Cover Story
Where Have All the Eco-Saboteurs Gone?
In the predawn hours of July 28, a cool night with a quarter moon shining, a small band of activists cut through a chicken wire fence. They were there to release thousands of minks from their cages at a mink farm in south-central Idaho. An anonymous communiqué published subsequently on the Earth First! Newswire blog…
I Have A Dream
“What will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation,” begins Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And, 50 years later, those words still hold true. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs On Saturday, a march commemorating that great march and “I Have a Dream” speech will begin in Drake Park and work…
Bend’s New Bike Lanes
We’ve been covering the hell out of Bend’s bicycle infrastructure improvement plans, so it’s a happy day when we can reveal results. Though the bike lane below (on Greenwood) is not new, the high-viz green paint is. Brian Potwin On Hwy 20/Greenwood Ave. and 8th St (both east and westbound). Bend also recently got its…
Party at the NSA
A new politically charged song by Yacht.
Friday Mixtape!
Summer isn’t quite over. This playlist will help it last a little longer.
Wilderness Album Preview!
Wilderness happens to be one of the Source’s favorite local bands so we can’t wait for the release of their first album Homeward from the Battle on Monday August 19 with a big party at Crux Fermentation Project! Below is a teaser for the album, the song you hear is “Dark Angel” and is one…
Sam Adams is More Than a Long Cool Drink
Until a year ago, when he became executive director of Portland’s City Club, Sam Adams had spent 20 year with City Hall as his business mailing address—starting in 1992 as a 29-year-old chief of staff to Mayor Vera Katz, then as a one-term city councilmember and, finally, from 2009 through 2012, as a controversial yet…
Young Gun
Six grueling races later and Jack Perry, a young, high-energy Bend athlete, still shows no sign of fatigue. Perry likes to stay active and enjoys competition but is far from cutthroat. For Perry, races are just a good excuse to get outside and go hard. Perry, I learned, is also a creature of habit. When…
Canary in a coal mine
“Please call me Bill,” the man testifying at city council last Wednesday requested, “No one calls me doctor.” He went on to apologize for talking fast because he had just downed a Coke before entering city council chambers, but the emergency room physician, Dr. Bill Reed, there to testify about the “Follow-up Report on Fire…
The Dawn of Swayze’s Career
It shouldn’t be a complete surprise that the director and screenwriter of 1985’s Red Dawn first climbed into fame for Dirty Harry, in which he put the words, “Go ahead, make my day” into Clint Eastwood’s mouth. John Milius is not a household name, but he has left his manly marks all over American pop…
Listen Local
Rarely is the very first song on a debut album perfectly relevant to the story about to be told concerning the author of that song. Yet that is exactly what happened with this tale regarding local rock band Wilderness 34-year-old front man, Jared Smith, and his solo acoustic/demo version of “On My Own.” It’s a…
Going to Feed the White Crow
If you tried to throw a pre-movie screening party for The Wall, it might go something like this: Spend the day alone fasting. Hike up a mountain and use a scythe to clear a field of grass. Once that's done, make your way back home, and eat only a light serving of half a potato…
Location, Location, Location
In 2009 William Safire, the late, revered New York Times political columnist and etymologist, wrote a whole column on the origins of the ubiquitous real estate utterance “location, location, location.” Safire’s research determined that the familiar phrase was not coined by British real estate tycoon Lord Harold Samuel, as is often thought, but appeared much…
An Easy Summer Retreat
The Kings of Summer is about two typical teenage boys—boys with parent troubles, girl troubles, and friend troubles. But rather than work through their troubles in tried-and-true teen-movie fashion, The Kings of Summer's beleaguered protagonists grab a nerdy sidekick and take to the woods, determined to build a new life on their own terms. Joe…
Vegetarians Rock
If ever there was an indictment of the human race, the catalog of music from San Diego’s death grind band Cattle Decapitation certainly contributes greatly to it. Imagine humans treated as livestock. Imagine teeming hordes of uncivilized people engaged in morbid self-destruction; a sort of zombie apocalypse. That’s Cattle Decapitation’s thesis for where our species…
Ivory Whisperer
In a kind of World Cup for pianists, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, crowns perhaps the planet’s very best every four years. In 2013 the best was Ukrainian-born and current Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory student Vadym Kholodenko. On Aug. 19, Kholodenko will grace the Historic Great Hall at Sunriver Resort…
Our Picks 8/14- 8/22
wednesday 14 What’s Brewing? PRESENTATION—What’s up in Salem? Get the conservative perspective from Sen. Tim Knopp and Rep. Jason Conger. To recap: Knopp enjoyed some measure of success this legislative session (see: “Jenna’s Law”); Conger, however, earned two F’s and a B from us in our recent legislative report card. Grab a pint and some…
Waste No More
In a famous Supreme Court decision, Justice Louis Brandeis posited that states and cities should be the laboratories for innovative civic ideas; that is, that creative civic policies should first be taken for test spins before being rolled out nationwide. At times, Oregon has been a prime example of such experimentation, like pioneering the Bottle…
One Day at a Time
MONDAY 5 While our One Day at a Time go-to gals Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes work on their mental issues and sobriety (BOOOOOOO. Just kidding. No really, BOOOOOOO.) who’s going to entertain us? How about America’s number one douchebag, Justin Bieber? Here’s this week’s example of JB douchebaggery: According to the New York Post,…
Cupid Kills with Traps
If you were asleep or still a little stoned from your lunch break during the entirety of sophomore year English class, you might remember Much Ado About Nothing as a Shakespeare comedy that ends in a wedding. But they all end in weddings so that’s not saying much. It goes something like, he loves her,…
Letters 8/7 – 8/15
In reply to “Les Schwab Amphitheater Closes East River Bank to Cut Free Concert Access” (8/9, Bent Blog) This news is very disheartening. One of Bend’s many attributes is that people of all socioeconomic means have access to the beauty and events that surround us. Listening to music on the rivers edge is a social…
35 Years and Running
When the Cascades Theatrical Company was founded, Jimmy Carter was president. Gas cost 63 cents a gallon. The Illinois Bell Company had just introduced the first-ever Cellular Mobile Phone System, which weighed 2.5 pounds and had a talk time of 35 minutes, but only if it was charged for a full 10 hours. The nonprofit…
Cats, toxoplasmosis, and more cats
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently issued a report that kitchen gardens and community gardens may be open to a cat-borne disease that can be devastating, especially to children. To wit: “Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most common parasitic infections of man and other warm-blooded animals. It has…
The Anti-Hops
Cider is totally trending right now. The Northwest Cider Association lists 14 cider makers in Oregon—a list that only includes one of two new additions to the cider brewing world right here in Bend. Last weekend, Pickathon music festival in Happy Valley had its own specialty cider—made by Wandering Aengus Ciderworks in Salem—by Sunday afternoon…
Out of Town 8/14 – 8/22
portland thursday 15 Smith Westerns The Smith Westerns recorded their first full-length debut when they were teenagers—a strictly lo-fi threesome with a sound that referenced the Beatles and David Bowie. In their six years together, the bandmates have cleaned up their sound but not their haircuts, continuing to swirl glam, pop and garage rock while…
What the Recap?! – A huge WTF?! pictorial
A massive What The Festival pictorial.
Best Band
Look! Up on the stage! It’s a rap artist! It’s a rock band! It’s… expressionist art? The fact is that all answers are at least a little bit true when it comes to describing Bend collective MOsley WOtta (MO WO). The 2010 winner of Bend’s Last Band Standing competition has been dazzling local and regional…
Best Evolutionary Step
From airstream to mainstream, last year’s winner for Best Food Cart has moved out of its shiny silver kitchen on wheels and into the former Fox’s location on Newport Avenue. We commend Spork for moving on up in the restaurant world and continuing to provide a consistent and eclectic menu with everything from crispy gluten-free…
Best Place to Get a Facial
It appears Spa W has been taking notes from Aretha Franklin’s Grammy team. Since the Source added Best Spa to the Best of Central Oregon ballot, Spa W has won every year. That’s 12 years, for anyone keeping count. Rebecca Yeomans, bought Spa W in 2005; the previous owner had owned the spa since 1998.…
Best Of Redmond
Keith Witcosky recently moved from Portland to Redmond to become the new city manager. We asked him to provide some first impressions: "When the Source gave me an opportunity to brag about what’s great about Redmond for its Best Of edition I had a tough time keeping to only five. I’ve only been here a…
Best Bar
The shoulder-to-shoulder ordering at the short upstairs bar on Fridays and Saturdays is a testament to the quality cocktails, wide selection and warm ambience of the wood-siding-clad bar at the corner of Franklin and Wall—and it gives Velvet a distinctly urban ski-lodge feel. The servers are friendly and the bar has drinks for everyone—more than…
Best Thai
Oh, Noi, you had me at “Swimming Rama.” My one lunch routine is that I order Noi’s Swimming Rama at least once a workweek. So simple, yet elegant. Really, just four ingredients: Spinach softened by a quick sauté, coconut steamed rice, tender slabs of chicken and, oh the coup d’état, a creamy, rich peanut sauce…
Best Brewery
Is it the beer or the atmosphere that our readers like so much? There is no way for us to know the nuances about why you-all voted 10 Barrel the coveted Best Brewery award, but what we do know is that Bend is fortunate to have this relatively new addition—a brewery that distinguishes itself not…
Best Place to Buy a Knife
There are two kinds of people in Bend: those who own proper kitchen knives and those who don’t. Those who don’t often live on Pho Viet take-out, Spork’s pork belly sando and frozen pizza from Trader Joe’s, and can be found sawing limes with butter-knife-sharp cutlery for cocktail garnishes. Those who actually use their kitchens…
Best Local Brewer
Readers love Boneyard beer, that much is clear. The little brewery and tasting room tucked away on a West Bend side street won Best Local Brewer, Best Locally Brewed Beer (RPM IPA) and Best IPA (RPM IPA). Almost since its inception, the hops-heaven RPM has been a favorite, in Bend and beyond. But Boneyard doesn’t…
Best Bakery
Each day, Sparrow sends out dozens of its ambassadors around the city—the swirling “ocean rolls,” toasty buttery coils that hold an addictive sprinkling of cardamom. Because cardamom—a distinctive, bigger, bolder nutmeg-like flavor—is foolishly underused in dishes and baking, these ocean rolls are both exotic and memorable. (Really, though, comparing nutmeg to cardamom is like saying…
Best Bloody Mary
It’s not hard to imagine a mad bartender stitching together all the parts of the Victorian Café’s meal-in-a-glass Bloody Mary, then throwing some kind of electrifying switch to inject the libation with spicy goodness as devious laughs flood the kitchen. The drink is one wicked concoction. Made with a hefty dose of infused pepper vodka,…
Best Food Cart
It’s standard Friday-night fare for most of Bend’s twenty-somethings—a quick stop at the corner of Bond and Oregon on the walk home from the bar for a no-cutlery-necessary snack. But that’s not the only place Dump City Dumplings can be found. We've seen the boys at Four Peaks Music Festival, Munch & Music, Last Saturday…
Most Reasonable Compromise:
With so many examples of how politics can be a divisive sport, where there is inevitably a winner and a loser, the resolution concerning the city’s noise ordinance is prime win-win example. Well played, city council, well played! Over the past year, the question of when venues can host live music and how loud the…
Best Place to Hand Catch an Atlantic Salmon
Why hasn’t anyone told me about this before? Hosmer Lake, with its shallow, crystal-clear waters and virtually no tourists, is GORGEOUS—one of the Cascades' forgotten gems. Among the reeds is where the thick Atlantic salmon can be found. Shining silver and as long as a man’s forearm, they are plentiful but can be tough to…
Best Fine Dining & Best Service
Not surprisingly “fine dining” and “great service” go hand in glove. And, not surprisingly, Zydeco was chosen by our readers for both categories. Open and airy, with simple, clean and confident décor, Zydeco imports the best of big-city attitude to the High Desert—the coolness of an LA restaurant, the sly sass of a San Francisco…
Best of Central Oregon 2013
The Source’s reader picks for the Best of Central Oregon!
Best Public Art
With gorgeous views of the mountains, river and forests abundant, continuing to beautify Bend’s more urban areas is important to drawing a not-so-typically Central Oregon demographic of cultural tourists. Visit Bend did just that when it commissioned local artists to paint 4-by-8-foot installations to be hung in the more concrete portions of downtown, and it…
Best Women’s Clothing
When I moved back to Bend from the Valley two years ago, I was baffled that I couldn’t find a single local store that sold my favorite comfy summer shoes, TOMS. The search eventually led me to Vanilla, a shop in the Old Mill that is a cornucopia of stylish apparel—men’s and women’s brand-name shoes,…
Best Breakfast
Tucked away just north of downtown off OB Riley Rd., McKay Cottage Restaurant is a local’s favorite, with a great selection of elevated but still homey breakfasts. Choose from the classic potatoes with bacon, ham, green onions and cheddar cheese or try a signature benedict with homemade hollandaise. Don’t forget the buttery fruit-filled scones, made…
Best Florist:
Since its opening more than a century ago in 1911, Bend’s go-to flower shop has been run solely by women. This makes it not only one of the oldest continually run businesses in town, but undoubtedly the oldest female-owned and run business in Bend, a tradition in its own right. Today, Donner Flower Shop continues…
Best Lunch
Jackson’s wins best lunch year after year because it serves tasty, regionally sourced food for a fair price. But the neighborhood establishment does the little things well, too. Jackson's caters to all tastes by offering seasonal salads, brick-oven pizzas, hulking sandwiches and fresh soups. A huge beer cooler offers worldly selections and complements the local…
Winners! Best Of Central Oregon, 2013
Over the past month, a few reports have bubbled out of Utah that a new dinosaur has been discovered. A close evolutionary relative to three-horned triceratops, the so-called nasutoceratops is distinguished by a massive and garish nose. “It looks like a giant bull with a parrot beak,” one paleobiologist told an NPR reporter. “It has…
Best Extinct Club
It’s all over now, but while the Horned Hand lasted it was—for our money—one of the best places to get tanked and see a rowdy show in Bend (see last year’s Best Of). This is the last you’ll read of us lamenting the closure of the controversial bar/business for a while, but we have to…
Most Unique Subaru:
In the Pacific Northwest, the land of Subarus, it’s hard to stand out as an owner of said Japanese all-wheel-drive vehicle. There are obvious eras of Outback station wagons, noticeable by their gradual increase in size and horsepower. But the real gems are the older models. Remember the stumpy little Justy? Its short wheelbase and…
Best Barber Shop
Barbershops are enjoying a resurgence, which is good news. As our lives become increasingly inundated with pocket-sized computers and various other apps, screens and social media sites, personal interactions have become less frequent. While we love an iPhone as much as the next nerd, we’re also happy to stroll down to Bond Street Barbers, get…
Best Movie Selection
Every good city needs an art house movie theater. As of 2012 Bend has had its very own, thanks to Tin Pan Theater. Tucked away in what also happens to be our favorite alley, Tin Pan Alley, in an area some are trying to label the Minnesota District, is the little 28-seat theater, right next…
Best Green Business
Readers recently voted Sunlight Solar the Best Green Business in Bend. It’s not the first time Sunlight has accepted the honor, so the staff is warming (excuse the pun) to the designation. Sunlight Solar’s outreach director, Lindsey Hardy, says she was surprised to hear of the results, but she and the staff are beaming (again,…
Best Dressed City Councilor
When debating weighty city topics like the Surface Water Improvement Project, Mirror Pond and sewer upgrades, it is important to look good. Or at least look like you care. Newly elected Councilor Victor Chudowsky cares. But not too much. It’s not like he’s showing up like he’s going to the Oscars. But a nice pair…
Best Radio Station
The best radio stations are diverse; they define their genre and stretch it. More important than the time of day or DJ spinning records (making playlists in this day and age) is the fact that tuning in guarantees that you’ll hear something you like. 92.9 plays everything from indie rock to reggae to punk. In…
Best Bike (Most Funky):
There’s no shortage of interesting/retrofitted/Burning Man/ancient/modern bikes in Bend. There are a couple folks with boom box bikes, which are inventive and festive and all that, but generally speaking, forcing your music on others is obnoxious. There are tricked-out carbon racers—road and mountain—but they cost as much as a home down payment, so we ruled…
