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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 9, 2018)
10A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MAY 9, 2018 Are you a Chamber Member? Ask us how you can become a member today! Freeway Goats: "World famous" herd W hen we moved to Cot- tage Grove, our daugh- ter, Ariel, was two years old. Our family's favorite past time was driving up Interstate 5, four miles north of Cottage Grove looking east up the steep hill- side for "the quarry goats" and excitedly counting them. Then driving home, we'd repeat the count. Thirty years later, Ariel is teaching her children the "fami- ly tradition". Apparently, we were not the only family that the goats are important to! Friends Maryann and Leo said, "Our family and now our grandchildren count the freeway goats. We consider them good luck charms affi rm- ing that we will have a good trip." Carla added, "Everyone I know instinctively counts those goats'." Tina Fornoff owns and oper- ates a dump truck and has been hauling rock for the busy Sears Pit that the goats have called home for 15 years. The rock quarry's fi rst goat, Billy, showed up out of the blue in 1985. Neither Billy nor any of the subsequent goats are mountain goats. The ones you see today are Alpines. Some- one who understood that goats are herd animals brought him a bride, Nanny. Billy lived to be 25 years old and died in 2007 and Nanny in 2008. Over the years, for those on "goat watch" you will have no- ticed different sizes and colors. Four of the original donated from A1 Parent the ruling would clear me of all charges, it is nice to have the offi cial letter in hand,” Parent told The Sentinel. “I have now been cleared twice of misconduct charges, once through the independent investigation last June and now by the state’s licensing agen- cy this April. The facts have remained the same throughout this situation despite inac- curate judgements of some.” The complaint, fi led by Cottage Grove resident Jennifer Holloman, centered on a personal relationship between Parent and a school district employee. The school board approved a third-party to investigate the original complaint which found Parent did not violate state law or school policy since the district did not have an anti-fraterniza- tion policy in place. In August of last year, an anonymous letter supporting Parent was given to the school board. While the board did not act on the letter or take it into account, Holloman obtained the letter through an open records request and submitted it for a handwriting analysis. The analysis found that Parent Heraej=bbkn`]^haHqtqnu Assisted Living and Memory Care Apartments goats have passed from old age or were killed by cougars, but amazingly none have been in- jured by traffi c. For their safety, cameras and a watchman moni- tor their property. Today, tourists and locals count seven goats on the rocky hillside surrounding the pit. They were originally named ac- cording to their birth location: Dozer, Black Betty, 3Quar- ter, Aggie, Drillbit, Nitro, and Landslide. When a new kid was born the drivers and crew put names into a hard hat and drew a winner. The last twins were named after 728 people (employees, town's folks, and I-5 truck driv- ers) responded to Facebook's What's Going On in Cottage Grove with 428 different name suggestions (300 names were duplicates). Several fun sugges- tions: Boulder, Pebbles, Bam- Bam, Rocky, Driver, Trucky, Cliff, Hill-ary, Stoner and Dusty. In 2017, Tina put out an in- ternet goat questionnaire and received 512 responses from tourists! Wanda in Nevada wrote, "My family and friends and I love those goats and we make them part of the tourist sites when visiting!" Maraca in Arizona said, "These goats are a cher- ished part of the community." Have you ever been to a rock quarry? The noise of crushing rock, trucks, and machinery is deafening! What on earth do the goats think of all that noise and how do they interact with the crew and noise? "All our current goats were born here. They do not mind the noise because they are used to it," explains Tina. "Like any skilled construction worker, with safety on their minds, they know when to walk around us and stay away. My truck weighs 48,000 pounds, and they keep out of my way." 'Billy' our original goat was a clown. He rode in the cab of Lance's D8K bulldozer's push- ing rock to the feeder/crusher. Billy also walked into the crush- er's cab and stole the operator's lunch box. He had a hobby of begging and standing on our dump truck's steps. Even though he had access to a hillside of vegetation, pasture grass, and goat feed, he still preferred drivers sandwiches, garden veg- gies, apples, and the pears they brought him. Billy was the best goat ever. I still tear up thinking of him, then I laugh remembering when the crew was busy doing equip- ment maintenance and he'd steal their tools, grease guns, towels, and one time a hard hat!" Contact Travis Palmer, Director of the Chamber of Commerce (541) 942-241 travis@cgchamber.com Cottage Grove 200 Gateway Blvd. Cottage Grove, OR 97424 (541) 942-5400 Mon. - Sat. 8am - 9pm Sun. 9am - 8pm SAVE 40-70% ON GROCERIES. Ed & Kori Sowa Independent Owner-Operators BEAUTIFUL, HUH? facebook.com/CottageGroveGroceryOutlet TIPS "Please drive safely and be careful near the rock pit!" ad- vises Tina. "These goats are not pets, they are wild. No- body owns them. We see that they are fed and receive med- ical care. They have a pond on the property and running water. When the animals pass away, we bury them on the hill." Tell us your fun/amazing/ crazing pet tips and tales: an- gelscribe@msn.com Follow us: facebook.com/ PetTipsandTales may have written the letter. At the time, Parent released a statement denying she wrote the letter. According to TSPC the district and Hol- loman were made aware of the dismissal. “I received a letter clearing her of mis- conduct related to her misuse of time,” Holloman said. “She was also cleared of the same misconduct by the Hungerfords,” she concluded, referring to the independent investigation solicited by the school district in June. Parent is set to retire on June 30. Jeab Spriggs , Nail Technician Jeab is off ering a Spring Special $5.00 off a fi ll or manicure or pedicure $10.00 off a full set of Gel or Acrylic Nails Call today for an Appointment or a Gift Certifi cate just in time for Mother’s Day! 541-942-4353 davesplacesalon.com 704 E. Whiteaker • Cottage Grove, OR 97424 INSTAGRAM: @davesplacesalon OPEN NOW HUMANE SOCIETY OF COTTAGE GROVE Our beautiful community is designed for those who need assistance or have memory impairments. You can be assured that you or your loved one will receive the best in care along with compassionate personal attention from our well trained staff. Th anks our sponsors for sponsoring our successful Jamboree that was held in Creswell on April 21st. Call or stop by for more information and a personal tour! We are available 7 days a week! KNND Radio 1500 Village Dr., Cottage Grove, OR 97424 T 541-767-0080 www.MiddlefieldOaks.com COTTAGE GROVE Cottage Grove Sentinel PRT USA Growing Services Banner Bank of Cottage Grove Jonathan Backer, DDS Marvin Smith Automotive Body Works Salon Home Pride Painting and Repair LLCC Over 30 years of experience Schedule Now For Spring and Summer Interior and Exterior Painting Call us for a Free Quote! “We do small remodels, home repairs and decks! Serving Lane & North Douglas Counties 541-735-0089 ccb# 217560 HOUSE-MADE CARLTON FARMS PORKSAUSAGE 100% GRASSFED BEEF LOCAL & IN-HOUSE BREADS German-ish German inspired cooking • Housemade Breads & Meats Many Menu Items Gluten Free • Locally Sourced Foods Wall to Wall Carpet Cleaning Cottage Grove Lions Club Humane Society of Cottage Grove Members Mark Holtz Construction Dettart Family Construction Th anks to Annie Mae Rhodes Band 60 Gateway Blvd. Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Cameron Reiten 541-942-6130 Tatiamo www.pigandturnip.com Julie Nedelse Check out our online menu! 418 A St. Springfi eld, OR 97477 • 541-968-2403