Local Rogue Valley Events

Sorry for the lag in posting after my vacation.  It was a week of getting back into the work groove after passing through different time zones 12 times in 8 days.  And of course coming from tropical, sunny weather to our weird spring snow, hail, rain and sunny days was quite an adjustment, too.

Anyway, this weekend reminded me of why I love the Medford area so much.  It was a busy weekend.  Early Saturday, the annual Pear Blossom Run (now, due to our hospital sponsorship, the "Rogue Valley Medical Center Heart & Sole Run") was underway.  This run has been going on in one form or another since 1977, and continues to be one of the top running events in the Northwest.  Now I'm only a spectator, but it's fun to see the athletes and running goofballs in town having fun.

After the races we have the Pear Blossom Parade.  It's a huge event that also draws people from around the region.  It's fun to watch the entries and great material for photographers to let their lenses feast.  This year, the event included downtown street vendors which added to the festivities and commerce.

Something new for me this year was attending the Ashland Independent Film Festival.  It's now in it's 10th year, and continues to grow both in attendance and significance.  It's a great addition to the already strong artistic community in Ashland.

The movie that I attended was Hood to Coast. I was talking to Meg (one of our elite runner PTs) after the movie, and she summed it up: "They nailed it."  Most of us can only dream of running in this 36 hour relay that goes from Timberline Lodge to Seaside, but the movie invited us in to experience the event through the eyes of 4 of the teams.  Many laughs, some teary eyes, and overall just a fun event.  I think that this got me hooked: Next year I'll try to attend more movies at the Festival.

I'll leave you with the trailer from this movie.