SPRD cancels some summer events

Two summer community events organized by Sisters Park & Recreation District have just recently been cancelled, according to Executive Director Todd Garrett. SPRD outgoing board chair Bob Keefer confirmed for The Nugget the popular luau will take place.

The Glory Daze Car Show, which was begun by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, came under the purview of SPRD when Liam Hughes was the executive director. It was scheduled this year for Saturday, July 21 on Main Avenue. It is now cancelled.

The Home Brew Fest, scheduled for Saturday, August 18 in Creekside Park, was established in 2017, organized by SPRD and its volunteers in partnership with Sisters Kiwanis and Sisters Meat and Smokehouse. It is also cancelled.

According to the SPRD website, "Due to lack of volunteers, participants, and other concerns, we are canceling the Sisters Glory Daze Car Show for 2018. We apologize for this inconvenience, please stay tuned for a 2019 date. All current participants will be refunded."

Former SPRD adult program coordinator Shannon Rackowski, who was still a member of the staff in January when Hughes left for Pendleton, had made all the arrangements and scheduled the special events for the year.

When Rackowski tendered her resignation in April, she and the board of directors agreed that she would contract with SPRD to lead her senior exercise classes so the program could continue. She also contracted to do the food for the GNW Running Camp in June and to coordinate the Crest the Cascades, the car show, the Homebrew Fest in August, the luau, the Happy Girls Run, the shuttles using SPRD vans for the Quilt Show, and the senior excursions for the SAGE program.

Upon Garrett's arrival in Sisters in April, Rackowski said she sat down with him and reviewed all the plans that had been made and were in place for the rest of 2018, to help familiarize him with the events and the year's calendar.

According to Rackowski, local car enthusiast Mick Hunter was lined up to serve as chairman of the car show again this year.

There are differing accounts as to why Hunter chose not to participate this year - or whether Garrett had met with him. Hunter is on vacation and couldn't be reached for comment on Monday.

Garrett indicated Hunter "had retired and would be visiting family in another state, and he might have been training others to take his place."

When contacted by The Nugget to confirm the cancellations and determine the reasons for them, Garrett responded. "I learned in May that no volunteers or staff had been assigned to the event (car show). In June, despite my efforts, I couldn't pull it together. Rather than have a subpar event, it's better to not do it. Likely, it would have been just me and six registrants."

The new executive director also cited input from participants, judges, and the public indicating the car show needed more entertainment and better awards.

"We'll take a break and assemble a new show," he said

Garrett indicated he had been approached by a new car club in Bend that might like to be involved. He also said he had reached out to try to increase sponsorship and the number of participants - looking at including adventure vans and vehicles - but he couldn't pull it together in a month.

Incoming board chair Jeff Tryens reported, "The key volunteers were not as engaged ... there were not many registrants." The board had instructed Garrett that since the event had been advertised, they wanted him to see if he could pull it together.

"By the end of June, it was on him to make the call," Tryens said.

Tryens pointed out events like the car show are really a side event for SPRD, not part of its principle mission.

"We do it for people who don't have kids in our programs or don't participate in our adult classes," Tryens said.

Garrett expressed "dismay at the fact the event had been advertised and there was no support. I was trying to do what I could. I sincerely apologize for that."

According to Garrett, the Homebrew Fest had switched dates several times for 2018 and then it turned out it was scheduled for the same weekend as the Bend Brew Fest, which runs August 16-18. He believes that former executive director Hughes was a home-brewer and expert on the subject. He and several volunteers ran last year's event.

"I don't drink and I know nothing about home-brewing. The volunteers want to wait for next year," Garrett reported.

He went on to say that Sisters Kiwanis, one of the event partners, said they were willing to help.

Garrett is optimistic that with the cancellation of those two events, the money budgeted for them and the staff time freed up can be put toward improving other events or programs.

There have been some questions as to whether the community Hawaiian luau would take place in August, since Rackowski is the person who instituted the event and ran it. She had contracted with SPRD to produce it this year.

According to Rackowski, Garrett had been telling other staff that he had Hawaiian friends who could do the luau. After a number of unsatisfactory interactions between Garrett and Rackowski, the former employee notified the board and Garrett she will not be producing the luau for SPRD this year.

Garrett and Rackowski both confirmed she would not be doing the luau. When asked if the luau was going to take place anyway, Garrett replied, "I sure hope so." The Nugget has learned that Garrett contacted Kim Keaton at the City and told her the luau was cancelled.

Garrett shared that the transition period since his arrival has been "an overwhelming situation."

"Just in general, recent events have resulted in significant changes - the departure of Liam and Shannon," he said.

He then said, "An adjustment period manifests in positive growth."