Photo by Benjamin Brayfield

On Saturday, Oct. 8, the living dead will wander the streets of Coos Bay in search of tasty human victims. Be not afraid; these ghastly ghouls will be mere citizens participating in the area’s first-ever free zombie festival.

The idea for the event was spawned when ZombieFest founder and coordinator Nicole Weeks began planning for a Relay for Life fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society sometime around Halloween. Instead of opting for a haunted house, she decided to go in a different direction. She discovered something called a ‘Zombie Walk/Crawl’ online and discovered that the event was skyrocketing in popularity across the U.S. The event resembles a flash mob in which a large group of people dress as zombies and demonstrate their best post-mortem-like behavior around their community. Weeks believes the popularity of the undead will help to attract a younger age group to the Relay for Life program.

Photo by Benjamin Brayfield

‘Zombies are really, really popular and it seems like they’re in every commercial, in video games, in almost everything you can think of,” Weeks said. ‘Honestly, in my experience with Relay (for Life), we have great participation for it, but there’s a certain age group that cancer doesn’t necessarily really affect unless it’s their mom or their whatever, and they don’t really get involved with that kind of thing.”

ZombieFest will be based around the idea of a Zombie Walk/Crawl, but it also will offer other activities, including a scavenger hunt, a zombie beauty pageant, a Jell-O-brain-eating contest, a zombie makeup booth, late-night movies at the Green Spot including ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and ‘Zombieland,’ and music provided by four Oregon-based bands, Phoenix, Charlie Freak, Eon and Amerakin Overdose. Vendors including Time Bomb, the Paranormal Scientific Investigators of Oregon, Mossy Rose and Fat Tuesdays Mardi Gras Grill will be providing their goods and services, as well. Proceeds from vendor space fees will go to the American Cancer Society.

Photo by Benjamin Brayfield

Weeks expects the event will be enjoyed by those who attend, yet she has some reservations about those who do not view zombies so positively.

‘I think it’ll be a lot of fun, but, to be honest, I’m a little apprehensive about how it’ll be received by certain members of the public,” Weeks said. ‘It’s really funny when I talk to one person about it and they’re like, ‘Yes!’ and another person will be like, ‘What’s wrong with you, why would you want to do something like that?’”

Fellow ZombieFest coordinator Amanda Johnson, an employee of The World, said she noticed a similar reaction.

‘Someone is ripping our posters down. Not everyone appreciates the way we’re going about it, using the method that we’re using. Some people find zombies very offensive to their religion,” Johnson said. ‘I just wish they would realize that every poster they tear down is money taken away from the American Cancer Society.”

Johnson would like to remind the public that ZombieFest is a family friendly event that has a beneficial purpose.

‘Don’t let the name put you off,” Johnson said.

Lucia Vaughn is a freelance writer. She can be reached at lucia_vaughn@hotmail.com.

ZombieFest will benefit the Relay for Life program and the American Cancer Society Saturday, Oct. 8, from 11:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. with a quarantine tent, vendors, scavenger hunt, makeup booth, prizes, barbecue, live music and more.

ZombieFest will be at the downtown Coos Bay pedway between the Egyptian Theatre and Mossy Rose.

• 11:30 a.m. – Zombie walk
• 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. – Brain eating contest sign ups
• Noon – Phoenix performs
• 1 p.m. – Brain (jello) eating contest. Limited to 8 eaters
• 1:45 p.m. – Beauty contestants meet
• 2-3 p.m. – Zombie beauty pageant
  Open to men, women and children of all ages.
• 3:40 p.m. – Charlie Freak performs
• 4:40 p.m. – Eon performs with guitarist Adam Gernandt
• 5:15 p.m. – Amerakin Overdose performs
• 6-9:15 p.m. – ‘Night of the Living Dead” followed by ‘Zombieland” at The Green Spot, 181 Anderson Ave., Coos Bay. Admission is by donation of canned or non-perishable food item
• Adult After Party at Walt’s Pourhouse

Important Rules to Remember:

• Stay in character within the designated area. Do not block traffic.
• Do not bring your pets. They are likely to be spooked.
• Alcohol or tobacco is not permitted under any circumstances.
• Only toy weapons are allowed as part of a costume. If a weapon is too realistic, it may be confiscated.
• No baseball bats unless they are foam or otherwise virtually harmless.
• Do not frighten children or adults who are not participating in the festival and do not harass them for doing so! Use common sense, if they are trying to avoid zombies or otherwise indicating they do not want to interact with you, do not bother them.
• Please pay close attention to signs posted on store fronts. If they are ‘Zombie Friendly,” you are welcome to enter. If they are a ‘Zombie Free Zone,” please do not go inside. Do not get in the way of businesses’ sales and do not vandalize any structure with bloody handprints and such.
• If/when in an establishment, please be courteous of other patrons as well as the merchandise within the store.

So you want to be a…

Zombie:
Look the part! Get that ‘teeth-molding, limb-dragging, flesh-rotting, drool-oozing, dead-eyed’ look to be so convincing, people might actually think you just stepped from the grave. Don’t forget to play the part as well! Strike hypothetical fear into the hearts of the living by ‘attacking” and ‘feeding upon” their helpless (and consenting) human bodies. Remember, not everyone (especially young children) will be willing to play along, so make sure your target has agreed to be a ‘victim” before you begin to make a feast out of them. Try staring at them hungrily for a little while and judge their reaction … or just look for their ‘victim” nametag. Please do not operate a camera, what kind of self-respecting undead terror would ever be caught with a device that isn’t specifically made for brain harvesting? Also, zombies prefer to keep their voices at a low, bone chilling moan instead of an ear splitting shriek or howl. Finally, and most importantly, have fun!

Hero:
To those who have spent years contemplating just how you would survive and/or fight against the prophesied zombie apocalypse, the day of reckoning you have patiently awaited will soon arrive. Arm yourself with battle gear worthy of a warrior of the living and set out to help those beset by the great, moldering siege. But be wise, soldier. You will not help a soul if you run around like a bloodthirsty maniac; for heaven’s sake, there are children around. Keep your cool and only ‘attack” those willing to fight back. Also, if you choose to bring a weapon, make it obvious that it is a fake and cannot seriously injure someone. This is a war of bravery, tact, and excellent acting skills, certainly not one in which you want blood on your hands (but fake blood acceptable). Good luck, comrade. Be safe.

Victim:
Victims will perhaps be the most beloved and appreciated members of this event. That is, when you are not being chased by bloodthirsty zombies (meaning, you will be ‘attacked,” a lot). But that’s not to say you won’t have a good time. Make it easy to be spotted by a member of the recently deceased by wearing a name tag indicating you are a ‘victim.” Be creative: ‘Eat me”, ‘I taste like chicken”, and ‘Try the brains” are great examples. Also, run and trip often with a facial expression that says, ‘Zombies scare the bajeezus out of me, but come and get me anyway.” Also, remember not to be too gratuitous with the screaming. You’re still in public, after all.

Halloween is a day for children and adults to flex their creativity. Dress pretty. Get ugly. Be outrageous. It’s a no-holds barred invitation to explore.

‘People want the opportunity to do art,” said artist and stage designer Ruthanne McSurdy Wong. Wong is the kind of Halloween fan whose countdown to Oct. 31 starts in September. The holiday inspired her first-ever sewing project.

‘I sat down at my mother’s sewing machine and whipped up this rag,” she laughed. ‘I was 8 years old.” The costume was a disaster, but she wore it with pride.

This year, Wong collaborates with Lloyds Tavern owner Janice Davis to organize the Bandon Gravediggers Ball. But designing the series of vignettes that will transform the tavern into a shipwrecked odyssey is only half the fun.

‘The most exciting thing about it is to pour the people into the mix,” Wong said.
There’s no age limit for Halloween fun on the Southern Oregon Coast. The trick is deciding which event to attend. And when so many of the holiday festivities benefit health and community organizations, the treat is a gift to the community.

Contemporary costume parties have their historic roots in Medieval European tradition, especially the British Isles. William Shakespeare even mentions autumn Hallowmas in ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona.” It’s not surprising a playwright would note a holiday that calls for dressing up.

Even after years working in theater, Wong has seen Halloween costumes that amazed her.
‘You think you can see through it, but you can’t,” she said. ‘Even the most simple makeup changes you.”

Face painter Kasey Sudyka-Crum keeps a growing collection of photographs of the faces she has painted. Her subjects ask for animal faces, sometimes a simple design from nature. One photos shows her daughter’s face. Half is painted in soft blue and pink with rosy glitter; the other half is a pale, grimacing ghoul.

‘They love to be pretty and scary,” Sudyka-Crum said.

Who wouldn’t embrace the chance to drop their own persona for an hour or two? asked Lani Reynolds. Before moving to Bandon and opening her own interiors shop, Reynolds worked as a costumer for stage and screen. She views Halloween as chance for anyone to be anyone else.

‘There’s an actor in all of us,” she said with a wink.

By Geneva Miller, Special to The World
Geneva Miller is a freelance writer. She can be reached at migelyn@aol.com.

For the rest of the crowd there will be hotdogs and chips, an old-fashioned cider press and children’s activities.

Proceeds benefit ORCCA programs; Head Start, CASA, Snack Pack, and Community Action Adventure.

For hundreds of years, Coos tribal ancestors traveled between their bayside villages and hunting and foraging grounds on a trail from present-day North Bend to Empire.

In the 1850s, Charles Merchant refused to sell alcohol in his North Bend store, so thirsty loggers, mill hands and shipyard workers followed the same route to saloons and entertainment.

In July, a collaboration between the Coos Historical & Maritime Museum and numerous volunteers and agencies created the Sawmill & Tribal Trail.

The 5.6-mile route follows trails and city streets. Thirty-five points of interest are marked with posts bearing a saw-blade logo and a number. A brochure briefly describes the point of interest at each number. Some points explain native uses of plants at that spot; others tell the history of a building. One marks the spot of a notorious armed robbery.

Soon, QR codes on the posts will let smartphone users access detailed information about each point.
At an inaugural hike July 17, Coos Bay City Councilor Jennifer Groth, vice president of the museum’s board of trustees, said the museum hopes to use the trail for a lot of teaching opportunities.
‘Learning about history is more fun outside the building,” she said.
Brochures with the trail map and points of interest are available at the Coos Historical & Maritime Museum and the Coos Bay Visitor Center.

By Gail Elber
Special to The World

This free event is inspired by traditional tribal observances of the return of salmon from the ocean to their upriver spawning beds. It will feature a Native American marketplace, canoe races and cultural exhibits, as well as fun activities for children.

Drummers, flutists, storytellers and dancers will perform throughout both days. There will also be a weigh-in station for participants in the 12th Annual Coos Basin Amateur Salmon Derby, which runs concurrently with the celebration.

In addition, a traditional salmon bake dinner, cooked over an open pit in the tradition of the Coquille people, will be served from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Tickets for the dinner, including a commemorative T-shirt, cost $25 for adults and $17 for those 12 and under. Members of the casino’s Millionaires Club receive a $5 discount.

Saturday night will be capped with a performance by Pow Wow Comedy Jam, a nationally renowned group of Native American comedians. Tickets for the performance, which starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Salmon Room at the casino, are $18 per person, with club members receiving an $8 discount.

One local museum, the Coos Art Museum in downtown Coos Bay, has dedicated a whole room to informing fans about his short life and running career.

At the time of his death in May 1975, Pre held eight long-distance running records. Runners from all over the world know about Pre’s accomplishments and many know Coos Bay was his hometown.
Up the stairs from the main lobby, the first room a visitor comes to is a conference room immersed in the runner’s life. On the walls are copies of photographs from the private collection of Tom Jordan, the former publisher of ‘Track and Field News” magazine.

Photos depict Pre running or crossing the finish line in many of his races, including one from the Olympic Games held in Munich, 1972.
Two cases built by Ray Prefontaine are filled with memorabilia of his son’s accomplishments, beginning with Pre’s days running for Marshfield High School. There are plaques, cups, trophies and medals on display from his family’s collection.

The collection is available for public viewing during regular museum hours. The museum is located at 235 Anderson Ave., Coos Bay. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Those interested can call 541-267-3901 for more information.

Road races

Upcoming Road Races on the South Coast
For more information on upcoming road races and for photos from past events, those interested can log on to the South Coast Running Club’s Web page at www.southcoastrunningclub.com.

Sunset Bay Trail Run — Saturday, Sept. 3, starting at 10 a.m. at Sunset Bay State Park in Charleston. Events include 15-kilometer, 4-mile and 1-mile runs. The longer runs are on challenging, hilly courses, while the 1-mile run is on the beach. For more information, call Patrick Myers at 541-290-7530 or Lawrence Cheal at 541-756-7999.

Scotty Brown Memorial Mud Run — Saturday, Sept. 10, time and location to be determined. For more information, call Roy Mollier at 541-297-6669.

Bandon Lions Cranberry Run — Sunday, Sept. 11, starting at 2 p.m. at Bandon City Park (on 11th Street). Race distances include 1 mile, 5 kilometers and 10 kilometers, with the longer races including stretches on the beach. The cost is $12 for those who sign up by Aug. 24 and includes a race T-shirt. The late registration fee is $15 without a T-shirt. The race benefits the Lions Vision program and other Lions Club activities. For more information, call Earl Miller at 541-347-9800 or Tricia Hutton at 541-347-6512 or visit http://e-clubhouse.org/sites/bandonlionsor.

32nd Annual Prefontaine Memorial Run — Saturday, Sept. 17, starting at 10 a.m. at Fourth Street and Anderson Avenue in downtown Coos Bay. The 10-kilometer run honors Coos Bay native Steve Prefontaine, who held every American record from 2 miles to 10,000 meters when he was killed in a car accident in 1975. The hilly course covers one of Pre’s favorite training routes, taking runners from downtown out Ocean Boulevard and back to the finish at Marshfield High School. Runners or walkers who don’t want to complete the full 6.2 miles can participate in a 2-mile, noncompetitive fun walk. The entry fee is $22 for those who sign up by Sept. 13 and includes a race T-shirt. Late registration is $25 and will take place at St. Monica Catholic Church, where preregistered runners can pick up their packets. People can sign up or pick up their packets from 3 to 6 p.m. the day before the race or 8 to 9:30 a.m. on race day. For more information, or to register online, visit www.prefontainerun.com. The official race website also includes results from the past three decades of the race.

Photo by Geneva Miller

Built above the high-water mark, the Port Orford dock is one of the country’s few dolly docks. Industrial cranes lift boats in and out of the water to minimize the hard knocks delivered by the waves. Forty commercial fishing boats dock on-site full time, and port manager Gary Anderson estimated the port conducts 3,500 commercial lifts per year.

The first port district was established in Port Orford in 1919, but the present dock was completed just 10 years ago.

The Port of Port Orford sits between Coast Guard Hill and Fort Point, in one of the most dramatic coastal vistas on the West Coast, rocky reefs support a thriving array of marine life.

‘The fishing here is probably the best in the state because of the rocks,” Anderson said.

Mark Lottis of Five Star Charters said the rocky habitat, combined with a comparatively small fishing fleet, makes Port Orford an ideal destination for commercial and recreational bottom fishing. Out on the water, Lottis and his customers enjoy watching all manner of marine life, including seals, whales, puffins, murres and harlequin ducks.

Under the water, kelp forests grow as lush as timber on land.
‘The plant life is so beautiful here. The colors are just amazing,” said diver and underwater photographer Claudia Fowler. Fowler has been diving recreationally for years, and said she prefers Port Orford’s reefs and kelp forests to any of the many Pacific sites she has explored.

Landlubbers also can enjoy a day at the docks, watching boats launch or bring in a live catch. After docking, fishermen transfer the fish to saltwater storage tanks.

The majority of the catch is shipped live to markets in the California Bay Area. But locals can sample local seafood at restaurants in Port Orford.

The Port of Port Orford is located at 300 Dock Road, off U.S. Highway 101 South. Visit portofportorford.com for docking and lift requirements. Visit 5starcharters.com for information about charter fishing.

By Geneva Miller
Special to The World
Geneva Miller is a freelance writer. She can be reached at migelyn@aol.com.

Photo by Beth Burback

Five days a week, Theresa Bolch cruises the sand roads of the spit, educating the public about recreational opportunities and use restrictions of this long lick of land.

About five miles long and one mile wide, the spit forms the western rim of Coos Bay. Its sand dunes, forest, marsh and beach are home to many animals and plants, such as deer, foxes, raccoons, osprey, shore pines, beach grass, and at least two endangered species, the Western snowy plover and the pink sand verbena.

Bloch is a biological science technician for the Bureau of Land Management, one of several agencies with jurisdiction on the North Spit. Traveling the North Spit in her 4-wheel-drive vehicle, Bolch is the face of BLM, treating visitors with dignity as she listens to their concerns.

Her welcoming friendliness makes the public receptive to the BLM message of enjoying a pleasant, safe recreational experience while respecting the fragile species that inhabit this wedge of wild beauty.

Bolch recently met a husband and wife at the entrance to the spit.

“Hi, how are you? Have you been here before?”

No, they answered.

“Then you’ll want a map.”

She retrieved one from her vehicle.

“The ocean beach is closed to motorized vehicles,” she said. ‘But there are 12 miles of sand roads you can ride on.”

She indicated the areas, then gave the visitors the detailed map, which she helped produce. At first the couple was stand-offish. But by the end of the conversation, they were laughing, at ease with Bolch and her message.

Back in her vehicle, Bolch logged the contact.

In the summer, she sometimes speaks with as many as 200 people in a day, running up a total of 45,000 visitor contacts during the nine years she has traveled the North Spit.

Next, she stopped at the bay beach site where about 30 people were camped. A young man greeted her, telling her how the group visits the spit yearly. She asked if they needed trash bags and gave them her card.

“If you have problems, give me a call,” she said. ‘Thank you for reading and obeying the signs.”

She logged the contact.

BLM follows a policy of separating user groups as a way to keep all visitors safe. Each group has its specified area of the spit: 12 miles of sand roads around the perimeter for motorized vehicles, 12 miles of interior trails for hikers and horseback riders.

After several more contacts, Bolch arrived at the beach near the jetty, where she checked the ropes and signs marking the restricted area, the summer home of the Western snowy plovers. The BLM is under federal mandate to protect the tiny shore birds that breed along the ‘wrack line,” where high tides deposit seaweed and other flotsam. Their habitat encroached upon, their numbers were nearing extinction until a federal program to safeguard their breeding area was enacted.

From March 15 until Sept. 15, the dry sand area of the North Spit ocean beach is closed to all entry, and the wet sand area is closed to motorized vehicles. Violating this restriction risks a $300 federal fine.

The sand roads can be a driving hazard. Bolch and her BLM colleagues carry shovels and plywood to help dig out sand-mired vehicles.

“We want visitors to have a good time, to respect the environment, and have a safe recreational experience,” she said. ‘Birdwatchers, ATVers, boaters, hikers, horseback riders, all are welcome here.”

By Carol Sanders
Special to The World

Photo by R.J. Guyer

Many enjoy the swift cascading waters of the Pistol and Elk Rivers. But the Rogue River has earned a reputation for its world-class whitewater.

Rain and snowmelt feed the rapidly descending water that flows out from the Coast Range toward the ocean. Rocks and boulders churn the bone-chilling waters. The resulting rapids burst on impact, serving up anything from a cool spray to an all-out drenching.

Fog often shrouds the coastline, making mornings cooler near the ocean. Further inland, clouds give way to sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Rafter Ann Caldwell from Roseburg recalls, ‘It was chilly when we left at 10 a.m., but by noon it was hot and we were ready for the rapids.”

More than 35,000 acres were designated by Congress as the Rogue Wilderness Area. Here the Rogue River narrows as the orientation becomes more vertical. Steep walls begin to close in as you enter the scenic canyon. In the distance you see the rippling water as the mighty Rogue prepares to unleash its power.

The cascading waters toss and dump you. Your craft collides with chopping waves as the currents tug from all directions.

It’s not all about rapids, though. Many sections of the river let you float serenely and enjoy the area’s diverse wildlife. The river basin has been called ‘the floating zoo,” with frequent sightings of osprey, bald eagles, salmon, deer and even the occasional black bear.

Jet boat tours leave from Gold Beach for those seeking to enjoy a comfortable guided tour. Outfitters also offer guided whitewater trips from half a day to extended overnight trips. They supply not only the rafts, kayaks and camping gear, but also meals.

The Bureau of Land Management offers permits for experienced paddlers who want to brave the mighty Rogue’s punishment on their own terms.

‘I have rafted and kayaked rivers throughout the U.S. and Canada, including the Colorado,” Caldwell said. ‘The Rogue is in a class of its own. Although I’m an excellent swimmer, I would not attempt the Rogue on my own. I only go with experienced guides. It actually makes the trips more enjoyable to leave the navigating to them.”

Whether you are just looking to cool off from the summer heat or seeking an adventure of a lifetime, the wild and scenic Rogue River has something for everyone.

By R.J. Guyer
Special to The World
R.J. Guyer is a freelance writer. He can be reached at renadvent12@hotmail.com.