The free drive-through Flu Shot Clinic will be held in its usual location, in the graveled parking area adjacent to the main baseball field at Bandon City Park. Signs will be posted on 11th Street to clearly guide people.

This year, the hospital will offer both the high-dose vaccine for those 65 and over as well as the regular dose vaccine. In addition, COVID vaccine boosters will be available. It is safe to have both shots on the same day, according to medical professionals.

As usual, there are limited supplies, so those wishing to receive the vaccines are encouraged to come early and remain in their cars and medical staff will assist.

There is no charge for the vaccines but donations to the Southern Coos Health Foundation are encouraged and greatly appreciated. The Flu Shot Clinic is offered free to the public each year with funds raised by the Southern Coos Health Foundation from proceeds from the Golf for Health Classic and the Southern Coos Hospital Gift Shop. Volunteers will be available to take donations and provide people with information about the work done by the Foundation.

SCHHC welcomes volunteers for this event, especially licensed nurses or other medical professionals. If interested or for more information about the clinic, email Amanda Myers, RN at amyers@southerncoos.org or call 541-347-2426 ext. 194.

Article contributed by Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center.

Youth story time is 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays, with open play time for tots age zero to five on Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m., at the library.

Additional summer programs include–

Native American Innovation Exhibit – June 11 – 29 (BPL)

Magician Jeff Evans, June 28 @ 12 p.m. (Theater – Visit our Event Calendar for more details.)

Mosaic Making & Lecture, June 29 @ 2 p.m. (BPL)

Reptiles! presentation, July 3 @ 11 a.m. (Theater – Visit our Event Calendar for more details.)

Journey Under the Sea, July 12 @ 11:30 a.m. (BPL)

Fun with Washed Ashore, July 18 @ 11:30 (BPL)

Portable Planetarium, drop-in July 21, 1 – 3:30 p.m. (Bandon Fisheries Warehouse)

Art at the Library, July 25 @ 11:30 a.m. (BPL)

Sapphire Farms Storytime, Aug. 8 @ 11:30 a.m. (BPL)

Felting Workshop, Aug. 17 @ 4 p.m. (BPL – age 12 and older, call to register)

Teen Writers!, Aug. 22 @ 3 p.m. (BPL)

Tween Writers!, Aug. 29 @ 3 p.m. (BPL)

The Bandon Public Library is located in Bandon City Park, 1204 11th St. SW. The library is open 12 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Learn more at BandonLibrary.org.

This year’s topic is “Women’s Whole Health: Prevention, Care & Well-Being.” Our keynote speaker is Gillian Ehrilich, Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified in Functional and Ayurvedic Medicine. There will once again be a healthcare panel featuring local practitioners, along with additional speakers, journaling, stretch breaks, cooking demo, raffles, vendors and drawings. Breakfast and lunch will be served and the Hospital Gift Shop will have a pop-up.

The entire event is FREE to attend, thanks to generous sponsors. To register, read the agenda and learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit SouthernCoos.org/womens-health-day/ or call Amy Moss Strong at 541-329-1038.

The event will also be live-streamed on the hospital’s website: SouthernCoos.org and YouTube channel. Those who wish to watch the live-stream do not need to register, just watch on Feb. 24! The in-person event will be limited to 120 people, so reserve your spot today!

Bandon Library Art Gallery will host a reception for Susan and Steve Dimock, whose show, “Oceans of Texture,” runs through September 30, 2023. Meet the artists on Saturday, August 12th at 1pm. Also showing is sculptor Deborah Unger.

Bandon has many excellent scenic photographers, and we certainly count Susan and Steven Dimock among the very best. This show, their second with the gallery, is a deep dive into those images within their body of work that go beyond the seascape and into a more intimate examination of their surroundings to focus not just on the majesty of a rock, but on the textures in the rock. They pick out glowing bulbs of stranded kelp, the soft colors of stone and shell, or how the sun can turn wet sand to hammered gold. The Dimocks create images that are specific and yet abstracted from the larger picture. They capture a mood, a moment, something unique and fine. It is an unveiling of the small mysteries that make up the whole of our multi-textured world.

The carved basswood sculptures by Deborah Unger are beautiful, mysterious, and often disorienting. She uses her characters to illustrate states of being, feelings, dynamics between and within human beings; feelings of coming apart at the seams, estrangement, loyalty and loss, the distance between us. Her figurines are in poses and situations that describe familial relationships, self-reflection, transformation. Unger carves by hand or with power tools, sews clothes, finds or makes props, sets the stage, and allows us to enter moments in her characters’ dreamlike lives.

The reception will be held in the Sprague Room, from 1pm – 2.30 pm. Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome.

The gallery is open during regular library hours, 1204 11th St. SW, in Bandon City Park. For more information about the gallery, visit the Bandon Library Friends and Foundation website, Bandonlff.org.

Article courtesy of Tracy Hodson, photo “Three Stones” by Susan Dimock.

Curator Tracy Hodson assembled the work of 22 artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, demonstrating the wide range of styles and materials these artists utilize to create their mosaics.

“I am so glad to be back after the Covid years, and I thought the best way to celebrate the return of this annual show was to throw as wide a net as possible. We are showing artists who work in the Classical vein, using marble, travertine, smalti–which is a glass that has been made specifically for mosaics for about 600 years, in Venice and Murano, Italy–gold, tile, and other sorts of natural specimens,” Hodson said.

“In addition to those who work in stained glass or pique-assiette– a modern form of mosaic art that uses broken or cut ceramic crockery shards. There are also glass-on-glass mosaics hanging in the window at the end of the hall, two of which were made by children, and we have two micromosaic jewelry makers this year. Both walls of the gallery are covered, and the cases are full. I don’t think even one more mosaic would have fit!”

The roster of mosaicists includes newcomers and returning artists from as far away as Oklahoma, Maryland, and Texas.

“And Brigitte Raison, who lives in France, sent a mosaic again this year,” Hodson said. “We have a solid list of artists who have stuck with us year after year, and more new ones than ever before. I hope that the show will bring in more new visitors than ever before, too. It’s not easy to see what’s happening in the mosaic world, as it’s not an art form many people know much about, and few galleries show it. As far as I know, we’re still the only annual mosaic show in Oregon, and I am dedicated to keeping it going.”

This year’s show includes work by two Bandon artists, Donn Klewitz and Bessie Joyce. Hodson’s own mosaics will be on display inside the library on the Long Wall, along with Winchester Bay painter Rebecca McCormick. Most of the mosaics in the show are for sale, and many of the artists accept commissions.

The 7th Annual Mosaic show runs through July 31st; the Mosaic Extravaganza happens in the Sprague Room on Saturday July 8th, at 2 pm. Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome.

The gallery is open during regular library hours, 1204 11th St. SW, in Bandon City Park. For more information about the gallery, visit the Bandon Library Friends and Foundation website, Bandonlff.org.

Article courtesy of Tracy Hodson. Art images, “January” by Jacqueline Iskander; “Paradise” by Peggy Jackson; “Whirling Dervish” by Dee Ruff; “On Mercator #2” by Kelley Knickerbocker.

Register in advance at Eventbrite.

Check out the event program at SouthernCoos.org/foundation/womenshealthday. For more information, contact the Southern Coos Health Foundation by phone, 541-329-1038, or email amossstrong@southerncoos.org.

Mark Yaconelli inspires readers and audiences to consider how stories can heal families, our world and ourselves. He is the founder of the The Hearth nonprofit and has spoken to audiences across North America and the United Kingdom. Profiles of his work have been published in the “Wall Street Journal,” and “Washington Post,” and broadcast by BBC Radio and ABC World News Tonight. Learn more about Mark’s work at HowStoriesCanSaveUs.com.

For more information about the Bandon Public Library, visit BandonLibrary.org.

“The Natural” stars Robert Redford, a middle-aged unknown who becomes a legendary baseball baseball player with almost supernatural talent. The film was directed by Barry Levinson and also stars Glenn Close and Kim Basinger. The movie is 2 hours and eight minutes, (plus intermission), rated PG.

“Medicare 101” will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, and 10 a.m. Saturday, April 9, at the Bandon Senior Activity Center, 1100 11th Street SW. No registration is necessary.

The workshops will explain Original Medicare Parts A and B – what it does and does not cover, what it costs, and when and how to enroll; options beyond Original Medicare including the differences between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans; an explanation of the Part D prescription drug coverage gap (otherwise known as the “donut hole”); how to avoid Part B and Part D penalties; and what people should know if they plan to continue working and/or participating in an employer-sponsored health plan after turning 65.

The presenter will be Jayna Roberts, a licensed agent and Medicare specialist serving Southern Oregon with 25 years’ experience in the health insurance industry. Contact 541-727-6500 or Jayna@SimplyMedicareSolutions.com for more information.

The Bandon Senior Activity Center is located in the Bandon Community Center in Bandon City Park– look for the red door at the southeast side of the building.

“Medicare 101” will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, and 10 a.m. Saturday, April 9, at the Bandon Senior Activity Center, 1100 11th Street SW. No registration is necessary.

The workshops will explain Original Medicare Parts A and B – what it does and does not cover, what it costs, and when and how to enroll; options beyond Original Medicare including the differences between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans; an explanation of the Part D prescription drug coverage gap (otherwise known as the “donut hole”); how to avoid Part B and Part D penalties; and what people should know if they plan to continue working and/or participating in an employer-sponsored health plan after turning 65.

The presenter will be Jayna Roberts, a licensed agent and Medicare specialist serving Southern Oregon with 25 years’ experience in the health insurance industry. Contact 541-727-6500 or Jayna@SimplyMedicareSolutions.com for more information.

The Bandon Senior Activity Center is located in the Bandon Community Center in Bandon City Park– look for the red door at the southeast side of the building.