New DEQ Requirements for Woodstoves in Josephine County, Oregon.  The Oregon Legislature signed Senate Bill 102 into law requiring the removal of any uncertified woodstove from a home when it is sold.  Residential wood burning is a significant source of air pollution, including fine particulate and air toxics.  Beginning August 1, 2010, if you are selling a home with an uncertified woodstove, you will be required to remove this device from a home. Residents of Deschutes County, Jackson County, Klamath County, and the cities of Bend and Medford Oregon currently have regulations that require homeowners to remove a non-certified solid fuel heating device when a home is sold.  If you are a resident of these areas, please check with your local agency to determine what requirements apply to y... 06/29/2010

Baby Come Back... any kind of fool could see, there was something in everything about you!  Today, that baby is me!  I've been visibly absent from blogging on Active Rain for over a month.  Partly due to a very busy travel and business schedule, and partly due to a nasty flu.  I received a call today from a fellow Active Rainer, Jim Hale (Eugene, Oregon), who I have had the pleasure of exchanging many comments with over the past year.  Apparently, Jim noticed my absence and sent me a few emails inquiring where I've been.  Relentless for an answer, Jim decided to call me today to see how I'm doing.  How incredibly thoughtful! Jim's call reminded me of the lyrics from an old Hall & Oates song, "Baby Come Back... any kind of fool could see, there is something in everything about you!"  I w... 06/28/2010

Open House - Saturday June 26th - Josephine County Animal Shelter, Merlin, Oregon The dogs and cats at the Josephine County Animal Shelter are inviting you to their open house this Saturday at 1420 Brookside Blvd. in Merlin, across the street from the airport from 9:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. They will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:30 to open their new walking trail.  You will even have a chance to walk one of their dogs on this new trail. While visiting you can see therapy dogs, dogs for the deaf, and find out about the JOCO spay & neuter program. You can get your dog licensed or adopt one of the many dogs and cats that need to find a permanent home. The Josephine County Animal Shelter will be gladly accepting donations, you can also give them a call at 541 474-5458 for a list of ... 06/22/2010

Flag Day - June 14th     Flag day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States by resolution of the second Continental Congress in 1777. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed officially that June 14 is flag day.  In August of 1949 National Flag Day was established by an act of congress. Flag day is not an official holiday, but it is important to all good Americans. There is a story about Theodore Roosevelt and flag day that goes like this; On June 14, 1908, "Theodore Roosevelt was dining outside Philadelphia, when he noticed a man wiping his nose with what he thought was the American Flag.  In outrage, Roosevelt picked up a small wooden rod and began to whip the man for 'defacing the symbol of America.'  After about five or six strong whacks, he noticed that the man was not ... 06/14/2010

G.I. Subdivision - Grants Pass, Oregon Welcome to G.I. Subdivision in Grants Pass.  G.I. Subdivision consists of 53 homes built by Northridge Homes. The three bedroom, two bath homes in G.I. Subdivision range in size from approximately 1300 square feet to 1750 square feet.  Most homes are on lot sizes ranging from .12 to .16 acres.  Most homes in G.I. Subdivision have granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and are landscaped and fully fenced. G.I. Subdivision is located just off Williams Highway near Harbeck Road.  Living in G.I. Subdivision allows you the luxury of being conveniently located to retail shopping, Three Rivers Community Hospital, and oldtown Grants Pass.  The elementary and middle schools are located within a half-mile of G.I. Subdivision, and the high school i... 06/11/2010

Josephine County Historical Society "Passport To History" Continued - Grants Pass, Oregon The Rogue Theatre was one of the few theaters in the country built during the great depression. It was built in the Art-Deco style, and opened in 1938 and finally closed its' doors in 1999, when it was no longer able to compete with movie multiplexes and video rentals. We had a tour scheduled as part of the Josephine County Historical Society "Passport To History" that unfortunately had to be canceled by the owner, which was too bad because it is said to be really ornate and beautiful inside. For the last eleven years, the Rogue Theatre has been open only for special events like the bookings shown. Many performances bring $95.00 and up for the best seating, so it is still a good draw card. The Rogu... 06/09/2010

May 2010 Homes For Sale in Grants Pass, Oregon The following results for the month of May 2010 for Grants Pass were compiled from records of single-family residential homes listed with the Southern Oregon Multiple Listing Service. This inventory may be misleading when you consider all of those people who have either withdrawn their homes temporarily from the market and/or all those who are waiting until the market gets stronger before they attempt to list their Home For Sale. Number of Homes Actively on the MLS: 668 68 Are Short Sales 54 Are Foreclosures   *The Number of Homes that are Actively on the MLS are Located in the Following Areas: West Hills 54 North Valley 56 Jones Creek 10 Colonial Valley 28 NW Grants Pass 76 NE Grants Pass 50 SW Grants Pass 47 SE Grants Pass 39 UGB Redwood ... 06/08/2010

Lest We Forget! I had the pleasure of serving with some Veterans who had begun their military careers during WWII, and the scenes they described were such that these men were never able to forget. A buddy told me that as he parachuted toward the ground, the tracers were coming around him like jet assisted fireflies. Illuminated by the Nazis' floodlights, he was firing his Thompson sub machine gun blindly toward the source of the traces. Comrades all around him were hanging limply in their chutes, as their battle was already over. We can never allow ourselves to forget the sacrifices these men made.  For those who died, and those who had to live out their lives with the memories; Thank you!   06/05/2010

51st Boatnik - Grants Pass, Oregon Boatnik 2010 was better than ever!  The Active Club of Grants Pass, Oregon has again made Boatnik something special. This is the 51st Boatnik, and it certainly has been memorable!  The Boatnik festival draws people from all over the country, and is as lively and interesting at the Oregon state fair. The Grants Pass population of 33,000 must have swelled to over 150,000 people for this Boatnik weekend.  Earnings brought in by Boatnik go to benefit children's programs, and again, we need to thank the Active Club for their community spirit. Everything was well planned and orchestrated. After the Boatnik Memorial services on Monday, the boat races began, and at one point people were lining three bridges across the wild Rogue River.  Boatnik has treated us ... 06/03/2010

"Wild Bunch"  Bearfest / Boatnik Memorial Day Festivities - Grants Pass, Oregon The "Wild Bunch" Bears are enjoyed due to the creative genius of a bunch of tremendous artists gathered together by Mr. Brady Adams; The "Godfather of Grants Pass." The "Wild Bunch" were born in the creative studios of the "Bear Hotel," which is an enormous art studio and museum built by Brady Adams.  Never have I seen one person do so much for a community! The "Wild Brady Bunch" spent the weekend relaxing in Riverside park along the wild Rogue River enjoying the Bearfest / Boatnik festival.  From here the bears will visit our streets for the enjoyment of all. "Women of the Wild" by Wil Storm "Ooga Booga Bear" by Bill Ferguson "Pirate Bear" by Shawn Lamb "Rosie Rogue" by Julie Bickle "Bear Fink" by Mark Will... 06/02/2010

Boatnik 2010 - Grants Pass, Oregon Boatnik 2010 was the 51st year of a huge community effort spurred by the Active Club of Grants Pass, Oregon. Memorial Day services at Boatnik 2010 were very moving, and enhanced by a strong Army and Air Force presence.  Beautiful and touching, the sounds of "taps" still floats throughout the valleys of the Rogue. The fourth day of Boatnik 2010 carnival activities and speed boats continued.  Drag boats, sprint boats, and Monday's hydroplane racing made this a fantastic Boatnik.   How can the Active Club top this one?  Well, come see next year's Boatnik, and find out! 06/01/2010

Memorial Day At Grants Pass, Oregon   The Boatnik races on the Rogue River were preceded by an elegant and touching Memorial Day tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.    Started by an F18 flyover by the Air Force, a memorial wreath moved slowly down the Rogue River, and seemed to defy the speed of the current and lingered while taps sounded. The "National Anthem" and "God Bless America" reverberated throughout Riverside Park at this Memorial Day tribute.  Our military was present on the bridge to fire a salute followed by the magnificent sound of bagpipes, which made this day ever more memorable. Ermal Williamson gave a thrilling and nostalgic Benediction.  Ermal is the John Wayne impersonator who has been with us in Grants Pass these last four days. He started out impe... 05/31/2010

The Bear Hotel - Oregon's Newest Museum   The "Bear Hotel" in beautiful Grants Pass is the creation of Brady Adams. I have referred to Mr. Adams before as the "Grants Pass Santa Claus," because he has done so much for our city. The themes of events over the years have featured "Bears." In interviewing people about the origin of the "Bear" themes, it just all comes down to Brady Adams, as the "Bears" are all his inspirations. Before moving to Grants Pass in the Fall of 2008, we had visited here on vacations, and each time there were "Bears" all over town. This years' Memorial Day theme are the "Wild Bunch" Bears.  The Bears are all mounted on Harley Davidson motorcycles. A trip to the "Bear Hotel," which has meeting rooms and acts as a warehouse for families of Bears, and seasonal decora... 05/30/2010

Boatnik / Bearfest In Grants Pass Is In Full Swing! The Boatnik Memorial Day parade this morning was fantastic; what community spirit!  There were estimates that our small town's population would swell today from 33,000 to over 100,000, and I do believe it has happened! We have two North-South one way streets in Grants Pass, and one three lane street was closed for the parade.  These boats will appear in races throughout the weekend, and they were reved high enough to break your eardrums! The Boatnik Memorial Day parade provided us with over two hours of fun entertainment.   You could tell where the American flag was, as a huge ripple spread down the street of people, rising in respect.  No one had to tell anyone.  This is a very patriotic community, and our Southern Oregon Veterans wer... 05/29/2010

Memorial Day Bearfest / Boatnik - Grants Pass, Oregon   Memorial Day with the Bearfest  "Wild Bunch" courtesy of Brady Adams, "the Godfather of Grants Pass." Thanks again to Brady Adams and his creative genius, Grants Pass Memorial Day parade will feature the Bearfest  "Wild Bunch" bears mounted on Harley Davidson Motorcycles, and created by local artists.  There are fifteen Bearfest "Wild Bunch bears in all.   Del Hearn created this tough Bearfest biker,      and features the slogan; "Best River Town In America." Not resting to take a bow, Del is working on the next Brady Adams creation to be introduced soon.  These bears are going to be a fantastic summertime promotion, but too soon to divulge the secret now.  Just be ready for more amazing surprises! "J" Maust created this marvel for... 05/28/2010

I Thought I Met A Man I Didn't Like! You know the type, the "controller personality," hard to open up, negative and sarcastic about everything? Well, using the quote by Will Rogers where he said, "I never met a man I didn't like."  He did not mean it literally.  Will Rogers meant that he could find something to like in everyone, if he dug hard enough. That is what I live by.  When I find a person who just seems like his own worst enemy, I just keep digging until I find "something" I like. After that moment, the "hardcase" usually turns out to be a really great person. 05/27/2010

"Passport To History" - Historic District Tour - Josephine County Historical Society To earn our sixth stamp in our "Passport To History" we took a walking tour of Grants Pass' Historic District. The Historic District runs along the south side of "G" Street.  It used to be named Front Street because it "fronted" the railroad tracks that are just north of here.  The buildings were originally wood structures, but there were fires in this area of the city in the 1890's that destroyed much of this street.  They were replaced with the brick structures that still exist today.  These buildings used to house a dry goods store, cigar factory, hotel, saloon and others.  Being so near the railroad depot, these business attracted many people traveling to and from Grants Pass by train. This is where... 05/25/2010

Memorial Day And "The Star Spangled Banner" Now that Memorial Day is again approaching us, I got to thinking about oft-forgotten or loosely remembered moments in history. How many people think that Francis Scott Key wrote the "The Star Spangled Banner" during our Revolutionary war?  A lot, right? Well, he wrote the poem during the war of 1812 at the battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. This was in 1813, and the British bombarded our brave soldiers with close to 2,000 cannon shells, plus major rocket attacks throughout the night. By dawn of September 14th, after an intense 25 hour bombardment, the British fleet hoisted sail, realizing that they would never retake America.  As they were abandoning the harbor, the commander of Fort McHenry , Major Armistead, raised a beautiful and h... 05/25/2010

Introducing the Active Rain Realtor Nationwide Survey - Southern Oregon.  Looking back in my rear view mirror this week, I realized that the Grants Pass Southern Oregon real estate market has taken a turn for the better.  Entry level homes, priced from $150K - $200K are receiving immediate offers, and sometimes multiple offers.  This is something we haven't seen in years.  Even the $200K - $300K properties on acreage are moving again.  This seems to be the market that most out-of-state Buyers want.  Unfortunately, the higher end properties are not flipping like they used to.  What does this mean for the Grants Pass Southern Oregon Real Estate market?  Good news!  The National Association of Realtor's Chief Economist, Dr. Yun, says that prices nationwide are stabilizing and we are moving... 05/23/2010

"Passport To History" - Josephine County Historical Society - Grants Pass, OR We earned our second and third "Passport To History" stamps by visiting the Schmidt House Museum and Barn which belongs to the Josephine County Historical Society. The Schmidt house was built in 1901 by grocery store owner Claus Schmidt with locally made bricks and had only four rooms.  He added on to his home as his family grew; a Craftsman-style second story was added as well as several rooms on the main floor.    Anna and Flora Schmidt, Claus' daughters donated the home to the Josephine County Historical Society in 1978.  The Schmidt house is located at 512 SW 5th Street in Grants Pass and is open for tours. Mr. Schmidt kept his grocery delivery wagon and horse in the barn.  It has been converted to a meet... 05/22/2010