Jacksonville, Ore — It’s Britt season in the Rogue Valley and that means the hills of Jacksonville will soon be alive with the sounds of music.
It also means the shops of Jacksonville will be filled with the sounds of retail.
The sometimes sleepy town of Jacksonville is waking up to it’s biggest season of the year.
“Living here you feel, there’s a certain vibrancy, an energy, I live right downtown myself, and it’s kind of like being in an urban area even though it’s a small town,” said Mike Thornton.
That energy coming from just up the hill at the Britt Gardens, where the Britt Festival is kicking off.
“This is our favorite day of the season! It’s load in day, it’s our first show and we are super psyched,” said Britt Festival President & CEO Donna Briggs.
The final touches are being put on the Britt Gardens, the focal point of Jacksonville’s festival season.
“We have beautiful brand new picnic tables, the lawn has never looked so good. Between all the improvements over the past 5 years and the improvement this year. Britt really has come into world class category as far as I’m concerned,” said Briggs.
And that’s good news for local business owners like Thornton, who runs Britt Cottage just down the road.
“We’re excited, kicking off tonight. Nice thing about Britt is it attracts locals and people from out of town. Always love to sit out there in the Britt Gardens and enjoy the music and the weather,” said Thornton.
Thornton, like many in Jacksonville, hope this season brings plenty of visitors, new and old.
“It’s just a getaway, a lot of people like the small town feel of Jacksonville and it’s just a fun place to come for vacation,” said Thornton.
The Britt festival kicks off with ‘Rain’, a ‘Beatles’ tribute band Thursday night at 8pm. Tickets are still available. You can find them at www.brittfest.org
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