Bohemia Mining Days returns to Cottage Grove this week for its 66th year to celebrate the region’s Gold Rush-era history. The festival runs Thursday through Saturday and features live music, historical demonstrations, contests, and a parade.
The event almost didn’t happen last year, after the longtime organizing group dissolved. Now, a new nonprofit, Spirit of Bohemia Mining Days, has stepped in to keep it alive.
“We just put together a festival as fast as we could last year,” said Matthew Hewlett, the group’s executive director. “Then we incorporated as a 501(c)(3) late in 2024 and were able to establish funding through the Woodard Family Foundation–a very generous grant to establish the executive director position.”…