News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Ann Ford knows a thing or two about senior living establishments. She managed three of them, including a memory care facility in Bend. Now she's a resident at Sisters Senior Living (formerly known as The Lodge in Sisters) - and she chose the place for one reason in particular: Alea Schliep. Alea is the life enrichment coordinator at the senior living home on Larch Street at the north end of Sisters. "I'm the one who basically creates the fun," she said. And creating that fun...
When Sisters resident John May saw people wading in Whychus Creek on August 19, obviously working on some sort of project, he was curious. He stopped by and encountered Deschutes Watershed District Fish Biologist Jerry George conducting a fish survey. He asked George for details on the work, and the biologist sent him an email sketching out the results of the survey. May shared the information with The Nugget. "Today we found that, while present, trout were in very low...
Even if you don't recognize her person or her name you will undoubtedly recognize Robin Bentz's work: She's the "lady who keeps Sisters beautiful." That's what we heard repeatedly as we asked about town. Indeed, Bentz is the tireless City's Public Works Department worker who almost single-handedly deals with city-owned landscaping. A lot of it is within five city parks, among the many, many acres of land that needs to be weeded, planted, pruned, irrigated, and fed. Bentz will...
Adrian and Buddy Blair work at Sno Cap. They live in the Deschutes National Forest. Upon first reading you might think that the two are entry-level line workers. To the contrary, Adrian is the manager and Buddy is... well you name it, and Buddy does it. Preps, cleans, fixes, stores, and helps keep the wheels turning. Sno Cap is not a fast-food restaurant. Everything is cooked or served to order, from scratch. Most everybody in Sisters has at one time or another dined at Sno...
Hi, my name is K-9 Copper and I assist the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) in finding people - even some who aren't happy when I find them. I have the best job in the world (for a dog). I have my own heavy duty pickup truck with my name on it and big lettering to let you know this is my truck. I have my own personal driver, Deputy Donny Patterson, who lives with me and his other dog, K-9 Bloodhound Dani, who retired from Riverside, California, and is my playmate at...
It is hard to imagine what Sisters and Burns, Oregon, Time Magazine, China, a shootout at the Tex Saloon in 1894, a gold rush at Windy Point, and actor William Hurt might have in common. The answer is that they all have ties to Claire McGill Luce, a "child of the west," a woman who worked around the world, but never forgot her roots in the high desert of Harney County. She is responsible for a treasure trove of western history that holds almost forgotten tales and secrets of...
The wild expanse of forests we enjoy in the foothills of the Cascade mountains are not there by chance. It took concerted thought for the future when in 1893, Congress established the precursor of National Forests, the Forest Reserves. Forest land was being developed fast as the Government encouraged settlement of the West. The Homestead Act of 1862 gave 160 acres of free land to any citizen over 21, with certain other requirements. The Timber and Stone Act of 1878 further...
Sisters’ government agencies play a big role in the community — from City Hall to the school district, from the U.S. Forest Service to fire and police services. Covering the functions and actions of those agencies is one of our responsibilities. Local government has a big impact on the community. Sisters is deeply invested in the success of our schools, and there is a high level of interest in what goes in in the classroom, on performance stages and athletic fields. Sisters fo...
While The Nugget staff and freelancers put out our weekly newspaper 52 weeks a year, year in and year out, the paper is far from our only publication. We produce programs for organizations and agencies across Central Oregon, the visitors guide that is a primary marketing tool for Sisters, and a now-biannual magazine. The spring edition of Spirit of Central Oregon is on the street now - and it is one of my favorite projects in more than 30 years of creating content at The...
The approach of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France, gives me occasion to reflect upon my experience working as an interpreter for ABC Sports during the 1972 Olympics in Munich, West Germany. While the 1972 games were a venue for many outstanding athletic achievements (i.e. Mark Spitz' seven gold medals), it was the Israeli massacre that most people remember. Almost 52 years ago, eleven members of Israel's Olympic team were killed during a 23-hour drama that began...
There is no better place to beat the summer heat in Sisters than at one of our mountain lakes. Suttle Lake, 13 miles west of Sisters, has been a favorite for many years with a variety of campgrounds, boat docks, picnic shelters, and resorts. The lake's name is a bungled attempt to recognize a man with quite a story. Before European settlement the lake was frequented by Native Americans who camped along its shores as they fished for sockeye salmon and travelled into the high...
Unlike many women of yesteryear, Bertha Ronalds did not walk quietly through the pages of history. Bertha was an influencer before there was a name for it and landed with a big splash in the Metolius Basin in 1935, leaving a legacy that includes Metolius Meadows and Lake Creek Lodge. She even has her own Wikipedia page which mentions New York's Gilded Age, life in Paris, and Napoleon. Her privileged life helped draw the rich and famous to a little place in a pine forest...
How do I begin to honor Valori Wells and her amazing 25-year journey in fabric design? Like many things, it is all about who you know! I met Jean Wells, Valori's mom, in the late 1980s. Jean immediately took me under her wing and, over the years, she shared marvelous stories and details about her own children, Jason and Val. In 1998, I knew Val had recently graduated with a Fine Arts Degree in Photography. I knew she grew up at Stitchin' Post in Sisters, OR, and I knew she...
Quilts have been appearing like magic on the walls of Sisters businesses on the second Saturday in July for nearly half a century. But those in the know understand that the magic is actually made by the hard work of a cadre of dedicated volunteers. Some of them are locals, some of them come from out of state. Many have volunteered for years or decades. And not all of the volunteer work happens on Quilt Show day. Susan DeGroat volunteers year-round. She does a lot of office...
There's nothing a car enthusiast enjoys more than hanging out with other car enthusiasts, and showing off their pride and joy. "Gearheads like to geek out with each other and their cars," said Mondo Aguilera. Aguilera is the organizer of an informal drive-in held each summer Friday evening at Eurosports Food Cart Garden on the corner of East Hood Avenue and Fir Street. Aguilera should know - he is one. He has a 1966 F-100 with manual steering and brakes that he parks on the st...
Sisters folks are pumping up good times this summer with inflatable toys, games, and watercraft. Now that summer appears to have arrived on the scene the lakes and rivers are blooming with all sorts of fun seekers inflating a vast array of brightly colored kayaks, loungers, floaters, tubes, and SUPs (stand up paddle boards). The SUP market has exploded with the entry of inflatable boards. The benefits of an inflatable are obvious - weight and size. You can carry an inflatable...
Well, I'm gonna pick up some of these empties, Lord As soon as I find where they lay Tied off them jolly and leavin' lines On a long hot summer day... - John Hartford Nothing evokes the long, lovely days of summer more strongly than homemade music on the porch or on the lawn, played in fellowship with friends. Linda Leavitt and Tom Nechville have put together an opportunity for summer fun - and musical growth - in their Second Sunday Bluegrass Jam from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Banjos...
Matt and Jenny Behnke sought a life of adventure and creativity. They've found it in Sisters. The couple fronts Skybound Blue, an Americana, harmony-driven roots band. Their music, influenced by Gillian Welch, The Civil Wars, and The Avett Brothers, strives to create meaningful songs and melodies that resonate with their audience. The Behnke's moved to Sisters three years ago from McMinnville, looking to be closer to the outdoors and the music community in Sisters. "We feel so...
The words people use to describe Toni Berke Foster paint a picture of a formidable woman: words like tough, skillful, committed, honest, focused, relentless, taskmaster, and "passionate maniac." Foster was a teacher at tiny Black Butte School in Camp Sherman for 28 years serving as educator, bus driver, custodian, and superintendent. Her other identities included being a deeply committed defender of the Metolius Basin. She drove the Forest Service to unprecedented levels of...
The word came in from a local rancher: Wolves had killed his livestock. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) investigated the claim and confirmed it. Reactions to the incidents ranged from outright anger and fear to tempered excitement that wolves were finally back in Central Oregon, where they once lived until being eradicated 50 years ago. According to ODFW Wildlife Biologist Aaron Bott and Range Specialist Mike Ensley, the initial responses that included...
Donna Sanders is a neighborly sort with a big smile and bigger heart. She has taught thousands of new skiers of all ages how to get into a sport that typically lasts a lifetime. This includes kids who have gone on to competition. Even two knee replacements can't keep her from suiting up. She has piled up a slew of recognitions including the coveted Skiing Legends Award from Professional Ski Instructors of America. This award led Ski Hoodoo to create its slogan: "Hoodoo – Where...
Ask the average passerby to define "forest bathing," and if the first reaction isn't a blank stare, the offered definition is apt to miss the mark by a fair distance. Missie Wikler, owner of r'oming yoga in Bend, is a certified forest therapy guide and RYT Yoga Instructor. She explains forest bathing as, "A practice where participants bathe themselves in the forest atmosphere. There is no water involved in this practice and the bathing refers to immersing oneself in the phyton...
Celebrity chef and restaurateur Brian Malarkey, who grew up on a ranch in Tumalo, and went on to create over 15 successful restaurant concepts in various cities, is returning to Central Oregon this spring, with his brother James, to open his latest vision, Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge in Bend. Malarkey's roots run deep in Oregon, with his father's ancestors arriving on the Oregon Trail in the 1850s. Brian grew up on the Tumalo ranch where his mom, Lesley Day, founded the...
Hank Moss grew up working cattle in the sagebrush of southern Utah and northern Arizona. There's a haze of romance around that life - and Hank will tell you it was a fine life for a youngster. "That was a pretty magical growing up. I was horseback all the time," he recalled. "It was super cool." That doesn't mean it was easy. Moss' family moved from San Antonio, Texas, to a spread under the rim of Bryce Canyon without much in the way of worldly goods. "We were in really rough...
We take our senses for granted. It's hard for most of us to contemplate being deaf or blind. We just don't want to imagine it. We're amazed when we see somebody who has lost their sight do amazing things. Making music, for example - like Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Ronnie Milsap. Or we admire James Thurber, the blind cartoonist for The New Yorker; Claude Monet, French painter; James Joyce, Irish writer. How about a blind photographer? How's that possible? Well, it is. Meet Gar...
