Bend, OR May 2026

Women's Issue

Bella Emry Finds Her Voice on the American Idol Stage M AY 2 02 6

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

The Women's Issue May is our Women’s Issue and we can’t wait for you to read about some amazing women in our community.

We’re honored to share the story of Bend’s Bella Emry (on the cover) who, after capturing national attention on American Idol, takes the bold step to starting her journey to a promising music career. What began with singing in her bedroom led to competing in the Top 30 of American Idol and the affirmation to follow her dream. We’re excited to see where her music leads her!

We also introduce you to musician Mari Wilson, who’s making a name for herself on the local music scene. Mari and her band, Mari & the Dream, just released their debut mini album. As her dream becomes a reality, she continues to be an inspiration to other female musicians by hosting open mic nights and encouraging other artists to take the first step to performing live in front of others.

This issue also features artist Mare Schelz, who creates intricate stained-glass mosaics inspired by nature. Find Mare’s beautiful glass art at Nancy P’s Cafe and Bakery in Bend and at The Open Door in Sisters.

And on a national level, we share a recent City Lifestyle podcast interview with fashion influencer Becky Hillyard, known as “Cella Jane Blog.” Becky shares her story of starting her blog from scratch in 2012 and growing it into a massive platform, all while raising her children and building a home and family.

This month, we invite you to take a look around, and to be grateful for the women in your life—the mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, and friends, both past and present, who make an impact on your life. Our lives are truly enriched because of them.

May 2026 PUBLISHER

Jane Rial | jane.rial@citylifestyle.com E D I TO R

Lynette Confer | lynette.confer@citylifestyle.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Donna Burklo, Lynette Confer, Julie E. Furnas, Kali Kasorzyk, Patti Noble C O N T R I B U T I N G P H OTO G R AP H E R S

Miguel Edwards, Galivan Creative, Miranda Kelton Photography, Maile Mason, Patti Noble, Natalie Stephenson

Corporate Team CEO Steven Schowengerdt President Matthew Perry COO David Stetler CRO Jamie Pentz CoS Janeane Thompson AD DESIGNER Evan Deuvall LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsey Ragain QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Megan Cagle

JANE RIAL, PUBLISHER @BEND.LIFESTYLE Learn how to start your own publication at citylifestyle.com//franchise.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Bend Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Bend area’s most affluent neighborhoods.

Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions.

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inside the issue MAY 2 0 2 6 | L A DI ES

22 30

26

Featured

18 22 26 30 12

From Side Hustle to Style Empire The power of taste, trust, and the courage to “just start.”

Mari and Her Dream

Local Band Releases Debut Mini Album

18 On the Cover

Departments

Bend local Bella Emry talks to Bend Lifestyle about her experience making it into the American Idol Top 30.

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Lifestyle Letter

14

Business Monthly

18

Fashion Forward STYLE + BEAUTY

22

Local Limelight ARTS + CULTURE

26

Artist’s Palette ARTS + CULTURE

30

Back Stage ARTS + CULTURE

34

Happy Hour FOOD + BEVERAGE

36

Events

Fragments of Beauty

Bend's Mare Schelz Brings Colors and Rhythms of Nature to Life Through Mosaic Stained Glass

Where the Music Leads

Bella Emry: From Bend to the Top 30 on American Idol

Photography: Maile Mason Photography

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M AY 2 0 2 6

business monthly A R O U N D U P O F N E W S F R O M LO C A L B U S I N E S S E S

Protect Your Skin During Melanoma Awareness Month

The Avenue Offers Professional Organizing and Decluttering Services

ClearPath Healthcare Introduces In-Home Primary Care

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Photography by Miranda Kelton Photography

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ARTICLE BY KALI KASORZYK

BECKY HILLYARD

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED

From Side Hustle to Style Empire The power of taste, trust, and the courage to “just start.”

She didn’t have a business plan, a media budget, or even a name anyone could pronounce. What Becky Hillyard had was taste, a young family, and the instinct to just start. Today, her lifestyle brand Cella Jane commands an audience the size of Vogue’s, she’s nine collections strong with Splendid, and she’s built it all while raising three kids — refusing to sacrifice one for the other. In an exclusive conversation for the Share the Lifestyle podcast, Becky shares what it really takes to build a brand, a career, and a life you love. Read the highlights below, then scan the QR code for the full conversation.

Q: WHEN DID YOU KNOW CELLA JANE WAS MORE THAN A HOBBY? A: Two moments. Women started emailing me saying they bought something I recommended and felt amazing — asking me to help them find a dress for a wedding. That felt incredible. Then I looked at my affiliate numbers for one month and realized I could cover our mortgage. I thought, I can actually do this. I never set out to build a business. I started it because I genuinely loved it.

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FASH ION F OR WA R D | STYLE + BE AU T Y

Becky in Splendid x @CellaJaneBlog Spring 2026 Collection

Becky in Splendid x @CellaJaneBlog Spring 2026 Collection

Q: WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST RISK YOU EVER TOOK WITH THE BRAND? A: Designing my own collection. It’s easy to point at items on a

Q: WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO BUILD SOMETHING OF THEIR OWN BUT KEEPS WAITING? A: Don’t wait. Don’t wait for the perfect camera, the right strat-

website and say I love these. But to create something from scratch, put your name on it, and wait to see if people connect with it — that’s terrifying. I had an incredible partner in Splendid, and women loved the pieces. It was the biggest risk and the biggest accomplishment.

egy, or enough followers. We find every excuse to stay comfortable. Just start, be consistent, and be authentically yourself. The right people will find you — and they’ll stay.

Q: HOW HAS INFLUENCER MARKETING CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED? A: When I started, brands didn’t know whether to take it seriously. Now it’s a legitimate line item in their marketing budgets — sometimes bigger than TV. Because what we’ve built is trust.

People trust a real recommendation from someone they follow far more than a commercial. There’s no question about it now.

Q: YOU’RE A MOM OF THREE RUNNING A FULL BRAND. WHAT DOES YOUR DAY ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE? A: I try to get up at five and not hit snooze — that first hour before the house wakes up is the most productive, most peaceful hour of my day. Then it’s all hands on deck with the kids and school drop-off.

After that I work — planning content, connecting with my team, editing. After pickup, the day shifts completely and it’s all about them.

I’ve learned to protect both halves fiercely, because both matter.

This conversation is just the beginning. Becky goes deeper on the risks that almost stopped her, the design process behind her latest Splendid collection, and what she’d tell her 2012 self today.

Scan the QR code for the full, exclusive City Lifestyle interview on the Share the Lifestyle Podcast.

“Trust is the only metric that actually compounds.”

— Becky Hillyard

F E AT U R I N G B E C K Y H I L LYA R D The brand millions follow. Hear how it really star ted. Scan for the full conversation.

MAY 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E. C O M / BE N D

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MARI AND Her Dream Local Band Releases Debut Mini Album ARTICLE BY DONNA BURKLO PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIGUEL EDWARDS

Mari Wilson took the stage in a long, glittery gown holding an electric guitar with attitude and confidence just like the woman in the picture she saw as a child. That woman was Sister Rosetta Tharpe, 1930’s through early ‘70’s genre-bending singer/guitarist.

Photos of Tharpe, known as the “godmother of rock and roll”, portray a joy-filled woman cranking up the volume like nobody’s business when the featured business – shredding on a guitar – was made up mostly of men.

Wilson and her band, together known as Mari & The Dream, performed songs from their debut mini album entitled One to an enthusiastic crowd that evening. It’s no surprise that the band was well supported by the crowd. Wilson spends a lot of time inspiring others. In fact, she inspired her now band-mate bassist Bella Cooper so much that Cooper approached Wilson at an open mic and said, “I’m going to be your bassist.” The other band members, Kenny Jones on keyboard and Tyler Spraag on drums, are musicians Wilson met while managing stages at venues in Bend.

With just elementary and middle school experience playing the flute in band and no musicians in her immediate family, Wilson had only her heart to follow when she bought her first guitar with her birthday money at age 12. Her grandmother had shown her the Woodstock documentary and Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and Canned Heat captivated her. Her stepfather’s words, “you’re never gonna learn how to play that thing” had no place in the world Wilson was creating for herself. She brushed them off.

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LOCA L LIM E LIGH T | ARTS + CU LT U RE

Mari Wilson, founder of Mari & The Dream, spends a lot of time supporting and inspiring others.

Mari & The Dream (l to r): Tyler Spraag, drums; Mari Wilson, guitar/ vocals/songwriting; Bella Cooper, bassist and Kenny Jones, keyboard.

Kenny Jones plays keyboard for Mari & The Dream.

Mari & The Dream at Silver Moon Brewing for their March 13 EP Release event.

The band on stage at the release of their mini album entitled One.

“The guitar is empowering,” Wilson says, smiling. “I always wanted to be a singer, and the guitar allows you to accompany yourself.”

She initially taught herself to play covers of other people’s songs. Then she began pulling the songs apart to learn structure. “Turning a poem into music happened naturally from there,” says Wilson.

After graduating from Mt. View High School in Bend, Wilson chose a career in banking. Yet when she began playing and singing at shows, she’d found the world in CONTINUED > MAY 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E. C O M / BE N D

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“Things come to you when you start living your truth. Keep going. Ignore the noise. You’re only doing this life once, why would you do anything other than follow your dreams?"

— MARI WILSON, MARI & THE DREAM

which she wanted to live. She started by attending open mic nights. Soon, she began performing at various open night locations. Six years ago, she had her first paid solo gig at a local taphouse. After seven years in the world of finance, she quit and dove into music full-time.

Wilson now wears many hats: show manager, open mic host, sound engineer (also self-taught), and solo and band musician – all at several local venues.

This combination provides her with a community of like-minded people who are focused on lifting each other up. You’ll find Wilson working among them in different roles, alternatively starring and supporting within the span of minutes. For example, on the night of the EP release, Wilson first set up the stages and ticket booths at two Silver Moon Brewing venues. Then, she stood in the midst of the crowd in her sparkly gown running sound for the two bands that came before hers. Several beats later, there she was, singing and playing original songs for an audience eager to hear what she had to say.

Wilson’s original tunes are deeply personal. I Don’t Like You (but I love you) was written about her childhood with her mother. Her mother showed up to Wilson’s first solo gig performing her own music and therefore was one of the first to hear this song.

It might have been awkward to have her mother recognize herself in the song, yet Wilson is comfortable speaking her truth. In her song, Haunting, Wilson details the feeling of struggling with depression.

When she’s writing, she doesn’t think about an audience. She thinks about the emotions she’s looking to convey. If she’s writing to please a crowd, she feels as though she loses authenticity.

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LOCA L LIM E LIGH T | ARTS + CU LT U RE

Encouraging women musicians with her weekly rounds of hosting open mic nights is a highlight for Wilson. Most hosts are male, and that can be intimidating for some women who are taking the first bold step of performing music for others. More and more, the open mic nights she hosts are filled with women. Wilson provides a safe space.

To women who are having a hard time following their dreams, Wilson offers some thoughts that can become mantras, “Things come to you when you start living your truth. Keep going. Ignore the noise. You’re only doing this life once, why would you do anything other than follow your dreams?”

Mari Wilson’s dream? “I hope my story helps people know that they can do whatever it is they’re wanting to do. Society makes us think we can’t.”

Thinking about getting up there on the stage?

Read Mari’s Guide to Open Mics: • Show up with no expectations a few times and just listen.

• Check in with the host to learn about protocol.

• Talk to a musician who inspired you while there.

• When ready, on a second or third or fourth visit, put your name on the list.

• Have three songs ready, yet perform even just one if that feels right.

• People really are there to support and listen.

• Have fun!

Mari hosts open mics at: Silver Moon - Sundays 5-8 p.m.

The Cellar - Tuesdays 6-8 p.m.

Velvet - 4th Thursday monthly 7-9 p.m. @mariandthedream

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Fragments of Beauty

A Bend resident for over 30 years, Mare Schelz has been creating mosaic stained glass art since 2012.

BEND'S MARE SCHELZ BRINGS COLORS AND RHYTHMS OF NATURE TO LIFE THROUGH MOSAIC STAINED GLASS ARTICLE BY LYNETTE CONFER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATALIE STEPHENSON

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A RT IST ’S PA LE T T E | ARTS + CU LT U RE

The way light dances through the hand-cut pieces of glass in Mare Schelz’s intricate stained-glass mosaics reveals her deep love for nature, her reverence for movement and flow, and the joy she finds in creating art, and sharing it with others. Each piece she creates is a luminous reflection of the natural world that surrounds her and the inspiration that it brings to her life daily.

A Bend resident for more than 30 years, Schelz has been an artist for as long as she can remember. Born and raised outside New York City, she grew up immersed in art and creativity. “My mom was an artist – a painter,” Schelz reflects and she recalls trips to NYC with her mom to look at art – especially Tiffany stained-glass windows – all of which left a lasting impression. “Mr. Tiffany grew up about 20 minutes from where I did,” Schelz recalls. “We used to go into the city to see his stained glass.”

Early encouragement, particularly from an influential high school art teacher, set Schelz on a lifelong creative path. “I did a bit of stained glass in high school,” notes Schelz. After moving west, Schelz attended Southern Oregon University (then Southern Oregon State College) where she studied art and explored fiber arts, weaving, and papermaking. Her journey continued at the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina where she began blowing glass, a process by which molten glass is gathered on a hollow pipe, expanded with breath, shaped by tools and heat, then allowed to cool and solidify. “I was a Core Resident Artist there for two years and I began to work with glass a lot.”

Having experienced the art of traditional stained glass early on, Schelz found the medium too rigid. The precision and toxicity of soldering didn’t align with her instincts. Mosaic stained glass work, however, felt different and just seemed to fit. It felt freer, more intuitive. “It was more ‘me’,” she explains. “I am not Type A—I like things to move.”

That sense of movement runs through all of Schelz’s work.

Inspired primarily by nature, her mosaics often depict rivers, birds, mountains, and a sense of flow. Ravens are a recurring subject, as are spirals, mandalas, and fractal-inspired designs.

“Nature is my biggest inspiration,” she says. “That’s where everything comes from for me.”

Her process reflects that organic sensibility. Schelz begins with only a loose idea, sketching lightly onto a clear glass base before cutting and arranging colored glass pieces, along with other small items such as glass beads, by hand. “I go into the studio with a very slight idea,” Schelz explains. “and then I just let the colors and the pieces create what I’m doing.” Each shard is glued into place, then grouted—often in black, which adds contrast and definition while still allowing light to shine through. The result is a piece that feels fluid, layered, and alive. No two are ever the same. “You can’t recreate a piece exactly,” she says. “That’s the nature of the glass, it’s totally different every time.”

For years, before her mosaic stained glass art became her focus, Schelz worked as an educator, first as a wilderness leader, later as an art teacher in classrooms around Central Oregon. She also taught after-school from a small studio space behind her home. “I taught art classes every day after school to local kids, I was ‘the artist in the classroom’ at several schools and worked on several large mosaic projects with students at Three Rivers School in Sunriver,” she reflects. Teaching reinforced her belief that art is about observation. “Art lets your mind meander. It puts you in a different flow and makes you really look at the world. Art is all about looking—it is all around you.”

CONTINUED >

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A RT IST ’S PA LE T T E | ARTS + CU LT U RE

Find Schelz's mosaic stained glass art for sale in Bend at Nancy P's Cafe and Bakery at 1054 NW Milwaukee Ave.

A pivotal moment came when Schelz and her husband purchased a glass tile business. Working with leftover glass scraps and shards sparked the beginning of her mosaic stained-glass art as it exists today.

In 2012, Schelz created her first mosaic piece that caught the attention of a local bakery owner. “Katy Clabough, owner of Nancy P’s Cafe and Bakery, saw my first mosaic and wanted to display it at the bakery,” Schelz notes. Her work quickly found a home at the bakery, where Schelz’s first mosaic still hangs. Today, her stained-glass pieces continue to adorn the café’s windows, glowing with shifting light throughout the day, each piece offered for sale.

Schelz now creates and sells between 100 and 120 pieces each year, working almost daily in her home studio—an historic building on her property dating back to the early 1900’s. Originally part of the townsite near Tumalo Reservoir, the structure was moved multiple times before landing in its current location (in Schelz’s backyard) in the 1960s. Filled with natural light and creative energy, it serves as the heart of her practice. “This building has such a long history,” she says. “It feels right to be creating something new inside it.”

Her mosaics appear in a variety of forms, from antique window frames to old clocks to doors—even vintage Chevy doors— and large-scale commissioned installations. For many pieces,

her husband builds custom wooden frames. Though each piece takes a different amount of time, many require around ten hours to complete.

Travel is another source of inspiration for Schelz. She photographs landscapes wherever she goes, whether in Sedona, Arizona—where her mother lived for decades—or in Europe. Early in her mosaic journey, she even drew inspiration from vintage postcards. “My first mosaics were created to reflect the postcards,” she says.

Today her artistic creations continue to resonate far beyond her studio. Collectors of her mosaics often send her photos showing how light transforms their pieces throughout the day. “I just received one this morning,” she notes. “A Tumalo Falls piece with the sunrise behind it. They’re beautiful in every environment.”

For Schelz, art has always been about more than creation. It’s about curiosity, inquiry, connection and generosity. “I hope my art brings light and color into people’s lives,” she emphasizes. “They all have a little magic in them that transforms light and color.”

Find Mare Schelz’s mosaic stained glass art for sale at Nancy P’s Cafe and Bakery in Bend and at The Open Door in Sisters. Also find six large pieces of her mosaic stained glass art on display at the Unity Spiritual Community of Central Oregon in Bend. Email for information: artplaylife@gmail.com

MAY 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E. C O M / BE N D

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ARTICLE BY LYNETTE CONFER

WHERE THE Music Leads

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAILE MASON

FROM BEND TO THE TOP 30 ON AMERICAN IDOL

This past October, on a stage nearly 2,000 miles from Bend, 23-year old Bella Emry stood in the spotlight, steadying her nerves in front of three celebrity judges on the national stage of American Idol. Just a few months earlier, Emry had been singing in her bedroom, creating videos to post on social media. But an audition video sent in on a whim quickly landed her among a top group of contestants in Nashville, Tennessee – setting her on a journey from childhood harmonies in church to the national audition stage and into the Top 30.

Though surreal, the moment had perhaps been building for years.

A Bend resident for eight years, Emry and her family relocated from Yamhill, Oregon, where she grew up with her older sister and younger brother. During COVID, Emry graduated from Redmond Proficiency Academy with college credits from Central Oregon Community College, where she later earned her associate’s degree.

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B ACK STAGE | ARTS + C U LT U RE

Bella Emry, 23-year old Bend musician and American Idol Top 30.

“Music was always just a hobby,” she says. “I was really trying to figure out what I wanted to pursue in college, psychiatry or law? I also love languages and studied Spanish and even American Sign Language. I also thought about joining the military as both of my parents are veterans.”

“My parents have been so supportive of me every step of the way,” Emry explains. “They said if I was going to try something and change my mind, now is the time to do that. They own a concrete restoration business in Bend, Superior Concrete Restorations, and have been super supportive of me figuring out what I want to do.”

Emry is also a licensed esthetician. But, ultimately, none of the career paths she explored felt quite right, and she returned to work in food service for a time.

“I had worked for the owners of Yoli before, and they were very happy to hire me again,” she says. “Food service is a great fallback job in a tourist-driven town like Bend.”

In the background, music was always a constant.

“There are videos of me singing in the car when I was little,” Emry recalls. “My dad was the lead pastor and worship leader in our local church, so he is musical as well. My older sister sings and plays guitar, and so does my uncle.”

As for formal training, Emry began with piano lessons before moving to guitar.

“I took lessons with Joshua Humlie years ago when we lived in Yamhill – he actually went on America’s Got Talent with his family band,” she says. “After we moved to Bend, I started taking guitar lessons with Derek Williams. I still play gigs with him, and he continues to teach me.”

Today, Emry describes her sound as folk indie alternative, with a strong emphasis on storytelling and lyrics.

It was her openness to exploration that ultimately led her to American Idol.

“This past summer I saw an ad online inviting musicians to send in a video,” she explains. “Since I already had videos recorded for my followers, I thought I would send one in. When I got an email back, I thought it was a scam – but it wasn’t. It was the real deal.”

“I think I auditioned not necessarily searching for validation, but I had never had anyone in the music industry say, ‘You should do this,’” Emry adds. “I’ve always known I could sing, but this experience gave me a confidence boost – it made me feel like I could really do this.”

After a series of virtual auditions with producers, Emry was invited to Nashville to perform in front of the American Idol judges, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood.

Early on, she made a quiet but strategic decision about how she wanted to show up. Having started wearing bandanas earlier that summer, she chose to wear one to her Nashville audition – hoping the simple accessory might help her stand out and be remembered. The bandana itself came from Faveur Eclectic Unique Boutique, a small downtown Bend shop, adding a subtle piece of home to the national stage. Since then, the look has become something of a signature for Emry… an understated but recognizable part of her evolving identity as an artist.

The trip to Nashville became a family affair, with her parents, Kelly and Duane, her brother Ian and his fiancé and her older sister Iyana all joining in. “Everyone was just so excited. We grew up watching American Idol and my dad used to joke, ‘Bella could do that!’”

With eight days of auditions in Nashville, Emry estimates that there were about 250 contestants.

“In Nashville, 125 contestants were chosen to head to Hollywood… and I was one of them,” she says.

American Idol Hollywood Week took place at the beginning of November.

Emry explains that she went into the auditions without any expectations. “Just making it to the Nashville auditions made me realize I could do this. I feel more confident after chasing what I thought was an unrealistic dream has just ingrained in me the CONTINUED > MAY 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E. C O M / BE N D

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idea of possibility… I realize I don’t have to go along with what I might have thought was a more realistic choice for my life, something I might have felt pushed into instead of called to do.”

“Nashville was truly terrifying,” recalls Emry. “You are performing in front of the judges, the camera crew, and a room full of people.

In preparation for Nashville, she performed her first live set – a two-hour show with her guitar instructor Derek Williams at Amaterra in downtown Bend.

“Getting to Hollywood, and making it on to the next round in Hawaii, was just insane,” Emry recalls. “I was on stage with incredibly talented people who had been doing this for years – I was not that person. But in Hollywood, we performed at Belmont University with a full band in front of a thousand people… and I did it!”

Her answer to why she wanted to be the next American Idol?

“I said, ‘I’d love to sing somewhere besides my bedroom,” Emry laughs.

After her performance in Hollywood, judge Luke Bryan told her, “I think you’re going to be singing in other places than your bedroom!”

“It was incredible,” she says. “The judges all stood for me, and when I left the stage, I was just sobbing, and I am not a crier. Then I got a hug from Ryan Seacrest… it was just surreal.”

“I was very proud of my performance, whether I went home or went forward,” remarks Emry “It was honestly slightly a surprise that I moved forward… because I haven’t had the experience most of the other contestants had. I felt almost like the odd man out because for many, music is all they do.”

Before American Idol, Emry had rarely performed publicly. But the feedback she received was transformative.

“People told me they hang onto every word I sing – that I can captivate a room,” she shares. “I never knew that before. That’s what I want – to create something that isn’t just background music, but something people really feel.”

That connection is at the heart of her musical goals.

“Music and lyrics are really about the human experience,” Emry emphasizes. “I want people to take something away from it that helps them in their own lives. That’s why I love Brandi Carlile’s music – her lyrics are so specific to her own personal journey, yet somehow they become yours too.”

While Emry currently performs mostly covers, songwriting feels like a natural next step for her.

“I write a lot of poetry and journal,” she says. “I am very lyrically minded. I can see myself storytelling through music.”

For Emry, music is also deeply personal.

“It’s a creative outlet,” she states. “I’ve gone through a lot and rather than talking about it, I use music. It’s always been very healing for me, and that’s what I want to share with others.”

Shortly after returning from Hawaii, Emry faced a physical setback, undergoing kidney surgery related to a long-standing condition.

“I had been really sick for about a year,” she explains. “They discovered I had severe hydronephrosis in my left kidney, and I had surgery to correct it. I’m hoping this is a turning point in terms of my health, for sure.”

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B ACK STAGE | ARTS + C U LT U RE

“I’ve gone through a lot and rather than talking about it, I use music. It’s always been very healing for me, and that’s what I want to share with others.”

– Bella Emr y, local musician and American Idol Top 30

As she continues to recover, Emry is looking ahead with a renewed sense of clarity and momentum. This summer she plans to return to the stage fully – stronger, healthier and ready to build on everything she has experienced over the past year.

“I feel like I got some answers,” she says. “I had my surgery, I’m healing, and I’m ready to get back to real life. Soon I’ll be out there doing my music… it’s going to be incredible.”

Back in Bend, that next chapter is already taking shape. She has begun performing locally and connecting with a community that has shown up for her in a big way. On May 22, she will open for Jacquie Roar at the Redmond Summer Kickin’ Concert Series at General Duffy’s Waterhole – one of her first major performances since her time on American Idol.

More than anything, Emry says she is grateful. “I want to thank this community. The support has been incredible and encouraging.”

For Emry, the whirlwind of the past year – from a spontaneous audition submission to a national stage – did more than introduce her to a wider audience. It helped her realize that the path she once saw as uncertain might actually be the one she is meant to follow.

And while her journey on American Idol may have come to an end, something more lasting has taken its place: the confidence to step forward, share her voice and create the kind of music that connects – one song, one stage and one moment at a time.

Follow Bella Emry at @bellaemryofficial to see where she takes the stage next.

Backstage with Bella Bella Emry answers a quick round of rapid-fire questions on music, Bend favorites and life offstage.

Favorite song to perform right now?

Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins — I sang it in Hawaii for American Idol, so that one really stuck with me Artist you’re listening to lately?

Joshua Slone — kind of folk with a little bit of country Dream artist to perform with?

Brandi Carlile Favorite place in Bend to recharge?

Drake Park — or at home

Favorite places to hang out?

Backporch Coffee Roasters and Thump Coffee Favorite things to do in Bend?

Thrifting — especially at Good Bad Rad Vintage Pre-performance ritual?

Pacing and listening to music—just not the songs I’m about to perform Song that always lifts your mood?

Heart’s Content by Brandi Carlile Dream venue?

Hayden Homes Amphitheater Favorite thing about coming home to Bend?

My dog—and the weather

MAY 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E. C O M / BE N D

33

SPRINGTIME ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATTI NOBLE

cheer

Whether you're catching up with your closest friends on a sunny spring afternoon or savoring a well-spent day with your mom, sister or aunt, there's something special about gathering over a pitcher

CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH A VIBRANT WHITE SANGRIA

of crisp, refreshing white sangria. This bright, flavorful, fruit-filled cocktail is the perfect companion for laughter, stories, meaningful conversation, and making memories with the ones who know you

DIRECTIONS:

best. Cheers to friendship and a glass half full!

1. In a pitcher, add the wine, vodka, strawberries, and citrus fruit slices. Stir well to combine.

INGREDIENTS:

2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry rosé wine, or white wine*

3. Pour into glasses (over ice, if desired), ensuring each glass gets

• 1 cup vodka**

strawberry and citrus slices, top with sparking water or seltzer.

• 1 cup sliced or chunked strawberries

4. Garnish with a lemon or lime wheel, and berries.

• 2 medium limes, sliced into thin wheels, more for garnish

5. Enjoy with friends.

• 2 medium lemons or oranges sliced into thin wheels • 1 1/2 cups sparkling water, chilled

*Suggested wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Viognier.

• Raspberries or Blackberries

**Add extra flavor by using an infused vodka.

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events

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