The "Soup Song" at Empty Bowls; Civil War Tailgater to benefit Boys and Girls Club; Volunteers prepare to gather steelhead eggs.

Empty bowls to fill empty shelves…

It’s only fitting that a benefit to help feed hungry people by offering hand-crafted bowls for sale would include a performance of the “Soup Song”. The New Folksters, a Florence-based folk music group will offer a free concert at noon Saturday at the Florence Events Center during the second day of the Empty Bowls fund-raiser. The 14th annual Empty-Bowls opens up Friday night at the FEC and runs from 5:30 to 7:30 that evening, then runs from 10AM to 2PM Saturday. During the two-day run hundreds of hand-crafted bowls, provided by dozens of local artisans will be on sale with all of the proceeds going to support Florence Food Share, the emergency food box pantry that serves as many as 600 households each month. With the purchase of any bowl for a minimum of $10, each buyer will also receive a gift certificate good for a bowl of soup at one of several participating restaurants. In addition to the bowls there will be a silent auction featuring items donated by members of the Back Street Gallery.

A pair of tickets to Thursday night’s Civil War football game will be raffled off tomorrow night during the Boys and Girls Club’s second annual Civil War Tailgater. In addition to the tickets there will be silent auctions featuring desserts and sports memorabilia; food and drinks; members of the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers’ football teams on hand and even the Oregon Ducks’ themed stock-car. Club interim director Jerry Matheny says there’ll also be games and competition between Duck and Beaver Fans. Admission is $5 per person, $20 per family and it runs from six to eight pm tomorrow at the Florence Events Center.

Volunteers spent part of last week installing a large fish trap at Whitaker Creek near where it flows into the upper Siuslaw River. When it’s complete the trap will catch and hold returning steelhead so members of the Florence Salmon-Trout Enhancement Program can collect eggs. Last year more than 300-thousand eggs from the trap were collected, fertilized and raised at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife hatcheries resulting in the return of about 80-thousand steelhead smolts last spring.

TAKING A LOOK INTO COAST RADIO SPORTS:

College Basketball:
First the men… Oregon State held off a late game rally but came out on top 64 – 57 over George Washington University Saturday. Following the game members of both teams lined up to trade fist-bumps and high fives with President Barack Obama… the President, First Lady Michelle Obama and the entire family sat two rows behind the Beaver bench for the entire game. In Eugene there was no first family but the Oregon Men rolled to a convincing 89 – 66 win over the Montana State Bobcats. Teondre Williams led a half-dozen Ducks in double figures with 19 points.

For the women… Oregon State brought home the championship trophy from the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic with a pair of victories… Friday night over Belmont then Saturday over Northern Arizona. Oregon State is now 6-1 on the pre-season. The Oregon Women are 5-1… Wisconsin scored as time expired Saturday to claim a 58 – 57 victory. Friday night the Ducks beat Cal-State Fullerton and then ended the World Vision International tourney yesterday with a victory over Portland State.