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It's one of those stories that won't get much press but should. It's how NeighborImpact recently completed a successful 11-month fundraising campaign to expand their emergency food program.
For years, the McKenzie River Trail was Oregon's premier running and hiking trail. But as time went by and the trail's popularity grew, so too did the crowds and trail damage. Both situations led many active outdoor people to seek a trail that, despite some extra drive time, has turned out to be a wonderful alternative.
To say that former pro snowboarder and voiceover artist Kris “Jaymo” Jamieson can be overly enthusiastic is putting it mildly. So, a couple of Saturday's ago, when he went off about the greatness of the new Sandy Ridge trail system near Brightwood in the shadow of Mt. Hood, I figured if the riding was half as good as he indicated, it would be incredible.
And, as it turned out, he was right and the ride was worth the extra drive. Sandy Ridge is pretty amazing. It's a small trail system at present, but one that's slated to be expanded over the next several years.
A rerun of Thursday's stage of the Tour de France was on the television behind the bar as people settled onto their barstools at Three Creek Brewing in Sisters. Sipping a beer, one patron commented that it might have been neat if Lance Armstrong at least won a stage to finish his career.
The guy next to me replied, pointing at the television set, “Yea, but hey, Lance's teammate, our local guy, is doing really well.”
In too many music genres, the standup bass is basically a time keeping, “thump-thump” instrument. In the hands of truly great jazz bassists like the late Ray Brown, Leroy Vinegar, Ron Carter or Charley Hayden (as well as talented locals like Michael Scott and John Allen), it is an instrument of great range, depth and feeling.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about playwright Edward Albee's “The Zoo Story” is that he wrote it over a span of three weeks. Even more remarkable is how well the script holds up. The material is still timely and the characters even more likely to meet than they might have when the play was written in 1958.
Volcanic Theatre, which brought us Bobby Gould in Hell, made only two minor changes to the original script for the performance at the Silver Moon. One is adding Stephen King as one of the bookish character Peter's favorite writers and the other is having his annual salary pegged at $200,000 rather than the $50,000 in the original.
Going Fast
If you missed it, there's still a small window of time to see it. If, on the other hand, you've been out enjoying the wildflower display this year, you've witnessed perhaps the best one in the past thirty years.
The combination of cool late spring weather along with more than normal precipitation caused the rash of brilliantly colored flowers. For many hikers, mountain bike riders and trail runners, areas like the Maston Allotment, which normally don't get much by way of wildflowers, were suddenly strewn with red, yellow, white and purple blooms for weeks. The display at the Maston, for example, was particularly striking as it livened up what is generally a pretty blah landscape.
A few minutes past noon, the parade takes shape down by the courthouse. Vintage cars line up behind a group of 4-H kids, the county princess arrives on horseback in full cowgirl regalia, war veterans mount a flatbed trailer attached to a tractor and an artfully restored pioneer-era stagecoach is pulled into place.
Once organized, the parade starts its eight-block circuit of the heart of Fossil (population 469 and named for its paleontologic riches) in celebration of America's independence as well as marking the mid-way point in the annual Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival.
Plays about reunions, be they family, alumni, or with old friends, are somewhat of a theater staple. You almost know what's coming without having read the scripted laughter, crying, anger and sentimentality.
Theater in places besides a traditional theater or an off-Broadway black box isn't that new of an idea but, it's always refreshing. And refreshing aptly fits TWB Productions of Lamppost Reunion by Louis LaRusso running two times a week until July in the Father Luke's Room at McMenamins Old St. Francis School.
When 80 competitors lined up to start the first Pole Pedal Paddle (PPP) in 1976 armed with equipment that you're more likely to find hanging over a mantelpiece than in a lift line, little did they know that they were becoming involved in what would eventually become Bend's biggest community sporting event.
They also weren't aware that they were pioneering a new type of event. Run/bike/swim triathlons were just becoming known nationally. A cross country ski/bike/kayak event had been staged annually for several years in Truckee, California. But a race featuring five sports? Now that was new.
Thirty-four years later, the PPP has established itself as the quintessential Bend event. It's all about fitness, being outdoors and getting to use all sorts of cool gear. (Quick, someone call a Subaru rep, we have a sponsorship opportunity here!)
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