As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

August 27, 2014

For nearly 70 years, Bandon has been known for its annual Cranberry Festival. But I doubt that there are many of us (if any) who remember the first annual Bandon Egg & Poultry Show held Dec. 2-3, 1930.

I found the 33-page premium list among my possessions (a picture of which accompanies my column this week), and it was in perfect condition.

1930 Bandon Egg & Poultry Show
My guess is that I found it upstairs in the old Western World, back in the '60s, when my office was in the mezzanine above what is now The Cobbler's Bench. Western World was in the First National Bank Building (now the Masonic Building) at the time of the 1936 Fire and the paper remained there for many years, until it made its first of three or four moves . . . uptown to what is now the east end of Price 'n Pride. Later it occupied the front east space in what is now the Harbortown Events Center (McFarlin's). From there the owners Melody and Susan bought the old house at Tenth and Baltimore from the Strain family and moved the paper to that site, where it is located today.

The Egg & Poultry Show was held in the Rosa Building, which I am pretty sure was owned by R.H. Rosa, father of long time Bank of Bandon executive Archie Rosa. One of the history books says Mr. Rosa erected a two-story building on the piling on Alabama at Second Street, and it doesn't appear that it burned in the 1914 Fire, so that must have been where the show was held. I am including a photo of Alabama Avenue before the Fire of 1936, and my guess is that the Rosa Building was on the west side of Alabama, which you can see in the picture. The photo was taken looking south from First Street with the Bank/Masonic building at the end of the street. Later the west side of Alabama became a lumber storage yard for Moore Mill, and today it is a parking lot.

Alabama Avenue
The third picture shows the First National/Masonic building after the Fire of 1936 (now Spirit of Oregon and The Cobbler's Bench, with the Masonic Lodge upstairs).

First National/Masonic building after the Fire of 1936
In spite of how it looks, my grandfather (who operated Western World out of that building at the time of the Fire) was able to salvage most of the belongings inside the building and he continued to publish the paper for many years at that site. He did tell me many years later, that when he touched the huge stack of newsprint, it crumbled into a pile of ash. In those days the printing press was in the basement of the building which is where the paper was printed when I joined the W. W. staff in February of 1959.

The Egg & Poultry Show program reads: "Bandon plans to make this an annual event and to make it the biggest and most important egg and poultry show in this part of the state.

"Coos and Curry counties have much available land suitable for poultry raising and conditions here are ideal. This annual show will stimulate development of the industry. Help to make it a success." - Bandon Chamber of Commerce.

Among the advertisers in the brochure were Bandon Iron Works, Cash Market, Golden Rule Store, Dunham's, Geo. L. Coburn Insurance, Central Transfer Co., Bandon Drug Co. and "Jerry's," owned by Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Gallier. I thought this might be former city councilor Reed Gallier and his wife, Jerry, but the book on the Fire says that Reed was a student at Hill Military Academy in Portland in 1936, so it couldn't have been him.

*           *           *
Just saw a post on Facebook Sunday that former Bandon resident, Gary Faules, suffered a heart attack while he was jogging near the Stanford hospital. He said doctors successfully installed a stent.

"I am being told it's a miracle that this happened within yards of the hospital because the blockage was so bad that had I been at the dish trail where I normally run I very well would not have reached the hospital in time," Gary writes. "Funny because I almost went to the dish this morning but decided on the track here on campus instead. The bottom line is they tell me I am doing awesome and should be biking and running again very soon."

He urged people to consider walking on a regular basis.

Gary is the author of "I Slept in Africa and Other Stories," and according to the Internet, still holds records as a former Olympic skeet shooter, racecar driver and team owner.

I have a copy of his book and it's a great read . . . particularly if you have ties to Bandon.

*           *           *
I recently learned that the former priest at Holy Trinity Catholic Church (2010-12), Father Michael Patrick, was arrested last spring in Los Angeles when he stepped off a plane from Australia where he had been visiting friends and family from his home country of Sri Lanka.

After serving two years at the local church, he had been assigned to St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Scappoose.

He was arrested after he allegedly attempted to lure a teenage girl (14) into his vehicle in Vancouver, Wash., and then fled when she called 9-1-1. Patrick has a second residence in Vancouver apart from his Oregon home, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

"A female minor was walking and a male was following her in a car, persistently offering her a ride," said a spokesman for the Vancouver Police Department. "She became frightened and called her parents, and called the police. We were able to locate the individual matching that description, but he was not detained at that time."

After further follow up on the case and a visit to his Vancouver apartment while he was away, they issued a warrant for his arrest.

He was removed form his post at St. Wenceslaus, and is under the supervision of authorities pending his trial Oct. 6 in Clark County Superior Court.

He was ordained in 1983 after studying at Our Lady of Lanka National Seminar in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

*           *           *
Every time I read about a bicyclist being hit from behind as he or she travels along the highway, I wonder why bicyclists shouldn't be required to move against the traffic (as pedestrians do) rather than with the traffic.

How much safer it would be if a bicyclist could see who is coming up behind them.

Sunday, a 52-year-old woman was run over by a man in the Hood River area, who veered off Interstate 84 when he apparently fell asleep. The woman was volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Mosier Fire Department, and had been named Firefighter of the Year in 2010.

If the cyclist were facing the traffic, the rider might have time to get out of the way of a driver who had moved out of the traffic lane ... before she was run over from behind.

It's obvious that a bicycle is no match for a vehicle in an accident of this kind.

*           *           *
Although the new Dollar Tree store opened a week earlier, their official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at their new location in the Bandon Shopping Center.

I was asked to cut the ribbon, and there were only a couple of others on hand, including Police Chief Bob Webb and his wife Mary, Chamber president Margaret Pounder and City Councilor Geri Procetto ... along with Dollar Tree employees.

I don't think Amy was ever able to get in touch with the store spokesman to get a story for last week's paper, so the general public pretty much didn't know anything was happening.

But many have found their way to the new store ...

*           *           *
My local readers may be familiar with the "blueberry man" who has sold the most wonderful blueberries out of the back of his black pickup in front of the Old Town Marketplace for the last two years.

I bought berries from the man, Steven Tallhunter, just about every week, and he always let me write a check, made out to his wife, Laurie Tallhunter. But about a month ago, I wrote out the check and he said, "no, the check has to be written out to me." That's all he said, but I was certainly curious.

Then I read the police report last week and although I still don't really know what happened, I know a lot more than I did before . . . or than I really wanted to know.

I do know that he has several talented youngsters, including one of high-school age and the other(s) younger.

It appears that on Aug. 13 shortly after 11 p.m., police were called to his home on Thornberry Lane outside of Myrtle Point because of a domestic dispute.

"Through the course of the investigation, it was learned Steven Tallhunter had allegedly strangled his wife, Laurie Tallhunter, and subjected her to unwanted physical contact, which constituted the crime of harassment.

"Additionally, Tallhunter had allegedly made efforts to keep his wife from calling 9-1-1 constituting the crime of Interfering with Making a Report. It was further learned Tallhunter had also subjected his 15-year-old daughter to unwanted physical contact."

He was arrested and transported to the Coos County Jail.

I would certainly like to know "the rest of the story."

*           *           *
Sheila McNeil (who posts as Tallie Rose) posted on her Facebook page Sunday that her dad, Hugh McNeil, had fallen and was rushed to Bay Area Hospital, suffering from a broken arm/wrist.

She posted a neat picture of her dad that I took many years ago, and had sent her this week.

Hughie was a long-time port commissioner, former commercial fisherman and as Sharon Ward Moy recalls, he was behind the meat counter at M&L Grocery when we were growing up.

Hugh has been at Heritage Place (now Pacific View) since being involved in a vehicle accident last winter.

We wish him well and hopes he is better soon . . .




As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

August 20, 2014

It's not always easy to choose which pictures to share with my column as the newcomers like the ones with buildings and places, and the old-timers often enjoy those featuring people of the past. The first picture I have chosen this week was taken uptown during the 1967 Cranberry Festival parade. It's interesting to see the businesses, including The Style Shop (where the video store is now located), and next to that was the Greyhound Bus depot and Larson's Cleaners. Not sure what the building to the south of that is, but next to it (and barely visible) was the 76 gas station (now occupied by the parking lot of Banner Bank). As you can see, Umpqua Bank had not yet been built. It's always fun to look at the faces in the crowd, and I see Louie Lowe beneath the 9th Street sign and Marilyn Strycker and Marianne Swaney at the very bottom of the picture.

1967 Cranberry Festival parade
Back in the '70s, it was not unusual to see huge boxes of salmon cover the Chicago Avenue dock as commercial fishermen (including my ex-husband Ron Schamehorn) unloaded thousands of pounds of fish at Bandon Fisheries. I am pretty sure I took this picture in the late '70s.

Salmon cover the Chicago Avenue dock
I'm not sure of the date on the third picture, but I believe it was in the '60s, before City Hall, which now sits along Highway 101, was built. In the distance you can see Capps Motor Company, the Bandon Theater, the Moore Mill Truck Shop, and Moore Mill and Lumber Company across the bay (note the wigwam burner).

Bandon in the '60s
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Not sure how hard it would be to get it right, but in trying to call the Coos County Elections Dept. Monday, I used an "old" phone book (from 2012-13), and while it listed the extension for the elections dept., the only phone number for the county listed above all the extensions was an 800 number, so I dialed it. A man answered and it turns out that was the number for the hearing impaired. And he wasn't too happy about my apparent "misuse" of the number.

I finally found a number for the county, but when I made it into the switchboard, it said to enter my four-digit extension for the department I wanted. Unfortunately, the only extensions listed were three-digit numbers, so I dialed again and went through the entire list of every department in the county, before I clicked on "clerk" and then "elections."

I decided to look for a new phone book so I can actually find the four-digit extensions. Yes, I found a 2013-14 phone book, but again all they had listed were three-digit numbers . . . not the four-digit they require.

It would have been quicker just to drive to the courthouse . . . and far less frustrating.

(John Sweet later told me that the latest 2014 phone books have the correct prefixes. Now I just have to find one of them.)

*           *           *
I went to Mary Boice Capps' 90th birthday party Saturday afternoon at Lord Bennett's where more than 120 people gathered for a wonderful sit-down lunch to honor the long-time northern Curry/Bandon woman, who has touched so many lives. A retired teacher, she has been active in the local museum for many years, and most of the board members and the executive director were there, as were some of her Wednesday afternoon bridge group, along with, of course, her immediate family, grandchildren and two darling great-granddaughters (granddaughters of her daughter, Emily Hall, who hosted the event). Mary's son, Bruce, and his family were there as was her youngest daughter, Maud, and many members of the Boice family from Curry County.

Among those from out of town were Jill Chappell Sumerlin, Marilyn Wade Bamford and Ron Sutherland.

I sat with my 91-year-old uncle, Lou Felsheim and his wife, Anne (John Sweet's aunt), who is 88; they were neighbors of Mary and her late husband, Edgar, on Ocean Drive before they moved out to Randolph. Also at our table were longtime Bandonians Joan Goodbrod and Tom and Marion Gant. Pete Goodbrod suffers from Parkinson's disease and it's hard for him to be around big crowds although I sure Joan told him about everyone that was there.

I didn't know that Lyle Fleetwood had recently suffered a stroke, but he was there with wife Jane and he seemed to be doing well, which is good news.

Wilbur Jensen played a trumpet solo for Mary. The last time I saw Wilbur and his wife was at the 100th birthday party for his late father and well-known musician Charlie Jensen of Langlois.

*           *           *
I've taken to eating healthy green smoothies every day for breakfast . . . but the one that ended up splattering all over my kitchen Saturday made me rethink my routine. I generally make three or four ahead of time, but since I don't have lids for three containers, I decided to loosely screw on the cutting blade . . . and I do mean loosely (sometimes it is so hard to get off that you have to give it a good bang and I didn't want to do that).

At any rate when I pulled it out of the refrigerator, the lid fell off sending icky-colored green liquid all over the floor, inside the refrigerator, on the wood cabinets and onto the light yellow wall.

It was a mess . . . but I managed to smile as I cleaned it all up . . . and pulled out another smoothie (much more carefully) for breakfast.

*           *           *
Friday night was the August Bandon Alive After 5 wine walk and it was a roaring success. Harv said they sold about 100 glasses from the headquarters at Bandon Coffee Cafe, which is great considering that many of us already have ours from the first event and they say it's fine to use them over and over again.

The weather was gorgeous and it was great to see so many people going in and out of the shops, smiling and having a good time.

Bandon Fitness donated small pedometers so people could keep track of how far they walked, and a prize was awarded to the person who racked up the most "feet."

Sorry, but I didn't recognize the name of the winner and am not sure where that email is . . . .

*           *           *
A reader, who identified himself only as Tom, called me last week to tell me that former Bandon High School football coach Don Markham, 74, had retired as coach at San Bernardino Pacific (California) on Monday because of an ongoing battle with prostate cancer.

The article said the Markham won 312 career games and five CIF-Southern Section titles in his career. (I'm not sure if that includes his winning seasons as coach of the Tigers).

Markham was diagnosed with prostate cancer six years ago, but was able to coach through it. Tests taken a few weeks ago, however, indicated that the cancer is getting worse and more intensive treatment may be required. He is quoted as saying that the medicine is making him dizzy and sick. "My doctor told me I shouldn't be coaching, so I resigned," Markham said. He is on oral treatments right now. The next step, he said, would be other pills and then it's chemotherapy.

The writer adds: "If this is his last coaching stop, it would cap a long and distinguished career that included stops at L.A. Baptist, Colton, Riverside Ramona, La Puente Bishop Amat, Bandon, Ore., and of course, Bloomington, where he set what was then a national scoring record in 1994 (880 points).

"Markham was a former member of the Los Angeles Police Department, and in 1969, he and his partner were among the first on the scene of the Manson family murders at the home of movie director Roman Polanski," said the writer.

I had never heard that and since I was good friends with his brother, the late Chuck Markham, I would have thought he would have mentioned that. But maybe not . . .

*           *           *
People keep asking me when La Fiesta is going to reopen. I asked Brian Vick, who manages that property, and he told me "sometime this month." I know people are anxious for their favorite Mexican restaurant to open, but I do know that the sister of owner Martin Ruiz was killed in a traffic accident in Mexico about five months ago, and he has been down there helping her family.

*           *           *
My brother-in-law (Mindy's husband) sent me a link to a video condemning the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, and it bears watching. The subject of the video, a black man, urges his fellow blacks to stop burning down and looting their community "because you're mad at the police." It is very hard hitting and to the point.

It can be accessed here.

The six minute video is riveting, to say the least . . .




As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

August 13, 2014

Two of the pictures that accompany my column this week were taken in the 1950s; the other came out of the '70s, although I'm not sure the exact date.

The first picture was taken in September of 1956 on the stage of the Ocean Crest School and features school officials, an Episcopal priest and school board members welcoming the teachers. Pictured from left are Ocean Crest Principal Al Martin, Supt. Roland Parks and attorney Myron Spady. In front, from left, are Fred Moore (long-time owner of M&L Grocery), Dave Philpott, Father Peter Dally, O.S. "Val" Valentine and Elaine Burgher.

September 1956 on the stage of the Ocean Crest School
The second picture, taken in the '70s, shows a group of women canning crab in the old blue building (now the green building where the Old Town Marketplace is held Fridays and Saturdays).

Canning crab
The third picture, taken in 1959, features a group of Bandon men (maybe Jaycees, but I'm not sure) who are sporting the beginning of beards for the beard-growing contest. I can only identify a few of them, including, back left, John Gerber; Bob Elliott (fourth from left), Jack Paulsen, Chuck Hiley and Herbert Lindvall. In front, from left, Don (I know his last name began with I but can't remember it), Bill Biggar, Jay Hess and Buster Jacobs. Not sure who the man in front is.

1959 beard-growing contest
*           *           *
As I write this on Sunday afternoon, it is beautiful outside, but I can't drag myself away from the drama unfolding on TV at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The golf is superb and at the moment, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are tied at the top of the leader board, with Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson one shot behind. The tournament was delayed almost two hours this morning when more than an inch of rain fell on the golf course, so they are not even sure they will get the final rounds in before dark.

*           *           *
I was sorry to learn that Karen Kiefer Anderson, sister of Hiemer Kiefer, died late last week in Salt Lake City at the age of 68. Joanie Kiefer said Karen had fallen a few days earlier, and was scheduled for a CT scan on Monday. She was the oldest of the Kiefer clan and had lived in Coos Bay and Hawaii for a number of years after graduating from BHS with the Class of 1965.

Hiemer and Joanie were coming back from camping up the McKenzie River when they received a call from a friend in Bandon, expressing their sympathy about Karen. And that's how they learned that she had died.

*           *           *
I received a call from Roy Lowe of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Friday to say that they were reopening the steps to the beach at Coquille Point, and planned to keep them open through the summer season ... as long as the bank does not continue to shift. They've hired a surveyor out of Coos Bay to monitor the stabilization of the bluff.

Starting Nov. 1, they will look at a permanent fix or replacement of the stairs.

"We know how important these stairs are to the community, and we are committed to that public access," Lowe said.

There is another access north of Coquille Point at the end of Eighth Street, but the Coquille Point steps are the most used by the public.

*           *           *
I planned to mention Bob Dearth's retirement party, as Port of Bandon harbormaster, last week, but I wasn't sure of the last name of the person who made the fantastic hand-decorated cupcakes and cookies . . . and I couldn't do the party justice without mentioning Theresa Sampson and her fabulous creations. Each one was decorated with a special nautical theme.

Also introduced was Bob's replacement, Bob Shammot. I believe they had 16 people apply for the position, and I know it must have been hard to choose from that many applicants.

*           *           *
I've heard there were a couple of typos in my column last week . . . and I want to apologize. My faithful proof reader, Geri Procetto, had company last week and didn't have a chance to read my column. I relied too heavily on spell check, which didn't catch the mistakes I made. I will try to do better in the future (considering how critical I am of other's mistakes).

*           *           *
I celebrated my birthday this week, and was amazed at how many of my Facebook (and real) friends wished me a Happy Birthday. People can say what they want to about Facebook, but it's a nice feeling to know that so many people took the time to post to my page. It was great . . .

*           *           *
CyberLynx has listed their free classes and labs for the month of August. Most are for intermediate or better computer users, they last two hours and are held in the Sprague Room at the Bandon Library.

A Photoshop Elements (12.0) layers class will be taught on Monday, Aug. 18, at 1 p.m. The class is for intermediate computer users, and people should have Photoshop Elements on their computer (9.0 or higher). CyberLynx has five laptops with Elements 9.0 that students can use during class (first come, first served, so register soon).

You can learn about two very popular video chatting applications, Microsoft's Skype and Google's Hangouts, Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 11 a.m. Either app allows you to make free video conferencing calls over the Internet. Bring your headphones and come to the library.

Using PowerPoint presentation software will be taught Thursday, Aug. 21, from 1 to 3 by Stephanie Polizzi, who will show intermediate and advanced computer users how to create a basic presentation slide show using graphics and animation. This is a hands-on class; bring your own laptop with PowerPoint or use one from CyberLynx.

A Social Media class is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 11 a.m.

On Aug. 27 at 2 p.m., local IT consultant David Gerhart will demonstrate Word Press, an Internet service providing free software and web hosting.

Also, August labs are offered on Aug. 14 (1 p.m.), 20 (5 p.m.), 28 (2 p.m.) for people who need individualized help for a computer problem or project. Lab assistants will try to help. Registration is requested at cyberlynxoregon.org.

*           *           *
For the second year in a row, Face Rock Creamery entered the American Cheese Society's annual competition and brought home a blue ribbon for their flavored curds. The first year it was blue for the Vampire Slayer Garlic Curds and this year it was their In Your Face Three-Pepper Curds that took top honors.

Cheesemakers in Wisconsin used to bring home the award regularly, but the creamery in Bandon has changed that trend.

"It's kind of like the Oscars of cheese," said Greg Drobot.

"We're pretty proud of it, and it's really due to our good milk, which comes out of the Coquille Valley at the Scolari farm, and the way we do things here at the factory," said Brad Sinko, the creamery's head cheesemaker.

The creamery released a new cheddar cheese last week, which they plan to enter in next year's competition.




As I See It
by Mary Schamehorn

August 06, 2014

This week's pictures are a mixed bag: one was a very popular tourist attraction, the second shows winners of the Punt Pass and Kick contest in 1966, and the third is a barge load of lumber headed out to sea from the dock at Moore Mill.

The first is the Bold Duck, one of several built by the Joe Bolduc family, to take people up and down the Coquille River in true riverboat fashion. The picture I am including was taken as we landed in Coquille. I think this picture was taken sometime in the late '80s, but I'm not sure. I think it was a group of port and city officials. Next to the cabin are Jim and Jean Hanna, with long-time county commissioner Doc Stevenson standing between them. Next to them is Molly Anderson, a former Coquille city councilor, and Jim and Betty Weber are at the far left.

Bold Duck riverboat
The second shows the winners of the Punt, Pass & Kick contest, and although I can't identify all of them, I recognize some of them. Rick Strycker is in front at left; third from left in front is Kevin Kent, and two down from him are Marshall Spady, Steve Schultz and one of the Hagas. The only kids I recognize in the back row are the Hill brothers, on the far right. The tall kid looks familiar, but I'm not sure who he is.

1966 Punt, Pass & Kick winners
A lot of lumber, milled at Moore Mill & Lumber Co., shipped out of here in the good old days, and this is one of the barge loads that is preparing to head out to sea under tow of a large tug. This picture of the Pacific barge was taken in March of 1958 at Moore Mill's dock (note the wigwam burner). I worked in the office of Moore Mill in late 1958 before quitting to go to work as a reporter at Western World in February of 1959.

1958 barge load of lumber
*           *           *
There have been an unusual amount of fatal accidents in Oregon in recent weeks involving older adults, who, for some unexplained reason, cross the centerline and crash into another vehicle. The state police reports always mention whether or not seat belts were in use; but they basically have no bearing on the cause of the accident. It's true your injuries may be more severe, or you may get a ticket, if you're not wearing a seat belt, but I have never heard of the lack of wearing one causing an accident.

What they don't tell us is how many of the involved drivers are talking on their phones, texting or generally not paying attention.

They tell us if alcohol is involved, or if weather conditions contribute to an accident, but they do not explain how driver after driver (and often women) simply drive into the incoming lane ... for no apparent reason.

These are the statistics I would like to see.

I decided to send an email to the Oregon State Police officer who sends out the press releases. Here's what he said:
"I am usually asked about safety belt use which is why that is included, if known. Cell phone use isn't as simple as people are not always honest about that and we can't just go checking someone's phone without their consent or a search warrant. If we have information to indicate such was the case, we would probably include it."

I responded by suggesting that maybe the legislature should look at the issue as a search warrant should not be required to see if a person who causes (or is the victim of) a fatal accident was talking or texting.

The officer responded: "We don't hesitate to look at it if we have reasonable suspicion. Not as cut and dried as some people may think. This could have been a drowsy driver and nothing to do with the phone. Take care."

There are simply too many of these middle-of-the-day accidents lately not to believe that cell phone use is the culprit.

I fear the day will come when more fatal accidents are caused by "distracted drivers" (cell phones) than impaired (alcohol) drivers.

*           *           *
I've only talked to a couple of people who attended the Cape Blanco Country Music Festival at Sixes (mostly because a lot of people I know are still down there), but those I did talk to were absolutely thrilled.

It was a huge boon to businesses like the Langlois Market, Ray's Food Place, Price n' Pride and local service stations.

I talked to one friend who attended Friday night's big show, which featured Brad Paisley, and my first question was: how long did it take you to get out of the parking area?"

He said the concert was over at 11 and he got back to Bandon about 12:15 a.m. Kind of like getting out of the South Jetty area after the fireworks . . . but on a far greater scale. But it seems that everything was flowing pretty smoothly, both trafficwise and otherwise.

I guess one guy lit up a marijuana cigarette, but a sheriff's deputy was there almost immediately. "He told the deputy he had a medical marijuana permit, and the deputy reminded him that means he can smoke it legally at home . . . not in a public place," said my friend.

Not bad considering what I've read about other large outdoor concerts.

Apparently the sponsors have signed a five-year contract to hold the concert each summer, and they've already announced that Blake Shelton will be the headliner for next year's event, set for July 31-Aug. 2.

There are only a few headliners that would entice me to endure the crowds, but Emmylou Harris would be one of them. I guess that shows my age . . .

*           *           *
Long-time Bandon residents, Larry Cox (senior) and his wife, Barbara, have moved to Prince George, Utah, to be nearer Larry's two daughters. They've sold their home at Beach Junction (behind the trailer park) to classmate George Trott. Larry, George and I were members of the same class at Bandon High School.

Hope they'll be back for our next class reunion, but that's probably not until 2017 . . .

And since son Larry and his family are still here, I'm sure they won't stay away too long.

*           *           *
I've learned that the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is taking steps to ban smoking on all 362 miles of beaches along the Pacific Coast.

Smokers could face a $110 fine, although the agency says it prefers to educate visitors and only issue citations to the most egregious repeat offenders.

Oregon has about 548 park rangers about two thirds of them seasonal who enforce the rules along the coast and in 224 state parks.

Under the rules enacted earlier this year, smoking is banned on state park property except in a vehicle or campsite, or portions of day-use parks that are designated as safety rest areas.

They fear that the earlier smoking ban will push more smokers onto the coastline.

The agency is taking public comment on the proposal through Aug. 29 and will hold public meetings to discuss it in Seaside, Newport, Coos Bay and Salem.

Under a 1967 Oregon law, the state controls the entire coast up to the line of vegetation, and the public has free access.

Last summer, a visitor to Bandon was walking along the beach at Bandon when her dog was attacked by a huge German shepherd, who pulled loose from his family, and the woman was knocked into the water trying to defend her dog.

The end result was: in spite of calls to the authorities, basically no one came to help.

I have a far greater fear of uncontrolled dogs on the beach than I do the occasional cigarette smoker that may walk by.

*           *           *
I've been busy circulating my nominating petition so I can run for mayor again. I know that incumbent councilors Mike Claassen and Chris Powell are also planning to file for their council seats.

Peter Braun, owner of the Cobbler's Bench and active on the chamber board and the Masonic Lodge, is also circulating a petition for council. A member of our budget committee and water resource committee, Madeline Seymour, has also taken out a petition for council. There may be others, but I that's all I know about.

Incumbent councilor Nancy Drew has said she does not plan to file for re-election.

The deadline to file is Aug. 26.


previous columns by mary schamehorn