COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 9, 2017
3A
Carousel project under transition
Friends of the Cottage Grove Carousel re-organize as leaders step back and owner falls ill
Judy Cash wanted to place a carousel in Bohemia Park. Twenty years later,
she's
still waiting.
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Cash, along with her husband Greg, have been paired with the Friends of
the Cottage Grove Carousel for a little over a year--the latest effort in two de-
cade-old fi ght to bring the attraction to Cottage Grove. And while this effort's momentum has outlasted
the groups of yesteryear, there's still a long, slow marathon of fundraising and public relations work
before the ting and twang of merry-go-round music fl oats down Main St.
"I would like to see that. I would like to see the kids smiling," Cash said, her voice a bit lower than
it was six months ago and her energy slightly muted. She has waited 20 years, since she fi rst saw the
carousel in a trade magazine in the 1990s, to watch local children race around the platforms and ride
the collection of animals side-by-side with the children of tourists, come to spend the day in the Grove.
But as fundraising stalls and the bureaucracy of such projects continues to strangle efforts, there's a
possibility Cash may never see the carousel in the park.
She's been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
"There's no cure," she said.
"Some people want to hurry up because they don't know how long I'll be here," she said with a smile
edging at both corners of her mouth. "Neither do I. I don't have time to waste," she said.
She walks with canes now, one on each arm, but her passion for the project has not dulled. Cash still
holds ownership of the carousel and she says she understands the uncomfortable head-scratching that
may be occurring in sects of town over the arrangements.
"The reason I still own it is because of what happened last time; nothing," she said. "Nothing hap-
pened last time and if the city had owned it, it would have been piece-mealed out and that would have
been the last we saw of it."
Now, Cash says if something were to happen to her, the attraction goes to her family which can sell
it for market value. Thus, the complication of time.
If the Friends of the Cottage Grove Carousel successfully run the attraction for two years, the struc-
ture then goes to the group.
"I'd like to see it up and running," Cash said. "I had no plans for it when I bought it. I just saw it and
I always wanted one and it was like a kid in a candy store."
Plans have since taken shape, however, over the course of the last 20 years. One of the fi rst efforts
yielded an offi cial non-profi t status for the group. Current efforts have seen the group pair with stu-
dents from the University of Oregon for public relations campaigns and "no-show" banquets aimed at
garnering donations for the project.
While the Friends of the Carousel is a completely voluntary organization, the group does need to hire
professionals to create architectural drawings and others to help map out where the carousel may live
in the city. Ideally, according to the group, Main St. would eventually house the attraction but so far,
space is limited and prices are climbing.
Not all work has ceased over money concerns, though. Local students at Cottage Grove High School
took on the task of refurbishing the animals and plan to continue the project into the coming school
year. Last week, EPUD volunteered its time and equipment to help raise the center mast of the carousel
at the WOE Fairgrounds so the community could glean a visual of the entire attraction.
Changes are underway, however. Longtime supporter Don Williams has taken a step back from his
leadership role in the group but will continue to advocate for the carousel.
"Carousel's didn't start as nice little things," Cash said. "They started as training for warriors. They
had brass rings hanging and they would go around on horses and to prove their worth, they'd have to
capture the brass ring on their sword."
A cancer warrior herself, Cash's brass ring is the completion of the carousel project.
"Where else can you take your family now where you can leave your worries at the doorstep and just
be in a happy place? It's a happy place."
By Caitlyn May
To volunteer for one of the coming booths the Friends of the Cottage Grove Car-
ousel plans to man during the remainder of the summer or for any other projects
the group has in regards to the carousel, please contact Alice Nowicki 541 228-
8451.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FRIENDS OF THE COTTAGE GROVE CAROUSEL
Volunteers pair with EPUD to raise the center mast of the carousel at the WOE Fairgrounds last week.
Oral Health Habits to Maintain a Beautiful Smile
W
ith beach season in full swing, many men
and women are trying to put their best
body forward to appeal to others. How-
ever, according to a February 2009 survey from the
American Dental Association and Crest(R) and Oral
B(R) the smile outranks eyes, hair and the body as the
most attractive physical feature on a person. Th erefore,
taking care of your teeth and smile is essential.
Men and women diff er when it comes to taking care
of their teeth and gums. A nationwide survey of 1,000
Americans ages 18 and older found 86 percent of wom-
en brush their teeth twice or more a day, yet only 66
percent of men do so.
Th e survey also found that women say they change
their toothbrush or power toothbrush head every 3 to
4 months on average, yet men hang on to theirs an av-
erage of 5 months. Th e ADA recommends replacing
toothbrushes every 3 to 4 months or when the bristles
become frayed since frayed and worn bristles decrease
cleaning eff ectiveness.
Most people need to do a better job of fl ossing their
teeth. Only half of those surveyed (49 percent) say they signal gum disease or another health problem.
fl oss their teeth once a day or more oft en. And 1 out of
Oral health is an important part of overall health.
3 people surveyed think a little blood in the sink aft er Regular dental check-ups are important not only to
brushing their teeth is normal, yet it’s not -- it could diagnose and treat gum disease and tooth decay, but
also because some diseases or medical conditions, such
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mouth.
Growing research indicates there may be an associa-
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such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, underscor-
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“We need to constantly get the word out how im-
portant it is to stay on top of your oral health,” says Dr.
Ada Cooper, an ADA consumer advisor and practicing
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fl uoride toothpaste, fl ossing daily, eating a balanced
diet, and visiting your dentist regularly can help keep
your smile healthy.”
Forget hair, eyes and body ... a recent survey found
For more information on oral health, visit the Amer-
that people consider the smile the most attractive fea- ican Dental Association’s Web site at: www.ada.org.
ture in a person.
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