Bohemia
NUgget
Welcome to the Spirit of BMD Celebration: A twoday tribute celebrating Bohemia Mining Days’ 65th Anniversary
Photo Credit: Curtis Irish Collection Courtesy of Debra Monsive
The Rat Creek Cook House kept hungry miners well-fed so they could continue their laborious work. (Circa pre-1900). Cooks Pictured: Nona (VanSchoiack) Kelly, Nellie (Kerr) Pitcher and Maggie (Goff) Lockwood.
Retrospective: Past BMD Organizers Spirit of BMD Celebration Parade Stroll Down Memory Lane Grand Marshal Grant Johnson By Cindy Weeldreyer
Festival Coordinator 2015-2021
The Bohemia Mining Days is Cottage Grove’s most anticipated annual event for people of all ages. Generations have come and gone since it began in 1959. The tap root of many love stories began at BMD. It is the catalyst of bringing t o g e t h e r generations
Ellen Hogue
Don Williams
George “Grant” Johnson became a Grover in May 1948 when he was born in Butler’s Maternity Home. His family moved to California in 1950 and lived there for six years before moving back to town. He has participated in the Prospectors and Gold Diggers Club since 1964 and became a member in 1992. He is a member of the Elks Lodge, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and the Masonic Lodge. Grant is a 1967 graduate of Cottage Grove High School and volunteers for many local organizations. He is well-known for delivering promotional flyers for nonprofit groups. He has attended every Bohemia Mining Days since it began in 1959 and, since 1964, he has helped served the
of families and former classmates that intentionally plan reunions around the celebration. This year marks the celebration’s 65th anniversary Sharon Jean – a feat that few communities anywhere can claim. These days, it is rare to have an all-volunteer community celebration survive this long. In fact, it has been around so long the State of Oregon now formally recognizes it as an Oregon Heritage Tradition. Bohemia Mining Days owes its continued existence to passionate individuals who have dedicated their See ORGANIZERS, page 19
George “Grant” Johnson
See PARADE, page 20