Voices of the Community
Check out your neighbor’s opinions More on this, page 4
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
www.currypilot.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2023
Brookings, Oregon
Making Bank Spring Break illustrates renewed tourism in Brookings
JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
Local businesses offering a glimpse of the coast are also profiting, according to Bubert. “The ones that are selling sweatshirts with Brookings and the Oregon Coast printed on them, that’s what a lot of the travelers are purchasing,” she said.
B
usiness is perking up in Brookings. Following the COVID pandemic, visitors are returning to the city and local shops, restaurants, and lodging establishments are reporting renewed activity, according to Brookings Chamber of Commerce President Michele Bubert.
Dollars and cents While Bubert could not offer a specific dollar and cents figure on how much the tourism industry brings into the city annually, she did tell The Pilot it is a significant amount. “I would see it as big,” she said. “Especially this year because people want to get out. They’ve been couped up. During the winter, it was very slow at local shops, but Spring Break has been significant, and it is a really good outlook, and I think we will have a lot more
Spring Break Spring Break in Oregon in late March underscored the increase in local business. “All the restaurants have been full along Chetco Avenue,” she said. “There are many tourists coming to Brookings from Idaho, California and Nevada. They want to see the whole Oregon Coast. Many of them have RV’s and are driving up and down the coast.”
people in Brookings come this summer, especially with the festivals coming up. It’s going to be huge.” Bubert said many of the tourists are returning visitors. Business challenges But Bubert also noted that most business operators are facing the same challenges that are plaguing businesses across the state. “A lot of our local businesses are See MONEY, Page 10
Tradition Returns
Brookings Azalea Festival celebrates community KATHLEEN STINSON Country Media, Inc.
The Azalea Festival held every year in Brookings celebrates what is best about living in a small town. This year’s festival is set for Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28. The first festival d a t e s back to 1939, w h e n Azalea Park was dedicated by Samuel H. Boardman, Oregon’s park superintendent at the time, and the newly formed chamber of commerce decided to have a festival as part of the park dedication celebration, said Patty McVay, Chetco Valley Historical Society Board Member, based on her knowledge of
information at the historical society. The society’s files include old newspaper articles from The Pilot, interviews with Pioneer Citizens and a book entitled, “Then Till Now in Brookings-Harbor,” compiled by the Brookings Rotary Club in 1979, Mc Vay said. This will be the 84th year the festival has been held, she said. Festival events
According to the City of Brookings website, the Azalea Festival will include: • A Friday night Dance Party in Azalea Park, Saturday morning Azalea Festival Parade in downtown Brookings • Downtown Street Fair • Azalea Park Concerts with a Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band this year and local bands • Elks BBQ • Curry County Cruisers Car Show • The Azalea Festival Art Show • Quilt Show • Flower/Plant Sale
• Library Book Sale • Saturday Farmers Market at the Port of Brookings-Harbor • Sunday morning Church Community service • Sunday park performances including Magician Scott Anderson, Wild Rivers Dance Conservatory and a wildlife education program The festival is an Oregon Heritage Tradition award winner, the city’s website states. “The Oregon Heritage Tradition designation recognizes events more than 50 years old that represent what it means to be an Oregonian,” as stated on the Oregon.gov website. “Designated events are unique locally, regionally, and statewide. In short, these events add to the livability and identity of the state.” Festival purpose The designation’s purpose is to encourage tourism activity related heritage resources, See FESTIVAL, Page 10
Local fire agencies to receive new engines, water tenders JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
based on four principles: • Assuring statewide distribution and allocation based on local initial attack, regional mutual aid, and conflagration needs. • Necessary infrastructure to maintain and protect the apparatus long term. • Recent apparatus awards from the legislature and other legislative funding sources such as wildland-urban interface and omnibus legislation. • The capacity to staff newly awarded apparatus. “This investment in the Oregon fire service is critical as the state modernizes equipment and increases firefighting capacity to respond to incidents in our communities,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “Over the last three decades, more communities have been impacted by wildfire.
Brookings Fire & Rescue, Gold Beach Rural Fire Protection District, and Coos Bay Fire are inline to receive a new type 3 or type 6 engine, or a water tender to boost firefighting capacity. The Oregon State Fire Marshal announced awards for its $25 million Engine Program. Across Oregon, 76 local fire service agencies have been selected to receive the new equipment. Local fire agencies are eligible to apply. A selection committee comprised of members from the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association, Oregon Vo l u n t e e r Firefighters Association, and Oregon State Fire Fighters Council reviewed applications. Applicants were selected
INDEX
This investment is a major step forward in achieving our mission to protect people, property, and the environment from fire and hazardous materials.” The OSFM relies on the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS) when responding to wildfires or other disasters that could impact communities,
Courtesy photo from Rosenbauer according to a release. local fire service agency’s More than 300 local fire capacity. service agencies make up The OSFM Engine the system across Oregon. Program is a part of the These firefighters and agency’s Response Ready equipment are mobilized Oregon initiative, launched under the Emergency in 2021. The initiative is Conflagration Act, pre- part of a multi-pronged positioning, or immediate approach to prepare, response assignments. prevent, and respond to OFMAS is used when a wildfires. The goal of fire or disaster exceeds the Response Ready Oregon is
to attack fires while they are small and keep them away from communities. Award recipients will enter into a contract with the OSFM to support OFMAS mobilizations, boosting local, regional, and state response. This investment into the Oregon fire service will add more resources, the report said. In January 2023, contracts were awarded to Rosenbauer to build the water tenders and type 3 engines. Skeeter was awarded the contract to build the type 6 engines. Rosenbauer, based in Leonding, Austria, supplies the firefighting sector in over 100 countries with a wide range of custom fire and rescue apparatus and services, according to Wikipedia. Skeeter is a truck manufacturing company based in Hillsboro, Texas.
Phone Number: 541-813-1717 • Address: 519 Chetco Ave, Ste 7, Brookings, 97415 • Email: Circulation@CountryMedia.net
Classifieds Crossword Answer
7
Obituaries
5
Calendar of Events Police Blotter
Latest news can be found online at:
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Send us your news, photos, and videos and let us know what's going on!
8
3
PilotNews@CountryMedia.net 2
@CurryPilot
www.CurryPilot.com
$1.50