The Nugget Newspaper // Vol. XLVII No. 12 // 2024-03-20

SPRING/SUMMER GUIDE INSIDE PULL OUT & SAVE

The Nugget News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Bringing sunshine...

Fatal wreck in Sisters

Sisters resident Kevin Blake Gast, 65, lost his life in a single-vehicle accident north of town on Tuesday, March 12.

According to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported single vehicle rollover accident near the intersection of Wilt Road and Hinkle Butte Road at approximately 8:26 p.m. Deputies were advised a Dodge Ram

pickup was resting on its side on the shoulder of the road.

Upon arrival deputies determined no other vehicles were involved. The driver of the crashed pickup was dead at the scene. The cause of the accident remains under investigation as of press time.

Officers with the Black Butte Police Department and Sisters Fire personnel also responded to the scene. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office thanked them for their assistance.

High Desert Heroines: Maida Bailey

By Maret Pajutee Correspondent

In her later years, Maida Bailey liked to cruise in her 1958 green and white Chevy Coupe. She drove around her ranch to check the irrigation, to visit friends in Camp Sherman or Bend, or just around town in Sisters,

handing out friendly waves and smiles although she was almost hidden behind the steering wheel. She was famous for easily making friends with every kind of person, from university presidents, to teachers, ranchers, homemakers, store

See BAILEY on page 13

Sisters grad works on data centers

By Lisa May Correspondent

Twenty years ago, your living room shelves and closets may have been filled with VHS tapes and DVDs of favorite movies. Finding enough room to store the growing collection was problematic. Perhaps a few readers still insist on storing some of these old favorites today, even without the devices needed to play them back.

But now that we are more than two decades into the 21st century, most of us watch digital movies by streaming them from Netflix, Amazon Prime, or another videostreaming service. Have you

See TECH on page 12

Highway 242 work gets underway

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

In a sure sign of spring, “Construction Ahead” signs are popping up around Sisters Country. One that is likely pleasing to area residents is the improvement project to the popular and historic Highway 242, where thousands of tourists in vehicles and on bicycles wind their way every summer.

A favorite highway of motorcyclists and touring cars, Highway 242 is still in the middle of its annual winter closure from about 12 miles west of Sisters to a few miles east of Highway 126 near Belknap Springs. The seasonally closed section typically opens in late May or early June depending on snowfall.

There is enough snow on the ground now to suggest a June opening, but weather will be the determining factor, not any arbitrary decision by ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation).

Snow will not factor much into the project,

PHOTO

as work on both sides of the summit — far from the deepest snow — has begun. According to ODOT, the project will improve access to federal recreation areas in the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests. It will improve conditions for motorists and cyclists by resurfacing the roadway between Dee Wright Observatory and Highway 20 at Sisters, rebuilding

shoulders and bike lanes where they are degraded or substandard, removing safety hazards adjacent to travel lanes, updating ADA curb ramps as necessary, and replacing or repairing signs and warning systems throughout the corridor. The project also includes the installation of accessible bathrooms at Cold

See HWY. 242 on page 15

Road work on Highway 242 west of Sisters begun — with initial effort focused on other side of the mountains.

PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT

Zinnia Crabtree, a Sisters fifth-grader distributed St. Patrick’s Day cards at The Lodge — much to the delight of resident Erica. Seerelatedstoryonpage14.

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.

Thank you to community

To the Editor:

To the amazing Sisters community...

We are the family that lost our house to the fire on Valentine’s Day. Since then, the love and support shown by our whole community have truly blown us away.

We’d especially like to thank the excellent first responders from the Sisters-Camp

Wednesday March 20 • Partly Cloudy 61/38

Sherman Fire Department and Black Butte Ranch Fire Department. Although our house was beyond saving by the time the fire department was called, firefighters were able to protect surrounding buildings, and contain the damage. In addition, the professionalism and kindness demonstrated by all of the first responders when they reached out to us was

See LETTERS on page 6

Sisters Weather Forecast

Thursday March 21 • Mostly Cloudy 59/37

Sunday March 24 • Mostly Cloudy 45/34

Friday March 22 • Showers 57/37

Saturday March 23 • Showers 48/33

Monday March 25 • Rain/Snow 46/32

Tuesday March 26 • Showers 47/32

The Nugget Newspaper, LLC

Website: www.nuggetnews.com

442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759

Tel: 541-549-9941 | Email: editor@nuggetnews.com

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759.

Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon.

Editor in Chief & Co-owner: Jim Cornelius

Production Manager: Leith Easterling

Creative Director: Jess Draper

Community Marketing Partner: Vicki Curlett

Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May

Proofreader: Kema Clark

Co-owner: J. Louis Mullen

By Erik Dolson Guest Columnist

To the parents of Trenton Burger: I am so sorry for your loss. No words of mine can mend your wounds. I can’t even imagine the pain you have endured.

Trenton, 15, died after he collided with a minivan while riding an e-bike in Bend. The driver of the van was not cited, it being determined that the driver was not responsible.

There are many ways to imagine how this tragedy might have been averted. Trenton was illegally riding on a sidewalk. Trenton was was not of legal age to be riding an e-bike. Trenton was riding east adjacent to the west-bound lane of traffic. Trenton had a rider on the back of the bike. Trenton was not wearing a helmet. Trenton was unfamiliar with assumptions of drivers and their blind spots.

But we don’t want to blame Trenton for his own death, and certainly not his grieving parents. Since the van driver was not cited after an investigation, that leaves the inanimate object that has no advocates: Trenton’s e-bike.

political grandstanding and cost more money, but possibly be more effective.

Eliminating conflict between cycles and cars by reducing the need for them to occupy the same space comes to mind. A “Trenton Burger Memorial Bike Corridor” across Bend may save more lives than a “Trenton’s Law” on e-bikes, and might prevent a tragedy like that which befell Trenton Burger and his family.

Trenton’s family is not at fault for pushing the legislation. If in their place, I would do anything to ameliorate the toxic cocktail of remorse and loss that would bleed into every waking moment. Almost any parent would, in the struggle to find significance in the overwhelming pain.

But the “why” of Trenton’s death does not lie in the absence of laws, despite the offensive wrapping in quasi-religious language of symbolic action by State Representative Emerson Levy. Boys and girls, aged 15 or so, do dangerous things. Suspended as they are between childhood and adulthood, strong enough and smart enough to do things they do not have the wisdom to avoid, some of them make fatal mistakes.

With much fanfare, local politician Emerson Levy (D) has declared that we all should “bear witness” to the life of Trenton, and she and other legislators should do “sacred things” on the floor of the Oregon statehouse. Thusly, she said unto us, we shalt pass laws. Despite the fact that similar fatal accidents have occurred in Bend to riders of traditional bikes, and laws or safe practices were already in place that would have saved Trenton’s life had they been obeyed.

Clearly, it was the laws of physics that killed Trenton Burger. But passing laws is what lawmakers do, even if replacing knowledgeable, individual responsibility with state regulation might have unforeseen consequences.

What’s wrong with passing laws, with a little fanfare by politicians? Because, sometimes, doing wrong things for the right reasons allows us to avoid doing difficult things that involve less

This has been forever true. And the greatest chances are often taken by those who hold the greatest promise, deepening our heartbreak when they fall just short in leaping to the other side of whatever challenge they have decided to risk. The dilemma is that we love those bright daredevils, and those who survive are often those who propel society forward.

Every parent hopes to their core that their child will not be among the fallen. Almost every parent does what they can to surround their child in a bubble wrap of cautionary words, car keys hidden away, alcohol stashed in high cupboards, curfews, phone trackers, and more.

And yet, because of who they are, some youth will do what they are not supposed to, do what’s prohibited, break the rules, and some will die.

Visit https://erikdolson. substack.com.

This magnificent bald eagle was caught soaring the skies above Sisters Country last week.

PHOTO BY KRIS KRISTOVICH

Shining a spotlight on rural America

Rural America feeds the nation, provides space for infrastructure, and outdoor recreational opportunities for the masses of the cities. Rural communities are often under stress — yet they receive few philanthropic dollars compared to urban centers.

The Sisters-based Roundhouse Foundation (RHF) is addressing those challenges in “Funding Rural,” a new podcast launched on March 12.

“Funding Rural” explores how philanthropy can better serve rural communities and spark systemic change.

Erin Borla, RHF Executive Director, addresses philanthropy in rural America – or

the lack thereof.

Only 7 percent of philanthropic dollars, nationally, goes toward rural America. RHF was founded by Borla’s mother, Kathy Deggendorfer, and supported by Gert ‘Ma’ Boyle, and it stands in contrast to those national rural funding statistics. RHF has donated more than $40 million to rural and indigenous spaces since its inception in 2002, because they are passionate about the potential of rural, remote, and reservation communities.

“With my job I get the opportunity to work every day around challenges and inequities facing rural, remote, and Reservation

communities,” said Borla. “In a country where 97 percent of the land mass is considered rural – and 19 percent of the population –there are rich stories of the people who live there. There are complex histories that have led to challenges seen across America today, and they are not being heard.”

In her work with RHF, Borla has seen many successful, collaborative projects between government, philanthropy, and communities, and she knows big and meaningful things can happen in small towns. She’s also heard a lot of skepticism from well-intentioned

Rounding up Sisters kindergartners

Sisters Elementary School (SES) will hold their annual Kindergarten Roundup pre-registration on Friday, April 26, in the school gymnasium. Students will participate in a teacherled activity while parents are involved in a parent orientation.

Children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2024, are eligible for the 2024-25 school year. Sign up by contacting the elementary school at 541-549-8981.

Enrollment forms may be picked up at the Sisters Elementary School office

between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The school will be closed March 18-29 for spring break. Forms need to be completed and returned to the school office on April 26 at the time of your scheduled appointment.

The following documents are required to register:

• Enrollment packet

• Copy of birth certificate

• Immunization records

• Proof of address.

Students will not be registered until all forms are returned.

Sisters Elementary School is located at 611 E. Cascade Ave.

Fire district says: Why not you?

Have you ever been interested in supporting your community by being involved with emergency services?

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District is currently accepting applications for our upcoming Spring Volunteer Firefighter Academy. Specifically, our fire stations in the Camp Sherman and Whychus Canyon Estates are actively looking for volunteers who are passionate about giving back and serving their communities.

The 11-week academy begins Monday, April 22, and it will host a combination of new volunteers

SISTERS AREA MEETING CALENDAR BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS

Al -Anon

Mon., noon, Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church. 5 41-610 -7383.

Alcoholics A nonymou s

Monday, 5 p.m., Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church

Tuesday, noon, Big Book study, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church

Wednesday, 7 a.m.,Gentlemen’s meeting, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church

Thursday, noon, Sober Sisters

Women’s meet ing, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church

Thursday, 7 p.m., Episc opal Church of the Transf iguration

Fr iday, noon, Step & Tradition meeting, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. 541- 54 8-0 440.

Saturday, 8 a.m., Episc opal Church of the Transf iguration

Central Oregon F ly Tye rs G uild

For Saturday meeting dates and location, email: steelef ly@msn.c om Ci tizens4Communit y C ommunity Builders meeting, 3rd Wednesday of ever y mont h, 10 to 11:30 a.m. V isit citizens 4c ommunity.c om for loc ation.

Council on Aging of Cent ral O rego n Senior Lunch In- person community dining, Tues. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Grab -and -go lunch Tues., Wed., Thurs 12:3 0 to 1 p.m. Sisters C ommunity Church. 5 41-4 8 0-18 43

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

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

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 Area Woodworke rs First Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m. 5 41-231-18 97

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, 4:3 0 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.

Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon, Takoda’s Rest aurant. 541- 903-1123

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 10 a.m., TSI D Of fice. 5 41-5 49 -8 815

Three Sister s Lions Club 2nd

Thursday, 6:3 0 p.m., Spoons Rest aurant. 5 41-419 -1279.

VF W Po st 813 8 and A merican Legion Post 8 6 1st Wednesday of the month, 6:3 0 p.m., M ain Church Building Sisters Communit y Church 541- 549-14 62 (John).

SCHOOLS

Black Bu tt e School Board of Direc tors 2nd Tuesday, 3:45 p.m., Black But te School. 541- 59 5- 6203

for Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection, as well as Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District. The academy will focus on hands-on training in multiple skills such as fire suppression, deploying ground ladders, hose deployment, structural search and rescue, property conservation/overhaul, vehicle extrication, ropes and knots, and many other integral skills that our firefighters need to understand. The academy also will focus on firefighter knowledge and skills that include topics such

Sisters School District Board of Directors O ne Wednesday m onthly, Sisters School District Administr ation Building. See schedule online at www ssd6.org. 5 41-5 49 -8 521 x5 002.

CITY & PARKS

Sisters Ci ty Council 2nd & 4t h Wednesday,

PHOTO PROVIDED

Wansa Making with Heather Steinberger. Roundhouse Foundation promotes the arts in rural and indigenous communities in an effort to bring rural voices to the foreground.

Big Ponderoo lineup is complete

The final lineup of the Big Ponderoo roots music festival in Sisters is set.

SFF Presents has released the final eight artists on the 2024 Big Ponderoo festival lineup. The second annual music festival returns to Sisters June 29-30 with bluegrass, alt-country, and Americana music on two stages at Village Green Park.

Shinyribs, the Oliver Wood Trio, Silverada (formerly Mike and the Moonpies), ShadowGrass, The Parnells, Fog Holler, Rock Ridge, and JoAnna Lee join the previously announced lineup, which includes The Brothers Comatose, Bella White, Hogslop String Band, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, The East Pointers, The Sam Chase and the Untraditional, and Skybound Blue.

Shinyribs defies genres as a sonic melting pot of Texas Blues, New Orleans R&B funk, horn-driven Memphis Soul, country twang, border music, big band swing, and roots rock. The Austin-based 10-piece supergroup is led by Kevin Russell, the charismatic frontman with colorful suits and extravagant shoes, who continuously swaps out an electric guitar for a ukulele and never falls short of creating a cinematic experience with on-stage antics that often include him donning a lightup cloak or leading a conga line through the crowd.

Oliver Wood is a mainstay of modern-day American roots music. The frontman of the Wood Brothers since 2004, he’s spent the 21st century blurring the boundaries between folk, gospel, country-soul, and Americana, earning an international audience and a Grammy Award nomination along the way. Always Smilin’, his debut as a solo artist, continues that tradition while also shining new light on Oliver’s sharp songwriting, savvy guitar chops, and a voice that evokes the swagger of a Saturday

evening picking party one moment and the solemnity of a Sunday morning gospel service the next.

For more than a decade, Mike Harmeier and his band of hard-touring road warriors — pedal steel player Zach Moulton, guitarist Catlin Rutherford, bassist Omar Oyoque, and drummer Kyle Ponder — have traveled far beyond their Austin homeland, flying the flag for homegrown Texas music in more than a dozen countries as Mike and the Moonpies. They’ve become global ambassadors of a bluecollar country sound, striking a balance between timeless influences and cool, contemporary appeal. Now, they’ve rebranded themselves to Silverada — a moniker that pays homage to who they were when they started, who they have grown into, and who they hope to become.

With their fast picking and fresh arrangements, ShadowGrass is moving forward in the bluegrass genre by incorporating each member’s varied influences into a fresh project that branches outside the bounds of traditional music while maintaining traditional instrumentation. Each of the band members grew up in a culturally rich area of traditional music, which heavily influences their approach to music. Feeding off of each other’s musical ideas and energy, their music proves to be a constantly evolving world that draws the audience in at every show.

The Parnells are a folkAmericana band based in Portland, OR, fronted by husband and wife duo Corey and Whitney Parnell. Born in the singer-songwriter pub scene of Central Oregon, they developed a reputation for powerful live shows, honest songwriting, and vocal prowess. With rich family harmony at the center of their sound, The Parnells bend genres and carve a sonic path

that is both adventurous and familiar, blending elements of folk, Americana, and country music traditions.

Fog Holler is a bluegrass band with an edge. Inspired by various influences from The Stanley Brothers to Buck Owens to Meshuggah, Fog Holler breathes fresh life into well-worn forms like the murder ballad and the power waltz. Their captivating tunes and coordinated outfits are quickly enthralling longtime bluegrass fans and newcomers alike. Fog Holler has spread the joy of the high lonesome sound in the U.S., Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK, and Ireland, and shared stages with The Brothers Comatose, The Del McCoury Band, Jerry Douglas & The Earls of Leicester, Della Mae, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, The Watkins Family Hour, Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, and more.

Based here in Sisters, Rock Ridge specializes in bluesy vocal-based deepgroove bluegrass music with a solid traditional approach. They perform traditional and contemporary bluegrass, featuring original material as well as traditional country duets. Each of the Rock Ridge members is a veteran musician, having played in some of the finest bluegrass bands on the west coast.

Multi-talented performer JoAnna Lee grew up singing in church, starred in her first performance at age six, and wrote her first song at 11. Six years ago, she left the

small town environs of her longtime home in Bend — where she became popular on the coffeehouse and wine bar circuit – and moved to the thriving live music hotbed of Austin to find greater opportunities to share her voice and bare her musical soul to the world. JoAnna has carved out a niche and generated an ever-growing fan base for her edgy acoustic-based pop, rock, and soul hybrid vibe.

Two-day passes are

available at advanced pricing of $185/ticket for adults and $80/ticket for youth ages 17 and under (children five and under attend for free). Singleday tickets will be available for purchase on Wednesday, April 10 at 10 a.m. after the performance schedule is released. Tickets are available at www.aftontickets.com/ BigPonderoo.

More lineup information can be found at BigPonderoo. com.

Oliver Wood is a mainstay of Americana roots music. He will take the stage at the Big Ponderoo festival in Sisters this summer.

PHOTO BY JOSHUA BLACK WILKINS

Fourth Friday Artwalk returns to Sisters

By Helen Schmidling Correspondent

The Sisters Arts Association’s Fourth Friday Artwalk is back this week.

Most of the galleries of Sisters will be open with featured art and artists, light refreshments, and the return of QuickDraw between 4 and 7 p.m. The art will be on display in galleries all day, with most exhibits continuing well into April.

Hood Avenue Art highlights Patricia FreemanMartin and Breezy Anderson. Patty creates work that reflects impressions and amusements from her life on a horse ranch in Terrebonne. Drawing, mixed media painting, and printmaking create a narrative and descriptive line describing a mood, emotion, or event, layered with remembered and symbolic color choices. Fabric pieces incorporate ink drawings on muslin with found and

hand-colored fabrics to make appliquéd and quilted wall hangings. Breezy is a selftaught metal sculptor. She creates figurative sculptures inspired by memory, movement, and time, in an attempt to transform ordinary materials into something extraordinary. Fiddler Bob Baker will entertain at the gallery during Artwalk.

The Rickards Gallery’s featured artist is Molly Newbern, working under the moniker Nomadic Ceramics. Molly’s passions have always revolved around art and travel. From her hometown in North Carolina, to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and now Bend, her wanderings have left their mark on her artistic process. Themes are the power of simplicity; beautiful utilitarian objects bringing people together, different firing techniques, and subtle natural glazing. The signature on the base of her work is in Arabic, an acknowledgement that she would not be a potter if she had not been studying to become a translator. After exclusively creating work influenced by her travels, Molly is excited to see what staying in one place will inspire.

The Campbell Gallery showcases work by Melanie Whedon. Melanie is a watercolor artist living in Bend. Hailing from Philadelphia, she is a full-time architect but has always found watercolor as a medium to translate ideas about the world onto paper. Her main artistic

themes include

themes include looking at scale in nature and striking the balance between abstract texture and crisp detail. Outside of painting, she is an avid hiker, yogi, reader, and most recently, rock climber.

Sisters Gallery & Frame Shop hosts three artists and a silent auction to benefit Kiwanis Food Bank. New at the gallery are colorful clay Luminaries by Mary Moore. Two pieces of art from featured artists Steve Mathews and Brad Earl will be up for bid, starting at $150 and increasing in $25 increments.

creative focus is to

creative focus is to experience and explore the relationship between color and emotion. Her pieces are simply felt moments translated into color and shape. The landscapes of the high desert are her current inspiration. She continues to explore watercolor as an everyday practice, and by teaching watercolor classes at her gallery.

Earl will be up for bid,

Steve’s piece “Caretakers” is a pen and Prismacolor pencil work on juniper that is a tribute to First Nations. Brad’s “High Hollow Ranch” is a framed original acrylic painting depicting an imaginary Western ranch home dressed in bright foliage.

Space In Common owner Amelia Morton features her work this month. Amelia started watercolor painting at the age of four in a Waldorf preschool in Ashland. Her

Makin’ It Local’s featured exhibition is largeformat landscape photography by Pete Alport, Christian Murillo, and James Parsons. The three Bendbased photographers capture the beauty of our state from their personal perspectives. Pete’s photos have graced many magazine covers, and his production company has produced stunning ski and snowboard footage and various commercial projects. An avid thru-hiker, James gets off the beaten path and captures iconic Oregon landscapes. Christian captures nature organically through the camera lens, with a purist approach, natural light, and

Alport, Christian Murillo,

conservative post-processing. Stitchin’ Post’s featured artist, Terry Batchelder, works in stained glass. Thirty-five years after being introduced to stained glass, Terry is sharing work inspired by contemporary quilt artists Jean Wells, Maryte Collard, Hilde Morin and Sharon Koppel, and from the stained glass world, Josephine Geiger and Antoni Gaudi. Terry’s common thread is to portray the natural impact of light and color upon the creations that surround us.

Celebrate a glimpse of spring at Wildflower Studio with consumable gifts, art supplies, journals, and artwork. Try new spring scents in diffusers, lotions, and candles. Wildflower carries Brittany’s Bees Honey, locally sourced in Mitchell, and homemade jams from the Kitchen Cupboard based in Long Creek. Samples of both products will be available during Artwalk.

Stained Glass by Terry Batchelder is featured at Stitchin’ Post.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Bronze sculpture by Breezy Anderson is featured at Hood Avenue Art.

PHOTO PROVIDED

rock climber. Sisters efit Kiwanis

The landscapes of the high desert watercolor

and James “Luminary” by Mary Moore, featured at Sisters Gallery & Frame.

LETTERS

Continued from page 2

greatly appreciated. We were traveling when the fire happened and felt supported and cared for, even on the other side of the country.

Our friends and neighbors have been incredible. We can’t thank you enough for all the love and kindness! Beyond that, people we don’t even know have stopped us in town to share their condolences and best wishes. This kindness and connection is part of what makes Sisters so special. Thank you!

We are grateful every day that no human or pet was home, that the fire was contained to our property, and that we have good insurance. But most of all, we are grateful for this amazing community!

Jay and Vanessa Wilkins

s s s

Supportive community

To the Editor:

The School Board Meeting on March 6, began with a presentation from our longstanding partner Seed to Table. Audrey Tehan, from the organization, presented the partnership that Seed to Table has with the Sisters School District, which is currently in its 11th year of collaboration. Seed to Table offers over 900 student visits to the farm each year and comes to visit the schools twice a year (winter and spring). Over the years, Seed to Table has established a close collaboration with the teachers and students, including staff workshops and greenhouse experiments, as well as a highly impactful relationship with the life skill students at the high school and middle school. Learning opportunities range from gaining a better understanding of biology, plant ecosystems, planting and harvesting, to nutrition and fresh foods, preparation of healthy meals, and taste testing.

The presentation was followed by the usual updates, including enrollment, which is currently flattening, a rather typical trend for this time of year. The new elementary school construction is still on track for a move in at the end of the school year. We would again like to thank our community for passing the bond, which has allowed this much needed facility to become a reality.

As all have surely seen, the roundabout construction has begun, which is causing a new route for the elementary school pick-up and drop-off. Collaborations with different organizations, including Parks & Recreation and Treehouse Therapies, are moving forward with lease agreements at the current elementary school. Discussions are also underway for a potential agreement with a 0-3 year-old child care service. And finally, the workforce housing project is in the final stages of approval for two candidates.

The call was launched again for the recruitment of Budget Committee Members and a Sisters representative on the High Desert Education Service District (HDESD) School Board Committee. Any community member interested in either position should reach out rapidly to the District Office for more information.

We are thankful every day to live in such a supportive community, where the education of our children is revered as a primary community value. I wish everyone a pleasant end of March and a wonderful Spring Break to staff, students and families!

Curt Scholl

Superintendent

s s s

Civic Leadership Academy

To the Editor: We’d like to thank the residents of Sisters Country for their commitment to civic engagement.

Last week was the application deadline for the inaugural Sisters Civic Leadership Academy. We received 25 applications, wildly exceeding our expectations! For context, the City of Hillsboro – with a population over 100k – struggled to get 12 applicants their first year offering an Academy.

Applicants ranged in age from 22 to 79; hailed from Camp Sherman in the west to Plainview in the east; and have resided in Sisters Country from as little as one month to over 30 years. We received applications from local business owners, nonprofit volunteers, corporate employees, students, retirees, parents, non-native English speakers, historically

See LETTERS on page 9

DISTRICT: Academy for volunteers set to get under way

Continued from page 3

as firefighter safety, communications, building construction, hazmat awareness/operations, and fire dynamics.

The fire districts note that they have an exceptional cadre that has been leading academies for yearss, including a combination of active volunteer firefighters, as well as support from the career staff at Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire and Cloverdale Fire Districts.

The academy is taught in a hybrid fashion, allowing for online learning and reading throughout the week. The academy meets twice a week on Monday and Thursday evenings for hands-on practice covering the material assigned over the previous week. The academy includes

five, day-long “Big Saturday” drills, which give them a longer allotted time to practice their skills and to put the knowledge they have learned into scenario-type training and practice.

Once recruits have completed the academy and earned their Firefighter 1 certification, they can begin responding to emergency calls with the department, as well as scheduling volunteer shifts to help with daily staffing.

There are multiple other certifications and training offered to our volunteers during their tenure with the District that include driving and operating fire engines, ambulances, and wildland firefighting trucks, CPR and first aid training, wildland firefighting qualifications, and many others.

For more information contact Volunteer Coordinator Captain Jeff Liming at 541-549-0771.

WORD OF THE DAY…

Hyaline

Having a glassy, translucent appearance

Locals sign up for sustainably grown produce

By T. Lee Brown Correspondent

Elizabeth Kirby and her daughter Cora sat in a coffeehouse on a sunny day this week, coloring pictures and talking about veggies. Which were their favorites from Seed to Table farm in recent years?

Mom remembered “green kale and purplish-red kale. We made kale chips out of them.”

Cucumbers with rice vinegar were the winner for Cora, a four-year-old who recently started attending SPRD preschool.

“I think she likes those because when I was pregnant with her, I ate tons of pickles,” explained Kirby. “She likes pickled beets, too, and pickled radishes.”

“And pickled coffee,” added Cora.

Seed to Table isn’t known for pickled coffee. It is known, however, for its produce share, providing local, sustainably grown veggies to folks in Sisters Country. Signups are now available for the 2024 season.

The produce share is based on the Community Supported Agriculture model, also known as a CSA. As in many produce shares, customers pay for a full season of fresh vegetables. Seed to Table’s approach to payment is unusual, though.

On a sliding scale, people pay what best fits their income and situation. SNAP/ EBT and other food assistance currencies are accepted and supported.

Some produce share members choose to “pay it forward,” buying their share at a higher rate to support Seed to Table’s Feeding Families program. The farm currently provides 100,000 pounds of produce to the community annually, according to its website. A full 40% of this fresh bounty is donated free of charge to food pantries, schools, and other partner organizations.

Kirby, who has diabetes, appreciates the taste, cooking, and health benefits of Seed to Table’s fresh food. “My overall health feels better in summertime, doing the produce share,” she explained. “As a diabetic, having access, knowing I will be picking up vegetables this week—I plan my menus around that.”

She enjoyed how her family’s produce share led to trying new foods, recipes, and preparation methods during previous seasons. “It kind of pushed me out of my comfort zone to try things that I wouldn’t necessarily buy at the grocery store,” she said. “Like beets. I’d never been a fan of beets—but when they were available at the farm, Cora was interested. She said, ‘I want to try this.’”

Kirby became curious. “How do we cook these?” she wondered. Investigating recipes and experimenting in the kitchen, “I ended up liking them. Now we have a favorite of beet pancakes.”

The CSA concept was created in the 1960s by Booker T. Whatley, a Black horticulturist, agricultural professor, and advocate for sustainable farming practices. At Seed to Table, produce share customers typically visit the farm once a week, where they select the vegetables they prefer and chat with neighbors, farmers, and volunteers.

Some customers pick up their produce share at Sisters Farmers Market instead. Seed to Table operates a booth at the market every Sunday in season, in addition to managing the market itself.

Heading out to the farm was a special activity for Kirby’s family. “We signed up for the produce share all summer last year. Cora loved it. It was her favorite day of the week,” Kirby said.

Her family especially liked the cucumbers, snap peas, and broccoli. “The broccoli that we got at Seed to Table was definitely better than the broccoli we tried to grow at home, right?” she asked Cora.

Cora nodded. “Yay, yay, yay!” she said.

“Between the produce share and the farmers market—the activities they would have for kids at the market—it became a really fun routine,” said Kirby. “If we’d missed our produce share on the farm, we’d just pick up our share at the

farmers market.”

What was Cora’s favorite part? “Eating the food!” she said emphatically. She also loved the peacocks out on the farm; she even dressed as a peacock for Halloween.

Seed to Table Oregon is a nonprofit organization that runs a bustling farm, educates Central Oregon kids, and operates Sisters Farmers

Market—feeding some 2,200 people each week in season. A team of local farmers grow the vegetables sustainably, within guidelines of organic practices.

To receive weekly veggies throughout the upcoming spring, summer, and fall harvest seasons, visit seedtotableoregon.org/ produce-share-sign-up.

As spring harvest approaches, Cora Kirby (left) and her mother Elizabeth discuss their favorite vegetables from Seed to Table farm.

PHOTO BY T. LEE BROWN

By Mike Amsbrerry

We are all going to miss him dearly. How does one go about describing Sibi? Many of you are blessed to have come to know Fr. Sibi over these last five years as he pastored the flock at St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church. Whether as a Young Lifer, pickle-baller, hiker, mountain biker, or just hanging out with the guys at the Space Age. His kind and gentle and humorous nature made him so easy to be around, to be drawn to. His detachment from the world and abiding joy were/are attractive.

Though his family had envisioned young Sibi to pursue a career in medicine or engineering, inspired by stories his middle school years, he felt called to become a missionary priest.

While here in Sisters, Fr. Sibi completed a PhD in Psychology, focusing on the impact of faith in the successful treatment of Substance Use Disorder (SUD). He will now join over 220 religious sisters and 70 priests in Bijnor, a province in Northern India.

Starting this month, Fr. Sibi will be overseeing the construction and then the operations of a substance abuse treatment center, where Christianity and mission work in general, is oppressed by the Hindu government.

India: a country one-third the land mass of our 50 states and yet hosting four times more people. That’s really crowded.

Kudos to many in our community for taking your children to experience and be with the truly poor. What a blessing it is to have one’s perspectives change for the better. One cannot return the same person. I know I speak for many of you, that an experience like this is hard to describe; not quite sure how to sum it all up — I just can’t seem to find the words to convey what I really feel. I’ll try.

I joined three buddies from our St. Edward’s Mens group to join Fr. Sibi as

he returned home in early February for good, or should I say, goodness sake. He led us (as his friends and family fed us) for the next three weeks traveling from the missionary outposts in the North, to Saint Theresa’s Motherhouse in Kolkata, then to Fr. Sibi’s hometown of Cochin in Southern India.

Jump into the mini-minivan with us as we travel from orphanage, to school, to hospital, to another school, and round out the day spending some time with 224 “differently-abled” residents. Often, local parents will simply drop off a disabled child, unable to provide care. These missionaries will adopt the child for life. We were privileged to meet a number of these residents, and they are thriving. The compassionate care offered often brought us to tears — two baths a day, much of the food grown on site, laughter ,and foot rubs.

in a moment, utter chaos would give way to great joy and hope as we would enter a care center, school, or church. We were fortunate to meet many of Fr. Sibi’s fellow missionary priests, sisters, and volunteers. A number of descriptors come to mind: called, answering, selfless, deep, compassionate, satisfied, purposeful, fun, peaceful, and joyful.

Driving along, being thrown about by roads in which there were literally more potholes than road, the sights, sounds, and smells of abject poverty, pollution, and civic chaos was startling and sobering, often making you feel helpless and hopeless.

Turning off a road, and

Sounds strange, but these folks just had different smiles, knowing smiles. Without words, these dear ones spoke volumes through their work. You can never ever go wrong by loving a person, loving them right where they are with whatever you have. Revelations as such, rocked my thinking. Me having so much, often unsatisfied and unsettled. Him or her, having so little, yet wanting so little and at peace.

Paul, who not only celebrated his 75th birthday, but 43nd anniversary in India (thank you Mary Lou!) had this to say: “Eyes of India…I just keep thinking of all their eyes, how they communicate hope, peace, and unguarded love, especially the children. They really got to me, still do. Matter of fact, I don’t want to lose this, ever. Words sometimes mess up some of the best of what we want to communicate, my agenda often surfaces to mess things up, get in the way. I really want to use my eyes to communicate more, purely”.

Dave Duehren, who also celebrated his birthday abroad, had this to say: “Trip of a lifetime, but good to be back home and now wanting to raise awareness of this work. Such a diverse experience as Fr. Sibi did

not take us to tour India, but to greet India by walking her streets, feeling her poverty, viewing her grandeur, tasting her home-cooked food, and meeting her lovely people”.

Jim Younts offered, “Only by the grace of God to be born in the USA and live here in Sisters Country. The Church has really stepped in to provide where the Indian government cannot, will not, and has worked tirelessly to dissolve the caste system. Our dollars can provide so much more in India and I fully trust Fr. Sibi and his co-missionaries. I want to support them as a thank you for being missionaries here, and for what they are doing in a very difficult region of the world. Fr. Sibi is right where he needs to be with challenging work looming before him. He could have done anything in the professional world, yet he chose this. I want to help them in any way I am able.”

I am on the board of a non-profit 501(c)(3) called “Friends of Bijnor” which aims to bring awareness, and support these missionaries. If you would like to learn more about this work, please contact me (Mike7berry@ gmail.com) or pull up the FOB website (https://www. friendsofbijnor.org/overview. html). Thank you and God bless you!

LETTERS

Continued from page 6

underrepresented groups, and people holding a rich array of lived experiences. Needless to say, it made for many difficult decisions for the Selection Committee (composed of representatives from Citizens4Community, City of Sisters staff, and Sisters City Council).

We’ve now chosen 12 applicants for our inaugural cohort, and move into the next phase of Academy preparation knowing that many more community members are “waiting in the wings,” eager to find ways to get involved in local leadership and decision making. This is a great sign for the future of our community, and we’re excited to build new pathways for citizens passionate about civic engagement.

A hearty congrats to our inaugural Academy cohort, and a sincere thank you to all the applicants. Those interested in staying updated about Academy progress — and next year’s application timeline — can subscribe to C4C’s newsletter at citizens4community.com/subscribe. And if you’re looking for nearer-term leadership opportunities, consider applying for open seats on the City’s volunteer boards, commissions, and committees. The process opens October 2; you can learn more at ci.sisters.or.us/bc.

Kellen Klein

Citizens4Community City of Sisters

s s s

Dark Skies

To the Editor

2.5 million acres of Lake County have now received Dark Sky certification. This is the largest, continuous Dark Sky zone in the United States. The goal of Phase 2 will be to expand this area to 11.4 million acres. This is great news not only for stargazers but for the plants and wildlife that depend on the cycle of light and dark for their survival.

The City of Sisters has also opened an application to become a Dark Sky community. We love our mountains, rivers, lakes, trails, etc. Our night skies are just another part of our natural world that each of us and the businesses in town can help protect. Consider using amber-colored lights, shielding your lights so that they point down, and installing motion-detector lights. We don’t have fireflies but we do have starry skies. Let’s save our starry nights by turning off our outdoor lights.

International Dark Sky Week is coming up, April 2-8. More information can be found at www.darksky.org.

Paul Bennett

s s s

Sisters to host Easter egg hunt

Children from infants to 11 years of age are invited to participate in the annual Easter Egg Hunt co-sponsored by the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale fire districts. The event will take place on Easter Sunday, March 31 at 2 p.m. at the adjoining Creekside Park and Sisters Creekside Campground, regardless of weather. The Easter Bunny will be present

to greet all.

Parking is limited so plan to be a little early. Children wishing to participate are asked to be at the parks twenty (20) minutes before 2 p.m. so they can be divided into the appropriate age groups. Children are divided into the following groups: Infants to two years old will be in the red area; 3-5 will be in the yellow area; 6-8 will be

in the blue area; 9-11 will be in the white area.

Please be prompt, the eggs disappear fast. There are prizes for finding the golden eggs.

For information, contact Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District at 541-549-0771.

Creekside Park is located at 657 E. Jefferson Ave; Sisters Creekside Campground at 504 S. Locust St.

Wildfire Preparedness Fair

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District invites you to a communit y event on wildfire preparedness . Local, count y, and state agenc y professionals will speak on the upcoming wildfire season and their respective planning. Wednesday, March 20 , 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S . Elm St. Questions? Contact Steven Lord, community risk and fire specialist, at 541-549-0771.

Sisters Beekeepers Mee t Calling all Sisters Country beekeepers and those intrigued by beekeeping . Gather to swap tales , share tips , troubleshoot woes , and celebrate successes

ursday, March 28, at 5 p.m. at e Barn in Sisters . Call Trac y at 970 -481-4 477 for more information.

Americ an Legion and VFW

American Legion Post 86 and VF W Post 8138 meet the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at Spoons Restaurant, 473 E . Hood Ave. Sisters . Call John at 541-549-1462 for info.

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

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. Info: 541-549-4184.

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, 1300 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.

STAR S Seeks

Dispatch Volunteers

While working from home, help STAR S transport Sisters Country resident s to nonemergenc y medical appointments . Needed: A computer, the abilit y to use online apps, and a telephone. Call 541-9 04-5545 . STAR S is an AFSC Action Team.

Sisters Habitat

Volunteers Needed

Are you looking for something fun to do with your free time? Volunteer with Sisters Habit at for Humanity! Call 541-549-1193 to get connected

STAR S Seek s Volunteers to Transpor t Patients

Help Sisters Countr y residents get to nonemergenc y medical appointments in Sisters , Redmond , and Bend . Attend a free t wo-hour training. Emails from STAR S dispatchers allow you to accept dates and times that work for your schedule, and a mileage reimbursement is included . Learn more at www starsride.org. STAR S is an AFSC Action Team.

Wednesday,

Wildfire

Sing Your Hearts Out , Sisters!

Sing your hearts out with the Low Bar Chorale at e Belfr y on Saturday, April 13. Hosted by Age Friendly Sisters Country, it’s a night of community, music, and pure energy. ese professional musicians will back us on pop/ rock hits f rom Elvis to Elton John. AFSC invites all voices and is asking for any contribution at the door to support their mission to enhance livability and combat isolation in Sisters Countr y. Embrace the harmony, make new connections , and let Sisters’ musical tradition unite us . Doors open at 6 p.m., singing starts at 7

Sunday School for Children

Church of the Transfiguration

o ers Sunday School for children, ages 5 to 12, regardless of church a liation, during both Sunday worship ser vices. Protestant/ecumenical ser vice is at 8:30 a .m. and Episcopal service begins at 10:15 a .m. e church address is 121 Brook s Camp Rd . Sisters . For info call Margaret Doke at 541-588-2784.

Saturday

Baha’i Faith

10 0 Women Who Care

10 0 Women Who Care-Sisters will hold its inaugural meeting on ursday, March 28, at noon at e Lodge, 411 E . Carpenter Lane. 10 0 Women Who Care is a newly organized group that will pool its resource s to fund local nonprofits . For more information, email 100wwc. Sisters@gmail.com or call/text 541-912- 0750

SE S Kindergar ten Roundup

Sisters Elementar y School (SES) will hold their annual Kindergarten Roundup preregistration on Frid ay, April 26 , in the school g ymnasium. Students will participate in a teacherled activit y while parents are involved in a parent orientation Sign up by contacting the elementar y school at 541549-8981. Children who will be 5 years old on or before September 1 are eligible for the 2024 -25 school year. Enrollment forms may be picked up at the SE S o ce bet ween 9 a.m. and 2 p.m . e school will be closed March 18-29 for Spring Break Forms need to be completed and returned to the school o ce on April 26 at the time of the scheduled appointment e following documents are required to register : enrollment packet; copy of birth certificate; immunization records; proof of address . Students will not be registered until all forms in.

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

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

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

Chapel in the Pines

Camp Sherman • 541-815-9153

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

e Church of Jesus Christ of L at ter-Day Saint s 452 Trinit y Way • Branch President, 5 41-420 -5670; 10 a .m. Sunday Sac rament Meeting

e Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration 121 N Brook s Camp Rd. • 541-549-7087

www.transfiguration-sisters.org

8:30 a .m. Ecumenical Sunday Worship

10 :15 a .m. Episcopal Sunday Worship

e Resting Place meeting at Sisters Communit y Church, 130 0 W. McKenzie Hwy www.restingplace.us

Easter Sunday at Hoodoo

Celebrate spring on Sunday, March 31, at 9 a .m. at the Easter eg g hunt at Hoodoo Ski Area, 2740 0 Big L ake Road, Sisters Presented by Breaking Free Media.

Sisters Rodeo Parade

Want to participate in the parade? ere are limited entries , so don t wait. Deadline is May 15 . Visit sistersrodeo.com and fill out the registration.

Humane Societ

Seventh-Day Adventist Church

386 N . Fir St. • 541-815-9848

11 a .m. S aturday Worship

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (ELCA)

386 N . Fir Street • 541-549-5831

www.shepherdof thehillsluther anchurch.com

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Sisters Church of the N az arene 67130 Har rington 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 www.sisterschurch.com • info@sisterschurch.com

9:30 a .m. Sunday Worship

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

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

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Sisters author pens lighthearted tale

By Kit Tosello Correspondent

You might assume a novelist with a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award adorning her shelf writes mainly about romance. But Sisters author Melody Carlson considers women’s contemporary fiction her go-to genre — “books about relationships, and issues, and life,” she says. “I know how to write a love story, but I don’t do the (romance genre) formula.”

Carlson’s mountainous body of work — she stopped counting at 250 books — ranges from children’s books to teen novels to young adult fiction. But women’s fiction is where she lives most. Several of her stories have been adapted for TV movies and are currently streaming.

Carlson observes, “One of the most interesting changes I’ve seen is how readers as teens enjoyed my teen books and now some are in their thirties and devouring my women’s fiction. How fun is that!”

No doubt, these are some of the readers who will be flocking to pick up Carlson’s newest book, “Just for the Summer,” releasing this week from Revell Publishing. Carlson describes it as “a lighter read with a bit of depth to it.”

The story opens with two completely different women living completely different lives, with one exception: they both work in the hospitality industry.

Having assumed responsibility for her younger sister after the death of their mother, Ginny worked her way up to manager of a chichi boutique hotel in Seattle. But she can’t take much more of her demanding boss. Meanwhile in Idaho, Jacqueline feels she’s frittering away her hospitality degree as manager of her grandpa’s rundown, Podunk fishing lodge. The story picks up as both women become so disenchanted they visit the same job-swap website.

writing I was running a day care center, had two boys in grade school and I still did things like PTA. I didn’t have very much time!”

She wrote her entire first novel longhand on a yellow legal pad during the kids’ nap time.

“I still write relatively fast, but not as many books in a year,” she said.

Carlson’s current rhythm still offers fans one new fulllength novel each spring and a Christmas novella each fall. It’s a pace she hopes to maintain even as she and her husband, Chris, navigate a new and arduous chapter in their own lives: Chris was recently diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the same disease that recently beset actor Bruce Willis.

Although all of Carlson’s books have been traditionally published by Christian publishing houses, her stories are never designed to sermonize.

“I let the book tell me what to do,” she said. “Even as a reader, I appreciate it when it (the faith element)

feels organic to the story.”

Sisters-Area Events & Enter tainment

THURSDAY • MARCH 21

Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Michelle Davis presents "The Retreat," the second of three books in The Awakening Series. 6:30 p.m. Info: www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.

Suttle Lodge Fireside Concert Series: Kar yn Ann 6 to 8 p.m. Doors at 5:30 Tickets, $10, at bendticket.com.

FRIDAY • MARCH 22

Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights

5 to 8 p.m. Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15

More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby & Annie 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

Hoodoo Ski Area Friday Night Lights 4 to 9 p.m. Night lights, live music and more. Info at www.skihoodoo.com.

SATURDAY • MARCH 23

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby & Annie 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

SUNDAY • MARCH 24

has

more kindness,

Carlson believes that reading stories, immersing ourselves in a fictional character’s point of view as they navigate struggles, has the power to grow in us “a little more kindness, a little more grace, a little more understanding. A novel gives us that opportunity to peel back those layers,” she says.

“Just for the Summer” released March 19. It’s available in Sisters at Paulina Springs Books and Suttle Tea, and wherever books are sold.

Sisters Fire Hall Fireside Series: Jack Carlson on the Oregon Pacific Railroad to Hogg Rock in the Santiam Pass. Presented by Three Sisters Historical Society. 2 p.m., doors open at 1 p.m. $10 at the door Info: 541-610-6323

Paulina Springs Books Sunday Scrabble 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Come to play Scrabble, socialize, and drink coffee. Open to all. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.

TUESDAY • MARCH 26

The Belfr y Frontiers in Science Lecture Series: Dr. Jerr y Freilich on River Ecology presented by Sisters Science Club Social hour begins at 6 p.m., lecture at 7 p.m. Adults $5 at the door; teachers and students free

THURSDAY • MARCH 28

Suttle Lodge Fireside Concert Series: Jeshua Marshall 6 to 8 p.m. Doors at 5:30 Tickets, $10, at www.bendticket.com.

Frankie’s Upstairs Live Music: Paul Eddy Bend troubadour playing Beatles, Sinatra, Hank Williams, and more, plus originals. 7 to 10 p .m. Upstairs at Sisters Depot, 250 W. Cascade Ave. Tickets, $20 at www.sistersdepot.com/our-events.

FRIDAY • MARCH 29

Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights 5 to 8 p.m. Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15 More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby & Annie 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

Carlson says, laughing.

The solution to both their problems seems obvious. Just for the summer, they’ll swap jobs and lifestyles. “What could go wrong?”

Library Journal gave “Just for the Summer” a starred review. And Publishers Weekly writes, “Two careerfocused women swap hospitality jobs and chaos ensues in the jovial latest from Carlson. Her lighthearted take on an old trope charms.”

Carlson has a talent for writing her stories quickly.

“I write really, really fast,” she says, “probably because when I started

Hoodoo Ski Area Friday Night Lights 4 to 9 p.m. Night lights, live music, and more. Info at www.skihoodoo.com.

SATURDAY • MARCH 30

Hoodoo Ski Area Rodeo Day at Hoodoo 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrate the spirit of the wild West on the slopes. Dress Western, chili cook-off, mechanical bull. Info at www.skihoodoo.com. Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby & Annie 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

SUNDAY • MARCH 31

Paulina Springs Books Sunday Scrabble 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Come to play Scrabble socialize, and drink coffee. Open to all. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.

WEDNESDAY • APRIL 3

Suttle Lodge Live Music: Dirty Jazz with Wolfe House Records 6 to 8 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets, $15, at www.bendticket.com.

Paulina Springs Books First Wednesday Open Mic Bring a poem, song or short story to share — or come listen! 5 minutes per reader 6:30 p.m. Info: PaulinaSpringsBooks.com.

THURSDAY • APRIL 4

Suttle Lodge Fireside Concert Series: New Victorian 6 to 8 p.m. Doors at 5:30 Tickets, $10, at bendticket.com.

Frankie’s Upstairs Live Music: Eric Leadbetter 7-9 p.m. Location is upstairs at Sisters Depot, 250 W. Cascade Ave. Tickets, $20, at www.sistersdepot.com/our-events.

SATURDAY • APRIL 6

Hoodoo Ski Area Snake Run Rally 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Grassroots banked slalom snowboard event on hand-dug course Info and registration at www thesnakerunrally.com.

THURSDAY • APRIL 11

Suttle Lodge Fireside Concert Series: Rich Swanger 6 to 8 p.m. Doors at 5:30 Tickets, $10, at bendticket.com.

Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Wendy Williams presents "Autobiography of a Sea Creature: Healing the Trauma of Infant Surgery." 6:30 p.m. More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.

Entertainment & Events Calendar listings are free to Nugget advertisers. Non-advertisers can purchase a listing for qualified event for $40/week.

Melody Carlson.

PHOTO PROVIDED

TECH: Digital storage requires massive infrastructure

Continued from page 1

ever considered that all this content still must be stored somewhere?

Everything digital that we access “in the cloud” — not stored on our own devices — has to be housed somewhere. Sisters resident Hannah Harrer has a role in the industry that meets the digital storage needs of today — building data centers.

Data centers are physical buildings that house the hardware, software, networks, cabling, and everything that makes it possible for U.S. companies and consumers to access the applications and files needed to function in a high-tech society every day. Harrer is quickly becoming an expert on this exploding industry and she wants others to share her enthusiasm for the opportunities it presents.

Harrer is the Director of Strategy, Digital Infrastructure, and HighTech for a local company called Trangistics, Inc. Trangistics is a logistics company run by CEO Joey Hougham, who lives right here in Sisters. The company has existed for more than 20 years, supporting industries with their transportation, warehousing, and inventory management needs.

Harrer was brought on to help shift the company focus to the high-tech industry and data centers. Trangistics has played a part in construction of a giant microchip factory in Arizona and assisting in the expansion of data centers built across the U.S. — including some data centers right here in Central Oregon near Prineville.

Hard at work at Trangistics, Inc. since August 2023, Harrer has attended multiple conferences on the complexities of building data centers. She was brandnew to the high-tech industry when she was hired and she said the last seven months have been “like drinking from a firehose.”

Hannah first came to Sisters back in 2007, when

Tom and Janice Harrer moved their family of five from Oahu. Hannah was in the eighth grade when they arrived. English and writing were her best subjects in school, but volleyball was her passion, having been brought up by parents who both played professional volleyball.

Hannah graduated from Sisters High School (SHS) in 2012 and attended Cal Poly Pomona on a full volleyball scholarship. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Communication, with an emphasis on Public Relations, she headed to San Diego State, where she completed her masters degree in Communication Studies. The masters degree trained her on conducting quantitative market research and gave her a more clear career direction.

Harrer’s first job, starting in 2018, was in higher education, doing marketing for Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. When the pandemic hit in 2020, she was able to work remotely and she returned to Sisters. In 2022, she moved to a remote position doing market research for Columbia Sportswear.

Now at Trangistics, she said, “I am thrilled to have landed in this industry.”

In fact, she hopes to open up opportunities for young people to work in the data center field. Harrer describes the industry as very open to collaboration, since without partnerships between real estate, construction, logistics, and utility companies—along with the hightech client building the data center—you simply cannot complete the job.

Some of the challenges Harrer described in data center construction include acquiring locations with sufficient power infrastructure, as well as addressing supply chain delays. Supply chain problems can be alleviated by a logistics company such as Trangistics, which is able to efficiently transport and warehouse construction materials well ahead of the construction schedule.

Power infrastructure limitations can prove to be a hard stop on many locations that

might otherwise have plenty of space for a data center.

High-tech construction is not the sum total of Hannah’s life, however. Volleyball still plays a huge role. In the Fall of 2022 Hannah was invited to coach the Sisters Middle School eighth-grade volleyball team and head up the entire middle school program. The following year, she followed the players to the high school and coached the first JV2/freshman team fielded by SHS in 7 years. It was a special joy for Hannah to be one of the coaches on the bench last fall when the varsity team won the state championship, an honor that she herself experienced as a sophomore at SHS.

Regardless of where her life and career take her in the future, Hannah said, “Sisters will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Harrer listed several foundations where readers can learn more about the future of data center construction:

• Nomad Futurist Foundation https://nomadfuturist.org

• Infrastructure Masons https://imasons.org

• WIMCO: Women in Mission Critical Operations (A division of 7x24 Exchange): https:// www.7x24exchange.org/ wimco/.

She is working to bring a representative to SHS from the Nomad Futurist Foundation so students can learn more about this promising field.

According to www. Statista.com, there were 5,375 data centers in the U.S., as of September 2023. The largest data center complex in the U.S., as cited by www.dgtlinfra.com, measuring out to a total of 4.6 million square feet, is the Meta Platforms (Facebook) facility right down the highway from us in Prineville.

The truly staggering statistics are found in the needs for data storage. The Statista website lists the total data produced by humans as of 2020 as 64.2 zettabytes. Total data created is projected to grow to over 180 zettabytes by 2025 — a near threefold increase in just 5 years. Wondering what a zettabyte is? Most hard drives are now

measured in terabytes and a 1 terabyte drive is a fairly common size for a personal computer. One zettabyte is equal to 1 billion terabytes. So, it would require 183 billion of the average household hard drives to hold the entirety of human digital resources by next year. And that doesn’t account for backup copies. So, as you shoot those photos with your iPhone and rest easy knowing that they are being stored for you by Apple, or as you share data with coworkers on a group

Google doc, remember that those files are not stored in the air, as the “cloud” terminology implies. They are stored on actual computers that are housed in real buildings in definite locations across the world. And there is an entire industry working to support the burgeoning need to house our data. Next time you see Hannah around town, thank her for being a proponent of the industry. You can find her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ hharrer.

Hannah Harrer on site at a facility in Arizona.

Continued from page 1

keepers, socialites, mill owners, loggers, and the folks at the gas station.

Her friend Martin Winch described her appearance as a gentle, white-haired, old lady, as pleasantly deceptive. Because, Maida Rossiter Bailey was a powerhouse. An editorial in the 1955 Bend Bulletin said “We like to think of her as one of Western America’s outstanding authorities on libraries, a person who has given more of her time to these institutions, without pay, than possibly any other resident of Oregon.”

Maida was born in Chicago in 1881 to a family with roots in England, and quickly became a serious student of chemistry, social studies, and Latin. Her mother urged her to “play a little more.” But she was bound for Cornell University, graduating in 1903, at a time when few women pursued college degrees. She followed her brother to Stanford University in California and got what she described as a “terrific job” at the university library, with 7 hours of work daily for $15 a month while doing graduate work at Berkeley. She loved working with books and she was good at it. Within 5 years she was promoted to reference librarian and lived through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which violently shook even the neighboring suburbs and damaged the Stanford campus, closing it for months.

in the world”, describing low ceilings, walls of unfinished stained planks of pine, loaded bookshelves, lamps, comfortable chairs, a large gas heater, and that amazing view of the mountains. They kept up with friends in Portland, going to plays and

before the depression, she and Meredith were part of the Sisters community that found solace in each other.

In 1912, at the age of 31, Maida was recruited by the president of the new Reed College in Portland, Oregon, to set up the library. She was happy in her work, but one night in 1918 she went to a dinner party and met Meredith Bailey, a 43-yearold man from Philadelphia with a dream of becoming a sheep rancher. They fell in love and married within the year, moving to the tiny town of Sisters to raise sheep and cattle at what later became the Patterson Ranch, and is now the Pole Creek Ranch.

They had a good life at what they named the “Vu Ranch” for its spectacular views of the Cascade Mountains, first roaming their 350-acre ranch on horses and later with a Model T. They had a cozy house at the edge of the pines. Martin Winch wrote, “The living room has more charm than any room

concerts while keeping in touch with ranch hands by phone. She also nurtured her love of libraries, turning her attention to the public libraries in Sisters and Bend, and serving on their Boards. Her expertise was recognized by the Governor when she was appointed to the Oregon State Library Board.

During the rough years

Maida said, “Yes, we had our good times. We would all come together at a house or barn... The men would get together for a smoke. There would be some jugs. A number of women would cry for a while. Life was so hard. Then we would dance all night long. Until breakfast time and daylight... They were great times.” But in 1931, 55-year-old Meredith suddenly died and Maida was left to manage the ranch alone. In 1936, she was asked to return to Reed and became the first Dean of Women. A theme of her discussions with the many students she counseled over the next five years was a precursor to a line in Mary Oliver’s poem: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

She came home to the ranch in 1943, and felt she needed more to do. So, she became bookkeeper in the office of the Hitchcock lumber mill in town. She was instrumental in helping the Sisters library expand by

asking mill owners to donate the mill office for a needed addition, also donating many books to the growing collection.

Maida spent her final years ranching and telling stories of her long interesting life. But she still engaged with the world, often asking “What’s new?” and “What have you read lately?” Martin and Carolyn Winch lived nearby and visited her every Sunday when she was more than 90 years old. She sat in her wheelchair and served them sherry and told stories. Carolyn described her as having “bright elegance” with brilliant dark eyes, a snowy twist of white hair, having both a sparkling personality and a dignified manner. Her collection of canes sat near one wall and she loaned them to the local kids when they needed a cane for a play at school.

One interviewer said: “She seems young herself with her

very contemporary outlook, though in years she can’t be.”

Maida passed away in 1972, but her name lives on in the headquarters of the Three Sisters Historical Society, the very library she helped build, now called the “Maida Bailey Old Library Building.” We remember her ability to cruise through the vast world of libraries, with unsinkable curiosity, believing that access to books can help change the world for the better.

Thanks to the Three Sisters Historical Society and Martin and Carolyn Winch for their stories.

BAILEY: Rancher, librarian and pioneer of Sisters

Bailey Ranch.

PHOTO COURTESY THREE SISTERS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Maida Bailey in her later years.

PHOTO COURTESY TSHS

Maida Bailey reading at the ranch.

PHOTO COURTESY TSHS

Folk Festival announces lineup

SFF Presents has announced the initial 19 artists slated to perform at the annual Sisters Folk Festival on Sept. 27-29, 2024, in Sisters, Oregon. Longtime poster artist Dennis McGregor has created another memorable image featuring “Folkasaurus Rox”, a jubilant Tyrannosaurus rex playing the concertina.

The preliminary lineup includes Aoife O’Donovan, Hawktail, The Mammals, Fantastic Cat, Balla Kouyaté & Mike Block Band, Peter Mulvey, SistaStrings, Cris Jacobs, Kittel & Co, Jourdan Thibodeaux et Les Rôdailleurs, Kyshona, Melissa Carper, Luke Winslow-King & Roberto Luti, The Langan Band, Cassandra Lewis, San Miguel Fraser, Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves, Jenner Fox & Jeremy Elliott, and Glitterfox. Read more about the performing artists at https://www.sistersfolkfest. org/lineup.

representing multiple genres of roots music performing on seven stages throughout downtown Sisters, Oregon.

The 27th annual discovery music festival will feature more than 30 artists from all over the world

Three-day festival passes are available at the advanced pricing of $225/ticket for adults and $85/ticket for youth ages 17 and under. Children under 5 attend for free. Single-day tickets will

be available in July alongside the full performance schedule. Get tickets at https:// aftontickets.com/SFF2024. Tickets are expected to sell out in advance once again and attendees are encouraged to purchase early. Follow @Sisters FolkFestival on Instagram and Facebook for festival updates and lineup information.

RURAL: Podcast highlights rural voices in America

Continued from page 3

corporate and family funders, based in urban wealth centers, who cast doubt or judgment on RHF’s decision to give grants to rural and indigenous projects.

Rather than being satisfied with being a different kind of philanthropist, as part of her work with the RHF and as a Fellow for the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) she has created the Funding Rural podcast as a means of

building empathy and humility as a bridge between rural and urban spaces. Borla is specifically focusing on ways in which to engage communities that funders may not know or understand. Through the conversations, Borla not only carves inroads for America’s philanthropic decision makers and philanthropic institutions, but she also invites anyone who is curious and wants a better understanding of rural America to listen in.

Funding Rural can be streamed wherever folks get their podcasts. For more information on RHF and Funding Rural visit FundingRural.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Sunshine Club brings brightness to Lodge

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

Amy Guthrie’s Sunshine Club, consisting of 17 Sisters Elementary School fifthgraders, were on hand at The Lodge in Sisters last Wednesday evening as part of their regular holiday visits. They brought handmade St. Patrick’s Day-themed cards and crafts just as they did on Valentine’s Day last month.

At Thanksgiving, Guthrie delivered a giant poster with greetings from the Club, and at the Christmas break, the Club students joined with C4C (Citizens For Community) at The Lodge to sing carols and drop off holiday cards.

Conversation appeared to be the most welcome of the gifts by the approximately 40 diners, notwithstanding their gratitude for the treats and crafts.

The diners this night were nearly all in their 80s and a few in their 90s. Having the kids come is important to keeping them engaged. Jos’e Deere expressed it best with a twinkle in her bright blue eyes.

“These children are so well behaved. So polite and so generous. They brighten my whole week,” Deere said. Her table mates concurred with compliments ranging from “such poise” to “kids to be proud of” to “what a gift their presence is to us all.”

Once or twice a month, the last period of Friday is club period. There are an assortment of clubs at the school from Lego’s to art

HWY. 242: Cold Springs Campground will get new bathrooms

Continued from page 1

Springs Campground and Picnic Site and at Dee Wright Observatory, bicycle parking at Dee Wright, and pullouts and interpretive panels throughout the corridor.

The $4.1 million project came off the drawing board last April and will take months to complete. Motorists and cyclists, however, should see most of the improvements completed by the time in June when they arrive in large numbers.

Large electronic sign boards are up at different points in Sisters advising drivers of the work. Motorists are urged to be vigilant for work crews and construction trucks entering the highway. Some shoulder work may necessitate lane controls.

Exploring how rivers work

to board games to drama and more. Sunshine Club is Guthrie’s creation modeled from succesful activities she found beneficial in her prior assignments in the Redmond School District and Tumalo Community School. She has been teaching for 25 years.

She recalled a Reading Buddies program for third graders who read to seniors that she established when she was earning her teaching certificate.

“The kids are really into the intergenerational thing,” Guthrie said. “They are very engaged with their Lodge buddies.”

Lodge residents eagerly await the return visits.

“These kids have hearts of gold,” Guthrie added.

The large assortment of cookies served that night –many decorated in shamrock shapes - were compliments of LWWDS (Living Well With Dementia Sisters).

Sandy Reilly of LWWDS said: “The Sunshine Club kids, through their interaction, are gaining valuable knowledge, understanding, and compassion about older adults. We are delighted to support them for this warm event and we are grateful for Amy Guthrie’s creativity and leadership.”

At this time of year, we hear a lot about snowpack, its moisture content, and how much water we will have to get through the summer. We drive by Detroit Dam and can’t help but check the water level. All year long, we notice the water flow in our local rivers.

We know we need water for human consumption, agriculture, sports activities, etc. Our lives are tied directly to water. It seems obvious that we should care about the life of rivers. But what goes on in rivers? They have fish that eat “flies” and other treats that we dangle in front of them. Surely, there’s more to it than that!

In fact, the ecology of rivers is complex, concealed, eye-opening, and will likely surprise you. Aquatic ecologist Dr. Jerry Freilich will explain how rivers work in his presentation titled “The Secret Life of Rivers” at The Belfry on Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m.

How many organisms actually make up the riverine ecosystem? Where do they get their energy? And how many of them have you actually heard of? With awareness of riverine ecology, you will understand why we have to protect running waters and it will make you think about human effects on the critters we love.

Dr. Jerry Freilich is a native of Philadelphia. He worked at the Academy of Natural Sciences there beginning at age 11. He spent 25 years working for the National Park Service in six parks nationwide. For 13 years, he was Research Coordinator at Olympic National Park and retired to Bend in 2016. His PhD work was a study of aquatic insects (salmonflies) at Grand Teton National Park. The work required individually tagging 3,000 salmonfly nymphs with tiny numbered tags and following their movements about in the river. Although this gave him a microscopiceye view of river ecology, he warned not to try this at home.

This event is part of the Frontiers in Science lecture series sponsored by the

Dr. Jerry Freilich.

Sisters Science Club. Social hour begins at 6 p.m. with light fare, beer, and wine available for purchase. Admission is $5 at the door; teachers and students are admitted free. The Belfry is located at 302 E. Main Ave., Sisters. For information email scienceinsisters@gmail.com.

PHOTO

Sisters Ranger District increases staff

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

Over the past several months the Sisters District of the Deschutes National Forest has seen its head count grow from 80 to 114. It’s part of a larger national effort for the agency which has a workforce of over 31,000 managing 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands, more than the entire stare of Texas.

In 2022, Chief Randy Moore called on the Forest Service to build its workforce for the future: “Forest Service hiring had not kept pace with attrition, and we needed to attract and retain employees at a rate that would grow our agency. The passing of significant legislation gave us the rare opportunity to increase the size of our federal workforce to meet additional workload demands created by major initiatives like the Wildfire Crisis Strategy.”

Much of the funding benefiting job gains in the Sisters District is from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid told The Nugget , “About half the increase is for fire and fuels reduction with added engine and hand crews. We’ve added a number of biologists and wildlife technicians and have been able to move some seasonal and part time staff to full time.”

It’s in this area where Reid sees the most benefit.

“There’s a lot of lost time in always having to retrain seasonal and part time personnel,” he said.

Including the U.S. Postal Service, federal agencies have seen robust growth of 86,000 jobs over the last year. Of the 11,000 jobs

gained in January, about 4,500 were for the Postal Service and 6,500 went toward the rest of federal government. Only a handful of non-census months over the last 20 years have seen such significant federal job growth. Federal employment has increased in 16 of the last 17 months.

Construction of the new District headquarters building is well under way with excavation and grading completed. Forms are being erected and concrete pouring will be in full swing soon.

Reid has issued an invitation to any interested persons to the annual open house Tuesday, April 9, starting at 4:30. The open house is a popular event where the community can learn about upcoming projects, including prescribed fires, ask questions and give feedback to district employees, and visit with their public servants and learn in greater detail the work of the increased staff.

New this year the District will host the event on the ranger station campus and offer an optional walking tour to see the final site plan, which includes a new warehouse and fire engine bay, new ranger station, employee housing, and increased visitor parking. If you are interested in attending the open house or the campus tour call 541-549-7700 or e-mail kylan.carlson@usda.gov.

Safe Chauffeur is on the road

By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief

John Schweiter Jr. has created a business that plays to two of his passions in life:

“I’ve always been a car guy — a racing family — so cars and driving are in my blood,” he told The Nugget “And I love to serve.”

Safe Chauffeur Executive Car Service serves people of high net worth across Central Oregon and the Sisters Country. Founded with his wife, executive chef Marie Schweiter, in 1997, Safe Chauffeur offers more than a standard car service.

“Our business model is just like we’re on the household staff,” Schweiter said.

They offer the highest level of attention, so that they are “creating something special” in the moments they have with those they serve — from John’s professional attire and demeanor to the condition of the Tesla or Cadillac he drives.

Safe Chauffeur offers rides to private airports, Mt. Bachelor, or extended trips to Portland or the Oregon Coast.

“A big part of what we do is (transporting) family members,” Schweiter noted.

Priding himself on responsiveness, Schweiter particularly enjoys moments when his services are in urgent demand.

“My favorite trips are those last-minute meetings or missed flights,” he said.

John and Marie moved from Seattle to Central Oregon in 1996. John had roots here from his youth.

“I grew up as a kid enjoying summers in Sunriver and Sisters and Black Butte Ranch in the 1970s and ’80s,” he recalled. Schweiter found his inspiration for Safe Chauffeur when he was raising funds for his tech business. He was picked up by a driver who was a chauffeur for millionaires and billionaires. He found the work appealing

— especially with his love of driving.

Safe Chauffeur made its services available to the public in 2018, and Schweiter has steadily built a clientele of millionaires and billionaires in the Sisters area.

Prospective clients can find a detailed menu of services at https://www. safechauffeur.me/.

Schweiter stands ready to serve.

“Never hesitate to call or text,” he said. “But the earlier the better.”

Safe Chauffeur serves high-net-worth clients across Sisters Country.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Obituaries

Passed

John T. Turner of Sisters left this life on March 9, 2024. He was 99 years old. Born in Sayre, Arkansas, on January 5, 1925, to Albert and Effie (Machen) Turner. He attended public schools in Casa Grande, Arizona, graduating high school in 1943. He graduated from Park University in Parkville, Missouri.

He joined the military at 17, serving in Europe with the Eighth Air Force, flying combat missions in a B-17 during World WarII. He served with the 378th Bombardment Group in England, and was shot down twice over France. He married Barbara Smith in 1945.

He transferred to the U.S. Army in 1947. Ten years of his career were spent overseas and included two tours in Korea. As a Captain he attended the Army Language School in Monterey, where he studied Mandarin Chinese. He later was assigned to the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he translated the short course curriculum and later taught the course to 26 Chinese generals.

His senior positions included Chief of Staff of a Logistical Command in Europe; Inspector General of the U.S. Army in Alaska, Commander of the Garrison at Fort Richardson, Alaska, and Chief of Staff of the Ordinance Center and School at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He retired as a Colonel in 1975.

Outside of his military and family duties,

Evan Lee Vujnovich

April 17, 1989 – September 27, 2023

Evan Lee Vujnovich, born April 17, 1989, passed away on September 27, 2023, at the age of 34. He was born in Templeton, California, to Steven and Sherri Vujnovich.

He loved to fish, surf, and bowl. Evan graduated from Honoka’a High School in 2007 in Hawaii, where he lived with his dad and Hanai Mother Renee’. He then joined the U.S. Navy in 2007, serving honorably for four years. He rose to the rank of E3, earning many medals.

He leaves behind his mother, Sherri; his father, Steven, and Hanai Mother Renee’; his aunts Denise, Candace, Lori, Rebecca; uncles Michael and John; half-brother Gerald;

he was a Thirty-Second Degree Mason, active in the Scottish Rite and in the Shrine. He was Past Master, District Deputy of the Grand Master, Grand Lecturer of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Oregon, and he was an honorary Past Grand Master.

He was a lover of books and music and was an amateur old-time fiddler. He was an avid reader and a student of history. He enjoyed words. He often said that the two most beautiful words in the English language are “integrity” and “civility,” and, excepting the usual human frailties, he endeavored to live by both. He was tolerant in many ways, but admittedly, not in all. He believed it was courteous to wear one’s hat only when outside.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 78 years, Barbara, daughters Margaret Greer and Meredith Kellogg (David), son Mark Turner (Janet), 3 grandsons, 3 granddaughters, and 5 great-grandchildren, as well as dear family friends. He was predeceased by son John Michael, who died in Vietnam. A memorial service will be held at a later date, and inurnment will be at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

half-sister Samantha; grandfather George Vujnovich; friend Mitchell; and many cousins. His smile and sense of humor will be missed but he is free at last. His earthly remains are at the VA cemetery in Roseburg, Oregon. He rests with the wind and the sea.

ALL

102 Commercial Rentals

STORAGE WITH BENEFITS

• 8 x 20 dry box

• Fenced yard, RV & trailers

• In-town, gated, 24-7

EWDevcoLLC@gmail.com

MINI STORAGE

Sisters Rental 331 W. Barclay Drive 541-549-9631

Sizes 5x5 to 15x30 and outdoor

RV parking. 7-day access. Computerized security gate. Moving boxes & supplies.

OFFICE/RETAIL

SPACE FOR RENT

Great location across from Ace Hardware.

Several space types available. Call owner Jim Peterson/RE Broker. 503-238-1478

103 Residential Rentals

PONDEROSA PROPERTIES

–Monthly Rentals Available–Call Debbie at 541-549-2002

Full details, 24 hrs./day, go to: PonderosaProperties.com

Printed list at 221 S. Ash, Sisters Ponderosa Properties LLC

TENANT PLACEMENT

“nothing’s more expensive than bad tenants” call or text mike 541.588.2028 mikez@wetdogpnw.com

CASCADE HOME & PROPERTY RENTALS

Monthly Rentals throughout Sisters Country. 541-549-0792

Property management for second homes.

CascadeHomeRentals.com

For rent

Fully furnished, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Camp Sherman close to the river and store. 6-month lease. Available May 1st. $3,250 includes utilities. 541-206-2844

104 Vacation Rentals

~ Sisters Vacation Rentals ~ Private Central OR vac. rentals, Property Management Services 541-977-9898

www.SistersVacation.com

Downtown Vacation Rentals Popular 1 and 2 Bedroom SistersVacationRentals.net

Great pricing. 503-730-0150

107 Rentals Wanted

Looking for a room to rent. Needed by mid-May

Call or email Tim 541-306-7340

lynchpinstim@gmail.com

201 For Sale

2015 Big Tex 14 TL Trailer 14,000 lb. capacity. Very good condition, lightly used. $8,900. Call evenings, 541-647-7780

FREE to a good home, you pick up. Kimball upright piano in good condition, padded piano bench, electric metronome. Call (eves.) or text.

541-647-7402. Someone needs to play this piano!

Sisters Carports & Metal Buildings start at $1,295 for 12'x 21'x 6' (WxLxH)

Free Installation. Contact Matt 541-728-3507 for price sheets.

202 Firewood

• SPRING SPECIAL • SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS

DAVE ELPI – FIREWOOD

• SINCE 1976 • KINDLING

Doug Fir – Lodgepole –Hardwood – Juniper – Fir DRIVE-IN WOOD SALES

– 18155 Hwy. 126 East –SistersForestProducts.com Order Online! 541-410-4509

205 Garage & Estate Sales

Happy Trails Estate Sales and online auctions!

Selling, Downsizing, or Deaths?

Locally owned & operated by... Daiya 541-480-2806

Sharie 541-771-1150

Estate Sale in Sisters!

69125 Hurtley Ranch Rd. Thurs.-Sat., 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Kubota tractor & Brush Hog, John Deere Gator, Husqvarna riding & push lawn mowers, round pen, saddles & tack, gun safe, garden decor, duck decoys, home furnishings, antiques, clocks, FlexSteel couch & chair, art, books, Yamaha portable piano, Dept. 56 & more!

View pics @ estatesales.net

– Hosted by Happy Trails!–

HERITAGE USA

Open daily 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. 253 E. Hood Ave., Sisters.

301 Vehicles

We Buy, Sell, Consign Quality Cars, Trucks, SUVs & RVs ~ Call Jeff at 541-815-7397

Sisters Car Connection da#3919 SistersCarConnection.com

Charm is a young mother cat that has finished raising her kittens. Her kittens have found homes and now it is her turn to find her forever family. She is a love bug once you give her a chance. Let her charm you by applying to adopt her at: sisterswhiskers.org

500 Services

• DERI’s HAIR SALON • Call 541-419-1279

GEORGE’S SEPTIC TANK SERVICE

“A Well Maintained Septic System Protects the Environment” 541-549-2871

SMALL Engine REPAIR

Lawn Mowers, Chainsaws & Trimmers

Sisters Rental

331 W. Barclay Drive 541-549-9631

Authorized service center for Stihl, Honda, Ariens/Gravely, Cub Cadet, Briggs & Stratton, Kohler, Kawasaki Engines

Junk removal, new home, garage & storage clean-out, construction, yard debris. You Call – We Haul! 541-719-8475

501 Computers & Communications

3 Sisters TeleNetworks, LLC Cable jobs, security cameras, WAPs. CCB #191099 541-318-7000 • 541-306-0729

Technology Problems? I can fix them for you. Solving for Business & Home Computers, Tablets, Networking Internet (Starlink), and more! Jason Williams

Sisters local • 25 yrs. experience 541-719-8329

Oregontechpro.com

502 Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

GORDON’S

LAST TOUCH

Cleaning Specialists for CARPETS, WINDOWS & UPHOLSTERY

Member Better Business Bureau

• Bonded & Insured • Serving Central Oregon Since 1980 Call 541-549-3008

M & J CARPET CLEANING

Area rugs, upholstery, tile & dryer-vent cleaning. Established & family-owned since 1986. 541-549-9090

504 Handyman

JONES UPGRADES LLC

Home Repairs & Remodeling

Drywall, Decks, Pole Barns, Fences, Sheds & more. Mike Jones, 503-428-1281

Local resident • CCB #201650

They're at NuggetNews.com ~ Uploaded every Tuesday afternoon at no extra charge! Call 541-549-9941

Deadline for classified is Monday by noon

600 Tree Service & Forestry

TimberStandImprovement.net

Tree Removal & Pruning TRAQ Arborist/ CCB#190496 541-771-4825

LOLO TREE WORKS

Tree Services: Tree Removal, Tree Pruning, Stump Grinding, Emergency Tree Services.

ISA Certified Arborist

Owner / Operator: Erin Carpenter lolotreeworks.com

Call / Text: 503-367-5638

Email: erin@lolotreeworks.com

CCB #240912

SUDOKU Level: Easy Answer: Page 19

4 Brothers Tree Service Sisters' Premier Tree Experts!

–TREE REMOVAL & CLEANUP –

Native / Non-Native Tree Assessments, Pruning, High-Risk Removals, 24 Hr. Emergency Storm Damage Cleanup, Craning & Stump Grinding, Debris Removal.

–FOREST MANAGEMENT –Fire Fuels Reduction - Brush Mowing, Mastication, Tree Thinning, Large & Small Scale Projects!

Serving Black Butte Ranch, Camp Sherman & Sisters Area since 2003 ** Free Estimates ** Owner James Hatley & Sons 541-815-2342

4brostrees.com

Licensed, Bonded and Insured CCB-215057

T H E N U G G E T

N E W S P A P E R

601 Construction SPURGE COCHRAN BUILDER, INC.

General Contractor

Building Distinctive, Handcrafted Custom Homes, Additions, Remodels, Cabin Renovations Since ’74

A “Hands-On” Builder

Keeping Your Project on Time & On Budget • CCB #96016

To speak to Spurge personally, call 541-815-0523

Lara’s Construction LLC.

CCB#223701

Offering masonry work, fireplaces, interior & exterior stone/brick-work, build barbecues, and all types of masonry. Give us a call for a free estimate 541-350-3218

Earthwood Timberframes

•Design & shop fabrication

•Recycled fir and pine beams

•Mantels and accent timbers •Sawmill/woodshop services EWDevCoLLC@gmail.com

541-390-1206

beavercreeklog@yahoo.com

Log repairs, log railing, log accent, log siding, etc. CCB #235303 Insurance & Bond

Custom Homes • Additions

Residential Building Projects

Serving Sisters area since 1976

Strictly Quality

CCB #16891 • CCB #159020

541-280-9764

John Pierce

jpierce@bendbroadband.com

Uncompromising quality. Local and personal. You can trust me.

All projects: From new construction to those little projects you don't seem to get to. My team of local subcontractors and I will get it done right, fair, and pain-free so you can make your spouse happy.

Call Jared 503-949-9719

HIGH DESERT WOOD CARE

Power wash/clean • Complete sanding • Stain & finish • Log home chinking • 10% military discount • Specializing in log home and deck refinishing 541-948-2303

$100 off decks • $500 off log homes until April 30

From Ground to Finish

Accurate and Efficient 541-604-5169

CCB#233074

CASCADE GARAGE DOORS

Factory Trained Technicians

Since 1983 • CCB #44054 541-548-2215 • 541-382-4553

Pat Burke

LOCALLY OWNED

CRAFTSMAN BUILT

CCB: 288388 • 541-588-2062

www.sistersfencecompany.com

Custom Homes Additions - Remodels

Residential Building Projects

Becke William Pierce

CCB# 190689 • 541-647-0384 Beckewpcontracting@gmail.com

Construction & Renovation

Custom Residential Projects

All Phases • CCB #148365 541-420-8448

HAVE A BUSINESS TO PROMOTE?

SERVICE TO PROVIDE?

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602 Plumbing & Electric SWEENEY

PLUMBING, INC.

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•New Construction

•Water Heaters 541-549-4349

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Licensed • Bonded • Insured CCB #87587

Ridgeline Electric, LLC

Serving all of Central Oregon

•Residential • Commercial

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• CCB #234821

541-588-3088

603 Excavation & Trucking

ROBINSON & OWEN

Heavy Construction, Inc.

All your excavation needs

*General excavation

*Site Preparation

*Sub-Divisions

*Road Building

*Sewer and Water Systems

*Underground Utilities

*Grading

*Sand-Gravel-Rock

Licensed • Bonded • Insured

CCB #124327

541-549-1848

Full Service Excavation

Free On-site Visit & Estimate Tewaltandsonsexcavation@gmail

.com

541-549-1472 • CCB #76888

Drainfield

•Minor & Major Septic Repair

•All Septic Needs/Design & Install

General Excavation

•Site Preparation

•Rock & Stump Removal

•Pond & Driveway Construction Preparation

•Building Demolition Trucking

•Deliver Top Soil, Sand, Gravel, Boulders, Water

•Dump Trucks, Transfer Trucks, Belly

•The Whole 9 Yards or 24

Whatever You Want!

BANR Enterprises, LLC

Earthwork, Utilities, Grading, Hardscape,

604

Keeping Sisters Country Beautiful Since 2006 candcnursery@gmail.com

541-549-2345

Complete landscape construction, fencing, irrigation installation & design, pavers/outdoor kitchens, debris cleanups, fertility & water conservation management, excavation.

CCB #188594 • LCB #9264

www.vohslandscaping.com

541-515-8462

J&E Landscaping Maintenance

LLC Clean-ups, raking, hauling debris, thatching, aerating, irrigation, mowing.

Edgar Cortez 541-610-8982 jandelspcing15@gmail.com

–All You Need Maintenance –Pine needle removal, hauling, mowing, moss removal, edging, raking, weeding, pruning, roofs, gutters, pressure washing.

Lic/Bonded/Ins. CCB# 218169 Austin • 541-419-5122

701 Domestic Services

BLAKE & SON – Commercial, Home & Rentals Cleaning WINDOW CLEANING!

Lic. & Bonded • 541-549-0897

I & I Crystal Cleaning, LLC

Specializing in Commercial, Residential & Vacation Rentals. Licensed, Bonded & Insured.

541-977-1051

House Cleaning

Sisters & Black Butte Free Consult 503-750-3033

www.nuggetnews.com

Breaking News / Road Reports

Weather / Letters Editorials / Commentary

605

802 Help Wanted

Sisters Landscape Co. is hiring for multiple positions — crew leads to laborers — with potential for growth and advancement. No experience necessary.

>>> $20-$25/hour DOE <<<

Potential wage increase for motivated employees. All work in Sisters area, easy drive from Bend or Redmond. Email resumé to sisterslandscape@gmail.com or call 541-549-3001.

Part-Time Sales Associate

We are looking for a person who is friendly, outgoing and reliable; someone who enjoys working with the public in a team environment. Workdays are Friday, Saturday, and Monday. Applications available at the Stitchin' Post, 311 West Cascade in Sisters or by email diane.j@stitchinpost.com.

Questions? Contact diane.j@stitchinpost.com

T H E N U G G E T

S I S T E R S O R E G O N online at NuggetNews.com

999 Public Notice

NOTICE OF BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING

A public meeting of the Budget Committee of the Sisters School District #6, Deschutes County, State of Oregon, to discuss the budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, will be held at Sisters School District Office, 525 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters, Oregon. The meeting will take place on the 17th day of April, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. and an additional meeting will be held on the 1st day of May, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting(s) is to receive the budget message, review the proposed budget for FY 24-25 and to receive comments from the public on the budget. A copy of the budget document may be inspected or obtained at the meeting on April 17th or at the Sisters School District Office, 525 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters, Oregon, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on or after April 16th.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

that the undersigned intends to sell the personal property described below to enforce a lien imposed on said property under the Oregon Self-Service Storage Facilities Act. The undersigned will sell at a public sale by competitive bidding on the 10th day of April 2024, at 10 am, on the premises where said property has been stored and which is located at Cascade Storage, 581 N. Larch Street, Sisters, OR, County of Deschutes, State of Oregon, the following: Jill Paulus, Units 407 and 619. Purchases must be paid for at the time of purchase in cash only. All purchased items sold as is where is and must be removed at the time of sale. Sale subject to cancellation in the event of settlement between owner and obligated party. Dated this March 18th, 2024.

Cascade Storage

Metolius Meadows in Camp Sherman is seeking a reliable self-motivated individual to assist in the care and maintenance of our common area grounds and facilities. A good candidate will have some mechanical knowledge, and carpentry skills. Be a self-starter and willing to work in a variety of daily duties. We offer a competitive starting wage with opportunities to develop a professional skill set. Contact our office at 541-595-2101.

SUDOKU SOLUTION

for puzzle on page 18

DOUBLE THE IMPACT OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION THROUGH MARCH 31...

SUPPORT NUGGET FREELANCERS AND LOCAL NONPROFITS

When you purchase a Nugget SUPPORTING SUBSCRIPTION during February or March 2024, 100% of your contribution goes to paying freelance reporters, columnists, and photographers

PLUS The Nugget will donate an ad to the local nonprofit of your choice!*

*Ad will be a display ad in The Nugget Newspaper of approximate matching value to the contribution, to run one time before August 31, 2024. Nonprofit organization must be based in or serving the Sisters community

$140

$265

Includes

How can I participate?

Stop by the office at 442 E. Main Ave. (we’d love to connect with you), scan the QR code, or click the “donate” link at the top of www.nuggetnews.com. Choose the amount of support you wish to provide and let us know what local nonprofit you’d like to receive an ad.

$485 annual or $45 monthly

Includes