Wes Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015)
The first time I ever remember getting scared from a movie was when I walked in on my older cousin watching Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors. A skinny, awkward young mental patient was fooling around with a beautiful, partly naked nurse on a hospital bed. Just when things were getting pleasant for…
News Quirks writer had a fascination for human folly
We are so very sorry to report the passing of Roland S. Sweet, the writer and curator for New Quirks. A week shy of his 70th birthday, Roland died on July 24. We are so very grateful for his steady contributions to the newspaper—and to 15 other weekly newspapers North America to which he contributed…
Is That a Weissenborn?
Ben Harper is one of those one-man-bands you have to see in person to believe. From the regular guitar to the Weissenborn slide guitar, he can carry a tune on just about any guitar that can carry a tune, among other instruments. But he doesn’t just fly solo, the singer/songwriter recently reunited with his former…
Out to Dry
WaterWatch of Oregon says that agencies responsible for management of the Crane Prairie, Wickiup, and Crescent Lake dams and reservoirs are causing harm to the threatened Oregon spotted frog. And if they don’t take action to comply with federal law, the conservation organization intends to sue. The 60-day notice filed by WaterWatch on August 12…
The Silicon Valley of Marijuana
Editor’s note: As rural Central Oregon grapples with whether or not—and how—to allow marijuana-related business, we take a look at the industry’s growth in rural Colorado. Mark Morley looks out over 30 acres he owns east of Pueblo, Colorado, and imagines the future. On this blustery summer afternoon in early summer, there’s little more than…
Pro-Life Group Protests Bend Planned Parenthood
Last Saturday, Central Oregon Right to Life protested the Bend Planned Parenthood clinic, calling on lawmakers to defund the women’s health nonprofit. The protest was part of a nationwide demonstration against the organization, which critics claim sells fetal tissue for profit in violation of federal law. Planned Parenthood denies the allegations, which opponents say are…
Letters 8/26-9/2
IN REPLY TO “SAVE PILOT BUTTE SUPPORTER” (8/21) Is it time for rent control in Bend? As a renter, I am seriously questioning that this might be a necessary evil. The proposed multifamily units are anything but affordable, and though I have seen quotes of rental increases this last year of 1.5 to 2.5 percent…
Grown and Locally-Thrown
Bend’s Julie Cutts was the 2013 road bike and time trail national master’s champion, so she can’t be faulted for registering as a pro for any bike race, as she did at a race at Mt. Rainer that same year. The only problem? It was a cyclocross race. “I had just met Scott Peterson [owner…
A Drinking Game With A Rugby Problem
Nope, the Bend Rugby Football Club (Bend RFC) isn’t anything new in town. It is 40 years old, founded in 1975, from a time when Bend was a sleepy post-glory mill and pre-corporation ski town, and when the closest locally brewed beer was a good 300 miles away (like, maybe, Olympia, Washington?). Early on, the…
Pitch a Tent
Everyone’s definition of camping is different. For some, it means towing their full-amenity travel trailer to the RV park with full hookups, playground, and swimming pool. On the other extreme, camping means parking the car (or locking the bike) and heading as far into the Three Sisters Wilderness as possible. For most, somewhere in between…
Monarch Waystations
The monarch butterfly is in a world of hurt. Right off the bat it has problems because it’s so unique; it’s a migratory insect that flies thousands of miles to survive winter, then returns to continue life in northern latitudes—and they travel right through our neck-of-the-woods. Everyone knows birds migrate and do it in astounding…
Serving Up Bud
As the legalization of recreation marijuana rolls out slowly in Oregon, creative ways to get weed to the people are sprouting up around the state. In West Linn, a couple recently featured a cannabis bar at their wedding, KGW reports. The wedding featured a tent with a budtender and a variety of strains for guests…
Should I Sell, Or Should I Rent?
Your current home is the first home you ever purchased, but you are ready to move up to something a little more “comfortable” and now you wonder, “Should I sell my home or rent it?” Here are some things to consider: How appealing is your listing? A house that is still stuck in the ’70s…
Coney Island Delight
The newest addition at The Lot is a good-looking food cart: Brown wood siding with cedar shingles lining the corners. And, we had only approached the cart two seconds earlier, when the very friendly woman serving food leaned out the window and laughed: “How can a girl from Indonesia cook hot dogs?” she asked, largely…
Film Events 8/26-9/2
Munch & Movies: Maleficent The annual outdoor film festival geared for kids and families continues. Although late entries, these events are often summertime favorites; relaxed, good natured events. This week’s film: Angelina Jolie stars in Maleficent, part of the new line of Disney films that are breaking from the standards (Bambi, Cinderella), but stick with…
Fresh Hop Season Begins Early
Hops, if you’ll pardon the easy pun, are hopping around here. It’s been a challenging summer for growing something that requires as much attention as hop vines—harvests across the region are taking place a good week or two earlier than usual this year. But the hopes are still flowing, and local brewers can’t get enough…
Has Jake Johnson Found His Talent?
Jake Johnson has been simmering just under Hollywood’s A-list. He certainly has his fan base, and there is a familiarity (oh, that guy!), but he doesn’t yet command a summer hit. Like, say, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who seemingly appeared in every cool kid movie for a decade before finally breaking into public knowledge as a…
Art Watch 8/26-9/2
The last weekend of each month offers an abundance of art and live music in Central Oregon, and this weekend is no different. On Friday, August 28, the Sisters Arts Association celebrates art and live music as part of its Fourth Friday Art Stroll in downtown Sisters. Sisters Galleries will have featured artist receptions, art…
Source Suggests 8/26-9/2
Hillstomp Portland-based junkbox blues duo Hillstomp regularly stops by this side of the mountain for raucous, boot scootin’ good times. Their distinctive brand of do-it-yourself hill country and blues always makes for an entertaining evening, incorporating buckets, washboards, and other found items into their arsenal of musical instruments. For lovers of deep, raspy vocals and…
High Art in the High Desert
Among the featured artists at this weekend’s Art in the High Desert—what is billed as Central Oregon’s premier juried art and craft show—is Bend’s own Darryl Cox, whose Fusion Frame art will be included in the exhibit. Cox combines woodworking, painting and sculpting to create beautiful frames that integrate both man-made and natural elements, such…
Rebel With a Cause
Pegged as a James Dean look-alike, country singer/songwriter/guitarist Frankie Ballard has had an eventful year. From a stage-jumping shoulder injury in February (in Humble, Texas, no less—something about pride goeth before…) to his singles “Helluva Life” and “Sunshine & Whiskey” both hitting number one to co-writing Big & Rich’s song “I Came to Git Down”…
Our Picks 8/26-9/2
friday 28 Art in the High Desert FINE ART—When the weather is this nice, it can be hard to persuade yourself to peruse the local art galleries. Fortunately, Art in the High Desert brings talent into the open air, where visitors can see works of art in natural light, but also meet the artists behind…
Fire in the Blood
Yvette Leecy walks through the fire camp like it’s her home—and in many ways, it is. She stops to greet the crew serving meals to firefighters, grabbing a sack lunch and asking how long they’ve been working fires. Some are relatives, others are coworkers, none are strangers. It’s this knack for working with people—combined with…
