News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
"It is impossible to keep fire out of the forest," Mark Rapp, Sisters Ranger District fire boss says. "So we fight fire with fire." Last Monday morning the switchboards at the Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD, Oregon State Forestry, and USFS Sisters District offices lit up with people calling in about the sudden appearance of what was thought to be a forest fire northwest of Sisters. Earlier this month, on September 10, the phones at the ranger district office lit up with people... Full story
Adding an exclamation point to the summer events calendar, Saturday's first-ever Sisters Fresh Hop Festival celebrated the fine art of hand-crafted microbrewing and the flavorful flower of the hop plant. Hundreds of suds-lovers convened at Village Green Park to sample seasonal brews from 10 Oregon breweries, awash in liquid refreshment, tempting food and a full day of eclectic live music. Julie McCann, of Anchorage, Alaska, drank in the atmosphere and sunshine at a picnic... Full story
Movie lovers will have a chance to sample this year's crop of independent films when the BendFilm festival hits Sisters October 8-10. Sisters Movie House and two cabins at FivePine Lodge will be the venues for the screening of feature films and documentaries that made the cut for the Central Oregon film extravaganza. For Sisters Movie House owner Lisa Clausen, the most exciting films have a local touch. "I guess I'm most excited about some of the things that are really an... Full story
Last weekend several groups were working hard to make Sisters Country an even better place to live for both people and wildlife. September 25 was National Public Lands Day, the largest, annual hands-on nationwide volunteer effort to improve America's public lands. On the same day, the I Heart Central Oregon campaign brought together several Central Oregon area churches and their congregants to volunteer their time in the community. The annual National Public Lands Day,... Full story
To the Editor: Attention all city water users! City of Sisters held a workshop a couple of weeks ago to discuss raising the water rates for all city residential and commercial accounts. Last Tuesday, September 21, 2010, a Bulletin headline read "Sisters water bills may get increase." Without getting into the confusing details, what really caught my attention was a quote from current City Manager Eileen Stein. Stein said increase is overdue. Sisters has not increased its water rates since 1994. If the city did not increase... Full story
Fat tire enthusiasts will hit the trails on October 2-3 for the inaugural Sisters Mountain Bike Festival. The event aims to celebrate mountain biking in Sisters with a chance to explore new trails in the Peterson Ridge Trail System - and to raise funds to expand the trail network. Saturday's events include 22-, 37- and 50-mile signed and supported rides and a little kids' camp. Sunday offers a poker ride, shuttles to the top of Peterson Ridge for those who want to ride downhill and a shuttle to Cache Mountain for a... Full story
Sisters resident Ken Ruettgers has been called a lot of things - with great respect - over the years: NFL first-round draft pick, offensive MVP for the Green Bay Packers (1989), husband, father, author, mentor, coach. Now add to that both "doctor" and "professor," as a new fall crop of students at Central Oregon Community College (COCC) took their seats in Ruettgers' sociology classroom last week. As Ruettgers embarks on his second year of teaching at COCC, he and his... Full story
It's one thing for a high school sophomore to learn a subject; it's something entirely different for he or she to teach that knowledge to someone else - especially to fourth-graders. But that's just what the sophomores of Rima Givot's Sisters High School biology class did Thursday and Friday of last week. Starting at around 9 a.m. each day, two classrooms of fourth-graders took the short bus ride to the high school, where they were met by SHS biology teacher Rima Givot and small groups of her sophomore biology... Full story
From Timber to Turned Wood is celebrating Sisters' rich history in the logging and timber industry and its transition to an arts, culture and recreation-based economy. The show is planned for Saturday, October 9, on Hood Avenue across from Les Schwab Tires in Sisters in conjunction with the 35th Annual Sisters Harvest Faire. There will be three lumberjack performances throughout the day, at 11 a.m. 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. TimberWorks Lumberjack Shows (formerly Scheers Lumberjack Shows) is an exciting and entertaining company that... Full story
The Outlaws football team battled hard against No. 3 ranked Gladstone at home on Friday, September 23. Although Sisters lost 35-6, Coach Bob Macauley was very pleased with his team's defense and feels the Outlaws are ready for league play. The Outlaws scored their lone touchdown in the second quarter, when Erik Carlson connected with Jordan Hodges on a pass and narrowed the Gladiators lead to 7-6. Gladstone scored midway through the second quarter on an 80-yard run and at the... Full story
Sisters trainer Audrey Goldsmith and her students, Emily Christen, 13, and Autumn Saunders, 14, recently returned from two end-of-season dressage shows with several ribbons and championships as testament to their horses' abilities. The world of dressage contains a dizzying array of terms and movements confounding to the uninitiated. Those who have mastered the art of dressage make it look easy. But they know a different reality. Saunders sums it up: "I like how easy it looks... Full story
The Lady Outlaws volleyball team beat Sweet Home in a tough five-game match to win their league opener. Sisters dug deep to win with scores of 22-25, 25-12, 25-23, 20-25 and 15-11. The Huskies, who are new to the Sky-Em League, proved to be tough competitipon for the Lady Outlaws. The match was played at Sweet Home, and their fans were fired up. Sisters' frosh and JV teams were on their feet most of the match, with loud shouts and cheers of encouragement for the varsity... Full story
Saturday, October 2, marks the opening of the general rifle hunting season in the Sisters Country. It is also the scheduled date of the Sisters Mountain Bike Festival. Hunters have expressed concern that mountain bike riders will be riding in some of the areas frequented by hunters on opening day, creating the potential for tragic mishaps. Cyclists may want to wear blaze orange while in the woods, while hunters should exercise extreme caution in the area of Peterson Ridge and in other areas frequented by c... Full story
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Sisters is sponsoring a benefit concert performance by Oregon singer and songwriter Lindy Gravelle on Thursday, October 7. The benefit is for the Every Dollar Feeds Kids (EDFK) charity and focuses on a ministry to hungry children in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Gravelle brings her popular country-rooted music, with its unique blend of pop, rock, swing and blues. The concert is completely free. Since the costs of the event have already... Full story
The boys soccer team shut out Cottage Grove 3-0 at home on Thursday, September 23, recording their first league win of the season. Sisters scored 25 minutes into the game to take the lead. Scott Everson kicked a low hard ball from the corner to the right side to Sam Quinn who took the ball and shot it in from just outside the 18-yard box. Five minutes later, Tim Hernandez and Sebastain Boehm broke away and passed the ball back and forth down the field. The Lions' goalie came... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity runs on the work of volunteers. Some of them are quite visible - the folks who swing the hammers to build the homes; the people who man the Thrift Store and Habitat ReStore. Others are less visible - the people who serve on family selection committees, site selection committees and the like. Habitat boasts nearly 300 volunteers serving in the Thrift Store, ReStore, building crew, on the board of directors and seven standing committees. Together, th... Full story
An early morning deer poaching incident behind Soji Station restaurant on September 11 alarmed a group of customers sipping coffee and quietly awaiting their bacon and eggs. Employee Mike Swantko had seated a party of four hunters at 7:30 a.m. and just opened the blinds, allowing a view of two fawns and a buck grazing in the small field outside. "We were just sitting there watching the mule deer for a few minutes and all of a sudden something flew out of the air and hit the buck," recalled Swantko. "The fawns scattered and th... Full story
National Public Lands Day was celebrated on September 25, but for many Central Oregon painters, the event began back in mid-July when the National Forest Foundation hosted a plein air "Paint Out" along the Metolius River. Supported by the U.S. Forest Service and sponsored by The Roundhouse Foundation and the Samuel S. Johnson Charitable Trust, the Friends of the Forest Day celebrated local art and the Metolius River's dazzling beauty. Two of the images from the day's efforts... Full story
• A woman reported that her daughter was confronted by the mother of a girl who was driving her home and ordered out of the car. A deputy determined that there was no crime. He advised the girl to discontinue contact with her friend to avoid conflicts with her parents. • A man reported finding a condom hung on his door knob. There are no suspects. The man disposed of the condom - and cleaned his doorknob. • A woman gone traveling returned to find her car stolen and her house cleaned out of... Full story
The Sisters Adult Summer Guitar Class has completed another season of creating hand-built guitars. Seven students devoted hours of exacting work on many a warm summer evening under the instruction of Bill MacDonald, master luthier. The construction of the six-string dreadnought guitars used select exotic woods such as Indian rosewood, African bubinga and flame mahogany. The students also learned to install signature inlays of colorful abalone and mother-of-pearl to further... Full story
Shoppers and treasure hunters will come to Sisters Saturday and Sunday, October 9-10 to seek out the wares of more than 150 juried vendors selling pottery, metal art, photography, painting, jewelry, clothing, furniture, home décor and more. The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 35th annual Sisters Harvest Faire. The annual fair boasts two full days of hands-on activities, live entertainment, educational opportunities, food and old-fashioned fun. This year there will be a Kids Zone presented by Sisters Park... Full story
The Lady Outlaws soccer team handed Cottage Grove their first loss of the season, and in the process improved their overall record to a perfect 5-0 on the season. Four of Sisters' wins have been shutouts, and Coach Nik Goertzen gives full credit to his excellent defense: Riley Barrett, Breezy Tewalt, Michelle Young, Peggy Barrett, Marissa Haynes, Zoe McAllister, Hannah Saracino and keeper Sara Small. "Defense wins championships, period," said Goertzen. "The Outlaws defense has only given up one goal all year. They are one of... Full story
After watching the rodeo a year ago, Emily Clark told her friends that she was going to try out for Sisters Rodeo Queen. They all laughed. "You're just not queen material," they said, reminding her that she spent more time driving a tractor than anything else, and that she was "just a hometown girl." The Tumalo resident proved them all wrong on Sunday, September 26, when she was crowned Sisters Rodeo Queen for 2011. "My brother told me the night after that rodeo to not let... Full story
Two homes on Cloverdale Road are featured in the 2010 Green and Solar Home Tour on Saturday, October 2. One, at 67775 Cloverdale Rd., is an old-world timber frame, Platinum-rated Earth Advantage home featuring an open floor plan of 2,850 square feet of living space. Doug and Leanne Smith are the owner/builder and Davis Frame Company is the designer. Passive solar design and solar electric power along with solar thermal for radiant heating and domestic hot water makes it... Full story
It's always good to compete on your home turf and with cross country that only happens once a season, so the Outlaws wanted to make sure and show some speed at the annual Cold Springs XC meet and barbecue held Wednesday, September 22. They did just that as the varsity teams both took second and the junior varsity teams both won. The six-team meet set a record for participants with teams from South Albany, McNary, McKenzie, Regis, and league rival Cottage Grove. Freshman... Full story
