Southern Oregon VegFest: Meet new sanctuary animals and discover new earth-friendly local businesses at Tikkun Olam Farm Sanctuary’s third annual festival and fundraiser in Phoenix, featuring plant-based food trucks, a marketplace showcasing Rogue Valley businesses and nonprofits, and family events from yoga to hay rides to face painting.
Southern Oregon VegFest: Come for the food and festivities — stay to learn about local businesses and nonprofits. Now its second year, Southern Oregon VegFest features even more Rogue Valley vendors, food trucks and kids’ attractions from crafts to face painting. Admission, parking and activities are free Sunday in Phoenix.
A proposal to create four residential lots on Scenic Drive above Lithia Park won approval from the Ashland Planning Commission this week, despite challenges posed by steep slopes and protected trees. But plans for two new commercial buildings on Ashland Street hit an unexpected delay after the city discovered that required notice of tree removals had been omitted, forcing a continuation of the hearing until January.
Ashland High School may soon face stiffer competition as Oregon’s athletic governing body moves forward with reclassifications that place the school in a new 5A Southern Cascade Conference alongside Crater, Eagle Point, and Henley high schools. AHS officials argue that 4A remains the best fit, citing participation numbers and resource gaps, but OSAA’s committee is preparing to finalize the changes next week.
The Ashland Fringe Festival is accepting artist applications for its 2026 festival after celebrating a successful inaugural year.
A piece of New York cultural history — destroyed in the 9/11 attacks — will come back into the world this week through an ambitious digital reconstruction led by an Ashland-based team.
Catty Corner: The holidays can be both festive and stressful for felines. Learn how to protect your cats — and also how to bring them the joys of the season. (Hint: good things come in all sizes of boxes.)
As part of its Heart of Humanity series for 2025-26, Anima Mundi Productions was finally able to present Shireen Abu-Khader, an internationally recognized, dynamic Palestinian-Jordanian-Canadian choral leader, vocalist and composer-arranger of Middle Eastern music, at Southern Oregon University’s Music Recital Hall.
(It’s free)
