Events help celebrate spring in fine fashion

April 27, 2004

Our View

Events help celebrate spring in fine fashion

In case it was missed, three events combined this weekend with beautiful, sunny skies to become an impromptu celebration of Spring. This past weekend was also a tribute to the essence of Ashland.

The only problem is that in the end, it might have been too much of a good thing.

The weekend’s activities included several budding annual events. Each is beginning to grow into the type of thing that demands its own weekend, which says a lot about the success of each event and the support each is receiving from the community.

Folks lined up outside the historic armory for three hours early Saturday morning to buy recycled furniture and household items from the Southern Oregon Goodwill. It’s a wonderful event that provides exceptional prices for interesting and creative items for the home, most rebuilt by tireless volunteers. It also reduces the amount of donated items that would only become a drain on the Goodwill, and the local landfills if this event didn’t happen. So instead of truckloads of stuff headed to the dump, the restored furniture was headed back into people’s homes and $25,000 in needed funding was headed to the Goodwill’s bank accounts.

Next came the Earth Day celebration at the beautiful North Mountain Park. Watching kids chase a giant Earth-shaped balloon around in the sunny breeze was just one of several celebratory and educational activities. The cars lined along any available curb or open space testified to the event’s growing importance on the Ashland annual calendar.

Finally, the Taste of Ashland drew people, art and wine into local businesses and galleries throughout the downtown on both Saturday and Sunday. The event is a celebration of both the depth of local art and the fun residents and tourists alike have when given any excuse to wander around downtown and at the A Street Marketplace on a pleasant weekend.

All told, it was a weekend of must-attend events akin to a siren call that spring has sprung and Ashland is once again in full bloom. Each event took the effort of many dedicated volunteers, a spirit of community involvement that is unsurpassed. Cheers to everyone who helped in any way.

All we ask is that come next year, perhaps each of these events deserve their own weekend on the Ashland calendar. Spread them out just a bit and let the celebration of spring last more than just a couple of days.