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.
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