News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
The new Glaze Meadow Golf Course at Black Butte Ranch is now open for play. "We have 11 preview holes open now," said Kendal Daiger, director of marketing at the Ranch. "We're offering a sneak peak of the golf course before our grand opening the weekend of June 30-July 1. We hope lots of people come to the ranch to help us celebrate this momentous occasion." The grand opening will be the first opportunity to play all 18 holes of the redesigned and rebuilt Glaze Meadow Golf... Full story
The weather was chilly, but the action was smokin' hot at the 72nd annual Sisters Rodeo. The crowd that braved the cold and intermittent showers on Friday night saw one of the best opening-night performances in history, highlighted by eight 80-point-plus bull rides. That was a marked contrast to Wednesday night's Xtreme Bulls event, which the bulls definitely won. There were only nine qualifying rides out of 40 contestants at that first-time event. "Those were the toughest... Full story
The Main Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian improvement project is nearing completion. According to City of Sisters Public Works Director Paul Bertagna, the landscape contractor will be installing the final landscape elements the week of June 11-15. Main Avenue will then receive an asphalt seal coat prior to the permanent pavement markings being installed from Pine Street to Larch Street on Sunday, June 17 and Monday, June 18, weather permitting. "Block closures will be in effect during the seal coat process for six to seven hours... Full story
Sisters took a big step toward finding a permanent home for its school-based health clinic last Friday. Officials from Deschutes County Health Services, county commissioners, school officials and others gathered on property donated by the developers of McKenzie Meadows, adjacent to Sisters High School, to break ground on the future 2,700-square-foot clinic facility. For the past two years, the clinic has been operating out of a trailer adjacent to Reed Stadium. The clinic will... Full story
To the Editor: This year's Memorial Day service hosted by our local veterans of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars was moving, executed well, and a fine example of how our vets continue to serve. Our collective hearts swelled with pride at each and every turn of the event. From being met at the entrance to the park by a uniformed Boy Scout handing out flags to the guest speaker, LTC Richard Miller, U.S. Army (Retired), to the retiring of the colors by the Redmond High School Marine JROTC. We were lovingly... Full story
The first in a four-part series of rides got under way last Wednesday evening with the Sisters to Summit bike race. The brainchild of Sisters Stampede Race Director Joel Palanuk, the ride to the pavement-ending gravel atop Three Creek Road has attracted local riders for years, and now Palunuk wants to see more involvement and some official times. "There has always been a locals' competition to the top," said Palunuk. "But where people start has always been a gray area, and... Full story
Sisters on the Fly are due to arrive in the town of Sisters June 20-24. More than 120 women from the Northwest will arrive at the campground next to the Sisters Rodeo Fairgrounds with their vintage trailers. Sisters on the Fly is a national group of women with old refurbished trailers that "glamp" through out the United States. "Glamping" is to gather and camp, bringing all the comforts of home with you. "No men, no children, and no gossip" is the motto. Most "sisters" join the camping club to have a fun time shopping, fishin... Full story
Folks in Sisters love animals. They show it in many ways, from their relationships with their own pets to creating pet-focused art to support for the Furry Friends Pet Food Drive. And some help out by volunteering for the Humane Society of Redmond. Sana Hayes is one of those volunteers. She visits the shelter regularly to walk dogs and play with animals - and she uses her talents as a photographer to help them find adoptive homes. "I've been going every Tuesday and taking... Full story
Phil Lagao, head golf course superintendent at Black Butte Ranch, has been named the Superintendent of the Year by the Oregon Chapter of the Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) for the year 2012. "This is the first time I've won the award," Lagao said. "I was pretty surprised to be nominated, but grateful that Jeff Fought would take the time and would think enough of me to nominate me. And it's not just an award for me, it's recognition for my excellent staff and al... Full story
The Sisters School Board on Wednesday night celebrated outgoing board member Glen Lasken's 13 years of service to the board. Retired 12-year board member Jeff Smith said, "One of the things that Glen has done is emphasize the significance of local option for our children. That $1 million dollars a year we get is a huge, huge part of what makes this district special. Glen has provided leadership (on the local option) from day one. Glen, the children of Sisters have been... Full story
Sisters' recycle center will be manned and open seven days a week starting July 1. The planned three-month trial will start in July, not June 1 as earlier planned, due to a mixup at city hall. In the meantime, surveys distributed throughout Sisters Country in High Country Disposal's (HCD) bills have begun to pour in to city hall. Results of these surveys will be used along with the data from the three-month trial to determine the next steps for the recycle center. At last Thursday's council workshop it was suggested that HCD... Full story
As the cold winds of June abated, this weekend's annual Art in the Park spread out along the lawns of Creekside Park drew healthy crowds of rodeo revelers and guests to absorb 75 vendor booths of incredible summer art. Cajun fiddler Kelly Thibodeaux and his rowdy Etouffe Band helped kick off the festival Southern-style with some foot-stompin' tunes to accompany a breezy Saturday afternoon with friends and visitors under the pines. The show was a sell-out, with a wide array of... Full story
Thirty students at Sisters Middle School are now published authors. Each student received a copy of their book, "Animal Adventures," from Sisters Middle School, containing their stories and artwork. The book was published by Createspace, an amazon.com company, and is available for purchase to customers in the United States, Great Britain and Europe. At press time nine copies of the book had been sold to the general public. The official publication party for the new authors... Full story
Clearwater Gallery owners Dan and Julia Rickards will be hosting their seventh annual Miniature Originals Show, "It's No Small Thing!" This year's show, featuring 22 extremely talented artists, will open to the public Saturday, June 23, at 10 a.m. An artists' reception will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Artists have been asked to create original work not to exceed 120 square inches. Small wonders of wood and bronze along with oils, pastels, acrylics, and watercolor will create the backdrop for an atmosphere filled with the... Full story
"Businesses are excited about the Cascade Avenue streetscape project ... and they are scared to death," says Mike Darling, ODOT Project Leader for the Highway 20-Cascade Avenue improvement project, "...and we hear that loud and clear." Darling and other members of the ODOT project team met with the city council in a workshop last Thursday to discuss the latest schedule and design considerations for the $6 million Cascade Avenue project, now due to begin construction in January 2014. ODOT and city staff shared the results of... Full story
Cyclists will pedal their way through the stunning landscapes of Oregon's Cascade mountains on Saturday, June 16, while supporting the conservation and stewardship of two mountain rivers. Ride for Two Rivers, a cycling event hosted by the National Forest Foundation (NFF) in partnership with Cycle Oregon, supports the restoration of the Metolius River and Whychus Creek, two magnificent rivers that flow from the mountains toward their confluence with the Deschutes River. They are places where native fish return to spawn and... Full story
William Saunders knows how to work. He held down a job at Sisters Bakery through high school while excelling in the classroom, on the lacrosse field and in the mountains he loves to climb. That willingness to dig deep and work hard paid off in a major way for the recent Sisters High School graduate: he earned a prestigious Ford Family Foundation Scholarship. Saunders was one of 102 students selected as a Ford Scholar from among 5,443 applicants. Eligibility criteria included... Full story
Several Sisters residents glimpsed a rare astronomical event last Tuesday, June 5. Local optical engineer Forrest Babcock, joined by wife Janet Zuelke and several friends, set up a mini observatory on the shores of Shasta Lake and got a look at this year's transit of Venus, an event that won't happen again until the year 2117. The group was on a boating vacation, and Babcock brought along a spotting scope, tripod and makeshift observing screen just for the occasion. Sisters... Full story
Longtime Nehalem resident Perry "Pete" W. Jones, Jr. died Saturday, June 2, 2012, in Wheeler of Alzheimer's disease. His wife, Lois, was with him at his side when he passed. Pete was born to Perry W. and Lura B. Jones, January 24, 1926 in Independence, Oregon. He lived in Independence with his parents and brother, Rodney, until he enlisted in the United States Air Force in August, 1944. He completed his basic training in Amarillo, Texas and continued his aerial gunnery... Full story
Leona M. Gridley, long-time resident of Redmond, passed away peacefully in her home on June 3, 2012. Leona was born to Delmar and Eleanora Pepperling on March 31, 1937. She grew up in Sisters, Oregon and graduated from Sisters High School, where she met the love of her life and future husband, David Gridley. She was Sisters' May Day Queen, and participated in cheerleading, majorettes, choir, theater and dance. Leona and David were married on December 18, 1954. They raised... Full story
Harry passed away June 2 in Redmond at the age of 85, of natural causes. He was surrounded by his loving family, and he had the support of his many great friends. Harry led a spirited and accomplished life and was loved for his frankness, humor, desire for excellence, commitment to causes, and the guidance he provided others. In 1944, at the age of 17, Harry joined the Marine Corps to fight in World War II, turning 18 in the middle of the Pacific. His service took him to... Full story
Kathleen K. Bowers died at her home in Redmond on June 6, 2012 at the age of 90. She was born November 30, 1921 in Sellwood Gardens, Portland, to Atnas Frank and Gertrude (Hendry) Kolaroff. Kathleen married Archie J. Faris in 1942 they had three children together and were later divorced. In 1956 she married Leonard Bowers and her family grew to six children. Kathleen was a long-time resident of Sisters, while there she was employed at Leithauser Grocery, and also worked as a... Full story
When the equine partner in your life requires a safe home, Mitch and Karen Elliott's Cross Creek Stables near downtown Sisters offers clean, affordable indoor stalls, spacious paddocks and outdoor boarding. The Elliotts recently leased the home and facility from longtime horse trainer and three-day eventer Karen O'Neal, who relocated her farm and horse operations to Spokane, Washington. Cross Creek's 10-acre setup includes a 10-stall barn, 14 outdoor turnouts, 200-by-80-foot i... Full story
There's a new trail in town! Close to town, anyway. Although I still catch myself calling it Squaw Creek, a name change doesn't alter the fact that I've been wandering this stretch of Whychus Creek for the last half-century. As a result, I was unprepared for the pleasant and surprising new trail that awaited me just four miles south of town. The three-mile trail covers some very familiar ground but opens up plenty of new country, as well. The first mile explores some of my... Full story
• Ten-year-old Mikayla Sadler and 16-year-old Emma Lawson each turned in championship performances at the 61st annual Salem Soapbox Derby All-American Local Championships last weekend. Their wins qualify them to compete on July 21 in the All-American World Championships in Akron, Ohio. Race Director Jim Youngers noted that "Emma had never even sat in a soapbox derby car before Saturday." On the other hand, "Mikayla has been racing for a number of years and she's a... Full story
