Our first contestant is the Grants Pass Grower’s Market, also known as the Saturday Market. This market is open weekly, every Saturday from mid-March to November. Located downtown at NW 4th St. and NW F St., the market features local vendors selling a variety of products. Agriculture products, food and drink options, and a diverse selection of crafts are available. Vendors travel from every corner of southern Oregon, including but not limited to: Roseburg, the Illinois Valley, Butte Falls, Canyonville, and the Oregon Coast. Since 1993, the market has been a major attraction for our local community here in Southern Oregon. The Grants Pass Growers Market states that “In peak season, more than 120 vendors participate, welcoming between 300 and 5,000 customers.” The Grants Pass Grower’s Market has brought together a tight-knit community over the past few decades. With so many options, it can be easy to waste the hours away, walking through this exceptionally polished marketplace. 

Another great pastime event in Grants Pass is Art in the Garden. This event is located at the Grants Pass Museum of Art, which is located at 229 SW G St., 2nd Floor. This two-day annual event has a tour of eight gardens, featuring over 50 artists, with an addition of authors and food trucks. Art in the Garden is a beautiful event, with self-guided tours through private local gardens that are completely filled with art.  According to Visit Grants Pass, “Tickets are $25 per person, and kids under 12 are free.” These tickets can be purchased online or in person. Their booklets may also be picked up at the museum or a designated call location. It would be a shame to miss out on this wonderful pastime opportunity, so put this event in your calendar to save the date! 

Finally, those who are hoping to spend this summer as if they had traveled back to a different era can breathe. Outdoor movies are just the thing to transport us into an age that we were born too late to experience. In the past, several places in and around Grants Pass have hosted outdoor movie events. Historically, during summertime at Riverside Park, there have been several outdoor theater setups, where audiences could watch movies on a large projector screen while sitting in the grass, just as the sun starts to fade into an array of pinks and oranges as it creeps behind the mountains. There have been movie nights at Wild River in Grants Pass, as well. Yet another venue has been the Grants-Pass Drive-In. This event has been previously located at 2400 Pleasant Valley Road, in Merlin. There has been no talk about these events specifically being available this summer. Still, make sure to keep an eye out in Grants Pass, because you never know if you might come across one of these outstanding events. In the meantime, you can check out similar events around southern Oregon. Summer Movies in the Park has a list of movies planned for summer. On May 29, Moana was shown at Don Jones Park. On June 12, Zootopia 2 will be playing at Twin Creeks Park. And on June 26, the Central Point community will pick a movie at Robert Pfaff Park. This event ends on Aug. 7. Medford has a closely related event called Movies in the Park. This event has showings from June 20 to Aug. 8. Their first showings consist of Zootopia 2, Lilo and Stitch, Hoppers, and more. All of these events are free as well, so besides gas prices, there is no need to worry about budgeting for these summer movies.