The Nugget Newspaper // Vol. XLVI No. 25 // 2023-06-21

News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Nugget

Morning Visitors...

Going along with city code

By Ceili Gatley Correspondent

The City of Sisters is working within a code compliance program initially started to help with fire mitigation and safety through enforcement of code violations regarding vegetation overgrowth.

According to the presentation at last week’s City Council meeting on the program by Community Development Director Scott Woodford and City Code Compliance Agent, Jacob Smith: “The program encourages citizens to report any concerns or observations regarding fire safety, hazardous conditions, and

See CODE on page 4

City staff urges denial of gas station plan

By Sue Stafford Correspondent

City staff has recommended denial of the application for the owner of the Space Age gas station to rebuild the current facility. The recommendation is based on one development standard: compatibility.

A much-anticipated Planning Commission public

Neighboring fire units train in Sisters

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

hearing was held on the application on Thursday, June 15. There was no final decision — the hearing was continued to next month.

Based on the information in the record as of June 1, staff concluded the proposal has not satisfied the conditional-use criteria in Sisters Development Code

See STATION on page 7

Forest Service starts work on Road 16

The Sisters Ranger District and the Deschutes National Forest road crew are mobilizing equipment to begin reconstruction work on the non-paved portion of Forest Service Road 16.

Starting Tuesday, June 13, and lasting through the duration of the construction work, Forest Service

Road 16 will be closed to all access, including vehicle, pedestrian, biking, and equestrian use, between the gate at Upper Three Creek Lake SnoPark south to Three Creek Lake to provide for public and operator safety due to heavy

See ROAD 16 on page 21

Dozens of Sisters Country folk were startled Friday when driving past Metabolic Maintenance at North Larch Street and East Barclay Drive. Fire crews from Redmond, Jefferson County, and Black Butte Ranch were assembled in the firm’s parking lot.

Not just any fire trucks. The big ones. The ones with aerial ladders. The ladders were extended, and towered over the structure. Firefighters were ascending the ladders, step by step, methodically and intently. No. smoke. No fire.

What then? Training and certification. The units were in Sisters about a week ago at the invitation and coordination of Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District. They returned Friday under the auspices of the Black Butte Ranch (BBR) Fire Department.

BBR and Redmond have trucks with a 75-foot reach. Jefferson County’s rig has a whopping 105-foot reach. As

no building in Sisters comes remotely close to requiring that height, why do a certification class here?

“It’s not how high the ladder can go,” said Training Captain Mark Johnson from Jefferson County Fire and EMS, “it’s how far it can reach.”

A building like Bi-Mart or Ray’s, or in this case Metabolic Maintenance, has a big footprint with roofs as wide or long as 200 feet.

“We need to be able to get over the fire, on top of it, to pour water down when a fire is centered in a structure,” Johnson explained.

Oregon is strict in its certification process for fire and police, with layers of accreditation. Just because you are a firefighter doesn’t mean you get to drive the truck. If you are certified to drive a tanker truck, you have to get further certified to drive a ladder truck. Even if you have been certified to drive a ladder truck, you still need accreditation to work the ladder. It may sound cumbersome until you think of the lifeand-death nature of the work, Johnson told The Nugget Johnson has been fighting

See FIRE TRAINING on page 9

A firefighter aerial certification training session caught the eye of folks in Sisters, as ladder trucks deployed at Metabolic Maintenance.

PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT

PHOTO BY ERIK DOLSON

Letters to the Editor…

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address, and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond, or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday.

Keep it traditional

Top the Editor:

Nearly 40 years ago I built a house in the Sisters area. I was attracted here by the rustic, traditional nature of the environment and escape to the country. The proposed gas station violates every facet of country living that I can imagine.

This distorted image is not the Sisters

Common sense in forest management

area that I knew and loved. The facsimiles of the proposal for changing remind me of a downtown exit to Los Angeles or Miami. One person’s business success and desire to expand will detrimentally affect the domestic life of a number of small, quaint businesses plus urbanize the distinct country atmosphere. Sisters is not a

See LETTERS on page 8

Sisters Weather Forecast

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By Dave Kunert Guest Columnist

I was raised in Sisters by grandparents who instilled in me a love of farms and forests and an appreciation for the importance of managing these resources sustainably. This upbringing led me to a career in forestry. Eighty-seven percent of the forestland in Deschutes County is owned by the federal government, which once supported thriving logging and milling infrastructure until the 1990s, when in an attempt to reverse declining spotted owl population trends, federal forests were all but closed to timber harvest. Less than 15 years later, forests around Sisters began to burn at an alarming rate. From 2002-2012, seven times more acres burned around Sisters than in the previous 100 years. Our summers are now regularly seasoned by choking wildfire smoke and an ever-present risk to life, livelihood, and infrastructure.

The “wet” side of Oregon is not immune to these risks.

The Tillamook Burn, a series of fires from 1933-1951 that torched 355,000 acres of forestland, was a devastating blow but one that was turned around by active management. Charred wood was salvaged and turned into lumber, and between 19491972 more than 72 million seedlings were planted and a billion seeds were dropped from helicopters. As the forest grew, so did the demand for management.

In 1995, I moved from Sisters and began my forestry career on the Tillamook State Forest. The county was known for the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state, the worst county roads, and high rates of crime and domestic violence. By the mid 90s, the Tillamook State Forest was in a position to

begin a steady timber program. Jobs and revenue became more consistent and the social fabric began to mend. Logging roads provided forest access and recreators gladly followed. Today, harvest and reforestation efforts continue to produce family-wage jobs and reliable revenue for local taxing districts. The forests also provide quality habitat and clean water for wildlife. Unfortunately, a handful of powerful Portland-based special interest groups are now pushing a reckless state forest habitat plan that follows the same failed policies that shut down federal forests in the 1990s. The proposed “Habitat Conservation Plan” would reduce timber harvest on state forests by 34 percent for the next 70 years. The costs of this overly restrictive plan, both in terms of lost revenue and jobs and increased fire risk, will be borne entirely by rural Oregonians.

The Board of Forestry seems unable or unwilling to inject some common sense into this process. Slight changes to the plan would better address the needs of local communities, and yet, the majority of Board members have done little more than lament the proposed harvest reduction as an unfortunate hardship. We deserve more than platitudes and hand-wringing from the Board of Forestry. They were appointed to protect the social and economic values of these forests alongside the environmental ones. We can improve conservation outcomes on these forests without sacrificing sustainable harvest levels. We just need leaders to show as much deference to the rural Oregonians that surround these forests as they do to the interest groups that fill their inboxes with form letters.

PHOTO BY JAROD GATLEY

Songwriter brings tales to Sisters

By Jim Cornelius Editor

When Corb Lund’s boots hit the boards on the Big Ponderoo stage on Sunday, June 25, he’ll be serving up the eclectic range of “Americana” music that defines Sisters’ newest festival.

Backed by the crack band The Hurtin’ Albertans, the Canadian songwriter throws down rocking alt-country barn-burners and elegiac ballads, the writing shifting from comedic to poignant without ever mashing the gears.

The through line in all his music is the lifeways and landscape of the North American West. Coming from six generations of

BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS

Al -Anon

Mon., noon, Shepherd of t he Hills

Lutheran Church. 5 41-610 -7383.

Alcoholics A nonymou s

C4C director is a ‘network weaver’

By Sue Stafford Correspondent

Kellen Klein, the new interim executive director of Citizens4Community (C4C), describes himself as a “network weaver” who has known from a young age that he wanted to do “purposedriven work.”

Klein, one of three new board members for C4C, was asked to become the interim executive director when Josie Newport announced her intention to step down from her director position. Her last day was June 9, after working with Klein to make a smooth transition.

C4C is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that

fosters a connected community in Sisters Country by encouraging civility, collaboration, and civic engagement.

Newport is looking forward to restarting her children’s clothing business, and perhaps doing some work as a community volunteer coordinator to assist Sisters residents who are looking for ways to get connected to local organizations. She said she is excited for the Board’s new members and some projects being planned for the coming year.

“Kellen is a great asset for the organization,” she said.

Alberta ranchers, Lund delves deep into the well of history for some of his songs; others reflect the joys and challenges of contemporary life on the prairies and in the mountains, from Oregon to Alberta. And there are a lot of songs about horses. In a show in Las Vegas last December, he quipped that all of his love songs seem to end up being about horses.

Lund’s musical range and easygoing personality have built for him an audience that crosses cultural boundaries— a crowd at a Corb Lund show represents folkies and indie-rockers from Portland to Toronto, and oil field workers and cowboys from Edmonton to El Paso.

“It’s one of the things I’m proudest of, actually,” Lund told The Nugget . “I think that art and music is one of the few things in this day and age that can bring people together and remind them that they’re not that different.”

The ability for a culturally diverse audience to come together around good country music — a phenomenon pioneered by Willie Nelson in Austin, Texas, in the 1970s — remains a feature of the West, Lund believes.

“I feel like the American Cowboy States are a little more live-and-let-live,” he said. That includes our own

SISTERS AREA MEETING

East of the Cascades Quilt Guild 4th Wed. (September- June), Stitchin’

Post . A ll are welcome. 5 41-5 49 -6 061.

G o Fish Fishing G roup 3rd Monday

7 p.m., Siste rs C ommunity Church.

541-771-2211

Jon Stickley Trio returning to Sisters

By Ceili Gatley Correspondent

The Jon Stickley Trio is returning to Sisters for the Big Ponderoo music festival next weekend. The Trio taught at the Americana Song Academy for Youth before the Sisters Folk Festival in 2017. They were slotted to play at the Sisters Folk Festival before it was canceled due to wildfire that year, and returned to play in 2018.

Jon Stickley has been interested in music from a

CALENDAR

Thursday, 7 p.m., Episc opal Church of the Transf iguration / Satur day, 8 a.m., Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration / M onday, 5 p.m., Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church / Big Book study, Tuesday, noon, Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church / Gen tlemen’s meeting, Wednesday, 7 a.m., Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Sober

Sisters Women’s meet ing, Thu rsday, noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Step & Tradition meeting, Fr iday, noon, Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church. 5 41-5 48 -0 440.

Central Oregon F ly Tye rs G uild

For Saturday meeting dates and location, email: steelef ly@msn.c om Ci tizens4Communit y Let ’s Talk

3rd Monday, 6 to 7:30 p.m. RSVP at citizens 4c ommunity.c om

Council on Aging of Cent ral O rego n

Senior Lunch In- person community dining, Tues. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. G raband- go lunch Tues., Wed., Thurs. 12:30 to 1 p.m. Siste rs C ommunity Church.

541- 48 0-18 43

Hear twarmers (f leec e blanketmaker s)

2nd Tuesday, 1 p.m., Siste rs Communit y Church. M ater ials provided. 541- 408 -8 505.

Hero Q uilters of Sisters Thursday, 1 to 4 p.m. 5 41-6 68 -1755

Milita ry Parent s of Sisters M eetings are held quarter ly; please c all for details. 5 41-388 -9 013.

Oregon Band of Brothers Sisters Chapter meets Wednesda ys, 11:3 0 a.m., Takoda’s Rest aurant.

541- 549- 64 69

SAGE (Senior Activities, G athering s & Enrichmen t) M onday- Fr iday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sisters Par k & Recreation District. 5 41-5 49 -2091.

Sisters Aglow Lighthouse 4th Saturday, 10 a.m., meeting by Zoom. 503- 93 0- 6158

Sisters Area Photography Club

2nd Wednesday, 3:3 0 p.m., at Sisters Communit y Church. 5 41-5 49 -6157.

Sisters Astronomy Club 3rd Tuesday, 7 p.m., SPR D. 5 41-5 49 -8 8 46

Sisters Bridge Club Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. at Sisters C ommunity Church. Email sister sbridge2021@gmail.com.

Sisters Caregi ver Suppor t G roup 3rd Tues., 10:30 a.m., Siste rs Episcopal Church. 5 41-719 -0 031.

Sisters Cribbage C lub M eets 11 a.m. ever y Wed. at S PR D. 5 09 -9 47-574 4.

Sisters Garden C lub For monthly meetings visit: SistersGardenClub.com.

Sisters Habitat for Humanit y Board of D irectors 4th Tuesday, 6 p.m. Location infor mation: 5 41-5 49 -1193.

Sisters Kiwanis Thursdays, 7 to 8:3 0 a.m., at Aspen Lakes Golf Cours e. 541- 410-2870

Sisters Parent Teacher Communit y 2nd Tuesday, 6 p.m. at Sisters Elementary School Commons.

917-219-8298

Sisters Red Hat s 1st Friday. For location infor mation, please c all: 541- 8 48 -1970.

Sisters Rotary 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, Noon, Aspen Lakes. 5 41-760 -5 64 5.

Three Sister s Lions Club 2nd Thursday, 6:3 0 p.m., Spoons Rest aurant. 5 41-419 -1279.

Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon, Takoda’s Restaurant. 5 41-9 03 -1123.

Sisters Trails A lliance Board Meetings take plac e ever y other month, 5 p.m. In- person or zoom. Contact: info@sisterstrails.org

Three Sister s Irrigation Distric t Board of Direc tors M eets 1st Tuesday, 4 p.m., TSI D Of fice. 5 41-5 49 -8 815 VF W Po st 813 8 and A merican Legion Post 8 6 1st Wednesday of the mont h, 6:3 0 p.m., M ain Church Building Sisters Community Church. 8 47-344 -0 49 8

Sisters Area Woodworkers Held the f irst Tuesday of t he month 7 to 9 p.m. Call 541-231-18 97

SCHOOLS

Black Bu tt e School Boa rd of Directors 2nd Tuesday, 3:4 5 p.m.,

Black Butte School. 5 41-595 -6203

Sisters School District Board of Directors O ne Wednesday m onthly, Sisters School District Administr ation Building. See schedule online at www.ssd 6.org. 5 41-5 49 -8 521 x5 002.

young age.

“When I met one of my best friends in high school, he was a banjo player, and that’s when I got hooked in wanting to learn guitar and got interested in bluegrass,” said Stickley.

Stickley first joined a bluegrass band in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, when he was in college in 2000. The band played bars and small venues around North Carolina.

“Seeing the community

CIT Y & PARKS

Sisters Ci ty Council 2nd & 4t h

Wednesday, 6:3 0 p.m., Siste rs City Hall. 5 41-5 49 -6 022.

Sisters Park & Recreation District

Board of Dire ctor s 2nd & 4th Tues., 4:30 p.m., SPR D bldg. 5 41-5 49 -2091.

Sisters Pl anning Commission

3rd Thursday, 5:3 0 p.m., Siste rs City Hall. 5 41-5 49 -6 022.

FIRE & POLICE

Black Bu tt e Ranch Polic e Dept

Board of Dire ctor s M eets monthly 541- 59 5-2191 for time & date

Black Bu tt e Ranch R FPD Board of Directors 4th Thurs., 9 a.m., BB R Fire Station. 5 41-595 -2 28 8

Cloverdale R FPD Board of Directors

3rd Wed., 5:3 0 p.m., 6743 3 Cloverdale Rd. 5 41-5 48 -4 815. c loverdalef ire.com.

Sister s- Camp She rman R FPD Board of Dire ctor s 3rd Tuesday, 5 p.m., Siste rs Fire Hall, 5 41-5 49 -0771.

Sister s- Camp She rman R FPD Drills

Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Siste rs Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 5 41-5 49 -0771.

This listing is for regular Sist ers Countr y meetings; email infor mation to nugget@ nuggetnews.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Corb Lund will throw a wide musical loop at Big Ponderoo.

in Chief

Continued from page 1

other code violations. Every complaint is treated seriously, thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action is taken. The code compliance program strives to create a safer and more resilient city through proactive efforts and citizen engagement.”

Smith and Woodford updated Council on what types of violations they’ve seen, and how they are working with citizens to enforce the code on properties.

The program started with looking at fire safety and ADA accommodation for vegetation and overgrowth on sidewalks and properties.

Since April 2022, when his term began, Smith has reviewed data on code violations. Seventy-one percent of the violations he’s seen are categorized as “nuisances,” which include overgrown vegetation, accumulation of debris, trees hanging too low, junk vehicles on the property, etc. Other violations included design standards, such as signage design, dark skies, and zoning violations. Business licensing and streets and sidewalks contributed only 2 percent of the violations.

“I’ve found the Sisters community is very aware of dark-sky issues. I’ve seen more complaints about that than other areas,” said Smith.

The code compliance

officer meets with Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) once a month and they work together on resolving issues. Smith sees complaints on parking, which DCSO will respond to. They also help handle such issues as noise and dogat-large complaints.

One of the primary purposes of the code compliance program is to have citizens voluntarily correct their violations without using any enforcement mechanism. To achieve this, code compliance utilizes numerous notices sent to the property owner or persons responsible for the violation. Smith has achieved 93 percent voluntary compliance.

“When coming into a city that didn’t have a city code enforcement program, there are a lot of things we have to look at to enforce the code and how we can do that,” said Smith.

According to Woodford and Smith: “During the first year of the code compliance program, there have been multiple code changes spearheaded by the code enforcement officer to improve the function, effectiveness, and scale of the program. One includes administrative infraction (which) allows for administrative infractions to be issued from start to finish with all oversites by the City. Before this change, citations would be processed through the Justice Court. An administrative infraction code allows the City more opportunities to be involved with obtaining voluntary compliance and leveraging citations as a tool.”

Scholarships aid Sisters grads

By Olivia Nieto Correspondent

As the school year comes to an end, so does time for the graduating seniors of 2023 to attend Sisters High School. After going through COVID-19, distance learning, and hybrid classes, these students are well equipped for facing future adversities.

This year, there are about 89 graduating seniors, each with their own ambitions for the future. Around 51 of these students college tuition were supported by the scholarships distributed through the nonprofit organization, SistersGRO.

This year they’ve distributed over $275,800 in scholarship money to local Sisters students, and over a hundred scholarships.

The program is currently under supervision by Laura Kloss. She is the program director and singular employee, aided by the volunteer GRO Board.

“I chose this job because I was excited about the opportunity to engage with a local nonprofit that does such rewarding work for the young adults in our community,” says Kloss.

Cadence Dahl and Olivia Kennedy are two of the students who received scholarships and used the aid to help fund their futures.

“College is really expensive, so I’m grateful for all the help I was given,” said Dahl, who was awarded the SistersGRO Pegasus Scholarship. Cadence is

planning on using this money to attend COCC.

“The money I got just helps to push me towards my dreams,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy was the recipient

of both the Faceout Studio Creative Impact Award, and the Sisters High School Visual Arts Scholarship. She plans on attending two years of trade school before attending university in Italy.

The students attended their graduation on Friday, June 8. Although they may have parted from Sisters High School, they will continue to carry the lessons they learned in the Outlaw community with them for the rest of their lives.

Laura Kloss leads Sisters Graduate Resource Organization, which distributed over $275,800 in scholarship funds to graduating seniors.

PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK

College is really expensive, so I’m grateful for all the help I was given.

— Cadence Dahl

Artwalk and Big Ponderoo Arts Experience

By Helen Schmidling Correspondent

Sisters Arts Association will partner with the Sisters Folk Festival’s Big Ponderoo for the Fourth Friday Artwalk. Many of the galleries will feature live music from 4:30 to 6 p.m. You can also pick up a Ponderoo Passport for a chance to receive a fused glass gift at the Big Ponderoo Arts Experience at Sisters Art Works, 204 W. Adams Ave. from 6 to 8 p.m.

Remember to register for Quick Draw, for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, good in any participating gallery, thanks to a generous gift from Coldwell Banker Bain of Sisters.

Toriizaka Art is thrilled to have Lawrence Stoller’s work back in the gallery. His spectacularly carved crystals are presented on one-of-akind bronze bases designed to bring out the best in each stone while each being its own piece of art. Stoller’s work represents great artistic vision coupled with exquisite craftsmanship. Also featured is the artwork of Phuong Quoc Tri, an artist

from Saigon, Vietnam. Tri grew up in a very large family, the oldest of 12 children. At an early age, he moved to Saigon and started working odd jobs to help support his family. He had very limited formal education, but his heart yearned for a way to express his thoughts and emotions. He sculpted expressionist pieces from clay and painted figurative works to help deal with bouts of intense depression and isolation. Due to his lack of formal education, he was not exposed to other artists who could help him channel his creative talents. Ultimately, he had the courage to introduce himself to a patron of the arts and the rest is history. His expressive figurative works can now be found in collections around the world.

The Rickards Gallery features the basketry of Leslee Burtt and Chris Warren for the Artwalk and the “Meet the Maker” dinner on Thursday, June 22. Burtt studied art and taught high school before concentrating on her own vision as an artist. When Warren took classes at a local arts center, she discovered she was hooked on basketry. Both award-winning artists are members of the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild, and Lake Oswego Crafts and Arts League, and their work is featured in the Lark Press book, 500 Baskets.

Raven Makes Gallery highlights Tsimshian David Boxley’s body of work. Spanning over 40 years, it is a testament to an artist committed to sharing, teaching, and mentoring. A master carver, Boxley’s

body of work ensures the continuation and survival of ceremony, history and art of Coastal Peoples. His pieces are held worldwide in collections both private and public.

The Campbell Gallery shows work by Raina Verhey, a Central Oregon oil painter, who works in abstract themes of landscape and textured movement. Self-taught since 2018, Raina began in watercolor and slowly transformed to using charcoal and acrylic. Casually coined as “emotional impressionism,” Verhey’s thick impasto inspires feelings of resilience, tenacity, and comfort.

Sisters Gallery & Frame highlights the delicate and colorful tissue paper collage of Linda Wolff. She created this unique process 11 years ago as a way to replace six months of dahlia gardening when she moved to Sisters from Port Townsend, Washington, and discovered that the deer feasted on her flowers like they were their own private smorgasbord! She welcomes the open-ended creativity of the medium – not knowing how the piece will evolve as light rises and sets on the canvas.

Hood Avenue Art’s featured works are by Alisa Looney, Ruth Carroll, and Kathleen Keliher. Looney fuses kiln-fired layers of enamel to steel sculptures, panels, and jewelry. She will demonstrate her enameling process during the Artwalk. Carroll earned a BFA in drawing in 1987, believing that a strong foundation in drawing is essential to painting well. Since 2009, she has focused on landscapes in

oils. Keliher works in pastels and oils, focusing on plein air in the summer and retreating to her studio for winter.

Space in Common features oil paintings by Taylor Manoles of Bend. She studied art and education and taught middle school art, before focusing on her own artwork, which explores themes of faith and the human experience through contemporary landscapes. Painting is a cathartic practice and how she

commemorates the goodness in the world around her.

Stitchin’ Post features the works of Valori and Jean Wells. Their recurring themes have to do with natural configurations: rocks, trees, grasses, flowers, and the land, as well as travel. Printmaking is Valori’s passion! She enjoys the entire process from sketching images to carving the blocks and printing them on fabric. Her mother, Jean, is a contemporary quilt maker known for teaching as well as her art. Central Oregon’s natural beauty is constant inspiration as they work intuitively in their chosen field.

Wildflower Studio is showing giclee art prints by Norma Holmes and Kathy Deggendorfer. Both are local painters. Holmes has released a book mapping eastern Oregon destinations through painted images. Deggendorfer’s vivid watercolors show the beauty of color and pattern in the central Oregon landscape.

“Portrait of a Woman” by Phuong Quoc Tri at Toriizaka Art.

PHOTO PROVIDED

“Ink-Stone” by Jean Wells at Stitchin’ Post.

PHOTO PROVIDED

“Steelhead Falls” is part of a collection by Ruth Caroll, one of three featured artists at Hood Avenue Art.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Digging into an American tragedy

By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief

The first of Jeff Guin’s books that I discovered was “The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the OK Corral and How It Changed the American West.” It’s an outstanding read; Guinn takes a story you think you know and digs in past the crust of myth to find the pure ore.

In recent years, Guinn has turned to crime. He brought a sharp journalist’s eye to the biography of Charles Manson. I would not have thought any time spent in the company of that sordid little con man would be time well spent — but it is. That’s because all of Guinn’s work holds up a mirror to America — a clear mirror, not one distorted by an agenda.

Guinn’s most recent work is “Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and a Legacy of Rage.” The book published for the 30th anniversary of the seminal 51-day siege of the Mount Carmel settlement of the religious sect, which ended in a horrific fire that took 76 lives, 23 of them children.

The recognition that a clear picture is very difficult to achieve in an incident of great complexity and conflicting interpretations of actions and motives is made clear in the epigraph he chose for the work: “A fog of crosscutting motives and narratives, a complexity that defies storybook simplicity, that is usually the way history happens.” — Rick Perlstein, “The Invisible Bridge.”

Guinn interviewed everybody he could connect with to craft a careful narrative that is probably as complete and accurate as we’re going to get. He plays fair with the point of view of everyone from surviving Davidians to ATF and FBI agents — but without falling into the trap of sympathetic identification with a particular point of view. Where definitive judgments are impossible, Guinn lays out the possibilities and probabilities and offers judicious assessments.

The book doesn’t just detail the events of the siege — Guinn spins out the strange history of the Davidians, which dates back well before Vernon Howell, who became Davis Koresh, was born.

What happened in Waco continues to echo. It’s an important story, and Guinn has told it as well as it can be done.

Roundabout SISTERS

Bill Bartlett Columnist

All the Pretty Horses

Cormac McCarthy died last week. At 89. Peacefully, in his home in Santa Fe. He has been flogged and revered by critics over his long career. Many find his works to be disturbing, brutal. Indeed they are often blood-soaked and violent tellings of hard lives lived by hard men. “No Country for Old Men” is of prime example.

That novel, one of 12 he authored, was somewhat poorly received, although the film version was wildly successful earning four Academy Awards including Best Picture. He is probably best known for his post-apocalyptic novel “The Road.” Published in 2006, “The Road” is a bleak and haunting fable about a father and young son journeying through a ravaged landscape eradicated of civilization and

most life on Earth.

“The Road” garnered a Pulitzer. McCarthy’s first widespread success was “All the Pretty Horses” (1992), for which he was awarded both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

I’m pretty sure he would eschew the idea that he had a genre. The publishing world likes putting authors into neat, tidy boxes. It’s easier to sell books that way. Southern gothic. Western. Postapocalyptic. That’s where they’ve put him. But looking at his entire body of work, you really can’t pigeonhole him.

It seems safe to say who influenced him the most. He told Oprah Winfrey in one of his rare interviews that William Faulkner and Herman Melville were the two strongest influences in his writing. He specifically cites “Moby Dick” as having a profound impact on him as a young reader. I’m guessing James Joyce, Mark Twain and Flannery O’Connor could also be found in his bookshelf.

I never got the Faulkner connection. Faulkner often wrote in complex, extended sentences. McCarthy wrote in a terse, simple style, sparse with words. Except when he didn’t. The opening sentence to “All the Pretty Horses” is 89 words long. The opening to “Blood Meridian”: three words.

A quick check at

Deschutes County Library tells me that word of McCarthy’s death has caused a mild stampede for his works. The system has 15 of his books in printed form, 12 as e-books and seven downloadable audiobooks plus five actual audiobooks. Of the printed ones, get in line. Especially for his two most recent from last year: “The Passenger” and “Stella Maris,” his first works of fiction in 16 years.

As an old advertising guy where no superfluous words were ever allowed given the cost of a 30-second commercial or a full-page ad in Time or Life, McCarthy was a copywriter’s maven. He certainly inspired me from the time I read “All the Pretty Horses” until I saw “No Country for Old Men” on the silver screen — not once but three times.

Were he reading this he’d have given up in utter despair by now. “Have you learned nothing, Bartlett? Already you have used quotation marks and parentheses. And that damned colon. At least you have not used a semicolon.”

In a discussion of punctuation, McCarthy stressed that his minimalist approach works in the interest of maximum clarity. He referenced Joyce. “James Joyce is a good model for punctuation. He keeps it to an absolute minimum. There’s no reason to blot the page up with weird little marks. I mean, if you

write properly you shouldn’t have to punctuate.”

I won’t miss McCarthy. Books are forever. I can bring him back to life just by turning the pages. Nor will he be forgotten. Any more than a dozen other American literary icons. I’m pleased to learn that there is still debate at what grade high school lit teachers are taking up McCarthy. That he is still in the syllabus is good enough for me.

That he chose to finish his life in Santa Fe is another kinship. It ranks on the top five of my favorite cities. When I next return I will scurry over to the Santa Fe Institute where McCarthy was a trustee and Life Fellow.

Meanwhile, it’s a safe bet I reckon that a good number of Sisters Country folk will be dusting off copies of McCarthy’s books as they honor his passing.

• He stood at the window of the empty cafe and watched the activities in the square and he said that it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they’d have no heart to start at all.

• I knew that what I was seeking to discover was a thing I’d always known. That all courage was a form of constancy. That it was always himself that the coward abandoned first. After this all other betrayals came easily.

• Cormac McCarthy –“All The Pretty Horses”

Continued

4.4. Additional information submitted into the record after the issuance of the staff report may result in a different recommendation by staff.

More than 70 people filled Council chambers with standing room only, and more people gathered in the conference room. After four hours and 15 minutes, the commissioners agreed to continue the hearing to Thursday, July 13, 5:30 p.m., at City Hall. The record was left open so the public can continue to send written comments to Matthew Martin at the City (mmartin@ ci.sisters.or.us) and may testify at the July 13 hearing.

The proposal concerns the 35,541-square-foot property composed of two lots on the corner of West Cascade Avenue and South Pine Street. The plan calls for a fuel island with 16 fuel points under a 4,300-square-foot canopy, a 3,500-square-foot convenience market, and other improvements, including vehicle parking, pedestrian paths, landscaping, and a trash enclosure. The current three access points to Pine Street would be reduced to two.

The prominent relevant issues within the Development Code that staff used to make their recommendation had to do with the Western design theme, outdoor lighting, and Sisters’ dark skies ordinance, traffic impacts, and compatibility.

Staff said that the application did not meet the compatibility requirements because the new station would be too large, the scale not consistent with the smaller surrounding businesses and residential lots, and the design is not

consistent with the smalltown character of Sisters. The number of pumps and the size of the fuel island canopy are too large.

There were points of disagreement between the City and paid consultants for Jim Pliska, the Space Age owner. Even though the capacity of the Highway 20/Pine intersection is already exceeded under 2024 traffic conditions, Mike Ard, Pliska’s traffic engineer, believes the completion of the Highway 20/Locust roundabout will result in all intersections operating acceptably.

He also recommended that Highway 20 access to the station be maintained with restricted right-in/right-out ingress/egress.

There was a difference of opinion regarding the need for issuance by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) of a new approach permit before the Planning Commission makes their decision. It is in process, but not yet approved.

The conditional-use criteria applied by the City require that the location, size, design, and operating characteristics of the proposed use will be compatible with, and will not have significant adverse effects on, the appropriate development and uses of abutting properties and the surrounding neighborhood.

The factors considered by City staff in recommending the Planning Commission deny the Space Age application included: generation of traffic and capacity of streets; civic facilities and utilities available; scale, bulk, coverage, and density; desirable neighborhood characteristics and livability; and any other relevant impact of the development.

Pliska’s team indicated that they only received the City’s concerns one week in advance of the hearing.

The application had not been deemed complete until several weeks ago. They also said they have not received any direction from the City as to what size structure and number of pumps would be acceptable.

Another point of contention had to do with Ordinance 497 passed by the City Council in 2019 regarding service stations in the downtown commercial (DC) district. Prior to 2019, service stations were a nonconforming use in the DC zone and couldn’t be improved. The Planning Commission had discussed in 2018 the need to allow existing gas stations to renovate or remodel their property to maintain a good appearance, when Pliska indicated his desire to do so.

However, when the City Council approved Ordinance 497 on July 24, 2019, it was a large document including detailed comprehensive amendments to the Development Code regarding accessory dwelling units, public art, childcare centers, short-term rentals, electric vehicle charging stations, urban area reserves, subdivision phasing, service stations, and more. The question is whether Pliska’s plan to tear down the old station and build a much larger new one

fits within the parameters of remodel and update.

Numerous citizens testified at the hearing, all but one opposed to the new Space Age station. Opposition cited a variety of reasons, most having to do with traffic concerns and scale of the project. One resident outlined how the proposed Space Age was not compatible with the Comprehensive Plan in terms of promoting livability, expanded modes of transportation including increased pedestrian and bike use, promoting energy efficiency, protecting the environment, and encouraging pedestrian-scale development.

Pliska’s attorney Michael Connors and traffic engineer Ard both pointed out that comprehensive plans are goals and policies for the City, but codes are standards implementing those goals and policies. In their minds, traffic is a policy-related issue not determining code adherence. Ard warned that if the Space Age application is denied, that will cause Pliska to be disincentivized from making any improvements to the station, leaving it to deteriorate.

A testifying resident closed by saying it appeared that, if the new station were approved, it would be “privatizing the benefits (for Pliska)

and socializing the cost (for the residents).”

Attorney Connors contended that the new construction would provide many improvements that would outweigh the impact on the community. There would be better amenities, two ADA bathrooms, more goods and services in the convenience store, replacement of the old fuel infrastructure with two double-wall state of the art 30,000-gallon tanks and new fuel lines, future EV charging stations, increased fuel tax revenues for the City, and additional system development charges (SDC) for the City.

Pliska told the Planning Commission he is “trying to be a good neighbor by doing what is good for Sisters and for us.”

His representatives contended that 16 fueling points will ensure that no one will have to wait in a line to gas up. They said the station would not be the biggest structure in square footage in the city. They asked the City to tell them what size would be approved.

Planning Commission

Chair Jeff Seymour noted that in his 10 years on the commission, this is the first recommendation for denial of an application by staff.

truck stop, it is a destination family resort venue.

We really have no need for a metropolitan style gas stop at the entrance to Sisters. This eyesore will destroy the very reason tourists come to the area. A country-style customized mom-anddad traditional commercial stop will attract more visitors. Sisters is a young person’s playground and a elder’s paradise; please keep it that way. The flower shop and vegetable stand are useful, utilized, and economically viable.

A clear and present danger to the ambiance of Sisters is the continued intrusion of non-traditional buildings. The atmosphere of intrinsic affection will be torn from our hands by businesses that fail to adhere to regional structural guidelines or leisurely enjoyment. Recognizing and adding to a rural foundation of financial success will insure that Sisters follow its own previously mandated success recipe: quaint, traditional, attracts parents and kids, and elicits from visitors the beauties of a small town in a traditional setting located in Central Oregon.

Art Mitchell

s s s

Thanks for voting

To the Editor:

A huge shout-out and thank-you! to all of my supporters and volunteers for aiding me in my bid for Sisters School Board. Every new endeavor requires skills and talents that are untested, and we learn as we go. I learned a lot and met many wonderful folks!

Thank you to every single person who voted!

Many of you feel that your vote doesn’t count. Others feel that the voter rolls, voting machines and mail-in voting lessens their voting power, and it might, but keep voting until we can be sure that our votes count 100 percent. And they will, eventually.

Again, thanks to the community of Sisters for sending in those ballots and being counted.

Jayne Simmons

s s s

Honoring John Leavitt

To the Editor:

This year’s Rodeo Parade and Rodeo featured a tribute to John Leavitt. All of the accolades were warranted and lovely. The newly named “John Leavitt Memorial Arena” truly fitting.

John certainly was a mainstay of Sisters’ business, charities, and rodeo community over the

years. I had the great pleasure to call John a dear friend over our three decades of friendship and working relationship. It was, in fact, an unlikely friendship. He the staunch Republican, me the flaming liberal! The wonderful thing about our years of friendship was our ability to kid each other, laugh about our differences, and really listen as we discussed issues important to us. What we found is that even though our political and religious affiliations were different, we saw the world in much the same way. We always wanted to treat people with respect and compassion. We wanted to leave the world a better place for our having been here. I loved the fact we could “agree to disagree” and still respect and love each other.

My mom was a lifelong Democrat, my dad a die-hard Republican. Yet they enjoyed a wonderful, supportive, and loving 65 years of marriage. It saddens me that our country has become so divided, our interactions so divisive, and our stances so hardened that we can no longer even talk to one another.

Part of my sadness at John’s passing is that our type of friendship seems almost out of reach in our country today. As a tribute to John, I pledge to be more open to listening, less judgmental of those with differing beliefs, and more focused on what values we share.

I will always remember and miss the gentleman cowboy, John Leavitt!

Barbara Secrest

of the agency that regulates insurance companies in Oregon about this issue and asked whether the State was considering stepping in to provide some sort of coverage in the absence of reasonable coverage from insurers. At that time, I was informed that the State was not considering such an approach but would instead let “the market” work to determine where people could obtain coverage, and at what cost.

In California, there is a program developed by the state under the F.A.I.R. Act to provide insurance for homes damaged or lost by fire, smoke, lightning, etc. This insurance does not cover other casualties typically covered by home insurance. The ability to obtain and keep home insurance at a reasonable cost is a fundamental requirement for an economically sustainable community. Without it, lenders will not provide financing for homes or businesses, and losing coverage is an event of default under most, if not all mortgages. At some point, we may need state or federal involvement to make sure we can insure our homes and businesses at a reasonable cost. We may not be at that point yet, and hopefully we won’t ever get there, but let’s make sure our elected officials have the facts.

David Ellis

s s s Insurance

To the Editor:

I have recently been in touch with our Sisters elected representative to the State Legislature, Emerson Levy, regarding concerns about increasing costs, or the lack of availability of home insurance in Sisters Country. Emerson expressed concern about this issue and would welcome contact from anyone experiencing rapidly escalating costs for home insurance or the inability to obtain home insurance in Sisters Country due to fire risk. Please, if you are in this situation let Emerson know.

Here is her email address: rep.emersonlevy@ oregonlegislature.gov.

My concerns were partially a result of Bill Bartlett’s Nugget article from May 9, 2023. I had also recently seen an article (I believe in the NY Times ) describing how State Farm had decided to to stop writing home insurance policies in California because of fire risk, the second big insurer to make that decision in as many years. Also, about a year ago I spoke to a representative

s s s

No to gas station

To the Editor:

I am a two-year resident of Sisters Country and have totally embraced this community with much joy. I enjoy the scenery, community events, the diversity of opinions, the access to basic services, access to nature and fishing, small-town atmosphere, and am recipient of an awesome local newspaper.

I own a business in Portland that requires me to travel there once a week.

I have seen new and older Space Age gas stations in the Portland area, and I am not impressed. One of their newest sites is just west of downtown Sandy and gives you an immediate sense of how their proposal in Sisters is really out of scale at the gateway location of downtown Sisters.

The second Space Age station site I have observed is on NE Stark and it looks totally unkempt and un-maintained from an appearance perspective. Do not be fooled by promises that this development will be an improvement in Sister’s identity. It will detract from Sisters being the “gateway” to Central Oregon with a truck stop. Move this development to Barclay where it will meet other community goals.

Mike Faha

Offering an evening of gratitude

Paulina Springs Books presents an evening of gratitude with author/photographer Eric Alan weaving inspirational stories and photographs from his new book “Grateful by Nature.” The event will take place on Thursday, June 29, 6:30 p.m. at Paulina Springs Books, 252 W. Hood Ave. in Sisters. The event is free, and all are welcome.

Eric Alan’s “Grateful by Nature” offers gratitude as our shared path home, within a return to nature. Through poetic stories and vivid photographs, the book’s mindful walk through five seasons in the Oregon backwoods outlines gratitude as a devoted practice. It guides gratitude into daily action, able to transform our most painful challenges into healing and compassion.

The stories and images in “Grateful by Nature” include many from the region in and around Sisters, including Sisters Folk Festival (where Eric Alan has frequently served as an emcee), the Metolius River, Clear Lake, and other places of natural refuge.

Through the meditations, workshops, and music arising from within it, “Grateful by Nature” is evolving into the centerpiece of inspired, shared experiences of gratitude that cross senses and forms. For the past eight years, Eric Alan has collaborated on multimedia community gratitude gatherings called “The Nature of Gratitude,” which merge live music, spoken word, photography, art, and community service. (See www.nature ofgratitude.com.) Many of the stories and images in the book have also found a home

in his work with National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones, in their shared project called “Celebrate What’s Right with the World.”

“Grateful by Nature” is Eric Alan’s fourth published book, and the third to integrate his nature photography with his insightful and poetic prose. His previous photographic books include “Wild Grace: Nature as a Spiritual Path,” and “Grace and Tranquility.” Those two books gave rise to a companion album, also called “Grace and Tranquility,” merging Eric Alan’s lyrics with the music of international recording artists Gypsy Soul. He also cowrote the book “This Is Our Time!” with Major League Baseball author Chris Haft—the inside story of the

wild, improbable 2010 San Francisco Giants and their World Series Championship. More information about Eric Alan can be found at www.ericalan.com.

Continued from page 1

fires for 27 years. In this class there were six personnel getting aerial certification. Two are volunteer firefighters and four are paid. Of the paid this day, three were men and one was a woman. Johnson’s department is 50/50 men/women and is based in Madras.

“We love coming to Sisters. The food’s great and the people couldn’t be nicer, he said.

Their lunch breaks when in Sisters included Ski Inn and Sisters Meat & Smokehouse, where it was quite the scene when their

rigs pulled up and a couple dozen hungry firefighters ordered up.

Fires can burn or smolder for hours, so calling a ladder truck from many miles away is not as improbable in its effectiveness as it may seem. Johnson recalls driving from Madras to John Day, a 145mile drive of over two hours. The local department could fight the perimeter of the fire, but not the center. They needed the ladder to get on top of the center of the blaze.

Miles Borden from Sisters, stopping to take in the action, expressed gratitude for the idea that such support was nearby should we need it.

“It’s very reassuring to know that our neighbors have this kind of equipment,” he said.

Eric Alan will visit Paulina Springs Books.

PHOTO PROVIDED

PHOTO PROVIDED

Walking the ‘write’ path

By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief

Last Saturday, I had the honor of joining my fellow songwriters and musicians Lilli Worona and Mike Biggers in presenting “Songs from the Shelf” for the Deschutes Public Library. We spent an hour at Sisters Fire Hall with a wonderful, engaged audience serving up original songs inspired by books.

We introduced each song with a little exploration of what inspired them, and how we built them: Greek mythology, history, the etymology of common phrases.

I’ve always been lyricdriven. A tune and its instrumentation and arrangement serve as a setting for the words, for the story. The artists I most admire — Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Tom Russell, Corb Lund ( see story, page 3 ), are ace wordsmiths.

Music doesn’t need lyrics to live, and I am moved by instrumental and orchestral music, too. Even so, it tends to end up being a writing tool. I can pretty much guarantee that any piece I create for The Nugget is hammered out to the sounds of Bear McCreary’s “Black Sails” or “Outlander” soundtracks, or Trevor Jones’ epic score for “Last of the Mohicans.”

Writing comes out of reading; the deeper the reading, the better the writing. None of what any of us do is truly original. As Cormac McCarthy said, “The ugly

fact is books are made out of books, the novel depends for its life on the novels that have been written.”

McCarthy, regarded by many as the most important novelist of the late 20th and early 21st century, died last week at 89. He left behind a body of work that will surely be immortal. This edition of The Nugget features two appreciations of McCarthy’s work. That’s no surprise, and no accident. Some of us around here are flat-out intoxicated by his incantatory prose, his evocation of landscape, and his bleak and often violent themes.

I found McCarthy at Paulina Springs Books in 1994. My song “Once We Moved Like the Wind” jumped off the shelf at me in the stacks at the Bend Library, the title of David Roberts excellent book on Cochise, Geronimo, and the Apache Wars. His title — and mine — derived from the Bedonkohe Apache Geronimo’s words upon his surrender to U.S. forces in 1886: “I give myself up to you. Do with me what you please. I surrender. Once I moved about like the wind. Now I surrender to you and that is all.”

We are incalculably fortunate to have an independent bookstore in Sisters that celebrates and nurtures the writing and reading life, and a robust, region-wide library system with staff that would think to put on a program such as “Songs from the Shelf.” Our music

festivals carry the fire of creativity and pass it to coming generations.

I’ve got an obvious interest in saying so, but I think it’s pretty cool to operate a weekly newspaper that gathers together so many voices of so many people who share a love for the craft of writing, and who thrive on telling the stories of our community.

These things aren’t found just anywhere — and they are under threat everywhere.

Part of that is on us. As a society, we don’t read much, anymore. Our attention span has shrunk. We’re told that anything much over 300 words will draw a TLDNR (Too Long, Did Not Read) response. Ugh.

We’re told that people prefer video. I love video, too, but there’s no replicating the depth of experience you get from intensive reading. And, anyway, video attention span has shrunk,

too. Gimme that 90-second Reel…Ugh.

We’ve conditioned ourselves — a couple generations of us, now — to expect to get the content we love for free. That’s not sustainable. Sure, creative people create for the love of it — but we also have to eat and pay the mortgage. If you value content, support it. Moral support is wonderful, and always appreciated, but we need to pay for what we care about it in the coin of the realm. Buy the books, download the music, and buy the CD. Purchase the ticket; subscribe to the Substack; sign up to that artist’s Patreon. Oh yeah, and send a supporting subscription to your newspaper.

Another threat is existential. Artificial intelligence —AI —is not looming on the horizon; it’s here, and it’s challenging the fundamental meaning of creativity. Optimists see all kinds

of opportunities to make creative work easier and more efficient through AI. They’re not entirely wrong. AI —with its blinding speed and reach —opens a lot of possibilities.

Mostly, though, I see a threat to humanity. (Not trying to doom-and-gloom you. Like McCarthy, I am a pessimist — but there’s no reason to be gloomy about it.) The deepest value in a song, in a story, is its heart. AI, no matter how sentient it becomes (or has become) will never have a human heart.

Regardless of what the very near future holds, I — like all the other ink-stained wretches who are addicted to spinning song and story from the raw material of words — will keep banging away. Though it might not be a bad idea to get our plasma rifles in order for the fight against our robot overlords. That’s a pretty good story.

Songs and stories are built from other songs and stories.

LUND: Big Ponderoo is set for this weekend in Sisters

Continued from page 3

state — and the Big Ponderoo festival.

“I’m excited for this festival,” Lund said. “I love Oregon.”

The Big Ponderoo audience is likely to get a preview of some fresh-cut Corb Lund material. He and his band are just coming off the recording of a new, as yet untitled, album. They recorded without a producer, going acoustic in Lund’s living room.

He described the music as “a lot of minor keys and blues, and some gambling songs.”

One candidate for the title cut is a tribute to the legendary Canadian songwriter Ian Tyson, who died last December at the age of 89. Tyson made two appearances at the Sisters Folk Festival. Lund and Tyson were friends and musical collaborators, and Lund tips his hat to Tyson in “El Viejo” (The Old One).

Another one that might make the Big Ponderoo set list may be sui generis —“Out on a Win,” a tale of a mixed martial artist who

yearns for one more bout.

“I think I’ve written the first country MMA song,” Lund said.

Some of Corb Lund’s most powerful songs feature lyrics that are almost prayers in honor of the land —“This Is My Prairie,” “Truth Comes Out.” In his heartbreakingly elegiac “Especially a Paint,” he sings:

Well, I was raised with the West around, enough to hum the tune

But I never knew the place like the old boys did, Chinooked and Mountain Viewed

’Cause this was all a cathedral then, and the cowboys, they all knew

That you can’t keep a loop on paradise, but she disappeared so soon

She disappeared so soon

Love for the land — and the imperative to protect it — has, in recent years, led Lund into a fight that pushed back an Australian company’s coal mining project on the east slope of the Alberta Rockies.

The ardently nonpartisan Lund — who says, “I have no political dog in the fight at all” — is adamant that he is not against resource extraction across the board, and isn’t telling anybody anywhere else in the world what they ought or ought not do.

July 4 celebration includes run

By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent

The Sisters Eagle Airport will continue its unique Fourth of July tradition this year at the 10th Annual Rumble on the Runway with a variety of events for all ages.

The day begins early Monday, July 4 with the Sisters Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast at 7 a.m., which is offered as a suggested $10 donation.

Registration for the Rumble on the Runway 5-kilometer run and walk also opens at 7 a.m. and the race itself commences at 8 a.m. with the “Plane vs. Hot Rod” challenge as the starting gun.

All registration for the 5K will be done in person with a cost of $20 per person or $40 for a family. All proceeds benefit the Sisters High School crosscountry team this year.

The event also features a car show, helicopter rides by Leading Edge, Gyro Tom Aerobatic Rides, the Great Rubber Chicken Drop, a skydive flag presentation, an emergency medical service exhibit including AirLink, and a 50/50 raffle.

Pets are not allowed and parking will be across the street adjacent to the airport site.

For more information, visit sistersairport.com/events/.

His fight is a specific one, protecting his own heartland.

“I was reluctantly dragged into it, because some friends had some generational ranches that were going to be destroyed,” he said. “It was actually in my backyard, and it threatened the water that I drink, that my friends drink, that our cattle drink…

“Every project has to be looked at on its own merits — and this one was really stupid.”

Like his music, the coal mining battle brought together a diverse, grassroots coalition of environmentalists and ranchers who all had an interest in protecting the land and water. The broad, grassroots nature of the opposition got the attention of the Canadian government, and while the fight’s not over, the project has been kept at bay.

Next weekend, the singer-songwriter and band leader will saddle up for Big Ponderoo, throwing a wide loop both culturally and musically in a town that knows what that song means now.

Corb Lund will play the Three Creeks Brewing Co. stage at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 25. For tickets and information, visit www. bigponderoo.com.

Obituary

Steven Edward Little

April 9, 1953 – May 27, 2023

Steve passed away from natural causes suddenly, and peacefully, at home on Saturday, May 27.

He was born in Concord, California to parents Floyd Edward Little and Wanda (Nason) Little. He graduated from Clayton Valley High School in Concord and went on to complete an apprenticeship with the Steamfitters Northern California Pipe Trades from 1974 to 1979. He was a pipefitter and welder, and member of Union Local 342 for 49 years.

Steve married his wife, Gail, in 1982 and had two children, Melissa and Scott.

In the spring of 1996, the family relocated to Sisters, where he loved living on the family property.

Steve loved riding his Harley and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was very handy and could fix just about anything. He was great with pets, and had many fond memories of his former pets, German

Shorthair, Otto, and great horned owl, Leroy. He had a quick wit, and great sense of humor that will be missed.

Steve is survived by his wife, Gail, daughter Melissa (Little) Clark (Alex), Scott Edward Little (Taelor), and six grandchildren, Rosalie Little, Summer Clark, Calvin Edward Little, Lily Clark, Georgia Little, and James Little. His sisters, Julie Vernes (Jim), and Nancy Davis (Jim).

A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Judith Dillewaard

A NNOUNCEMENT S

American Legion and VFW

Meeting s are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Sisters Community Church, 130 0 McKenzie Hwy. All members invited to attend . Call Charles Wilson, 847-344-0498.

Deschutes Public Librar y Is

Seeking New Art

New construction and upgrades to our Deschutes Count y libraries have created an oppor tunity for our Deschutes Libraries to expand their art collections . e Art

Saturday, June 24 • 11 a .m. Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration A reception will

Sisters Far mers Market

Seek s Volunteers

Sisters Farmers Market is looking for Market Day helpers

Volunteers assist with market set-up and breakdown, sta the information booth, and help with a variet y of other tasks.

Volunteering at the Market is a great way to meet your local growers and makers , plus receive $10 worth of f resh veggies from Seed to Table’s booth on volunteer days . To learn more, call 541-904-1034 or email sistersfarmersmarket@gmail com. Sisters Farmers Market is open ever y Sunday, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. now through September

Sisters Careg iver Support

A f acilitated support group for caregivers of those with chronic or life-shor tening diseases meet s 10 to 11:30 a .m. on the third Tuesday of ever y month at Sisters Episcopal Church of e Transfiguration, 121 Brook s Camp Rd . For more information, contact Kay at 541-719-0 031.

Weekly Food Pantry

e Wellhouse Church hosts a weekly food pantr y ursdays at 3 p.m. at 222 N . Trinit y Way Both drive-through pick-up and shopping-st yle distribution are available. Call 541-549-4184 for information.

Free Lunches for Seniors

For those 60+, the Council on Aging of Central Oregon o ers a f un, no-cost social lunch every Tuesday, 11 a .m. to 1 p.m. at Sisters Community Church, 130 0 McKenzie Hwy. No reser vations needed. No-cost Grab-N- Go lunches take place weekly on Wed . and urs ., f rom 12:30 to 1 p.m. Call 541-797-9367.

Free Weekly Meal Service

Family Kitchen hosts weekly togo hot meals on Tuesdays , 4:30 to 6 p.m. Sisters Community Church, 130 0 McKenzie Hwy Visit www.FamilyKitchen.org.

Save the Rubberbands

Business owners: Are you the recipient of a bundle of Nug gets each week? ose f at rubberbands are highly valued by the Nug geteers that bundle your papers each week . If you can save them, we’d love to use them again. Questions? Call 541549-9941

Committee seeks art in all media and genres: this can include painting , printmaking , sculpture, glass , fiber, f unctional, digital, photography, installation, mixe d-media, and new media genres . Applications from artists will be accepted through the CaFÉ website. Visit https:// artist.callforentr y.org/festival s_ unique_info.php?ID =116 44 Send direct questions to: DPL art.committee@gmail.com

Volunteer with Sisters

Habitat for Humanity

Have f un, make new f riends, and be an active part of an amazing organiz ation! Volunteer positions are waiting for you at the rif t Store, ReStore, and on the construction team. Attend a one-hour volunteer orientation work shop to get started . New volunteer orientations are 12 p.m . Tues., Wed ., and urs . at the Habit at o ces . Call 541-5491193 or visit sistershabitat.org/ volunteer.

Celebr ate Summer with the Library

It’ s not too late to join a summer of reading , exploring , and earning great prizes at the Sisters librar y! All ages can participate. ere will be f un giveaways and the chance to win some amazing prizes. Grand prizes include puppets , books , LEGO® kits for kids , with gif t cards and a library-themed Hydro Flask® for teens and adult s . For more information and to sign up, drop by Sisters library, 110 N Cedar St., or visit the librar y website: www deschuteslibrary.org/summer.

Etched on Stone Workshop

Artist John Vale f rom Copper Moon Artisan will be holding a work shop July 15 at the Sisters librar y f rom 4 to 7 p.m. to teach others how to create an etched stone masterpiece of their own. He will provide all needed supplies and will assist ever yone in making their own creations . On the following Saturday, completed pie ces will be available to pickup, or John can ship your art work to you for a fee. John has owned t wo gallerie s and loves to help others create art. You are encouraged to bring a simple image around 10x10 in size, but a collection of images you can use will also be on hand if needed. Cont act coppermoonar tisan. net to receive a registration form. Snack s and water will be provided . Bring your friends!

Housing Work s Board Meeting on June 28

Meeting s are held the 4th Wed of the month f rom 3 to 5 p.m. at Housing Work s in Redmond, 405 SW 6th St, or virtually on Zoom: Meeting ID: 852 4510 89 05; Phone: 6 69-9 00-6833; Passcode: 552445; Zoom Link: bit.ly/HousingWorksZoom.

TTY: 1-8 00 -244-1111. For more information, call 541-923-1018.

Bees & Brews

Calling all Sisters Country beekeepers and those intrigued by the beekeeping hobby. Let’s gather to swap tales , share tips, troubleshoot woes, and celebrate successes . ursday, June 22, at 5 p.m. at e Barn, 171 E . Main Ave. Call Clyde 541549- 0998

Sisters Museum Volunteers e ree Sisters Historical Society’s Sisters Museum team is seeking volunteers with an interest in local history. If you like meeting new people and supporting a nonprofit, call 541549-14 03 or email volunteer@ threesistershistoricalsociety.org

STAR S Seek s Volunteers to Transpor t Patients

By volunteering to drive for STAR S , you can help Sisters Countr y residents get to nonemergenc y medical appointments in Sisters , Redmond , and Bend . is position has a f ree t wo-hour training and includes a mileage reimbursement. Emails f rom STAR S dispatchers allow you to accept dates and times that work for your schedule ! Learn more about STAR S at www starsride.org or call 541-9 04-5545

STAR S Seek s Volunteers for Dispatch Ser vice

Help STAR S transport

Sisters Countr y residents to nonemergenc y medical appointments while working from your home. You will need a computer, the abilit y to use online applic ations , and a telephone. Call 541-9 04-5545

Community Lec ture Series

“What about water? ” is lecture will provide diverse perspectives and insight s into reclaiming water, traditional foods , and will also address marine debris . Attendees gain knowledge about sustainable groundwater management, tribal histor y and traditions , and the power of art in fostering positive change. Speakers include: Dr. Sasidharan, assistant professor and sustainable groundwater management engineer at Oregon State University ; Brigette McCoinville, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs member ; and Emily Jung

Miller, an artist using natural and reclaimed marine materials

Event is July 27 f rom 6 to 7:30 p.m . at Paulina Springs Books , 252 W. Hood Ave. Space is limited and prior registration is required . Visit https:// roundhousefoundation.org/ events/registration.

Sisters 4th Friday Art walk is Friday, June 23 f rom, 10 a .m. to 7 p.m. visit the art galleries of Sisters featuring beautiful art, good company. More at https:// www.sistersar tsassociation org/4th-friday-artwalk s.

Your Announcement Here

Schools , churches , nonprofit, recreational and community groups: this is your page to announce your free gatherings and event s! Regularly occurring Sisters Countr y meetings are listed on the Sisters Area Meeting Calendar on page 3 and special event s or featured meeting s can be listed on this page. All submissions are subject to editing and run only as space allows . Send an email to janice@ nug getnews .com or drop o your submission at e Nug get, 442 E . Main Ave. Your text must include a “ for more information” phone number. Deadline is 5 p.m . on Fridays

Free Pet Food

Are you in need of pet food for your dog or cat this month? Call the Furr y Friends pet food bank at 541-797-4 023 to schedule your pickup in Sisters located behind the Nug get Newspaper

PET OF THE WEEK

Humane Societ y of Central Oregon

541-382-3537

Pink y

Meet Pinky! is charmer is a sweet 2-month-old lady looking for a dog bed t o call her own.

She is still full of puppy life and will need exercise, training , and patience in her new home.

If Pinky sounds like your perfect idea of a new bes t friend, come see her today Call or visit HSCO to learn more about Pinky.

— SPONSORED BY —

541-549-2275 • 541-549-8836

SISTER S- ARE A C HURCH ES

Baha’i Faith

For information, devotions, study g roups , etc. , contac t Shauna Rocha 541-6 47-9826 • www.bahai.org • www bahai.us • www.bahaiteaching.org

Wellhouse Churc h 442 Trinit y Way • 541-549-4184 ht tps://wellhousechurch.churchcenter.com

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

e Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration

121 N Brook s Camp Rd. • 541-549-7087

8:30 a .m. Ecumenical Sunday Worship

10 :15 a .m. Episcopal Sunday Worship www.transfiguration-sister s.org

Sisters Church of the N az arene

67130 Har ring ton Loop Rd . • 541-389-8960 www.sistersnaz .org • info@sistersnaz .org

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Sisters Communit y Church (Nondenominational)

130 0 W. McKenzie Hwy. • 541-549-1201

9:30 a .m. Sunday Worship www.sisterschurch.com • info@sisterschurch.com

Chapel in the Pines Camp Sherman • 541-549-9971

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (ELCA) 386 N . Fir Street • 5 41-549-5831

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

www.shepherdof thehillslutheranchurch.com

St . Edward the Mar tyr Roman Catholic Churc h 123 Trinit y Way • 541-549-9391

5:3 0 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass • 9 a .m. Sunday Mass

12 p.m. Monday Mass • 8 a .m. Tuesday-Friday Mass

e Church of Jesus Christ of L at ter-Day Saint s 452 Trinit y Way • Branch President, 541-420 -5670;

10 a .m. Sunday Sac rament Meeting

Calvar y Church 484 W. Washing ton St , Ste. C & D • 541-588-6288

10 a .m. Sunday Worship • www.ccsisters.org

Seventh-Day Adventist Church

386 N . Fir St. • 541-595-6770, 541-306 -8303

11 a .m. S aturday Worship

POLICY: Nonprofits, schools , churches , birth, engagement, wedding , and anniversar y notices may run at no charge. Business items do not run on this page. All submissions subject to editing and run as space allows . Email janice@nug getnews .com or drop o at

follow.

PacifiCorp liable for punitive damages

By Claire Rush and Gene Johnson Associated Press

PORTLAND (AP) — A jury in Oregon says the electric utility PacifiCorp must pay punitive damages for causing devastating wildfires in 2020 — on top of an earlier verdict already expected to amount to billions of dollars.

The decision Wednesday came two days after the jurors found PacifiCorp liable for the fires and said it must pay for damage to property as well as emotional distress. The jury on Monday awarded $73 million to 17 homeowners named as plaintiffs in the case, with damages for a broader class involving the owners of nearly 2,500 other properties to be determined later.

PacifiCorp, owned by billionaire Warren Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based investment conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, said it would appeal.

The Multnomah County Circuit Court jury in Portland found Wednesday that additional damages were warranted to punish the utility’s alleged indifference to the safety of others and to deter such conduct in the future. The jury determined the amount should be one-quarter of whatever is eventually awarded for property damage and emotional distress — meaning the punitive damages could reach hundreds of millions of dollars or more.

The fires over Labor Day weekend in 2020 were among the worst natural disasters in Oregon’s history. They killed nine people, burned more than 1,875 square miles (4,856 square kilometers) and destroyed upward of 5,000 homes and other structures.

The property owners alleged that PacifiCorp negligently failed to shut off power to its 600,000 customers during a windstorm, despite warnings from then-Gov. Kate Brown’s chief of staff and top fire officials, and that its power lines were responsible for multiple blazes.

Doug Dixon, an attorney for the power company, told the jury Tuesday that punitive damages were unwarranted, saying that PacifiCorp “was not indifferent to the threat of wildfire risk, let alone outrageously or consciously so.”

The company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars since the fires to upgrade equipment and expand its weather stations and weather modeling, he said.

Sisters-Area Events & Enter tainment

THURSDAY • JUNE 22

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night

Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dogand family-friendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

FRIDAY • JUNE 23

Downtown Sisters 4th Friday Artwalk 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Galleries and shops feature art and demonstrations. For additional information go to sistersartsassociation.org.

Sisters Art Works The Ponderoo Arts Experience

Live music at Art Walk locations, 4:30-6 p.m. Art activities, 6-8 p.m. Free concert: Never Come Down and Twisted Pine 6:30-8:15 p.m. Info: www.bigponderoo.com.

Sisters Depot Live Music: Vianna-Bergeron

Brazilian Jazz present “A Summer Night in Rio.” 6-8 p.m. Reservations recommended. Info: www.sistersdepot.com/events.

Hardtails Karaoke with KJ Mindy

8 p.m. to 12 a.m. For more information call 541-549-6114.

Sisters Saloon Live Music: Sturtz

6 to 8 p.m. on the patio All ages Free For more information see facebook.com/SistersSaloonAndRanchGrill.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show & Live Music: Mortal Soulstice 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them! For more info call 541-549-2471

SATURDAY, JUNE 24

Sisters Art Works (et. al.) Big Ponderoo 12 to 11 p.m. New festival featuring Americana and bluegrass music on two stages: Sisters Art Works and Three Creeks Brewing production facility. Tickets at www.bigponderoo.com.

SUNDAY • JUNE 25

Sisters Art Works (et. al.) Big Ponderoo 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. New festival featuring Americana and bluegrass music on two stages: Sisters Art Works and Three Creeks Brewing production facility. Tickets at www.bigponderoo.com. Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featuring live music, community booth, vendors, kids activities, and more. For info visit www.sistersfarmersmarket.com.

THURSDAY • JUNE 29

Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Eric Alan presents “Grateful By Nature” at 6:30 p.m. Poetic stories and vivid photographs of the Oregon backwoods outline gratitude as a devoted practice. Info: PaulinaSpringsBooks.com.

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night

Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dogand family-friendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

FRIDAY • JUNE 30

The Belfr y Live Music: Matt the Electrician and Jess Clemons 7 p.m. Seasoned singer-songwriter Matt Sever presents his latest album “We Imagined an Ending.” Jess Clemons opens with her powerhouse vocals. Presented by The Whippoorwill Presents. Tickets, $20, at www.bendticket.com. Hardtails Karaoke with KJ Mindy 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. For more information call 541-549-6114.

Sisters Depot Live Music: Kurt Silva

6-8 p.m. Reservations recommended. Info: www.sistersdepot.com/events.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show & Live Music: Toothpick Shaker 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them! For more info call 541-549-2471

SATURDAY • JULY 1

Sisters Depot Live Music: The Gypsy Travellers 6-8 p.m. A local blues/rock fusion band playing originals and crowd favorites Reservations recommended. Info: www.sistersdepot.com/events.

SUNDAY • JULY 2

Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featuring live music community booth, vendors, kids activities, and more. For info visit www.sistersfarmersmarket.com.

Sisters Saloon Live Music: Eli Howard & The Greater Good 6 to 8 p.m. on the patio All ages Free Information at facebook.com/SistersSaloonAndRanchGrill.

THURSDAY • JULY 6

Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Willa Goodfellow presents “Prozac Monologues” at 6:30 p.m. Raw, vulnerable collection of essays offers a memoir and a self-help guide to folks struggling with mental illness Info: PaulinaSpringsBooks.com.

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night

Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dogand family-friendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

FRIDAY • JULY 7

Hardtails Karaoke with KJ Mindy

8 p.m. to 12 a.m. For more information call 541-549-6114.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show & Live Music: Fiddler Bob and Mark Beringer 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them!

For more info call 541-549-2471

SATURDAY • JULY 8

Hardtails Live Music: Juju Eyeball a tribute to The Beatles, 8 p.m. Summer Tribute Series. Tickets at www.BendTicket.com.

Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Marie Bostwick presents her new novel, “Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly,” about family, friendship, and finding your true path in life. 6:30 p.m. Info: PaulinaSpringsBooks.com.

SUNDAY • JULY 9

Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featuring live music, community booth, vendors, kids activities, and more. For more information visit www.sistersfarmersmarket.com.

Sisters Saloon Live Music: Dead Lee (featuring Brian Koch of Blitzen Trapper)

6 to 8 p.m. on the patio All ages Free Info at facebook.com/SistersSaloonAndRanchGrill.

THURSDAY • JULY 13

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night

Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dogand family-friendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

FRIDAY • JULY 14

Hardtails Karaoke with KJ Mindy

8 p.m. to 12 a.m. For more information call 541-549-6114.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show & Live Music: Skybound Blue 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them! For more info call 541-549-2471

SATURDAY • JULY 15

Sisters Depot Live Music: Jazz Folks Quarte t 6-8:30 p.m. A classic jazz quartet based in Sisters playing the great jazz standards. Reservations recommended. $5 cover. Info: www.sistersdepot.com/events.

Hardtails Live Music: After Midnight a tribute to Eric Clapton, 8 p.m. Summer Tribute Series. Tickets at www.BendTicket.com.

SUNDAY • JULY 16

Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featuring live music community booth, vendors, kids activities, and more. For more information visit www.sistersfarmersmarket.com.

Sisters Saloon Live Music: Stu Kinzel & The Dust Devils 6 to 8 p.m. on the patio All ages Free Information at facebook.com/SistersSaloonAndRanchGrill.

TUESDAY • JULY 18

Paulina Springs Books Open Mic Night 6:30-8 p.m. Share poetry, a song, or short story (5 minutes or less). Sign-ups to share begin at 6 p.m. This is an all-ages event, and all are welcome Info: PaulinaSpringsBooks.com.

THURSDAY • JULY 20

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night

Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dogand family-friendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

FRIDAY • JULY 21

Sisters Depot Live Music: Andrew Lions Quartet 6-8:30 p.m. Reservations recommended.

Info: www.sistersdepot.com/events.

Hardtails Karaoke with KJ Mindy 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. For more information call 541-549-6114.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show & Live Music: Desert Sons 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them! For more info call 541-549-2471

SATURDAY • JULY 22

Hardtails Live Music: Valhalla a tribute to Led Zeppelin, 8 p.m. Summer Tribute Series. Tickets at www.BendTicket.com.

Sisters Depot Live Music: Rick Smith 6-8:30 p.m. Local Rick Smith comes to the courtyard stage as a single entertainer with a full band sound, playing rock, country and blues. Reservations recommended. $5 cover. Info: www.sistersdepot.com/events.

Public land management benefits from a diverse suite of opinions. Opinions are derived from values and working with those who have different value sets while trying to find common ground is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. Sometimes it’s difficult to separate fact from opinion, as public land management and the science behind it is complex. And sometimes, science is normative; that is, produced or construed by those to further a specific value-based agenda.

All that said, I cringed when I read a recent statement stating fuels treatments were ineffective and that people only needed to be concerned with a five-foot buffer around their homes. The logic used in that statement suggested that because cities had burned down with adjacent public land fuels treatments, that the treatments did not work and

should not be conducted.

To me, that is like saying because rafters and kayakers occasionally drown while wearing lifejackets, PFDs are useless and should not be worn while running rivers. Personally, I would never run a rapid without wearing one. It’s important to consider that creating defensible space around your home and fuels treatments in the wildland urban interface are not mutually exclusive, rather they are complementary. The home ignition zone receives embers from the adjacent forested lands that produce embers.

To provide some factual context for the efficacy of local fuels treatments, we queried our national Fuel Treatment Effective Monitoring database. In only the last four years, between 2018 and 2021, there were 41 wildfires on the Sisters Ranger District that interacted with areas that had previously received fuels treatments, such as thinning/logging, mowing/ mastication of brush, and prescribed burning. Of those 41 fires, 35 showed positive effects from the fuels treatments in either reducing fire behavior or in aiding in control, for a treatment effectiveness of 85 percent. I reckon a lifejacket that works almost nine times out of 10 is worth wearing.

Expanding on the riverrunning analogy, here are some different safety considerations I use on whitewater trips to reduce the risk of a bad outcome: lifejacket, throw bag, extra oar, patch kit and tools, first aid

kit, map, weather forecast, whistle, carabiners and rope, pre-trip safety briefing. An analogous integrated list for community wildfire mitigation might look something like: fuels treatments in the interface, defensible space around the home, “go-bag” and evacuation plan assembled, coordinated response protocol by well-trained first responders, robust fire prevention program, Firewise USA community designation, checking/ updating your home insurance policy, home hardening/vent screens, address signs well marked, and clear ingress for emergency vehicles. The synergistic approach to preparing for either event cannot be overstated. Ultimately, in community wildfire mitigation, as in river running, risk can never be fully eliminated as the recent rafting tragedy of a well-prepared group along the Grand Ronde River reminds us ( La Grande Observer, June 15).

In the spirit of transparency, we welcome feedback on our project development and enjoy meeting with community members to listen to opinions and review projects together. We had some excellent public interactions during our

community open house in March and on our community leader-prescribed fire field trip in May, and we hope to expand these field trips in the future.

Moving on to permanent staffing updates, we have hired Beverly Clement as archeologist, Liz Day as wildlife biologist, Sarah Rodriguez as wilderness manager, Jessie Larson as special use permit administrator, Charles White as wilderness volunteer coordinator, Leah Beebe as customer service representative, Megan Saylors and Jyota Smith Howard as fuels technicians, and Adrianna Weickhardt as fire prevention technician. Other permanent fire employees hired are: Gavin Kearns, Carson Baxter, TJ Whitehall, Sara Welge, Stephen Hanson, Dylan Lenger, Chris Van Diemen, and Lucas Winkler. We are also excited to welcome Dan Durfee as the new deputy district ranger in Sisters who will provide leadership support. And we congratulate Lisa Paddock and Vince Grace, as they retired after a combined 27 years on the Sisters Ranger District!

Have a wonderful summer, stay safe out there, and don’t forget your lifejacket!

Matt the Electrician to perform

Matt Sever, who performs as Matt the Electrician, first hit the stage in Sisters at the Sisters Folk Festival. Now, The Whippoorwill Presents is brining him back for a show at The Belfry on Friday, June 30.

For his latest album, “We Imagined an Ending,” Matt the Electrician challenged himself to turn the seven deadly sins on their head.

“I got to wondering,” he said. “What would be the opposite of that?” Despite Sever’s teenage years immersed in nihilistic hardcore and metal, bleak-forbleakness’ sake has just never been his bag.

“Of course, I didn’t realize ‘the opposite of the seven deadly sins’ was also a fairly well-worn path,” Sever said with a laugh. “There are all these different virtues that answer the sins, like the seven Bushido virtues and the seven Quaker virtues...”

Sever can rattle off many of his song pairings without even checking his notes: “Night Owls” (Faith); “Big Changes” (Justice); “Dance” (Honesty); “Switch Shadows” (Empathy); “When the Lights Went Out” (Hope); “Heartbeat” (Peace); “Home Again” (Prudence); “Temporary” (Equality); “What If You Needed Me” (Community); and “Mindless” (Knowledge).

Produced by Tucker Martine (Decemberists, Neko Case, Sufjan Stevens, First Aid Kit), Sever recorded “We Imagined an Ending” way back in October of 2019.

“On all of his records, Tucker creates this wider space,” says Sever. “There’s

just this natural wide space to this album that I really love.”

At least three songs— “Night Owls,” “Temporary,” and “What If You Needed Me” — were written with his late mom at the forefront of his mind, and “When the Lights Went Out” (whose lyrics include the album’s title) came to him within minutes of hearing the news about the death of fellow songwriter Neal Casal by suicide. “When the lights went out / We had to light the way,” he sings.

“There’s actually a lot of death on this album,” he said. “But it’s more about the cycle of things. The full line in ‘When the Lights Go Out’ is, ‘We imagined an ending, and then tried to let it go.’ We all have what we think is going to be the way things are going to work out, but then they don’t always work out that way at all. Like you might think, ‘Oh, we’ll see Mom next Christmas,’ or whatever, and then you just don’t. So then you have to just figure out how to move on and get through that. And as hard as

it may be, there’s growth that comes out of that movingon process, and things you learn from it. And out of that growth comes... hope.”

Jess Clemons will be opening the night. Jess Clemons’ experience as a traveler, former island dweller, and smalltown girl have influenced her folksy homegrown musical style. Raised in Vermont, she attended music school in Nova Scotia where she was a side and front woman for various bands, touring around Canada in the summers.

A big leap took her to Nantucket Island, working as a gardener and musician, rowing to and from a houseboat she called home for several years. After finding Baja California in 2010, and subsequently the windloving community of Hood River, Clemons now calls the Gorge home. Playing guitar and piano on stages around the Northwest and in Baja in the winters, she has become known for her powerhouse vocals, intimate originals, and tasteful covers of folks like Patty Griffin, Brandi Carlile and Lori McKenna, all of whom she has been compared to. Coming out of the woodwork after a couple of years of limited shows, Jess is excited to be touring and recording this year.

Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased through Bend Ticket at https:// bendticket.com/events/mattthe-electrician-and-jessclemons-6-30-2023.

The Belfry is located at 302 E. Main Ave. in Sisters.

Sleep disorders tied to suicidal thoughts

Having a sleep disorder is linked to an increased risk of suicidal ideation in kids, teens, and young adults, University of Oregon research finds.

The study, co-led by Melynda Casement, associate professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, was published June 16 in the journal Sleep Health

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for teenagers and young adults. Roughly one in five high school students has seriously considered suicide, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Casement and her collaborator Jason Carbone of Wayne State University looked at emergency department records for a nationally representative sample of youth ages 6 to 24. Youth who had a sleep disorder were three times more likely to present to an emergency department with suicidal thoughts than youth who did not, the researchers found.

The prevalence of diagnosed sleep disorders in the emergency room data sample was much lower than would be expected in the general population — just 0.38 percent, Casement noted. That suggest sleep disorders are underdiagnosed in emergency medicine.

The study found a correlation between sleep health and suicidal thoughts, not a causal link. But taken together with other research, the results suggest that sleep disorders could

be a risk factor for suicidal ideation, even accounting for other mood and substance use disorders, according to Casement.

“People so often think of sleep disorders as being a symptom of other mental health problems like depression or anxiety,” Casement said. “But sleep problems can also contribute to anxiety, mood disorders, and suicide risk.”

Screening youth for sleep disorders when they show up in the ER could also provide an indication of suicide risk.

“Being aware of the impact of sleep disruption gives us an avenue to try to address sleep issues as well as downstream consequences,” Casement said. Suicide is still stigmatized in many communities; sleep is less so. Identifying and treating sleep disorders could improve mental health and reduce suicide risk even if people aren’t comfortable opening up about their mental health challenges.

“It gives us a wider range of inroads to tackle suicidal ideation and mental health — you can address the sleep problem and have good effects on mood and anxiety,” Casement said.

Casement recently launched asleep labon the UO campus, where her team is studying whether improving sleep quality can boost mental health in teens and young adults. Information about ongoing studies is available at sleepstudy.uoregon.edu.

Matt the Electrician plays The Belfry on June 30.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Continued from page 3

Klein, his wife, and two young children made the move from Portland to Sisters after several visits during the pandemic when they made some serendipitous connections with some locals.

They bought a house in ClearPine. Their 5-anda-half-year-old daughter attends the local Waldorf School. Klein’s wife, who had worked for Nike, quit her job after deciding she “wasn’t going to make a difference in the world by selling shoes.”

The biggest reason for making the move to Sisters was the opportunity they saw to build an intentional community. Neither of them has much extended family and they’ve already seen that “Sisters is a great place to raise kids and build community.”

Klein’s education and work experience have prepared him for communitybuilding, and leading C4C. A Seattle native, he received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his master’s from the University of California at Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental Science and Management.

His first job was with a nonprofit consulting firm called Future 500, working with Fortune 500 companies to help them focus on staying true to their missions. They helped corporations and activists find common ground. They were part mediators and part matchmakers.

Klein worked for eight years in San Francisco and then Portland encouraging stakeholder engagement and relationship building among diverse interests, both nationally and internationally.

“I gained a ton of experience in all facets of

consulting and nonprofit leadership, but I didn’t feel I was pulling on the levers of systemic change,” he said, explaining his decision to join the nonprofit Center for Humane Technology.

Klein believes we have a social dilemma when it comes to how we use technology, and he advocates for using it differently. The Center offers a free online course for startup founders and techies working in non-technical companies. He was the course manager who set up a community of practice where people taking courses could connect and dive deeper while networking. Klein was responsible for keeping content in eight modules up to date. He said he enjoyed the online community-building focused on sustainability and responsible technology. When he left, they had created a thriving community involving 13,000 people in 130 countries.

As the Kleins settle into their new home, Kellen has been looking for ways to get involved and make a difference. He knew about C4C before moving here and has led several Let’s Talk sessions and joined the Board before being asked to step in as interim executive director. During the transition time with Newport, he received a great oral history of the town from the longtime Sisters resident.

Right now, he is doing a lot of “deep listening” to determine what has worked, what hasn’t, what needs strengthening, and what are the community-driven priorities. He sees his role as a builder of relationships without an agenda. He will be working on systems improvement and getting the office in order. After listening well, he will engage in thoughtful reflection to reimagine how C4C can best serve the community.

Klein believes when people feel safe, they are able to trust which leads to relationship building and

understanding. From there, people can collaborate, which leads to change. He said C4C has a role to play at every step.

On the horizon is a program involving the Ford Family Foundation, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, Portland State University, and the National Policy Consensus Center. It is hoped a cohort of 12 local citizens will begin in Spring 2024 a Community Builders Development program. Hillsboro has been involved in the program already.

Regularly scheduled programs sponsored by C4C will continue. These include “Let’s Talk” the third Monday of the month at Paulina Springs Books; Community Builders the second Wednesday at 10 a.m. at various local businesses, a meetup for new and longtime residents the last Tuesday of the month at The Barn, 5 to 6:30 p.m.; and two large

DIRECTOR: C4C brought

County fair announces entertainment lineup

Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo returns for its 103rd edition on August 2-6.

Fresh off one of the biggest fairs in its history, the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo has a star-studded entertainment lineup in store for 2023.

The Old Crow Medicine Show has established itself as America’s most beloved old-time string band and one of Nashville’s most revered musical torchbearers. They will play the Kendall Toyota of Bend Free Summer Concert Series at the Fair & Rodeo on Wednesday, August 2. Their signature song, “Wagon Wheel,” is one of the most widely sung folk songs in history, and was recently certified by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as one of the topfive country singles of all time.

On Thursday, August 3, country music rising star Carly Pearce takes the stage fresh off tour with Kenny Chesney. Pearce has four No. 1s including: “What He Didn’t Do,” “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” and “Every Little Thing.” She is the reigning ACM Awards Female Artist of the Year.

On Friday, August 4, All Time Low and their pop/punk catalog, streamed nearly half a billion times, will hit the High Desert. Since 2003, the group has notched five straight Top 10 entries on the Billboard Top 200, spanning the gold-certified “Nothing Personal,” “Dirty Work,” “Future Hearts,” and “Last Young Renegade.” Their hit single “Monsters” recently earned All Time Low nominations for “Alternative Song

of the Year” and “Alternative Artist of the Year” at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards, in addition to nominations for “Top Rock Song” at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards and “Favorite Rock Artist” at the 2021 American Music Awards.

On Saturday, August 5, the words “Yeah,” “Ok,” and “What” will have a new meaning for Central Oregon as multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning artist Lil Jon hits the stage. His smash hits “Turn Down for What,”

“Bend Ova” feat. Tyga, “Get Loose,” “Live the Night,” “Savage,” have popularized the southern movement and lifestyle known as Crunk. His new hit with Pitbull, “Jumpin,’” is rocketing up the charts.

For the second year in a row, the Deschutes County Fair will also present a Sunday concert as part of its Toyota of Bend Free Summer Concert Series. Sunday, August 6 features Banda Machos y Banda Maguey.

Banda Machos specializes in the Technobanda genre. They are best known for popularizing the Quebradita dancing style that became popular in the 1990s in Mexico and the United States. Their songs are often satirical, filled with double entendres. Some of these include “Las Nachas,”

“Me Llamo Raquel,” “El Próximo Tonto,” “La Manguera,” and “Sigues Siendo La Reina.” The band has been together for over 30 years and has recorded over 29 albums.

Banda Machos and Banda Maguey have been called the two most successful exponents of the Technobanda sound. A favorite during the 1990s Technobanda craze, Banda Maguey took over the

radio waves with their debut album “Tumbando Caña” in 1994, which contained a number of hits including “El Alacran.”

The Kendall Toyota of Bend Free Summer Concert Series will again be held outdoors to take advantage of the beautiful Central Oregon summer evenings. All concerts are included with fair

admission; no additional ticket required. For 2023, additional free entertainment will be provided throughout the grounds, including multiple new exclusive attractions, including: nightly drone light shows, sea lions splash,

extreme sports shows, J.D. Platt’s K9 Kings dog show, circus performers, magicians, hypnotists, music, and more.

Tickets for the 2023 Bi-Mart Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo are available at www.deschutesfair.com.

1. Pick up a specially labeled BLUE BAG from the porch of Furr y Friends or The Nugget.

2. Fill the bag with Oregonredeemable bottles and cans. (Max 20 lbs. per bag.)

3. Drop off at any BottleDrop location including Ray’s in Sisters (scan code on bag to open door), or on The Nugget’s porch (now on the right side).

Mail

Banda Macho will be featured at the Deschutes County Fair this year.

PHOTO PROVIDED

NUGGET FLASHBACK – 34 YEARS AGO

Dance performance takes audience on ‘Journeys’

The auditorium at Sisters High School was packed — more than 700 people on hand to watch 260 dancers, from tiny tots to adults, in the Sisters Dance Academy’s Spring Recital.

The theme of the program was “Journeys,” and dances were choreographed around it: Journey of Emotions, Journey to Outer Space, Journey through Disneyland, Journey to the Future, A Journey through Classical Music, A Journey to the Jungle, The Journey of a Relationship…

The show kicked off with “Top Gun,” by the junior/ senior performance ensemble, choreographed by Kayla Williams

“Between amazing lighting, amazing choreography, technical dancing, and music that is iconic, this piece was a great way to open the show,” said Sisters Dance Academy founder Lonnie Liddel.

Liddel choreographed another highlight: the adult ballet, “Journeys,” with nine women dancing with grace and poise to a beautiful piece of classical music.

The adult hip-hop dancers performed “A Journey to the ’80’s & ’90s — a fun, energetic number with some

surprise tricks at the end, with Bethany Gunnarson doing a headstand and Kastle Likens doing the worm. The dance was choreogrpahed by Shannon Abero Guerrero.

“The very youngest dancers (ages 3-5 years) always bring on the cheers,” Liddel said. “For the 1 p.m. show the crowd was cheering as soon as the lights came up for them; they hadn’t even started dancing yet!”

Liddel noted that competitive dance teams — Junior and Senior Hip-Hop Squad, Junior and Senior Performance Ensemble (Jazz & Contemporary) also performed in the recital.

“This spring, these dancers competed in two regional dance competitions in Portland — Thunderstruck and Energy — and one statewide competition in Eugene: Turn It Up. In all three competitions the dancers did amazing.”

The Senior Hip Hop squad, comprised of nine dancers ages 14-17, competed with a dance entitled “Pick It Up” and were awarded the highest-scoring routine in the advanced senior division, out of all dance numbers entered in this division, no matter the style or size of the group, at

both Energy and Turn It Up. At the Thunderstruck competition, the Junior HipHop squad, comprised of 11 dancers ages 11-12, competed a piece called “Get It” and were awarded first place overall in their age group in the intermediate division. At Energy they received the judges’ choice award for performance and second place overall. Both hip hop pieces were choreographed by Shannon Abero Guerrero.

“At the Energy competition, we had two duets that also placed first: Brooke Blakelock and Charley Liddell with their duet, ‘Hearing,’ choreographed by Kayla Williams, and Kate Cogdill and Kyanne Keeton

with their duet, ‘Cardi,’ choreographed by Shannon Abero Guerrero,” Liddel said.

For more information about Sisters Dance Academy, visit https://dance insisters.com.

Dancers ages 5 to 7 performed the ballet “Journey to the Past” from “Anastasia” at the Sisters Dance Academy spring recital.

PHOTO BY KELLI CARTER, RISE GRAPHICS

Young chimney sweeps stepped out in the Broadway jazz number “Step in Time.”

PHOTO BY KELLI CARTER, RISE GRAPHICS

Finding the fantastic in Sisters museum

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

Olaf from Norway measures a full nine feet in height. He’s now residing in Sisters. The Viking, found in 1888 and born circa 1335, is now on display at Sisters’ newest destination attraction — The Fantastic Museum. The museum is located at 121 E. Cascade Ave. immediately next door to the Candy Corral.

That’s a fitting setting for the many children who are wondering and wandering into the exhibit to the sounds of “Wow!” “Cool!” “Awesome!” Olaf is the biggest draw but basketball fans are equally amazed at the vast collection of original, high-value memorabilia from the world’s biggest names in the sport.

Sisters is the 12th home for The Fantastic Museum. It originated at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and has several owners and a somewhat fantastic journey. It is now the property of Jim Schmit a legend in business who has made and lost millions of dollars. He is a colorful character and every bit as entertaining as the museum’s contents.

A book has been written about him: “The Improbable Millionaire,” by Laynie Weaver, and he was a principal subject in an ABC TV documentary.

The Fantastic Museum is a labor of love for Schmit, who is unlikely to get rich, or even close, from the exhibit.

As the story goes, Olaf the Giant Viking from the 1300s, believed by some to be the King of Norway, was found in 1887 by a group of Norwegian settlers traveling across the country who found themselves in the midst of a major storm. They took cover in a cave, where apparently, unbeknownst to anyone on earth, Olaf laid undisturbed for approximately 650 years.

The settlers noticed a foot

protruding from the peat moss. They gently brushed away the moss and were astonished to find a giant human being in nearly pristine condition. Realizing this mummified giant was a treasure, they took calculations and created a plan to safely return to recover him and transport him to their village.

Once Olaf was settled in the village, word got out about the “Viking Giant.” News spread quickly, and in a matter of time, Olaf was transported to the United States, where he would be reborn as a circus sideshow attraction.

On October 5, 1962, Olaf made his debut as a featured attraction of the 3rd Floor Balcony at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, as part of the Jones Fantastic Show. Up to that point it is estimated that over five million people have viewed Olaf.

And now he is in Sisters. Decide for yourself. A visit to The Fantastic Museum is fun and stimulates the imagination. As Schmit says: “Is Bigfoot next?”

The Williams boys from Redmond — Leo (11), Gideon (9), and Rever (4) — took grandpa Bruce of Sisters to the Museum and had a good time. They thought Olaf “looked good for his age” and “he would have been good at basketball.” Leo and Gideon figured it would take three Revers to make one Olaf.

Jan and Will Martin from Springfield were having a grand time in the Museum. Jan, at 5-feet-4-inches, was used to big men with Will being 6-foot-8, yet couldn’t get over an actual pair of Shaquille O’Neal’s shoes — size 23.

“I played college ball and never got this close to experiencing any of these legends,” Will said in amaze ment as he touched dozens of

curated balls, posters, shirts, and more from the likes of Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Yao Ming, and the Trail Blazers’ Clyde Drexler.

Outside The Fantastic Museum are motorized treats. One is Bob Hope’s stretch limousine that folks all over Sisters Country have been asking about. Another is Schmit’s personal ride, a Doval Shadow.

The striking vehicle is a 1930s-style roadster fabricated from aluminum on a modified Ford LTD chassis with a 5.7-liter Ford V8 engine. There were plans to build a “limited edition” of 250 cars but the company went out of business in 1985 and it’s unclear how many were actually built.

The Museum is crowded with items, to say nothing of the room Olaf takes up. Schmit has many more items that he will rotate in and out to keep folks coming back. He chose Sisters for a simple

He and his terrier Gidget are eager to welcome visitors.

He figures the Museum

will be around for quite a while. He took a year’s lease on the space and he’s having “nothing but fun meeting and

showing people what’s here.”

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Jim Schmit and Gidget love touring visitors through The Fantastic Museum, newly opened in Sisters.

PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT

Remarkable cars are just part of the extraordinary collection at The Fantastic Museum.

PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT

The Bunkhouse Chronicle

Craig Rullman Columnist

Carry the fire

It seems fitting that I would learn about the death of novelist Cormac McCarthy dozens of miles up the Chewaucan River, in an old cow camp, if only because the location was an antipode of the Susquehanna, where I first encountered his work some 30 years ago.

I think now, and the evidence is strong, I was there because of him.

Back then I was in Pennsylvania on a fellowship at Bucknell, and found “All the Pretty Horses” by pure accident, in a tiny bookshop next to the Amish Farmer’s Market. I was riveted by that book, stunned by it, because it was a piece of unexpected fiction that cracked open my soul, and fired something in my experience, in my imagination, that demanded a course correction, a review of designs and my history as a child of the rural American West.

Because of that book I seized at roots I had spurned, and over the next few years would cowboy around the American West, jealously protecting whatever remained of the fire once carried by the fictional John Grady Cole. Years later, the flame would come to life again, in my documentary film “The Outside Circle.”

Great writers and artists create their own following, and so I became a disciple of McCarthy’s work and world, burning through his books and finding inspiration, and instruction, in all of them. Like many others, I was frustrated by his reclusiveness and celebrated when a relentless young reporter finally cornered him at his shack in El Paso. McCarthy gave an interview that will stand for all time as a masterpiece of dodgery: he wouldn’t talk about writing at all, because it simply wasn’t as interesting as Mojave rattlesnakes, or shooting pool, or the fare at his local cafeteria.

When his early works were out of print McCarthy lived in an old barn eating canned beans and bathing in a lake, which probably led to his first divorce. But

he kept writing which, like cowboying, is a profession that can be particularly brutal on marriages, and he would eventually run through two more wives. But he stayed the course, believing in himself when the vagaries of publishing must have felt like the sufferings of Job, and eventually moved to El Paso where he would cruise the big Southwestern deserts alone in an old Ford pickup. And so the “Border Trilogy” was born.

The lineage is clear: Melville begat Faulkner, who begat McCarthy. They are inextricably linked, in substance and in style, though McCarthy would never need to suggest to his publishers —as Faulkner once did —that they print an additional page of commas and periods at the end of the book so that readers could cut them out and put them in wherever they wanted them.

McCarthy was, perhaps, the finer craftsman, with an ear for language and precision brushstrokes that forged a distinct voice in American letters. “Moby Dick” is widely considered the foremost masterpiece of American novels, but “Blood Meridian,” McCarthy’s fourth book, has probably nudged it aside. It is a book so weighty in its implications, so masterful in its construction, so unflinching a look at human behavior, that it also, sadly, sinks far too many readers.

Originality is one mark of genius, but function must equal the form, and McCarthy never disappointed in his ability to tell a hard—even brutal—story honestly. His work is not for everyone. He is often, and wrongly, dismissed as a nihilist. From “Child of God” to “Stella Maris,” his last book, where he rightly suggests that next

to fire, and language, the Manhattan Project is the most consequential development in human history, McCarthy is a consistent realist, whose characters plumb the nature of human beings and their motivations. But always with disturbing honesty, which is another mark of genius.

A nihilist could not have written “The Road,” which is a love song to one of his sons, set in a post-apocalyptic world whose origins remain intentionally vague. It is dark, and occasionally hard, but it is also a hero’s tale of our quest to continue life, to see it through at any cost, to carry the fire.

In “No Country for Old Men” we are reminded that “Somewhere out there is a true and living prophet of destruction…” which is undoubtedly true. But then we are given the narrator’s dream of his father, who rides past him through a cold mountain pass. “He had his head down and when he rode past I seen he was carryin fire in a horn the way people used to do and I could see the horn from the light inside of it… And in the dream I knew that he was goin on ahead and that he was fixin to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold and I knew that whenever I got there he would be there.”

When I learned of McCarthy’s death I was in an old cow camp up the Chewaucan River. I was with a cowboy buddy of mine, who now carries the fire for his own son, as his father did for him. And I was there, in that strangely meandering way of fate, because of a book I read more than 30 years ago, on the banks of a far different river — which sparked the fire I’ve carried in a horn ever since.

ROAD 16: Restoration project to extend into July

Continued from page 1

equipment and large truck traffic in the area. The work will take approximately five weeks to complete.

The road surface has degraded to a condition that is difficult for vehicles, in particular those towing trailers, to safely navigate. The reconstruction work will improve forest users’ driving experience while increasing the long-term sustainability of the road.

Due to the temporary road closure, Driftwood Campground, Three Creek Lake Campground, and Three Creek Meadow Campground and Horse Camp will delay their openings to July 21.

Central Cascades Wilderness Permits for Park Meadow and Tam McArthur Rim trailheads will also be delayed until July 21. Campgrounds and wilderness permits may be available earlier if roadwork is completed ahead of schedule.

The reconstruction work includes reshaping the prism of the road to restore a crown in the road surface. Restoring a crown in the road surface will allow water to drain properly off the road, preventing erosion and loss of surfacing. The Forest road crew will then use heavy equipment to haul and place new aggregate on the road surface. Resurfacing the road will improve the longevity of the roadway and improve the efficacy of annual grading.

For more information, contact the Sisters Ranger District at 541-549-7700.

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down, and each small nine-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

TRIO: Leader plays Thompson Guitar from Sisters

Continued from page 3

around the bluegrass band thing and the jams that happen at festivals really spoke to me,” said Stickley. “The virtuosity of the musicians and the high level of musicianship and the collaboration between musicians was another big part of it for me.”

The trio developed naturally for Stickley based on where he was in his career, being in between bands circa 2010. He had been playing upright bass with Town Mountain band but wanted to return to playing guitar. Over the years, Stickley booked gigs under his name around town and had various iterations of a bluegrass band playing with him, including a four-piece band, a duo, and then he moved into a trio.

Around 2011, The Jon Stickley Trio was born when Stickley realized the trio layout was what fit best for the sound he wanted.

The trio includes a violinist, one of Stickley’s closest friends, Lyndsay Pruett. Pruett has been in the trio since the beginning, and is still playing fiddle and

We are never bored on stage. The musicality to just do one song, it’s always a challenge..

— John Stickley

arranging pieces.

“She’s a huge part of how the trio sounds,” Stickley said.

With Stickley on guitar, the third trio member is a drummer. They’ve gone through several members, eventually finding their current drummer, Hunter Deacon.

“He’s been instrumental in really changing our sound recently, mixing that jazz and bluegrass sound,” said Stickley.

Most of the songs are written by Stickley and then arranged by the trio.

“As Hunter’s been with us longer, I’ve been dictating less and less with how the song grooves and the rhythm we play to. I just let the other two do their thing because they’re so good at it,” he said.

Playing in a trio for Stickley is something that “never gets old.” Because each member is such a valuable piece of the sound, they are always all doing something on stage.

“We are never bored on stage. The musicality to just do one song, it’s always a challenge, takes us to a different place, and it’s an hour of meditative musical exploration with a structure to it,” said Stickley.

Now out of the pandemic, the trio is mainly touring on long weekends, as Stickley recently had his second child. The trio hits different regions every weekend, with Sisters being on the Pacific Northwest trip, one of their more extensive trips for the year.

Stickely has an important local connection. In

2019, Jon Stickley got his first Sisters-made Preston Thompson guitar, and has been a Preston Thompson artist since then. He fell in love with the guitar, especially for playing bluegrass.

“I’m always looking forward to getting back into the shop and hanging out and picking a bit when I am there,” said Stickley.

The shop is almost finished with his second guitar, and Stickley is hopeful he

will get to play it on his trip to Sisters for Big Ponderoo.

One of the trio’s new songs on Meantime’s Up is “Preston’s Tune,” a tribute to the Sisters guitar builder who died in 2019.

“It’s just a fun flat-picking piece that I wrote to honor him and the guitar,” said Stickley.

The Jon Stickley Trio will kick off Big Ponderoo at The Barn with a free workshop at noon on Saturday. They will

be doing some trio songs and talking about their pedals and sound and taking questions about playing guitar.

The trio will be playing at the Three Creeks Brewing production facility venue on Saturday, June 24 and at the Sisters Artworks venue on Sunday, June 25.

To learn more about Big Ponderoo and get your tickets before this weekend, visit: https://www.big ponderoo.com.

The John Stickley Trio will play Big Ponderoo this weekend. TOM FARR PHOTOGRAPHY

the Sisters community, and his passion for his work is evident in every one of the thousands of shots he takes for organizations across Sisters Country.

You can support Jerry’s work — and all The Nugget freelancers — with a SUPPORTING SUBSCRIPTION. 100% of your donation goes to paying freelance contributors.

How can I participate?

Youchoosetheamountofsupportyouwishto

provide.YoucanmailachecktoPOBox698,Sisters, OR97759;stopbytheofficeat442E.MainAve. (welovetoconnectwithourreaders),orclickthe “donate”linkatthetopofwww.nuggetnews.com.

MUSIC SUPER W ORDFIND HIDDEN MESS AG E

This puzzle is a word search puzzle that has a hidden message in it. First find all the words in the list. Words can go in any direction and share letters as well as cross over each other. Once you find all the words. Copy the unused letters starting in the top left corner into the blanks to reveal the hidden message.

SNRETTAPWHASEKNUPT

ANACIREMASSARGEULB

POHPIHCPCAOPAEDRTO

ESREVHRHBYFUGFDIAS

NNAKOARESOTNLENIRR

OSMRCOLWLUUISIACEB

JAUTMBIKLRTHNABGYL

ASIAUNOEGJAMCUGSRA

CCTOGJMAJOROFAMCAT

EIDRNSMURDUCEAIMRE

CNLAFELCSSABSRENOM

ROBTSZNDTYCCTHKIPC

ORSIINDIEIACIYFLMN

NTCUOWCBSLECVTIOEI

ICOGWLLUELBBAHDDTL MEREWUMSETONLMDNNO

BLEBEYRTNUOCYVLAOI UEHSDIDGERIDOOEMCV

ACOUSTIC AMERICANA

BAND

BANJO BASS CLEF

BLUEGRASS BLUES BRIDGE CAJON

CHORUS CHROMATIC COMMUNITY

CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY

DIDGERIDOO

DOUBLE BASS DRUMS

ELECTRIC

ELECTRONIC FESTIVAL FIDDLE

FOLK GRUNGE GUITAR HIP HOP INDIE JAM

MAJOR MANDOLIN METAL MINOR MUSIC NOTES PATTERNS PENTATONIC PRACTICE

PUNK REGGAE RHYTHM

ROCK N ROLL

SAXOPHONE SCALES SCORE

SHEET MUSIC SINGING

FIND TEN DIFFERENCES

SOUL SWING

TAMBOURINE

TREBLE CLEF

TROMBONE

TRUMPET UKULELE VERSE VIOLIN

Sisters Country birds

By Douglas Beall Correspondent

Often traveling in a group, they glean insects within pine, fir, and spruce trees in the forest or around our houses. The Mountain Chickadee [Poecile gambeli] will sing its merry, slightly hoarse fee-bee or chick-adee-adee-adee song.

They prefer high-altitude forests and are found in the mountains from the Yukon down to Baja California and southern New Mexico.

The Mountain Chickadee will choose a mate for life and is a cavity nester who molds its nest with fur and lays five to nine white eggs which incubate for 12-15 days. During this time, when the female leaves the nest she will cover the eggs with a fur

plug, which will maintain the eggs temperature. The chicks are fed by both parents a diet of insects including beetles, aphids, caterpillars, and wasp larvae. In 17-23 days the young leave the nest and will flock with the adults until the fall season. The oldest Mountain Chickadee recorded was 10 years old.

A common bird at a black sunflower feeder, the Mountain Chickadee will use nest boxes around our houses and produce several broods during their season. A group of chickadees is known as a “dissimulation” or a “banditry” of chickadees.

To view more images of the Mountain Chickadee, visit http://abirdsings becauseithasasong.com/ recent-journeys.

Millions of Oregonians affected by data breach

By Lynne Terry Oregon Capital Chronicle

The personal information of 3.5 million Oregonians with driver’s licenses and state identification cards could be affected by an international data breach.

The breach, acknowledged by the Oregon Department of Transportation in a news release following a story by The Oregonian/OregonLive , involved a vulnerability in a popular file transfer program called MOVEit. It is supposed to allow organizations to securely transfer files and data, but the vulnerability enabled hackers to gain access to entire systems.

At least some departments of motor vehicles in other states have also been affected, with hackers potentially gaining access to personal information on driver’s licenses, ID cards, and

automobile registrations. An Oregon DMV spokeswoman, Michelle Godfrey, responded on Friday, a day after the Capital Chronicle sent her a query, that vehicle registration information had not been compromised.

The breach is serious and distressing, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday in a statement:

“Your driver’s license contains plenty of information about you, including your birthdate, home address and even your height, weight, and eye color. Scammers can use some of this information to steal your identity and apply for credit cards, loans, and unemployment benefits in your name,” the statement said.

The transportation department was unable to identify who was affected.

Republished courtesy of https://oregoncapital chronicle.com.

The Mountain Chickadee.

PHOTO BY DOUGLAS BEALL

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