MAYOR'S MESSAGE Big Fun at the Bay A Weekend to Celebrate Coos Bay One of the great traditions in our community returns this weekend with the Bay Area Fun Festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20. This year’s parade theme is “Big Fun at the Bay!” and there will be plenty happening throughout downtown Coos Bay over the course of the weekend. Saturday will feature the vendor market along Central Avenue, the 44th Annual Prefontaine Memorial Run beginning at 10 a.m., and the Bay Area Fun Festival Parade at 1 p.m. Later that evening, hundreds of classic cars will take to the streets for Cruz the Coos, another longtime favorite. The fun continues Sunday with vendors downtown and the Pre Run for Kids at the Marshfield High School track. The Bay Area Fun Festival is one of those weekends that really brings our community together. You see families lining the streets for the parade, runners from near and far participating in the Prefontaine Memorial Run, downtown filled with people, and plenty of familiar faces along the way. An event like this also takes a lot of people working behind the scenes. I want to thank the Coos Bay Downtown Association, the many volunteers and participating organizations, our local businesses, and City staff who help make the weekend possible. That includes our Police and Fire personnel who help keep everyone safe, as well as our Public Works crews who put in a great deal of work preparing downtown and supporting the many activities taking place throughout the weekend. I also want to thank our residents and downtown businesses for their patience as streets are closed and traffic is rerouted to make room for the festivities. A little inconvenience for a weekend helps make it possible for thousands of people to come together and enjoy our downtown. Whether you are running in the Prefontaine Memorial Run, watching the parade, checking out the classic cars, visiting the vendors, or just spending some time downtown with family and friends, I hope you will come out and enjoy the weekend. Events like the Bay Area Fun Festival are part of what makes Coos Bay a great place to call home. I hope to see you downtown, and I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Fun Festival weekend! -Joe Benetti, Mayor of Coos Bay