WEEKEND EDITION
Friday April 3, 2020
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Brookings, Oregon
SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
Planning continues for Azalea Festival Brian Williams Pilot Editor
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or now, the 81st annual Azalea Festival in Brookings is still happening, according to organizer Amber Nalls with the City of Brookings. The Azalea Festival is scheduled for May 23-25. “Yes it is still on,” Nalls said on Friday, May 28. “We are moving forward.” The festival is the marquee event of the year for Brookings and Harbor and draws thousands of people to the Southern Oregon Coast. The Azalea Festival was awarded the “The Oregon Heritage Tradition”
Event scheduled for May 23-25 in Brookings
award. While planning moves forward, Nalls is fully aware that one positive COVID-19 case in Curry County or if the current “stay-home, save-lives” order from Gov. Brown is not lifted soon enough, the festival will have to be canceled or postponed. Nalls said May 1 is their hard deadline. “I feel we can put the festival on if we have a month,” she said. Whether to postpone or cancel would be a decision when the times come. As of March 31, there were zero confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brookings
or Curry County. There are 690 confirmed cases in Oregon and 18 deaths related to the virus. Currently, the transient lodging is banned in Curry County following steps taken by the Curry County Commissioners and councils in Brookings and Gold Beach. Those bans are through May 1 but could be extended. On March 23, Gov. Brown issued an executive order directing Oregonians to stay home “to the maximum extent possible,” except for when carrying out essential tasks like getting groceries, refueling their vehicles, or obtaining
health care. “I asked and urged Oregonians to stay home,” Brown said in a conference call with reporters, following a weekend where Oregonians mobbed the coast and other areas. “On Friday night, I frankly directed them to stay home. And now I am ordering them to stay home.” Recreational activity like jogging or hiking is permitted under the order, so long as people can keep 6 feet away from others. Social gatherings of any size are prohibited, though there’s a notable exception if a 6-foot buffer is maintained. Restaurants and bars are
still allowed to sell take-out orders, per the governor’s order. Violations of the order can be treated as a class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine. Gov. Brown did not say exactly when the order would end. Schools in Oregon are closed through at least April 28 and the expectation is they will remain closed for the remainder of the current school year. The Brookings-Harbor Azalea Festival is a community celebration filled with weekend activities that include the Azalea Fes-
Grab - N- Go
tival Parade, City Center Street Fair vendors, Community Church Service, Memorial Day Service, Azalea Park Family Fun Events, Elks Deep Pit BBQ and live music, just to name a few. The Azalea Festival planning committee has been meeting for months. The Azalea Festival Princesses have been out in the community. Musicians for the concerts are lined up. Vendors have not backed out. “I have spoken with a lot of stakeholders and they want to see the festival happen,” Nalls said.
Fitness in a socially distanced world Linda Pinkham Staff Writer
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Brookings-Harbor School District resumed its modified food services program from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, outside of the Brookings-Harbor High School cafeteria while the schools are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. District staff Amy Page and Sharon Rush provided bags of food to families of BHSD students. On Tuesday, food was given to 531 students. Families can come by twice a week and get food. The program runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each Tuesday and Friday at the high school cafeteria as long as the food is available.
Pet food pantry dishes up in Gold Beach Staff Report
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ild Rivers Animal Rescue in Gold Beach has announced the launch of the Catherine Powers Memorial Pet Food Pantry. “With the large number of people in our community laid off or without a source of reliable income due to the current pandemic, many pets are at risk,” said Nicole Farrell, executive director of Wild Rivers Animal Rescue. “Anything that affects people, affects their pets. Things are going to be tight for the next few months, and we aim to help keep pets with their people by offering supplies to those in need. People will go hungry to feed their pets, and we do not want that. We are also wary that there may be an increase in surrenders because
Nicole Farrell stands in front of the newly launched Catherine Powers Memorial Pet Food Pantry.
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people can no longer afford their pets. We hope to remedy this by offering this service to our community so that we may keep pets with the people who love them.” Wild Rivers Animal Rescue is accepting donations currently of food, litter and other pet supplies; anyone who is out of work or otherwise is welcome to apply for food assistance. Food will be available as long as they have a supply to give. The rescue hopes to make this project sustainable for years to come but is asking for community support. The rescue plans to create a veterinary assistance fund for pet owners as well and is expectMore Pantry on Page A5
awn Van Dort of Studio 1 Fitness is online Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. leading free exercise classes to bring fitness opportunities for those stuck at home while saving her own sanity. “I’m extremely high energy and can’t just sit around,” Van Dort said. “I spend a good hour or two coming up with workouts, and it keeps my mind busy.” The classes can be attended on her Facebook page. She’s been doing them for a week, and some of the class videos posted on her page have reached 300 views — that’s a good kind of viral activity. If you miss class, the workouts can still be accessed on her page when you scroll down. The workouts are challenging for the moderately fit, but Van Dort offers modifications for those who are just starting an exercise program, as well as increasingly difficult moves for those who are in tip-top shape and want to be pushed harder. “You’re allowed to rest. Nobody can see you,” she says in one of the videos. “It’s your workout.” The planning for each workout involves putting together the exercise routines to cover all the major muscle groups along with providing some aerobic training, plus selecting the music for the workouts. Van Dort goes through each of the routines herself before presenting them to her followers. If you don’t have weights or stretchy bands, she suggests alternatives to still do the workout. The 53-year-old aerobics instructor and personal trainer was previously teaching a dozen classes a week, between pilates and booty camp at the Rush Building in Gold Beach, where she resides, and spin classes at the fitness studio in the basement of her home. When Governor Kate Brown came out with More Fitness on Page A5
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