Bend area playwrights Kim OโKelley-Leigh and Ann Boyd bring their shared experience and mutual passion to โFreedom Off the Page,โ a new play showing one night only at the Tower Theatre Friday, to benefit Stroke Awareness Oregon. โItโs a collage, a tapestry,โ OโKelley-Leigh says of the one-act play. โItโs about life, friendships and opportunities.โ It […]
Elizabeth Warnimont
Sunriver Music Fest Has a New Face for 2022
The Sunriver Music Festival, an annual series of chamber orchestra concerts, welcomes a new artistic director this season, as well as the addition of a brand-new venue. Seattle native Brett Mitchell has a vibrant program lined up for events at Bend’s new Caldera High School as well as Sunriver’s Great Hall, kicking off with a […]
Variety is the Spice of “The Cascades 10”
If variety is what the selection committee was looking for when they gleaned just nine plays from the more than 25 submitted for this year’s “Cascades 10” short play festival, then they succeeded in their task. This year’s array spans the gamut of genres, from philosophy to farce, situation comedy, relationship dynamicsโand a stagehand eating […]
Senior Moments
“Inter-generational interaction is the best gift we can give, to the young and to the old.” That’s the advice of Central Oregon’s Council on Aging communications director Denise Labuda for anyone looking for a way to reach out this holiday season. “That inter-generational connection is hard to keep alive right now because of COVID,” she […]
New Improv Troupe Hits Open Space
“No show is ever the same,” creator Renny Temple says of the new comedy series set to debut Tuesday at Open Space Studios in Bend. Out of Thin Air will perform improvisational comedy, taking suggestions from the audience, every Tuesday through December. “You help create your own show with suggestions for the players to create […]
Framework for Success
The Bend-La Pine Schools district board voted unanimously last January to hire Dr. Steve Cook as its newest superintendent. The former Coeur d’Alene, Idaho school superintendent has since hit the ground running, even before the position’s official start date of July 1. Cook taught school for 13 years and then served as an administrator for […]
Best of the Nest 2021
Best Children’s Consignment Store – Stone Soup Kids, Juli Parlan, Owner What kinds of things will customers find at Stone Soup? We’re all about what kids need most. We also cater to what parents are looking for, which is quality merchandise: wooden educational toys, upper brands, good books, all those things kids need growing up. […]
Best of the Nest 2021
Best Place for a Child’s Birthday Party – Mountain Air Trampoline Park, Eliot Collins, Manager There are some crazy-fun activities listed on the mountainairbend.com, for example, what can you tell us about Extreme Dodgeball? In the Extreme game, each team has six added targets, so points are scored when you either hit someone with the […]
Best of the Nest 2021
Best Learning Specialist – Sylvan Learning Center, Audra Bohn, Director Can you describe in a nutshell how Sylvan helps students to succeed? Our guiding philosophy is that every student can learn, and that each student learns differently. We have only expert teachers, trained to be successful with students. Many other tutoring centers utilize grad students […]
Best of the Nest 2021
Best Children’s Orthodontist Practice – Struble Orthodontics, Blair Struble, Owner How did you come to establish your practice here in Central Oregon? I actually grew up in Bend. I went to school and did my orthodontic training all in the PNW. I worked for another provider for a few years, then started my own practice […]

