News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 52
"Do not worry for my comfort/ Do not sorrow for me so/ All your diamond tears will rise up/ And adorn the sky beside me when I go..." -- "When I Go," Dave Carter 1998 Dave Carter will always have a special claim on Sisters. The singer-songwriter who went from a songwriting contest winner at the Sisters Folk Festival in 1995 to a performer of national stature in subsequent years died Friday, July 19, at 49, of a heart attack after a morning run. Dave Carter and the Sisters... Full story
The Geneva 2 fire blew up on Tuesday, July 16. photo by Matt Cyrus After long and weary days of battle, fire crews have gained the upper hand on the 1,130-acre Geneva 2 Fire northeast of Sisters and the larger, 21,144-acre Eyerly Fire near Lake Billy Chinook. The Eyerly Fire destroyed 18 homes in the Three Rivers Subdivision and severely scorched the terrain along the Metolius arm of Lake Billy Chinook. The Geneva 2 fire was much smaller and less destructive, but it provided... Full story
The City of Sisters has turned a cold shoulder to a school district request to pay systems development charges (SDCs) in phases as enrollment at the new Sisters High School grows. The school owes the city $482,230 in SDCs for water and sewer systems. The charges are based on a 700-student enrollment. The school district wants to pay $344,450 now, based on an enrollment of 500 students and then pay additional charges for every 25 new students added to the rolls. The city... Full story
Brad Tisdel leads campers in song at a week-long Camp Caldera retreat. The woods around Blue Lake rang last week with the sounds of song and children at play during Camp Caldera's ReAct! program. Some 40 children, mostly from Sisters, attended the week-long camp where they put together art, music and drama to bring to life the book "Tandy the Penguin," written by Helen Lester and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. The focus on bringing a book to life reflects the camp's... Full story
It rained butterflies on Mt. Washington climbers last week. John Platt and Brian Mahon were men in a hurry last week. The pair climbed seven Northwest peaks in four-and-a-half days in a climbing challenge dedicated to their friend Jeff Walker, who died at 42 of kidney cancer. "This is what we call our celebration of life," Mahon said. And an intense celebration it was. The climbers tackled Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, Mount Washington and all of the Three... Full story
The future home of the Outlaw Café. A student-operated restaurant called the Outlaw Café will open in Sisters in the next school year, funded through grants secured by the Community Action Team of Sisters. The deli will be located in the New Sisters Village next to CATS offices in the space formerly occupied by Mother Mack's restaurant. The space is already set up as a restaurant from that enterprise. According to CATS director Lorri Craig, the Outlaw Café... Full story
State Farm Insurance has stopped writing new homeowner, renter, and condominium insurance policies in at least six western states, including Oregon. State Farm has more than one in five of these policies in the region or 20 percent of the market, so the decision, announced June 20, has had an impact throughout the industry. "The more competitors there are out there, it keeps downward pressure on the rates. If you have a player with that big a piece of the pie say they are not writing anymore, it puts (upward) pressure on the... Full story
Sonrise board members (l-r) Laurie Francis, Carla Schneider and Terry Denzer accept the keys to a new bus from Scott Klussman of the Juan Young Trust. A grant from the Juan Young Trust has provided a new 14-passenger bus for Sonrise Christian School in Sisters. The bus allows students from the private school to travel together on field trips. The school conducts field trips fairly regularly for both elementary school students and middle school students. "Within a week (of receiving the bus) we were able to take it on a field... Full story
The Sisters Starry Nights Concert Series will take a one-year hiatus, with plans to return in a more streamlined format in spring 2004. Series co-chairs Susan Arends and Jeri Fouts announced the break this week. The event, which has raised more than $330,000 for the Sisters Schools Foundation since its inception in 1997, has featured 18 concerts in six years. Among the artists who have donated their time to perform are Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Lee Ann Womack, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Michael McDonald, John Hiatt, Kim... Full story
A paddler enjoys the serenity of Smith Reservoir. Canoe and kayak enthusiasts will find the little-known Smith Reservoir a great setting for an afternoon of paddling. The reservoir is about 70 miles east of Eugene off the McKenzie River (Highway 126). Take the turnoff at the EWEB power plant sign, three miles to the boat launch and parking area. The last part of the road is a narrow switchback leading up to the earthen dam and launch area. The flat-water, reflective reservoir runs about two miles through tall, Douglas fir for... Full story
Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center in Bend is quietly going about the business of changing lives. The center's home is a beautiful facility east of Sisters. Each week, children and adults with differing types of physical, social, and mental disabilities come for an hour of riding therapy. When the riders arrive at the center, they are met by their instructor, their volunteer helpers and most importantly, their equine therapist. Each rider is matched with the same team for the duration of his or her time at the center. Ac... Full story
Locals will have the opportunity to see Healing Reins riders in action on August 3. They will be doing a demonstration during the Knapp Friesian Horse Performance at the Willows Ranch on Indian Ford Road. This free benefit for Healing Reins provides Central Oregonians with a rare chance to watch the Frieisans execute their advanced dressage movements. They will also perform routine with trainer Clay Maier, who entertains thousands at major equine events around the country. The routine, performed to music, is an astounding... Full story
Myrna Dow at work at her gallery. Art aficionados in Sisters now have another venue in which to indulge their passion. The High Desert Gallery is on Elm Street and W. Main Avenue, across from the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center. Opened in April by Myrna Dow, the gallery features the work of nine artists. The gallery, though small, is vibrant with the color and texture of the art. Three of the artists are Sisters residents. Karen Joy Ritchie does elegant watercolors of flowers and whimsical cowboy boots. Jeff... Full story
Sisters area golfers will take their best shots at making a hole-in-one at the Aspen Lakes Golf Course this week. The Sisters Kiwanis Club Community Service Foundation will host the annual $1 million Hole-In-One fund-raising contest Thursday, July 26 through Sunday, July 28. In addition to the $1 million hole, a golfer could land in one of four other holes, each carrying a valuable prize. A golfer landing in one of these holes can win a new Honda CRV (donated by Bob Thomas Honda of Bend), a Chevrolet 4WD extended cab pickup... Full story
The July 31 deadline is at hand for the Sisters Folk Festival annual songwriting contest. The Sisters Folk Festival is set for September 6-8. The contest is a showcase for outstanding but under-recognized performing songwriters. Past contest winners such as Darryl Purpose, Bob Hillman, Chuck McCabe have gone on to marked success in the folk music scene. Dave Carter, who died suddenly on Friday, July 19, was the winner of the first Sisters Folk Festival songwriting contest in 1995 and the festival plans a special tribute to... Full story
A Sisters woman reported seeing a cougar in her yard on Forked Horn Road just north of Sisters on Wednesday, July 17. The woman told Deschutes County Sheriff's deputies that she was concerned because a neighbor's dog had disappeared a few days before and its carcass had been found reduced to fur and bones. Deputies acknowledged that the dog could have fallen victim to a cougar, or it could have been taken by coyotes. Cougar sightings are not uncommon in the Sisters area. A cougar was sighted near Tollgate several times this... Full story
Guy Lauziere (left), Doug Hull and Carla and Bruce Merrell of Laredo Construction take pride in a job well done. Laredo Construction's commitment to top-quality work and complete customer satisfaction has paid off in the winning of back-to-back Chrysalis Awards, a national remodeling industry award. The Sisters company won a 2002 Chrysalis for "Best Detached Outbuilding over $100,000" for a poolhouse built at a Sisters area home. Last year, Laredo won for "Best Exterior... Full story
(Left-right): Doug Maahs, Jeff Joston, James McNellis and Rob Spear are among the GFP Enterprises firefighters who are battling Oregon's wildfires. As raging infernos blaze out of control across Oregon, a Sisters company is supplying equipment and manpower to attack the fires. GFP Enterprises of Sisters operates with a low profile out of offices on the corner of Main Avenue and Larch Street. But the company's contribution out in the field is significant. "We run a wildland fir... Full story
A '39 Olds and a '37 Chevrolet were among dozens of street rods that visited Sisters last week. Bob McCarty and Don Perkins backed their 1930s-vintage cars into a couple of nice shady spots on Larch Street on Friday, July 19, broke out a couple of camp chairs and sat on the sidewalk to have lunch while their wives shopped in Sisters. The pair were among a contingent of classic car enthusiasts who were on the week long Cruise Oregon 2002 trek around the state. Some 172 cars... Full story
A deputy fingerprinted kids at SOAR's Fun-in-the Sun event. Sisters kids -- and plenty of adults, too -- enjoyed a day of summer fun on Saturday, July 20, courtesy of SOAR. The Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation hosted a day of activities and entertainment under the sun at Sisters Elementary School. Events included a basketball tournament; five and 10-kilometer runs; Taekwondo demonstrations; a co-ed volleyball tournament and live music. The Deschutes County Sheriff's office and Sisters-Camp Sherman fire... Full story
Skip Armstrong at work on a totem pole. A sculpture being carved out by J. Chester Armstrong at the Metolius River Lodges in Camp Sherman is near completion. Better known as Skip, the chain saw artist started his work last August on the remains of a 150-foot ponderosa tree. The sculpture will become a "guardian spirit" totem for the Metolius. "The Forest Service ruled the tree unsafe after it was struck by lightning and wanted it removed," he said. "The wonderful owners of these lodges, Vickie and John Hornbeck, decided to... Full story
Not everyone is cheering the $25,000 grant that will help launch the Outlaw Café (see related story). The grant came from the Central Oregon Community Investment Board (COCIB), which awards grants in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties for economic and community development projects. The city applied for and failed to receive grants to study the feasibility of a Sisters conference center and for development of the Harold Barclay Memorial Park. In a workshop with the... Full story
Businesses are now open in new Cascade Avenue retail buildings. - Several new retailers have opened for business in new buildings adjacent to Coldwell Banker Reed Bros. Realty. The new businesses are The Oregon Store, owned by Bud and Sharon Raske; the Jennifer Lake Miller Gallery and Leatherworks, a leather handbag shop. - Mike Mansker has been named to the Coldwell Banker International President's Elite. The designation marks him among the top 4 percent of Coldwell Banker real estate sales representatives worldwide.... Full story
The Sisters Library's Preschool Parade program "Summertime Fun" will be held on Thursday, July 25, at 10:30 a.m. Each Preschool Parade session features stories, finger rhymes, lap jogs, tickles and movement skills appropriate for children ages three through six years old. Parents or caregivers are required to attend the program with the child and encouraged to participate in all the activities. "The Ants Go Marching," a Thursday Thrills program, takes place on Thursday, July 25, at 2 p.m. Thursday Thrills is a weekly program... Full story
Sisters will welcome fun loving ladies for the annual Sisters in Sisters celebration September 27-29. This is the festival's fifth year and organizers anticipate growing attendance of sisters, moms and daughters, aunts, nieces and good friends. The event offers a range of workshops and activities. The weekend activities include dinners, wine tastings, lectures, feature event speakers and historical walks. Friday and Saturday evening programs feature dinners and beverages and speakers and entertainers. This year the Satellite... Full story
