Shady Cove will celebrate its 52nd birthday with a celebration set for 3-6 p.m. Saturday at Aunt Caroline’s Park, 22451 Highway 62. There will be a DJ, sack races, chalk art and family-friendly party games along with cotton candy, snow cones and cupcakes.

Central Point to host artisan, Hispanic heritage events

The city of Central Point will host its annual Made in Southern Oregon event Sept. 14 and its second Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Sept. 20:

• The Made in Southern Oregon event is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 on Pine Street, between First and Sixth streets. It will showcase more than 100 vendors. Food and drink will be available.

• The Hispanic Heritage Celebration is 5-9 p.m. Sept. 20 at Twin Creeks Park, 555 Twin Creeks Crossing Loop. It will offer food trucks, live music, bounce houses, lotería games, prizes and information booths.

Musical performances will include mariachi music by Jovita Enríquez; Ballet Folklórico Ritmo Alegre; DJ Junior and his lights robot; and the local Spanish rock band Combustión.

For more information, contact Central Point Parks and Recreation at 541-664-3321 or visit centralpointoregon.gov.

Ride the Rim of Crater Lake

The annual Ride the Rim bicycling event is scheduled to take place Saturday and Sept. 14 at Crater Lake National Park. The event, which is free of charge, allows visitors to ride at their own pace along 25 vehicle-free miles of Rim Drive.

Visit ridetherimoregon.com for more information. Register on the day of the event at park headquarters or North Junction. For park information, call 541-594-3000 or go online to nps.gov/crla.

Learn about rainwater collection, pollinator plants

The Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center is offering online presentations about rainwater collection and pollinator plants:

• Learn about rainwater harvesting 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5. Topics include placement, uses and materials.

• Learn about pollinator plants 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 and during a visit Sept. 14 to Pollinator Project Rogue Valley in Phoenix.

The events are provided in cooperation with the Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District.

Cost is $15 per person for each event. Register at extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec. For more information, call 541-776-7371.

Visit Mount Ashland pollinator garden

Visit an 8-year-old native pollinator garden on a conserved private property on Mount Ashland during a workshop set for Saturday. Topics include ethical seed collection, legal requirements for seed collection on public land and timing of seed collection. Participants will take home seeds for further drying and cleaning.

The workshop leader is Suzie Savoie, co-owner of Klamath-Siskiyou Native Seeds & Siskiyou Ecological Services. Cost is $25. Register at pollinatorprojectroguevalley.org. Call 458-214-0508 for more information.

Help clear trails in wilderness

The Siskiyou Mountain Club is organizing a work party this weekend to conduct trail work on the western edge of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness at the Vulcan Peak trailhead. 

A shuttle vehicle will leave Gold Hill at 7 a.m. on Friday and will return there by 7 p.m Sunday. No trail work experience is necessary, and all you need is some overnight camping gear for two nights at the trailhead. The club will provide transportation, tools, leadership and dinner.

Sign up by emailing alex@siskiyoumountainclub.org today.

Tour pioneer cemetery

Tour the I.O.O.F Eastwood Cemetery, 1581 Siskiyou Blvd., 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 11 with the city of Medford’s parks and recreation department. Meet at the mausoleum. The tour is free, but advance registration is required. Call 541-774-2400 or visit playmedford.com.

Visit an herb farm

Oshala Farm, an organic herb farm in the Applegate Valley, is hosting a free walking tour 3-4 p.m. Sept. 11. Participants should wear closed-toed walking shoes and bring a reusable water bottle or tea cup if you’d like a cup of herbal tea. Register at least 48 hours in advance. To register, call 541-846-1120 or visit oshalafarm.com. The farm is located at 14900 Highway 238.

Japanese Garden hosts moon-gazing event

The Ashland Japanese Garden is hosting “Otsukimi — Moon Gazing Festival” 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 15.

The garden is in Lithia Park, off Granite Street near Strawberry Lane. For more information, contact the city’s park’s department at 541-488-5340 or go to ashlandoregon.gov/262/Parks-Recreation.

View salmon on Upper Rogue River

KS Wild and Rogue Riverkeeper are hosting a salmon walk 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 16 at McGregor Park along the Upper Rogue River. The park is near the Cole Rivers Fish Hatchery, 200 Cole M Rivers Drive, off Highway 62.

Participants will stop at locations along the river to look for spawning Chinook salmon and drive a short distance. Topics of discussion will include the life history of salmon and what makes the Rogue River an important habitat to sustain the species.

Register at rogueriverkeeper.org. Contact the organization at 541-488-9831.

Creative types invited to Vesper Meadow

Artists, writers and creatives are invited to Vesper Meadow, a private 1,000-acre preserve east of Ashland, at 10 a.m. Sept. 14 to exercise their creative side.

Join others for a group painting, sketching and writing experience. Jeanine Moy and Sarah Burns will guide a short introductory hike, then participants will work independently before gathering in the barn for lunch. For more information, go to vespermeadow.org.

Help clean Bear Creek Greenway

Volunteers are invited to participate in National Clean-up Day with the Bear Creek Stewards from 8:30 a.m. to noon Sept. 21 at nine locations along the Bear Creek Greenway from Central Point to Ashland. Bear Creek is a fish-bearing stream with Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead trout.

Clean-up gear is available at check-in booths, although volunteers are encouraged to bring their own supplies, including gloves and tools. This is a Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism stream clean-up event.

For more information, go to bearcreekstewards.org, or contact Brooke Amposta, ampostbc@jacksoncountyor.gov.

History meets harvest during fest

The Southern Oregon Historical Society is hosting a “Harvest and Scarecrow Festival” 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 21-22 at Hanley Farm, 1053 Hanley Road in Central Point.

Activities include pumpkin painting, apple bobbing, cider-making and children’s games. Visitors may tour the historic Hanley house and farm. McKee Bridge Historical Society quilts will be on display. There will be scarecrow-making kits available for $20.

For more information, call 541-622-2025.

Learn about birding on the Monument

Learn about birding during a lecture-hike event set for 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 21, presented by the Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and the Klamath Bird Observatory.

Learn about the research and outreach projects that the Klamath Bird Observatory does in bird conservation throughout the Pacific Northwest and in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

The lecture is held at the Ashland Food Co-op, 300 N. Pioneer St. in Ashland. The hike takes place on the monument. Register at cascadesiskiyou.org. Call 541-378-3039 for more information.

Hang out with the birds of summer

See and hear a variety of birds that spend the summer in the Rogue Valley during an easy walk led by experts 8-9 a.m. Sept. 21 through North Mountain Park, 620 N. Mountain Ave., in Ashland.

Register at buff.ly/3XoeM8j. For more information, contact Ashland Parks and Recreation at 541-488-6606.

Plant a tree on national monument land

Join Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for a National Public Lands Day aspen planting, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 28.

Participants will meet at 9 a.m. at the Rite Aid, 2341 Ashland St., in Ashland and make their way to the monument from there. Carpooling is optional.

Volunteers will work in small groups planting aspen trees in the Wildcat Campground area at Hyatt Lake. There are no special skills or experience needed. Holes for the trees will be dug prior to the event. The BLM will provide the tools, safety equipment and guidance. Participants should wear closed-toed shoes and long pants.

More information is available at cascadesiskiyou.org or 541-378-3039.

Ride the Rogue event is Sept. 28

The Rogue River Greenway Foundation’s annual Ride the Rogue cycling event and fundraiser is set for Sept. 28 beginning and ending at Palmerton Park in Rogue River. The event includes bicycle rides of 20 miles and more. All abilities are welcome.

Cost is $45-$85, depending on which ride is chosen. An after-ride party with music and refreshments is scheduled. Get details at ridetherogue.com. For more information, call 800-541-0925.

Cities publish activity guides

The cities of Medford, Ashland and Central Point are publishing fall activity guides that include information about classes, events, outings and more.

View Ashland’s guide at ashlandoregon.gov/parks, Central Point’s guide at centralpointoregon.gov/parksrec and Medford’s guide at medfordoregon.gov.

 

Lithia Park tours offered through September

Take a guided walk of 60-90 minutes through Lithia Park at 10 a.m. on Saturdays through the end of September. Meet at the Lithia Park sign at the entrance to the park across from the downtown plaza. The walks are free, led by volunteers and cover the history, flora and fauna of the park. For more information, visit ashlandoregon.gov/ or call 541-488-6002.

Libraries offer walking groups

Staff members at two Jackson County libraries offer weekly hour-long group walks, rain or shine, as a way to socialize and get exercise:

• One group leaves from the Butte Falls Library, 626 Fir Ave., at 1 p.m. on Thursdays. Call 541-865-3511 for more information.

• The other group leaves the Gold Hill Library, 202 Dardanelles St., at noon on Wednesdays. For more information, call 541-855-1994.

Want to publicize your upcoming outdoors event for free? Send details to writer Shaun Hall at 541-761-6726 or shaunmichaelhall@gmail.com. Submissions about upcoming events are encouraged.