Oregon
Ashland is more than Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business leaders say
The success of the Oregon Shakespeare Pageant vaulted Ashland, a tiny metropolis on the state’s southern border, right into a journey vacation spot. Since 1935, the venerable tourism powerhouse has lured in theatergoers prepared to remain, store and dine.
Ashland additionally has nature trails and is a straightforward cease off of Interstate 5, however a 3rd of its guests trip right here particularly to see the pageant’s performances on three downtown levels, in response to the town’s tourism bureau.
On Tuesday, The Oregonian/OregonLive broke the information that the Oregon Shakespeare Pageant (OSF) mentioned it wanted to boost $2.5 million to save lots of the 2023 season and was suspending planning for 2024 to stabilize its funds.
About 40 minutes later, pageant supporters acquired an e-mail from board chairwoman Diane Yu and board member Bob Speltz asking for rapid monetary help “to assist us via this disaster.”
Oregon Shakespeare Pageant launched the hashtag #SaveOSF and tweeted and linked to a brand new web page on its web site: osfashland.org/saveosf.
OSF is in disaster, and we aren’t alone.
Whether or not it’s transferring up your annual giving or making 1x items to assist us via this disaster, no matter you’ll be able to afford to offer, we’d like you to offer now in an effort to meet our essential fundraising purpose. #SaveOSF
🔗https://t.co/iS8P5K8SJp pic.twitter.com/zJJ6BwDkCL
— Oregon Shakespeare Pageant (@osfashland) April 11, 2023
Over the past 5 years, the town has survived lingering wildfire smoke, pandemic shutdown orders and the Oregon Shakespeare Pageant providing shortened seasons. For many years, 11 performs have been offered from March via October.
In 2022, Journey Ashland broadened its campaigns “past OSF” and the theater season to draw leisure vacationers wanting a getaway with family and friends in a walkable metropolis.
“Ashland recovered and survived through the pandemic with out OSF,” in response to Katharine Cato, director of Journey Ashland, the guests and conference bureau of the Ashland Chamber.
In 2018-2019, lodging tax income collections have been $3,124,448, mentioned Cato. In 2021-22, lodging tax income reached $2,591,758.
On Monday, earlier than the information hit, folks depending on tourism have been optimistic about this yr. Innkeepers have been issued 20% off 2023 Oregon Shakespeare Pageant tickets for his or her visitors. And ample winter rain and snow dampened fears of a harmful summer season hearth season.
Daniel Perry, founding father of on-line journey company BookStayHop in Expertise that manages 150 trip leases with 30% in downtown Ashland, mentioned bookings have been robust for 2023.
He mentioned visitors found when theaters have been closed through the pandemic that they nonetheless needed to depart the Bay Space, Portland and Seattle, and so they discovered Rogue Valley’s mountain climbing, rafting and wineries inviting.
“Now visitors keep longer and should not right here for one sole cause however a mixture of issues, to expertise the realm,” Perry mentioned Monday.
“For all of the ‘woe is me’ speak, Ashland is resilient,” he mentioned. “Cities with personalities that labored to maintain out the field shops are a lot better off than these with empty malls. Any form of OSF is healthier than no OSF. We’ll take what we are able to get as a result of it’s nonetheless a driving motivator to lots of people coming.”
On Tuesday, Billy Mann of Bayberry Inn Mattress and Breakfast acknowledged the Oregon Shakespeare Pageant’s deep historical past and impression on the town, however he additionally developed a second enterprise, the Oregon Wellness Retreat, for non-theatergoers.
Actress Katherine Heigl, astronaut Karen Nyberg and others booked an artwork retreat after which unfold the phrase on social media.
“Theater is a key entity to Ashland and we hope folks help it, however we additionally hope they arrive to benefit from the culinary and artwork scene,” he mentioned.
On Tuesday, Mark Brouillard, who moved to Ashland in 1993 to attend Southern Oregon College, reminisced when the town “was enjoyable, vibrant and had an unbelievable impartial artwork scene.”
He mentioned the pageant offered the town with income and impressed galleries to open and different organizations to launch such because the Ashland Impartial Movie Pageant.
“If we lose OSF, we can have misplaced quite a lot of our group and what nonetheless brings in tens of 1000’s of holiday makers,” he mentioned. “With out regular guests, we gained’t have a meals scene and meals is artwork.”
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman