Applegater Spring
2012 1
U.S. Postage
Applegate Valley Community Newspaper, Inc.
7386 Highway 238, PMB 308
Jacksonville, OR 97530
Paid
Non-Profit
Permit No. 50
Grants Pass,
OR 97526
Photo by Liz Butler
SPRING 2012
Volume 5, No. 2
Applegate Valley Community Newspaper
Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 9,300
of barbecue and other treats.
• Local musicians will provide
entertainment throughout the day.
• Our local emergency service
providers will be on hand to show
what they do and how they do it.
• Car clubs will hold poker
runs to wineries, historic sites,
and other Applegate Valley areas
of interest. The Medford Porsche Club
was the first to sign up.
Outside Cantrall-Buckley Park,
additional events will be held throughout
the valley. The Rat Race Paragliding
Competition will bring around 175 pilots
from all over the world. Pilots will launch
their parachute-like crafts from Woodrat
Mountain above Ruch in a weeklong series
of competitions from June 17 - 23.
Have you ever tried geocaching?
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure-
hunting game. Players try to find hidden
containers, called “geocaches,” using GPS-
enabled devices. As part of Applegate
Valley Days, the Amazing Geocache
event will combine “Amazing Race”-
type activities with the treasure hunt of
Applegate Valley Days
to be celebrated in June
BY DAViD LAANANEN
Be sure to circle June 22 - 24 on your
calendar so you don’t miss the biggest event
held in the Applegate Valley in recent
times! Applegate Valley Days will offer
a weekend of fun for everyone, whether
you’re four or one hundred and four. The
weekend will be filled with events that
you won’t want to miss. With such a wide
variety of activities, everyone who comes
will find something special to enjoy.
Many of the events will be held at
Cantrall-Buckley Park:
• Educational activities showcasing
the history of the area will include displays
of old logging equipment, antique farm
machinery, and antique cars, as well as
demonstrations of gold mining.
• A vendors’ area for local products,
including arts and crafts, quilting,
genealogy, period dressers, and a variety
of outstanding local produce and food.
• A winery pavilion will offer a
variety of Applegate wines as well as the
opportunity to purchase wine and beer
to accompany the delicious food that will
also be for sale. Of course, nonalcoholic
beverages will be available as well.
• A special children’s area will be
devoted to play and learning. An animal
exhibit is being planned, as well as a dog
agility event.
• The entire family will enjoy
spending time outdoors in this beautiful
setting, walking around the park, strolling
along the river, and picnicking. It will be
difficult to resist the mouthwatering aroma
Log on
to our website
www.applegater.org
Postal Patron
geocaching. Everyone who completes the
course will receive a participation prize and
be entered to win a handheld GPS device.
Go to www.geocaching.com to learn more
about this sport.
A new event under development for
Applegate Valley Days is a biathlon, usually
associated with the Winter Olympics.
Unlike the winter biathlon (a part of
Norwegian Army training), no skis are
required to compete in the summer version
of the event. Originally conceived as a
training mechanism for winter Olympians,
the summer biathlon typically consists of
a three- to six-mile run with two shooting
stops. The course is divided into three legs
with prone shooting following the first
leg and standing shooting following the
second leg. For both shoots, competitors
have five rounds to hit five targets. Also
unlike the winter biathlon, rifles remain
in the shooting range. As this will be the
first such event in the area, this novice
(sport class) competition will be shot from
25 meters. Instead of penalizing for shots
missed, this competition will reward racers
See VALLEY DAYS, page 22
Rat Race organizers and pilots generous to local community
Largest paragliding event in U.S.
flies into the Applegate in June
BY BArBArA hoLiDAY
It all began as a “gaggle” (a group of
paragliders hovering high in the sky) more
than ten years ago at a fun fly-in near Bend,
Oregon, when paraglider pilot Mike Haley
decided to break from the gaggle to start a
friendly race and led the way for 15 other
paraglider pilots to follow in pursuit. His
wife Gail and a friend picked up the pilots
along the way, which wound up being a
21-mile course. At the time, Mike said,
“Someone should plan a real race, but
they need to be trained.” That “someone”
turned out to be Mike and Gail.
Today the USA 2012 National
Rat Race Paragliding Competition, still
organized by the Haleys, is the largest of
its kind in the United States, drawing its
maximum of 175 pilots from around the
globe, and is considered to be among the
best five events in the world.
Because the Rat Race is also a training
event, the competition attracts more new
pilots than anywhere in the country. Those
new pilots are matched with experienced
mentors, including top Rat Race pilots
who compete
internationally. “Top
pilots like to give
back. They used to
keep their secrets to
winning to themselves,
b u t n o w t h e y ’r e
mentoring others,”
Mike explained. Rat
Race mentors have
an average of three
mentees each.
The Rat Race
will be held June
17-23, coinciding with the three-day
Applegate Valley Days event on June 22-
24. Launching from Woodrat Mountain
as usual, this year the Rat Race is adding
some impressive “firsts”:
• The National Champion—both
men’s and women’s—will be crowned. For
the first time, Mike applied for and was
awarded the “National” moniker for the
Rat Race from the US Hang Gliding and
Paragliding Association (USHPA).
Photos, from left to right: paraglider pilots
suited up for take off from Woodrat Mountain
(photo by Gail Haley), and solitary pilot with
paraglider billowing and ready to fly
(photo by Andrew Zoechbauer).
• Some of the US World Team will
be chosen from this year’s participants.
• The annual fundraising dinner will
be held at Fiasco Winery and will be open
to the public and free of charge.
• Video feeds at Jacksonville
wineries—Fiasco, Fly High/Longsword,
Valley View and Red Lily—and other
locations such as GoodBean Coffee in
Jacksonville, will allow the public to view
the competition live.
• The local club, Rogue Valley Hang
Gliding and Paragliding Association
(RVHPA), is involved this year and will
be providing breakfast for the pilots one
morning.
Among the Haley’s ongoing goals is
to “constantly get better.” This year’s goals
include improving the results of the World
Team, and continuing to raise funds for
charitable donations.
See PArAGLiDiNG, page 17
INSIDE THE GATER
Some old gas stations..............................page 6
Snakes in the ’Gate...................................page 13
Wonderful person behind Jo’s List.....page 16
Burning answers......................................page 20