LISTEN: Bend Don’t Break with Trygve Bjornstad 🎧
In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, host Aaron Switzer sits down with a passionate Bend local who has turned a love for board sports into a mission to give back to the community. Born in the Pacific Northwest, this week’s guest was drawn to Bend from a young age, inspired by its mountains, rivers,…
Redmond Prepares for New Library
In preparation for opening the nearly complete, new Redmond Library, the Deschutes Public Library announced its temporary library in the city will close on Dec. 21. The new library, on Deschutes Avenue, is set to open in late January. The closure of the temporary library, which opened in January 2023, comes as staff begin their…
2025 Big Ponderoo Music + Art Festival tickets on sale
SFF Presents announces the return of the third annual Big Ponderoo Music and Art Festival on June 28 and 29, 2025 at Village Green Park in Sisters, Oregon. Weekend passes go on sale at a discounted holiday price on Wednesday, December 4 at 10:00 a.m. at https://aftontickets.com/BigPonderoo A limited number of tickets will be available…
Stroke Awareness Oregon’s November BEFAST Campaign Reaches Communities Across Oregon
Bend-based nonprofit Stroke Awareness Oregon (SAO) held its annual BEFAST Awareness Campaign from November 11-18 of this year; BEFAST, an acronym of stroke warning signs, breaks down into Balance loss, Eyesight changes, Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty and Time to call 911. SAO exists to mitigate death and disability caused by stroke and to…
Oregon Community Foundation Distributes Record Investments in 2024, Announces New Grant Opportunities for 2025
A refurbished community center in Antelope. Therapy for kids in Sisters. High-quality outdoor recreation for people with disabilities. These are just a few of the projects and programs in Central Oregon receiving a $394,562 boost from the 2024 Fall Cycle of Community Grants from Oregon Community Foundation. The statewide funder has distributed 18 new grants in…
Pet Food Drive to Benefit BrightSide Animals
Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) veterinary technician program is staging a pet food drive to benefit Redmond’s BrightSide Animal Center, now through 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, with drop-off sites at all four of the college’s campuses. Canned food and sealed dry food for cats and dogs can be dropped off at any COCC…
Helen Brown selected as Old Mill District’s 2024 Winter Art Series artist
The Old Mill District has selected Tumalo Art Co.’s Helen Brown as the featured artist for the district’s annual Winter Art Series. Brown’s artwork highlights the Old Mill District’s winter marketing campaign on street banners, the district’s holiday ornament, the OMD’s annual winter guide, and more throughout the season. The Old Mill District approached Brown,…
COCC’s Small Business Development Center Welcomes U.S. Small Business Administration to Central Oregon
Central Oregon Community College’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) was honored to host the Portland District of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in Bend on November 25 and 26. This special visit from the Portland-based SBA marked a significant recognition of the thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem east of the Cascades. As part of their annual…
New Art Exhibition Explores Intersection of Wildlife and Urban Environments
A new art exhibition that considers wildlife against urban backdrops opens this Saturday at the High Desert Museum. Neighbors: Wildlife Paintings by Hilary Baker shares imagery of wildlife native to the High Desert—gray fox, black bear, pronghorn antelope and others. They stand in the foreground with urban encroachment in the background—the fox on railroad tracks, the…
LISTEN: Bend Don’t Break with Aimee Snyder 🎧
In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, host Aaron Switzer is joined by Dr. Aimee Snyder to discuss the transformative power of integrating public health programs into school systems. Dr. Snyder shares her journey from being a middle school teacher in coastal Georgia to earning her doctoral degree in Public Health and specializing in school-based…
Climate Activists Urge Bend to Electrify Buildings
Young climate activists participated in a sit-in at a Dec. 4 city council meeting, urging councilors to pass electrification policies to address the impact of gas-powered infrastructure. The climate strike, hosted by the Deschutes Youth Climate Coalition, took place before a planned discussion on policy options for encouraging electrification in buildings — the process of…
Registration for Bend Winter Programs Opens Next Week
Registration for Bend Park & Recreation District’s winter programs and sports leagues will open on Dec. 9, Dec. 10 and Dec. 11. Starting at 6am each day, registration will open for various programs held from January through March. Registration for recreation, enrichment and sports programs starts on Dec. 9, followed by swim lessons and aquatic…
Holiday Issue 2024
Here are some fun stories The Source Weekly team has curated to help celebrate the holidays this year. Helicopter Santa A behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring Santa to life at the Old Mill each year What is Your Favorite Holiday Tradition? Locals and tourists in Bend share some of their favorite things…
What is Your Favorite Holiday Tradition?
Holiday traditions can include anything from a favorite food to a relaxing night in. Source Weekly reporters Savannah Mendoza and Julianna LaFollette walked around downtown Bend around the Thanksgiving holiday to ask people about their favorite holidays traditions. Here are their answers. Ashlyn Stewart: “Every year, my family does a lot of traditional Cuban dishes.…
Holiday Lights Paddle Parade: Bend’s Floating Winter Wonderland
Combining Bend’s love for the outdoors with the holiday spirit, the Tumalo Creek Holiday Lights Paddle Parade is back for another magical year. This beloved tradition invites the community to celebrate the season as brightly lit canoes, kayaks and paddleboards glide along the Deschutes River. The parade takes place on Friday, Dec. 13 from 4-7pm.…
Jingle Ball 2024: Where EDM Meets Holiday Magic
Get ready to dance your way into the holiday spirit at the third-annual Jingle Ball, a festive EDM bash blending electrifying beats, dazzling visuals and holiday cheer. The concert transforms Midtown Ballroom into a vibrant wonderland on Friday, Dec. 6 from 7pm-2am, headlined by the dynamic Maddy O’Neal and featuring an impressive lineup of local…
Awakening Your Inner Hero
I’ve been blessed over my career as a counselor, life coach, leadership trainer and team builder to have been able to work with many high-level athletes, both at the collegiate and professional levels. Many are long-distance runners. Flagstaff, Arizona, where I lived for 50 years, is often considered to be the running capital of the…
Horoscope Week of December 4, 2024
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In his song “Voodoo Child,” Sagittarian musician Jimi Hendrix brags, “Well, I stand up next to a mountain / And I chop it down with the edge of my hand.” I encourage you to unleash fantasies like that in the coming days, Sagittarius. Can you shoot lightning bolts from your eyes?…
Letters to the Editor 12/4/2024
Guest Opinion: Psychedelic Frontier By Erin Naftalin, R.N. I’m writing to express my concern regarding the recent Psychedelic Frontier column promoting unsupervised psilocybin use and offering vague guidance for self-administration. As someone deeply committed to safe, ethical and transformative psilocybin facilitation, I believe this approach is not only irresponsible but poses a significant risk to…
A New Izakaya on Division Street in Bend
A new Japanese izakaya opened Nov. 3 along Division Street in Bend. Yokocho Izakaya opened in the space once occupied by Orchid Thai, featuring small plates, ramen, curry and other Japanese food and drinks. An izakaya, according to a description from a Tokyo-based tour company, is translated as “dine-in sake shop,” and is a traditional Japanese…
Sheriff-Elect Kent Vander Kamp Sues County For Legal Fees, Defends Seeking Temporary Restraining Order Against The Press
On Tuesday, Sheriff-elect Kent Vander Kamp was back in court. This time, he is seeking payment for attorney fees from Deschutes County for a lawsuit he filed in October to stop the county from releasing his La Mesa Police Department employment records to news organization Oregon Public Broadcasting and, in a related issue, defending the…
When Proposing Ideas that Change City Processes, Involving Those Most Affected is Key
We love the vision of the “people streets” project that the City of Bend is currently exploring: more room for people, rather than their gigantic vehicles of steel and glass, to roam the public spaces of the city. But while we think the notion of limiting — or even completely closing — certain streets in…
Oregon Expands Incentives for Defensible Space Projects
Following a record-breaking fire season in Oregon, the State Fire Marshal is extending its incentive program, helping homeowners pay for defensible space projects in more communities in Oregon. Through the program, home and property owners in qualifying vulnerable communities may be eligible to receive a $250 payment following a defensible space assessment by OSFM or…
May the Source Be With You: December Edition
This is the time of year where I start watching Christmas movies with a gleeful and reckless abandon… quality be damned. It doesn’t really matter if it’s good or not because ultimately most of those Hallmark movies (or the new Netflix breed) have the exact same structure and arc with only a few mild variations.…
Don’t Panic, It’s Organic: Clean Cannabis
There exists a divide between those who value “organically” produced goods, versus those who favor “conventionally” produced versions. Complicating matters, what one person considers “organic” may differ greatly from another, and standards vary between the nonprofits and businesses that certify what is, or is not, organic. The reasons for selecting organic options include fewer pesticides,…
Local Love: A Q/A with Bandleader Travis Ehrenstrom
“As of late, I’ve been referring to it jokingly as concerned-dad folk,” Travis Ehrenstrom chuckles as he describes his solo acoustic music. The singer/songwriter may be best known around these parts for fronting the funky, jammy, fusion-rock six-piece TEB, or Travis Ehrenstrom Band, but as the weather turns cooler and musicians move inside to more…
Food for the Festive Season
Both feasts and fast meals have their place during the holiday season. Here are a few of my go-tos including a fancy dinner dish, the easiest app ever and a festive drink. Heirloom Tomato Turkey Piccata Stack The definition of piccata in cooking is thin slices of meat, typically veal or chicken, that are dredged…
Why DIY Real Estate Can Cost You More in the Long Run
With the rise of online tools and resources, buying or selling a property might seem like an easy way to save some money. But the reality is that managing your own transaction can end up costing you more in the long run. Here’s why hiring a real estate professional is worth the investment. Pricing Missteps…
Festive Fun: Holiday Events to Brighten Your Season
The holiday season is in full swing and Central Oregon is buzzing with festive events. From art sales in a snowy setting to cozy movie screenings, cookie decorating fundraisers and enchanting musical performances, there’s no shortage of holiday cheer to fill your calendar. Here’s a roundup of must-see events to make your season extra magical.…
Source Warmup
Redmond Ice Rink Closed for Upcoming Season The City of Redmond announced Dec. 3 that its downtown ice-skating rink will not open for the 2024-2025 season due to a series of costly equipment failures. While the City decided not to invest more into the rink, the Downtown Urban Renewal Advisory Committee will explore replacement options…
Helicopter Santa
Every year, for the last 10 years, Paul Evers has woken up the day after Thanksgiving to begin the ritual of becoming Santa Claus. He dons a plush red suit with ample stuffing, suspenders (added after an unfortunate incident of drooping bottoms) and a thick, curly, white-as-snow beard. Carefully applied makeup helps transform his face…
