News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Sisters schools have a knack for incorporating creative learning into the school day, and the wider Sisters community has long been supportive. Sisters Elementary School continued the tradition last Friday with the first career day event. It brought some reality to the question of “what do you want to be when you grow up?” An overwhelming response from parents brought 23 different presenters to the school, covering careers from farrier/blacksmith to medicine, arts, law enf... Full story
Women learn to shoot guns for a variety of reasons: hunting, competitive shooting, self- and home-defense, and the ability to control an object capable of inflicting great harm. Shooting responsibily, knowing how to care for a firearm and having the right mindset about the whole issue is just as crucial as being able to hit a target accurately. Maureen Rogers incorporates all those aspects in her business, “Lady Gets a Gun.” Her goal is to assist women to become com... Full story
Marla and Kent Stevens opened Painted Lady Antiques this summer with a firm goal: to be an uncluttered, reasonably priced shop that people want to return to again and again. “We didn’t want to be another high-end store,” said Marla. “We love return customers and we cater to the whole family.” Furniture and accent pieces, pocket knives, bits and pieces, and toys ensure every customer has a fun browsing experience. And the store isn’t filled with all old stuff either. The... Full story
The annual Firefighter Recruit Academy is a long-standing tradition with the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Black Butte Ranch rural protection fire districts. Each year a number of applicants across all the Central Oregon fire districts are screened and chosen to begin their learning of firefighting and emergency service at local stations. Sisters-Camp Sherman and Black Butte Ranch fire districts graduated nine recruits with a badge-pinning ceremony at the Sisters Fire Hall last... Full story
There aren’t many permits being issued these days for the construction of vast cathedrals made of stone. There is, however, a need for skilled stone sculptors to do repairs on existing buildings around the world. And as the world watches the revival of the cathedral at Notre Dame, the focus will be on the artisans who bring it back to its former glory. The United Methodist Suttle Lake Camp is set be the site of a gathering of stone carvers from the Northwest and beyond d... Full story
When Marlene and Jerry Baldock arrived in Sisters Country 10 years ago, the pair settled on a lovely piece of property in the Cloverdale area. Marlene had a hankering to raise animals, and after researching llamas and coming up with a great big no, she turned to alpacas. The smaller, gentler cousin of llamas were well established in the area and soon Desert Song Alpacas was launched. Marlene became acquainted with the Pieper family of Panorama Ranch, long-time Sisters-area bre... Full story
Year-end banquets for equestrians present an opportunity to socialize and celebrate without the pressure of caring for their horses or prepping for a show. It's also a time to dress up a bit and turn up without hay sticking to one's clothing. The recent High Desert Hunter/Jumper Association banquet honored Sisters rider Alessandra Wentworth, 14, and her horse Making Change, aka Penny, in several categories. They won High Point Junior, Champion Modified Children's Equitation... Full story
Have you ever signed up for something and immediately regretted it? Wondered if you could just not show up to whatever you just signed up for? This happened to me recently when I responded to what felt like a healthy challenge for some conservative citizens to turn up to a politically motivated training session. Citizens 4 Community recently held a workshop called Across The Divide. Its purpose: To train and prove to participants that civil political discourse is possible. As soon as I hit "send" on my registration, visions... Full story
Sisters equestrienne Bailey Knirk, 14, sweats the small stuff when she's training her two horses. Spending quiet hours schooling and working on the basics paid off recently when Knirk came home from her first State 4-H Horse Fair, held during the State Fair in Salem, with the overall win in barrel racing in her age category. At the fair, the top qualifiers in each event from all Oregon counties gather to compete. Knirk qualified in Figure 8, another gaming event, as well as... Full story
My husband, Allan, became an American citizen two weeks ago. After living and working and paying taxes here for 19 years, he decided it was time to be able to have an opinion that could be backed with action. My initial reaction, which I still feel, is pride that he wanted to take this big step. When we lived in his country, New Zealand, I did not pursue citizenship there, afraid that it would make me less American. I clung to my birth country as a lifeline of identity. And... Full story
Brian Foutz understands the power of music to make the world a better place, and he's determined that any child who wants to learn to play music has the opportunity. He and his wife, Genny, started the Foutz Foundation last year with the goal of making musical instruments available to students free of charge. Brian's brother, Travis, shared the love of music and was enrolled in college, preparing to become a music teacher. His unexpected death last year at age 36 caused Brian to seek a way to honor Travis's memory and the... Full story
Sisters Country residents searching for an empathetic ear as they struggle with mental-health issues have another choice with the recent arrival of Dr. George Mecouch, D.O., a board-certified psychiatrist. He has long wanted to be a small-town psychiatrist, having grown up in rural New Jersey. Dr. Mecouch did his psychiatry training at The Medical College of Wisconsin, graduating in 1982. He worked in the Midwest for several years then came to Oregon in the mid-1990s. He... Full story
One hundred and twenty excited first-graders from Sisters and Tumalo filed into the Sisters High School auditorium on Friday, May 25, all set to have some fun with books. The 10th annual Books for Kids literacy event, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sisters, kicked off what Rotarians hope will be a reading-filled summer for the students. Friday's gathering was the culmination of several months of anticipation that began in January. A selection of six hard-cover books, chosen... Full story
Jason Mitchell has packed an awful lot of adventure into the last year. Shortly after graduating from high school in 2017, the 18-year-old hit the road, determined to be what he calls a "good traveler." One who gets to a town, finds work, makes friends, and develops a good reputation and a cadre of friends watching his back. This is in contrast to a "bad traveler," who burns bridges as he goes and ends up with no friends and likely no memory of the experience. Listening to... Full story
It can be a challenge these days to find electricians with room in their schedules to get a new home wired. Darleene Snider, construction manager for Sisters Habitat for Humanity, was understandably delighted to take up an offer to have a home wired by apprentice and journeyman electricians. "This is a pilot project for us," she said. "But we're most definitely looking forward to doing this again in the future." The project was organized by Prineville electrician Brian Samp... Full story
The Sisters High School equestrian team (OHSET) galloped off to a good start at the first Central District meet last weekend. Twelve teams from central and eastern Oregon braved the wind and snow to test their mettle in an array of performance and gaming events at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center. The Sisters team is small but mighty, with seven highly competitive athletes. The team has been working hard on their horsemanship skills in the lead-up to the meet, and Coach Julie Vosberg said it's paying off. "After... Full story
The delight of crafting and receiving hand-written letters is alive and well at the Black Butte School in Camp Sherman. Fourth- through eighth-graders in Delaney Sharp's class are involved in "Yo Ghana!," a letter-writing program linking Pacific Northwest students with their peers in Ghana. Three times a year the students use class time to write letters from one to several pages long. The finished letters need to present nicely, which means several edits and re-writes are... Full story
Equestrians in Central Oregon have no excuse for boredom. Activities vary from trail riding to classic and cowboy dressage. Carriage driving, show jumping, eventing, high school equestrian team, 4-H, Pony Club, cattle work and just enjoying a pasture pet are all enjoyed by local horse enthusiasts. One activity not on offer until now is the venerable discipline of vaulting. Long established in Europe and included as one of the 10 equestrian disciplines at the World Equestrian... Full story
Riding down the horse trails out of Sisters Cow Camp on the first Saturday of June is a tradition some riders won't miss. Especially when they know that every mile they ride brings much needed and appreciated dollars to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, located in Memphis, Tennessee. This year's Saddle Up for St. Jude ride was no exception, with between 50 and 60 riders heading out at their own pace on a cool morning to wind their way on a marked trail for either 10 or... Full story
The Rimrock Riders Event Center at Brasada Ranch in Powell Butte is an equestrian venue with two arenas, grandstands, a café and ample space for trailers and spectator vehicles. And when it's full of cheering teenagers, their parents and friends, the happy noise echoes to the big metal spans that hold the roof. Such was the scene at the second Central District OHSET meet last weekend, when teams from Sisters and 13 other schools on the east side of the Cascades congregated to compete in events ranging from saddle seat... Full story
Adopting a rescued horse is a process, one that can be fraught with unexpected bumps and bruises. Too often, when those rough spots crop up, the horse is passed along to another hopeful owner. Sisters horse trainer Alison Weston started a nonprofit this year with the intention of creating a trail to success for horses ending up in a rescue and those warm-hearted people who choose them. Solid Strides, a 501(c)(3) entity, has a three-fold mission: to provide training for the... Full story
Carriage-driving enthusiasts had a unique opportunity to hone their skills at a Carriage Driving Derby, held last Saturday in the grass arena at Kanoe and Dyrk Godby's Crooked Pine Ranch on Indian Ford Road. In a driving derby, competitors complete a course consisting of cones and obstacles. There is a route to follow that demonstrates skill in turns and spatial awareness. It is a timed event, with penalty seconds added for tipped-over cones. Some cones have balls resting on... Full story
The Deschutes County Fair, held last week in Redmond, is a major event for members of the Cloverdale Livestock Club. This 4-H club is based in Sisters, with members from Sisters and Redmond. They pitched tents, parked travel trailers, and shared successes, challenges and food over the course of the week. Most of the 21 club members show sheep in various classes. Two members had pigs and one had a sheep and a goat, making for many trips to the various livestock barns at the... Full story
First-graders in Sisters Country got a jump start on their summer reading last Friday. The annual Books for Kids literacy event, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sisters, took place in the Sisters High School (SHS)auditorium. Students from Sisters Elementary School, Sisters Christian Academy and Tumalo School ended the day taking home a hard-bound book of their very own, along with some other goodies donated by the Forest Service, Sisters Library and the Rotary Club. The event... Full story
Icy winds and snow blowing sideways didn't dissuade the Sisters equestrian team from their mission at the first Central District OHSET (Oregon High School Equestrian Team) meet, held over the weekend at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center. Friday's weather tested the mettle of all the athletes from the 14 schools in the district. They had to compete in the outdoor arena for several events until they were able to move inside. "They were positive and gave it their best effort," said team advisor Yvette Chandler. There... Full story
