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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2017)
10A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 Yoncalla woman's win of a lifetime By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com There is no one left who speaks the language of the Ka- lapuya Tribe. Those hoping to save the lan- guage and broader culture from extinction rely on documents and voice recordings from the 1950s. They gather approxi- mately 60 children at a summer camp and teach them drum- ming, dancing and ecology. They tell stories. Ester Stutzman of Yoncalla does it all. and for her efforts, Governor Kate Brown award- ed her the 2017 Governor's Arts Award after the award was shelved for 10 years. Stutzman was one of two individuals and three organizations to receive this year's award. "It's for longtime storytell- ing," Stutzman said from her home in Yoncalla. And that's what Stutzman is, she says, a storyteller. She visits classrooms and confer- ences, presents to organizations and gives talks at museums and meets with scholars as part of her role as a storyteller with Mother Earth's Children--a Na- tive American theatre group. While she works to tell the stories of her tribe and preserve and reignite passion for the cul- ture, she says there are rules to the story. "I was taught the stories by my grandmother, uncles and aunties and they cautioned me on how to tell the stories," Stutzman said. "There's rules on how to pass them on." Passing on the culture of the Kalapuya Tribe is a primary fo- cus for Stutzman who takes part in a summer camp each year aimed at doing just that. Every year approximately 60 to 75 Native American children gather to take part in drumming and dancing. They learn about local ecology and hear the sto- ries passed down from earlier generations. And they've been doing it for 42 years. Continued from A1 "We promote language heav- ily," Stutzman said. "There is quite a bit of language on the reservations like Grand Ronde but there aren't have speakers left," she said of the Kalapuya language. "I think all of what we try to do is share what we know with the kids," she said. "That it is energized and makes them proud of their culture and gives them a means to pass that on." Portland artist Arvie Smith was also honored by Governor Kate Brown. Square dancers hosting free dance Group hopes to attract younger crowd, new faces By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Terry Nelson has been square dancing for approximately 17 years after a friend got him into it. Now, he's hoping to get others around the community involved and maybe wrangle some younger particpants onto the dance fl oors. "We haven't been able to get younger folks to take it up," he said. "We found it a real challenge to track people in their 20s and 30s, even their 40s. We started in our 40s but then you have kids and things drop off for awhile." Nelson is hoping that with a little word of mouth, the Emerald Empire Square Dance Association he belongs to can stir up some interest in a free community square dance on Friday, September 29. "We hope people will give it a try," he said. While the interest in the art of square Tiny Houses dancing has ticked down, Nelson said ste- reotypes may be largely at fault. He noted that fl annel shirts and cowboy boots are not mandatory and that music isn't always of the country variety. "There was a stigma that it was always country music but there are callers that use all types of music," he said, rattling off jazz, rock and, ocassionally rap, as examples. As for where someone might fi nd oth- ers who also spend their free time square dancing, Nelson said opportunity is there for those who look for it. He and his wife belong to the Cottage Grove Boots and Sandals Square Dance Club here in Cottage Grove. "It's suffering a little bit here," he said. "Because we don't have a lot of local call- ers. We have to get people from Portland, Albany and Roseburg." A caller calls out the moves of each dance and while they sometimes also participate in the dance while calling, it's not standard The money—courtesy of a grant from the Presbyterian Women Creative Ministries Of- fering Committee—is a drop in the bucket of the $800,000 needed to complete the project but CVC said the funds would help generate additional fund- raising and give the project an added perception of being a se- rious effort. “It’s going to help us raise more money,” he said. “We get the funds in two pay- ments,” Kelsh said. $50,000 is expected in October and the remaining amount in May of 2018. Under the terms of the grant CVC received from Mey- er Memorial Trust, the project must be completed by the end of 2018. “We still have $600,000-odd to raise and we’ met with the grant writers and we’re still go- ing after grants,” Kelsh said. CVC is the boots on the ground organization for Eu- gene’s SquareOne Villages, a non-profi t which headed Op- portunity Village—a housing development for homeless in- dividuals—and is starting work on another housing project in Eugene aimed at low-income residents. SquareOne received the Meyer Memorial Fund grant and purchased land on Madison Ave. in Cottage Grove earlier this year for Cottage Village. SquareOne Executive Direc- tor Dan Bryant said the money would likely go to pre-devel- opment costs. “It puts us on the map as a national organization that shows the legitimacy of the vision. I think it will help us with other fundraising,” he said. Plans surrounding the de- velopment of Cottage Village have garnered mixed reactions from community members and have drawn ire from neighbors worried over property values. Initial plans for the communi- ty centered specifi cally around homeless individuals but a more recent narrative has shift- ed to focus on those in danger of becoming homeless includ- ing those who receive social security as their only source of income. “If we could build a house to have something to show people, I think that would be helpful,” Kelsh said. However, CVC has yet to decide on a model for Cottage Village or if the com- munity will include houses of various sizes and fl oorplans. According to Bryant, the group could utilize the large shop on the Madison property to build a sample house and then move the structure onto the property once the plans for the commu- nity have been approved by the city. “We don’t have a timeline for going to the city right now,” Bryant said. “But the committee might have done more work on that and we’ll probably spend the fall working on it.” Cottage Village must meet city planning requirements, in- cluding city codes for sewer and water services, before construc- tion can begin. “We’re really going to have to get moving,” Bryant said. “There’s a lot to be done.” in modern square dancing. To take part in the local square dance scene, one does not have to break the bank. According to Nelson, lessons are $3 per person. "It's not a terribly expensive hobby," he said. For more information on the upcoming dance to be held in Springfi eld, visit dare- todancesquare.info. Or call Christine at 541-520-9549 or Terry at 514-688-2958. Are you ready? D ISASTER P REPAREDNESS Pet safety Strong storms can barrel through a location with tremendous force, obliterating homes in the process. The prospect of a natu- ral disaster often forces people to take inventory of their lives and make decisions about what items to protect and how to prepare for the inevitability of an approaching threat. When making disaster preparedness plans, pet owners need to factor in care of their com- panion animals. Many people refuse to leave pets behind. However, faced with the prospect of an impending storm or other calamity, pet owners may not know where to turn when it comes to caring for pets. Some inevitably stay behind after disaster evacuations have been issued with the fear pets may not be allowed in shelters or could be turned away from hotels. This can put homeowners, pets and rescue work- ers at risk for greater injury. Knowing how to behave during a di- saster, and caring for a pet in the process, can assist with keeping everyone safe. * Know your options. People who live in particularly vulnerable areas, like those prone to wildfi res or coastal fl ooding, should map out a disaster plan. This plan will spell out what everyone in the home will do in the event an evacuation is needed or if you need to stay put with the potential for utility interruption. While some shel- ters are not pet-friendly, many are. The Red Cross has a network of Pet Disaster Shelters where pet owners can turn. Finding one may require a bit more travel, but it could offer peace of mind. * Keep medical records handy. Have an extra copy of pets' vet- erinary records in case of disaster. Keep important papers in a wa- terproof container. Should you need to go to a shelter, staff may request proof of vaccinations. 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Call for details. 321 Main Street Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Lobby Phone: 541.942.2468 Studio Line: 541.942.5548 Online requests: request@knnd.com Make sure all the pieces are in place to render you and your family prepared in the event of a natural disaster. • Listen to radio or television newscasts for the latest weather information, and follow all evacuation directions and suggestions. • Keep a stock of non-perishable food items as well as bottled water on hand inside your home. • Keep a 72 Hour Kit on hand inside your home that is easy to get to in the event of a disaster. For more information and tips on disaster response and preparedness, contact your local emergency services center. South Lane Fire & Rescue • 233 Harrison Ave, Cottage Grove 541-942-4493 • 55 South 1st Street, Creswell 541-895-2506 Twitter: @southlanefi re Facebook: southlanecountyfi reandrescue