Page 30 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2022

buzz | tidbits
COMMUNITY
C O M MU NI T Y

KNOW YOUR ROLE
™
EDUCATING ATHLETES, COACHES, UMPIRES, & FANS

he Southern Oregon Sports Commission and Travel Medford carry a cohesive message nationwide that originated in the Rogue
Tpartnered to nationally syndicate the Know Your Role™ market- Valley and bring awareness to a growing issue in communities that is
ing campaign aimed at educating athletes, coaches, umpires, and fans causing a decline in participation in youth sports,” says Angela Wood,
of appropriate behavior toward sports officials by licensing it to USA Director of Sports Development for Travel Medford, who oversees and
Softball, the National Governing Body of softball in the United States, manages SOSC.
through 2025.
The campaign is currently being implemented by schools, sports asso-
The trademarked pledge – “You can be an athlete, a coach, a parent or ciations, and city organizations throughout Southern Oregon, and is
an official, but you only get to be one - Know Your Role” – was created syndicated statewide through the Oregon Youth Soccer Association’s
by the Southern Oregon Sports Commission (SOSC) in 2016, and the 48,000-member organization, the first association to officially license
campaign was developed in partnership with Travel Medford. The cam- the campaign. SOSC was formed in 2013 and advocates for sports tour-
paign addresses the growing epidemic of inappropriate behavior toward ism and the significant economic impact it brings to Medford and the
sports officials and aims to correct the issue through a series of positive Rogue Valley.
messages and continued reminders that participant safety, enjoyment,
growth, and development are the most important aspects of sports. www.southernoregonsports.com | www.travelmedford.org
www.USASoftball.com
“We are thrilled for a prestigious organization like USA Softball to

T
S
EN
E
EVENTS
V
REOPENING OF ASHLAND
JAPANESE GARDEN
OCTOBER 2022

or thousands of years, Japanese gardens have been carefully designed in 1915, when John McLaren, Superintendent of Golden Gate Park in
Fto create a place that inspires calm, encourages wonder, symbolizes San Francisco was hired to develop a landscape plan for the first 18 acres
renewal, and heals the soul. Incorporating water, rocks, plants, and sim- of an expanded city park. This plan formed the heart of today’s Lithia
ple ornamentation, a Japanese garden brings these elements together Park and included a small Japanese Tea House, which was built then later
to create a tranquil retreat. Rooted in traditional philosophies, these removed. In 1982, Ashland Parks horticulturalist Donn Todt and a small
gardens are designed for quiet meditation in nature, a place for peaceful group of volunteers raised funds to create a Japanese-style garden, filled
contemplation, and the discovery of universal truths. These gifts await, with Japanese maples and other trees and plantings. They also rebuilt the
hidden within the intricacy and natural beauty of the Ashland Japanese watercourse feature with a curved, winding design. This redesign, plant-
Garden, and they invite you to walk the garden counterclockwise as the ing, and construction served Ashland for 30 years and was a favorite of
designer, Toru Tanaka intended, where you may find peace and wellness. many local residents.

The foundation for today’s Lithia Park was first established in 1892 when One such resident, Béatrice Marechal, passed away in 2015. Her hus-
the Southern Oregon Chautaugua Association purchased eight acres band, Jeff Mangin, and her family, the Marechals of Normandy, France
along Ashland Creek for a city park. Inspired by this success and driven by decided to gift an authentic Japanese garden to the people of Ashland
the women of the community, the Ashland City Charter was amended in to honor her memory. The family granted $1.3 million to the Ashland
1908 to ensure the city lands bordering Ashland Creek would be forever Parks Foundation earmarked for the new garden. With input from the
dedicated for park purposes. That same year, the original stone steps community, Toru Tanaka, founder and President of Portland Landscape
leading to the Japanese garden were laid, and local Boy Scouts planted Design and Japanese Garden Specialty and a former director of the
12 small Douglas Firs, all existing today. Two of these firs are a central Portland Japanese Garden, was selected in a design competition to cre-
feature of the Natural Garden, the very first feature inside the Ashland ate an authentic Japanese garden in Lithia Park. Toru’s design gave special
Japanese Garden. The formal beginning of the Japanese garden era came attention to preserving the healthy trees already living in the garden and

28 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | fall 2022