News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
Back by Popular demand, the traditional quilters of Gee's Bend inspired students with their unique straightforward way of quilting at three separate workshops during the Quilter's Affair held at Sisters High School during the 40th anniversary Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. The women of Gee's Bend, a small, remote community in Alabama surrounded on three sides by the Alabama River, have created hundreds of quilt masterpieces dating from the early 20th century to the present. The... Full story
Firefighters made quick work of a fire Tuesday afternoon, July 7, that broke out 10 miles southeast of Sisters near Cline Butte. The fire was held to five acres due in no small part to the aircraft that aided ground forces, according to fire officials. One heavy airtanker worked the head of the fire while two single-engine air tankers and two helicopters offered support to the three engines, a bulldozer, and hand crew working to build fire line. By early evening a fire line was constructed around the perimeter of the fire... Full story
If you think being in city government in Sisters is stressful - try being a tree. Back-to-back dry seasons and recent hot temperatures have conspired to make life very tough for Sisters' downtown trees. So tough that about a dozen have died and are slated to be cut down and removed. The largest of these is a ponderosa pine tree in front of Hardtails Bar & Grill. The tree's rapid decline saw it go from stressed to dying to dead in a matter of weeks. Most of the other dead trees... Full story
To the Editor: The letters from JoEllyn Loehr, Susie Werts and Isolde Hedemark in the July 1 Nugget were obviously coordinated to try to get the proposed Sisters to Black Butte Trail moved to "the north side of the highway" (per Isolde Hedemark). Ms. Loehr tries to make the convincing case that there is "already a trail from Sisters that goes all the way to Indian Ford ... where it ties into the Metolius Area recreation trails. It isn't paved, but it could be easily developed as the paved trail that advocates want for ADA... Full story
If STA leadership is sincere about their desire to provide a "trail for everyone," why is there such a myopic reluctance to consider an alternative location for their paved path that would better address the needs of the disabled and elderly, and provider easier (and much less controversial) access for a wider group of people? After all, Commissioner Unger himself has said that he sees the project as a county recreational trail, not something that should be tailored specifically for usage by Tollgate and BBR residents. If... Full story
As part of its continuing quarterly speaker series, the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) will be hosting a presentation by Oregon Wild's Central Oregon Field Representative Pam Hardy. She plans to talk about the organization's efforts to protect National Forests, wildlife and clean water. Some of Oregon Wild's most recent efforts, such as fighting for designation of new wilderness areas near places like Crater Lake, will also be on the agenda. Founded in 1974, Oregon Wild works... Full story
Representatives of the developer Hayden Homes will float alternative ideas for the remaining phases of their housing development on the west side of Sisters on Thursday, July 16. The Sisters Planning Commission will hold a workshop that evening at City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Representatives from Hayden Homes will be presenting options to the Planning Commission and the public for a revised development plan for Village at Cold Springs Phases III and VI-VIII. The public is invited to attend and provide their input. The development... Full story
Last year at the 39th annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show animal portrait quilter Diane Rickenbacher of Pollock Pines, California surprised Dan and Stephanie O'Neill, a Sisters couple, with two quilts of their huskies Kaiya and Keynu as a gift. What made this story even more unique is that Rickenbacher and the O'Neills were virtual strangers and had only met at the quilt show in Sisters the year before. Rickenbacher had been admiring the O'Neills' two dogs and had taken a... Full story
Hundreds of visitors admiring the quilts hanging near Cascade Avenue and Elm Street Saturday morning were welcomed to Sisters' 40th Anniversary Quilt Walk by a good-times, high-spirited "flash-mob" dance to the sound of "Celebration" by Pit Bull. The music began at 10 a.m. and attracted a crowd. Hunter Blakelock cranked up the volume on the amplifier in front of The Galimaufry and the celebration began spontaneously as a few teenagers led by Lexie Miller danced toward the cent... Full story
This year's Art of the West exhibition and auction at the High Desert Museum will feature more than 60 works by some 40 artists, nearly double the number of pieces included in last year's show. "We are thrilled by the number of high-quality works that were submitted by both local favorites and prominent artists from outside the area," said Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D., executive director of the museum. The artists include Lillian Pitt, Sherry Salari Sander, Kathy Deggendorfer, Mark... Full story
The 2015 Outlaws Football Camp has finalized their dates; it will be held Tuesday, July 21, through Friday, July 24, on the football practice field, which is located behind Sisters High School (SHS). Times are set for 9 a.m. to noon. Improvement in the fundamentals of the game, through both group and team drills, while stressing the importance of team concept, attitude, and work ethic, will be the camp focus this year. The camp will also include instruction and drills in the area of speed, agility, and quickness. The camp... Full story
Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) will host "Buried Beef & Brew" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, in association with the Glory Daze Annual Car Show hosted by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. Look for the tent at the corner of Main Avenue and Fir Street, one block north of Cascade Avenue. This is another event in SPRD's Sisters Feasts Series and will feature buried beef - a side of beef cooked overnight on coals in an underground chamber until it... Full story
I returned to Sisters on June 18, which has given me just over three weeks to begin to acclimate back to this part of the world from South Korea. The most common question people have asked me is, "So, what's it like to be back?" My most common response is, "I feel a little bit like Rip Van Winkle in that change has certainly taken place in two years, but so far people seem to remember me, unlike poor Rip." Of course Van Winkle was gone in the mountains 20 years and everyone figured he would never be seen again. I have been... Full story
Michael Anthony Graham, a resident of Sisters, died on June 4, 2015. He was born on January 15, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, to Wayne A. Graham and Louise Whitman. Michael's youth was spent perfecting his baseball game, a lifelong passion, as well as his creative talents for mischief. There may have been rigged light switches for exploding toilets or cars disassembled and reassembled inside his high school, but Michael's involvement can neither be confirmed nor denied.... Full story
Ron A. Laws, 72, of Sisters, passed away Thursday, July 2. Ron was born September 2, 1942 to Arty and Lauraine Laws and raised in Rogue Valley. Ron grew up in the beautiful Applegate and Rogue River valleys of Southern Oregon. It was said that in the old-growth forest growing there, if one were to listen to the wind late at night, there were stories to be heard. In his own words: "Often I imagined myself to be one of the great trees, standing tall and proud. In their sacred... Full story
All are invited to attend the next Stars over Sisters star watch to be held at the Sisters Park and Recreation District building and the Sisters High School parking lot on Saturday, July 18, beginning at 9:30 p.m. The event features a presentation that will describe the RECON project and explain how citizens of Sisters can participate. RECON stands for Research and Education Collaborative Occultation Network, and is a citizen science project in which the community of Sisters is privileged to play a role. Citizen science is... Full story
It may come as a surprise, but there are NO "poisonous" snakes in the U.S. Plants contain poison; animals carry venom. Will we ever get that right...? I'm 87 years old, been an active naturalist for most of my life - and still plodding along - and I can count the times I've met up personally with a venomous reptile on my two hands. At the moment my wife Sue and I are helping to conduct a state-wide golden eagle survey that takes us about 20,000 miles a season in our Toyota... Full story
The 40th anniversary of Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show showcased close to 1,400 "timeless tapestries" last Saturday. Colorful quilts lined the streets, hung early in the morning by volunteers, creating a riot of color that spilled across three blocks, soaking guests in a flood of design schemes. Sisters artist, songwriter and singer Dennis McGregor celebrated the 40th anniversary theme "A Timeless Tapestry" with his charming poster, capturing the essence of Sisters. "The quilt is... Full story
