Prescribed Burn near Horse Butte
As they say there is always a photo to be had. So when my wife almost jumped out of her skin yesterday when suddenly dark smoke clouds appear right next to our house I did what I always do. I grabbed my camera. Living in the American West makes you jumpy when you hear, smell…
Bite of Bend Music Lineup
Music, food, drinks, sunshine—what’s not to like? The eleventh annual Bite of Bend food festival is back, June 29 and 30—but it involves much more than delicious small plates and top-flight chefs. There’s a 5K Beer Run, cocktail competition, Farm-to-Fork food events and an impressive lineup of live music. See y’all there. Saturday11am — Boxcar…
Foodie Crawl 2013
The 2nd Foodie Crawl, progressive dinner/pub crawl will showcase some of Bend’s most delicious restaurants this Saturday. Buy your tickets here $65-95. Joe Benevento 2012 Foodie Crawl 13 locations will open their doors with small plates made especially for the event, each matched with a specialty cocktail, beer or wine. Joe Benevento 2012 Foodie Crawl…
RIP Richie Havens
The man whose career took off after providing the opening act at Woodstock, has died. Richie Havens, aged 72, had a heart attack at his home today, but he’ll be remembered for this amazing moment of American musical history: Havens was the first on at Woodstock and, after he ran out of songs (and stalling…
Weekend Roundup! 4/19-4/21
Finally, the weekend is here! Time to kick back and relax, go on an adventure, or just enjoy the (hopefully) nice weather. If you need some ideas on what to do this weekend, here’s what’s happening: FRIDAY, APRIL 19 The Pirates of Penzance, Jr. April 19 – April 21Looking for some lighthearted laughs this weekend?…
Friday Mixtape!
You’ll need your headphones to hear all the details in this edition of the Friday Mixtape.
Blue Pine Now Open in Old Players Location
What a change of pace! Blue Pine Kitchen and Bar, an eclectic new restaurant that offers small plates, snacks and siders of all origins and a mile-long drink list, is now open for business in the former Players Bar and Grill location on Century Drive. Players is no more! Players had a seedy reputation, and…
Fly Us to the Moon
Thanks to an impassioned and impressive effort by the staff of Economic Development of Central Oregon, on June 12, American Airlines is slated to begin air service from Redmond direct to LAX. In under two weeks, the Economic Development of Central Oregon, a public/private partnership devoted to building business in the region, managed to raise…
Climate Change Hits Home
In the past 50 years, the amount of snow that blankets the Douglas firs of the Cascade Mountains has fallen less thickly. There’s been a hushed build up to the realization that this change is very real and, in the case of forest fires, could have a dangerous impact on Central Oregonians. But now, finally,…
One Day at a Time
MONDAY, APRIL 8 To the surprise of no one, and to the relief of many, angry humans douchebag Chris Brown and his abusee Rihanna are SPLITSVILLE. According to various sources, the split came about after RiRi had grew tired of Breezy’s tail-chasing ways—which culminated in a tail-chasing event at a NYC club on Saturday. Chris…
Use All You Want
Conserving water in the High Desert should be a no-brainer. But the problem is, according to local conservationists, the city’s water-billing strategy is severely flawed. Rather than rewarding conservation by charging for per-gallon use, ratepayers are charged a monthly flat fee—no matter how much (or little) they use. The result is that water conservers are…
Letters 4/10 – 4/18
Dear Readers, This month many people will be trying to do something to celebrate Earth Day. There is one thing everyone could do each day, which would have a dramatic effect in improving the environment and save the lives of billions of living beings every year. You could go vegan! It is estimated that each…
Changing the nature of using Nature
There was a time—in my lifetime, actually—when anyone wanting firewood for winter simply drove a few miles from town and cut a full season’s supply; no permit necessary. But not anymore. There was a time when anyone could hunt, fish, hike, pedal a bike, drive a motorcycle or snowmobile anywhere they wanted. Not anymore. There…
Water on The Brain
It is impossible to understate the primary role water has played in shaping world history, whether it is Lewis and Clark crisscrossing the western U.S. by river, or recognizing how cities and towns have been settled by gathering around rivers, lakes and other water sources. Perhaps the most violent expression of the centrality of water…
Class IV Horror Films
In last fall’s beautiful Life of Pi, the main character is stranded on a raft with a cranky tiger. The story, adapted faithfully from the fantastically written novel of the same name, asks many questions about religion and kindness—but, really, the nagging question for Hollywood is: Why must every movie with a raft or canoe…
Medicine Show
At a pivotal moment in the new Jackie Robinson biopic 42, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) tries to console Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), who’s furious over the abuse and humiliation he’s required to endure stoically as the first black player in major-league baseball. “You’re medicine, Jack,” Rickey solemnly intones, trying to impress upon the…
Hell Is For Who?
Jean-Paul Sartre famously once wrote, “Hell is other people.” I famously disagree, Jean-Paul Sartre! Rather, I think hell is CERTAIN people. For example: People who quote Jean-Paul Sartre in their opening sentences. People who don’t flush their poop in public restrooms. (Seriously, what is up with that?) People who defend Chris Brown on Twitter. People…
Cold War Kids Are Back
Dear Miss Lonelyhearts Cold War Kids Downtown In "Miricle Mile," the opening track, of Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, Cold War Kids front man Nathan Willett jumps down your throat defiantly screaming, “I cut my ties, I sold my rings, I wanted none of this,” as the piano and snare angrily thump away. This is the music…
Get Wet
Being wet on a hot summer day is our favorite part of the season. The Green Issue going blue got us thinking about our favorite places to cool down. Bring on the heat! Gone Swimmin’ McKay Park Don’t discount McKay Park because it seems obvious. It’s convenient, it’s accessible, and the sandy riverbank is perfect…
Pure Genius
With a diverse menu that offers up delectable small plates, a cocktail list as long as my arm, a late-night menu and weekend brunch and Bloody Mary bar, Pure Kitchen is a catch-all for downtown drinking and dining. Owners Krit Dangruenrat and wife Bua Karoon, come to Bend via New York City, where they own…
Rope Some Vinyl
Sad pop from The Smiths or fuzzy alt-rock from Jim O’Rourke cascade from out-of-sight speakers, and olfactory senses detect the strong 30-year buildup of old vinyl, hardwood flooring and Nag Champa incense. Flipping through vinyl 12-inchers from Black Joe Lewis, Grinderman and The Cars, a trip to Ranch Records in downtown Bend is a tumble…
Primary Ingredient
Boy, do we love water. Especially water with a dash of malt, yeast and hops. Springtime in Bend means a fresh round of seasonal releases from breweries around town. Here’s a short list of what will be available soon, and the beers that their brewers are looking forward to drinking this spring. 10 Barrel Brewing…
National Record Store Day
Before you go all middle-finger-in-the-air thinking that a day celebrating the tactile medium of vinyl recordings is a way to stick it to digital music, remember that the companies that make records are the same ones that churn out digital downloads to iTunes. Since its inaugural celebration in 2008, the third Saturday in April—known as…
Scrapheap Challenge
A stool frame, a hubcap, a 50-gallon drum and a school desk are some of the materials that make up “Sinister Fish,” an extremely angry-looking, four-foot-long metal sculpture of an imagined sea creature. The art piece was assembled in just two days, using only materials found in the eastside Pakit Liquidators Junk Yard. Turning trash…
Vinyl Treasure
12″ Built to Spill / Live (double LP) / Warner Bros. / Limited release of 2,500 Absent a concert, live recordings are the best way to experience Boise, Idaho, alt-rock legend Built to Spill. This vinyl reissue of a collection of recordings made across the U.S. in 1999 and unavailable for the last decade includes…
Our Picks 4/24 – 5/2
The Road Uphill thursday 18 FILM—One time grand-tour contender Andy Schleck has tumbled from Tour de France favorite to peloton punching bag. He spends more time drunk than at the front of bike races, and his brother Frank is still serving a 12-month ban. This is the film that RadioShack team manager Johan Bruyneel doesn’t…
Out of Town 4/17 – 4/25
portland saturday 20 Record Store Day In much the same way Valentine’s Day was created to sell Hallmark Cards, Record Store Day was created to sell outdated musical formats. Typical celebrations of this favorite hipster holiday are special vinyl releases and in-record-store performances (see Sound for more information). In 2012, RSD saw the release of…
Information Animal, Vegetable and Mineral
Thirty-five young actors, ages 6 to 21, have taken on the task of becoming singing, dancing buccaneers and maidens for the upcoming Bend Experimental Art Theater production of the musical “Pirates of Penzance,” which first debuted in New York in 1879. The play is the first under the direction of Jimena Shepherd, a former BEAT…
Is Your Toilet Running?
A little more than a decade ago, 150 or so miles south by southwest from Bend, one of the most heated battles over water rights in contemporary American history exploded. For years, ranchers and farmers in the Klamath Basin had squared off against environmentalists who believed that the rivers tumbling through the area should be…
Dam Near Done
The Newport Avenue dam is at the end of its life cycle. Everyone knows it—even PacifiCorp, the utility company that owns the 102-year-old dam, which creates the pond at Drake Park near downtown Bend. What many don’t know, however, is that the dam cannot remain if it ceases to function as a hydroelectric facility. Those…
Dive In
Ask any juniper or brittlebush, water management in a desert environment is critical, tricky and politically prickly. The Source identifies these Top 10 issues as the most important we’ve tangled with lately in the High Desert. 1. Laying Pipe in our Backyard: Bridge Creek Surface Water Improvement Project Whether it’s a good project or not…
City and Union Agree on Overhaul of Wage System
A new contract between the city of Bend and its employee union marks a significant victory for the city, but also generates higher wages for staff. The Bend City Council unanimously approved the three-year contract at its Wednesday night meeting. The contract had already been approved by the City of Bend Employees Association, or COBEA.…
