News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Sure, it’s all about broncs and bulls, brave cowboys and skilled cowgirls — Old West pageantry and cowboy spirit. But none of the excitement of the annual Sisters Rodeo would happen without a lot of behind-the-scenes toil and sweat from an almost countless cadre of dedicated volunteers. Since 1941, the Sisters Rodeo has been one of Central Oregon’s most popular events and a landmark show for Sisters, attracting rodeo fans and performers from throughout the country. It’s Oregon... Full story
Sisters city officials are expected to take a major step toward expanding the city’s water and sewer infrastructure when they vote to amend an engineering contract at the June 9 City Council meeting. The extent of the infrastructure expansion will be determined by population forecasts in a new Comprehensive Plan, expected to be adopted this year. City Engineer Richard Nored from HGE Inc., will be paid $49,500 to write an update to the Sewer and Water Master Plan. The expansion of Sisters’ infrastructure will be itemized wit... Full story
A hushed and somber gathering of some 800 friends and family members gathered at Sisters High School on Saturday, June 4, to honor the life of Joel Meyer, who died on May 29 in an accident at Lake Shasta, California. Those in the audience were deeply moved by the fortitude and grace Meyer’s family displayed in facing a tragedy that rocked the entire Sisters community. Joel’s mother Mary Allison, his brother Emery and his father Tony all spoke movingly of a young man full of li... Full story
Sisters firefighters need help to provide better fire safety for lower-income residents. Public contributions are being solicited by the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District to match grant funds for fire safety equipment. TUMS Corporation will match contributions up to $2,500 in a grant to the fire district to allow the district to buy smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, escape ladders and videos on how to effectively use fire extinguishers, according to Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler. “In our routine visits to Sisters a... Full story
The public will have the chance to weigh in on the adoption of proposed restrictions on formula food in Sisters before the city council on Thursday, June 9, at 7 p.m. The Sisters Urban Area Planning Commission has drafted ordinance number 355 to add policy to the Comprehensive Plan that would limit formula food restaurants within the city. The commissioners approved the draft ordinance last month to acclaim from a packed house that turned out to support the restrictions. The ordinance is now before the city council for... Full story
Visitors to Sisters can take a trip back in time to a Victorian-era Old West at the Grand Palace Hotel. Proprietors Joe and Lesa Randall celebrated the grand opening of the new lodgings last weekend after a whirlwind of activity that transformed the upstairs section of the historic Sisters building on the corner of Cascade Avenue and Elm Street. Joe Randall explained how he and his wife ended up in the hotel business. “We fell into it,” he said. “Lesa had kind of thought of th... Full story
The Stroll Through Summer, a 5,000- or 10,000-steps-per-day walking program sponsored by Sisters Athletic Club, is about to hit the streets, stairwells, forest roads and trails of Sisters. Beginning on June 29, participants can discover just how healthy their pedestrian habits are. Or aren’t. Using a pedometer, an inexpensive device which attaches to the waistband, participants can track the number of steps they take through the course of a day. The goal for each day is 10,000 steps — approximately five miles. If walking fiv... Full story
It bills itself as “the biggest little show in the world” and it gets underway this weekend for the 65th time. The Sisters PRCA Rodeo has performances scheduled for June 10-12. The first performance begins Friday at 7 p.m. with other performances scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. “We will again have some of the top rodeo performers in the country coming to Sisters for our three-day rodeo,” said Glenn Miller, president of the Sisters Rodeo A... Full story
Joel N. Meyer of Sisters died on May 29 in an accidental drowning at Lake Shasta, California. Services were held in Sisters on Saturday, June 4. Joel was a junior in the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon. He was a 2002 graduate of Sisters High School, where he was Student Body President, Mr. SHS, a three-sport letterman, and Athlete of the Year, participating in football, baseball and skiing. He was a member of Three Sisters Fellowship church. He was born in... Full story
Luella Ennis died at her home in Sisters on Wednesday, May 4. She was 96. Mrs. Ennis was born August 16, 1908 in Harris, Iowa, to William and Adelia Puck. She married Saylor Ennis on March 5, 1930, in Spencer, Iowa. The couple recently observed their 75th wedding anniversary. Mrs. Ennis was a resident of Sisters since 1989. Survivors include her husband; three sons: Darwin of Lake Palestine (Tyler) Texas, Duane of Milwawkie, Oregon and Del of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; brother Edwin Puck of Coupeville, Washington; a sister;... Full story
To the Editor: In case you haven’t heard, there is an important issue facing our community that needs your immediate attention. We all know about McDonald’s coming in (the store is under construction on the west end of town). That puts Sisters on the map for other chain and fast-food restaurants (so-called “formula food” restaurants because they all serve the same cuisine everywhere USA). These restaurants pose a threat to the unique image and character of Sisters, one that is NOT everywhere USA, as well as to our locally gro... Full story
Sisters fifth graders took a shot at the skies on Wednesday, June 1, in the school’s annual rocket launch. According to organizer David Hewett, the students sent up about 95 rockets to heights ranging to 400 to 500 feet. The rockets are designed with technical assistance from Rod Moorhead. The students fashion nose cones and fins from balsa wood and the rockets are propelled by specialty fuel ignited by an electrical charge. The project is a thrill for the fifth graders and a... Full story
Students at Sisters High School have produced a literary and arts publication showcasing fellow classmates’ work. Verbatim was officially released Friday, June 3. The project was spearheaded by English teachers Doug McDonald and Samra Spear. A committee of six high school students turned the project into a reality. Juniors Amelia Andersen, Scott Barton, Maureen Broadbent, Tiffany Martin, Jesse Prichard and Rose Slavkovsky were responsible for recruiting and selecting submissions, editing, photographing artwork, designing t... Full story
This fall a group of student volunteers plan to start Radio Station KZSO. The radio station will be located at Sisters High School in a room close to the gymnasium. Amanda Sarles, who will be a senior next year, is slated to be the station manager. Business teacher Bill Blevins will act as the faculty advisor and there will be an advisory committee made up of community members. “Planning for this radio station has been in process since 2000,” said Sarles. “We finally managed to have space for it in our new building. It’s said... Full story
Soon to be a permanent $3 million fixture in a setting of mountains, green grass, and tall pines, the new Aspen Lakes Golf Course clubhouse is intended to complement its surroundings. The 26,000-square-foot building will have three floors. Golfers and guests will enter through an east-facing main entrance. On the main floor will be a restaurant facing the Three Sisters. The restaurant will consist of a dining room, bar and an informal grill. Adjacent to the restaurant will be the pro shop. The upper floor of the new lodge is... Full story
In the footsteps of John McLoughlin, Lewis and Clark, and Oregon Trail Pioneers, the fourth graders of Sisters Elementary School journeyed by bus on the annual Oregon history field trip June 2-3. Led by fourth grade teacher Diane Jacobson, a lover of Oregon history and veteran of 18 such trips, as well as fellow fourth grade teachers Mark Lamont and Clay Warburton, the fourth graders made their way from Sisters Thursday morning to the first real stop of the trip at Laurel... Full story
After neck surgery and over two months of recovery local dentist Mark Francis has finally returned to work. The surgery was very unexpected and was a life-changing experience for the Francis family. Francis remembers the turn of events vividly. “I awoke one morning (March 18, 2005) with a severe pain my neck and shoulder,” Francis recalled. “It was the kind of pain that leaves you gasping for breath. I thought I would just shake it off and go to work but realized after just a... Full story
Sisters area Girl Scouts crossed a bridge both literally and figuratively last week. The children participated in a “bridging” ceremony at Creekside City Park. Scouts met at the center of the city bridge over Squaw Creek, exchanged words and signs, then walked across. The ceremony marks a symbolic passage from Daisies to Brownies and from Brownies to Girl Scouts. The scouts received new vests to mark their status and a variety of pins. Evelyn Brush is the local scout lea... Full story
Seven Sisters songwriters performed their original material at a Saturday night benefit concert for the Sisters Folk Festival. Brad Tisdel, Anastasia Scott, Brent Alan, Jim Cornelius, Dennis McGregor, Katie Cavanaugh, and Joe Leonardi each performed three songs in an in-the-round format, accompanying each other with assistance from percussionist Lucius from Bend. The performance was held at GFP Enterprises in the Sisters Industrial Park. The facility’s conference room has p... Full story
Restaurateurs in Sisters are feeling pinched by what they consider high system development charges (SDC) for water and sewer service. Sisters calculates restaurant SDCs based on an “equivalent dwelling unit” (EDU) use of 125 gallons of water per day. The water SDC is $2,895 per EDU; sewer is $2,994. SDCs are designed to provide funds to expand water and sewer systems as new development requires increased capacity. Because restaurants commonly use a lot of water, their overall water SDCs are high compared to other retail busin... Full story
One of Sisters newest businesses is an Internet cafe located in Pine Meadow Village. Café Wired offers broadband Internet access and wireless high speed access along with freshly brewed coffee. Customers can work at complete workstations with the full suite of Microsoft Office. Café Wired offers an Apple platform with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop, ATM, fax and private personal e-mail accounts. Owners Harry Pollard and Jeri Sprague said they are “a couple of peo... Full story
The Oregon Department of Transportation is inviting the public to an open house to examine project plans and gather and share information about the proposed Suttle Lake-to-Sisters Passing Lanes Project. Attendees are invited to drop by Sisters City Hall on Wednesday, June 15 at any time between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ODOT staff will be available to discuss the project and answer questions. The Suttle Lake-to-Sisters Passing Lanes project proposes the construction of two passing lane sections. The first one would be located... Full story
Two lives were saved and a missing man was found during the past two weeks thanks to long hours of training and hard work of two groups of volunteers: the Search and Rescue (SAR) Team of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Camp Sherman Hasty Team of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue. In late May, the two teams, working jointly with Army Air National Guard helicopters, successfully rescued two mountain hikers injured in an avalanche on the North Sister. They also assisted two uninjured com... Full story
Riders with the Oregon Equestrian Trails organization hit the trail for a cause on Saturday, June 4, in the annual “Saddle Up for St. Jude” trail ride out of Sisters Cow Camp. The trail was a 10.5-mile loop laid out by John Grant and his sons Joe and Ross. Grant also provided campground music. More than 45 riders turned out and raised a total of $3,000 for St. Jude’s Hospital. The youngest rider was Billie Richardson, seven, who rode Strider and earned a $25 pledge from a Crooked River Ranch resident.... Full story
A 2005-06 general fund budget featuring a handsome 9.2 percent increase from the current year was approved by the Sisters School Budget Committee Monday evening. The committee posed no criticisms and few questions for Superintendent Ted Thonstad before giving unanimous approval to numbers that were nearly identical to those he first unveiled two weeks ago. In fact, the committee barely managed to muster a quorum. Four of the five lay members failed to attend. All five school board members were present, making it still... Full story
