Free concerts in the bandshell, two-night comedy fest at the Bowmer

By Jim Flint for Ashland.news

Ashland is about to get even more lively — and a whole lot funnier.

Two creative forces, Storytown Ashland and Epic Ashland, are teaming up to make the most of the city’s prime performance spaces, while spotlighting Ashland as a year-round destination for storytelling in all its forms.

Upcoming events include free summer concerts at Butler Bandshell in Lithia Park and the debut of the Ashland Sarcasm Festival in early December, featuring two nights of comedy at Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Angus Bowmer Theatre and a weekend packed with funny business at venues across town.

Packed for music

The Summer Sound Concert Series at the bandshell is drawing even bigger crowds than its first season last year. The opening night, June 16, featured Broken Compass Bluegrass and headliner Cas Haley.

“The vibe was electric,” said Karolina Lavagnino, an Epic Ashland board member and volunteer. “Families with picnic baskets filled the grassy hillside, kids created spontaneous chalk art masterpieces, and seniors arrived by the busload.”

Storytown was on hand with a bike valet service, which it also will provide at subsequent concerts in the series.

Up next at the bandshell: Hillstomp with Jessica Molone on Monday, July 21; The Wreckless Strangers with Eddie Roberts and The Lucky Strokes on Monday, Aug. 18, and Les Greene & The Swazeys along with the Grammy-nominated Indian funk band The Rumble, fronted by Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr., on Monday, Sept. 15.

All concerts are free and start at 6 p.m. Adding to the festivities will be a rotation of food trucks; wine booths hosted by Resistance Wine Company, Irvine & Roberts Vineyards, and Weisinger family Winery; and a hands-on kids’ craft area hosted by Ashland Clayhouse.

Gratitude and surprise

Matthew Bernard, Epic board chair, expressed gratitude for support from the city of Ashland and the parks department.

“I had no idea what to expect,” he said. “I just crossed my fingers and hoped our efforts would bring people together. The first concert ended up being packed and the feedback was great.”

Financial support for the 2024 series was minimal. The founders of Epic donated funds and put in the elbow grease to make the summer concerts happen. Some corporate funding, private donations, and collaborators from Storytown filled in the gaps.

This summer, building on a successful track record, Epic was able to expand the number of concerts, garner additional community support, sign on more local sponsors, and add a beer garden.

Comedy takes the stage

The Ashland Sarcasm Festival will take place in early December, featuring two nights of comedy at OSF’s Bowmer Theatre on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, along with a variety of comedic performances at multiple venues concentrated in and around the Ashland Plaza — and a few spots along Main Street.

There will be an admission charge for the Bowmer performances, with tickets likely sold through OSF’s ticketing system. If demand is high — and if performers’ schedules allow — a matinee may be added.

Epic Ashland is organizing the Bowmer Theatre performances, while Storytown Ashland is working to expand the festival into a three-day event at additional venues. So far, Skout, Brickroom, Oberon’s, and Local 31 Pub have expressed interest in participating.

“We anticipate adding more venues in the coming months,” Bernard said. “And we’re narrowing down the lineup for the Bowmer as we speak. We hope to confirm the headliners in the next few weeks.”

With its season wrapping up in October, OSF was able to make the Bowmer Theatre available for the new event. It’s not the first time the organization has opened its stages to community partners during the off-season.

In 2023, Oregon Cabaret Theatre presented a holiday run of “White Christmas” at the Thomas Theatre, while the Rogue Valley Symphony launched its annual holiday concerts at the Bowmer that same year.

Where stories live

Matt Hoffman is the creator and director of Storytown Ashland, an initiative with a mission to transform the city into a year-round destination for storytelling across genres, offering a calendar of events that blends arts, culture, outdoor experiences, and community engagement.

“Our events — like those at OSF — are designed to attract locals and visitors from across the region and beyond,” Hoffman said. “We want to turn Ashland into a citywide venue capable of pulling off a multi-day festival of entertaining programming that signals more to come.”

Lavagnino is pleased to see other organizations taking a leaf out of the Epic/Storytown playbook.

“One of the most exciting outcomes of Epic’s pilot series is how it has inspired others to launch similar events,” she said. “The Ashland Folk Collective created its own concert series based on the Epic template, and the city of Phoenix launched its own summer music series this year in Blue Heron Park.”

For more information and to learn how to offer your support, visit storytownashland.com or epicashland.com.

Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at [email protected].

WALDORF, Md. — Some of the world’s best youth flag football players are competing for a championship this weekend, including a team from Waldorf.

“What makes it so special is you take a homegrown kid, somebody who didn’t see this going past their county, and now they get to go out and represent for their local football team as a flag football player,” Jordan Reynolds said.

Reynolds, general manager of Southern Maryland Youth Flag Football League, says it’s been rewarding to see youth flag football grow over the years, but what’s really taken him by surprise is how many young girls are embracing the sport. Over 800 kids participate in his league, with roughly 200 of them being young girls.

“We saw girls in our area. They were just standing around on the sideline, you know, they were throwing the football, and they were like, ‘well, we don’t want to play with the boys.’ So, you know, Reggie had a great idea. He said, ‘you know what, I’m gonna take that leap of faith. I’m gonna step out. And I’m going to make an all-girls division,'” Reynolds said.

“For me, I’m more of the visionary,” Reggie Barksdale said.

It is that type of forward thinking that has helped Commissioner Barksdale’s league become what it is today.

“My organization, SMYFFL was chosen and selected as NFL Flag League of the Year, out of 2,800 leagues, 48 states and Canada. We’re the number one league for large market, as they call it,” Barksdale said.

This weekend, a few of his players will be participating in the NFL flag championships, hoping to bring a championship home for their county.

“They put on a very fun event and just to play a game at Canton, Ohio, they opened the doors for everybody there, man. The kids get to visit the NFL Hall of Fame. You get to play the game on hollow grounds up there. You meet kids that are YouTube sensations. I think what makes it more exciting, man, you could turn on ESPN and ESPN 2 and you can see your friends that you get on the bus with playing a flag football game,” Barksdale said.

Sunday’s semi-final and championships will be aired on WMAR.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

VICKSBURG, Miss.(VDN) — Super Bowl champion and Vicksburg native Malcolm Butler returned to his hometown Saturday to host his 11th annual football camp at Vicksburg High School.

The free camp welcomed athletes from elementary to high school, who participated in drills and received guidance from Butler and several local coaches.

“Home is home, and Vicksburg, Mississippi is my home,” Butler said. “We do this each and every year and we’re going to go hard and learn knowledge out here.”

Before the camp began, participants heard an audio message from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who shared encouraging words for the campers and Butler.

While the camp focused on football techniques, Butler emphasized the importance of life beyond sports.

“It’s not all about football. You have to have other skills—you can learn a trade and do anything you want to do,” Butler said. “People say they have a Plan A, but you need to use your Plan A, B, and C.”

He urged participants to think about their future beyond athletics.

“After you take your shoulder pads off, what are you doing?” he said. “Football doesn’t last long, so you need to listen to your parents and teachers.”

Butler even joined in on the action, racing against local high school track stars Adria Burrell and Amiyah Hall—who both edged out the Super Bowl champ.

The Vicksburg community thanks Butler for always pouring back into the youth of his hometown.

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Saturday, July 19

— Blood Drive at Faith UM Church, Hughes St., Bellefonte, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

— Hoppy Valley Brewers 2025 Fest offering beer enthusiasts the ultimate tailgate experience on Saturday, July 19, 2025. The event will take place from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. for VIP ticket holders and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for General Admission. Due to ongoing renovations at Beaver Stadium through 2027, this year’s event moves to a new location, the Porter North Lot with entrance at Medlar Field.

— The Andrew Dill and Etta Confer Reunion will be held at 12 p.m., at Bald Eagle State Park, pavilion #7. Bring a covered dish, Hawaiian themed, and pictures to share.

— Jacksonville Festival to benefit the Jacksonville Cemetery Association. Food booths should be open and ready to serve around 5 p.m. Games, raffles and live music by the Lomison Family and Friends Band.

— At Hyner Run State Park five different on-going programs will be happening between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Join the park naturalist and guest speakers to learn the local history of the area including a CCC program presented for the Lumber Heritage Region. A general history of the area including interesting stories and folklore of the Hyner area will be presented by local historian Lou Bernard. A paper making program will be presented by State Forester Lin Greenaway in pavilion #2. The program will look into the history of paper making and also a demonstration of how to make paper now. Jennifer Haines of the PA Logging Museum will have a presentation on the logging industry in the Hyner area and some of the tools used. A program consisting of branding tree cookies for a memento to take home will be presented by Hyner Run campground hosts. All five of the programs are free. All programs with the exception of the paper making program will be held on the lawn near the amphitheater by the pool. The pool is open for swimming, too! In case of rain, some programs will be moved to pavilion 2.

— Bald Eagle Nature Journaling Club meeting from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Bald Eagle State Park Pavilion #9, at the launch at the end of Mill Street in Howard.

— Castanea Days Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Historic Railroad Complex, 15 Logan Avenue, Castanea. The Historic Railroad Complex activities begin with the Friends of Bald Eagle Valley Trail hosting a 5/10K Run/Walk with registration opening at 7:30 a.m. The Clinton County Historical Society will offer open houses in both cabooses and the Clinton Model Railroad train display will also be open to the public.

Tiny’s Barbecue will offer breakfast and lunch options. Children will enjoy venturing just a few minutes on the Bald Eagle Valley Trail to Castanea Fire Company on McElhattan Avenue for the Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland Show at 10 a.m., followed by a food sale fundraiser at 11 a.m.

Baby Gumper Vending will also be in attendance for children. For additional details on Castanea Days visit www.castaneatownshippa.gov.

— Castanea Days Fireworks Show at 10:15 p.m., at the Robbie Gould Youth Sports Complex, 91 Upper Creek Road, Lock Haven. Parking is allowed at the Castanea Fire Hall Social Club, 300 Hanna St., the Lock Haven Moose, 150 S. Hanna St., and Upper Creek Park (Bald Eagle Creek Boat Launch area). Parking is not allowed on Hanna Street, Lower Creek Road, Upper Creek Road or the Castanea Fireman’s Memorial Bridge. Residents and visitors are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to line Hanna Street or the Castanea Fire Hall Social Club grounds in order to view the fireworks. Fireworks rain date is Sunday, July 20, at 9:45 p.m. For additional details visit www.castaneatownshippa.gov.

— Millbrook Playhouse invites audiences, young and old, to discover the enchanting world of “Tuck Everlasting: Theatre for Young Audiences Edition,” in the Poorman Cabaret. The show will be performed at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Poorman Cabaret. Tickets cost $13 for adults and $9 for students and youth. They are available at www.millbrookplayhouse.org or by calling 570-748-8083. This captivating production, perfect for the entire family, explores the timeless question: What would you do if you could live forever?

Based on Natalie Babbitt’s best-selling children’s classic, “Tuck Everlasting” tells the story of 11-year-old Winnie Foster, who longs for adventure beyond her white picket fence. When she becomes entwined with the mysterious Tuck family, she discovers their secret of immortality and must protect them from those who would do anything for eternal life. Don’t miss this heartwarming tale of family, adventure and the choices that shape our lives. It’s perfect for young audiences and the young at heart!

Sunday, July 20

— Scoop up your friends, grab the family and join others for a sweet, sprinkle covered day of ice cream, laughter and community fun at Wayne Township Park. Activities for the whole family will be available. Join the recreation committee at 2 p.m. for an ice cream social. This event is sponsored by the Wayne Township Landfill and Weis market. The park is open during daytime hours for everyone to enjoy!

— Lamar Lighthouse Camp’s Summer Concert Series featuring The Hyssongs at 6 p.m. The camp is located along Rt. 64 in Lamar. www.lamarlighthousecamp.org or call 570-337-0203.

— Millbrook Playhouse presents “Clue: On Stage” at 2 p.m. Enjoy an evening of murder, mystery and comedy on the Ryan Main Stage. Based on the beloved board game and cult-classic film, “Clue” brings all your favorite colorful suspects to life in a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud whodunit. When six strangers arrive at Boddy Manor for a dinner party, murder is on the menu. As the bodies pile up, everyone becomes a suspect and hilarity ensues as they race to solve the mystery before the killer strikes again. Special group rates for 15 or more people can be requested by calling the Box Office at 570-748-8083. Tickets may also be purchased by visiting www.millbrookplayhouse.org. Patrons can enjoy pre-show drinks at the Stage Right Bar for those 21 and up. The house opens 30 minutes prior to showtime.

— My Chemical Bromance performs on the floating stage from 6:30-9 p.m. as part of the Summer Concert Series.

Monday, July 21

— Blood Drive at Milesburg Community Center, 12:30-6 p.m.

— Dunnstown Fire Company offers a Cash Bingo every Monday night at the fire station on 119 Woodward Ave., Lock Haven. Bingo starts at 6 p.m. and all proceeds help to support the fire company’s needs.