The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is holding a drawing for a two-night stay at Three Rivers Casino and Resort, including a dinner in any of their exceptional restaurants, to use anytime in 2020. To enter go to www.FlorenceChamber.com/contest and complete the entry form. Three Rivers Casino Resort offers guests a one-of-a-kind experience with luxurious rooms, four diverse best-in-class restaurants, superb entertainment options, and a top-of-the-line casino experience, golf at Ocean Dunes Golf Links, free wi-fi, in-room microwaves and refrigerators, and electric car charging stations in one of the most relaxing locations in Oregon. While in Florence winners can explore the unique mix of quaint shops, stunning galleries, delicious food and drinks, the marina, parks, and bridge of Historic Old Town Florence—right along the river. They can head south over the bridge to start a sand dune adventure with rented ATVs, professionally driven sand rails, or on a sandboard. Or, […]
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce announced its selection of “Blast from the Past” submitted by Stan Pusieski of Florence, as the theme for the 113th Rhododendron Festival. To help promote the annual event, the Chamber’s board of directors is holding a logo design contest. The board is requesting a design that incorporates the event’s name, dates, location, theme, and familiar elements from around the area. Contest rules are available here and at the Chamber’s visitors center, 290 Highway 101. Deadline for submissions is January 19, 2020. The winner will be announced January 24 and receive a $250 cash prize and carnival passes. Their work will be seen across a multitude of media that promote the event which runs from May 15 to 17, 2020. “With ‘Blast from the Past’ as our theme for the 2020 Rhododendron Festival, it opens the door to a wide variety of fun ideas,” says […]
The 12th annual Siuslaw Awards event is fast approaching. The awards banquet, sponsored by the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, will happen on February 12th at the Florence Events Center. This prestigious event recognizes excellence in the local business community by naming recipients for awards in Excellence in Customer Service, Curb Appeal, Non-Profit Achievement, Community Caring, Innovation in Business, and the Stu Johnston Business of the Year Award. Two outstanding individuals in the community will be honored with the First Citizen Award and the Future First Citizen Award. The First Citizen Award recognizes that individual who has given selflessly to the community based on community involvement, leadership, and overall community impact. The Future First Citizen Award recognizes a student based on his or her academic success as well as civic involvement and contributions to the community. The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce will also recognize an individual or business that […]
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for the best amateur or professional photos of the fun, frolic, famous attractions, iconic buildings, and beautiful scenery of Oregon’s Coastal Playground. The winner will collect a $250 cash prize and have their submitted photo featured in the Chamber’s resource guide and other printed marketing pieces, on their website, and in social media. A panel of Chamber members will decide the winner. The winner will be announced the week of January 15, 2020. Deadline for entry is January 3, 2020. For more contest information, entry forms, and image release waivers visit FlorenceChamber.com/Contest, call 541-997-3128, or e-mail Contest@FlorenceChamber.com. “We call this place Oregon’s Coastal Playground for a reason,” says Bettina Hannigan, the Chamber’s executive director, “so we’re looking for outstanding amateur or professional photos that convey our coastal playground theme. So download your best photos from you smartphone or camera and send us […]
The eye-popping work of local photographer Rodger Bennett is featured in the monthly art exhibit at the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce’s Visitor Center in November, and is scheduled to carry over, with changes, into December. The Chamber features a different local artist’s exhibit each month. “This year we’ll have a collection of local scenes with some new ones to follow later in the month. All will be shown as metal prints, some with vibrant colors, some with stark contrasts in black and white. The Siuslaw waterfront is the major backdrop for the work and includes some unique shots of the McCullough bridge over the Siuslaw River,” says Bennett. “There are a couple of familiar local scenes on display as well; although the images are not the frequently seen angles of the locations we all know and love,” he adds. Bennett’s photos on high-gloss metal feature sharp-as-a-tack detail and brilliant […]
She came for the healing and stayed for the people she met and opportunities she gained. And now, she’s working to benefit the community that has blessed her with so much. Mitzi Hathaway has journeyed many a path to her new job as the event and tourism development coordinator for the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. She’s an arranger. From flower arranging to arranging boats in a harbor, from arranging weddings and memorial services to arranging the affairs of the office in a tech firm, Hathaway comes ready and raring to arrange the Chamber’s major events and further develop business and tourism here in Oregon’s Coastal Playground. “My heart is in the same place as Bettina’s (Hannigan, the Chamber’s executive director). We both live to make lives better, to bring people together, to make our community better,” says Hathaway. “Bettina often says, ‘hearts have chambers and our Chamber has a […]
Lane & Lincoln Counties, Ore. November 2019 – The Central Coast Culinary & Agritourism Studio, offered by Travel Oregon, is open for registration. This two-day workshop, November 12-13, will focus on culinary & agricultural tourism development in the Central Coast region, including the communities of Dunes City, Florence, Mapleton, Lincoln City, Yachats, Waldport, Seal Rock, Toledo, Newport, Siletz, Otter Rock, Depoe Bay, Gleneden Beach and the greater region. This two-day workshop is designed for those interested in marketing your region’s premier culinary & agricultural experiences as part of a food trail on the Central Coast. Throughout this program, participants will explore how communities can benefit from identifying, developing or enhancing your culinary & agricultural tourism related businesses. The following topics will be discussed in depth: Growing awareness of culinary & agritourism market trends, product development strategies and world-class case studies Leveraging statewide and regional resources in tourism marketing and business development […]
Florence is about to roll-retro for the second annual “Goin’ with the Flo Vintage Trailer Rally.” More than 50 kitschy-campy travel trailers will be staged for public viewing, free, at the Port of Siuslaw Campground in Old Town Florence beginning Saturday, October 19, from noon to 3:00 p.m. The event is all about sharing about and preserving the nostalgic road-tripping vacation era of the 1950s and 60s. Most of the trailers are restored to perfection, some will be in the restoration process, and some will be towed by cool classic vehicles from the trailer’s same era. Solarity Puppetry, a solar-powered literary vintage caravan featuring puppet shows, will present several times throughout the event. Visitors can also chat with the trailers’ owners who are happy to share about vintage trailer restoration, about this growing-in-popularity travel trend, and what it takes to keep these rare rigs on the road. “Last year was […]
Applications for the 113th Rhododendron Court are now available through Siuslaw and Mapleton schools, the Florence Visitor Center and the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce. DOWNLOAD APPLICATION HERE: Senior Application and Junior Application. The Senior Court is open to high school senior girls and boys who exhibit exceptional character and are Siuslaw region residents. Queen Rhododendra and her Junior and Senior Princess Courts as well as the King of the Coast and his Senior Prince Court will reign over the 2020 Rhododendron Festival, act as the goodwill ambassadors for this event and make many promotional appearances between the start of the year and the annual Rhody Festival in May. The Rhododendron Court will benefit from experiences with public speaking and media relations. Queen Rhododendra and the King of the Coast, along with their Senior Court, will be awarded scholarships on the night of the coronation. Applications for the Rhododendron Court […]