Bend is known to be heavily into the music scene. International, national and local groups alike unpack and set up on varying stages around town. This summer all over Central Oregon there will be concerts both large and small in venues across the desert. Although the seemingly famous groups can draw an enormity of screaming […]
Downtown Bend
Posted inCulture
Oompah!
September’s Oktoberfest returns
Bend and Germany have a lot in common; we both like beer, skiing, and are composed mostly of white people. We also both love celebrating Oktoberfest, even when it’s in September. In Germany, Oktoberfest is an annual celebration of traditional Bavarian food, music, and culture that lasts 16 full days, beginning in September and stretching […]
Posted inNews
Destination Downtown
Albany’s Rod Porsche replaces Chuck Arnold at Downtown Bend
In many ways, Chuck Arnold was as much a fixture in downtown Bend as the silver statue of a man sitting on the bench in front of Starbucks. And now, Rod Porsche, who is taking over Arnold’s position as executive director of the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA), knows he has big shoes to fill. […]
Posted inBest Of Central Oregon
Best Novelty Gift Store
Wabi Sabi
Wabi Sabi is a feverish dream, a kaleidoscope of Japanese-inspired toys and seriously silly games, like the popular kendama, a ball-and-cup game that seems deceptively simple, that is, until it is attempted. The store, in general, serves as a portal to an entire culture and history. Wabi Sabi sprung six years ago from the brain […]
Posted inNews
Downtown Bend Business Association welcomes Albany’s Rod Porsche as new director
Last May, we talked to Chuck Arnold about his tenure as executive director of the Downtown Bend Business Association and his plans for the future. Today, the DBBA has officially announced Arnold’s replacement: former director of the Albany Downtown Association, Rod Porsche. “I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Downtown Bend Business Association and look […]
Posted inNews
Interview: Bend Police Chief Jim Porter on the expansion of the civil exclusion zone
The Bend City Council recently approved an ordinance expanding the civil exclusion zone to cover downtown. We talked to Bend Police Chief Jim Porter to get the inside scoop on how the ordinance came about and how police plan to execute it. Source Weekly: Where and how did the conversation about expanding the civil exclusion […]
Posted inNews
Freedom Is Nothing Left To Lose
Bend City Council expands civil exclusion zone
This weekend, revelers will flock to downtown Bend to celebrate Independence Day. Whether they realize it or not, they will also be crossing an invisible line into the City’s newly expanded civil exclusion zone, where an offense as minor as littering or underage drinking could get them 86’ed from the City’s core by police—all without […]
Posted inNews
Persona Non Grata
City Council votes 5-2 to expand downtown exclusion zone
As the weather heats up, so too does crime. And this summer, the Bend Police Department is hoping to nip bad behavior in the bud with an expansion of the city’s civil exclusion zone. But the move, which would allow police to ban individuals cited or arrested for certain crimes from the downtown area, is […]
Posted inNews
Leading by Example
Downtown Association’s Chuck Arnold leaves a legacy
Walking down Franklin Avenue toward Drake Park, Chuck Arnold stops mid-stroll to pick up a scrap of paper littering the sidewalk. Affable, with an easy smile and a good-naturedly goofy sense of humor, Arnold has spent much of his nine years as executive director of the Downtown Bend Business Association tending to these easily forgotten […]
Posted inFood & Drink
My, What Big Buns You Have!
Bad Wolf Bakery is all the better for eating and drinking downtown with you
From the giant, hand-painted map of Bend covering the far wall, to locally-sourced coffee, ginger beer, bread, and booze, Bad Wolf Bakery and Bistro is a collection of what is most loved about Bend, as if the green “I Love Bend” bumper stickers had curated the newly opened downtown cafe. That’s not to say Bad […]