Sisters stand offers fruits, jerky

Ky Karnecki's new Wild Mountain fruit stand at the corner of South Locust and Highway 20 is officially open for business and stocked with summer specialty fruits and gourmet jerky.

The roadside market features the best in ranch-raised game jerky from Karnecki's grandfather's special marinades, fresh Bing and Rainier cherries, blueberries, strawberries and morel mushrooms.

His previous stand operated at the corner of Camp Polk Rd. and Highway 126 for almost a year before he sought out a more permanent location.

"I'd been searching for a great spot to set up a seasonal business and had seen the 'Build To Suit' sign on this property and thought it might work," he said. "The approval process with the City of Sisters was challenging, but I persevered and am happy it all worked out."

The corner lot is owned by the investment group Sisters Commercial Three, LLC, which has signed a long-term lease with Karnecki.

One of the obstacles in the process related to the juniper trees standing in the front. Another thorny issue was the placement of the business sign so it could be visible to traffic.

In June, 2010, the city council adopted a new ordinance that prohibited freestanding signs in the downtown commercial district.

"My choice was to leave the trees and limb the branches up 15 feet and place the sign between the trees and the highway but the city said 'no,'" explained Karnecki.

"There was a freeze placed on my application until the matter was settled with the city attorney on whether I could cut the trees down on private property. The delay cost me two weeks of business for Rodeo Weekend. Ultimately it was approved, and the rest of the process went so smoothly and I thank the city for their 100-percent support. But I want people to know it was not my original intent to remove the

trees."

Karnecki was granted a temporary permit good for six months and is required to remove the building at the end of the season.

"I'm really hoping to be able to leave it standing year-round as I plan to continue the business season after season," he said. "I'm in this for the long term."

Richard Curlin and his family are vacationing from Chicago and stopped in to sample some of Wild Mountain's ripe fruits and jerky.

"We saw the words 'Elk Jerky' and just had to stop," said Curlin. "I've never tasted elk before, and it was all good. This is our first time to Oregon; it's so beautiful here."

Jerky is available in teriyaki, barbecue and smoked flavors of venison, elk, buffalo, deer, salmon and beef. His salmon is smoked fresh, then taken out, marinated, then smoked again to remove more moisture content.

"It's a locally grown, wholesome product that's good for you, with no growth hormones, pesticides or MSG used," he said. "We'll have fresh huckleberries out from Idaho and Montana come the first week of August and golden chanterelle mushrooms sometime in September. I'm really happy with the business. It fits in with the theme of Sisters, and the response has been great so far. Wild harvest products in a Wild West town. Life is good."