Community Calendar

Are you listening to the news updates and wondering, "What else can I do?!" We've got just the thing for you...

We are excited to offer our Activist Night series. Held on the fourth Thursday of every month at the KS Wild office, we will host an informative 1-hour session that will offer you an easy "action" to take. We'll teach comment and LTE-writing skills, give details on comment periods and sample comment letters, paint signs for rallies, and more! Each session's topic is subject to change based on the need of the month.

These Activist Nights are FREE and open to folks of all ages who wish to learn more about ways they can step up into action for their rights and the places they care about most. Sign up for this month's Activist Night on our website to receive information about what to bring.

We are a Zen practice community in the Diamond Sangha lineage founded by Robert Aitken Rōshi. We provide zazen(meditation) instruction, weekly zazen, practice talks, Dharma discussions and more.

Thursday April 23rd 7:00 to 8:00 pm
Join Michelle Latvala in conversation with local writer Emily Strong about Between Latitudes, a book that bridges Alaska’s boreal wilds and inner worlds with poetry on place, ancestry, resilience, and climate. “These poems dazzle the senses. Michelle Latvala’s intimate writing is unadorned with sentiment, tangible in lyrical description, and fiercely honest. You feel as though you, too, are there living in the wilderness, taking measure of your life, and feeling the wildness of your own heart’s experiences.” – Phillip Moffitt, former editor of Esquire.

Emily Strong will also be reading some of her poetry in addition to her conversation with Michelle Latvala.

Michelle Latvala is the author of Between Latitudes (Green Writers Press). She is faculty for poet David Whyte’s Institute for Conversational Leadership on Whidbey Island, served as Executive Director of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California for a decade, and founded Insight Outside, which integrates writing and meditation programs in wild places. Michelle migrates thoughtfully between responsibilities in California and Alaska, where she built a cabin at the same latitude her Finnish ancestors inhabited for centuries in the shared circumpolar boreal forest. www.michellelatvala.com @michelle.latvala

Naturopath physician Mikinzie Smoot will lead adults in strength-building exercises – incorporating weights, weight bars and step platforms. Book directly with instructor for this unsponsored one-hour class – offered weekly on Wednesday at 8-9am and Fridays 8:15-9:15am.

For registration and payment: https://www.jvillefitness.com For information call: 541-621-1883 or email: drsmootmedspa@gmail.com

Naturopath physician Mikinzie Smoot will lead adults in strength-building exercises – incorporating weights, weight bars and step platforms.

Book directly with instructor for this one-hour class – offered weekly on Wednesday at 8-9am and Fridays 8:15-9:15am.

For registration and payment: https://www.jvillefitness.com For information call: 541-621-1883 or email: drsmootmedspa@gmail.com

Join Lori Grable for a Beginning Yoga class! This class is open to anyone who is interested in trying out yoga for the first time or wants a refresher yoga class after a layoff. Come with comfortable clothes, a yoga mat and water bottle. New students can arrive at 10:15.

Instructor Bio: Lori began her yoga journey in 2000 as a student at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center. She was drawn to the practice because it helped her to reconnect with her most authentic self while making her stronger and more open, physically and mentally. Her passion for yoga grew stronger as she traveled around the United States during the summer of 2003, practicing at many studios along the way. After settling in Pittsburgh, PA, she completed her teacher training and began teaching in 2006.

Today, Lori is an E-RYT 500 and teaches Vinyasa-based classes. She is influenced by the philosophy and alignment principles of Anusara Yoga. As a triathlete, Lori has an interest in yoga for athletes and has taught many workshops on the topic. She has a passion for the outdoors and has taught yoga in parks, vineyards, and backyards. Lori appreciates the healing and restorative qualities of yoga and has also worked with students who are recovering from illness, rehabilitating injuries, pregnant, or elderly.

The Rogue Valley Symphony’s Masterworks 5 concert blossoms this spring with a world premiere violin concerto composed for violinist Livia Sohn by acclaimed composer Paul Wiancko. The concert also includes Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5

Join Rogue Riverkeeper in giving back to Bear Creek. This is a fun and laid back morning of community service that is absolutely critical to the health of Bear Creek—a salmon bearing waterway that serves as the most populated tributary of the Rogue River.

This spring, Rogue Riverkeeper will be the mouth of Bear Creek on private land at the confluence with the Rogue River. We will meet at the Pine St. location in Central Point and carpool/caravan to the location at the mouth of Bear Creek. If you want to join Rogue Riverkeeper at the mouth of Bear Creek, click the link to register and choose that location.

If you have a boat and would like to join on water, please be in touch directly with Rogue Riverkeeper Program Manager Frances Oyung via email or phone. (frances@roguerivkeeper.org or 541-488-9831). Partner organizations will be leading clean-up and invasive plant removal at numerous other locations along Bear Creek from north Ashland to Central Point. Use the same webpage to register for other locations and sign up for the one that works for you. Tools, work gloves, snacks, and supplies provided. Wear protective clothing and closed-toe shoes.

Grants Pass Garden Club will hold its annual Plant Sale Saturday, April 25, 2026 at the Josephine County Fairgrounds Floral Building. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and feature a variety of sun and shade perennials, annuals, sunflowers, berries, assorted vegetables, herbs, tees shrubs and dahlia tubers. There will also be container gardens, unique solar garden glow lights and garden art. Cookies and the Garden Club’s famous cinnamon rolls will also be available. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted. The Garden Club is a 501c3 organization.

Raider Educator Day & Southern Oregon Regional Educator Job Fair
Saturday, April 25, 2026
9:30 am – 3:00 pm
Rogue River Room, Stevenson Union
Southern Oregon University, Ashland
Free and open to the public. Donor-sponsored lunch provided.

Southern Oregon University School of Education invites students, community members, and anyone interested in careers in education to attend Raider Educator Day and the Southern Oregon Regional Educator Job Fair.

The morning Raider Educator Day session (9:30 – 11:45 am) features school district leaders, alumni educators, and School of Education faculty sharing career advice, connection activities, and ideas for building strong, positive school communities. The program theme is “Why now? Because schools are where we learn to connect.” Participants will explore ways to build civility, strengthen relationships in schools, and practice activities educators can use with students.

A donor-sponsored lunch will be provided for participants who RSVP, though all are welcome to attend.
The Educator Job Fair (1:00 – 3:00 pm) will include regional school districts recruiting for positions in elementary education, middle and high school teaching, administration, and school support roles.
This free event is open to SOU students, alumni, and community members interested in education careers. RSVP is encouraged for lunch, but attendees are welcome to drop in at any time.

Please RSVP through this link: https://sou.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8iB6FRuSCnHQzyu

Questions: patridgm1@sou.edu