Most Reedsport residents already know how much Mark and Karen Bedard do in the community, but on Saturday, the owners of Bedrock’s were honored with the Governor’s Community Service Award.

The Oregon Restaurant Association began the award program to recognize restaurant operators who go above and byond in supporting their communities.

Bedrock’s was honored in the small business category along with Mother’s Bistro and Bar/Mama Mia Trattoria of Portland.

In the medium/large business category, Martin Hospitality and Shar’s  Restaurants were honored. Mark’s name was forwarded to the national competition for the National Restaurant Association’s Cornerstone Humanitarian of the Year award.

The national winner receives $5,000 for their favorite charity. The winner will be announced in September.

Mark, who has lived in Reedsport nearly his entire life, said, “The best part is, I’m giving back to the community that’s given so much to me.”

Some of the many community projects the Bedards are involved with include the Memorial Day Weekend parade and activities; the Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Sculpting Championships; the Special Olympics; Great Afternoons; the Reedsport High School Sports Banquet; Confluence; Tip-A-Cop; and Mr. RHS.

And if that’s not enough, Mark was the president of the Reedsport/Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce recently.

“It takes a lot of time to do what we’re doing,” Mark said. “I couldn’t do it without Karen.”

Two of the programs the Bedards help support show the scope of their community support — the Great Afternoons program and the Memorial Day Weekend event.

“The other day we had 50 kids in here from the Great Afternoons program,” Mark said. “We let tham make mini pizzas. It was great.”

The Memorial Day Weekend event in Reedsport is a mammoth undertaking.

Included in the festivities are the 29 Palms Marine Marching Band, the Green Beret Parachute Team and the U.S. Navy Rock Band.

This means setting up hotels, meals and events for as many as 55 people for the entire weekend.

“It takes a lot of work with the military,” Mark said.

Usually, a request is put in to the military to have the groups attend these events, but the military doesn’t confirm until 90 days before the event.

“They love this event so much that we received confirmation from the general that they will be back in 2009,” Karen said. “We got the letter about three weeks ago.”

That’s about six months ahead of schedule.

The Bedards have owned Bedrock’s Chowderhouse and Grill since 2000, and last year bought Pizza Ray’s and Suzy’s in Winchester Bay.

Mark said getting into the restaurant business was a “fluke.”

After high school, Bedard went to work for International Paper for 18 years before the mill closed.

“When they closed, I went to SOCC on the displaced workers program,” Mark said. “I was ready to take my family out of this area ... this opportunity came up in my last quarter there.”

Suzy Wasson, owner of Pizza Ray’s and Suzy’s, gave the Bedards the opportunity.

“She had left a message to call her,” Karen said. “Our daughter worked here.”

Mark stopped by the restaurant later that week.

“They said, we’ve got an opportunity for you kids to stay here,” Mark said. “We looked at the financials and dove in head first.”

That was eight years ago.

“Ray and Suzy built an icon for 25 years here from 1975 to 2000,” Karen said. “I wouldn’t say it was easy to step into their shoes, but they’d built a good business.”

When Suzy finally retired last year, she sold the Winchester Bay restaurant to the Bedards, and it is now called Bedrock’s By The Bay.

“Since Day One, I knew we’d be very active in the community,” Mark said.

And so they have.