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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2016)
Weekend preview — 3A Senior Living — 11A Gold Rush results — 3B Cottage Grove Sentinel Above: A formation of Swift airplanes took to the skies over BMD Saturday — More on page 3A WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016 SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 129 • NUMBER 4 Slabtown prevails in close BMD feud contest BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel S unny skies, comfortable temperatures and sizable crowds set the stage for what or- ganizers are calling a successful Bohemia Mining Days festival, the 57th annual celebration of the Cottage Grove area’s min- ing heritage. First-year coordinator Cindy Weeldreyer said that many of the vendors who ply their wares at BMD each year compliment- ed what they saw as the best fes- tival in a decade. “The weather was a real bless- photo by Greg Lee Grand Marshals for Saturday's Grand Miners Parade and the festival's fi rst queens, Amelia Dunnavin Blowers and Carolyn Cutts Rippy, share a moment with coordinator Cindy Weeldreyer and escorts Jack and Joyce Gates. to the BMD schedule following a hiatus, were well supported. Themed “All that Glitters is not Gold,” the festival highlighted Cottage Grove’s early forays into electricity. But there was more history on hand as well, as the southwest corner of Coiner Park played host to the festival’s heritage stage, in addition to blackpow- der rifl e demonstrations from the Fort Umpqua Muzzleload- ers and the blacksmith work of Gene Bland. Antique engines kept the park humming and popping, and a nonstop enter- tainment schedule meant music Slabtown 118 Lemati 117 More results on page 9A ing,” Weeldreyer said. “Last year, we were in the triple dig- its on Saturday, and the cooler weather seemed to bring out more people.” Crowds appeared larger from the get-go, as Coiner Park teemed with activity from Thursday evening on. New and returning events such as the Bloomer Parade, which returned from start to fi nish. Weeldreyer highlighted the brand-new Historical Treasure Hunt, which used the BMD Ex- press Train to ferry players to local historical landmarks. She said that 42 completed entries were turned in by participants who visited 11 local landmarks. The train itself was also a popu- lar attraction. “We pulled it off,” Weeldrey- er said of the hunt. “Downtown businesses were really great about staying open a little later on Saturday and Sunday.” Please see BMD, Page 9A Symphony's second showing successful Also inside: Instrument petting zoo, #instaballet and community band augment outdoor concert BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel M Kids can cook Local farm's classes aim to show them how, page 8A idway through the performance, a low rumble could be heard in the distance, a sound too mechanical, too metallic to be part of the show on stage. “Ah, that’s what it was — a train,” exclaimed Conductor Danail Rachev. “I was wondering.” Rachev chit-chatted with the audience for an- photo by Jon Stinnett other minute, as is his wont, but eventually he’d Danail Rachev conducts the Eugene Symphony's performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 call the orchestra to attention once again, and the Overture" during Monday's concert at Bohemia Park. bombast of John Williams’ score from “Star Wars” the evening began well before the Symphony took “As a bass player, I always feel like we’re kind of drowned out the noise of the passing train. off in right fi eld,” Pardi said. “I remember when the Such was the scene for the Eugene Symphony’s its seats. At 5:30, representatives of the Eugene Sympho- local symphony hosted something like this when I second stop in Cottage Grove in as many years Monday evening, an event that was by turns both ny Association assembled under the park’s pavil- was little, and the chance to play one of these was highbrow and down home, with a sunset as spec- ion with an array of instruments. Children young thrilling.” Cottage Grove’s Community Band took the tacular as any this area offers setting the sky ablaze and older got to try their hand (or lips) at playing a trumpet, violin and various percussion instruments, stage at 6:30 p.m. with four musical numbers. Next behind the park to help close the show. By show time at 7:30 p.m., the crowd fi lled the and Evan Pardi, bassist with the Symphony and a came an audience-aided performance from #insta- grass seating of the Bohemia Park amphitheater recent graduate of the University of Oregon School ballet, whose Antonio Anacan implored the crowd and much of two sets of bleachers erected behind of Music, even stopped by with his own outsize in- Please see SYMPHONY, Page 10A the regular seating just for this performance. But strument to display. No moorage at Baker Bay after Dorena Reservoir drawdown BY JON STINNETT the Cottage Grove Sentinel B oat owners accustomed to mooring their crafts at Baker Bay on Dorena Reservoir have had to explore other options after the Army Corps of Engi- neers lowered the water level at the lake in response to dry condi- tions. The Lane County Parks De- partment, which manages Baker Bay, recently informed those who hold moorage rights there that the County would no longer be renting boat slips this year. Moorage holders were told that they had to remove their boats by July 11, according to an employ- ee of the Parks Department who asked that she not be identifi ed by name. R “We weren’t aware of the draw- down until right when it was happening,” she said. “They’ve been moving their boats out for the last couple weeks.” A steady group of boat own- ers has moored boats at Baker Bay for over 15 years, when the County accepted the last new boat owner at the dock there, the woman said. Moorage costs $519 per year, plus a $38 reservation fee, an amount that should typi- cally have reserved a spot until the Corps’ annual drawdown of Dorena Reservoir in October. But the drawdown came much earlier than usual with the ab- sence of late-spring rains to fi ll the lake, according to Park Ranger Christie Johnson. “Dorena is not the only lake that’s low right now,” Johnson said. “It’s been another tough year that’s certainly drier than average, though we don’t know if they’re calling it a drought just yet.” Johnson recalled periods of heavy rainfall last winter but a slow drying-out that started in April. A dry May kept water lev- els lower than expected. “We really depend on those spring rains to fi ll the reservoirs, and we just didn’t get it,” John- son said. The Corps is mandated to maintain certain levels of wa- ter fl ow in the Willamette sys- tem for water quality and fi sh protection, and Johnson said larger reservoirs such as Look- out Point were drawn down to improve water fl ow downstream in May. Smaller reservoirs such C as Dorena were then subject to drawdown in June, when Dorena lost fi ve feet from its water level in a hurry. Johnson pointed out that the boat ramp at Baker Bay is still open year-round even in times of low water, and she added that levels at Cottage Grove Lake are not as low as they were during an extremely dry 2015. “Last year, Cottage Grove was drawn on quite a bit and was quite a bit lower,” she said. “I’m not sure why it fl ipped. The wa- ter managers look for water, and they take it from where they can get it.” Meanwhile, the County is of- photo by Jon Stinnett fering Baker Bay moorage hold- A dock that typically hosts moorage holders at Baker ers a spot at Orchard Point facili- Bay is empty after an early drawdown of water at ty or the option to take a voucher Dorena Reservoir. good for moorage next season. R . www.cgsentinel.com On the Internet (541) 942-3325 By telephone (541) 942-3328 By fax cgnews@cgsentinel.com By e-mail P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 By mail Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove In person Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Broker CONTACT US WEATHER Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 Licensed in the State of Oregon CONTENTS HIGH LOW 78 52 Partly Cloudy Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 8B Classified ads.................................1C Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 1 Dollar