When we saw Backporch Coffee Roaster’s hand drawn ad in the Source a few months back—two adorable cartoon octopuses, each in a winter hat sipping espresso (it appears this week on pg. 24)—our squeals couldn’t be contained. The office was filled with giggles and smiles, and we immediately sought out illustrator Connie Gabbert, who specializes […]
Section Feature
Posted inOutside
Top Five Oregon Sports Moments
Also, top local outdoor feats and recreation upgrades
1. Blazers return! With two wins over the Jazz in less than one month, the Blazers have their best season start in 20 years! 2. Jacoby Ellsbury boosts Red Sox to World Series victory. The Madras all-star center fielder and former Bend Elk finished 2013 with 31 doubles and a league-leading 52 stolen bases. Before […]
Posted inCulture
Top Five Movies of the Year
Narrative and docs!
Top Five Movies (Narrative) By Tin Pan Theater 1. Short Term 12 We laughed, cried and rejoiced with the characters in this film. It was the only movie of the year where the closing credits made us feel like we were saying goodbye to family. 2. Before Midnight The most realistic film about long term […]
Posted inMusic
Top Five Albums of 2013
Also, the year’s best EPs
Dear Miss Lonelyhearts Cold War Kids Downtown Music LLC Like cannon fire signaling the beginning of a revolutionary battle, Long Beach California’s Cold War Kids’ fourth studio album, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, blasts away oppressive emotions from the very moment front man Nathan Willett bangs on his piano’s keys for the opening track, “Miracle Mile.” Thundering […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Top Five Restaurant Upgrades
Also, Bend’s best beer and dishes
1. Spork While we loved Spork’s global-street-food-inspired food cart, the move out of the Airstream and into a proper brick-and-mortar location is the best thing that could have possibly happened to Bend’s food scene. 2. Worthy Brewing If Spork is the best thing to happen to Bend’s westside, Worthy gets the prize for best eastside […]
Posted inCulture
Top Five Books of 2013
Also, Bend’s top celebrities and local art installations
1. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt: The one common denominator for almost every thinking-person’s “best literature of 2013” list, Tartt’s third novel, a beautiful and epic story about tragedy (the teenage protagonist loses his mom in a bombing at an art museum) masquerading as redemption—or vice versa. 2. The Circle, Dave Eggers: His ninth book is […]
Posted inMusic
Jazz Binge
The Oregon Piano Summit brings four pianists and 352 keys to The Oxford Hotel
Rarely do two pianists share the same stage. Even rarer is a performance with three. And four? That’s bonkers. Yet an ivory drubbing jazz concert featuring individual sets by four of Oregon’s premier piano artists is exactly what’s in store for Bend Dec. 27 and 28 at The Oxford Hotel. Instrumentalists Gordon Lee, Darrell Grant, […]
Posted inOutside
Going Big in Nepal
Bend climber Chris Wright records two first ascents deep in the Himalaya
Starting in mid-October, Bend’s Chris Wright, along with his partner, Scott Adamson of Utah, battled deep snow, frigid temperatures, oxygen deprivation and terrifyingly steep cliff faces to claim two impressive first ascents in Nepal. Snowy, far-flung climbing expeditions, however, are nothing new to Wright. Last November, the 30-year-old part-time Timberline Mountain Guide and area avalanche […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Xmas Chopsticks
Chinese food on Christmas?!
In the final scene of “The Christmas Story” (yes, as in “you’ll shoot your eye out.” Just say it! Get it out of your system. Okay, better? We on the same page now?). . . in the final scene of “The Christmas Story,” the Parker family remedies their disastrous Christmas dinner (a neighbor dog has […]
Posted inCulture
Senior Moments
Not everything’s black and white in Nebraska
Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is determined to get to Nebraska. He’s received a form letter notifying him that he may have won $1 million, which he’s inclined to accept at face value. All he has to do is go to the sweepstakes office in Lincoln and collect the prize. There are a few obstacles: Woody […]
