Coronavirus. I am sick of the word, and not in the coughing and contraction of pneumonia way. It has claimed, through its villainous reign of terror, a spring break vacation, a scholarship competition, my last few months of high school (ever), my senior prom, my graduation, and all of the […]
“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 […]
Hopefully, by the time this article is printed, the COVID-19 pandemic is in its waning moments. Also, by the time this article is read, most of us will probably be a little tired about reading about it. It is likely that some of the information and […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
To celebrate the Year of the Rat, the Southern Oregon Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) is hosting an exhibit on the history of coins used by Chinese immigrants in Oregon. In Chinese culture, the rat is traditionally a sign of wealth, as are coins. In 2013, SOULA excavated areas within the Jacksonville […]
Aah, springtime in Southern Oregon with cabin fever driving us into the great outdoors! Henry Gibson told us, “Spring is sprung, The grass is ris, I wonder where the birdies is.” Well, look no further because we are surrounded with bird song of every variety. Just head out the door on […]
The daffodils, snowdrops and other spring flowers made an even earlier appearance this year by showing up and starting to bloom in mid-February. This is always a welcome sight as it marks the beginning of another year of programs, marker cleaning workshops, restoration work and cleaning up the grounds from winter.
Our replacement Interpretive Panels have […]
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 […]
A recent conversation in Forest Park with a couple of mountain bike riders from the Seattle area gave good notice of the value of Jacksonville’s wooded trail system. Here, on a winter’s day, they found ample opportunity to enjoy their time off from a hectic work schedule. Though staying at a […]
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. […]
We are looking forward to spring and warmer weather to commence work on a number of projects that we have lined up. Our replacement Interpretive Panels arrived in January and will be installed throughout the cemetery grounds. The original panels from 2004 were in poor condition and were replaced at a cost of just under […]
“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 […]
All classes begin at 10:00am and are located at Shooting Star Nursery unless indicated otherwise. Space is limited, so please be sure to register at www.roguevalleynursery.com/class. A minimum of 5 attendees is needed for a class, otherwise the class may be canceled. See ad this page.
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 […]
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 […]
After a dry fall, we are finally enjoying some winter weather. A noticeable scent fills our wet woodlands, and any walkabout permeates our clothing with an aromatic (some would say pungent) reminder that we’ve been out and about. For many, our New Year’s Resolution will see us hiking more often. Many […]
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 […]
Before I go into our year-end report, I want to thank all of the volunteers who helped make 2019 such a successful and rewarding year. All that was accomplished in 2019 would not have been possible without the support of our volunteers and the generous donations supporting our work […]
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, […]
We know that other kinds of animals make tools, other kinds of animals may have some kind of language. We know that other animals have extremely complex social organizations. I think we can see art as being one of the only ways that we can imagine humans to be distinctively different. Art can be seen […]
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 Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) has been sharing its research into the Jacksonville Chinese Quarter in the Jacksonville Review for years. While it may seem like we’ve been away from the action recently, we have actually been expanding our research on early Chinese immigrants and taking it on […]
“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 […]
I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. ~ Michelangelo
Holiday Treasures, our annual holiday shopping show, continues every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 29! Come to Art Presence to find inspiring gifts of art for the extra-special and hard-to-shop-for people on your gift-giving list. Bring your art purchases […]
Gift giving season is upon us. Many people buy items for the people on their list all year-long, but many wait for the holiday seasonal rush. Be it Christmas or Hanukkah, shopping begins the day after Thanksgiving in many households.
We’ve all seen the transition from running around from store […]
Most of Jacksonville’s original wooden buildings were destroyed in multiple fires, but a few remain. At least two of these landmarks were the work of master builder David Linn. One, the 1854 St. Andrews Methodist-Episcopal Church, was a product of his early Jacksonville career. The other, the 1881 Presbyterian Church, […]
I was invited to speak at the fall Conference of the Cemetery Association of Oregon in Hood River on October 17 and 18, 2019. The organization is made up of cemetery owners and operators and representatives from all avenues of the funeral industry. The title of my talk “Our Historic Cemeteries, Much More Than Just […]
It’s two weeks before Thanksgiving as I write this. Walking in town yesterday, I was met by store windows chock full of Christmas. Displays of faux snow and baubles, decorations and gifts sat in strange juxtaposition with the unusual, t-shirt-warm weather. It was unsettling.
I’m not in sync with this Christmas […]
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Familiar words at this time of year, yes, but what if we cannot muster up any “jolly-ness?” What […]
Our kids and their families are all coming home for Christmas. Mary cannot stop smiling. The newlyweds are wheels down on Christmas Eve. If asked, our beautiful girl would say there is no place on earth she’d rather be for the holidays. Even our Bay Area, Forty-Niner football […]
‘Tis time again for animated Christmas specials to pop-up on the tube, many of them rebroadcasts of beloved classics from decades ago. We won’t waste precious space to list them all (honestly, do you really care to hear about Grandma got Run Over By a Reindeer?). Instead, we’ll touch […]
Throughout this tumultuous year, friends and families have visited Hanley Farm, participating in its many events, or picnicking in the shade of the Hanley trees and playing heritage games with their children. It is all of you who have visited and enjoyed Hanley Farm, that enable the Southern […]
The holidays are absolutely here at Hanley Farm! Make your own holiday wreath on Saturday, November 30, from 11:00am-3:00pm, using all-natural materials clipped from the trees and bushes that grace the farm. Wreath-making kits that include all you need will be available for only $15 for non-SOHS Members, and […]
My sincerest congratulations to our cast of sixteen players who delivered an outstanding performance, twenty-two times, during this year’s Meet the Pioneers on October 4 and 5. Backing them up and making everything run smoothly was a staff of some forty-five volunteers who greeted guests in the Ticket and Boarding area, directed traffic, boarded the […]
People of a certain age will understand the love for and fascination with a paper map. The road map…folded in a specific way that only patience and agility can repeat. Kept in the glove box of the family car… as the key to destination precision.
In the 1860’s, Rand McNally published […]