Parks & Recreation

Culture

Crater Lake named best national park for stargazing

Crater Lake has been named the nation’s best national park for stargazing. Crater Lake topped the national list with an index score of 100 out a 100 in a study conducted by the vacation rental site, Lake.com. The rating was based on data from the National Park Service’s Night Sky Collection Site, which scored every national park out of 100 points based on the average percentage of stars visible and the average median light pollution.

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Events

Figure skating performance Saturday at First Frost

First Frost, a family friendly community skate event, is set for 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Ashland Rotary Centennial Ice Rink, 95 Winburn Way, Ashland. The evening begins with a Southern Oregon Figure Skating performance from 4 to 4:30 p.m., followed by open skating with music by DJ Tuffshed.

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City Government

$1M grant awarded for long-awaited East Main Park

Ashland Parks and Recreation has been awarded a $1 million grant to ensure the creation of East Main Park with a pump track for bikes and a dog park. Other features may be in play for the city’s first new park in years, but final costs and designs are still underway, said Ashland Parks and Recreation Director Rocky Houston. 

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Events

Track wheelchair program coming to Lithia Park as autumn begins

Those with mobility challenges will soon be able to access a special track chair enabling previously impossible exploration of Lithia Park. The nonprofit David’s Chair, working in partnership with Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission, will launch the program by giving demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Lithia Park Cabin at 340 S. Pioneer St.

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City Government

Ashland’s new parks director self-identifies as ‘boring’

As he moves into his new position as Ashland Parks & Recreation Director, Rocky Houston wants to have a foundational knowledge of what he calls the basics: More strategic planning, more maps, firm numbers and data on the total acreage of parks in Ashland, what level of service is needed at each park and how can parks be more equitable and efficient with where and how services are provided? 

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City Government

Position open on Ashland Senior Advisory Committee

A spot is open on the Ashland Senior Advisory Committee to help guide activities and resources made available to seniors by Ashland Parks & Recreation, according to an APRC release. Interested applicants have until Aug. 30 to seek the spot, according to the posting. To apply, visit the APRC page for the application form.  

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History

Butler-Perozzi Fountain work moves ahead

The fundraising campaign for the restoration of the historic Butler-Perozzi fountain in Lithia Park is nearing completion following a $20,000 grant awarded by the State Historic Preservations Office’s Preserving Oregon Grant Program.  

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Events

Hundreds celebrate Children’s Day at Ashland Japanese Garden

More than 400 community members turned out Sunday afternoon for Ashland Japanese Garden’s first year celebrating Kodomo no Hi, or Children’s Day, a national holiday celebrated in Japan on May 5.  Children’s Day is “a celebration of children’s individuality and strength, and really celebrating children’s identity in Japan.”

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Latest posts

Obituary: Sandra Risser

Obituary: Sandra Risser, who began life in quiet eastern Nebraska before building a family and a professional career in Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Bay Area, died Jan. 4 in Ashland. She was 87.

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Sen. Golden proposes changing state wildfire map to curb anger and rumors

Nearly four years ago, in the aftermath of the state’s most destructive wildfires in history, the Oregon Legislature passed a bipartisan package of wildfire prevention initiatives, including one that required state experts to create a map showing high wildfire risk areas statewide. Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, who supported creating the map, said it’s become counterproductive in its current form. 

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City Corner: A look at City Hall accomplishments in 2024

City Corner: The 2024 city of Ashland list of accomplishments highlights numerous advancements and initiatives across various departments. Following is a summary of the key achievements, including completion of the wastewater treatment plant outfall relocation and UV system upgrades.

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No power for days: A doomsday prepper’s dry run along Anderson Creek

Some rural Talent residents say the recent Southern Oregon snowstorm gave them more practice than they’d have liked to test out their assortment of doomsday supplies and survival skills — a more than three-and-a-half-day-long exercise in relying on the array of off-the-grid infrastructure put in place over the past decade. 

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