World Photo by Lou Sennick Nate McCormick uses a roller to apply a coating of concrete sealer on the Firefighters Memorial in downtown Coos Bay on Tuesday afternoon. Members of the Coos Bay Fire Department were doing the cleanup work. At the same time, Chief Stan Gibson, behind the statues, and Jeff Adkins were applying the sealer. In the background, Steve Takis is using a pressure washer on the sidewalk to have the memorial looking good for this weekend’s Bay Area Fun Festival.

Car enthusiasts, distance runners and music lovers will have plenty to keep them busy at this weekend’s Bay Area Fun Festival.

So, too, will history buffs, skateboarders and cinema fans.

Cruz the Coos, the Prefontaine Memorial 10k run and the Teen Idol final all return for another year in downtown Coos Bay, along with the afternoon parade.

There also will be several special events highlighting new projects that could make a big change to Coos Bay residents and those visiting the area.

The Coos Historical & Martitime Museum is holding a special celebration. It marks the resumption of fundraising to build a new facility on the Coos Bay waterfront.

Meanwhile, the Citizens for Bay Area Youth plan to set up a dunk tank to raise funds for its skate park and future projects. And the Egyptian Theatre will screen American Graffiti tonight to help raise funds for local food banks.

The museum had been stalled for more than a year as the city and state tussled over land ownership. With the issue settled, the museum now can approach foundations for grants assured it owns the proposed site.

Starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, there will be cash drawings, free hot dogs and soft drinks, as well as a number of activities at the property on the north end of Front Street.

‘“We thought it would be a nice preview for people who haven’t visted the site,” said Teri Whitty, a museum board member.

A museum footprint will be drawn on the ground, and visitors will be given a chance to draw their own footprints to be included in a time capsule photo, said Whitty.

Historical displays, including a 1920 Model-T Ford and a 2009 Ford Flex, will be in the area, too.

“It’s sort of a then-and-now exhibit,” Whitty explained.

Local historian Bill Lansing will hold a book signing and new education director John Guss will be present to answer questions about the museum’s youth outreach programs.

Construction of a new museum is still a ways off. But construction of the new skatepark in Mingus Park is under way, and supporters will be raising money during the Fun Festival for the second phase of that project.

The Citizens for Bay Area Youth will set up a dunk tank. They have invited local school faculty and firefighters to volunteer on the precarious seat. Coos Bay Mayor Jeff McKeown has agreed to sit in the seat. He will visit the tank at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The group also is offering residents the chance to paint tiles that will eventually be displayed at the entrance to the new skatepark. They will be available at the booth. Completed tiles can be dropped off at the Concrete Pirate Skate Shop, 825 Central Ave. CBAY also will be holding a yard sale from dawn until dark on Saturday and Sunday at Mingus Park. There will be a barbecue with hamburgers, hot dogs, homemade goodies and drinks. All of the proceeds will go to the skate park project.

And tonight, the Egyptian Theatre will screen “American Graffiti,” with the only cost of admission being a food donation. The movie starts at 7 p.m.

Fun Fest kicks off with 10K ‘Pre’ run

Expect to see thousands of people in downtown Coos Bay on Saturday morning for a “Pre-view” of the Bay Area Fun Festival.

Vendors will open up at 9 a.m. Saturday. But the festival really will kick off at 10 a.m., when the Pre run starts at the intersection of Fourth Street and Anderson Avenue. More than 1,000 runners are expected, including Minna Kainlauri, a Finnish distance runner from Espoo.

Runners this year will notice several plaques located along the route, which goes out to Empire and back, finishing at Marshfield High School. The plaques were purchased through the Prefontaine Hometown Project, designed to highlight Pre’s ties with Coos Bay, where he grew up before he went on to become a world-renowned distance runner and holder of multiple American records. Prefontaine died in a car accident in 1975.

Local residents should be aware that the entire race route will be closed to traffic from 9:45 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday. This includes Anderson Avenue from Broadway to Seventh Street, Central Avenue from the Dairy Queen to Ocean Boulevard, and Ocean Boulevard to Shore Pines Mobile Home Park. Also closed are 10th Street from Central Avenue to Elrod Avenue and Ninth Street from Elrod Avenue to Prefontaine Track at Marshfield’s Pete Susick Stadium.

Ten o’clock also marks the start of the quilt show at the Boys & Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon 3333 Walnut St.

The parade will go throughout downtown, starting at 1 p.m. This year’s grand marshals are the mayors of Coos Bay and North Bend, and the theme is “Come Celebrate in 2008.”

The Teen Idol Finals will start at 3 p.m. on a stage set up in front of City Hall. Contestants include Alyssa Birrer, Star Moralez, Destyni Fuller and Mariah Rogers.

The Coos Bay Fire Department’s downtown station will host a chili feed from 5 p.m. to 8, which will lead into the Cruz the Coos car cruise, centered between Commercial and Anderson avenues.

Firefighters also will be serving pancakes Sunday morning from 7 to 11.