Unity of Bandon will be kicking off their holiday activities with Christmas caroling at local care centers on Sunday,December 13th. Soup and bread will be served around 12:30 p.m., followed by Christmas caroling at several care centers. Anyone is welcome to join the group that will gather at Unity, located on Highway 101, one mile south of 11th Street. The congregation is also collecting socks, hats, and gloves for what they have dubbed the “Happy Feet” project. Throughout December, these items are being collected to be distributed through the Common Good in Port Orford and the Women’s Safety & Resource Center in North Bend. If you know of other groups who are in need of socks, hats and gloves, or if you wish to donate some items, please call Unity of Bandon at 541-347-4696. For more information about Unity, visit www.unityofbandonorg.¤

The Red Cross has scheduled blood drives at the following locations.
Please call 1-800-GIVE LIFE (1-800-448-3543) to schedule your donation appointment.
December 8: 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. Bandon Community: Holy Trinity Catholic Church , 355
Oregon Ave. 1-800-448-3543
December 9: 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. Port Orford Community: St. John's Catholic Church, 1476
Oregon Street. 1-800-448-3543
December 10: 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. North Bend Community: College Park Community Church,
2548 Newmark St. 1-800-448-3543
December 16: 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. Myrtle Point Community: Maple School, 413 C Street. 1-
800-448-3543
December 17: 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. Coos Bay Community: St. Monica’s Catholic Church, 357
S. 6th Street. 1-800-448-3543
December 21: 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. Reedsport Community: Masonic Temple, 626 Winchester
Ave. 1-800-448-3543
December 24: 10:00 – 3:00 p.m. North Bend Community: College Park Community
Church, 2548 Newmark St. 1-800-448-3543
December 29: 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. Gold Beach Community: Curry Showcase 29392
Ellensburg Ave. 1-800-448-3543
December 30: 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. Brookings Community: Chetco Grange 97895 Shopping
center Ave. (Harbor) 1-800-448-3543
December 31: 10:00 – 3:00 p.m. Coos Bay Community: St. Monica’s Catholic Church, 357
S. 6th Street. 1-800-448-3543¤

Help children in need! Buy your Christmas toys at ORCCA’s Toy Tales
sale this December Community members can help children in need this Holiday Season by donating or buying gently-used toys, games, puzzles, and other items from the Toy Tales fundraising sale, sponsored by Oregon Coast Community Action from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2009, at Pony Village Mall. All items will be available for prices ranging from 25¢ to $10. All proceeds from the sale of toys, games, puzzles, and more will go to providing support for vulnerable children in Coos, Curry, and Western Douglas Counties.

Programs receiving support through Toy Tales include: Great Afternoons, South Coast Head Start, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and the Share Bear Snack Pack programs. The toys for sale are donated by community members and through toy drives at local schools. There are many different items to choose from at every Toy Tales sale, and each purchase makes a difference in the life of a child in our community.

“This Holiday Season we’re hoping families, grandparents, and even kids in the community can help support vital children’s programs in our region by purchasing toys or games from the Toy Tales event this December,” said MacKenzie Ross, AmeriCorps volunteer with Oregon Coast Community Action. “Every child deserves to have a full tummy, a safe and warm home, and a good education, and Toy Tales helps make that a reality.” Community members can participate in Toy Tales by donating toys or volunteering to sell toys during sales events. Donations can be made Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the ORCCA South Coast Food Share Warehouse.

Toy donations can also be dropped off at any Toy Tales sale event, and arrangements can be made for donation pick up. To help support local children through volunteering with Toy Tales, contact Madeline Enos at (541) 888-7070. Oregon Coast Community Action feeds, houses, warms and educates vulnerable children and families throughout the South Coast. For more information, visit http://www.orcca.us. ¤

The Coquille Chamber of Commerce presents the 2009 Annual Tour of Homes & Points of Interest in Coquille, scheduled for Saturday, December 5th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for the Tour are $5, and for Fun Bus a $1 Donation.

 The bus departs from the Chamber office on the hour and from St. James Episcopal Church on the 1/2 hour. Stroll the Greater Downtown Area to see Points of Interest & pick up a Goody Bag.

 * Visit the homes of Tom & Linda Aiken, Hugh and Jaci Pinkston, Frank & Judith Smith, Phillipa Benson and Nadine Winberg.

* Tour through Historical St. James Episcopal Church and visit the new Downtown Emporium (have your picture taken with Ronald and see it posted!).
* Watch the Olios at Sawdust Theatre and see the Historic Photos of prior shows. Pose for a picture with your favorite "star!"

* Browse through Coquille's history at the Coquille Valley Museum.

* View the new Art Work, Carving and Paintings at the Coquille Valley Art Center.¤

Bazaar Hopping
‘Tis the season of Bazaars ... Between now and the holidays,
there will be many opportunities for shoppers to participate in
seasonal bazaars. If you are looking for a unique gift, and a
chance to shop locally to support the talents of local artists,
organizations, and craft persons, you should attend the many
bazaars and craft fairs in our area.¤


Open House and Bazaar at CVAA
Coquille Valley Art Association invites the public to join their
festivities on Dec. 5th, from 10 to 4 pm, during their annual
Open House and Holiday Bazaar. Paintings, pottery, cards,
jewelry, and other holiday items will be for sale, and refreshments
will be served. Members have donated a variety of 24
gift baskets to be raffled off in December. The Open House is
a part of the Coquille Tour of Homes scheduled for that same
day. The Art Center is housed in a historic old school building
and located at 10144 Highway 42, just south of Coquille. For
more information about the Bazaar or upcoming classes, visit
their web site at Coquille Valley Art Center.¤


“Many Hands” Open House
In Myrtle Point, watercolor artist Terry Magill is opening her
gallery and studio for its third annual Holiday Open House on
Dec. 5th and 6th. On Saturday, the doors will be open from 4
to 7 pm, and on Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4 pm.
Refreshments will be available both days. Everyone is
welcome to stop in and enjoy her students’ art as well as other
professional artists’ work, including many paintings done by
Magill. Besides a large selection of paintings and prints for
sale, Donna Wassman and Kathy Phillips will be selling their
unique jewelry items, and Debbie Houshour will have beautiful
Persian rugs available to purchase. Terry Magill’s Many
Hands Gallery and Art Studio is located next to the Myrtle
Point Veterinary Clinic, south of Myrtle Point on Highway
42.¤

H1N1 Vaccine Scheduled for Community Clinics in Coquille, North Bend & Coos Bay Schools in December Coos County Public Health has scheduled three H1N1 public vaccination clinics: Saturday, December 5th, 11 am - 3 pm at Pony Village Mall in North Bend; Friday, December 11 th, 10 am - 2 pm in Coquille at the Owen Building; and Saturday, December 12, am - 3 pm at The Barn in Bandon.

The vaccine will be provided at no charge at the clinics, on a first come first served basis, to all individuals who are in the current priority groups. Insurance may be billed for persons whose insurance pays for the administration of the HINI vaccine. The Health Department is specially targeting persons with chronic health conditions* which put them at greater risk of complications from the flu. Also, in collaboration with the school districts, Coos County Public Health has scheduled H1N1 immunization clinics for students on Wednesday, December 2nd, 10 am -12 noon at North Bend Middle School and 12-2 pm at North Bend High School.

 On Thursday, December 3rd, the vaccine clinic is scheduled 8:30-10:30 am for students at Millicoma Middle School. The H1N1 vaccine will be given free of charge to students whose parents have signed and returned consent forms to the schools. The vaccine will be mostly in the form of nasal spray, with some shots also available to students. The following are the current priority groups for the scheduled H1N1 vaccine community clinics: - pregnant women - all children under the age of 5 years old - healthcare and emergency medical services personnel - frontline law enforcement and public safety personnel - household contacts/care-givers for children less than 6 months of age - persons ages 6 - 64 years with health conditions* that put them at higher risk of complications. *Examples of higher risk chronic health conditions are: heart disease; lung disease (asthma, emphysema); kidney disease; liver disease (hepatitis); diabetes; immune system suppression (HIV disease, cancer treatment); spinal cord injuries; seizures; muscular dystrophy; cerebral palsy.

"We want to immunize as many vulnerable people as soon as is possible before the next wave of illness arrives," reports Dr. Tyson, Coos County Health Officer. For more information about the H1Nl flu, call the Oregon Hotline, 1-800-978-3040, and go to the websites www.flu.oregon.govand www.co.coos.or.us .