By the end of the year, there will most likely be at least three American animated films on my Best Films of 2016 list. “Finding Dory,” “Sausage Party,” “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Zootopia” and now “Kubo and the Two Strings” have all been wonderfully entertaining works—and we still have a few more probable greats to […]
Source Weekly Bend Oregon
Bend’s Chinese Beer Connection
It’s probably not a great surprise that Beijing, the third-largest city in the world, has a couple of breweries. It is a surprise, however, that one of them has a connection right here in Central Oregon. Jing-A Brewing Co., which opened its own facility and taproom in China’s capital a couple years ago after a […]
Morality Fail
Back in the 1950s and 1960s, studios would release films specifically designated as “Morality Tales.” They were films that existed to show American audiences characters who were rough around the edges, given a choice between doing the right thing and the easy thing. As American filmmaking entered the glorious mid-’60s, characters took on the anti-hero […]
High Art Comes to Bend
Creating a high-caliber art show that’s distinctive and accessible to a variety of budgets is no small task—but that’s where Art in the High Desert comes in. On Aug. 26, 27 and 28, 115 artists will line the Deschutes River at the Old Mill. Co-founders Dave and Carla Fox, now in their ninth year, have […]
BendFilm Preview
The BendFilm festival begins Oct. 6. Ahead of the event, the festival asked community members to share their relationship with film. Name: Cheryl Valdez Job: Social Media Specialist / Nosler Bio: Cheryl’s a California native turned Oregon enthusiast. She manages social media strategy for local Bend business, Nosler, and prior to moving to Oregon three […]
Drop Dead Kill-arious
Cascades Theatrical Company launches its first main stage production of the 2016/2017 season with “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” combining all the best traits from theatrical farce, broad comedy and drawing room mystery. Shows like this don’t normally spend much time with characterization, yet “Murders” takes its time setting up the players in the […]
Central Oregon Loses Its Home for the Arts
On Friday, Aug. 19, Arts Central—the hub for arts education and advocacy services in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties—closed its doors due to lack of funding. Local art students of all ages and financial means will feel the impact of the loss of the beloved nonprofit that provided hands-on learning opportunities to the community for […]
Clash in the Canyonlands
If you want to ponder the wonder of the universe under a vast umbrella of stars, head to Owyhee country. Native Oregonian and Bend-area resident Karl Findling calls it “one of the darkest and most remote regions” in the lower 48 states—and that renders it perfect for watching the stars. Findling, who grew up in […]
Gangster of Love
Since a dozen of their songs have been floating around in my head for most of my days alive, I’ve always felt like I must know a lot about The Steve Miller Band. But when I sat down to write this piece, I realized I actually knew next to nothing about them except the weird […]
Feds vs States: The Reefer Madness Continues
Many Oregonians were aghast recently when Oregon’s chief federal prosecutor announced that he would charge Warm Springs teen Devontre Thomas with a federal crime for allegedly possessing one joint’s worth of cannabis. Williams eventually backed down in the wake of the public outrage, led most notably by Oregon’s Congressional cannabis policy crusader, Earl Blumenauer. But […]

