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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Medford hunter falls to his death in the woods ... Central Point neighbors oppose Vietnam memorial location ... Obama to meet with relatives of shooting victims in Roseburg ... Medford hunter falls to his death in the woods ... Central Point neighbors oppose Vietnam memorial location ... Obama to meet with relatives of shooting victims in Roseburg ... County no longer will provide free storage for Storytelling Guild Comment By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The theme of last summer’s Children’s Festival in Jacksonville was real-life superheroes. Now, as the Storytelling Guild prepares for its 50th annual Children’s Festival, the nonprofit group is calling on a superhero to come to its rescue. Fifty years of accumulated treasures, props, supplies and the beloved litter-eating dragons Rosabelle and Pebbles need a new home by Oct. 31. The Storytelling Guild, whose mission is to introduce children to the magic of literature, is hoping for a bit of magic to conjure up a facility large enough to house what guild president Lona Dillard calls “historic, sweet stuff.” After 40-plus years of free storage space at Jackson County’s public works facilities in White City, the guild learned this summer it would have to find an alternate arrangement. So far, the search has been unsuccessful. Warehouse space is at a premium in Jackson County, Dillard said. And, “we cannot afford a ton” in rental fees. The going rate, she discovered, is $1,500 a month. “We simply cannot afford that and keep entrance fees to the festival affordable,” she said. In addition, proceeds from the festival help support the guild’s literacy projects. The guild’s dilemma is partially the result of the change in jurisdiction over the Jackson County library system. The Jackson County Library District — an entity independent of Jackson County government — took over library operations July 1. “The Storytelling Guild was provided free storage space because of the volunteer work they did with our county libraries,” said Jackson County Senior Deputy Administrator Harvey Bragg. Bragg added that several years ago the Facility Maintenance Department began charging county departments for their use of storage space, and so Library Services picked up the tab for the space occupied by the guild. “The county no longer provides library services, so there is no reason for the county to continue providing free storage space to them,” he said. The county has offered to lease the guild the current space at market rates and offered to help the nonprofit consolidate to a smaller space, Bragg said, “but it would still be expensive.” “We can’t be cross with the county,” said Pat Blair, a guild founder and the festival’s lead graphic artist for the past 50 years. “Forty-ish years of free rent has been a pretty good deal.” Once the guild vacates the building, the space will be used to store surplus equipment, “some of it until a given department can use it and some until it can be sold at auction,” said Bragg. “The storage space has been a wonderful gift,” said Dillard, who conceded that the county needs to move forward “and, so do we.” However, since the 90-day deadline was issued in August, they’ve hit roadblocks. Now, the deadline is looming large. In addition to Rosabelle and Pebbles, there are more than 90 tables, 50 canopies, hand-painted banners, tubs of Legos, bubble wands, paintbrushes, aquariums, ticket booths, queen’s thrones and a fantasyland of props and miscellaneous. It takes two moving vans to transport the equipment each summer from White City to Jacksonville, and some 2,000 volunteers to transform Britt Gardens into a magical kingdom. “We set up a small city on the hill at Britt,” said Dillard. The guild needs a long-term storage space about 40-by-60 feet or larger — the current space is 3,600 square feet — at zero or low-cost, within 15 miles of Britt Gardens, and with access for large moving vans, guild officials said. “We are open to sharing a space,” said Dillard. The guild is also open to setting up storage containers if a property owner is kind enough to donate the space. “We are trying to be creative, trying to be resourceful,” Dillard said. Blair is optimistic the four-day Children’s Festival, which is attended by 8,000 children and their families, has left “a positive footprint” and that a benefactor will come forward. “We want to continue to be there at the beginning of a child’s adventure into reading,” Blair said. Dillard can be reached at 541-779-2226 or by email at lona.dillard @gmail.com. Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected]. By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 4, 2015 at 12:01 AM » 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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