News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
The winner of the title All-Around Cowboy at Sisters Rodeo is the contestant who wins the most money over the weekend, usually having success in multiple events. Traditionally, that cowboy wins a saddle, which has been sponsored for decades by US Bank. But when you're a successful rodeo cowboy, chances are you have more saddles than you have horses. "This year we decided so many guys have multiple saddles, we wanted to do something special, rather than just another saddle,"... Full story
Sisters Community Garden To the Editor: I remember her words like yesterday: “Fertilize, fertilize, fertilize. And stop planting so tightly.” Her name was Donna Parker and, for a number of years, this elderly matriarch of the Sisters Community Garden was a constantly cheerful expert to us clueless gardeners. Ask her a question about her life’s journey or anything regarding plants, gardening, and, yes, organic fertilizer (aka poop), and you would gain such insight and, yes, wonder at producing a harvest in Central Orego... Full story
Managers of Sisters Farmers Market have run the gamut over the years - farmers, a chef, and a registered nurse. Each brought passion and hard work to the position. This year, the Market's parent organization Seed to Table, has hired a farmer and vendor with a deep history in nonprofit markets: Willa Bauman. Market life runs in Bauman's blood. She grew up in the countryside west of Eugene. There her parents baked their own goods and sold them at the long-running, open-air Satur... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws baseball team's playoff run ended with a playoff loss to No. 1-seeded Cascade Christian on Friday, May 26. Despite the loss, the Outlaws can look back on many accomplishments across the season. "This was an incredible season for us," said Coach Matt Hilgers. "We won our league title for the first time since 2017. We hosted and won the very first playoff game that our field has seen since they built the new field at the high school. Previously they used the... Full story
The Sisters Stampede mountain bike race has become the unofficial launch of summer in Sisters. And Sisters Country served up a perfect early summer day for the hundreds of racers who took to the Peterson Ridge Trail System in an event that has put Sisters on the cycling map. The Sisters Stampede is so well-known and highly regarded that it is sold out in advance - as in on Valentine's Day in February. As is the tradition, the lead out for the multiple groups of riders that... Full story
In a sure sign that summer is upon us, Sisters Farmers Market's opening day is on Sunday, June 4. The market has new hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 37 farmers, ranchers, makers, and food producers will bring their goods to Fir Street Park, offering fresh veggies, locally raised meat, seafood, artisan food products, and locally made arts and crafts. Sisters-based trio Sugar Sweet String Band will kick off the market season at 11:30 a.m. with upbeat bluegrass, homespun... Full story
Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 8, 3 to 6 p.m., to gather at Beacham's Clock Company located at 300 W. Hood Ave. to celebrate Ed and Kathi Beacham's 45 years as one of the finest clock shops in the country - and to welcome the Recksiek family of Utah as they assume ownership of the business. Visiting Beacham's is a feast for the senses. Every hour and half-hour there are chimes, bongs, bells, and tweets as the clocks do their job of announcing the passage of time. On... Full story
Sisters musicians shone in the spotlight on a beautiful Friday at Mt. Hood Community College, where the OMEA (Oregon Music Education Association) held its annual State Jazz Championship. More than two-dozen schools attended this event, 5A and 6A schools on Saturday and 3A and 4A on Friday. The Sisters High School Jazz Band qualified for the 3A event, which they attended with their group of 15 young musicians. Under the direction of Kayla Golka, the band played "Moanin'," "I'm... Full story
Two escaped debris burns on successive days last week serve a reminder that burn piles pose a risk in Sisters Country. Fire crews quickly extinguished an escaped burn pile, which had spread to nearby vegetation, on Tuesday evening, May 23, containing the fire at an estimated 1/8 acre. According to Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, a neighboring property owner called 911 at 6:35 p.m. to report grass on fire. The property owner on scene of the incident reported they had... Full story
Gracie Vohs got to experience the rare air of the top of the podium after winning the 400 meters at the OSAA 3A Track and Field Championships held May 25 and 26 at Hayward Field in Eugene. Her joy doubled when she returned to the podium with her teammates after the quartet won the 4x400-meter relay in the meet's final event. The girls finished fifth as a team, four points shy of a team trophy. Vohs entered the meet among the favorites, but it took at strong effort over the... Full story
The morning of Monday, May 29 carried the warm promise of summer and the pleasures of a three-day weekend in sunny Sisters Country - but many Sisters Country residents gathered in Village Green for a purpose more somber and more weighty than a holiday barbecue. As they have done for many years, Sisters veterans organizations - VFW Post 8138, Sisters Band of Brothers, and American Legion Post 86 - hosted a moving tribute to the fallen of America's conflicts, from the American... Full story
John L. Gragg, age 81, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on December 9, 2022, after a long illness. John was born in St. Louis, Missouri, November 8, 1941, to Louis and Gracia Gragg. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Oregon in 1964. While home in St. Louis during a break from college, John met Barbara Graham Watt at a party hosted by a mutual friend. They married in 1965 and lived in Middletown, Ohio while he earned... Full story
Two seniors and a sophomore will represent Sisters High School at the OSAA Track and Field Championships after qualifying at the 3A Special District 4 Championships held May 18-19 at Siuslaw High School in Florence. The top two finishers, along with athletes that meet qualifying standards, move on to the state meet. In addition, one “wild card” entry is added for each event based on the best third place mark among all district meets. Corbin Fredland continued his remarkable first-ever track season by winning the 300 met... Full story
Toward raising awareness of the global increase and impact of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, the Council on Aging of Central Oregon and the Sisters Rotary Club will conduct a free series of talks on the morning of June 23 at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Community Hall. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. and sessions run through the noon hour. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of dementia and Alzheimer’s in the Sisters and Central Oregon communities, and it coincides with Alzheimer Association’s The Longe... Full story
Staff at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) are ready for BBR homeowners, the Central Oregon community, and visitors from around the globe to make memories within their new space. Standing proudly with ponderosa pines, the new lodge is 22,100 square feet and has expansive windows. The architecture and décor was created to capitalize on the setting and offer a variety of spaces for dining, sharing a drink with friends, or hosting all kinds of events from weddings to intimate evenings... Full story
Recently, while purging notes and flip charts from earlier teaching days, I came across the notes from a class entitled “Stay Away from the Rocker.” It was a class for an adult education program, and I was much too young to teach it. Now, being older, and, knowing the median age in Sisters is hovering just under 50, I thought it would be interesting to revisit its premise and see what guidelines it might have. The main idea was that to age successfully you had to minimize the negative physical aspects of your life while opt... Full story
The girls tennis squad sent three junior players — Juhree Kizziar, Brooke Harper, and Katie Ryan — to the state tennis tournament held in Corvallis, Friday and Saturday, May 19- 20. Kizziar (No. 1 singles) who was the District 4 Champion, defeated sophomore Addison Roberts of Sutherlan 6-2, 6-2. Kizziar was very consistent and Roberts made numerous unforced errors. “Juhree is a very good defender and retriever that most players over hit or get frustrated,” said Coach Bruce Fenn. “This year she handled more pace and moved forw... Full story
The application for redevelopment of the Space Age service station at 411 W. Cascade Ave. is finally complete and the process for consideration of approval will move forward, according to Sisters City Planning Department. On Thursday, June 1, 4 p.m., at City Hall, the Planning Commission will be briefed on the application by City staff. The intent is for this workshop to provide preparation for the public hearing that will occur on the request. That hearing is scheduled for... Full story
Something happens between a boy and baseball — it’s called true love. I decided to volunteer this spring in the Sisters Little League, and I wound up helping with a team of mostly 11-year-olds. I raised three sons in a baseball-crazy household after growing up in baseball-crazy Brooklyn. I watched a ton of Mets and Yankees games, and I collected a billion baseball cards. Despite a modest career on the diamond, I coached dozens of teams and I even ran my own baseball camp for a decade in Eugene. I am one of those old guys who... Full story
The Sisters City Council will have to take a second shot at nailing down policies on camping. Councilors held a public hearing in consideration of the ordinance to establish camping regulations and removal policy. According to the project information: “The camping ordinance intends to comply with ORS 195.550, which requires that any city law that regulates the acts of sitting, lying, sleeping, and/or keeping warm and dry outdoors on public property that is open to the p... Full story
There’s something to be said for staying. And of course, there’s something to be said for leaving, too. My husband and I recently returned from a month-long bucket-list trip throughout Europe and Sweden. But home is the best place, and we just returned to Sisters, a place we’ve called home for over 40 years. On our trip, we visited ancient Roman ruins in Split, Croatia. We went to a thousand-year-old monastery in Spain. We saw priceless art and cathedrals in Italy, reminders that America is a young country. And we saw Swede... Full story
With summer comes the opportunity for Sisters youth to attend a variety of sports camps. If you’re interested in any of the following camps you can register through SPRD, unless otherwise noted. The Sisters High School Outlaws basketball programs will offer a youth camp Tuesday through Thursday, June 20-22, for boys and girls who will be in the fourth through eighth grade for the 2023-2024 school year. The Outlaw Summer Hoops Camp will run from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. each day at the Sisters High School (SHS) gym. The cost is $... Full story
Eric Strobel of Economic Development of Central Oregon (EDCO) Sisters, and John Stark, executive director for EDCO made a budget request and gave the Sisters City Council a chance to hear more about EDCO’s activities last week. EDCO is a regional organization that strives to get businesses moving and growing and provide the economy with jobs. Sisters is a participating in an EDCO program with Eric Strobel at the helm. Their mission is to “create a diversified local eco... Full story
The Deschutes National Forest is currently engaged in prescribed burning and thinning the forest. They assert that our forests are unhealthy and too dense, thus requiring human ignition and logging to keep the forests healthy. At the same time it promotes chainsaw medicine and human manipulation, it conveniently asserts that natural evolutionary sources of mortality like disease, wildfire, drought, and insects are “signs” that the forests are unhealthy. There are a couple of observations that one should consider. 1.... Full story
The amount of funding for combating homelessness in Central Oregon has grown to nearly $35 million with the recent addition of $13.9 million provided to Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties. The newest tranche of money comes from the $98 million pot enacted by Senate Bill 5019 that gives sole authority of the funds’ disbursement to Gov. Tina Kotek. It’s in response to what Kotek calls a “Homeless State of Emergency.” COIC (Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council) will ma... Full story
