News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
The sun was shining last Saturday on 1,200 colorful quilts hanging from balconies and walls throughout downtown for the 31st annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. The annual event in Sisters brought thousands of people to town to see the centuries-old art of quilt making. When the big day was over, the executive director said her lasting impression was “lots of happy people.” Ann Richardson said the event went smoothly, from the sunny weather to the volunteers who bring the event to life. Visitors wearing broad-brimmed hats car... Full story
One of Sisters’ largest and most widely-known businesses is being sold. Don Jacobson, president and publisher of the Christian publishing house Multnomah Publishers Inc., formally announced on July 10 that he has executed a letter of intent to sell the company he and his wife Brenda founded in 1987. The buyer of the company remains undisclosed. In a written statement, Jacobson said he will reveal the identity of the buyer upon completion of the sale which is expected to t... Full story
More and more people in Sisters are putting more and more cardboard, glass, newspaper and other materials in the city’s recycling center and the city is struggling to keep up. Since last month, the community recycle bins located at Ash Street and Washington Avenue, which include three bins for cardboard and one bin for commingled recycling, are being emptied every other day, including weekends. Recycling has gotten easier and more user-friendly because patrons don’t have to... Full story
A toddler narrowly escaped drowning in Whychus Creek last weekend, during a summer in which drownings have been tragically frequent. According to Sisters Fire Department reports, a 26-month-old boy and his family were along Whychus Creek in Sisters last weekend when the child wandered away for a moment. When the parents next saw him, he was floating down the creek. They caught up with him about 100 yards downstream where he was face down in the creek in some debris. According to fire department reports, they pulled him from... Full story
To the Editor: Thanks once again to the entire Sisters community for your support and involvement in Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Special thanks to the hundreds of behind-the-scenes volunteers who process and sort quilts, pick up trash, tote tables, set up tents, put up signs, hang and take down quilts, hand out water, and the thousand other little details that make the show a success. Hats off to our volunteer of the year, Linda Brunanchon for organizing our Quilting Activity Area for the second year in a row and doing a... Full story
Camp Sherman will play host to the annual Metolius River Fly Fishing and Bamboo Rod Fair July 15-16. The event is free and open to the public. The fair will be headquartered in a tent at the back of Black Butte School in Camp Sherman. “This year’s show is shaping up to be the biggest and, hopefully, the best yet,” said Roger White of the Camp Sherman Store. “The show will be a two-day affair this year. We have a larger list of attendees, and we’ve expanded to the 60-by-120-foot tent this year also. The video presentat... Full story
The Tollgate-Sisters High School Multi-Use Path is getting closer to completion thanks to major financial contributions and donated labor by Sisters area residents and businesses, according to Jeff Sims, chair of the Sisters Community Trails Committee. “It’s pretty impressive when you see a list of those who have contributed so far,” Sims said following a committee meeting last Friday, July 7. Hayden Homes has contributed $6,450 from their Hayden Giving Fund as announced by Shon Agnew. The development company is prepa... Full story
Camp Sherman’s Pine Needlers held their annual summer quilt show for record-breaking crowds last Friday, July 7. “I brought my mom,” said Bruce Berryhill, as he gazed at the colorful quilts hanging all around him. “I love it out here in Camp Sherman. The show is small enough that you can see everything.” “Everything” included 65 quilts, 400 colorful pot holders (crafted by Pine Needlers and scooped up in the first two hours), a Hokey-Pokey Tearoom, lunchtime food and snac... Full story
As if the annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show wasn’t enough to keep the town jumping last Saturday, July 8, along came the Friends of the Sisters Library (FOSL) annual used book sale to add to the excitement. FOSL members had first crack at the towering piles of used books on tables and benches in our new library last Friday evening. On Saturday morning, residents of Sisters were standing side-by-side with quilt-show visitors eagerly waiting for the book sale gate to open again.... Full story
Dorro Sokol invited a few friends over — roughly 150 of them — for an open house party last Sunday. She and her husband, Don Watson, hosted the afternoon get-together and buffet at Pine Meadow Ranch to celebrate Dorro’s 35 years of living in Sisters. Sokol moved to Sisters in March 1971, purchasing the Pine Meadow Ranch at the western edge of town. Born and raised in Oxnard, California, she later married and lived for 10 years on the Oxbow Ranch south of Prairie City in Easte... Full story
The Sisters 9- and 10-year-old Little League All-Stars ventured to Redmond for the District 5 Tournament July 1-6 where they won four games, including the third place consolation game. In qualifying games of the 16-team tournament, they defeated La Pine, 16-5; Hood River, 20-10; and Jefferson County, 20-5; while losing to the eventual district runner-up, Redmond, 16-4. This early success in their pool earned Sisters a spot in the semi-finals, where they faced a big Hermiston... Full story
The regional end-of-season Little League softball and baseball tournament ended last week with a strong showing from Sisters-area players. Sisters sent five All-Star teams to the Oregon District 5 Tournament held in Redmond, July 1-6. Some 52 teams entered from Central and Eastern Oregon. Division winners go on to play in state competition later this month. The Sisters Little League Junior Girls 13- and 14-year-old softball All-Stars received the sportsmanship trophy in their... Full story
Lindsay and Jane Simmons could be called hosts with the most — Airstream trailers, that is. During quilt show week, the Sisters couple had around 60 trailers and RVs parked in the field next to their house. For five years, the Simmons’s have hosted an official Airstream rally during the quilt show. It started with an idea Lindsay had and has grown into a regular stop for many of their guests. Airstream enthusiasts enjoy getting together with each other, and combining the soc... Full story
Fireworks may be illegal in much of Central Oregon, but Mother Nature didn’t get that message. Several lightning storms that pounded Central Oregon over the past 12 days started at least 66 fires, according to Bart Lee of the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center. While some were in the Sisters area, none of the fires were of any major size. A Sunday storm started 14 confirmed fires south and east of Bend with another 13 unconfirmed as of Monday morning. Lightning from the June 28 storm started 24 fires and another 28 f... Full story
The Forest Service is pondering whether to renew special use permits for 108 recreation residences on public land along the Metolius River for another 20 years. The current permits expire December 31, 2008. Deschutes Forest Supervisor Leslie Weldon is seeking public comment on the issue. In addition, she wants to hear from people who want to become more involved in this review. “If public comment does not reveal issues, the project will proceed as proposed for re-issuance of recreational residence special use permits,” Wel... Full story
The City of Sisters has invited the Sisters Community Trails Committee to participate with other local organizations and residents in reviewing the city’s development code. Members will also look at currently funded bicycle and pedestrian projects and a future review of the city’s Transportation System Plan. Brian Rankin, city planning and community development director, extended this invitation during his presentation before the committee last Friday, July 7. “You have a window of opportunity to review these plans and to of... Full story
The old gym rat mantras — “train hard or go home” and “no pain, no gain” — are being tossed away like a pair of ratty old gym socks. Trainers in Sisters are instead preaching smart training, using heart rate monitoring to help their clients get results instead of wearing themselves out. Local trainers are recommending that Sisters athletes — whether they’re working for general fitness and weight loss or training for a triathlon — use a heart rate monitor. A heart rate monito... Full story
Eagle Bear Ranch, a horse-hotel and boarding facility just outside of Sisters, is set to expand its offerings with the addition of trainer, Mark Blanchard. The fifth-generation Coloradan and dressage trainer was looking for a change when he stopped in at Eagle Bear to board his horse for a few days last year. The Northwest interested him and conversations with Eagle Bear owner, T.K. Schnell, made him believe that he would be a good fit at the ranch. Schnell has been a... Full story
It just might be the perfect job for a hot summer day: testing fire hydrants in the City of Sisters and the Tollgate subdivision. This is an annual responsibility for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, according to Fire Marshal David Wheeler. “We have 197 hydrants that we test for a variety of reasons,” Wheeler explained. “First, we want to be sure that we can find them since both natural vegetation and landscaping materials often hide them from view. In addition, we want... Full story
The Sisters High School varsity girls’ basketball team will have a new coach this fall. Kevin Cotner, 27, was hired to replace Bill Blevins who has been the girls’ head coach since 2001. Cotner has coached the varsity girls’ at 1A South Wasco High School in Maupin, Oregon, for the last three years and this past season took them to the Big Sky League District Playoffs. Blevins left Sisters to join his wife and family in Portland and will teach and coach at his alma mater, David Douglas High School. Blevins stated it will... Full story
Hundreds of volunteers helped stage a flawless Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show last Saturday. As attendees strolled downtown admiring 1,200 quilts, little did they know a huge team had worked countless hours to make the show a smooth event. From individual volunteers to civic clubs, businesses and school sports teams, much of the community is involved in folding quilts, hanging quilts, and roping off parking before the big day. “It takes a lot of people and we couldn’t do it wit... Full story
Marguerite “Margie” B. Nash, of Sisters, died Wednesday of natural causes. She was 77. A visitation and funeral were held Monday, July 10 at Daysprings Community Church in Terrebonne. Graveside services followed at Terrebonne Pioneer Cemetary. Mrs. Nash was born September 6, 1928 in Shoshoni, Wyoming to Verle and Mary (Wrench) McMurry. She married Calvin R. Nash Sr. on June 14, 1947 in Sweet Home. Mrs. Nash was a homemaker. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, playing pin... Full story
A power outage at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) plunged the community into darkness for several hours on Sunday evening, July 9. The outage brought most operations to a standstill and sent many to Sisters for a late dinner. The outage started in some areas of Black Butte Ranch as early as 6:30 p.m. and developed into a blackout that affected about 700 homes by 8 p.m. Power was restored by 11:30 p.m., only to have some Ranch area blackouts again until 3 a.m. Basic Ranch infrastructure was not greatly affected as most of the computer... Full story
For most folks, trekking cross country in 120-degree heat in the deserts of Utah carrying a 45-pound pack and sleeping in tiny catnaps sounds like a not-so-subtle form of torture. But for Paul Schneider of Sisters and his three teammates, it was eight days of grueling, but rewarding fun. Schneider, who owns a cell tower construction firm in Sisters, was one of four members of Team BOAR, which finished 49th in the Primal Quest adventure race out of Moab, Utah, June 25-July 4.... Full story
Curt Kallberg of Sisters won the feature event at the Portland Historic Races last weekend, July 7-9. Eric Dolson, also of Sisters, took second. Kallberg and Dolson were racing Corvettes, the featured car of the three day event. Dolson posted the best time in qualifying, and won the heat race on Saturday against Kallberg, other Corvettes and a field scattered with Mustangs and Camaros. Mark Furcini of California brought the only other big block Corvette to the race and would have been a threat all weekend if he had been able... Full story
