COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MAY 23, 2018 Local VFW in search of coffee cart outreach programs it puts on but now, it’s asking for help to continue collecting that spare change, those crumbled bills and may- be, a few more checks. “We’re looking for something that, it can’t be too big. Maybe 15 or 16 feet,” Twite said, describing the trailer the post needs. Th e trailer the group uses now is a few decades old and was re-designed and fi xed up by the men at the post but according to Twite, it’s showing its age. New travel RVs or trailers can cost thou- sands of dollars, money the post doesn’t have but it does have a budget for a used trailer it can renovate by taking out the di- nette set, adding shelves and making a few other adjustments. By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com When the local VFW gives out free coff ee at the rest stop on Interstate 5, they usual- ly get a donation from every customer; the spare change in their pockets or a few dollar bills. “But we had one lady, once, she asked us what our biggest donation had ever been and I told her it was probably $20 or $25 dollars,” said VFW post commander Dennis Twite. “Well she went to her car and came back with a check she wrote out for $100.” Th e donations the post garners on its weekends at the rest stop on I-5 go toward scholarship programs and other charitable Th e VFW post volunteers at least one weekend a month to hand out coff ee for do- nations so that it can fund scholarships for local high schoolers and awards for teacher of the year. Without the trailer, the group can still raise funds by serving coff ee but it doesn’t yield the same profi t. “On the southbound side they put in a construction trailer, I call it, it has two rooms in it, one is an offi ce and one is for the coff ee cart,” Twite said. “We’ve tried that a couple times in there but it sits back quite a ways so I don’t know if people see it but we don’t get too many people.” To donate funds or a trailer for the VFW’s coff ee cart, please contact Twite at (541) 942-7099. 5A Cottage Grove Retrospective A look back at Sentinel stories from 30 and 60 years ago The war against drugs Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council invites public to weekend events in June Th e CFWWC and Willamette Water Ouzels invite the community to join the annual clean up fl oat of the Row and Coast Fork Willamette Rivers on Saturday, June 2. Participants can collect trash, view wildlife and enjoy the river landscape while helping to improve river conditions locally and downstream. Th is year will be the 12th year of the Water Ouzel Clean Up Float. Th e fl oat covers six river miles starting at the Row River boat launch and ending at Lynx Hollow State Park. Last year, approximately 300 pounds of trash was collected from the rivers. Residents with a boat, paddling skills and all the required gear, are also welcomed to particpate. Th e event is free and open to the public. Participants must provide their own boat, gear, safety equipment, water and food. Meet at the Row River Nature Park boat launch, located at 33301 Row River Rd., Cottage Grove, at 8 a.m. Shuttle arrangements to Lynx Hollow State Park will be available if needed. Lynx Hollow State Park is located at 80998 Davisson Rd., Creswell (Saginaw). Please note that Lynx Hollow State Park vehicle access will only be available for the morning car shuttle and at approximately 4 p.m. when the Clean Up Float is complete. All non-motorized Art Walk this Friday watercraft greater than 10 feet in length is required by the State of Oregon to have an invasive species permit. For questions and to RSVP, please contact Doug Garletts at 541-315-1604 or fl uvialmonkey@yahoo.com and leave your name, phone number, number of people in your party, gear status and age of any children coming along. Event information is also available on CFWWC's Facebook Page. Also on the schedule, CFWWC will conduct red- eared slider (and potentially snapping turtle) trapping in Cottage Grove at Row River Nature Park with CFWWC Projects Coordinator, Reilly Newman. We will remove the non-native red-eared sliders and snapping turtles from the ponds, and collect scientifi c data from the native Western pond turtles before release. We are looking for reliable volunteers who can accurately collect scientifi c data in the fi eld, handle live turtles and who can commit to at least 3-5 days of trapping. Th e trapping will occur every day from May 21 - June 8 including weekends. We anticipate the time involved each day will be about 2.5 hours. For more information or to sign up, please call the CFWWC offi ce 541-767-9717 or email Reilly reillcoastfork.org. Dinner mystery at the library Saturday Friends of the Cottage Grove Library is presenting Dinner Mystery Th eatre, a play revolving around a funny madcap trip to Mynute, Alaska for Mother Mabel’s Pie Baking Competition. Th is play has ample servings of motive, and all the right ingredients for murder with big laughs, outrageous characters, and audience participation. Dinner is chicken marsala or roasted vegetable lasagna with a complimentary glass of wine and a real pie auction at the end of the play. Murder at the Pie Auction is Saturday, May 26 at 7 p.m. in the Community Center. Tickets are available at the Bookmine. LUCAS DAVEY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL ART WALK-A couple takes in sights during April's Art Walk. Th e Art Walk returns this Friday, May 25. Downtown businesses including Th e Craft y Mercantile, Imag- ine it Framed, Delight, Five Flying Monkeys and Ambrose Col- lectibles among others, will remain open between 6 and 8 p.m. so visitors and residents can enjoy local artists and buskers. Th e self-guided tour of downtown Cottage Grove is held the last Friday of every month. Th is month, a special performance from the local branch of the international group DanceAbility, will be featured at the Opal Center. Th e group, which focuses on includ- ing all dancers, including those with physical disabilities, will be performing some of its latest pieces. For more information on the Art Walk, call Michele at 541-514- 0704. 6 -day weather forecast THURSDAY May 24 FRIDAY May 25 74° | 54° 63° | 49° Showers Showers SATURDAY May 26 SUNDAY May 27 67° | 47° 72° | 48° Mostly cloudy Partly sunny MONDAY May 28 TUESDAY May 29 73° | 49° 76° |50° Sunny Sunny Lorane News Crow HS Honor Society is hosting a blood drive at the school this Wednesday, May 23 from 10 a.m. 2 p.m. Th e Mariachi Band will play at the high school at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23. Th is is Memorial Day weekend with no school on Monday, May 28. Please be safe and remember those we honor and have lost. Events ending the school year: Tuesday, May 29 - all school awards 9:15 to 11 a.m. Parents and family may attend. Wednesday, May 30 -Senior Recognition night at 7 p.m. Every- one welcome. Th ursday, May 31 - Spring Band/Choir concert at Crow Grange- 7 p.m. Sunday, June 3, Baccalaureate at Crow/Applegate Nazarene Church at 6 p.m. Mark your calendars for Crow High Graduation, Friday, June. 8 at 7 p.m. Again, all are welcome to share the seniors big day and cheer them on. CGSENTINEL.COM Transmissions Plus & AUTOMOTIVE SPECIALTIES PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SERVICE SINCE 1991 Manual & Automatic Transmission Repair Tune ups 30-60-90K Services Brakes, belts, hoses and cooling system services Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust All makes and models. MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE AFFORDABLY 1 in 4 employees are ill prepared for emergency. PayneWest can develop your business’ emergency plan. Call today (541) 942-0555. PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN “WE MAKE SHIFT HAPPEN!” www.automotivespecialties.biz DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS 541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE By Pete Mallris 1988 Sentinel Staff M essages warning youngsters about the dangers involved with drugs and alcohol normally carry an aura of gloom and doom about them. Th ose who have seen the eff ects of drugs on abusers oft en have a diffi cult time describing the situation any other way. Activities surround the Cottage Grove’s Drug Awareness Week sponsored by the Drug Action Council found upbeat, fun ways of getting a serious message cross. Th e message was clear: don’t use drugs. Th at message was delivered in a variety of ways. Some messages were as subtle as green ribbons distributed to area businesses by local service organizations. Th e ribbons signifi ed their support of Drug Awareness Week. Wednesday was designated as Wellness Day. Students participated in a host of activities including a nature hike, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, wind-surfi ng and sidewalk mural painting. Former professional basketball player Les Harrison spoke to captive audiences at Cottage Grove High School and younger students during the week. He demonstrated several unusual exercises with a basketball and did his best to teach volunteers how to perform them. Harrison kept the mood light and cheerful while still urging kids to avoid drugs. He told a group at the high school that he visits friends back home in mental institutions, prison and cemeteries because of drugs. Law enforcement offi cials and local students participated in panel discussions regarding the problems of drugs and alco- hol. Athletes from the University of Oregon sat on the similar panels to discuss goal setting. Th e week concluded with a rally at Coiner Park where a raffl e was held. State Sen. Bill Frye was on hand to present a check to contribute to the cause. Mayor Jim Gilroy also participated in the rally. He got the week-long activity rolling Saturday, May 14 during opening ceremonies at McDonald’s. Drug Action Council Vice President Bill Th ompson called the e vent a success although he admitted crowds at many of the activities were relatively small. “Th ey key is that some- body realizes there is hope, that something is being done,” Th ompson said. Th ompson said Drug Awareness Week will help people realize help is available for the hose who fi nd themselves in trouble because of drugs or alcohol. “If here’s such a thing as prevention, it comes in K through six (kindergarten through sixth grade,)” Th ompson com- mented. “You’ve got to give them a reason not to use.” Th ompson said the community’s youth holds the key to positive changes in the area. Community support for the event encouraged Th omp- son. “Th e neat thing about it was the community got behind it,” Th ompson said. He pointed to service clubs and other community members who manned the council headquarters in Gateway Plaza. “It was a well backed community project,” Th ompson said.