Welcome the Year of the Pig in Jacksonville, Oregon
Schedule of EventsWatch videos from the 2019 celebration!
Download the event poster to share with friends, or print it and post it at your business.
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We have a fantastic line-up of events, demonstrations, and magic!
Born in Indonesia of Chinese descent, grew up in Taiwan, and perfected her craft in San Francisco, Jade is probably the most famous female magician working today. She is known for the beauty, grace, and exotic allure of her acts.
Jade was the winner in 1990 of the male dominated and coveted Gold Medal of Magic from the International Brotherhood of Magicians, a prize awarded only a handful of times in 35 years of competitions. She has since performed around the world, including a show for the Royal Family of Monaco, and an appearance on the “Penn and Teller: Fool Us” show on the CW Network.
(schedule subject to change)
Lions, dragons, gongs and community groups will ring in the Year of the Pig. Come and see SOCCA’s new resident 61-ft long dragon, “The Mighty One”, strutting down California Street. With some respite after over a decade of serpentining down the streets of San Francisco in the annual Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade, The Mighty One is ready to once again display his glory by launching an encore career in Jacksonville. Special thanks to David Lei/Vice Chairman of the Chinese American Community Foundation and Harlan Wong/San Francisco CNY Festival and Parade Director for this remarkable gift to SOCCA. Students participating in SOCCA’s Lion and Dragon Dance Clinic will showcase their newly acquired dance and drumming skills. The clinic, made possible by a generous Small Arts and Cultural Grant awarded by the Oregon Community Foundation, was directed by Master Wally Chow of the Portland based Northwest Dragon & Lion Dance Association, 西北金龍醒獅團. Master Chow has over 30 years of teaching experience. We thank him and his team for helping SOCCA passing on the knowledge and artistries of the traditional lion and dragon dance to the next generation and for sharing these traditions with our community.
Community groups are welcome to join the parade. Deadline: Feb. 1, 2019. Register for the parade online >>
Due to wet weather the dragon jump houses will not be open today.
Two Dragon Jump Houses – City Hall grounds at 206 N. 5th Street for your kids. Parental supervision advised.
Arts, Crafts and Games: lantern building, face-painting and games galore at IOOF Hall, 175 S. Oregon Street
Second Floor, 170 W. California Street
Culinary Presentation: Firecracker Dumplings – presented by Truffle Pig Craft Kitchen. The family trio of father, son, and daughter (James Williams, Skylar Golden, and Shawna Williams) have created this dish utilizing the freshest ingredients from the Rogue Valley. Skylar and James won the 2014 Top Chef at the Ashland Culinary Festival and the 2015 Iron Chef Oregon. They were also voted the Best Food Vendor at the 2017 Ashland Culinary Festival. Admission: $5. Tickets available at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Information Center (next to the Post Office) and at Rebel Heart Books, 157 W. California Street; or at door if available.
Corner of Main Street and Oregon Street
Super Charge Your Health in 2019 with Herbs and Qi Gong – Suzanne E. Sky, L.AC. integrates Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Western herbal and dietary traditions in her practice and daily life. She has practiced as a consultant, researcher/writer and teacher since the 1970’s. This session offers the opportunity for you to discover the practical wisdom of daily herbal teas to optimize well-being. Learn specific herbs to support digestive and cardiovascular health and how to blend a seasonal herbal tea. Also, two simple Qi Gong poses to promote radiant energy and inner calm.
Corner of Main Street and Oregon Street
Chinese Astrology talk – Year of the Earth Pig. Ken Bendat, Chinese scholar and doctor of Chinese medicine, finishes up his 12-year sequence with the Pig, What kind of party is in store for the end of the cycle? The Earth Dog of 2018 had a theme about restoring Justice, the Year of the Pig is the last phase when the Rat in 2020 will start the new round. Find out what it’s about in this amusing and insightful talk, and what might be the best way for you to negotiate your ‘fortune’.
405 E. California St, Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
Chinese Vistas: Tributes to the Builders of the Western Iron Road – Larry Mullaly presents this talk honoring the remarkable contributions of Chinese workers in building the Pacific Railroads as seen through the eyes of contemporary observers. The talk features vignettes taken from travel journals and newspapers of the 1860s and 1870s that capture the energies and dedication of the “sojourners” whose work laid the foundation of the Far West as we know it today. On the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike it is a story deserving to be told. Larry is editor of the Southern Oregon Historical Society Quarterly and speaks frequently on railroad history. He is the author of the Golden West Book, The Southern Pacific in Los Angeles, 1873-1996.
405 E. California St, Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
A Travelogue: a visit to the first Transcontinental Railroad – Elliott Gong presents a photo journal of his tour of the sites in the Sierra Nevadas where Chinese workers lived and worked for the construction of this railroad 150 years ago. Elliott produces a monthly program on a local cable network operated by the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, Gong About, documenting the people and events of human and historical significance.
Tin Cans and Mining Pans: The archaeology of Oregon’s Chinese gold miners – presented by Chelsea Rose, Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA). This talk will focus on the archaeological discoveries and artifacts that SOULA has encountered on Chinese mining sites from across the state.
From Gold Mines to Woodland Trails – Larry Smith will tell the story of how the small town of Jacksonville was able to successfully protect 300 acres of surrounding woodlands, including the historic Chinese Diggings, to construct 16 miles of hiking trails. Following the illustrated talk, a walking tour over to the site of Jacksonville’s China Quarter and the “Chinese Fountain” will conclude the program.
206 N 5th Street
Brush Calligraphy (書法)- Unique to Asian cultures, the ink, flexibility of the brush and the absorptivity of the rice paper, produce an infinite variety of styles and forms and often thought to reveal the character of one’s personality. Presented by Fuyou Long 龍伏佑, graduate of Wuhan University and People’s University in China and a published author will give an introduction and demonstration.
Update: Tai Chi has been cancelled, but join us for a video about the restoration of “The Mighty One”!
Introduction to Tai-chi Basics – Char Hersh has been teaching Tai-Chi at the Ashland Senior Center for 15 years. Beginners can join and learn fundamental tai chi movements. Learn to “part a horse’s mane, play the bass drum, fly like a crane and go from the mountain to the valley…….”
Update: Tai Chi has been cancelled, but join us for a video about the restoration of “The Mighty One”!
Intermediate Tai-chi – for those who have had some experience practicing Tai Chi. Join Char Hersh to learn the Yang Style Ten Form. You will learn to “quiet your monkey mind, carry the tiger, box ears, become a golden cock” while having lots of fun.
245 West Main Jacksonville, OR
Traditional Chinese Arts and Music – Dr. Jiyu Yang, Dean of the Portland Wisdom Arts Academy, a multi-talented Chinese scholar will demonstrate Chinese calligraphy, brush painting and music of the traditional Chinese instrument, Erhu (ニ胡). He will be accompanied by his long-time student, Stephanie Chen playing on the GuZheng (古箏). She is a senior at SOU, majoring in piano performance.
Hundreds of pork bones were recovered from the archeological dig at the Jacksonville Chinese Quarter several years ago. Learn what they can tell us about dinner time more than a century ago.
Chinese History in the Rogue Valley – Carolyn Kingsnorth of the Jacksonville Heritage Society will curate an exhibit made available by the Southern Oregon Historical Society showing early Chinese migrants in their work, recreation activities and festival celebrations. Photographs by Peter Britt are included.
Get ready to be amazed again! Jade returns by popular demand to perform an alluring, exotic and enchanting magic show. She was the winner in 1990 of the male-dominated and coveted Gold Medal of Magic, a prize awarded only a handful of times in 35 years of competitions. She has appeared internationally, including a performance for the Monaco Royal Family, and on television on Penn and Teller: Fool Us.
Admission: $5. Tickets available at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Information Center (next to the Post Office) and at Rebel Heart Books, 157 W. California Street; or at door if available.