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YOUR LOCAL, NON-PROFIT, INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER Volume 6, Issue 9 // May 23-June 5, 2019 OutdoorsOutdoors LocalLocal HikesHikes LessLess TraveledTraveled DRINKDRINK GrantGrant Pass’Pass’ BoatnikBoatnik PreviewPreview MUSICMUSIC AshlandAshland FolkFolk CollectiveCollective TunesTunes Download Music Sampler! See page 16 2 / WWW.ROGUEVALLEYMESSENGER.COM MAY 23 - JUNE 5 , 2019 / THE ROGUE VALLEY MESSENGER / 3 The Rogue Valley Messenger PO Box 8069 | Medford, OR 97501 CONTENTS 541-708-5688 roguevalleymessenger.com NEWS page DRINK page [email protected] After sinking under a LOCAL THE BUSINESS END OF THINGS sea of debt with $2.1 17 Brewfest started seven 19 million in negative years ago as part of WEB MASTER Tammy Wilder assets just 11 months Boatnik, and growing OUR FINANCIAL WIZARD Sara Louton, Advanced Books ago, Special Olympics steadily with every DISTRIBUTION Coleman Antonucci Oregon is resurfacing year. Organizer Rich ADVERTISING MANAGER Sasha Armstrong to once again sail on Bush loves it, and is the seas of financial bring a certain flare to OUR WORDSMITHS, ETC. solvency. the event, along with PUBLISHER & EDITOR Phil Busse beers besides IPAs! MANAGING EDITOR Sara Jane Wiltermood PRODUCTION MANAGER Donna Brosh FEATURE page page CALENDAR EDITOR Jordan Marie McCaw Boatnik’s 61st year COLUMNISTS Rob Brezsny, Dr. Dan Smith, includes a live show Dr. Cory Tichauer, Dr. Margaret Philhower and by hard rock band 18 21 Tanya Shelander GO HERE Dokken, a golf shoot FREELANCERS Catherine Kelley, Heather Metz, A trail less travelled but by Nick Blakeslee, Vanessa Newman, Josh Stirm, and out, and, of course, no means less enjoyable, Noah Lee Margetts boats. The event and we offer some not-as- GET IN TOUCH begins May 23 with well-known hikes for early MAIL [email protected] Davis Shows Carnival summer. MUSIC [email protected] and ends May 27 with the Tom Rice EVENTS [email protected] Memorial Whitewater ADVERTISE [email protected] Hydroplane Race. SALES DEADLINE: 5 pm Thurs EDITORIAL DEADLINE: 5 pm Thurs CALENDAR DEADLINE: 12 pm Thurs News................................................................................ 5 Art Watch.....................................................................18 CLASSIFIED DEADLINE: 4 pm Thurs Deadlines may shift for special/holiday issues. Feature ........................................................................... 6 Food & Drink ..............................................................19 ABOUT THE COVER: Feature ........................................................................... 7 Wellness .......................................................................20 Our Picks ........................................................................ 9 Go Here ........................................................................21 Rookie member of the Volunteer Balloon Crew, Haley Monasmith, stays grounded as she learns Live Music and Nightlife ........................................10 Free Will Astrology ...................................................22 the ropes for the #GPBalloonFest. You too can Events .....................................................................10-14 Rec Room ....................................................................23 volunteer at www.GPBalloonFest.com/Festival Sound ...........................................................................16 Photo by Noah Lee Margetts 4 / WWW.ROGUEVALLEYMESSENGER.COM MAY 23 - JUNE 5 , 2019 / THE ROGUE VALLEY MESSENGER / 5 NEWS Mettle for Medals Special Olympics Oregon Strives to Revive the Games BY NOAH LEE MARGETTS SPECIAL OLYMPICS TEAM MEMBERS AT LITTLE CREEK RANCH IN ASHLAND PHOTO BY NOAH LEE MARGETTS After sinking under a sea of Although the auditors absolved any place for everybody to wander, resilient citizens. debt with $2.1 million in negative SOOR staff of using charity money experience the horses, be able Help soon arrived with assets just 11 months ago, Special for “personal expenditures,” they to socialize with each other, and University of Oregon President, Ed Olympics Oregon (SOOR) is still expressed concerns on how they had fun.” Ray as the new board head. Former resurfacing to once again sail on much loyalty CEO Hunt gave to With disenfranchisement Oregon Governor, the Hon. the seas of financial solvency. her duties at SOOR in her final setting in, the new board took Barbara Roberts, took financial Thus beginning a “new era years and whether that suggested it to the people. Giving seven control alongside Mike Golub, of Special Olympics Oregon,” malfeasance. SOOR does not have cities throughout the state an President of Business for the MLS according to Britt Carlson Oase, the authority to compel those opportunity to engage, participate Portland Timbers and Thorns. who was hired in June 2018 to end involved to answer any of their and gain a sense of agency The Oregon Philanthropic the now tenuous tenure of CEO questions and has expressed little in the process. Full financial Commission set out a debt Margaret Hunt. appetite for spending money transparency became the new restructuring process and a Oase gives us the broad and valuable rebuilding time paradigm. As a result, each locale fundraising model, and the charity strokes, “Year over year, events investigating and has turned it all is now financially autonomous and renegotiated its $1,000,000 line and fundraising just were not over to the Oregon DOJ. will have more dominion over the of credit, receiving a half-million keeping up with the rising costs Back to the boots on the ground: start and end dates of their seasons dollar forgiveness and very of delivering our mission. I can’t Athletes and their supporters were and what sports they would like favorable terms moving forward. speak to decisions that were made. seeing less and less assistance to play. Instead of going into a Additionally, $1.5 million has been I can only tell you when I arrived, from their parent organization. state-wide pot, local money goes raised from private philanthropy it was not a model that we could “We had to suspend our mission to local causes, with SOOR taking establishing an “operational continue.” delivery and address some gut a maximum 50 percent. This year’s runway” for getting the state- Signs of trouble were there for issues,” says Oase. Meaning all Polar Plunge sent $25 from each wide program to become fully special athletes on the ground local events now had to be no- entrant’s fee to the program where functional. years before percolating up to the cost, underwritten or locally that athlete lived. Next up was the Atlas-sized board. Debbie Hansen-Bernard, funded. The past five Special “We’re taking a measured fixed-overhead costs—and have mother to Special Olympian, Josh Olympics seasons in Oregon approach to how we return. We tightened their belts by halving Hansen, laments the struggle, have been cancelled, but with just need the fundraising model to their staff, moved into donated “Sometimes because there were an announcement in the coming be able to support that.” CEO Oase offices, and eliminating “mission not enough funds, we would stay weeks for a possible return this continues, “The Special Olympics delivery” costs through July 2019. in motels and sometimes we’d year. model involves 30 logo-programs Throughout the process, SOOR have to, wherever the events Hansen-Bernard recounts the in Oregon that are volunteer has continued to provide back- were being held, we would have decline in services, “I began to run. That is all privately funded end administrative support to to sleep on the gym floor and notice them canceling events I through philanthropy, corporate Oregon’s volunteer-run programs; that was horrible because kids would say the last five years. They sponsorships, fundraising efforts, performing background checks that had seizures, their seizures used to have awards ceremonies, etc.” for CLASS A coaches, maintaining happened more and you’re not in a dances, dinners.” Oase had taken on quite a insurance, storing necessary comfortable facility. It just wasn’t As the owner of the Little challenge: How to take a nonprofit athletic equipment. adequate.” Creek Ranch in Ashland, Hansen- charity, completely dependent on An estimated 65,000 students Where were the good Bernard wrangled together her the altruistic donations of others, are directly affected by the Special stewards? Running up a $1 own end-of-season team party, out of millions of dollars in debt Olympics programs in Oregon million line of credit. According complete with equine therapy for while still providing the necessary alone, with 8,000 volunteers and to auditors statements, all debt the athletes. “That’s why we had help, support and assistance to 14,000 athletes participating was unserviceable by June 2018. the party here. We had a great some of our most vulnerable, yet annually. 6 / WWW.ROGUEVALLEYMESSENGER.COM MAY 23 - JUNE 5 , 2019 / THE ROGUE VALLEY MESSENGER / 7 FEATURE FEATURE A Weekend of Competition and Fun Not Just Full of Hot Air Boatnik’s 61st Year JORDAN MARIE MCCAW The Grants Pass Balloon and Kite Festival Benefits Local Foster and Homeless Children BY NOAH LEE MARGETTS GRANTS PASS BALLOON AND KITE FESTIVAL Friday, May 31 – Sunday, June 2 Off Lower River Road, 1.7 miles past Lincoln Road in Grants Pass gpballoonfest.com $5, Friday and Sunday. $10, Saturday. B a n d i n g together with a 75-year-old Smokey the Bear in balloon form, the Grants Pass CREDIT: BOATNIK Rotary Club are taking flight