News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Kathy Deggendorfer (l.) and Jerry Norquist accepted a $20,000 donation from Nike and Cycle Oregon, represented by Chris Poteet and David Cottkamp.
Sisters' myriad of cultural events will have a permanent venue thanks to the donation of funds for a big tent -- dubbed "the Fourth Sister" by events organizers.
The 60-foot-by-150-foot tent was secured through $20,000 in grants from Nike and Cycle Oregon; a $2,500 grant from the City of Sisters; $3,600 from the Community Action Team of Sisters (CATS); and $3,600 from September in Sisters, a consortium of event organizations.
Chris Poteet of Nike and David Cottkamp of Cycle Oregon presented a ceremonial check for the tent at a gathering on the Village Green on Saturday, July 13, that featured music from local musicians and the Latin-styled band Tropicante.
Cycle Oregon will have a layover day in Sisters on September 11. The organization has a tradition of giving back to the communities that host the tour.
"It's kind of fun for us to know that this tent is going to go up because of neighbors and Nike and a bunch of cyclists from all over the United States," said Cottkamp.
Kathy Deggendorfer, who worked with Lorri Craig of CATS to secure the grants, noted that having what she called "a portable community center" greatly reduces the overhead for events such as the Sisters Folk Festival, the Sisters Jazz Festival, Sisters in Sisters and other events.
Events must budget $6,000 to $7,000 for tent rental and set-up. Owning the tent will greatly reduce those costs, which enhances the viability of events that rely on sponsorship dollars and ticket sales to keep going.
According to Deggendorfer, CATS will administer the tent use for the community. The tent will be available for commercial uses, but "it will not leave the Sisters community. There will essentially be 'deed restrictions' on it."
Rod Morris of Sisters Storage and Rental has donated an 18-foot trailer and storage space to keep the tent safely stored between uses.
The tent will be raised on the Village Green on September 4, in preperation for the Sisters Folk Festival. Later that month, the tent will host the Sisters Jazz Festival and SOAR's Bike Festival.
The tent can be erected in four stages to accommodate events of varying sizes. At its maximum size, the tent can seat approximately 1,000 people.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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