I am pleased to report that plans for our Cemetery Kiosk project continue to move forward. A contract has been signed to have a concrete slab poured which will serve as a foundation for the new pavilion. This work should be completed in April at which time construction of the pavilion can begin. We are […]
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.
March 9, Spring Cleanup in the Garden—We like to leave […]
Buttons have played a part in all of our lives since before we can even remember. One of the first dexterity tests we are given as small children is buttoning our own clothes, along with zipping our zippers and tying our shoes. Remember those cloth books we had […]
A lot of outdoor enjoyment was lost last summer due to the smoke-filled skies in our valley, but what is noteworthy is how few homes have been destroyed by forest fires in Southern Oregon compared to the homes lost by fires in California. Every summer, we have many lightning-caused […]
This year, we are delighted to announce that The First Tuesday Pub Talks will continue and that Hanley Farm welcomes “Sundays in Spring,” hosted by the Family Nurturing Center’s Farm and Food Programs.
The Pub talks are free monthly historical talks sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society, and are held at 7:00pm on the first […]
A Busy Year Ahead—We have a pretty full schedule lined up for 2019 which includes our History Saturday in the Cemetery program, our Tuesday Evening Cemetery Strolls and our Memorial Day programs, along with our Meet the Pioneers Living History Tours. Each of these programs provides an opportunity to share the rich history of the […]
“Aunty” Zany Ganung is a Jacksonville legend. According to that legend, Zany returned to Jacksonville in May of 1861 after an “all-nighter” nursing one of her physician husband Lewis’s patients. What did her weary eyes behold but the Confederate Palmetto flag hoisted on a California Street flagpole across the street from […]
The Southern Oregon Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) is celebrating the Year of the Pig by revisiting some of the archaeological findings made at their 2013 dig of the burned dwelling along Main Street in Jacksonville’s Chinese Quarter. Those who have read previous articles may recall the discovery of thousands bones at […]
There’s a popular book out by Gabrielle Bernstein titled, The Universe Has Your Back; I gotta say, it doesn’t always feel that way. There are times when things are definitely not going my way and the Universe just doesn’t seem to give a rip. But then, just when I’m about to […]
The women seen dining here are members of the “Jacksonville Belles and Beaus Old West Society.” They celebrate history by donning costumes for almost any era dating back to the Civil War—but with an emphasis on the Victorian days. You’ve seen them in Jacksonville’s Christmas and Chinese New Year parades; at other times strolling sidewalks […]
“Jacksonville is such a delightful place to live. Good people come here to live and then do great things for our little town.” This was how my interview started with long-time Jacksonville resident, Lyn Boening, this month’s “Sensational Senior.” Like all Sensational Seniors, Lyn has an interesting life story to tell […]
Think classical music is old, stale or boring? Been there done that? Or never wanted to? Well come and see how exhilarating, relevant and FUN orchestral music can be for adults and children alike. The entire season beginning July 23 will highlight music inspired by our natural environment and […]
“There is a notion that artists are born with the ability to draw. No one arrives in this world with that gift! Drawing is a skill that must be learned. It is not hard, but requires mental discipline.
“Drawing will develop a cooperative process between your mind and your eyes. The mind must relinquish the role […]
Our unfettered readers often ask, “How do the two of you write together?” Our stock answer is that one of us starts the piece, then gives it to the other, saying, “This is finished.” The other reads it, usually yelling, “This is terrible. It has to be rewritten from word […]
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.
Saturday, February 2, 10:00am, Promoting Privacy with Plants,with Bonni—Feeling the […]
Someone once told me no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. Think about it. Successful politicians mastered the counterfeit of empathy by kissing babies and patiently listening to hard luck stories from potential voters but they can’t fake the real thing for […]
Why did Britt change the announcement schedule and membership benefits? “For the times, they are a changin’.” ~Bob Dylan
As the year 2019 begins, it might help some people to be reminded about changes made in our announcement schedule last season—one that we plan to continue this year. In 2018, […]
For being so cold and bleak, February is a pretty darned happy month. There’s the lunar new year—with its joyful celebration of new beginnings and opportunities for success—and Valentine’s Day, stirring thoughts of the heart (it also stirs groundhogs, but I’d like to focus on the heart—if you love groundhogs, then […]
February marks the end days of those dark dreary dawns of winter. It’s a time of shortening shadows and greening hillsides. Warmth begins to reclaim its hold on our forested areas and brave blossoms begin peeking through the forest litter of last fall’s leaf drop. If we’ve been blessed with a […]
February weather in Southern Oregon doesn’t always seem like spring but this is the time that many people start to think about the real estate market again; spring marks the beginning of the busiest home-selling and buying season. With warmer weather, more daylight, and the motivation to get […]
From the dawning of the locomotive age came the love of toy trains that followed. Children and adults alike fantasized about traveling down a narrow track to distant places and to experience unknown adventures. Generations of travelers with volumes of stories, and the longing that a train whistle evoked, were […]
As we look at the year-end housing numbers in Jackson County, they look very strong but they don’t necessarily tell the whole story. We ended 2018 by increasing the median price on existing home sales by approximately 6%, new home prices approximately 11%, rural home prices rose about 5% […]
2018 was a busy year for us with free guided tours of the SOHS Library Research Library archives which will continue in 2019. Every Saturday, enrich your Library visit with a tour of the archive, one of the largest archival repositories in the State of Oregon. Library hours are […]
Happy New Year and thank you to all who volunteered, attended our events, or made a monetary donation in 2018. We could not do what we do without our volunteers and your support, so thank you and please know we sincerely appreciate each and every one of you.
Despite a summer of smoke that not only […]
Given the two-month time lapse since Part 1 of William Mason Colvig’s pioneer profile, let’s begin with a quick recap of the Judge Colvig story.
Born in Missouri in 1845, Colvig had crossed the plains to Oregon at age six. An ox-drawn covered wagon was his alma mater with his mother teaching […]
A year ago, we shared our feelings about streaming services: Didn’t have ‘em. Didn’t need ‘em. Get off our lawn, streamers!
Then we discovered that Discovery—the first new Star Trek series in a decade—could be accessed only on CBS All Access—via (horrors!) streaming. Thus, we yielded to the streamer that carries […]
What is a forest park? Jacksonville boasts both a Woodlands and a Forest Park. Portland has a Forest Park also. Ashland’s forest park is along Ashland Creek and is named Lithia Park. Another park there is Oredsen-Todd Woods. Medford maintains Prescott Park on RoxyAnn Peak. Surprisingly, this type of park […]
I have recently acquired a small vintage collection of tiny glass boots, shoes and slippers in varying sizes and colors. While favor for collecting this tchotchke may be waning, it still intrigues. Many people collect them simply in honor of a relative who died, or they remember them from […]
Jacksonville got its start as a gold rush town; later settlers coming west on wagon trains found the Rogue Valley to be a desirable place to establish land claims and settle down as farmers and ranchers. Jacksonville was at one time the largest town in the Oregon […]
“A house divided cannot stand…” ~Abraham Lincoln
“How sad it is that we give up on people who are just like us.” ~Mr. Rogers, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood
“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” ~Martin Luther […]
Thank you for sharing your holidays with us at Hanley Farm! Many of you visited the Scarecrow Festival and made Scarecrows to protect your gardens and fields and the farm’s Haunted Field Drama, “The Lady in Black,” was sold out all three nights! Families held their children close […]
Many were surprised to see the median price of a home in Jacksonville hit an all-time high of $578,500 for the last 90 days, ending October 31. Not only is this a record, it exceeds the median home price of Ashland which has held the record for highest […]
My sincere appreciation and gratitude to our amazing eighteen-member cast of the 2018 “Meet the Pioneers” for the wonderful and interesting program on October 5 and 6. Helping to make this year’s show so successful was a equally amazing group of volunteers who processed tickets, directed traffic, gathered the tour groups, got them on the […]
William Mason Covig’s Christmas greeting is written in Chinook, the “trading language” used between immigrants and the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest until around 1900. Colvig professed to have been more fluent in Chinook, the language of his childhood playmates, than in his native English. Born in Missouri in […]
The First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville (JPC) hosted a large gathering on October 21 to say thank you and bon voyage to their pastor, Larry Jung and his wife, Sally, for their 33-years of service to their church and the community of Jacksonville. Larry has easily been the longest serving […]
’Tis the season for ye olde Unfettered Critics to remind (okay—nag) everyone to give back to your community by shopping local. Which brings up a question that has been bothering us for some time—what’s with this weird word we used at the top: “’Tis?”
Think about it. It’s obviously a […]
With the holidays upon us, it seems appropriate to reflect back on the past year and share our list of many wonderful things that the Britt Music and Arts Festival board and staff are grateful for this season.
At a recent meeting with community members, a group that we […]
Every year, hundreds of art and music aficionados flock to Jacksonville to attend the Britt Music and Arts Festival. Surely, each visitor is impressed not only by the excellent performances, but also by the loveliness of the Britt Gardens themselves. But did you know that the gardens that now play host […]
November 2018 Exhibition: Holiday Treasures—Our annual holiday shopping show returns! When you head out to buy gifts for the special ones in your life, stop in the gallery first to consider a gift of art. Then come by on your way home to find an inspiring gift for those hard-to-shop-for loved ones. Unlike most shows, […]
It’s that wonderful Fall time of year when the temperatures remind us to layer our clothing as we head out the door on another adventure in the wilds of Southern Oregon. We look for the promised rains to ease last summer’s relentless drought, and we are quite happy to breathe the […]
“I just wanted to take another look at you” is a key bit of dialogue in the oft-produced movie A Star Is Born. The heartfelt line is delivered by the film’s male lead: Fredric March in 1937, James Mason in 1954, Kris Kristofferson in 1976, and Bradley Cooper in this […]
The technology used today for real estate transactions is amazing. The internet provides resources for everything related to real estate—locating properties, viewing, listing, advice on buying and selling, and even pricing calculators, known as an automated valuation model, or AVM.
An AVM is a program that automatically analyzes various […]
I enjoyed breakfast the other day at Buttercloud Bakery in Medford. They’ve been open for years but this was my first time. Buttercloud is outstanding and I’m kicking myself for taking so long to go. I told the guy who looked in-charge that establishments like his were important because […]
Ever since the smoke rolled in on July 16, 2018, your Britt team has been busy making plans on how we will deal with the new “norm” during the 2019 Orchestra Season and beyond.
Thanks to the strong partnership between Medford Public School District and […]
One thing I love about the holiday season is gathering with friends and family. For the most part, it brings out the best in us, and we bring out the best of our dishes. We get to use those items stored away for special occasions.
Start thinking of who is coming […]
I love the change of seasons and the distinct characteristics that each season brings. The Rogue Valley experiences beautiful contrasts and beauty during each season of the year.
Your landscape can offer a variety of colors, textures and features during each season. From short-flowering periods in the spring and early summer, […]
In an article two months ago, we talked about how the real estate market was being negatively affected by the smoke and repeated closures of interstate 5. Now that summer has ended, we can look back and survey the actual effect the fires had on our summer home sales.
Since […]
Thank You and Sincere Appreciation from the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery To: The teachers and students from Central Medford High School who paid it forward and spent two mornings, September 26 and 27, cleaning up the grounds in the Masonic Section and cleaning headstones in the Catholic Section of the cemetery. Our docents, Anne […]
I grew up in the Midwest, where my mother was the de facto urgent care clinician for the neighborhood—raising five children taught her all about scratchy throats and scraped knees—and my father helped install everyone’s cement driveways, which endure to this day. Community and generosity defined our way of life, be it around our backyard […]
Southern Oregon has become a destination for many mountain biking adventures. At least five areas within 25 miles of Jacksonville have trails dedicated to mountain biking while most hiking trails in the region are also open to two-wheel recreation. Jacksonville is no slouch in this regard with over 40 miles of […]