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An ongoing heated debate about who’s liable if people get hurt while participating in recreational events is heading back into the state capitol when lawmakers begin their short session in February. Peter Madsen looks at two proposed bills in the battle over liability waivers. In other news, a local nonprofit that’s been helping provide food to families in need for decades is shutting down. Plus, a look at upcoming events marking Black History month; a college course focused on Taylor Swift; and a New York Times bestselling author who is making a stop in Bend. Ellen Waterston reminisces about a fading tradition and Craft writer Brian Yaeger tells where you can taste a new brew with a dash of wasabi. —Managing Editor Nic Moye
LIGHTMETER:
A crowd was gathered underneath a hawk hanging out above the Deschutes River near Miller's Landing on Jan. 14. Help us identify this bird! We want to share your photo! Email info@bendsource.com or tag @sourceweekly on Instagram for a chance to be featured.
PRESENTED BY HARVEST MOON WOODWORKS
Nic Moye
Of Walkouts and Roadmaps: New ‘Prosperity Officer’ Hails from Central Oregon
If you’ve been paying attention to state politics in recent months, then you know that the state’s economy has been a big topic.
Perhaps most eye-popping for some state leaders was Oregon’s ranking in a 2025 CNBC poll, which placed the state 39th among its Top States for Business. Oregon ranked 28th in the poll in 2024, and 21st in 2023.
“Job growth now trails national averages, in-migration has fallen sharply, and population forecasts have been cut in half since 2019,” warned the November report from Oregon Business Plan, a stakeholder group of business and government leaders that proposes policies to boost the state’s economy.
Priorities in the report included streamlining laws to avoid complex or duplicate regulations, making more land available for housing, industrial and energy needs, rebuilding educational accountability, managing fires and forests and reforming taxation.
In December, leaders from the business and political sectors gathered for the Oregon Business Plan’s Leadership Summit, sharing stories of Oregon’s “economic crossroads.”
Around the same time, Gov. Tina Kotek announced her new “prosperity roadmap,” outlining similar goals and creating both a Governor’s Prosperity Council and a Chief Prosperity Officer, tasked with working out the finer details of the roadmap.
With an election looming for Kotek, and the numbers showing a downward economic trajectory for the state, a lot is riding on the new position. So, imagine our surprise when the person named for the job is none other than Bend’s Tim Knopp — last seen as the Minority Leader in charge of the walkout delegation of the Republicans in the Oregon legislature.
The former Bend state senator who was disqualified from running for re-election after leading the longest
walkout in state history is now being tapped to bring Oregon back from the economic brink. It’s hard not to see the irony.
“Knopp, a native Oregonian and Central Oregon resident of more than four decades, brings decades of experience in public service, small business leadership, and community engagement to his work supporting Oregon’s economy and communities,” read a Jan. 14 press release from Kotek’s office.
When you think of it one way, hiring Knopp for this $190,000-a-year gig isn’t the worst move for Kotek. Hiring a prominent Republican for such a job seems politically wise. Kotek and Knopp worked together on numerous initiatives during their time in the legislature. Knopp’s got a background advocating for development in his longtime job for the Central Oregon Builders Association.
But we have doubts. Besides serving on the board of the Bend Chamber, Knopp has no obvious background in economic development at this scale. His history of walkouts renders him suspect in some circles, even if he is heralded in others. Will that make him effective amid a Democratic majority, suddenly being tasked with upending touchy things like property taxes and Oregon’s land use system, in the name of economic prosperity?
With our falling economic outlook, it’s time to look at Oregon’s regulatory environment and its patchwork of taxes, fees and laws to see how they may be hindering the state’s growth. The governor’s choice is politically challenging, given Knopp’s record of abdicating the state when things got tough. But Kotek’s experience with him in the House obviously led her to think there was something of merit in his negotiating skills.
On the upside, we cannot ignore the obvious benefit: having someone from Central Oregon with their hands on the prosperity road map is probably a good thing for the region.
IMMORALITY RULES OUR NATION.
Flouting the constitution, international and American law and long-standing norms, President Trump declared to the New York Times recently that his power as commander in chief is constrained only by his “own morality.”
Let’s review his track record on morality. He raped a woman in a dressing room He said on camera that to control women he “just grabs them by the pussy.” He led an insurrection against our government. He has been a business cheat throughout his career, and he lies so freely and frequently that we no longer have a clear line between truth and fiction.
We should remember, though, that our nation and our world embrace real, concrete definitions of morality. The constitution, the bible, the laws of the land all stand in the way of immoral behavior. It’s about time the gears of government engage to ensure Trump’s compliance with those real, concrete moral standards.
Right now, we have a Congress and a Supreme Court that have abandoned those standards. Time after time, they have given their permission to allow Trump’s illegal and immortal actions.
But sanity still prevails, at least here in Oregon. Our Attorney General, Dan Rayfield, has used the power of the courts to challenge Trump’s immoral actions consistently, and with positive results.
Rayfield has sued to:
• Block efforts by acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau leadership to completely defund the CFPB;
• Block President Trump’s order to federalize/deploy Oregon National Guard troops for internal security functions as unconstitutional;
• Block federal penalties and cuts to SNAP benefits, particularly
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for lawful permanent residents;
• Challenge the administration’s refusal to release federally appropriated funds for electric vehicle charging infrastructure;
• Stop an unlawful $100,000 fee for certain H-1B visa petitions imposed by the Department of Homeland Security;
• Challenge Trump’s termination of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program;
• Prevent conditions in the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants tied to immigration enforcement;
• Challenge Trump’s attempt to use a single regulation to terminate billions in state federal grants;
• Joined a coalition that sued to block Trump’s freeze on federal grants and funds;
• Challenged illegal cuts to National Science Foundation programs including diversity and research funding; and,
• Challenged a Trump rule making it harder to obtain health coverage under the Affordable Care Act;
• Challenged an executive order ending birthright citizenship, vote by mail, dismantling Federal Agencies that support museums, libraries and other institutions with grants; and,
• …and dozens more.
Most of these suits are still active, and some have achieved victories. And while they cover only a small percentage of the thousands of executive orders, rules and guidance issued in the firehose of actions over the last year, they do a lot to forestall or even cancel many of the actions that affect Oregonians directly.
But what can we, as individuals, do about this? The answer is becoming increasingly clear. We have to keep up the protests to continue to put pressure on our federal representatives, especially the Republicans. And, we have to work hard to advance qualified, competitive candidates to wrench control from sycophants who bow to the threats of our immoral leader.
The bottom line is this: go to the streets and go to the polls.
—Louis Capozzi
RE: REPORT ON DEPARTED EQUITY DIRECTOR
The investigation commissioned by the city to look into charges of racism at city hall made by former Equity and Inclusion Director Andres Portela III is a whitewash. This report is not factbased and paints Portela to be a liar. It will serve as the city’s last statement about him if it is allowed to stand.
City Councilor Megan Perkins has stated, “I know I speak for all of the Council when I tell you that we all feel a huge loss at Andres’ resignation.”
To that I say, prove it.
The City Council can’t say they miss him and then throw him under the bus. In order for us to move forward as a community, the Council needs to reject this report, take a public vote and tell the community that they disagree with its findings. To do anything less is to own it and sow further disunity.
—Michael Funke
A RED TENT GATHERING
In today’s busy world, many of us move at a constant pace, disconnected from the natural rhythms of the earth. Yet our ancestors lived in cycles — aligned with the seasons, the moon and the natural ebb and flow of our bodies. Reclaiming this wisdom can bring us back into balance, especially for women who so often give endlessly without pause for their own renewal. The ancient tradition of the Red Tent offers a space for this reconnection.
Historically, it was a sacred gathering place where women of all ages came together during times of transition, reflection, and rest. Today, the Red Tent has been reimagined as a modern sanctuary — a supportive, nurturing circle where women can slow down, share stories and honor both their personal cycles and the cycles of the earth.
On Sunday, Feb. 1, we will gather at the Hanai Center in Bend for a Red Tent Gathering. Together, we’ll create a sacred space to honor the wisdom and the magic we create when we gather.
I invite women in our community to join us in this ancient yet timely practice of slowing down, connecting deeply and living in alignment with the cycles that sustain us. We have five dynamic and powerful practitioners sharing their gifts in our Circle.
—Willow Merchant
Revenue Issues at Forefront of Short Session
The Oregon Department of Transportation says it will need to reduce road maintenance and weather response services, lay off 470 workers and eliminate 570 open positions if state lawmakers don’t provide new funding solutions during their short session which begins in February. ODOT says it has a funding gap of about $242 million for the 2025-27 budget cycle. Central Oregon Community College is also leaning on lawmakers to maintain current funding levels. In a news release, COCC says it fears budget cuts at the state level for the 2025-27 mid-biennium due to anticipated revenue shortfalls. College President Dr. Greg Pereira explains 70% of its funding comes from property taxes versus 30% from the state. “So any cut would have a disproportionate impact on our 2026 fiscal year, and it could be as much as $1.5 million per year.”
Bend Bicyclist Hit by Car
Bend police say a 31-year-old driver heading southbound, ran a red light at Powers Road and SE Third Street at 5:26pm on Jan. 14, hitting a man who was riding his bicycle through the intersection. Bystanders performed life-saving care before Bend Fire medics arrived on the scene. A GoFundMe account identified the bicyclist as 34-year-old Will Speed, a doctor who volunteers for Oregon Adaptive Sports and said he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Police cited the driver, Samantha Schoene, for careless driving that causes an accident.
Dudley’s Bookshop Opening Second Location
Dudley’s Bookshop Cafe is opening a second location in the Old Mill District. It’ll be at the south end of the mall between Will Leather goods and lululemon. A news release says Dudley’s has been talking with the Old Mill for more than two years. Bookstore owner Tom Beans says he sees the store’s growth as part of a broader cultural shift. “People are tired of screens. There’s a real push-back happening. Analog is back.” The Old Mill location, which is expected to open in late spring, will carry mostly new releases with a curated selection of staff recommendations and Pacific Northwest authors.
—Nic Moye
Hunger Prevention Coalition of Central Oregon Dissolves After 26 Years
The
nonprofit will make its final contribution to local food agencies in July
By Kayvon Bumpus
The Hunger Prevention Coalition, a charitable nonprofit that has raised and provided funds to support food distribution in Central Oregon since 2000, has announced its dissolvement.
“This was not an easy decision,” HPC Board Chair Robin Popp told the Source. “But the entire Board agrees that the HPC has come to a point where the needs we helped fulfill are currently being met by the individual agencies we were assisting financially.”
Many current HPC board members no longer live in Central Oregon, and “recruitment of new members has become problematic,” Popp added.
unable to access healthy options, and that food stamp recipients were often still priced out of nutrition, HPC devoted “100%” of its fundraising to that cause, the Board stated.
Food pantries, shelters and other agencies supported by HPC were all located within Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties, and were required to provide food services to patrons unconditionally: “No payment, no need to sit through a service, no substance testing, no membership in any organization or group,” Popp said.
—How
much the Hunger Prevention Coalition has distributed since its inception.
“It’s all about grace and empathy.”
—Marcus LeGrand on what’s needed to sustain an equitable democracy.
The HPC’s work began in 2000. Community members at the time saw that local food agencies were lacking the financial support necessary to consistently procure nutritious options, like fresh fruits and vegetables, and provide them to those in need.
“HPC developed a program called ‘Help Fill Empty Plates’ whereby placards were placed in local stores — Newport Market, Local Acres, Rays Food Place, St. Vincent de Paul LP — to name a few —that told a bit of our story and asked customers to donate a small amount of dollars to be included in their bill,” Popp explained. “The generosity of local shoppers was amazing! Knowing that these donations were going directly to local food agencies, and the money was only being spent on increasing the nutritional value of the meals offered was a big incentive.”
Combating food insecurity is a task on its own; doing so whilst making nutritious options readily available is even more costly. Seeing that many food-insecure individuals were
Support from Rudy Dory, owner of Newport Avenue Market, got HPC on its feet, enabling the organization to establish a sustaining fund, which, Popp explained, allowed HPC “to purchase necessary supplies, pay taxes and some operating expenses.” Other than a grant writer hired in recent years for fundraising purposes, HPC had no paid employees and board members were volunteers.
HPC became a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit in August 2003. Tax returns reviewed by the Source show that HPC has operated at a net loss overall since 2012, with almost all income coming from community contributions and fundraising. Two years ago, the organization distributed over $90,000 directly to local food agencies from the inheritance of an area resident who had named HPC in his estate.
According to its board, HPC would provide funds to around 15 agencies annually, who would use that money to provide over 200,000 annual meals to the community.
“Since 2000, HPC has distributed more than $1.5 million to local agencies within the tri-county area. Our last contribution to the agencies will be in July 2026,” Popp stated.
HPC fundraising has increased nutritional access in the tri-county region.
Weighing the Cost and Constitutionality of Deschutes County’s Districting Proposal
Former Oregon Deputy AG claims a proposed district map could run taxpayers a six-figure bill
By Kayvon Bumpus
In November, Sisters resident and former Oregon Deputy Attorney General Pete Shepherd warned that “expensive and divisive litigation” could arise from a move to potentially form voting districts for Deschutes County commissioners, alleging that the current proposed map, Map C, is gerrymandered in violation of Oregon state law.
Now, Shepherd has run some numbers and will make that case to the Board of Commissioners at two public hearings this week, hoping that his decades of high-level legal experience lend credibility to his argument.
In July, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners created the District Mapping Advisory Committee to create and choose between proposals for the geographic boundaries of theoretical commission voting districts. While commissioner positions have been non-partisan on paper since 2022, two of the three current commissioners identify as Republicans. They appointed four of seven members to the DMAC, which voted 4-3 to advance its Map C proposal.
The BOCC will expand to five members in 2027. Map C, if approved by voters on a future ballot measure, would create five separate voting districts in 2028.
Commissioner Phil Chang, a Democrat and DMAC’s voting minority have called Map C a gerrymandering attempt by Republicans. Data analysis by the Source and independent researcher Bryce Kellogg shows that Map C is statistically favorable to Republican-affiliated candidates, while Map A, an unsuccessful proposal, likely would have given Democratic-affiliated candidates an advantage instead.
In written statements provided to the Source, Shepherd claimed that Map C is unconstitutional and projected that its potential fiscal impact on county taxpayers could exceed $250,000.
Establishing that the Oregon Constitution mandates “free and equal” elections, Shepherd cited an Oregon Supreme Court opinion in the 1901 case, Ladd v. Holmes:
“Every elector has the right to have his vote count for all it is worth, in proportion to the whole number of qualified electors desiring to exercise their privilege.”
At a December meeting, Chang noted that Map C was not in compliance with guidelines that the BOCC had set for DMAC — specifically, to make each district’s population within 10% of any other.
“Currently, each vote cast for a candidate for commissioner carries exactly the same political weight as each of the other votes cast for any commissioner,” Shepherd wrote. “Map C moves Deschutes County away from the ‘equal vote’ required by the Oregon Constitution. Instead of hewing more closely to the ideal, Map C undermines it.”
In his view, Map C will allow opponents “to make out a prima facie case that [Map C] violates Article I, Section 20, and Article II, Section 1 [of the Oregon Constitution].”
Assuming that the proposal would provoke court battles if placed on a future ballot, Shepherd argued that citizens would be footing the legal fees. “Further pursuit of Map C is tantamount to playing craps with taxpayer money,” he said.
“If Deschutes County presses ahead with Map C, and voters approve it, the total litigation expense the County faces is approximately $103,439, even if the County prevails in its defense of Map C,” Shepherd alleged. “If the challenger prevails in the litigation, the County would be required to pay the challenger’s reasonable attorney fees ($158,450) in addition to paying its own fees, making the grand total more than a quarter million taxpayer dollars — $261,889.”
Commissioners Tony DeBone and Patty Adair did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
Public hearings are scheduled for Jan. 20 at 6pm and Jan. 21 at 9am. “The Board is expected to discuss the next steps immediately following the public hearing agenda item on Jan. 21,” Deschutes County spokesperson Kim Katchur told the Source.
AirLink Critical Care Transport Celebrates 40 Years
The air ambulance company has been a pioneer in its field
By Nic Moye
AirLink Critical Care Transport is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Originally called AirLife of Oregon, the company was the first air ambulance in the region. It was founded in 1985 at the request of Sister Catherine Hellmann who was CEO of St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. Today AirLink CCT has two helicopters and two fixed wing aircraft located in Bend and Klamath Falls.
According to a news release, founding medical director Dr. Helenka Marcinek was a pioneer in the EMS industry. Under her leadership, AirLink became the first provider in Oregon to carry blood products onboard. It served as an early adopter of clinical lab testing in-flight which allowed more timely diagnostics as well as point-ofcare testing, giving crew members permission to obtain patient information while in flight. The company was also the first air ambulance agency in Oregon to receive accreditation in 2001 from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems.
According to Metro Aviation, AirLink CCT averages more than three lifesaving missions daily. About 30% are calls to a scene, while others involve hospital transfers. AirLink CCT offers a membership program through the AirMedCare Network which is the nation’s largest air ambulance membership alliance. Household memberships are $99 per year with discounted rates for seniors over the age of 60. Members pay no out-of-pocket costs for air medical flights when flown by an AMCN provider. In addition to life-saving care, AirLink supports search and rescue efforts by local sheriff’s departments, participates in youth education programs, high school job fairs and active school shooter drills in conjunction with local law enforcement, hospitals and EMS. Many of the AirLink staff are also active in the Junior Air Patrol.
DMAC’s Map C proposal with color-coded districts.
Deschutes County
RN
REDMOND NEWS
Artists Wanted at RDM
Officials invite creatives to be part of the Redmond airport’s Public Art Program
By Kayvon Bumpus
Ever locked eyes with “Blucifer” the killer horse on your way to the Denver airport? Or flown into Tampa and taken a selfie with the 21-foot-tall Phoebe the Flamingo? Memorable art installations can make airports destinations in their own right.
While the Redmond Municipal Airport isn’t looking specifically for oversized, unsettling animal sculptures, the City of Redmond (which owns and operates the airport) is requesting proposals for six new artworks within Roberts Field’s existing terminal and its planned $180 million terminal expansion, which RDM said will add “80,000 sq. ft. of new space, 71% more waiting area, and over 6,000 sq. ft. for concessions,” plus “seven new jet bridges, doubles seating capacity, and significant accessibility upgrades.”
The art should “create and a vibrant and welcoming environment that reflects the unique spirit of Central Oregon,” an RDM press release reads, outlining three curatorial themes:
Stories of the Land — “Honoring Indigenous heritage, ranching traditions, and contemporary community life.”
Currents of Connection — “Forces that move through Central Oregon: rivers, wind, wildlife, and human relationships.”
Rhythms of the Wild — “The natural tempo of the landscape: seasonal shifts, volcanic geology, and wildlife patterns.”
“Our mission is to curate an immersive art experience that celebrates the region’s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and spirit of exploration,” said RDM Administrative Supervisor Jodi Low.
The project is open to any “emerging and established artists,” with a preference for those with connections to Central Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Artists should be experienced with projects of “similar scale and complexity,” and “proposed materials must be durable, safe, and appropriate for a high-traffic airport environment,” per the project’s Request for Proposal.
The project’s total budget is $1,000,000, to be divided between the six artwork locations “based on scale, material, and installation complexity… anticipated [artist] commissions may range from $10,000 to $150,000,” the RFP reads.
To provide artists with more information, a pre-proposal conference will take place at RDM’s first floor Airport Conference Room on Friday, Jan. 23 at 10 am. This meeting can be attended virtually and will also be recorded.
The final proposal deadline is Feb. 27 at 11:59 pm.
Wellness Care, Dentistry, Surgery, Nutrition, Allergy and Dermatology, Behavioral Counseling, Limited Same Day Urgent Care Appointments
REDMOND PICKS
1/22 – 1/25
THURSDAY
HELP WITH PLANT IDENTIFICATION
ID PARTY AT THE LIBRARY
The Native Plant Society of Oregon’s High Desert Chapter is hosting a plant identification party. Bring a laptop and help go through iNaturalist submissions that require identification. Snacks included! Thu., Jan. 22, 4-6pm at Redmond Library. 827 SW Deschutes Ave., Redmond. Free; please register.
THURSDAY-SUNDAY 1/22-1/25
CABIN FEVER EXPO
RVS AND MORE AT THE FAIRGROUNDS
Billed as “Central Oregon’s Premier RV & Boat Show,” the Cabin Fever Expo will showcase a wide variety of power sports vehicles. Major vendors include Beaver Coach Sales, Lifestyle Wake and Wildhorse Harley-Davidson. Thu., Jan. 22-Sat., Jan. 24, 10am-5pm and Sun., Jan. 25, 10am-3pm at Deschutes County Fair & Expo. 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond. Free.
FRIDAY 1/23
HORSE SPEAK
UNLOCKING THE LANGUAGE OF HORSES
Gain a deeper understanding of horse behavior and communication through evidence-based insights. Using videos, slides and live demonstrations, explore equine science, language, presence and connection—perfect for beginners and experienced horse people alike. Fri., Jan. 23, 10am-1pm at Healing Reins. 65325 Cline Falls Rd., Bend. $40.
A representative model of one of six planned RDM artwork locations.
Redmond Municipal Airport
Third — Fourth? — Time’s the Charm
State lawmakers introduce new potential bills aimed at (finally) shoring up Oregon’s outdoor recreation liability conundrum
By Peter Madsen
Snapping a fibula while helping a nonprofit repair a damaged trail. Dislocating a shoulder during cyclocross because the Belgian stair runup is slippery. The Fonz waterski-jumping a shark, biffing it and being eaten by said shark.
The first two scenarios illustrate the inherent risks of various outdoor fitness and recreation pursuits. The injuries incurred might be argued to be the result of ordinary negligence, and perhaps grounds for a lawsuit, since liability waivers became unenforceable in Oregon in 2014.
(The last example is a fan-fic retelling of a late “Happy Days” episode.)
Lawsuits are expensive. Catching too many, a shoestring guide company or a mom-and-pop ski area’s insurance premiums will rise, affecting the price for admission downstream.
The aim of one proposed bill for the upcoming legislative session, LC 215, sponsored by Sen. Mark Meek (D-Gladstone) and Rep. Emerson Levy (D-53) is to balance the responsibilities of participants — ages 18 and older — while doing inherently risky activities with the responsibilities of recreation and health and fitness providers, according to a Dec. 16 draft of the legislative concept. Legislative Concept 14 is tailored exclusively to the ski industry and is sponsored by Sen. Floyd Prozanski D-Eugene.
These soon-to-be bills, intent on protecting recreation providers from litigation stemming from claims of ordinary negligence, were introduced by the Oregon Senate and House Judiciary Committees in the second week of January. The House’s LC 215 provides a similar language to previous bills, such as SB 1196. Yet the broadness of that language has been cited by several lawmakers and stakeholders as needing refinement before it’s viable. LC 215 also intends to quantify the economic interdependency of operators, seasonal employees and local and state economies — a dataset distinct from what Travel Oregon already tracks regarding tourism activity.
LC 143 maintains that a ski area operator may require adult pass holders to release the operator from claims for ordinary negligence for injuries sustained while skiing. Operators would still be on the hook for gross negligence — for example, if a resort employee hits you with a snowmobile. Yet the concept doesn’t
address the liability concerns of non-ski area operators such as fishing guides, athletic gyms and bicycle race promoters, for example.
Last year, Safehold Special Risk, one of two insurance companies in the country that insure ski areas, pulled out of Oregon, citing outsize losses in the state’s legal climate. That has left MountainGuard as the sole insurer for operators’ slopes — anywhere.
Legislative concepts 215 and 143 count as the third and fourth attempts to address what some call a liability crisis since 2014. That’s when the Oregon Supreme Court ixnayed the enforceability of liability waivers after the ruling on Bagley v. Mt. Bachelor, in which a snowboarder sued the ski resort after becoming permanently paralyzed while performing a trick on a terrain park feature he said was faulty. Initially, a judge ruled that Bagley didn’t have a case because he signed a waiver — end of story.
Bagley appealed, with the Oregon Supreme Court ultimately ruling that a “liability release is unconscionable and unenforceable if both its procedural and substantive elements are so against public policy that they protect negligent premises-management and allocate all negligent damages upon a paying customer with no bargaining power,” according to a legal summary by Willamette University Law.
Tate Metcalf, the co-owner of the Sisters Athletic Club, says the current unenforceability of liability waivers has wider-ranging implications than just for ski area operators, however, which are vastly outnumbered by non-ski operators in the state. And what about summer operations at ski resorts, such as mountain biking? As such, Metcalf is putting his hope in LC 215 catching legs.
“The ski resorts are getting the main headlines, as they should,” Metcalf said by phone. “The Northwest ski industry agrees that it shouldn’t just be parceled out to the ski resorts. I think we all need to be under the same umbrella because it affects us all identically.”
Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association doesn’t endorse LC 143, the ski-exclusive concept, owing to its assertion that its input was never solicited and the fact that multi-use recreation is a core value of all ski areas in the region. And non-ski
summer jobs for these workers are a key component of ski area workforce development, according to a letter the advocacy group penned to Prozanski, LC 143’s sponsor. If lifties and ski patrollers can’t find work during the summer as guides for fishing or rafting, for example, ski area operators will be hard pressed to find their essential workers down the road.
Jordan Elliott, the president of the PNSAA, spoke on the phone about his optimism for LC 215, particularly for the component that addresses that economic overlap between ski and non-ski operators. Elliott, who is also the key founder of Protect Oregon Recreation, which produced last year’s SB 1196, intended to make liability waivers re-enforceable, yet died in committee, credits Levy for holding meetings with an array of legal minds and various lawmakers. He’s hopeful that collaboration will play out in work groups during the short legislative session, which begins Feb. 2 and runs 35 days. Elliott isn’t concerned about LC 215 not defining inherent risk; he says the protections before Bagley v. Mt. Bachelor were sufficient. Oregon’s Ski Statute, ORS 30.985, further articulates responsibilities.
“I’m very optimistic,” Elliott said. “For 10 years, ski areas have been the canary in the coal mine and the rest of Oregon is waking up.”
LC 215 also has the backing of a collective of organizations that include the Oregon Trails Coalition, Trailkeepers of Oregon and the Tualatin Riverkeepers.
In a joint letter to Speaker Julie Fahey and House leaders Ben Bowman and Lucetta Elmer, these groups wrote: “With liability waiver reform, we seek to protect Oregon’s conservation organizations and recreation providers by reducing costs, creating greater certainty for small organizations and protecting access and
opportunity for recreationists and volunteers alike.”
They added that insurance options have waned, premiums have risen, and the overall insurance industry has recorded record profits.
In the third fiscal quarter of 2025, the property/ casualty insurance industry — in which liability insurance resides — enjoyed its most lucrative fiscal quarter in 25 years, according to a report by Standard & Poor’s. With a combined ratio of 89.1 throughout the industry, insurance companies’ underwriting profitability outweighed money spent on claims and operating costs to the greatest extent in almost 100 consecutive fiscal quarters.
Stakeholders on both sides have acknowledged that there is no guarantee that insurers will re-enter Oregon, nor lower premiums.
New Legislative Concept 215 carries many concerns and similar language from the previous House Bill 3140 and Senate Bill 1196. Both died in committee. The Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and Rep. Jason Kropf, (D-54), a trial lawyer by trade, opposed previous bills. Kropf, who spoke at the Jan. 8 City Club of Central Oregon forum dedicated to this topic, said the “broadness and ambiguity” of previous bills would have increased litigation — that’s why he signed onto neither bill. Reached by phone, Kropf said he appreciated that operators don’t want to be subject to lawsuits without merit.
“I think both concepts need work,” Kropf said. “It’s about creating clear legislation that tries to address as many ambiguities as possible — creating clear standards, clear responsibilities for participants and recreational activities and clear safety standards for those businesses. That requires a level of technical work that is still happening.”
A limiting factor of these considerations, Kropf added, is the finite window of the short legislative session, which will wrap up after 35 days. Yet, as he did at the City Club of Central Oregon forum, Kropf expressed a commitment to hammering out those details in the upcoming legislative session. So did Levy. Reached by email, Levy’s office said the representative is currently meeting with both sides on the recreational liability waiver issue and all involved are “working diligently to thread the needle that we need to keep Oregonians safe and businesses insured.” A spokesperson added that Levy’s office will share updated language at the start of the session.
“You’re always going to be pressed for time in how much you can figure out in that time period,” Kropf said. “Both interest groups and legislatures are going to continue to grind away on this and see where we can get.”
Lauren Bagley, the mother of snowboarder Myles Bagley, says this whole debate boils down to a matter of trading Oregonians’ constitutional right to bring a suit to trial for the benefit of insurance company profits. She wrote in an email to the Source that she doesn’t support LC 215 because “it’s just a trust-us proposal” that is focused on profits rather than the rights of those like her son.
“Profit-driven recreational businesses are attempting to stamp out the rights of everyday Oregonians whose lives have been irreparably harmed — or tragically ended — simply because the businesses failed to exercise ordinary care,” Bagley added.
“This liability issue with Myles’ unanimous Supreme Court case in 2014 started with the ski industry and I believe the focus should continue with the ski industry — only,” Bagley said. “I support LC 143 revising the current ORS Ski Statute.”
—This story is powered by the Lay It Out Foundation, the nonprofit with a mission of promoting deep reporting and investigative journalism in Central Oregon. Learn more and be part of this important work by visiting layitoutfoundation.org.
Fresh Legislative Concepts from Central Oregon Lawmakers
Local lawmakers roll out legislative concepts in anticipation of the upcoming short legislative session
By Peter Madsen
In the upcoming legislative session that begins Feb. 2, each lawmaker is allowed to introduce two legislative concepts. The short session runs just 35 days, and there’s no guarantee these concepts will become bills.
These are the concepts introduced by local lawmakers.
Rep. Jason Kropf, HD-54
LC 273 would make changes to the gun permit and transfer process and to the large-capacity magazine prohibition. The concept specifies where a person may apply for a permit to buy a firearm and adds a requirement regarding eligibility. The issuance timeframe is extended from 30 to 60 days from receipt of the application by which an agent must issue or deny an applicant, in addition to other measures.
LC 262 would tell the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission to allow a distillery to operate as a craft low-proof spirit distillery. The act would also allow some stores to sell low-proof spirit beverages, whose sales would be taxed. The concept would also direct the OLCC to create a craft brewery and distillery marketing and economic development grant program to support the respective industries. Some tax dollars would benefit qualified victim services programs.
Sen. Anthony Broadman, D-27
LC 1 declares an emergency prohibition of state public bodies from helping the federal government sell their public lands to a private person. These lands include those managed or administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. National Park Service or the U.S. Department of the Interior. The concept
does not apply to real property that is within an urban growth boundary, is being transferred for a specific infrastructure, utility or transportation use. It also does not apply to property held in trust or for the benefit of a federally recognized Indian tribe in Oregon or a member of a tribe. The act would sunset on Jan. 2, 2029.
Rep. Emerson Levy, HD-53
LC 27 takes a proactive approach to prevent fires at landfills, transfer stations and in waste collection vehicles, according to Rep. Levy’s office. The act would establish an Oregon-wide battery recycling program that would reduce fires by keeping lithium batteries out of the waste stream. Costs would be offset by the recovery and reuse of valuable minerals found in batteries. The legislative concept is the collaborative effort between the state’s solid waste industry, local governments and national battery makers, according to Rep. Levy’s office.
LC 29 formalizes the McKinney-Vento program — whose role is integral in ensuring educational stability for unhoused students, their families and school districts — into statute. Protections include immediate enrollment, school of origin protections and transportation support, according to Rep. Levy’s team.
Additionally, Rep. Levy is collaborating on other concepts, including LC 282, which confronts how artificial intelligence platforms are affecting mental health and user safety.
SOURCE PICKS
WEDNESDAY 1/21
YAGÓDY
UKRAINIAN FOLK MELODIES
As part of a new concert series presented by OSU Cascades and the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx), Yagódy will make a rare North American appearance. The seven-piece ensemble blends music and theater, playing ancient Ukrainian folk songs and Balkan rhythms. Expect beautiful music, costumes and lively entertainment. Wed., Jan. 21, 7:30pm at the Tower Theatre. 835 NW Wall St., Bend. $5-$30.
THURSDAY 1/22
CRAFT & CONNECT
ARTIST MEETUP
The staff at Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts & Agriculture (PMRCAA) is hosting a gathering for anyone who wishes to bring a craft or art project to work on in community. Bring anything you’re working on, along with your necessary materials, and enjoy conversation with fellow makers in a peaceful, creative environment. Thu., Jan. 22, 3-5pm at PMRCAA. 68467 Three Creek Rd., Sisters. Free; RSVP at roundhousefoundation.org/events.
FRIDAY 1/23
GAME OF SKATE
BOARD HOUSE FUNDRAISER
Board House Society, Bend’s community skate project, is hosting its second annual skateboard competition and fundraiser event. The group facilitates youth programming throughout Central Oregon and is working toward building the area’s first indoor skate park. This is a family-friendly event, so bring the whole crew, and stick around for an after party hosted by Cptn Over. Fri., Jan. 23, 5-10pm at Volcanic Theatre Pub. 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. $15-$20.
IN-THE-ROUND
AN EVENING OF MUSIC AND COMMUNITY
Join three of Central Oregon’s celebrated songwriters, Beth Wood, Megan Alder and Alicia Viani, for an evening of song. The trio is banding together to share original writing, stories and harmonies in support of the Open Arts Center, which will receive a portion of the ticket proceeds. Fri., Jan. 23, 7pm at the Open Arts Center. 999 NE 2nd St., Bend. $30.
SATURDAY
WINTER WILDLIFE SNOWSHOE
WITH THINK WILD
Enter the world of winter wildlife survival with this interpretive snowshoe, guided by members of the Think Wild staff. Discover tracks, signs and survival strategies of local wildlife and explore how animals endure this long, cold season. Snowshoe rentals are included in your ticket. Sat., Jan. 24, 10am-3pm at Edison Butte Sno-Park. National Forest Rd. 45, Bend. $30.
SATURDAY 1/24
DEXTER AND THE MOONROCKS
+ GIRL TONES
One of Dexter and the Moonrock’s EPs shares a title with the group’s self-invented genre: “Western Space Grunge.” The gang got together in West Texas, mashing together the country/western vibes of their environs with the grungier rock they fell in love with as teenagers. From gritty to anthemic to melancholy, Dexter is a band fully their own. Sat., Jan. 24, 8:30pm at the Domino Room. 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $25.
SUNDAY 1/25
A ‘90S EXPERIENCE
SCHOOL OF ROCK KICKOFF CONCERT
Coming out hot as School of Rock Bend’s first ever concert is an ode to all-things ‘90s rock. Students in the program will show their progress with a showcase of Weezer, Nirvana, Blink 182, R.E.M., Metric, Radiohead and more, perfect for hitting that nostalgia nerve in parents and fans. This is a family-friendly night full of vibes from a very memorable musical decade. Sun., Jan. 25, 5pm at Midtown Ballroom. 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $12.50-$15.
MONDAY 1/26
YOKOCHO X OLVI
COLLABORATIVE POP-UP
A very fun meeting of two of Bend’s favorite little corners of its food and drink world: Yokocho Izakaya will serve its incredible Japanese street food-inspired bites alongside a selection of curated wines at Olvi. The cozy atmosphere and satisfying eats of these two joints are just what the late-January doctor ordered. Mon., Jan. 26, 3-8pm at Olvi. 1142 NW Galveston Ave., Bend.
TUESDAY 1/27
NATURE TALK
ON THE BRILLIANCE OF BEAVERS
Learn about the important role of beavers in helping wildlife adapt and ecosystems thrive in a changing climate with Emily Fairfax, assistant professor of geography at the University of Minnesota and beaver researcher. Fairfax will elaborate on how beavers support a healthy environment, particularly their ability to retain precious desert water and combat drought. Tue., Jan. 27, 7-8pm. Virtual event, available at onda.org/event/brilliant-beavers-cultivating-climate-resilience. Free.
Yagody FB
Dexter and the Moonrocks FB
Tim Lumley
Megan Alder
S SOUND
GUNG HO Modern Lit With A Swiftie Twist
OSU-Cascades embraces the Tortured Poets Department
By Stephanie Gregory
When we think about great American literature, the kind of work that’s been studied at length and most often emulated, writers that come to mind are usually Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Edgar Allen Poe and, in the case of OSU-Cascades, Taylor Swift. In the winter course of English 485: Studies in American Literature, Professor Jennifer Reimer is asking the question, what happens when we treat Taylor Swift’s lyrics as literature?
The course description has fun with song titles and lyrics, reading, “Are you ready for it? In this writing-intensive course, we’ll be fearless in treating Taylor Swift’s songwriting as literary art worthy of deep critical engagement — bridges that hit like thesis statements, metaphors layered like Easter eggs. From the folklore of her early country roots to the “evermore” evolution of her pop and indie eras, we’ll analyze her lyrics as complex texts that reflect — and refract — the American experience.”
When asked what inspired the idea for this course, Reimer says “Popular culture always tells us who we are — or at least who we’re being invited to become. As an American Studies scholar, I’m deeply interested in how cultural figures shape our understanding of race, class, gender, power and belonging, and it’s hard to think of a more influential figure in American cultural life right now than Taylor Swift. Her work offers a rich opportunity to apply an American Studies lens to questions about authorship, success, girlhood, capitalism, and whose stories are taken seriously in the public sphere.”
strength; I was unprepared for how much it would move me, and I didn’t listen to much other music for nearly a year. I immersed myself in online Swiftie spaces throughout that time as well, as a way to make sense of what I was experiencing.”
In his book, Nainby points to three Taylor Swift songs as being “her most profound songs in lyrical terms.”
“My Tears Ricochet,” “You’re On Your Own, Kid” and “The Lakes.” In describing why he finds these songs to be the most lyrically significant, he says, “I find that these three songs offer uncommonly evocative poetic images to serve the common theme each of them offers, which I would describe as a narrator reflecting back on the significant events and perceptions that have brought that narrator to the pivotal point in their life that they find themselves at the moment of the songs’ unfolding.
The students will be asked to consider Swift’s lyrics in the same way they might when examining more classical pieces of literature, “We’re certainly engaging in some classic close reading territory — looking at literary devices that are central to Swift’s songwriting, such as metaphor, simile, imagery, tone, slant rhyme and repetition. But I’m also asking students to expand what it means to read a text at all,” says Reimer.
The community will have the opportunity to engage with these ideas and more when Keith Nainby, professor of communication studies at California State University, Stanislaus, visits Bend Jan. 26 to lead a discussion titled, “I Can Feel Time Moving: Why Taylor Swift’s Art Endures (Past the Pop Present).” Nainby’s book “Examining Blank Spaces and the Taylor Swift Phenomenon: An Investigation of Contingent Identities” takes a look at Taylor Swift’s music and the effect she’s had on modern society. When asked how it was that Swift caught his attention, he says “Having had no previous experience with her music, and unable to name any song except “Shake It Off,” in 2014 I saw Swift perform “All Too Well” on solo piano during the Grammy Awards telecast. I was quite impressed and, to be candid, surprised, as I had formed the impression that I would not connect with her music because country and pop are not genres in which I had been deeply grounded as a listener. I made a mental note to check out her music, then didn’t get around to doing so until 2021, by which time I was curious about the noteworthy fervor and wide-ranging curiosity — from decoding Easter eggs to advocating for the artist in online spaces — off the Swiftie fan community. Once I began listening to her music intentionally and carefully, I was astonished at its
“My Tears Ricochet” features a stunning second verse in which the narrator acknowledges haunting the addressee, and that verse uses metaphor to link together weddings and funerals as transformative rites; scavenging and hoarding resources as acts of both selfishness and community-building; and people embracing and forsaking on another as twin parts of love — all in four compact lines. “You’re On Your Own, Kid” uses spiral imagery to show how we spin in the same spots in vain as we look outside ourselves for answers and then, after some effort, find the strength within to change ourselves. “The Lakes” explores poetically the question of whether there is, in this age of digital enmeshment in media and commerce, still a place to get away from it all or if that is now a vanishing hope.”
Both professors also make the comparison between Taylor Swift and Bob Dylan. Dr. Reimer saying, “We’ve looked at Bob Dylan, whose influence looms large in the history of American songwriting, and students have brought in their own cultural touchstones — naming artists like Madonna, Ani DiFranco, Patti Smith, and Joni Mitchell as their “Swifts.” Similarly, Dr Nainby offers his views, saying, “The most interesting deep parallel I see between the two of them, [Dylan and Swift] underneath the surface similarities of singer-songwriter artists with poetic lyrics and lofty cultural reputations, is that each of them remains wryly iconoclastic and actively resists efforts to attach specific political positions, platform endorsements or cultural perspectives to their names and bodies of work.”
The public is invited to join OSU-Cascades for a free evening of learning and discussion centered on this cultural icon and the importance of her lyrical work as well as the effect it has had on society Monday, Jan. 26 starting at 5:30pm.
Public Lecture “Why Taylor Swift’s Art Endures” Mon, Jan. 26, 5:30-6:30pm
OSU-Cascades
1500 SW Chandler, Bend Free with Registration: beav.es/taylor-swift.
By Nic Moye
Celebrating Rock’s Greatest Guitarists
Two musicians team up to pay tribute
to rock legends
Guitar Gods Revue bills itself as a high-energy, guitar-driven rock show with the fire of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Van Halen and more. It’s the passion of local musician Rod DeGeorge. What makes this performance extra special is the addition of Italian virtuoso Enrico Santacatterina flying to the U.S. for the first time in years. The pair is touring the west coast including a stop at Silver Moon Brewing on Saturday, Jan. 31
“The show features music from many of the iconic guitarists listed, but it’s more than just covers,” DeGeorge told the Source. “We also perform original music from both Enrico and myself, including some material that will appear on my upcoming album.” DeGeorge is hoping to finish the album later this year.
DeGeorge has shared the stage with Paul Stanley of KISS, members of Foreigner and .38 Special, among others. Santacatterina has collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Carmine Rojas and Mia Martini, among others. He’s worked with EMI, EERVE and Label Bleu.
DeGeorge and Santacatterina met in 2008 at NAMM, an annual music industry conference in Anaheim. “We were both working with the same guitar company at the time, XOX Audio Tools out of Milan, Italy,” DeGeorge says. “We performed together that year and the following year, and even back then we talked about eventually doing a tour like this. After all these years, we were finally able to get our schedules to line up and make it happen.”
The duo is performing at this year’s NAMM, then heading to Tacoma and Salem before coming to Bend. “It’s always special to come home and play Bend,” DeGeorge says. “This time it’s even more meaningful because I get to show Enrico — who’s coming all the way from Italy — what this community and part of the country are all about. Ending the tour here feels perfect.”
Guitar Gods Revue Sat, Jan 31 7pm Silver Moon Brewing 24 NW Greenwood Ave, Bend Bendticket.com/ $22.94
Rod DeGeorge, left, is planning a tour called Guitar Gods Revue. Enrico Santacatterina, right, is traveling from Italy to join the tour.
Cristian Gennari Rick Sweizer
Professor Jennifer Reimer is challenging students to consider Taylor Swift's lyrics as literature.
Brenda Ahntholz
Experience Amaterra Kitchen & Social Club Now Hosting Private Events!
From chef-driven, seasonal cuisine to beautifully designed gathering spaces, Amaterra is where memorable moments take shape. Host your next event in one of our newly refurbished private spaces:
• THE WINE LOUNGE – Warm, inviting, and rich with character, featuring original downtown Bend brick and stylish lounge seating.
• THE WINE CELLAR – An intimate, refined setting with a striking heirloom table, luxe seating, and a built-in screen for presentations.
At Whispering Winds, staying active isn’t a trend — it’s how we live every day. Our fitness-forward retirement community is designed for active adults who want to stay strong, energized, and confident while enjoying a vibrant, social lifestyle.
From strength and balance classes to cardio, yoga, and outdoor adventures, our wellness program meets you where you are — and helps you keep moving forward. Whether you’re maintaining lifelong habits or starting something new, you’ll find expert guidance, encouragement, and community every step of the way.
• Senior-focused fitness classes for all levels
• Personal and small-group training options
• Fully equipped fitness center
Now booking corporate events, celebrations, and special occasions. CALL TO RESERVE YOUR DATE: 541-246-3266
• Fun, social activities like cardio drumming, walking groups, and friendly competitions
• An active community that supports your best life
CALENDAR
LIVE MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
Prepare to rock out with Chained to Stone, which brings the spirit of the ‘90s to the Silver Moon Brewing stage this Friday. Not only in the name, but in its energy and gritty riffs, Chained to Stone is a loving ode to the likes of Stone Temple Pilots and Alice and Chains.
21 Wednesday
The Capitol Karaoke Drink specials! Air guitars! Come see for yourself. 8pm-1am. Free.
Craft Kitchen and Brewery Comedy Open Mic Night Open mic comedy on Bend’s NE side. Come down, eat some BBQ, drink some drinks, and be prepared to laugh. Great for first timers to experienced performers. Free. 7:30-9pm. Free.
Dogwood At The Pine Shed Tropical Latin Dance Party Join us for a night of sizzling rhythms and spicy moves at Dogwood at The Pine Shed. Get ready to dance the night away to the hottest Latin beats by DJ Solo. 7-10pm. Free.
Hosmer Bar Trivia Night Join us midweek for brainy banter and cold drinks! Whether you’re a seasoned quiz champ or just in it for the laughs, gather your crew and test your knowledge! See you there! 7-9pm. Free.
JC’s Bar & Grill Wing-SKEY Wednesday + Trivia Enjoy $0.75 wings, cheap whiskey specials and drink deals all day long. Trivia with our infamous “physical” challenge (think musical chairs, limbo, paper airplanes, etc.) kicks off at 7pm. Come early for good seats and great wings! 7pm. Free.
Market of Choice Scrabble Club We meet upstairs. We use the 7th edition of the Scrabble Players Dictionary. All levels welcome. 6-8:30pm. Free.
Northside Bar & Grill Mellow Wednesday Open Mic Night Come down for our Open Mic Night hosted by Derek Michael Marc!!! Sign up at 530pm to get a spot to play! 5:30-8pm. Free.
Pinky G’s Pizzeria Music Bingo Join us for Music Bingo (think name that tune meets tradition bingo). Every Wednesday! Free to play and prizes for the winners. 6pm. Free.
Ponch’s Place Bingo Wednesday Come out for bingo! 5:30-7pm. Free.
Portello Lounge Music Bingo Join us for Music Bingo, hosted by the always entertaining Rachel Fishman, who keeps the crowd singing and laughing all night! It’s the perfect bonus to your night out enjoying great food, drinks and good company at Portello! 6:30-8:30pm. Free.
Prost! - Bend WTF! Wednesday Trivia Fun!
Genuine UKB Trivia is truly unique and entertaining trivia for you! Independent, locally owned and operated. Please bring something to write with and some positive vibes, too :). 7pm. Free.
The Commonweath Pub Dean Mueller and Lilli Worona Dean Mueller and Lilli Worona deliver heartfelt Americana performances, blending Dean’s soulful songwriting with Lilli’s evocative compositions and beautiful vocals. With expressive fiddle and guitar work, their Nashville-style song swapping features a mix of original songs and select covers. 7:30-9:30pm. Free.
The Suttle Lodge & Boathouse Jazz at the Suttle Lodge Join us for Dirty Jazz with Wolfe House Records, first and third Wednesdays of the month, all winter long! RSVP required for overnight lodging guests to claim complimentary seats. Food & Drink available from our Skip Restaurant during the show. 6-7pm.
Upp Liquids Bend Comedy Open Mic The Bend Comedy Open Mic, every Wednesday at UPP Liquids. All peformance types and ages are welcome! 7-9pm. Free.
Volcanic Theatre Pub Myspace Party with Frank Zummo of Sum 41 Step back into peak MySpace-era nostalgia at MySpace Party!—an emo night throwback packed with angst, anthems, and scene energy. 21+ 7pm. $21.
Wonderland Chicken X Worthy Brewing Karaoke Wednesday! Come sing with us on one of Bend’s best karaoke setups! Drink and food specials! Sing your favorite songs or do our trademark karaoke roulette and let your fate be at the will of our KJ! Always a good time y’all! 8pm. Free.
22 Thursday
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.
The Cellar Live Irish Trad Music with The Ballybogs! Join us for a night of live music featuring Bend’s Irish Trad band, The Ballybogs! Every Thursday at The Cellar. Seats fill up, so get there early if you can! 6-8pm. Free.
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Bingo Night Your week just found its highlight—bingo! Join us for drinks, good company and a little friendly competition. Pull up a chair, grab a board and let’s make some
The Lot Jenna Hansen 6-8pm. Free.
Mountain Burger Thursday Night Live at Mountain Burger Bill Powers live at Mountain Burger! 6-8pm. Free.
Ponch’s Place Trivia Thursdays With QuizHead Games. 6-8pm. Free.
River’s Place One Mad Man Hip-hop style drums drive funk-inspired bass, electrifying sounds from keyboard and guitar. 6-8pm. Free.
Stoller Wine Bar Bend Live Music at Stoller Wine Join us for our Live Music Series, featuring local artist we know and love. Reservations are available and walk-ins are always welcome! 1/08 - Haute melange 1/15 - Lane Weiss 1/22 - Derek Michael Marc 1/29 - Eric Leadbetter 6-8pm. Free.
The Commonweath Pub Sweet Motor This Central Oregon five-piece offers up a captivating blend of Rock and Blues, with Southern Rock flavorings, with a hint of R&B vibes. Expect to hear vivid, blues-driven guitars, honest and soulful vocals, a well-tuned rhythm section, and an engaging sonic footprint! 7:30-9:30pm. Free.
The Suttle Lodge & Boathouse
Suttle Lodge’s Fireside Concert Series: Jeshua Marshall Food & Drink available from our Skip Restaurant during the show. 6-8pm.
23 Friday
Craft Kitchen & Brewery BINGO benefitting Ronald McDonald House of Bend Come out for an unforgettable Family Bingo Night—an evening packed with games, prizes, treats, and wholesome fun for all ages!
Hardtails Bar & Grill Stage 28 Karaoke Come out for a night of Stage 28 Karaoke with your host Miss Min! Come to Hardtails for a fun Friday night and sing your heart out! 8pm-Midnight. Free.
Midtown Ballroom Mark Normand Mumbo Jumbo Tour Mark Normand is bringing his Mumbo Jumbo Tour to Bend. 7-9pm. $45.
Ponch’s Place Music with Alex Winters Enjoy Friday night live music! 6-8pm. Free.
Portello Lounge Tony Smiley: The Loop Ninja! Get ready for an electrifying night with Tony Smiley, the live-looping legend! Reservations and walk-ins welcome! 6:30-8:30pm. Free.
Silver Moon Brewing Chained To Stone From the gritty riffs of Nirvana and iconic vocals of Alice in Chains, to the emotive melodies of Stone Temple Pilots, Chained to Stone captures the raw energy and spirit of the grunge movement and takes audiences back to the heart and soul of the 90’s. 7-10pm.
Silver Moon Brewing Huck Finn Yact Club Huck Finn Yact Club dazzles audiences with Americana tunes performed with raw energy and grace. 7-10pm.
Sunriver Brewing Co. - Redmond Pub Karaoke Join us at our new Redmond pub for a night of Karaoke fun, Award winning beers and great food. 7-9pm. Free.
The Commonweath Pub Linda Quon and Hello Trouble Linda Quon & Hello Trouble, is a vibrant six-piece vintage roots band showcasing her original music with a swing-infused energy that captivates audiences. 8-10pm. Free.
The Open Arts Center Songwriters In-the-Round: Beth Wood, Megan Alder & Alicia Viani 7-9pm. $30.
24 Saturday
Bangers and Brews Comedy Night at Bangers and Brews! Come early for dinner at the always fantastic Bangers and Brews!Anthony Poponi is a stand-up comedian, improv artist, and master of mirth who headlines Bend’s funniest nights with sharp observations and contagious positivity. 8-9pm.
Bridge 99 Brewery Family-Friendly Karaoke Night Looking for family fun? You’ll find it every Saturday night at Bridge 99 Brewery. Family-friendly karaoke is hosted by DJ Jackie J and A Fine Note Karaoke Too from 6-9 PM. Adults, kids and good dogs welcome. 6-9pm. Free.
Craft Kitchen and Brewery The Bend Bachelorette Comedy Show Join Bits N Skits Productions for another Bachelorette show with a comedic twist! Relax and laugh with us after a long week with some comedy and match-making! 8-9:30pm.
Faith, Hope & Charity Vineyards The Substitutes Rock the Night Away with The Substitutes at Faith Hope & Charity Vineyards! Get ready for a high-energy night of classic rock with The Substitutes—Central Oregon’s self-appointed “Rock and Roll Border Patrol” since 1996! These rock veterans have been defending your right to rock for over two decades, 5-8pm. $15.
M&J Tavern The Slappy’s, It’s Chaos + Beau Crum 2026 hits with the Tavern celebrating 80 years for the locals and starting the first scheduled music with local punk rock favorites The Slappy’s and It’s Chaos bringing some friends in from outta town, Beau Crum, to blow the roof off the joint! 9pm. Free.
McMenamins Father Luke’s Room Madsparkx Eli Madden (Call Down Thunder) and Ben Sparks (The Hasbens) jam acoustic, crowd-pleasing covers and tasty originals. 7-10pm. Free.
River’s Place Saturday Jazz Sessions Somethin’ Good: jazz classics, bossa nova and original compositions. 6-8pm. Free.
Silver Moon Brewing Aumnipro Presents Riddim & Fire Aumnipro Presents Riddim & Fire a showcase of local reggae talents. Warm your winter with some positive vibes this January at silvermoon brewing! 4-10pm.
Silver Moon Brewing High Desert Calling Showcase Feat. Sundive, The Solo Study & Annika Hankshaw High Desert Music Collective empowers creative personal and professional growth and leadership of all artists, inspiring the artist in all of us. 6-10pm.
Sisters Depot The Riverstones The Riverstones are a folk-rock band from Bend, carving out songs that roll like weather over open country. Made up of equal parts Americana grit and Celtic fire. 7-9pm. $10.
Stoller Wine Bar Bend Fluffalove at Stoller Wine Bar Live music! Delicious wine! Tasty apps! Awesome wait staff! What’s not to love? Come on out to Stoller Wine Bar on Saturday, Jan 24 and break your “dry January” humdrum blues in style. 5-7pm. Free.
The Commonweath Pub SQWERV 8-10pm. Free.
Just 10 minutes from Downtown Bend!
Volcanic Theatre Pub KR3TURE Hailing from the hills of Santa Cruz, CA, KR3TURE is a pioneer of modern live/electronic fusion. As an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, producer, and performer, KR3TURE’s music seamlessly blends genres, from ambient and downtempo to glitch and heavy bass, creating a sonic tapestry that defies categorization. 7-8pm. $27.
25 Sunday
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.
Dogwood At The Pine Shed Okay Karaoke Sing your favorite songs with friends, enjoy professional sound and lighting, and let the spotlight shine on you. Hosted by the dynamic Tammy Larsen, it’s the perfect night out for music lovers and party people alike. Noon-11pm. Free.
Midtown Ballroom/Domino Room/Annex School Of Rock Bend Kickoff Concert: A 90’s Experience School Of Rock Bend Kickoff Concert: A ‘90s ExperienceWe are beyond excited to announce School of Rock Bend’s very first concert—packed with all the 90s vibes you know and love! January 25th, 2026At the Domino Room Doors open at 5pm. Show starts at 6PMTickets $12.50 5-9:30pm.
River’s Place Sunday Funday Trivia! Free to play and prizes to win! Grab your team, grab a mimosa and join the fun. UKB Trivia hosts this friendly battle of the minds. Come early. Things fill up fast! Noon-2pm. Free.
River’s Place KC Flynn Heartfelt storytelling with nostalgic singalongs. His sets move from Willie Nelson and Billy Joel to Brandi Carlile and Ed Sheeran, creating a warm and engaging evening of live acoustic music. It’s comfort food for your ears 5-7pm. Free.
Stars Cabaret Early & Dirty Comedy
We are bringing something a little different to the main stage. These comics might not work the pole, but you’ll work your abs from laughter. Start your night with a pre-party or end your day in Bend’s #1 nightclub. Expect strong content and general debauchery. 6-7:30pm.
The Commonweath Pub Talamh Dubh and Friends Talamh Dubh is a trio with collective ties to Ireland and a love for Irish music. Their name, “Dark Earth” in Gaelic, pays homage to the volcanic ground of the Cascade range upon which the group formed. Featured in their repertoire are jigs, reels, hornpipes, marches, waltzes, and songs. 4-6pm. Free.
26 Monday
Bevel Craft Brewing Comedy Through the Ages Trivia Laugh through the decades at Comedy Through the Ages Trivia at Bevel! We’ll be featuring Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spaceballs, Office Space, Super Troopers, and Popstar. Family Friendly, Free to play, teams up to 6ppl max for a chance to win Bevel Gift Cards! 6-8pm. Free.
The Commonwealth Pub Monday Night Musicians Open Showcase and Jam Calling all musicians, singers and performers! Join us for a weekly open showcase where you can share your talent, connect with other artists and perform in a welcoming atmosphere. Bring your instrument — backline is provided. 5-9pm. Free.
JC’s Bar & Grill Karaoke! Hosted by the amazing Van! Free pool, all day happy hour, no cover charge. Dry January? No problem. We’ve got a nice selection of N/A beverages, so everyone can join the fun! 8pm-2am. Free.
M&J Tavern Vinyl Night Monday Night just got better!!! 9pm to Midnight. SupaFly will be your Dj. Bring your own vinyl and sign up to add it to the Playlist or pick from hers. . 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 Bluegrass Collective Mondays Local intermediate to advanced players come out to perform their favorite bluegrass songs for locals’ night; experienced BG players encouraged to join and share the stage. 6-8pm. Free.
The Commonweath Pub Musician’s Open Showcase Hosted by The Session Calling all musicians! Join us Monday nights, for a special opportunity to share your talent, connect with other artists, and perform in a welcoming and collaborative, music-loving atmosphere. Backline provided, just bring instruments and chords! 5-9pm. Free.
Upp Liquids Cuban Dance Party! Come party with us Cuban style, with Bend’s growing Rueda de Casino dance community! Timba music, with a splash of salsa, bachata & cumbia to get all of your wiggles out. 8-10pm. $5.
27 Tuesday
Beach Hut Deli Tip of the Tongue Trivia Come out and play Tip of the Tongue trivia for a chance to win some great prizes and show off your trivia skills! 6-8pm. Free.
The Capitol Karaoke Drink specials! Air guitars! Come see for yourself. 8pm-1am. 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.
Elements Public House Trivia (&Taco) Tuesdays Quiz fans of Redmond: bring your crew this week for UKB live trivia & more! Delicious menu favorites, brews, cocktails, plus Taco Tuesday menu! Play for gift card prizes or just for fun. Bring good vibes and a pen. 6:30pm. Free.
The Lot Trivia Tuesdays Stop scrolling and streaming, get out of the house and flex your brain. Your friends will be excited for the invite, so put it out there and make memories on Tuesday nights. A local host challenges you with six questions in six categories. The heated benches are calling your name. 6-7:30pm. Free.
M&J Tavern Karaoke Every Tuesday at your downtown living room! Sign-ups start at 8pm and the singing goes until last call OR last singer, whichever comes first! 8pm-1:15am. Free.
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 cash and help out a local nonprofit organization. 6-8pm. Free.
The Commonweath Pub Haute Melange: Tuesday Night Jazz 7-9pm. Free.
DANCE
Adult Jazz Dance Community Class Intermediate-level adult jazz drop-in dance classes. Friendly, supportive atmosphere. Get your dance on! Fridays, 12:15-1:45pm. Acadamie De Ballet Classique, 1900 NE 3rd St #104, Bend. Contact: 408-857-6773. jcliff@gmail.com. $10. Bachata Dance Classes: Beginner Level Whether you’re new to dancing or looking to brush up on your skills, this class is perfect for anyone wanting to learn the basics of bachata. Tuesdays, 7:30-8:30pm. Through Jan. 27. Foundation Health And Fitness, 1105 SE Centennial St, Bend. Contact: 5413256676. latindancebend@ gmail.com. $15.
East Coast Swing Dance Class East Coast Swing, a 4-week rhythm and progressive dance class for beginner and novice dance levels. Partner encouraged but not required. Sign up for the series for $50 or $15 per person, per class. Wednesdays, 6-7pm. Through Jan. 28. The Space, 63830 Clausen Rd, Bend. Contact: 5416026168. valdances@hotmail.com. $15.
PRESENTATIONS
+ EXHIBITS
The “Terrific” Giant Spike-Toothed Salmon Learn about Oncorhynchus rastrosus, a giant extinct salmon that once lived on the west coast of North America and swam in the Deschutes River. They were 8-10 feet long and weighed up to 500 pounds. Presented by Gregory Carr of the North America Research Group, a club of fossil enthusiasts. Jan. 21, 6-7pm. Contact: 541-312-1029. laurelh@deschuteslibrary.org. Free.
Central Oregon PubTalk at Worthy Brewing EDCO’s Central Oregon PubTalk is a happy hour aimed at bringing together different facets of the business community in one place to network, share ideas and further local businesses. Drinks and snacks will be included at the event. Jan. 22, 4:30-7pm. Worthy Brewing - Main Pub and Brewery, 495 NE Bellevue Dr., Bend. $25-$48.
I Can Feel Time Moving: Why Taylor Swift’s Art Endures Community members are invited to a thought-provoking talk at OSU-Cascades exploring the lasting cultural impact of Taylor Swift. Led by communication scholar Keith Nainby, the event blends pop music, philosophy, and discussion, concluding with an interactive audience conversation. Open to the public; please register. Jan. 26, 5:30-6:30pm. Edward J. Ray Hall, Charles McGrath Family Atrium, 1500 SW Chandler Ave, Bend. Free.
The Wax and Wane of Volcanism in the Goat Rocks Wilderness We explore several volcanoes that were active between ~3.6 million years ago and ~60 thousand years ago within the Goat Rocks Wilderness in Washington state, between Mount Rainier and Mount Adams. Jan. 27, 5:30pm. Worthy Brewing - Main Pub and Brewery, 495 NE Bellevue Dr., Bend. Contact: (903) 477-2168. cogeosoc@gmail.com. Free.
Denver-based Sqwerv is a young and energetic psych-rock jam band, bringing an original feel to the genre. The Commonwealth Pub will serve as a great venue for dancing and grooving along with the band. Sat., Jan. 24, 8pm.
Sqwerv FB
Embrace the New Year with healthy habits in fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and connection. Embrace the New Year with healthy habits in fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and connection. Fridays, 4 - 5:15pm
WEEKLY MEETINGS: FEB. 6 - MAR. 20
Special offer for *NEW students: 6 week yoga pass for 129
�
(*haven't been in for a year)
(541) 550-8550 www.namaspa.com
55 � FEB. 6 - MAR. 20
55 � Instructor: Ann Boyd Fridays, 4 - 5:15pm
WEEKLY MEETINGS: Instructor: Ann Boyd
Learn more, sign up and purchase your pass.
THEATER
The Little Prince Based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved book, the stage adaptation of THE LITTLE PRINCE brings this beloved tale to life. Follow the Little Prince as he journeys from planet to planet, meeting numerous whimsical characters, each with something to teach him. Perfect for ages 5 and up. Wed, Jan. 21, 7-8:30pm, Thu, Jan. 22, 7-8:30pm, Fri, Jan. 23, 7-8:30pm and Sat, Jan. 24, 7-8:30pm. Ponderosa Playhouse, 211 NE Revere Ave. Ste. 4, Bend. Contact: 541-410-1487. info@ponderosaplayers. com. $15-$35.
OUTDOORS EVENTS
Rabbit Hide Tanning Workshop Come learn the basics of scraping, cleaning, and softening small game hides using the “brain tanning” method. info@nighthawknaturalistschool.com. $75.
Surviving the Snow: A Winter Wildlife Snowshoe Adventure with Think Wild Jan. 24, 10am-3pm. Edison Butte Sno-Park, National Forest Development Road 45, Bend. Contact: 5413168294. hailee@thinkwildco. org. $30.
Volunteer for Foster Dogs Contact: 458292-8362. HDRescueoregon.com.
Volunteer, Feed the Masses! At Family Kitchen, the mission is to serve anyone who needs nutritious meals in a safe and caring environment. Contact: tori@familykitchen.org. Free. Volunteering in Oregon’s High Desert with ONDA Visit www.onda.org/trips to find the full calendar and descriptions of current volunteer trip offerings. Ongoing.
Volunteers Needed for Humane Society Thrift Store For more information visit the website at www.hsco.org/volunteer. Ongoing. Humane Society Thrift Shop, 61220 S. Highway 97, Bend. Contact: 541-241-3840. abigail@hsco. org.
FUNDRAISING
Game of Skate Central Oregon’s only skateboard competition where the skaters go head to head in a battle for first prize and bragging rights. Jan. 23, 5-10pm. Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: 5416402012. hi@boardhousebend.com. $15.
FAMILY + KIDS
Saturdays at Skyliners Nature Connect welcomes our community to enjoy Skyliners Lodge this winter. There will be a presentation by Steve Stenkamp, author of “Lost Oregon Ski Areas” plus skis, artifacts and photos provided by the Deschutes Historical Society. Coffee, hot cocoa, warm fire, kids activities and kids snowshoes. Sat, Jan. 24, 9am-2pm, Sat, Feb. 21, 9am-2pm and Sat, March 14, 9am-2pm. Skyliners Lodge, 16125 Skyliners Rd., Bend. Contact: 541-420-4349. todd.lafrenz@gmail.com. Free.
Storytime Art A play-based introduction to art styles and artists for ages 3-6. Blending read alouds and loosely guided lessons with open-ended exploration. Sessions include community projects, individual creations, and exploration stations, encouraging imaginative thinking, cooperative skills, creative confidence, enhanced fine motor coordination, and early problem-solving abilities..all while having fun! Thursdays-Fridays, 1-2:30pm. Through Feb. 6. Two Suns Art Studio + MakerSpace, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend. Contact: 541-892-6471. Briony@ twosunsartstudio.com. $25.
Tiny Artist Series Special art classes designed for ages 0-6! Dive into process-based art through sensory stations, open-ended exploration, and hands-on creative play. With rotating themes and art stations each week, children develop independence, enhance fine motor skills, build expressive language abilities, and gain confidence through art! Tuesdays, 9:15-10:15am and Thursdays-Fridays, 10-11am. Through Feb. 13. Two Suns Art Studio + MakerSpace, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend. Contact: 541-892-6471. Briony@twosunsartstudio.com. $18.
BEER + DRINK
$10 Rebuy Hold’em Tournament Thursday Night $10 no limit Hold’em poker tournament at Bend Poker Room starting at 6pm. Unlimited rebuys for the first hour and an optional add-on after the first break. Friendly crowd, great vibes and action packed night! Thursdays, 6pm. Bend Poker Room, 917 NE Greenwood Ave, Bend. Contact: bendpokerroom@gmail.com. $10.
$20 Tuesdays Every Tuesday, all to-go wine bottles are $20 with the purchase of a glass. Enjoy wines you cannot find anywhere else in the world, besides our little cabin. Made exclusively for us from grapes sourced mainly in California and Oregon, many of which are biodynamic, these wines are exceptional. Tuesdays, 3-10pm. Hasta Que Olvidemos, 1142 NW Galveston Ave., Bend. Contact: 541-241-2443.
Coffee Bar & Brunch Now open for delicious weekend brunch, weekday craft coffee and breakfast everyday! Sunriver Brewing Company’s Eastside Pub is an East Bend meeting spot for friends and family. A place for community gathering, featuring large locally crafted wood tables, open kitchen, kids play area, and relaxed outdoor seating. Saturdays-Sundays. Sunriver Brewing Co. - Eastside Pub, 1500 NE Cushing Dr., Bend. $10-$30.
Commonwealth Pub Happy Hour It’s 5 for 5, with $5 draft beers, $5 house wines, $5 margaritas, $5 crushes and $5 well liquor. Play ping-pong, darts, cornhole, games and enjoy afternoon music on patio and indoors. Ongoing, Noon-6pm. The Commonwealth Pub, 30 SW Century Dr., Bend. Free.
Happier Hours + Power Hour $3 draft Coors Light, $5 draft beer and food cart specials that will make your taste buds dance! Mondays-Thursdays, 2-4pm and Mondays-Thursdays, 8-9pm. Midtown Yacht Club, 1661 NE Fourth St., Bend. Contact: 458-256-5454. midtownyachtclub@gmail.com. Free.
Industry Appreciation Day! 20% off for all Industry friends! Wednesdays, 2-8pm. Contact: taryn@thealeapothecary.com. Free.
Locals’ Day Come on down to Bevel Craft Brewing for $4 beers and cider and $1 off wine all day. There are also food specials from the food carts located out back at The Patio! Tuesdays. Bevel Craft Brewing, 911 SE Armour St., Bend. Contact: holla@bevelbeer.com. Free.
Mezcal Mondays Every Monday get to know one new mezcal in cocktail form, and as a neat pour, at a discounted price. Plus all of our signature mezcal drinks are just $11 all night. Mondays, 4-11pm. The Flamingo Room, 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: 541-323-0472. Monday Night Football Come down for Northside’s Monday night football! Food, drinks and a raffle for your chance to win a jersey! Mondays. Northside Bar & Grill, 62860 Boyd Acres Rd., Bend. Free.
Sequitur Wine Bar Takeover at Viaggio
Wine Merchant Our friend and winemaker extraordinaire Michael Etzel of Sequitur Wines (and the iconic Beaux Frères) will join us behind the bar to pour glasses and flights of his very special Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. No reservationsjust come on in to sip and chat with a legend. Jan. 21, 4:30-7pm. Viaggio Wine Merchant, 210 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: 541-299-5060. info@ viaggiowine.com. Varies by purchase.
Stoked for Thursdays $2 Stokes Lager on draft all day! Come play some giant Jenga, foosball or shuffleboard and enjoy some of the cheapest draft beer around! JC’s Bar & Grill, 642 NW Franklin Ave., Bend. Contact: 5413833000. jcsbend@gmail.com. Free.
Tiki Tuesdays We want you to love rum as much as we do! Every Tuesday we will feature a new rum at a discounted price. We hope you will get to know this spirit on a new level. Additionally all signature rum drinks will be just $11 all night. Tuesdays, 4-11pm. The Flamingo Room, 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: 5413230472. info@ theflamingoroombend.com.
Winter Bottle Share Series Winter calls for good company and great beer. Each month features a different theme and a chance to open something special with fellow beer lovers! More info on our website. Fri, Jan. 23, 6-8pm, Fri, Feb. 20, 6-8pm and Fri, March 20, 6-8pm. The Ale Apothecary Tasting Room, 30 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: (541) 797-6265. Free.
HEALTH + WELLNESS
Arm Balance Workshop Come dive deep into the mechanics of arm balances. Learn how to integrate core engagement, shoulder stability, weight-shift patterns, and coordinated breathing to take flight. All levels welcome -- whether you’re new to arm balances or refining the details, you’ll leave with tools you can bring into your everyday practice. Jan. 24-2pm. Bend Yoga Center, 1230 NE 3rd Street, Suite A230, Bend. Contact: yoga@bendyoga.center. $30.
Breathwork with Jon Paul Crimi! Treat yourself to a life changing Breathwork event with leading Breathwork Teacher, Jon Paul Crimi! Perfect for date night! Jan. 23, 7-8:15pm. Jon Paul Crimi is back! Don’t miss this incredible breathwork event with double gong sound healing! Jan. 23, 7-8:15pm. Riverhouse Convention Center, 2850 NW Rippling River Ct., Bend. Contact: 310 625 6751. breathewithjp@gmail.com. $45.
EcoNidra: Where Yoga Nidra Meets Nature Connection EcoNIDRA is a restorative meditation-like practice that guides us back into connection with ourselves and with the earth. It is a blend of yoga nidra and forest bathing that helps us sleep better, restore profound peace and rejuvenation to the body, and cultivate a deeper level of nature connectedness. Thu, Jan. 8, 7-8pm and Thu, Jan. 22, 7-8pm. Namaspa Yoga Studio, 1135 NW Galveston Ave., Bend. Contact: indy@rootedpresence.com. $22.
Cozy up inside the tent at the Lot Thu., Jan. 22, 6-8pm, and enjoy tunes from Jenna Hansen. Armed with a guitar and smooth-like-butter vocals, Hansen is a delightful listen.
Jenna Hansen
LITTLE BITES CHOW
All Good Things Are Wild and Free Tara Pinto takes charcuterie to an entirely new level
By Jared Rasic
I’m not a food expert. Perhaps I’m not supposed to admit that, but I’m not an amazing chef, and my kitchen experience would be generously described as limited. One thing I am good at, however, is sharing my experiences with others and trying to get them excited to explore things they otherwise wouldn’t. I love, more than anything else, recommending a restaurant or a truck to someone and having them come back days or weeks later with a smile on their face and love in their heart for some new spot.
So, believe me when I say that if you haven’t been to Mundrelli’s Italian Kitchen (currently at Silver Moon), then you’re in for a treat. Owner/Chef/Food Maestro Tara Pinto crafts some of the finest authentic Italian food I’ve ever tasted, from a perfect Caprese salad to a Polpetta that will make you swoon. Pinto puts so much of her heart and soul into her dishes that you feel her tireless love of food in every bite.
“My family has a deep culinary background, so food has always played an important role in my life,” says Pinto. “Coming from an Italian and Greek heritage, most of my family members owned and operated restaurants. When I was little, my Nonna would make us antipasto (AKA charcuterie boards) for snacks. Teaching me the different variations of cheeses, meats, olives, etc. She instilled that in me at a very young age.”
When I found out she started with a small catering company called Wild and Free Charcuterie LLC, I had to discover what she could do with a massive spread of meats, cheeses and fruits. I’ve found with Pinto’s food that she never approaches anything in a boring or safe way, so I was excited to see how she would create in a realm where it can be hard to find much variety.
I say this without hyperbole: Pinto’s Charcuterie Boards and Grazing Tables are easily the most aesthetically stunning that I’ve seen, with a depth and complexity of flavor that made each bite a totally different experience. She plated the board with such depth and actual playfulness that I would find a hidden pocket of Soppressata here or a perfect little layer of Manchego there. It felt just as much a feast for the eyes and fingertips as it did for the taste buds.
“My dad always told me, ‘you eat with your eyes first,’” says Pinto. “’If it looks sloppy, then chances are your mind will be tricked into thinking it tastes sloppy.’ Those words always stuck with me. My dad always presented the most beautiful food. He would go as far as to carve swans into melons to use as a fruit basket. If you just keep building the same things and not stepping out of your comfort zone it could start to get boring.”
The freshness of the fruit was incredible, making me realize how much work must go into making sure each strawberry, each blueberry and each tomato is absolutely, perfectly ripe and visually stunning. “Freshness is my top priority,” says Pinto. “I require a 24-hour ordering notice to ensure high-quality ingredients. Sometimes it’s extremely difficult to source items. I will drive to five different stores to source what I consider top quality. I’m the weirdo in the grocery store touching every piece of produce before I find the one I want!”
One of the main highlights of the board for me was the sauces. Featuring a smoky romesco, a deceptively spicy apricot chili and a sweetly savory strawberry rhubarb, it was hard to stop dipping the Merlot-soaked BellaVittano in it like a giggling madman. Sourced locally from Fixa Foods, a company I was unfamiliar with, I now have a new obsession when it comes to deliciously complex sauces. I legitimately cannot wait to try their pesto.
From the truly remarkable stuffed peppers, to the Everything bagel seasoned goat cheese and back around to the light and flawless prosciutto, everything on the board from Wild and Free Charcuterie was incredible. I wish I had enough friends who required this amount of food. I should probably just get married so I can hire Pinto to cater. This isn’t just delicious food, it’s a work of art.
“There is a huge misconception that all I do is open packages and lay items on a table,” says Pinto. “There is an incredible amount of prep work that goes into creating edible art. This also lends to the price of my grazing tables. I feel some people gasp at the prices but don’t consider how much time, energy, and love go into these masterpieces. From sourcing high-quality ingredients to rolling salami roses and cutting fruit…it really is labor-intensive.”
Pinto knows exactly how gorgeous her work is, and I’m glad she does. “I think my work speaks for itself,” says Pinto. “I create visually stunning masterpieces that people will talk about forever. I’m always considering quality over quantity. When you hire Wild and Free Charcuterie, you get an experience. My goal is to be the Charcuterie Queen of Central Oregon.”
I might not be an expert, but I don’t see a problem with that at all.
Wild & Free Charcuterie For pricing: wildandfreecharcuterie.com/
By Nic Moye
A Toast to Winter!
The annual Suttle Lodge Winter Beer Fest kicks off
in February
There’s no shortage of festivals in Central Oregon, but winter months tend to be lean. To tide you over, the Winter Beer Fest at The Suttle Lodge & Boathouse is entering its seventh year. More than 25 breweries are scheduled to participate over three days in February. A quarter are local such as Goodlife and Wild Ride. The rest are from around the state and Pacific Northwest such as Double Mountain, Little Beast, Von Ebert and Bauman’s Cider.
While festival-goers should dress for the weather, the beer stations will be in the Rustic Village at Suttle Lake which is a group of historic cabins. There will also be a tented tap truck with rotating beers. Fire pits outside will warm the drinkers. Food is available for purchase through The Suttle Lodge Skip Bar which will have a special Winter Beer Fest menu.
Local musicians will play during all three days. Specific details will be announced via social media @suttlelodge.
CASA of Central Oregon has been the event’s charitable partner for the past four years. The event has raised more than $8,000 for the nonprofit in that time period. CASA members will be onsite to talk about the work volunteers do to support children in foster care. Last year about 750 people attended the beer fest.
Ticket prices are discounted before Feb. 1 and there’s a $25 special ticket price for Designated Drivers. There will also be a “Pup Cup” treat for dogs, which are allowed at the festival and there’s no cost for children who can sip on hot chocolate or warm apple cider.
Winter Beer Fest
Feb 20-22 Fri-Sat Noon-5pm, Sun Noon-4pm The Suttle Lodge
13300 US-20, Sisters thesuttlelodge.com/happenings/upcoming/wbf Before Feb 1, $60 single day/$120 weekend pass After Feb 1, $65/$130
There will be a tented tap truck along with breweries pouring inside rustic cabins.
Natalie Puls Photography
Photos by Tara Pinto
CULTURE
In celebration of Black History Month, Central Oregon Community College will host several community offerings in February that highlight “Black triumph” and celebrate Black women and youth. Events include an empowerment retreat; two dinners with speakers and/or performers; a viewing of “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am,” and a community forum.
All events are free, although donations to the COCC Afrocentric Student Club and associated scholarships are always welcome, said Marcus LeGrand, Afrocentric Student Program and College Prep Coordinator at COCC. LeGrand, who’s also chair of the Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors, said he’s in his third year at the helm of the COCC Black History Month offerings. He grew up in North Carolina and then lived in various places while serving in the military and working in “corporate America,” which “allowed me to recognize that we have got a long way to go when it comes to putting out information not only equitably, but you know, just making sure it gets out, period.
“Growing up as a kid, in my neighborhood, when this time came around, you did everything you could to learn about all the various things that black Americans had contributed to this country,” said LeGrand, 56, who hopes community members young and old alike will turn out for the events. “Anytime I can get the community to really, truly engage, I want it to happen. This is for all ages. It’s never too early to start kids on their journey.”
This year’s programming will kick off with “The Power of Student Voice” retreat on Saturday, Feb. 7 from 9am to 2pm at the COCC Redmond Technology Education Center, located at 2324 SE College Loop in Redmond. The student-led retreat will “celebrate the power of gathering, learning and creating together” with participants exploring creativity and resilience, wellness, and personal branding and business acumen. There’ll be nine sessions that participants can choose from, breakfast and lunch will be provided, and the day will end with a “community conversation” on empowering Black women led by Shandell Landon, M.Ed., College of Health, OSU-Cascades.
“The students wanted something where they can showcase who they are but at the same time be able to engage with one another and go to classes and workshops just for them,” explained LeGrand.
On Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 6 to 8pm, there’ll be a screening of the “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” documentary at the Bend campus’ Wille Hall Event Space in the Coats Campus Center (2600 NW College Way). The documentary showcases Morrison’s prolific literary career and includes interviews with her and her peers and critics. The film traces her path from Lorain, Ohio, to the front line of activism alongside Angela Davis, while honoring the legacy she shared with other inspiring Black women, literary giants such as Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, and Nikki Giovanni. The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Stephanie André, chair of Humanities and professor of English Literature at COCC.
COCC’s Black History Month to Celebrate ‘Black Triumph’ and Black Women
Five main events will be offered at COCC campuses across Central Oregon during February
By Dallas Finn Calvert
At the COCC Madras campus (1170 E. Ashwood Road in Madras) on Wednesday, Feb. 18, there’ll be a forum on “Where Community and Culture Collide.” Two sessions will be offered in the New Student Room, including one at Noon and another at 4:30 pm. The focus of the forums is to “help highlight the relationship between communities within Madras, Warm Springs, and others to help understand the importance of Black history and its many contributions that impact our lives.” There’ll be a display of artifacts and books, and a brief presentation about Black history facts. Both sessions will also include a drum-making activity for participants.
Capping off the Black History Month events are two dinners, including the “Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are” ritual dinner ceremony on Friday, Feb. 20 from 5 to 8 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon (61980 Skyline Ranch Road in Bend). The evening will focus on “the spirit of the middle passage” and how it has impacted lives, and continues to do so, and include performances from local artists. The “Middle Passage” refers to the violent journey from Africa to the Americas that millions of Africans endured after being captured and forced into slavery.
The second “celebration dinner,” with a theme of “Her Power, Our Resilience,” will be held on Saturday, Feb. 28 from 5 to 7 pm at the COCC Bend campus’ Wille Hall in the Coats Campus Center. The dinner will honor “the strength, brilliance, and legacy of Black women” and will be organized and run by COCC Afrocentric students.
Shekinah McLean, 19, is one of the COCC students who’s been working to plan the various events. The 2025 Mountain View High School graduate is a member of the COCC Afrocentric Centric Student Club and is helping organize the celebration dinner, which she said will feature poems, music, presentations and a guest speaker who’s still to be determined.
“Our theme is women’s empowerment. It’ll be catered toward all women and what’s going on in the world and making women feel supported,” she said, adding that she hopes people feel a kinship after coming together for the dinner. “Hopefully, people walk away with an understanding of what it is to be a Black individual and the weight that carries, but also the beauty in it. I hope they feel a sense of belonging. I feel like that’s really important.”
The Black History Month events, sponsored by the Afrocentric Studies Club, The Father’s Group, The Bridge (OSU-Cascades), Caldera Arts and the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs, tie in with COCC’s yearlong Season for Nonviolence programming that honors nonviolent advocacy for human rights, inspired by a number of world leaders who preached nonviolence, including Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., César Chávez, and Chief Wilma Mankiller. This year marks the 18th year that COCC has hosted the Season for Nonviolence community events, which are free and this year are being co-presented by The Nancy R. Chandler Lecture Series and the COCC Office of Equity and Well-Being. Events include guest speakers, community book discussions, and artistic performances.
LeGrand said he hopes the Black History Month events and programming for the Season of Nonviolence at COCC help reinforce the positive aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“It’s all about grace and empathy,” he said. “I think to really have the democracy we want it to be, I think we need to start looking at two different things: empathy and grace. And if we don’t start doing that? We’re going to have some problems. I know people will say, ‘He just wants to talk about DEI.’ But what is DEI if not empathy? People keep thinking that we’re trying to infiltrate and take over and do things to be able to put people in bondage like they did us. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re here for unity and togetherness and building really good community. If we continue to isolate, we continue to divide. We won’t be able to have a country left to be able to do what we want. And now, just to have the democracy we say we want, we’ve got some work to do, and we’ve got to find some empathy and grace.”
Black History Month Events
Throughout February
Central Oregon Community College Campuses
To register: cocc.edu/departments/multicultural/afrocentric/ black-history-month
Fode Sylla, a dancer and drummer from Guinea, West Africa, performed at last year’s Black History Month dinner at COCC.
CULTURE
In Conversation with David Guterson Guterson discusses his new book, “Evelyn in Transit”
By Cassie Clemans, Owner of Roundabout Books
“’Self’ appears to be a gathering of body, thoughts, perceptions, awareness, and sensations, yet we experience ourselves as something else.”
David Guterson grew up near a Tibetan diaspora family in his Seattle neighborhood, befriending the boys in the family who were his age and spending time with them in their home. Even as a child, David noticed and remembered the endless and consistent kindnesses and generosity in their home. This inspired a deep curiosity about Tibetan Buddhism which eventually led to his academic studies of the religion, travels in Nepal and India, and the publication of his seventh novel, “Evelyn in Transit,” releasing Jan. 20. I had the great pleasure of interviewing David last week about his latest novel, and in anticipation of his visit to Bend on Jan. 29.
WHAT CASSIE'S READING
“Evelyn in Transit”
by David Guterson
—Evelyn in Transit follows restless Evelyn Bednarz as she wanders America seeking authenticity, while a parallel story tracks Tsering, a Tibetan boy raised as a monk. Their lives intertwine when Buddhist lamas arrive to claim Evelyn's son, Cliff, as the reincarnation of a high lama, forcing a confrontation with faith, identity, and the meaning of a "right" life.
“Evelyn in Transit” is a novel the tells the parallel story of two intersecting lives — Tsering, a young boy raised as the sixth reincarnation of a prominent lama in Tibet, and Evelyn, a formidable and radically open-minded young girl often labeled as a misfit, who leaves home to hitchhike across the American West taking odd jobs. Though both of their lives are revealed as a series of moments rather than a continuous flow, there is a time early in their life where both Tsering and Evelyn experience an emergence, or dramatic awakening, when they gain a sense of their separate identity, as self. Halfway across the world from each other, they both exclaim:
“I’m alive… I’m separate from everything else.”
And the reader knows in an instant, this book is not quite like other novels. “Evelyn in Transit” is at its heart, a deep exploration of the philosophy of self. Fate, duty, obligation, family ties, desire, and circumstance all play a role in our
sense of being. David noted that from a very early age, Evelyn feels as if something isn’t quite right, that something is missing. David explained it as Evelyn confronting the reality of being human:
“As beautiful as it is to be human, as full as happiness as life can be, there is also a lot of suffering and sadness in it. Why is that, and how do we confront the realities of life: the reality of our mortality, the reality of evil, and the reality of suffering? This is what lies behind the question of “living the right way.” Evelyn’s quest is meant to find some sense of accommodation for those realities. She seeks some resolution as to how to contend with these forces in life.”
Tsering goes through his own struggles with doubts and purpose. His feelings of discontent with the rigor and discipline of monastic life led him to distance himself from the monastery at a young age, but he returns as an adult, and we get to know him through the lens of a lama and thought leader. After the incursion of Chinese troops into Tibet, he flees across borders like many Tibetans have throughout history, first landing in Italy and eventually coming to Seattle to be a member of the University of Washington community of thinkers. Naturally, he is addressed with many philosophical questions throughout the novel, especially when he interacts with the academic and religious leaders at UW.
During our conversation, David pointed out that like all religions, Buddhism takes many forms. There’s no one correct answer to any question. As Tsering considers answers to the questions proposed to him, he is aware that they are being asked predominately from a western perspective, without the context of the Tibetan Buddhist world he knows so well, and so formulates his answers with a clarity and logic that can be easily digested.
But Guterson does not shy away from the big philosophical questions that shape us all: purpose, religious beliefs, death, self, language, and destiny all come into play throughout the novel. One central aspect of Tibetan Buddhism, and a core theme of the novel, is the Tulku, or the conscious reincarnation of a prominent Tibetan Lama. In preparation for this book, David researched and interviewed several parents of Western Tulkus and discussed with me how it is becoming more common to find western children identified
as Tulku’s. Sometimes they embrace the role, and sometimes they step away, but there is always this question of belief that must be considered by the child and the family. While this book is inspired by real events, David clarified that it is not based on one specific story.
When I think about my experience with the book, I am struck by the strength embodied by both characters - whether that is presented physically as the great feat of strength and determination Evelyn displays when carrying 1,000 stones to the top of a mountain, or the strength of mind displayed by Tsering to embrace compassion and commit to a life (or multiple lives) in pursuit of helping others escape suffering.
This quiet and philosophical read is the perfect book for patient readers, for anyone that has known and loved a prior David Guterson book, including his PEN/Faulkner award winning, “Snow Falling on Cedars,” or anyone who simply wants an introspective start to the new year. We invite you to join an in-person event with David Guterson at Roundabout Books on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 6:30pm. Tickets are available at roundaboutbookshop.com.
David Guterson Author Event “Evelyn in Transit” Thu, Jan 29 6:30pm
Roundabout Books and Cafe
900 NW Mt. Washington Dr, Ste 110 Bend
Admission is cost of book purchase, $29.99
SC SCREEN Memento Mori
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is a trip through the best and worst of humanity
By Jared Rasic
When we’re cynical about Hollywood and the movies they make,
I think “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is exactly the kind of movie that we pre-judge before laying eyes on it. I mean, it’s the fourth movie in the “28 Days Later” franchise, but also the second in a trilogy that began last June with “28 Years Later,” but with a finale that hasn’t started filming, as the studio wants to see if “The Bone Temple” earns enough money to warrant making a third one (which, as of this writing, isn’t looking good).
In my review of “28 Years Later,” I complained that it was innovative, but incomplete. I said that “the film is wildly entertaining, but we’ll need the entire trilogy to really know if this rough beast works as a cohesive work of art or whether it’s just a poetic and bizarre mess.” Having now seen the middle piece, I can definitely say that “The Bone Temple” is not only a hugely satisfying film on its own terms, but makes “28 Years Later” a more coherent (and satisfying) movie in desperate need of a final chapter. But I also get the frustration for a general audience. It’s expensive to go to the movies and charging people three times to watch what amounts to incomplete chapters of a story feels like the studio equivalent of holding theater patrons upside down and shaking us until all the dollars and cents fall out of our pockets. As much as I enjoyed Danny Boyle’s experimentation on “28 Years Later,” it wasn’t really a whole movie and Nia DaCosta’s “The Bone Temple” will suffer financially for it.
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” picks up a few days after the last one, with Spike (a still fantastic Alfie Williams) now entrenched with a group of psychotic predators called The Fingers, who are all decked out like post-apocalyptic versions of real-life psychotic predator (currently burning in hell) Jimmy Savile. Led by Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell playing his second iconic monster in less than a year after his charismatically terrifying Irish vampire in “Sinners”), The Fingers roam across the Scottish Highlands killing most anyone whose paths they cross, infected or otherwise.
Meanwhile, Ralph Fiennes returns as Dr. Ian Kelson, a solitary man researching the virus that turned most of Scotland into rage-fueled zombies, while building a massive ossuary in memoriam to those killed in the outbreak. He becomes tentative friends with a massive Alpha zombie he drugs and names Samson, with whom he sits around and gets high with while listening to lots of Duran Duran. The entirety of “The Bone Temple” is a slow-burn build as we wait for Jimmy and the Fingers to collide with Dr. Kelson and his giant zombie friend.
Honestly, general audiences are going to hate this movie. While it’s never dull and quite funny with some all-time classic moments (including the greatest Radiohead needle-drop in history and the jaw-droppingest final 20 minutes I’ve seen in ages), not much happens in “The Bone Temple.” While there is still some quite horrific violence, Nia
DaCosta and returning writer (and my personal hero) Alex Garland couldn’t care less about crafting jump scares or making what anyone would classify as a crowd-pleasing horror movie.
Instead, “The Bone Temple” is a masterclass in internal dread and horror. DaCosta and Garland want you to remember the first time you realized you were going to die and marinate in that feeling for two hours. Don’t get me wrong, the film is fun and exciting as well, but it would rather the audience existentially meditate on their own mortality than get jabbed with two or three forgettable scares while you check your phone every four minutes. As brutal as the film’s villains are, “The Bone Temple” is also brimming with human empathy, a still quietude and a finale that is legitimately so insanely badass that my jaw hurt from smiling so widely.
DaCosta’s direction isn’t as formally daring as Danny Boyle’s, but it’s tonally much more coherent. The dread ratchets up expertly and I’m a little bummed that, if the third and final film does move forward, Boyle would be back in the director’s chair. He’s one of my alltime favorite filmmakers and one of the few that keep moving the medium forward, but I really love the tender, chaotic absurdism DaCosta brings to the table.
But Hollywood has hurt us before, and like any abused (movie) lover, their greedy distribution models, counter-intuitive release schedules
and anti-artistic state of being make it hard to trust that the things they feed us have any real cinematic nutrients. But “The Bone Temple” is the real deal: a genuinely powerful morality tale that takes us on a dark ride into the best and worst of existence. It elevates horror into groundbreaking new places, while also treating the audience like intelligent adults who want more than arterial spray from their spooky movies. I mean, Ralph Fiennes gives an honest-to-god Oscar-worthy performance in this and that’s astonishing for a damn zombie movie in 2026.
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is better than it should be by a pretty wide margin, I promise, but I don’t begrudge anyone who doesn’t believe me. We’ve been burned before. If Boyle, Garland, DaCosta and company are allowed to make the final film in the trilogy (of which this sets up beautifully), then we’ll have something special and singular on our hands that could be a generational piece of dark, visionary art. Hopefully, Hollywood doesn’t screw it up first.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Dir. Nia DaCosta
Grade: ANow Playing
Once you understand the context for this image, you’ll be in love
Sony Sony
These bad boys will not perform during the Super Bowl halftime show.
THE PSYCHEDELIC FRONTIER
EXPLORING INTENTIONAL PSYCHEDELIC USE IN THE MODERN
By Mary Casanave Sheridan
Beyond the Brain
QWORLD
: I keep reading about psychedelics in terms of brain chemistry, serotonin receptors, neuroplasticity, default mode networks. While I appreciate the science, something feels missing when I try to understand my own experiences purely through this lens. During my journeys, I feel like I’m traveling somewhere real, encountering genuine intelligence, receiving teachings that seem to come from beyond my own mind. How do I make sense of the profound “realness” of these experiences when science suggests it’s all happening in my brain?
Your question touches on one of the most profound mysteries in consciousness exploration. You’re absolutely right that something essential gets lost when we reduce these extraordinary experiences to mere neurochemical events. While I deeply respect the scientific approach, it’s given us invaluable insights into safety, therapeutic applications, and mechanisms of action, it represents only one lens through which to understand this vast territory of human experience.
When you describe feeling like you’re “traveling somewhere real,” you’re touching into what many wisdom traditions call cosmo-visions. Entire worldviews that recognize multiple planes of reality existing simultaneously with our ordinary waking consciousness. These aren’t primitive superstitions, but sophisticated understandings of consciousness that have guided human spiritual development for millennia.
From my own journey work and sitting as support for undress of people on their own journeys, I’ve come to understand psychedelic experiences as authentic visits to other planes of reality. Yes, there are measurable brain changes occurring, but what if those changes are simply the biological correlates of consciousness interfacing with dimensions that normally remain hidden from our everyday awareness? The brain might be more like a radio receiver than the source of the transmission.
In these otherworldly realms, we encounter what feels like genuine intelligence, plant spirits, entities, archetypal beings, or simply a vast, loving consciousness that seems to permeate everything. The rules of these spaces operate differently: time becomes fluid, love becomes a tangible force, and communication happens through direct transmission rather than words. What strikes me most profoundly is how these journeys consistently guide us back to our authentic self and eternal soul. Beneath the layers of conditioning, trauma, and social programming, we discover something unchanging and luminous, a core essence that feels both deeply personal and universally connected. This isn’t psychological
insight alone; it’s a remembering of who we truly are beyond our temporary human identity.
The messages embedded in these realms often center on themes that transcend individual healing: our interconnectedness with all life, the illusion of separation, the primacy of love, and our responsibility as conscious beings in an evolving universe. These aren’t abstract concepts but lived, felt experiences that reorganize our understanding from the inside out.
I’ve watched too many people try to squeeze their experiences into purely materialist explanations, and something vital dies in the translation. The mystery, the reverence, the sense of participating in something sacred, these elements are not mere byproducts but essential aspects of the healing itself.
Yet here’s what feels most important to share: there is no single “correct” way to understand these experiences. Some find deep meaning in seeing them as neurological phenomena. Others, like myself, feel called to honor them as genuine spiritual encounters.
What matters is finding a framework that touches your heart and supports your ongoing relationship with this work. Trust your direct experience over anyone else’s theoretical framework. Including mine.
I encourage you to explore different cosmologies and see what resonates. Study how indigenous cultures understand plant medicine journeys. Read about mystical traditions that recognize multiple planes of consciousness. Investigate modern theories about consciousness that go beyond reductionist materialism. But most importantly, sit quietly with your own experiences and let them teach you what they mean.
The medicines will show you what you need to understand, in the way you most need to receive it. Your direct experience is the most reliable guide, more trustworthy than any external authority, including the well-meaning voice behind this column.
—Questions are encouraged to be sent to mary@myco.vision and free 30-minute consultations for further discussions can be made through her website https://myco.vision
CRAFT CR Wild Ride Wields Wasabi for PorterMania Wild Ride Brewing’s new porter has interesting roots
By Brian Yaeger
Waromas in the (carbon dioxide)-rich environment that the keg provides.”
hen Wild Ride Brewing in Redmond created the inaugural PorterMania — a celebration of dark, roasty, seasonally-appropriate ales — in 2018, Nut Crusher Peanut Butter Porter was just catching on en route to it being a flagship brand today. “The interest and hope was to put on a unique but exciting beer festival that could highlight the style,” says Wild Ride’s head brewer Matt “Matt Kat” Katakura, “but also fun (by brewing) crazy, one-off versions utilizing all sorts of different ingredients” ranging from herbs and spices such as cardamom and chilis to all manner of fruits and nuts.
“I have consumed a lot of wasabi over the years,” declares Katakura. “As I became older and wiser, I know now what we were mostly eating a combination of common horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)...and food coloring. Real wasabi must be grated immediately, because the oils are so volatile that they lose all potency within the first 30 minutes or so of being processed for consumption (presumably grated).”
Wasabi is supposed to complement sushi and other dishes, not overpower them. “I really don’t think there are any specific pairing suggestions (for this beer)” offers Katakura.
ur a LIGHT,
Suffice it so say, a porter with two roots — rhizomes, technically — synonymous with sushi are fairly crazy even in the craft beer world that’s seen it all and brewed with it all. I’ll spare you, dear readers, the list of animal parts and byproducts I’ve seen thrown into various beers all in the name of distinctiveness. But Katakura, a Japanese-American raised on his native Oahu, is not making this simply as a stunt. And don’t expect the finished product to be tongue-torturingly spicy, because the green stuff you get at virtually every sushi spot simply isn’t real wasabi, but is actually edible Playdough made of horseradish, mustard, and a gorgeous hue of green food coloring.
Beyond what is almost assuredly your first chance to try a wasabi-infused beer, this year’s lineup of PorterMania includes three collaboration beers: a bittersweet dark chocolate cherry porter with Worthy Brewing, a mocha-inspired porter using Backporch Coffee Roasters in tandem with Crux Fermentation Project, and a riff on Silver Moon Brewing’s Raspberry Nights porter turning it into a raspberry white chocolate cheesecake-inspired porter.
“The process of determining our beers for PorterMania really starts with a few of us sitting down, usually while having a pint or two, to talk about the potential ideas...We always try to see how different we can be from years’ past,” explains Katakura. “Wasabi was one that we had definitely not used, but I’ve had it in mind previously...I have used similar ingredients in my past — other rhizome-types like ginger and turmeric — so having an idea where to start for a wasabi beer was an easy one for me (even though) this is definitely my first time brewing with wasabi.”
While native to Japan (wasabi’s Latin name is Wasabia japonica), Katakura sourced fresh wasabi from Frog Eyes Farm in Tillamook, which rebranded as Oregon Coast Wasabi. He says, “I plan on treating both the wasabi and ginger the same way, which is by breaking the cell walls by smashing the rhizomes, and adding them into a muslin bag into the keg directly. The goal here is to extract the flavors from the alcohol in the beer, and lock in any flavors and
Lest you think themed beer festivals are waning, PorterMania 2026 will be held Saturday, Jan. 31 at Wild Ride Brewing on the same day as the 13th annual High Gravity Brewfest celebrating strong beers at McMenamins Old St. Francis and the 4th annual Flannel Fest at Midtown Yacht Club. But while those other two are guaranteed to offer a couple various porters, only Wild Ride’s lives up to the name PorterMania.
High Gravity Brewfest Sat, Jan 31 1-8pm McMenamins Father Luke’s Room
700 NW Bond St., Bend mcmenamins.com/events/273781-13th-annual-high-gravity-brewfest $30 advance/$35 at door
Flannel Fest
Sat, Jan 31 Noon
Midtown Yacht Club
1661 NE 4th St., Bend facebook.com/events/898227329319236 Free
MattKatak
By Brendan Emmett Quigley
Pearl’s Puzzle
Puzzle for the week of January 19, 2026
Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters
E W S exactly once.
The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will complete the quote: “Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who off the .”
Erma Bombeck
Answer for the week of January 12, 2026
The highlighted letters read left to right and top to
ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S PUZZLES
Erma Bombeck Answer for the week of January 12, 2026
I R V E P M
“My reign is not yet over... you live, and my power is complete. Follow me; I seek the everlasting ices of the north, where you will feel the misery of cold and frost to which I am impassive.” —Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
“My reign is not yet over... you live, and my power is complete. Follow me; I seek the everlasting ices of the north, where you will feel the misery of cold and frost to which I am impassive.” - Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You are a spy from the future. Thank you for your service! I love to see your boldness as you smuggle innovative ideas into a present that may or may not be ready for them. Your feelings of alienation are sometimes uncomfortable, but they are crucial to the treasure you offer us. You see patterns others miss because you refuse to be hypnotized by consensus reality. Keep up the excellent work, please. May you honor your need to tinker with impossibilities and imagine alternatives to what everyone else imagines is inevitable. You are proof that we don’t have to accept inherited structures as inevitable.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your unconscious mind is extra communicative, dear Pisces. Hooray! Take advantage! Pay attention to weird images in dreams and songs that linger in your head. Be alert for seemingly random thoughts as they surface. Bypassing logic, your deep psyche is trying to show you ripe secrets and provocative hints. Your duty is to be receptive. So keep a journal or recording device by your bed. Notice which memories rise up out of nowhere. Be grateful for striking coincidences. These are invitations to tune in to meaningful feelings and truths you’ve been missing.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Master astrologer Steven Forrest understands you Aries people well. He says that the riskiest strategy you can pursue is to constantly seek safety. It’s crucial for you to always be on the lookout for adventure. One of your chief assignments is to cultivate courage—especially the kind of brave boldness that arises as you explore unknown territory. To rouse the magic that really matters, you must face your fears regularly. The coming months will be an ideal time for you to dive in and celebrate this approach to life.
as beautifully as possible. I aspire to carry out this approach myself: infusing ordinary actions with the same care I’d bring to writing a story or song. Washing dishes, answering emails, and walking to the store: All are eligible for beauty treatment. I highly recommend this practice to you in the coming weeks, Leo. It’s true that you’re renowned for your dramatic gestures, but I believe you also have an underutilized talent for teasing out glory from mundane situations. Please do that a lot in the coming weeks. For starters, make your grocery list a poem.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Some American Indigenous cultures have “potlatch” ceremonies. These are elaborate gift-giving rituals where hosts gain prestige by generously and freely bestowing their riches on others. Circulating wealth, instead of hoarding it, is honored and celebrated. Is that economically irrational? Only if you believe that the point of resources is individual accumulation rather than community vitality. Potlatch operates on a different logic: The purpose of having stuff is to make having stuff possible for others. I invite you to make that your specialty in the coming months. Assume that your own thriving depends on the flourishing of those around you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Sufi poet Rumi wrote about a “treasure in ruins.” He meant that what we’re searching for may be hidden in places where we would rather not look. Your life isn’t in ruins, Libra, but I suspect you may have been exploring exciting locations while shunning mundane ones that actually hold your answers. What do you think? Is that possible? Just for fun, investigate the neglected, ignored, and boring places. Try out the hypothesis that a golden discovery awaits you in some unfinished business or a situation you feel an aversion to.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are an ambassador from the material world to the realm of spirit—and vice versa. One of your prime assignments is the opposite of what the transcendence-obsessed gurus preach. You’re here to prove that the flesh is holy, pleasure is a form of prayer, and the senses are portals to the divine. When you revel in earthy delights, when you luxuriate in rich textures and tastes and scents, you’re not being “attached” or “unspiritual.” You’re enacting a radical sacred stance. Being exuberantly immersed in the material world isn’t a mistake to overcome but a blessing to savor. May you redouble your subversive work of treating your body as a cathedral and sensual enjoyments as sacraments.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Everything that’s meant for you is trying to find its way to you. Here’s the problem: It can’t deliver the goods if you’re in constant motion. The boons trying to reach you are circling, waiting for a stable landing spot. If you keep up the restless roaming, life might have to slow you down, even stop you, so you’ll be still enough to embody receptivity. Don’t wait for that. Pause now. Set aside whatever’s feeding your restlessness and tune into the quiet signal of your own center. The moment you do, bounties will start arriving.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Artist Louise Bourgeois said, “I am what I do with my hands.” I will adapt this declaration for your use, Cancerian: You are what you do with your feelings. You are the structures, sanctuaries, and nourishment you create from the raw material of your sensitivity. It’s one of your superpowers! I understand that some people mistake emotional depth for passive vulnerability. They assume that feeling everything means doing nothing. But you prove that bias wrong. You are potentially a master builder. You can convert the flood waters of emotion into resources that hold, protect, and feed. I hope you will do this lavishly in the coming weeks.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Admiring writers often say that the Balinese people have no traditional word for “art.” Making things beautiful is woven into everyday life, as if everything should be done
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 1839, Scorpio artist Louis Daguerre perfected the daguerreotype, an early version of photography. The images were so detailed that you could count the threads in a subject’s clothing. Alas, they required minutes of perfect stillness to capture. To prevent blurring and distortion, people held their breath, fixed their gaze, and avoided fidgeting. Your power metaphor for the coming weeks, Scorpio, is this: the long exposure. The vivid truths in your life will reveal themselves only if you give them more time than you’re used to. So please resist the temptation to leap into action. Be willing to let every process fully develop. Don’t push the pace beyond what yields clarity. Linger on the threshold until all the details sharpen.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As I have promised you a million times, I will NEVER exaggerate. And though you may wonder if the statements I’m about to make are excessive and overblown, I assure you they are not. The fact is, dear Sagittarius, that everything you have always wanted to enhance and upgrade about togetherness is now possible to accomplish, and will continue to be for months to come. If you dare to dismantle your outmoded beliefs about love and deep friendship—every comforting myth, every conditioned response, every inherited instinct— you will discover new dimensions of intimacy that could inspire you forever.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Renaissance painting, chiaroscuro refers to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark. It’s a technique that enhances the sense of depth. I believe your life may be in an intense chiaroscuro phase. As your joys grow bright, your doubts appear darker. As your understanding deepens, your perplexity mounts. Is this a problem? I prefer to understand it as an opportunity. For best results, study it closely. Maybe your anxiety is showing you what you care about. Perhaps your sadness is a sign of your growing emotional power. So find a way to benefit from the contrasts, dear Capricorn. Let shadows teach you how to fully appreciate the illumination.
Homework: Give yourself the biggest compliment you can dream up. FreeWillAstrology.Newsletter.com
THE THIRD ACT A COLUMN ON
AGEISM AND AGEING
By Ellen Waterston
The lost art of a handwritten note
What could be more fun than a book you can’t put down. Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, right now for me that book is “The Correspondent” by Virgina Evans. So not to spoil it, I will only say it is an epistolary novel. The plot thickens through the exchange of letters between the characters.
The story led me to think that maybe the next best thing to a good book is a handwritten letter showing up in your mailbox. But when did I last write one? Or, when a quick thank you note was in order, how often did I default to email or text? Sure, it’s the thought that counts but it simply isn’t the same. A handwritten letter has a special magic. You can feel a heartbeat behind a handwritten letter. Holding and reading it, ruminating over its contents, even saving it for future reference provides a calming screen-free moment.
I’ve boxes of letters from my beloved parents; from college classmates written back and forth over miles and decades about marriage, children, divorce, professions, illness, incalculable losses and lucky gains; and from old boyfriends…or should I say young old boyfriends or young former boyfriends or formerly young boyfriends given that by now any of them who are still standing are certifiably old. But I digress. Then there are the unexpected one-time letters of congratulations and encouragement. I’m certain the senders had no idea the life-changing impact those letters would have. Years later I can return to the original missive, feel the sender’s presence and personality preserved in the unique and familiar script, and be buoyed all over again by their cheerleading.
Roughly the same time the United States Postal Service got underway in 1775, my ancestors started a sealing wax business in Edinburgh, Scotland. A special blend of beeswax and resin used since the Middle Ages, sealing wax was colored with vermillion, verdigris, lampblack or red lead and then molded into a stick roughly the size of a short carpenter pencil with an embedded string wick. When a seal for a letter or document was needed, the wick was lit, the wax dripped over the fold of the envelope and a signet, often bearing the family crest, was used to emboss the wax seal in place. Fast forward to the 19th century and here came gummed envelopes. Next up, latex. The handwriting (no pun intended) was on the wall. What did it say? Efficiency, typically the generally accepted bottom-line
reason for changing how things are done. After a quarter of a century the business closed. But not the USPS. Mail is still delivered to my mailbox! Some institutions we depend on still stand. But before we get too carried away, let’s check the handwriting on the wall. With the mid-term elections this November we’d best be alert to any modifications to the postal service. I want to believe a recently announced change in postal policy was in the name of cost-efficiency and not for nefarious reasons on the part of the current administration. As of December 2025 a letter is no longer postmarked when you drop it off at your local post office and won’t be until it arrives at a designated central postal facility. This means if an application or tax payment or mail-in ballot needs to be postmarked by a certain date you had better plan ahead. “Mail-in ballot” is the operative here. Something’s fishy especially in view of the parallel campaign to falsely discredit the reliability of the USPS. Trump’s stated short-term goal? Eliminate mail-in ballots in November’s elections. Long term? Privatize the USPS. There are a million reasons why every American citizen should oppose privatization. Increase efficiency, sure, but don’t privatize. It’s one more example of trusted institutions and policies being disparaged and/or dismantled based on disinformation. But back to this coming November. If the campaign against mail-in ballots succeeds everyone would have to go to a polling station, inconvenient at best and sometimes impossible for many Americans. Given the growing threat of federal troop interference at these locations, it’s also scary, but that’s the idea.
Normally in my columns, when I am up against my eight-hundred-word limit, I try to tie things up in a bow, often, for one reason or another, advocating that the over-the-hill gang flex its socially conscious muscle… such as writing letters in protest of privatizing the postal service. But lately I’m feeling a bit dispirited and confused as to which wheel to put my shoulder to. Maybe instead I’ll just make a cup of tea, sit down, and for the first time in ages, write a long, handwritten letter to someone I love or someone who could use a little encouragement and then slowly savor the last pages of “The Correspondent.”
—Poet and author Ellen Waterston is a woman of a certain age who resides in Bend. "The Third Act" is a series of columns on ageing and ageism.
By Nathan Powers Engel Volkers Bend
The Year Sellers Had to Adjust
The dust has settled and all of the numbers have been recorded, allow ing us to look back at the big pic ture of the year that was Bend real estate in 2025. It was a year defined by the most pronounced buyer’s market in years. For this analysis, we’re look ing at single-family homes, condos and townhouses, comparing key metrics to the previous four years. All local data is sourced from the Flex MLS and deemed reliable.
Closed Sales Analysis:
While sellers faced tougher market conditions, closed sales actually surpassed the previous two years. Although still well below the COVID-era anomaly.
Days on Market Analysis:
Days on market increased at a pace similar to what we saw between 2023 and 2024. While it’s far too early to make definitive predictions, early indicators suggest a market that may be beginning to stabilize.
Average Concession Amount Analysis:
Buyers held more negotiating power than they have at any point since 2011—2012. With more inventory and less urgency, buyers were better positioned to ask for—and receive—meaningful credits.
The Big Takeaways from 2025
While 2025 was undeniably more challenging for sellers, it was far from a broken market. Activity improved compared to the prior two years. The data points to a market that is recalibrating rather than collapsing — one where strategy, pricing, and preparation mattered more than ever. For buyers, opportunity expanded. For sellers, success required adaptation. As Bend heads into 2026, the numbers suggest a market moving toward balance, rewarding those who understand and respond to its evolving dynamics. Read the full version of this story at bendsource.com.
