Pics of the Day for July 5-8 ~ Port Orford Jubilee Days

Saturday's Pic of the Day
Saturday, 07-08-2000. Overcast skies and mild this morning. We finish with our Port Orford Jubilee Days feature today. Our first photo shows the Jensen Family and Friends Band float. The Jensen Family and Friends Band is a regular yearly participant and crowd favorite that seems to acquire new members every year. They arrange folding chairs on a large flatbed and entertain the crowd with marching and patriotic music as they work their way down the parade route. Then they stop at Battle Rock Park and put on a short concert with the Pacific Ocean as their backdrop.

Our emergency volunteers were out in force during the parade. The Port Orford Fire Department and Ambulance service is staffed by volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day rain or shine. Several times Norma's mom Lorraine had heart problems that required assistance and transport to Coos Bay. The volunteer paramedics were always prompt and courteous even though it was the middle of the night and most probably had to work regular jobs in the morning. She was more comfortable with local, friendly faces treating her during these frightening attacks. Lorraine knew that these folks cared about her and would do all they could to help her during her hour of need. These people were her friends and cared deeply about her condition. The photo on the left shows a boy picking up candy that was just tossed from the truck.

The parade include several interesting characters. The photos below are a few of my favorites.

The day ended with a fireworks presentation at Battle Rock Park. The spectators covered the hills above Battle Rock and lined Battle Rock Beach with trucks, campfires, and amateur firework shows. The beach action reminded me of a battleground scene from 'Apocalypse Now' with the scattered fires, fireworks, and bottle rockets shooting into the sky with surfers working the waves just offshore. The photo on the left is a wide angle view of Battle Rock Beach with heavy fog just above the ocean. The photo on the right is a zoomed view of the activities with Cabbage Rock in the background.

The Port Orford Volunteer Fire Department had charge of the fireworks presentation. The rockets are shot from Historic Battle Rock and Battle Rock Beach casting reflections on the Pacific Ocean. The photos below show some members preparing Battle Rock and Battle Rock Beach for the evening's big show.

This concludes our Port Orford Jubilee Days feature. Tomorrow we'll have some great pics from Battle Rock Beach that I shot recently.

Friday's Pic of the Day
Friday, 07-07-2000. Sunny with scattered clouds this morning. Today we continue our Port Orford Jubilee Days parade feature. We start with some of the 'floats' that participated in the parade. Our first photo shows the Eastern Star float. Their float was a crowd favorite with members sticking their heads thru cut-outs while wiggling little legs with their hands. The spectators (a mix of locals and happy visitors) received an amusing dance show. The locals seemed to laugh the hardest, they got to see their friends and family look silly.

The first photo is a side view and the one on the right shows the float as viewed from the back with the members doing their act and a smiling crowd in the background.

Another crowd favorite was the local Brownie Troop entry with it's bright balloons and smiling girls handing out candy. Support was provided in part by the Port Orford Rotary. The local Rotary is a strong sponsor of youth associations and scholarship programs. Their members also volunteer labor and material for many local community improvement projects.

I was watching the parade with our son Jacob and this was one of his favorites. It is the Coastal Garden and Nursery entry with their beautifully restored Allis-Chalmers tractor and kids in tow. Coastal Garden and Nursery carries a selection of native plants and hybrids that perform well here on the coast. Their purple, violet, and pink Rhododendrons we purchased from them flowered spectacularly this spring. 

I turned to watch the crowd after shooting the picture above and captured these images of two of our more colorful downtown homes with front row seats for the parade. The pic on the left is a small cottage that has some interesting carvings on their porch post and front yard. Direction instructions for locating the Post Office is easy with this colorful home as a landmark.

The image on the right shows some shivering parade spectators in front of  'The Painted Lady', an art and antique shop located on Highway 101. This home was built by the famous 19th century Port Orford settler and master carpenter Johan Lindberg, the builder of the Hughes House located at Cape Blanco.
Click here to see a photo of the Hughes House.

Tomorrow we finish our Port Orford Jubilee Days celebration with more parade pics and beach scene photos and stories from the evening's fireworks show.

Thursday's Pic of the Day
Thursday, 07-06-2000. Overcast and damp this morning. Our Pics of the Day feature more action from our annual Port Orford Jubilee parade. We left off yesterday with the Lamas, so we'll continue with some more animal shots before moving on to the vehicles tomorrow.

The Jubilee parade isn't like most parades, anyone can participate as long as they sign-up in advance. Many local clubs and businesses use the parade as a promotional tool as well as a means to support the community. So many of our 'floats' are custom cars, non-profit vehicles, and just folks walking with their animal friends with a hand painted sign affixed to their side. Our first photo has a woman and her boxer walking along the route passing out candy. The photo on the left shows the county rodeo court princesses and their pooper scooper helper.

Curry County has a large equestrian community. Several Port Orford volunteers operate a horse participation program for children with special needs called 'Over the Rainbow'. Some have physical or learning handicaps that would normally preclude them from enjoying a pleasure most take for granted. The volunteers provide horses and support so these children can have an experience that I'm sure they will remember for a lifetime. The kids also seem to grow and gain confidence from their horse riding instructions. The photos below are horse pics from the parade.

The parade also has several antique/custom vehicles that participate in the festivities. There is an award given to the winner but that seems secondary, they seem to just enjoy having the opportunity to show-off their toys. The photos below show some of the better entries.

Tomorrow pics of parade floats and street happenings.

Wednesday's Pic of the Day
Wednesday, 07-05-2000. Cloudy with scattered clearings. For the next few days we will feature pics and stories from Port Orford's 4th of July Jubilee Days Celebration. The day started off wet, misty, and calm; a big change from our last few weeks of sunshine, clear skies, and wind.

I found a camera site at Battle Rock Park so I could capture the annual National Guard jet flyover that kicks off the parade and festivities, but for reasons unknown (probably the foggy conditions), they were a no-show. Too bad, I was hoping to snap a few pics with the jets over Battle Rock and the Port Orford Cove. Maybe next year.

A police car with it's siren wailing signaled the start of the parade. I worked my way down to a better vantage point and snapped several photos while I walked. The first photo shows parade spectators lining the route near Battle Rock Park. The picture on the above right is the start of the parade with the just remodeled Star Theatre in the background.

The image at the above left and adjacent right shows some members of our local American Legion on their parade float. There is a large and active retired military presence in town, they hold several functions yearly with community and youth support their main goals. I recently read that our World War II veterans are dying at a rate of 1,000 a day. The Port Orford community is lucky to have many of these veterans call our town home. Grab an older vet and pick his brain for awhile, you'll learn a wealth of information from his life experiences.

The Jubilee Day parade is open for all participants, so you'll usually see a varied group of interesting characters on their homemade floats. The image on the left is the Langlois Big Air Windsurfer shop's float. He usually just stands on his board and lets the wind do all the work, but our regular summer breeze didn't materialize so he was stuck peddling his board like a skateboard. The photo on the right is the Ali's Auto entry. 

Port Orford has several Lama ranchers that live on the outskirts of town. Their contingent is always a crowd favorite with all the kids running up to pet the lamas while their owners hand out candy. I snapped this photo on the left of a smiling handler and his parade partner. The images below are a collection of photos featuring some of the different lamas and their owners enjoying the parade festivities.

Tomorrow's Pic of the Day will feature more parade pics and stories!

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