There was a time in America, roughly a century ago, when red brick walls suddenly became the cutting-edge advertising medium. Itinerant sign painters traveled to small towns, where they painted ads on the walls of dry goods stores and flophouses to advertise such saleable goods as soft drinks, 5-cent cigars, cheap hotel rooms, and the favorite local brew. We now view these usually faded signs as quaint remnants of another era. Tacky billboards have taken their place along highways across America.

This restored Coca-Cola sign is located in the village of Cottage Grove, Oregon. A wonderful small town in rural Oregon, Cottage Grove also features a half-dozen or so original covered bridges, making it a destination for those of us who love experiencing remnants of American history. While I was taking this picture, a local drunk filled me in on a more recent aspect of Cottage Grove's history; it seems that the infamous John Belushi movie Animal House was partly filmed here. This film was filled with crude humor that delighted me--but enraged some residents when the film finally opened!

Lee Rentz