Summer is still very much in session in Grants Pass, and the week ahead offers residents several reasons to get out of the house, head downtown, visit a city park or spend a Saturday morning exploring what local vendors have to offer.
From Monday, August 10, through Sunday, August 16, the Grants Pass calendar includes theater and creative arts, a free movie under the summer sky, the weekly Growers Market, a Southern Oregon wine event and opportunities for residents to participate in local government.
The week begins Monday with the final day of The Loop: Lab and New Work Festival at The Hivve in downtown Grants Pass. Running August 7 through August 10, the festival brings together theatrical and creative work in a setting designed to give new ideas and performances an opportunity to develop before an audience.
It is one of several activities this week that reflects the variety of events now taking place around Grants Pass. While the Rogue River and surrounding outdoor recreation remain major summer attractions, August also brings a steady schedule of arts, entertainment, markets and neighborhood gatherings into the city itself.
On Wednesday, August 12, residents interested in the business side of Grants Pass can attend the city’s Small Business Task Force meeting. The public meeting is scheduled from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room. The task force provides another avenue for community involvement in discussions affecting the local business environment and economic activity.
By Friday evening, the focus shifts from civic business to family entertainment.
Grants Pass will begin its August Movies in the Park series Friday, August 14, with a showing of the animated sports comedy GOAT at Riverside Park. The outdoor movie is part of a three-week series that will continue August 21 and August 28 at city parks.
The movie series offers families an inexpensive way to spend a summer evening together while taking advantage of the city’s parks. Riverside Park, with its large open spaces along the Rogue River, provides the setting for the first movie of the series and an opportunity for residents to make an evening of it before the film begins.
Saturday brings one of the city’s most familiar weekend traditions back to downtown Grants Pass.
The Grants Pass Growers Market will be open Saturday, August 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Grasshopper Parking Lot near Northwest Fourth and F streets. The market brings together farmers, food producers, artisans and other regional vendors, giving shoppers an opportunity to purchase locally grown produce and locally made goods while spending the morning downtown.
August is an especially active period for Southern Oregon farms and gardens, making the market a natural Saturday destination for residents looking for seasonal produce and locally produced foods. The market also creates regular foot traffic in the downtown area and has become part shopping trip, part social gathering for many people who make it a weekend routine.
The weekend calendar also includes the Indie Wine Mixer: Southern Oregon Edition on Saturday, August 15. The Grants Pass event is scheduled to begin at noon and adds another distinctly Southern Oregon flavor to the weekend, with the region’s wine industry taking center stage.
Southern Oregon has developed into a significant wine-producing region, and events centered around local wineries have increasingly become part of the area’s tourism and entertainment calendar. For residents, they also provide another way to experience businesses and products originating close to home.
Smaller activities are expected throughout the week as well. The Josephine Community Library’s Grants Pass branch regularly offers programs for children, families and adults, while arts organizations and community groups continue to provide classes, exhibits and other activities during the summer.
Two popular Grants Pass events have already wrapped up and should not be confused with this week’s schedule. The city’s First Friday celebration took place last week, while Grants Pass Lemonade Day was held Saturday, August 8, bringing young entrepreneurs and their lemonade stands into the community.
That does not mean the summer calendar is slowing down.
With school still out for many families and August weather providing long evenings for outdoor activities, Grants Pass continues to offer a mix of events that do not require traveling far from home. A Friday night movie can lead directly into a Saturday morning at the Growers Market, while arts, wine and civic activities provide additional choices throughout the week.
Whether the plan is spreading out a blanket at Riverside Park, filling a market bag with Southern Oregon produce, checking out a new creative performance or simply spending a few hours downtown, August 10 through August 16 offers several ways to enjoy another summer week in Grants Pass.