By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com
YACHATS — Six years in the making, the new Amanda Trail suspension bridge receives its formal — and respectful — welcome Saturday and Sunday.
Several activities are planned that weekend to honor the bridge and trail’s’ namesake, Amanda De-Cuys, a member of the Coos tribe. Blind, she was forced by U.S. government troops in 1864 to leave her husband and daughter and walk barefoot from Coos Bay to a military camp in Yachats. Her story has become emblematic of what event organizers call “the sad history of the U.S. genocidal policies.”
That’s why a somber but hopeful note is struck by the weekend’s free events, honoring Amanda and formally introducing the new 142-foot $434,000 suspension bridge on the Amanda Trail just south of Yachats.
The weekend’s theme is “Bridging Cultures & Healing Hearts.” Tickets are required for most of the weekend activities via the Brown Paper Tickets website. For the latest details, check the website of View the Future.
The limited spaces available have all been claimed for the ceremony from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, at the bridge overlooking the Amanda gathering area. Travel will be permitted only by buses from the Yachats Community Presbyterian Church or by foot via the Amanda Trail. There will be no parking at the site.
The bus will leave guests off at the bottom of the access road along U.S. Highway 101, requiring a hike of 600 feet to the dedication site, of which 300 feet is uphill. The ground of the forested setting is uneven, and not considered handicapped-accessible. The outdoor gathering area can hold 160 people, with seating for 120. Light refreshments will be provided.
Bus rides will begin at 11:30 a.m. between the church and the Amanda gathering area for people who reserved in advance.
The dedication begins at 1 p.m. with speakers from state, county and local entities, as well as from the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, and of Siletz Indians.
The dedication concludes at 2:30 p.m. with people taking the bus back to Yachats or guests can hike back via the Amanda Trail. The last bus leaves the gathering area at 4:30 p.m.
Events at Commons
The ceremony is also viewable via a live stream presentation in the Yachats Commons’ multipurpose room from 1-3 p.m. Saturday. Light refreshments will be served. Attendance is free but seating is limited, so registration through Brown Paper Tickets is required.
Following Saturday’s ceremony, there will a reception from 5:30-6:45 p.m. in the multipurpose room with refreshments provided by the Drift Inn. Attendance is free but seating is limited, so registration through Brown Paper Tickets is required.
Saturday night, there is a community play at 7 o’clock in the multipurpose room called “Amanda Transcending” which dramatizes the life of Amanda De-Cuys and how her story was brought to light. It was written by Connie Bennett and is directed by Milo Graamans. Attendance is free but seating is limited, so registration through Brown Paper Tickets is required. The play will also be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday — and there is plenty of room available for that performance, organizers say.
People attending the plays can also take turns playing Yellow Bear, the Yachats community drum, 20 minutes before the Saturday and Sunday performances.
Two Amanda-themed banners on display in the multipurpose room will be raffled after the Sunday play performance. Tickets for the raffle will be available at the registration desk in the Commons. Winners don’t need to be present for the drawing.
The Amanda Bridge dedication is sponsored by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, the city of Yachats and View the Future, a local non-profit dedicated to land conservation.
