Ashland without Shakespeare

Sunset, Nov, 1987

Ashland without Shakespeare

When the stages darken at the end of the Oregon Shakespearean Festival in late October, the tourists who jam Ashland's sidewalks, shops, plazas, and theaters for eight months of the year go home--and the town settles into its quietest, most intimate season.

Granted: November through February, you can't take in the award-winning drama festival. Instead, however, visitors spend their days (and nights) skiing at nearby Mount Ashland, browsing in uncrowded shops, and snuggling into cozy bed-and-breakfast inns. And with new theater companies springing up, even drama buffs won't go unrewarded. Ashland, just off I-5 and 14 miles north of the California border, tends to be chilly in winter; residents expect a few short-lived snowfalls each year. Morning fog often blankets the surrounding valley, but just as often it breaks up by afternoon.

Naturally, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's, when the town celebrates what it calls "Come Home for the Holidays,' comprises winter's most festive five weeks. Expect lots of caroling, craft fairs, and lively holiday-theme theatrical productions. This year, the town is also celebrating a railroad centennial, with events culminating December 17.

Window-shopping is at its best, then, too; miniature Christmas scenes outnumber hard-sell displays. But downtown browsing is interesting all winter. A four-year college and the summer theater festival's long season mean that the clientele tends to be discriminating, and shops reflect a sophistication and innovation unusual for a town of only 15,000 residents. Look for vintage and contemporary clothes, intriguing housewares, fine crafts, and unusual selections of books.

Performing arts in the off-season; fine-art galleries, a museum

In addition to the Shakespearean festival, four other professional theater companies now perform in Ashland; three of these are less than two years old. Oregon Cabaret Theater is perhaps the most ambitious; its five-play 1987 season ends in December, with a production of Memories of Christmas mounted in a 76-year-old former Baptist church (the company has converted it into a cabaret-style performance hall).

Though performing arts tend to get more time in the spotlight, Ashland pays attention to fine art, too. Hansen Howard Galleries (82 N. Main Street) and the year-old Schneider Museum of Art (on the southeast corner of the Southern Oregon State College campus) are particularly worth visiting.

A mirrored glass facade (see photograph, page 41) contributes to the small museum's whimsical air. Inside, a light-filled entry gallery displays works from the permanent collection and from smaller, changing exhibits by contemporary artists; the larger main gallery is used for traveling exhibits of national significance. Hours are 11 to 5 Tuesdays through Fridays, 1 to 5 Saturdays; admission is free.

Outdoors: skiing, walking

Two new chair lifts and reduced weekday lift ticket prices make the close (less than 20 miles away) and attractively low-key ski area of 7,523-foot Mount Ashland even more appealing. The area now has two double chairs and two triples. It's a challenging hill; intermediate skiers may be a bit intimidated by the steep grade. Novices ski on a separate "bunny' hill.

The mountain is open from 9 to 4 daily during ski season, with night skiing from 4 to 10 Thursdays through Saturdays. Weekends, lift tickets cost $16 ($12 ages 7 to 12); weekdays, they cost $8 for everyone. Nordic trails begin at the ski area parking lot; they're free, but you'll need to display a snow-park permit from Oregon ($2 daily, $9 season; available at the lodge) or Washington ($10 season).

The less ambitious will find Ashland a good town for walking. Much of the architecture typifies turn-of-the-century design, and you'll see occasional Elizabethan flourishes. At the chamber of commerce (see address below), pick up a 75-cent brochure for a self-guided historic walking tour. Or wander the paths through Lithia Park's winter-tranquil 100 acres; trees are stark and bare, and the park smells wonderfully fresh.

Where to stay? Motels, hotels, more than 2 dozen B & Bs

An array of motels, many quite reasonable, await at the outskirts of downtown. Right in town, among other hostelries, there's the charming and inexpensive Columbia Hotel.

At last count, more than 2 dozen bed-and-breakfast inns were operating in or near Ashland. A few of them close for the winter (a few more close over the holidays), but enough stay open to make reservations almost always easy to get--even on short notice--and all offer off-season discounts. As for dining options, it's hard to find another small town with as many good restaurants per capita (B & B hosts are a great source of recommendations).

For specifics on "Come Home for the Holidays' events, theater schedules, general information, or help choosing lodging, write or call the Ashland Chamber of Commerce, 110 E. Main St., Ashland 97520; (503) 482-3486.

Photo: Trailing their shadows, night skiers glide beneath floodlights on groomed Mount Ashland slope