News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 78 - 102 of 102
Heath Foott keeps busy with his remote work for Meta, his former service with the Oregon Army National Guard, and enjoying the benefits of living in Central Oregon. Yet he somehow finds the time to serve on the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) board. Foott and his family have been in and out of Sisters over the last 35 years, leaving to get employment elsewhere and eventually settling down in Sisters Country. He is a 34-year veteran of environmental and safety work... Full story
When Bob Keefer and his wife moved to Sisters in 2015, after his long career in parks and recreation, he knew he wanted to get involved with our local parks and rec district. Keefer previously worked with the Willamalane Parks and Recreation District for over 16 years at various executive levels. “I spent my entire career in parks and recreation, managing districts, running the park district, and helping to manage programs,” he said. His career in parks and recreation sta... Full story
Jennifer Holland has been working in parks and recreation since she was 15 years old. She is now the executive director of Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD), specializing in special events and working with local government. Holland has been living in Sisters for three years. “I love the community and we always loved visiting, and I wanted to be involved with local government when we moved here,” said Holland. Holland formerly worked for William Lane Recreation Dis... Full story
Peggy Tehan has lived in Sisters for over 38 years, and she raised her children here. Tehan is currently serving as the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) board president. She has been serving on the board for over 12 years, taking over the director position from John Bushnell. She worked as board treasurer before serving as president this year. “I help out with the financial statement and auditing process and being available for staff questions regarding the board o... Full story
Sisters schools honored local veterans with their annual assemblies at all three schools. The Sisters High School assembly took place on Wednesday November 9 in the auditorium, with the entire student body and teachers present, as well as 15 local veterans from different branches of the military, who sat in the front to be recognized. The assembly, which is put on by the Associated Student Government (ASG) every year, included a video message from staff and students about what... Full story
A large turnout of parents and other community members attended the monthly Superintendent Coffee Chat last Wednesday morning. These Coffee Chats give the community a chance to discuss concerns and have an open roundtable discussion with each other, and with Schools Superintendent Curt Scholl. Scholl is entering his eighth year as superintendent at the Sisters School District (SSD), and only twice has he seen a group this large turnout. And that was twice online and once in... Full story
Four Sisters students were awarded for their hard work in completing the English Learners Program, last Wednesday evening at Sisters Elementary School (SES). The four students, two from the elementary school, one from the middle school, and one from the high school, all completed their benchmark levels in learning English through the program in the Sisters School District. This is the program’s third year and second ceremony honoring students with the Avanza Award, Spanish f... Full story
While there has already been tree clearing over the last few months, on a frosty, sunny morning last Thursday, October 27, Sisters School Board members, architects, builders, and Superintendent Curt Scholl made Sisters Elementary School construction official with a groundbreaking ceremony, using gold shovels to commemorate work that will create a full K-12 campus. Steve Buettner and Julie Hyer from SunWest Builders were in attendance along with architects Heidi Slaybaugh,... Full story
Sisters Elementary School (SES) students had the opportunity to get their hands dirty at their hometown creek last week. For the last month, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council (UDWC) has been working with students on planting plants, trees, and grasses along the riparian zone of Whychus Creek at Creekside Park. The planting is part of the larger restoration project taking place in that area of the creek. The species students are planting are all native to the area and will... Full story
When it comes to being wildfire ready, one of the biggest questions from the Sisters community is: How do we “harden” a home, and what does it mean to be wildfire ready? On Monday, October 17, Citizens4Community (C4C) hosted their Let’s Talk community event at Paulina Springs Books — a panel discussion about how to make Sisters a fire-adapted, and wildfire-ready community. Panelists for the talk included Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD) Fire Chief Roger Johns... Full story
The monthly Sisters School District meeting with the board of directors and superintendent was held in person and via Zoom on Wednesday, October 5, at the Sisters School District Office building. - Board Director David Thorsett led the meeting, starting with a business and finance report from Sherry Joseph. She concluded that they are ahead of expenses-for-revenues for the year and budgets are well projected and in good shape. - Principal Steve Stancliff presented to the board... Full story
The Sisters School District is seeing an increase in enrollment numbers to start the 2022-23 school year. One of the most notable statistics is the number of students attending Sisters Elementary School. As of October 3, the numbers were the highest at the elementary school, totaling 398 students. There are 90 second graders, the highest grade level numbers in the elementary school. Sisters Middle School came out at 356 and Sisters High School at 393, with high numbers in the... Full story
Breweries from across Central Oregon put their best fresh hop beverage forward last weekend, for the 2022 Sisters Fresh Hop Festival. On an idyllic, warm fall Saturday, 23 breweries brought fresh-hop beer and selections of cider to Sisters locals at the Three Creeks Brewing Co. production facility in Sisters for a fun-filled day of local eats, local music, and — most importantly — local beer. This year’s hop fest was the first after a two-year hiatus due to the COV... Full story
On an unseasonably warm September day in Sisters, patrons walked down Main Avenue, checking out classic rides at the 2022 Glory Daze Car Show, presented by Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD). With cars ranging from Chevys to Fords to Corvettes, to MGs and everything in between, car fanatics and everyday spectators were able to take in the beauty and nostalgia of vintage Americana. Car owners from across Oregon brought out rigs old and new, to showcase engines, chrome... Full story
The fresh hop IPA is brewed and the crisp air has the feel of harvest time. It must be the season for the Sisters Fresh Hop Festival. Three Creeks Brewing Company will honor Oregon’s hops crop in the the 11th annual Sisters Fresh Hop Festival in Sisters on September 24, at their local production facility in the industrial park. Before the Fresh Hop Festival, Three Creeks brews their award-winning Conelick’r fresh hop IPA. They began the process in mid-August during prime hop... Full story
Emily Scott Robinson is returning to this year’s Sisters Folk Festival, after making a big splash at last year’s Festival with her witty and entertaining songs. Robinson was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and turned toward the guitar at age 13. She taught herself to play in the early 2000s and began pursuing songwriting after seeing Nanci Griffith in 2007. Robinson began playing music professionally in 2016 after becoming burned out at her job as a social worker. She rel... Full story
Circle of Friends has a message for Sisters: Mentors wanted. Duncan and Cindy Campbell brought Circle of Friends to Sisters in 2011. Since then, the mentorship program has expanded its growth throughout the Central Oregon community and into the Sisters schools. Circle of Friends offers students and kids in the community the opportunity for one-on-one mentorship, academic resources, and more. They serve around 60 kids per year in Sisters through recommendations of kids who... Full story
The last five to 10 years of wildfire seasons have been some of the most devastating and destructive seasons in our nation’s history in the American West. The documentary film “Elemental” asks why that has been the case, and how we can learn to effectively live with wildfire. “Elemental” takes viewers on a journey with the top experts in the nation to better understand fire. The film screens in Sisters on Wednesday, September 14 (see sidebar). Director Trip Jennings is the fo... Full story
Beth Wood, poet and local musician, is releasing her latest full-length album. Wood moved to Sisters from Portland in April of 2020 during the beginning stages of the COVID-19 shutdown. “It was a weird time to move for sure, but I had to move out of the house I was in, in Portland, and I was also realizing that I am not a city girl,” said Wood. Wood has always had a soft place in her heart for the Sisters community after coming here for many years as an artist and ins... Full story
Pokey LaFarge returned to Sisters after 10 years away, for the 2022 Sisters Rhythm & Brews Festival last weekend. LaFarge played the Sisters Folk Festival in 2012 and was brought back to Sisters for this year’s Rhythm & Brews Festival for a unique set. LaFarge sat down with The Nugget for an interview ahead of his set Saturday evening. LaFarge was born in Bloomington, Illinois, two hours south of the city of Chicago. Around 13 or 14 years old, he began getting into music a... Full story
After a two-year hiatus, the Sisters Rhythm & Brews Festival graced the Village Green stage in downtown Sisters last weekend. The weekend was full of blue skies, cold brews, and some of the best blues artists in the country. Founders Joe and Jennifer Rambo have a heart for giving back to their community, with part of the Festival proceeds contributing to Habitat for Humanity programming, Heart of Oregon Corps, and Sisters Gro scholarships — local programs the Rambos supp... Full story
Sabrina Allen was raised in Sisters and grew up surrounded by her Sisters community. She has now returned to that community, working as a nurse at St. Charles Hospital in Bend. Allen (formerly Reifschneider) attended Corban University after graduating from Sisters High School (SHS) in 2017. Throughout her high school career, Allen immersed herself in everything she could in the medical field. “I knew I always had a call to the health care field. I just at the time didn’t kno... Full story
Back in January 2020, the founders of the Sisters Rhythm & Brews Festival, Joe and Jenn Rambo made a road-trip blues pilgrimage to the heart of the blues — the Hill Country of Mississippi. The couple hit the road in their van to Clarksdale, Mississippi, with many stops along the beltline of the heart of the blues along the way. They stopped in Austin, Texas, and Memphis, Tennessee, and scouted artists doing winter shows. They landed in Clarksdale, where they saw many... Full story
After a two-year pandemic-related hiatus, Sisters Rhythm & Brews Festival is back this weekend, Friday and Saturday, August 12 and 13. Joe and Jenn Rambo, the founders and directors of the Festival, are excited to bring a collection of 11 artists for the 2022 Festival. A few of the artists are returning from the 2019 Festival, including Eric Gales and Mr. Sipp. “This is our third year doing the Festival and we really do it as a passion project,” said Jenn Rambo. From the sta... Full story
Austin Jenckes always knew that music was going to be a part of his life. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, in a small town in Washington state called Duval, Jenckes played music throughout his life. He started playing guitar as a boy because his dad also played, and he picked it up one day and knew that he wanted to pursue it further. Jenckes grew up playing music at church on the worship music team, and in his young adult days, he played in rock n’ roll bands in high s... Full story
