4A | WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. Sixth St.
Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424
NED HICKSON , MANAGING EDITOR |
Opinion
541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ CGSENTINEL . COM
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“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
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Political/Election Letters:
Sharing the meaning of those little fl ags
neck, the earthy smell of then shook her head.
the fresh-cut grass and
“Well, they are usually
the hushed snap of small trying to protect some-
American flags standing thing,” I explained. “Like
like sentries next to dozens where they live, or their
of tombstones along the beliefs, or the right to ex-
hillside at our local ceme- press themselves. These
Though we live in a time tery.
little flags are for people
where the lines that di-
“How come some of who fought for you and me
vide us seem more clearly them have little flags, and — so that we could have all
drawn than ever, this Me-
morial Day I hope we can
From the Managing Editor’s Desk
unite in solemn apprecia-
Ned Hickson
tion for the men and wom-
en throughout our nation’s
history who sacrificed
themselves so that we can some don’t?” my daughter those things.”
live — and even disagree asked.
“And they died while
— as Americans.
Though we didn’t have they were fighting?” she
As adults, we tend to any family members bur- asked and crouched in
complicate things and ide- ied there, I thought it front of a small flag that
als. It’s days like Memori- would be a good opportu- had fallen over. She looked
al Day that I’m reminded nity to explain the mean- at me, and I nodded.
how a child’s pure, unbi- ing of Memorial Day to
“A lot of them did,” I
ased perspective is some- her.
answered, watching as she
times our best source of
“Do you know what war stuck the little flag back
wisdom.
is?” I asked.
into the ground. “But not
It’s been 16 years since
“When people fight,” she all of them. Some died
we introduced our oldest answered, then clarified later, after they were done
daughter to the meaning herself; “A whole bunch of fighting for us.”
of Memorial Day. She was people.”
“But they still get a flag,
seven then, but I still re-
“That’s right, but do you right?”
member the short gusts know why they fight?”
“That’s right.”
of warm wind on my
She thought a moment,
We sat there for a mo-
ment, watching as the
fabric of stars and stripes
waved in the evening
breeze. Hugging her knees
to her chest, my daughter
surveyed the hilly grass
and the long shadows
stretching away from the
setting sun.
“There sure are a lot of
little flags out there,” she
said finally.
“Yes, there are.”
She was silent again, and
I began to wonder if I had
laid too much reality on
her.
After a moment, she
stood and brushed grass
from the seat of her pants.
“C’mon, Dad,” she said,
and reached for my hand.
“You ready to go?”
“Uh-huh,” she said. “Af-
ter we fix those other flags
down there. Some of them
fell over. We need to make
them straight.”
This Memorial Day, take
time to notice the little
flags.
There are many.
And they all deserve our
attention...
LETTERS
Great community support
for CG Theatre
Thank you, Cottage Grove Sen-
tinel, for the coverage of Cottage
Theatre’s exciting renovation proj-
ect, ACT III.
In addition to the grants men-
tioned in the story, which are in-
deed key to the project’s success, we
are also raising funds by selling seat
sponsorships and seeking individu-
al contributions in any amount.
So far, more than 50 people have
come forward to put their name on
a seat, and there are plenty more
seats available for sponsorship.
During the year, the local band
FAB (Fabulous Album Band) spear-
headed Tony Rust a long-time the-
ater volunteer, actor and director,
held two concert fundraisers that
raised nearly $4,000.
And on May 4, Cottage Theatre
hosted a big yard sale, which raised
more than $1,600 towards the proj-
ect.
A big Thank You to everyone who
has come out to support the theater.
Since its humble beginnings under
a parachute, to its impossible dream
of a “real” playhouse, to today’s
ACT III remodel, Cottage Theatre
owes its success to its many, many
dedicated volunteers and its strong
community support.
Cottage Grove is about its people,
its beauty and its history. Cottage
Theatre, a one-of-a-kind gem in the
community, offers a very special
reason for visitors to come explore
and experience all that Cottage
Grove has to offer.
—Karen Snyder
Cottage Theatre volunteer
and actress
(Editor’s Note: For more infor-
mation about supporting the the-
ater, future productions or the ACT
III project, visit www.cottagethe-
atre.org.
Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely
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Letters must: 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns
on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information
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rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhetoric.
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As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper,
at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and
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Send letters to:
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HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS
Oregon state
representatives
Oregon federal
representatives
• Sen. Floyd Prozanski
• Rep. Peter DeFazio
District 4 State Senator
PO Box 11511
Eugene, Ore. 97440
Phone: 541-342-2447
Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@
state.or.us
(House of Representatives)
405 East 8th Ave.
#2030
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: defazio.house.gov/
contact/email-peter
Phone: 541-465-6732
• Rep. Cedric Hayden
Republican District 7 State
Representative
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301
Phone: 503-986-1407
Website: www.leg.state.or.
us/hayden
Email: rep.cedrichayden@
state.or.us
• Sen. Ron Wyden
405 East 8th Ave., Suite
2020
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: wyden.senate.gov
Phone: (541) 431-0229
• Sen. Jeff Merkley
Email: merkley.senate.gov
Phone: 541-465-6750
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