For the last few months I have been engulfed in working on a historical display that will be erected at the J. Polk Currin Swinging Bridge. One side tells of the days when River Road was essentially downtown Cottage Grove and is titled “Slabtown”. I didn’t have much to do[Read More…]
Author: DANA MERRYDAY - for The Chronicle
Heritage Fair a wholesome, fun activity for families
COTTAGE GROVE – In its 90th year, the W. O. E. (Western Oregon Exposition) Heritage Fair brought its magic to town last weekend. This all-volunteer labor of love brings warm, family fun to Cottage Grove in a relaxed setting. While not intending to be a well-kept secret, one kind of[Read More…]
Remembering Vermin Supreme: A legend in his own right
As American politics devolves into a sideshow of risibility, I am reminded of my old friend Vermin Supreme. With politicians of both major parties scrambling to convince the general public that their brand of snake oil is the balm for a divided nation, perhaps Mr. Supreme’s moment has arrived. I[Read More…]
Celebrating Bud Taylors legacy
COTTAGE GROVE – For a small backwater, Cottage Grove sure seems to have produced some outsized personalities. One that still holds water is longtime swimming coach Bud Taylor. Some of his former swimmers, realizing that they too were getting up in years and having attended memorials of classmates, felt it[Read More…]
Out with the corsets, in the Bloomers in Cottage Grove
CHRONICLE ARCHIVE PHOTO- Women march in their “Bloomers” at a 2018 Bohemia Mining Days parade. When I was in junior high school girls were not allowed to wear pants. When it got really cold, this restriction was lifted for the duration of the cold snap, then slammed back into place[Read More…]
Saving the planet – one tree at a time
WePlantInc Green Ambassadors at Arbor Day tree giveaway in Endana, Kenya. DANA MERRYDAY, COTTAGE GROVE Sometimes good ideas happen through serendipitous meetings in exotic places. WePlant Inc, an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), based in Cottage Grove is just such a story. This nonprofit, whose status is akin to other NGOs,[Read More…]
The covered bridge legacy in Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove claims the title, “Covered Bridge Capital of the West,” in part since it has one of the highest concentrations of covered bridges in this area while also possessing the only covered railroad bridge west of the Mississippi River. Local business leaders working under the Cottage Grove Area Chamber[Read More…]
Catching up on what’s happening around the Grove
For just the second time since the Covid shutdown, members of the Cottage Grove community gathered on Monday, May 30 at the historic Armory to honor local veterans in a ceremony marking Memorial Day. As in the past, the remembrance was a joint effort by Sgt. Calvin Funk Post 32[Read More…]
Dedicated scouts survive weekend ‘Mudaree’ during annual Camporee
DANA MERRYDAY/ THE CHRONICLE – It takes more than mud and rain to dampen “scout spirit” during the annual Camporee event in Oregon. Over the weekend of May 13-15, local scouts gathered at Oregon Trail Council’s Camp Murname for a weekend event known as a “camporee.” In the history of[Read More…]
Visiting Veneta’s skate park makes it clear Cottage Grove can do same
DANA MERRYDAY/CHRONICLE PHOTO – Action last week at the Veneta Skate Park includes scooters and boards. What does it take to move a mountain, or better yet, build one? As you travel the Territorial Highway south of Oregon Route 126, you will see a mountain of sorts, the City of[Read More…]