Ashland / Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Ashland Oregon is one of the great places in America. It is located in Southern Oregon in the Rouge River Valley. Grant's Pass, Medford and Klamath Falls are near by. Small college town, festive, artistic, surrounded by mountains and yet a very mild climate with gentle winters and warm dry summers. We were here for 5 glorious days. The downtown area is filled with shops and restaurants. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is the big draw. 

Shakespeare rules the day in this town.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival goes from late February to early November

The 3 main stages are close together with this gathering spot between them.
Before most shows there is free entertainment on this stage. One night there was a country band with an African American lead. We saw 5 or 6 African American men in Ashland, one a country singer and the rest Shakespearean actors.

Lithia Park is in the main part of town and boarders on the Shakespeare Festival. 

There is a mile long walking path thru the park.

A family of deer seemed to have free run in the streets.
There was plenty for them to eat in the neighborhood gardens.

The deer were used to people and people in the area were used to them.
No one but us seemed to pay them much attention.

We stayed at the Glenyan RV Park. The sites were gigantic and seemed more like a state park in the natural habitat than a commercial RV park. The owners were friendly and helpful. 

Here I am contemplating nothing in particular.

Romeo and Juliet was very sad. They died.

Dinner at Pasta Piatti was wonderful.

This is the Elizabethan Stage where we saw As You Like It. Moments after I took this picture one of the usher-Nazis  told me there was no photography allowed. Made me want to snap away.

As so I took one more.

Ashland at night

So it was very sad to leave Ashland. Luckily we were headed to Crater Lake National Park which will be the subject of the next blog.