Hollywood Comes to Ashland

It was about 18 years ago that John Dickerson and Matthew Noyes were at this plaza singing that very same song.

Now, they are back being paid to reenact what happened here at Lithia Plaza the day that Grateful Dead band member Jerry Garcia died.

“We are going to have 120 extras here and 60 cars so we are going to control the whole plaza,” says first assistant director Urs Herschbiegl.

Why

That’s the day in 1995 that Cheryl Strayed made her way to Lithia Plaza while on an 1100 mile hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in a journey of self discovery.

Herschbiegl says “she runs into a young guy that hands out flyers for a dead head concert for a Jerry Garcia memorial concert later that night and she meets him here on the plaza and they have a little affair together and that’s basically the action that happens with Cheryl in Ashland.”

She documented her journey into a best selling novel and it’s now going to the big screen.

“We’re doing a movie adaptation of the whole thing,” Herschbiegl says.

Reese Witherspoon has the leading role.

Posting on her Facebook she says..

“Here’s first pic of me as Cheryl Strayed in “Wild”. So excited to play Cheryl Strayed in a movie!”

She’s excited and so are the many people passing by wondering what’s going on and snapping pictures as soon as they find out.

“We don’t really have Hollywood coming into town, especially Ashland so when it does, people are normally cool about it,” says Ashland resident Emily Harris.

A “Wild” adventure that has made it’s way to Lithia Plaza right here in Ashland.

The film production equipment and vehicles will use both Winburn Way and the Historic Ashland Armory on Oak Street as base camp from late Monday evening through early Wednesday morning. They will be shooting scenes on and around the Plaza and will park 1995 or older vehicles in that area to reflect the period in which the movie is set. Traffic is rerouted both for the safety of the cast and crew, and so that vehicles newer than 1995 are not inadvertently captured in the background of the film.

Please note that during the filming production, no sidewalks will be closed. However, depending upon the scene being filmed, pedestrians may be asked to wait a few minutes before proceeding along the sidewalk:

The following street and parking closures will be in effect.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Winburn Way will have no parking beginning at 10:00 p.m. and will have no thru traffic beginning at 2:00 a.m. on October 22. Normal traffic and parking will resume on Winburn Way at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23.

The following streets will have no parking beginning at 10:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22:

Streets immediately surrounding the Plaza

Water Street (N. Main Street to Central Avenue)

Oak Street (E. Main Street to Lithia Way)

North/East Main Street (Bush Street to Pioneer Street)

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

There will be no thru traffic on the following streets beginning at 5:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.:

Streets immediately surrounding the Plaza

Water Street (N. Main Street to Central Avenue)

Oak Street (E. Main Street to Lithia Way)

North/East Main Street (Bush Street to Pioneer Street) traffic will be re-routed onto Lithia Way, similar to the 4th of July parade routing.

There will be no parking on the following streets beginning at 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.:

First Street (E. Main Street to B Street)

Second Street (Lithia Way to B Street)

Lithia Way (Second Street to mid-block between First Street and Pioneer Street)

Grant Street (Chestnut Avenue to N. Main Street) will have no parking beginning at 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and no thru traffic from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

There will be intermittent traffic controls on the following streets, expect delays:

Lithia Way (Bush to Oak, both directions), from 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.

Lithia Way (at Second Street) from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.

North Main Street (at Grant Street) from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Closures on Water Street are to accommodate filming a scene where the main character walks up Water Street towards the Plaza. Closures on North and East Main Street and the streets surrounding the Plaza are to accommodate filming scenes on the Plaza and in Papaya. Intermittent traffic delays will occur on Lithia Way to accommodate filming a scene on the corner of First Street and Lithia Way. Intermittent delays will occur on North Main Street at Grant Street to accommodate filming scenes at the Breadboard restaurant. Intermittent traffic delays should last no longer than five minutes for each delay.