News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
For the past 13 years, the Sisters Folk Festival has been bringing the best of American roots music to Sisters in a three-day extravaganza of song. This year's event kicks off on Friday, September 5, at 6 p.m. with an encore performance by singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd at the Village Green Main Stage. Byrd is followed by legendary folk and bluegrass performer Tim O'Brien, The Wailin' Jennys and Stonehoney. Music will continue all weekend at venues across Sisters: from the Village Green to Sisters Art Works, 204 W. Adams... Full story
Black Butte Ranch's new Fire Chief Dan Tucker saw his department put to the test Monday - his first day on the job in his new position. A flue fire broke out in a rental home just before 6 p.m., rapidly spreading through the attic of Golf Home 107 at 71114 Fiddleneck. Arriving fire crews from the Ranch, assisted by a very prompt response by an engine and crew from the Sisters-Camp Sherman fire district, performed a quick and concerted two-pronged attack, knocking the fire... Full story
Sisters fire officials are investigating a small fire that broke out in the woods on Forest Road 15 near Highway 242 on Friday morning. "Obviously it was a human-caused fire," said Sisters Fire Marshal David Wheeler. "It's under investigation; we're following some leads." The blaze was doused before it grew past .2 acres, Wheeler said. He noted that the fire was probably accidental and did not start from a camp fire. Engines and crews from Sisters and the Oregon Department of Forestry fought the fire, which was called out at... Full story
To the Editor: David Perkins could not be more right about the importance of Mandarin. A recent report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace forecast that China's economy will be as large as the US economy in 2035 and twice as large in 2050. Currently less than 1 percent of Oregon's public school students study Mandarin. There will be proposals before the 2009 legislative session to expand Mandarin and study abroad in China programs for Oregon students. One proposal will be of interest to Mr. Perkin's students.... Full story
After a storied career at Sisters High School, football standout Cory McCaffrey now plays for the Portland State University Vikings. He is a wide receiver for the Vikings, a team that features a high-tempo offense that is perfect for McCaffrey's speed and quickness. PSU's "run and shoot" offense relies on passing. First instituted by then-head-coach Mouse Davis in the 1970s, the offense is known for posting high scores. Davis has come back at the age of 75 to be Offensive... Full story
Art lovers flocked to Black Butte Ranch last weekend for the annual Labor Day Weekend Art at the Ranch event. The Black Butte Ranch Art Guild once again sponsored Art at the Ranch, an ongoing event for nearly 25 years. Funds go to Sisters' elementary and middle school art programs. They also donate scholarships for Sisters High School students who are art majors. Students must apply for the scholarships and are interviewed by guild members. Artwork is from Black Butte Ranch... Full story
"It's not just an art show, it's a learning experience," said Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Events Coordinator Jeri Buckmann of the annual Western & Native American Arts Festival, held last weekend. The tall trees and green lawn of Creekside City Park were props in the transformation of the north end of the park into a 1830s-1900s Native American Village. Historical re-enactors set up a "live" camp each year for festival-goers. "Finds Her Way" (Gwen Mitchell), of the... Full story
How did you spend your summer? Working? Rafting? Inventing a new video game? Sleeping? That might be the norm for a lot of area teenagers, but not for Sisters' Jenna Sneva. Sneva spent her summer playing fastpitch softball against some of the best teenagers in the United States and Canada. Softball took Jenna to 15 states with more than 15,000 miles of traveling. She can't remember the number of nights she slept in a hotel bed, but she does remember a few 14-hour airplane... Full story
Buddhism coming to Sisters? Well, not exactly. According to a local program coordinator, Janet Huerta, "Vipassana is a meditation technique that was taught by the Buddha, but we don't consider this Buddhism. It's very specifically non-sectarian and is practiced by people of all religions." Vipassana (pronounced with a short "i" as in "it," vi-PAW-suh-nuh) does involve a basic moral code. As Huerta explained, "No one who practices any religion would disagree with the code." In a nutshell, she said, the code is simply to do no... Full story
Football fans were on their feet with shouts of victory as the Outlaws defeated Sweet Home (SH) 21-18 in the final seconds of the season opener at home on Friday, August 29. The Outlaws started the game a bit nervous and tentative and were forced to punt the ball at the start of the contest. Sweet Home responded quickly, scored a touchdown and took an early 6-0 lead. Brandon Morgan had a nice kick return for the Outlaws and Sisters followed that with a 48-yard drive.... Full story
Often on opposing sides of environmental issues, Forest Service and Sierra Club representatives joined hands last week to test the feasibility of hand-pulling ribbon grass. They were joined by the Friends of the Metolius (FOM). This group of weed pullers met Wednesday morning, August 27, at the Camp Sherman campground to pull weeds from a ribbon grass-infested island in the Metolius River. Pullers expected the grass to be rooted in water. Instead, the grass was rooted in... Full story
Sean Meissner of Sisters and his running partner Matt Hart of Seattle placed eighth in the second annual Trans-Rockies Stage Race in Colorado last week. The race includes six stages ranging from 10 to 24 miles over six days of competition. As the name indicates, the race traverses 100 miles in the Rocky Mountains. "On a number of the days we started at elevations higher than the South Sister," said Meissner. The highest point of the course was over 13,000 feet and the "lowest" was in the mid 8,000-foot range, according to Mei... Full story
The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District has announced the appointment of Al McKenzie to the fire district board of directors. McKenzie was previously a fire district board member from 1984 through 2004. He has seen the district grow from a small rural fire district that contracted with the city for fire protection to what it has become today. McKenzie remembered that in 1981 there were no paid career positions at the fire department. The fire chief was also a volunteer position... Full story
It isn't every day that someone has the opportunity to celebrate 94 years of living on this grand old planet earth, but Margaret Richins of Sisters made it that far last Friday, August 29. Born Belva Margaret Parker in the little town of Hooper, Utah, Margaret has led a life that would drive a lot of people into the ground. She worked hard to acquire a college education and traveled the world with her husband to expand her knowledge even further. Margaret spent her younger... Full story
The Outlaws varsity and JV volleyball teams dominated play at the jamboree held at Cottage Grove on Friday, August 29. Both teams won all four of their games. Sisters defeated Marist (25-20), Elmira (25-10), Cottage Grove (25-20) and Junction City (25-8). Emily Douglass led the Outlaws with 12 kills for the day. Fe Pledger had eight kills and Courtney Satko added six. Shae Kotal dished out 23 assists and went 19 for 20 from the service line. Coach Diane Bremer told The Nugget that the team came out strong and focused which... Full story
The Northwest Pro Rodeo Association (NPRA) Finals is coming to Sisters this month, with a weekend of rodeo performances featuring the top 12 qualifying cowboys and cowgirls in each event. The NPRA Finals will be held September 18-21 at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds, with over $78,000 in prize money and $54,000 in awards. The event is separate from the Sisters Rodeo, held in June. "There's something magical about coming to Sisters and competing," said Jimmy Floyd, champion bull rider at last year's NPRA Finals. "It's an honor to... Full story
With both the boys and girls cross country teams returning the majority of runners that earned state trophies last year, excitement about the 2008 season is running high among athletes and coaches. Both teams are considered the favorites to win the Sky-Em District title and are likely to make noise at the OSAA State Championships as well. The girls team, the runner-up among 4A teams at state last year, return four varsity runners and are enjoying a record turnout this year, gi... Full story
It was a mixed weekend at Portland International Raceway for three auto racers from Sisters. Eric Dolson hammered the field in his 1969 Corvette, beating David Kunicki of Surrey, British Columbia and John Goodman of Seattle. Kunicki drives a '68 Camaro, Goodman another '69 Vette. Dolson qualified on the pole and won all the races the three ran in Portland over the weekend. Though Kunicki got by on the start of each race, Dolson reeled him in and posted faster and faster lap... Full story
The girls soccer team had a great showing at the jamboree held at Philomath on Friday, August 29. The Lady Outlaws tied Philomath 0-0 in their first game, defeated Cascade 4-1 in the second game and rounded off the day with a 2-0 victory over Junction City. Sisters' game against Philomath was a total defensive battle, especially in the first half. The Outlaws came out a little sloppy on offense and didn't have many opportunities at shots on goal. Coach Nik Goertzen told The Nugget he felt his team was sluggish after the long... Full story
The boys soccer team made a great debut at the jamboree held at Philomath on Friday, August 29. The Outlaws won their first two games and finished the day with a tie. Sisters started off with a big 7-0 win over Cascade. The Outlaws had 10 shots on goal in the contest and Cascade finished with five. Kevin Marquardt led the Outlaw scoring with a hat trick (three goals) and Max Quinn, Lee Elder, Will Newport and Colby Gilmore each contributed one. David Liming, Patrick Young, Dirk Vandervelde and Joey Farruggia each recorded an... Full story
• Online shopping is now available with Alpaca by Design. Their new Web site is www.AlpacaByDesignShop.com. Socks, hats, capes, alpaca teddy bears and other gift items can be ordered directly from the Web site. For the more unique items such as designer coats and sweaters, visit their shop at 170 W. Cascade Ave. • The restaurant at Lake Creek Lodge is now closed for the season, but their cabins are available year-round. The lodge and dining room are also available for special events or holiday gatherings. Call... Full story
• Hats off to the Sisters Parent Teacher Committee (SPTC) for the installation of fun new playground equipment at Sisters Elementary School. SPTC would like to give a big thanks to Doug Holly of J-H Excavation for his hard work and generosity. The donation of his skills, equipment and time were greatly appreciated in the installation of the new play structure at Sisters Elementary School. SPTC would also like to thank Tyler Hoyt at Hoyt's Hardware & Building Supply for the donation of railroad ties to border the... Full story
The Sisters City Council has scheduled a public forum for Monday, September 8, at City Hall to present information about a possible franchise of the city's refuse operations to High Country Disposal (HCD). The franchise proposal has been controversial. Councilor Lon Kellstrom has made some strongly worded public comments against the move, calling it potentially the worst public policy decision during his tenure on the council. City staff have defended the idea as providing long-term cost savings and more services to the publi... Full story
Recently, I've been writing about hiking opportunities in the Sisters area, and there's been a lot of positive feedback. I had expected some grousing about giving away secret hideaways; but, for the most part, that hasn't happened - even after what I'm told amounted to a virtual stampede to Chush Falls. I'm pleased to see more people enjoying the trails; but, with more people out there, it's important to think about the impact on nature and other people. Thus far, my hiking stories have focused on where to go, not how. This... Full story
There are "collectors" and there are "collectors." I know a few compulsive butterfly collectors who cannot pass one without snatching it in a net and sticking it in a envelope, or popping it into a killing jar. Then there are those - such as my wife Sue - who cannot pass by a butterfly without collecting a photo of it. Then there are people like me. Kris Kristovich of Sisters is in the same boat. Over the years Kris and I have been friends and exchanging e-mail, he has sent... Full story
