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'MORE THAN JUST A GAME' Peace Ceremony added to Pacific Rim Bowl events Ashland-Japan Bowl week also features football game, Hall of Fame induction Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jul. 12, 2015 at 3:09 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jul. 12, 2015 at 3:09 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Touching Peace Ceremony sends message of unity • After 70 years, still fighting for peace » Social News Charlie Hall has always said that the Pacific Rim Bowl is bigger than what takes place on the field once the game actually begins. It even says so right there on the Pacific Rim Bowl XIV official logo: “More than just a game.” And this year, as the game that pits Ashland High School’s varsity football team against a collection of Japanese all stars every other year at alternating sites moves back to Ashland, the Grizzlies’ head coach has gone one step further to make sure that the PRB’s 14th go-round honors that credo. Hall, who will be taking part in his seventh Pacific Rim Bowl, released the itinerary for this year’s PRB on Thursday and the list of events includes many of the game’s greatest hits and a few notable add-ons that Ashland’s longtime head coach hopes will set this Bowl apart from previous installments. The game itself will be played July 31 at Raider Stadium, with the pregame ceremony scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and kickoff at 7:30. This marks the first Ashland-hosted PRB that will not be held at Ashland High’s Walter A. Phillips Field, which is expected to be undergoing a major renovation at the time of the game. The most notable addition to this year’s itinerary may be the Pacific Rim Bowl Peace Ceremony, an hour-and-a-half-long event scheduled for July 28 at the Lithia Park bandshell. It begins with a Taiko drums performance at 11:40 a.m. and will include speeches by Ashland Mayor John Stromberg, Hiroshima survivor Hideko Tamura and Southern Oregon University president Roy Saigo, an instrumental flute performance by Richard Williams and a poetry reading by Ashland High valedictorian Sierra Webster After Williams’ flute performance and before Saigo’s speech, Ashland running back Mason Dow and a Japanese player will share the stage for a sort of combined speech. “They’re going to actually share the same speech, but Mason will say it in English and the Japanese player will say it in Japanese,” Hall said. “They’re basically going to be saying their common thoughts about what this means in terms of relationships.” Hall, who scheduled most of the guests himself, said the Peace Ceremony will provide an opportunity for the Ashland community to experience first-hand part of what makes the Pacific Rim Bowl so meaningful to the players who are able to participate. “It’s a great educational piece that we want to share with the community,” he said. “When we go to Japan and we go to Hiroshima, and we go to the atomic bomb museum and we go to the Hiroshima Peace Park, that’s a very moving event for our players. So we just want to have that connection here in America as well, so people know that we’re dedicated to that belief and that the kids are being taught to respect those things.” The other notable addition to this year’s Pacific Rim Bowl list of festivities is the induction of the PRB’s inaugural Hall of Fame class. Former Ashland High football coach Jim Nagel, former Grizzly player Chad Cota and Japanese officials Akira Furukawa and Kenjiro Ishiki will each be honored and presented with plaques during the Hall of Fame Dinner the night before the game. They’ll also be recognized during the pregame ceremony. Hall said the Hall of Fame Dinner, which is invitation only, is Ashland’s way of honoring those that helped make the Pacific Rim Bowl what it has become. “The last time we went to Japan (in 2013) it was the 25-year anniversary of the first Pacific Rim Bowl and they made a nice gesture to coach Nagel, who went with us to Japan, and then Mr. Furukawa, who is the other Japanese pioneer of the game itself when they first talked in 1986 about doing this. “I think our program has gotten to be more popular and more respected and I think it’s growing in a lot of ways, and I just want to recognize and show appreciation to those early people just like any hall of fame. I think we value what we’re doing and we want to recognize the people that put in the effort in the early years of the program, and I can’t think of a better way to do it than with a dinner and with recognition at the football game.” Pacific Rim Bowl week will also include a Hellgate Jetboat trip down the Rogue River and, for the Japanese, a day trip to Crater Lake for some sightseeing. The Grizzlies, who lead the all-time series 7-6, begin preparing for the game July 22. Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jul. 12, 2015 at 3:09 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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