My View – May 2015

It’s the time of year when the pages of the Review and our online calendars are filling-up with fun things to do as fast as our local wineries are running their bottling lines. With summer upon us, there’s a host of not-to-be-missed events and activities you’ll read about in this issue.

This May, in our historic cemetery, history buffs are in for a treat when the outdoor series, “History Saturday,” resumes, along with cemetery grave marker cleaning demonstrations and hands-on programs about pioneer life. Dirk Siedlecki, who heads-up the cemetery programming and restoration projects, has put together another season of interesting programs.

In conjunction with History Saturday, Carolyn Kingsnorth’s non-profit group, Historic Jacksonville, Inc., has created all-new Beekman House tours, bringing our history and historic buildings back to life. Read more about these programs on page 10.

Other events happening that you’ll read about include: the Spring Garden Fair at the Expo on May 2, Maifest at Bigham Knoll on May 3, The Fire Department Spaghetti Feed on May 8, the Garden Club Mother’s Day weekend plant sale on May 9&10, and the Hanley Farm Heritage Plant Sale on May 9&10.

Close-to-town events include the Applegate Valley Wine Trail’s Spring UnCorked Barrel Tour on May 18, offering a chance to sample wines from 20 wineries paired with food, music and art. If you are already a fan of the Applegate Valley or have never toured the area, UnCorked provides a great chance to take it all in on one afternoon!

Regional wine fans will also want to catch the Oregon Grape Fair in Talent on May 30 and the Roam the Rogue Wine Tour, covering Upper Rogue-area wineries from Gold Hill, Eagle Point to Butte Falls on May 23.

As we head into Jacksonville’s busiest time of year, be sure to stay up-to-speed between print issues by checking our website and Facebook page—we update both daily and publish useful information found exclusively online.

Finally, before you attend your first Britt concert in June, be sure to stroll-up to the venue entrance to see Cheryl Garcia’s newest metal sculpture—the Brittliaria Lily—just installed at the entrance of the amphitheater. Read more about this story on page 4. And, while there, be sure to get a glimpse of the hundreds of live plants now filling-in nicely in the Lower Britt Gardens…and enjoy more memorable places in Our Small Town with Big Atmosphere!