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