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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 27, 2018)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • JUNE 27, 2018 • 6 A Toga! Toga! Toga! CG group looks to reclaim world record fi lm’s 40th anniversary Aug. 18 with a parade and an attempt to re-claim the Guinness World Record for biggest toga party. Th e city lost the prize more than a decade ago to a univer- sity in Australia. “We’ll group people in groups of 50 in a grid system so we can take photos and for a 15-minute window have every- one gathered,” said chamber ex- ecutive director Travis Palmer of how the record attempt will be documented. Palmer is also a member of the Double Secret Society, the group made up of chamber and community members planning the August event. To earn the record, Cottage By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com Somewhere between 2 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 18, members of the Double Secret Society will herd the crowds together and count exactly how many people showed up to Bo- hemia Park in a toga in an at- tempt to break a world record. Th e event is in honor of the fi lm, “Animal House” that was fi lmed in Cottage Grove and remains one of the city’s largest tourism draws. Th e Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce has teamed with the Bohemian Film Festival to celebrate the Grove will have to have more than 3,700 people don togas and be counted. It will also have to prove it. In an attempt to do so, the chamber has opted to sell tick- ets to the event which caused a stir on Facebook late last month due to the cost of en- try. According to Palmer, the fi rst record-breaking attempt sold tickets as well for $15. Th is year’s price is $20 per person. Th e price had some residents hesitant, noting that, for a fami- ly of fi ve to attend, it would cost $100. “Th e fi rst thing people need to understand is that to coordi- nate an event of this size there are signifi cant costs. Insur- ance alone, security bringing in extra bathrooms, there’s a lot. Th at doesn’t even factor in the performers. Th ey shouldn’t think of this as a toga party. It’s a concert, it’s an event with a lot of bands,” Palmer said. Only individuals who buy tickets to enter the toga par- ty will be counted toward the world record attempt. Th ose who choose not to buy a ticket can still celebrate “Animal House” Aug. 18, ac- cording to Palmer. Th e Village Green and Eugene Emeralds will be hosting “Animal House” themed events and the Cottage Grove celebration will include a parade, free of cost. “We understand $20 might be too expensive but that’s also part of the reason we’re having a big parade, there’s no cost for the parade. We’re losing mon- ey on the parade,” Palmer said. Individuals who volunteer to work the event may also have their toga party ticket paid for, according to Palmer. Th e parade will take place in downtown Cottage Grove in the same location the fi lm staged its famous parade scene. Th e chamber is hoping to at- tract residents to take part in the parade as well as enjoy it from the sidelines. Entertain- ment inside the toga party will include several bands including Otis Day who famously sang "Shout" in the fi lm. Th e event will be co-sponsored by the Bohemian Film Festival which will debut this year in Cottage Grove showing submitted fi lms throughout the day at various locations around the city in- cluding the armory and com- munity center. Tickets for the “Animal House” celebration are on sale now through the end of the month for $15. Th e price will jump to $20 in July and, ac- cording to Palmer, may rise again in August. For more information, or to volunteer to work the event, visit animalhousetoga.com or call the chamber of commerce at 541-942-2411. Cottage Grove Swinging Bridge Project gets strong show of support By Caitlyn May Meyers said of the meeting. If awarded, the grant would pay out $200,000. “I was very happy to hear about the grant,” said Dana Merryday, a member of Friends of the Cottage Grove Swinging Bridge, a communi- ty organization dedicated to raising funds for the bridge’s repair. Merryday accompa- nied city offi cials to the grant committee presentation June 18. “Th e letters that people wrote were very persuasive,” Merryday said. “At the fund- raiser last week, we got a stack of letters about an inch thick. Everyone who grew up in the community has a story about the bridge and it’s just great that people were willing to do that and write.” Th e bridge has been out of service since 2016 when the cmay@cgsentinel.com Th e Swinging Bridge’s re- pair fund swung a bit more to- ward the black and out of the red on Monday, June 18, aft er city manager Richard Meyers, public works and develop- ment director Faye Stewart and several residents made a presentation to the Local Government Grant Program Advisory Committee. “Th e committee reviewed applications for 39 projects. Th e committee met aft er hearing all the presentations and ranked the applications to submit recommendations to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and the Cottage Grove Swing- ing Bridge was ranked third out of 18 projects that were recommended for funding,” city’s engineer deemed it un- safe. Th e city has since con- sulted with engineers and ar- chitects to determine how to repair the bridge with several options from a pre-fabricated replacement to a fully swing- ing bridge being considered. Last year, the city coun- cil was presented with three options that ranged between $150,000 and $370,000. However, the latest cost estimates have reached $1 million with $500,000 esti- mated for the actual cost of the bridge and the remaining funds attributed to engineer and contingency fees which can be completed in-house. Th e city implemented a “round-up” program last year that allows residents to round up their water bill to the nearest whole dollar with money going to the bridge’s repair fund. Th e Friends of the Swinging Bridge have also hosted two public events as well as garage-sale style fund- raisers. Th e combined eff orts have resulted in more than $10,000 raised for the project. “Th at was another thing that was persuasive,” Merry- day said. “Th at the commu- nity had chipped in. At the garage sale of our left overs from the bigger sale, we made another $377. Some people just put in $20.” Th e recommendations by the local grant committee, according to Meyers, will be submitted to the state historic preservation offi ce for review and will then be forwarded to the Oregon Parks and Recre- ation Department Commis- sion which will approve appli- cations on Sept. 19. You Can Count on Us! We provide prompt and reliable, public transportation. Our experienced, courteous drivers will take you to appointments on time. 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