Vote for Your Favorite Central Oregon Restaurant
It’s that time of the year, when we take a look at the culinary landscape and fill you in on what’s hot and who’s got it, for our annual Dining Guide. But this year, in addition to naming a Restaurant of the Year and Rookie of the Year, we’re introducing two new categories of recognition—Food…
In Defense of Birthdays
By Josh Gross A friend of mine recently went on an anti-birthday rant, condemning no shortage of people he considered complicit in the greeting-card-industrial-complex. I told him while I certainly agreed that Hallmark’s corporate office is located in some circle of hell that Dante curiously omitted, holidays are times to celebrate certain emotions or concepts…
Editor’s Note: In this week’s issue
Like it or not, weed is coming to Central Oregon. In last week’s issue, Associate Editor Erin Rook wrote a far-reaching feature about how the legalization of recreational marijuana is presenting changes and challenges to Central Oregon. He wrote about the potential tax windfalls (which the City of Bend failed to capitalize on), and on…
Making local habits a priority
Taped to the register at Bend’s Workhouse in the Old Ironworks Art District is an old tea bag tag that says “Together we can do what we can never do alone.” Owner Cari Dolyniuk told me that this little nugget of wisdom sums up the way that she and the other three shop owners at…
Random Acts of Netflix: Demonic (AKA: Forest of the Damned)
Hey folks! Jared here. Every Thursday I’m going to go on Netflixroulette.com, and then watch whatever the damn thing tells me to. In case you haven’t heard of Netflix Roulette, it’s basically a silly website that allows you to SPIN a virtual wheel which then chooses a film or TV show at random out of…
City Council Votes 4-3 to Support Mirror Pond Redevelopment Plan
Lat night, City Council narrowly voted to support a plan put forth by the Mirror Pond Ad Hoc Committee and recently approved by the Bend Park & Recreation District Board, to replace the failing dam with a more natural feature that would maintain Mirror Pond. The proposal’s success relies on a public-private partnership and investment…
Letters 3/10-3/17
IN REPLY TO REPLIES ABOUT “BIKE TOWN USA” (3/4) I’d simply like the lights to turn green for me when I’m stopped at a light riding home after work at night. They currently don’t because they are all linked to sensors embedded in the road that don’t detect the amount of metal in a bike.…
Natalie Clark is Invading America
Two years ago, Natalie Clark found two very important fans: The Scottish soul-pop singer had already determined to ditch her teaching job and pursue a dream to be a singer when Richard Branson, best known for launching Virgin Records, called her up to stage at a BBC event in Glasgow. She accepted the challenge, and…
Prepping for Pot
Were the legalization of weed a pregnancy, with its conception marked during the month before the election and its due date July 1, the day that pot is officially legal in Oregon, we’d be entering the third trimester. The nursery walls would be painted, the crib built, the cabinet filled with diapers and onesies. But…
Film Events 3/18-3/25
A Survey of Open Space This full-blown adventure documentary focuses on a pair of city folk who begin a search for a truly wild place in America from the seat of a bike. Their journey begins on the Mexican border and spans the entire continent until they reach their conclusion in the Arctic. The film…
TEDxBend: Tchicaya Missamou
Here’s the dilemma: The organizers at TEDxBend want to keep the list of speakers a secret until the day of the event. They want you to trust them. And, here’s the problem: Even though the event isn’t for another month, tickets for this year’s TEDxBend, a day-long event of inspiring speeches and ideas, go on…
Too Old For This
The Baby Boomers—previously known as the cohort that inherited a pretty sweet setup from the Greatest Generation, and currently known as the cohort that somehow managed to mess everything up just in time for the Gen Xers and millennials—are getting old. And there are a lot of them. In 1950, Americans over the age of…
Head of the Class
After seven-year Superintendent of Bend-La Pine Schools Ron Wilkinson announced his plans to retire this summer, the district launched a national search for his replacement. In the end, though, they found someone close to home. Shay Mikalson, currently serving as the assistant superintendent, was selected as the district’s top pick last week. Though Mikalson worked…
Far From A Paint-By-Number
Commonly, Mike Leigh’s films have emphasized interpersonal tensions between characters, like in his breakout Secrets & Lies about a black woman tracking down her working class white birth mother, or Happy Go Lucky about a London school teacher’s whose eternal optimism goes against the grumpy grain. But, in Mr. Turner, his latest and perhaps greatest…
TEDxBend: Nicole LeFavour
Here’s the dilemma: The organizers at TEDxBend want to keep the list of speakers a secret until the day of the event. They want you to trust them. And, here’s the problem: Even though the event isn’t for another month, tickets for this year’s TEDxBend, a day-long event of inspiring speeches and ideas, go on…
Whatever, Mom
A few days ago, my five-year-old son discovered a piece of his artwork crumpled up at the bottom of my bathroom trashcan. “Mom!” he cried, retrieving and smoothing out said artwork. “I made this for you.” My heart filled with remorse as I looked down at the bright green Post-it in his hand (which, suffice…
Side Notes 3/18-3/25
Oregon’s newly minted Gov. Kate Brown made history Monday by signing a bill to register all voting-age Oregonians with DMV-issued IDs to vote. The legislation, which Brown had initiated while still Secretary of State, allows residents to opt-out of voter registration, instead of requiring them to opt in. The move is expected to add about…
Out of Town 3/18-3/25
Portland thursday 19 Chippendales Since Magic Mike XXL doesn’t hit theaters until July, there is always Chippendales to tide everyone over until then. The iconic tie and cuffs are available on their website for $25, but why not put those funds toward the real thing. For the “Ultimate Girls’ Night Out” ™ Chippendales brings Vegas…
Staying True
When Knute Buehler campaigned last autumn for a seat in the Oregon House, he proudly stated his afflation with the Republican Party, but he also went out of his way to identify his political positions that differ from the political party’s traditional platform. Moreover, he promised to think and vote independently from his party and…
Picks 3/18-3/25
thursday 19 George Clinton & Parliament FUNK—The undisputed grandfather of funk, prolific and versatile musician George Clinton (seriously though, he’s won awards for gospel and had his music heavily sampled by hip-hop artists), is bringing his epic soul train to Bend. The influential, 73-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is a must-see. If, by…
Nicolas Yopp Retires
It was Friday the 13th after all. Nicolas Yopp was freeriding off Outback Chair at Mt. Bachelor when an unexpected bump threw him just slightly off balance. A skier since as long as he could walk, Yopp is a championship racer and not easily thrown. But he was railing a GS turn at 60 miles…
Source Suggests 3/18-3/25
Brown Eyed Blue The Central Oregon-raised duo of sisters Janelle and Lindsey Johnson grew up on Motown, which certainly influences their soulful sound. From mashups of Marvin Gaye and Ed Sheeran songs to thoughtful originals, the duo blends city-soul with their Oregon folk roots. Both sisters play piano, guitar and cajon, and (not surprisingly) harmonize…
Jostling Your Nervous System
The Quick & Easy Boys like to do things their own way—with a smirk and a wink. Originally coming together in Eugene 10 years ago to play funk music, they put their own twist on the style and decided to come out every night dressed as cowboys. “The biggest problem with white kids from the…
Bring the Annihilation
I’m the very last person you’d expect to see at a monster truck show. I didn’t learn how to drive a car until I was 22 years old and seeing a fender bender or a tow-truck on the road can throw me into a full-on panic. And, in the two years that I lived in…
Fat Tuesdays Brings New Orleans Closer
The approximately 2,300 miles that separate Bend from New Orleans’ world famous Cajun cuisine has recently been reduced to a mere drive across town. That’s right; the unique and storied flavors of Acadian-inspired Cajun cuisine have arrived in Central Oregon. No need to wait for some one-off bacchanalian trip to New Orleans, the ambrosial smell…
When Metal Goes Acoustic
Listen closely and you can hear it. Amid the flourishes of Latin strumming and percussive hand slapping, there it is—the tortured sound of grumbling heavy metal shrieks through the otherwise intimate music of acoustic duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. The story is well known—as Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero have told it many times—two teenage kids…
Chocolate Milk for the 21+ Set
As reported in last week’s beer issue, Sunriver Brewing has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past year. Bottles of Vicious Mosquito IPA and Shred Head Winter Ale can be found more-or-less statewide now, and taps are making appearances in Bend’s bars with far more regularity than before. And, really, it couldn’t have…
Go Here 3/18-3/25
Spring has officially sprung in the Cascades and it’s time to stop looking mournfully at those snowshoes and Nordic skis, dust off your hiking boots, and hit the trail. As we give thanks for seasonally appropriate activities, let’s consider for a moment how fortunate we are to live in this majestic place. Should this reflection…
Art Watch 3/18-3/25
The story of Gena Goodman-Campbell’s childhood adventures spent exploring the gullies of Oaks Bottom Preserve and dunes of Cannon Beach rooted her artistic sensibilities—and, this and next month, the visual exhibit of this Oregonian wanderlust is on display at Lone Pine Coffee Roasters. Her “Bird Nests of Oregon,” which evokes the naturalist sketches of 19th…
Get The Lead Out
During a recent program at McMenamin’s in Bend, U.S. Geological Survey biologist and researcher Garth Herring presented the work he’s doing on the issue of lead in the tissue of wildlife, specifically big game, ground squirrels and raptors. Herring pointed out that the USGS research, plus other federal government and state agencies and private conservation…
