News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
Here we go again. That was the sentiment repeatedly expressed as lighting rolled across the Sisters Country Sunday night, sparking a blaze on the southeast slope of Black Butte that turned into an eerie halo of fire in the early hours of Monday morning. By daylight, the blaze had grown to 100 acres and Travis Moyer's Type 3 incident response team was heading out to battle the blaze in the face of gusty winds. Significant air resources were available and were deployed to hammer... Full story
The first, and most dramatic, phase of the Deschutes Land Trust's restoration of Whychus Creek at Camp Polk is expected to be completed by the end of this week. Strangely, in an area dedicated as a nature preserve, heavy equipment is currently carving up the landscape. For several weeks now, the land trust has been engaged in a "groundbreaking" effort to restore their Camp Polk Meadow Preserve, and an important section of Whychus Creek, to a recreated natural ecosystem. More t... Full story
It may soon cost a little bit more to gas up in the City of Sisters. The Sisters City Council is considering a local gas tax of 3 cents per gallon to be imposed upon local dealers. The tax will be used to fund street maintenance, which has for years been subsidized by the city's general fund. According to a staff analysis, the public works department says the city needs to spend about $140,000 per year on street maintenance - an increase of about $50,000 over current levels.... Full story
Firefighters had a pretty good night battling the Black Butte II Fire, currently estimated to be 350 acres and 10 percent contained. Firefighters continued reinforcing retardant lines, constructing hand lines, and tying in with existing roads to utilize as containment lines overnight on Monday, battling to contain a series of spot fires created as the wind blew embers in front of the main body of the blaze on Monday afternoon. One of those grew to 42 acres, according to Janice Madden of Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch... Full story
Hundreds of quilters will see their work flapping gently in the summer breeze during the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show on Saturday, July 11. A record 1,300 quilts will adorn the storefronts of downtown Sisters in the biggest show of its kind in the nation. Among that legion of quilters is this year's featured quilter, Phyllis Johnson. "I was actually shocked," Johnson said of her selection to be the show's "queen for a day." "I never dreamt that my quilts were good enough to do... Full story
Passion, enthusiasm and long experience define golf instruction in the Sisters area. Jeff Fought and George Mack Jr. at Black Butte Ranch, and Derek Johnson at Aspen Lakes share these traits in teaching the exquisitely complicated game of golf. Fought said Black Butte Ranch has one of the oldest golf school programs in the Northwest, that started over 25 years ago. Fought has been at Black Butte Ranch for nine years and is now director of golf and advocates the golf school... Full story
Kokanee Café took top honors at the Bite of Bend on June 20-21. During a weekend of festivities celebrating Central Oregon's rich legacy of local foods and fine dining, executive chef, Roscoe Roberson, and sous-chef, Dan Debates, created artfully crafted dishes that showed their ability to create a memorable culinary experience in an hour's time. In the final round, the secret ingredient was foie gras. Roberson's appetizer could be summed up as foie gras meets... Full story
Black Butte Ranch volunteers are busy this summer pulling noxious weeds and hazardous barbed wire. The rusty barbed wire is a leftover of the old days, when cattle roamed Forest Service land and protection was needed to keep them away from private residences. Only one "cattle allotment" remains in the Sisters Ranger District of the United States Forest Service (USFS), and fences haven't been needed since the early 1990s. The barbed wire is in disrepair, often buried and... Full story
The Sisters U-16 summer softball team is having a good summer. They've participated in three tournaments and placed third in each. "And each tournament has given the team stronger competition," said coach Tom Mauldin. "The last tournament (played in Newberg) was probably our most impressive play this summer. We allowed two earned runs and only 10 runs overall. Our pitching and defense were very good." They lost in the semi-finals to the Salem Scorpions 2-1 in nine innings in... Full story
Looking for a "dash of color?" You'll find it at the Camp Sherman Quilt Show, held Friday, July 10 at the Community Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets for the aptly named raffle quilt, with its bright colors against a black background, will be $2 each or three for $5 and will be on sale at the event. It is often said that a quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul. The Pine Needlers 15 members plan to display more than fifty comforting quilts hanging from the rafters. There will be more quilts than last year, so... Full story
Bethanne Kronick puts in many hours on Suttle Lake and on the Willamette River in Portland, sweeping the oars of a racing boat, staying fit and training for competition. Her hard work paid off the last weekend in June as she rowed her way to excellent finishes in several events at the U.S. Rowing Northwest Masters Regional Championship Regatta. She was one of 575 athletes ranging up into their 80s competing in the regatta, held at Lake Vancouver, Washington. "It was the... Full story
John A. Berray, 76, of Sisters, Oregon, passed away at sunset on June 29, of lymphoma. John was surrounded by his entire family and went peacefully to his Lord. John was born September 16, 1932 in New Berlin, New York, to parents Don and Inez Berray. He served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1954 at which time he received an honorable discharge. He married his wife of 53 years, Shirley Anne Frederick, in Hillsboro on November 11, 1955. John graduated from OTI in... Full story
The streets of Sisters were thronged on Sunday afternoon as art lovers turned out to see some 30 fiber artists demonstrating their craft in Sisters stores and galleries. Traffic was heavy - a welcome sight to merchants who count on a busy summer to make their year, especially in the midst of the current downturn. Several expressed appreciation for the economic impact of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, founded more than two decades ago by Jean Wells. The Around the Block Fiber... Full story
The mountains glistened with snow in the morning sun and a lone eagle flew silhouetted against the peaks on the 233rd birthday of the United States. On Saturday, July 4 the community surrounded three 2009 Sisters High School graduates before they left for basic training to give them a hometown send-off they will not soon forget. Colt Houck, Marc Peck, and Thomas Schantz have all chosen a path of service in the military. Houck, whose parents met and married while serving in... Full story
Gilbert Porraz is into building things. With a background in construction, he always analyzes how things are built, noticing the finish carpentry in a room or checking out how the furniture is constructed. That's what led him along the unlikely path to quilting - and to a very special gift for his mother. "I had some background in construction, and I saw the quilts being made and the work and precision that goes into it and thought: 'I can do that,'" Porraz said. He picked up... Full story
Rock hounds and curio hunters had a field day at the Sisters Roundup of Gems on the grounds of Sisters Elementary School last weekend. Everything from geodes and dinosaur eggs to carved stone jewelry and stone beads were on display under dozens of tents spread across the grass. Vendors came from all over Oregon for Sisters' traditional Fourth of July show. Michael Restoule of Newport, Oregon, is a regular at the gem show, though he's much better known by his nickname of... Full story
Skip Armstrong likes to sail when the wind is ripping across Suttle Lake. So he was ready to take his 20-foot Flying Dutchman high-performance racing sailboat out on the whitecaps as high winds kicked up on Sunday night, July 5. Armstrong was accompanied by a man and a woman on an excursion that turned into more of an adventure than any of the three bargained for. At about 7 p.m. the powerful winds snapped the rudder on Foxy Dude and flipped her over. "When the rudder breaks,... Full story
Book hounds will have a hot time in the old town at the annual Friends of the Sisters Library (FOSL) Used Book Sale on Friday, July 10, starting at 5 p.m., and all day Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Saturday, the book sale is open to the public, but Friday night's sale is for FOSL members only. This is just one of the rewards members enjoy for supporting their local library fundraising organization. And that's what FOSL is really all about, raising money to help the... Full story
June showers bring July wildflowers, so if you are looking for one of the most abundant collections of Mother Nature's color palette, venture west on Highway 20 toward Sweet Home and check out Iron Mountain. Typically, early July is the best time to make this hike to catch the full glory of the flowers, and this year is no exception. Since you travel through a variety of ecosystems on the way there it seems that you are far from Sisters Country, yet the trailhead is only... Full story
The drama room at Sisters High School was full of action on the afternoon of Friday, July 3. Ten students who had just completed a two-week theater course at the White Sage Workshop performed for more than 50 audience members. Co-instructor Rachel Jett began the first phase of the performance with an explanation of the Droznin Method of movement that she had taught the students for three hours per day during the workshops. The young artists then began appearing from the wings... Full story
Like migrating birds, many local cabin owners and visitors to Sisters Country keep the tradition of returning to Camp Sherman. Locals attend a variety of group meetings in the morning held by their various associations. They then migrate down to the Camp Sherman Store to celebrate the Fourth. The next morning they rise early, relax with friends and neighbors, and enjoy a hearty pancake breakfast at the Community Center. Inside the Camp Sherman Store, the annual commissioned... Full story
Gentlemen: It's Quilt Show in Sisters; now what? There are better options than doubling your diuretic to get out of it. Time to grab your fat quarter flak jacket and retreat, flank or take cover. The Sisters Oregon Guide is your training manual. Find copies throughout town or online at www.sistersoregonguide.com. Retreat from the fabric onslaught by fly fishing the Metolius River in Camp Sherman. Take refuge where the cold, clear water springs from the ground; where wise trout rise for every fly but yours. The Fly Fisher's... Full story
Leah Keeton is headed to Farmington, New Mexico, to represent her state as Oregon High School Rodeo Queen. The Sisters teen has been involved in high school rodeo for several years doing pole bending and barrel racing. Entering the queen competition was not a longtime ambition. "It was just kind of a spur of the moment thing," said the 17-year-old. "It's a good opportunity." The competition for queen has three parts: public speaking, modeling and horsemanship. For her public... Full story
Seattle International Raceway was hot over the Fourth of July weekend. Especially for race car drivers from Sisters. Curt Kallberg, Jeff Taylor and Eric Dolson, joined by stablemate Randy Blomquist, formerly of Bend, went to the Pacific Northwest Historics to race against cars from all over the Northwest. John Goodman, of Seattle, was waiting. Thousands of fans wandered through the paddock, looking over about 250 cars, from delicate Catherhams to the fire-belching, ground-pounding Corvettes. Goodman's Corvette, with at least... Full story
You may notice that the title to my column this week refers to trails - plural. Sadly, this is a reflection of the fact that, close to town, there is no established trail to explore Whychus Creek upstream of Sisters. In some places there is no trail at all; and, in others, there are a multitude of footpaths that spread out and then fade away. None of this, however, should discourage you from exploring an interesting creek system that is uniquely a part of Sisters. You probably... Full story
