S ERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF C OTTAGE G ROVE , C RESWELL , D ORENA , D RAIN , E LKTON , L ORANE AND Y ONCALLA
C ottage G rove
THURSDAY EDITION | FEBRUARY 13, 2020 | $1.00
S entinel
VOL. 131, NO. 7 •
Est. 1889
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Community gathers to remember local ‘Rosie’
By Damien Sherwood
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
Call a local agent today
(541) 942-0555
PayneWest.com/CottageGrove
WEATHER
Chance of showers
with a high of 47 and
a low tonight of 38.
Full forecast on A5
P
ews of the United Method-
ist Church filled Feb. 8 as
the community gathered to
honor and remember Opal Marie
Nelson, who passed away Jan. 15.
Nelson, a decades-long resident
of the area, was recognized as an
energetic community organizer
and one of few remaining “Rosie
the Riveter” members in Cottage
Grove.
“She could captivate an audience
of any age with her energy and
sense of humor,” said Yvonne Fa-
sold, past national president of the
American Rosie the Riveter Asso-
ciation (ARRA).
Saturday’s service, officiated by
Pastor James Markus of the Trin-
ity Lutheran Church, incorpo-
rated prayer, scriptural readings
and music separately performed
by Cascade Chorus and bagpiper
Steve Allely.
“Opal was a neighbor of mine as
well as a friend,” said Markus. “She
was a blessing to me every time I
saw her. She always brought me
joy.”
Opal’s Story
Born July 1, 1922, in Roa-
noke, Ind., Nelson grew up in the
Great Depression and, at 16, was
job-seeking straight out of high
school. Jobs were scarce at the time
and, with the outbreak of World
War II, Nelson and a friend jour-
neyed across the United States
looking for work before settling in
Santa Monica, Calif.
As U.S. aircraft production in-
creased in the lead up to the war,
Nelson found work on an assem-
bly line. Despite her lack of train-
ing, Nelson was hired as a riveter
on the graveyard shift to help as-
semble fuselages for Douglas A-20
Havocs, a medium bomber/attack
aircraft.
There, Nelson would end up
marrying her boss, James Nelson,
in 1944.
Besides the need to make a liv-
ing, Nelson said she was heavi-
ly motivated to do her work as
she knew that men overseas were
counting on a steady stream of
supplies.
FEATURE
The Grove shows its heart
See ROSIE 6A
City discusses
potential for
parklets
By Damien Sherwood
dsherwood@cgsentinel.
com
Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales.
A5
SPORTS — B
CG to host swim prep
district meet.
B1
• RECORDS
Obituaries
Police Logs
Anniversary
A2
• LORANE NEWS
A5
• CLASSIFIEDS
Listings and public
notices
C7-C8
FOLLOW US FOR THE
PHOTOS BY DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Clockwise from left: the Hearts on Main fundraiser features local expressions of love and appreciation
on Main Street; Creative Chaos hosted its first Sweethearts Dance at Opal Center for Arts & Education;
and a heart sculpture produced by local artist Tinica Ossman-Steier hangs in the Cottage Grove Library.
LATEST NEWS :
/CGS ENTINEL
@CGS ENTINEL
CGS ENTINEL . COM
No ticket needed for ‘Coffee with a Cop’
541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax
P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424
Ever want to sit down with a Cot-
tage Grove Police Officer and chat?
On Thursday, Feb. 20, from 9 to
10 a.m. at McDonald’s restaurant,
1520 Gateway Blvd. in Cottage
Grove, come enjoy free coffee and
cookies courtesy of McDonald’s and
attend “Coffee With a Cop.”
Like last year’s event, it’s an op-
portunity to interact with Cottage
Grove Police officers and citizens in
a more casual way.
“Our last event was successful.
Comprehensive Family Medical
Eye Care and Optical Services
Dr. Grillo is a board-certified
ophthalmologist specializing in cornea,
external disease, and refractive surgery.
Call 541-942-5000
257 N. 8th St • www.pcvi.com
Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm
Official LASIK and Eye Doctors of the Oregon Ducks and Eugene Emeralds
However, we’d like to encourage
even more local citizens to come
and share their concerns with us,”
said Chief of Police Scott Shepherd.
Coffee with a Cop was originally
launched in Hawthorne, Calif., in
2011, when officers from that de-
partment were looking for ways to
interact more successfully with cit-
izens.
The program is now held in all 50
states.
According to the Coffee with a
Welcome
Anthony Grillo, MD
Cop National Program, “Commu-
nity policing has long been consid-
ered a framework for establishing
trust between community and the
police and Coffee with a Cop is one
of the most successful community
oriented policing programs across
the country,”
For more information, contact
Janice Cramer, Public Information
Representative at 541-942-9145.
Citizens,
business
owners and city coun-
cilors discussed the
possibility of installing
parklets in downtown
Cottage Grove Monday
night during a city coun-
cil meeting.
Parklets are extensions
of sidewalks into park-
ing spaces and provide a
small space for people to
dine or relax, oft en out-
side dining or retail es-
tablishments.
Civil Engineer Ryan
Sisson delivered an infor-
mational presentation on
parklets and sought com-
munity and city council
feedback on whether to
move forward with the
project.
Local businesses the
Axe & Fiddle and Jack
Sprats were pointed to
as potential sites for par-
klets as both businesses
feature outside seating on
the sidewalk.
“One of our goals here
is to maximize the pedes-
trian route through the
sidewalk,” said Sisson.
During feedback, citi-
zens, downtown business
owners and councilors
expressed high interest
in the idea, citing the aes-
thetic appeal and poten-
tial for tourism.
“I believe it would
make our downtown
more attractive and in-
viting for people visit-
ing Cottage Grove,” said
downtown business own-
er Bart Caridio.
Owner of Jack Sprats
Chloe Beckes expressed
her support for the idea.
“Our seating outside is
real limited as it is,” she
said. “Th is would give us
an opportunity to have
seating that is not in peo-
ple’s way.”
Councilor
Candace
Solesbee commented on
What is Rotary?
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Thursdays at 12pm
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541-554-6946
See CITY 3A