Outreach Update: Fall 2023
We are making progress on the Umpqua Outback Community Space! As expected, it is a slow process and will involve 4 stages with the goal of having the whole project complete by May 2024. At the end of last month, our team of volunteers (Ken Carloni, Mark Eason and other volunteers) worked for several days building the stage. It was very exciting to see us make physical progress on the project. The first community event on the stage was a wedding! Old Soul Pizza, which has the building next to Umpqua Watersheds is partner in the project and Ray Bartram’s daughter (and manager of Old Soul Pizza) got married on the stage. It is exciting to think about all of the events which will take place in the Umpqua Outback in the months to come. We envision it to add a much needed place where people can come together to enjoy music, food, theatrical events and presentations.
We have raised almost $20,000 in cash and in-kind donations so far but still need to raise additional $20,000 for cash matches for grants we are seeking. All donations to the project qualify as a tax-deductible donation. Please consider donating to support the project by going to the gofundme page https://www.gofundme.com/f/umpqua-outback-covered-stage-and-community-space or by scanning the QR Code below. Every little bit helps!
Our first Umpqua Watersheds event in the Umpqua Outback will be the Umpqua Brew Fest which will be part of the Roseburg Blocktober Fest event on Saturday, October 7th. One of the major goals of the Umpqua Outback Project was to enable us to have the Umpqua Brew Fest and other major events in our own facility, saving thousands of dollars in expense. We are so excited to be part of Blocktober Fest this year. It is a perfect example of many organizations working together to create something special for our community. Last year over 4,000 people came to the first Blocktober Fest and this year we hope to have over 6,000 people.
