My View – July 2016

Welcome to summer in the city…make that summer in the small town! Now that the Britt concert season is in full-swing and town is hopping with locals and visitors out and about, this is a great time of year to enjoy all that Jacksonville… and the Rogue Valley has to offer.

From concerts on the hill, hiking and biking, wine tasting tours, Rogue River adventures, Jacksonville history tours & events to Shakespeare performances and more, there’s something exciting going on everywhere you look. Sitting in the middle of the action, is of course, our historic village of Jacksonville. Whether you’re here for a day-trip or you’ve made Jacksonville your home away from home for several days or weeks, welcome to one of the coolest small towns in America!

This month, I’m pleased to announce two new history-themed activity tours for visitors and locals—the Beekman Bank history tours and Haunted History Tours. Please see page 6 for information on the docent-led bank tours and page 12 about the Haunted History walking tours. Both tours are sponsored and produced by Historic Jacksonville, Inc., under the leadership of HJI president Carolyn Kingsnorth. If you love history, these tours should be on your “must-do” list!

This issue marks my 8th Anniversary as Publisher—representing 89 issues “in the can.” It’s even harder to believe that next July will be my 100th issue… but as they say, “time flies when you’re having fun!” (And I am having fun.)

One important aspect of bringing you the Review each month is coverage of major city events and news, notably what the City Council is up to. On that note, there are three City Council seats and the Mayor’s seat up for election in the November, 2016 General Election. At this writing, I can’t confirm whether Councilors Criss Garcia, David Jesser and Jocie Wall, as well as Mayor Paul Becker are running for re-election. So, if you’ve ever considered running for local office, now is the time to get serious—information packets are available now in the Clerk & Recorder’s office. (Please call the City office at 541-899-1231 for details on the upcoming election cycle.)

Finally, while admiring our surroundings, please remember that Jacksonville is a special place, due in large part to hundreds of volunteers donating their time to make this a spectacular Small Town with Big Atmosphere!