This past month, Bend local Joslyn Bryant challenged herself to go to a different event every single day. She set out a number of rules: one event every day for 30 days, the event must be open to the public, the event must be on some sort of public calendar and no skipping allowed.
Bryant is a real estate agent with West and Main Homes. As a single 20-something, she felt like she was missing out on the Central Oregon event scene and wanted to find a way to explore it.
"The goal is to meet new people and experience everything that Bend has to offer," Bryant said. "Me doing this is proof that there is something for everyone, because I'm doing something every single day."
Halfway through her challenge, Bryant has attended events from the Source Weekly calendar, Facebook events and others. She said she's surprised she hasn't had a hard time finding events. From comedy shows to game meetups to concerts, she's had ample events to choose from. Whether she brings a few friends or goes by herself, she always tries to meet someone new and start a conversation.
"Most of my events have been from the Source calendar," Bryant said. "You guys have the craziest ones. I'll be searching in other places and be like, ugh there is nothing good. Then I will go to yours and be like, oh, here's a cool one."
The way Bryant can stay motivated and on top of this intimidating challenge is to plan out her week in advance. Scrolling and flipping through calendars on Sundays and writing down events has proved to be her best method. The hard days are when nothing is planned yet and she gets settled at home after work before finding something to attend.
There are some events that Bryant would go back to and others that she has appreciated as a single experience. Comedy Open Mic at Silver Moon Brewing is one that she said she would go to over and over and over.
"It's an open mic, so they are trying out new stuff," Bryant said. "It's hilarious. Especially if I'm sitting next to a Scrooge and they're not laughing, that makes me laugh even more. Definitely one of my favorite events I've been to."
Attending a cribbage tournament was something Bryant had never imagined herself doing until this challenge came along. Cribbage tournaments take place every Monday from 5-8pm at the Deschutes Junction. Attendees pay between $2-$18, play nine rotating games and can take home a little bit of prize money.
"I knew not everything on the list or calendar was going to be for me," Bryant said. "But I knew I was going to grow from it."
A surprisingly hilarious event that stood out was the one-woman show, "Bitchcraft: How Bitch Became Bitch Starring Bitch." Screaming about capitalism and the patriarchy, making jokes that had people on the floor laughing and starring in her own autobiographical musical, "Bitch" — an entertainer notorious for her eccentric performances — put on a show Bryant said she will never forget.
One of the weekly events she attends is one of her own. Wanting to swing dance but not finding enough people who knew how, Bryant set out to change that. After talking to the owners of the Cross-Eyed Cricket country bar about instructing a weekly class, the bar added free swing dancing lessons to the schedule on Thursdays from 7-9pm.
"It's something that I love to do, and I wanted other people to do it," Bryant said. "Nobody else would organize it and teach. So, I said, OK, I'll do it and just raised my hand."
Upcoming events that Bryant has planned are the Bend Christmas Parade, Downtown Bend Tree Lighting, Mountain View's "Midsummer Jersey" play and high school sports games.
Anybody who is single with a little bit of extra cash can absolutely do 30 days, according to Bryant. Couples can opt for a week-long challenge and commit to it or do a month with two to three events per week. Families can even get in on the event challenge by committing to two events per week for a month.
"Everybody can do it in any capacity that they want," Bryant said. "30 days every day is a bit much."
If people in Central Oregon want to challenge themselves to this event, check out the Source Weekly calendar in print or online to find a kick-off event.
