Free Will Astrology
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The ancient Mesopotamians believed each person had a personal god called an *ilu* who acted as a protector, guide, and intercessor with the greater gods. You’re in a phase when your own *ilu* is extra active and ready to undergo an evolutionary transformation. So assume that you will be able to…
Fall Arts & Style: Music
Blind Boys of Alabama with Cory Henry Recognized world-wide as living legends of gospel music, the Blind Boys of Alabama are celebrated for their soul-stirring harmonies and remarkable blend of traditional and contemporary sounds. With a career spanning over seven decades, they’ve won multiple Grammy Awards, been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame…
Your First Home Awaits
There’s nothing quite like the moment when keys to your first home are placed in your hand — it’s pure magic! While the journey of buying your first home can feel overwhelming, working with the right team makes all the difference. Build Your Dream Team First Start with a Lender Before you fall in love with…
The Long Walk and Other Tales
Reading your first Stephen King book has always seemed like a rite of passage as one transitions from reading young adult and children’s books to novels for grown-ups. The first book aimed at adults I can ever remember cracking open was King’s 1983 “Pet Semetary,” which not only scared the sweet, innocent hell out of…
Make your space colorful, cozy and cohesive
Color. Coziness. Cohesion. If you’re pondering an update to your living space and wondering how to incorporate current trends, those are the key elements to embrace, say local design experts. “I think the biggest trend right now is people are bringing a lot of color into their space and prints are coming back in, too,…
High Desert Chamber Music Entering 18th Season
High Desert Chamber Music is on the cusp of its 18th season bringing professional chamber music groups to Central Oregon. Founder and Executive Director Isabelle LaForêt Senger is a virtuosic violinist in her own right and a member of the esteemed Crown City String Quartet. She had a successful career in Southern California, playing with…
The Wild Styles of the Kook Cruise
Maybe it’s just me, but has anyone noticed that clothing styles in Bend have gotten a little bit …hipper? And, to that end, dirtier? I moved back to Bend from Portland in April. In the years I’ve been gone, a lot’s changed — not least of which are the varieties of styles cyclists are rocking…
The Bend Film Festival
The Bend Film Festival is celebrating its 22nd year the second week of October. Over a five-day period, viewers can watch 116 films. The average runtime per short film is 15 minutes with several grouped together for a 90-minute block. Feature films are between 80-130 minutes. The movies are spread out among various theaters including…
Storytelling Spotlight
There’s a bounty of local plays, musicals and ballets to ease you into the holiday spirit. The Greenhouse Cabaret is producing the musical, “Once” It’s a love story set against a gritty Irish backdrop. The production won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2008, a Tony Award for Best Musical in 2o012, a Grammy…
Art on the Rise
Wander around Bend on a sunny fall afternoon and it’s clear that the Central Oregon art scene is thriving. Nearly a dozen art galleries do business in Central Oregon, with lively art events popping up on the calendar on constant rotation. Plenty of other shops sell art by local artists or those from far away…
The Show Must Go On… Somewhere Else
Despite Central Oregon’s expanding cultural landscape, local artists and arts organizations report being constrained by Bend’s shortage of dedicated performance and rehearsal venues. “One of the challenges we’ve consistently heard from members of our artistic communities involves the limited availability of performance and rehearsal spaces,” says Taylor Dusick, marketing and communications manager for the Central…
Designing A Better Future for All
“What can design do in the next five years to increase outcomes for everyone?” This is the question Marley Weedman Lorish, Bend Design’s organizer and executive director of Scalehouse Collaborative for The Arts, poses to the remarkable creatives speaking at this year’s conference. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Bend Design, put on by…
Poop, Pee and Carbon Dating
For a number of years, I’ve led an autumn nature writing workshop at different locations in the high desert. They’ve been held at ranches in Crook County, including the Rafter Q, where I used to live and ranch, and at the historic GI Ranch next door, where the springs that create the headwaters of the…
Teacher Surprised at Assembly with Top Honor
Mona Mensing, an English teacher at Redmond High School, was named one of Oregon’s 16 regional Teachers of the Year for 2025-26 during a surprise all-school assembly Sept. 16. “I feel seen and heard, just like my students, and it’s truly amazing,” Mensing said after receiving the honor. “This is a shout-out to all English…
Will More Cameras Make Bend Safer for Drivers and Pedestrians?
This week, the Bend City Council approved a vendor for its new red light camera system, giving authorities another way to enforce speeding violations and other infractions in the city. With Bend growing and pedestrian deaths continuing to climb in the United States, it seems like a helpful tool for law enforcement — but that…
From 1925 to Today: Bend Education Center Celebrates Milestone Century
A century ago, downtown Bend celebrated as the city’s new high school — a grand earth-toned brick building nestled among towering ponderosa pines — welcomed its first students. Today, that same structure — now the Bend-La Pine Education Center — sits in the heart of downtown Bend as the district’s administrative hub and a living…
Letters to the Editor Week of Sept. 25
Are We Willing to Change? In the 2004 movie, “The Village,” the monsters outside of the village are referred to as “those we do not speak of.” The monsters are in fact people in costumes with intent to keep people, based on fear, motivated to never leave the village. In the wake of the assassination of…
Fall Preview of Books
As many of the most anticipated books of the year start to fill our shelves, I’d like to share a Fall Preview of all the great reading this season. With more than 800 books to talk about, I’m compelled to offer you a highly selective list. The good news is local booksellers can give more…
Bipartisan Unity Takes Center Stage at City Club of Central Oregon
In a display of bipartisan unity, lawmakers from Central Oregon gathered in Bend on Sept. 18 for a City Caucus meeting hosted by the City Club of Central Oregon. The event brought together Sen. Anthony Broadman, Sen. Mike McLane, Rep. Emerson Levy and Rep. Jason Kropf to review the outcomes of the 2025 legislative session and…
The Psychedelic Frontier: What are the Risks?
Q: “I have been hearing a lot about psychedelic therapy lately and its benefits, and I’ve watched a couple of documentaries on the topic and everything seems so positive or at worst mildly disappointing. But from anecdotal evidence and what seems to be common knowledge, there are risks and downsides to the experience and its…
What Makes a Perfect Burger
The thing about burgers, killer and otherwise, is that everyone seems to want something different from them. Some people want fat, thick and juicy, some want a delicate smash patty all crispy and lean, others prioritize flavor over texture and toppings, while even others realize that the true secret of the perfect hamburger lies in the…
Biggest Little Art Show
The annual $20 Art Show returns to the High Desert Museum the weekend of Oct. 17. Billed as Bend’s biggest little art show, more than 8,000 miniature, original artwork created by more than 350 artists will be up for sale. The artwork will be on display for two weeks prior starting Oct. 4. Each work…
