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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2017)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 30, 2017 7A Animal House celebration set for 8•18•2018 If you have a desire to don a toga in the middle of Main St. next summer than mark cmay@cgsentinel.com your calenders for August 18. The party is headed to Cottage Grove. They call themselves the Double Secret Society and they have plans for the anniversary of the cult classic, "Animal House." The fi lm's iconic parade scene was fi lmed on Cottage Grove's Main St. and the group plans to capitalize on that fact to lure tourists into town for the celebration. In collaboration with the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce, the group is pulling out all the stops. The crown jewel of the event will reportedly be an effort to break the Guinness Book's World Record for the largest toga party. “For the 25th anniversary, Cottage Grove had a big event,” said Cottage Grove Chamber CEO Travis Palmer. “We actually got the Guinness World Record for the largest toga party.” The city has since lost the title (to a university in Australia that boasted 3,700 togas) but Palmer, along with the Double Secret So- ciety is determined to get it back by asking residents to make their own togas and meet the party on Main St. The Double Secret Society isn't stopping there. It plans to show the movie in town, perhaps twice--once as a PG version and once in its original format. Plans for tours of fi lming locations may also be apart of the celebration as well as a food fi ght that has yet to be decided. The group is hoping to break a second world record by hosting the world's largest food fi ght but details of the proposal haven't quite been ironed out yet. The main sticking point? what are 30,000 people going to throw at each other? Popcorn? Pasta? While the idea is still on the table, the matter of who would clean up the mess is still up in the air. Cottage Grove City Manager Richard Meyers previously said of the plan to have half the city throw food at the other half that it's been done before during a city celebration of "Animal House." As for who's going to clean it up and what type of food will be throw he said the city and chamber would have to have a discussion. A toga party, movie showings, a recreation of the parade scene (complete with reconstructed fl oats), a food fi ght and the various other ideas being pitched for the 40th anniversary celebration don't come cheap. Palmer estimates the festivities to come in at approx- imately $50,000. He says the group has reached out to Universal Studios to help fund the event and will continue fundraising and courting donors. The University of Oregon was also used to fi lm the movie and the school regularly uses the famous soundtrack at its sporting events. As of press time, there was no decision by the university on whether or not it planned to host an event for the 40th anniversary of "Ani- mal House." By Caitlyn May PHOTO BY COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL The "Death Mobile" was featured in the fi lm "Animal House" and a replica is now owned by the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce and will be used during the organizations planned 40th anniversary of the movie next summer. The day Jerry Lewis came to CG By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Comedy icon Jerry Lewis, 91, passed away on Sunday, August 20 at his home in Las Vegas. But for a day in 1970, Lewis was the talk of the town in Cot- tage Grove. Decidedly known for his comedy, Lewis also drew atten- tion for his work with ill chil- dren, particularly those effect- ed by muscular dystrophy. His telethons aimed at raising mon- ey for a cure were a staple of TV guides before coming to an end before the turn of the century. Lewis' ties to Cottage Grove stem from a car ride down Main St. In the summer of 1970, Lewis took part in the traditional Bo- hemia Mining Days Parade with offi cial grand marshall Scotty Swift, a local boy chosen as the poster child for the illness. The Sentinel reported on the visit: "A few weeks ago, Mr. and Mrs. Swift asked the head of the muscular dystrophy orga- nization if it would be possible for Mr. Lewis to come to Cot- tage Grove for the Bohemia cel- ebration. He said no, Mr. Lewis' time was booked up for months in advance. Then, the manager of Mr. Lewis was asked and he gave the same answer, naming the taping of a television show with Sammy Davis Jr. on the same day as the grand parade as the reason. What made it worse was that Mr. Lewis was appearing as a guest on the show and had no say in the shooting sched- ule. But when Scotty asked Mr. Lewis if he could come, he said yes and he has kept his prom- ise." Lewis was born March 16, 2926 to show business parents and by the time he was 16, he had dropped out of school and was seeking work in the indus- try. Jerry Lewis with Scotty Swift, 1970, from the Sentinel archives. Elks team up to fi ght hunger in SLSD schools By Eric Schucht I t’s an early Sunday afternoon when a few dozen volunteers stream into Elks Lodge #1904 in Cottage Grove. Bags fi lled with Pop-Tarts, Ramen, oatmeal, granola bars and applesauce For The Sentinel get packed into large zip locked bags on an assembly line. Their in- tended purpose: to provide meals for 75 students in the South Lane School District on weekends this year. It’s all a part of the Elks’ new snack pack program launching this year. Sixty fi ve percent of the dis- trict’s students live below the poverty line. The program plans to give away 6,000 weekend meals to qualifying students throughout the South Lane School District. Each student will be provided with enough food for two lunches over all weekends this school year. “These students are going be our foundation one of these days. They’re gonna be running for offi ce or they’re gonna be lawyers or doctors but they’re our foundation for when we get older. If we don’t take care of them, they slide through the cracks,” Marie Ammon, the chair for the snack pack pro- gram at the Elks Lodge, said. The program was funded by the Promise and Becan grants award- ed by the Elks National Foundation, totaling $4,500. The rest of the funds were raised by members of the Lodge through donations and other fundraising events, such as raffl es. The program was able to increase the number of meals available to local children after Gro- cery Outlet partnered with the program, providing a discount on supplies. “I understand how important it is that we feed our children,” Bev- erly Adams, a member and past leader at the Lodge, said. “They’re fed during the week, but on the weekends, they defi antly need a little bit of help.” At the beginning of last school year, Ammon approached the su- perintendent of the school district, Dr. Krista Parent, about provid- ing meals to students most in need. The school that would benefi t the most from the program was identifi ed and selected students are to receive meals anonymously. Meals will be distributed by teach- ers for students in need begining this year. “We feel good that there’s gonna be a child out there that isn’t gonna go hungry on the weekend,” Ammon said Some, like Adams, said that she hopes the program will show the community that the Lodge isn’t just about social activities. The organization has helped funded other programs in the past, such as the South Lane Childrens Dental Clinic. “I think [the snack pack program] shows that we are a fraternal organization that takes care of its people in its community, that we care,“ said Adams. Once news started to spread of the program, many relatives of (use less radiation) the Lodge’s members and peo- ple not affi liated with the Lodge Implants •Teeth Whitening • Extractions soon called Ammon wanting to Lumineers (no prep veneers as seen on TV) help, she said. “I’ve had a lot of people call that I don’t even know who heard about the program and wanted to come in and help us do this,” Ammon said. The program hopes to expand to potentially support around a dozen other students at a second Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS school. Ammon said that she 350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies) hopes to see the program live on long after she’s gone. “I would like to see it to go on. I’m probably not gonna be able to do it the rest of my life but I’m sure that we have enough people that are so enthu- siastic about this program that it will probably be one that will carry on as a Lodge function,” Ammon said. The Lodge is currently trying to raise funds to provide meals to kids when school is not in session. The group currently has enough funds raised to provide meals throughout all of winter and Thanksgiving break. Learn more about how to donate or volunteer on the group’s website and Facebook page. NEW: Digital X-Rays _ abor Day or Any Day ... this is a bad combination. Labor Day is a well-deserved holiday for everyone. And like most holidays, it’s a day to relax and celebrate with family and friends. These sponsors would like to remind you that if you celebrate this weekend, please do so responsibly. That means not drinking and driving, using a designated driver, or best of all, being one for those you care about. With your help, everyone can have an enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Axe to & Fiddle This message is brought you by these concerned sponsors: Lane Community College - Cottage Grove Starfire Lumber Company • 2795 Mosby Creek Rd. • 942-0168 Th e Grove Cafe & Lounge Pam’s Sunnyside Wholesale Florist • 1704 W. Main St. • 942-7041 United Methodist Church Oregon Auto Dave’s Body • Corner 775 Cedar, Drain, OR • 836-7171 Market National Construction & Espresso Excavation • 761671 London Rd. • 942-0859 Barn Terry’s Automotive Repair • 77590 Dugan Rd. • 942-9072 Delight Valley Church Lion’s Mane • 945 S 4th • Repair 942-2915 Terry’s Automotive Big Stuff Barbecue 733 & E. Tow Main St. • 942-3999 Hitch • Pro Choice • 729-8853 Starfi re Insurance Lumber Company Dream Works • 767-9779 PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Builders Community Medical Center Cottage Grove Grove Mini Police Department Cottage Storage • 942-6996 South Family Lane County and St. Rescue Macho’s Pizza • 96 Fire N. Mill • 895-2700 Brad’s Cottage Grove Chevrolet Village Green Chevron Auto Shop Gateway Counseling and Consulting Center Smith Lund Mills Funeral Chapel Farmers Insurance Cottage Grove Dental 541.942.7934 WANTED! LIVE Yellow Jacket & Hornet Nests FREE REMOVAL ALK Source Materials freebeenestremoval.com 541-510-0191 Insects used for Life Saving Vaccines