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Lifestyles
Lifestyles
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Class Reunion | PAGE 3
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Former coach highlighted | PAGE 8
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Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Number 30 • 135 years
Heritage Fair: Old-fashioned family fun CINDY WEELDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel
Generations of Grovers have made sweet memories at the W.O.E. Heritage Fair on the third weekend of August. It’s an annual opportunity for all ages to travel back in time and experience the rural charm of a vintage country fair, that has been a much-anticipated summer tradition for individuals and families in America for centuries. Hours and events Friday, Aug. 16, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The popular Lumberjack Show begins at 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation for CommuTop:Courtesy photo from Tayler Brentano Americana-style contests, such as last year’s sack nity Sharing. races, are one of the many fun attractions that have There is lots to see and made the W.O.E. Heritage Fair so enduring and memodo during the three-day rable to individuals and families since 1932. event. Bottom photo Courtesy of W.O.E. Heritage Fair Scoutmaster Dana Merryday teaches a young Browse among displays fairgoer how to walk across a “monkey bridge.” of fruits, vegetables, flowers, quilts, pies, photogramules to cavies. Check out phy, art, and small anithe barnyard Olympics. mals to see which entries Pan for real gold with received the blue ribbons. members Cheer of the “There is something on the parBohemia special about giving ticipants in Mine Saturday’s people good Owners Logging memories.” AssociaShow as Ken Schwieger, tion. they saw W.O.E. Board Enjoy through President tradihuge logs tional and comfair treats, pete in the axe throwing food and beverages from contest. Be amazed at the 12 vendors while listening variety of animals in the to live music on two stagbarns - from Mammoth es. Shop among the 40+
Metro Creative Connection
TextMyGov is a texting system designed to improve communications.
City gets TextMyGov Community Center upgrades JEREMY C. RUARK Cottage Grove Sentinel
The City of Cottage grove is upgrading its public communication system with the addition of TextMyGov, a text message system. “We will be able to provide text messages informing subscribers of items of importance taking place in the City such as, concerts, events, road work, water and sewer line repairs, emergency notices, just to name a few of the potential text messages that could be sent,” Cottage Grove City Manager Mike Sauerwein states in a city release. TextMyGov has been very successful in improving communications and providing commercial vendor booths titions, Chainsaw Wood Activities for kids and learn about what comCarver Brittny Hughes, anFriday’s “Fruit & Veggie information to residents in other cities, accordmunity organizations have tique engines, a Hennings ing to Sauerwein. FAIR to offer. Demonstrations portable sawmill, and wool “We are excited to cont. on page 4 include: Logging compespinning. provide the new service and additional way to communicate information to residents in Cottage Grove and the surrounding area,” he said. Anyone interested in receiving the information through the text message system, is encouraged to go to United States during the 1930s cottagegrove.org and and 1940s. In 1934, Stearman sign up using the widAircraft became a subsidiary of get in the lower rightBoeing and it served as the prihand side of the City’s mary trainer for American Army homepage. and Navy pilots during World War Resiliency Hub II. After the conflict was over, Grant Award thousands of surplus aircraft were Lane County’s joint sold on the civilian market. In the application to the Enimmediate postwar years, they vironmental Protection became popular as crop dusters Agency (EPA) Commuand sports planes, and for aeronity Change program batic and wing-walking use in air to fund six renovation shows. projects across the PILOT’S INSIGHT county has been fully Molly Littlefield, of Covington, funded. Wash., grew up in Merced, Calif. One of the six projin the 1950s. Her father was a ects is upgrading the WW II flight instructor and he Cottage Grove Commutaught his teenage daughter how nity Center to be a resilto fly his 1942 Stearman biplane, iency hub for providing Cindy Weeldreyer / Cottage grove sentinel which ignited her lifelong passion emergency sheltering Retired United Airlines pilot and Seattle-area resident Molly Littlefield talks with attendees about her 1942 Stearman biplane during the for flying. She became United during natural disasters. Cottage Grove event. Airlines’ 23rd female pilot and “The grant will fund had a happy and memorable 40historic plane. bombers and fighter planes,” she a new heating and year career with the company. Littlefield said she believes said. “We won the war, in large cooling system for the Now that she is retired, and her nearly 90-percent of World part, because we trained our pilots Community Center son and husband are also pilots, War II pilots learned to fly in a in this airplane.” and Library, install they love to participate in educaBoeing-manufactured Stearman She noted after the war, when an emergency backup tional events like this one because biplane because it was the most it was no longer needed for flight generator, and purchase she believes the storied history of plentiful, the most honest and the training, most of the planes supplies to operate the this plane must be passed on to most difficult airplane for trainbecame crop dusters and rice resiliency hub up to 10 younger generations. She deing. days while providing scribed to attendees the important FLY-IN “Once pilots mastered flying shelter,” Sauerwein and circular significance of the cont. on page 4 them they could move on to the said.
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Annual Stearman Fly-In brings historic aircraft to Cottage Grove CINDY WELLDREYER Cottage Grove Sentinel
TODAY’S EDITION
The buzz of vintage biplane engines filled the sky over Cottage Grove as 20 pilots flew in and participated in the 46th Annual Jim Wright Memorial Stearman Fly-In at Cottage Grove Airport. Several flew down from the Seattle-area and one pilot took two days and made the 10-hour flight from Santa Rosa, Calif. The popular event is organized by Oregon Aviation Historical Society members who operate Oregon’s Aviation History Center, located on the west side of the airport. It honors the life and legacy of beloved Cottage Grove Aviator Jim Wright. The day-long event, held Aug. 3, drew most of its spectators in the cooler morning hours where they eagerly viewed the antique planes and talked with pilots. Some excitedly purchased a ride in the open cockpit of a 1929 Travelair biplane to experience Cottage Grove from the air and get a taste of the Golden Age of Aviation. According to Wikipedia, at least 10,626 of the Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 were built in
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