News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show had a different look this year. No longer did the estimated 15,000 people who flock to Sisters each year for the event have to dodge traffic on Cascade Avenue. They were able to step back to take in the beauty of every quilt hanging up and down Sisters' main boulevard. For the first time ever Cascade Avenue was transformed into a pedestrian mall (see story, page 14). Founded 32 years ago by Sisters artist and businesswoman Jean Wells-Keenan, the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show has grown into the largest... Full story
Planning director Brian Rankin, citing personal and family reasons, submitted his resignation to the City of Sisters last Wednesday. Rankin has accepted a job as a city planner in Bend. Many eyebrows have been raised by this latest departure from the city, where finance officer Emma Sivers quit this spring and Public Works Director Gary Frazee stepped aside from his post this summer. Frazee continues to work as Public Works Operations Director. There have been rumblings of... Full story
For school board chairman Mike Gould, things are looking pretty good in the Sisters School District. The district has a new superintendent who has made a strong impression right out of the gate and two new board members elected by large majorities last May. And despite several contentious issues that have kept the board in the hot seat for months, the board chair thinks there's a strong foundation on which to build. "I didn't feel bad about where we were last year," Gould said. "I think there were some situations that arose... Full story
Sisters area residents can be forgiven if they get a little anxious when the big, black thunderheads build on the southern horizon. We know what a single lightning strike can do. Lightning caused the Cache Mountain Fire in 2002, a blaze that marched downslope to destroy two homes at Black Butte Ranch. Lightning kindled two separate blazes that started 15 miles apart, only to burn together into the destructive 90,000 acre B&B Complex Fire in 2003. A bolt from the sky struck a... Full story
To the Editor: At the Quilt Show last Saturday, I saw people talking and laughing, heard birds and musicians and watched some of the local merchants happily ringing up their customers. The remarkable thing was that I was standing right in the middle of Cascade Avenue while I observed all this. I wasn't overcome by vehicle exhaust, didn't have to dodge cars to cross the street, and all those sounds were not drowned out by passing trucks. It is more than restaurants and shops that keep people coming back to Sisters - it is the... Full story
Invitations to compete in elite triathlons have become scarce and coveted as more and more elite competitors focus on the sport. Sisters racer Scott Buckles has landed one of those hard-to-acquire invitations - to the Half Ironman World Championship in Clearwater, Florida, on November 11. To do it, Buckles earned one of the three qualifying slots in his 50-54 age group at a Seattle race this summer. There were about 50 racers in that category in the race. "My goal is to get... Full story
The Metolius River is a legendary fly fishing stream. Camp Sherman is a beloved vacation spot for generations of Oregonians. Together, they make a perfect spot for a celebration of the art of fly fishing. The Sixth Annual Metolius River Flyfishing & Bamboo Rod Fair will bring anglers and rod makers from across the Pacific Northwest to Camp Sherman on Saturday and Sunday, July 21-22. Demonstrators include renowned fly fishing experts Brian O'Keefe, Jim Teeny, Skip Morris, Camp Sherman's own John Judy, Jay Nicholas and Jens... Full story
The week-long slate of events that culminate in the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show clearly pumps big bucks into the Sisters economy. Yet, no one really knows how many dollars are actually spent. "I only have a semi-educated, wild guess," said Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cheryl Mills. "Without having an official, economic impact study done, it's hard to quantify," she said, estimating that well over $3 milion is spent during the event. "My number is... Full story
The city council has weighed in on Gutenberg College making Sisters its new home. A suggestion by councilman Lon Kellstrom backed by Mayor Brad Boyd and the rest of the council members last week instructed City Manager Eileen Stein to contact Gutenberg College and inform them that the city will do what it can to assist them in the land use process. Gutenberg College, a four-year college currently in the accreditation process, has a Christian basis, though it is not... Full story
Steeped in the magic of the towering pines and the tranquility of a flowing stream, the key elements of any Sisters event - good food and pleasurable music - will come together at FivePine Lodge and Conference Center on Thursday evenings this summer. The new Music on the Pond dinner/concert series will debut on Thursday evening, July 19, and continue through the third week in September. Each week a gourmet buffet dinner will be served on the lawn behind the conference center... Full story
Sheriff's deputies arrested Sisters area resident Shasta Lee Obersinner, 29, after a rollover accident in Redmond that injured her passenger, who is also from Sisters. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, 911 dispatch received a report of a single vehicle rollover crash near the intersection of Highway 126 at S.W. Helmholtz Way in Redmond, at about 12:17 a.m., on Tuesday, July 10. Two occupants were in the 1985 Ford Ranger pick-up truck and had to be extricated by the Redmond Fire Department, the sheriff's... Full story
Developers will unveil plans this week for the site of Sisters Mobile Home and RV Park at the east end of town. A public hearing is scheduled for this Thursday, July 19, at 6:30 p.m., at City Hall to consider a development plan for the property located on Highway 20 across from the FivePine campus. The park's closure, which is currently scheduled for October, is a cause of concern for those who are trying to increase the amount of available affordable housing in Sisters.... Full story
The new owners of Sisters Rental are integrating two local businesses into a new partnership. Longtime friends Pat Thompson, Rod Robinson and Mike Owen have taken hold of the reins, steering a well-established business that was started 14 years ago by previous owners Rod and Connie Morris. The business specializes in providing both storage facilities and equipment rental. It offers its services to contractors and homeowners in the Sisters area. It was acquired July 1 by local... Full story
For just one day, the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show turned Cascade Avenue into a pedestrian mall. Closing Cascade Avenue was an attempt to make the show more pleasant for both pedestrians and drivers - who were routed around town. It is also a test of an idea that has been floating around Sisters for at least a decade. Many concepts have been floated and later shot down for changing the traffic circulation in Sisters. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) believes that... Full story
Word on the street is that, if you want to learn about quilting, the action is in Sisters every July during the five days that precede the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. An addendum is that once you attend the five-day event, known as Quilter's Affair, you will come back time and time again. A living example is Shirley Hammar from North Bend, Oregon, who has attended Quilter's Affair the last 27 consecutive years. "It gets me away from life, and I get to do my passion. I love... Full story
Guatemalan quilt artist, designer and teacher Priscilla Bianchi brought a new dimension in quilt making to Sisters Quilter's Affair: Awareness of the rich, ethnic beauty of native Guatemalan textiles. Of Swiss/Italian descent, Bianchi was born and raised in Guatemala and has lived there all her life. "My great grandfather came from Lugano (Switzerland) in 1860 to Guatemala and he established himself there," she said. Although Spanish is her native language, Bianchi attributes... Full story
The Camp Sherman Community Association (CSCA) honored Jon Sheldahl as the Camp Sherman Volunteer of the Year for 2006-07 at its annual meeting on July 1. The association chose Sheldahl because of his "consistent and dedicated service to the Camp Sherman community," according to Bruce Shaull, Treasurer of the Camp Sherman Community Association Board of Directors. "He has been a member of the Black Butte School Board since 1990, serves on the CSCA Board, has put in months of... Full story
At the top of the Tumalo grade, there is a couple of old quarries left over from the Jim Curl sand and gravel dynasty. Someone - probably the landowners - attempted to keep off road vehicles (ORVs) out of the quarries and placed "No Trespassing" signs and tape across the old haul road. Like more and more places in Central Oregon, the signs and tape were taken down and ORVers went on in as though the place was their own personal sandbox. Several years ago, my nestbox-partner... Full story
