We mentioned “remakes” in our last column: new movies based on existing properties that inspired studios and filmmakers to wanna do them again. Remake motivation for studio executives is obvious. If it made money before, the prospect of cashing in on the same property a second time is irresistible.
Motivation for […]
This month, I’d like to give you an overview of City Commissions and Committees. Jacksonville runs on a volunteer force, which is readily apparent in the folks who show up to serve.
There is a distinct difference between the two. To simplify, in Jacksonville, we have an elected […]
MEDFORD, OR — At this time, in line with other outdoor venues throughout the country, Britt Music & Arts Festival will no longer require masks, COVID testing, or proof of vaccine for our patrons at our outdoor venue in Jacksonville, Oregon. Masks are still optional. Ultimately, it is each patron’s decision whether or not to […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR — Britt Music & Arts Festival announces its first installment of concerts for the 60th Anniversary 2022 season this summer. The first of two season announcements presents a broad array of musical artists, including a return visit by ZZ Top, jazzy pop singer-songwriter Norah Jones, electric blues band Blues Traveler, a night of […]
Britt Music & Arts Festival announces the selection of a new President and CEO. The Britt Board of Directors is excited to introduce Abby McKee, who will become the new head of operations at Britt beginning May 1, 2022. After eleven years, current President and CEO, Donna Briggs, is retiring.
“Abby is the right leader for […]
Editor’s Note: At the January 4 City Council meeting, a standing-room-only audience packed New City Hall to pay tribute to Mayor Bowen’s yearly award recipients. On behalf of a grateful community, thank you to them and all of the volunteers who give so much to our community!
Kandee McClain, 2021 Jacksonville Person of the Year—Kandee McClain, […]
Featuring New Commission from Sebastian Chang & Star-Spangled Guest Artists
MEDFORD, OR — The Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) announces its 2022 60th Anniversary summer season, anchoring Oregon’s Britt Music and Arts Festival with three weeks of exhilarating open-air programming in historic Jacksonville, Oregon. Under the inspirational leadership of Music Director Teddy Abrams, the 2022 season opens […]
Homeowners often want to turn a den, office, or attic into a bedroom. Who doesn’t want the extra space for family or guests, even if it’s small? Defining a legal bedroom may seem simple, but despite clear building codes, the process is not as clear cut as you […]
It’s March and spring is in the air! The daffodils and forsythia are blooming, and the birds have on their “mating colors,” so Love seems an appropriate topic for this month’s Pioneer Profile —although in this case the Love in question is John Love and the Love family.
John Swan Love was […]
Instant Pot and Crock Pot recipes continue to be all the rage. I find this form of cooking handy for sure, but it doesn’t really inspire. The dishes all come out pretty much the same… over-cooked. Well, I changed my mind when I tried this little dandy. […]
You were up at five AM on February 8, anxiously awaiting revelation of the 2021 Oscar nominations, right?
Yeah, neither were we, but then, we’re old hands at this. We slept in, and looked them up on the ‘net later in the day. We felt pretty smug because we’d actually seen […]
AN OBJECTIFIED ME.
I need that myself
to help the other separate the viewer
and the viewed
which subjectivity’s mirror
fuses;
someone
for a short time
to wear my problem so that unburdened
I
may
save
my soul.*
I love stories. I love listening to them, reading them, telling them. I am privileged, in my work, to listen to the life stories of […]
Understanding Credit Scores—Before you can improve your credit score, you must understand it, know how it’s calculated and what it’s used for.
Your credit score is a part of the package of information lenders use to decide whether or not they will lend you money or extend credit. Besides lenders, […]
In last month’s column I gave a report on work that went on last year in City Hall and its departments. This month I’ll bring you up to date on City Council projects. Next month I will feature City Commissions and Committees. My aim is to give […]
Our year-end donation match campaign put the Southern Oregon Historical Society on track for turning the dream of a downtown Medford Event Center and museum into a reality. The architects have begun transforming concepts into floor plans, reviews are underway, and it’s time to kick-off the campaign to renovate […]
“The times, they are a changing”—and the Southern Oregon Historical Society is changing with the times! We need a new logo to reflect the new SOHS, and you are invited to create one for us.
Because of the broad public that we serve—members, volunteers, community individuals and organizations, school children, visitors, and guests from all over—we […]
Since Helena and Marc Lopez’ move to Southern Oregon from Escondido last October, despite Covid setbacks, business plans for her new store, Trotting Fox Boutique, have clipped along nicely—as if they were meant to happen.
“I thought about getting back into real estate, because I did that in California, but I was not really feeling it,” […]
What could feel cozier against an autumn chill than sipping on a mug of something hot and snuggling deep beneath a sumptuous quilt? It’s time to stow the lighter spread and bring out the stack of hand-wrought covers for warmth and winter comforts.
For nearly 35 years, visitors and residents of Jacksonville have discovered beautiful, American-made […]
MEDFORD, OR — In honor of the 60th Anniversary of the Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) in 2022 and in recognition of Teddy Abrams being honored with Musical America’s 2022 Composer of the Year Award, Britt Music and Arts Festival will establish a $500,000 Britt Festival Orchestra Fund. The fund will be used to support the […]
Sinking into a comfy seat in a crowded auditorium ain’t gonna happen for us—yet. The good news, however, is that we all can be entertained at home (for just a little longer).
May we recommend Director Peter Jackson’s perfect (we mean it) documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, streaming on Disney+. The […]
Well, congratulations. We made it into another new year. And regardless of how you may be feeling about this fact, I think we should all be feeling darned good about ourselves for having slogged through what can only be described as the weirdest—if not the worst—two years in recent history. We’re […]
Happy Chinese New Year—the year of the Tiger. A tiger by definition is fierce, determined, and ambitious. Sounds like a recipe for success that all of us can follow as we forge into another year of uncertainty. So, in honor of that tiger within […]
Although everyone hoped COVID-19 would be a faded memory by now and that the economy would have recovered, this has not been the case, and the pandemic’s influence on the economy is still being felt. Although it is rebounding, COVID continues to impact economic growth and many economists […]
In 2021 the housing market saw growth that we hadn’t seen in 16 years. Home sales and home prices both reached record highs. If you benefited from this surge, it depended on if you were selling a home.
The median-priced home saw double-digit growth in Jackson County over 2021 prices. […]
February is a month where we celebrate many things. President’s Day comes to mind, and with it a long weekend. Super Bowl Sunday should be a national holiday. And, of course, there’s Valentine’s Day. This month, let’s talk about love. And finance. Okay, words that don’t often go together. […]
As we start the New Year, I’m reflecting back on what we have all gone through the last two years. The months have been both agonizingly slow and surprisingly fast. Slow when I think of the things we cannot easily do, that we used to take for […]
Happy 2022! As I look back at 2021, SOHS Hanley Farm—despite Covid 19 and variants—has continued to present new, and ongoing annual events for all to enjoy. In addition to the several Hanley Farm events, there were a couple of other exciting, noteworthy events last year!
Southern Oregon Historical Society […]
Editor’s Note—In February, Jacksonville traditionally celebrates Chinese New Year, although there are no planned activities this year due to changes brought on by the pandemic. The following article pays tribute to the Chinese immigrants who first arrived in Oregon in the 1850s, despite them receiving anything but a “welcome” by most […]
After 11 years with Britt Music and Arts Festival, I will retire soon, so this is my last “News from the Hill” column. With approximately 110 columns (about 11 a year) under my belt, you’d think I might have run out of things to say. Yet that hasn’t […]
Easy Peasy with just 5 ingredients and you get to use a blowtorch! What could be better! Seriously though, we spend much of the holidays eating pie, pie and more pie. I’m not knocking pie… a good pie is like it’s own food group! But Crème […]
Over the years, the City of Jacksonville’s Development Code was revised multiple times by multiple authors to reflect the changing of the community. However, with so many incremental changes, the Code became complicated and burdensome, and in some cases, contained conflicting or inconsistent requirements. The City started […]
With the New Year comes the tradition of resolutions. We all resolve to continue good practices, change undesired traits or behaviors, accomplish personal goals or otherwise improve our lives. Some will set resolutions to improve physical, emotional, spiritual or financial wellbeing. Although I can’t help with the first […]
From all of us at Cutler Investment Group, Merry Christmas! In past December Jacksonville Review articles, we have taken this space to highlight some year-end housekeeping items that investors should be aware of. Tax-loss selling is at the top of that list, which is selling your stocks that […]
As I thought about writing this for the end of 2021, my mind wandered back to all that has happened during the last two years and what the future might bring. I have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions, but I have always […]
Have you ever felt as though you’re in a Twilight Zone episode?
Of course you have. Everybody feels that way these days—ever since early 2020, when we all woke to discover that our entire planet had fallen prey to a deadly viral pandemic. Suddenly everything we knew about our existence […]
On November 23, 1863, the newly ordained Father Francis Xavier Blanchet arrived in Jacksonville to take charge of the Catholic Church’s southernmost mission in Oregon. Fresh out of his Quebec seminary, he had been sent to the parish by his uncle, Francis Norbert Blanchet, Archbishop of “the Oregon Country.”
Following the […]
For many, the wreath is a symbol of eternity, an unending circle of life, growth, and everlasting life. Traditionally, we post wreaths on our front doors as an invitation to family and friends to join in our holiday festivities. This year, as in years past, SOHS Hanley Farm invites […]
It’s November and flu season is upon us! We’re fortunate that our annual flu shots help protect us against such virulent strains as the “Spanish Influenza” that beset the local populace during the winter of 1918-19. Jacksonville was not as hard hit as the rest of the Valley […]
Getting preapproved for a mortgage is an important first step in the process of buying a home, especially in a competitive real estate market like we are currently experiencing. It gives you an idea of how much you can borrow, which helps narrow down your search to houses […]
Back when TVs still wore rabbit ears, rumors spread about “pay television.” Folks chuckled, “Will we have to drop quarters into a box? Who’s gonna come around to pick up the coins?”
“Streaming” was something only salmon in the Pacific Northwest cared about.
Fast forward to the twenty-first century. The streaming bill […]
Call it an appetizer for a holiday gathering. Call it a side dish on your Thanksgiving table. Call it a game day lunch bite… I call it delicious! So easy and yet decadent with our local cheese celebrity stealing the show. How lucky are […]
Many were surprised to see the median price of a home in Jacksonville hit an all-time high of $630,000 for the third quarter, ending September 30. Not only is this a record, it exceeds the median home price of Ashland which have held the record for highest home prices […]
This month, I would like to share my column space with City Councilor, Ken Gregg, who has served on Council since 2015. Ken is known and respected as an active City Councilor. Ken has his finger on the pulse of what is happening in Jacksonville and always […]
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy is based on a simple musical theme, yet it has magic beyond words! It not only grabs the heart, but its message represents everything humanity should stand and fight for!
Did you feel the joy? There was so much to […]
MEDFORD, OR — The Britt Festival Orchestra (BFO) is excited to announce two new changes as it prepares for the 60th anniversary of the Britt Music & Arts Festival in 2022. Britt announces that a new General Manager of the BFO has been hired. And, the BFO is moving its storied and popular orchestral music […]
“We planned for the baby and the business, but we really did not plan for the pandemic.” Trevor and Jessie Driskell’s long held dream was to take over the Mustard Seed Café—to run their own business. On March 1, 2020, that dream came true. Soon after, the world changed. Jessie shares their story.
“It was bad […]
Musical America announced today that Teddy Abrams—the galvanizing conductor now in his eighth season as Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra—has been named Conductor of the Year for 2022. Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher congratulated […]
The holidays often evoke more stress than gratitude, and this year promises to be a bit “extra” with Covid fears and vaccine wars added to the usual familial fracas. I hope this classic—read with cocktail in hand—will help you brave the onslaught.
It’s November, time for Thanksgiving gatherings and the annual viewing […]
Despite pandemic and wildfires, the 2021 Britt Season comes to a successful close.
MEDFORD, OR — Overcoming multiple challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and several weeks of wildfire smoke in the region, the Britt Music & Arts Festival has completed an outstanding season filled with amazing music and artists. Britt thanks its patrons, members, business […]
We did it! Against all odds—COVID-19, smoke, fires, lower revenue, and staff shortages; Britt’s community came together and prevailed. From my perspective, the biggest payoff was seeing the joy of the performers getting back on stage and the audiences being there to experience it. To […]