It’s that time … and Jacksonville has a lot to sell! The yard sale is scheduled during daylight hours both Saturday and Sunday. Bring cash, water, comfy shoes and your patience .. because there are some serious treasures to be found!

Who’s in?

The 41st Annual Umpqua Valley Wine, Art & Music Festival is next weekend – September 11 & 12. Presented by the Southern Oregon Wine Institute and held at Umpqua Community College, this year’s festival includes local wineries (14

wineries are on the schedule!) fantastic food, artists, antique & vineyard bike tour, car show and fire engine display + much much more (check out the full schedule!)

The festival is open from 11 am to 9:30 pm on Saturday and from 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 5-14 years old… the best deal is the one-day family pass for $25. Purchase tickets at the gate or online

541Live Tip: Bluesman Curtis Salgado is headlining the Festival on Saturday evening. Salgado was the inspiration for Jake Blues in the hit movie “The Blues Brothers” after the author met Salgado – and his harmonica – during the filming of “Animal House” in Eugene. If you like soulful blues music and amazing harmonica – you won’t want to miss this one (+ your festival ticket gets you into this show… deal!)

The inside of Gaetano’s is surprising. Recently remodeled, the scene is set in a Mediterranean Village, complete with stone floors, murals, a fountain and column facades. Serving weekday lunches and light dining in the trattoria, formal evening meals in the Gaetano Room and a relaxing lounge – with leather couches, plasma TV’s and full service premium bar to boot.

The lunch menu includes fresh salads and soups, sandwiches, pasta, pizzas and desserts. Lunch prices range from $6.50 for the bruschetta antipasti, $5.00 for the Zuppa del Giorna (chef creation of the day!) to $9.95 for the pasta dishes (check out my favorite in the picture to the right – it’s the tortellini alla panna) and $9.95 and up for pizza & sandwiches.

An extensive menu of Italian food including pasta, seafood, chicken, veal and eggplant dishes, are served in the formal dining area – Gaetano’s Room. Dinner prices range from 16 to $30.

The Gaetano wine list features house reds and whites by the glass. The Italian reds, whites and chiantis are the stars of the wine list, along with the great selection of Oregon, California and Washington labels. Wine prices range from average to high-end.

541Live Tip: this one is important… save room for dessert (& thank me later) The Torta di Pere and Cioccolata is a chocolae tart filled with poached pear and served with wildberry sauce or the Pastatella – a dense chocolate and almond dessert served with vanilla ice cream and Gran Marnier sauce. just please… try not to lick your plate!

Gaetano’s Hours:

• Monday-Friday for lunch from 11:30am to 2pm and dinner from 5pm-10pm
• Saturday they serve dinner from 5pm-10pm
• The lounge is open Monday-Thursday from 4pm to midnight and 4pm to 2am on Friday and Saturday

Proceeds from the Taste of Harry & David will go to support Access Food Share’s Food Bank. Join in on this flavorful celebration to give back and help people of our community by contributing to Access’s Fresh and Canned Food Drive.

Admission is $15, or $10 with your donation of ten cans of food.

Stop in for a carwash, enjoy a free ice cream or popcorn and help your neighbors! Sounds awesome

I was recently stuck in a birthday party planning rut and needed to find a few cool new ideas. The 541live community threw out a few dozen birthday party ideas – Here are the best 6 ideas for Southern Oregon (+ links to other regions at the end)

Railroad Park in Medford: You can rent it for a few hours, or more… Party includes trainrides and pavillion area!

Emigrant Lake Waterslides. Only available June 7-September 6 … this is a day of crazy fun! Racing down twin waterslides on a hot day.. not many parties can top this one! Easy on the parents too! Supervise, shaded patio area (perfect for cake & presents) and it’s only $7/slider for an 1.5 hours (just about all you need)

Family Fun Center: Bumper boats, Go-Carts, Miniature Golf, Cactus Jack’s Playhouse and huge game arcade… Party packages include a variety of activities with many price options.

Roller Odyssey in Medford:  The roller skating rink provides hours of fun – they can provide the food, spot for cake and hours of fun (without clean up!) Party packages start at just $69, one party package even includes a pair of skates for the birthday kiddo. Great for boys and girls, teens and adults

Petting Zoo on South Stage Road: Fluffy animals to pet, balloons, pony rides and farm activities – perfect for young children. 2 party packages to choose from – kids + critters = serious fun, right?!

KC97 Airplane… you know the one – this is the cool airplane parked in front of the airport in Medford! You can rent the plane for a few hours or overnight (imagine a slumber party out there!) The plane is wheelchair accessible and they have tables & chairs to boot. What a fun party site! Find more info at Jackson County county website at

Huge hat tip to a few of our Facebook followers: Wendy, Kaia, Lucas, Caleb, Nikki Jo, Cree and Jennifer. Thanks for the fabo ideas!

Waterbottles: These are always on the must have list, also one of the items you can’t miss in every store. I found a few cute ones at Paddington Station.  In case you can’t see the writing .. the yellow bottle says “I (heart) water” and the blue is a very “thirsty” alligator.. seriously – I’m hoping these are so well liked they won’t be lost!  Money Pouch from Horsefeathers of Ashland – You would never loose your lunch money with one of these leather money pouches.. in the shape of a moneky, cow, strawberry, panda, elephant and many more.

It’s always shocking to put on proper shoes after a long summer of sandals and flip-flops! You’ll find the perfect pair of shoes for boys and girls at Little Feet Shoes in Medford. Darcie, the new owner of Little Feet, always carries the best styles from premium brands like Stride Rite, Crocs, Ugg amd Merrell.. plus many more. With back-to-school deals and hundreds of styles to choose from – this is the place to find shoes that will last all school year. Recycled notebooks: Yep – kids still use paper! Notebooks are on the list of every student.. but I found a few cute options at Office Depot in Medford

… and fantastic (& affordable) reusable leather journals at HorseFeathers of Ashland

Everyone needs a thumb drive, right?  I loved these board shaped drives I found at Office Depot in Medford…  surfboard, skateboards and snowboards were available… plus a lipstick shaped one that was voted to be a tad over the top!

Lunchbox: ok.. so I realize there is a time in a students life that lunchboxes aren’t so cool.. but for the kiddos and adults that still carry them – there are some pretty fun options. This modern double decker lunch kit at Target in Medford has separate compartments so nothing gets squished. Best part is – the compartments can combine into one big one… so carrying a tall thermos is a breeze.

Highlighters – boring.. but these are pretty cute! Found them at the South Medford Freddies

541Live Tip: Still need to go to the Mall? Check out the complete list of Sales & Deals at the Rogue Valley Mall

The new group, led by Cerri Bunten – a certified Zumba instructor, meets at the Grange Hall in Central Point (corner of Fifth & Pine) and costs $5 per class! Yep, no monthly fees, no contracts, no major commitments.. just show up (or pay in advance buy 6 classes and get one free!) and Zumba! All classes are 1 hour and are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm and Saturday at 9am.

Still wondering what all the excitement over Zumba is about? Zumba is the perfect mix of an aerobic class with music and dance moves of based on merengue, cumbia, cha cha and salsa.

Each Zumba class has a specific formula – a set of dance steps is repeated during the verse of the song and a different set of moves are repeated during the chorus.

541live Tip: The Saturday class is very small… this is a great time for beginners – get that extra support and practice! Be sure to wear supportive shoes & gym appropriate clothes. Don’t forget your towel and water

Kelsey has struck again… with Mini Slider Hamburgers complete with dozens of topping ideas for a customized meal!

Make an assortment of mini hamburgers for a party or a fun family meal. Lay out a smorgasbord of toppings and let everyone build their own slider.  You can buy the rolls of your choice or you can make your own buns which is surprisingly simple to do.  The following slider ideas are topping combos that we enjoyed.  Serve the mini burgers with fruit salad, potato salad, french fries or sweet potato fries.

You can find the complete collection of recipes and activities at ItsyBitsyFoodies or follow Kelsey on Facebook

Ingredients:

Mini Sliders:

• 1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken
• 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp grated cheese, optional
• Cheese slices (such as Cheddar or Colby Jack)

Mini Hamburger Buns:

• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 1/2 tsp yeast (2 packages)
• 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup +1 Tbsp milk, divided
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs, divided

Combine the sugar, salt, yeast and 1 1/2 cups flour in a bowl.  In a saucepan, heat 1 cup milk and the butter over low heat until the butter melts and the mixture is very warm.  Gradually add the liquid into the dry ingredients, beating for 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and 1/2 cup flour to make a thick batter.  Beat for 2 minutes, then stir in 2-2 1/2 cups flour to make a soft dough.  Knead the dough for 10 minutes on a lightly-floured surface or with the dough hook until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl, first brushing the top on the greased bowl so that it doesn’t dry out.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 hour or until it doubles.

Punch down the dough and divide it in half.  Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.  Cut each half into 6 pieces for larger buns or up to 12 pieces for smaller rolls.  Shape the pieces into balls and place them on a greased baking sheet 2 inches apart.  Cover the rolls and let them rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

In a small bowl, beat 1 egg and 1 Tbsp milk.  Brush the rolls with the egg glaze and bake them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden.  Cool the rolls slightly on a wire rack and slice in half to serve as hamburger buns.

Mix the ground meat with the soy sauce and spices.  Stir in 1 Tbsp cheese if desired.  Form into small patties.  (We made six sliders with 1 pound of meat.)  Grill on the BBQ until the meat is fully cooked.

Bacon & Guacamole Slider

1. Bacon strips, cooked
2. Guacamole
3. Colby Jack cheese slice
4. Blue cheese crumbles, optional

Sweet Potato & Caramelized Onion Slider

1. Mashed Sweet Potatoes/Yams
2. Caramelized Onions
3. Cheese slice

*Bake the sweet potatoes/yams in at 400 degrees for an hour or until soft.  As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel and mash them.  You can add milk, butter and/or brown sugar but we usually leave them plain because they are naturally moist and sweet.

*Slice the onion(s) in rings.  (We like using purple onions and sweet onions.)  Lightly coat a pan with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat.  Cook the onion rings until they are golden and tender.

Bacon & Mashers Slider

1. Garlic mashers
2. Bacon strips, cooked
3. Ketchup
4. Cheese slice

Sweet & Spicy Slider

1. Caramelized Onions
2. Salsa cream dip
3. Cheese slice

Southwest Slider

1. Guacamole
2. Salsa Cream Dip
3. Roasted green chile
4. Cheese slice

An Ashland city fund to help victims of the south Ashland fire that destroyed 11 homes is up and running.

Cash donations to the Firehouse Five Foundation can be dropped off at Ashland Fire Station 1, located at 455 Siskiyou Boulevard, between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Donations may also be made to any US Bank branch, under the name, “Ashland Fire Victim Fund.” For more information please contact Marilee Stainbrook (541-890-9077) or Monica Meenaghan at 541-499-5507.

To donate clothing you may drop items at Ashland Hardware, Ashland Shop and Cart, Ashland Windermere Van Vleet, and the Ashland YMCA lobby. For more info contact Gary Stamps at (541) 621-3059.

541live Tip: Check out the carwash fundraiser hosted by Yellow Submarine Car Wash – September 3-6