In 2019, House Bill (HB) 2001 was adopted and gained national attention as the first state in the nation to ban the century-old practice of reserving land for a single type of residential development. HB 2001 requires larger cities with populations over 25,000 such as Medford to allow […]
The U.S. economy is a mess. The continuing coronavirus pandemic has led to scores of business closures, the worst unemployment since the Great Depression and the steepest economic contraction on record.
Yet, despite it all, the U.S. housing market has been spared and is experiencing a record year. In our […]
Recognize this song title? It’s the song of every immigrant who ever came to America after leaving home, family and friends behind seeking a better life. Immigrants like Irving Berlin who wrote it, a Russian Jew escaping Russian tyranny… Einstein escaping German genocide… or Gloria Estefan whose […]
Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse… bam, they did with the terrible wildfires in early September. Our hearts and prayers go out to our neighbors and friends who lost so much. I am currently trying to determine what cemeteries may have been damaged by the fires to see if any help is needed.
We […]
In 2009, Sue Miler and her, husband, Dave Doi, moved across country from Washington, D.C. to an active retirement life in Jacksonville. Like all featured Sensational Seniors, she has a compelling life story that began on October 27, 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was born into a large Catholic family, and […]
You’re drifting…warm…cozy…comfortable…
Peaceful.
And then something blasts from the radio on your nightstand—the one too close to your ear.
Maybe it’s Sonny & Cher, singing “I Got You Babe.” Maybe it’s Eric Teel saying something about a virtual pledge drive.
Instinct arm-wrestles with common sense…and wins! You manage to lash out, smack that bloody […]
Without question, Covid-19 has posed new and previously unimaginable challenges for Britt Music and Arts Festival. However, within every challenge is perhaps an even greater opportunity. We are inspired by how the community of Jacksonville has adapted and moved forward. This global pandemic has made it difficult for many […]
Life is what happens while you are making other plans. In her long life, Artenicia Riddle Merriman did not anticipate being either a pioneer or a movie actress, yet she became both. Nor did Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery (FOJHC) anticipate the cancellation of their annual October “Meet the Pioneers.” This […]
Our August 15th Marker Cleaning Workshop was a wonderful success with 48 headstones and monuments being cleaned in the Independent Order of Red Men and Catholic Section. Much appreciation to volunteers Mary Siedlecki, Beverly Helvie, Kathy Waltz, Peggy Jennings, Lorry Davis, Pam Smith, Michael Sneary, Teresa Hopkins, Sherry Kramer, Beverly Smith, Ken […]
As we hope for the smoke to clear and the out-of-doors to become welcoming again after some fall rains, we are obligated to take stock of our climate crisis. “Mega-drought” feels overused, but how else do we account for streams that seem to never run, waterfalls that never fall, bogs where […]
Butter has been a mealtime staple for hundreds if not thousands of years. After the milking process, milk was left in a cool place to settle in shallow dishes of wood or ceramic. The settling dishes allowed the cream to rise to the top. Long-handled skimmers were used to lift […]
Art Presence Art Center is already making plans for member exhibits and guest artists in 2021. Look for virtual tours of all the exhibits in the new year, compensating for our inability to have receptions to celebrate the artists.
The City of Jacksonville has again supported us with a three-year lease. This enables us to take […]
If you’ve spent a significant amount of time in Oregon, you understand just how unique and beautiful our state is. Southern Oregon is known for its gorgeous vineyards, the “wild and scenic” Rogue River, and stunning, sweeping views. Most of the area has a rural and small-town spirit which […]
With all of the fires that have devastated our community recently, fire safety is at the forefront of many property owner’s minds. The increase in population over the last century has pushed much of the growth into what used to be forest and grasslands. This trend has created […]
The deadline for submitting this column was rapidly approaching as I finished what I hoped would be an appropriate topic as I near the end of my term as Mayor. Then disaster hit… a broadside of bad tidings for our people in Jacksonville and the rest of […]
When I arrived at the home of Bruce Gieg, my October “Sensational Seniors” subject, I found him in his shop, sitting in a folding chair and repairing the power take-off mechanism of a Valley View Vineyard tractor. After walking to his nearby home and getting most of the grease off his […]
Jacksonville sat silent this summer, with a stillness settling over us like dust motes, as though a phantom orchestra on an abandoned stage performed a concert of quiescence for our hollow ears.
It was a most disconcerting sound. A sound of sadness.
Call it collateral damage. Call it a sidebar to a […]
The unimaginable has happened. Rogue Valley communities have burned beyond recognition. Lives have been lost. Families have lost their homes. Business owners have lost their livelihoods. Gratefully, Jacksonville was spared for now. Oregonians take great pride in the many outdoor treasures our state has to offer and we must […]
“Leave only footprints; take only memories.” The hikers’ mantra played loudly in my subconscious on a recent walkabout far from our local trails. A quarter century ago, two motorcyclists ignored a wilderness boundary sign and rode onto a pumice ridge, where they turned doughnuts in the powdery soil before diving off […]
Jacksonville has become a desirable place for both travelers and residents alike. Part of the appeal is the charming architecture, a well-preserved example of a 19th-century western mining town.
One of the oldest communities in Oregon, Jacksonville began with the discovery of gold in 1851. Miners flocked to the […]
When I first met Gene and Glenda Cossette twelve years ago, I commented to my wife, “They look like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine,” as they were both stylishly dressed and walked with confidence and poise. Not much has changed in the past twelve years for this well-known […]
In concert with all Oregonians, Hanley Farm and the SOHS continue efforts to stem the curb of the Coronavirus through social distancing, avoiding crowds and, most importantly, wearing masks. Luckily, as we strive to defeat this virus, we don’t have to forgo the pleasures we derive from the Society […]
July 2020, proved to be another productive month for our volunteers with ninety hours of labor being contributed towards marker restoration and cleaning efforts, as well as caring for the grounds.
On Saturday, July 18, volunteers Beverly Helvie, Teresa Lilleboe, Beverly Smith, Don and Peggy Jennings, Lisa Cogswell, David Grant, Lorry Davis, Teresa Hopkins, Cathy Kromer, […]
“Without the arts, without music, without dance, without drama, without photography, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings.” ~Senator John Lewis
This is a transition month for our art exhibitions, and you can see a wide variety of art as they change over. Our Summer Daze member show and […]
This month, in light of the current state of this crazy country and world we find ourselves in, I thought I’d share a little excerpt from my new book, “Grief Girl’s Guide.” I have abbreviated and altered it ever-so-slightly from it’s focus on grief to speak to the turmoil many of […]
Samuel Hill began making utilitarian earthenware in 1814 and was famous for producing much-needed drainpipe in his Flemington, NJ factory. Later, he created household utilitarian crockery until 1860 when Abram Fulper acquired the company. They were famous for beautiful art pottery. In 1909, grandson William was running the company and […]
Recently, I received three postcards from Jacksonville citizens, all denouncing me as a racist for my July column. The column deplored racism, but the readers read it to mean quite the opposite. How very sad! I may have far more reason to condemn racism as well as […]
As schools are struggling to find ways to accommodate students during the current COVID-19 pandemic, September seems an opportune time to look at the schooling available to the children of Jacksonville’s early settlers.
While older children arriving in the Oregon Territory in the mid-19th Century might have attended school in the towns […]
We interrupt your regular life to bring you these reminders: Wear the mask. Maintain social distance. Stick close to home.
Don’t go to movies. Or the theatre. Just turn on the Boob Tube.
Is there anything there you haven’t seen? Maybe on the Food Network…?
After you’ve burned through “Chopped,” “Diners, Drive-Ins and […]
When the coronavirus first brought the country to a standstill, many people believed real estate would come to a halt and prices would drop. However, data released in May from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that home prices increased in the first quarter of 2020 despite […]
Having recently spent some time running on trails farther afield, I am happy to report that our local trails are in tip-top shape. It is disappointing to see that so much of our once robust forest trail system on BLM and Forest Service land has been neglected for so long, and […]
As my faithful readers undoubtedly know, I am a porch-sitter. It’s where I sit and watch the sunrise, express my gratitudes, speak my prayers, and think my thoughts. And the thought that came to me this particular morning, watching the backlit beauty of sprinkler droplets and marveling at the tiny, perfect […]
We are dealing with a highly contagious virus that travels person-to-person, propelled by a person singing, by speech, a cough, or a sneeze. How do we help curb the spread of the virus? CDC guidelines stress limited contact with others, observing safe distancing requirements, frequent handwashing and/or sanitizing, and […]
Art Presence Art Center’s Summer Daze show of member artwork continues on display through September 13. It’s a fantastic show, so please make sure to come in to view this collection. Remember that the gallery is open an extra day through the end of September, so you can stop by any Thursday, Friday, Saturday or […]
“It’s a whale of a tale I’ll tell you, lads, a whale of a tale or two.”
In late September 2019, Paula and I were walking through Manhattan’s Upper West Side, admiring the ironwork that enhances the stoops on the brownstones. At one point I glanced up and saw that Paula was thirty feet ahead of […]
The number one question we get asked by homeowners who are looking to sell is, “How do we market to buyers moving up from California?” It’s a great question, as buyers from California, and from other states, represent a good portion of our real estate sales, especially on properties […]
Sadly, and despite all the planning and work that goes into our History Saturday in the Cemetery programs and other events and tours, we certainly miss sharing our cemetery and its history with visitors. I, as well as our docents and research committee, look forward to a brighter and happier 2021.
In […]
Lorin Severson has experienced Jacksonville, off and on, for over 70 years, so like the Farmers Insurance ad goes, “He has seen a thing or two.” That he’s here in Jacksonville and able to sit for an interview is a bit of a miracle given his rocky start in life. Lorin […]
A “bundle of energy” was one of the ways friends and co-workers described Viola “Vi” Mary Busse Davis, longtime Jacksonville resident, businesswoman, and volunteer who passed away June 9, 2020. For years, Vi was known as a Jacksonville “go-to person.”
Born in Seguin, Texas on March 8, 1925, to Erwin […]
Liz Pursell was respected by all who knew her for her honesty, willingness to help friends and neighbors, as well as her attention to detail with local projects. I first met Liz years ago when I became involved with Jacksonville Celebrates the Arts, an annual event to raise funds for the expansion of Jacksonville Community […]
Our valley is yearning for art and culture in this moment of great uncertainty. For Britt to make music this summer for our audiences—in whatever configuration is safe and feasible—will be a joy for our staff and wonderful musicians. We hope our virtual programming will inspire you through the […]
A Cup of Conversation – July 2020
George Orwell knew. Everyone else was highly entertained or at least amused but not George. He tried to tell us. Some were listening. Most were not. Now they are. George was a lone voice in the wilderness. His words now haunt us…at least half of us, hopefully more. The […]
Summer is upon us. We can only hope for occasional rain to dampen our extreme fire season and keep the smoke from our skies. Dry, dusty conditions under a blazing sun do little to entice our walkabout mojo into action. But to be out and about during a rare summer shower, […]
You cannot ask the darkness to leave; you must turn on the light.” ~Sogyal-Rinpoche
I’ve been thinking a lot about what to say this month. My mind and heart are troubled by what I see and hear: Division, anger, violence, finger-pointing, hypocrisy, grandstanding, virtue-signaling, and a whole lot of agitated herd behavior. […]
Almost 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay-at-home orders ground much of the economy to a halt, prompting trillions in stimulus spending by the federal government in an effort to keep industries afloat.
But anyone hoping a silver lining to the […]
As we slowly return to normal, and we can find toilet paper in the stores and restaurants with open doors, we do have to wonder if we’ll ever be the same.
I look back on my life and how all the economic events shaped it and changed its course. I […]
One of the most familiar quotations in literature came to mind as I saw our nation’s cities explode in violence once again. It was by Charles Dickens who wrote the following words to introduce “A Tale of Two Cities,” a story of nobles and not-so-nobles during the […]
Art Presence Art Center reopens in July! With the Four “C’s”—Close Contact, Confined Spaces, Crowds and Choices—in mind, we will use CDC guidelines to welcome patrons for an art experience extraordinaire. We’re eager to return to the gallery and share the creative delights our members offer!
The Artists Workshop began over 35 years ago by a […]
During the 1850s, California and the Oregon Territory seemed like the “promised land” to individuals in the eastern half of the 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. Those who set out from […]