News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Bead lovers were like treasure hunters at the Bead Stampede.
Beads have been an item of global trade for centuries. Fur traders brought African-made beads to the Northwest in the fur trade almost 200 years ago.
Last Saturday, beads were once again the focus of a lively trade - in the middle of downtown Sisters.
The third annual Sisters Bead Stampede featured 22 bead artists ensconced in tents in Sisters' downtown Barclay Park. The intimate setting helped create a lively atmosphere and also captured a lot of walk-by traffic.
"It's been awesome," said Jeri Buckmann, who coordinated the event for the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. "It's just been busy all day long."
In fact, the event was extended by an hour because there was still heavy traffic at the planned cut-off hour of 4 p.m.
"I'm really happy with it," Buckmann said. "I think the vendors are, too."
One of those vendors was Debbie Kelley of DK Designs in Roseburg.
She specializes in hand-blown glass beads with deep, colorful swirls that make each one absolutely unique.
"I've always been attracted to glass," she said. "I took (a) class and went completely out of control."
It was difficult for Kelley to describe her attraction to glass. It is obviously a connection that is deeply felt and sensual rather than intellectual. She said she likes the transparency and the "shapability" of glass.
"I probably like the fire, too," she said.
"I melt the glass on a stainless steel rod and then splotch it, decorate it - all that stuff."
Vendors offered up hand-made stone beads, vintage buttons and finished pieces of jewelry, including acid etched glass.
Many of the artists displayed an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of beads as they were peppered with questions from curious shoppers.
For all its long history, the bead trade has experienced a kind of explosion in recent years, becoming "hip" again.
"It's a big thing now," Kelley said.
For her, the explanation for this is simple.
"I think people like pretty things. People have been adorning their bodies for centuries."
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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