After an overnight travel stop in Redding, CA, we arrived in Winston, Oregon on Tuesday afternoon. You wouldn’t believe the climate change we experienced from our drive out of Central California into Southern Oregon…It was actually a bit cold. I’m pretty sure you could have missed the town of Winston if you blinked to slow…we thought Corcoran was small, but Winston has a population of below 5,000. I will say that it is in one of the most beautiful parts of the Country I have ever seen. Lush green mountains and rolling hills everywhere you look! Upon arrival, we had a couple hours before host pickup; so our cast had a number of discussion groups we call, “hot topics.” We could choose between the discussions of capital punishment, euthanasia, abortion, and torture as a use for terrorist. We set some guidelines for these topics and basically just had a mature discussion regarding people’s views and opinions. I discussed abortion…It was interesting to hear the views of non-US citizens and how their cultures effected their views on what mostly seemed to be pro-choice vs. pro-life.

For host family allocation and pickup, I was excited to see my great group of roommates for the week. It was basically a “Man Fest,” with my cast manager Jorn from Germany, show manager Gabe from Tucson, Jeremiah from Wisconsin, Louis from Panama, and Jeremy from Montana. Our host parents Karl and Deb lived in the next town over from Winston, although only about a 5-minute drive. Their home was up in the mountains with 6 acres of land. They had 80 or so chickens, roosters, geese, ducks, rabbits, 3 cows, and 2 dogs. It was awesome, and such a relaxing home out in the “Boon docks” as they said. Wednesday was the start of what would be a busy week in Winston. Our CI activities began in the morning and I was a part of a group that attempted to build a float for the Winston Melon Festival Parade. They basically gave me a couple roles of chicken wire and some paper machee…I called my host dad Karl and he came to the park where we were to try and salvage what I had already built. That afternoon we got a special tour of “Wildlife Safari,” a wildlife preserve north of Winston. The preserve is home to everything from lions, bears, and hippos, to llamas, zebras, and giraffes. Wildlife Safari actually has one of the most successful cheetah rehabilitation programs in the world.

On Thursday and Friday we did a total of 3 “Stand for Peace” programs. My group of 3 was in a classroom of 7th, 4th, and 3rd graders at a number of schools in the Winston area. The kids had a great time and we were able to perform two BTS (backing track shows) for the schools. I really find our “Stand for Peace” program extremely relevant and effective for the students we work with. Having us work one on one with them in the classroom, and then being able to associate it with the show we perform in the afternoon, seems to make a lasting impact. That night we went for a swim in the river near our host families home. Our host dad had to stay back and finish some work, but he wanted us to be safe from any cougars or other animals…so I carried a massive machete and Jeremiah had a 22 pistol strapped to his leg. Needless to say we felt pretty tough. Even better, when we got back that night, our host dad let us shot his powder rifle. It was a replica of a civil war rifle that we had to pour powder into and then pound the bullet in. Definitely the loudest gun I have ever shot, and the spark and smoke were so awesome.

Friday afternoon was the beginning of the Winston Melon Festival, our main sponsor and the reason for UWP being brought to Winston. We helped out with concessions, our UWP booth, kids activities, anything that was needed. It’s a fairly small rural festival, but a lot of fun to be a part of. We arrived at the Melon Festival early Saturday morning for rehearsal, and then headed out for the Melon Festival Parade. We ven took home the trophy for judge’s choice! We spent the day at the Melon Festival doing more volunteer helphad our float, which ended up looking great, and the cast walking behind with international flags waving. We looped UWP music and performed “Keep the Beat” in front of the judges. We e with whatever was needed. I signed up to judge the ugly knee contest, but I ended up competing and took home the prize for sexiest knees at the Festival…One of my most coveted accomplishments to date. (*There were 6 people in the contest)

Our show that night was at 8:00 pm and we actually had a local band open up for us playing an hour set. The venue was out doors and a huge turnout for Winston with around 1,200 people in attendance. People brought their blankets and chairs and sat out on the grass lawn in front of the stage. It felt great to perform a show in the cool air and not have to be dripping with sweat like usual. Sunday was our free day and my host parents loaded us up in the car to go up to Crater Lake. It’s an ancient volcano that collapsed long ago and has formed a massive lake. It’s the deepest lake in the United States at just less than 2,000 feet in some spots. The most crystal clear blue water you have ever seen. On the way, we also visited some beautiful Oregon waterfalls. It was an incredible day to see the beauty of this area. Winston was another great city with so much to offer. Thanks again to my host parents Karl and Deb for all they did to make our stay so wonderful. I think that’s all for now, we’re off to Eureka, CA and the Great Redwood Forests of northern California…