Festival explores past

More than 200 people traveled back in time Saturday, June 27, during the first Sisters Watershed History Fest.

The event, held at Sisters High School, featured historical displays, presentations and activities celebrating the dynamic cultural history of the Sisters community.

But the festival was more than an exploration of the past.

Participants and organizers viewed Sisters' "old west" culture as one that depended on the natural resources within the Sisters watershed.

"We want to understand where (the community) came from and where we are going," said event co-coordinator and Sisters Ranger District Ecologist Maret Pajutee.

The event aimed to educate the community about a revitalized approach to ecosystem management.

The Sisters Ranger District is studying the system of waterways enveloping Sisters and the human community which depends on its existence. This system is known as a watershed.

The Sisters Watershed History Fest connected the historic uses of the lakes and streams surrounding Sisters - from subsistence use by Native Americans to the evolution of the timber industry and the advent of recreational tourism.

A series of informational panels highlighted the Sisters Ranger District's Watershed Analysis, including photos from the Squaw Creek Watershed Education Project and an array of watershed maps. Participants also viewed displays from the Deschutes Basin Land Trust and the Deschutes County Historical Society.

According to Pajutee and co-coordinator Katherine Cerino, a team of nearly 30 volunteers contributed over 300 hours to the project. Sixty of those hours were contributed by Sisters area residents Jo Anne Heinzel and Vaunell Temple.

Heinzel and Temple designed the Sisters Watershed Timeline as their project for the Sisters History course taught through Central Oregon Community College.

The course only required them to commit six hours each to the event, but the timeline project was more fun than they expected.

"Just sitting (at the event) is rewarding," said Temple. "We've seen old friends meet right here in front of us."

Many of the folks who shared reunions at the timeline also participated in the Old-timers' Corner.

This informal discussion group gave some of Sisters' original residents a chance to swap settlement stories, and it provided new folks a fresh perspective on Sisters of today.

The Hoarse Whisperers, featuring Jim Cornelius, Dick Sandvik, and Phyllis Sokol, entertained the audience with western folk music. Cornelius also partnered with "Poet of the West" Stephen Deadmond as the duo "Native Range."

To satisfy the hunger of the 200-plus participants, Sykes Seafood served salmon sandwiches and shrimp cocktail. Northern Lights Bakery offered baked goods and the Sisters Campfire Girls served fresh lemonade.

Pajutee concluded that she is looking forward to ongoing activities resulting from the event.

"We will be working on a (history) book project, with more interviews from the old-timers, and we hope to bring new (Sisters residents) in connection with the past," she said.