‘Spirit’ jumpstarts festival’s heartbeat: BMD reemerges with new leadership, year-round Itinerary

COTTAGE GROVE — A town’s identity is vital to its social, economic, and cultural well-being and contributes to its unique character.

Research shows it creates a sense of belonging among residents, fosters tourism and economic growth, and preserves local traditions and customs.

If there’s one thing Cottage Grove has in the bag, it’s unique character—and a lot of it—often associated with gold mining, covered bridges, iconic filming backdrops, a historic downtown, and ample outdoor recreation opportunities. 

Not all cities can hang their hats on such unique traits. Some don’t have any at all. Think about some surrounding cities: What are they known for? What is their “thing?” These questions plague some towns, which in turn hire firms to help them to find answers through studies, branding, marketing, and urban planning. 

However, in recent years, one mechanism to preserve and celebrate that character in Cottage  Grove has teetered dangerously close to extinction. 

Cottage Grove’s premier summer festival, Bohemia Mining Days, is held annually in July. It celebrates the town’s gold mining history through cultural displays, reenactments, parades, and other old-timey shenanigans. 

It’s a real hoot — an event that transcends time — but following national trends of declining volunteerism and additional hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was at a serious risk of being snuffed out. 

Then along came Matthew Hewlett.

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Born in Cottage Grove Hospital in 1995, Hewlett always had an affinity for his hometown. 

“I lived here until I was about seven, and then we moved over to the coast, and my dad was the site manager at Camp Cleawox, the Girl Scout camp in Florence, for another seven years,” he said. “My freshman year of high school, we moved back to Cottage Grove, and I’ve been back ever since.”

Hewlett has grown to appreciate the rich history in a town where different cultural and political groups have always coexisted.

But there is this overarching feeling that “people aren’t in the community as much as they used to be,” Hewlett said. “We live in a society where people are focused on social media and their phones; things were slower in the 90s and early 2000s. People connected on a personal level. The biggest change is that now most people are focused on watching Netflix and browsing the Internet.”

Hewlett said that despite broader societal changes, Cottage Grove’s fundamental community dynamics and core social fabric have remained strong.

“I don’t think Cottage Grove has changed a whole lot in the last three decades; I feel like it’s always kind of had the same problems: There’s the hippies and there’s the rednecks, there’s the left and the right. But if I walk down to the nearest house and I ask to borrow a cup of sugar, and they don’t know who I am … I would say it’s fairly likely that someone would be like, ‘Oh, sure.”

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Hewlett’s got his father to thank for his love for photography and film.

“My dad made a movie as a kid with his friend Kurt Klein back in the mid-’80s, using one of their parents’ big VHS cameras. It was a goofy, low-budget horror movie that a bunch of 10-year-olds put together about a serial killer named ‘Dr. Death.’ They ran around their cul-de-sac making a slasher film,” he said.

In 2008, Klein finally edited the old footage and sent the finished movie to his dad on a DVD.

“We watched it, and it really inspired me,” he said. “I spent a few months writing a 27-page script by 13. … When we moved back to Cottage Grove in 2010, my dad bought me a camera, and I started making short films. By 2015, I sold a car to buy my first professional camera.” 

In 2019, he dipped a toe in the BMD pool by tabling a photo and art booth at Coiner Park, where he got to know some of the leadership in Bohemia Mining Days Inc. – the organization that ran the festival for decades before the pandemic kicked the legs out from under its already rickety chair.

As his sense of community grew, Hewlett gradually increased his participation in the event.

In 2021, “Me and my buddy Jeremy, who helps me run the photo booth, were working with Ken Roberts (former Cottage Grove city councilor and longtime volunteer), and he found us a wooden facade jail cell that needed a home … it wasn’t a real one, but more like something built for a church function, made from simple lumber,” Hewlett said, noting that, historically, BMD always had jail-themed activities, with the Slabtown vs. Lemati gang rivalry and the lawmen of the past. 

“I expanded on that, making the jail cell experience fun for kids and families,” he said. “We assembled it, painted it, and it became a great addition to the event.”

In 2023, Hewlett became more involved in BMD Inc. leadership, joining the now dissolved board.

“I was only on (the board) for a few months … a ton of people quit, the vendor coordinator, the marshall. … As 2024 started coming into the picture, we were trying to figure out, can we have the festival? Is it going to happen?”

Organization history, transition

The Bohemia Mining Days Inc. did not disband due to financial misconduct, as rumors suggested, Hewlett said. 

Rumors began when he said an email about financial inquiries was blown out of proportion on social media. He added that there was no proven money laundering; the real issue was administrative.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) officially shut down BMD Inc. in late 2024 for failing to file taxes and annual reports for three consecutive years. He said the board members likely misunderstood who was supposed to handle what paperwork, chalking it up to an oversight among well-intending volunteers. 

Generally speaking, a minuscule number of volunteers often shoulder a disproportionate amount of work in small cities — just ask any Creswell Fourth of July or Springfield BLOCK Party volunteer. 

Studies show that overworking volunteers turns their efforts into a grind, igniting burnout and making it difficult for groups to retain and attract new ones. 

Moreover, national trends tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau show that volunteer rates were at a historic low during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

All apply to Bohemia Mining Days Inc. Post-pandemic, long-esteemed volunteers fell off the BMD Inc. roster. By early 2024, only three or four people remained, and by mid-year, just ahead of the event, the last remaining board members collapsed. 

“Volunteering has gone by the wayside. A lot of organizations that thrived on volunteering were full of baby boomers, and these folks are aging out; they don’t have time or energy to do it anymore. But they’re eager to teach someone how to do it.”

And Hewlett, 29, was eager to learn.

According to a November 2024 volunteering study from the U.S. Census Bureau, millennials ages 27 to 42 made the most significant gains in formal volunteering between 2021-23.

“At the last board meeting, I said, ‘Well, what if I just go put out my jail cell and maybe see what I can come up with, see what I can put together.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.’” 

That willingness to try propelled the “Spirit of BMD” into existence and caught the attention of a local philanthropist. 

“Last year, I was a judge during the Spirit of BMD parade,” said Casey Woodard, a Cottage Grove philanthropist with the Woodard Family Foundation, Oregon’s eighth oldest family foundation. “Watching 70-plus entries pass the judging table reinforced that the ‘Spirit of BMD’ lives in this community. At that moment, sitting at the judge’s table, I decided something needed to be done to sustain Cottage Grove’s annual celebration.” 

Casey Woodard in the 1960s attending the Bohemia Mining Days parade. WOODARD FAMILY ARCHIVE PHOTOS

With BMD Inc.’s shutdown in late 2024, all assets — historic documents and equipment — were transferred to SBMD. 

From there, a $50,000 grant from the Woodard Family Foundation helped establish a new executive director position, which puts Hewlett on the SBMD clock full-time — a luxury that wasn’t afforded previously. 

Hewlett’s taken to it like a duck to water. In November, Hewlett carved out a nook at 1011 Main St. for his office space, where he displays gold-digging artifacts and drafts plans to create a year-round, inclusive, modern organization that preserves the event’s 66-year heritage.

“Hewlett is responsible and held accountable year-round so children and families can experience the character-building and family togetherness (my family) and I experienced 50+ years ago,” Woodard said. “He represents the next generation willing to ‘carry-on’ the traditions and heritage of a great community. I live vicariously daily through him, remembering what I did in and around Cottage Grove when I was his age. I am honored to be able to help the next generation carry on the ‘Spirit’ of Bohemia Mining Days and in doing so, the spirit of Cottage Grove.”

What to expect

Since its evolution into a year-round operation, much planning and preparation has gone on behind the curtain. These include two programs designed to educate and inspire younger generations about local history and community involvement through partnerships with the local Key Club, Kiwanis, and Odd Fellows.

Bohemian City Leaders Program works with high school-aged students to build leadership confidence and provide valuable volunteer experience. 

The program targets high school-aged students and provides hands-on skills training, focusing on fire safety training, resume building exercises, event management, and practical project experience — like rebuilding facade walls — with local high school woodshop teachers. 

The Future Bohemia City Citizens Program works with elementary and middle school-aged students to engage younger students with local history through an interactive learning approach. Activities include historical skits, gold panning demonstrations, and the upcoming Kids Heritage Fair with Family Relief Nursery. 

The program aims to make history learning fun and engaging, encouraging interest in local heritage through interactive methods. The goal is to provide valuable skills and volunteer experience to promote leadership abilities among high school students.

Other activities on the horizon include monthly visits to local senior living communities to engage residents with historical stories and diaries and starting the “Mining Vault,” an audio and video collection covering local history, events, and entertainment, in an effort to bring the organization into the 21st century through podcasts and YouTube series.

The board plans to increase vendor participation from 60 to 100 for the upcoming festival and launch a video contest for kids. SBMD is also kicking off its raffle fundraiser soon to raise funds for the festival and its year-round programs. 

The organization is working to make the event more inclusive and representative of the diverse community, including Native American heritage and BIPOC groups.

Selections are also being made. Barbara Anaheluk has been chosen as this year’s Grand Marshal. 

“She has deep roots in Cottage Grove’s mining history as a descendant of P.J. Jennings, the most successful miner in the Bohemia District. Her family spent a lot of time up in the Bohemia mines, and she’s been dedicated to preserving and sharing that history.” Hewlett said. “Barbara also has a ton of knowledge about P.J. Jennings and his brother, both of whom are honored with stained-glass windows at the Cottage Grove Museum. She’s the perfect choice.”

On Friday, March 14, at noon, the board will swear in Dave Light as Marshal at Cottage Grove City Hall. Hewlett emphasized the need for volunteers and financial contributions to sustain and grow its initiatives.

SBMD aims to keep the festival free for the community, relying on community contributions and grants. The organization is fundraising to cover festival costs and establish paid positions for year-round help. Volunteers are also needed for various roles, including fundraising, event management, and volunteer coordination. More info, to volunteer, and to donate: spiritofbmd.com.