It has been a fun week at the Source, and it is a fun issue.
Our Outdoor Advisor, Corbin Gentzler, points readers to a series of ghost towns sprinkled around Central Oregon, reminders about a past that has come and gone, mining towns that time left behind.
But this issue is more about what from this legendary time still exists; in fact, it is about what is thrivingโ€”a young hat maker who is refashioning (quite literally) the cowboy icon, a couple from Arizona that brought the spiciness of Arizona to this high desert region with a line of salsas and our beer reviewer Kevin Gifford collects a six pack of beers that boast the wrangler and cowpunch swagger. Our annual Made in Central Oregon issue is both an archeological dig into the past and also a recognition about how much the โ€œcowboy lifestyleโ€ is still part of everyday life in 2015 in Central Oregon.
And, we present a number of articles that show off how that independent spirit that drove pioneers and cowboys is still here driving the cultural life in Bendโ€”a Q&A with Diane Lane from Get-Lit who will present at next weekendโ€™s MUSE conference; a look at the booming kombucha industry; and Delano Lavigneโ€™s report from last Saturdayโ€™s Boulder Bash, the first-ever cash-prize climbing competition in Central Oregon.
No, this is certainly not Mr. Rodgerโ€™s neighborhood. It is community of daring and bold entrepreneurs that could ride tall with any cowboy. Giddy up!

NEXT WEEK: Debunking Bike Town USA

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