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 2, 2021 | $1.00
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VOL. 132, NO. 48 •
Get an insurance plan
—not just a policy.
November Art Walk attracts variety of talent (A6)
Carousel holds open house
By Damien Sherwood
(541) 942-0555
WEATHER
Cloudy with a high of
52 and a low tonight
of 40
Full forecast on A5
COLUMNIST
Mary Ellen
Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales
A5
SPORTS & REC
dsherwood
@cgsentinel.com
The long-awaited Cottage
Grove Carousel passed an-
other milestone on Friday
(Nov. 26) when it opened
its doors for eight hours to
the public.
“We had an amazing
turnout for the open house,”
said Friends of the Cottage
Grove Carousel President
Alice Nowicki. “In fact that
was the longest the carousel
has ever run. So, it was real-
ly great to see that it works
so well.”
Nowicki estimated be-
tween two and three hun-
dred people came through
the open house event, some
even right up to closing
time.
The event represented a
bit of a public stress test for
the system, though the car-
ousel passed its inspection
on April 16 this year. That
stamp of approval verified
the carousel’s safety as final
touches wrapped up.
The carousel has been
housed in the Cottage
Grove Industrial Park in
the King Estate warehouse
see CAROUSEL on A9
PHOTO BY KENNETH MICHAEL ROBERTS
Friends of the Cottage Grove Carousel members Carmen Dowell and Alice Nowicki try the ride for them-
selves during the open house event.
Gowing announces run
for state legislature
By Damien Sherwood
dsherwood
@cgsentinel.com
Basketball returns to
Douglas County
B1
• RECORDS
Obituaries
Official releases
A2
• LORANE NEWS
A5
• CLASSIFIEDS
Listings and public
notices
B5-B6
DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
The old Cottage Theatre, prior to remodeling, featured seating which wrapped
180 degrees around the thrust stage. “ACT III” will eliminate seating on the side,
but increase capacity by 50 seats.
Cottage Theatre announces April return
By Damien Sherwood
dsherwood
@cgsentinel.com
follow us for the
latest news:
/CGSentinel
@CGSentinel
541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax
P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424
Cottage Theatre has an-
nounced it will at last pull
back the curtain on its
renovation project in April
2022. The project has en-
dured several delays, but
the theater’s Executive Di-
rector Susan Goes said the
end is finally in sight.
“In terms of construc-
tion, we’re pretty confi-
dent,” she said.
Showing off brand new
seats, improved sightlines
and better sound quality,
the theater will open with
“Mama Mia,” which was
due for its first Cottage
Grove production in spring
2020 until COVID-19 re-
strictions shut down oper-
ations.
If all goes according to
plan, the theater will re-
open in its 40th year as a
local theatrical staple.
Cottage Theatre began
construction on its “ACT
III” remodeling project this
spring, an effort that had
been ten years in the mak-
ing.
The theater considers
its “ACT I” as occurring in
1998 when its current facili-
ty was first built. Next came
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
“ACT II” in 2006, which
involved the expansion of
its lobby and addition of a
rehearsal hall.
The latest remodel will
add 50 seats to the theater’s
auditorium and make a va-
riety of safety and technical
upgrades to enhance audi-
ence and participant enjoy-
ment.
Previously, the audience
seats wrapped around 180
degrees of the thrust stage,
but the renovation is elim-
inating the side seats and
reducing the sections from
five to three.
see THEATRE on A7
Cottage Grove Mayor
Jeff Gowing announced
on Tuesday (Nov. 30) he is
seeking the office of state
representative in Oregon
House District 12 (HD 12)
in the 2022 election.
“After support and en-
couragement from friends
and family, I have decided
to officially announce my
intent to run,” he stated.
Gowing said a main mo-
tivator for his decision was
his sense of Salem’s loss of
focus on rural communities
due to a lack of legislators
coming from local govern-
ments.
“I feel the majority of
Oregonians are wanting a
change in Salem and I feel
I will be the change they are
looking for,” he said, add-
ing that his own approach
would include more inter-
action with constituents.
Regardless of the out-
come of next year’s election,
Gowing has said this next
year will effectively be his
last in public office in Cot-
tage Grove.
Gowing’s bid for HD 12
will coincide with a recent
remapping of Oregon’s dis-
trict boundaries.
On Sept. 27, 2021, the
COURTESY PHOTO
Cottage Grove Mayor
Jeff Gowing
state legislature completed
the adoption of new con-
gressional and legislative
redistricting maps for Or-
egon with the passage of
Senate Bill 881 A and Sen-
ate Bill 882. The redistrict-
ing inserted a sixth U.S.
House district based on the
latest census.
Governor Kate Brown
subsequently signed both
measures.
The plan has been con-
tested mainly by Oregon
Republicans, however, with
accusations of illegal gerry-
mandering.
Last week, a five-judge
Special Judicial Panel up-
held the congressional re-
districting plan and the Or-
egon Supreme Court had
just days previously reject-
ed two other challenges.
see GOWING on A8
Rotary members are making an
impact 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 Co� age Grove 541-554-6946