The back room of the clubhouse at the Sisters Rodeo grounds is filled with about a dozen men and women, all wearing blue jeans and work boots; volunteers who run the Sisters Rodeo. They are debating whether there is more drinking at the annual Sisters Quilt Festival or the Sisters Rodeo. “Definitely the quilt,” announces […]
Section Feature
Posted inMusic
Just Along for the Ride
Steve Poltz will always be on tour
Singer-songwriter Steve Poltz’s flight from Denver to Los Angeles was cancelled. He then rented a car to drive the distance with his partner on tour, singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips. I caught them on the phone just as they were re-writing “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” for their Mother’s Day gig in […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Simple but Elegant
Sip brings the vineyards to Galveston
Emy Sanchez is a Central Oregon native who gave up the corporate life to pursue her true passion: wine. Sanchez previously worked as a wine importer and marketer. She gained expertise in those jobs, but owning her own wine bar was her dream—albeit one that felt like a pipe dream. That is, until last fall […]
Posted inOutside
Not to Be Broken
In spite of losing its course to fire, Chainbreaker rides again
Not long after last Memorial Day—and a month after the popular Chainbreaker Mountain Bike Race—the Two Bulls Fire swept across several thousand acres west of Bend, pushing as close as seven miles from the city’s edge. Over one weekend alone, some 250 residents living at the outskirts of town were evacuated from their homes. Ultimately, […]
Posted inCulture
Erupting in Laughter
A sitcom as hot as lava
Most plays are written to fit snugly into a genre so they’re easier to market to an audience. Comedy. Drama. Tragedy. Historical. But local playwright Suzan Noyes’ new show, Hot Spot in Pompeii, is a mash-up, a delightful breath of fresh air that takes a screwball romantic farce and plops it smack dab next to […]
Posted inCulture
Things Fall Apart
Wild Tales for the social skeptic
Let’s just say I’m no stranger to the record scratch—that moment in human interaction when politeness fails, collective agreements about normalcy retire, and situations take on a new and horrible independence. It’s shocking and dangerous to be caught in such a scene, but it’s also tinged with a surreal, anarchic hilarity. Such events are commonly […]
Posted inNews
A Beacon for the Arts
Cultural Tourism Commission selects first round of TRT-funded grantees
As Bend’s reputation as a tourist destination grows, not every season benefits equally. Traditionally, the summer months—with their abundant sunshine and plethora of outdoor recreation and festivals—have drawn the bulk of the out-of-towners. But the winter months and the so-called “shoulder seasons” are due for a boost thanks to the pending disbursement of the first […]
Posted inMusic
Riding in on a Bear
Portlander Laura Ivancie says music runs in her family
Laura Ivancie had a vision. A vision of a woman riding on a bear, weapon in hand. Strangely enough, this obscure image coincided exactly with one that her friend, Mike Friolo, a graphic designer for Adidas and Nike, had. So, naturally, he put it on a T-shirt for Ivancie’s fans. (Check it out at store.lauraivancie.com.) […]
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides
Power to the People
COCC president Dr. Shirley Metcalf serves as a role model for women and minorities
If Dr. Shirley Metcalf had led with her personal motto—”it’s all about the people,” a turn of phrase by way of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s book It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership—it might have come off as a shtick. Instead, Dr. Metcalf, the fifth president of Central Oregon Community College […]
Posted inMusic
Three is The Magic Number
Redmond hip-hop trio defies expectations
We are sitting outside at Crow’s Feet Commons, and I’m talking with Tyler Martin and Lion Lovechild, two members from NRG Tribe, an up-and-coming hip-hop trio from Redmond. They are telling me about auras, and about how the third member of their group was drawn to them because of one of their indigo auras. No, […]
