News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
At their November 30 meeting and public hearings, the Sisters City Council rolled up their sleeves and for four hours wrestled with the toughest topic of late: how to plan appropriately for growth without destroying the small-town character of Sisters.... Full story
It was a very busy distribution day at the Furry Friends Foundation (FFF) office this past Thursday, December 1. Thirty-six families picked up their pet food orders along with lots of other pet supplies that lined the porch. Furry Friends Foundation is a volunteer-run 501(3)(c) nonprofit offering pet food, needed pet supplies, and free spay/neuter sponsorships to Sisters-area families in financial hardship. During the holidays Santa Paws helps FFF as it joins forces with Sisters Kiwanis and Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD for the... Full story
As the holiday season approaches, so does the Sisters School District Holiday Showcase. The performance will be hosted by the Sisters High School Jazz Choir and is set for this Thursday, December 8, at 7 p.m. at Sisters High School auditorium. “The holiday showcase is an opportunity for the high school, middle school, and elementary school music programs to share holiday music with the community,” said Choir Director Rick Johnson. The variety of acts in the Holiday Showcase highlights performances from all over Sisters. “Th... Full story
Sisters Dance Academy’s 12th annual holiday performance, the Winter Wonderland Ball, is set for Saturday, December 10, at Sisters High School. Owner of the Academy, Lonnie Liddell, said, “Sisters Dance Academy (SDA) opened in 2009. We have held two shows a year, every year. I think it is an amazing way for the community to come together to support our youth and is also such a positive, joyful event.” Each dance recital has had a different theme. “This year’s theme was inspi... Full story
Jeff Scheidler, SMS STEAM teacher/activities director, wrote: Sisters Middle School would like to thank the Sisters Schools Foundation. They have been an instrumental part of making one of our largest incentive programs possible. With their contributions, our student-led leadership program is able to facilitate an ever-growing student store. This store is maintained and stocked by students here at SMS. This also includes SMS students designing and making the merchandise themselves. This process alone has been a great... Full story
Cottage Grove author and photographer Eric Alan will offer a presentation from his new book “Grateful by Nature: Walking Gratitude’s Wild Path Home,” at Paulina Springs Books on Thursday, December 8. Alan will read selections from his new book along with a slideshow featuring his beautiful photographs of nature. “Grateful by Nature” offers gratitude as our shared path home, within a return to nature. Through poetic stories and vivid photographs, the book’s mindful walk through... Full story
Sisters artist Jim Horsley has painted landscapes, Western scenes, and military-inspired works. Now he has embarked on a magnum opus project that brings together his passion for painting with the Christian faith that underpins his life. In collaboration with his pastor, Steve Stratos of Sisters Community Church, Horsley is creating an art installation titled “Reflections of Jesus,” which will hang at the church. In an overview of the project, Horsley explained: “The colle... Full story
Each Tuesday in December at the Sisters Community Lunches sponsored by Council on Aging of Central Oregon, there will be seasonal entertainment for the enjoyment of the attendees. The no-charge, in-person lunches are held at Sisters Community Church, 1300 McKenzie Hwy., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sisters High School Jazz Band and Choir will be playing and singing on Tuesday, December 13. The ever-popular Sisters Ukelele Group will liven things up on December 20. The year will be... Full story
Heath Foott keeps busy with his remote work for Meta, his former service with the Oregon Army National Guard, and enjoying the benefits of living in Central Oregon. Yet he somehow finds the time to serve on the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) board. Foott and his family have been in and out of Sisters over the last 35 years, leaving to get employment elsewhere and eventually settling down in Sisters Country. He is a 34-year veteran of environmental and safety work... Full story
Circle of Friends Executive Director Nicole Swisher Woodson has been running a metaphorical marathon, with all kinds of obstacles in her way because of COVID-19 challenges. Like many organizations, over the past two years she’s learned new ways of facilitating connections when face-to-face time wasn’t possible. By far, that has been her greatest challenge. Especially with an organization whose mission is based on building strong, long-term relationships between mentors and... Full story
You can’t live in Sisters and not recognize the ubiquitous pale-green fire trucks used by the Forest Service. A test of how long you’ve lived in Sisters Country would be your ability to differentiate BLM (Bureau of Land Management) fire trucks, the chartreuse-colored rigs. Further upping your identification skills would include knowing to whom the white fire trucks belong. The answer: Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). Of course red-fire trucks generally are associated wit... Full story
More than 400 runners and walkers, decked out in tremendously ugly sweaters and garish garb, turned out for the second annual Ugly Sweater Run on Saturday, December 3. The event, sponsored by Run Sisters Run, is a benefit for the Circle of Friends program. Participants needed their sweaters this year, with temperatures at the start hovering below freezing — as opposed to last year’s event held under balmy conditions in the 60s. Participants had the option of a five-kilom... Full story
Sisters Library will soon be under construction, in a major remodeling project that is expected to last through August. Local patrons will still be able to order books and pick up holds, and access other services at the library’s temporary facility. “Basically, it’s a trailer,” said Lynne Mildenstein, Deschutes Public Library’s (DPL) assistant director of operations. “It’s going to sit on the corner of Cedar [Street] and Main [Avenue].” The trailer is 24-by-40 feet, offering... Full story
Five years ago, Craig Rullman told in the pages of The Nugget Marvin Emmarson’s incredible story of survival during the Pearl Harbor attack and later enduring a catastrophic torpedo assault that almost took out his ship, the U.S.S. Selfridge. Emmarson is a man of few words, so his story has to be told by loved ones and the pages of U.S. history books. Regardless of who’s recounting Emmarson’s life, his 100 years on the planet have been full of adventure, loss, and findi... Full story
It returns. That white, powdery pleasure substance. Snow. The Sisters kind, generally light and fluffy and again in abundance at higher elevations. And not that high, actually. Last week saw the arrival of a second wave of snow, the first from early November. It only takes 8-10 inches for folks to head for the sno-parks and strap into their snowshoes. Snowshoeing is wildly popular in Oregon, and Sisters Country shoers are right in the thick of it. For lots of reasons. Thad... Full story
Change is inevitable but the proposed Sunset Meadows development is not a well-thought-out development. The proposal does not promote quality of life, mitigate the efforts of growth, or maintain the unique community character of Sisters. Four of the five key themes/priorities garnered through community input in the developing of Sisters’ Comprehensive Plan. The proposal does not meet the following goals stated in the Comprehensive Plan: Goal 3: “Encourage growth to strike a balance between urban scale development and pre... Full story
On buying local To the Editor: Most of Sisters and Sisters Country residents know all about buying local. We know that it stimulates our local economy and allows sustainability of our local businesses and services through the months when tourism is low. Besides the laudable stores, shops, restaurants, galleries, and venues, we also have a great movie house, Sisters Movie House. I would like to give a shout out to our local movie house. I am a consummate moviegoer. I am not one who is knowledgeable about actors, producers, or... Full story
Tree thieves increase in numbers and are more brazen as we enter firewood season, and as a cord of wood is selling for $275 to $295 in Sisters Country. And that may or may not be split and/or delivered. It might just be rounds you pick up. As the price for propane rises, homeowners are turning to Mother Nature more frequently to heat their dwellings, or at least partially so. In Central Oregon a cord of firewood (128 cubic feet; typically a pile eight feet long by four feet wi... Full story
As of December 1, four winter range closures are in effect across Deschutes National Forest, to provide critical habitat for deer and elk. Areas including the Metolius Winter Range and Tumalo Winter Range in Sisters Country are now closed to motorized vehicles (including snowmobiles and electric bicycles). The winter wildlife closures will last through March 31, 2023. The public can visit the following links to view maps of the closure: • Metolius Winter Range Map... Full story
Noah Kirshner of Sisters has been arrested — yet again — in connection with a series of vehicle break-ins in the local area. Kirshner, 23, has been arrested repeatedly over a period of years in connection with similar thefts. The most current arrest occurred on Tuesday, November 29, after a concerned citizen made a report to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office regarding possible stolen property that might be connected to a string of thefts in the neighborhood of Squaw Creek Canyon Estates. The investigating d... Full story
Despite no proposal brought to the City for winter camping at Creekside Campground, and a number of barriers to using the campground for such purposes, emails and rumors have continued to circulate regarding use of the facility for a winter camp for homeless people. Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang thinks the spot would make a good location for “safe parking,” a program in place in other areas of the county. He acknowledged, however, that the park is a City of Sis... Full story
Ten Friends Silent Auction and Himalayan Dinner sponsored by the Cascades Academy MUSE Club will be held Wednesday, December 14, 6 to 8 p.m. at Cascades Academy. After two years of a virtual auction, this year’s event will be live. The evening will include speakers, a raffle, a dinner of Dal Bhat, and the silent auction. The auction will include an assortment of goods and experiences donated by local businesses and individuals. Items include a ski package donated by Crows Feet... Full story
