ASHLAND, Ore. – The Standing Stone Brewery is roughly in the center of Ashland. So it's not surprising that I met Duane Smith there, as he seems to be at the center of the southern Rogue Valley town.

I slipped onto a bar stool next to Smith at the comfortable brewery after making the 5 1/2-hour drive from Sacramento with just a homemade ham sandwich and a bag of peanuts to ward off hunger. Passing up the ubiquitous McDonald's outlets along Interstate 5, I was ready for the hearty, moderately healthful pub food featured at Standing Stone.

Digging into a chicken salad, I began chatting with the friendly bearded gentleman next to me, who turned out to be a local publisher, innkeeper and wealth of anecdotal local history and knowledge.

Smith, who moved to Ashland in 1964 to be a teacher, is now the owner of Lithia Springs Resort and Gardens, and publisher of Ashland Magazine. He believes Ashland has managed to keep itself distinctive by not changing its familiar ways.

"It's an eclectic place that has a lot of charm," Smith said. "It hasn't been run over by the major franchises."

While there are two Starbucks in the town of nearly 25,000, everything else is an Ashland original. Smith points out the Bloomsbury Coffee House on Main Street, housed upstairs at the Bloomsbury Book Store, which also has an extensive newspaper and magazine section. A little farther down the street, the Evo Coffee Lounge offers an even funkier coffeehouse experience.

Smith believes the independent, locally owned nature of the town's businesses gives Ashland its own creative personality. Art galleries, glass-blowing works, day spas and yoga studios dot the town, which also seems to have its fair share of restaurants and wine shops.

Oh, yeah, it has this theater festival, too. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, established in 1935, is among the oldest and largest regional professional repertory theater companies in the United States.

The festival reports that in 2007 total attendance in its three theaters was 404,730, with patrons seeing an average of three shows and almost 90 percent of the audience traveling more than 125 miles to attend.

While it's called a Shakespeare festival, have no fear, there are plenty of different types of theater to choose from – even different kinds of Shakespeare, for that matter.

There are also modern plays, such as the comedies "The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler" and "Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner," along with classics such as Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge."

This is the place to indulge yourself in theater, and no one makes productions more accessible. Besides its guides to the plays, OSF has numerous tours, lectures and talks, all designed to enhance and deepen your experience of seeing the work on stage.

The festival has nine plays now running; four are Shakespeare, three are very different types of classics, and two are modern . (See accompanying reviews and schedule.)

"The whole theater scene is what draws the people and supports all the good restaurants and other things we have here," Smith said.

The restaurants include places like the Standing Stone, which not only bakes its own bread but brews its own beers. Ashland also has its share of destination restaurants, including the classy Peerless Restaurant and Bar, while just north of town sits the mysterious and legendary New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro.

Sammy's is located in a nondescript, bunkerlike house alongside the South Pacific Highway. Run by owners Charlene and Vernon Rollins (she does the exceptional cooking; he is the host and sommelier), the gourmet food made with only organically raised ingredients has a cult following. Reservations are essential for getting a dinner table at the dark, intimate eatery, which is a winding series of small rooms. It also has a prix fixe, first-come lunch from noon to 2 p.m. for $15, with foodies queuing up outside the restaurant well before opening.

Breakfast is covered in myriad ways that Sacramentans can only dream of. The Ashland Bakery & Cafe caters to a casual downtown crowd, while outside the central district, personal favorite Morning Glory offers an affable, gut-busting, post-modern diner experience.

Call Bee theater critic Marcus Crowder, (916) 321-1120. Read his blog postings at www.sacbee.com/21q.