Best of Central Oregon 2026

It is time, after a great deal of anticipation and hard work, to pull open the pages on this year’s Best of Central Oregon. It is a great honor to work on this project. This issue, more than any other in the year, requires an enormous amount of staff collaboration and dedication to produce a truly remarkable compendium of what makes this community great. Growing up, many of us sat at the TV and watched Mr. Rogers regale us with tales of his neighborhood and the magical, stellar collection of characters that he interviewed every week to make us appreciate not celebrities, but the regular Joes and Janes that make your community special. And if you allow us to play Mr. Rogers for a week, you’ll give us the chance to share with our readers the small businesses and individuals who do a stellar job making our lives in Central Oregon the best it can be.

This publication is not possible without the thousands of individuals who took time out of their busy week to let us know who makes their day sparkle. It is a heavy obligation to compile these votes. And, what is important to us here at The Source, is that this is an equitable democratic process. We believe in the American principle that everyone gets one vote and one vote only, and while some cracker-jack entities out there would try to game the system for likes and clicks, we continue to feel that the results should speak for themselves and let the heart emojiis fall where they may.

This year’s contest includes new categories including Best Matcha, and Best Nachos among the food and drink categories, Best Architect Firm, Best Apparel and Goods Supplier and Best Handyman Services in the Goods and Services category, Best Shoe Store in Shopping, and in the People category, look for Best Local Artist, Best Rabble Rouser and Best Tattoo Artist. Also find Best Locals’ Hangout for Redmond, Sisters and Sunriver — all fun new additions to the Best of Central Oregon winners’ list. Cheers to all the winners!

From all of us here at The Source, thank you supporting us in our 29th year. We are blessed to publish for this community and do not take lightly the responsibilities that we have to report and produce in this region. Our publication, like the town, continues to grow to match the greater number of readers that have made this place home. Whether you have been here one month or 10 years, please enjoy this guide to the stars that walk among us!

— Aaron Switzer, publisher and founder