Economic downturn not slowing vendor sales at DuneFest

by Kristina Nelson, KCBY News
Originally printed at http://www.kcby.com/news/local/52027292.html
WINCHESTER BAY, Ore. - DuneFest 2009 is under way in Winchester Bay and by the looks of things, the economy is having little to no effect on the vendors' abilities to sell their merchandise.
Crowds of people with shopping bags in hand lined vendor row out on the dunes Wednesday morning at the first full day of DuneFest.
"So far it's been good, I mean right off the bat before even nine o'clock hit, there were people in here shopping and walking around," said Pete Corwin, vendor and Owner of Got Sand?
"The traffic flow is really nice, I'm actually surprised at how many people are already out here," added Andrea Lanphere, Manager of The Shop on Canyon Road, a vendor out of Beaverton.
And it's not just the vendors that are happy with the turnout, DuneFest Coordinator Joe Mirvis says over the four-day event, they are expecting a record amount of ATV enthusiasts.
"We are totally sold out, reservations went very well this year. We're expecting a record crowd of 8,000 plus."
And all those people mean a boost in business for local stores, with more folks shopping for basic goods.
As for the vendors, they say now that the economic downturn is starting to ease, their sales, especially at events like this, are starting to pick up.
"Sales are starting to pick up, not like they were, but, it's the Oregon and Washington area that we're seeing, it seems like people are getting up off the couch and they're OK, let's spend money," said Corwin.
"Nobody's taking those big Florida vacation trips, they're going to the local events, they're spending the time out in local events," added Lanphere.
Both vendors and organizers said they hope this early momentum in sales will extend into the weekend.

NW ATV Sand Drag Nationals: The fast and not-so-fast

From: Democrat Herald

By Jake RosenbergAlbany Democrat-Herald

Races at Albany Motorsports Park cover all classes of competition
The years have passed and the lap times have dropped.
Since the 1970s, Albany Motorsports Park has showcased some of the fastest motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in the nation, and track operator Ryan Leach wants to make sure that tradition of speed continues during this weekend’s Northwest ATV Sand Drag Nationals.
For the last six years, Leach has been running the event and watching the 100-yard track records bested, but he says that speed is not the only reason why he promotes the sport.“A lot of guys here today are well known nationwide and many of them are from here in Oregon,” Leach said. “This is an industry that is really big. We’ve got (sand) dunes which have put our state on the map, but Oregon has kind of fallen off the map as far as drag racing goes. That’s really too bad because we’ve got a ton of local engine builders here. ... the whole goal is to bring a lot of the big-name builders from across the country.”
With the current track record of 3.25 seconds at 94 miles-per-hour set by Sweet Home’s Cameron Sawyer, AMP is one of the premier venues in the northwest. But Leach doesn’t want to scare away the novice riders who just want to have a good old-fashioned grudge race.
“One of the things people are confused about is that they think they have to have a fast quad in order to compete, but you really don’t. That is why we have bracket racing for the lower-level riders,” said Leach regarding the sportsman classes which utilizes handicaps in order to create parity.
“Everybody that has an ATV and goes to the dunes likes to go fast and at some point in time they are going to want to race their buddies. This is a place where they can do that. That is what this sport is all about. It doesn’t matter if you have a stock bike or a slow bike ... you can be competitive.”Sheldon High School student Calvin Gording just likes having fun on his four-wheeler. A regular on the dunes, Gording, 17, won’t be able to compete against the likes of his father, Grant, and other professional riders at AMP. But that doesn’t keep him away from the drag strip and going against his fellow sportsman riders.
“(The dunes) is mainly what mine is used for but all you have to do to race here is buy a quad and bring it out to the track,” says Gording. “That is the great thing about quads... you can go anywhere you want to.”That enthusiasm for racing is what Leach likes to see at his track.
“There is more that goes into this than just dumping money into (a bike),” Leach says. “There are guys with $40,000 bikes that are twice as fast but that doesn’t mean that he is having more fun than the kid on the stock Banshee.”
Racing begins today and continues on Saturday and Sunday. Gates open at 7 a.m. with racing going through about 4 p.m.Adult admission to the track off Century Drive is $10, children’s tickets (ages 7-12) are $5, and children under six are admitted for free.

SandFest Coming Soon to Oregon Dunes

Source:
http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2009/06/27/news/doc4a45a4eb28272307532684.txt

SandFest organizers are pulling down a mountain on the North Spit to give more people an opportunity to experience the revived dune event’s second year.
Well, not technically a mountain, but a whole lot of sand. Organizer Terry Wilmeth said they are dune deconstructing in order to put the event vendors in a place more accessible for people who lack sand transportation.“Everybody from town can walk around and enjoy the event and they don’t have to worry about getting to the sand,” Wilmeth said.
SandFest 2009 has two phases this year. The first phase will start July 4 and will feature an air show organized with The-Mill Casino, Coos Aviation and the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport. The “Salute to the Military” Air Show & Display will feature aircraft from World War I to the present, along with precision parachutists, aerobatics and a search and rescue demonstration from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station North Bend.
The air show is a fundraiser for a memorial for Oregon National Guardsmen who died in Afghanistan when a flight was hit by Taliban rockets.The air show is expected to begin at about 11:30 a.m. and run to about 2:30 p.m.
People who can’t get enough of the planes can get up close to some of them at Coos Aviation on July 4. Coos Aviation line service manager Joe Pedro said a B-25 Mitchell bomber from World War II and two Korean War-era planes will be on display. The latter planes, a MiG 17 and a F-86 Sabre, will face off in a mock dogfight over the casino during the air show.Pedro said he doesn’t know yet what the price will be, but people can pay to ride in the B-25 while it’s at the airport on the Fourth.He said the air show was organized quickly this year, but he hopes it becomes something more than a last-minute bright idea for this Independence Day.“We haven’t had an air show in a long time,” Pedro said. “We are striving to get this to be an annual event.”
In addition to the air show, SandFest is bringing sand sports to town on Saturday and Sunday, with free supermoto racing at the Pony Village Mall. Wilmeth said the racing will be a chance for people who can’t venture out to the North Spit for the main sand party to get an idea of what it’s like.Also in the spirit of welcoming, SandFest will waive its entry fee for it second phase, a five-day dune event starting July 7.Wilmeth said vendors and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts are all feeling the financial pinch this year, and organizers decided attendees needed a break. With camping and entrance fees, a family easily could spent $200 to $400 just to get into the event last year, and that didn’t include transportation, food and gas.“Just come on out and have a good time,” Wilmeth said. “Take that money and put it into the community where it belongs.”
Wilmeth said he still is trying to arrange a way to bring community members out on the sand, even if they don’t have ATVs.Wilmeth said Sand Dunes Frontier in Florence has offered tour vehicles to shuttle people to and from the sand event. The only problem is getting the sand buses to the North Spit. The huge vehicles can’t drive 45 miles on the highway, said Sand Dunes Frontiers owner Chuck Chapman.

With SandFest fast approaching, organizers are still trying to pull all the event features together, including the artificial movement of a dune.“We will take it to the last minute to make this an exciting event for everyone, even those without sand toys,” Wilmeth said.

www.DuneGuide.com

Oregon Dunes - ATV rentals see booming business over holiday weekend

by Kristina Nelson, KCBY News
Originally printed at http://www.kcby.com/news/local/46132312.html

HAUSER, Ore. - Warm weather over the weekend meant tons of people out on the dunes and it also meant some great business for local ATV rental shops.
And they're hoping that the busy weekend is a good indication of how the summer will be.
Rich Burkholder, owner of Spinreel Dune Buggy and ATV Rental said business was much better than expected.
"Just on rentals alone we had well over 100 groups in here over one day," he said. "As far as tours, we ran at least six truckloads, which keeps us pretty busy for a daytime run. As far as retail, we stayed steady all day."
Burkholder said they saw a good mix of out of state visitors and locals throughout the weekend. And he said he's not worried about the economy slowing his business.
"The economy is more based on the fear factor than anything and I think they're starting to see we can get out and do things," he said. "Folks are doing it with more intelligence this year. You can see they're not spending as much money but they're doing a lot more for their dollar. We've been seeing a lot more local people coming in too."
We also spoke with Todd Ellis at Steve's ATV, who said his business was also booming during the holiday.
Most of their machines were rented throughout the three-day weekend and retail sales were better than expected.

www.DuneGuide.com

Oregon Dunes: A Natural and Unique Landscape

Source:
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/may/18/oregon-dunes-a-natural-and-unique-landscape/

Monday, May 18, 2009
By Seabury Blair Jr.
Tired of the same old big trees and snow-covered mountains? Try the Oregon Dunes for a long weekend outing to an utterly alien landscape.
Located a little more than halfway down the Oregon Coast, the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is widely known by Off-Highway Vehicle enthusiasts. But there's a lonely, quiet side of the dunes that should appeal to anyone who takes their recreation on foot.
Sprawling more than 40 miles along the coast, the Oregon Dunes are the largest sand dunes on the coast of North America, so you'll find plenty of places to get away. Only about half of the dunes are open to Off-Highway Vehicles; the remaining area is reserved for hikers and backpackers.
The dunes serve up a landscape that is unique in the Northwest, one that moves and changes shape almost like a huge living creature. In Florence, you'll find a drift fence that keeps the sand from taking over the Fred Meyer parking lot.
Private and Suislaw National Forest campgrounds abound, and sites at most of them can and should be reserved. It gets mighty crowded there in the summer and the best time for hikers and backpackers is in the spring or fall.
One of the best introductions to the dunes for hikers is the 4.4-mile round-trip hike across the dunes to the Pacific Ocean along the John Dellenback Trail No. 1339. You'll start out in a typical Northwest coastal forest and shortly arrive at the wild sandscape.
The constant wind sculpts the dunes, leaving big sand cornices on the lee side and shifting hills of sand for 2 miles to the coast. It's easy to get disoriented and while there are no trails, painted posts mark the way to the ocean.
You'll see small "islands" of pine trees in spots across the dunes and might find areas where trees have been covered and smothered by the sand. Except for the wind and the hiss of shifting sand, you likely won't hear a thing.
The hike begins at the Umpqua Dunes Day Use area, 10 miles south of Reedsport off Highway 101. A Northwest Forest Pass or recreation fee is required. You'll cross Eel Creek on a timber footbridge and circle part of the Eel Creek Campground in dense forest.
After about a half-mile, the trail turns west and immediately disappears in the sand. Unless you're following another hiker's footsteps, there's little in the way of landmarks to guide you.
Besides, tracks don't last very long in the shifting sands. It's a little like trying to follow snowshoe tracks in a blizzard.
The route heads almost due west, marked by poles with blue rings painted around their tops. They've been placed every quarter-mile or so and should be easy to spot.
Dune-walking is an acquired skill. Portions of the sand are soft enough that you'll feel you're walking in soft corn snow, while others are nearly as compact as cement.
If it's rained recently, low ravines between the dunes may be soft and hold enough water that you might encounter quicksand. Don't worry, quicksand is really slow.
You might be tempted to climb one or more of the dunes, which can be as high as 300 feet. That's a workout in soft sand, so you'll want to be in good physical condition. You may find that the best dune-hiking footwear is none at all.
After about 1.5 miles hiking west, you may see an island of trees. Circle them to the north and follow posts over the final dunes to the ocean.
Walk as far south as you wish along the beach before retracing your steps to the trailhead. Pay attention to the spot where the route turns inland to cross the dunes.
If you'd like to hike overnight, you'll find a camping area about 2.4 miles south on the beach at the mouth of Tenmile Creek. Fog often makes finding your way difficult in the dunes area — carry a compass or GPS.
Finally, figure on packing a windshirt and sunglasses. You might get sandblind.

More info:

• Coos Bay
• Florence
• Winchester Bay
• Oregon Dunes

Challenge stalls Riley Ranch Project at the Oregon Dunes

HAUSER — When Coos County purchased the 135-acre Riley Ranch near Hauser in 2002, the county’s dream was for it to become an ATV mecca, complete with dunes access by this summer.Not so fast.

A national environmental group — the Center for Biological Diversity, based in Tucson, Ariz. — has taken issue with the plan, which requires a nearly 1-mile designated county trail through two plots of National Forest lands. The trail would connect Riley Ranch with an 80-acre county-owned parcel in the heart of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, giving access to the dunes at large.

“It has captured the attention of some interests we hadn’t heard from previously,” said Central Coast District Ranger Pam Gardner.The center’s points of contention are specific and steeped in legalese, put forth in the form of more than 300 letters sent to the Forest Service during a public comment period about the proposal in September.

The comments prompted the Forest Service to take a second look at the project. Meanwhile, Riley Ranch will enter another summer without its most enticing feature — direct ATV access to the dunes.“We’ve had to go back to square one,” said Coos County Parks Director Larry Robison. “We won’t be able to start construction on the trail, I would say, until August.”Best-case scenario is it should be open by 2010. And that’s a long shot. It assumes the Forest Service can shore up the issues raised, and that nothing more will come up when another environmental analysis is published in February. The center contends the Forest Service isn’t following its own rules. It complains the agency failed to designate motorized trails within an allotted three-year period when the dunes NRA management plan was passed in 1994; a section of the land the trail would pass through is designated MA 10C, which is closed to motorized use; and that the trail violates the Forest Service’s 2001 Roadless Rule. But a Biological Diversity attorney bluntly said these points of contention are just a means to an end. The group opposes ATV access into what it considers to a be a fragile and unique habitat, and will do anything it can to throw a wrench in the works. “It’s a way to be heard,” said lawyer Andrew Orahoske, who’s heading up the group’s anti-Riley Ranch campaign. “The primary concern is that the Forest Service has done a poor job in managing offroad vehicles in the dunes since the dunes NRA was created. ...“We feel that the agencies must first address the ongoing damage to the environment and the really rampant trespass and proliferation of illegal trails throughout the dunes.”

Meanwhile, the Riley Ranch project has broad appeal to the ATV community, as it would offer a new point of direct access to the middle of the dunes, roughly halfway in between the southernmost access at Horsfall Campground and Spinreel to the north. Those areas are crowded in the peak ATV season. “A lot of times on a really busy weekend, it’s tough. You have to make your reservation way in advance,” said Gary Potter, motorcycle sales manager at Honda World in Coos Bay. He added that there are economic benefits to the county from ATV use.“The more access, the more people who would come here. There’s so much residual business,” he said.The Forest Service announced the plan early in 2007 and received three comments, all supportive. When it released the preliminary environmental analysis this past fall, though, the center, along with some other interested parties, bombarded the Forest Service with negative input.“They identified some areas we thought we had to take a harder look at,” said Gardner.Now the Forest Service is taking the comments at face value, dealing with the issues specifically, as laid out in a re-scoping plan released in October.

According to that document, the agency will:

• designate a motorized trail from Riley Ranch to the 80-acre county parcel and the dunes at large, doing away with the original three-year stipulation.
• indicate that ATVs only would be allowed on the county trail in the area designated MA 10C.
• clarify that the designated trail would be within an inventoried roadless area and point out that the 2001 Roadless Rule wouldn’t apply because the rule only prohibits the construction of roads, not “motorized trails.”

The document calls for logs and fences to be used to indicate the designated trail and close unofficial trails to ATVs.The re-scoped plan also will clarify the county’s easement through the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad strip.

It’s unlikely all of this will appease the Center for Biological Diversity, however. “We are concerned about all of the dunes, because they are completely unique,” Orahoske said. “The balance has tipped a little bit too far to emphasize motor recreation to the exclusion, to the detriment, of other users and to the vegetation, the things that people go there to see. ...“This is certainly one of those areas where we will be having continual involvement.”

Full Article:
http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2009/01/15/news/doc496f7f04abe64136580697.txt

Other Related Information:
County to create dunes shuttle for ATVs

More Information on the Oregon Dunes:
http://www.duneguide.com/sand_dune_guide_oregon_dunes.htm
http://www.duneguide.com/sand_dune_guide_oregon_coos_bay.htm

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