Community Calendar

The Rogue Valley is famous for its fertile farmland and abundant natural resources. So why is so much of what residents eat shipped in from far away? In this Big Ideas conversation, Alison Hensley Sexauer, Executive Director of the Rogue Valley Food Systems Network, and Maud Powell, Professor of Practice with the OSU Extension Service Small Farms Program, will give some insights into what it takes to shift our diet and habits to grow and eat locally.

Alison Sexauer is the Executive Director of the Rogue Valley Food System Network (RVFSN), a backbone nonprofit coordinating food systems work across Jackson and Josephine counties in Southern Oregon. With over twenty years of experience in food systems work, she leads a network of 50+ partner organizations working across food access, local food economy, soil and water health, and food waste reduction. Alison is deeply committed to building the connections and cross-sector relationships that help rural Rogue Valley communities create a local food system that serves all. She currently serves as Board President of A Greater Applegate and as a board member of Project Beaver.

Maud Powell is a Professor of Practice for OSU’s Small Farms program at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point, Ore. She and her husband have owned and operated Wolf Gulch Farm, a small diversified vegetable and seed farm in the Applegate Valley for 27 years. She is the current president of the Rogue Valley Food Systems Network and serves on the boards of Our Family Farms and Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands.

The monthly Big Ideas discussion series features prominent local experts speaking on relevant and timely issues affecting our community. Lectures are jointly sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Library, Ashland Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and Jackson County Library Services.

As we prepare for flights, whether near or far, we are often faced with the quandary of how much to pack, and what size suitcase to place it in. These days, many travelers prefer to use carry-on luggage, as airplane bins have become more spacious to accommodate these bags, and it eliminates the delay in waiting at the baggage carousel after the flight.

That said, making choices about what to bring, and planning how to stow it in a carry-on bag, is a task that can befuddle travelers, especially those who handle this chore less frequently. We are pleased to have as a resource for this dilemma a very experienced Travel Advisor, Phyllis Murdock, a Jacksonville resident who has helped travelers with wonderful trips and adventures all over the world, and who herself has traveled to many countries. We will not only learn to pack, but how to do it in an artful way!

Instructor Bio:
Phyllis Murdock is a Travel Advisor with a business known as Travel Trends LLC, here in Jacksonville. She holds a VTA (Verified Travel Advisor) certification from ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors). She has been a travel advisor for over 12 years and has traveled to more than 30 countries.

Phyllis is affiliated as an independent contractor with TravelStore, Inc. California’s largest privately owned travel company. TravelStore ranks as one of the top 30 travel companies in the US and has built a reputation for professional and high-quality travel opportunities for more than 50 years. Phyllis likes to say “travel….the world is waiting for you!”

Learn how to benefit both your children’s life and your own exponentially, through learning the REALITY DYNAMICS The List method.

The List method teaches that the subconscious mind is programmed very early in a child’s life, and that parents and guardians are the principal programmers of their children’s subconscious beliefs!

Marnie Hancock has studied and taught the List technique for 30 years. Marnie Has Co-authored books on the topic.

In 1978, Alan Venetsky invited around 150 locals to his farm in Williams, Oregon to trade crops at harvest time. This became an annual event with the skunk as its mascot and "Dedicated to the Cultural and Religious Integrity of Natural Peoples Everywhere" as its motto. By 1995, the Barter Fair had exploded into a counter-culture festival spanning three days, drawing over 10,000 people to the historic 156-acre Buckley farm in Ruch ... and also drawing the scrutiny of Jackson County's commissioners and sheriff. In 1996, a new $18,000 fee imposed by the county, and the presence of almost 100 sheriff's deputies with vans ready for mass arrests, caused a significant drop in attendance and led to the demise of the Fair as well as to federal civil rights litigation. Jackson County was found guilty of violating First Amendment rights and paid $60,000 to the Barter Fair organizers.

Three participants in the Fair from its early years through the 1990s will share their memories and memorabilia. Jessie Spero recently sold her farm in Williams to move to Phoenix. Maya Reames remains a resident of Williams, as does Michelle Scherer who continues to grow and sell organic produce locally

The monthly Windows in Time lunchtime lectures feature well-known writers and historians and bring alive the people, values, and events that shaped our Southern Oregon heritage. Lectures are jointly sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) and Jackson County Library Services. Programs are presented in Medford (first Wednesdays) and again in Ashland (second Wednesdays). Recordings of Medford presentations are available on the JCLS Beyond YouTube channel.

A Community Exchange from the Oregon Education Project

"Why Are Kids Anxious?"

Why are so many children and teens struggling with depression and other mental health challenges today?

Are schools contributing to the problems by focusing so much on a student’s social and emotional life?

Should teachers become classroom therapists — a role they are not trained or rewarded for?

And why does Oregon’s required Transformative Social and Emotional Learning Framework and Standards
promote “decentering white middle class values?”

Join us at the Medford Library for an information-rich exchange about how we rebuild Oregon K–12 Education to succeed.

Thursday, October 8 at 7:00pm
Medford Library

Discover How Moral Character Builds Resilience

This unaffiliated event is not sponsored or endorsed by the Library.

Deer Resistant Gardening – Jordan Land, Horticulturist and Grange Co-Op Community Educator, will speak on deer-resistant gardening strategies focused on how to landscape in Southern Oregon to naturally discourage browsing from deer and rabbits. Jordan emphasizes that while no plant is 100% deer-proof, understanding regional deer behavior and plant textures can significantly protect your landscape.

The Victorians created elaborate rituals around the passing of a loved one, covering everything from fashion to home decor to funeral etiquette to social behavior to personal mementos. Join Historic Jacksonville, Inc. at the historic 1870s Beekman House Museum when costumed tour guides will be sharing how Victorians honored their “dearly departed.” The house, located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville, will be decorated as a Victorian house in mourning— coffin in the parlor, clocks stopped, mirrors draped in black, mourning wreath on the door, and Victorian mourning clothing and hair jewelry and artwork on display.
One-hour “Victorian Mourning Customs” during 1-hour tours begin every 20 minutes from 12n through 3pm. Tour admission is $10 and reservations are encouraged. Tickets and information are available at https://historicjacksonville.org/victorian-theme-tours/. “Walk ups” are accommodated based on space available.

The Victorians created elaborate rituals around the passing of a loved one, covering everything from fashion to home decor to funeral etiquette to social behavior to personal mementos. Join Historic Jacksonville, Inc. at the historic 1870s Beekman House Museum when costumed tour guides will be sharing how Victorians honored their “dearly departed.” The house, located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville, will be decorated as a Victorian house in mourning— coffin in the parlor, clocks stopped, mirrors draped in black, mourning wreath on the door, and Victorian mourning clothing and hair jewelry and artwork on display.
One-hour “Victorian Mourning Customs” during 1-hour tours begin every 20 minutes from 12n through 3pm. Tour admission is $10 and reservations are encouraged. Tickets and information are available at https://historicjacksonville.org/victorian-theme-tours/. “Walk ups” are accommodated based on space available.

Yoga classes for beginners and 50+
Stretching and breathwork

Join the Schatz Energy Research Center for a public webinar on Tuesday, October 13 from 2-4 pm (Pacific) to learn about Humboldt Bay as a working estuary and agricultural space, and of the concerns and priorities of the shellfish industry regarding large-scale port development. This talk features presentations from California Sea Grant and the Schatz Center, as well as perspectives from local shellfish farmers who are actively engaged in the development process. This webinar is free and open to the public. To learn more and register, visit https://schatzcenter.org/events/