Enhancing Bandon’s Quality of Life
LIBRARY, PARKS & SPRAGUE COMMUNITY THEATER
By Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller
From Bandon’s library to its park system to the local community theater, there’s a variety
of recreational activities for everyone who lives, works, and plays in this coastal town.
Bandon Public Library
The library is more than books. In fact, a new youth initiative targets students from second to eighth
grade with “out of the books” programs.
Library officials added the offerings in this age range to expand its outreach to students beyond
traditional toddler to kindergarten programs.
New additions include giving students a monthly chance to create Awkward Art—or art in a fun
space—out of their own brand of “the weird, the fantastic, the daring, or the just plain
awkward.”
The STEM Club, led by Jenn Frey, Oregon Coast STEM Hub South Coast Coordinator, adds another option
that includes science, technology, engineering and mathematical activities.
For adults, a Spanish Conversation group meets twice a month, giving Spanish speakers of all levels a
chance to learn together. The Conversational French group, led by a native speaker, provides a learning
opportunity for those wanting to learn to speak French.
Other adult programs include everything from a travel night group, which allows patrons to
show-and-tell their adventures, to gardening programs designed to not only educate those interested in
gardening, but also provide seeds through an exchange program.
A Day Use Park Pass initiative allows Coos and Curry County library card holders to borrow a limited
number of free daily park passes on a first-come, first-served basis to Bullard’s Beach and Face
Rock State Parks.
Card holders, as well as Bandon visitors, can check out sports equipment for day-use in city parks.
This includes a basketball, a frisbee, a football, a soccer ball, a pickleball set, and more.
Jan Ayers, youth and adult programs specialist, said many of the library’s outreach efforts came
about after staff brainstormed and researched offerings successful at other libraries.
Other on-going groups and activities for patrons include two writing groups, discussion groups, and a
storytelling cafe.
“All library programs and special events are free and open to everyone,” Ayers said.
“We are a welcoming community hub for Bandon, providing programs, services, information, and
materials.”
Ayers said people who live or work in Bandon can apply for a card with a photo ID and proof of
residence. Library card holders within Coos and Curry Counties can check out materials from the Bandon
library and return the items to other libraries within the two counties.
The library also features a Neverending Book sale, which includes books, DVDs, and CDs for sale, as
well as a public computer lab with free WIFI access and printing services.
The library is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. It is located at 1204 SW 11th Street, at the far end of
the City Park building complex, which also includes The Sprague Community Theatre, the
“Barn” Community Center, and the senior center. https://www.bandonlibrary.org/
Parks & Recreation
For residents and guests wanting to get outside and experience life on the Oregon coast, the Friends of
Bandon Park and Recreation (FOBPR) strive to meet patrons’ needs in various ways.
Steve Friedland, former secretary of the FOBPR, said a group of University of Oregon students from the
school’s Institute for Policy Research are currently studying the city’s Jetty Park to
develop improvements.
Friedland said the student group is working with stakeholders—including the Coquille Tribe,
private landowners, the Corps of Army Engineers, and the Port of Bandon—to address environmental
concerns involved in the South Jetty. This encompasses flooding issues, earthquakes, tsunamis, sea
levels rising, and the wildfire hazard.
Friedland said a convenience sampling of visitors to the area, which included tourists and locals,
indicated people want more sidewalks, signage, and trails.
University of Oregon recommendations include building a continuous sidewalk with an ADA-compliant
surface, benches, educational signage, and artwork to connect the South Jetty to Old Town Bandon on the
coastal side of the road; a Redmond Pond trail system with a birding and observation area featuring
educational signage; and a South Jetty Park that would replace the current parking lot with a picnic
area, trails, and ADA-compliant beach access.
“The plan would involve naturalizing the edges of the lot and installing racking logs (vertical
logs) to reduce the hazards posed by logs being propelled to shore by rogue waves,” Friedland
said. He said FOBPR members continue to look at the other major park, Johnson Creek Greenway, with a
commitment to preserve the greenway as a natural resource area.
Beyond working with the parks, the FOBPR strives to reach out to the community in a variety of ways,
including participating in the Bike Rodeo each year by providing safety training, bicycles, and helmets
for third graders at Ocean Crest Elementary School.
The group also supports the Bandon Pickleball Club, which now plays on recently upgraded pickleball
courts at the City Park.
Friedland said other City Park improvements include a partnership with the Bandon Public Library to
install a storywalk in the park. Initial improvements include storyboards to promote native plants, new
playground equipment, and an Arbor Day event that helped “spruce up” the grounds. A Veterans
Day planting event, in conjunction with the local VFW Post, will install new trees and shrubs.
“Partnering with the Greater Bandon Association, FOBPR donated a chat bench to be installed
downtown on the new Edison Avenue sidewalk that leads to the roadway for Jetty Park,” Friedland
said. “FOBPR plans to continue its support for parks and recreational activities in 2026, with
some exciting announcements to be made in January, 2026.” https://fobpr.com/
Community Theatre
For 25 years, the Sprague Community Theatre has provided Bandon and surrounding areas with performances
by local and touring artists.
The theater provides the stage for live music, dance, and drama performances, as well as a monthly
movie showing and literary and education presentations.
In its first months of operation, audiences enjoyed everything from a production of South Pacific to a
presentation of Handel’s Messiah.
“We offer something for everyone in the community,” explained Stephanie Jones, theater
manager. “People in the community, including people who have worked professionally from film to
Broadway, have stepped on this stage either as a technical or acting participant.”
Jones said the Sprague Community Theatre offers more than many would expect in a small coastal
town.
“We give the community a place to learn about the art of live performance,” Jones said.
“(They do this) either by acting, singing, or dancing, or as an audience member.”
“You cannot help feel the connection that you can only get in a live performance, that unique
back and forth dialogue between an audience and the artists on stage. As a theater-goer, you play an
indispensable role. Very simply, there could be no theater, no dance, no opera, no concerts without
you.”
https://bandonevents.org
Our Movies for 2026
• Jan. 9 – Labyrinth
• Jan. 23 – All the
Presidents Men
• Feb. 6 – Casablanca
• Feb. 13 – Shrek
• March 13 – Free Willy
• April 10 – Somewhere
in Time
• April 24 – Mary Poppins
• May 22 – George of the Jungle – With a talk back
with Actor
Nameer El-Kadi who was in the movie.
• June 5 – Wicked: For Good
• June 19 – “Near Myth:
The Oskar Knight Story”
• Aug. 21 – Raiders
of the lost ark
• Sept. 18 – Foot Loose
• Oct. 16 – Monsters Inc.
and a Costume Contest
• Nov. 6 – To Catch a Thief
• Nov. 20 – Apollo 13
• Dec. 18 – The Santa Claus
Upcoming Productions
The Bandon Playhouse
2026 Season
• The Nutcracker
Dec. 6, 7, 12, 13, 14
2025
• The Diary of Anne Frank
Feb. 27 & 28 and Mar. 1, 6,
7, 8 2026
• Marlo Dance Spring Recital | May
2026
• Nunsense, The Musical | Aug. 2026
• Frankenstein | Oct. 2026
• Old Befana | Dec. 2026
The Sprague Community Theater
and The Bandon Playhouse host a Fringe
Festival in June every year.
Dates for the Fringe in 2026 are
June 25, 26, 27, 28
