A month long Silent Auction fundraiser has begun at the Langlois Public Library. The Auction continues through Saturday, September 10 when the annual Blueberry Bash ends the Silent Auction. You are cordially invited to the Blueberry Bash, a free party which starts at 6 p.m. on September 10 with wine and cheese. Silent Auction bidding ends at 6:45 p.m. when blueberry cobbler a la mode is served to attendees while they enjoy a hilarious live baked goods auction before taking home their winnings. Bidders do not have to be present to win.
The Langlois Library Silent Auction is an eclectic shopping resource. You can bid on local foods such as a spring lamb, veggies, cranberries, jam, blueberries and albacore. Could you use a pop-up greenhouse (donated by B & B Farm Supply)? A queen sized Sunbonnet Sue Quilt (donated by the Dew Valley Club)? How about a fabulous Dooney & Bourke Hand Bag, or a framed Lois Miller egret photo? There are certificates for a night at the fabulous Redfish Loft in Port Orford with a stunning view of the ocean, for a visit to OMSI, for tickets to the Shakespeare Festival or the Wildlife Safari. Bid on a portrait session with a local photographer, or on one of the several objects from Japan. Take a thrilling aerial tour in Joe Pestana’s ultra lite airplane. Or be practical, and bid on a shop vac, or on some tractor work.
For a preview of some of the Silent Auction items, go to langloispubliclibrary.org and click on the Silent Auction tab. The Langlois Library Silent Auction and Blueberry Bash are sponsored by the Friends of the Langlois Library. For more information, call the Langlois Library at (541) 348-2066.
SOUTH COAST — Bandon, Langlois and Port Orford are known for their cranberry farms, but there's another berry growing in popularity along the South Coast.
The Oregon blueberry industry has experienced more than 100 percent growth in less than 10 years, going from fewer than 20 million pounds of blueberries harvested in the late 1990s to nearly 40 million pounds in recent harvests.
Fresh Oregon blueberries are a hot commodity these days for many reasons — incredible taste, the highest quality and peerless nutritional value being just a few. And Oregon's South Coast is ripe with opportunity for those interested in growing blueberries.
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Heather Valentine, 24, of Valentine Blueberries, a family business offering U-pick and pre-picked, understands the value of the berry. Her father Charlie, a building contractor and heavy equipment operator by trade, planted 7.5 acres of blueberries on Sydnam Lane, 11 miles south of Bandon, eight years ago.
"We didn't know what we were doing getting into it," Heather Valentine said. "It's been a learning experience."
