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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2021)
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 23, 2021 | $1.00 S entinel VOL. 132, NO. 51 • Est. 1889 Your Local News Delivered Your Way: In Print. Online. On the Go! Bundle home & auto to save $$. Serving the community (541) 942-0555 WEATHER Light rain with a high of 42 and a low tonight of 37 Full forecast on A5 COLUMNIST DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Volunteers at Community Sharing pushed carts of holiday food boxes to cars receiving drive-through dinners Monday. By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@ cgsentinel.com Volunteers are working overtime this week to make sure Cottage Grove families are fed this holiday season. While several groups have already distributed food this week, one more is poised to serve up to 300 people on Christmas Day as organizers of the Community To-Go Dinner will serve families from 12 – 3 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. Sponsored by Soup’s On and Rural Organizing Proj- ect (ROP), the Dec. 25 menu choices will include glazed spiral ham, roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, green beans, cran- berry sauce, rolls with butter and homemade pie. Only four main volunteers are helping organize the din- ner, but many other groups, businesses and individuals have contributed as well. Part of the inspiration for the event was to honor the memory of Jerry Vaverka, well-known for his volun- teerism, who passed away last month on Nov. 17. The Christmas dinners began as a project for his high school daughter more than two decades ago. As a member of the Catholic Church, Vaverka received aid from the church and made a tradition of serving Christmas dinners from that venue. But as the cook and key organizer of the event, Vaverka’s passing left shoes to be filled. When organizers Duane Taddei and Karen Munsell See FOOD A7 County encourages holiday safe driving Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox A5 SPORTS & REC DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL The Holiday Bazaar featured 36 vendors in the Armory over the weekend, with organizers hoping to see a return on other holidays. CG girls take third at Seaside B1 • RECORDS Obituaries Official releases A2 Local vendors get spotlight at Holiday Bazaar By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel. com The Cottage Grove Ar- mory filled with a few dozen local vendors last weekend, attracting some 230 people to the Holiday Bazaar. The event was the bazaar’s first appearance in the Armory, presenting visitors with wide selection of unique products and handmade items. The couple behind the bazaar, Joe and Sandy Pa- lumbo, dubbed the show a success. “Virtually every vendor I spoke to said they had the best show they’ve ever had and we’ve been doing this since March of this year,” said Joe, who also played Santa during the weekend See BAZAAR A8 • LORANE NEWS A5 A Colorful Christmas • CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices B5-B6 follow us for the latest news: /CGSentinel @CGSentinel DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Many residents along London Road display these signs to encourage safe driving along the acci- dent-prone corridor. By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@ cgsentinel.com As friends and families gather for holiday festiv- ities, the Lane County Sheriff ’s Office (LCSO) and Lane County trans- portation planners are reminding everyone to drive sober and slow down this holiday sea- son. “We typically see an increase in impaired driving during the holi- days,” said Lane County Sheriff ’s Sergeant Tim Ware. “People are busy celebrating and maybe not tracking their al- cohol or cannabis con- sumption. We also tend to encounter people who are drinking or using other substances more during the holidays to cope with family or sea- sonal stressors — and if they get behind the wheel it can be deadly.” Utilizing grant fund- ing provided through Oregon Impact, LCSO will be staffing addition- al DUII patrols this holi- day season. Drivers are reminded not only to practice so- ber driving, but to stay aware on rural roads as temperatures and road See DRIVING A7 HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS: 541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Despite some dreary weather, radiant Christmas decorations adorning Cottage Grove homes are adding cheer to the season’s evenings. Residents on streets like Cedar Park Road (above) have untangled their lights, dragged out giant Santa statues and dusted off inflatable reindeer to brighten neigh- borhoods with holiday joy. (See more photos on A11) Friday Dec. 23rd - Closed Deadlines for the Dec. 30th Edition is Thursday Dec. 23rd. F IND FORMS ON CGSENTINEL . COM TO S UBMIT A P RESS R ELEASE , L ETTER TO THE E DITOR , P LACE A C LASSIFIED OR S UBMIT AN O BITUARY Quality Cleaning Certifi ed Green Carpet Cleaning Specialist 541-942-0420 Assisted Living & Memory Care Join us for a tour 1425 Daugherty Ave, CG 541-942-0054