Best of Ashland 2009 - Entertainment

ENTERTAINMENT

BEST CONCERT IN ASHLAND LAST YEAR

It was another great year for concerts in Ashland, as the live music scene continues to expand. The newest addition—Stillwater—was the location for last year’s favorite concert, a visit by the band The Devil Makes Three.
Other highlights of the 2008 season included:
• The Rogue Valley Blues Festival in January.
• The Siskiyou Singers’ “Five Centuries of Choral Music.”
• Appearances by the band One Horse Shy.
• The Sugar Beets concert hosted by St. Clair Productions.
• The Tease O’Rama production at the Armory.

BEST CLASSICAL CONCERT LAST YEAR

Everything from Rogue Valley Symphony and the Chamber Concert series to productions by the Siskiyou Singers and the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers was offered last year. The number one concert, according to our readers, was Rhapsody in Blue, performed by the Rogue Valley Symphony last spring, featuring Alex Tutunov on piano.

FAVORITE CONCERT AT THE BRITT FESTIVAL LAST YEAR

It was an outstanding lineup in 2008, and our readers were a little torn between concerts by guitarist Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits fame) and 60s folk legend Judy Collins.
Other hits included:
• Willie Nelson.
• Taj Mahal and Keb Mo.
• Lucinda Williams
• Billy Idol.

BEST PERFORMANCE AT THE CRATERIAN

Ginger Rogers donated a huge chunk of change to get it remodeled, and the classiest music venue in southern Oregon is named after her. They have a lineup that includes concerts, Broadway plays, circus performers and comedians, among others.
Topping the list were two Broadway plays that visited in April—Cats and Capitol Steps.
Also popular was the Rogue Opera production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

MOST FUN PLACE FOR FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK

It has grown from a handful of art galleries to one of the most well-attended monthly events in Ashland. Every First Friday, galleries and businesses throughout Ashland open their doors for art, food, entertainment and conversation from 6-9pm, and many of our readers appreciate it.
Most of the 22 participating galleries were mentioned in this survey, with the number one nod going to Hanson Howard Gallery at 82 N. Main, where Judy Howard and her crew strive to bring in high quality exhibitions by local, regional and national artists.
The Top Ten favorite spots for First Friday included:
• Gathering Glass Studio.
• Bohemia Gallery & Framing.
• Gallerie Karon.
• Davis & Cline Gallery.
• Ashland Art Works.
• Schneider Museum of Art.
• Blue Heron Gallery & Gifts.
• The Crown Jewel.
• David Bjurstrom Studio & Gallery.

FAVORITE LOCAL ARTIST

Their whole mission in life is to create beauty, with a corollary goal of interpreting reality through art. For the ones who are successful, there’s no greater job, especially if they can make money at it. Our readers definitely appreciated their efforts, as they named 18 different artists in this survey.
Leading the way for 2009 was painter and sculptor Kevin Christman. Kevin has been an artist most of his life, and studied at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He apprenticed with master artists in the L.A. area and worked in New Mexico for six years before relocating to Ashland.
Others artists mentioned a lot were:
• Bruce Bayard.
• Margaret Garrington.
• Judy Howard.
• Marcia O’Rourke
• Toni DiMello.
• Harriet Rex Smith.

BEST PIECE OF PUBLIC ART

There’s actually a Public Arts Commission in Ashland which oversees new projects and encourages developers to add public art to their plans. Twelve different pieces of public art were recognized by our readers, with the number one nod going to the Native American Totem at the intersection of Lithia Way and N. Main.
The list also included:
• The murals under the overpass.
• The statue of people next to the Chamber of Commerce.
• The statue at the library.
• The mosaic at the SOU Library.
• The stone at the corner of Lithia Way and Pioneer.

BEST FILM AT THE ASHLAND INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL LAST YEAR

It has grown to become one of the premier film festivals on the West Coast, and last year’s 7th Annual AIFF was the biggest one yet. The five-day festival included eight Oscar-nominated films, plus the directorial debut of Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt, who showed up for the event. Our readers mentioned ten of their favorites, and in the end Hunt’s Then She Found Me was named number one.
The Top Five included:
• Outsourced.
• Taxi to the Dark Side (which also won an Oscar for “Best Documentary Feature”).
• Gimme Shelter.
• When Did You Last See Your Father?

BEST COSTUME AT THE HALLOWEEN PARADE

The first time I went to the Halloween Parade in downtown Ashland it was 90% devoted to kids in costumes. Now everyone joins in the action and it has become a true Ashland phenomenon. This category actually got more response than the 4th of July Parade question, with the winner going to the Oompa-Loompas of Willy Wonka fame.
Others in the hunt for best costume were:
• All the Sarah Palins.
• Miss Understood.
• Miss Piggy.
• Charlie Chaplin.
• Bill and Hillary.

BEST PART OF THE SANTA PARADE

This is all part of the annual Festival of Lights that takes place the day after Thanksgiving. In fact, our readers mentioned “turning on the lights” as their favorite part of the parade, in addition to …
• All the carolers.
• Santa Claus.
• The Chamber’s reindeers.

BEST PLACE TO GET A WORKOUT

After watching the Olympics, everybody has probably made a vow to get in shape and show the world what he or she can do. Eight gold medals? Heck, all I have to do is go to the gym four or five days a week, maybe three even, and I’m there! Where do our readers recommend that we go to do exactly that? The Ashland Family YMCA was their runaway number one choice, followed by:
• The Tennis & Fitness Club.
• Baxter’s Fitness.
• Anytime Fitness.
• Curves.
• Ashland Yoga Center.

BEST YOGA INSTRUCTOR

The body moves in mysterious ways, and if any one section is out of whack, the whole system can break down quickly. Through a series of coordinated movements, yoga attempts to put all the moving and/or stationary parts back into synch.
Ten different yoga instructors were named in this survey by our readers. The top choice went to Vanessa Scott of Ashland Yoga, followed by:
• Dara Daniels of Inward Bound.
• Nicky Jacobson at Ashland Yoga.
• Anna Antic at Bikram Yoga.
• Marion Moore at Ashland Yoga.
• And of course, my all-time favorite Kasey Hayden, my niece who teaches a class in yoga at the YMCA.

BEST LOCAL PLAY LAST YEAR (OFF-BARDWAY)

It was a relatively stable year for local community theater groups—no controversial plays, no takeovers of Boards of Directors, no boycotts, no bomb threats … just great theater by a committed group of artists.
Quite a the few of the 20-odd plays last year were mentioned by our readers. And the envelope please! The award for Best Local Play in 2008 goes to … Oregon Stage Works’ The Great American Trailer Park Musical, a fun-packed musical comedy that played to sold-out audiences last spring and was held over for three weeks.
The Top Seven included:
• Sockodology by Camelot Theatre.
• A Brief History of White Music by Oregon Cabaret Theatre.
• Dancing at Lughnasa by Camelot Theatre.
• The Trip to Bountiful by Oregon Stage Works.
• Urinetown by the SOU Theatre Arts Department.
• Ali Baba by Oregon Cabaret Theatre.
• Beauty and the Beast by the Ashland High School Theatre Arts Department.
• Tales of Fannie Keenan by Oregon Stage Works.
• 1984 by Camelot Theatre.

BEST THEATER PERFORMANCE OFF-BARDWAY (MALE)

Some outstanding performances were turned in by the guys last year. The number one choice by our readers was Christopher George Patterson for his work in Oregon Cabaret Theatre’s A Brief History of White Music. Christopher shared the stage with two energetic women, and sang and danced his way into the hearts of the audience.
Other leading contenders were:
• Don Matthews for Camelot’s Sockodology.
• Sam King for Oregon Stage Works’ Glacial Genes.
• Peter Alzado for OSW’s Trip to Bountiful.
• Andy Liegl for OCT’s archy and mehitabel.
• David Gabriel for Camelot’s Spotlight Series “Tony Bennett.”
• Sam Dinkowitz for SOU Theatre Department’s Urinetown.

BEST THEATER PERFORMANCE OFF-BARDWAY (FEMALE)

On the female side of the ledger, there were some equally strong performances. Leading the way was Priscilla Quinby for her roles in Camelot Theatre’s Sockodology and Dancing at Lughnasa. Priscilla also won this award in 2005 for Inherit the Wind.
The list of leading ladies included:
• Teanna Berry for OCT’s A Brief History of White Music.
• Rochelle Savitt for OSW’s Trip to Bountiful.
• Sarah Jane Nelson for OSW’s Tales of Fannie Keenan.
• Tamara Marston for OSW’s The Great American Trailer Park Musical.
• Shannon McReynolds for Camelot’s Promises, Promises.
• Gretchen Rumbaugh for OCT’s Lady with All the Answers.
• Ari Susu-Mago for AHS’s Beauty and the Beast.
• Libby Barnard for SOU’s Urinetown.

BEST LOCAL PLAY LAST YEAR (OSF)

Well, you know, they are one of the top theater countries in the entire world and they are located right here in Ashland. Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend how incredibly lucky we are to be living here. Our readers certainly do, as this was an extremely popular category. All eleven OSF plays were mentioned in the survey, with the top nod being a tie between View from the Bridge, Arthur Miller’s “polemic against betrayal”; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a Shakespeare classic that was done retro-1960s style.
The Top Five included:
• Fences.
• Othello.
• The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler.

BEST THEATER PERFORMANCE - OSF (MALE)

The competition was fierce, but in the end Dan Donahue, who played Iago in last summer’s Othello, won this category.
Others mentioned a lot were:
• Armando Duran as Eddie Carbone in View from the Bridge.
• Charles Robinson as Troy in Fences.
• Anthony Heald as the Stage Manager in Our Town.
• Peter Macon as Othello.
• Richard Elmore for his work in Coriolanus and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

BEST THEATER PERFORMANCE - OSF (FEMALE)

Our readers mentioned quite a few female performances that were exemplary, and I suppose we could give it a five-way tie. But what fun is that? In the end, the number one vote getter was Robin Goodrin Nordli for her role in The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler.
The Top Five included:
• Robyn Rodriguez for her role as the mother to Coriolanus.
• Miriam Laube in The Clay Cart.
• Shona Tucker as Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
• Vilma Silva in A View from the Bridge.

BEST DIRECTOR (LOCAL THEATER)

When all the actors start having nervous breakdowns and/or forgetting their lines, the lighting system blows fuses, the set designers break props, and the printer misses deadline, who holds the whole thing together? The director! Our readers showed their appreciation by naming quite a few of them, including this year’s winner Bill Rauch, Artistic Director for OSF, who also directed The Clay Cart and The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler.
The list of outstanding directors included:
• Peter Alzado of Oregon Stage Works.
• Jim Giancarlo of Oregon Cabaret Theatre.
• Libby Appel for OSF’s View from the Bridge.
• Livia Genise for her work at Camelot Theatre.

BEST LOCAL MUSICIAN/SINGER

Music can be soothing and/or make you want to get up and dance on the pool table. It can also have you blubbering like a baby while driving down the highway and hearing a song that brings back memories. Something that powerful needs to be in the hands of only the most responsible citizens—stalwarts of the community who behave and think in only the most prescribed, decorous manner. That really doesn’t describe any musician I know, but I’m sure there are one or two out there.
Our readers love their musicians, and this year they reserved their number one accolades for Craig Wright, a singer/songwriter who has lived in Ashland for 16 years. Craig can be seen frequently at Alex’s with his band The Good Liars and the newly created “Cast of Clowns.”
Others high on the list were:
• Singer Karen Lovely.
• Guitarist Jeff Pevar.
• Singer/guitarist Thom Little.
• Singer/guitarist Robby DaCosta.
• Guitarist Tim Church.
• Singer Inger Jorgensen.
• Singer Leslie Kendall.
• Singer Gayle Wilson.
• Jazz bass guitarist Ed Dunsavage.
• Singer Dave Marston.
• Singer Sarah Jane Nelson.

BEST LOCAL BLUES/ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BAND

“The blues … the ball ‘n’ chain around every English musician’s neck … in fact, every musician’s neck.” —Eric Burdon of The Animals, 1968.
“Gimme the beat, boy, to soothe my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock ‘n’ roll, so drift away.” —Dobie Gray, 1972.
There are a lot of local bands entertaining us with both their own unique versions of blues and rock ‘n’ roll. Topping the list this year was One Horse Shy, “a gathering of songwriters and seasoned musicians delivering a fresh brew of Americana.” The band was formed in 2007 and features Mandy Bryn, Cris Kelly, Bob Evoniuk, Mysha Caruso and Bryan Helfrich.
Other favorite bands include:
• The Robby DaCosta Band.
• The Rogue Suspects.
• The Rhythm Kings.
• The Royal Blues Band.
• Annie Mac.
• The Karen Lovely Band.
• Bohemian Soul.

BEST LOCAL BLUEGRASS BAND

I have a sister who lives outside Nashville, Indiana, just a few miles from Bean Blossom, which is the home of Bill Monroe’s Memorial Bluegrass Festival. (The town is two miles from Trevlac, which is Calvert spelled backwards; don’t ask. Southern Indiana is also home to town names like Gnaw Bone, French Lick and Floyd’s Knob. Makes you wonder where the name Hoosier came from.)
Anyway, when it comes to local bluegrass bands, our readers were most impressed with Siskiyou Summit, featuring Jeff Jones on mandolin, Bob Evoniuk (dobro), Glenn Freese on guitar, Crystal Reeves (fiddle), Jim Calhoun (upright bass), and Rick Nelson on banjo. The band was formed in 1999.
Others mentioned were:
• One Horse Shy.
• Hamfist.
• The Maybe Sometimes.

BEST NIGHTCLUB TO HEAR LIVE MUSIC

I suppose you could sit in your basement and watch music videos all night, but there’s truly nothing like the real thing. The musicians make eye contact with the crowd, there’s real sweat, mistakes aren’t glossed over, and the sound is crisp and clean. When it comes to live venues in Ashland, the new kid on the block, Stillwater (at 1951 Ashland Street) tied with the old guy on the Plaza—Alex’s.
The list also included:
• The Wild Goose.
• Avalon in Talent.
• The Siskiyou Pub.
• Roscoe’s in Phoenix.

FAVORITE “FLOAT” IN THE 2008 4TH OF JULY PARADE

Every Independence Day people come out of the woodwork to both participate in (and watch) the annual 4th of July Parade. Sometimes it feels as if everyone in town is in the parade. This category received a lot of attention, but after all the votes were counted, the efforts by our friends at El Tapatio ended up numero uno in our hearts. The “float,” which is about a block long, includes everything from dancing girls in colorful dresses and caballeros doing rope tricks to horses and soccer players.
The Top Eight in this category featured:
• The “Banned Mascots” float, which protested the City’s decision not to allow the bear, giraffe, waiter and lion.
• The “Luv Shack.”
• The jets.
• The Phoenix Day Spa entry.
• The “art cars.”
• The Blue Giraffe Day Spa entry.
• Wildlife Images.

BEST FUNDRAISING EVENT IN THE LAST YEAR

The economy is on life support right now, and we’re all scrounging to make ends meet. Nowhere is that more urgent than with non-profit groups that depend on the generosity of people and foundations to get them through the day.
Twelve different fundraising events were mentioned by our readers. The most fun one was the Puss ‘n’ Boots Costume Ball, an annual Halloween dance which raises money for Friends of the Animal Shelter.
Other memorable events included:
• The Daedulus Event at the Festival, which raises money for AIDS research.
• The Oscar Party for the Ashland Independent Film Festival.
• JPR’s Wine Tasting Event.
• The Science of Wine fundraiser for ScienceWorks.
• The Rotary Club’s “Crab Fest.”
• The efforts of the Ashland Schools Foundation.

BAR WITH MOST ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERE

We’re not talking about loud pinball machines and Monday Night Football games, but a more subdued atmosphere that lends itself to quiet conversation and maybe a little footsie under the table.
And in that regard, there was another three-way tie, this time between The Peerless, located at 265 4th Street; Hong Kong; and Martino’s, upstairs at 58 E. Main.
The Top Eleven included:
• Liquid Assets.
• T’s.
• Winchester Inn Wine Bar.
• Tabu.
• Alex’s.
• Thai Pepper.
• Chateaulin.
• Kobe.

BAR WITH BEST LATE NIGHT MENU

You never know when the munchies are going to hit, especially after a martini or two. When you need something to eat, it’s always more fun to be in a place that serves outstanding food.
And in that regard, our readers most often chose the selection at both Tabu (72 N. Pioneer) and Liquid Assets, located at 96 N. Main.
Others high on the list were:
• Alex’s.
• Black Sheep.
• Omar’s.
• Martino’s.
• Peerless.
• Thai Pepper.
• Paddy Brannan’s.
• Kobe.

FAVORITE CITY PARK (OTHER THAN LITHIA PARK)

Lithia Park always gets the attention, but man (or woman) does not live by grandeur alone. Sometimes it’s the subtle things that can grab your attention, like children running in the grass, and neighborhood groups having picnics.
Our readers actually named nine different parks in this category, led by Garfield Park, with its water feature, playground, sand volleyball court, basketball court, and a huge grassy knoll.
The entire list featured:
• The Dog Park.
• N. Mountain Park.
• Triangle Park.
• Hunter Park.
• Glenwood Park.
• The Railroad District Park.
• Oredson-Todd Woods.
• School playgrounds.

FAVORITE GOLF COURSE IN THE VALLEY

There have been a profusion of golf courses in the valley over the last ten years, and soon there will be a championship, 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Paradise Ranch near Merlin. Our readers mentioned all the area courses in this survey, reserving their number one nod for Stoneridge.
Being loyal Ashlanders, they picked Oak Knoll as their second favorite, followed by:
• Centennial.
• Quail Point.
• Eagle Point.
• Rogue Valley Country Club.
• Stewart Meadows.

FAVORITE VINEYARD/WINERY IN THE VALLEY

Southern Oregon is challenging the Willamette Valley for the title of “wine capital” of Oregon. Every year it seems as if another vineyard is established, so this category is starting to become very competitive.
According to our readers, their number one favorite for 2009 was a tie between Weisinger’s (3170 Siskiyou in Ashland) and RoxyAnn, located at 3285 Hillcrest Road in Medford.
Others favorites included:
• Paschal in Talent.
• Troon Vineyards in Grants Pass.
• Trium Wine in Talent.
• Schmidt Family Vineyards in Grants Pass.
• Valley View in Ruch.
• EdenVale in Medford.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE TUESDAY GROWERS’ MARKET

We include this category every year, and our readers always mention the fresh, local produce as the number one attraction about the Tuesday Growers’ Market. And actually, there’s now a Saturday Grower’s Market downtown, so we’ll have to change the name of this category next year.
Other aspects of the market high on the list were:
• The friendly, social atmosphere.
• The Fry Family.
• The donuts.
• The tamales.
• The flowers.