News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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“Say ‘I love you’ often, because you never know when the dance will end.” With those words, Ashley Reed concluded a celebration honoring the lives of her parents, Bill and Jan Reed, who were killed in a July 1 plane crash in the San Juan Islands. The Sisters High School football stadium was filled to overflowing on Saturday with friends, family and community members come to pay tribute to the lives of a couple that did much to shape the Sisters community. Former schools... Full story
To passersby it looked like a major fire emergency was taking place near Buck Run last Wednesday, July 20. Nearly 70 personnel from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District (RFPD), Oregon Department of Forestry, Deschutes County Search and Rescue, U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Transportation joined forces in the second annual Multi-Agency Fire Exercise. Fire trucks and tankers, hoses and yellow-clad workers could be seen in and around the Buck Run... Full story
Kathy and Frank Deggendorfer will continue with their efforts to turn the former Multnomah Publishers building on Adams Avenue into an arts center after a 3-2 council vote on Thursday, July 21. The couple purchased the property from the City of Sisters for $500,000 last month, but the transaction was thrown into doubt by a procedural error on the part of the city. The city should have held a public hearing in October 2003 when the property was declared surplus. That hearing never happened. After the city agreed to sell the... Full story
There was music. Services for Bill and Jan Reed began with a group of Sisters musicians playing live music. On a day under a hot sun with a breeze that teased butterflies from fingertips of children reaching for them in the grass, first there was music and then there were words, words about these lives from those that knew and loved and were touched by them. Those words were music too. Words of lives well-lived and well-loved. Through words we saw them at play and work, her dazzling smile, giving to their friends and the comm... Full story
To the Editor: “Smack.” That sound is the heel of my hand hitting on my forehead. I do this because I can’t believe anyone can blame an inanimate object for poor choices a human being makes. It is the same unthinking type of report that we often hear: “An SUV drives into a post!” Oh, does the vehicle, restaurant or store now make it’s own way in the world, without human directions? In ordering food, either at a grocery, fast food or any restaurant, the person ordering is making the choices. In any restaurant a person can... Full story
Nick Patterson’s friends know a compassionate, thoughtful and musically gifted young man. They have a hard time seeing him as the sole suspect in the arson fire that destroyed the new McDonald’s in Sisters on July 10. Yet that is what he has become. The 23-year-old man was arraigned on Wednesday, July 20, on a first degree arson charge. “He’s so kind and gentle; he’s really protective,” said his friend and musical partner Shane Simonsen. “That’s why it shocked so many people.... Full story
Brilliant paint, dazzling chrome and classic style all come together in the classic Car Show set for July 29-31 in Sisters. The annual event is headquartered at Sisters Inn and RV Park, where an expected 150 cars will be arrayed for a “Show and Shine” on Saturday, July 30. The “Show and Shine” runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and many of the cars will rumble through the streets of downtown Sisters after the show as organizers prepare for a Saturday night barbecue and dance on the grounds at Sisters Inn. There’s also some action on... Full story
What began as a small job for a Sisters tile company turned into an artistic masterpiece that won a national award. The work of Boyer Tile & Marble stands out to visitors of McMenamins Old St. Francis School in Bend. The company tiled the centerpiece of the historic lodging and restaurant facility — the Turkish-style soaking pool. McMenamins calls the turquoise pool a “feast for the eyes” with its hand-painted tile murals on the walls, a sun mural on the pool floor and tiled... Full story
The local Corvette Club had an adventure that sounds more like the wild ride of a Hummer Club. Last month, the club went on a drive to Washington State. Near Mount St. Helens, the group encountered a muddy problem brought on by a thunderstorm — and ended up going off road. Sisters residents Neil and Sandy Koch, Stan and Diane Meyer, Chuck and Ann Kozminski and Dave and Sandy Marlow joined other Corvette owners from Central Oregon for a leisure drive to Trout Lake and Mount S... Full story
The Bookin’ Babes, a 10-woman racewalking team from Sisters, competed in the Willamette Valley Relay (WVR) on July 15-16. The 135-mile relay started at Champoeg State Park near Wilsonville on Friday. The course primarily followed back roads through the Willamette Valley, finishing at Alton Baker Park in Eugene on Saturday. Forty-six teams participated in the event and the Bookin’ Babes placed sixth overall, completing the course in 27 hours and 56 minutes. They finished sec... Full story
Oregon is starting early to plan its Sesquicentennial, or 150th Statehood Anniversary. Although 2009 marks the anniversary, Oregonians are already meeting to develop a shared vision for the celebration. For the first planning session, the Oregon Heritage Commission directed by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski wanted to find a speaker to represent the youth of the state. They found the perfect person living in Camp Sherman. “It’s just an opportunity that doesn’t come along every day,” said 15-year-old Kelsey White. The soon-to... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity is hosting Habitat International’s “Summer Youth Blitz.” Youths from 12 states have been in Sisters for the past week to help build a Habitat town home. They are roofing, hammering nails, laying sod, insulating and drywalling a townhouse during a two-week building session ending July 29. “Most youth have never been given an opportunity to be part of something as big as Summer Youth Blitz. We are thrilled to be part of this life-changing activity,” said Sharlene Weed, Executive Director of Sister... Full story
So well known that his trail name is simply and reverently intoned as “The Runner,” 55-year-old David Horton is about to finish doing something that is truly hard to fathom. In two weeks he will finish running the entire Pacific Crest Trail — all 2,650 miles of it — in a total of 66 days. That works out to about 43 miles every day on the average. The current speed record belongs to Ray Greenlaw who finished in just over 83 days. Horton wants people to know that his own record... Full story
For most folks, riding nearly 100 miles in a day on a bicycle is more than enough of a workout. And climbing South Sisters is plenty of adventure for one day. For Gabriel Gillan of Sisters, the only way to satisfy his craving for a challenging workout and a grand day’s adventure was to combine the two. On Friday, July 15, he saddled up on his Cannondale R 1000 road racing bike and left his home in Sisters at 5:30 a.m. Five hours and 47 miles later, he was at Devils Lake T... Full story
Dan Grist didn’t have much time to rest after getting home from Iraq where he is stationed with G Troop, 82nd Cavalry, Oregon National Guard. He went on leave to be home for the birth of his child with his wife Krista. He wasn’t home more than two hours — just about to take a nap — when he ran out of time. It was time to get to the hospital. Kellan Grist was born on July 12. Grist is a mechanic stationed in Northern Iraq near Kirkuk. He was an active duty soldier for four ye... Full story
UK International Soccer Camps are returning to the Sisters area this summer. UK International was established in 1990. Since that time, it has become one of the largest providers of soccer instruction in the Western United States. Sisters children may participate the week of August 1-5. UK International coaches are primarily from Great Britain and have been specially selected for their expertise in teaching children the game of soccer. The camp program is age appropriate, child-centered and designed to work on specific... Full story
Stone Soup will perform at Café Libri at the Bend Public Library on Friday, August 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. During this time, limited library services will be available. This program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Stone Soup brings together the talents of four musicians who mix music and performance to create an original sound and blend of contemporary musical genres. Joe Leonardi, who does vocal and bass guitar duty for the group, describes the Stone Soup sound as “original, thought pr... Full story
Sidney Koalkin of Sisters died on July 17. He was 93. He was born in Gloversville, New York on May 14, 1912, to parents Bernard and Becky (Swersky) Koalkin. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His father died when he was in high school and Sidney went to work immediately for Englander Spring and Bed. His World War II service in an Army Air Corps radar unit brought him to Sacramento, California, and he elected to stay in the West after his discharge. He met Eleanor “Sunny” Pri... Full story
Firefighters and equipment from the Sisters area were called up last week to assist in fire control efforts on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District dispatched a water tender and two people to assist on the 1,200-acre Rattlesnake Fire for one long shift. The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District sent a task force leader and staff car along with an interface engine for the same fire and time period. Rounding out aid from the local structural fire agencies was one... Full story
X-Press Printing will be closed on Friday, July 29, as the business moves into its spacious new digs on Hood Avenue near Pine Meadow Village. • The Sisters Bead Stampede is set for August 6-7 at the Village Green Park. The show, sponsored by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, features handmade beaded jewelry and buttons from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Tony Lompa will be playing at Lake Creek Lodge Wednesday, July 27, at 7:30 p.m. • Sisters Folk Festival favorite Johnsmith is set to perform at Sisters Athletic Club Thurs... Full story
Eight local residents have applied for the impending vacancy on the Sisters School Board. All but one did so in the last two days leading to the July 21 filing deadline. The group is so large the school board had to divide it for purposes of conducting 20-minute interviews with each candidate. Four were interviewed at a Monday night meeting and the other four will get their turns at a 6 p.m. meeting at the high school tonight (Wednesday, July 27). The board intends to make its choice at the end of tonight’s session. Two of Mo... Full story
The Booher Family will present two concerts on August 5-6 in Sisters. The first concert, on Friday, August 5, is a benefit for kids attending the family’s music camp. The concert will feature a musical presentation of the students (by class) and teachers. The show is scheduled from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Sisters Community Church at 15220 McKenzie Highway. Tickets are $15; children under 12 are $5; “lap kids” are free. Tickets are available at Leavitt’s Western Wear. For more information on the music camp visit www.boo... Full story
The substance abuse prevention organization Think Again Parents (TAPS) recently won an award for its media campaign to prevent drug and alcohol abuse among the youth of Sisters. The 2005 Skip Prante Prevention Recognition Award was given by the Deschutes County Mental Health Advisory Board. The award is named in honor of a La Pine man who, before his death, was an active member of the County Alcohol and Drug Planning Committee and envisioned the idea of an annual ward.... Full story
E-mail is a splendid way to transmit information; it provides the opportunity for communicating in detail when the situation calls for it, like this e-mail Conrad Weiler and I exchanged recently: Hi Jim, Joanie and I were walking in the forest near the intersection of Highway 20 and the Camp Sherman Road (14) when she found the attached critter on her skirt. We’re wondering if you might know what it is? It was about 1.5 inches in length with prominent black eyes. I’m feeling better... Best wishes, Conrad The part about the... Full story
There is a place. And for that place, there is a price. The second line is not a standard part of the advertising for Black Butte Ranch. Yet it is a thought that may occur to some property owners at the prestigious residential resort eight miles west of Sisters as they ponder imminent planned improvements. Black Butte Ranch remains perhaps the nicest, and surely the most beautiful, of Central Oregon’s growing collection of residential resorts. It offers a magnificent setting with all the expected recreational facilities. B... Full story
