COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 2, 2017
Sweet Springs opens to fanfare
Eclipse mania may
(or may not)
bypass CG
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
On Saturday, July 30, Sweet Springs Family Farm opened its doors to welcome the community to the city's newest bed and breakfast.
The facility offers events, farm parties, outdoor movie nights and gift shop.Visitors can wandering the property and visit with the animals
that range from geese to horses, and take advantage of the kids' play area or stay at the farm for a bed and breakfast experience. Located
at 71393 London Rd., the bed and breakfast sits on acres of farm land and offers guests home baked bread, several loding options and rest
and relaxation in Cottage Grove.
Several community members came out to the farm to welcome the business to town including the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce
which hosted the facility's ribbon cutting ceremony.
Photos courtesy Greg Lee.
Excitement over the total so-
lar eclipse expected on August
21 hasn't quite reached Cottage
Grove. The event has garnered
attention up and down Inter-
state-5 with camp grounds and
hotels sold out for months and
merchandise lining Main streets
from Salem down to Eugene.
It has also prompted entrepre-
neur-minded residents to offer
their homes to eclipse seekers
who were not able to grab up a
coveted hotel or camp ground
reservation. The movement has
caused headaches in larger cities
but according to Cottage Grove
Planner Amanda Ferguson, res-
idents hoping to make an extra
buck off the eclipse in Cottage
Grove are faced with both good
and bad news.
"We don't have a specifi c
code for AirBnB and it hasn't
risen to become an issue where
we would adopt an ordinance,"
Ferguson said.
The company, marketed as a
way for homeowners to rent out
rooms or yard space to travelers
looking for a deal, has garnered
attention during the eclipse hys-
teria with several counties, in-
cluding Marion, adopting new
rules and regulations to manage
the growing popularity of resi-
dents renting out their homes.
However, in Cottage Grove,
residents are not bound by such
rules.
"We do have a code that re-
quires a conditional use permit
for bed and breakfast establish-
ments," Ferguson said. "If you
have more than three rooms
for rent than you need a bed
and breakfast conditional use
permit. But you don't need any-
thing for a one-time event. The
code is more concerned about
Cottage Theatre presents
2017
things that repeat in nature."
That's the good news.
Alternatively, those hoping to
rent out space for the eclipse in
Cottage Grove may fi nd a lack
of interest from eclipse seekers
according to city offi cials.
Both Ferguson and Cottage
Grove Chamber of Commerce
Executive Director Travis
Palmer have previously not-
ed that Cottage Grove is not in
the main path of totality for the
eclipse and as a result, the de-
mand for hotel rooms and view-
ing spaces is much lower than
in Linn and Marion counties
and elsewhere in Lane County.
Likewise, city manager Richard
Meyers noted that the city was
bracing for increased traffi c.
"People may come here because
they can't get to where there is
totality but we're not expecting
a lot. We're not in the path of to-
tality." he said.
However, of the city's four
hotel or motel establishments,
three are completely sold out
with employees noting that calls
have been coming in since Jan-
uary. An employee at Relax Inn
said the facility had a cancella-
tion and within fi ve minutes, the
room was booked again by an-
other party.
The Oregon Health Authority
has listed the eclipse as one of
the state's current hazards along
with air toxins and West Nile
Virus. The organization has is-
sued information on how to pro-
tect spectators' eyes as well as
heat-related health information
on its website which reads, "Up
to 1 million visitors are expect-
ed to come to Oregon to view
the eclipse."
For more information on how
to view the eclipse, please visit
www.oregon.gov/oem/hazard-
sprep/Pages/2017-Total-So-
lar-Eclipse.aspx.
August 11—27
E
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O
T
S
E
R
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C LEARANCE S ALE !
F RI & S AT A UGUST 25-26
9 AM -4 PM
Beautiful Antiques!
All prices slashed!
Great food available by
Big Bites Food Truck!
Ask us about volunteering with
Habitat for Humanity
Comical Russian tales infused with American wit
Habitat Offi ce and Warehouse
2155 Getty Circle ~ Unit #1
in the Cottage Grove Industrial Park
South on Hwy 99 past the High School
DONATIONS
WELCOME!
Call 541.767.0358
for more information
Email
info@habitatcg.org
3A
By Neil Simon and Anton Chekhov
Directed by Kory Weimer
Sponsored by:
Tickets available online, by phone, or at the door one hour before performance
Thursday−Saturday 8:00 pm; Sunday 2:30 pm. $25 Adult, $15 Youth (age 6−18)
541-942-8001 • 700 Village Drive • Cottage Grove
www.cottagetheatre.org