THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
THE CHRONICLE — 17
COTTAGE GROVE
N AT I O N A L R E S TAU R A N T H O S P I TA L I T Y M O N T H
Bar Manager Jennifer Davis has been with the Axe & Fiddle for four years. She was
chosen to represent the restaurant during National Restaurant Hospitality Month
by her bosses Alyssa Gonzales and Bart Caridio. ALIYA HALL/THE CHRONICLE
Jennifer Davis: Cottage Grove’s
hometown-driven bartender
BY ALIYA HALL
THE CHRONICLE
COTTAGE GROVE — When it comes to
cultivating a warm and diverse atmosphere
at restaurants, Axe & Fiddle owner Alyssa
Gonzales says that bar manager Jennifer
Davis does it best.
“(She’s) the employees’ favorite and the
customers’ favorite,” Gonzales said. “She
really is the perfect representation for the Axe
& Fiddle. She’s kind, understanding, hard-
working and community-minded.”
Davis has been identifi ed by Gonzales as
an exemplary employee, in honor of National
Restaurant Hospitality Month. She has been
working at Axe & Fiddle for four years, since
Gonzales recruited her to the restaurant.
See JENNIFER – 27
Local
Liquor
The art of toga
The first time I tried to culture’s tradition.
attend the Oktoberfest in
While what we call bar-hop-
Munich, Germany, I missed ping is sometimes looked
it. Naturally assuming that it down upon, in the U.K it is a
was held in October,
time-honored tradi-
tion. Often inspired
and without doing any
research in that pre-in-
by a birthday or other
special event, the pub
ternet era, I showed
up mid-month to fi nd
crawl is generally a
the beer tents gone
spontaneous night out
and the festive spirit
for drinks where only
dissipated. A mirthful
the original meeting
local explained that DANA MERRYDAY place is agreed on. As
the festival, founded
the crawl labors on,
in 1810, takes place in the the group decides where to go
weeks leading up to the fi rst to next, sometimes splitting up
Sunday in October.
and reconnecting later by plan
I did eventually get to or by chance.
experience this phenomenon
The idea of combining a
and met real Bavarians who pub crawl, a German beer
explained some of the tradi- festival and a toga party is
tions. The fi rst festival was to the Chamber of Commerce’s
honor the marriage of Crown way to honor the fi lming of
Prince Ludwig to Therese of the “Animal House” parade
Saxe-Hildburghausen. The scene in downtown Cottage
citizens were invited to huge Grove, while at the same time
festivities held in the fi elds in promoting both Art Walk and
front of the Munich city gates local businesses.
Travis Palmer, director of
to honor the couple. Activities
included tastings of wine and the Chamber, explained how
beer, a procession of children the hugely successful 40th
in traditional costumes and a anniversary celebration of the
student choir, and culminated fi lm in Cottage Grove last year
inspired the Chamber to fi nd
in a mad race of 30 horses.
The decision to repeat the a way to commemorate the
popular horse race and other fi lming of “Animal House”
festivities the following year annually in a smaller, more
began what is now an annual community-developed way. “I
event; the festival that has hope the participants celebrate
grown into a huge, world-class responsibly and don’t end up
event, currently in full swing. recreating the parade scene,”
Last year, over 6.3 million visi- Palmer said, jokingly.
tors attended and consumed
The toga-clad revelers that
around two million gallons of mixed it up with the down-
beer and untold wursts, pret- town Art Walk last Friday had
zels and the like.
signed in at The Brewstation
American purveyors of earlier and then bounced
beer, looking to entice custom- between The Grove Bar &
ers into their establishments, Grill, Axe & Fiddle, Stacy’s
have latched onto this popular Covered Bridge Restaurant
festival to bring a bit of the old and The Brewstation. Each
world to the new, and Cottage establishment offered specials
Grove has added a unique twist to patrons who had registered
on the celebration that touches and donned a toga. A few of
on some of the movie- making the costumes had the patina
history of the town. In honor of having survived several
of the movie “Animal House,” toga events in Cottage Grove,
fi lmed partly in The Grove, and the OkTOGAfest added
the monthly Last Friday Art a festive fl avor to the mix of
Walk in historic downtown buskers, artists and visitors as
added a new dimension: the crowd worked their way
OkTOGAfest, sponsored by up one side of Main Street and
the Cottage Grove Chamber down the other.
of Commerce and billed as a
T he Cot t age G rove
pub crawl, which is yet another Chamber of Commerce was
the original creator of the Art
Walk here in the Grove, but
has since handed it off to a
committee. But the Chamber
still wants to help support the
event and promote the busi-
nesses involved. The toga
event was planned to piggy-
back on the Art Walk and draw
some folks who may not have
attended or haven’t gone in a
while.
In speaking with Kate
Brown at the Chamber, she let
me in on a bit of a surprise: Art
Walk is going to a year-round
format. I followed up that lead
by going to see Michele Rose,
one of the committee of seven
that has taken on the plan-
ning and management of the
Cottage Grove Art Walk. She
confi rmed that, yes, we don’t
have to give up our Art Walk
just because the seasons have
changed. Rose and commit-
tee members had reached out
to other Oregon communities
that host Art Walks and the
consensus was that Art Walks
in the winter are in fact better
attended. When the summer
festival season ends the
number of activities available
in a community plummets,
making an Art Walk attrac-
tive to attend.
Instead of ending in
October, there will be now be
Art Walks on Black Friday
in November (Nov. 29, 2019),
on Dec. 27, to help walk off
the holiday malaise, and on
into the new year. Rose also
promises surprises that will
be sprinkled throughout the
winter world of art. She was
being cagey, but from the qual-
ity of music and art that I have
been experiencing this season,
I am very intrigued.
“We are always looking for
artists and musicians to partic-
ipate,” Rose said.
If you know someone or
would like to offer your own
talents to a year-round cele-
bration of culture on the last
Friday of each month, contact
Rose at 541-514-0704 or drop
in to see her at The Crafty
Mercantile on Main.
You can reach Dana
Merryday at 541-942-7037 or
dana_merryday@yahoo.com.
Magnolia Gardens plans 37 new apartments
FROM STAFF REPORTS
COTTAGE GROVE – Magnolia Gardens Senior Living is expanding and began construc-
tion of 37 new apartments this week. The construction will offer new assisted and memory
care options and enhance function and accessibility between the assisted living and memory
care facilities, said executive director Tara Blount, but will maintain the nature and wildlife
access around Magnolia Gardens. More info: 541-942-0054.
Evidence Based Birth®
childbirth class comes to Grove
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Please drink responsibly & be safe!
167 E. Oregon Ave. , Creswell • 541.895.2559
THE CHRONICLE:
LOCALLY OWNED
SINCE 1909
COTTAGE GROVE – Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth
classes aim to inform, empower and inspire expecting parents
and birth-care practitioners to understand the latest, proven,
evidence-based care practices. Learn evidence for birth
options in an online class; meet in-person with an experi-
enced instructor, Molly Patterson, and other parents in your
area who are going through pregnancy. This class is limited
to only six couples per session.
Two in-person classes are held at Cottage Grove Community
Center in the Shepherd Room at 700 E. Gibbs Ave. November
Class: Friday, Nov. 1, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
More info: tenderhandsdoula.com/workshops-classes and
oregon-ebb-workshops-classes.eventbrite.com.