COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2019 | 5A
WOE Heritage Fair, Lumberjack Show opens Aug. 16
On the third weekend of
August, a long-held tradi-
tion of Cottage Grove will
bloom again. From Friday,
Aug. 16 through Sunday,
Aug. 18, The Western Or-
egon Exposition (WOE)
will ride again. The mis-
sion of the fair is “…To
be of service to the com-
munity [by] carrying on
the American tradition of
old-fashioned fun, enter-
tainment and education
in a safe, family-friendly
environment.”
Ken Schwieger, WOE
President,
emphasized
that last point of the mis-
sion, saying, “We are go-
ing to have lots of fun
things for kids to do!”
Just a partial listing of
the kid-friendly experi-
ences to be had include:
Dr. Delusion’s Comedy
& Magic show, Nation-
al Guard Climbing Wall,
The Grand Prix Pine Car
Races (build and race
your own), The Swinging
Rope Monkey Bridge and
Open Mic — and are all
free. New this year are the
Mega Water Slide and the
Zorb Ball Races. These
activities require an addi-
tional fee, along with the
entrance fee ($3 general
and kids age 12 and under
are admitted free), Bring
a can of food to get $1 off
admission.
Those activities are
just the beginning at the
fairgrounds, located just
north of Cottage Grove at
2000 N. Douglas St. (next
to the CG Speedway).
There will be live music
on three stages each day of
the festival, as well as the
Lumberjack Competitive
Logging Show; food and
craft vendors; exhibits of
agricultural harvest; cat-
egories of art and handi-
work; livestock and scrap-
booking; demonstrations
of handiwork; antique
engines and farm imple-
ments; beer and wine gar-
den for the adults; and all
through the weekend will
be activities focusing on
the WOE Royal Court.
This is not a beauty
pageant. The Royal Court
selects youth who have a
record for working to bet-
ter their community and
help develop their public
speaking, etiquette skills
and to grow their self-con-
fidence.
These young women
and men from four age
groups are encouraged to
continue their academic
achievements and com-
munity involvement.
Throughout the year,
youth selected to the court
will serve as ambassadors
of the Western Oregon
Exposition.
This down-home family
fair and hometown tradi-
tion is all about the exhib-
itors and showcasing all of
the talent within the com-
munity.
Exhibitor categories in-
clude: Textiles, floral and
forestry, culinary, food
preservation, produce, art,
craft and hobby, photog-
raphy, scrapbooking and
livestock.
After judging, ribbons
are awarded among six
divisions, from pre-school
to senior. There are exhib-
iter forms available online
at the WOE website, and
entries can be brought in
on Wednesday, Aug. 14,
from noon to 8 p.m., or
Thursday, Aug. 15, from 8
a.m. to noon.
Livestock can only be
entered on Thursday,
Aug. 15, from noon to 5
p.m. Many local youth
participating in 4-H will
be showing their project
animals. This year, there
will be some exciting new
things joining the old fa-
vorites.
There are still opportu-
nities for vendors to be-
come a part of the fair and
there is a need for volun-
teers.
For more information
on either, contact Skye
Hefner at 541-942-6150 or
email her at westernore-
gonexpo@gmail.com.
Cottage Grove, which
has a strong agricultural
background going back
to its founding, has had
annual exhibitions of the
bounty of the rich Wil-
lamette soil since early
in the 1900s. The earliest
fairs leaned heavily on
grains. There was a time
when the sweet pea was
celebrated
communi-
ty-wide, then poultry.
The exhibits have been
held in open air, at City
Hall, The Armory, Jeffer-
son School and in vacant
buildings. After incorpo-
rating in 1952 and chang-
ing its name from South
Lane Fair to WOE, it
found a permanent home
on land donated by Stan-
ley Daugherty.
Join generations of
Western Oregonians as
they celebrate the heritage
and talents of this region
at the WOE Fair.
To learn more about the
variety of activities, visit
www.woeheritgefair.com
or Facebook at WOE Fair
and Logging Show.
a.m. to visit, with lunch
starting promptly at noon.
Please remember to mark
your dishes in case you
forget them. After eating,
wander down to the Fire
Hall for the annual Vol-
unteer Fire Department
Ice Cream Social from 1
to 5 p.m. Come enjoy de-
licious pies and ice cream
while enjoying music by
Kyle and Jim. Take a fire
engine ride or enjoy any
of the various activities
taking place on the church
lawn across the street.
• Just a reminder that
there is a Red Flag warning
in our area. It is hot, dry
and windy, so please be
careful. Be aware of times
when you cannot run
any combustion-driven
equipment. This includes
lawnmowers, weed-eaters
and power saws. If you’re
not sure, check with the
fire department or read
the signs. Things are very
dry and we do not need
more wildfires.
• Remember: Lists for
school supplies are now
available in area stores.
—Written by Dana
Merryday and edited by
Skye Hefner
LORANE NEWS
Contributed by
Lil Thompson
for The Sentinel
• Sunday, Aug. 11, come
enjoy the annual Lorane
Community Potluck at
the Lorane Grange. Doors
will open at 10 a.m., so
those going to church may
drop off their dish. Many
people come around 11
Come
Join Us
at the
W.O.E. Fair
August
16th-18th
Cottage Grove
Genealogical Society
700 Gibbs Ave.
P.O. Box 388
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
541-942-9570
Preserving
Your
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Memory
We off er a full line of aftercare services
to honor the life of your beloved pet.
“Partners in History”
Cremation Services • Burials • Memorials • Urns • Keepsakes • Grief Support
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Pet Tips
‘n’ Tales
By Mary Ellen
“Angel Scribe”
Rescues = Fun!
Photographing two wild teenage kittens, Marsha
and Mellow, is a skill that Vivian is trying to master.
M
ine and Vivian’s hearts are forever bonded be-
cause of cats.
“Seventeen years ago, my sister told me that a shad-
ed-silver kitten named Miss Wings needed a flight to
a ‘kind and gifted writer, Mary Ellen, in Oregon,’” said
Vivian.
Not only did Vivian volunteer to fly Miss Wings
from Boston to Eugene, she paid for their flight.
When she landed and handed a tiny fluffy Miss Wings
into my hands, I fell in love — both with the kitten
and Vivian. At the time, I was healing from cancer
and the kitten’s and Vivian’s love were the best medi-
cine ever. A few years later, Vivian adopted a relative
of Miss Wings, Brie, to add to her two Himalayan cats.
After the loss of her Himalayans, Vivian’s friend
told her she was fostering, “Two sweet, white, five-
week-old kittens.” Vivian, who wanted to rescue cats,
asked her friend to bring them over for a “test drive.”
“At first, the kittens were so little that their tails were
only two inches long,” recalled Vivian. “Their big sis-
ter, Brie, is now 15 years old and enjoys watching the
tiny entertaining kittens like live TV, but she refuses
to babysit them and I refused to give them back.”
The twins were named after their soft, fluffy, marsh-
mallow-like white coats; Marsha and Mellow.
Mellow now weighs 15 pounds and Marsha is 13
pounds. They stretch out to three feet long and they’re
only nine months old. When Mellow sits on a coffee
table, Vivian has to push the kitty condo up to make
him fit. These gigantic olive-green-eyed felines ap-
pear to be Russian Whites: a mix of white Siberian
and Russian Blue parents. The breed needs to be kept
stimulated because of their intelligence.
Luckily, Mellow plays by himself chasing a ping-
pong ball in the tub. He’s so rambunctious that the
balls constantly fly out. When he was smaller, he
would run up an unsuspecting Vivian’s leg, give her
a love nip on her bottom, and then run off when she
yelped. Purr-omptly at 5:30 a.m., these wild furries
run up and down the hallways for two hours. Then
they zonk out like under heavy anesthetic.
“Everything is a toy to them,” said Vivian. “That in-
cludes baseboards, diving under blankets and into the
laundry basket. They love playing chase while jump-
ing on everything that they are not allowed to — but
they do it anyway. My two rescues are silly, bring joy
and have me laughing all day.”
Mellow loves spying on his family in the bathroom.
When the toilet is flushed, he rushes over and puts
his long paws up onto the seat, then bends his head
down into the toilet. When he reaches in to explore
the swirling water, Vivian pulls him away.
On one side of her white couch (bought to camou-
flage three white cats’ fur) is a living tropical plant and
on the other side is a fake tree. Mellow sees this as a
challenge, often catapulting from one tree, across the
couch, and into the second tree. Brie pays attention
and follows suit.
Talk about teaching an old cat new tricks!
The mischievous twins will walk up, then step off
their six-foot-tall cat post onto the ledge above the
sliding door where they balance like mountain goats
defying all odds of falling.
The second that Vivian sits or lays down, all three
white cats cover her.
“My white furniture is great, but the navy couch is
a white cat hair nightmare,” laughs Vivian. “So, it is
a good thing that they lay on me most of the time. I
could not love these little mongrels any more. They
nestled in and rescued my heart. Every day, I say,
‘Thank you’ that they came into my life. I spoil all my
cats and my friends are constantly telling me, ‘Your
cats have won the kitty lottery’ or ‘I want to be re-
incarnated and come back as one of your pampered
pets!’”
TIPS:
• Adopt a rescue here: www.PetFinder.com
• Contact your humane shelter and become in-
volved in their fostering program.
Share your fur-avorite pet memory or adventure at
angelscribe@msn.com. Visit Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Face-
book at/www.facebook.com/PetTipsandTales
Humane Society for Neuter/Spay Assistance Program.
541-942-2789
