GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Among the Dogon of Mali, Sigui so is a secret language. It’s used in a sacred ritual when people gather to retell their beginnings and patch up strains in tribal harmony. I’m borrowing “Sigui so” here as a symbol for a way of talking that I hope you will specialize in […]
Culture
Posted inCulture
A Low-Key Summer Pride Celebration
The focus this year is simply about community
The annual Bend Summer Pride event is returning to a grassroots community gathering. It’s unclear what to expect. Unlike years past, this year is a “self-organized” event. A post on the Bend Pride web page says: “We know this looks a little different from years past, and we want to be upfront about that. The […]
Posted inFilm
Star Skirmish
The continuing adventures of “The Mandalorian and Grogu”
Whether you enjoy “The Mandalorian and Grogu” depends entirely on what you want from your “Star Wars” these days. Don’t get me wrong, the film is entertaining and it’s easy to get lost in director Jon Favreau’s version of Star Wars, where every frame is packed with stunningly designed aliens and monsters. Yet, it’s hard […]
Posted inColumns
Navigating Difficulties After Ceremony
While most people don’t experience lasting difficulties after working with plant medicines, serious problems and disruptions do sometimes arise
Q: “It’s been weeks since my ceremony, and I’m experiencing depression, anxiety and disconnection that feels worse than before I started this work. Is this normal integration, or could the medicine have triggered something harmful?” A: I hear you. I’ve witnessed this territory before. The weeks following ceremony can sometimes feel like being suspended between worlds. […]
Posted inCulture
The Realities of Being a Full-Time Bus Rider in Central Oregon
A frequent rider offers experience and insight into the public transportation system
My Timberland boots crunched against the highway gravel as I marched to the Riverhouse Lodge bus stop, my breath visible. I checked my watch: 15 minutes early. I was up an hour earlier in efforts to get a jump on the North Bend route 4 bus — my veritable ghost ship. I’d missed it almost as many times as I’d caught it, and to my horror I saw it barreling down the highway, moments from passing […]
Posted inCulture Features
Be an Ally: Books to Support Your LGBTQ+ Family, Friends and Peers
In honor of Pride Month
Pride month is just around the corner, observed in June to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising of June 28, 1969, when patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted a police raid, sparking days of protests and riots that ignited the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The first Pride marches were held in June 1970 […]
Posted inCulture
Bend Brews and Beyond Aims to Bring a Sense of Joy
Beyond beer, the event offers a pet “petting zoo” with adoptable pets, lower admission prices, hemp garden libations, and a drinking pants pageant
If it’s not going home with a good buzz, Bend Brews and Beyond organizers say they want visitors to leave the fest this year feeling a sense of joy. The second annual BBB festival is back, with hidden gems such as a petting zoo with adoptable dogs, sour barrel-aged cherry beer and a drinking pants pageant. One notable change to the festival this year is lower prices. Festival organizer Brian […]
Posted inCulture
2026 Summer Guide!
Keep this guide handy to help plan your summer!
From world-famous headliners to local bands, this list covers all things music from end of May through September in Central Oregon. Who’s ready for a summer filled with sun and fun and plenty of live music? We are — so much so that we put together this entire guide of concerts, parties, festivals and so […]
Posted inCulture
Theater in the Park Debuts “The Producers” this August
A musical comedy held in Drake Park’s amphitheater
For more than a decade theater has been held in Bend’s Drake Park. Aug 14 and 15 will see the production company, Theater in the Park, put on the Tony Award-winning show, “The Producers,” a Mel Brooks Broadway musical comedy. The show follows two characters: a theater producer and an accountant doubling as an aspiring theater producer. […]
Posted inCulture
Newberry Volcano Explored Through Dance and Indigenous Oral Histories
Events are at the Tower Theatre, Scalehouse Annex and on site at the caldera
A summer program explores the Newberry Volcano, 20 miles south of Bend, the largest volcano by area in the Cascade Range. The two-day event June 25-26 includes contemporary dance inspired by the caldera, an evening of Northern Paiute stories, a geological exhibition and a guided tour of the volcano. Oregon Origins Project is presenting “Echoes […]
