News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 101
Matt and Jenny Behnke sought a life of adventure and creativity. They've found it in Sisters. The couple fronts Skybound Blue, an Americana, harmony-driven roots band. Their music, influenced by Gillian Welch, The Civil Wars, and The Avett Brothers, strives to create meaningful songs and melodies that resonate with their audience. The Behnke's moved to Sisters three years ago from McMinnville, looking to be closer to the outdoors and the music community in Sisters. "We feel so...
Beer- and winter-lovers came together for the annual Suttle Lodge Winter Beer Fest last weekend at Suttle Lake. Unlike last year's blizzard conditions, this year's beer fest featured plentiful sunshine, and spring-like conditions. Beer lovers, from Central Oregon locals to folks from Portland and Washington, gathered at the Suttle Lodge to try samples of beers from more than 25 craft breweries. The event's setting is outside in the forest air, with the sampling spots in the... Full story
Volunteers from Sisters recently returned from one of many trips to Honduras with the nonprofit Heart for Hope. Dr. John Spomer, now a Central Oregon resident, helps orchestrate the trips in collaboration with Cadena de Amor in Honduras. Before Heart for Hope partnered with Cadena de Amor (Chain of Love), the Honduran non-profit worked with Medical Teams International of Portland, Oregon, to provide dental care for grade school children. Ten years ago, Medical Teams Internatio... Full story
Sisters Moto keeps rolling through the fall/winter season on two wheels. After their Sisters Moto fall celebration party in October, they keep rolling with events, hosting a pre-party to the AMA EnduroCross competitions held in Redmond last weekend. "EnduroCross is one of the wildest sports on two wheels. It combines the race format of motocross with the challenging obstacles of an enduro, all packed into the tight confines of a fan-friendly stadium setting," according to the... Full story
Part of the spirit of Central Oregon is the enjoyment of actual spirits. Oregon Spirit Distillers (OSD) is known for high-end spirits, encompassing locally sourced materials and grains from here in Oregon. Their website states, "Our mission is to distill with a commitment to local agriculture and Oregon's bold, independent personality. To bring quality, premium spirit brands unique, interesting, and outstanding in their class to the world market." Owners Brad and Kathy Irwin s...
Sue Leek has been dancing for over 20 years. Leek is the type of person who dances to her own beat in many aspects of life - not only on the dance floor competing in dance competitions at the age of 80, but also as the owner of a thriving Sisters business, Mackenzie Creek Mercantile. She has owned and operated the store since purchasing it in 2010. Leek has been a Sisters resident since 1964 and worked for the Cyrus family at Aspen Lakes. Leek grew up dancing as a young girl...
Hood River is a gem of a town located just east of Mt. Hood nestled within the Columbia River Gorge. Mt. Hood looms in the distance, casting its shadow over numerous local farms and vineyards. Hood River is known for its farm scene, fruits, and wines. Some of the best regional grapes come out of the Gorge, Hood River included. From Sisters, the drive is gorgeous, through the mountains, up and over the Mt. Hood pass, and lasts around 3-and-a-half hours. It's an easy day trip...
The Metolius River is a wild and scenic place that holds many memories for many people. The river that runs through Camp Sherman is the centerpiece to an area filled with rich history and no shortage of places to escape into the forest. Camp Sherman, 14 miles west of Sisters, got its name from Sherman County farmers who trekked to the area to relax, hunt, and fish after a long season's harvest. It was settled between 1917-1918. For many families, it has been a fishing and...
Sisters Moto braved the damp, fall Central Oregon weather, hosting their third annual Sisters Moto Party. The event is an opportunity for the Sisters motorcycle shop to gather with the community, kids, and parents for the kids' races. Sisters Moto is a family endeavor for Austin and Elizabeth (Biz) Brent and their children, Verbena, Dixon, and Adelaide. Motocross became a way of life and a livelihood for Brent while he was working in the industry. He and Biz met at Portland... Full story
Sisters City Council came to a 3-2 contingent decision to deny the application of the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) organization for an emergency homeless shelter at 192 W. Barclay Dr. in Sisters. Councilors Gary Ross, Jennifer Letz, and Mayor Michael Preedin voted to deny the application by SCWS, while councilors Susan Cobb and Andrea Blum voted to approve. The decision made in a marathon special meeting on Tuesday, September 5, is non-binding until a written decision is adopted. City staff will prepare a draft written... Full story
Andrea Blum has been involved in Sisters Country life for many years. Blum moved to Sisters in 1988 and purchased 20 acres of land in the triangle between Bend, Redmond, and Sisters. Blum worked for the Bureau of Labor and the Oregon Public Employees Union in the Willamette Valley before moving to Sisters, and had always been interested in public service work. "I worked my way up to the office manager position and learned about workers' rights. I worked behind the scenes on... Full story
The new Sisters Elementary School will (SES) open on time, and come in on budget - despite the pressures of inflation. Curt Scholl and the Sisters School District (SSD) team offered a tour of the construction of the new elementary school located across McKinney Butte Road from the high school. The new elementary will be 80,000 square feet, including the mechanical areas, with an additional 7,000 square feet, including the ball fields. Scholl offered a tour to elementary... Full story
Kolby Knickerbocker is a multi-award-winning Americana singer-songwriter. His music has been featured in television, movies, and ads. Knickerbocker and his family relocated to Bend from the valley in 2017 after his wife grew up vacationing in Bend. Just last year, they decided to move to Sisters to raise their growing children and settle in Sisters Country as a young family. Knickerbocker has always loved to play music. He moved all over the country when he was young and... Full story
The Sisters City Council will hold a hearing on Tuesday, September 5, at 5 p.m. on a proposed emergency shelter for the homeless at 192 W. Barclay Dr. in Sisters. A local nonprofit organization, Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS), advocates for the houseless community. The organization was awarded funding from the State through the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) to purchase and operate a shelter at a permanent location within Sisters. The SCWS board has reapp... Full story
The Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) board has reapplied for the emergency shelter proposed by the board to the City of Sisters initially on June 27. The new application is effective starting August 15. A local nonprofit organization, SCWS advocates for the houseless community. The organization was awarded funding from the State through the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) to purchase and operate a shelter at a permanent location within Sisters. The board... Full story
The City of Sisters is trying to keep up with advances in technology in order to preserve Sisters' night skies. Last Thursday, the Sisters City Planning Commission discussed updating the City's current dark-skies standards and outdoor lighting ordinance in a work session at City Hall. Updating the dark-sky standards is one of the City Council's 2023-24 goals. According to the project packet: "The purpose of the update is that the existing ordinance - which was last updated in... Full story
“It’s great to be doing this again in Sisters.” That was the widespread sentiment expressed as EDCO — Economic Development for Central Oregon — hosted one of its annual Pub Talk events in Sisters last week. The Pub Talks are open to the public and are an opportunity for community members, entrepreneurs, and business owners to connect, network, and hear from a select few speakers. The event was hosted at the Three Creeks Brewing Co. facility off Barclay Drive, providing... Full story
Few books can transport me to another place these days. With the hecticness of life in general, with busy work schedules, deadlines, and a new house to maintain, reading and getting transported to another place became low on the list. However, listening to a book while driving on a road trip or cleaning the house has become part of my every day this summer. With the technology of Audible and the willingness of a sister-in-law to share her entire library of C.J. Box books with... Full story
The Shadow Project is an organization dedicated to making school more accessible and engaging for children with learning challenges so they can achieve their full potential in school and beyond. The organization is looking to partner with Sisters students and Sisters schools and get the word out about their programming. The Shadow Project was created by a mother who advocated for her special needs son's learning. She ultimately built a business around helping other kids who... Full story
Sisters City Councilor Gary Ross has always been interested in serving his community and being involved in key decisions. He brings his career skills and passion for public service to the city council. Ross started his career as a high school teacher in Maine at 20 years old, just out of school. He taught what is now known as the Professional Technical Classes, aka shop class. Ross moved west and received his master's degree in education in Utah, and worked from there in... Full story
The Jon Stickley Trio is returning to Sisters for the Big Ponderoo music festival next weekend. The Trio taught at the Americana Song Academy for Youth before the Sisters Folk Festival in 2017. They were slotted to play at the Sisters Folk Festival before it was canceled due to wildfire that year, and returned to play in 2018. Jon Stickley has been interested in music from a young age. "When I met one of my best friends in high school, he was a banjo player, and that's when I... Full story
The Sisters City Council moved forward with adopting the ordinance to establish camping regulations and a camping removal policy within the City of Sisters at their June 14 meeting. With a second reading of the ordinance, Council voted to establish the camping regulations. The purpose of the camping ordinance is to create some sort of boundary regarding camping on public property. Situations will be handled according to these regulations, and at the discretion of the Deschutes... Full story
City staff is proposing adding the tree-removal process that is in the development code into the municipal code, so enforcement applies more generally. This also allows enforcement to be done on tree removal on private property, not just when building a new development. Sisters City Council heard from Code Enforcement Officer Jacob Smith and Community Development director Scott Woodford at the last Sisters City Council workshop on June 14 regarding the city’s tree removal p... Full story
The City of Sisters is working within a code compliance program initially started to help with fire mitigation and safety through enforcement of code violations regarding vegetation overgrowth. According to the presentation at last week’s City Council meeting on the program by Community Development Director Scott Woodford and City Code Compliance Agent, Jacob Smith: “The program encourages citizens to report any concerns or observations regarding fire safety, hazardous conditi... Full story
The Sisters School Board adopted the 2023-2024 operating budget in a public hearing at the final School Board meeting of the school year. Every year, the School Board adopts the new operating budget based on the money allotted to the Sisters School District (SSD) from the state school fund. The state school fund amount is decided in the state legislature. The general fund budget, including $9,619,008 for instruction and nearly $8 million for support service,s, comes to... Full story
