The Applegater

2 Fall 2023 Applegater Fourth annual and largest Ruch Holiday Market this November BY ALLIE PARKIN AND WESTI HAUGHEY Announcing an Applegate Town Hall 6-8 pm Monday, September 25 e Applegate Lions Club and the Applegate Valley Fire District will be sponsoring a community town hall for Applegate Valley residents on Monday, September 25. e meeting will be held at the Applegate Community Church, 18960 North Applegate Road, Applegate, from 6-8 pm. Attendees will get a chance to meet our new fire chief, Chris Wolfard, who will bring everyone up to speed on what's been going on in the district for the past few months, including his assessment of this year's fire season. Chief Wolfard will also lay out the particulars of the proposed fire district tax levy that will appear on the ballot in November. Also in attendance will be Oregon State Representatives Christine Goodwin and Pam Marsh, who represent residents within the fire district. Applegaters will get a chance to meet them and hear the latest about any fire-related initiatives being considered in Salem. All speakers will take questions. We look forward to seeing you there! Questions? Contact Tom Carstens at 541-846-1025. is November, our fourth annual Ruch Holiday Market w i l l b e o u r b i g g e s t e v e n t yet! Due to the overwhelming vendor and patron interest last year, we have decided to hold our market over two weekends with a different set of vendors for each. November 17-18 (1-6 pm Friday and 11 am-4 pm Saturday) will kick off the first set of vendors, with another amazing batch of makers on November 24-25 (1-6 pm Friday and 11 am- 4 pm Saturday). e market takes place at our valley's own Applegate Valley Fire Station (AVFS) Community Hall at 1095 Upper Applegate Road. is will be our second year hosting at this amazing venue, which boasts excellent lighting, restrooms, and ample parking. We are so grateful to our local fire department for creating this space and making it available to the community. Allie Parkin, of Squirrel Medicine Pottery, and Westi Haughey, of Twin Pear Farm, have been hosting this event for three years in a row. "e first couple years we held this event outside," Allie says. "While the weather was kind to us, we didn't want to keep risking getting rained or even snowed out, so I approached AVFS and inquired about renting their community hall. What a great space! It's big, has a full kitchen, bathrooms, and tons of parking for all our patrons. We are so fortunate to have this available to us." e event just keeps on growing. "We love being able to manage such an event for our local artisans and makers," Westi says. "e holiday season is where most of makers' winter business revenue comes from, and we are so happy to give our community an opportunity to meet, shop, and support their neighbors." Come join us to shop local wares from some of the Applegate's most talented artisans and makers, including goat-milk soaps and lotions from Westi at Twin Pear Farm, handmade pottery by Allie from Squirrel Medicine Pottery, goods from McKee Bridge Historical Society, handmade clothing and embellished baskets from Naphtali reads, jewelry and suncatchers from Beka at Madrone Moon, Nymph and Woodsman Wellness herbal medicinal products, needle-felted art and apparel from Wild and Wooly Feltworks, gemstones from Oregon Rocks, amazing hand-joined wood products from JE Dove Woodworking, yummy treats from Lookout Mountain Freeze Drying, pressed flower ornaments by Barb Wallgren, decorative metal art by Kris at Meltdown Metal Art, handmade cards and gift tags from K&L Creations, delicious gluten- and dairy-free cupcakes from Paulazzo Pasticceria, nut butters and jams from Suncatcher Food Forest, and so much more. ere will definitely be something for everyone. We are absolutely thrilled to bring all these talented folks together for two weekends of shopping in our beautiful Applegate Valley. See you there! For more information, email Allie at squirrel.medicine.pottery@gmail.com or Westi at westi@twinpearfarm.com. Follow the Ruch Holiday Market on Facebook or Instagram for updates. Allie Parkin squirrel.medicine.pottery@gmail.com Westi Haughey westi@twinpearfarm.com This year's Ruch Holiday Market will be held over two weekends in November. Village of Enlightenment promises another exciting event BY TAMAURA MURPHY Hello Applegaters! Over 500 people attended the Village of Enlightenment's Cultural Unity Fest at Merete's Cove (formerly Wayside Park) on June 11. e Village of Enlightenment is a volunteer group dedicated to solving social problems. We want to thank the many fine Applegate businesses, performers, and workshop facilitators who helped make the day such a success. ey are too numerous to list here, but we would like to give special recognition to the participation of Ron Smith, former candidate for Josephine County commissioner; Keith Wetlesen, owner of Merete's Cove; and James, the master of ceremonies. On September 9, the Human Kindness Faire will focus on women's and children's rights. The 45-child dancing troop and adult classes of A-Rae of Light Dance will present "Mona," a fictionalized story of 17-year-old Mona Mahmoudnejad, one of ten Irani women executed for teaching Baha'i children's classes 40 years ago. A few of the other highlights include entertainers to make you get up and groove; Wendy Gell, artist and jewelry designer with her pop-up store and workshop; and Vajra Ma, author and motivational speaker. ere will also be local crafters with hand-created items and food creations, health practitioners, entrepreneurs, and folks with plants, natural health products, and farmers market items—the kinds of businesses that help build a resource-based economy right here in the Rogue-Siskiyou and Applegate region. Come for the networking, stay for the fun—swimming in Merete's Cove, where ompson Creek plunges into the mighty Applegate River. Join the Village of Enlightenment's Human Kindness Faire from 1 pm- sunset Saturday, September 9. Bring your friends and loved ones! Each patron gets a free raffle ticket to win gifts and services. A two-dollar bartering-fair day pass is available. See you at the faire! Tamaura Murphy Village of Enlightenment handdesignedcommerce@gmail.com ■ ROSÉ Continued from page 1 who turned 21 this year, is now serving this rosé. Life, good wine, and memories come full circle. So stop by, say "Hi," and get your blush on. Rosé wine accounts for less than ten percent of total wine sales, but both still and sparkling rosés are enjoying an unparalleled surge in demand. Today's rosés, particularly southern Oregon's, are versatile, carefree, fanciful, and a bit mischievous. Carefully crafted, uniquely blended, light, refreshing, and fruit-forward, rosés are the new morning mimosa. Today's younger wine enthusiast has cultivated a palate for the very approachable, affordable, modern rosé, enjoying a perfect pairing with a wide variety of foods. In its early years, rosé was viewed as a sweet feminine beverage, but Applegate winemakers are working a refreshing alchemy as they transform and create a spectrum of rosés destined to delight. is is no longer your mother's rosé. Even the guys are not blushing while enjoying an exquisite glass of "brosé." According to IWSR (International Wine and Spirits Research), rosé consumption in the United States increased by 188 percent between 2015 and 2020. Sales between 2020 and 2024 are forecast to increase another 70 percent. By 2025, roughly one out of every six bottles of wine sold in the US will be a rosé. Apricity Vineyard, once a horse pasture, was converted to a vineyard in 2014. Co-owned by Laloni Cook and Noah Lowrey, Apricity is ecologically farmed, with a vineyard grown among native clovers, fescue grasses, and wildflowers. Laloni says rosés are fresh and fun. "ey can be your barbecue date and adventure buddy. Rosé will happily accompany you to brunch or an afternoon lunch—anything goes." Apricity offers ecologically inspired w i n e s , i n c l u d i n g their unparalleled r o s é m a d e f r o m t h e h e a r t w i t h tempranillo grapes. Nichole Schulte, a n e x p e r i e n c e d w i n e m a k e r w i t h Barrel 42, has been m a k i n g r o s é f o r 14 years. Nichole believes the strong d e m a n d f o r southern Oregon rosé is due in part to the Applegate climate, which favors the same varietals as southern France's climate, where the world's best rosés are currently produced. Nichole shares the growing enthusiasm for the modern version of rosé— much drier and fruitier, with nicely balanced acidity that appeals to a large cross-section of wine lovers. RiverCrest Ranch has been providing the only sustainably grown, LIVE certified, salmon-safe counoise grapes grown in the state of Oregon. ese rare French Rhône grapes have for years gone into Quady North's award-winning rosé. Now, with the help of a USDA grant, RiverCrest Ranch is producing a custom crush that will feature both a still and a sparkling rosé. Get ready to be tickled pink! At present, half of the Applegate Valley wineries offer a rosé; one quarter also offer a sparkling version. Applegate Valley rosés are being made with syrah, grenache, pinot noir, tempranillo, and local grapes grown intentionally for the production of rosé wines. Our local growers and winemakers all agree: the best rosé in the Applegate Valley is the one shared. Cathy Rodgers RiverCrest Ranch Wines cathyrodgers55@gmail.com Apricity's rosé is tempranillo-based. C u b S c o u t s have come to the Applegate Valley and are already making a big impact. Troop l e a d e r R a c h a e l Couch decided to start a new pack in Williams so her son could participate in all the great things that scouting has to offer. "We are so happy about the w a r m we l c o m e a n d s u p p o r t we've received—from Williams American Legion Post 50 chartering us and housing our meetings, Pacifica for hosting our events, Goodwin Creek Gardens for helping us grow plants, and so many others," says Rachael. New Co-ed Cub Scout Troop in Williams e troop is co- ed and open to kids from K-5th grades, who are currently b e i n g m e n t o r e d / h o u s e d u n d e r Ja c k s o n v i l l e Pa c k 17 while the troop continues to grow. "We are working hard for ways to raise funds so that any child in the Applegate Valley interested in joining scouts can do so, regardless of their current financial position," says Rachael. e new pack has been busy learning to fish, taking a tie-dyeing class, trying some science experiments, and visiting the Williams fire department. Troop members Members of new Cub Scout troop visit the Williams fire department. See CUB SCOUTS, page 3.

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