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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2020)
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 | DECEMBER 31, 2020 | $1.00 S entinel VOL. 131, NO. 52 • Est. 1889 Your Local News Delivered Your Way: In Print. Online. On the Go! Get an insurance plan —not just a policy. A look back at the (541) 942-0555 WEATHER Chance of showers with a high of 48 and a low tonight of 39. Full forecast on A5 COMMUNITY Top Stories of 2020 A s Cottage Grove readies to ring in a new year, The Sentinel takes a look back at some of the top stories of 2020, a year which brought with it a series of both proximate and nationwide hardships including the coronavirus epidemic, the loss of a Cottage Grove city councilor and smoke from wildfires which blotted out the sun throughout the region. But despite the challenges, the year By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com also saw Cottage Grove’s community rally to support its strug- gling local businesses, donate graciously to its local support groups and witness the opening of three new affordable housing projects for those in need. Here’s look back at some of the stories that defined our community in 2020... Surprise for senior residents A3 HUMOR James Kazad’s Life before Covid B1 • RECORDS Obituaries Official releases A2 • LORANE NEWS B1 • TV GUIDE B3-B4 • CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices B3-B6 FOLLOW US FOR THE FILE PHOTOS /COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Clockwise from top: Legion Cottages completed construction and took in its first tenants this month; the Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award went to Coast Fork Feed Company and Brew Station for its community involvement; and the community said goodbye to Opal Nelson, one of its few remaining local “Rosies.” Chamber celebrates business, of Commerce Installation and Fork Feed Company & Brew said owner Dale Smith. “The Station was awarded for its ef- beautiful thing about family is Awards Dinner. community leaders (Jan. 23) City officials, local residents and Chamber of Commerce members gathered Saturday, Jan. 18, in the Cottage Grove Armory for the 71st Annual Cottage Grove Area Chamber The Business of the Year Award went to a Cottage Grove business for outstanding achievement in good business practices and involvement in the community. This year’s winner Coast Warming shelter holds open house LATEST NEWS : By Damien Sherwood /CGSentinel @CGSentinel forts to support youth and their families with walking and run- ning events, promotion of the Cottage Grove area and other family events. “How lucky am I to work with the people I love most,” dsherwood@cgsentinel.com 541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 The public got its first chance to see the city’s Pallet Shelters up close on Tuesday during an open house event for the new Community Sharing Warming Shelter. City staff and program representa- tives were on hand to answer questions as people milled about the site on N 12th Street. “This is kind of a proving test that shows this will work as an emergency place,” said City Manager Richard Mey- ers. Rotary members are making an impact in the fi ght against COVID-19 in our community. Rotary members around the world persevere. No challenge is so big that we can’t make a diff erence. Rotary Club of Cott age Grove 541-554-6946 A collaborate effort between the city, county and local nonprofits, the pro- gram is replacing Cottage Grove’s previ- ous sheltering service for the homeless during freezing nights. Community Sharing assumed re- sponsibility for the project this fall when shelter provider Beds for Freezing Nights stated it would be unable to pro- vide its services this year. The sheltering nonprofit remains a supporting entity for the upcoming program, which is due to be ready for activation in January. See SHELTER 7A you don’t have to give birth to all of them. And that’s the case at Coast Fork Feed & Brew Sta- tion. We really are a family and I think that’s what we bring to the community.” See YIR 5A Christmas meals served on-the-go By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel. com With local churches un- able to meet the challenge of serving their Christmas dinners to the community this year, Soup’s On Kitch- en Manager Karen Bur- rece and a small army of local volunteers stepped up to the plate last week to see the community was well-fed. “It was quite an under- taking,” said Burrece. “But when we all figured out that there was no com- munity meal going to be available this year, we said we would take that on.” While Soup’s On gen- erally serves an average of between 50 and 80 See DINNER 7A The Flower Basket and Gift Boutique “A Flower Shop and so much more” Creative Floral Arrangements • Jewelry • Balloons Home Décor • Fine Gifts • Boutique Clothing & Accessories 119 South 6th Street • 541-942-0505