Toga! Toga! Toga!

This past weekend, we drove to the little town of Cottage Grove where we stayed Friday and Saturday nights. The impetus of our trip was the 40th anniversary of the movie Animal House, a very politically incorrect film by current standards, starring John Belushi. Animal House was filmed in Cottage Grove, and nearby Eugene.

In 2003, Cottage Grove set the Guinness World Record for the world's largest toga party. In 2012, Australia claimed the record with 3,700 people in togas.  This past weekend, we were part of a valiant attempt to reclaim the record for Cottage Grove.

 We stayed at The Village Green Resort which hosted a free outdoor showing of Animal House on Friday night with other activities such as "Bra Pong".  We strolled the 14  acres of grounds before the event.

 We took a little bike ride into town the first day.  Oregon prides itself in the restoration of its covered bridges.

 Saturday was the parade celebrating the town's history of being the location for Animal House.  The parade starts!

 This was the bunny from the chaotic parade scene in the movie.

 This kid took his marshal arts seriously!

 The Revelators played at the toga party that night.

 Everyone's favorite, the Deathmobile! 

 Anyone with a toga could jump right in, apparently.

 Several of the "floats" took a second lap, lengthening the parade to about 19 minutes.

 Cottage Grove has a lot of old charm in a rather unspoiled way.

 This old building had a beautiful patina.

After some riding around, it was back to the room to cobble together our togas.  Despite numerous safety pins, things kept moving around, but oh well!

 We strolled the Athenian gardens...

 enjoyed feeding each other delicious grapes...

 discussed the state of the empire...

 and even debated the Roman threat.

Then it was on to Toga! Toga! Toga!  The party was held at Bohemia Park in Cottage Grove.

 We each had some private time with the Deathmobile.

 Time to boogie!

 Oh yeah!

 Gail's a winner! There was a trivia contest between bands, and Gail won this beautiful cozy, by answering, "Neidermeyer"!  We can't remember what the question was, though.  Gail actually knew all the answers, the emcee must have been deaf.

 The Cry was a very tight band from Seattle with a distinct British rocker look.

 Panorama of the stage and crowd.

 Everyone was waiting for Otis Day who sang "Shout" and "Shama Dama Ding Dong" in the movie.  The party went wild - the real high light of the evening.

Postscript: I learned yesterday that Otis Day (and The Knights) was a fictional name portrayed by the actor DeWayne Jessie (in picture above) who lip synced the song. The actual singer was a reggae singer named Lloyd Williams.  The song was originally written and performed by The Isley Brothers.  DeeWayne Jessie's role actually turned him into an R&B star who began performing and recording. He did a great job this night!

 Sunday, we strolled the gardens at the resort. This is a willow arbor with an interesting growth pattern.

Then we went bike riding on the Covered Bridge Scenic Loop.  This is a 38 mile bike route that is mostly on a dedicated bike path, a rails to trails jaunt.  We didn't do the whole 38 miles, as I was not feeling up to par after a little too much toga party.

It will be awhile before it is known if Cottage Grove reclaimed the record. Preliminary numbers are at about 3,800 - too close to call.  Documentation will have to be studied.

 The Chambers Bridge.

Another covered bridge in the distance crossing the Row River.