Punching Through The Screen
Gone are the days of dark concert halls dimly lit by the occasional sparks of lighters and flashbulbs. Things have changed. When musicians gaze out at crowds in 2015, they’re greeted by seas of glowing faces illuminated by LED screens. As New York bluegrass quintet Punch Brothers returned from a year and a half on…
Conservation Belly Flop
As wildfires continue to burn, and more of the state officially enters a state of drought, Bendites are preparing for the arrival of Slide the City, a giant water slide planned to stretch down College Way. If it seems odd that the City permitted a company to use Bend’s water while the county is in…
Mandatory Puns
Weird Al Yankovic introduced me to music. I heard “Yoda” before I ever heard The Kinks’ “Lola” and “I Love Rocky Road” was a part of my consciousness long before Joan Jett and The Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock and Roll.” I doubt I’m alone—and perhaps his current surge of success is due to an emerging…
Diving Into the Vacation Rental Market
So you’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and join the ranks of Central Oregon’s vacation rental owners. What now? We’ve gathered up some advice to guide you in making your rental stand out from the crowds, and getting the most out of your investment. (If you haven’t already submitted your vacation rental application to…
Smoke Signals
When representatives from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission stopped in Bend as part of their listening tour, one of the concerns raised by those in attendance was that the local market would be flooded with people from other states, including everyone’s favorite scapegoat: Californians. Starting next year, the Oregon Health Authority will limit the ability…
To Kill a Classic
Since its release in July, Harper Lee’s Go Set A Watchman has taken the literary world by storm. Fifty-years after the release of the iconic To Kill a Mockingbird, Watchman sold 1.1 million copies its first week (making it the fastest selling book in HarperCollins publishing history) and rocketed to the top of the New…
Cool Confections
Nothing says summer like a float down the river, or the sound of an ice cream truck crawling through neighborhoods playing a tinny rendition of “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” The Barge, which officially launched last weekend, combines those summer essentials with what is essentially a floating ice cream truck. Anchored just upstream from the…
Don’t Mind the Gaps
Humans have been drawn to water since time immemorial, and Central Oregonians are no exception. That’s why locals and tourists alike are eager to see the completion of the Deschutes River Trail, which currently spans more than 30, somewhat disjointed, miles from Sunriver to Tumalo. Steve Jorgensen is the man with the plan. His days…
Make Your Beer Humm
Humm Kombucha, the unassuming fermented-tea maker in the little building off NE Second Street is beginning to make its presence better known around town and beyond. Not in terms of new success—it’s already got plenty of that, with flavors like Apple Sass and Blueberry Mint now available in grocery stores across not just Bend, but…
Letters
IN REPLY TO “FIRE IN THE BLOOD” (8/26) Kudos to the journalist who wrote this article. It unbiasly educates people about fire and the proper management of the land. These ladies are inspirational. They work hard and care about the land. They got an education and are now applying it to make a difference in…
Art Watch
During September and October, A6 Studio & Gallery in Bend will host a series of exhibits and events featuring the work of renowned photographer and ethnologist, Edward S. Curtis. Born near Whitewater, Wisconsin, in 1868, Curtis devoted his life to photographing and documenting the lives of the North American Native American tribes. When his family…
In Search of a Town Square
At a recent public meeting, about 30 community members and a handful of children shared their dismay at the anticipated loss of de facto downtown park Troy Field. They urged representatives from the Bend-La Pine School District—who recently accepted a $1.9 million offer from an out-of-area developer—not to seek a removal of the existing public…
Side Notes
There are currently more than 10 active fires in Oregon, according to InciWeb, a government incident information system. Of those, the Canyon Creek Complex Fire is the largest, at 105,684 acres and 49 percent contained as of press time. More than 900 firefighters are currently working on that blaze, include six National Guard units. In…
Bend’s Banana Belt
“It’s warmer here at Hollinshead,” Master Gardener Nancy Crossan says, “more than any other place in Bend. That’s why it’s called the Banana Belt, and why everything here grows so bountifully.” You mean I live in the SE frost belt? Say it isn’t so! “You can still plant asparagus,” Kris Kornchild, another Master Gardener chimes…
Where the Dogs Are
Bend has a reputation for going to the dogs, or at least accommodating them. A number of breweries, restaurants, and other businesses accommodate pet owners, even leaving out water bowls for our canine companions during the summer’s heat. But with their popularity comes controversy, especially regarding humans allowing their dogs to run off leash or…
Things That Go Hump in the Night
Does the world really need more porn? Depending on whose statistics you trust, the internet is comprised of somewhere between 4 and 37 percent “adult” content. The problem, if you ask advice columnist Dan Savage, is that it’s all more or less the same, and rarely authentic. That’s why he started the HUMP! Film Festival,…
Film Events
Artist’s Den Presents: Alt-J Live from the Hollywood American Legion comes Alt-J in concert. Fathom Events and Regal have been doing some of these Artist’s Den concerts lately and the sound mix is always spot on and makes for a fantastic window into a show you might be missing otherwise. Keep an eye on artistsden.com…
Orange County’s Little Monster
Mike Ness is an icon. Regardless of the era of Social Distortion you’re into, whether it is the raw early three-cord punk of their late ’70s-early ’80s output, or their more modern country-tinged, bluesy bar rock, the legend of Mike Ness cannot be denied. Ness was raised in Orange County and kicked out at 15,…
Source Suggests
Sip Summer Wine-Down Sip Wine Bar brings together Scribbled Rhymes, Hobbs the Band, and MOsley WOtta for live music all night long to give summer the proper Bend farewell. Scribbled Rhymes is a rock/hip-hop duo that specializes in remixed cover tunes, Hobbs the Band plays bluesy rock, and everyone knows MOsley WOtta as Bend’s resident…
