As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
January 27, 2016
The reason I am sharing the first picture is not so much for the garbage truck that fell through my platform in the late '70s, but for the good shot of the Coquille Valley Dairy Co-op across the highway.
Garbage truck fell through platform, late 70s
You can also see several cars parked at Chappell's Service Station (now a vacant lot) on the right side of the picture. Jim Franks was the franchise garbage hauler at that time, and I guess I had forgotten to post a weight limit on the platform leading to my house (years later replaced by a concrete structure) and his truck fell through. It was much worse before the wrecker came, and in this picture, the truck is almost righted. To say Mr. Franks was not happy is an understatement. But then I wasn't too pleased either because I had to figure out how to repair the platform.
The second picture shows pretty much the same area, but much earlier. This picture was taken in 1940 when Ferry Creek overflowed its banks. The Co-op is at the left and the original Standard service station is on the right. This picture was taken from about Grand Avenue looking west into town.
Ferry Creek overflowed its banks, 1940
The third picture shows Carl "Bub" Perry at the controls of the new Perry Bros. Mill which opened along Rosa Road (about where Tom Stadelman's Bandon Supply is now located) in July of 1969. The mill was owned by Bub and his brother Voyle "Sid" Perry.
'Bub' Perry at the controls of the Perry Bros. Mill, 1969
Other pictures taken the same day show Ray Tessman working in the mill and Sid's son, Bob Perry, working the controls. You can barely see a man's hat and his pipe in the picture, and those belonged to Howard Kehl, the local electrician, who probably was on hand to make sure everything electrical was working as it should.
I need to correct something that I wrote last week. In spite of the fact that the tagline for the Presbyterian church photo that I posted last week said it was a 1908 picture, it was actually the "new" church that was completed in 1914 and later burned in the Fire of 1936.
* * *
Mary Stewart is feeling like one of the luckiest people on earth these days after she survived (barely without a scratch) a scary ride over a steep embankment a couple of weeks ago (Jan. 12).
Mary was on her way to Coos Bay to see husband Russ, who was in the hospital battling pneumonia. The rain was coming down in sheets. And as she headed downhill on Highway 101 just before you get to Belloni Boys Ranch, her car hit a huge puddle of water and began to hydroplane. Completely out of control, the car first spun into the opposite lane, and then it careened back across the road and over the bank, end over end, with Mary (thank God) snugly in her seatbelt.
Mary Stewart's auto accident on Highway 101
After turning over at least twice, the car came to rest way below the road with Mary hanging upside down from her seatbelt, and amazingly with her purse and phone still in the seat beside her. The place she left the road had no guard rail, and the State Police officer who answered the 9-1-1 call said it was probably just as well as the railing could have pierced her car.
Fortunately, a trucker had seen her car leave the road, and he immediately pulled over and climbed over the bank to help her. He was amazed to see that she appeared to be unhurt, as he helped her up the steep hill. When the officer arrived, Mary insisted that she wanted to continue on her trip to Coos Bay to visit Russ, so they had a taxi come out and pick her up and drive her to Enterprise rental in Coos Bay. "I wasn't even sure they would rent me a vehicle when they saw how I looked as I was all muddy ... but they did," Mary told me.
When I talked to her last week, she was still awaiting the outcome of the x-ray that had been taken, but Sunday she emailed me with a picture of the car and to say that the x-rays had shown no evidence of a fracture.
She and I agree: she is one lucky gal!!
For those of you who may not know her, Mary and Russ ran the Boatworks restaurant for a couple of years, and are now retired and make brightly colored bird houses and feeders, that were sold at local craft fairs.
And for all those who are forced to drive in the rain, please be extra careful about standing water. It's just like hitting a patch of black ice . . . .
* * *
It's always fun to see Bandon mentioned in lists of "bests," and this week there was a post about 13 restaurants in Oregon "that don't look like much ... but WOW they're good."
Tony's Crab Shack made No. 10. Most of them were in the Portland, Salem or Eugene areas, with one each in McMinnville and Corvallis and another in Astoria, but there were two in Brookings, including Pacific Sushi and Grill and Zola's Pizzeria.
Tony's is definitely a favorite of locals and tourists alike and although most of their tables are outside, they even have heated spaces inside for those that aren't willing to brave the weather at this time of year.
* * *
I just heard today that a recreational marijuana shop is opening just south of Bandon, but I don't know the details and since it is not inside the city limits, I wouldn't have any "inside information."
* * *
The second annual Relay for Life chili cook-off Saturday night was fun, and boy were there some great chili dishes to sample ... and purchase. For the second year in a row, Peter Braun (a member of the Bandon City Council) won for his green chili/pork dish, with Southern Coos Health Foundation director Scott McEachern earning second-place honors and Raven owner Danielle Benjamin finishing third for her wonderful dish.
There was also a dessert auction and music by Sly & Friends (Jim and Holly Sylvester, Perry St. John, Bryan Ibach and John Harding).
Billy Smoothboars provided the cash bar and donated $1 from each drink sold to Relay for Life. Nancy Fitch and her helpers deserve a big vote of thanks for their efforts in bringing Relay to Life to Bandon.
* * *
He's only been with the Port of Bandon since August, and I understand that Steven Leskin was being groomed to take over for Gina Dearth when she retires. But now he's gone. I've heard he got a job offer that he couldn't refuse, and he's been selected as the new port manager for the Port of Siuslaw (Florence) beginning Feb. 1.
After 23 years as a Portland attorney, Steven made a career change to ports. He worked a short time at Port of Cascade Locks before being hired at the Port of Bandon as their project manager.
A press release on the Port of Siuslaw's website says, "During his employment at Port of Bandon, he has had exposure to grants, environmental issues, permitting, and sits on boards that directly impact port business."
I only met him once, but he certainly seemed like a dynamic guy.
* * *
I was sad to learn of the death of former Bandon teacher Ernie Neal, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 91. He and his wife, Ellen, who also taught here, have lived in the Salem/Keizer area for the last 50 years. The Neals had been married 67 years.
He is also survived by his sons Dan of Eugene (and his wife the former Peggy Curran), and Gary of Yamhill and his wife, Bridget. His son, Steve, a highly accomplished journalist and author, died in 2004. He also has seven grandchildren and one great-grandson.
A celebration of life will take place for Ernie on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 1 p.m. at Rudy's Banquet Hall by the Salem Golf Club. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to SOLVE (www.solveoregon.org).
* * *
An employee of the local Chevron station told me last week that the Bandon and Coquille stations have been sold to someone named "Carson." I wasn't sure if that was a person or a company, but she said he (they) also own the local shell station.
I understand that Nick (I am pretty sure that is his name), who has worked there for 15 years, will be leaving after learning that he would not only take a cut in pay but also have to give up his insurance.
Most people don't really like change ... and it's not hard to see why.
* * *
Anyone who follows Facebook knows that Kimberly Jonas, owner of Kimberly's Book Nook in the Continuum Center in Old Town, is looking for a larger space after being told by the owner and his partner that she not only would have to move her books out of the lobby, but also out of the hallway ... which takes away a goodly amount of her floor space. She is understandably upset as she has built up a good customer base at that location, and she brings a lot of people into the Continuum.
Contrary to rumors, she has not been evicted, but certainly by the changes being made by the building owner, Bob Webb, it is making it difficult for her to stay even though she has been happy at the location for a number of years.
I surely hope that something works out for Kimberly. She puts her heart and soul into her business, and she deserves to be treated fairly.
* * *
I am becoming concerned about a property on Harlem Avenue (on the south side of 101) which was the topic of much debate at a recent city council meeting. The property is owned by Todd Tiffany, who lives outside the country, and has made it pretty clear that he does not care who goes onto his property, even though the neighbors have expressed concern.
There was an item in the Jan. 1 police report (which appeared Jan. 21) about police being called because a homeless person was living on the lot. It adds: "Advised the property owner has no problem with anyone being on his property."
But this week I talked to someone who lives in the neighborhood and she advised me that only last week she had seen several people milling around the property, and later that night, someone had pounded on their door, yelling. She called the police, but by the time they arrived, the people/person was gone, although the motion sensor light in the back of the house turned on, which would indicate the people were still on their property, or had headed over the bank onto the highway.
The neighbors have every right to be concerned about a property that is rapidly becoming a public nuisance. And even if the owner doesn't care who goes on the property, if there is illegal activity going on, I would expect that the police can determine that with an onsite visit.
Permission does not equate to condoning illegal activity, and I would hope that Mr. Tiffany does not support that.
* * *
Not sure how many of my readers read the Bandon Western World, but if you do, you were probably understandably confused by a letter this week from Rebecca Avery of Spokane titled "Stop the hateful behavior."
What the letter didn't bother to explain is that her father, about whom the letter is written, is the superintendent of the Myrtle Point School District.
I questioned what it was even doing in the Bandon paper since it has absolutely nothing to do with Bandon except that the MP school board chairman is Dave Robinson, the Bandon postmaster. But he is not even mentioned. Apparently the family asked that it go in the Bandon paper.
The bottom line is Bruce Shull, the superintendent and the writer's father, is a great guy, who, along with the board, has had to make some difficult decisions lately. The one that angered most MP residents was the suspending of Marty Stallard, the football coach, for a couple of games. As a result, he decided he would not coach girls basketball. Many people were upset by the decision, which others felt was long overdue, and began to take their anger to the pages of Facebook. And from what I have heard, it got ugly ... real ugly. At first, based on a particularly egregious post, Bruce wanted to step down that day, but he has now agreed to wait until the end of the school year to retire.
I was editor of the Myrtle Point Herald when Bruce Shull was hired, and I have nothing but good to say about him and about Dave Robinson.
Rebecca Avery talked in her letter about "the campaign of hatred and personal attacks against the leaders they disagree with, but also against their families and the children of these family members."
Her letter would have made more sense had it been accompanied by an editor's note explaining who he was, but certainly the message is clear.
Social media is anything but . . . social!
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
January 20, 2016
Because the First Presbyterian Church in Bandon is about to celebrate its 125th anniversary, the first picture I am sharing this week is of their beautiful church, which burned in April of 1911. They later rebuilt and that church burned in the 1936 Fire.
First Presbyterian Church in Bandon, 1908
But I also plan to share the story of how I found out about the anniversary and what led me to the Bandon Museum to search for more information. So stay tuned ...
The second picture depicts the kind of fun that could be had in Bandon during a Fourth of July celebration in 1961. Raft races were the brainchild of, I think, the Bandon Jaycees, and it was so much fun to watch them leave the local dock and head up river. These were substantial floats, and each held up to six men, as you can see in the bottom raft. I have one picture where I can clearly see Bob Martindale, but I don't think he was on one of these rafts.
Raft races, Fourth of July celebration 1961
The third picture, taken in November of 1974 on a local cranberry bog, features a cranberry picker belonging to Jim Olson, left, and his son-in-law, Mike Carver. Jim was very active in Ocean Spray, and served as the Oregon director for many years, necessitating trips back to OS headquarters in Hanson, Mass., where they were located for years before building their new headquarters in Lakeville, Mass.
Local cranberry bog 1974
* * *
And now back to the story about the First Presbyterian Church. Barbara Dodrill, a long-time member of the church, asked if I (as mayor) would be willing to sign a proclamation honoring the church on its 125th anniversary. Of course, I said I would be happy to, and she brought the 100-year proclamation (signed by then Mayor Jim Cawdrey) down to our administrative assistant to use as a guide.
As soon as Denise Russell had completed the proclamation, she emailed it to me to look at before I went down to City Hall to sign it.
But it was something that I read on the proclamation that made me question the accuracy (now that I've become sort of a Bandon history buff). It said that the church was the first protestant church in Bandon, with construction beginning in 1901. "On April 17, 1911, the church and manse were destroyed by a fire, which did widespread damage throughout the City."
I immediately questioned that statement about "widespread damage" because I knew that the first large fire in Bandon was June 11, 1914, when much of the business district burned ... not 1911.
I emailed Jim Proehl at the museum to see if he had heard of a large fire in 1911, and he had not. So I pretty much decided that the church must have burned in the 1914 fire. Then I remembered that I had found a June 11, 1914, newspaper among my late mother's belongings, and before I took it down to the museum for safekeeping, I had made a copy of it. It had a list of all the buildings that were destroyed in the 1914 fire, and the Presbyterian church was not on the list. Now I was confused.
I stopped by the museum Friday afternoon as Jim and I were going to work on the photo presentation that we were to give to the Bandon Aero Club Sunday night.
He then showed me a picture of the church (which I have shared with you) and went into the back and found a box of 1911 papers ... and sure enough in April of that year, the church and the manse had burned to the ground. But there was no other mention of any other buildings catching fire that night. So they were half right, and I decided I would change the wording on the proclamation to reflect that.
But it was something in the 1911 article that really caught my eye. Talk about prophetic!!
It talks about the man who discovered the fire, and the number of people who swarmed to the scene to assist. It continues:
"But as far as extinguishing the fire was concerned there was absolutely nothing to be done as there are no hydrants on the hill, and no water for fire protection, although the manse (pastor's house) could easily have been saved and probably the fire could have been extinguished from the church, had there been any water.
"And this brings us face to face with the fact that Bandon is sorely in need of fire protection, and something must be done at once or some morning we will all wake up to find that we have been made paupers in a single night."
That, of course, is what happened three years later when the business district burned ... and 25 years later when the entire town burned (except for a few homes and businesses in east Bandon).
I will be presenting the proclamation to the Rev. Bobbi Neason at the Monday, Feb. 1, council meeting. And church members (and of course the general public) are welcome to attend . . .
* * *
To say that the storm was fierce Thursday night was an understatement. The rain was coming down in sheets, and coupled with the strong wind, it made doing pretty much of anything outdoors out of the question.
And that includes getting a paper from the Eugene Register-guard box in front of the post office.
At about 5 o'clock, my sister Maggie (who just happened to be wearing a beautiful new sweater wrap that I had purchased a couple of days earlier for her birthday) bent over to put her four quarters in the paper box, but as she was retrieving the paper, a gust of wind blew the end of her sweater into the box and it slammed shut. A man helped her try to force the paper box open, but in the process she bloodied her knuckles.
Several people tried to help her. One man put four quarters in the box, hoping that it would open and free her and her new sweater. But it was apparently wound around the coin apparatus and nothing worked. Finally one of the employees came out of the post office to try to help, but when it was obvious they couldn't get the box to open, she ran back inside to get a pair of scissors, which she used to cut my sister's sweater to free her.
Needless to say, she was extremely shook up, and bleeding from the wound on her hand, so she headed home.
As it turned out because of the free-flowing style of the sweater, she is still able to wear it ... and she doesn't think anyone will even notice because it already had an uneven hem line.
But she's the "glass half full" type of gal ... and she was so thankful that it wasn't her long hair that had caught in the box that she decided to look on the bright side of the whole experience.
And we definitely want to thank the people who went out of their way in the wind and rain to help her.
* * *
The Bandon High School speech team will present a Sweet Speeches program at 7 o'clock Thursday night (Jan. 21) at the Sprague Theater. The program sounds great, and is one you won't want to miss.
Team members include senior co-captains Autumn Moss-Strong and Darby Underdown, seniors Austin Carrero, Max Underdown, Kayla Dugan and first-year seniors Alex McKay and Seven Converse. Juniors include Katy Taylor, Eleanor Winston, Dustin Wilson, David Vincent, Andy Yu, and first-year junior Jack Turner. Sophomores are MyKayla Mache, and new speakers David Fodrea and Jacob Tidwell. The two freshmen are Isabel Winston and Nick Turner.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and are available at the door or from any speech team member.
* * *
There will soon be new faces on the Bandon Police Department, with the retirement of one officer and the resignation of another.
Officer James Partee, who was hired as a police officer in 2001 after serving as a reserve officer for a year, retired on Nov. 30 after 15 years with the department. Officer Tony Byrd has taken a position with another agency. He had been with the Bandon PD for six years and left at the end of December.
Conditional job offers have been given to two men, pending the outcome of the background investigation, medical and psychological exams. The department hopes to have them start on Feb. 1.
Other members of the department include Chief Bob Webb, Sergeant Larry Lynch, and officers Steven Lombardo and Derick Smith.
They're a good group of guys and Bandon is fortunate to have such dedicated people on the department.
* * *
Last week I heard from one of my favorite high school teachers, Lloyd Gabriel, who lives with his wife, also a retired teacher, in Yakima, Wash. Lloyd says that the six years he taught at Bandon (late '50s and early '60s) are the most memorable of his 41-year teaching career.
His wife, Ruth, who taught homemaking and journalism at BHS, is 88, and Mr. Gabriel, who taught social studies and American problems, is 94.
A former prisoner of war, Gabe, as he is affectionally known, is the state commander of Washington's ex-POW group, of which he says the average age of World War II ex-POWs is 94.
Although he is legally blind and has not driven for eight years, he says his health is good and their sons take them on vacations.
I am sure I have shared this story with you before, but one day when he was talking in class about his prisoner of war days, he mentioned a latrine. I had no idea what that meant, so I foolishly raised my hand and asked. The guys knew what it was for certain, and everyone had a good laugh at my expense.
* * *
I had a bit of a frightening experience the other night. I was in my hot tub, which sits underneath a rather large fir tree. As I was enjoying the warm water (105 degrees), I heard a very shrill scream in the tree about six or seven feet away from the tub. It was obviously two animals fighting, but I wasn't sure what kind ... and why they were making such a horrible screech. So I grabbed a handful of water and tossed it up into a tree, and a huge rat fell to the ground and scampered off. They must have been fighting to see who was going to get to the bird feeders first.
Just one more reason I should not be feeding the birds, but I guess I should just be thankful that he didn't fall into the hot tub.
There's always a bright side . . .
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
January 13, 2016
I've decided to expand my history lessons a bit this week. Not only will I share three pictures, but I will also give readers a look back to what it was like for teachers nearly 100 years ago.
The first picture was taken in 1956 on Caroline (Matt says Street and the sign at the foot of the hill says Avenue), but most of you know that it's the short street that runs up the hill from the sewage treatment plant.
Caroline Avenue, 1956
These mules were grazing in front of the big house that was owned by George and Marie Kronenberg (and is now the home of Joy Swenston Tiffany and her husband, Terry). The lot on which the mules are grazing was in the yard of what used to be the old Herm DeLong place. The house has long since been torn down and the site is where Jim Wickstrom is building a new home.
The second picture, also taken in 1956, shows workmen attempting to move the feed store (which sat alongside the old cheese factory where Face Rock Creamery now sits) across Ferry Creek, and to the east side of Grand Avenue.
Feed store falling into Ferry Creek, 1956
But as this picture and the next one will show, sometimes the "best of laid plans go astray." And that is what happened, when the weight of the building was too much for the stringers across the creek ... and part of the building ended up in the creek.
Feed store falling into Ferry Creek, 1956
Not sure what it took to get it out, but we know they did because it now is the "pink building" that houses the highway market, just up Highway 101 from the creamery. When I was growing up in the house across from the cheese factory I remember fishing in the creek and playing in that vacant field.
* * *
As we think of the slogan, "you've come a long way, baby," we can't help but think of what female teachers endured less than a hundred years ago.
Stan Goodell, a BHS graduate and retired teacher, recently shared with us a "Teachers Contract, Term 1923," and while it was for the state of Ohio, it was probably not that much different for Oregon.
For the sum of $75 a month, the (female) teacher agreed:
1. Not to get married.
2. Not to keep company with men.
3. To be at home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless in attendance at school functions.
4. Not to loiter in downtown ice-cream stores.
5. Not to leave town at any time without the permission of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
6. Not to smoke cigarettes.
7. Not to drink beer, wine or whiskey.
8. Not to ride in a carriage or automobile with any man except her brother or father.
9. Not to dress in bright colors.
10. Not to dye her hair.
11. To wear at least two petticoats.
12. Not to wear dresses more than two inches above the ankle.
13. To keep the schoolroom clean:
a. To sweep the classroom floor at least once daily.
b. To scrub the classroom floor with hot water and soap at least once weekly.
c. To clean the blackboard at least one daily.
d. To start the fire at 7 a.m. so the room will be warm at 8 a.m. when the children arrive.
When you consider that this was less than 90 years ago, you can truly understand how far we've come . . .
* * *
I am often invited to speak to local organizations ... and generally they want me to talk about the City. But recently Marilyn Noorda asked me to give a program for the Welcome Club, which meets the first Thursday of the month at Lord Bennett's at 11:30, and she left it up to me to pick the topic.
I have a folder full of tax information, and general City "stuff," but I decided that since most of them were relatively new (well, at least they weren't natives) I would share some of my old photos with them ... the same kind that I use in my column each week.
Although the group was small (probably around 15), they were very enthusiastic. In fact, the program went on quite a bit longer than it was supposed to, but no one complained. They were fascinated with what the town used to look like and asked me many questions.
Several days later, I received a call from Marilyn saying how much the members had enjoyed my presentation and I volunteered to return (when more of their snow-bird members are back home) to share more of my photos.
When you consider just how many pictures I have (and Jim Proehl and I keep scanning more), it's not hard to put together a program.
Next Sunday, the 17th, Jim and I (with him manning the projector) will be sharing my pictures of the Bandon Aero Club and Bandon State Airport with the aero club, dating back to 1958 when the airport was dedicated.
Many of the pictures were taken at various crab feed/fly-in events, when the tarmac would be crowded with planes which had flown in for the event.
Since I am not an aviation buff, it will be interesting to hear the aero club members identify some of the planes and hear what else they have to say of a time when most of them weren't yet associated with the local airport.
* * *
Sunday was a big day, starting with the Seahawk football game at 10 a.m. The game was played in Minnesota, and at game time, it was minus 6 degrees ... said to be the third coldest playoff game ever played in the NFL. It certainly took its toll on Seattle, as you can prepare for almost every scenario . . . except for the freezing cold. I guess they could have practiced at an ice rink, but probably not ...
At any rate with Minnesota leading 9-0 (on three field goals) in the second half, it appeared that Seattle might not win this game. But as luck would have it, Russell Wilson & Company stepped up, and thanks to a missed 20-plus-yard field goal by the Minnesota kicker, escaped with a 10-9 win.
This game was important as the winner would advance to the next level, with two more games before determining who plays in the Super Bowl. I can also imagine how terrible the Minnesota field goal kicker felt missing one that was close enough to probably throw it over the goal post.
But being a huge Pete Carroll and Seattle Seahawks fan, we'll take the win any way we can . . . considering the big advantage Minnesota had in the way-below freezing weather.
* * *
Sunday afternoon I went to the opening of the art show, "Symbolism - Speaking from the Past, Present or to the Future?" at Southern Coos Hospital and Health Center.
My artist sister, Molly Dufort, was one of the main exhibitors, and her art graced one entire wall of the exhibit ... so I definitely wanted to go and see her work and that of many others in the community. We have a lot of very talented people in this area.
The show will run through March, so if you didn't have an opportunity to attend the opening reception, you may want to stop by and see the show, which is in the lobby and down the hall into the dining room of the main hospital building.
* * *
Two other events are coming up the weekend of Jan. 23-24.
On Saturday, Jan. 23, a kick-off party for the second annual Bandon Relay for Life will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 at The Barn in City Park. There is no cost to attend.
A chili cook-off also is planned, and people can buy a bowl of their favorite chili for a very nominal cost. There will also be a live auction featuring desserts, a no-host bar and a small silent auction.
More information can be obtained by calling Nancy Fitch at 541-551-1561.
On Sunday afternoon at 2, a benefit concert will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, 592 Edison Avenue, for Ruthanne McSurdy-Wong and Gary Dawson.
The event is sponsored by Joseph Bain and Cardas Audio and catered by Bandon Coffee Cafe. All proceeds will be used to help with medical expenses for local artist McSurdy-Wong, who underwent a bone marrow transplant at OHSU in Portland and must remain up there for a few months.
The couple also suffered the loss of their home when it burned in a fire last fall.
For more information people can call one of the musicians, Crystal Landucci, at 541-260-1644.
* * *
Now it's back to my Sunday schedule: watch the Golden Globes at 5 . . . and Downton Abbey at 9.
As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn
January 06, 2016
The first picture I am sharing this week was taken in June of 1980. That doesn't sound like very long ago to me, unless you stop and realize it was more than 35 years ago. It's a picture of the waterfront, probably taken from the yard of Holy Trinity Catholic Church. You can see the small Bandon Bait Shop building and, at the far right, the Port office (now Tony's), both along First Street.
Bandon waterfront, 1980
The second picture, taken in March of 1975, shows workmen constructing the concrete block building for the new McNair Hardware store.
McNair Hardware store, 1975
It replaced the old wooden structure that was destroyed by fire, which (I believe) resulted from a man using a blow torch to open the safe during a burglary (see picture). Down the street you can see the Bandon Theater and the building that is now Alloro.
McNair Hardware store, after the fire
The third picture, also taken in the '70s, shows McNair Hardware before it was destroyed by fire in January of 1975.
McNair Hardware store, 1975
* * *
I couldn't wait to get to the store Sunday morning to grab my Register-guard to see what the pundits were saying about Oregon's loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl Saturday night.
But there was a big sign where the Guards should have been, on the shelf inside Ray's, indicating that there would be no papers to be found anywhere in town. According to a clerk, there was a wreck which kept the paper from being delivered to this area. I have no idea if it was the carrier who wrecked, or if a wreck tied up the highway, but I know one thing for sure, if I want to read the Sunday paper I will probably have to go on line.
I'm one of those people who still loves the feel and smell of newsprint ... and I want my paper. My guess is that they might bring both the Sunday and Monday editions to the newsstand Monday.
Here's hoping . . .
* * *
Back to the Alamo Bowl. What a huge disappointment. When we all watched Oregon's star quarterback, Vernon Adams Jr., take a blow to the head and saw him crumple to the ground, we knew the outcome wasn't going to be good.
After masterfully guiding the Ducks to a 31-0 halftime lead, Adams was helped off the field and later returned to the sidelines in his street clothes. The announcer said he had suffered "a head injury." That's PC for a concussion, which is very much in the news these days with the release of the movie about the doctor who has made it his life's mission to educate people about the dangers of repeated blows to the head, which often lead to CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy.)
To make a long story (and second half) short . . . the Ducks lost in triple overtime 47-41, and by the end of the game had lost five of their starters to injury, including not only Adams but also their star center.
It was a sad ending to what has been a great season for the Ducks . . .
But on the other side of the ball, Texas Christian was playing without their star quarterback, who had snuck out of his hotel room, along with other members of his team, gotten into a bar fight, and ended the evening (and his college career) by punching a police officer in the face.
So I guess you could say it definitely leveled the playing field with both quarterbacks gone ... at least in the second half ... but TCU's backup QB stepped up when Oregon's did not. And Oregon's defense in the second half wasn't really there either.
But I stayed until the end . . .
* * *
I continue to hear of so many people being scammed, and a new one came to my attention last week.
I received an email about an "unpaid invoice from Staples," indicating that I am obligated "to repay our company the sum of $284.90, which was advanced to you from our company on Nov. 21, 2015. You now have two options: forward your payment to our office by Jan. 17, 2016, or become a party in a legal action. Please be advised that a judgment against you will also damage your credit record."
The irony of this is that Staples actually owes me money. In the last year, I have twice taken used ink cartridges to the Staples store in North Bend, to be sent in for $2 credit for each one. I think I had 18 the first time and 19 the second time ... and to this day (almost a year on the first batch), I have never received a check.
Needless to say I won't be taking any more cartridges over there. Since the checks are not in envelopes, maybe someone has already cashed them. I probably should find out, but it's a bit too much hassle.
Besides the last time I looked, my credit score was 828 . . .
* * *
Just after I posted my column last Sunday, I saw several posts about the Espresso Factory, owned by Marcene Rebek, which has lost its lease. She has been asked to vacate the grounds of the Bandon Shopping Center, and Jan. 15 will be her last day in business. Marcene has operated her coffee shop there for many years, and I believe she posted that hers was the first and oldest drive-through coffee stand in the county.
It's anyone's guess what the shopping center owners (Northgate Properties/Dickerhoff family) have in mind for that space, but it obviously does not include Marcene ... and that's too bad.
Some predict that it will be a Dutch Bros. Coffee franchise, but that was just supposition . . . not based on fact. So I guess we will just have to wait and see what eventually pops up on that spot, right along Highway 101.
* * *
I often go on Facebook to see what people are posting. Sunday afternoon, a woman posted a video of several people walking out on the end of the south jetty, with huge waves crashing around them. She labeled them "true blue idiots," and I certainly could not agree more.
* * *
I also noticed a post by a Powers woman and long time EMT, who checked into the emergency room at Coquille Valley Hospital on New Year's Eve, where she was diagnosed with acute bronchitis, but was sent home (without a prescription) and the admonition to see her primary care physician within the next day or two. Don't forget this was Thursday evening . . . followed by New Year's Day and the weekend.
At any rate, she got worse, and went to Bay Area Hospital Sunday where, in her own words, she was "treated like a person and got a script for an antibiotic."
Although she did not name the ER doc, she advised her friends that if he/she was on duty, they needed to go on to Coos Bay.
I am sure the word will spread as to who she is talking about, but this kind of publicity does not help a hospital.
And in this day of Social Media . . . it does not take long for word to spread.
* * *
One of my pet peeves has to be high speed chases, and the fact that often they end with innocent people being killed. A case in point was on the news Saturday night when an officer was interviewed who had chased a stolen vehicle at speeds reaching 100 miles an hour (on county roads) between Eugene and Corvallis.
You have to wonder what crime (and certainly not a stolen vehicle) could be bad enough to prompt an officer (and actually more than one) to continue a chase on back roads at those kinds of speeds.
They are extremely fortunate that this kind of extreme reckless driving did not result in a wreck.
* * *
I have read on Facebook that long-time Bandon resident Gaylord Hoggatt has died, but I have not been able to find out the details. Hoggatt lost one arm in an accident many years ago, but in spite of that he was a very accomplished musician.
I found a picture of his brother George in the 1966 annual (as a freshman), but I am not sure what class Gaylord was in.
* * *
Further testament to the fact that our warm winters are over comes with the word that Crater Lake has recorded a record snowfall of 196.7 inches in December alone. It broke the record of 196.0 inches that dates all the way back to 1948.
* * *
Bandon made the list of the "nine best cities in Oregon to retire in," coming in at number three.
The list included, from no. 1, Astoria, Silverton, Bandon, Bend, Brookings, Medford, Ashland, Hood River and Florence.
Here's what the writer had to say about Bandon:
"If you love small towns, ocean-views and playing golf, look no further. Bandon is the place for you. This 3,000-resident town has a lovely historic Old Town as well as stunning beaches, amazing golf opportunities and a laid-back small-town community."
Previous columns by Mary Schamehorn