News from Britt Hill – August 2024

IT’S HIGH SUMMER on the hill, and we’re having such fun already. We’ve enjoyed the fabulous Britt Festival Orchestra; welcomed legends like Willie Nelson and Ziggy Marley; enjoyed belly laughs with cast members from Whose Line Is It Anyway; and so much more. Despite extraordinarily hot weather, we’ve danced until our feet ached and sung at the top of our lungs. And there’s so much more in store! If you don’t have tickets yet for our August or September (or October!) shows, consider buying a ticket now. Check out Dogstar on September 7 (featuring the one and only Keanu Reeves on bass) and our special October 14 event with Michael Kiwanuka and Brittany Howard. There’s also an incredible Led Zeppelin show coming up on September 8 with Jason Bonham, John Bonham’s son. I’m excited to sing my heart out at the “Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours” show on August 16. And speaking of singing our hearts out, we’re debuting Karaoke Night at Britt on September 6, where you can sing your favorite song on stage through the best sound system on the west coast, while being spotlit by our professional crew!

Amid all of this, stewardship of our beautiful park is top of mind. Rogue Valley Manor’s grounds team got the park in tip-top shape to welcome our patrons this spring, and their hard work continues to glow. I know everyone is enjoying our benches so much more this year, now that our incredible Britt Society volunteers spent days and days sanding the splinters out of them!

Stewardship is a year-round effort, but in these later days of summer it becomes especially important. With the hot, dry days of August and September, we take special care of all our plants while striving to be water-wise. We are diligently working toward our zero-waste goal of 2033, so we’re composting food waste which will later come back to fertilize the hill.

One way that you can help us is by ensuring that you’re picking up pet waste when you visit the park with your adorable dogs. We love dogs on the hill, but sometimes we find ourselves doing quite a bit of cleanup to ensure that folks sitting on picnic blankets don’t encounter an unpleasant surprise. While we know it’s tempting to allow your dogs to roam freely, Britt is an on-leash park. And on concert days, please remember that the park is closed all day—please honor our closed hours and enjoy one of the other wonderful places to roam with your pooch. I love taking my dogs to Forest Park, and maybe I’ll see you on the trails!

Thanks, as ever, for all your support, and see you on the hill!

Best, Abby