine) add beautiful touches of ribbon and bows . . . with awe. Fortunately we were told to "speed it up because there are still 50 kids waiting in the next room," so we ramped it up even further.

Four of the youngsters (from one family) came with severe cases of pink eye, so you pretty much know how contagious it is. After realizing what it was, Chief Bob immediately located some hand sanitizer for those of us who made contact with them, and then the tables were sprayed with Lysol.

All in all it is a wonderful event, and this year many of the presents came from community members who had donated to the cause while shopping at the Dollar Tree. Others donated money or gifts to the police department for the event and they had a vast array of things from which the children could choose.

Chief Webb, his wife Mary and department employee Sarah Lakey deserve a huge thank you for all they do each year to make this such a success. This year there were almost double the number of children who took part.

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The Port commissioners have nominated Gina Dearth, the port's general manager, for the Outstanding Special District Service Award.

In the nomination letter, eloquently written by port commissioner and attorney Robin Miller, and signed by the other commissioners, he says: "Ms. Dearth has served the Port of Bandon with distinction since as least December of 1987. In various roles over the years, Ms. Dearth has helped oversee the transition from an industrially-oriented port to a successful multi-purpose waterfront ... one balancing scenic, cultural and environmental values with the demands of the tourist and ocean resource access economy. This transition was not without hiccups and some exasperation, it required vision and tenacity, and we are proud and grateful for Ms. Dearth's ability to work with the innumerable government agencies, interest groups, and constituents necessary to pull it all together."

The letter adds that Gina has been "a leader with the nascent South Coast Port Coalition, a confederation remarkable for its success in 'turning the tide' to restore dredging funding to our beleaguered ports."

They add, she's "just lovely to be around. Her warmth and affection could cut through the worst of a coastal morning fog, and her easy sense of humor makes us smile and laugh and keep us all on track. We cannot hope to keep her forever but her legacy to Bandon the Coquille Valley is imperishable."

Here's hoping Gina receives the well-deserved award.




As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

December 17, 2014

This week's old photos include the Kronenberg & Waldrop Insurance building in Old Town, the former "new" hospital and the Coast Lumber Yard.

The first picture was taken in 1976, when it housed Eddie Waldrop and George Kronenberg's insurance business. Just to the right was the door to Dr. E. F. Lucas' office (how many of us remember his long-time office nurse Gladys Conrad), and just to the right of that was the side door leading into Ray's Pharmacy. The spot where the insurance office was now houses Ed and Beth Wood's Timeless Accents business, and immediately adjacent is Winter River Books.

Kronenberg & Waldrop Insurance 1976
The second picture was taken in 1960 when the then "new" hospital opened on the bluff overlooking the lighthouse. This is the back of the hospital, with its bank of patient-room windows overlooking the river and the ocean. You can see a reflection of the waves in the window glass. The building has long since been torn down and sold by the hospital district, with the money used to help build the new hospital at the east end of 11th Street. The property is now vacant and is owned by the Picerne Group, who also owns the Edgewaters Restaurant building and the property just west of it.

New Hospital 1960
The third picture is the Coast Lumber Yard, previously owned by former mayor George Steddom and later by councilor Phelps Elbon as well as others over the years. The building was located at the corner of Fillmore and Highway 101, and you can see the top of the Moore Mill Truck Shop at right. It is now a vacant lot.

Coast Lumber Yard
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I was sorry to learn that long-time Bandon resident and friend Cecil Kemp passed away Thursday night with his wife, Ann, and his four children, Bob, Pam, Patrice and Susan, by his side.

Cecil would have been 96 in January. He and Ann had lived in Coos Bay for some time after moving from Bandon where his children grew up and he was active in the community.

He was a long-time Western Bank executive and was a dedicated member of the Bandon Lions Club.

Cecil had been under the care of Hospice and family members at the time of his passing.

Ann and the three girls, along with former daughter-in-law, Mary Kemp, were in Bandon Friday, sharing the news with friends.

Cecil's life will be celebrated in a special get-together sometime in January.

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The first thing I saw when I turned on my computer this morning was that two people had been killed in a single-vehicle wreck just north of Bandon on Highway 101. Of course, it will be awhile before the names are released, but it's always so unsettling to wonder and worry who it might be. By the time I send this off tonight, maybe the names will be released ... but for now, we can just pray . . .

(I learned just as I was about ready to send this off that the people involved were the 20-year-old driver, Christopher Coney, and a 23-year-old woman, Rachel Ragle, both of Coos Bay. The accident occurred shortly before 8 a.m. and for some reason, police say the car left the road and struck several trees. Police say alcohol and speed likely played a role in the crash.)

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It's pretty obvious that you can't tell a drug dealer by her looks. Sunday, there was a picture posted on the SCINT website of a respectable-looking Coquille woman (who is said to be in her late '50s), after she was sentenced to nearly 8 years in prison for dealing drugs ... out of her secluded beautiful log home on Easy Creek Lane.

She didn't look like the typical drug user that I've been seeing pictures of lately. But I do remember when my ex-husband worked as a narcotics detective for the Oregon State Police he told me that often the people who sell drugs ... do not use them. They understand how they destroy lives ... and they are "smart" enough not to use them.

Until their incredible greed catches up with them.

The story indicates that undercover detectives from SCINT (South Coast Interagency Narcotics Team) purchased various quantities of meth from her during the investigation, and later learned that she had been dealing very large amounts of meth over a significant period of time.

When she was arrested, officers found 500 grams of meth, with a street value of more than $50,000, representing more than 5,000 individual doses of meth.

Per Oregon sentencing guidelines, Pamila Sue Miller was sentenced to 81 months in custody followed by 36 months of post-prison supervision.

As far as I am concerned, a dealer should receive x-number of years for every life she or he destroys ... or, better yet, just throw away the key.

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I've just learned that a supposed "reliable source" has been spreading a rumor that is so ridiculous I probably shouldn't even give it credibility by mentioning it. But I will because, unfortunately, people have a tendency to believe something, particularly if it comes from someone they feel is a reliable person with specific knowledge of a situation.

It has been said that retiring City Manager Matt Winkel received a severance package, often referred to as a Golden Parachute, equal to five times his annual salary. OMG . . . .even if such a clause existed in some far-away fairyland, there is no way that the city could come up with anything of that magnitude.

The truth is: Matt retired and will receive NO severance pay of any kind. Actually, he had originally planned to stay at least one more year, but frankly he was tired of being a whipping post for a small group of citizens, for whom social media has made it a lot easier to constantly harass and harangue on every issue. By leaving a year earlier, it actually cost him the year's salary ($104,000) which he would have earned had he stayed.

Severance pay is often included in a contract to ensure that the person will receive a settlement if he or she is fired without cause. Severance means just that . . . to sever.

Please just let Matt retire in peace . . . as we begin a new year with a new city manager and new faces on the city council.

I do appreciate the fact that one of the people who heard that rumor did contact me ... so I could set the record straight.

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It's not often that you hear the mayor called a liar during a council meeting ... but that is what happened at our meeting Monday night. While Roger Straus, chairman of the county vector control meeting, was giving his report, Rob Taylor stood up from his seat and shouted "the mayor is a liar because she said the problem (mosquito) was fixed." And now my remarks have been immortalized in a You Tube video ... along with what turned out to be a radio spot.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what he was referring to, but after the meeting one person said he could have been referring to a radio spot I cut for John Sweet in his bid for re-election to his county commission seat (which he won).

I went home and looked at the radio spot, which was written and sent to me by John's campaign committee in early September, and sure enough I said "I also know how it was fixed. John Sweet worked tirelessly, and at times against considerable opposition from some quarters, to bring the state and federal agency resources together ...."

I have now been advised that in spite of the fact that the city received almost no (not sure if there was even one) complaints about mosquito problems (compared to scads the previous year), people now understand that it will be an ongoing effort to keep them from returning.

But the group's hatred for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Coquille Indian Tribe, John Sweet, and now me, will probably not help the situation. In fact, it may make it harder . . .

Thank heavens John Sweet was re-elected. He will continue to work tirelessly to make sure we never see the kind of problems we encountered two summers ago ... when people could barely leave their homes for fear of being eaten alive.

Oh well, it gave them someone else to focus their anger on . . . sad!

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Last week, the city council acted on liquor license application for two long-time businesses that have been sold.

Alloro Wine Bar and Restaurant has been sold to a corporation known as Distinctive Cuisine, with Susan D. and David Kenneth Hayes Jr. as the principals in the management of the business, according to the application. They live in Redmond, Wash., and are both in their mid-40s.

The second business to sell is the Inn at Face Rock; the license was formerly issued to Bandon Bill's Grill. The applicant is Bandon Inn at Face Rock, LLC.

The new manager will be Claudia Hooks of Nipomo, Calif., who was introduced to locals by Marc Dryden at a recent social function.

Others involved in the business, according to the application, include David Charles Gilmore of Portland, David Charles Nordahl of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Janet Marie Nancarrow of Santa Barbara.

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There was a big crowd on the Boardwalk Saturday when Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived on the Butler family's charter vessel, the Prowler.

After some pretty severe weather earlier in the week, it was wonderful to see a warm and sunny Saturday ... without so much as a breath of wind. The more adventuresome families greeted Santa as he got off the boat, down on the floating dock, while others waited up top and went to the Old Town Marketplace to have their pictures taken with him.

We have been so lucky with the weather this year. It seems that the sun always comes out for a big event . . . and this weekend was no exception.

I seldom miss one of the weekend markets, and it's a bit sad to see it close for the season, but I know they are already planning for next spring, when it opens again.

As the Christmas seasons winds down, don't forget how important it is to shop at home and support our local merchants. Plus you can save $85 in receipts and get a great Irish Coffee mug at the chamber visitor center. It's been so successful that Julie had to order 500 more mugs several weeks ago, which will hopefully last through Dec. 23, when the offer ends.




As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

December 10, 2014

I love finding pictures of buildings in downtown Bandon ... long before it became the iconic Old Town district, which we love today.

The first picture, taken in 1957, is the Pastime Tavern, which is the building which now houses Bandon Sweets & Treats. I do know that Frank and Linda Jarvis owned the Pastime for a number of years, but not sure if they owned it when this picture was taken. I remember going in there occasionally to play cribbage with Bart Domenighini. It was also the favorite game of David L. and me, as we often hauled out the crib board at Lloyd's just a few short years ago.

Pastime Tavern 1957
The second picture, taken in November of 1958, was just down the street from the Pastime, in the building now housing one of Lynn Davies gift stores. Ray's was owned by Bob and Phyllis Ray, who later moved up on the highway to the building recently purchased by Barry and Lori Osborne for their new liquor store. Virginia Kaping Hendrickson's Bandon Florist and the Greyhound Bus Depot were next door to the pharmacy.

Ray's Pharmacy 1958
The third picture, also taken in 1958, shows the back of the Arcade Garden Tavern, now the building owned by Bill and Louise Moore, across Chicago Avenue from the visitor center. In the background at right you can see Capps Motor Co., and at left is Boone's Hardware, which was adjacent to the Pastime and is now Bandon Card & Gift. The hotel/bakery, now Cranberry Sweets, is in the background.

Arcade Garden Tavern 1958
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There's nothing more frustrating than waiting all week for the "big game" ... in this case the Pac 12 championships between Oregon and Arizona ... only to have your TV set go dark.

Well, not actually, dark, there was that pesky reminder: "Local channels interrupted" that was interspersed by another message that flashed on the screen telling you there was "a complete signal loss."

Not things that you didn't already know. But it kept saying that "these outages are generally brief."

Until they aren't.

The game did come back on midway through the second quarter and remained on throughout the second quarter, halftime and into the early part of the third quarter ... before it left for good.

I had forgotten that good old thing called a radio. And I was pleasantly surprised that I had one that actually had a pretty good signal, so I listened to the game while continuing to wait for the TV to come back on.

The game is nearly over, and the signal is still gone.

I've noticed that Dish has a habit of losing its signal when we have an extremely heavy rainfall, which we experienced Friday night.

Maybe I should have switched to Charter when I had the chance ...

(As I was writing this, with 2:30 left in the game, it finally came back on). Just like Arizona couldn't compete with Oregon (51-13) . . . there is no way radio could possibly compete with my 42-inch TV.

As an aside, there is a sense of pride when you consider that Oregon's classy coach, Mark Helfrich, is a Marshfield High School graduate.

(Saturday I learned that my sister, who lives one block over and also subscribes to Dish, had TV all evening. Can't figure that out ....)

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I understand the average stay of a city manager is about 5 years ... so, while we've been lucky to have had Matt for 20 years and previous to him, Ben McMakin for 17, it doesn't make the search for a new city manager any easier.

I mentioned earlier that for the most part, Bandon has had four city managers in a span of 80 years (John Fasnacht, Bill Donahue, Ben and Matt), and I guess that's why it is so important to get it right for No. 5. I think we understand that Matt has left extremely big shoes to fill in every sense of the word, but we have to try.

I don't know what the outcome will be because we are having an executive session Monday night after the regular council meeting to make some decisions: do we hire one of the three we interviewed last Tuesday, do we look at some of the others that weren't finalists or do we begin a new search?

I just hope that whatever we do . . . it will be the right decision.

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Friday night as I was headed down Fillmore onto Highway 101 (to Robin Miller's holiday party), the light turned green . . . and thank heavens the car in front of me had the sense not to go because a huge Five Oaks Excavation truck, with an oversize loader on a trailer, burst through the red light without so much as a hesitation.

I have seen so many vehicles run that particular light lately that I absolutely refuse to pull onto the highway until I have looked both ways to make sure that people appear to be slowing down as they approach the light.

Mark my words, unless something is done to stop that trend, there is going to be a major accident at that light.

On occasion, someone trying to turn left off the highway will wait in the intersection and may not get across until the light has changed, but that is not the same kind of a hazard as the vehicles that simply choose to ignore a red light. Too many of us want to pull into the intersection the instant the light turns green ... but at least at Fillmore and 101 that might not be a smart thing to do.

Back to the open house at Robin Miller's newly remodeled office building. It is very upscale and tasteful, with the walls covered with large blow-ups of black and white pictures of Bandon many years ago. The hors d' oeuvres were catered by Coastal Mist, who always come up with the tops in gourmet delicacies.

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Several weeks ago, I warned my readers to be sure and come to a complete stop at the three-way stop near the Catholic Church, lest they get a ticket. One of my readers sent me an email saying she did not appreciate the fact that I continued to bash the police. She also made mention of my comment about riding a bicycle with your back to the traffic, which has resulted in a number of deaths for the bicyclist . . . inferring how dare I urge people to break the law.

I didn't actually say what I wanted to in my response to her (which would be that if my column upsets her that much, maybe she shouldn't read it, but I didn't). But I did explain that having been married to an Oregon State Policeman many years ago, I was then and still am, very pro police.

She also suggested that as mayor, I was the "commander in chief" for the police department . . . which further prohibited me from commenting about anything that a specific officer did.

The fact is I have nothing to do with the police department (except pretty much support them) as the department is under the city manager, who hires and fires the chief ... who in turn hires his own people.

Years ago, the police department was under the city council, and I was the police commissioner ... which ultimately led to us firing the police chief (Skip Tyler) who in turn got three of us recalled from the council. we learned the hard way to leave these responsibilities to the city manager ... and it's been that way since the mid-'80s.

What I have learned about stop signs is that even when you think you are obeying a stop sign, you may not be. My new rule is to count to three after coming to what I feel is a complete stop. That should satisfy even the most hard-nosed of officers.

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I was sorry to hear that long-time Bandon resident and former Western Bank manager Cecil Kemp is now on Hospice after his health took a turn for the worse. He and his wife, Ann, have made their home in Coos Bay in recent years where their daughter, Susan Van Zelf, also lives. Her siblings are Pam, Patrice and Bob Kemp.

The way I found out about Cecil is I sent him a picture taken of him, Ann and a very young Susan at a function many years ago as he always enjoyed seeing pictures from the past that I found. A family member told me that he was on Hospice, but they would make sure Ann saw the photo.

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I've always tried to convince myself that it could be dangerous to exercise, mostly because I needed an excuse to remain sedentary. But last week, I discovered just how dangerous it could be.

I have a Total Gym in my living room, and at night I was doing 50 reps to strengthen my arms. But this particular night as I lay down, face up, on the bench and grabbed the handles to get started ... there was a terrible crash and a piece of metal hit me on top of the head just above my eye. I lay there not sure if I was going to pass out ... waiting for blood to start gushing from my head. I jumped up and ran into the bathroom to discover just how lucky I had been. Yes, my head is still sore where it hit, but there was no damage. I am certain had it hit me in the temple or on the face, it could have been a lot worse.

As I assessed what had happened, I realized that the lock screw on one of the handles on the pulley had worked loose ... and as the tension got very tight ... it broke.

Needless to say I have not been on it since and it may be a long time before I try it again.

I am still counting my blessings that it wasn't a whole lot worse.

So, yes, exercising can be dangerous. And now I have an excuse to be a "couch potato."

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A few weeks go I wrote about a home invasion burglary at the home of Vern and Jeanette Todd southeast of town. The couple woke up to discover that their home had been burglarized, while they slept. Police Chief Bob Webb told me that the suspect, Jesse M. Morgenstern of Arizona, was picked up on other charges in Nebraska in mid-October. Later he was indicated on 31 counts including home invasion burglary and multiple counts of fraudulent use of a credit card and identity theft related to the Bandon incident. He will be extradited to Oregon.

Apparently the guy was just driving around looking for someplace to burglarize.

Scary . . . .




As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

December 03, 2014

The three photos I've chosen for this week's "history lesson" are all in Old Town/downtown Bandon.

The first is Chicago St. Gallery, taken in 1980. This spot later housed several restaurants including Harp's, Wild Rose, and now Angelo's Italy. Note the creative wood pieces which decorated the front of the building. In the background you can see the old Stephen Hotel/Bakery (which survived the fire) and has housed Cranberry Sweets for many years.

Chicago Street Gallery May 1980
The second picture, taken in 1969, is Don and LaDonna Hinerman's Montgomery Ward store. LaDonna (Holman) also had a beauty shop in the west end of the building, which is now Forget Me Knots quilt shop, just west of Face Rock Creamery.

Hinerman's Montgomery Ward 1969
Not sure when the third picture was taken, but my guess is it would have been the late '60s or early '70s. Both the Carvers Furniture building and the small barber shop next to it were torn down for the building of the first Harbor Hall (directly across from Lloyd's), which is now Second Street Gallery and Coastal Mist.

Carvers Furniture
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There was a sad article, and pictures, in last Sunday's Salem Statesman Journal titled "Teen beauty pageant contestant arrested on drug charges." It showed a picture of a Redmond, Or., girl when she was preparing to compete in the Miss Teen United States-World Pageant in Houston, Tex., in July of 2009. "Photographs posted to the pageant blog at the time show a glowing, smiling Jamie France, 23, posing with fellow contestants." She was a senior at Redmond High School when she was crowned Miss Teen Utah-Oregon earlier that year.

And it showed a picture of her on the day she was arrested on drug charges.

At some point between the pageants and her arrest, the young woman was involved in a car accident that resulted in a back injury.

A spokesman for the Keizer police department added: "That's part of her story. She was prescribed painkillers and once that ran out, she turned to heroin. It's a very common story."

The officer added that the same thing happened to a young man living in West Salem ... but his heroin use didn't lead to an arrest ... it ended in his death from an overdose.

The young man had also become hooked on pain medication following a shoulder surgery. "When the pain pills became too expensive, he turned to heroin, cheap and easy to get on the streets."

The officer said this is the fallout from a tightening of pharmacy fraud ... where people present multiple prescriptions at multiple pharmacies.

"Some people who have become addicted to controlled substances legally prescribed to them at one point are now having to turn to illicit drugs to feed their habit. One of the easiest is heroin."

Just another gateway to harder drugs . . . .

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After some pretty intense rain on Thanksgiving and Friday, the weatherman cooperated with clear, but cold, weather for the lighting of the Christmas tree, which took place in the parking lot of the visitor center at 5:30 on Saturday.

Members of the Greater Bandon Association and the Chamber of Commerce worked together to pull off a pretty great event, which turned out to be fun for all ages. GBA also sponsored an Alive After Five nog/cider walk, with many merchants remaining open late.

Our retiring city manager of 20 years, Matt Winkel, pulled the switch to light the tree, which had been beautifully decorated by many chamber volunteers.

Anthony Zunino provided music throughout the event, and several of the chamber members were dressed "to the nines" for the holiday season. It was fun to see young and old dancing to the beat of the music in the parking lot as they waited for the lighting ceremony.

Although there was a big crowd there, I think most of us would have stayed around longer had it not been that the annual Civil War football game between Oregon and Oregon State got under way at 5:30. But as I expected, it was pretty much over by the end of the first quarter . . . but you can never be sure.

Sales have been booming as people collect their receipts for this year's chamber glass, which is actually a perfect-sized Irish coffee mug. This is just one more reason to shop at home.

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I don't know all the details, but I understand the Port of Bandon is planning to put a bicycle rest stop on their lot along First Street just north of Bandon Mercantile.

It will basically be a welcome station for bicyclists as they ride into town. There will be a secure place for them to lock up their bikes, a protected wind break and a place to pick up maps of Bandon so they can wander around and enjoy what we have to offer here.

I understand there may even be a place for them to charge their cell phones. I'm not sure when this will be up and running, but I do know it's in the planning stages.

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I'm still trying to get to the bottom of the letter, which appeared in the Western World a couple of weeks ago. It took to task the mayor, incoming city manager and the chamber of commerce for the deplorable state of a cemetery, which the writer, Virginia Mouzakis of El Segundo, Calif., saw as she was entering Bandon after taking the coastal route through the redwoods.

As I pointed out last week, there are no cemeteries at either end of town. There are two ... IOOF and VFW ... as you come into town on Highway 42S, but I visited them again tonight and could see nothing that would have prompted that letter. And neither is inside the city limits.

I have learned that the writer is 91 years old, and she does have a son in Sallisaw, Okla. My guess is someone else helped her write that letter ... as she would not have known anything about an "incoming city manager" and since I now have addresses for her family members, I plan to find out who helped her write it and why.

I always wanted to play detective ...

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I often receive robo calls . . . and I generally slam the phone shut before they get further than the first word . . . but for some reason I listed for a couple of seconds when the phone rang one day last week . . . and it was great news.

It was a canned call from Dish Network advising that CNN, TCM, Headline News, etc., have now been restored.

That was extremely good news as I was on the verge of looking for a different provider, but was hesitating because Dish is the only source of the Pac 12 network. Now I can have both Headline News and Pac 12 sports .... for my $83.

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There is a new scam sweeping the area and it's certainly one that could trip-up a number of people if they happen to be waiting for a FedEx package.

A woman in the Coos Bay area had been waiting for an important delivery from FedEx, so when she got an email regarding her undelivered package she thought it was legitimate.

She was told that they had missed her on the 17th and that she should download a label, which she thought would be her ticket to pick up the package from the shipping center.

Instead, when she clicked to download the label, her computer "went crazy and crashed."

The email link turned out to be a virus that could have potentially wiped out all of her personal information; fortunately she had anti-virus software that helped fight off the attack.

A spokesman for FedEx said they will either call people or leave a door tag; they will not ever email you.

It's getting harder and harder to know whether to download anything unless you are absolutely sure you know where it came from . . . and even then it's risky.


previous columns by Mary Schamehorn