
Ashland City Band introduces first woman director
Through 146 years, through thousands of concerts, a man has always been the Ashland City Band director. Until now.
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Through 146 years, through thousands of concerts, a man has always been the Ashland City Band director. Until now.
The public is invited to come see the thoroughly redesigned and recreated Japanese Garden in Lithia Park at its grand opening from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, after being closed for two years.
The community is welcome at the Oct. 6 dedication ceremony for the Otterlifter canoe on the Siskiyou Boulevard side of Ashland High School. The new installation honors the Indigenous peoples of our region and pledges a commitment to our Native community, elder relatives, and Earth, according to the event announcement.
When you drive by the mural on the South Mountain Avenue side of Ashland High School, you might glance at the portraits, recognize one or two of the faces, then wonder who the rest of those people are. If you would like to learn a little about each of them, here is an introduction to the life and work of each person portrayed in the mural.
“The Truth to Power club hoped to involve local residents with a community painting day. Their vision for the mural is to have it be an educational and motivating presence to reduce racism locally — both within the high school and the greater Ashland community. Involving as many locals as possible in the mural creation would contribute to their vision.”
“The Power” behind a mural on South Mountain Avenue at Ashland High School paying tribute to BIPOC with Ashland connections is the Truth to Power Club at Ashland High School.
Don Bieghler, beloved Ashland City Band Director for 25 years, leads his last performance this Thursday night in Lithia Park. He’s been with the band for a total of 60 years.
A sculpture called “The Journey,” depicting 12 characters representative of life’s stages, had quite a journey of its own before it was unveiled at a small ceremony on June 18 at a quiet, park-like location nestled between the Blue Giraffe Spa, Plaza Inn and Suites and Ashland Creek at 51 Water St., just across the creek from the public parking area on Water Street under the Lithia Way overpass.
Ashland City Band, Part 3: The band’s history since 1876! Including why the City Band is different from other bands, how it can rehearse as little as it does, and a reminder to see them play free in the park on Thursday evenings through Aug. 11.
Peter Finkle: “One of the highlights of Fourth of July in Ashland is hearing our Ashland City Band play at the Lithia Park Bandshell right after the Ashland Chamber’s 4th of July Parade. You can gather with hundreds of fellow community members and have a picnic lunch while you listen to John Philip Sousa marches and patriotic music.”
The Say Their Names T-shirt memorial at Railroad Park in Ashland was vandalized again this week, but a group of community members long invested with maintaining the shirts have organized an event for Sunday, April 2, to rebuild the memorial.
Obituary: Jefferson Straub, 78, passed away Feb.25, 2023, in the arms of his wife, Kelly Nash Straub. A celebration of Jeff’s life will be held at the Ashland Congregational Church at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6.
Herbert Rothschild: “When they covered the 20th anniversary of our invasion of Iraq, our mainstream media were as craven as they were during the run-up to the invasion itself.”
Productions of all kinds and sizes abound at the Oregon Fringe Festival, which will begin its five-day run of unfiltered creative outpourings in Ashland on April 26. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the festival is produced by the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University.
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument officials are accepting applications for the annual Artist-In-Residence program through April 17. Selected artists receive a residency at the monument during the early summer months, where they will spend time creating art while surrounded by the monument’s natural beauty.
Ashland Rotary will host its annual Easter egg hunt event at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 9, at Lithia Park near the pickleball courts, according to a news release.
(It’s free)