News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
Dust was flying and so were the cowboys at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 10-12. It was a rompin’ stompin’ good time for the estimated 30,000 people who turned out — literally from around the world. With a total purse of $120,000, the Sisters Rodeo Association gets the claim to fame of having the biggest purse of the weekend for all the rodeo events held in the United States. Big money drew big-name national competitors such as 2004 world champ... Full story
Wayland and Alice Ann Stephenson celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on June 10. They were married in Lawrence, Kansas in 1942. After the war, Dr. Stephensen practiced medicine in the Midwest until 1956, when they moved to Santa Barbara, CA. They remained there through the rest of his career with the Sansum Medical Clinic. In 2000 they moved to Sisters, where their daughter Betsy and son-in-law Hank Fegette have lived since 1979.... Full story
Sisters will not restrict formula food businesses — at least not for now. After lengthy public testimony on the contentious issue of limiting formula food to the four existing operations (McDonald’s, Subway, Figaro’s Pizza, and Bad Ass Coffee Company) the council voted 3-2 against the ordinance on Thursday, June 9. In February of 2005, the Sisters Urban Area Planning Commission began drafting Ordinance 355 in an effort to curb the presence of fast food restaurants in Sisters. After three drafts, two public hearings, and o... Full story
After a dozen years of planning, the Sisters School District finally sold its Lundgren Mill property for $3.3 million. The sale to Peter Hall of Bend and his partner Kipp Nelson of Idaho was formalized at the school board meeting on June 13. Hall told The Nugget that he does not have definite plans for the property, which is zoned light industrial. “We’re going to assess the demands of the market,” he said. He noted that the the 29.5-acre industrial parcel is a “uniq... Full story
Deschutes County Commissioners voted on Friday, June 10, to give E.J. and Gertrude Leason the option of developing their 318-acre farm property on Goodrich Road in the Cloverdale area. The decision was in response to a $4.5 million claim by the Leasons seeking either compensation for property values lost as a result of actions taken by the county in changing land use ordinances or approval to develop their land into homesites and a golf course. Commissioners Mike Daly and Tom DeWolf approved the waiver while Commissioner... Full story
To the Editor: As a concerned resident of Sisters, I urge every homeowner to seriously consider the impact of allowing Hayden Homes to build a proposed 400 home development on about 40 acres on the west end of town. This proposed development would include about 160 single family residences built on small maximum density lots (nine units to the acre) and about 240 multiple-family units including apartments, condos, and three-story rowhouses. This in essence creates a “city within a city” that doubles the city’s popul... Full story
Sisters will become one big art gallery on Saturday evening, June 18, as the Sisters Gallery Association welcomes the Central Oregon public to the 14th Annual Sisters Art Stroll. The evening of extended store hours highlights local artists and musicians, demonstrations and food and beverage tasting. Twenty-two fine art galleries and Sisters merchants will host artist exhibits, music, refreshments and more. Artists in attendance for exhibits and demonstrations will include... Full story
While the bulls and broncs bucked just down the road, visitors to Sisters strolled among dozens of booths at the Sisters Arts & Crafts Festival at Creekside City Park. Vendors offered everything from jewelry to bent willow furniture, from tie-dyed clothing to Western memorabilia. Singer Mac McCartney played classic country tunes in the background as shoppers perused the wares. There was a big rush to the park after the rodeo parade on Saturday, according to organizer Richard E... Full story
When events hurtle a person headlong into the long, dark tunnel of grief, there isn’t always the support, time or space to learn how to cast a light into the darkness. For 40 Central Oregon youths, Camp Sunrise offers a place to nurture that light and allow it to brighten with time. The camp, an annual affair, is sponsored by Hospice of Redmond-Sisters, in collaboration with Hospice of Bend-La Pine and Pioneer Memorial Hospice. This year, the camp was held the weekend of June 10-12 and took place at the Methodist Camp at S... Full story
She was there at the beginning — a participant in the 1941 Sisters Rodeo Parade. She was there again, as Grand Marshal, 64 years later. Edith Leithauser, one of Sisters’ most venerable residents, enjoyed her stint as rodeo Grand Marshal this year, with a box seat at each performance and a trip through town in the parade. On Sunday, as she sat in the sun shaded by a wide-brimmed red hat, she took in the final rodeo performance. Standing with the crowd as old glory flu... Full story
Sisters Middle School students took on a major challenge in bringing Shakespeare’s classic tragedy “Romeo and Juliet” to the stage on June 1-2. The young dramatists succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. “The play was great!” said Superintendent Ted Thonstad in a letter to drama teacher Kim Dunaway. “The students did a wonderful job — I am always amazed by what middle school students can do when they get into it. Their performance of Romeo and Juliet was as good as I have... Full story
Carson Blodgett did something a bit different on her seventh birthday. She asked friends to bring food for the needy to her party rather than gifts. Carson, who just finished first grade, said she already has lots of toys. “I thought donating food would be better,” said Carson. Mother Jackie Blodgett said each guest brought approximately a full bag of groceries from cookies, pastas, soup and drinks to household items. “People brought a bunch,” said Carson. Mother and daughte... Full story
It has been a year and a half in the making and now the Greater Sisters Country Community Wildfire Protection Plan is complete. The public is invited to a signing ceremony and celebration next week, according to Eileen Stein, city manager for the City of Sisters. “We are inviting everyone in the greater Sisters area to attend the signing ceremony at the Sisters Village Green Park on Tuesday, June 21, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.,” Stein said. “All of the participating agencies will be represented in this celebration of a major... Full story
Sisters Elementary School students handed over a check for $100 to the Humane Society of Central Oregon in Bend last week during ceremonies marking the fifth grade promotion to middle school. The funds were raised through a student store initiative started by the fifth graders. The students raised a total of $200. An additional $100 check was presented to Principal Tim Comfort to purchase supplies.... Full story
Despite grumbling from some parents and from businesses that employ students in the summer, Sisters schools will re-open in the last week of August this year. The earlier-than-normal start was prompted by a late effort to add five days back onto the calendar when it became clear that state funding would allow it. Superintendent Ted Thonstad told the school board Monday night that the district “struggled with how we add those five days back and not add them at the end of the y... Full story
Wizard Falls hosted its annual Free Fishing Day Saturday, June 11, attracting between 400 and 450 youngsters and their families to the fish hatchery on the Metolius River, looking to land a lunker out of the overflow pond. Steve Hamberger, hatchery manager, and Scott Cotter of the Forest Service, along with 25 or more volunteers provided leadership and support for the throngs of visitors. Upon arrival, children aged 10 or younger received a colored card which would determine... Full story
The loud speakers thump with the song “Bad To The Bone” as a black and red Dodge Dually pulling a 30-foot aluminum fifth-wheel horse trailer drives out into the Sisters Rodeo arena. A lanky cowboy clad in bandit-black and red parks the rig on the south side of the arena. He jumps out of the truck cracking a 20-foot bullwhip with his left — his only — arm. His tall, black-and-red- leather-clad frame ambles to the north end of the arena. An assistant opens the side door of the... Full story
• Clearwater Gallery is hosting a “Raku in the Dark” party this Friday, June 17, starting at 5 p.m. Raku artist Bob Sant will be on site for instruction. • Join Sisters businesses on Saturday, June 18, for the Sisters Art Stroll. • Sisters Log Furniture is hosting a “free for all” bluegrass music concert on Saturday, June 18, during the Art Stroll in downtown. Featuring many local mandolin, fiddle, banjo and guitar players, along with miscellaneous percussion instruments, the group will perform for a few hours during the st... Full story
Bullfighters are truly the unsung heroes of the rodeo, constantly saving the lives of the cowboys in the shadows of raging 2,000-pound bulls. Rowdy Barry, of Kennewick, Washington, is one of the nation’s top bullfighters. He prides himself in being a serious athlete, trained and honed to perform a vital service that has nothing to do with clowning around. Many folks still confuse rodeo clowns with bullfighters. “To tell you the truth, often times it’s hard to tell us apart... Full story
All-Around Cowboy: Trevor Knowles, Mt. Vernon, OR, $2,273.65 in tie-down roping and steerwrestling. Knowles was the only man to win money in two events. Bareback riding 1. Bobby Mote, Redmond, OR, 84, $4,146.75 2. Kyle Bowers, Brooks, Alberta, 82, $3,179.17 3/4. James Boudreaux, Cuero, TX, 81, $1,935.14 3/4. Tom McFarland, Forepaugh, AZ, 81, $1,935.14 Saddle Bronc Riding 1. Sam MacKenzie, Jordan Valley, OR, 84, $4,446.00 ties arena record set by Glen O’Neill in 2002 2. Stormy Sagers, Erda, UT, 81, $3,408.60 3. Glen O... Full story
Because June is the traditional “let’s get married” month, I’ve been watching a bunch of wedding movies to see which ones you might enjoy. I rejected Runaway Bride (silly attempt to recapture the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere Pretty Woman success), My Best Friend’s Wedding (Julia Roberts again, but in a strangely churlish role), and The Wedding Planner (dippy plot and Matthew McConaughey, as the leading man, doesn’t do it for me). So skip those. You’ve probably seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), a movie that uses a formul... Full story
If you want to test your powers of observation, try watching a flock of about 1,000 red-winged blackbirds flapping over a marsh — all of them shouting their lungs out keeping in contact with one another. Pick out about a dozen tri-colored blackbirds. Difficult? You bet. But Paul Sullivan, a pretty darn good birder, did just that while out counting raptors a few weeks back. Paul Sullivan and Carol Karlen sent an e-mail message out to Oregon birders via OBOL (Oregon Birders o... Full story
Mud Flats Espresso shop opened its doors in Sisters just a little over two weeks ago. Mud Flats is owned and operated by Don Bumgardner and is located in The Village at the corner of East Main Avenue and Fir Street just one block north of Bronco Billy’s. Bumgardner and his fiancée Christina Williams moved from Albany to Sisters in September of 2004. Bumgardner owned an espresso shop in downtown Albany very similar to the one here in Sisters. Don said, “We moved here for the... Full story
A creative outlet has turned into a growing business for one Sisters woman. The new Rexford Holly Stationers in the Town Square building is not only a new retail store; there is a design business behind it. Sondy Rexford grew up in Sisters, then moved away to college and lived in New York. She worked as an interior designer and made distinctive cards on the side. Friends encouraged her to sell them. So Rexford entered the card market in a big way by attending the annual... Full story
The summer issue of the Central Oregon Horse Journal (COHJ) is out and available at locations throughout Sisters and Central Oregon. From the sound of the bugle that announces the Central Oregon Horse Races to the thud of an arrow driven into a target by a speeding mounted archer, COHJ features a glimpse into sports that are not often recognized in Central Oregon. For those who like to get off the beaten track, Charley Engel offers a spectacular trail ride around the Three... Full story
