Sisters salutes...

• Kathy Deggendorfer of Sisters Art Works wrote: Many thanks to everyone for making the 2012 Holiday Plate and Platter Sale at Sisters Art Works a successful fundraiser for the Sisters Food Bank!  

This year, 12 artists including: Paul Alan Bennett, Donna Simpson, Ken Merrill, Kathy Deggendorfer, Cristina Acosta, Karen Piedmont, Annie Painter, Carolyn Platt, Kit Stafford, Janit Brockway, Janice Druian, and Glen Corbett, created beautiful custom ceramic platters, plates, tiles and trivets, and we raised $1,420.

Sisters Art Works provided the greenware plates and Susanne Redfield, Kibak Tile, provided the glazes, the expertise and the firing of the pieces.

The project produced a beautiful show which hung in the Sisters Art Works entry gallery (briefly!) before generous art collectors from Sisters and the Willamette Valley bought them right off the walls!

With a full heart I want to thank all who participated... this kind of sharing of talent and time make the community of Sisters a great place to live!

• Victoria D. Graves wrote: "Brava" to Angeline Rhett for taking on the challenge of repurposing the old church into The Belfry.

She's one of many talented residents who have the whimsical creativity to pull off this funkalicious performance/community-events space. It's a wonderful addition to our city and deserves community support.  

Much has been said recently about our anemic downtown and how it's "everyone else's fault or responsibility" to fix. The Belfry is an example of blending one person's passion with a business venture that supplies something that people actually want or need in the local economy.

Thrifty pragmatism is not a new idea...