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Looking for a unique and different Oregon coast vacation? Plus–bonus–this Oregon Coast Chowder, Blues & Brews festival has one of the cutest logos ever (don’t you agree?!?)
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce hosts its 13th annual Fall Festival with award-winning chowder offered from all along the coast of Oregon, the finest blues music that Oregon has to offer and microbrews from some of the best breweries in the northwest! The festival is set for a time of the year where we can expect the most beautiful weather one can imagine on the Central Oregon Coast.
Beginning on Friday afternoon, October 8th, the Florence Events Center will be rocking with “musical delights” performed by the great blues artists of the Western Oregon area.
Saturday, October 9th, will highlight the ninth year of the Oregon Coast Professional Chowder Cook-Off where festival goers will have a chance to taste the best chowder the Oregon Coast has to offer from communities extending from Astoria to Brookings. The event will also have delicacies from some 20 food vendors and microbrews from five of Oregon’s best microbreweries.
The Oregon Coast Professional Chowder Cook-Off People’s Choice tasting starts at 1:00 pm on Saturday and goes until the chowder is gone. For more information contact the Florence Area Chamber at 541-997-3128 or the Event Center at 541-997-1994.
About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com Or visit Whitewater Warehouse’s FaceBook page.
Hit the high notes on October 8, 9 and 10 in Medford, Oregon. The Medford Jazz Festival celebrates its 21st year of booking some of the best in jazz musicians in the country. Lucky attendees will get to enjoy bands with distinctive music and distinctive names such as: Gator Beat, Cornet Chop Suey, Wally’s Wairehouse Waifs and Stompy Jones.
The live jazz music venues are spread throughout Medford making it easy for listeners to enjoy this upbeat music in whatever atmosphere they choose.
Dancing at the Medford Jazz Festival has always been popular, and in the last few years has really taken off. From the energetic, uninhibited steps of Jump-Jive to the classical, intimate Waltz, the Festival is the ultimate place to dance to live music for three straight days. Each venue features a dance floor and lots of room for watching. The dedicated dancing site features free professional dance lessons, dance exhibitions, great contests, and plenty of seating for spectators.
2010 brings new exciting changes to the Medford Jazz Festival. The biggest is probably the change of names from the Medford Jazz Jubilee to the Medford Jazz Festival. Changing to a “festival” signifies the weightiness of this community event, which is a celebration of the passion for music and the festivities that surround it.
The Medford Jazz Festival is truly a musical event for all ages. Over the years it has stayed true to its Dixieland roots, but has broadened the community and audience appeal by including Zydeco, Swing, Jump-Jive, Big Band and other music that is period-contemporary with the Traditional Jazz era.
Tickets can be obtained through the Medford Jazz Festival’s website. Or dial 1-800-599-0039 for more information!
About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com Or visit Whitewater Warehouse’s FaceBook page.
The tiny Oregon town of Jacksonville has a rich 150 year old history. In 1861, a couple of muleteers spied a glint of yellow in Rich Gulch, off Jackson Creek. Before the ensuing southern Oregon gold rush ended, Jacksonville had grown into a prosperous county seat. In all, $34 million in gold dust–worth almost $2 billion today–tipped the scales at Cornelius Beekman’s bank.
The bank and Beekman’s modest house remain meticulously preserved. “It’s like Beek–that’s what everybody called him–went home from work one evening and didn’t come back,” says Terri Gieg, who narrates trolley tours that start at the bank. “The scales where he weighed all that gold are still there.”
Peter Britt, a Swiss immigrant who arrived in 1852. Britt’s house and gardens are gone, victims of fire and neglect, yet his influence is everywhere. He planted the area’s first wine grapes and later lent his last name to the town’s renowned summer music festival, staged on the grounds of his former estate. There are few pastimes more pleasurable than spreading a blanket at dusk and savoring a “Brittnic” of local wines and foods while performers–classical pianist Emanuel Ax, country legend Willie Nelson–electrify the warm night air.
Britt wore many hats: horticulturist, vinter, painter, shrewd investor, and prolific photographer of Jacksonville’s settlers and streetscapes–a legacy that has proved crucial in recent preservation crusades. The whole of Jacksonville’s downtown has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
To do and see: Applegate Valley Wine Trail, Britt Festivals, Self-guided tours, Trolley tours
Eats: Carriage House Restaurant, Jacksonville Inn, Mamma Mia Gelateria
Sleeps: Jacksonville Inn, Magnolia Inn, Nunan Estate, TouVelle House
A portion of this article was re-printed from the September/October 2010 VIA magazine.
An Oregon river songstress who’s voice will stop you in your tracks. Alice Di Micele. One of a kind woman, one of a kind voice. Bob Meister, owner of White Water Warehouse was listening to NPR one day when one of Alice’s songs was played. He came back to the WWW office haunted by her lyrics and her voice. Going to her website, he discovered that she also lived in southern Oregon. Well, once we realized that fact, we knew we HAD to interview Alice for our blog. No question, she is a special artist. Working non-stop for others and for the love of the environment, her musical schedule is a busy one.
“My goal is to touch people,” says Alice. “I need to give of myself.” And give she does. Born in a New Jersey industrial town, her father was a teacher who loved to spend vacation time with his family camping. That love of the outdoors rubbed off on Alice. “My grandfather called me his little flower girl, his little nature girl. I was a keen observer of nature and through my observations I began to write songs. ‘Celebrate the Rain’ is a song I wrote when I was only 11 years old but it still resonates with my musical audience.”
When we asked Alice how she comes up with her unique lyrical style, she answers in this way. “I kinda just catch ’em (the song lyrics). When I’m out backpacking or on the river I begin to feel a presence of a song. Often times I’ll come home, pick up my guitar and write the song from those experiences. I try never to make it complicated. It just comes out of me.”
Alice studied voice through a teacher who insisted that she know the classics and she feels that knowledge has been a real plus to advance her style. “Knowing how to sing classical music helps you develop a multi-level pallet–different colors of music, if you will. I don’t know how better to describe it but having studied classical music allows me to use reds, yellows, greens–the entire color spectrum to enhance the songs I sing.”
To learn more about Alice Di Micele or to order her CDs, check out her website.
About the Author: Joy Henkle owns and operates White Water Warehouse (WWW) with her husband, Bob Meister. Ever-interested in making their Oregon Rogue River rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips part of a very special Oregon vacation experience for their guests, Joy writes this blog to educate and inform WWW guests and readers about southern Oregon’s fascinating people, places, foods, and festivals. Questions? Joy can be reached at 1-800-214-0579 or fun@whitewaterwarehouse.com
Do you ever listen to a song and think to yourself, “who wrote that?” Well, for one very special song there is a southern Oregon composer behind its debut.
And the beat goes on…Dr. Jason Heald’s life is a musical journey filled with many high notes. Starting in Alaska where his musical family made sure he had access to the flourishing artistic community, then on to an undergraduate degree at Portland’s Lewis and Clark College, 10 years on the road performing with a Miami Beach band, and finally pursuing his Master’s in Music at University of Portland and his Doctorate from the University of Oregon.
In 1998, Dr. Heald was hired by Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, and over the last eleven years he has written, produced, and directed many original musicals. So we asked him, how did this incredible song, “The Road through Paradise,” come to be? “In 2002, the Forest Service here in Oregon was tapped to provide the White House Christmas tree. The Forest Service then contacted me and asked if we would put together a musical ‘event’ with singers from the college that would tour with the tree while performing music. That year we performed in 11 different states on the way to the nation’s capital and the tree’s final destination. We (the college and the Forest Service) successfully worked together on this project so when the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway was officially opened, the Forest Service again tapped me to provide the musical arrangement for the opening. I jumped at the chance because I obviously know the subject well and felt too that I wanted to give back to the Forest Service for their support throughout the years.”
The Road through Paradise
by Dr. Jason Heald
My days start before the rising sun.
Appointments to be made and bills must be paid-
A million projects screaming to get done.
It’s life where time is always in demand,
Where non-stop is the pace, count the deadlines that I face-
With every minute occupied and planned.
But the sun is rising on a hillside
Where a rolling stream’s the only sound that’s heard-
Where a day is measured only by the nightfall
Or the turning autumn leaves
And the whistling reprise
of a spring time bird.
The road through paradise
Isn’t always a straight line.
There is beauty in every curve and swail.
To find yourself,
You need to find the time
To see nature in detail.
It’s a joy that lasts when you’re off the beaten path.
to view the rest of the song’s lyrics, please click here
You can listen to Dr. Jason Heald’s music by visiting his MySpace page.
Thinking we are a bit early with the holiday blog? Think again. Christmas is only 25 days away!!
Starting last week and running through the first week of the new year, Grants Pass, Oregon’s downtown area will sparkle with the fiberoptic dazzle of 18 gigantic Magical Musical Christmas Murals. The murals weigh 400 pounds each and include sound systems which play old-fashioned Christmas music. The murals are 12 inches thick, ten feet tall, five feet wide, and wired with miles of fiber optic cable and thousands of points of lights.
And what lights! They flow and blink so that snow falls and accumulates, bells ring back and forth, gifts collect under the tree, and aurora borealis shimmers in the night sky. Each mural takes 20 to 30 seconds to tell its “story”. They were manufactured by Fiberoptic Lighting, Inc. , of Grants Pass. For more information, contact the Grants Pass Visitors and Convention Bureau. 541-476-5510
Just received this wonderful little book in the mail from author Dorothy Lees Riddle. Sing For The River is “a wonderful collection of river songs that is a ‘must have’ for every river runner, outdoor enthusiast, environmentalist, and musician.”
The songbook gives readers the melodies, lyrics, and guitar chords to 55 popular hit songs and classic river favorites that will awaken the adventurer in us all. Great little item to have on your Rogue River rafting and kayaking trip with White Water Warehouse!
If you wish to purchase Sing For The River, the website is www.singfortheriver.com and the cost for the booklet is around $25 (not counting shipping and handling). If you want to contact the author directly, you can call her at 480-994-1140 or email her at: info@singfortheriver.com Dorothy’s company name is great: Yee-Hah! and her mailing address is: PO Box 3676, Scottsdale AZ 85271
Oregon Music Festivals: In our blog, we write about southern Oregon’s gems. Right at the top of these treasures sits Britt Festivals. Conceived in 1963 by Portland conductor, John Trudeau, “The Britt” has been offering world-class music for 47 years. Trudeau picked the tiny town of Jacksonville and the incredible historic hillside estate of Peter Britt. The venue offers music lovers great views, incredible acoustics, and it is nestled in the quaint southern Oregon town of Jacksonville.
Sara King Cole, Marketing Manager for the Britt Festivals is a wealth of knowledge. “47 years ago Britt Festivals started with a plywood stage and a canvas canopy–there are great stories about the original classical musicians literally having to protect their instruments from the rain coming through the leaky canvas roof. Today, we have a permanent stage, full cover, and a top-of-the-line sound system so our musicians no longer have those concerns.”
The Britt Festivals’ 2009 performances begin June 12 and run through September 15. The artist lineup boasts an incredible array of musicians and performing talents. You’ll find everything from the classical (a three-week festival that is still the heart of Britt) to Etta James, Diana Krall, and a special August 30th performance by Pink Martini honoring Oregon’s 150 birthday celebration.
More information is available by accessing the Britt Festivals website or by calling their box office at: 1-800-882-7488.
All photos copyrighted by Britt Festivals.
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