COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL APRIL 26, 2017
3A
First Springfest to be held this Saturday at the armory
Chandra La-
Husen
imag-
cmay@cgsentinel.com
ined a ukulele
class for fourth
and fi fth grade
students at London School. Fifteen stu-
dents, ukuleles and an instructor. The dream
was an easy one, the funding for it was a bit
harder.
“I just thought we could come together as
a community and then it grew into some-
thing bigger,” she said.
After talking to a group in Eugene about
the possibility of bringing ukuleles to Cot-
tage Grove, LaHusen started asking fellow
community members and before she knew
it, the fi rst annual Springfest was born.
The event is scheduled for April 29 at
the armory. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Bands
Windy Ridge and Flies with Honey are
scheduled to donate their time for the eve-
ning.
By Caitlyn May
Band Windy Ridge will perform for Springfest. Photo courtesy Facebook.
The ukulele program will benefi t from
Springfest but according to LaHusen, the
parent teacher organization who is helping
put the benefi t on, is hoping to have a wider
reach.
“The proceeds will go to supporting mu-
sic, art and staffi ng at London School,” she
said. "It will support staffi ng. We would
love to get a full-time instructor but that's
not possible from one fundraiser," she said
noting the cost of a salary for the school.
The London School currently benefi ts
from Fantastic Fridays; a reward-based day
that allow students to choose different ac-
tivities such as yoga or art, led by commu-
nity leaders who donate their time. Gloria
Campuzano teaches students yoga while
other activities include making crafts and
reading.
“It’s exciting to see so much enthusi-
asm behind a school event,” LaHusen said.
“But it really is a way for the community to
come together for some music and to help
children because music and the arts feed a
child’s soul.”
The Woodard Family Foundation donat-
ed funds to the cause with LaHusen noting
that the community has made the Springfest
possible.
"This is for the children so for the com-
munity to come together, it's exciting."
Silent auction items include a quilt made
by the local grange, a $40 certifi cate for
Mecca Arts, a massage certifi cate and self-
care baskets. Sponsors with varying dona-
tions of services and goods include Cas-
cade, the Book Mine, Old Mill Farm Store,
the Bread Peddlers, Health Revolution Chi-
ropractic, High Wire Farm, In-Light Col-
lective, Crescent Moon Yoga, Resilience
Permacultre Design and Bochetta Day Spa.
Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the
door and can be purchased at Coast Fork
Feed Store and Crafty Mercantile.
DRAIN Contined from A1
charge and featured local artisans, music and
popcorn for sale. Despite the wind and constant
threat of rain, several dozen residents turned out
to take part in the event.
Barrows is an organizer for DIVA, or Down-
town Initiative for Visual Arts. The group has
been active in Drain for several years and accord-
ing to Barrows, managed to move the Eugene op-
eration and its nonprofi t status to Drain.
The trade-off is detailed on the group's website,
noting, "DIVA's operations in Eugene are wind-
ing down now. We accomplished our mission in
Eugene which now has a happening downtown.
With our recent expansion into rural communities
(Drain fi rst), we re-ignited our passion for mak-
ing real change through art. We are handing over
the DIVA torch to a very dedicated group of peo-
ple in Drain who will carry on our mission there.
They are already expanding some of their pro-
grams to neighboring communities of Yoncalla
and Elkton. Some DIVA activities and programs
may continue in the Eugene area but, for the most
part, all programs and activities will be coordi-
nated through the Drain Gallery and Art Center
from now on, giving some of us who have been
intricately involved in DIVA more time to return
to making art."
Saturday's event focused on the mission of
bringing art to the community with several booths
set up for residents to create their own artwork.
Children were invited to use chalk to design fl ow-
ers on the streets of downtown while a mirror was
set up for passersby to create a self portrait.
While the focus of the event was art, the pur-
pose was to raise money to purchase a facility to
replace the community's now closed library.
The Douglas County library system was closed
after commissioners voted to halt funding for the
facilities as part of a continuously dwindling bud-
get. The change went into effect on April 1 for
Drain and will continue through June 1.
The courtyard beside DIVA's headquarters in
downtown would serve as a new location for a
type of reading room.
"We have crafting and gardening books we
would donate and just give people a place to
read," Barrows said.
A total for the event was not available as of press
time but residents who wish to donate to DIVA can
contact Barrows at divaindrain@gmail.com.
Stephanie Barrows stands in the garden space DIVA intends to use as a reading space after the Douglas County
Library System shut down due to a budgetary shortfall.
Trashion Show
Continued
from A1
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offer and spent months col-
lecting trash and materials to
create their masterpieces.
Carmen Erbele Dowell was
one of the fi rst designers to have
her pieces walk the runway and
made a note to credit her inspi-
ration "Oscar the Grouch."
"I look back on my childhood
and remember the hours of
watching 'Sesame Street.' I al-
ways loved Oscar the Grouch,"
she said. "He was so messy and
loved his trash and everyone ac-
cepted him for how he was and
loved him as their neighbor."
Modeling Erbele Dowell's
Oscar inspired piece was Mon-
ica Venice who has modeled in
the show once before and will
return to the venue in Septem-
ber.
"Monica's piece is inspired
by the trash bag itself," Erbele
Dowell said. "I went to my
mom's house and she had bags
stuffed with bags all shoved in a
closet. She agreed that throwing
them away was bad for our en-
vironment, but what to do with
them? I brought them home and
starting weaving and stringing
them and voila something beau-
tiful was created."
Intermission saw Mattoon
invite the audience up onto the
catwalk for an amateur walk.
After a bit of coaxing, two mem-
bers joined him on stage before
making way for the models for
the second half of the show.
Trashion's two smallest de-
signers, Chevelle Munk and
Baleigh Creech stole the show
with their designs.
Creech, an aspiring designer
and avid Relay for Life support-
er, incorporated cancer aware-
ness ribbons into all three of
her designs while Munk's two
designs made the most of her
fairy theme and available trash
she collected over the months.
Terrisa West, Shiloh Glaspell,
Hannah Bevan, Beth Bethsome-
more, Stephanie Basham, Hazel
Snyder-McCullen and Heath-
er Lahaie also showed designs
during Saturday's show.
The Trashion Show helped
raise funds for Opal but accord-
ing to Murray, ticket sales cover
only 40 percent of the theater's
operating costs and she asks
that the community consider
supporting Opal by purchasing
a membership or volunteering at
events in the future.