The Source Weekly March 27, 2025

Wednesdays

– Smoked Beef Brisket

Classic slow-cooked brisket, perfectly smoked to melt in your mouth.

Join us for an unforgettable meal for just $35, every Wednesday 5-8:30pm.

Thursdays – Bingo & Sliders

Play Bingo from 4-5pm and stay for our sliders special! Two for $12 — Choose from pulled pork, Philly shaved prime rib, bacon smash, shredded buffalo chicken or seared salmon.

Fridays – Live Music

Start your weekend with music and a sunset. Featuring a different local artist every Friday from 5:15–6:45pm. To learn more about our special events or make a dining reservation, call 541-593-4855 or visit CalderaSprings.com/LakeHouse

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The Source Weekly 704 NW Georgia Ave., Bend, OR 97703

t. 541-383-0800

bendsource.com info@bendsource.com

On the Cover: Kia Zora is a third-generation artist, born and raised in Eugene. She now lives and works in Portland. Her work centers ecology and our human-creature relationship with the living world. Concepts of life, death and metamorphosis evolve on her canvas to convey the sense of interconnection and transition within and through the environments we inhabit. As she puts it, “Nothing truly dies, it just changes form.” This philosophy is mirrored in her process as she fleshes out imagery based on creative action during a painting. Color, design, format and imagery all evolve as the concept of a piece becomes more clear through her work. Visit her website at Kiazora.com and follow her on Instagram @Kiazora, or arrange a studio visit in Portland to view/purchase her original work.

Call for Artists: If you're interested in being a SW featured artist, email: production@bendsource.com.

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Although we are currently living in a state of abrupt, daily changes at the national level, the truth is the wheels of government grind slowly. Journalists often rely on the Freedom of Information Act to speed up the process. The public has a right to request access to records from federal agencies, and this access to information should lead to greater government transparency. That doesn’t mean there aren’t bad actors who attempt to hinder access — or simply slow it down. Every year, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, MuckRock and AAN Publishers team up to publish The Foilies, an annual report that recognizes the most absurd and incompetent responses to public records requests under FOIA and state transparency laws. So, here’s to naming and shaming the worst!

In local news, reporter Julianna LaFollette speaks with area veterans and their advocates about what VA cuts mean for the Central Oregon community and addresses never-ending traffic on Reed Market Road. Our new issue of Central Oregon Pets is on newsstands this week as well, full of stories about sled dogs, birds and aquarium animals, plus confessions from a cat junkie and tips from a local dog trainer.

National Poetry Month is this April and you can enter our annual poetry contest now! This year’s theme is Rebellion and submissions are open through April 2. Get all the details at bendsource.com/poetrymonth

“Tend

to your practice daily, enjoying each phase as it sprouts, grows and flourishes.”

—Tamara Levitt

Thank you so much @vitalityinfocus for tagging us in your photo of a little snow and a vibrant sunrise.

PRESENTED BY HARVEST MOON WOODWORKS Don’t forget to share your photos

@vitalityinfocus IG

Flexibility in Room Tax Income Could Come in Multiple Forms

This week, leaders in local government and destination management organizations alike submitted testimony about a bill moving through the Oregon Legislative Assembly, which seeks to make some changes in how future monies garnered by tourism are used. HB 3556 “extends the permissible uses of net revenue from a new or increased transient local lodging tax to include public safety services and certain costs related to ‘community infrastructure.’”

In other words, the bill would give local governments more flexibility in how they use taxes that come in from hotels and short-term rentals. Right now, in Bend and Deschutes County, 70% of any money garnered from room taxes goes to the city or county’s general fund, while about 30% goes to destination marketing organizations that use the funds for tourism promotion. Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler and the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners submitted testimony in favor of the bill, which they see as a way for them to pour more funds into public safety and infrastructure support.

DMOs such as Visit Central Oregon, and others around the state, are opposed, pointing out the economic benefits that tourism brings to the state. They’re also concerned about some ambiguity in the way the bill is written, and what “new or increased” revenue really means. To address the fact that the meat of the bill doesn’t touch on what “new” means, in their written testimony, Deschutes County Commissioners asked the legislative committee leaders overseeing the bill to be sure the bill clarifies that it apply only to “newly” implemented taxes or increases to existing taxes, which would require the support of voters.

That’s the interpretation of the bill that might see it having the best chance of passing. Under that interpretation, to see any more money from tourism dollars going to public safety or infrastructure support, a city or county would have to go out and ask voters to increase the amount of tax being gathered by hotels or short-term rentals. Then, only the new portion of those funds could be used in the new way.

Local government leaders contend that tourists place a strain on law enforcement resources, and they’d like a new way to cover some of those costs. If this bill truly only uses “new” funds, that seems like a good use of those funds. DMOs would continue to be funded to promote tourism, and local governments would have more support in helping keep people safe and providing basic services.

Provided that the ambiguity is cleared up, it seems an endeavor worth pursuing — but it also begs a perennial question, often asked by our readers: How much money do DMOs need, in a place as tourist-saturated as Bend? Testimony submitted by average citizens about the bill speaks to that issue. Some who offered testimony believe we spend too much money on marketing the city.

Lately, DMOs in our area have been making some bold moves in how they spend the money garnered by room taxes. Visit Bend has its Sustainability Fund and Cultural Tourism Fund, both which supply grant funding to local nonprofits and others for things like restoring habitat along the Deschutes River, or marketing events like BendFilm or the recent Bendi Gras. Adding these funds made the idea of giving so much money to DMOs more palatable to the public. It was a stroke of genius that has also benefited many local events (including some owned by the parent company of the Source).

But can we get even more creative, in service of the people who work in tourism?

We’ve long mused about whether there were even broader interpretations those DMOs can make. If those funds can be used for trail building, could they also be used to supply much-needed tourist workforce housing, for example? Wouldn’t that, too, be supporting tourism and tourism promotion, since it could, in theory, help temper wage costs?

When it comes to tourism and room taxes, much has and will be said about how those funds should be used. But even as there’s currently a conversation afoot about flexibility on the front end, we believe there’s room for a conversation about flexibility on the back end, too.

Letters

GUEST OPINION: BENTZ DEFENDS GOP BUDGET THAT HURTS HIS DISTRICT

At a recent town hall, U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-District 2) was asked to explain and defend the federal budget proposal put forward by House Republicans. That proposal calls for drastic cuts in a number of critical services, and even more tax breaks for corporations and the super-rich than they already enjoy. Bentz argued GOP dogma, saying that such drastic cuts were necessary because our current spending levels are not “sustainable.” That’s a little disingenuous, and I think the congressman knows it. The standard conservative argument is that we have to give the rich guys a break because otherwise they can’t create the jobs we need. But by multiple metrics, it’s clear the rich boys are doing more than fine.

On the other hand, the rest of us are still living with the legacy of the Great Recession of 2008-09 and the debilitating effects of the COVID pandemic. Given the bedeviling and persistent issues of homelessness, rising home costs, the high cost of child care and college education and the cost of groceries, prescription medications and other daily needs (thanks in large part to price gouging by corporations during the pandemic), the middle class is struggling. In some cases, struggling hard.

The Republican proposal calls for cutting $880 billion from Medicaid and $230 billion from food stamps. It would give $4.5 trillion to corporations and the super-rich in tax cuts. Those are big numbers, and a little abstract, but they represent real damage to working families in Oregon, and in Bentz’ very own district. Across Oregon, tens of thousands would be pushed deeper into poverty, and the state would have to deal simultaneously with a budget deficit and an economic slowdown.

In Bentz’ district, the 22,000 people in the district who receive health care coverage

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under the Affordable Care Act would see average premiums spike by $1,110 per year, a 45% increase. Through direct cuts and eligibility gimmicks, the 171,641 people who rely on Medicaid are at risk of losing a significant portion of their health care coverage. This number includes 70,112 children and 13,559 seniors. The Republican plan also threatens Bentz’ constituents with aggravated poverty and hunger. The 62,796 residents of the second congressional district who need food stamps to survive would be in dire straits.

There is no moral or an economic justification for making life harder for regular Americans so that the super-rich can keep skating and accumulating even more wealth at our expense. Especially considering that they have succeeded because we let them. We have given them a friendly environment in which to grow and thrive in a free, stable and democratic system. Part of the grand bargain is that they give back their fair share in the form of taxes to help sustain the blessing of liberty to which we are all entitled, and for which many have sacrificed their very lives to protect.

—Jeffrey Richardson

RECLAIMING OUR HEALTH: RESISTANCE THROUGH FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE IN THE CURRENT TRUMP REGIME

As a Functional Medicine Nurse Practitioner living locally, I am deeply inspired by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), whose resistance against oligarchy speaks to more than just politics — it’s about reclaiming our health and future. Their fight for justice isn’t just political — it’s personal, affecting each of us in our daily lives, particularly women.

Oligarchy, where power and wealth are concentrated in the hands of a few, is more than a political issue. It impacts our physical and mental well-being. Women, especially, bear the brunt of this inequality. From hormonal imbalances to autoimmune diseases and mental health struggles, our health care system — driven by corporate interests

— often overlooks us. Chronic stress, exacerbated by these inequities, manifests in inflammation, fatigue and disease.

This is where functional medicine offers a vital solution. By addressing the root causes of disease rather than just masking symptoms, functional medicine empowers us to take control of our health. Through a holistic approach that focuses on diet, stress management and lifestyle changes, it offers women the tools to combat the chronic effects of living in an unequal system. It’s a form of personal resistance — a way to prioritize our health and wellness.

Just as Bernie and AOC fight against systems that hurt us, functional medicine provides us with a pathway to resist by taking control of our bodies. Through mindfulness, nutrition and addressing stress and imbalance at the root, we don’t just heal — we resist. When we heal ourselves, we contribute to a larger movement for justice and equity. Together, we can reclaim our health and resist systems that undermine us. It’s time to fight for a healthier, more equitable world.

—Colette Whelan, DNP, FNP-C, AFMCP

SUPPORT FUNDING FOR WILDLIFE CROSSINGS

After years of driving between Portland and Bend, I’ve seen firsthand the dangers people and wildlife face on our roads — dead deer along the highway, sudden animal crossings in low light and long delays caused by animal-vehicle collisions. These incidents aren’t just inconvenient; they’re dangerous and tragic for both people and wildlife. There are over 7,000 documented deer or elk collisions a year, costing an estimated $140 million. By contrast, the wildlife underpasses along Highway 97 south of Lava Butte have

reduced such collisions by 90%. The lesson is simple: Wildlife crossings work. The problem isn’t that deer cross our roads— it’s that our roads cross their forests. It’s our responsibility to build safe passage where highways cut through critical habitats.

And yet Oregon only has five such crossings statewide, far less than our neighbors — Idaho has 17 structures while both Washington and Nevada each have more than 20. Highway 20 from Bend to Suttle Lake, a road many of us drive during dusk, has been identified as a key wildlife corridor that would benefit from such crossings. The state legislature is considering how to secure dedicated funding for wildlife crossings in Oregon. Please urge Rep. Levy, Rep. Kropf, and Sen. Broadman, or your local representative/senator, to make this a priority for improving road safety and removing barriers for wildlife.

—Malcolm Costello

Letter

of the Week:

Thanks for sharing, Malcolm. More wildlife crossings seem like a win-win.

—Chris Young

Deschutes County Landfill Plans Fall Through

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners announced on March 19 that its plans to purchase a new landfill site fell through. In July, the Board voted to select the “Moon Pit” site as the preferred location for the County’s next landfill.

After months of negotiations between the County and the counsel for Hooker Creek’s “Moon Pit” property, Deschutes County staff members said the two parties couldn’t come to an understanding.

“I think ultimately the issues were a desire for a very quick closing on the part of the seller, and not enough time or ability for the county to conduct its due diligence,” Stephanie Marshall, a member of the County’s legal counsel, said at the March 19 meeting.

A new solid waste facility will be needed once Knott Landfill reaches capacity in 2029. Moving forward, Deschutes County staff will provide a recommendation to commissioners identifying other sites that could be further studied.

—Julianna LaFollette

Reed Market Overpass Project: Traffic Relief and Construction Impacts

A planned project to eliminate a railroad crossing on Reed Market Road will address congestion but cause significant traffic impacts during construction

By Julianna LaFollette

For years, Bend residents have called on the City of Bend to address a train crossing along a busy section of Reed Market Road, between SE 15th Street and Third Street. With several trains crossing each day, stopping anywhere between five minutes to upward of 20, the City of Bend is attempting to alleviate issues with travel time reliability by eliminating the railroad crossing and constructing an overpass over the railroad.

The railroad crossing can often cause severe congestion and delay travel times on a highly trafficked east-west route. While many residents are in support of this long-term solution, others wonder how the project, and its construction, will impact traffic flow in an already congested area.

A Permanent Solution

After hearing from residents and receiving feedback through the Transportation System Plan update in 2020, the City identified the Reed Market railroad crossing as a major pressure point for travelers due to frequent railroad stops. According to City project engineer Sinclair Burr, trains stop at the crossing approximately six to eight times a day.

“People can’t rely on that — the ability to get across town via that important arterial,” Burr told the Source Weekly.

Many ambulance and fire-truck drivers, he said, also refuse to use the road to get across town, deeming it unreliable.

11 million

—No government can withstand a challenge from 3.5% of its population; in the U.S., that’s 11 million Americans — from Ellen Waterston’s The Third Act column, “Just Sayin’”

In January, the City of Bend also received $32 million in federal funds for the project — the largest amount of grant funding that has ever been awarded to the City. The project was also identified in the General Obligation Bond that voters passed in 2020.

“By utilizing local GO Bond funds as a match for this grant, the City of Bend is maximizing the impact of the GO Bond by leveraging additional federal funds to ensure our transportation system grows and improves alongside our community’s growth,” read a press release.

While Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler voiced concerns about potential threats to federal funding in February for infrastructure projects like the Reed Market overpass, Burr said the project is currently continuing as normal.

Construction for the project is set to take place from 2027 through 2028. Burr anticipates that the City will have a design of the overpass to show residents in late spring or early summer.

Construction Impacts

“Walking along the beach in Lincoln City and discovering a glass float creates such a fun and memorable moment.”

—Matt White of Beachcrest Brewing Company, from the Go Here story, “A Quarter Century of Finders Keepers on the Coast”

Just last week, the City received its initial draft traffic study, which identifies how the City can mitigate traffic during construction.

Some of the anticipated traffic impacts include a full closure of Reed Market, near the project site, along with a closure of Ninth Street, another high-traffic, north-south route attached to Reed Market. The draft traffic study, Burr said, addresses the importance of the Ninth Street connection and demonstrates how important the Reed Market bridge construction is overall to the City’s transportation system.

While there were initial discussions about Ninth Street not being tied back into Reed Market in the future, Burr said, as of March 21, the City is optimistic it can keep Ninth Street connected to Reed Market once the project is finished.

Burr acknowledged that these main road closures will impact traffic patterns, causing congestion on detour routes.

Burr added that the improvements to Wilson Avenue, a likely popular detour in the area, will help alleviate some of the stress. Additionally, the City will attempt to keep American Lane open during the majority of the construction, another vital road attached to Reed Market near the crossing.

Opposition from Nearby Businesses

While many residents see the need for this project, some businesses along Reed Market and Ninth Street oppose the project, citing traffic concerns and business area access. Craig Simpson, owner of Specialty Automative Service & Repair, along Ninth Street near the entrance to Reed Market, is sounding the alarms on potential impacts to businesses in the area.

On March 19, Simpson held a meeting with neighbors to discuss concerns. About 20 nearby homeowners and business owners were in attendance and had similar concerns regarding project construction.

Simpson’s concerns mostly revolve around the closure of Ninth Street, during construction and possibly after, and the traffic that planned detours will cause. Simpson, along with other business owners in the area, believes the City should have done more research on the traffic impacts before moving forward with the project.

“It sounds great to build a bridge over railroad tracks, but by closing roads, people are going to have to be rerouted,” Simpson said.

With detoured traffic likely moving through Wilson Avenue, Simpson worries patrons will get stuck along Ninth Street, near their businesses. The train, which also goes across Wilson Avenue, causes significant traffic delays for the roundabout connecting to Wilson, he said.

“In order for people to get to us, they’re going to go a roundabout way. Reed Market was a major influx there. I think the traffic jams we’re going to have at roundabouts is going to be a nightmare,” Simpson told the Source Weekly.

“There’s not a great solution. It’s just going to be a mess no matter what.”

The City plans to continue studying traffic impacts, identifying what it can do to mitigate traffic that will take place during the construction of this project. While the City recognizes the temporary closure will be challenging for residents who utilize the route, Burr is confident that the project will make up for it in the long run.

City of Bend

City of Bend

Locals Grapple with Federal Plans to Reduce Veterans Agency Workforce

Central Oregon veterans respond to calls for federal job cuts with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Photos and Story by Julianna LaFollette

Locals recently stood on the Peace Corner in downtown Bend in support of veteran services, protesting federal calls to slash jobs within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the federal agency that provides benefits and health care services to those who served in the military, along with their families.

At the March 12 protest, some denounced federal plans to reduce the VA workforce, which could result in the elimination of over 80,000 VA employees, highlighting potential strains on services, resulting in longer wait times and fewer appointments.

“These cuts are going to hurt, and they’re going to hurt a vulnerable population,” said Larry Herrmann, a local veteran who attended the protest.

The VA, which has local clinics in cities across the U.S., offers a variety of services to veterans and their families, including physical and mental health care, education and career assistance, burial benefits, housing assistance and more.

The federal administration plans to reduce the number of VA employees in an attempt to increase efficiency and eliminate waste.

“For many years, veterans have been asking for a more efficient, accountable and transparent VA. This administration is finally going to give veterans what they want,” Doug Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, said in a video posted to the social media platform X. Collins said in the video that the administration plans to do this without making cuts to health care or benefits to veterans and VA beneficiaries. Services will take a hit, though.

Heather Martin, director of local nonprofit Central Oregon Veterans Ranch, worries that federal actions could make it more difficult for veterans to access services and that there may be longer wait times for services.

“[The Ranch] doesn’t have an opinion on whether this is good or bad. What we do have an opinion on is access to services for veterans, and cuts like this have a net impact, regardless of if you’re talking about the need to cut waste,” Martin told the Source Weekly.

According to Martin, veterans already experience long wait times for a variety of services with the VA, with some often waiting five or six months for mental health care.

“The fewer workers they have at the VA, the less access to service and benefits the veterans are going to have,” she said.

Herrmann, who served from 1980 to 1994, has used the VA for a number of services throughout the years. He utilized a VA tuition assistance program, got his first home loan under the VA and got his hearing aids and a CPAP for his sleep apnea from the VA.

“I knew they were there if I needed the medical care… it was always that safety net, and that’s going away,” Herrmann told the Source. “We probably won’t feel the pain until the Bend VA clinic goes away, or they take away the VA home loan program. People forget how much the VA does.”

At this point in time, it’s unclear what VA programs will be directly affected by the VA workforce reductions. According to a statement from Secretary Collins, the VA will conduct a department-wide review of its operations and structure.

In response to possible impacts to veteran services,

the ranch hopes to focus on offering a safe place for veterans in Central Oregon — something Martin said will be needed now more than ever.

“When we’re looking down a barrel of cuts like this, we’re stepping up to fill that gap, because the last thing we want to see is another veteran lost to mental illness, isolation. We want them all to feel like they’ve got a home here,” said Martin.

One of the main things that the ranch focuses on addressing is isolation among veterans. While American veterans make up about 6% of the adult population, they account for 20% of all suicides in America, equating to about 18 veterans each day.

According to Martin, isolation kills. Potential impacts to care with the VA, making it harder to access services such as peer support, counseling or medication, can further isolate people.

Being a nonprofit, the ranch has the ability to be

more creative in its approach to helping people. Just last week, Martin said, a woman brought her veteran father, struggling with isolation, to the ranch to help connect him to resources.

“We’re sending an Uber for him every Thursday now, and he’s going to come have lunch with us. So, we’re able to be creative and flexible,” said Martin.

While veterans are still unsure about how job cuts will affect services to local veterans, Herrmann hopes the many veterans in Central Orgon can continue to fight for and receive the care they were promised.

“It’s important to realize that there’s a lot of veterans that you don’t see on street corners, you don’t necessarily see in the veterans parade every year — they’re all going to be affected. There are people whose lives are going to be dependent on some sort of care going forward,” Herrmann said.

Locals came out in support of veterans and continued veteran services during a March 12 rally at Peace Corner in downtown Bend.

7 Days / $10 Burgers April 3rd-9th

Source Weekly is proud to present our 3rd Annual Burger Week!

Central Oregon’s most exciting culinary event returns for a full week of beefy, burgery goodness. This is your invitation to craft a specialty burger, priced at $10, which showcases your exceptional culinary talents and wows your customers.

We cannot wait to share your creations with the community!

Current Participants:

Americana

Bend Brewing Co.

Bend Burger Co.

Redmond Burger Co.

Blue Eyes Burgers & Fries

Bluma’s Chicken and Waffles

Boneyard Pub

Cascade Alchemy Bowls

Crux Fermentation Project

Currents at the Riverhouse

Dogs & Fries

Esta Bíen

Fire on the Mountain

Immersion Brewing

Initiative Brewing

(Redmond and Madras)

Jackson’s Corner

Luckey’s Woodsman

Mountain Burger

NW Wing Shop

Prost!

Richard’s Sliders

Roam

Sandos & Smash

Southside Pub

Super Deluxe

That Guy’s Bistro

The Bleu Rooster

Tradesmen Taphouse

Redmond Joins Water Conservation Challenge

The City of Redmond will participate

conserve water during the month of April

By Julianna LaFollette

Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch announced on March 25 that the city will participate in the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. In an attempt to conserve water and manage natural resources more efficiently, residents are invited to contribute to city conservation goals from April 1 to 30 by competing to win eco-friendly prizes while receiving financial support toward utility bills, along with other incentives, according to a press release.

Residents can participate by visiting the challenge website and making a series of online pledges to conserve water, reduce pollution and save energy. People can also see how their pledge addresses local water issues, reduces utility costs and enhances community health.

its parks and municipal facilities in the months of June and July.

+ ME HIKE & YOGA

A WELLNESS WORKSHOP FOR MOMS AND KIDS

Join Emily from Do Yoga Outside and Autumn from Wild Wellness for this intentionally created workshop where moms and children get the chance to be led and explore nature in a comfortable, loving environment. After hiking together, moms will have a solo yoga time while kids do nature-based crafts. Fri., March 28, 9:30am-Noon at Smith Rock State Park. 9241 NE Crooked River Dr., Terrebonne. $50.

The conservation challenge started over a decade ago and was created by a group of mayors looking for innovative ways to engage communities in addressing water challenges.

Every year, residents from more than 2,000 cities in the U.S. pledge to reduce freshwater consumption, cut waste sent to landfills and prevent hazardous waste from entering local watersheds, according to a press release.

“Decreasing water availability is a reality that requires us all to rethink our stewardship of this natural resource. Last summer the city crews shortened water schedules in parks, fixed leaks and updated sprinkler heads, successfully reducing water use by 12% (7,273,862 gallons) from the prior year,” Fitch said in a press release.

“I encourage residents to take the pledge, no matter how small, and learn first-hand the impact they can have when we work together.”

For several years, the City of Redmond has been attempting to reduce its water usage through a range of initiatives. In late July, the City announced it reached a significant milestone in its efforts, reporting a more than 30% reduction in water usage across

The achievement, which equates to saving nearly 8 million gallons of water compared to usage in June and July 2023, was made through a series of initiatives including the installation of smart irrigation systems to ensure optimal water usage. The City’s main focus last year was reducing water use in city parks.

Other efforts included routine audits and maintenance, identifying and addressing leaks or inefficiencies to reduce water waste.

The City’s efforts come at a crucial time, with fears around water availability looming as Redmond’s population rapidly grows. At the end of June, Mayor Ed Fitch told the Source Weekly that the City will eventually need more water, in terms of volume, due to growth in the community.

To further reduce water usage, the City of Redmond has focused a lot of its efforts on public awareness, launching several educational campaigns to promote water conservation among residents and businesses. In 2024, the City encouraged residents to decrease outdoor watering use by 10%. On average, the community uses 2.6 million gallons of water daily during non-irrigation months and 14 million gallons of water daily during warm weather months.

A MYSTICAL, MAGICAL TEA PARTY

Pangaea Guild Hall is hosting another mystical, Feywild-themed tea party. Tickets include a cup of tea of your choice and a plate of baked goods along with a food buffet. Fae and fairy talethemed costumes are encouraged. Sat., March 29, Noon-5pm at Pangaea Guild Hall. 652 SW Sixth St., Redmond. $20.

Unsplash

Here’s to the Worst Government Responses to Public Records Requests

The “winners” of this year’s Foilies highlight the worst in government transparency

By Dave Maass, Aaron Mackey, Beryl Lipton, Michael Morisy, Dillon Bergin and Kelly Kauffman

The public’s right to access government information is constantly under siege across the United States, from both sides of the political aisle. In Maryland, where Democrats hold majorities, the attorney general and state legislature are pushing a bill to allow agencies to reject public records requests that they consider “harassing.” At the same time, President Donald Trump’s administration has moved its most aggressive government reform effort — the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — outside the reach of the Freedom of Information Act, while also beginning the mass removal of public data sets.

One of the most powerful tools to fight back against bad governance is public ridicule. That’s where we come in: Every year, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, MuckRock and AAN Publishers team up to publish The Foilies. This annual report — now a decade old — names and shames the most repugnant, absurd and incompetent responses to public records requests under FOIA and state transparency laws.

Sometimes the good guys win. For example, last year we highlighted the Los Angeles Police Department for using the courts to retaliate against advocates and a journalist who had rightfully received and published official photographs of police officers. The happy ending (at least for transparency): LAPD has since lost the case, and the city paid the advocates $300,000 to cover their legal bills.

Here are this year’s “winners.” While they may not all pay up, at least we can make sure they get the negative publicity they’re owed.

The Exorbitant FOIA Fee of the Year: Rapides Parish School District

After a church distributed a religious tract at Lessie Moore Elementary School in Pineville, Louisiana, young students quickly dubbed its frank discussion of mature themes as “the sex book.” Hirsh M. Joshi from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a lawyer representing a parent, filed a request with the Rapides Parish School District to try to get some basic information: How much did the school coordinate with the church distributing the material? Did other parents complain? What was the internal reaction?

Joshi was stunned when the school district responded with an initial estimate of $2 million

to cover the cost of processing the request. After local media picked up the story and a bit of negotiating, the school ultimately waived the charges and responded with a mere nine pages of responsive material.

While Rapides Parish’s sky-high estimate ultimately took home the gold this year, there was fierce competition. The Massachusetts State Police wanted $176,431 just to review — and potentially not even release — materials about recruits who leave the state’s training program early. Back in Louisiana, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s office insisted on charging a grieving father more than $5,000 for records on the suspicious death of his own son.

The Now You See It, Now You Don’t Award: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Sports reporter Daniel Libit’s public records request is at the heart of a lawsuit that looks a lot like the Spider-Man pointing meme. In 2023, Libit filed the request for a contract between the University of Wisconsin and Altius Sports Partners, a firm that consults college athletic programs on payment strategies for college athletes (Name, Image and Likeness, or NIL deals), after reading a university press release about the partnership.

The university denied the request, claiming that Altius was actually contracted by the University of Wisconsin Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3). So, Libit asked the foundation for the contract. The foundation then denied the request, claiming it was exempt from Wisconsin’s open records laws. After the denial, Libit filed a lawsuit for the records, which was then dismissed, because the university and foundation argued that Libit had incorrectly asked for a contract between the university and Altius, as opposed to the foundation and Altius.

The foundation did produce a copy of the contract in the lawsuit, but the game of hiding the ball makes one thing clear, as Libit wrote after: “If it requires this kind of effort to get a relatively prosaic NIL consultant contract, imagine the lengths schools are willing to go to keep the really interesting stuff hidden.”

The Fudged Up Beyond All Recognition Award: Central Intelligence Agency

There are state secrets, and there are family secrets, and sometimes they mix… like a creamy, gooey confectionary.

After Mike Pompeo finished his first year as Trump’s CIA director in 2017, investigative reporter Jason Leopold sent a FOIA request asking for all of the memos Pompeo sent to staff. Seven years later, the agency finally produced the records, including a “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” message recounting the annual holiday reception and gingerbread competition, which was won by a “Game of Thrones”-themed entry. (“And good use of ice cream cones!” Pompeo wrote.) At the party, Pompeo handed out cards with his mom's “secret” recipe for fudge, and for those who couldn’t make it, he also sent it out as an email attachment.

But the CIA redacted the whole thing, vaguely claiming it was protected from disclosure under federal law. This isn’t the first time the federal government has protected Pompeo’s culinary secrets: In 2021, the State Department redacted Pompeo’s pizza toppings and favorite sandwich from emails.

The You Can’t Handle the Truth Award: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin

In Virginia, state officials have come under fire in the past few years for shielding records from the public under the broad use of a “working papers and correspondence” FOIA exemption. When a public records request came in for internal communications on the state’s Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, which provides tuition-free college to spouses and children of military veterans killed or disabled as a result of their service, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office used this “working papers” exemption to reject the FOIA request.

The twist is the request was made by Kayla Owen, a military spouse and a member of the governor’s own task force studying the program. Despite Owen’s attempts to correct the parameters of the request, Youngkin’s office made the final decision in July to withhold more than two folders worth of communications with officials who have been involved with policy discussions about the program.

The Courts Cloaked in Secrecy Award (Tie): Solano County Superior Court, Calif., and Washoe County District Court, Nev.

Courts are usually the last place the public can go to vindicate their rights to government records when agencies flout them. When agencies lock down records, courts usually provide the key to open them up.

Except in Vallejo, California, where a state trial court judge decided to lock his own courtroom during a public records lawsuit — a move that even Franz Kafka would have dismissed as too surreal and ironic. The suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union sought a report detailing a disturbing ritual in which officers bent their badges to celebrate their on-duty killings of local residents.

When public access advocates filed an emergency motion to protest the court closure, the court denied it without even letting them in to argue their case. This was not just a bad look; it violated the California and U.S. constitutions, which guarantee public access to court proceedings and a public hearing prior to barring the courtroom doors.

Not to be outdone, a Nevada trial court judge has

Just $2 million to process this FOIA request, please.

Hannah Diaz

A CIA official's grandma's fudge recipe was too secret for public consumption.

Hannah Diaz

twice barred a local group from filming hearings concerning a public records lawsuit. The request sought records of an alleged domestic violence incident at the Reno city manager’s house. Despite the Nevada Supreme Court rebuking the judge for prohibiting cameras in her courtroom, she later denied the same group from filming another hearing. The transparency group continues to fight for camera access, but its persistence should not be necessary: The court should have let them record from the get-go.

The No Tech Support Award: National Security Agency

In 1982, Rear Adm. Grace Hopper (then a captain) presented a lecture to the National Security Agency entitled “Future Possibilities: Data, Hardware, Software, and People.” One can only imagine Hopper’s disappointment if she had lived long enough to learn that in the future, the NSA would

claim it was impossible for its people to access the recording of the talk.

Hopper is undoubtedly a major figure in the history of computing whose records and lectures are of undeniable historical value, and Michael Ravnitzky, frequent FOIA requester and founder of Government Attic, requested this particular lecture back in 2021. Three years later, the NSA responded to tell him that they had no responsive documents.

Befuddled, Ravnitzky pointed out the lecture had been listed in the NSA’s own Television Center Catalogue. At that point, the agency copped to the actual issue. Yes, it had the record, but it was captured on AMPEX one-inch open reel tapes, as was more common in the 1980s. Despite being a major intelligence agency with high-tech surveillance and communication capabilities, it claimed it could not find any way to access the recording.

Let’s unpack the multilayered egregiousness of

the NSA’s actions here. It took the agency three years to respond to this FOIA. When it did, the NSA claimed that it had nothing responsive, which was a lie. But the most colossal failure by the NSA was its claim that it couldn’t find a way to make accessible to the public important moments from our history because of technical difficulties.

But leave it to librarians to put spies to shame: The National Archives stepped in to help, and now you can watch the lecture in two parts.

NSA claimed it didn't have the obsolete tech to access a lecture by military computing pioneer Grace Hopper.

Navy

Vallejo Police Department officers are caught in a scandal over transparency and "badge-bending" to celebrate kills.

Geoff King/OpenVallejo

In Motion with Junaco: A Journey Through Music and Nature

The indie trio reflects on their evolving sound, songwriting process and their latest single, “Serene”

By Savannah Mendoza

Los Angeles-based trio Junaco crafts a dreamy, ethereal sound that captivates listeners with soothing melodies and introspective lyrics. Comprised of Shahana Jaffer, Joey LaRosa and Tejas Leier Heyden, the band draws inspiration from the world around it, often finding creative fuel in nature. The group’s latest single, “Serene,” offers a glimpse into this signature sound — gentle, calm and warm — as the band prepares to release its anticipated LP, “In Motion,” this summer.

This spring, Junaco is hitting the road, bringing its soulful melodies to life on a southwest and northwest tour. Before its stop in Bend on Friday, April 4 at Silver Moon Brewing with special guest Palo Sopraño, the Source Weekly caught up with the band for a conversation about its journey, creative process and connection to nature. The band members answered the questions collectively.

Source Weekly: All three of you come from different backgrounds: Indiana, Southern Oregon and Southern California. How did the three of you come together to form Junaco?

Junaco: We all met in college, but we started playing together when our producer for our first record recommended Tejas and we’ve been playing together ever since!

SW: What is the meaning behind Junaco and how did you come up with the name for the band?

J: Junaco is a word we created. Joey grew up on a sweet called Judaco Drive and the name was inspired by that.

SW: Your music has such a calm and soothing essence. What inspires you to create a sense of emotion and dreaminess in your songs?

J: There isn’t a specific intention to create calm and dreamy music. I think we write music based on how we feel, or sometimes how we want to feel, and a lot of the times that’s how it comes out!

SW: Your latest single, “Serene,” was influenced by your time spent in the woods of Northern California last winter. Does nature often play a role in your songwriting process?

J: 100%. We are all constantly inspired by the world around us and how it mirrors our own personal lives.

SW: Can you share any behind-the-scenes details about the songwriting or recording process for your upcoming LP, “In Motion”?

J: We wrote a lot of the album in a yurt in Northern California, secluded in the woods and without cell service. We spent the days writing and playing, hiking, sauna-ing and dipping in the river. Without constant connection to the world, we really sat with the silence and the songs felt like they wrote themselves.

We recorded the album at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, Texas — which is on a large pecan farm. Once again, we found ourselves secluded, but deeply connected to each other and the music. It was a lot of fun.

SW: What’s your favorite part about being on the road and on tour? Do you have

any memorable experiences so far?

J: It’s wonderful to get to share our songs with people from different places and get a real-time reaction and connection. A lot of times it can feel pretty isolating to put music out but getting to play to different people night after night is very special.

SW: Have you played in Bend before, or will this be your first time? What excites you most about performing here?

J: We played at Bunk+Brew last spring and had no idea what to expect since it was our first time playing in Bend, but people were dancing and having a great time and it was a sweet surprise.

SW: If Junaco’s music were a place, where would it be? A misty forest? A quiet beach at sunset? A cozy cabin in the mountains?

J: It’s hard to pick just one thing! It feels like we are constantly changing and evolving.

Junaco

With Palo Sopraño Fri., April 4, 7pm Silver Moon Brewing 24 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend junacomusic.com $12

by Agatha Christie by Agatha Christie

Nicole Mason

SOURCE PICKS

CLIMBING FILM TOUR

SHORT FILMS HONORING THE CLIMBING COMMUNITY

Stop by Sisters Movie House to check out the fifth season of an awesome selection of short films celebrating the global climbing community. Climbing Film Tour is a unique platform for climbers and filmmakers from around the world to share their stories with the community. Wed., March 26, 6:45pm at Sisters Movie House. 720 Desperado Ct., Bend. $17.

KASH’D OUT WITH SENSAMOTION

JAM OUT TO REGGAE MUSIC

Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Kash’d Out is a reggae/ rock band known for its catchy tunes and tasteful guitar riffs. Performing with special guests Sensamotion and Rusty Frets, it’ll be a full night of reggae. Thu., March 27, 7pm at Volcanic Theatre Pub. 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. $15-$25.

THE WOOD BROTHERS

A HEARTFELT, FOLK AND ROOTS TRIO

The Wood Brothers is a roots music trio featuring brothers Chris and Oliver Wood along with multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix. The band is known for blending folk, blues, gospel and jazz music together. Thu., March 27, 8pm at Midtown Ballroom. 51 NW Greenwood Ave., $31.

(MINI) RAMP IN THE COURT

A FAMILY-FRIENDLY SKATE SESSION

Board House Society is hosting a family-friendly event filled with live music, local brews, an open skate session with a skate competition, chalk art and more. Fri., March 28, 3-9pm at The Commons Cafe & Taproom. 875 NW Brooks St., Bend. Free.

WILLAMETTE WOMEN IN WINE

AN ELEVATED WINE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE

In honor of National Women in Wine Day, enjoy a fivepour flight accompanied by five stories from women who lead Willamette Valley Vineyards. Delight in wine and charcuterie and toast to their accomplishments. Fri., March 28, 5-6:30pm at Willamette Valley Vineyards. 916 NW Wall St., Bend. $35.

RODEO DAY AT HOODOO SKI AREA

CELEBRATE THE SPIRIT OF THE WEST ON THE SLOPES

It’s Rodeo Day at Hoodoo Ski Area which means it’s a time to dress up and celebrate the spirit of the wild west on the slopes. Wear your best western attire and enjoy free chili, ride a mechanical bull and listen to live music all day long. Sat., March 29, 9am-9pm at Hoodoo Ski Area. 27400 Big Lake Rd., Sisters. Free.

SATURDAY

RITUAL MOUNTAIN BIKE / FILM TOUR

FILMS CELEBRATING MOUNTAIN BIKING

The Ritual Mountain Bike Film Tour is a big-screen celebration of the indomitable human spirit that defines the sport of mountain biking. Featuring unforgettable films, catch one or both of the showings on Saturday night. Sat., March 29, 4:30pm and 7:30pm at Volcanic Theatre Pub. 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. $25.

SATURDAY 3/29

REDPOINT’S GRAND REOPENING CELEBRATION

SEW AND REPAIR YOUR OWN CLOTHES

Stop by Redpoint, a small local shop in Terrebonne, for its grand reopening celebration full of vendors, food, a storewide sale and live music from local duo MadSparx from 4 to 7pm. Plus, catch a special presentation from local Smith Rock climbing legend Alan Watts. Sat., March 29, 3-9pm at Redpoint Climbing, Coffee & Taps. 8222 US-97 N, Terrebonne. Free.

SUNDAY 3/30

CLAY WORKSHOP WITH LA LUCE STUDIOS

BUILD YOUR OWN BIRDHOUSE THIS SPRING

In honor of spring, learn how to make your own birdhouse(s) for your home and garden. The twopart workshop will focus on hand building three-dimensional pieces, decoration, imprinting, painting techniques and finishing touches. Sun., March 30, 1-3:30pm at Tumalo Lavender. 19825 Connarn Rd., Bend. $175.

TeamSMH

Egan Entertainment

Board House Society

WVVWine Bend

wmmaness

Tumalo Lavender

CALENDAR

26 Wednesday

The Cellar-A Porter Brewing Company

Wednesday Jam Sessions Drink some fine cask or imported beers and try some amazing British pies while listening to local musicians jam out. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Crosscut Warming Hut No 5 Brandon Campbell Trio Relax with a pint and enjoy great local music every Wednesday from 6-8pm. Free.

Deschutes Brewery & Public House Head Games Trivia Night Eat. Drink. Think. Win! Head Games multi-media trivia is at Deschutes Bend Public House every Wednesday. Win prizes. Teams up to six. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

M&J Tavern Open Mic Night Downtown living room welcomes musicians to bring their acoustic set or turn it up to eleven with the whole band. Bring your own instruments. Goes to last call or last musician, whichever comes first. 21+. 6:30pm. Free. Market of Choice Bend Scrabble Club at Market of Choice We meet upstairs. We use the 7th edition of the Scabble Players Dictionary. New Scrabble players are welcome. If you have a Scrabble set, please bring it as a backup. 6-8:30pm. Free.

Northside Bar & Grill Mellow Wednesday Acoustic Open Mic and Jam hosted by Derek Michael Marc Sign-up sheet is available at 6:30pm. 7-9pm. Free.

Pinky G’s Pizzeria MUSIC BINGO Join music Bingo (think Bingo and Name that Tune). Great food, cold drinks and good times. Free to play and prizes for each round winner. 6-8pm. Free. Ponch’s Place Bingo Wednesdays Enjoy bingo at Ponch’s Place on Wednesdays, 5-7pm. Free.

Prost! Bend Trivia Prost! UKB Trivia is now at Prost! Genuine UKB Trivia is no average trivia night! Meet up with friends, win gift card prizes for top teams! Enjoy Prost’s authentic beer and food menu. Trivia is free to play, with no buy-ins! 7-9pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing MASTA KILLA of WU TANG CLAN Masta Killa of legendary NYC hip-hop group Wu Tang Clan honors Silver Moon Brewing with a solo performance. In support of his new album, "Balance." Masta Killa brings that world renowned energy that can only be contained by the fury of Wu Tang Clan. 6pm.

LIVE MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

$30/$40.

The Commonwealth Pub Ben Johnson Based out of the small ranching town of Shaniko OR, Ben Johnson combines folk, country western, and jazz to create one of the northwest's most unique solo experiences. Artist website www.benjohnsonpnw.com 7pm. Free.

Webfoot Garage at Silver Moon Brewing Stereosity & Guests Taking influence from numerous renowned math rock and progressive acts worldwide, Stereosity designs a distinctive sound that combines atypical rhythms with guitar-driven structures and imaginative lyrics to emit a strange-but-welcoming, melancholic feel. Guitarists Jack Carone and Sam Krones seamlessly weave Carone’s twinkly, compelling tapping style with Krones’ witty, captivating lyrical 7pm. $13/$15.

27 Thursday

Austin Mercantile Live Music Every Thursday Join at Austin Mercantile for live music every Thursday. Offering a light happy hour menu — daily flatbread, chili, charcuterie, soft pretzels and more! 4:30-6:30pm. Free.

Bridge 99 Brewery Trivia Thursday at Bridge 99 Brewery Trivia Thursdays at 6:30pm at Bridge 99 Brewery with Useless Knowledge Bowl. It’s no ordinary trivia night, Team up to win house gift cards! Great brews, cocktails, and more. In-house menu and food truck options available! It’s free to play. Indoor and outdoor seating available. 63063 Layton Ave, Bend. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Bunk+Brew Karaoke Thursdays Sing your heart out at Bunk + Brew’s Karaoke Night! Whether you’re a pro or just love the spotlight, all voices are welcome. Food carts available all evening! Located in the Historic Lucas House Living Room for winter. 7-10pm. Free.

Crave Kitchen Bend COMEDY OPEN MIC NIGHT Comedy Open Mic Night on the SW side of Bend! Adults only encouraged. Intimate, smaller venue, healthier food and beverages, and an interactive night of comedy every Thursday! Hosted by Hopper. 7-9pm. Free.

Elements Public House Trivia Night at Elements Public House with QuizHead Games Come be all you can be with Trivia Night every Thursday from 6-8pm! Featuring QuizHead. games. Located at the north end of Redmond.

Ticket and promote your events with BendTicket! >

Full bar and great food! 6-8pm. Free.

Midtown Ballroom The Wood BrothThe Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, they’ve cemented their reputation as freethinking songwriters, road warriors, and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience who’s grown alongside them through the years. 8-11:30pm. $31.

Ponch’s Place Trivia Thursdays with Quizhead Games Trivia Thursdays at Ponch’s Place with QuizHead Games. 5-7pm. Free.

River’s Place Dust Devils Blues (old & new), swing, a little country and other fun stuff. 6-8pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Trivia on the Moon Come down to Silver Moon Brewing for a night of trivia! Teams are welcome to show up in groups up to 8 people. Silver Moon also offers seating reservations for $20 donations that all go to F*Cancer! If you would like to reserve a table please contact the Trivia on the Moon Facebook page. 7pm. Free.

The Bend Wine Bar & Winery Tasting Room Trivia Night Tease your brain and win cool prizes. Happy Hour menu will be offered during game time. Grab your friends and enjoy an evening of fabulous wines, snacks and fun! Every last Thursday of the month. Arrive early, game starts at 6pm. Last Thursday of every month, 6-8pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Fluffalove Fluffalove plays “music for the soul” consisting primarily of ‘70s folk-rock gems. Their “Laurel Canyon” vibe includes two acoustic guitars (and sometimes a smokin’ electric guitar) and tight harmonies. 7:30pm. Free.

The Dez Lounge Open Mic w/ Joyful Lane Join Joyful Lane as he hosts open mic night @ The Dez Lounge! Enjoy NA cocktails, charcuterie and desserts while listening to local talent! 6-9pm. Free.

The Lot Rob Gregerson Rob Gregerson is the premier modern day acoustic-electric one-man-band performer. Using acoustic instruments and an electronic technique called sampling or “looping” where he records his guitar using electronics in front of an audience, plays it back in real time, and creates layers of sound. 6-8pm. Free.

Velvet Open Mic Monthly Open Mic at Velvet! Hosted by Mari every 4th Thu., of every month! Sign-up starts at 6pm, and music goes until 9pm. All are welcome! Fourth Thursday of every month, 7-9pm. Free.

Volcanic Theatre Pub Kash’d Out w/ Sensamotion Florida-based reggae/rock band Kash’d Out has been hustlin’ hard since the beginning. After founders Greg Shields (lead vocals) and Jackson Hauserman (guitar)met in a studio session, it wasn’t long before Kash’d Out’s clever lyrics and tasteful guitar riffs were complimented by the unique bass lines of Joey Brohawn. 7pm. $15 presale $25 door.

28 Friday

Craft Kitchen & Brewery Interactive Murder Mystery: “Who Killed Lucky?”

“Who killed Lucky?”is an interactive murder mystery with live actors where players/the audience solve a fictional murder. Players are given details about their characters and must work together to solve the murder or keep from becoming a victim as well! You never know what will happen next! 7-9pm. $20.

Deschutes Brewery Tasting Room

‘Fresh Squeezed Friday’ with Useless Knowledge Bowl Trivia at Deschutes Brewery Jump start the weekend with UKB Trivia fun at the Deschutes Brewery Tasting Room! Featuring $5 Fresh Squeezed pints! New teams always welcome! Great top team prizes, no fee to play! Tasty food options available! 6-8pm. Free.

Hardtails Bar & Grill Stage 28 Karaoke Come out for a night of Stage 28 Karaoke with your host Miss Min! What’s your go-to karaoke tune? Come to Hardtails for a fun Friday night and sing your heart out! 8pm-Midnight. Free.

Big E’s Sports Bar Karaoke Night Central Oregon’s most fun karaoke venue! Karaoke is hosted by A Fine Note Karaoke Too and DJ Jackie J. Delicious food and drink and a friendly staff. Come join the show where you are the star! 8pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Moon Rattles at The Commonwealth Pub Moon Rattles is a 4-piece indie/alternative rock band from Bend that started playing together during the pandemic, although the members’ connections to each other go all the way back to their school years (or even before!). 8pm. Free.

Volcanic Theatre Pub True Loves w/ Left on Tenth Listening to the Seattle-based, original instrumental funk & soul group, True Loves, is like walking down a favorite neighborhood street, slapping five with your friends, checking up with clerks in their stores, and smelling the familiar scents of your most cherished locale. 7pm. $20 presale $30 Door. Wildwood Bar & Grill Sweet N’ Juicy “America’s Funnest Band.” - Ryan Woodland, The Refreshments PNW Music Awards winners for Album of the Year and Fan Favorite (2024) Sweet is a Banana. N’ is the King of the Pineapples. Juicy is a Strawberry. They just want you to party. 7-10pm. Free.

29 Saturday

Austin Mercantile Paul Eddy Singer/ songwriter Paul Eddy sings hits through the decades, plus originals. 4:30-6:30pm. Free.

Austin Mercantile Saturday Afternoon Live Music Austin Mercantile is now adding live music on Saturdays! Serving wine, beer, lite happy hour menu, gifts and home decor. Hope to see you soon! 4:30-6:30pm. Free.

Bunk+Brew Cosmic Country Night Join us for Cosmic Country Night at Bunk+Brew on March 29, 7pm-9pm! Enjoy a stellar night of live bluegrass music with Larkspur Stand. Good vibes, great tunes, and unforgettable memories - don’t miss out! See you there! 42 NW Hawthorne Ave, Bend, OR, 97703 7-9pm. N/A.

Bunk+Brew Apres-Ski Saturdays End your ski day in style at Bunk + Brew! Enjoy music, sauna passes, brews and après-ski vibes. Discounts for Mt. Bachelor pass holders and employees. Food carts open all night! 7-10pm. Free.

Continuum, A School of Shadow Yoga Sufi Music & Meditation Gathering Join us for an immersive night of live Sufi music, devotional singing, and deep reflection. Experience the power of sacred sound, meditation, and community in a heart-centered gathering. All are welcome! 6-8pm. Donation.

Known for blending folk, blues, gospel and jazz music together, The Wood Brothers is a roots trio featuring brothers Chris and Oliver Wood along with multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix. Thu., March 27, 8pm at Midtown Ballroom.

The Wood Brothers FB

Summer Camps FOR KIDS

Kids Adventure Camp

Let the adventure begin with Sunriver Resort’s Kids Adventure Camp for children ages 8-14. This full-day camp includes bike riding, a round on Gray’s Trail 18-hole putting course, and a kayak or paddle board float on the Deschutes River. Camp runs from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm and includes lunch. Dates vary, beginning May 24 and running through the end of August. See details and book online.

PXG Junior Golf Camp

The perfect opportunity for young golfers ages 7-16 to improve their game over three days of golf instruction. These camps provide half-day instruction from 9 am - 12 pm with PGA-certified instructors on all game aspects, including putting, chipping, sand play and full swing. PXG Junior Golf Camps accommodate all skill levels, and all participants will be evaluated upon arrival. Dates: June 23-25; July 7-9; July 28-30. See details and book online.

Craft Kitchen and Brewery Comedy Night: Marina Wool Marina Wool is a Rocky Mountain native with East Coast roots, West Coast sensibilities, and a Red State address. She comes with a widely-informed perspective on the multiverse and draws from her burlesque background to bring cheeky yet incisive commentary on everything from dating and Jewish mothers to mental health and convincing men to dismantle the patriarchy. Featuring local Bend comedians Fredo and Christine Keefer.Doors Open: 7pm. Show Starts: 8pm$15- Online. $20- Door 8-9:30pm.

Portello Wine and Spirits Live Music: Tony Smiley Get ready for an electrifying night with Tony Smiley, the live-looping legend! His dynamic fusion of rock, pop, funk, and electric beats, soulful vocals and multi-instrumental talent create a thrilling, unforgettable experience. He guarantees a fun Saturday night - don’t miss it! Reservations and walk-ins welcome! 7-9pm. Free.

Redpoint Climbing, Coffee & Taps

Redpoint’s Grand Re-Opening Celebration

Join us to celebrate the re-opening of our small local shop, a Central Oregon staple since 1986! The party starts at 3pm with vendors, food, and a storewide sale! Live music from local duo MadSparx from 4-7pm! And a special presentation from local Smith Rock climbing legend, Alan Watts! 3-9pm. Free.

Redpoint Climbing, Coffee & Taps

MadSparkx @ Redpoint’s Grand Re-Opening Celebration Come celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of Redpoint Climbing, Coffee & Taps with Eli Madden of Call Down Thunder and Ben Sparks of The HasBens as they combine forces as MadSparkx for a three- hour outdoor set including crowd-pleasing covers, fresh originals, and tasty licks! 4-7pm. Free.

River’s Place Saturday Jazz Sessions Jack Krouscup Trio performs for Saturday Jazz Sessions at River’s Place. 6-8pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Richard Taelour Trio Richard Taelour is a living legend in the Bend music scene. He made his living as a touring/ recording artist for over 5 decades. His exploding performance is that of only a seasoned professional musican could deliver. Blues, jazz and rock 'n' roll fans don’t miss this show. 7pm. $10.

Sisters Depot Singer/songwriter Series:

Steve Whitney & Jordan Wolfe & Sam Ralbovsky Join us for an evening of heartfelt music featuring Steve Whitney & Jordan Wolfe, a talented duo from WolfeHouse Records, alongside the soulful sounds of Sam Ralbovsky performing solo. 7-9pm. $15.

The Commonwealth Pub Heller Highwater Band Heller Highwater Band playing rock, R&B, popular dance covers that will have you on your feet. Come enjoy this fabulous Westside Pub. Wonderful stage to listen to live music. Bring your friends and enjoy. 8-10pm. Free.

Wildwood Bar & Grill Funk Around and Find Out Funk Around and Find Out is a high-energy funk/fusion ensemble that brings a fresh, groovy twist to popular tunes spanning decades. Inspired by the intricate arrangements and unique covers of acclaimed groups like Scary Pockets and Pomplamoose, our sound is an infectious blend of funk, jazz, and pop influences. 7-10pm. Free.

30 Sunday

The Commons Cafe & Taproom Trivia Night Sunday Funday Trivia with Sean. Gather your team, or roll solo and find a spot early in the cafe, knowledge tests begin at 6pm. Prizes for 1st and 2nd place. 6-8pm. Free.

River’s Place Trivia! Free to play and prizes to win! UKB Trivia hosts this fun meeting of the minds. Check out our mimosa menu! Noon-2pm. Free.

River’s Place Pete Kartsounes Award-winning singer/songwriter and guitar virtuoso that has been bringing his eclectic style and smokey soulful voice to stages all around the world for over two decades. 5-7pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Open Mic at the Moon Get a taste of the big time! Sign-up is at 4pm! Come check out the biggest and baddest open mic night in Bend! 5-8pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Head Games Trivia Night Eat. Drink. Think. Win! Live multi-media trivia every Sunday @ 6pm. The Commonwealth Pub - Bend Free to play. Win prizes. Teams up to 6. 6-8pm. Free.

Volcanic Theatre Pub Luca Fogale Raised on a steady diet of Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell, the singer/songwriter from Burnaby, British Columbia, possesses a voice that seems soft and gentle on the surface, but cuts deep to reveal hidden truths and suppressed emotions. 7pm. $15 presale $25 door.

31 Monday

Bend Cider Co. Irish Trad Session with The Ballybogs Come out to Tumalo and get your jig on at Bend Cider’s monthly Irish Trad Session with The Ballybogs and friends! Happy Hour all day, enjoy discounts on ciders, flights, & food. Partake in delicious ciders, beer, wine, & n/a beverages. Light appetizers available, outside food welcome. Kid-friendly. Free. 6-8pm. Free.

Bevel Craft Brewing We Love the 90s Trivia Join us for ‘90s Trivia at Bevel! Test your knowledge on iconic movies, music, TV, and pop culture from the raddest decade. Free to play, teams up to six, and themed attire encouraged. Win Bevel gift cards! Trivia runs with questions by the legendary Bevel Beard. 6-8pm. Free.

Bridge 99 Brewery Trivia Mondays at Bridge 99 Trivia Mondays at 6:30pm at Bridge 99 Brewery with Useless Knowledge Bowl. It’s no ordinary trivia night, Team up to win house gift cards! Great brews, cocktails, and more. Inhouse menu and food truck options available! It’s free to play. Indoor and outdoor seating available. 63063 Layton Ave, Bend. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Bunk+Brew Open Mic Mondays Show off your talent at Bunk + Brew! Open mic runs from 6-10pm, with sign-ups starting at 5:30. Stick around for open jam from 9-10pm. Enjoy food carts in our backyard while supporting local performers. Located in the Historic Lucas House Living Room for winter. 6-10pm. Free.

Crux Fermentation Project Trivia Night @ Crux Trivia Night at Crux! First place team wins a $25 gift card! 6-8pm. Free.

Elixir Wine Locals Music Night and Open Mic Bend’s friendliest open-mic! All genres welcome. Oregon and international wine, beer and tapas menu available all evening. 6-9pm. Free.

Immersion Brewing Open Mic at Immersion Brewing - Bend Comedy - Open Mic at 7pm

- Sign up at 6:30pm - All performance types are welcome! - All ages are welcome to attend and perform! - All acts are eligible to audition to perform in a future Bend Comedy show! - 5 minutes spoken or 2 songs of stage time! 7-9pm. Free.

JC’s Bar & Grill Free Pool + all day Happy Hour! Free pool Mondays! All-day Happy Hour, free pool with any purchase, and unbeatable deals on drinks and bites! Enjoy delicious eats, ice-cold brews, and game day vibes with football on and the sound up. Don’t miss out- Mondays just got way better! 2pm-Midnight. Free.

On Tap Locals’ Day Plus Live Music Cheaper drinks all day and live music at night, get down to On Tap. 11am-9pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Beertown Comedy Open Mic Voted #1 Open Mic and Locals Night, Beertown Comedy’s Open Mic happens every Monday at Silver Moon Brewing. Free to watch and perform! Sign-ups at 6:30pm, show at 7pm. With 20 spots available, bring your best jokes and get noticed for paid gigs. Laughter guaranteed! 6:30-9pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Monday Acoustic Open Mic Night Monday Acoustic Open Mic Night at The Commonwealth Pub Whether you’re performing original songs or acoustic covers, the stage is yours Monday nights at The Commonwealth Pub! With full sound and lights provided, just bring your instrument and get ready to shine! Sign-ups 5pm and music 6-10pm. Free.

1 Tuesday

Bunk+Brew Trivia Tuesdays Test your knowledge every Tuesday from 7-9pm at Bunk + Brew! New exciting themes every week. Bring your friends for a night of fun and prizes. Food carts will be open, so grab a bite or brew while you play. Located in the Historic Lucas House Dining Room. 7-9pm. Free.

The Cellar-A Porter Brewing Company Open Mic Open mic at The Cellar hosted by Mari! 6-8pm and all are welcome! 6-8pm. Free.

The Commons Cafe & Taproom Open Mic StoryTellers open mic nights are full of music, laughs and community. Mason James is the host. Poetry, comedy and spoken word are welcome, but this is mainly a musical open mic. Performance slots are a quick 10 minutes each, so being warmed up and ready is ideal. If you wish to perform sign-ups start at 5pm in the cafe. 6pm. Free.

Craft Kitchen & Brewery Craft of Fools: Interactive Comedy Show April Fool's Day, Craft Kitchen & A.T.E. bring comedy gold with some amazing comedians! What do you want to hear a comic talk about? What conversation would YOU have with a comedian? Bring your best suggestions! Armed with lots of witt and the gift of gab 7-9pm. $20.

Crosscut Warming Hut No 5 Head Games Trivia Night Live multi-media trivia every other Tuesday at Crosscut Warming Hut No. 5, Bend. Free to play, win prizes, teams up to 6. Please arrive early for best seats. Every other Tuesday, 6-8pm. Free.

Mountain Burger Trivia Tuesday at Mountain Burger Come to Trivia Tuesday at Mountain Burger! Fun and prizes await! 7:30-9pm. Free.

Northside Bar & Grill Karaoke with DJ Chris Ossig Karaoke with DJ Chris. 7-9pm. Free.

MYSTERY: “WHO KILLED LUCKY?”

Kitchen and Brewery FRIDAY MARCH 28 @ 7pm

Folk-rock band Caamp hits the road and heads to Bend this summer supporting the recently released EP, “Somewhere” — the group’s first new music since 2022. Sat., Aug. 2, 6:30pm at Hayden Homes Amphitheater.

Caamp FB

CALENDAR EVENTS

Pinky G’s Pizzeria TRIVIA NIGHT Test your knowledge in a casual/laid-back atmosphere. Pizza, beer and trivia. Free to play and prizes for 1st and 2nd place. 6-8pm. Free.

River’s Place Bingo! Have fun, win $$ and support a local nonprofit organization. Cards $1-$5. 6-8pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Fever Dog & The Blank Tapes Formed in 2007 by a group of 6th graders in the California Desert, fever dog have been electrifying audiences and earning the adulation of fans with their signature explosive sound and over the top stage show throughout the UnitedStates & Europe for years. 7pm. $10/$15.

The Commonwealth Pub Karaoke Get ready for a night of music, singing, and nonstop fun at The Commonwealth Pub! DJ Chris is bringing the energy with top 40 hits and all your favorite karaoke tracks. Grab your friends, warm up those vocal cords, and join us for an unforgettable evening. Sign-ups 6pm Karaoke 7pm! Free.

The Lot TRIVIA TUESDAY @ The Lot Join your trivia loving peeps on the heated benches for a fun Tuesday evening out! Six categories with six questions each. Eat. Drink. Think. Prizes from food carts and local breweries. Every Tuesday from November to end of April. 6-8pm. Free.

MUSIC

Dinner and a Show with Tower Theatre An elevated experience and collaboration with Tower Theater. Enjoy dinner and a show featuring a 3 course wine pairing dinner. After your wine and meal at our Bend tasting room and restaurant, you will head over to the Tower Theater at 7:30pm to watch your show. Shows vary per date. Thu, March 20, 5-9:30pm, Sun, March 30, 5-9:30pm and Wed, April 23, 5-9:30pm. Willamette Valley Vineyards, 916 NW Wall St., Bend. Contact: 541-306-6000. bend@wvv.com. $90.

ARTS + CRAFTS

Ceramic Birdhouses Workshop Just in time for spring! Come learn how to make your own birdhouses for your home and garden. This two-part workshop will focus on hand building 3 dimensional pieces, decoration, imprinting, painting techniques and finishing touches. You will love watching birds in your garden using the birdhouse you made! Sat, March 29, 11am-1pm and Sat, April 19, 11am1pm. Pomegranate Home and Garden, 120 NE River Mall Ave., Bend. Contact: 415-308-4538. krista@lalucestudio.com. $175.

Clay Workshop with La Luce Studios - Birdhouses Just in time for spring! Come learn how to make your own birdhouse(s) for your home and garden! This two-part workshop will focus on hand building 3 dimensional pieces, decoration, imprinting, painting techniques and finishing touches. You will love watching birds in your garden using the birdhouse you made! Sun, March 30, 1-3:30pm and Fri, April 18, 5:30-8pm. Tumalo Lavender, 19825 Connarn Road, Bend. Contact: 541-3832441. info@tumalolavender.com. $175.

Live Music Thursdays: DJ Ben Grab your favorite bites & sips, and listen to the music, curated by Migz Music. This week’s artist is DJ Ben, spinning an eclectic vinyl mix with an upbeat vibe, ranging from jazz to instrumental hip-hop. March 27, 6-8pm. Bar Rio, 915 NW Wall St., Bend. Free.

Piano Showcase at the Tower Sunriver Music Festival presents the 7th Annual Piano Showcase at the Tower Theatre featuring acclaimed blues and boogie woogie pianist Arthur Migliazza. The Piano Showcase masterclass/workshop will occur the afternoon of March 29, on stage at the Tower. March 29, 7:30pm. Contact: 541-593-1084. information@ sunrivermusic.org. $40-$75 Age 25 & under $25 (in section C).

Skerryvore With bagpipes, fiddles, accordions and whistles, alongside guitar and vocals underpinned by driving bass, drums and keyboards, Skerryvore represents the best in contemporary Scottish traditional music. VIP ticket includes pre-show whisky tasting with the band. March 30, 7:30pm. Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend. Contact: 541-3170700. info@towertheatre.org. $29 - $109 (plus $6 Historic Preservation fee).

FILM EVENTS

CLIMBING FILM TOUR 2024

Climbing Film Tour is back for its 5th season with an awesome selection of short films celebrating the global climbing community. Climbing Film Tour is a unique platform for climbers and filmmakers around the world to share their stories with the community. Join us for a journey around the world. March 26, 6:45-8:45pm. Sisters Movie House, 720 Desperado Court, Sisters. Contact: 541-549-8833. inquiries@sistersmoviehouse.com. $17.

Intro to Welding - Women Only Our Women’s only Intro to Welding class introduces students to MIG (GMAW / Wire Feed) welding, a widely used and versatile process that is perfect for beginners wanting to start on their own metal fabrication projects. By the end of the class, students will understand the basics of MIG welding. March 30, 1-3pm. DIY Cave, 444 SE Ninth St. Suite 150, Bend. Contact: 541388-2283. classes@diycave.com. $139. Lambing Basics: Hands-On Care for Beginners Ever wondered what it takes to care for newborn lambs? This hands-on, farmbased workshop covers the essential skills you need, from bottle feeding to tail docking. Whether you’re dreaming of raising sheep or just want an excuse to cuddle some lambs, you’ll leave with the knowledge—and the photos—to prove it! March 26, 2-4:30pm. City of Redmond, Redmond, Or., Redmond. Contact: 650-224-6750. info@schoolofranch.org. $40. Mosaic Garden Post Create a breathtaking statement for your property, sure to the be the envy of your neighbors! Embellished with a variety of colorful glass and ceramic time, your 3-foot-tall garden totems will provide beauty, interest and sparkle for your yard or garden all year round. Fri, March 28, 4-7pm, Sat, March 29, 10am-4pm and Sun, March 30, 10am-3pm. Carleton Manor Mosaics, 1776 NE 8th Street, Bend. Contact: 907-230-1785. jesica@carletonmanormosaics.com. $350.

Natural Dyeing Workshop with Vive Textiles Explore the world of natural dyeing in this beginner-friendly workshop where you’ll craft a beautiful botanical silk scarf using flowers, plants, and other natural materials to create stunning one-of-a-kind colors + patterns. Sun, March 30, 3-4pm and Sun, April 13, 3-4pm. The Grove, 921 NW Mt. Washington Drive, Bend. Contact: grovebendevents@ gmail.com. $75.

Sewing - Garment Making 101 Come learn how to sew your own clothes! In this comprehensive 2-week sewing series you will learn all the ins and outs of how to successfully sew your own clothing. You will gain sewing knowledge and skills and by the end of the series you will have a fun fleece! Mon, March 24, 6-9pm and Wed, March 26, 6-9pm. DIY Cave, 444 SE Ninth St. Suite 150, Bend. Contact: 541388-2283. classes@diycave.com. $284.

Sewing 100: Intro to Sewing Machines Come learn to use a sewing machine! In this 2 hour class you’ll learn how to set up the sewing machine for a project, including threading, refilling a bobbin, and setting tension. In addition learn how to sew straight, zigzag, and mending stitches, and add buttons! March 31, 6-8pm. DIY Cave, 444 SE Ninth St. Suite 150, Bend. Contact: 541-388-2283. classes@diycave.com. $129.

Stamp Making! Want to learn to make your very own stamp? In this class you’ll learn to transfer a design of your choice onto a rubber block, carve your design and stamp onto paper and linen fabric. Taught by local printmaker Sage Flannery. March 27, 5:15-7:15pm. FREAK’N ART, 1265 NW Wall st., Bend. Contact: 541-508-7438. hellofreaknart@gmail.com. $50.

PRESENTATIONS + EXHIBITS

Indigenous Speaker Series – Frank S. Matsura: His Life and Portraits

Join Professor Michael Holloman, film and media scholar Glen Mimura and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Beth Harrington for an exploration of Frank Matsura’s life and portraits. April 1, 6:30-7:30pm. High Desert Museum, 59800 S. Highway 97, Bend. Contact: 541-382-4754. info@highdesertmuseum.org. $5, Members 20% off. Tribal members free!.

Quackery: A History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything In this online presentation, author Nate Pedersen explores the bizarre, yet true ways humans have attempted to cure their ailments. Pedersen presents a fascinating look at history’s most astonishing—and often dangerous—medical practices. “Quackery” is a compelling, morbidly humorous look at medicine’s dark side. Register for Zoom access. March 30. Contact: 541-312-1029. laurelh@deschuteslibrary.org. Free.

Women in the Development of Central Oregon Join us at the Bowman Museum for a fascinating history program by historian Steve Lent. Discover the remarkable stories of the women who shaped the region, from pioneers and homesteaders to business leaders and community builders. Don’t miss this engaging look at their lasting impact on Central Oregon’s history! March 26, 6-7:30pm. A.R. Bowman Museum - Community Room, 246 N. Main St., Prineville. Contact: 541-4473715. sean.briscoe@crookcountyor.gov. Free.

THEATER

“The Mousetrap” Preview Night Stay on your toes with Agatha Christie’s record-breaking murder mystery. First-come, first-served. No tickets are required - this event is sponsored by the Deschutes Public Library. Doors open at 7pm. March 27, 7:3010pm. Cascade Theatrical Company, 148 NW Greenwood, Bend. Contact: 541-312-1029. laurelh@deschuteslibrary.org. Free.

CALENDAR EVENTS

OPA INTRODUCES NEW YOUTH

CAST WITH “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” OPA is pleased to announce its splitting up – into two age groups and double the yearly productions. The younger of the casts, OPA Debut, will present its first show, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,”at Mountain View High School. Fri, March 28, 6:30-8:30pm, Sat, March 29, 6:308:30pm and Sun, March 30, 3-5pm. Mountain View High School Auditorium, 2755 NE 27th St., Bend. Contact: 541-815-4160. theatre@ ovationpa.com. $14.

OUTDOOR EVENTS

2025 RITUAL Mountain Bike

Film Tour Join us at the 2025 Ritual Mountain Bike Film Tour, a big-screen celebration of the indomitable human spirit that defines the sport of mountain biking with unforgettable film-going experiences. RITUAL sponsors are providing the industry's greatest giveaways throughout the 20 key city events. March 29, 4:30 and 7:30pm. Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. $25 presale.

GROUPS + MEETUPS

Feywild Tea and Puzzle

Party Join for another amazing tea party at Pangaea Guild Hall! $20 tickets get you entry, a cup of any tea of your choice and a plate for our baked goods and food buffet. Come any time from 7am to close! Fae and Fairy tale themed costumes are encouraged! March 29, 7am-10pm. Pangaea Guild Hall, 652 SW 6th St., Redmond. $20.

Speed Dating & Single Bridge 99 (ages 50+) Calling all Central Oregon Singles! Ready to mingle? Join in the fun for a night of mingling and speed dating with other singles in the area! Female to male speed dating for ages 50+. March 28, 6-8pm. Bridge 99 Brewery, 63063 Layton Ave., Bend. Contact: 541-323-0964.

FUNDRAISING

(mini) Ramp in the Court Join Board House Society for the free family-friendly event with live music, local brews, prizes, open skate, skate comps, chalk art + more. March 28, 3-9pm. The Commons Cafe & Taproom, 875 NW Brooks St., Bend. Contact: 541-640-2012. caitlinb@boardhousesocietybend.com. Free.

FAMILY + KIDS

Mom + Me Hike & Yoga Join Emily (Do Yoga Outside) and Autumn (Wild Wellness) for this intentionally created workshop where moms and children get the chance to be led and explore nature in a comfortable, loving environment. Together we will hike and craft. Moms will have solo yoga time while kids do nature-based crafts. March 28, 9:30am-Noon. Smith Rock State Park, 9241 NE Crooked River Dr., Terrebonne. Contact: 541-668-6132. doyogaoutside@gmail.com. $50. Neon Night Come to Rally’s on Friday from 7 -9pm for some black light fun! We will turn up the 80’s music and the games will glow. Games include ping pong, pool, foosball, shuffleboard and air hockey. For older youth and adults (14+). Prize for best glowing attire! March 28, 7-9pm. Rally Recreation, 549 NW York Dr, Bend. Contact: 541241-8581. info@rallyrecreation.com. $15.

Rodeo Day @ Hoodoo Ski Area

Rodeo Day is a time to dress up and celebrate the spirit of the wild west on the slopes. (Western attire encouraged). Enjoy free chili, ride the bull and celebrate the spirit of the West at one of the oldest ski areas in the Northwest. Details @ hoodoo.com. March 29, 9am-9pm. Hoodoo Ski Area, 27400 Big Lake Road, Sisters. Contact: 541-8150574. eventsbreakingfree@gmail.com. Free.

BEER + DRINK

Spring Tea Join us for a refined afternoon tea to celebrate spring. Indulge in the art of conversation, delicate pastries, and exquisite teas. https://events.cocoatickets.com/worldmark-seventh-mtn-fb/spring-tea March 29, 1-4pm. 18575 SW Century Dr, (no address), (no city). Contact: 541-323-0964.

Marina Wool Standup Marina Wool is a Rocky Mountain native with East Coast roots, West Coast sensibilities, and a Red State address. So what better place for her to sling her homespun jokes than Craft Kitchen & Brewery. Come have a laugh with Boise’s mouthiest broad! Featuring local comedians Fredo and Christine Keefer. March 29, 8-10pm. Craft Kitchen & Brewery, 62988 Layton Ave #103, Bend. $15 Online; $20 Door.

Willamette Women In Wine Elevated Flight Experience In honor of National Women in Wine Day enjoy a 5-pour flight accompanied by 5 stories of Willamette Valley Vineyards women who lead our winery. As you enjoy the wine and charcuterie we will celebrate and toast to their accomplishments. March 28, 5-6:30pm. Willamette Valley Vineyards, 916 NW Wall St., Bend. Contact: 541-306-6000. bend@wvv.com. $35.

Women’s History Month Cocktail Competition and Celebration Come enjoy some friendly competition from local athletes as they compete to make the best cocktail from 1-2pm. Winner gets their cocktail on the menu with proceeds going to Voice In Sport. After, enjoy a live DJ, food, cocktails and lots of games all day! March 29, 1-9pm. Freeland Spirits Tasting Room, 550 SW Industrial Way Suite 190, Bend. Contact: 541-5930129. bendtastingroom@freelandspirits.com. Free.

HEALTH + WELLNESS

Aikido Free Introductory Adult Class! Please call to reserve your spot. Sat, March 29, 10:1511:30am, Mon, March 31, 5:30-6:45pm and Wed, April 2, 5:30-6:45pm. Oregon Ki Society Bend Dojo, 20685 Carmen Loop, Suite 110, Bend. Contact: 541-350-7887. cfhc@hotmail.com. Free.

Mindfulness for Anxiety Workshop

Mindfulness practices are extremely helpful in meeting our unique expressions of anxiety. Learn to redefine your response to anxiety, helping you learn for these experiences and building awareness of our embodiment practices, and our intelligent nervous systems, to support and build trust in our capacity to meet anxiety. Please pre-register. March 29, 3-4:30pm. Bend Hot Yoga, 1230 NE 3rd St. UnitA230, Bend. Contact: yoga@bendhotyoga.com. $25

Bend-based singer/songwriter and banjo slinger Austin Quattlebaum brings his county picking and indie-folk songs to the intimate stage. Thu., March 27, 6-8pm at The Suttle Lodge.

Quattlebaum FB

CULTURE

Cozy horror, romantasy, viral BookToks. Publishing trends might be hard to keep up with, but one I don’t think will go away anytime soon is the way genre isn’t staying in its convenient pigeonholes. We’re seeing mystery bleed into literary, fantasy meeting detective story and horror alongside humor.

I’m a bookseller at Roundabout Books in Northwest Crossing and a genre reader. I love fantasy, science fiction, romance, mystery and thrillers. Give me magic or murder and I’m happy. Give me both?! I’m your girl.

Genre fiction gets a bad rap as not serious. Sometimes true, but amongst the dross is some incredibly sophisticated and well-crafted work. Becky Chambers is quietly solving all our problems with breathtaking insight about humanity in her “Monk and Robot” science fiction series. Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club” mysteries go down easy, but their exploration of end-of-life themes and human relationships is at times laugh-out-loud funny and sob-into-your-pillow poignant.

Aren’t we all just looking for a great story in the end? Who cares how it’s marketed, which bookshelf we find it on at the bookshop? Genres are just guideposts to find what we like. Kudos to authors brave enough to break the category cages and publishers willing to market books that don’t fit perfectly into a bookstore layout. Here are a few I’d recommend.

A recent favorite and Roundabout bestseller is “Ninth House” by Leigh Bardugo: dark academia meets contemporary and urban fantasy meets murder mystery. Stephen King called it “the best fantasy novel I’ve read in years.” Set at Yale, Bardugo casts the university’s real-life secret societies as strongholds of arcane magic for the blue-blooded elite. (Bardugo herself was a member of Wolf’s Head as a Yale undergrad). Tasked with overseeing the societies’ occult activities, underprivileged but paranormally gifted Yale freshman, Alex Stern, gets more than she bargained for when a campus murder evidences supernatural influence. There are gory and gritty scenes fit for horror and an intriguing, magical mystery to unravel, but at its heart, this book is a dark academic fantasy — and it’s delicious.

Prolific author T. Kingfisher loves to play with genre, and her horror fairy tale “A Sorceress Comes to Call” is my favorite. Inspired by Grimm’s “The Goose Girl,” Kingfisher takes the fairy tale elements of a ruthless, magic-wielding mother, a misused and precocious teenager and a clever middle-aged heroine and blends them with dark humor and folk horror. Cue the undead headless horse that terrorizes the protagonists. Fairy tales already tend toward the horrific (this is where we get the word “grim,” after all), but this tale is cleverly crafted for modern readers.

For something lighter, I heartily recommend the “Emily Wilde” series by Heather Fawcett. It combines romance and fantasy with a historical setting and cozy aesthetic. Cozy originated as a mystery subgenre to denote less-violent tales, often set in a cozy English village. It’s trended

Genre-Benders: Break Out of Your Reading Comfort Zone

By Joanna Roddy, Bookseller at Roundabout Books & Cafe

recently in romance, fantasy/sci-fi and even horror, with aesthetic themes of found family, an emphasis on everyday moments and (generally but not always) low stakes. “Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries” is set in turn-ofthe-20th-century Norway with a Cambridge scholar of the fae (the dangerous kind, who makes humans dance until they die) doing field work. Emily coolly handles fae perils with the courage of a monster hunter and the academic detachment of an intellectual. The romantic plot with her charming foil and (perhaps secretly High Fae?) colleague, Wendell Bambleby, develops more fully in books two and three, and the novels are at turns adventurous, comforting, funny and thrilling.

This year’s A Novel Idea choice, “Murder by Degrees” by Ritu Mukerji, is as much an atmospheric historical novel about 19th-century women in medicine as a well-crafted whodunnit.

And there are so many other excellent genre benders on our shelves at Roundabout: the literary fantasy genius of “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue;” the classic manor house mystery with a sci-fi premise of “The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle;” the classical voice à la Jane Austen meets magical rivalry of “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell;” the missing person mystery meets serial killer thriller meets literary love story of “All the Colors of the Dark.” These books can be found at Roundabout anywhere from fantasy/sci-fi to mystery/thriller to fiction.

Next time you’re in, consider challenging yourself to check out a section you don’t usually browse. Ask a bookseller to help you select something that bridges your typical read. Getting out of our taste silos and exposing ourselves to something new might be surprising, enriching or just entertaining. And, ultimately, isn’t that the whole point of reading?

—Joanna (Joey) Roddy has been a bookseller at Roundabout Books for three years. She writes fantasy novels, narrates audiobooks and generally lives and breathes books. Come visit her sometime for a fantasy or mystery recommendation.

“The River’s Daughter” by

Bridget Crocker

—A vivid and propulsive memoir about finding courage and meaning in a life outdoors, by a world-class whitewater rafting guide. After Bridget Crocker’s parents’ volatile divorce, she moved with her mother from Southern California to Wyoming. Growing up in a trailer park on the banks of the Snake River with a stepfather she loved, a new baby brother and the river as her companion was ideal — until her mother suddenly took up a radical new lifestyle, becoming someone Bridget barely recognized. The one place Bridget felt whole and fully herself was the river.

WHAT CASSIE'S READING

Spiegel & Grau

Roundabout Books & Cafe

By Savannah Mendoza

M’s Bakery Grand Opening Brings Fresh-Baked Goods, Breakfast and Lunch to Old Mill

Beloved bakery now offers a curated menu alongside artisan breads and handcrafted pastries

The scent of freshly baked bread drifts through the Old Mill District as M’s Bakery officially opens its doors, inviting locals and visitors to savor handcrafted pastries, warm coffee and artisanal breads made with organic ingredients.

M’s Bakery is the vision of Dario Muciño Trujillo and his wife and business partner, Macy Davis. The idea was born while they were living in Southern California, and after relocating to Bend, they set out to bring their dream to life.

Following a soft opening in January, the much-anticipated bakery celebrated its official grand opening on March 21. The milestone brings extended hours, now open daily from 7am to 3pm, and an expanded menu featuring breakfast and lunch offerings.

“We’re so excited to be opening in the Old Mill District because it feels like the heart of the city and a unique hub for the community,” Davis said in a press release. “We have designed the bakery space with intention and the long-awaited dream of ‘one day when we open a bakery’ memories.”

With construction now complete, M’s Bakery offers an inviting space that blends charm with

modern elegance. Sunlight pours through large windows, highlighting terracotta light fixtures and arched interiors. A glass partition offers guests a peek into the baking process, while deep green tiles and wooden accents add warmth and authenticity.

The menu features fresh breads and pastries made daily, along with curated breakfast and lunch options such as huevos rancheros with a poached

egg and toasted baguette, an egg sandwich on a milk bun, tortilla soup, a braised pork sandwich and more. A full coffee and tea menu complements the menu, alongside a bakery case filled with sourdough loafs, almond croissants and gluten-free blueberry buckwheat muffins.

“With all products being made and baked fresh in the Old Mill District, you will see our friendly staff, who are passionate about their craft, creating bread and pastries throughout the day,” Davis said. “I am so grateful to say we have the best team.”

Looking ahead, the bakery plans to introduce imported wine, coffee and chocolate from Mexico — an homage Muciño Trujillo’s roots in Mexico City — and host community baking workshops for a hands-on experience.

M’s Bakery

Open daily from 7am-3pm 330 SW Powerhouse Dr., Ste. 140, Bend ms-bend.com

Gwen Shoemaker

SCREEN

SC A Penguin, a Princess, a Parent, a Pratt and a Pesci Impression

March at the movies

By Jared Rasic

March has been a fairly middling month for movies so far. Don’t get me wrong, there have been a couple of solid cinematic offerings, but those have felt more like aberrations than the norm. This week, I watched five new movies hoping for some magic (I found some), but mostly what I discovered was something a bit more cynical and a lot less worth our collective time. Let’s take a look.

“The Electric State”: The massive amount of hype I had for this was unsustainable. Based on the captivating illustrated novel by one of my favorite artists alive, Simon Stålenhag, and directed by the Russo brothers (both of whom have been adrift as filmmakers since “Avengers: Endgame”), I’d hoped, at the very least, the film would capture something tangibly beautiful from the novel, but I should have guessed Stålenhag’s lightning is too ephemeral for that.

The film (one of the most expensive ever made with a reported budget of $320 million) has seamless special effects in service of a screenplay that strips all the exquisite melancholy from the book and instead shoves a flop-sweaty Chris Pratt (clinging desperately to some dream of playing Han Solo one day) and Millie Bobby Brown (still unable to craft a believable character outside of “Stranger Things”) into a garish, unfunny, Netflix original dumpster fire.

“The Penguin Lessons”: Listen, the concept of a sad and cynical Steve Coogan becoming best friends with a penguin he rescues in 1970s Argentina sounds like a winner. And in many ways it is, but the tone might miss more people than it hits. Set during the “dirty war,” we have a whimsical true story about a prep school teacher whose heart grows three sizes while protecting his penguin friend during a time when close to 30,000 people disappeared. To say that the film gives you tonal whiplash is an understatement.

Still, even as the film veers wildly between goofball sentimentality and heart-breaking war crimes, I found myself deeply moved by the story and Coogan’s brilliant ability to weaponize his charming gruffness while creating believable, sympathetic and deeply flawed men. All my issues with this movie don’t take away from the fact that it will be hugely crowd-pleasing for audiences in search of that rare combination of a cute animal and a moving story.

“The Assessment”: A great Elizabeth Olsen and Himesh Patel play a married couple living in a futuristic

society where resources are profoundly limited. They want to have a child, which means the state sends an assessor to spend one week in their house, at the end of which they will be judged as suitable or unsuitable parents. Once the decision is made, there is no reapplying. Alicia Vikander plays the assessor in what is not only her finest performance in a career filled with them, but easily one of the most multilayered and dynamically written characters of the year.

While on the surface “The Assessment” is a speculative fiction deconstruction of parenthood, there are so many themes fighting for attention under the hood that it feels like debut filmmaker Fleur Fortuné might have been overly ambitious, but by the film’s breathtaking final frame, we realize she knew exactly what buttons she was pushing the entire time. From the score to the performances to the cinematography, script and direction, “The Assessment” is a singular work I won’t soon forget, and Fortuné crafts some imagery here unlike anything that has come before in cinema.

“The Alto Knights”: This is one of those movies where all the pieces are there for something special, but then you look at it all put together and it falls apart completely. We’ve got a screenplay from Nicholas Pileggi (“Goodfellas” and “Casino”), direction from Barry Levinson (“Rain Man” and “Wag the Dog”) and Robert De Niro playing legendary gangsters Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. These guys together making a mobster movie… it should be a classic. Instead, we have something so forgettable that I’m struggling to remember why it even exists.

I don’t know the story and I’m not going to look it up, but I could almost guarantee that the reason De Niro is playing both characters is because they offered Genovese to Joe Pesci and he turned it down. De Niro is definitely doing a Pesci impression and it’s not bad at all. De Niro puts in the work here, but the uninteresting script, dull direction and hammy supporting performances really let him down. This feels like a Netflix miniseries edited down to two sleepy, derivative hours.

When you have someone like De Niro (the star of at least four of the greatest gangster movies of all time) in your movie, it will immediately be spoken of in comparison with those other, greater gangster pictures. It’s not a good look when the comparison is immediately laughable. I don’t know that this one ever had a chance.

“Snow White”: Speaking of never having a chance… the new live-action “Snow White” was always doomed. Conservatives hate it because it’s woke (it’s not) and

because Snow White herself, Rachel Zegler, is antiTrump. And liberals hate it because Gal Gadot supports Israel in the current genocide. Racists hate it because Zegler is Latina and they want to Make Disney White Again. Peter Dinklage doesn’t like “Snow White” because it treats dwarfism like a stereotype, while many other actors with dwarfism are mad because Disney didn’t hire enough actors with dwarfism after making the Seven Dwarfs computer generated (while trying to avoid controversy).

Do I hate “Snow White”? Not really. Zegler is luminous and showstopping as Snow White, giving the film an injection of magic whenever she’s onscreen. Also, seeing the Seven Dwarfs’ cottage come to life made me feel like a little kid again. Everything else is pretty bad. Gal Gadot delivers some hilariously terrible line readings that might turn this movie into a campy cult classic eventually. The dwarves fail to cross the uncanny valley and look pulled from a fever dream you had one time when you mixed malt liquor and cough medicine. The new songs are unmemorable and one of them is outright awful (“Princess Problems”). I could go on, but “Snow White” has been bullied enough.

Like and dislike things because you experienced them yourself and have your own authentic feelings, not because someone louder than everyone else told you how to feel.

“The Electric State” Dir. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Currently streaming on Netflix

“The Penguin Lessons” Dir. Peter Cattaneo Coming soon to Tin Pan Theater and Regal Old Mill

“The Assessment” Dir. Fleur Fortuné Coming soon to Tin Pan Theater

“The Alto Knights” Dir. Barry Levinson Now playing at Regal Old Mill, Sisters Movie House

“Snow White” Dir. Marc Webb Now playing at Regal Old Mill, Sisters Movie House, McMenamins Old St. Francis School, Redmond Cinema, Madras Cinema 5

De Niro still has it in “The Alto Knights.”

Rachel Zegler soars as “Snow White.”

Disney Warner Bros.

Photo

Photos and Story by Brian Yaeger

A Quarter Century of Finders Keepers on the Coast

Lincoln City welcomes beachcombers with glass floats and glasses of beer

As someone who loves exploring all the natural beauty and unique activities that Oregon has to offer, I flogged myself for not even being aware of the Finders Keepers program in the central coastal town of Lincoln City, which lies four hours from Bend by car. Finders Keepers has been attracting beachcombers, whale watchers, wave watchers and anyone with a good fleece to the city’s seven-mile stretch of coast where “Float Fairies” have placed more than 75,000 handcrafted glass floats along Lincoln City beaches, and continue to do so daily, since 2000.

Now in its 25th year, I headed out to find me some floats! The glass orbs were once used by fishermen to keep their nets afloat, but the modern-day colorful variety in Lincoln City are intentionally left in the sand — and look great on one’s mantel or desk like a hollow snow globe.

I headed to the mouth of the Siletz River, a popular starting point for glass float seekers. With Doug firs to my right and harbor seals to my left, massive white caps crashed off the coast and sprayed me thanks to strong winds. I searched among the perennial ryegrass and the scattered driftwood. No luck. Which sounds like a bad ending to a short story. But finding a float is just icing on the cake: The real treat was walking along the shore and admiring its strength and beauty. You don’t need Netflix to chill and have something mesmerizing to watch.

Better yet, if you’re like me and most visitors who don’t find a float, there’s the Lincoln City Glass Center where you can safely take a stab at glassblowing. It costs $75 to make your own seven-inch float, which is the same cost as buying one in the adjacent shop.

The whole thing only takes half an hour, but you get to choose your own colors as well as an intricate design while gaining a greater appreciation for glassblowing artisans who stand a metal rod’s distance away from 2,100-degree heat (which could melt your fleece, hence why no one in the studio wears it). The craftspeople who work there make you do-it-yourself yet also help course-correct when your float starts drooping or becomes lopsided during the process of shaping molten glass. The only downside is seeing sunspots for an hour after you’ve finished fashioning your perfect float (that you return to pick up the following day).

Once failing to find a float is complete (or making one of your own, which costs more but comes with way more sentimental value), do as I did: Head to Beachcrest Brewing Company, located four-and-a-half miles south in Gleneden Beach. The brewery, cofounded by a husband-and-wife duo of musicians, Matt and Amy White, is one of five in the vicinity. Beachcrest is a welcoming hub serving up tasty pizza pies, live music that gets the barflies and kiddos alike dancing, and of course,

beer. To honor 25 years of glass floats, the pub crafted Finders Keepers IPA, which tastes like hop cones floating in a pint glass and clocks in at a sessionable 5% ABV.

“Walking along the beach in Lincoln City and discovering a glass float creates such a fun and memorable moment,” Matt White says. “We wanted to craft an IPA that captures that same sense of surprise and whimsy… The bright, tropical notes and citrus aromas mirror the delight and excitement of spotting that telltale twinkle of a glass float hidden along the beach.”

Those other four nearby breweries are, from north to south, McMenamins Lighthouse Brewpub (which became the third brewpub in the McMenamins chain in 1986 and the first brewery on the Oregon coast), Rusty Truck Brewing at Roadhouse 101 (truly the kind of brewpub Swayze’s James Dalton would’ve felt at home at), Pelican Brewing at Siletz Bay (the fourth and latest in the Pelican chain that always offers some of the best views) and, just a few miles farther south, Depoe Bay Brewing Company at The Horn Public House. Depoe Bay is semi-famous as the world’s smallest, natural, navigable harbor and The Horn makes for a setting worthy of a seafarer, especially the upstairs tasting room overlooking the diminutive harbor.

Now, if only Lincoln City could find a way to fill those beautiful floats with beer.

The author, left, tries his hand at making a glass float, center, after failing to find one on Lincoln City’s beach, right.

THE PSYCHEDELIC FRONTIER: A BASIC OVERVIEW OF SUBSTANCES

By Mary Casanave Sheridan

From magic mushrooms to LSD and MDMA to ayahuasca and more

Q: I appreciate your articles and the information and resources they contain. I am not entirely clear on understanding what all the various psychedelic substances are and their uses and effects. Can you please help me?

A: The use of entheogens and empathogens can lead to some of the most expansive and eye-opening moments in a human’s lifetime. These tools, when wielded with wisdom, respect and intention, reveal insights that heal, transform and connect us. The full potential and nuance of each substance is hard to capture within the length of this article. I urge you to use this brief understanding as a starting point.

Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)

Derived from various species of mushrooms, psilocybin is a substance that beckons us to a place of introspective wonderment. The illusion of separation is dissolved, revealing the oneness of all life. In therapeutic contexts, it has shown a profound capacity to ease depression, existential anxiety and life’s transitions. Used at varied doses, it invites us to traverse our psyche. At lower doses, it can aid in dissolving the boundaries between the self and the surrounding world. Higher doses can lead to profound mystical experiences, often described as a reconnection with one’s true self and the universe.

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)

LSD, a synthetic compound with a storied history, is known for its potent ability to amplify the senses and lead to deeply introspective journeys that serve as a powerful catalyst for self-exploration, change and growth. In microdoses, it’s reported to increase creativity, focus and emotional responsiveness, while higher doses might produce kaleidoscopic visuals, a breaking down of psychological barriers and presenting the raw truth of our existence. As research into LSD reawakens and the therapeutic potential is being revisited, studies indicate benefits for those with certain types of intractable mental health issues and the disruption of addiction.

Ayahuasca

In ayahuasca, we find a mirror reflecting our deepest selves, often uncovering wounds in need of attention and compassion. This potent brew from the Amazonian jungles combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with DMT-containing plants. The journey through darkness to light with ayahuasca underscores the importance of surrender and trust. The immersive experience can unveil deeply rooted traumas and initiate an emotional catharsis.

Iboga

The root bark of the iboga tree holds ibogaine, a powerful compound integral to the Bwiti spiritual traditions of West Africa. The experience of iboga requires careful medical screening. Potent and wise, ibogaine guides us on a journey to confront and heal the deepest of addictions and traumas, often revisiting generational trauma. This sacred plant teaches about resilience, offering clarity and a rekindled strength to face life’s challenges anew.

DMT (Dimethyltryptamine)

DMT is a naturally occurring compound found in many plants and animals. Popularly called the spirit molecule, it offers a fleeting yet expansive window into realms beyond ordinary perception. Its effects are immediate and profound, transporting the user to what many describe as alternate realities or dimensions, and encounters with ineffable entities and realms that defy conventional understanding.

5-MeO-DMT

Sourced from the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad or synthesized in laboratories, the experience of 5-MeODMT is often described as a homecoming, an overwhelming recognition of the unity and love that underpins existence. This potent encounter can dissolve barriers of the ego, offering profound healing and an unwavering sense of interconnectedness. This powerful compound produces short experiences, but its potency necessitates a setting of utmost care and experienced supervision.

MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)

While often associated with recreational party scenes, MDMA’s essence lies in its ability to enhance emotional connectivity and empathy. In therapeutic contexts, MDMA helps in creating a safe psychological space for individuals to process and heal from traumatic experiences. It’s currently being studied for its efficacy in addressing PTSD, with promising results.

Embracing the Journey with Respect

Each of these substances carries the potential for profound transformation, yet they also bear responsibilities. Dosage, setting, guidance — it all matters immensely. As we stand at the frontier of consciousness, may we approach each step with humility, authenticity and an unwavering commitment to the well-being of all souls on their path toward wholeness.

—Mary Casanave Sheridan is a psychedelic coach and guide. Questions are encouraged: Send to mary@myco.vision

Pearl’s Puzzle

By Brendan Emmett Quigley

of Eden”

Article in Aachen

Horn in a jazz

51. “Gonna ___ Now” (“Rocky” theme)

1. Pantry pillagers 2. “Don’t ___ Up” (DiCaprio satire)

3. Modest reply to a compliment 4. Make a scene?

5. Classic shoe polish brand

Book of legends?

Espresso stop

Bakery treats

Bespeckle

Cager Manute ___

Classic car named after an antelope

“___ bananas” (nuts)

Slalom slope

Crooked line? 23. Stick out

25. Colorado resort

26. “American Fiction” writer/director Jefferson

27. 2024 generative documentary about musician Brian

28. “Call the Midwife” channel

29. Thailand neighbor 30. Group of reliable customers

31. Smallest Indian state

32. Victory emblem 34. Prefix for mural or coastal

37. Versatility list 38. Actress Kunis 40. Have title to

Computer keyboard key 43. “Much ___ About Nothing” 45. “___ Misty For Me” 46. Caravan critters

47. Litigious threat

48. Split personality?

49. French crystal maker René

51. Main character on “Futurama”

54. Memorable Texas mission

55. Beasts of burden

56. Dress in

57. Scandinavian capital

58. Online craft store 60. TGIF part

Game winner’s cry

Net

Puzzle for the week of March 24, 2025

Difficulty Level:

Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters Y U L E B A S I N exactly once.

The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will complete the quote: "I have enough money to last me the rest of my life… something." - Jackie Mason

Answer for the week of March 17, 2025

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S PUZZLES

"Always it's spring and everyone's in love and flowers pick themselves."

"Always it's spring and everyone's in love and flowers pick themselves."

Cummings

e.e. cummings

Pearl Stark

ASTROLOGY

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Ancient Rome's emperor Julius Caesar undertook a radical move to fix the calendar, which had become increasingly inaccurate as the centuries passed. He added three months to the year 46 BCE, which as a result was 445 days long. I'm thinking that 2025 might seem equally long for you, Aries. Your destiny may feel like it's taking forever to unfold. APRIL FOOL! I totally lied. In fact, I think 2025 will be one of your briskest, crispest years ever. Your adventures will be spiced with alacrity. Your efforts will be efficient and expeditious. You may sometimes be amazed at how swiftly progress unfolds.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Guilt and fear are always useless distractions from what’s really happening. Right? APRIL FOOL! The fact is that on rare occasions, being anxious can motivate you to escape from situations that your logical mind says are tolerable. And guilt may compel you to take the right action when nothing else will. This is one time when your guilt and fear can be valuable assets.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The German word Flüsterwitze means "whisper jokes." These jests make taboo references and need to be delivered with utmost discretion. They may include the mockery of authority figures. Dear Gemini, I recommend that you suppress your wicked satire and uproarious sarcasm for a while and stick to whisper jokes. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is that the world needs your outspokenness. Your ability to call out hypocrisies and expose corruption—especially with humor and wit—will keep everyone as honest as they need to be.

CANCER (June 21July 22): In the lead-up to the Paris-hosted 2024 Summer Olympics, the iconic Eiffel Tower was repainted gold. This was a departure from tradition, as the usual colors had been brown on the bottom and red on the top. The $60-million job took 25 painters 18 months. I recommend that you undertake an equally monumental task in the coming months, Cancerian. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, I do hope you undertake a monumental task—but one that’s more substantive than changing the surfaces of things. Like revisioning your life story, for example—reinterpreting your past and changing the way it informs your future. I think you are ready to purge inessential elements and exorcize old ghosts as you prepare for a relaunch around your birthday.

in their roosts. Surprisingly, they talk about their problems a lot. In fact, they quarrel 60 percent of the time. Areas of disagreement include food allocation, positions within the sleep cluster, and males initiating unwanted mating moves. Let's make these bats your power creatures. The astrological omens say it's time for you to argue more than you have ever argued. APRIL FOOL! I was not entirely truthful. The coming weeks will be a good time to address disagreements and settle disputes, but hopefully through graceful means, not bitter arguing.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Unlike many modern poets, Scorpio-born Alice Notley rejects the notion that she must be part of any poetic lineage. She aspires "to establish or continue no tradition except one that literally can’t exist—the celebration of the singular thought sung at a particular instant in a unique voice.” She has also written, "It’s necessary to maintain a state of disobedience against everything." She describes her work as “an immense act of rebellion against dominant social forces.” I invite you to enjoy your own version of a Notley-like phase, Scorpio. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, I encourage you to enjoy a Notley-like phase beginning May 1. But for now, I invite you to be extra attentive in cultivating all the ways you can benefit from honoring your similarities and connections with others.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a standardized test that many American high school students take to prove their worth to colleges. The highest possible score is achieved by fewer than one percent of test-takers. We might imagine that earning such a premium grade must guarantee admission to any school, but it doesn't. During one five-year period, for example, Stanford University rejected 69 percent of applicants with the highest possible score. I'm sorry to predict that a comparable experience might be ahead for you, Sagittarius. Even if you are your best and brightest self, you may be denied your rightful reward. APRIL FOOL! I totally lied. Here's my real, true prediction: In the coming weeks, I believe you will be your best and brightest self—and will win your rightful reward.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When I worked on the Duke University grounds crew years ago, I did the work I was assigned as quickly as possible. Then I would hide in the bushes, taking unauthorized breaks for an hour or two, so I could read books I loved. Was that unethical? Maybe. But the fact is, I would never have been able to complete my assigned tasks unless I allowed myself relaxation retreats. If there is an equivalent situation in your life, Leo, I urge you to do as I did. APRIL FOOL! I halflied. The truth is that I think you should be a little less extravagant than I was—but only a little—as you create the spaciousness and slack you need.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In his film Fitzcarraldo, Virgo director Werner Herzog tells an epic story. It includes the task of hauling a 320-ton steamship up a hill and over land, moving it from one river to another. Herzog could have relied on special effects to simulate this almost impossible project, but he didn’t. With a system of pulleys and a potent labor force, he made it happen. I urge you to try your equivalent of Herzog’s heroic conquest, Virgo. You will be able to summon more power and help than you can imagine. APRIL FOOL! I halflied. While it’s true that you will be able to summon more power and help than you can imagine, I still think you should at least partially rely on the equivalent of special effects.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Researchers discovered that Egyptian fruit bats engage in extensive communication with each other while nesting

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The visible part of an iceberg is typically just 10 percent of its total size. Most is hidden beneath the sea’s surface. References to “the tip of the iceberg” have become a staple metaphor in many cultures, signifying situations that are not what they seem. Of all the zodiac tribes, Scorpios are renowned for their expertise in discerning concealed agendas and missing information. The rest of us tend to be far less skillful. APRIL FOOL! I fibbed. These days, you Capricorns are even more talented than Scorpios at looking beyond the obvious and becoming aware of the concealed roots and full context.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the coming weeks, I advise you to be like the 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson. She lived in quiet seclusion, corresponding through letters instead of socializing. She seemed content to write her poems all alone in her home and be unconcerned about trying to get them published. APRIL FOOL! I lied. Here’s my real horoscope: Now is a highly favorable time for you to shmooze with intensity at a wide range of social occasions, both to get all the educational prods you need and to advance your ambitions.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Some systems and situations improve and thrive in response to stress and errors. Indeed, some things need strain or irregularity to be fully healthy. For example, human bodies require a certain amount of stress to develop a resistance to infection. In reading the astrological omens, I conclude you now need stimulation like that. APRIL FOOL! I lied. Here's the truth: August of 2025 will be a great time for you to harvest the benefits of benevolent stress. But for now, your forte will be the capacity to avoid and resist stress, confusion, and errors.

Homework: What’s the best prank you could perform on yourself? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

THE THIRD ACT

By Ellen Waterston

Just Sayin’

What’s your documentary moment?

You have to admit, the first 66 days of Trump’s presidency have been a rodeo. I’d like to feel everything is fine, but don’t. I’m not alone.

I. Maria Ressa’s book, “How to Stand Up to a Dictator,” recounts her dogged and personally dangerous commitment to standing up for fact-based journalism in the Philippines during Duterte’s devastation of that country’s democracy (2016-22). In a February interview with NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz, the Nobel Peace Prize winner admits that what’s transpiring in the United States now is something of a déjà vu. According to Ressa, it took Trump only two months to do what took Duterte six. She refers to what she calls “the dictatorship playbook,” which, she says, has been used time and again to destroy democracies and replace them with autocracies:

• Get elected

• Crush systems of checks and balances

• Replace them with a “broligarchy,” which Ressa defines as political patronage

Filipinos are the most online population in the world, according to Ressa. In her reporting, she learned that the population was used to test mass manipulation of information, the results exported to the United States and put to good use in Trump’s campaigns. Included in those results: If you repeat a lie a million times, it is perceived as fact. Says Ressa, “Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without these, we have no shared reality… And in a system like that, only a dictatorship wins.”

II. In her March 23 column for the Los Angeles Times, Robin Abcarian states: “It’s not just Kamala Harris voters who are riled up by President Trump’s assault on our country’s institutions. So are many voters who helped put Trump back in office…” What to do?

Abcarian says, according to Harvard political scientist Erica Chenoweth, over time nonviolent protests are far more successful than violent ones. Chenoweth’s research showed that between 1900 and 2006, nonviolent civil resistance was twice as successful as violent campaigns. She also determined that no government can withstand a challenge from 3.5% of its population. That would be 11 million Americans. Abcarian feels we’re getting close. She cites “Hands Off,” a nationwide protest scheduled for Saturday, April 5. Abcarian urges that we must be willing to show up “before it’s too late (and it’s getting perilously late).”

III. “Why do some British people

not like Donald Trump?” was a question posed by the London Daily. Here are excerpts from Nate White’s Feb. 28 response:

“Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults — he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.”

“And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff — the Queensberry rules of basic decency — and he breaks them all. He punches downwards — which a gentleman should, would, could never do — and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless — and he kicks them when they are down.”

“He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: Even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.”

IV. On Feb. 23, Jane Fonda was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. In her acceptance speech, the 87-year-old actress and activist harkened back to the first film she’d appeared in, in 1958. It was, she explained, the end of McCarthyism, also known as the Second Red Scare, which, for a decade, politically repressed and, with insufficient evidence, persecuted left-wing individuals as part of an exaggerated campaign to spread fear of Soviet espionage in the United States. And now, she warned, referring to the threat of deportations, “A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt…. Even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to… listen from our hearts.”

In her call to open arms, she called upon our empathy to welcome one and all in resisting what is coming at us. “We must not isolate.” Fonda urged those in attendance to recall what she termed “documentary moments” in American history that strengthened our democracy, such as the 1963 March on Washington for racial equity or the 1969 Stonewall riots in support of gay rights. She concluded with an impassioned appeal to recognize this time in history for what it is: our documentary moment, our invitation to show up.

See you April 5?

Professor Michael Holloman (Colville Confederated Tribes), lm and media scholar Glen Mimura and Emmy Award-winning lmmaker Beth Harrington for an exploration of Frank Matsura’s life and portraits. is panel discussion will consider Matsura’s experiences as a Japanese-born photographer and the nuanced perspective that his photographs provide of Native communities in the early 1900s.

TAKE ME HOME

By Pattie Serbus and Megan Serbus, Brokers, RE/MAX Key Properties and Serbus Real Estate

DIY Home Staging: Get Your Home Ready to Go to Market

Or just give your home a quick spring refresh!

You may be thinking that this spring is a great time to list your home.

Well, you’re not the only one! This spring, we anticipate many homeowners will put their homes on the market, just as they usually do this time of year. So how do you make your home stand out and make a great first impression amid the competition? A few simple staging tricks can help your home shine.

While we believe it’s best to hire a professional stager to make your home look its very best, there are a few things you can work on yourself if budget or time doesn’t allow for these additional services.

Step 1: Declutter & Depersonalize

You’ve lived in your home, loved your home and created countless memories there. You’ve also accumulated a lot of stuff. Some of it’s necessary to daily life. Some of it brings you happiness. And some of it’s extra clutter that’s accumulated with time. When you’re listing your home, less is more! The goal is to showcase your home, not your personal style or belongings. Take a weekend to create piles of keep, donate or store items — you can get a head start on packing and clear up your space at the same time. We also recommend putting away anything that is personal, like family photographs, children’s artwork, niche decor, kids’ or pets’ toys and cosmetics collections.

With clean windows, you can remove heavy drapes and let even more light in. As you clean, beware of using air fresheners to cover up lingering odors or pet smells. This is usually a red flag for buyer’s agents and their clients.

Step 3: Boost Curb Appeal

First impressions from the street really matter. Easy, cost-effective fixes include a fresh coating of mulch and the addition of low-maintenance plants. Additions like a new doormat, a freshly painted front door and new house numbers can quickly give your home a fresh look from the outside. Curb appeal communicates to potential buyers that your home has been cared for.

Step 4: Rearrange & Downsize Furniture

The goal here is to make your spaces feel bigger and more functional. Furniture pieces that you enjoy and provide comfort may not make your space look as large as it really is. Removing a large recliner, for example, may open up the space in big ways and allow potential buyers to envision their own sectional in the space. Following the design theory of the “rule of three” (things grouped in threes are more natural and visually appealing) is a great plan for staging both furniture and accessories, to create the flow and harmony buyers are looking for.

Step 2: Deep Clean for a Fresh Start

It’s spring cleaning time, so this should be on the to-do list already. We recommend focusing on high-impact areas first: kitchen, bathrooms and flooring. Cleaning your windows is a must! For both home photos and in-person walk-throughs, there’s nothing like a clean window to brighten up a space.

While it’s often best to use a professional stager, these tips can help you start on the road to success in selling your home. Your real estate agent should also help you create a plan for getting these helpful steps completed before listing your home. A little hard work preparing can mean amazing returns on your investment, with competitive offers and a quick sale.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE: The Untold Story of Sharks

FRIDAY, APRIL 4 PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT

SATURDAY, MAY 24 SEALS & CROFTS 2

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23 OREGON BALLET THEATRE 2

TUESDAY, APRIL 29

SUNDAY, APRIL 6 THE ROBERT CRAY BAND

SATURDAY, MAY 10

FRIDAY, APRIL 11 THE JENNER FOX BAND with David Jacobs-Strain & Bob Beach

TUESDAY, MAY 27 EDNA VAZQUEZ OF PINK MARTINI

SATURDAY, JUNE 7 THE STRING QUEENS

THURSDAY, MAY 22

TUESDAY, APRIL 15 THE WAR & TREATY with Madeline Edwards

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 20-22

4 PEAKS LIVE AT THE TOWER