News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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A Central Oregon resident is Oregon's 11th Poet Laureate. Governor Tina Kotek made the final decision after a 20-person committee narrowed the field to three finalists. When previous Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani's term ended last May, hopeful poets waited for several months, and wondered who would be next. Ellen Waterston was one of them. When Kotek made the announcement in August, Waterston was her choice. She's the second poet from Central Oregon to receive the two-year...
I woke up alone; my hubby was already up feeding chickens and one remaining horse. I’m grateful for the simple routines my family shares. As I write this, Alison Krauss sings a soothing ballad from an adjacent room. Her music is part of a collection featuring Scottish folk singer Dougie MacLean. He’s the catalyst for other artists that bring me comfort when I’m anxious… especially after what happened. Yesterday was almost my last. That evening the truth of how near I’d come resounded through tears and a pulsing heart. Re... Full story
Clarke Berryman is a man in his early 80s who jokes that he doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up. Hearing about his life so far, it's plain to see he hasn't been spending much time in a recliner watching other people lead adventurous lives. He's traveled around the world to African nations, India, and South America. His paintings and photographs are a stunning collection of beauty found in animals around the world. His life began in Montana where he was raised on... Full story
Who's the person you can't get out of your mind? The one who broke your heart, haunted you day and night? That kind of heartache can feel like possession. Something that seems to stick around more adamantly the harder you try to make it go away. If that person's still in charge when you close your eyes; or when you see something that reminds you of them; or you hear music that clinches your gut, then I have a dream for you! For the past few years, I've been working on a memoir... Full story
One of the funniest and most effective ways of showing what happens in healthy soil involves burying a new pair of white cotton undies and then six months later digging them up to see how they're transformed by decomposers. The results astonished students and teachers alike when Ms. Guthrie's fifth-grade class was on one of their Seed to Table farm field trips. In Ms. Guthrie's fifth grade class, science lessons include a curriculum about decomposers, producers, and... Full story
The word came in from a local rancher: Wolves had killed his livestock. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) investigated the claim and confirmed it. Reactions to the incidents ranged from outright anger and fear to tempered excitement that wolves were finally back in Central Oregon, where they once lived until being eradicated 50 years ago. According to ODFW Wildlife Biologist Aaron Bott and Range Specialist Mike Ensley, the initial responses that included...
With smoke from last week's controlled burns lingering above Sisters Country, it's clear fire season is on the horizon. The Sisters Rangers District conducted the first of several controlled burns to reduce wildfire risk. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in January of 2022 the Forest Service launched a 10-year strategy to address the wildfire crisis where it poses the most immediate threats to communities. With an infusion of federal funds to support local effo... Full story
Mia Bradley has an extensive background teaching children from preschool to teens. After having children of her own, she wanted to find work part-time that didn't require childcare for her daughters, Journey and Sequoia. With the cost of daycare too high, working didn't make much sense, so she got creative and came up with a business integrating her three loves – children, horses, and art. That's how Sisters Farm School began in 2019. When Sisters Farm School opened, at first... Full story
Sandy Grubb, author of her debut middle grade novel "Just Like Click," will begin a Pacific Northwest book tour at Paulina Springs Books on April 16, at 6:30 p.m. Located near Black Butte Ranch, Sisters' Paulina Springs Books is an appropriate first stop for the Lake Oswego author. "Just Like Click" won the Kraken Book Prize sponsored by Regal House Publishing to recognize outstanding middle grade fiction. "We've been coming to Black Butte Ranch for 45 years," said Grubb from... Full story
Fred Woodworth is a jovial man who's quick to smile and even faster to help someone in need of his expertise. Known as the go-to general contractor/handyman in Sisters Country, he's built, repaired, and upgraded homes in Black Butte Ranch and across the region. He was often found under a sink, on a roof, or beneath a home doing what he knows best. Then he got a diagnosis that changed everything. Woodworth ended up needing open heart surgery that included a double bypass and... Full story
When volunteer Meals on Wheels driver Connie Hatfield pulls up for a delivery, she can't help but smile. She knows each person she serves well, and enjoys catching up on what happened over the prior week, how they're doing, and if she can help them with anything they might need. Hatfield, herself in her early 80s, delivers food to homebound seniors every Tuesday. She prefers her remote route that takes her over 60 miles. She loads up the back of her Subaru with meals, then...
Kate Tibbitts comes to her North Star Elementary School kindergarten class every day excited about teaching her students. She's rewarded and challenged by her students' unique personalities, learning styles, and stories. Watching Tibbitts teach reveals her skills and approach, grounded in life experiences and an education focused on helping students understand themselves and how their minds work. In her 10 years of teaching, she hasn't focused on recognition or accolades, but... Full story
Sisters Country folks who love to eat fresh and plant-based have a new option in town. Lively Up Yourself, a vegan food cart in Bend, has opened a second location at Eurosports at 223 E. Hood Ave. Owners, Sarah McKay and Elliott Roloff were inspired to create vegan comfort food based on their Midwestern upbringing. Their Midtown Yacht Club location in Bend has grown a loyal following of both vegans and many who just love their flavors and healthy offerings. When their... Full story
Sisters Country is home to some incredibly interesting people. They chose to live on the leeward side of the Three Sisters mountains for the region's beauty, access to land, and the possibility to keep a low profile. These unassuming characters visit stores dressed in well-worn garb used for ranch work often done in solitude. Scratch the surface of their lives and find fiercely independent thinkers living in connection to an inner source feeding their minds and hearts. Lynn... Full story
For Joe Schneider, dogs have always brought companionship, calm, and renewal. Many times during his 30 years as a police officer, the welcoming wags and paws of his four-legged family members helped him shake off the day's work. Schneider began working at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) in 2020 after 20 years as a City of Bend police officer. When Schneider started bringing his black-and-white Newfoundland, Yukon Jack, to work with him at BBR, people began coming by to see the giant... Full story
Pat Lamoureux lives with her husband, Roger, in a home on the edge of Sisters Country. They've created a beautiful place with trees turning brilliant red and yellow in the autumn and a garden full of flowers that bloom in a rainbow of colors throughout the summer months. She finds peace and satisfaction tending their property while Roger works on his latest woodworking project in his shop. Being able to see the outcome of their hard work was almost lost. When she began having... Full story
Annie Cohen sat in her dorm room at Washington State University between classes. She wanted to share her high school experiences learning and growing through Seed to Table (S2T) farm and the Sisters High School greenhouse class. She transformed from a student without direction to a focused young woman with a plan to pursue a career in environmental science. Everyone has moments, months, or years when they're not sure how to move forward in life. That sense of stagnation and... Full story
When MJ and Evan Schulte were watching the local news last January, they were horrified to see a story about a two-month-old puppy whose owner caused a head-on collision near the Bend Factory Outlets on Highway 97. The puppy named Diligence (Dill) had a broken femur, lung contusions, a dislocated pelvis, and a small fracture in his nasal bone. His former owner was jailed on multiple charges including animal abuse. To have a chance at survival, Dill needed extensive veterinary... Full story
Feeling the next season on cool morning air, I’m filled with nostalgia for another waning summer. Buddy’s copper coat is fluffing up. Pulling a rubber curry comb from a dusty tack box in the barn, his slick summer hair pulls free as my gloved hand moves in circular motions from his neck to his shoulders, back, and rump. When I tap the grooming tool against the railing of our arena, a perfect replica of the tool’s oval insides comes away in concentric reflections of dust and short summer fur leaving his body. When the horse... Full story
Over 18 years ago, Sisters teachers Rand Runco and Mark LaMont started the non-profit Ten Friends as a hopeful experiment. What began as trips to a distant land, led by Sisters business owner Nurbu Sherpa, has matured into an organization making a difference for Nepalese people who lack basic necessities and a chance for a better life. Access to clean drinking water, education, and books are just a few of the things Ten Friends has brought to both remote villages and... Full story
Lim Khim Katy's art opens doors to cultures, landscapes, and experiences from her homeland in Vietnam. Her paintings reveal thoughts and visions from her life and imagination, giving viewers access to her dreams. She uses trowels to paint landscapes resulting in a myriad of evocative effects. Her incredible detail and ability to capture emotion in the faces of her subjects and provocative landscapes, can spark instantaneous reactions from joy to tears. Her subjects' stories to... Full story
Looking into the eye of a horse can be mesmerizing. Within their gaze is a wisdom, light, and energy that's hard to portray. A horse's emotions, will, and acceptance are conveyed through body language like breathing, eyes, and ears. Kimry Jelen has sought a myriad of ways to understand the horses she paints and rides. It's her fervent quest for understanding and the ability to capture the indescribable that makes her a unique and compelling artist. In one of Jelen's... Full story
High Camp Taphouse opened last summer. Since then, owners Nurbu and Pema Sherpa have steadily built a following of diners who love their Himalayan food and the welcoming atmosphere. Not only are their chairs, comfy couches, and bar stools often filled, High Camp also caught the attention of world-renowned chef and host of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," Guy Fieri. When Pema Sherpa received the first email from the show, she thought it was spam and didn't respond. A few weeks... Full story
David Mensing has made a living as an artist for more than 20 years. His professional trajectory included working as an architect in Redmond, a camp director, and a certified white water rafting guide. Back in the day, he was also an accomplished pole vaulter. Like most people, at first he didn't understand how his previous jobs and experience were preparing him to pursue his passion for painting. Like pole vaulting, making a living as an artist has many high bars to get... Full story
Sisters resident Steve Hagan is an avid hunter. He counts himself fortunate to have spent 43 years in a row hunting with his dad. He's passionate about hunting and has dedicated countless hours supporting it. Since 2021, he's been the Turn-in-Poachers (TIP) coordinator for the Oregon Hunters Association (OHA). He's also the OHA President for Oregon. When Hagan became the TIP coordinator, he inherited an egregious poaching case that took place in Dry Canyon three months before.... Full story
