One could say, I’ve been working on this message for nearly thirteen years. So, thank you Donna Briggs for allowing me to take over your column this month. Makes me happy!
Many of you don’t know me, but certainly many of you do. I’m Britt’s Director of House Operations, Bow Seltzer, and I’m retiring in a […]
One positive aspect to the current situation is seeing the passion and creativity of our entire community as we rise to meet unimaginable challenges, and watching all of us come together even as we maintain our social distance. Over the past months, you have reinforced something that this community […]
MEDFORD, OR – Like so many performing arts organizations and businesses, Britt is now faced with the challenge of carving our path in an uncertain world. Today, Governor Brown issued a mandate canceling all large gatherings, including concerts or large sporting events, through at least September 2020. Due to this mandate, and out of an […]
On Real Estate & More – Submitted for the May 2020 issue
It was supposed to be the typical spring boom for real estate. But thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic downturn, what was expected to be a thriving sales season has hit a wall. On the real estate listing site Zillow, there’s already […]
Have you ever felt as though you’re in a Twilight Zone episode?
Of course you have. Everybody feels that way these days—waking up to discover that our entire planet has fallen prey to a deadly viral pandemic, the likes of which has never ever been experienced on […]
2020 Britt Festival Orchestra Season Update in Light of Ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic
After careful consideration, Britt Music & Arts Festival’s Board of Directors, staff, and musicians of the Britt Orchestra Committee have agreed the 2020 BFO Season cannot proceed as we had planned. All previously scheduled performances between July 31 – August 16, 2020 have been […]
MEDFORD, OR – Due to frequently changing circumstances created by the spread of COVID-19, Britt Music & Arts Festival has postponed its third and final 2020 Britt Presents Season Announcement until further notice. The announcement had previously been rescheduled for Friday, May 8, 2020. Over the coming weeks, Britt will monitor local, state, and federal […]
UPDATE, MAY 3, 2020—Don’t miss this opportunity to get a bit of history to plant in your garden! Attached is an updated list of Heritage Plants still available for sale at Hanley Farm. If you compare this list with the original Press Release of April 28, you can see selections […]
I know you are probably sick of hearing and reading about this horrid virus; I know I am. It’s like hearing about the hurricane that’s brewing off-shore: we hear report after report, we prepare, we hoard, we hunker down … and we wait … and […]
“One lives in the hope of becoming a memory.” ― Antonio Porchia
There has been a great deal of death as of late. Every day and night we’re reminded how many people have drawn a last breath. It’s now impossible to ignore the reality of mortality when once so used to […]
The other day someone asked me to compare the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on citizen‘s lives with the aftermath of Pearl Harbor during World War 2. I can start by saying that nothing else in my ninety years on this planet has […]
April 3, 2020—MEDFORD, OR – Due to quickly changing circumstances surrounding the spread of COVID-19 and resulting artist schedule changes, Britt Music & Arts Festival has decided to postpone its third 2020 Britt Presents Announcement, originally scheduled for April 9, 2020, to be held on May 8, 2020. As previously announced, the Annual Season Announcement […]
It has been reported that Abe Lincoln once summed up his thoughts on trade by declaring, “I don’t know much about the tariff but I do know that if my wife buys her cloak in America, we get the money and the cloak, and that American labor is paid […]
It’s Spring, so let’s talk about viruses and anxiety, shall we?
I’m not a fan of viruses. I’ve had one plaguing my body for over six years now. Mine is called Epstein-Barr. So, I know about the anxiety related to illness. I know what it’s like to lie in bed at night, […]
I want to call your attention to one of the most overlooked items in the shop…record albums.
Hidden away in large photo album-like binders you’ll discover some amazing music. These records are 78 RPMs and come in large photo binders that hold 10-12 records and weigh 12 lbs. The records can […]
As a real estate agent, I am frequently asked to explain how property taxes are assessed. Oregon’s complex property tax system doesn’t always make it easy to figure out, but the property tax system is one of the most important sources of revenue for Oregon. The following is […]
In Southern Oregon, you hear a lot about a “summer selling season” for real estate, or you hear it’s best to list your home in the winter when there is less competition. Both statements have a ring of truth, but there’s a lot more behind the numbers.
The year generally […]
Our twin-date movie nights at Old City Hall when we ran The Last of The Wild Horses, a 1948 film shot in Jacksonville and other parts of the Valley including the Rogue River, wound up being a great success. Reluctantly, we had to turn away fifty or […]
Spring is here! The sun is out, flowers are in bloom, and it’s time to celebrate!
EVENT CANCELED – Southern Oregon Historical Society’s Annual Heritage Plant Sale, Friday & Saturday, April 25 & 26, 10:00am-3:00pm (gates open at 9:00am on the 25th for SOHS members).
Earlier this year, SOHS volunteers propagated […]
In the mid-1800s, California and the Oregon Territory seemed like the “promised land” to individuals in the eastern United States dreaming of riches, adventure, or better lives. But first they had to get here. There were basically two routes—by land and by sea. This month and next, we’ll describe the experiences […]
You may recall that back in October we announced we were writing another book. At the time, we withheld the subject matter—but now the time has come for the Big Reveal!
Drrrrummmmm roll….
It’s a Star Trek book!
(Was there ever any doubt in your mind?)
Yes, Star Trek. Sometimes we write about other […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR — In the second season announcement for 2020, Britt Presents is adding a variety of popular music artists and a comedian to the summer series line-up with several favorite returning artists. Britt Presents is excited to bring comedy back to the Britt Pavilion with Blue Collar Comedy Tour favorite, Ron White, on June […]
SPRING IS FINALLY HERE, bringing a fresh season of positive vibes, a changing of the guard for one Jacksonville eatery and a ten-year anniversary for another.
Hardworking single-mom, Jeannie Inman, has owned and operated The Mustard Seed Café on 5th Street for the past ten years. Ready for a change, Jeannie recently sold this popular stop […]
MEDFORD, OR – Britt announces the return of the popular Happy Together Tour, who will perform after Best of Britt, an annual summer fundraising event benefiting Britt Education & Engagement, happening Thursday, July 9, 2020.
In its eighth year, the Best of Britt is a popular Britt extravaganza featuring a fun-filled evening of food, spirits and […]
When people talk about a real estate transaction being “in escrow,” they often assume it is about to close. However, there are several events that normally take place after escrow is opened and before the actual closing of the real estate transaction. This article covers the details of […]
“It is said that Wisdom lies in not seeing things, But seeing through things.” ~Manly P. Hall
Vision is an unfathomable gift in design and function. Just ask any person without the ability to see. Yet vision has an inescapable flaw, an inherent disability to those relying on sight to […]
March is “Women’s History Month.” (Or perhaps, for these 31 days, we should call March “Women’s Her-Story Month.”) So for our March Pioneer Profile, we’re sharing the story of a special female pioneer.
Alice Eliza Hanley pursued drawing and painting until her father, Michael Hanley, developed dementia. As the eldest surviving unmarried […]
Get ready for Hanley Farm’s signature Spring event—the Heritage Plant Sale on April 25 & 26! Every year, plant enthusiasts and agriculture historians arrive early at the Farm in anticipation of selecting a bit of history to plant in their gardens, gracing their landscape with a bit of a bygone era and past spring fragrances. […]
“Say Nothing,” by Patrick Radden Keefe, tells the 30-plus year history of the Troubles of Northern Ireland through the interwoven true stories of people whose lives were shaped by the conflict, beginning with Jean McConville, a 38-year-old, widowed, mother of 10 who was disappeared by a gang of masked men and women in Belfast in […]
A few days ago, I was watching the news on television. There were two anchors on camera and the longer they talked the more I began to see them as two bottles of vinegar. Their words, their countenance, their every vocal inflection, were lacking any warmth or […]
Getting top dollar for your home is everyone’s goal. Sometimes the solution is simply staging your home and completing some minor repairs. There are some improvements that increase the value of a home and some just increase its salability. Most sellers are prepared to get their home staged to […]
This year, Pickety Place will be going through a series of changes. While doing so we will maintain quality items throughout the entire store.
The first major change is the introduction of Elly and Bryce who have significantly upgraded our social media presence. They are young and bring a fresh appeal […]
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” ~Marcus Aurelius
For most of my life, I have been a seeker: a seeker of truth, understanding, and also happiness. Seeking understanding and wisdom is honorable enough, but the happiness bit has been somewhat challenging.
It’s […]
Years ago, I wrote a column addressing our booking process. With so many new people in our community, we continue to hear questions about how we book our season or “Why can’t Britt book this artist or that artist?” It seems appropriate to reprise the earlier column.
Logically, since Britt […]
This March’s “Sensational Seniors” article features Jacksonville resident, Steve Carlson, who spent 38 years in the entertainment business, most as a Hollywood actor. Steve’s beginning came on May 24, 1943 in Columbus, Mississippi, but he was only there the first six weeks of his life as his Air Force-pilot father was […]
For seven years, Linda Farland and her crew at Assist Your Move have helped people navigate the stressful and physically demanding tasks involved with moving. And now, with a new fleet of trucks and storage facility, Assist Your Move handles every aspect involved with a move. “I started this business after my father passed and […]
MEDFORD, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival announces its first set of concerts for the 2020 Britt Presents season this summer. In the first of three announcements, Britt presents a variety of musical artists including the classic country of Tanya Tucker, who was awarded two GRAMMYs this past January, modern bluegrass inspired acoustic jam […]
Take a trip with us, back to 2013. In response the dwindling population of the Monarch Butterfly, local citizens began establishing Monarch waystations throughout the Rogue Valley. Led by Tom Landis, retired National Nursery Specialist for the USDA Forest Service, volunteers designed Monarch waystations to have the components needed for a healthy butterfly habitat. During […]
Years ago when Britt was looking for a new Music Director for the orchestra, Teddy Abrams stood out with his hunger for creativity. As a young prodigy at the beginning of his career, we knew his creativity would bring something unique to the Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO). After six […]
As we head into a new year as well as a new decade, one of the big questions many people have is about the stability of the real estate market. Lucky for me, the company I work for has their own economist that provides quarterly projections as well […]
A number of you know that a Hollywood motion picture, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, was filmed right here in Jacksonville in 1972. You may not know of another film released in 1948… also filmed right here in Jacksonville.
In 1947, a successful independent producer, Robert L. Lippert, […]
Forecasting the future can be hard…so starting with a good knowledge base of the past can give a clearer vision of the future. The real estate market in Jackson County has been very stable for years, so it’s logical to assume the trend will continue in 2020. Based on […]
Since February heralds Valentine’s Day, we thought we would take a closer look at the Victorian idea of love and marriage (although we’re not sure why romance is celebrated in the middle of winter unless “bundling” was a great way to keep warm). Valentines became extremely popular during the Victorian era, […]
As we enter the season when winter shows little pity for our doldrums, and just when we can’t stomach another day of gray, February creeps in with hints of spring. That’s when the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association, or SOCCA, comes to our rescue with the perfect anecdote—a colorful festival to celebrate the Chinese New […]
I am writing this column on January 1, 2020. It’s the first day of a new year, a new decade, and for me, a new adventure.
Well, not exactly new.
A long time ago, just out of graduate school and some 2,500 hours into a five-year process of becoming a counselor, I sat […]
My main purpose in writing “Sensational Seniors” articles is to honor the richness of the lives of people of Jacksonville who have been active and productive citizens of our fair town. However, for this, my 33rd article, it was I who was honored with the rare opportunity to spend part of […]
The Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) announces its 2020 summer season, anchoring Oregon’s Britt Music and Arts Festival with three weeks of exciting open-air programming in the scenic Rogue Valley. Under the inventive […]
MEDFORD, OR – Britt Music & Arts Festival announces the redesign and significant upgrade of their website that will improve the ability of Britt patrons and fans to purchase tickets and learn about various operations of the non-profit organization. Constructed by web design firm Project A, the new design is constructed on a modern WordPress […]
“And it was always said of him (Ebenezer Scrooge), that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!” ~Charles Dickens, from A Christmas Carol 1843
A prime opportunity to “keep Christmas well” is by immersing yourself in a traditional […]
“When I was a kid, I just wanted to play baseball, but I kept getting blamed for Pearl Harbor… and this was the climate I grew up in.” This quote from Jacksonville resident, Dave Doi, struck me as particularly poignant given the racial divide that our country still struggles with […]