Culture Features Archives - The Source

When Violence Comes Close to Home

The collective trauma of a school shooting and what happens to a community when the unthinkable becomes personal

by Shanti O'Connor November 4, 2026November 3, 2026

There are moments when the world we thought we understood suddenly fractures. A school shooting is one of those moments. Schools are places where children are supposed to learn, grow, and imagine their futures. They are places where parents entrust their most precious beings to the care of others, believing they will return home safely […]

Culture

Shop, Stroll and Enjoy Halloween Trick-or-Treating and Festivities

A plethora of local businesses will hand out candy and host fun, family-friendly events Oct. 31

by Dallas Finn Calvert October 29, 2026October 30, 2026

Looking to score oodles of candy, maybe do a little shopping and enjoy a family-friendly, fun fall day? There’ll be candy galore at Bend shopping areas on Saturday, Oct. 31, aka Halloween, including in the downtown Bend business core, the Old Mill District and at the Bend Factory Stores. In downtown Bend, from 3-6pm, look […]

Culture Features

A Place to Honor the Dead

Día de los Muertos events have been happening in Central Oregon for years. Amid ICE presence and the fallout of a school shooting, this year’s event offers a safe space for celebration and community healing.

by Nicole Vulcan October 28, 2026October 30, 2026

When the news broke Oct. 15 about the deadly shootings at Silver Rail Elementary School, community organizer Greg Delgado was in the middle of a crafting session, preparing items for an upcoming Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, event at The Open Arts Center. As the reports came in, so, too, did […]

Culture

Local Couple Transforms Yard Into a Spooky, Haunted Attraction Each Halloween

The house on Brianne Place is the sight of a creepy walk-through attraction that delights young and old alike while helping raise funds for FAN

by Dallas Finn Calvert October 27, 2026October 30, 2026

Tucked away in a quiet Southwest Bend neighborhood, don’t be surprised to see throngs of trick-or-treaters, and plenty of adults, too, stopping for an extended visit on Brianne Place. On Halloween night, Kevin Tucker and Lara Matheny transform their yard and garage into a spooky walk-through experience that’s family-friendly and draws people from far and […]

Culture

Celebrate Halloween Night with an Exploration of Fantasies and Fears

Bend Burlesque Company and Pangaea Guild Hall are teaming up to offer an immersive dark-fantasy experience, three-course dinner and dance party

by Dallas Finn Calvert October 27, 2026October 28, 2026

Dragons, masked assassins, vampires, witches, dark elves and myriad other fantasy beings will be stirring at Redmond’s High Desert Music Hall on Friday, Oct. 30 as the Bend Burlesque Company and Pangaea Guild Hall team up for a night of “Fears & Fantasies,” an immersive dark-fantasy experience. This isn’t the usual Halloween party. The 8pm […]

Culture

A Corner of Dudley’s Bookshop Café is Dedicated to Silver Rail Families & Kiddos

by Peter Madsen October 24, 2026October 25, 2026

Books, in a time of intense trauma, can be both a healthy escape and, at the same time, a therapeutic means of confronting it head on. So’s the logic of an altruistic friend of Dudley’s Bookshop Café in downtown Bend, who donated an undisclosed sum to provide families, and, particularly, children of Silver Rail Elementary […]

Culture

Free Will Astrology, Week of October 22, 2026

In the coming days, I hope you’ll step directly into the muck and bring the passionate contributions of a devotee who’s invested in the outcome

by Rob Brezsny October 21, 2026October 19, 2026

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I admire your ability to stay outside the conflict and offer detached, incisive commentary. I respect your preference for avoiding small-minded camps and partisan skirmishes. But in the coming days, I hope you’ll step directly into the muck and bring the passionate contributions of a devotee who’s invested in the outcome. […]

Culture Features

Free Will Astrology, Week of Oct. 15, 2026

“Where in my life do I most need a clean beginning?”

by Rob Brezsny October 13, 2026October 13, 2026

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One morning soon, I predict you will open your inner eyes as well as your outer eyes and discover that you feel freer than you have in ages. Old specters that once pestered you will seem strangely powerless. Worn-out customs will have loosened their hold, and an ancient obligation will finally […]

Culture Features

Nighttime Benders: An Interview with Anthony Poponi

Podcast excerpts from comedian, comedy producer and self-proclaimed positive psychology nerd Anthony Poponi

by Julia Reed Nichols October 12, 2026October 12, 2026

Can happiness really be learned? Nighttime Benders caught up with comedian, comedy producer and self-proclaimed positive psychology nerd Anthony Poponi to find out. We talk about building a happier life, the lessons behind his new memoir, and the show he’s bringing to Oregon Spirit Distillers. By day, Poponi is a keynote speaker helping organizations create […]

Culture Features

Sunriver Fungi Fest & Mushroom Show Finds a Home at SHARC

“Ex-spore” the fascinating world of fungi during Fungi Fest

by Damian Fagan October 2, 2026October 2, 2026

Those who have never explored the Fungi Fest & Mushroom Show in Sunriver will have an opportunity to enjoy this fungi extravaganza this year on Saturday, Oct. 17, but with a change of venue from previous years. “The Central Oregon Mushroom Club is thrilled that the festival is happening for our 10th year!” said Linda Gilpin, […]

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