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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2016)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL May 18, 2016 B EYOND THE G ROVE News from Lane County and CG's neighbors Something wickedly wonderful this way came — and left much too soon BY NED HICKSON News Media Corporation BRIEFS FROM BEYOND Family Safety Fair PeaceHealth announces that it will host its Family Safety Fair on Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Willama- lane Center for Sports and Recreation, 250 S. 32nd St. in Springfi eld. The event includes a Kohl’s car seat clinic, bike helmet fi t- ting/giveaway, distracted driv- ing game, teddy bear fi rst aid clinic, swim safety station, free home safety items such as fur- niture straps and more. Butterfl y Run Signups are open for the Elkton Community Education Center (ECEC) annual Elkton Butterfl y Run on Saturday, June 18. The event features a family friendly 5K fun run/walk with bursts of color along the sce- nic route. There will be a free quarter-mile supervised loop run through the ECEC grounds for kids 10 years or under. The 2016 Butterfl y Run is produced in memory of the run founder, John Bradley, and held at the ECEC site, 15850 Highway 38 West, Elkton. Participants are encouraged to wear eye protection. On line registration is available at the ECEC website www.elk- tonbutterfl ies.com . Master Preservers class at ECEC On Sunday, May 22 from 1- 3:30pm, the Master Food Pre- servers will host a workshop at ECEC, 15850 Highway 38, Elkton, with information about food preservation practices and equipment. Participants will learn tips and tricks so they can enjoy eating locally produced foods year round. The class costs $15 and is limited in size. Reservation forms are available at ECEC or the OSU Extension Service. For information, con- tact ECEC at 541 584-2692 or info@elktonbutterfl ies.com. I Yoncalla Parks and Rec meeting N. Douglas budget meeting A public meeting of the Yoncalla Parks and Recreation District will be held on Tues- day, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Yoncalla Community Center, 400 Main Street in Yoncalla to discuss the budget for the fi scal year beginning July 1, 2016, as approved by the Yoncalla Parks & Recreation District Budget Committee. A copy of the budget may be inspected or obtained at Yoncalla Parks & Recreation District (offi ce), 166 Halo Trail Road between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. A Budget Meeting for North Douglas High School is sched- uled for Wednesday, May 25 at 6 p.m. at the High School library. “56 Pontiac” in Drain The Drain Civic Center, lo- cated at 205 West A Street, will present the music of ’56 Pon- tiac on Friday, May 20 from 7-9 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. This event calendar is for meetings, cultural events, etc. for Drain, Yoncalla or Elkton. Deadline for calendar is at least two weeks prior to event. (Any kind of Sales event, i.e. garage sales, estate sales, plant sales, etc., must go in classifi eds.) Email to legals@cgsentinel. com or call 541-942-3325. $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM Our Community Newspaper since 1889 Subscribe and $AVE LORANE COUNTRY NEWS BY LIL THOMPSON For the Sentinel Several exciting and inter- esting events are planned this week and next in the school district: On Wednesday, May 18, is the second drama per- formance of the comedy “I Wish…A Fairy’s Fairytale” at 7 p.m. in the Crow Middle/High School cafetorium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for chil- dren, but those who bring in a canned food or non-perishable food item will have $2 taken off their cost. Food goes to Food 2016 for Lane County, and all money goes into the Drama Program. On Thursday, May 19, the CAL School Board meets in Apple- gate Elementary at 7 p.m. fol- lowing the executive session. Hopefully, by now, most of you know about the 10-year Devel- oping Master Plan for the dis- trict buildings to bring student security and safety while updat- ing and repairing area schools. Those interested may go to the district website and fi ll out the survey. There will also be time for questions at the school board meeting On Friday, May 20, Minidoka, a Japanese swing band, will per- form in the gym at Crow Mid- dle/High School from 1-2 p.m. Rural Art Center is responsible as a part of the “Artist in Resi- dence” program. The students have been studying about Japa- nese internment camps. Des- serts will be served following the program at 2 p.m. and the band will be available for a meet and greet in the Cafetorium. Those who were unable to at- tend the Kindergarten Round-up last week can call the CAL Dis- trict offi ce, 541-935-2100 with Cottage Theatre presents information about their kinder. Children must turn fi ve by Sept. 1, 2016 for the 2016-17 school year. The track and fi eld 2A state meet is this week, May 19 and 20 at Hayward Field. There will be no school on Monday, May 30 for Memorial Day. School is winding down and seniors are preparing for graduation, which is scheduled for June 10. On June 3, the time capsule bur- ied by the class of 1967 will be opened at 6 p.m. Calling all weavers...sev- eral people want to start a guild meeting in the Cottage Grove area twice a month for all levels from beginners to ad- vanced. Lifelong weaver Pat Olivier wants to pass on her knowledge. Those interested can call Marilyn at 541-942- 6073 or Julie or Sami at the Yarn Shop on Main Street in Cottage Grove at 541-942-6924. The Rebekahs are having a workday at the Oddfellows’ Cemetery this Saturday, May 21 at 9 a.m. to prepare the grounds for Memorial Day. Participants are asked to bring the usual work tools. 9A t’s a strange juxtaposition I fi nd myself, watching the arrival of the carnival in our small town each year and seeing the excitement in the eyes of our children. But as the rides are hammered together late into the evening, I am re- minded of the night 15 years ago when my best friend called to tell me he was coming back home to Oregon — because he was dying. He was 30 years old. In September of 1995, I received a letter from my mother. Included with it was something she’d cut out of the local paper, something written by a young man who, that July, had become the new sports re- porter for our newspaper back home. As I unfolded the three- column rectangle of newsprint, a smiling face appeared below the wide brim of an Austra- lian-style hat. The face was kind. Genuine. And in the eyes was a vibrancy and glean that transcended the black and white newspaper page. Long before I actually met Jason F. Jensen, I somehow knew that his eyes were blue. That he walked with his hands in his pockets. That he pre- ferred hiking boots over Ree- boks. And that his wit was sharp, but never cruel. As I read the last para- graph of my mother’s letter, she closed with a mixture of whimsy and intuition: I hope you can meet each other some day; I know the two of you would be great friends. I then sat down to read “Breathe easy, young man,” Jason’s fi rst column for the Siuslaw News, and was imme- diately taken by the descrip- tion of his escape from the San Bernardino Valley — a 15 mph getaway in his “violent-yel- low” VW van that marked his return to Oregon after a year of living in the “coffee-colored haze” of southern California. In his writing was a mixture of truth and vulnerability laced with subtle humor — qualities that were a direct refl ection of his natural disposition as both explorer and astute observer of life. By the following afternoon, the column had been laminat- ed and posted on our refrigera- tor door. Three years later, we arrived back in Florence with our pos- sessions, our plans to settle down, our new jobs and our refrigerator — column still in place. It wasn’t until months later, while visiting some friends, that a lanky fi gure de- scended the stairs into the liv- ing room, hands in his pockets. He had hiking boots on, and his blue eyes greeted us long before the words could leave his mouth. As he pulled his wide-brimmed hat into place, I blurted, “You’re the guy on my refrigerator!” One might say that from those words, our friendship began. But, I’d have to disagree; in actuality, it started long before that. Long before my mother decided to clip that fi rst col- umn from the newspaper. Long before he sat in this very newsroom and wrote a story about returning home that re- mains on our refrigerator to this day. I believe that true friendship begins long before a handshake or shared laugh. It’s something set into motion and meant as a gift for staying on pace with your life. Make the right decisions and remain true to yourself, and you will fi nd the gift of true friendship. Based on that belief, I’d have to say that returning to Florence was the best decision I ever made. Jason became one of my truest friends, clos- est confi dants, and the godfa- ther to my son (And yes, Ja- son could do a mean Marlon Brando). If friendship is the metro- nome of life, I’d have to say Jason’s was paced with ab- solute precision — a notion made evident by the ever-wid- ening circle of friends he made in his 30 years of life. When it all comes down to it, love is the only real measure of success. It’s the only thing worth taking with you, and the most lasting gift you can leave behind. Jason, should you ever ques- tion your measure of success in this life, take a look at our refrigerator door — And breathe easy, young man. (Ned is a syndicated colum- nist with News Media Corpo- ration. His book, Humor at the Speed of Life, is available on- line at Port Hole Publications, Amazon Books and Barnes & Noble. Write to him at ned- hickson@icloud.com) Another dental visit? Turns out, you have better things to do with your time. June 10, 11, 12* • 16, 17, 18, 19* • 23, 24, 25, 26* *matinee A zany modern day farce inspired by Moliere; a fun-filled ride full of slapstick, ridiculous chase scenes, disgruntled waiters, and misbehaving sausages. Warning: your belly might just ache from laughing so hard! We know your time is valuable. That's why we've invested in CEREC technology that allows for a faster experience when you need crowns, fillings or veneers. With CEREC, there's usually no need for a temporary By Frank Dunlop and Jim Dale sponsored by: and return visit. Everything is done in one visit, in about an hour - leaving more time for whatever is important to you. Directed by George Comstock Implants · Teeth Whitening · New State-of-the-Art Building Tickets available online, by phone, or at the door one hour before performance Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS Thursday−Saturday 8:00 pm; Sunday 2:30 pm. $20 Adult, $15 Youth (age 6−18) 350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies) www.cottagetheatre.org • 541-942-8001 • 700 Village Drive • Cottage Grove 942-7934 CEREC® is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems.
