News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
Editor's note: One of Sisters' iconic residents, Georgia Gallagher, died last week. In recognition of her life, The Nugget is running an excerpt from a profile of Gallagher written by freelance writer Bill Mintiens in 2008. Georgia Gallagher was born in 1922 on the 640-acre Edgington Ranch, which was located about two miles south of Sisters, west of South Elm/Three Creek Lake roads and south of the present-day Patterson Ranch. Georgia Edgington became the youngest child in a... Full story
The Oregon Department of Transportation is demanding from Sisters Airport the repayment of $377,152 in ConnectOregon V grant funds and payment of an additional $13,033 to meet the minimum requirement for matching funds for grants entered into in 2015. The state agency alleges that the airport "misexpended" grant funds allocated for specific airport improvement projects. In a letter to airport owner Benny Benson dated March 21, ODOT Transportation Development Division... Full story
Sisters hosted a distinguished guest on Sunday: American Legion National Commander Charles E. Schmidt. Commander Schmidt is the first national commander to hail from Oregon, and as such his visit to Sisters was a kind of "welcome home" event for Oregon American Legion members. Legionnaires golfed, visited the High Desert Museum, and strolled the streets of Sisters "My wife contributed a bit to the local economy," Schmidt joked. A banquet at FivePine Lodge & Conference Center c... Full story
In 2014, a kind of tragedy struck at Sisters Middle School when the newly refurbished greenhouse was crushed under a snowstorm. David Hiller of the Sisters Science Club - who had spent time, energy and money restoring the 2002 structure originally built by the Forest Service - worked with the Sisters School District personnel to discuss rebuilding. Those discussions led to a new greenhouse in a new location. "After discussion with District staff we determined it wasn't... Full story
To the Editor: I am writing in response to an article in the March 15 Nugget in which Julie Benson, co-owner of the Sisters Eagle Airport, stated that the airport lacks authority to limit or deny skydive activities because, as a public use airport, it is "obliged not to discriminate against types of uses." I believe the discrimination argument is erroneous. Rules issued by the Oregon Department of Aviation (ODA) state that "Aeronautic Recreational and Sporting Activities on airport property shall be subject to the approval of... Full story
The Sisters Folk Festival released the 2017 Festival initial artist lineup for the annual event, September 8-10. Celebrating the 22nd anniversary of one of the most well-respected acoustic music events in the Pacific Northwest, the Sisters Folk Festival is produced throughout Sisters, where "All the Town's a Stage." Festival passes are $150 for adults and $50 for those 18 and under. The Sisters Folk Festival welcomes patrons for three days of world-class performances by artists spanning multiple styles, cultures and genres.... Full story
A senior at Sisters High School will travel to England this fall to begin his college education. Devin Robillard, who has compiled a 3.5 grade-point average at SHS, is enrolling at York St. John University in York, England, to study German and business. He'll spend a year at York before moving on to Germany for his second year and back to England to finish his bachelor's degree in the third year. "I'm excited about the whole college experience," Robillard said during an... Full story
Ten Sisters youth tested for new belts in martial arts last week. The youth are part of the Sisters Unified Taekwondo program, which serves 16 youth in Sisters schools, all of whom are on an individual education plan. "They all have different challenges," said Sherri Hermans, a black belt who leads the program with assistance from other martial artists, including Master Dan Graff of High Desert Martial Arts. Black Belts Victoria Graves and Sarah Wilder, along with a... Full story
The Outlaws defeated Madras and Crook County this past week to push their record to 3-0. Sisters' Tuesday game against Madras was rained out, and teams made the game on Wednesday. Sisters played a great game and defeated the White Buffs at Madras 5-2. A day later, the Outlaws crushed the Crook County Cowboys 13-3. In Tuesday's game, the Outlaws got five runs off six hits and committed three errors in the game. Madras got their two runs off seven hits and had zero errors. Sisters got their first three runs in the bottom of... Full story
The Outlaws had a rough week, with a 10-4 loss on the lacrosse field at Ridgeview on Thursday, March 23, followed by a 14-2 loss to Liberty at home a day later. In Thursday's game, the Outlaws got two goals from Ethan Morgan, and a goal from Bennett Lewis and Tyler Friend. Matt Harris recorded eight ground balls, Sam Mitchell had five, and Ethan Kennedy added four. Casey Warburton did a superb job in the goal, with 18 shots saved. Willie Stewart played well in the midfield... Full story
Central Oregon has a rich agricultural history, but for many young people the connection to farm and ranch life is much-changed from the past. That is part of the reason Sisters Elementary School third-graders visited the Deschutes County Fairgrounds for the Central Oregon Agricultural Field Day on Friday, March 24. Since agriculture is one of the foundations of Oregon's economy, there are countless academic applications within the industry. Jessica Jansen, executive director... Full story
The Outlaws boys tennis team hosted its inaugural match against Bend on Thursday, March 23. The Outlaws fell 6-2 to the Lava Bears. The young squad is improving, and put out great heart and effort in the match, and was able to post two wins in doubles. Jed Kizziar and Jacob Gurney dominated play to defeat Reed Kellar and Noah Miller 6-4, 6-4, at the No. 1 doubles spot. Kizziar is undefeated on the year, having played No. 1 doubles twice, and No. 1 singles once so far. "Both... Full story
The totally rebuilt track-and-field facility got broken in Wednesday, March 22, in the first home track meet at Sisters High School since 2014. Teams from Crook County, La Pine, and Madras joined the host Outlaws in the early season meet in cold, dry conditions that produced few exceptional marks, but plenty of courageous efforts, according to Head Coach Jeff Larson. "Everyone competed hard and the efforts given now at this early part of the season show me that our kids are... Full story
Hawley Harrer has volleyball in her blood. Her mom, Janice, is a Hall of Fame sand volleyball player, and her dad, Tom, played volleyball at the University of Hawaii and was also a sand volleyball player. So, it only seems natural that Hawley follow in their footsteps. Harrer started playing volleyball at 3 years of age and has been hard at work at the sport ever since. Hawley moved to Sisters when she was 7 years old and played through Sisters Park & Recreation District all... Full story
• Keep your eyes peeled for a bit of guerrilla art in downtown Sisters this weekend. In conjunction with the High Fiber Arts Symposium to be held at FivePine Lodge & Conference Center, local students have prepared to "yarn-bomb" locations in town. Those locations remain classified, but will become highly visible once the action is undertaken. • Framing has begun on the Dairy Queen being constructed on the corner of Highway 20 and McKinney Butte. To meet City... Full story
When Kathleen and Michael Blesius moved to Sisters and bought the two-story, yellow building at 114 N. Oak St., they weren't sure what they would use it for. Would it be a whiskey bar? Maybe they would open a candy store. There were lots of options, but in the end they gutted and remodeled the former teahouse space and opened Sisters Bunkhouse in January 2016. The first year has been lots of work, but the former San Francisco Bay Area residents couldn't be happier about their... Full story
Developing leaders in young students is a theme at both Sisters Elementary School and Sisters Middle School. Both schools have leadership programs designed for the older students within their buildings. It's Becky Aylor's fifth year teaching leadership at Sisters Middle School for 15 7th- and 8th-graders every trimester. "The students don't have to be a straight-A student," said Aylor. "It's more about their character. In fact, sometimes the kids that are most successful in leadership don't fit into the academic classroom... Full story
City Councilor Richard Esterman stepped down from the dais at the March 22 City Council meeting to address the rest of the Council as a private citizen and business owner. Esterman was requesting a waiver of the public events permit fee of $375 for the Sisters Wild West Show, August 19-20, to be held on Oak Street between Main and Cascade avenues, with a variety of booths for vendors selling arts, crafts, antiques, and food. In addition, on the graveled lot at 320-350 W.... Full story
It all started with a dog named Chopper, who had been unhappily chained up in his owner's backyard in Portland for six long years. A group of volunteers led by Kelly Peterson, Senior Vice President of State Affairs for The Humane Society of the United States, noticed the chained dog. Chopper's luck changed in a single afternoon. Peterson and another volunteer approached Chopper's owner with an unusual offer: A group of volunteers, she told him, would come in for four hours on... Full story
Last January Kimberly Johnson picked up her mini-dachshund puppy, Reagan, from a nearby breeder near her home in Virginia. Her mother, Betty, a Black Butte Ranch resident tagged along to meet Reagan and his mother, a long-haired blond mini-dachshund, Jazzy. Johnson, an FBI agent in Virginia, used to vacation at Black Butte Ranch with her parents when she was young. Johnson grew up in Roseburg. Then more than 20 years ago, her family relocated to Black Butte Ranch (BBR) and... Full story
I'm not a builder. I have no professional training of any kind, though as a kid I helped my step-dad build a gigantic barn. I was mostly useful as an extra hand to drive nails, fetch this tool or that, or to hold the end of a tape measure. As I got older my pursuits went in different directions, but he went on to build several more barns, always by himself, for the horses and cows and sheep, each one of them a kind of old-timey masterpiece of creativity, architectural beauty,... Full story
John was 86 years old. Born to Vince and Tillie (Michalski) Leason on January 11, 1931, the 12th of 13 children, in Benton County, Minnesota. After farming in Minnesota, John joined the Marines in 1951 and fought in Korea earning a National Defense Service Medal, a Korean Service Medal, and a United Nations Service Medal. After an honorable discharge in 1953 John met Gertrude Clara Fussy on a bus while going home on leave and they married in 1955 in Morrill, Minnesota. They se... Full story
Georgia (Edgington) Gallagher, a long-time resident of Sisters, passed away on March 18. She was 95. Georgia was born March 22, 1922 on the family ranch south of Sisters to Ellis and Ellen Edgington. She attended school in Sisters and graduated from Sisters High School in 1940. She attended Oregon State University, graduating with a degree in dietetics in 1944. She was Sisters Rodeo queen in 1944, and Grand Marshal of the rodeo in 2006. In 1946, she married Vince Gallagher of... Full story
My old pal from Sisters Country Conrad Weiler and his dear wife, Joan, hit me with a wonderful surprise a week or so back. They sent me an email from Panama. There's ol' Conrad, standing in the bow of a ship carrying him and his lovely wife through the Mira Florues Lock, just before they went on a tour of the Gamboa National Forest. As I sat in front of my faithful old MacBook OS10 reading the mail and wishing I were there with them, the name Gamboa went bouncing through my ancient brain and with it came an image of Rebecca... Full story
One of Sisters' most iconic businesses is under new ownership. Kara Lappe wasn't necessarily looking for a business opportunity when she headed to Sisters with her husband. "I was looking for land," she said, "because I've wanted to live here since I was a little kid. I ran across a store - completely unplanned!" That store has been a fixture of downtown Sisters for decades; first under the long-time ownership of Barbara Turner (1980-2011), then in recent years with Virginia... Full story
