As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 30, 2015
The first photo I'm sharing this week was taken in September of 1961 of the new foundation for the Shindler's Drug Store, built by John and Eileen Fetterman, on the north side of 10th Street near what was then McKay's Market (and is now Price 'n Pride).
New foundation for the Shindler's Drug Store, 1961
You can see the Valentine home, which is still there, in the background. Shindler's recently closed its doors after many years in business at several locations.
The second picture, taken in 1975, was the first Misty Meadows jam stand, along Highway 101 south of Bandon. This has long-since been replaced by a large, modern store, just east of the stand.
The first Misty Meadows jam stand, 1975
Who remembers Gerry's when you could find Howard Ohman smoking his trusty cigar at the counter, a jukebox with your favorite songs, Cathy Donahue waiting on customers, fresh strawberry shortcake for 50 cents, and a Reuben sandwich or a braised beef dinner for $1.25? At the front counter, Velma Johnson watches over her four little charges . . . .who loved to come to Gerry's.
Gerry's
Not sure of the date of this picture, but I did have to use a magnifying glass to see the meal prices. Now, of course, this is part of the Asian Gardens restaurant and bar.
* * *
I was sorry to learn that the high-end store Truffles is leaving Bandon. I first saw a post on Facebook Sunday morning which indicated they were closing and that everything in the store was 30 to 50 percent off.
I knew that they had been struggling, in part because of the location (next to the Station restaurant), which means there's not the kind of foot traffic that you find in Old Town. And I wondered if they were moving somewhere else in town . . . or out of town.
My sister and I went shopping that afternoon and learned that they will be open until Jan. 10, and then they are packing up and moving to Coos Bay. They plan to open March 1 in the bottom of the Hall Building on Central Avenue in downtown Coos Bay . . . best known in the summer months as the home of the Farmers Market.
Before moving to Bandon, Truffles was in Coquille.
They definitely have beautiful merchandise, and I know they have a large following of faithful customers, who will look forward to the opening of their new store March 1 in a brand new location.
I'm just sorry it didn't work out here . . .
* * *
I knew we were having a wet winter, but I didn't realize just how wet it was until I saw an item in the Brookings paper, written about Dec. 20, that indicated they had already had 23 inches of rain for the month. And it was still raining.
Compare that to the annual rainfall for this area for the last couple of years ... of somewhere between 28 and 29 inches for the year!
I remember when I worked at Western World, we used to keep a running tally of the rain in the paper each week, and it was nothing to have 70 to 75 inches of rain a year. But the last couple of years we didn't get anywhere near that amount, hence the drought problem.
I can remember that a couple of years ago, on Jan. 5, we celebrated my late mother's birthday in the bright sun on the back deck.
For now, it's only a memory . . .
* * *
I've heard of retaliation, but the former Chief Financial Officer of the Curry Health Network (which operates Curry General Hospital) in Gold Beach, Ken Landau, allegedly took it a bit far. He was arrested last week in connection with vandalism at CEO Ginny Razo's home, which was spray-painted several days earlier.
I've been reading accounts of the problems between Landau and Razo, which led to her putting him on leave from the hospital after they learned that their cash on hand was down to about 14 days.
Before he was arrested, someone did $12,500 worth of damage to vehicles owned by Razo and her husband, including slashing the tires, yanking wires from under the dashboard and pouring water into the gas tank. Someone also attempted to gain access to their garage.
Curry County Sheriff John Ward said there is no evidence linking Landau to the other damage. But because of it, the Razos installed security cameras, and that is when they caught Landau red-handed spray painting their house.
As a result of the financial problems, Razo had let go 18 to 20 employees as part of the cutback, including several physicians. Landau was put on paid administrative leave when Razo learned the district could not make their payroll in November.
He was booked at the Curry County Jail, and later released, on charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
The district is in the process of building a new hospital, and hopes to open an emergency room in Brookings.
This could certainly be called a serious distraction . . .
* * *
I wish someone had told me this years ago, but upon viewing damage to the south wall of one of my rentals with a contractor, he was adamant about not allowing cable/satellite companies to install their hardware on the outside walls by drilling holes.
He said that the only reason cable companies put the hardware on the outside wall is because they do not want to go beneath the house and properly install cable through the floor, where water and rot will not be a problem.
I have hired him to replace the south wall, which has several old installations, including a Comspan box and a satellite dish, along with the box installed by Charter. He told me, in no uncertain terms, that he would not be replacing the box on the wall, and suggested that the renter will have to get Charter to install it under the house.
I had a similar problem at my house on Harlem, where a phone cable had been installed through a vacated phone box ... without caulking around the hole. The wall rotted, and had to be replaced, to the tune of $700.
So the next time a company says they want to install a box on the outside wall (particularly the south side), you would be wise to tell them no, and advise them to crawl beneath the house and do a proper installation. And if you do have a box installed on the exterior wall, make sure it is waterproof.
It could save you a lot of grief . . .and money . . . in the future.
* * *
I've heard several things lately involving people or businesses in Bandon. The first is that the former employees of First American Title, which is closing its Bandon location the first of the year, apparently have found other jobs in the industry.
I have not talked to them about this, but I understand Katy Downard may move to Salem to be near family and work in First American's Salem office. I have also heard that Judy Allen will be going to work for Ticor Title.
I have dealt with them on several property closings, and can attest to the fact that they are both competent, fair and very friendly gals. They will be missed . . .
Besides where will I get my desk calendar for 2017?
I've also heard that Marcene Rebek will be closing her drive-through espresso shop on the grounds of the Bandon Shopping Center sometime this month.
She has been in business at that location for a number of years. Not sure of the details, and will let you know as soon as I can confirm what I heard.
* * *
We've all heard the words of German Pastor Martin Niemoller, and recently I saw some thoughts paraphrased from his words that I would like to share with you.
"You might not care if Donald Trump says Muslims must register with the government because you're not one. And you might not care if Donald Trump says he's going to round up all the Hispanic immigrants because you're not one. And you might not care if Donald Trump says it's OK to rough up black protesters because you're not one. And you might not care that Donald Trump wants to suppress journalists because you're not one. But think about this, if he keeps going and he actually becomes President, he might just get around to you and you better hope that's there is someone left to help you."
I don't care how people feel about Donald Trump; there is no place in politics for his crude rhetoric. Period!
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 23, 2015
I don't have a date for the first picture I'm sharing, but I am sure it was taken not long after the Fire of 1936.
New Bandon Theatre
You can see the "New Bandon Theatre," which later just became the Bandon Theater before it was torn down some years ago. It is now the site of the vacant lot between the Harbor Town Center and Bandon Coffee Cafe. This is before the Capps family built the large Capps Motor Company building (now Harbor Town Center). My guess is that is their service station just east of the theater, which was later across Second Street (about where the visitor center is now).
The second picture was taken in November of 1968 and shows Bullards Bridge opening to allow a boat to head up the river. I was hoping to be able to read the name on the boat, but it's not large enough.
Bullards Bridge opening, 1968
The third picture was taken in July of 1961 of Paulsen's Motel (one sign has an apostrophe and the other does not) at the top of Bear Creek Hill. It later became Bear Creek Apartments, and I think it has had a number of owners over the years.
Paulsen's Motel 1961
* * *
I received an email from Mike Keiser on Dec. 12 which said his two sons, Chris and Michael, were to be in Bandon the following Tuesday to tour and evaluate a new 18-hole course on land that he owns south of town.
He had originally proposed to build his 27-hole Bandon Muni course, where locals could play at a much reduced rate. But government stumbling blocks proved to be more than he wanted to deal with, and he gave up the plan to purchase gorse-covered state park land.
In addition to evaluating the property he owns south of Bandon, in the Four Mile area, Mike is also considering buying property owned by the Boy Scouts on the north Oregon coast to build a new course.
I am sure that Cameron LaFollette and her ORCA (Oregon Coast Alliance) group will once again "rear their ugly heads" and do everything they can to stop that development. In the meantime, here's hoping that Mr. Keiser proceeds on his plans south of Bandon.
* * *
After several weeks of almost constant rain, it was nice to see the sun shine on Saturday, even though the rain came back later in the evening. I love to go out to my hot tub late at night every chance I get, and Saturday night just before midnight, the rain had stopped long enough for me to venture out.
But I forgot how slimy the deck is this time of year, and for the third time since I put in the hot tub four years ago, I crashed onto the deck. I knew I hadn't broken anything, but it wasn't until later that night when I got up to get a glass a water did I realize that my big toe was badly bruised and swollen after coming into contact with the side of the hot tub, and now I'm limping. I thought I'd learned my lesson the first two times I fell (once when I didn't realize that the deck was icy) and the second time when getting out of the tub. But I guess not.
It's time to put indoor-outdoor carpet on the deck, but when the wind blows hard, it has a tendency to pull up and fly across the deck.
But I guess it's either the carpet flying across the deck . . . or me, and this time I think I'll opt for the carpet.
* * *
Geri Procetto and I sat together Sunday afternoon for "Remember When ... ?" presented by New Artists Productions on the stage at the Sprague Theater.
It was such fun seeing the young people who have starred in New Artists shows over the years ... all grown up, but still as talented as ever.
Spearheaded by Jeneveve Winchell, the reunion show included performances by Destyni and Tessa Fuller, Emma Wampler, Autumn Moss-Strong, Cody Waddington and Winchell.
They sang songs from Taste of Broadway, Aladdin, Fiddler on the Roof and Annie, among others, and was a great way to kick off the new season.
The audience joined with them in singing "Deck The Halls," at the end of the show, while the entertainers presented Anita Almich and her family with a beautiful Christmas poinsettia.
New Artists Productions is the brainchild of Dan and Anita Almich, who have worked with young people since forming the production company in 2000.
In the last 15 years, "New Artists has produced over 80 shows and stage opportunities and has introduced over 500 young actors to all aspects of theater performance," according to information in their colorful brochure.
* * *
I finally got my Comspan email account up and running, but it took at least seven calls for help to accomplish it.
The last tech I spoke with admitted that they should not have tried to accomplish their conversion on both the email service and the TV at the same time as some people experienced problems with both services.
One of my friends, who has been a loyal Comspan supporter for years, had finally had enough.
In an email, he told me he had only a minor problem with his email. "But with their new black TV boxes, I have been having terrible problems with certain broadcast channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc.). Suddenly they will start pixelating to the point they are unwatchable. Not only that, but I lost some of my favorite channels with their latest lineup change.
"I haven't been able to get anyone to respond to my numerous phone calls over the last several days. As you know, I have probably been their single biggest supporter since before they even got here. But their service has been so bad and they have been so unresponsive lately that I finally got completely fed up and called Charter today. They will be installing my new service next week. Bye, bye, Comspan!"
I told the service guy the sixth or seventh time I spoke with him that if I did not love their Internet service so much, I would have left long ago. But that is even more important to me than TV (I have a not-too-dependable satellite dish), so I will stick with them until they decide to perform a conversion on their Internet service . . . whatever that means.
* * *
We had the city Christmas party at Billy Smoothboars, and it was a great venue for a party. True, it was a little crowded, but everyone had fun and we so much enjoyed the Christmas decorations that Dan and Lynn Barnett put up each year. I think there were three decorated trees in the north room, where our event was held, and those were just a small part of the decorations. The place, both inside and outside, is absolutely gorgeous.
The Barnetts also hosted their program for community youngsters on Wednesday, and I've heard it was also a great event.
* * *
I'm not known for my computer skills, but sometimes even the smallest of problems throws me for a loss. Well, I guess you could call it a small problem, but when the mouse won't work, it is pretty much a large problem.
It's a wireless mouse, and I could see the batteries were at full strength, but no matter how hard I tried (even shutting down the computer and restarting it) it made no difference. I couldn't move anything.
In desperation, I looked down at the hard drive and realized that I had pulled out the memory stick from the USB port that operates the mouse, thinking that I was pulling out the similar looking stick on which Jim Proehl had downloaded scanned pictures for me.
As soon as I plugged it back into its port, the mouse began to work again. Sometimes even the obvious stumps me . . . and this was one of those times.
I hope I'm not the only person who does dumb things like this ....
* * *
During the peak of the wind storm one day last week, a man rushed over to my vehicle with a concern ... and by the time he was finished, I was pretty much drenched, but I agreed with him and said I would help him.
Unfortunately, I do not know his name, and after learning more about his concerns, I learned that what he asked me about was legal.
He asked me why Ray's Food Center had been required by the city's code enforcement officer to remove the flags and other advertising in the green strip out along the highway ... while the Mexican restaurant across the highway was allowed to fly their flags.
It seems that in the beginning the Mexican restaurant had the colorful flags in the city right of way, and after being requested to remove them, they now fly them on their own property, which is legal.
I also learned that when John McNutt built the shopping center, he agreed to a deed restriction that prohibited flags and other similar things from being in the grass strip.
I only hope the man reads my column because I would like to tell him what I found out. It always pays to ask . . . and maybe that will put some of the rumors to rest, at least for now. It certainly was an education for me!!
* * *
Several weeks ago, a woman got out of a vehicle in front of The Continuum Center and asked me if I would make CDs out of some of her old slides, along with a couple of sets of pictures. I said I could definitely do that and she said it would be nice to have them by Christmas, which I felt I could do. I suggested she leave them at city hall in my box ... but they never appeared.
I don't know her name, and now I'm worried that she left them with someone and they didn't make it into my box. I just wouldn't want them to get lost. So if she reads this maybe she could email me at marys@coosnet.com and let me know what happened to them. Maybe she changed her mind, which is fine, but I don't want to be responsible for losing someone's prized family slides.
* * *
Julie Miller posted on Facebook Sunday about a well-known Bandon photographer winning an award in a photography contest.
"A harbor seal pup at Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon was this year's third place winner in a photography contest seeking to highlight the diverse, natural beauty found in the ... System, the world's largest network of conservation lands and waters.
"Taken by Steve Dimock of Bandon, Ore., the image depicts the young seal sunbathing the Coquille Point section of the refuge," according to a press release.
Steve and his wife, Susan, own LaKris Motel and are both award-winning photographers.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 16, 2015
Since it is the season . . . the first picture I am sharing this week shows the town decorated for Christmas in 1962. You can see Capps Motor Co. at right and the Arcade Tavern at left. Also visible are Ray's Pharmacy and the Senter Agency, both on the right-hand side of the street.
Decorated for Christmas in 1962
The second picture is an aerial of Moore Mill & Lumber Co., which is one of the photos I chose for my Moore Mill book and a Moore Mill and truck shop calendar that I just received this week in time for Christmas.
Moore Mill & Lumber Co.
I had ordered three of the books, but sold all three to the first and only person who saw them. I have since ordered a couple more as I know what they would mean to anyone who had a family member who worked at the mill, which was the mainstay of our economy for many years. The books are $40 and the calendars are $20. The 8.5x11 calendars are especially nice because the quality of the photos is superb and they would be great to frame. Not sure this picture ever appeared in the paper, but was one of the aerials that graced the walls of Western World for many years before they mysteriously disappeared. Fortunately I had saved this one, in a 5x7 size.
The third picture was taken in May of 1960 at the Port of Bandon dock, which was piled high with lumber from Moore Mill. The truck shop and part of the mill can be seen in the background, along with the Port of Bandon tug which sits at the dock.
Port of Bandon dock, 1960
* * *
A very dark and rainy weekend was brightened considerably by the Lighted Christmas parade Saturday night in Old Town, spearheaded by Kimberly Jonas, owner of Kim's Books in The Continuum Center.
It was amazing that after raining almost steadily all day long, it stopped long enough for the parade, which made it even more special. An entry from Bandon Rental was the prize winner, although there were some equally wonderful floats, including one by Coastal Mist (Kevin and Tara Shaw) and Freedom Graphics (Jamie Gallagher and Anthony Zunino). There were several Santas in the parade, looking a lot like Danielle Benjamin (who recently opened her shop off the Pedway in the Continuum) and Bob Shammot, who works for the Port of Bandon. Mrs. Santa (Heather Boucher) was beautiful in a shimmering cape. I stood underneath the awning in front of The Continuum and couldn't help but overhear all the positive comments. People loved the parade, and are hoping that this is the beginning of an annual event. Kim has assured us that she's already working on next year's lighted parade, which is good news.
* * *
I learned this week that a well-known couple, Jim and Flo Curran, are celebrating 70 years of married life. Jim taught school here for many years, and although they now live in Coquille, they spend a lot of time in Bandon, where one of their sons, Jim, and his wife, Patti, and grandson, Jimmy, live.
The Currans came to the recent program at the museum, observing the 79th anniversary of the Bandon Fire, and Jim recounted his experiences as a young paperboy in Marshfield ... and how fast the papers sold out the day they carried the story of Bandon burning.
Congratulations Jim and Flo . . . for a wonderful life together.
* * *
I've heard several comments about the 8,000 pound weight limit signs that recently appeared along First Street and Fillmore. If you're headed east on First, you see one very near the bicycle station, and it's a bit confusing, as it is not easy to tell what is "off limits" to heavy vehicles. Then there is another one on the other side of First.
But it becomes clearer when you're coming off the highway on Fillmore and see the sign, near the Ferry Creek Bridge, which is the object of the weight limit. There is also another sign when you come off Riverside Drive.
The city learned back in June that the bridge, under which Ferry Creek flows into the bay, needed repairs or replacement, and they have applied for a grant through the Department of Transportation. In the meantime, heavy traffic will have to detour up Carolina Avenue if it is coming from Riverside Drive. Conversely, if a heavy truck is headed, for example, to the old Moore Mill property, it needs to come down Carolina to avoid the bridge.
* * *
As I am sitting here Sunday evening writing my column, hail is pounding on the windows, and judging from the weather report, this terrible weather does not seem to be letting up until at least Tuesday, and then it's back to more and more rain through at least next weekend.
I have told people that this is what our winters used to look like . . . lots of rain, high winds, etc., but maybe not the lightning and thunder storm that hit here Thursday night.
This kind of steady rain may well be replenishing people's wells, but it does nothing for the city's water supply because we don't have the capacity to store the water ... which just runs out to the ocean (eroding the banks along its way). Hopefully one of these days we will have a reservoir which will allow us to store much-needed water.
* * *
While we have had some strong winds in the past couple of weeks, they have been nothing like those hitting the valley and up into Washington, where a lot of damage has been recorded.
There was an article in the Sunday Oregonian talking about the strong winds that have hit the area over the last 50+ years beginning with the Big One, aptly known as the Columbus Day Storm, which hit on Oct. 12, 1962, and did an incredible amount of damage. I remember watching the roof of the hydro-electric department blow across Fillmore. I also recall taking pictures the next day at Pacific High School, where the south walls of several rooms were all but gone. Fortunately they had let school out before the peak of the storm hit. I am sure that saved lives . . .
The next largest was in November of 1981. I can remember it like it was yesterday. My friend Duane Myrick of Coquille and I were having dinner at The Boatworks, and still remembering the Columbus Day storm, I knew this was another big one. It got so bad that I told people that it might be best if we left the restaurant (we were upstairs) before it got even worse, and that was good advice because it wasn't long before the roof blew off. I think that is the night that the nearly empty gas tanks blew over at Ron's Oil Co. just south of town, sending people fleeing from their homes after being alerted by the fire department.
There was another big wind on Dec. 12, 1995, where winds were recorded south of here at 120 miles an hour during the heart of the storm. Other big winds hit on Jan. 16, 2000, and Dec. 11, 2014, but nothing like the first two.
Newcomers often laugh at me when I say that I am afraid of the wind . . . but they probably have not experienced the kinds of storms I've seen here. And I hope they never do ...
* * *
By the way, if any of you have tried to email me at my Comspan address (Marys@mycomspan.com) and have wondered why I haven't responded, there is a good (but extremely frustrating) reason. I am, however, still getting messages at my main email address, which is marys@coosnet.com.
Last weekend, Comspan did some kind of a conversion, both on their TV service and their email service, which one tech admitted probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.
At any rate, I have been to the Comspan office four times in the past week. You go in, pick up a phone and talk to someone who is only God knows where. The third time someone gave me a phone number for technical support, which I called. I could tell from the southern twang, that this was probably not in Roseburg (the headquarters of Comspan). And I was right, she was in North Carolina.
I knew I was in trouble when the canned message asked me if I would be willing to take a survey after my phone conversation was finished. I pressed one indicating I would take a survey. Then the voice repeats the number that they would be calling me on. Unfortunately, it was their number which they were repeating. After the voice mentioned their number twice, I pressed one to say I would be fine if they called me at that (their own) number. I just wanted to get on with the call. When the woman came on, I told her what had happened and she let out a big sigh. Again, not a good sign.
After 45 minutes and allowing her to probe around in my email, she told me she was sure she had fixed the problem, and someone from their call center would call me back within a few hours. That was four days ago.
Knowing that the problem wasn't fixed, I went back to Comspan's non-office in City Hall and tried once again. And this time I wasn't too polite. The woman who Skyped with me asked me if I was in front of my computer, which was hardly likely since there is no way to call them. I told her I was "in Comspan's non-office," and she could see that I was not happy. She hooked me up to a man, whose name I recognized, and he knew exactly what the problem was. He said I was on the list of those who were experiencing problems, and that by the time I got home, it would be fixed. That was Friday afternoon . . . and it is still not fixed.
If I had my druthers, I would not have anything to do with Comspan. Period. But I do love their Internet service, and hate to "throw the baby out with the bathwater," so I will go down there tomorrow and try once again to get my problem rectified.
In the meantime, the guy said I had a lot of emails piling up, but until the problem gets fixed, they won't send them through. So, again, if you are waiting for a response from me, you and I may continue to wait together for the service to be restored.
First it was a simple password issue (well, not so simple since no one could fix it), but now the error message says: "your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. Possible causes for this: server problems, network problems or a long period of inactivity."
Maybe that's it: a long period of inactivity because I haven't been able to get on for a week because of their screw-ups.
* * *
After posting the picture last week of Perry Bros. mill being built at Rosa Road and 11th, and mentioning the house on Elmira that could be seen in the background, I received an email from former resident Dayton Turner.
It seems that my grandfather (L. D. Felsheim) actually owned the house and rented it to his parents, Bob and Amy Turner, who worked for grandfather at Western World. They later built a stone house nearby (which has since been torn down). That's a bit of history that I did not know . . .
* * *
I'm not going to go into detail, but I recently learned that a local woman wired $1200 to a foreign country to reserve an apartment for a relative ... only to learn that the ad was a scam.
Had she been able to use her credit card, she could have stopped the payment, but the woman (scammer) wanted cash and wanted it ASAP. My friend admits there were red flags, but she truly believed it was legitimate. It was a very expensive lesson.
My advice is NEVER wire money, even if you think it was your grandson/daughter on the other end of the phone needing your help, before you check ... and recheck to make sure it is not a scam.
* * *
I was sad to learn that First American Title is closing its Coos County operations, including the Bandon office, effective Jan. 4. The offices in Curry, Lincoln and Klamath counties will also be closing, along with numerous other offices around the country.
I have used their services on at least three occasions, and found Katy Downard and Judy Allen wonderful to work with.
In an email to real estate agents, Katy and Judy said that "effective immediately, we will no longer be accepting any new title and/or escrow orders, and our staff will work with you to make alternate closing arrangements if you have an open escrow with us with a closing date in January or later."
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 09, 2015
The first picture I am sharing with you was too common an occurrence back in the '70s when the fishing industry was in full swing. Not sure about the date, but this shows Alex Linke, with hard hat at right, and Frank Tucker, on the other side, trying to right Frank's fishing vessel Rea, which had sunk at the dock.
Fishing vessel Rea, sunk at the dock
I can recognize several of the men watching the operation, including Bob Perry, in black jacket, and Jack Weaver, in front, with the hat. The reason I know it's Jack is because there are several other pictures in the series where I could ID him.
The second picture was taken in July of 1958, and is of Perry Bros. new mill being built at 11th and Elmira, now the home of the Stadelman family's Bandon Supply complex.
Perry Bros. new mill being built at 11th and Elmira, 1958
At far right, you can see the former Simonson home on the corner of 11th and Elmira, now owned by a family who have painted it a wonderful dark gray with red accents.
I still remember taking the third picture, in 1981. This was probably shot with a telephoto lens, because it makes it look like the dredge Yaquina is right on top of the boats in the basin, including the Erdman's vessel, Kelori.
The dredge Yaquina, 1981
Notice how the people on the dock, and what appears to be a man in the water (or maybe on the dock), are dwarfed by the sheer size of the dredge.
* * *
Although the audience was small (probably 20 or less), I attended Friday night's showing of Bethlehem Road and found that it delivered a strong message about love and family at this important time of the year. The only thing that would have made this show a bit better would have been had the three children been wearing mics. Although they seemed to really know their lines, and the songs were precious, you couldn't always hear them. But everyone did a great job. The costumes were authentic, most of the voices were strong, and it made you stop and think . . .
If you haven't had a chance to see this production, written by Neal Davis and put on by the Bandon Playhouse with Mike Dempsey as director and Michelle Winchell as producer, you still have this coming weekend, Friday and Saturday nights at 7 and Sunday afternoon at 2.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $8 for students. And if you save your ticket, it will be good for 10 percent off the bearer's food order at Edgewaters through Dec. 20.
And that's a real treat . . .
* * *
I recently saw an interesting article on the Internet, which had some very disturbing statistics for the state of Oregon.
The author wrote, "According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a woman is assaulted in the U.S. every nine seconds. As if this statistic isn't daunting enough on its own, approximately one third of American women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime."
The article pointed out that across the country, women face different levels of threats that vary based on the states where they live, adding, "Here's a compilation of data from the FBI, the National Intimate Partner and Violence Survey, and the U.S. Census Bureau on the most dangerous places for women in the U.S. from the years 2010-2014."
And what came next was pretty sobering.
In the list of 10 states with the largest percentage of women who said they were raped in their lifetime, Oregon and Alaska were tied for No. 1, each with 21 percent, followed by Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota and Connecticut.
The second list was the 10 states where women are most frequently sexually assaulted, and Oregon led the way in that category, followed by Alaska, Maryland, New Hampshire and Washington.
I am not sure how valid the stats are, but I am sure the writer would have no reason to skew the results one way or the other.
At any rate, these were pretty sobering facts if, in fact, they are true.
* * *
The latest wrinkle in the legalization of recreational marijuana is the fact that the Postal Service is now saying it is a felony to mail material (like a newspaper) that includes marijuana advertising.
A Washington state newspaper, owned by an Oregon company, was put on notice. As a result the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association forwarded the advisory to its 100 or so member newspapers last week.
The group's executive director said the ONPA "strongly discourages" Oregon newspapers that rely on the U.S. mail for delivery from accepting "any type of marijuana advertising."
It doesn't matter which side of the issue you're on, the voters in both Oregon and Washington (and Colorado) have said recreational marijuana is legal in their states, and it should not be a felony to advertise it through the U.S. mail.
This is what can happen when the voters in individual states approve something that is still deemed illegal at the federal level. Either we have "states rights" or we don't.
It's time for the federal government to recognize those rights ...
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It's not uncommon for an item about a fatal crash to mention whether or not the people were wearing seatbelts ... or they will tell the readers if the road is icy or if they feel that alcohol played a contributing role.
But this week (and it's about time) they are actually admitting that a 38-year-old Albany woman, who ran a stop sign and crashed into a GMC van, may have been distracted.
There ended up being three vehicles involved in the crash, which ended with the woman's Honda Civic separating into two pieces. She died at the scene.
My guess is she was probably talking or texting and failed to see the stop sign, in spite of the fact that it was still light out.
Every time I see someone driving while clearly distracted by the object in his or her hand, I wonder if they realize how dangerous it is ... not only to them but to the rest of us.
Speaking of dangerous, a woman posted on the Bandon, Oregon, Facebook page this week about a near miss at the stop light at 11th and 101. It seems that she was preparing to cross 101 with a green light when a Brookings school bus ran the red light.
She was so thankful that she'd waited a couple of seconds before pulling out or she would most certainly have struck the side of the school bus. That stop light has been there for many years, and it's hard to believe that a driver just didn't see it . . . or maybe he or she was distracted by something on the bus.
Now that it's dark and rainy, we all need to be more careful ... and look out for those who aren't.
* * *
Several members of the City Council gathered at the library Saturday afternoon to read to children (and a few adults). True, there were only five or six kids, parents and other adults who came to listen, but it was fun. Each of us (Claudine Hundhausen, Geri Procetto, Madeline Seymour and I) stayed to listen to each other, along with library director Rosalyn McGarva.
And to make it even more special, our city manager Chris Good played and sang several songs on his guitar, and we joined the children in singing along.
The Friends of the Library were having a book sale, and I purchased several books, including a large book titled "The Oregon Story," which featured highlights of the time period from 1850 to 2000, compiled by the staff of The Oregonian.
The book mentioned several historic events of interest to me, including the Bandon Fire of 1936, the Columbus Day Storm of Oct. 12, 1962, and the tragic death of running sensation and Coos Bay native Steve Prefontaine in 1975.
For $10, it was a real treasure for a history buff like me ....
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Dr. Richard Dowling of Bandon Family Dental Care is to be commended for the free dental care (fillings and extractions) that he made available to the community last Friday. I know a lot of people are in need of dental care, but they simply can't afford it. I hope that a lot of people took advantage of his special gift ...
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I am not sure exactly what happened, but Sunday morning a woman from Langlois posted on the Bandon Facebook page that a woman wearing nothing but a blanket wrapped around her had walked into their house. The woman urged them to lock the door because someone was after her. The Langlois woman described her and said she had a sign in the window of her car that read: "Jesus is coming are you ready." She described the car she was driving, and said when she pulled out of the driveway she literally peeled out and left skid marks in the driveway.
The couple were able to take pictures of her while she was getting back into her car and a number of the nearly 2,000 members of the Facebook account identified her.
I had just seen the woman and her husband at a museum function a couple of weeks ago, and she seemed fine, but she apparently had some kind of a mental meltdown, and the last I heard her husband had taken her to the hospital in Gold Beach.
Out of respect for her husband, who is a wonderful, caring guy, I have chosen not to use her name, but I surely hope she gets the help that she needs.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
December 02, 2015
The first picture I am sharing this week shows an overturned lumber trailer at the intersection of Highways 101 and 42S in March of 1962.
Overturned lumber trailer 1962
My long-time friend Pete Goodbrod, who worked many years for Rogge Lumber, was the driver. But it's not so much the spilled lumber that drew my attention to this picture; it's the fact that there is no shopping center (bare property at the left), motel or restaurant (on the right). As you can see, this was pretty much sparsely populated with a few homes ... and a lot of grass.
The second picture, taken in March of 1969, shows the Capps Motor Co. service station being torn down (on the property which now houses the chamber office and tourist information center). At right, police officer Sid Dominy watches what's happening.
Capps Motor Co. service station being torn down, 1969
The third picture shows City Park during a heavy rain in 1970.
City Park during a heavy rain in 1970
I don't have the exact date, but it's clearly winter judging from the amount of rain which ponds in front of the buildings where the Lions cooked their annual beef barbecue dinners each year during the Cranberry Festival. The little building at right is where the Lady Lions served desserts . . . .
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I've never seen Old Town so crowded ... even in the middle of summer. Taking advantage of the wonderful, but chilly (after the sun went down) weather, a huge crowd turned out for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony Saturday night at the visitor center.
And many of them arrived early for the nog walk, to listen to carolers and for their children to visit Santa and Mrs. Santa. Most of the merchants stayed open until at least 7, with many of them serving egg nog, cider or wine.
It was an extremely festive evening, with the Greater Bandon Association and the Bandon Chamber of Commerce working together to put on the event.
I'm not sure how long this wonderful summer-like weather is supposed to last, but I am certainly not complaining.
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Talking about the weather, I almost dread for the storms to come because every time it rains hard I lose my Dish TV signal . . . sometimes for as long as overnight, and it's getting pretty frustrating.
I went into the unmanned Comspan office one day last week after learning that they have a new TV service. It is said to be more reliable and offers the Pac 12 networks, which up until now has been available locally only on Dish. After skyping with an employee of Comspan, probably at their Roseburg office, I figured out to get what I now have with Dish, it would be about the same price: around $88 a month. And I already have Comspan internet and a land line.
I was seriously considering going with Comspan until I saw that my neighbor, Takashi Haruna and his wife Robin, were without Comspan service (including the internet, TV and phone) on Thanksgiving evening and were still out the next morning. They had called someone, who said it was a problem somewhere between Bandon and Coquille, but they didn't seem to be restoring service very fast.
And that's when I reconsidered changing my carrier.
It may be that my problem is the placement of my satellite dish, which is on the south side of the house, because my sister, who lives only a block away and also has Dish, does not lose her signal when mine is gone.
I think I will ask someone to check my receiver before I jump ship . . . to a service that may be even more unreliable.
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I've been thinking of other ways to share my old photos, other than in my column and in the books that I've published. And I think I've hit on a way. I found a company that featured a special on 8.5x11 calendars, and decided I would order several different ones. So far I've designed one with just my beach/lighthouse scenics, and another with pictures from the Bandon Aero Club/Bandon State Airport since its dedication in 1958.
And today I put one together from my collection of Moore Mill and Moore Mill Truck Shop photos, which include some very impressive aerial shots of the mill, a large barge load of lumber leaving the Moore Mill dock, and various other shots (some colored) of the truck shop and the mill. I know that people who've had relatives who worked at the mill or the truck shop will be interested in that calendar. I haven't seen them yet, so I can't vouch for the quality, but I haven't been disappointed with anything I've ordered thus far, and hopefully these will be good.
I will be able to sell the present batch of calendars (only a few of each) for $25, but if I have to reorder, they will cost me $25, so I will have to charge a bit more for them.
I have thousands of photos, and it's hard to decide what to try next, but I'm considering calendars of cheese factory pictures from the '50s, '60s and '70s, or maybe one of the Port of Bandon. Back in the '70s, Western World did several dairy farm features, and those might make an interesting calendar, or even a book.
This is certainly not a money-making venture for me (I've spent hundreds more than I've made off the books), but it's such fun to see my photos in print ... regardless of the cost.
The most frustrating thing is to get near the end of a book, calendar, etc, and have the software crash. And if you haven't continually saved your work, you go back to square one . . . or to your last "save."
But it's still rewarding to see the finished product . . . and remember why I carted around 30,000 negatives in cardboard boxes for nearly 30 years. Actually I don't really remember why I decided to save them, except that most of them had been shot by my grandfather, my uncle or me. But I am glad I did.
If anyone wants a glossy 8.5x11 print of any of the photos that accompany my weekly columns, I can provide one for $10 (and a bit for postage if you want it mailed).
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As part of the responsibility of being a member of the Bandon Historical Society's board of directors, I get the opportunity to help out around the museum (rather than just spending my nights scanning negatives).
This week, Jim Proehl, Miss Z (Ardis Ann Szala) and I entertained the two second grade classes, who visited the museum. The students broke off into small groups, and the three of us each had a station, or several stations, where we shared with the youngsters what they might have encountered had they lived in Bandon 100 years ago.
It was great fun, and at this age, they are so eager to learn.
And later in the school year, I will be entertaining the same classes at City Hall as they learn what it entails to be on the city council.
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One of my readers has provided me with more information about drug plans and Medicare. The address for the Medicare Rx plan is www.medicare.gov. When the screen comes up, click on the button at the bottom left: "Find health & drug plans."
The first thing you'll see when you click on that button is a screen that will let you do a general search or a personalized search based on your zip code.
The site will walk you through the process where you can fill in the drugs you use and finally the pharmacies you want; the pharmacy selection screen lets you select pharmacies within one mile, within 41 miles or farther. Obviously the one-mile search turns up Rite Aid for zip code 97411. The 41-mile search will include all the pharmacies in Coos Bay, North Bend, Coquille and Myrtle Point.
When you get all done, you get a list of plans that fit your requirements and they're sorted from lowest annual cost to highest. The costs they calculate include the costs of your drugs as well as the premium for the plan you choose.'
That site also has a link called "Find someone to talk to." It has phone numbers to call about various Medicare concerns.
And by the way, all these drug plans change every year so doing this search is an annual task. The plan you had last year has probably changed its premiums, deductibles and drug formulary.
And if you're uncomfortable with all this nonsense, you might have to contact an insurance person.
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People seem excited about shopping locally so they can save their receipts for the coffee/nog mugs at the chamber office.
My sister told me she did most of her shopping locally Friday . . . only to be told by one of the clerks that the Shop Local did not start until Saturday (rather than on Black Friday). She was pretty disappointed, but I said that simply did not seem feasible.
That night, while reading the Port Orford Beacon, I saw the article which clearly said that the Shop Local program in Bandon kicked off Friday, Nov. 27.
Then I learned that it was wrong in Coffee Break, which said Friday, Nov. 28, and that's how the clerk got confused. I later learned that it also said Friday, Nov. 28, on Facebook, but since people were already turning in their receipts for their glasses, it was clearly just a mistake.
That's why, when I was an editor, I always insisted that both the day and the date be included in an article. That way, if they don't match, you can always question it and find out which is accurate . . . but if it's only an incorrect date, without the day, you wouldn't question it.
Previous columns by Mary Schamehorn