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WILDFIRE Smoke cancels Ashland City Band concert, closes pool Comment By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 6, 2015 at 5:43 PM Updated Aug 7, 2015 at 3:46 PM By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 6, 2015 at 5:43 PM Updated Aug 7, 2015 at 3:46 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Ashland monitor reads 'unhealthy' • Local Take: How are you coping with all the smoke? • Stouts fire still growing, but in a good way • Air monitoring station will be set up in Ashland » Social News Continued smoky skies due to wildfires in southern Oregon and northern California led to the cancellation of the Ashland City Band concert Thursday night and the early closure of Daniel Meyer Pool in the afternoon, canceling an afternoon open swimming session, swimming lessons and a water aerobics class. The air quality index score Thursday afternoon in Medford was 171, which put it in the "unhealthy" bracket of the six-step scale. The reading in Shady Cove, the closest monitoring station in Jackson County to the Stouts fire in Douglas County, was at 205 Thursday, in the "very unhealthy" range. The air on Wednesday was bad enough that the performance of "Head Over Heels" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival was halted midway through the show, the second time smoke has stopped the show this season. The same show was called off just before it started Saturday. Decisions about whether to go on with the show are made at a meeting held daily at 6:15, according to OST Safety Manager Janice Tacconi and Communications Manager Amy Richard. Participants in the meeting include the cast, stage manager, executive director and box office representatives. "It's a judgment call," Richard said, with no certain air quality index number that determines the decision. "Musicals are harder," she added, because of the additional demands on lung capacity and exposure to potentially harmful soot in the air. Ashland will have a better handle on its air quality when a monitoring device installed Thursday atop the Black Swan Theatre at 15 South Pioneer Street comes online. Other stations have been or will be put in by the U.S. Forest Service near the Britt Festival grounds in Jacksonville, Tiller and Eagle Point for use in tracking smoke from fires on Forest Service lands. Readings from the device, when available, will be posted on a USFS website, not on the DEQ site. (Update, 1 p.m. Friday: The website address is www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl . Ashland is monitor number 216. Data are given in micrograms per cubic meter. The time is GMT, which is six hours ahead of PDT. Ashland data are also posted at oregonsmoke.blogspot.com .) This is the second time such a device has been placed at OSF, Richard said. The first time was in 2013 during a series of wildfires that led to the accumulation of stagnant air in the Rogue Valley for an extended period. The instrument uses a light scattering measurement to determine the level of particulates in the air. It also measures relative humidity, which can affect the readings; wind direction and speed; and temperature. Regarding the city pool closure, city officials said employees will evaluate air quality each morning and decide by 5:30 a.m. whether to open the pool. Notification will be made via the Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission Facebook page at Facebook.com/AshlandParksandRec . Swim lesson participants will get free passes to the pool instead of a refund for canceled classes. Passes will be distributed at the next regularly scheduled swim class. In most cases, one missed class will not deter a child from advancing to the next color level, officials said in a news release. Ashland Band concert organizers said they hope conditions will clear so the final free concert of the season can be held as scheduled Aug. 13 at the Butler Bandshell in Lithia Park. As of Thursday evening, the Stouts fire had consumed nearly 20,000 acres and was about 20 percent contained. It started July 30 near Milo, about 50 air miles north of Ashland. Bert Etling is editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. Email him at [email protected] or call 541-631-1313. Tidings web editor Anita Burke contributed to this report. By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Bert Etling Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Aug. 6, 2015 at 5:43 PM Updated Aug 7, 2015 at 3:46 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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