Sisters salutes...

Courteney Satko of Sisters was third runner-up in the Miss Oregon Pageant.

Satko expressed her satisfaction in making the top five.

"The competition this year was amazing, so many beautiful and confident women," she said. "If I had to pick the winner I don't think I could. I made so many new friends both local and all around Oregon. I can now say I have a friend in almost every district. I grew from this experience and would do it again in a heartbeat!"

• Kim McCarrel of the Sisters Trails Alliance noted: All you equestrians out there - please thank the mountain bikers in our community for helping to create our new horse trail (see story, page 20). Next time you're at Your Store, Melvin's, The Pony Express, Sisters Veterinary Clinic, Groomingdales, Bright Spot, or Bend Equine, please tell them thank you for their generous donations to help feed the volunteers. It takes a village to create a horse trail!

• Mark LaMont and Rand Runco wrote: We'd like to extend a huge thank-you to all who came to the Ten Friends Winter "Friendraiser" this past Saturday.

We had the most warm, wonderful event at an amazing restored church (The Belfry)! We raised lots of money for our projects, helping the people of Nepal. Many thanks to Angeline Rhett for the venue, Brad Tisdel for the music, Jen Barton of CarrotTop Catering for the great Nepali food, Eric Liddell of Sisters Screen Printing, Tony Meyer of Xpress Printing, Henry Zenich. Mission Linens, Sisters Coffee, Deschutes Brewery, Three Creeks Brewery, Kiki Dolson and the Nugget Newspaper, everyone in Sisters School District, and for our wonderful volunteers.

It's so heartwarming to have so many people come and celebrate, and give from their hearts!

Please check our website (www.tenfriends.org) to see what our local nonprofit Ten Friends is all about. You'll find that we are people, just like you, who know how valuable health, education and teachers are, and who want to help people, just like you, in another part of our world, so their children can learn, grow and be healthy.

• Susan Springer and Paul Alan Bennett of Sisters Public Art thank all who contributed to a great dedication event for our city's new bronze heron sculpture in Barclay Park.

It was a cold afternoon - but spirits were warm! Thanks to participants including Americana student Mike Patterson, the Rotary Club of Sisters for providing coffee and cookies, Gary Miller, Pete Rathbun, Angela Lund, Mayor Lon Kellstrom, and Chamber Director Erin Borla.

The sculpture is here for us to enjoy thanks to the donors: family and friends of Elizabeth Dasch, The Roundhouse Foundation and the City of Sisters.

Thanks to Cate O'Hagan of Arts Central for guidance.

And a heartfelt thanks to artist Danae Bennett Miller.

This is a beautiful addition to our artistic community!

• Kerry Quimby-Zenich wrote:

Earlier this year, Leigh-Anne Durham started an online group for Sisters women, called Sisters Swap, where you can trade and buy things you need, from cars to kids clothing and toys. More recently, Leigh-Anne had the great idea to speak with the folks at the Sisters fire house and she alone rallied many together to hold the first-ever Sisters Shop Until You Drop, which was held at the fire house on Friday, November 30 and Saturday,

December 1.

She was able to get many Sisters women together to work gathering items, setting up and selling items, all to raise funds for children and families in need from our community of Sisters.

I was blessed to be able to work the setup on Thursday night. It was absolutely amazing how this community pulled together! Our fire hall community room was transformed into a showroom. Several families stopped by to drop off items and others came by just to see what all the hustle and bustle was about, and then stayed to help set up.

This sale brought in close to $4,000 for our community. I want to personally thank Leigh-Anne for all of her inspiration and work and also everyone in the community who participated. After almost 10 years in Sisters, we once again met more wonderful folks. It truly was a blessing to be part of this, and I look forward to joining in the tradition next year.

Kudos once again, Sisters community.

• Graham MacDonald wrote: I thought I was another person who would have a lost phone and bonus of a wallet with it. But that did not happen! I thank the people who have found both items and had the decency to return them without any mysterious missing cash. I thought for sure they would be lost, but our caring community returned them just as they were before (beside a little bit of dirt, but that's to be expected). Again, thank you to Sisters Country and the people who found and returned my items. I don't know where I'd be without them.