By the start of June, summer will officially be under way everywhere, including the Jacksonville Historic Cemetery! But first, a sincere thank you to the nearly seventy of you who came out for our Community-Wide Cemetery Clean-Up on April 29th. What a difference you made!
June features the first installment of this season’s History Saturday in […]
Summer used to be my favorite season. Camping trips, canoe rides, lazy days in the garden and long evenings all come to mind. Unfortunately, the anticipation of warm sunny days has now evolved into a lingering sense of dread for many of us because summers now bring a less promising […]
The Mayor and City Council are again facing the pickleball controversy in our town. In March, they voted to prohibit pickleball on Sunday and to limit the hours of play on the other days. This compromise did not placate the small group of neighbors; it only strengthened their resolve to […]
City Council May 2—During Public Comment, Britt Festivals CEO Abby McKee announced the arts organization was holding a free concert for the community and that it had been working closely with neighbors to mitigate impacts from concertgoers for the 2023 season that kicks off in June.
Representatives of “Stop the Speeders” were on-hand to inform Council […]
Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Jacksonville, OR: Teddy Abrams, the widely-acclaimed music director of the Britt Festival Orchestra has announced his departure at the end of the 2023 season in July.
Abrams first joined the Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) in 2013 as Music Director and this summer marks his 10th season with the orchestra. In those 10 years, […]
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is a national Firewise campaign to raise awareness and reduce risks from wildfires. Jacksonville is vulnerable to wildfires due to many homes being located in close proximity to woodlands and forests. Because of severe drought and upcoming extremely hot weather, this summer and early fall promise to be a bad year […]
After a long, chilly winter, who isn’t yearning for spring? With flowering trees and wildflowers in the woods, we are all welcoming the warmer weather and beauty of this season in the Rogue Valley. Our thoughts turn to plantings for gardens and celebrating spring with bouquets and goodies. In that spirit, the Jacksonville Garden Club’s […]
The Jackson County Master Gardener™ Association is proud to announce the 2023 Spring Garden Fair on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 9am-3pm, at the OSU Extension, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point.
The largest gardening event in Southern Oregon, this year marks the return of many perennial vendors who have stood by through the COVID years. Plant […]
On April 5, 2023, Pattie Bakke passed away peacefully at age 60 after a short battle with cancer. Pattie is survived by her four children, Jesse, Jeremy, Josh, and Grace.
Born in Manhattan Beach, California in 1963, Pattie grew up with a love of theater and dreams of being famous. […]
Courts in a Pickle—At the April work session, staff reported on the condition of the Pheasant Meadows tennis/pickleball courts, saying that because of swamp-like conditions, water has undermined the condition of the courts for years, resulting in large cracks and unsettled surfaces. Staff will revisit the topic after bids to resurface with a rubberized sport […]
In veterinary medicine, there are some conditions that we can almost diagnose just by the description provided by the pet owner. An older cat that is drinking a lot, urinating a lot, and losing weight—we worry about diabetes or kidney disease. A […]
Most visitors to Jacksonville wouldn’t realize the existence or significance of the historical plaque and sign that is tucked away off Applegate Street in one of Jacksonville’s historic neighborhoods. This small, bronze plaque is set in a short concrete platform and reads:
RICH GULCH
GOLD FOUND HERE
DEC. 1851 […]
Medford Water is fortunate to have access to reliable, high-quality drinking water to serve our communities, which includes the cities of Medford, Jacksonville, Eagle Point, Central Point, Talent, Phoenix, and Ashland. With just the turn of the tap, we […]
Surrounded by her loving family, Carmen Leta Cabler passed away peacefully February 6, 2023. Born in 1937, Carmen was a lifelong resident of Jacksonville – graduating from Jacksonville High in 1955 where she met first husband Jim and became a cheerleader. Daughter to Arthur Davies, a charter member of the Timber Barons, and […]
On Saturday, April 29, from noon-4:00pm, join the Applegate Community, Ruch Outdoor Community School, A Greater Applegate, and the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council to celebrate a new mural installation and a new metal art installation at Cantrall-Buckley Park. Meet the artists, funding partners, community leaders, volunteers and students while picnicking, touring and socializing.
For the […]
Jacksonville resident Peter E. Yeager recently published Searching for Sanctuary: The Journey Home. Yeager’s poems track his life from growing up in New Jersey through retirement in Oregon. Poet and poetry editor Amy Miller calls the book, “part poetic memoir, part travelogue of the soul.”
With emotional honesty, Peter explores family, friendships, courtship, marriage, divorce, and […]
MEDFORD, OR — 04/06/23 – Britt Music & Arts Festival is excited to announce several more concerts for the 2023 Britt Presents season, adding more music and comedy performances to the previously announced lineup. First released at an announcement party in Jacksonville, Oregon, this announcement introduces a wide range of musical acts and comedians, from […]
Marca family to share Barbera and Nebbiolo with Medford, Oregon’s Sister City
Medford, OR., April 4, 2023 — This month DANCIN Vineyards (www.dancin.com) will take part in the annual Vinum Festival (www.vinumalba) in Alba, Italy, in the famed Piedmont wine region. It is considered to be the largest open-air wine festival in Italy. The visit […]
After three long years, Voices of the Applegate will present an evening of song, including lyrics by Longfellow, Shakespeare, and others that will soothe and energize your soul.
Performances will be held at the Historic Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville, 405 E. California Street at 7:00pm on Friday, April 14, 2023, and at The Lindsay (Applegate River Ranch […]
Have you ever been out for a walk with friends or your dog, or gone out to pick up the mail, or put your trash out—only to have a vehicle whiz past you going way too fast? A scary moment, yes? Well, this is happening much too often in our sweet little town…it’s time to […]
The Siskiyou Crest Coalition, an organization in Applegate, Oregon, dedicated to finding permanent protections for the Siskiyou Crest, is producing Celebrating the Siskiyou Crest: A Festival of Art, Culture, and Science July 14-16, 2023, at Pacifica Garden in Williams, Oregon.
A prominent feature of the festival will be a juried art show of all media, including […]
The Jacksonville Garden Club’s annual Spring Sale will be held in downtown Jacksonville on Saturday, May 13, 2023, 10am-3pm, in the alcove next to the Post Office. Club members create beautiful arrangements from fresh-cut spring flowers in a range of prices—for Mother’s Day or a nice gift to yourself or a friend. Potted plants, spring […]
Council Work Session 2/21/23—More Housing?—The main event at the work session was a proposal from Freel & Associates on expanding Jacksonville’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) into a 30-acre parcel of land known as JK-1. The parcel runs alongside the northwest side of Highway 238 near Royal Mobile Estates and runs west, connecting to North Oregon […]
On a brisk March day, our beloved mother, Ann Marie Wisnovsky slipped the surly bonds of earth, put out her hand, and touched the face of God. He welcomed her to heaven, to be reunited with her beloved husband, Frank, who had been waiting patiently for her for the past 43 years. Theirs […]
On January 31, Jacksonville lost an icon when the mainstay of the Jacksonville Historic Cemetery, Dirk Siedlecki, passed away after a short illness. How this Long Island, New York man ended up in Jacksonville and developed a passion for and commitment to our historic Cemetery is an inspiring story and worthy of celebration.
Dirk was born […]
After three long years, Voices of the Applegate will present an evening of song, including lyrics by Longfellow, Shakespeare, and others that will soothe and energize your soul.
Performances will be held at the Historic Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville, 405 E. California Street at 7:00pm on Friday, April 14, and at The Lindsay (Applegate River Ranch House), […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival is excited to announce the first installment of Britt Presents music & comedy concerts for the 2023 summer season. The first of two season announcements, this group of shows features a wide array of musical artists, including first-time-to-Britt country artists Kelsea Ballerini and Elle King, plus returning artists Diana […]
Calling all volunteers! As a way to support our local businesses and encourage tourism in Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce sponsors many events throughout the year, including large events like Victorian Christmas and the Haunted Trolley Tours… and new events scheduled for 2023.
Putting on these events requires volunteers. This can […]
The public is invited to an open house to celebrate the re-opening of the renovated Magnolia Inn, now the Magnolia Hotel. Over the last few months, new owners,
Jeff and Nikki Bale, have been busy converting the previous owner’s living area into three additional guest rooms, opening walls and adding access for guests to the backyard. […]
Cemetery Work to Continue—As you may have read elsewhere in this edition of the Jacksonville Review, Dirk Siedlecki, your usual columnist in this space, and the long-time President of the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery (FOJHC), passed away on January 31st after a brief illness.
Dirk, with his wife Mary, founded the FOJHC in 2009 and, […]
MEDFORD, OR — The Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) announces its 2023 season, anchoring Oregon’s Britt Music and Arts Festival with three weeks of exciting open-air programming in historic Jacksonville, Oregon. Under the inspirational leadership of Music Director […]
In December of 2014, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). As the Neurologist explained my options, my wife Kerry rubbed my back in an attempt to soften the blow. It didn’t work! The doctors words were inaudible to me. I looked into Kerry eyes and whispered, “I knew it was Parkinson’s.” I was now […]
This February, I had the privilege of putting up a display about pigeons at Rebel Heart Books. My husband and I have a sanctuary for rescued, domesticated pigeons in Jacksonville. I was also invited to bring some pigeons to story time, which takes place at the bookstore once a month, and to bring them to […]
City Council President Mike McClain presided over the February 7 meeting with Mayor Donna Bowen attending via Zoom. The meeting opened with a moment of silence for Dirk Siedlecki who had passed away the week before.
During Public Comment, two residents asked that the Council work with the police to help slow traffic down on 5th […]
On Friday, January 13, Carolina Boothby officially retired from the Jacksonville Post Office after a 24-year career. She’s pictured here with (l-r) former Postmaster Tom Simmons, Barney Phillips, Carolina Boothby, Kramer Edwards, and Alex Pappas. She says that the best part of the job was making friends and being able to help so many people, […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR—After a three-year hiatus, 1932 Living History is returning to Jacksonville’s historic Beekman House Museum. The country is deep into the Great Depression and Ben and Carrie Beekman, the children of Jacksonville’s wealthiest and most prominent pioneer family, are closing up their 1870s family home. Guests become part of a 1-hour living history “play” […]
If this house could talk, I sure would have a lot to say to new owners.
John Orth, Jacksonville’s most successful butcher, had me constructed for his family in 1880. They had formerly occupied a simple wooden home for 15 years before moving in. I must say […]
After serving as the Director of Art Presence Art Center for ten precious years, I am now returning to my first love—teaching with a focus on Watercolor.
Please join me in a Watercolor workshop on Wednesdays in February and March, from 1-3pm and become a more powerful painter and a more creative artist. All supplies, including […]
For the past couple of months, the Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) tasked with providing recommendations for development code updates, worked on revising the current tree removal standards with the intent of providing recommended language ahead of all other code amendments. The reason for prioritizing the tree removal standards is a result of the increased awareness […]
City Council Meeting 1-3-23—Councilors Ken Gregg, Andy Hellenthal and Talon Reed were sworn into office by City Recorder Angela Watson. Soon after, council elected Mike McClain as Council President to serve in the absence of Mayor Donna Bowen.
Council approved Police Chief David Towe’s request to hire Jessica Woodward as a new police officer. She is […]
“Maybe you will do something with this some day?”
These were the words of a father to his son in 1975.
My dad spoke these words to me as he laid down his pen for the final time after spending three years writing his 500-page memoir of WWII. “Maybe I will dad.” A seemingly benign answer from […]
Valentine’s Day cannot come and go without a word about the ubiquitous symbol for the day – the white pigeon or dove. In English, the word “dove” and “pigeon” are largely interchangeable, but the doves we see at our feeders (mourning doves and Eurasian collar doves) are not white, nor are they particularly faithful to […]
MEDFORD, OR — The Good Vibes Summer Tour 2023, with California reggae band Rebelution comes to the Britt stage August 27, along with Britt favorite, Iration, plus The Expendables, Passafire, and DJ Mackle. This will be Rebelution’s eighth appearance at Britt. Founded in Isla Vista, CA, Rebelution has followed their instincts since the release of […]
Despite holding a bare minimum of control in both chambers, during the last Congress Democrats managed to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, the most ambitious legislation targeting the climate crisis ever signed into law. However, as we enter a two-year period with Republican climate deniers in charge of the House, we now face the question […]
MEDFORD, OR — Britt is excited to announce that Pink Martini featuring China Forbes will perform during Best of Britt, an annual summer fundraising event benefiting Britt Education & Engagement and other Britt programs, on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Support your Britt Music & Arts Festival by joining us at Best of Britt, our annual fundraising […]
From rising temperatures and heatwaves to water shortages and drought, to reducing snowpack and increased wildfire risk, the evidence that a climate crisis is here in Southern Oregon is probably clear to every reader of this sentence. The questions then become: ‘what is driving this crisis? ‘how is the crisis affecting us? […]
In 2015, Larry Smith proposed to the Jacksonville Woodlands Association’s board of directors an idea for a book about the history of the “most successful, small-town, all-volunteer land conservation project in Oregon.” Larry says the first questions were, “Who would want to read it and who is your audience?” Larry’s answer was, “I do not […]
A newly-formed group is offering business owners a networking opportunity with a mission to inspire one another while Supporting Local. The founder of this group, Mary Murphy, a resident of Jacksonville and local Realtor, felt town needed more opportunities for local entrepreneurs to meet and share ideas in a low stress environment. The meetups happen […]