Arts & C u ltu
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DREAMERS AND DOERS From the very beginning of Southern Oregon’s roots, arts and culture were firmly lodged in people’s hearts. Consider Peter Britt, who arrived in Jacksonville in 1852 with $5 in his pocket and a wagonful of photography equipment. He ended up chronicling fifty years of life and growth in the fledgling pioneer community in beautiful photos. Sixty years after his death, Britt was immortalized as the namesake of Southern Oregon’s premier outdoor concert series, the Britt Festival, which entertains thousands each year from the grounds of Britt’s former home. Or think of Angus Bowmer, who came to Ashland in 1931 to teach English at Southern Oregon Normal School. A few years later, he persuaded the city to support an outdoor production of the works of Shakespeare. His legacy is the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival, with three theaters, a company of hundreds and thousands of plays presented over the past eighty-seven years. Today, the dreamers endure. In 2016, a collaboration between the Britt Festival, the Klamath Tribes and Crater Lake National Park brought an entire orchestra and choir to the rim of Crater Lake. The 100th anniversary of the national park system was celebrated with an outdoor performance of a musical composition created just for the event. Now, that’s cultural overachievement.
MARJORIE HAMANN
ELKTON
Executive Director, Elkton Community Education Center Five years ago, Marjorie Hamann took the lead at the Elkton Community Education Center, a 30-acre site celebrating cultural and natural history on the Umpqua River, featuring a native plant garden, butterfly pavilion, library, gift shop and replica of Fort Umpqua. “ECEC is the story of a community coming together to turn a sheep field into an education center and tourist destination.”
Favorite day trip A great history-focused day trip begins at the century farm in Mildred Kanipe Memorial Park, near Oakland, to see old structures on the site where Mildred farmed and ran a dairy from birth to death. Drive north to the Applegate House in Yoncalla, built in 1852 and one of Oregon’s remaining pioneer houses. Return to Elkton and the replica of Fort Umpqua, which operated as a trading fort in the 1800s.
Hidden gem Arlene’s Restaurant in Elkton is the place to get tips on hunting and fishing straight from the locals.
Don’t miss The Blooms and Butterflies celebration each June at ECEC includes the 5K Butterfly Run, in which people dress up like butterflies. Real Monarchs and Painted Ladies are here then too, and you can buy plants to encourage their habitat in your own yard.
Britt Festival
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