Mountain Meadows Clubs, Activities and Organizations
Mountain Meadows offers its resident a vast array of recreational opportunities including book clubs, bridge groups, exercise groups, computer classes, an artist’s community, and committees helping to chart community’s future. Residents with common interests have come together to form a variety of groups.
The following list includes some of our regularly scheduled activities. We also have a variety of other activities and special events.
Bike Group
Members of the Mountain Meadows Bike Group participate in scheduled rides on the Bear Creek Greenway during good cycling weather. Bikers leave from the Clubhouse or the Ashland Dog Park for morning trips to Talent, Phoenix and Medford. The rides vary from 10 to 24 miles (round trip) depending on each individual's choice and time availability. The group welcomes all interested residents, men and women.
Bocce
When the weather permits, about a dozen Bocce players gather at 10 AM on Saturday mornings at the court in Madeline Hill Park. They enjoy an hour of friendly competition and social time together.
Book Club
The Mountain Meadows Book Club meets at 1:30 PM on the second Tuesday of the month (all months except for July, August, and December) in the Jefferson Room. The group chooses a book to read and discuss each month.
Bridge
There are many Bridge players at Mountain Meadows. Though the group is not organized, Bridge players form their own foursomes based on skill level. There are several groups who play together on a regular basis.
Creative Arts Group
Resident artists have claimed a room in the Clubhouse where art materials can be stored and where there is working space for art projects. Works by resident artists are often displayed in the Staircase Gallery exhibits.
Friday Forums
Residents are invited to present Friday afternoon hour-long talks for the Mountain Meadows community. Volunteers from the larger Ashland community also are encouraged to present information about their area of expertise.
Game Night
One evening a month (currently, the second Monday), interested residents meet in the Fireside Lounge for two hours of sharing games and friendship. Past evenings have included Ticket to Ride, UNO, Mexican Train, Chicken Foot, Sequence, Scrabble, Upwards, Pictionary, Balderdash, Deal With It, etc. The games played each month depends on who shows up and what games they bring to share. The only guarantee is that it will be fun. Please join us.
Kitchen Creek Community Garden
Soon after the first residents moved into Mountain Meadows they realized that something was missing. They yearned to resume their gardening, a hobby that nurtured them. So, in 1997, four dedicated individuals approached our founder, Madeline, who, recognizing the value of a community Garden, donated a piece of land in perpetuity. Then the developer, a gardener himself who was supportive of their needs, built a fence around this property and constructed raised garden boxes. Currently, there are about fifty gardeners, members of the Kitchen Creek Community Gardens, who contribute twenty-five dollars a year for irrigation hardware and weed disposal--common area upkeep. Gardeners agree to maintaining a box, each in their unique ways – flowers or veggies or both, and share in the joy of creating a beautiful and comforting atmosphere where all residents are welcomed to stroll and chat and meditate. Ruth insists, “a twenty-five dollar donation to the garden is a bargain compared to the price of a ‘shrink'." Kathleen, one of the four founders, declares: “To this day my best friends are those I met in the garden.”
Mah-Jongg
Mah Jongg is a game that dates back to the Tang Dynasty (4000 years). Every Thursday afternoon from 1:00 to 3:30, you will find six to eight players at the two Mah Jongg tables in the Rogue Room playing the Chinese version of the game. You will hear the click of the tiles, and bursts of laughter and conversation. The game is challenging, tactile, interesting. We welcome newcomers.
Meadowlarks Chorus
The Meadowlarks was organized in 2006. They perform two concerts a year, a Spring Concert in May, and a Holiday Concert in December. All residents of Mountain Meadows are invited to participate. All that is required is the ability to carry one's part. The group usually has about 25 members, and sings music arranged for soprano, alto and baritone.
Mountain Meadows Democrats Plus
Once a month, the Democrats in the community call a meeting in the Mt. Ashland Room to discuss state, local or federal political concerns. The meeting is not limited to Democrats. All members of the community are welcome. Often the topic under discussion is apolitical, and of concern to everyone. Candidates for office at all levels have been invited to share their views and positions, and discuss current issues of the day.
Music at the Meadows Concerts & Clubhouse Cabaret
Organized by one of our Mountain Meadows residents, Music at the Meadows is a series of concerts held in the Mt. Ashland Room at least twice a month. The programs are funded by the MMOA and feature local musicians performing music of many genres. Students from SOU are often invited to perform.
The Mt. Ashland Room in the Clubhouse is transformed into a Cabaret once a month. Local jazz musicians provide background music while residents sip their wine, munch on snacks, and alternately visit with one another and listen to the music.
Poetry Group: Words Aloud
On the third Monday of each month this group gathers in the Jefferson Room to share poetry. They read from their favorite poets or their own original poetry.
Table Tennis
On Saturday mornings, players get together in the Rogue Room to play table tennis (ping pong). All residents are invited to participate.
Theatre Group
On the first and third Tuesday afternoons on each month, residents interested in theatre meet to discuss plays they have seen or intend to see, sometimes to read scripts, and occasionally to prepare a presentation (reading) for the wider community. With the rich variety of theatre available in Ashland and the Rogue Valley, there's always plenty to talk about. If the local theatre is part of why you're here, please feel free to participate.
Trips & Travel Club
If you like to get on a bus and go to new places and see new things, you will enjoy the Trips & Travel Club. A group of residents have joined together to plan and organize travel opportunities. The trips are open to all residents. If you have ideas and a desire to "get out of Dodge," check out the Trips & Travel Club.
Write your Life Story Group
Interested in writing your memoirs? Need the support of other writers? This group is for you. They meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 2:00 pm in the Jefferson Room.
Wood Shop
Mountain Meadows is very fortunate to have a fine, spacious Wood Shop, with a wide variety of tools. Started in 1997 by Red Arnold, and supported by the building contractor, Madeline Hill, and a few other residents, we are the grateful inheritors of this wonderful shop. Members of this group have participated in the creation of the following woodworking projects:
All the library shelves in the Nonfiction/Periodical Room, and half those in the main Library
The fitness table, weight rack and mat rack in the Fitness Cente
The gazebo in Madeline Hill Park
The podium in the Mt. Ashland Room
The main work bench in the Wood Shop itself