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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us October 3, 2005 Essentially Ashland Soroptimist International of Ashland: Comfort for a cause Bearing blankets and pillows, Soroptimists offer comfort to the cold and uncomfortable Lance Pugh In the mid 1970s my wife, Annette, and I went to an outdoor performance at the Festival. I was wearing a white linen shirt and pants. The day had been warm and I eschewed the thought of bringing a coat. I looked cool. In fact, cool would soon be the order of the night. I now forget which play we saw. It was, however, a very long play. Long enough to last through some pretty interesting changes in the weather. As soon as the play began the temperature began to drop, precipitously. A light drizzle soon fell upon us, turning my linen into a sponge of full of cold water. The precipitation soon turned into sleet, which made my teeth chatter. Soon a light dusting of snow landed to perfect my impersonation of a frozen halibut in the freezer. By the time I realized that I might need medical assistance, the Soroptimists had sold out of pillows, blankets and raincoats. From that moment on I vowed to scoot over to the pillow booth early, not after the damage was done. Annette was wearing a heavy poncho over her dress and could not understand why I was moaning under my chattering and shivering. Sometimes I can get in the way of a story. Thus, I have asked some leading Soroptimists to give us their remembrances of their evenings working in the pillow booth through time. From Sara Brown: Two Soroptimists run the pillow/blanket booth for each performance at the OSF Elizabethan Stage — from June to October. Soroptimist coordinators of the pillow booth are Joan Evans and Cynthia Bennett. Soroptimists Polly Arnold and Sara Brown man the pillow and blanket booth at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Submitted photo We rent pillows and blankets for $2 each. Patrons can buy ponchos or green garbage bags if it rains. One-half of the proceeds from the pillow booth will be donated to OSF (after replacement of worn pillows/blankets, laundry — we wash all the pillows and blankets three times during the season) fee to have the blankets and pillows picked up after each show, and rain gear purchase). The remainder will be used to fund Soroptimist service projects such as scholarships to local high school and college girls/women, crisis intervention, Community Health Center, senior projects, food banks, Trees of Joy, Cancer Awareness Project, etc.” From Mavis Cloutier: Began in 1949 by renting pillows only. They were stored in a large cardboard box, and a card table was set up. Members walked through the grass and rented the pillows to patrons seated on the wooden benches, which had been built by the Lions Club. I heard they started out with pillows brought by the members from home. In 1952 the club purchased 25 pillows for $25. The first blankets were rented in 1957. That was the year we gave out the first Festival Scholarship for $225. It was given to a woman in the costume shop. The booth was renovated in 1974 and opened the booth with completely new blankets and cushions financed with club capital. 1976-receipts were $6,983 (one-half to the festival). In 1977-78 — $7,871. At that time the rental was 50 cents for either pillow or blanket. From Laurie Bixby Fox: You should add the story that was published in the Reader’s Digest several years back. One of the actors commented that when it rained and we had sold garbage bags as rain protection, from the stage it looked like ‘a sea of wet zucchini.’ Always good for a smile. From Marilyn Bailey: I loved the old booth; it was just a little funky thing that, along with the other concessions, was along the back wall of the theater facing the stage. We watched the green show — which was performed on a little riser between our booths and the lighting booth — along with everyone else, heard the trumpet (for real, not recorded) call everyone to their seats, saw the flag go up and the play begin. We had to very quietly count out our change and close the booth as any noise we made could be heard in the audience. As we left the booth (after carefully hiding the cash bag under a loose board in the floor), we could walk right up to the rail behind the top row of seats and watch for a bit. I worked the last night of the old theater, when many folks from the past at OSF came to celebrate the old bowl before the wrecking ball fell the next morning to begin the remodel (1989). It was a wonderful, nostalgic gathering. The new theater configuration is, certainly, a big improvement for many reasons, but I do miss feeling more a part of the evening’s events. Now, the recorded trumpet sounds, the doors to the theater itself close and we walk out making all the noise we want. For many years, we have paid OSF workers to pick up the pillows and blankets after the performance and put them away in the booth. When I was chair of the booth committee sometime in the early ’90s, OSF and I came up with the idea of paying those same workers to dry the pillows and blankets on rainy nights, so that we Soroptimists did not have to do that. Prior, on a rainy night, we would have to call around and rally up as many members as we could to go to the theater after the play was over (or had been closed down), collect and take all our soggy goods to a local laundromat and spend until 1 or 2 a.m. drying, folding and returning everything to the booth. No one minded at all when I made that deal with OSF. Although we pay for the workers and the drying, we all think it’s well worth the cost. It was around that same time that OSF asked if we would mind not being open during intermission as their concession stand could use our counter space. OK by us, as a big night at intermission might be $10, which was hardly worth coming back for. Most nights it was less than $5. I have long felt, as do many of us, that our pillow booth is the most pleasant, fun fundraising imaginable. For the most part we are dealing with a crowd of people who are happy to give us their money, and like the fact that they are supporting not only OSF (whom they clearly love), but our community projects as well. And it is a great reminder of how lucky we are to live in this town: We are dealing with people who have planned their vacations around coming to our town and they are so excited about it. It is a very happy bunch and they remind me every time of my good fortune.” A while back I was strolling downtown as a light rain began to fall. Soon a bursting wind appeared and the rain began to get serious. I ducked under an awning while thinking of all the good works the Soroptimists of Ashland can do, if only foul weather keeps stuffing their sock. “Soroptimist — meaning “best for women” — is an international volunteer service organization for business and professional women whose mission is to improve the lives of women and girls locally and globally. For information about the Soroptimist club of Ashland call 482-3992. Future columns will focus on various businesses as well as key individuals and events that will lead the charge from times past to lend perspective to the revival of Ashland. Send your favorite remembrances to: [email protected]. 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