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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 3, 2005 Britt welcomes the Britts By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune The Britts are coming. With apologies to Paul Revere, the Peter Britt Festivals in Jacksonville will have an unusual addition for the Diane Schuur show tonight: real, live Britts. Rich Brown, of Eugene, plans to attend with his stepfather, Oscar Britt, and his mother, Marjorie Britt. Oscar Britt is the great-great-grandnephew of Peter Britt, the Southern Oregon pioneer on the grounds of whose estate the Britt Festivals take place each summer. Oscar, who will be 80 this month, married Marjorie about two years ago. Brown says there’s nothing special planned except for family members to see the grounds and enjoy the music. "I like Diane Schuur," he says. "I’m not sure about the Caribbean jazz part." Advertisement Schuur, who can sing in many styles, will perform with the Caribbean Jazz Project, an award-winning Latin jazz ensemble. Peter Britt was a Swiss immigrant who settled on a hill at Jacksonville, then a rough, frontier mining settlement. He built a fine house, became a well-known pioneer photographer in the early days of the trade, planted fruit trees and made wine. "Peter Britt left Highland, Illinois, and moved to Jacksonville," Brown says. "But my dad’s branch of the family stayed in Illinois. They’ve lived there all these years." Founded 43 years ago by classical conductor John Trudeau, the Britt Festivals takes place on land owned by Jackson County each summer. It is the oldest outdoor music festival in the Northwest. Brown has been to Jacksonville before and knows a bit about Peter Britt’s place in regional history now, but he never heard of him when he was growing up . "And I’ve known Oscar for my whole life," he says. Oscar and Marjorie knew each other in high school. She’d never heard of Peter Britt back then either. "We’ve read up on him now," she says. Oscar Britt has never been to a Britt performance. The family picked tonight not for the artist but the date, which fit with family plans. "We didn’t know who’d be performing, Marjorie says. "But Oscar’s been wanting to do this for years." Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail Britt welcomes the Britts ">[email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s