Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2021)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | AUGUST 19, 2021 | 7A from A1 a success. Not only that, but the restored Keaton mural is once again a Green watching shorts, shining symbol of Cot- behind the scenes doc- tage Grove and the histo- umentaries, and other ry of this small town. films, along with pre- “I think it shows that sentations by featured our town is a vibrant speakers Harry Keaton town, that we respect “Jingles Jr.” Moore, Bust- and love our history, and er Keaton’s nephew, and I think that’s all Larry Telles, board good for economic member of the Niles development,” said Film Festival. Roberts. “It real- On the last day of ly blew my mind the conference, 0n how people came the evening of Aug. together to get this 14, a showing of done.” “The General” was He thanked put on at the Cham- Dana Merry- bers Covered Bridge, day with Friends an actual filming lo- of the Swinging cation from the film. Bridge for help “We didn’t really with fundraising, have a place,” said Gerald Santana of Katy Vaughn, pres- the Cottage Grove ident of the Cottage Sentinel for his Grove Historical So- help on the com- ciety. “We thought mittee, Suzanne about maybe tying [a SOPHIA EDELBLUTE/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Huebner-Sannes screen] to the bridge On Saturday evening (Aug. 14) a for all her help and we got really ex- crowd of more than 20 people gath- with the raffle to cited about that and get the ball rolling, ered on the Chambers Covered they came down and Connie Huston Bridge on South River Road to watch played around with for her work on “The General,” one of Buster Keaton’s different screens the mural itself, famous films, in a celebration of projecting it and de- Cameron Reiten cided it was going to Cottage Grove’s history. with KNND for work.” The setting couldn’t will be a much bigger advertising, Faye Stewart of Cottage Grove’s Public have come together event, said Vaughn. “Five years from now Works and Development without a group effort, Vaughn said. The AV is the hundredth so that’s and City Manager Rich- equipment was provided the biggie,” she said. “We ard Meyers for the fences by Roberts and the Pros- will start planning that and electricity. “I want to thank all pectors and GoldDiggers one a couple of years lent the chairs and tables. ahead because that one the citizens who donat- The conference itself we want to do a lot of ed money,” he added, was decided much later splashy stuff. But this “and the businesses who than usual because of the one, we’re really excited donated product for the raffle, because it wasn’t about this.” pandemic. about me. I just wanted it With seats nearly full “We do [the confer- done, and the communi- during the showing, the ence] every five years,” ty did it.” celebration proved to be said Vaughn, “and this KEATON year we really decided late that we were going to do it. ... Normally we try to plan something like this and work on it a year ahead of time. This one was like maybe a few weeks.” The upcoming 100th anniversary of the film Keaton mural: A chance encounter By Cindy Weeldryer Special to The Sentinel On Saturday morning, Grants Pass residents Richard Smith and his wife Beth stopped at the Covered Bridge Brewing Group for coffee on their way to the mid-Willa- mette Valley town of In- dependence to enjoy its annual air show. From the building’s parking lot, the Animal House “Deathmobile” caught their eye and then they noticed the colorful newly restored Buster Keaton mural behind it. They had no idea in a few short hours a cere- mony would rededicate it to the silent film star’s most famous film, “The General.” Unaware of the Cot- tage Grove Historical Society’s annual Buster Keaton Conference going on at the Village Green Resort, Richard struck up a friendly conversa- tion with former Cottage Grove Mayor Jim Gilroy and his wife, Mary, who were also getting coffee there. Richard mentioned his father, Lee Virgil Smith, was one of the lo- cal boys Keaton hired to produce the silent film. Lee Smith was born in Silver Lake, Oregon in 1909. When he was a child the Smith family moved to Dorena, de- cades before the original town was abandoned in 1946 to build the dam and create the reservoir. In the summer of 1926, Lee was 16 years old when he landed a coveted job as a camera grip mov- ing equipment where it was needed by the mov- ie’s production crew. Richard said growing up, his father enjoyed re- telling the stories of his short-lived movie-mak- ing experience, especially the excitement of being an eyewitness to the train bridge collapsing into the Row River exactly as planned and on the first take. “Dad loved being part of that movie and trea- sured his memories of that unique experience,” Richard said. “He greatly admired Buster Keaton and became a huge fan. For the rest of his life, Dad never missed an op- portunity to see a Buster Keaton movie.” Lee and Roberta Smith married in 1936 and had three children: Mary Ann, who was born in Cottage Grove in 1937, Brenda, and Richard. Lee taught at Dorena School before moving the fami- ly to Portland in 1940 to take a wartime job as a machinist. Richard was born there in 1944. After the war, the fam- ily settled in Eugene where Richard grew up. Lee suffered from neuro- logical health problems in the last year of his life. He died in Eugene, in 1975, at the age of 66. Lee loved the outdoors and the beauty of the Cascade Mountains. As a final wish, he asked his family to cremate his body and spread his ashes near the McKenzie Pass. Richard said he shares his father’s love of air- planes. He and Beth en- joy their road trip to at- tend the Independence Air Show each summer. They were delighted that — by mere happen- stance — they stopped for a caffeine fix about halfway to their destina- tion and discovered Cot- tage Grove had an annual event to commemorate the filming of “The Gen- eral.” They said they’d like to return next year to learn more about how the movie was made. “Because our family has roots here and be- cause of Dad’s experi- ences creating the movie, Cottage Grove will always be a special place for us,” Richard said. “We’ll be back!” Blazing Fast Internet! ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY Your home is only as smart as your Internet. ‡ AT&T Internet 40 $ /mo. when bundled, plus taxes & equip. fee. 12 mo agmt, other qualifying service (min $19/mo) & combined bill req’d. $10/mo equip. fee applies. Incl 1TB data/mo. $10 chrg for each add’l 50GB (up to $100/mo). † Cut cable internet and switch to AT&T Internet. Call now! • Plans up to 100 Mbps. • Free Smart Home Manager App 1 with Parental Controls. 2 • The bandwidth to power multiple devices at once. Number of devices depends on screen size/resolution. Limited availability. May not be available in your area. Call to see if you qualify. A $300 SPECIAL OFFER!* Eugene, Oregon MO. America’s Top 120 Package 190 CHANNELS for 12 Mos. Offer ends 7/14/21. All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification. *Off er value when purchased at retail. Solar panels sold separately. BUY & SELL The Jewelry Girl, LLC L ISA R USSELL (541)556-9598 64 99 1-866-373-9175 (844) 989-2328 Free Appraisals I’ll Come to You! 2001 Franklin #3 $ Including Local Channels! CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100 ACT NOW TO RECEIVE 25+ Years Experience 2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE REQUEST A FREE QUOTE! Iv Support Holdings LLC Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T Internet services. Not all speeds available in all areas. Call to see if you qualify. $40 INTERNET OFFER: Price for Internet (768k - 100) for new residential customers when bundled with another qualifying AT&T service (DIRECTV, U-verse TV, AT&T TV or AT&T Phone or postpaid AT&T wireless). Prorated ETF ($180) applies if Internet is disconnected before end of 12 months. Must maintain all bundled services to receive advertised pricing. Additional Fees & Taxes: Excludes cost-recovery charges, where applicable and $10/mo equipment fee. Activ/Installation: $35 activation fee (self-install) or $99 installation (full tech install) may apply. Credit restrictions apply. Pricing subject to change. Subj. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms. † Unlimited data allowance may also be purchased separately for an add’l $30/mo., or maintain a bundle of TV & Internet on a combined bill and receive unlimited internet data at no add’l charge. For more info, go to att.com/internet-usage.‡ Internet speed claims represent maximum network service capability speeds. Actual customer speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on several factors. For more information, go to att.com/speed101. 1 AT&T Smart Home Manager is available to AT&T Internet service customers with a compatible AT&T Wi-Fi Gateway. Features limited to home Wi-Fi network. 2 Parental Controls and Data Usage features available with BGW210, 5268AC and NVG599 Wi-Fi Gateways. 3 AT&T Smart Wi-Fi requires installation of a BGW210, 5268AC, or NVG599 Wi-Fi Gateway. Standard with Internet plans (12M or higher). Whole-home Wi-Fi connectivity may require AT&T Smart Wi-Fi Extender(s) sold separately. Offers may not be combined with other promotional offers on the same services and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Other conditions apply to all offers. ©2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. SALES, SERVICE & REPAIRS Complete tech, networking, security and IT solutions for your home or business. We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two. #SeenItCoveredIt. Jim Goodling - Mike Grant 330 OR-99 Suite C • Cottage Grove, OR 97424 541-942-0165 711 E. Main Street | Cottage Grove 541-649-1073 |www.pcgargageoregon.com FROM $ $ MARTINEZ YARD SERVICES, LLC Serving Cottage Grove, Creswell, Lowell, Dexter, Pleasant Hill, Eugene, Springfi eld & Junction City • Property Cleanup • Yard Service • Moss Removal • Pressure Washing • Gutter Cleaning • Brush Removal • Bark Installation • And Much More Francisco Martinez, Owner (541) 579-0454 • Call Today! We have the Top Quality Brands you want! Everything For Your Outdoor Needs! 2,549 * 2,299 * BEST OF HAWAII FOUR-ISLAND TOUR 12 days, departs year-round Oahu • Hawaii Island • Kauai • Maui — Enjoy a fully guided 4-island Hawaiian vacation with centrally located lodging in Waikiki on Oahu, and beachfront lodging on the “Big Island” of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui. Guided throughout by our friendly Tour Directors— your local experts. Includes 3 inter-island flights. TM promo code N7017 1-866-523-0103 *. Prices are per person based on double occupancy plus up to $299 in taxes & fees. Single supplement and seasonal surcharges may apply. Add-on airfare available. Offers apply to new bookings only, made by 9/30/21. Other terms & conditions may apply. Ask your Travel Consultant for details. SUMMER Tune-Up O nly $ We’ll make sure your system is running eff ectively and effi ciently. Call for details and an appointment today, and beat the spring rush! 129* Complete Heating & Cooling System Service Reasonable Rates • All Work Guaranteed 541-726-7689 541-942-9635 Eugene/Springfi eld Cottage Grove /mo. where available • Get a seamless whole-home Wi-Fi experience with AT&T Smart Wi-Fi. 3 888-486-0359 Gold, Silver, Scrap, Men’s Jewelry, Costume Jewelry, Pieces & Parts. Even Junk! 19 . 99 $ A Smarter Way to Power Your Home.
