News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Happy holidays, y’all! Here we are in beautiful Sisters Country, awaiting snow and hoping there’ll be enough for a New Year’s Eve party at Hoodoo. Awaiting the first night of Hanukkah, which falls on Christmas Day this year. Awaiting prezzies and family dinners, Santa Claus and Midnight Mass. Awaiting song and candles. Awaiting whatever traditions we’ve inherited or created for ourselves, with our biological families, adopted families, or families chosen in adulthood. Persona... Full story
Winter solstice is an ancient celebration, evidenced by sacred sites such as Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland. Immense stones were aligned to illuminate the sun as it rose for solstice, and are still used as ceremonial sites on this special day. Candles and fires characterize winter solstice and related celebrations of light in darkness. Sisters Community Labyrinth organizers will light a contained fire at the large boulder in the labyrinth's center the evening o... Full story
"Celebrate the rebirth of the Sun!" exhorts an invitation from Sisters Community Labyrinth. All are invited to join the group's Winter Solstice Gathering & Silent Meditation Walk on Saturday, December 21, at 6 p.m. Celebrants can expect a short, non-religious welcome ceremony followed by a silent walking meditation through the labyrinth. Halfway through the walk sits a large boulder at the labyrinth's center. Walkers are invited to meet there, at the fire, sharing words and... Full story
Actor and singer Christie Capucci has lived in Terrebonne for many years, but her story began in Los Angeles where her dad, Joe Ramirez, recently passed, worked as a professional musician. He toured the world and played the house band in Caesars Palace in the 1970s. "I don't remember ever not wanting to be on the stage," Capucci says. Yet she left the West Coast's hotspot of acting in 1992 and moved to a small city called Bend, Oregon, which was then unknown to most people... Full story
Thanks, y’all, for the feedback on my last column, a light ‘n’ snarky one about women’s mid-life changes. People seemed especially pleased that I encouraged men to read. Keep reading, folks of all genders! I mentioned an upcoming talk at the library. I went, despite the grim weather, and enjoyed open, nonjudgmental conversation with local ladies of various ages. At the podium stood doctors Erin LeGrand and Sarah Hellmann, both OB/GYNs with St. Charles Medical Group. OB/GYNs... Full story
Suppose you’re in your late 30s. Or well into your 40s. Or, heaven help you, mid-50s. Let us also suppose you have a uterus and ovaries, and you’re still menstruating. Even if you don’t have that apparatus, or you’re freaked out by the word “menstruating,” keep reading. What follows may help you navigate a world that’s composed of over 50 percent women.* There’s this wild, destabilizing thing that happens around mid-life. Our hormones go absolutely wild. It’s called per... Full story
The Sisters community is gearing up for a public discussion on Sunday, November 17, “Are the Kids Alright?” What about the parents? I’ve read loads of articles about raising kids. Most of them in recent years question or scoff at hands-on, close, attached parenting styles. Why do the kids—particularly middle-class and upward, often white kids—not jump on their bicycles and spend all day running around like back in the olden days? When we didn’t wear helmets or bring water... Full story
As the seasons change from fall harvest to winter cold, local farm and nonprofit Seed to Table (STT) is undergoing changes of its own. Its top leadership position has transitioned. Though 2024 has been a strong year for its three core programs - education, feeding local people, and Sisters Farmers Market - the organization is addressing gaps in fundraising revenue, unrelated to the leadership transition. Seed to Table recently announced that its Founder and Farm Director... Full story
Playing host to a record-breaking number of visitors, accepting a range of new vendors, and trying out expansions of its physical footprint, Sisters Farmers Market just closed out its biggest season yet. "We had a great season," market manager Willa Bauman enthused. The final market, October 27, marked the latest time of year Sisters Farmers Market has ever been open. "The last day was really great. We got blue skies right at 10 o'clock after a rainy morning. It was a nice cri... Full story
In the lead-up to the election, Sisters area residents are even more vigorous in expressing their opinions than usual. This I believe to be a good thing. Publications such as newspapers balance a variety of agendas and necessities. The editor acts as a filter and gatekeeper, helping writers understand the larger context and audience for their work. The editor typically influences their community and is influenced heavily by it. In a geographically based publication, the... Full story
In my email queue, I get lots of emails from Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the politician representing our oddly shaped, wiggly District 5 in U.S. Congress. In my physical mailbox I receive a boatload of shiny flyers from her campaign and supporters. Chavez-DeRemer appears to be as wiggly as our newly shaped district itself. In debates, Chavez-DeRemer positions herself as a bipartisan, non-extreme centrist in an attempt to gain the votes of District 5 NAVs like me, the non-affiliated... Full story
In which the writer continues to contemplate and blather upon the subject of joy, inspired by a writing prompt in musician and writer Nick Cave’s column “The Red Hand Files.” Mr. Cave seemed to advocate seeking out joy, treating joy as a decision that one makes. Here’s where we left off last column (Click here to see previous column.): We can court joy and look for it. We can imagine it is within our control. Or we can turn our back and wait for it to tap us on the shoulde... Full story
A dark, postpunk musician I’ve admired for decades, a man beloved of Goths and Johnny Cash fans, has somehow become both a mainstream rock star and a religiously inspired advice columnist. Yes, I’m talking about the inimitable Nick Cave. On his beguiling blog “The Red Hand Files,” Mr. Cave usually answers questions. Recently he turned the tables. He asked us, his readers and fans, to answer his question: “I have a full life. A privileged life. An unendangered life. But somet... Full story
Sisters Festival of Books (SFOB) presented its second festival last weekend and celebrated its new status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Authors, poets, and publishers from around the region and beyond shared stories, food, readings, and workshops with an enthusiastic audience. Born and raised in Sisters, Dr. Kelly Davis Martin was delighted with the successful fest. "It's awesome! It's so good just being in community with other people who are interested in writing... Full story
Every September, supporters of local nonprofit Seed to Table gather outdoors on its farm to eat, drink, and be visibly merry. For a few years now, the question preceding the Fall Harvest Dinner has been: Will there be smoke? This year was a little more complicated. Guests wondered: Will there be smoke? And rain? And lighting? About 200 attendees arrived on a hot evening to a festive scene. Long, communal tables were set with linens and sunflower bouquets. Somewhat smoky air... Full story
It’s a beautiful September morning in Sisters Country. The sun is out but it’s not too hot yet. The sky is brushed with a hint of smoke, nothing much compared to the last few summers. The forest is quiet, other than some loud equipment, a dog barking, and a small plane flying low. OK, not really that quiet. Compared to a city, though? The forest is heavenly. It’s a good life, in a good place. I am one of the lucky ones and I totally know it. But by late afternoon I may have fo... Full story
A new band in town, Salty Squirrel Hunters, debuted with their first concert Friday afternoon at The Barn. The group of middle- and high school-aged youth were students in the Branch to Fruit advanced music camp offered by SFF Presents. The show kicked off with a sparkling original tune, written and performed by seventh-grader Everett Danger Spurgeon on banjo. Then Tristan Marshall took center stage with his ukulele and stunned the audience with a complete rendition of Queen's... Full story
Last time we checked in with our story of 2017, my family was trying to drive through the pass on Highway 126/20 after watching the solar eclipse, and move into the home we'd bought. Best laid plans of mice and men, as the saying goes. Our new neighborhood west of Sisters had been evacuated so we headed to the Valley for a week or so. Coming back to Sisters proved impossible. In addition to the roaring, smoking Milli Fire very close to Sisters itself, we were stopped at the... Full story
"I didn't think I was a creative person; my older sister was the artist in our family." It was a surprising statement to hear from successful artist and "possibilitarian" Kelly Rae Roberts onstage at Fir Street Park last week. Her story was part of a keynote panel on the business of art, featured at a PubTalk event in Sisters last week. EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) describes PubTalk as "a happy hour aimed at bringing together different facets of the business... Full story
The land of Deschutes County, like other counties, is divided up into interesting shapes. A school district here, a parks and recreation district there, a House of Representatives district that might change from District 2 to District 5. Maps for land use zoning determine whether folks can develop their properties, whether they must grow trees or agriculture, or whether it's suitable for industrial use. What about evacuation zones? This reporter made five web searches and... Full story
Ayla is an SFF creativity camper who lives all the way in Colorado. "I was nervous for my first camp," she texted, "but the instructors were awesome and fun. When I went in, I was interested in guitar, and when I left, it was my passion." Thanks to the growth and community commitment of Sisters Folk Festival, whose parent organization now goes by the name SFF Presents, Sisters offers robust arts and music programming for youth in the summer - particularly for a town of its siz... Full story
Creative-minded entrepreneurs, rejoice. A new nonprofit is forming in town, offering downtown office and studio space along with ambitious plans for resources and events. Sisters Makers kicks off with a Grand Opening this Friday, June 28. With the help of local partners and supporters, a makers group spearheaded by Shannon Thorson secured a discounted lease on the City of Sisters-owned building at the corner of North Spruce Street and East Main Avenue, the former Chamber of... Full story
"It is super exciting to see this sense of synergy," said Shannon Thorson. She is the initiator of Sisters Makers, which celebrates its grand opening this week during 4th Friday Artwalk (Click here to see related story.). In the Sisters Country Vision project, published in 2019, the concept of promoting and supporting makers rose to importance. Many artisans, small agricultural businesses, visual artists, and creators of handcrafted goods lacked space, a community gathering... Full story
In 2024, summer solstice falls on Thursday, June 20, in this part of the world. Sisters Community Labyrinth will hold its annual gathering and labyrinth walk that evening. Typically light in tone and nonreligious in nature, the gathering will have another layer this year: it's the last solstice walk before the land is built out. "Marking the summer solstice with a community labyrinth walk has become a special tradition," Sharlene Weed said. "It will be our last walk together... Full story
Three actors and their director took to a back porch overlooking Whychus Creek last week to rehearse a miniature one-act play. Wind rustled through the treetops. Birds chirped. "I will be playing a hypochondriac named Helen who is in the emergency room, waiting to be seen," actor Kathy Mahony explained. The play is part of an evening of short one-acts called "Now You're Talking," taking place June 20–23. Sisters-based nonprofit organization Silent Echo Theater Company is c... Full story
