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Florence, Oregon Siuslaw NewsWednesday, December 4, 2024

Number 49 • 133 years

Hundreds have Thanksgiving dinner with Kiwanis/Elks Falling temps By TONY REED Siuslaw News

Only a half hour after it started, the line went down the hall and out the door at the Elks Lodge in Florence for the Kiwanis Thanksgiving dinner. Inside the large space, every seat was full and every server had at least one plate on their hands. The dinner was served from noon to 2:00 p.m., and by 12:45, a loose count indicated that more than 185 people had been served. It was noted that many more ordered a takeout meal at the same time. Inside the kitchen, cooks worked at a feverish pace to keep full plates heading out to the floor. Despite the crowded atmosphere, everyone appeared to be having a great time filling up on traditional Thanksgiving foods. The dinner was put on by Kiwanis and co-sponsored by the Elks Club. Still cleaning up 90 minutes after the event concluded, Kiwanis and Elks club member Cindy Sherman said the dinner served 375 people in-house and sent out 200 more meals.

prompt yearly shelter search By TONY REED Siuslaw News

Clearing skies have made way for colder temperatures on the Oregon Coast, begging the question about where those without homes will find overnight shelter from the cold. As in previous winters, a local group is seeking a location to provide safe overnight shelter for nights when temperatures drop enough to cause exposure issues, hypothermia and death. Florence Emergency Cold Weather Shelter Committee president Linda Stent said the organization is monitoring local forecasts while looking for a usable location. She said such a place needs only a heated empty space and a bathroom. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Even if it is “rough” it is better than sleeping in the woods under a tarp in freezing rain,” she said. “We are watching the weather predictions carefully and there is some serious cold with freezing rain coming up in the future.” The Committee’s mission is to provide shelter when temps See SHELTER, Page A8

Holiday fun in Florence Siuslaw NEWS STAFF

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday out of the way, it’s time to look forward to a month of festive, fun and generous events in and around the city of Florence. Here’s a list of family-friendly holiday events and attractions around town this month.

Sea Pickles by the seashore By TONY REED Siuslaw News

Those walking the shoreline south of the Florence Jetty were likely to have seen hundreds of tubular purple bumpy tubes washed onto the shore among the seashells. While one may presume by their appearance that they are a form of jellyfish, they are actually bioluminescent invertebrates called pyrosomes. Informally called a “sea pickle” by some, the organisms are boneless and harmless to humans. What makes them immediately interesting is that while each purpleish tube appears to

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be a single creature, each is actually made up of many. Oregon Coast Aquarium Communications and Marketing Specialist Courtney Klug said the purple clumps are actually colonies of smaller animals. “It’s kind of hard to communicate that its a bunch of little tiny animals that come together to form this gelatinous See PICKLES, Page A8

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LETTERS TO SANTA. Down on Old Town, you’ll find a mailbox at the Siuslaw River Bridge Interpretive Center that will get kids’ letters directly to Santa! Letters can be dropped off until Dec. 17. Be sure to include a return address. Printable letter templates can be downloaded at https://www.ci.florence.or.us/ community/2024-letterssanta GINGERBREAD HOUSE CONTEST Come over to the Florence Events Center and vote for your favorite gingerbread house. The Gingerbread houses will be displayed in the FEC lobby during the Holly Jolly Follies and other holiday events until Dec. 15. Voting tickets See HOLIDAY, Page A9

Visitors to the Old Town Christmas celebration in 2023 found umbrellas necessary. Tony Reed photo.

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