OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM 2
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Since the horrific shootings at Silver Rail Elementary on Oct. 15, I have written various versions of this Editor’s Note in my head. One lamented the mental exercises in futility we as Americans engage in, every time one of our babies dies in a school shooting. Another was an attempt to examine the yawning social inequalities that lurk behind the alpenglow-y veneer of our friendly mountain town. Those versions were an attempt to zoom out, when I was really better off zooming in. Bendites have been bombarded this week by the arrival of the national press corps, here to light on this tragedy, tell our stories for a while and then move on. In the glow of the flash bulbs, it has become more apparent how we, your community media, departs from that circus. Hours before police would confirm the deaths of three children and their teacher, national news outlets with anonymous sources were reporting their demise — all while Silver Rail parents still stood in line, waiting for the return of their children. One of those was a staffer here in our office. As we prepped for the first press conference, another staffer hurried home to be by the side of an educator at Silver Rail. And as we learned more tragic details about the innocent victims, we found that our 2017 intern, who went on to become teacher Megan Lambert, was among the dead. Megan was, like so many of the youth who come through here, bright and motivated, helping us sort photos and prepare for our 20th anniversary issue. I wanted for her what I want for all our interns — to be inspired by the power of journalism and the written word, and to share that with others. I imagined her going on to college and a meaningful career, not dead at 25 from yet another American tragedy. Unlike the press corps, we don’t just get to walk away from this. Like others in Bend, each of us has been touched by these events in one way or another. When our staff arrived at work this Monday morning, we gathered together to acknowledge the helplessness that so many of us feel. We can’t right the wrongs or erase the hurts, but what we can do is put out this newspaper, in service to our community, which very much needs a healing balm as much as it needs trusted information. When the splashy national headlines subside, we’ll still be here to ask the questions about what happened and how we can all do better. Inside this issue, we’re using plenty of space to focus on healing, to share messages of solidarity through a poster on the back page of this paper (which we hope you put up!) and to remember the power of community. Thanks, as always, for reading. —Editor in Chief, Nicole Vulcan At left, a Silver Rail Elementary memorial has popped up at the roundabout at Alderwood Circle with angel wings attached to the bronze "Centennial Logger" sculpture.
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VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
On the Cover: A memorial piles up outside of Silver Rail Elementary School the week of Oct. 15. Cody Rheault's photo work frequents the pages of the small-town Nugget Newspaper and larger local publications. Often tasked with editorial assignments, Cody has become a local asset when editors look for photo essays to tell their printed stories — including the events that unfolded this week at Silver Rail. Find Rheault's work at codyroux.com.
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OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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This week we bring yet another special, extended edition of the Letters to the Editor section, helping people process their feelings about the recent tragedy through the written word.
Healt Adven hy ture await s !
GUEST OPINION: WHEN TRAUMA HITS CLOSE, EVERYONE FEELS IT
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by Edie Jones All of us in Central Oregon have felt the impact of the terrible shooting that took place at the Silver Rail Elementary School. When trauma hits close, everyone feels it. The classmates of the victims and the teachers who shielded kids, risking their own lives, are survivors. Their days ahead will be difficult. What will it take to help them regain footing and move forward? In “The Scaffold Effect, Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant, and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety” by Harold S. Koplewicx, MD, he speaks to that question. He suggests that strength, resilience, courage, confidence and tenacity are what it takes. If we think of surrounding our community with a scaffold, we can understand what the author means. A pillar of a strong structure is support, so when we support each other, we provide the bricks that help us survive the anxiety that invades us. When trauma happens, we all need to scaffold ourselves so we can be there for others. Each of us needs to work through the grief and confusion with our own best coping mechanism. For kids, that might mean crying, staying quiet, asking questions or playing. Be alert to their needs, and you will know how to respond. Today the anxiety in our small world is extremely high. Thank goodness for the counseling taking place throughout Bend and beyond. All of us need to share the grief we are feeling, providing communal care that brings us together for support. When adults model strength, resilience, courage, confidence and tenacity, kids learn what is needed. If we rant and rave loudly with no actions to back it up, we aren’t modeling the best ways for our children to handle situations. Research validates how patience, support and warmth help kids get through difficult times. Patience helps us know what to do when everything falls apart. Using dispassion when crisis descends models and teaches kids how to handle their own emotions. The warmth of family gatherings and one-on-one time shapes how we respond to others.
Take time to listen to your kids today and bring them into the conversation about what has happened. It helps them cope when they see you share your thoughts and feelings, and it lets them express fears about going to school or being alone. When something like the school shooting occurs, it’s human nature to let up on rules and boundaries; however, it’s important to keep life as normal and stable as possible. This is a time when your kids need you to take charge. Keeping familiar limits helps stabilize their feelings. As patience, warmth, awareness, dispassion and monitoring are established, courage, resilience, confidence and tenacity will develop throughout the community. With everyone helping each other, we will move forward and get past this tragedy. —Edie Jones’ background includes owning and directing Camp Tamarack, serving as a professional Girl Scout trainer, working for 22 years at Together For Children as a parent educator and executive director, and holding a Master’s in Adult Education. She’s also the author of “Raising Kids with Love, Honor, and Respect: Recipes for Success.”
ANOTHER AND ANOTHER AND ANOTHER AND ANOTHER
It is far too easy to get your hands on a gun and kill people indiscriminately. It is also far too COMMON. Gun law advocates have fought tooth and nail to restrict allowed makes, restrict modifications, restrict ownership requirements — and all those restrictions absolutely reduce the possibility and impact of gun violence. But the only requirement to shoot someone is a gun, ANY gun, regardless of its capacity or fire rate. Americans will never accept a blanket gun ban; we aren’t moved by logic, or emotion, or evidence. I don’t know if a blanket ban is the answer — I’m at a loss for answers, at this point. The solution cannot simply be to add more security measures in our everyday lives, to install metal detectors and armed guards at our schools and movie theaters and parks and grocery stores and places of worship. That’s not the America I want to live in, controlled by fear and violence. —Lily Wilcox
SCHOOL IS CLOSED TODAY FOR GRIEVING
HOW DID THIS 16-YEAR-OLD SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS?
School is closed today for grieving Vigils are planned, inviting our candles and our useless tears to mourn those forced on early flight from earth
You see the news, you nod your head, oh, how tragic, again, But this was in OUR town, and, I looked it up, enough lives lost to qualify as a massacre. A massacre of children here in the mountains. Are we still going to make the Travel and Leisure top places to live in the United States? Is it okay now that we’ve joined the ranks of Columbine, Sandy Hook, Flagstaff, Red Lake and Marysville? Yeah, those last few, you might not even know The news of a yet another school shooting is as common as the weather, as the sun rising in the east I have an idea Instead of bringing our thoughts and prayers and broken hearts Our useless tears, our sad murmurs, our patted shoulders, and low hung heads Bring all the guns to the village square, we will meet you there We will bring our blow torches, the fire of our forced futility, our furnaces of rage
—Joanne Mina
We will invite the artists to come and work the molten metal into a tribute that reaches up to the sky up to where the slaughtered children have gone
ARE WE RESPONSIBLE ENOUGH FOR GUNS?
They will make it ugly, brutal, a stain of shame so big that it can be seen from the heavens Right here in the middle of our town where we hold our numb vigils A reminder to all of what we’ve done with our loophole laws, our second amendment notions, our deadly politics and healthcare gaps, And those now looking down can see, too late, our deep and hideous regret Maybe in your town, you can gather them up before your children die, and make something beautiful instead But here, today, at least school is closed for grieving.
BEND SHOOTING
The peace in our beautiful city has been shattered. The angst of high gas prices and groceries, the upcoming election, none of it seems to matter when we think of the teacher who has been killed and the young children who are no longer in the arms of family. Our gun culture has killed them and injured two other innocents in one of our schools. We have a hero among us who prevented many children from being murdered. We want to thank him as every day we cry more tears than we have in a long time. And we also have among us many irresponsible gun owners. Or at the very least gun owners who haven’t been screened, haven’t been tested. Not every person is qualified to own and use a gun. Can we at least agree on that? Can we agree that the NRA has created this American phenomenon of a gun culture, where even today many will enter a local gun shop, pull out a credit
—M.M. Andre
card and purchase a first or second or third weapon. More guns in our town. More people with mental illness or anger issues or simply some who are incompetent owning military-style weapons. We have created this terrifying world that our children now live in. There are those who fight for better legislation, for common sense restrictions on gun ownership. I know you have your own thoughts and your own tears, but there is at least one action you can take today. Give your support to Sandy Hook Promise or Every Town for Gun Safety. There are good folks everywhere working to make our country safer. There is work to be done if we care enough, really care enough to prevent another school shooting. Our tears must lead us to action. We owe it to the children and young woman who died in Bend this week. It’s our town, our country. What do we want the future to be for our kids? —Linda Spaet
The heaviness felt in our idyllic little community is palpable. Bend enjoys a privilege of safety most cities dream of. Yet again it was shattered by senseless — and completely preventable — gun violence. We need to accept a grim reality — America is not evolved enough to SAFELY grant 2nd Amendment rights. This isn’t debatable. It’s factual, backed by horrific statistics. Annually, upward of 4,000 children and teens die from guns every year. Yet politicians continue to bow to gun lobbyists and firearm sales continue to grow — fueled mostly by sensationalist fear. When will we have enough? The so-called safeguards and systems in place to prevent Silver Rail’s shooting failed. Social services failed. Our government and elected officials failed. These children, families and our community paid the price. Until we can guarantee the very basic safety of children, we should demand stricter gun control. Currently only half of states require a degree of firearm “safe storage,” Massachusetts being the only that mandates locks when not in use. At a very minimum we should demand a universal locking mandate. This is common sense regulation needed NOW. Speak up. Make our politicians listen. Have difficult conversations with gun-owning friends and family. VOTE. The safety of our children depends on it. —Robert Jensen
Following the tragedy at Silver Rail, there have been multiple news organizations that have cited Everytown’s ranking of Oregon having the “12th” strongest gun laws in the country. Similarly, Giffords grades Oregon as a B+. These grades are simply incorrect because they are ranking Oregon on laws that are not in effect. In reality, Oregon’s gun laws remain a C+. In 2022, Oregon passed ballot Measure 114, which required permitting, banned high capacity magazines commonly used in mass and school shootings, and required safety training before the purchase of the firearm. This was brought to the ballot by Oregon voters, passed, and should be in effect today. Research from Johns Hopkins University has shown that hundreds of lives would have already been saved in Oregon had Measure 114 been in place. Instead, the law is still tied up in court, with the lawsuits backed by out-of-state gun industry lobby groups. When you report on Oregon gun laws, please reflect actual laws in effect today. Many Oregonians believe Oregon already has a waiting period and full background checks. In reality, we have no waiting period and today, a gun can be transferred from a dealer to a buyer after three days if the background check has not been completed. The data show over and over that states with stronger gun laws have fewer school shootings. Without Measure 114, Oregon’s gun laws have long been ranked a C+ (Giffords Scorecard Rank). This is where we remain today. —Kat Baviera
Letter of the Week: Thanks to all who submitted their thoughts for this week’s Letters. Kat: Peter Madsen’s reporting on Sunday reflects the reality of Measure 114. Give it a look. Given the heaviness in the air, it feels like the wrong time to be handing out awards, so no Letter of the Week this week. And to those looking for the election-related letters I promised I’d publish this week, I’m holding those for next week, just ahead of the election. This week, our community really wanted to share their lament. —Nicole Vulcan
5 VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
Yesterday, just down the street, around the corner, bullets ripped, again, through the tender bodies of school children, another killer, a youth himself, already so much pain to share, to spread, to shatter
The leadership of Cook and Kranz made a bad situation worse. The things we continue to learn about the killings at Silver Rail Elementary on Oct. 15 point directly to our superintendent and our chief of police’s lack of preparedness and poor response. A 16-year-old is a minor and we must ask what interventions and adequate support for a minor at risk was given to this student? How did it fall through the cracks, a minor in distress? Furthermore, why were students and school nurses evacuated without their medications or monitoring equipment? If your child has asthma or diabetes you understand how this error in preparedness could have cost more loss of life. To add insult to injury in the reunification center at Journey church, parents learn in the line to pick up kids that theirs was among the dead. Mike Kranz had 3 hours to find the parents and let them know so they wouldn’t have to find out about the horrible news in front of the whole school community. It’s election season and everyone needs to earn our vote. Vote Blue without results is a thing of the past.
WITHOUT MEASURE 114, OREGON’S GUN LAWS REMAIN A C+
NEWS
A City Grieves The shooting, the investigation, the victims and the community response to tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary
Injured Silver Rail Shooting Victims Continue Recovery, Family Remembers Slain Child Online donations for victims’ families have topped $1 million By Clayton Franke
S
ix days after the shooting inside a special needs classroom at Silver Rail Elementary, recovery continued for the seven-year-old girl and 54-year-old staffer wounded in the tragedy. Meanwhile, the community and families continued to mourn the dead, including a teacher working her “dream job” and a “vivacious” five-year-old — the youngest person ever killed in a school shooting in the United States. Online fundraisers have raised more than $1 million for the victims’ families as of Tuesday, while businesses and other groups had fundraisers of their own. “Serious but stable” condition
Much of the fundraising was in support of Saylor Graham, who was identified as the injured sevenyear-old in a pair of online fundraisers created the day after the shooting. Police said Oct. 16 the girl received life-saving care at the scene and was transported to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland, where she was in “serious but stable” Saylor Graham condition. The hospital wouldn’t confirm Graham’s status or whether she was a patient there. On Sunday, fundraiser organizers encouraged people to send letters to Graham and her family. The fundraiser describes Graham as a “feisty, loving child.” She was born with CASK, a genetic mutation that affects brain development and cognitive and physical functions. In 2024, Bend Senior High School’s Sparrow Club, an organization whose work involves “empowering kids to help kids in medical need through compassion, kindness and sponsored community service,” according to its website, “adopted” Graham as its “Sparrow,” helping raise funds for her care. “Although Saylor usually uses a wheelchair, especially in public, she can walk on her own – a milestone her parents were once told she would never reach,” the club posted to its website in 2024. Photo courtesy GoFundMe
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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Teacher continues recovery Becky Drury, the 54-year-old special education teacher who was wounded in the shooting, is recovering after multiple surgeries, Zack Hall, a friend speaking on behalf of the family, said Tuesday.
“She’s doing OK, all things considered,” Hall said. “She is improving. She’s moving, she’s awake.” During the shooting, Drury suffered injuries to both arms and her hand, Hall said. In a statement, Will Drury, Becky’s husband, said she still has a “long Bend PD road” of recovery ahead. “I want to thank our family, friends, and the entire community for their continued outpouring of love and kindness,” Drury said. “Your support has given us treBecky Drury mendous strength as Becky faces challenges she never should have had to endure. I also want to express my gratitude to the first responders and medical staff for the extraordinary care they have provided over these last few days.” Scholarship honors “Coach Megan” The Central Oregon Volleyball Club began raising funds Monday for a volleyball scholarship to honor Megan Lambert, a 25-year-old coach and teacher who died in the Silver Rail Bend PD Elementary shooting. An online fundraiser had raised about $10,000 by Tuesday. In her first year as coach, Lambert forfeited payment to help athletes who couldn’t otherwise afford to play, the club said. Megan Lambert “That generosity and care for others is exactly why we are creating this fund: to keep Megan’s legacy alive and to give athletes the opportunity to play volleyball when cost might otherwise stand in the way,” the fundraiser said. In a statement read by police the day after the shooting, Lambert’s family said she loved Silver Rail and was doing her “dream job.” “Megan was compassionate and had a huge heart,” the statement said. “She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs.” Lambert also interned with the Source in 2017, when she was a student at Mountain View High School, doing photography and other tasks.
Slain child loved to climb, dance, draw The parents of Rhoam Summers, the five-year-old boy killed in the Silver Rail shooting, described him as a child who loved to climb, dance and draw. Kelik and Lillian Summer shared more about Rhoam in a statement posted to their lawyers’ Facebook page on Monday. They said he told sweet stories, cuddled at “every opportunity” and made sure guests had drinks, snacks or stuffed animals. “We could not have hoped for a more wonderful child and everyone in his family, found family, and friend circle could not wait to see how he grew,” the parents said. If people want to honor Rhoam, they should draw, the parents said. “Sharks, dinosaurs, monsters...Rhoam loved to tell stories of creatures with big teeth who needed understanding and friendship. Please make art for him. Draw or paint. Use your hands if you can. Get messy.” Rhoam is the youngest person ever killed in a school shooting in the United States, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, which dates to 1966. The Source reported Monday that the law firms Dwyer Williams & Cherkoss, Simon Greenstone & Panatier and Worthington & Caron announced that they have been retained to “preserve and protect” Rhoam’s memory and investigate any potential legal claims, stemming from last week’s shooting at the Bend elementary school. “The team’s primary objectives are to discover the truth, deterBend PD mine accountability, and pursue justice on behalf of Kelik and Lillian Summer, the parents of Rhoam,” according to a statement on a tribute website for the child. Two other boys, ages eight and 11, Rhoam Summers were also killed in the shooting. Their names have not been released at the request of their families. In an update on Monday, Bend Police reported that a fifth child was also in the classroom, and was unharmed. The update also revealed that a fourth adult was also in the classroom at the time of the attack — other than Lambert, Drury, and a teacher who tackled the shooter before a bystander shot the assailant.
NEWS
Details Slim About Shooter, Motives
The 16-year-old killed four in a special-needs classroom — the same department where he was once a student By Peter Madsen Photo by Cody Rheault
Giamanco shot John several times. The teacher was uninjured, police said. Kenda Freeman, who identified herself as Giamanco’s mother while speaking to reporters, said her son wasn’t after recognition. “But instead, he wishes to express gratitude to the first responders, school personnel and community for the outpouring of love and support.” Investigators serviced a search warrant of John’s home; police declined to say whether his parents were cooperative with the investigation. They also declined to confirm early reports that the gun had been purchased by John’s mother. The gun that John used in the shooting is a Maverick 88 12-gauge. Krantz said John fired three types of ammunition: bird and buck shot and slugs. The shooter was able to enter the locked school doors by shooting out the locks, Krantz said. A Bend PD school resource officer, who’s responsible for the safety of six or seven additional Bend-La Pine schools, was at a nearby school at the time of the Silver Rail shooting, police said. Authorities relinquished the crime scene at Silver Rail on Oct. 20, yet the school will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The rest of the district was set to resume classes Oct. 21. Superintendent Steven Cook said the school will stay closed for an undetermined amount of time. Cook told the Source that when Silver Rail students would resume the school year is unclear. The school district practices live shooter drills twice a year, Cook said. “Rest assured,” Cook added. “We will take a hard look at everything and that we have done, and what more needs to be done to ensure that our students, our staff, and our families are safe in our schools.” At a press conference hours after the Oct. 15 shooting, Gov. Tina Kotek said her thoughts were with Giamanco, calling his actions heroic. —This series of articles are made possible by the Lay It Out Foundation. The Foundation is a Central Oregon nonprofit organization dedicated to producing independent journalism. This reporting is available for republication by news organizations statewide.
Thursday, Oct. 15
12:58 pm - The shooting suspect emerges from an undeveloped lot across the street from Silver Rail Elementary. He throws his weapon over the schoolyard fence and climbs over. A witness passing by in a red pickup truck verbally confronts the shooter, who fires at the truck. 12:59 pm - Deschutes County Dispatch receives a call from a driver who reports being shot at by a person with a “long gun.” Dispatch then receives dozens of calls reporting the shooter had entered Silver Rail Elementary. 1:00 pm - Dispatch uses a tone to alert all law enforcement. 1:01 pm - Officers direct Silver Rail Elementary to go into lockdown. 1:02 pm - Bend Police Officers arrive at Silver Rail Elementary. Moments later, they report the shooter had been shot several times by a community member. 1:17 pm - Police alert the media they are responding to an active shooter. A reunification center for children and their parents is set up at Journey Church. 2:15 pm - Police report that two people were taken to St. Charles Medical Center for treatment. Students are bussed to the reunification center at Journey Church. Police launch their investigation. 5:30 pm - Police confirm four people, including three children, died at the scene of the shooting. 7:00 pm - Hundreds of people attend a candlelight vigil at Drake Park to mourn the victims.
Friday, Oct. 16
9:00 am - Bend-La Pine Schools are closed across the district. Hundreds of people seek emotional crisis support at free clinics. Businesses and nonprofits host community support events. 2:30 pm - Police name two people killed: 5-year-old Rhoam Summer and 25-year-old Megan Lambert. They also name the 54-year-old teacher who was injured as Becky Drury, and the shooting suspect, Griffin J. John II. Friday evening - Hundreds mourn the victims at another candlelight vigil at Peace Corner in downtown Bend.
Saturday, Oct. 17 Police continue their investigation at Silver Rail. Outside, crowds pay their respects at a memorial adorned with flowers, cards, stuffed animals and balloons.
Monday, Oct. 19 Bend Police finish evidence collection at Silver Rail and relinquish the crime scene to BendLa Pine Schools. Police report an additional teacher and student were in the classroom at the time of the shooting but were unharmed. Bend-La Pine Schools prepares school leaders to welcome back students and staff.
Wednesday, Oct. 21 Students in the Bend-La Pine Schools district return to school. Silver Rail Elementary remains closed indefinitely.
7 VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
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uthorities have identified Griffin J. John II as the suspect in the Oct. 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School that resulted in the deaths of three children and a teacher, and the critical injuries of another teacher and student. Speaking at a press conference Oct. 16 at Bend Municipal Court, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told a scrum of local and national reporters that he would, “only say the shooter’s name once.” Krantz said John arrived at the school on foot, yet the exact route is a part of the open and active investigation. His mother, Shauntai Nickerson, has lived on Brosterhaus Road, a few blocks away, since at least 2018. In the special needs classroom, the first and last classroom John entered during his shooting spree, he encountered teachers Megan Lambert, 25, and Becky Drury, 54 and student Saylor Graham, 7, Rhoem Summer, 5, and two children ages 8 and 11, whose names have not yet been released. On Oct. 19, police said two other adults and one other child were also in the classroom at the time. Drury is recovering after multiple surgeries. Graham was transported for treatment to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. At the Oct. 16 press conference, law enforcement authorities declined to name the Silver Rail father who shot and killed John in the special needs classroom, only stating that he fired a .40 caliber pistol, which he legally owned, several times at John, killing him. The mother of the man, who was uninjured, identified him as Kaylub Giamanco, 36, while making a statement last week. Giamanco is reportedly a father of two Silver Rail students and lives a few blocks from the school, was driving his truck on Brentwood Avenue when he witnessed John spray shots at another witness. That initial bystander was not injured, authorities said. Police said Giamanco parked his truck in the Silver Rail parking lot, retrieved his legally secured .40 caliber pistol and pursued John into the school through the glass doors the shooter had shot out. In the special needs classroom, Giamanco saw John struggling with a teacher, who’d thrown her phone at the attacker and was trying to wrestle the gun from him.
A Timeline of Events
NEWS
What We Know Now: Uncovering Details About the Shooter’s Family OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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Shotgun owner and shooter’s mother is Shauntai May Nickerson; Griffin John, father, long out of the picture, has long rap sheet By Peter Madsen
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he mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School happened less than a week from the date of this writing. Amid the maelstrom through which rumors swirled, verifiable facts, often confirmed by local law enforcement authorities and eyewitnesses, have been laid bare alongside anonymously sourced information. National news outlets, including The New York Times, have identified the Silver Rail Elementary School shooter’s mother as Shauntai May Nickerson. Citing law enforcement officials not authorized to speak on the matter, outlets also say the shotgun the 16-year-old used to kill three children and a teacher, and critically injure another student and a teacher, was registered to Nickerson. According to court records, Nickerson had lived several blocks away from Silver Rail on Brosterhaus Road since at least 2018 when she pleaded guilty to DUII and careless driving. Those charges were dismissed after Nickerson completed a diversion program. That same year in Deschutes County Circuit Court, Nickerson dissolved a marriage with a man named Griffin Jay John. They had both previously lived in Toledo, Oregon, east of Newport. The Deschutes District Attorney’s Office and the Bend Police Department have declined to confirm details about the shooter and to whom the shotgun was registered. Spokesperson Sheila Miller said Bend PD would have more investigation details when they’re available. The criminal investigation Both the DA’s Office and Bend PD have been adamant that a very complex investigation is underway. Other news outlets have reported that the FBI and ATF serviced a search warrant at Nickerson’s home, seizing an electronic device belonging to her son. Whether criminal charges are brought against the shooter’s mother or anyone else will depend on whether prosecutors find evidence of crimes such as criminal negligence, for example. The shooter’s parents have both had recent run-ins with the law. In March 2023, Bend Police officers arrested Nickerson on charges of fourth-degree assault, a violent Class A misdemeanor, and harassment. In court, the assault charge was dropped, while Nickerson pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of harassment, a Class B misdemeanor, according to court records. The subject of that harassment is a woman with no discernible criminal record. People have wondered what laws exist that may have precluded Nickerson’s ownership of the shotgun, if, as The New York Times asserts, she did in fact have it registered in her name. A disqualifier for a gun purchase is a violent misdemeanor conviction within four years, according to Oregon law. But that doesn’t mean someone has to surrender the guns they already have. Oregon does have a Red Flag law which can confiscate guns. A family member, household member or law enforcement officer may ask the court for an Extreme Risk Protection Order against someone who is suicidal or poses a danger to others, according to the state. A court hearing happens within 24 hours. If the judge agrees with the assessed risk, the person in question must surrender all weapons and a concealed handgun permit within 24 hours of the judge issuing that order.
Photo by Cody Rheault
Had Nickerson been convicted of the March 2023 assault, that may have precluded her from purchasing a gun through March 2027 — seven months past the Oct. 15 shooting. The Mossberg Maverick 88, which is the pump-action shot gun police say Nickerson’s son used in the Silver Rail shooting, holds six to eight rounds and retails for about $320. The shooter’s father, after whom he’s named, is Griffin Jay John, according to a 2014 marriage dissolution and child support hearing. Since April of that year, John was mandated to provide nearly $800 each month in child support to Nickerson, $167 of which was dogeared for medical support until their son turned 18. John Sr. has a long history of criminal charges, stemming back to his conviction for a string of car break-ins in 1997 in Lincoln County when he was 18. In January 2004, John Sr. was convicted in Lincoln County for the felony assault of a public safety officer and harassment. By 2017, three years after the dissolution with the shooter’s mother, John Sr. was convicted or pleaded guilty to the first of several misdemeanors for weapons that, as a felon, he was barred from owning. Court documents in the intermittent years point to John Sr. working at a sawmill in Toledo, and for a landscaping company in Astoria. Most recently, in August 2023, John Sr. pleaded no contest to his most-recent misdemeanor charge of felon in possession a restricted weapon, in this case, a dagger. John Sr. served 10 day in jail. According to court documents, he did not have a permanent address. Nickerson spoke with reporters outside her home on Oct. 16. She declined to say how her son got the gun. “If I could have prevented this, I would have,” Nickerson said. Oregonlive reporters spoke with John Sr. on Oct. 20 at ahomeless encampment two miles west of downtown Astoria. The father said he hadn’t seen his son in about a year and he felt distraught when he heard the news.
The future of Oregon gun laws According to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nationally prominent gun violence prevention organization, Oregon’s laws are the 12th strictest in the country. A person must be 18 to own a long gun, according to the state. Yet lawmakers and citizen groups alike have been working to bolster Oregon’s gun safety laws. In recent years, new laws have mandated secure storage and a prohibition of guns at the state Capitol. Universities have the power to prohibit guns on campus, and lawmakers have enacted a prohibition on 3D-printed and untraceable ghost guns, according to Everytown. Yet one crucial measure has been ensnarled in the courts. Passed by voters in November 2022, Measure 114, authored by an interfaith group, proposed a permit-to-purchase requirement, mandating that anyone who wants to buy a gun would need to submit to — and fully complete — a federal background check. They’d also have to take a gun safety class that would require would-be buyers to prove they know how to safely load, fire and store a firearm. Measure 114 also capped magazine capacity at 10 rounds. The measure would also criminalize the transfer of a gun to someone who doesn’t have a valid permit or a completed background check. State voters approved Measure 114 by a 1.3% margin, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Opposition was more concentrated in rural, conservative corners of the state, with support found in cities that are blue in their politics. But a circuit court judge in Harney County ruled that the measure violated Oregonians’ Second Amendment Rights. Measure 114 is presently awaiting a ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court. States like Florida and California have laws that hold parents responsible for their children’s gun crimes. In 2024, two Michigan parents were convicted for manslaughter when they gifted their son the handgun he used days later in a mass shooting at a local high school. They were each given a 10- to 15-year prison sentence.
NEWS
As Bend Families Return to School, District Promises Close Look at Safety Measures By Clayton Franke
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kyler Laughlin’s daughter’s desk sits next to a window near the front of the school at Lava Ridge Elementary in northeast Bend. When he toured the classroom earlier this year, he was excited about the prospect of his daughter getting more natural light to help her learning. Now — days after a 16-year-old gunman shot through the glass panes near the front doors of Silver Rail Elementary on his way to killing three children, a teacher and wounding two others in a classroom — Laughlin sees it differently. “That’s such a normal thing to say: awesome — natural light, how cool,” Laughlin told the Source on Monday. “Unfortunately, the way things are today, you flip your mindset and go, ‘that’s a safety concern.’” Bend-La Pine Schools canceled school through Tuesday as people grieved at vigils and memorials, hundreds of people sought trauma services and businesses and other groups whipped up support events and free food. Families across Bend are feeling a mix of anticipation and fear as they prepare to return their children to school on Wednesday. That will be nearly a week after the Oct. 15 shooting rocked the community. Meanwhile, the district is working with school leaders to help them deal with their own grief, and to guide the difficult conversations they’ll have with students on that first day back. That way, “When 16,000 students — minus one elementary school’s worth of students — come back on Wednesday, they can enter into an environment in which they can have conversations with trusted adults on what they might be experiencing,” BLPS Superintendent Steve Cook told the Source Monday. As the district looks to create an emotionally supportive environment after the shooting, it’s also
promised a larger conversation with the community about how to make schools physically safer. As a short-term measure, Bend Police will provide a heightened presence near district schools, Cook said. The district is still working with police to sort out exactly what that presence will look like and how long it might go on, Bend police spokesperson Sheila Miller said via email on Monday. Cook said it will likely mean more officers around the schools but not walking around the hallways, except for school resource officers. The district has eight of those school-based cops to cover 33 schools. There wasn’t an officer at Silver Rail when the shooting occurred. Other than police presence, the district isn’t making any immediate changes for school safety, Cook said. For Mara Isbell, mother of a first grader at Highland Elementary in west Bend, walking her child to school on Wednesday will be “really hard.” “There have been multiple days I’ve cried at dropoff wondering if that would be the last day I see my kid,” Isbell said on Monday. “For it to all become real in our community is absolutely heartbreaking.” Isbell, who teaches at a preschool in Bend, said staff at her school met the day after the shooting to go over safety protocols. “Looking around the room, we were all crying, knowing every one of us would do whatever we needed to do to protect our students,” Isbell said. For Laughlin, who has a seven-year-old and a nineyear-old at Lava Ridge, classroom windows were a safety concern even before the shooting. Last year, a lawnmower threw a rock through one of the windows in his daughter’s classroom, he said. Nobody was hurt. Bulletproof glass, razor wire and more cameras are all safety ideas that Cook has heard floated since the Photo by Cody Rheault
shooting. How far the district should go to harden its schools from attacks will be an important community conversation going forward, Cook said. He promised a “top to bottom” analysis of “what worked, what didn’t, and what are some other steps that we may want to consider.” It’s not the first time traumatic incidents have led to safety reviews at Bend-La Pine Schools. In 2014, a Bend High student fatally shot himself in the school. In 2024, a student brought a loaded gun to Pilot Butte Middle School, along with a list of targets, but didn’t harm anyone. For about 10 years the district has had 13 “campus monitors” at middle schools and high schools who are responsible for school safety, according to information provided by the district. There’s also a full-time Behavioral Threat Assessment manager, whose role is to “assess and manage student threats and concerning behavior,” according to the district. The district has standard response protocols for lockdowns and evacuations and runs lockdown drills twice a year at each school. There are also cameras throughout the interior and exterior of schools. Each school has a vestibule with electronic locks at its main entrance, and upgraded classroom door locks were recently installed using $5.5 million of a $250 million school construction bond. Cook acknowledged that school hardening would come with funding hurdles and trade-offs. Some measures, like razor wire, might not stop a determined assailant, while bulletproof glass wouldn’t stop a student who’s already inside the school, he said. “Those are the kinds of challenges we face,” Cook said. “We want to balance creating a school that is a school and not mimicking or mirroring the security level that is at a prison. But at what point are we not doing enough? That’s the part we’re going to want to engage with our community about.” Despite some safety concerns around windows, Laughlin said he has full faith in staff and administrators at Lava Ridge to keep students safe going forward. His kids are ready to return to school. “They’ve been missing their friends and missing the routine,” he said. Isbell echoed that sentiment. “It’s going to be emotional, but I think we’re all rallying together, too, to help our kids get back into their routine and support our kids’ teachers,” she said. That’s not the case for everyone. BLPS Communications Director Scott Maben said “we can expect” that some parents won’t bring their kids back to school on Wednesday. As for Silver Rail, Cook said it’s still too early to discuss logistical details on when the school might reopen or when students might resume their school year. “We’re going to have to talk about it at some point, what does it look like,” Cook said. “Some people might be thinking, ‘I want to be back in that school quickly and reclaim it,’ and some people are like, ‘I don’t think I’ll ever walk in that school again,’ and everything in between, I anticipate. That conversation is not ours to have by ourselves.”
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Bend-La Pine Schools are gearing up for students to return Wednesday — and for future conversations around safety
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM 10
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E OG HEALING HEARTS ORIGAMI
Once you've written your letter to a loved one (opposite side of this page), wrap it in a heart Follow the instructions below to turn this piece of newsprint into a healing origami heart you can gift to someone else. Pair it with the letter on the back of the page, or just fold it up and share it. Cut out the square shape with scissors above, then follow these simple folding steps. Note: step 6, use the corner with the small purple heart.
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LETTERS TO THE COMMUNITY Lift someone else up, or just write out your feelings
In this moment of collective sorrow over the tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School, words can help to heal. Use this page to write a letter to someone at Silver Rail, to a friend or loved one, or just to yourself. The family of Rhoam Summer, the 5-year-old killed at Silver Rail, also made this suggestion: "If people want to memorialize our little Rhoam, we request you draw. Sharks, dinosaurs, monsters... Rhoam loved to tell stories of creatures with big teeth who needed understanding and friendship." Wrap it in a heart (using the origami page on the other side) and mail it to someone, or post it somewhere prominent to show us all how we are #BendStrong. If you'd like to direct your letter to Silver Rail, the school's Parent-Teacher Organization is collecting them at:
Silver Rail Elementary PTO 61141 S. Hwy 97, Box 33 Bend, OR 97702
FEATURE
While the Central Oregon community reels, Election Day is still ahead. These are our Editorial Board’s endorsements in local races. By The Source Editorial Board
See the videos of our interviews with the candidates on our Elections page at bendsource.com. —>
City Elections Redmond City Council TOBIAS COLVIN
Our picks: Tobias Colvin, Kathryn Osborne, Barbara Tate
Five people are in the running for three seats on the Redmond City Council, including Tobias Colvin, the manager of the SCP Redmond Hotel and a former appointee to the Council; Raven Hansen, a critical care nursing assistant; Kathryn Osborne, who has a background in business and marketing and who’s served on the Council since 2022; Paul Povey, a local business owner with a background in planning; and Barbara Tate, who owned a catering business in Redmond before retiring. Hansen opted not to take part in our endorsement interview. Osborne has served with distinction during the past four years and should have the opportunity to serve again. kathryn osborne Likewise, we found Colvin to be a skilled and intelligent leader during his time on the Council and in his ongoing service on several City committees; he should have the chance to serve on the Council once again. The decision on who to support for the remaining slot was a tough one. Paul Povey was raised in Redmond and has an obvious commitment to the city. Tate, too, grew up in Redmond and returned to run a respected business for decades. Both talked about how permitting times and the code enforcement process can sometimes stand in the way of economic progress. Povey discussed the idea of offering varying rates and permitting timelines for individual developers versus large-scale ones, which could help make it barbara tate easier for local people to develop small-scale housing and develop their properties. We thought that idea was valid. Photos of candidates are all courtesy of When asked about how Redmond should approach the running candidates issue of homelessness, Povey indicated some support for Redmond’s new managed camp, but didn’t offer much in the way of further solutions beyond the desire to “get them out” of public lands. Tate, meanwhile, offered the suggestion to pursue eviction diversion grants to help people avoid losing housing. While we don’t expect those running
for City Council to have all of the solutions, we are looking for candidates to do some homework to begin approaching thorny problems. Tate indicated more of that during our interview. Likewise, Tate offered some ideas to address the existential issues Redmond is facing around fire and water, suggesting Redmond could pursue FireWise neighborhood grants to help residents create defensible space and better prepare their homes for the threat of fire. She also suggested offering water rebates for those who demonstrated water conservation efforts on their properties. These are indications of a candidate who’s already working to help Redmond move forward.
Redmond Mayor Our pick: Ed Fitch Redmond’s mayoral race is a matchup between incumbent Ed Fitch and fellow City Councilor Jay Patrick. (Another person, Charles Webster Baer, is also in the running, but we did not consider him a viable candidate in this race.) Patrick’s priorities include infrastructure and “working as a team,” he told us — ed fitch something he believes is missing on the Council right now. Fitch identified water and transportation as his two biggest priorities — both issues that have come before this Council on numerous fronts over the past several years. Water is where we find one of the key differentiators between these two. Fitch championed the new tiered water rate structure in Redmond that is going to charge big water users more for their increased consumption, and, ideally, help people regulate their overuse. Patrick seemed to look at this new structure as just more pressure from state regulators and voted against it. We think Fitch’s approach is more pragmatic in the face of a declining aquifer. Likewise, Patrick voted against the long-awaited managed camp in Redmond, which is meant to help move people off other private and public lands. We agree with Patrick’s assertion that we should address the root causes of homelessness as part of the solution, but that doesn’t solve the short-term challenges of fire danger and sanitation. Patrick brings up a valid point about a need for a collaborative approach — one that any hopeful city councilor or mayor should heed. Still, our pick in this race is the incumbent.
13 VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
In the Swirl of the Week, Your Ballot Arrived
FEATURE Bend Mayor Our pick: Melanie Kebler
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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In this race, challenger Bernadette Strome wants the residents of Bend to support an unknown candidate who has very obviously not prepared much for this job. Strome talked at length during our interview about the importance of gathering “good data” to help us develop plans and pivot from those plans as needed. But in our conversation about homelessness, she suggested the notion of having data to assess which programs were seeing the highest level of success — never mentioning and seeming not to know that the City of Bend maintains an entire dashboard, the Bend Housing Data Hub, that shows the number of people who have melanie kebler transitioned to housing, the utilization rate of shelters and much more. Perhaps it’s true that there’s more and better data to be gathered, but the way this candidate tells it, we as Bend residents should go back to square one — to the first steps of extensive data-collection, and then wait for the new mayor to develop some brilliant new plan based on that protracted process. Strome wants to be able to listen to constituents and help them engage with their city government, but we see no evidence that she’s done the same to prepare for this position. Four years ago, Melanie Kebler was elected mayor. She takes the job seriously, shows up professionally, always does her homework (and takes this newspaper to task when we get it wrong — as she should), and understands the needs, the opportunities and the limitations of Bend. We trust her to charge forward on improving our transportation system, managing growth responsibly and seeing the city do its share in promoting economic development in Bend. With ongoing cuts at the federal level, Bend needs strategic leadership right now, not a gamble on someone who barely knows the job.
County Elections Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners, Pos. 3 Our pick: Lauren Connally The two candidates on the ballot for Position 3 are quality individuals whose work has touched some of the community’s most vulnerable; Lauren Connally with her past work with veterans, and Amy Sabbadini with her decades as an educator. In an incredibly close race, Connally stood lauren connally out as more
measured and prepared for what will be a tough cycle on the County Commission. We appreciated Connally’s knowledge around Deschutes County Health Services — especially the crucial role it plays for people’s mental health. She also had pragmatic things to say about the issue of homelessness and indicated support for more permanent solutions that go beyond the County’s recent effort to fund a managed camp in Redmond. We saw strength in Connally’s realistic approach to the coming years, with reduced federal funding, and the hard choices that will need to be made. Connally was not afraid to say that in a funding crunch, she may be inclined to fund health services over homeless services. That may very well happen with the Temporary Safe Stay Area at Juniper Ridge, whose funds are set to expire next summer. When or if budget shortfalls materialize — as it seems they will — Connally appeared more ready to avoid sugar-coating the problems and making the tough calls. Connally also had practical things to say about the oversight needed at the sheriff’s office. While she would not go so far as to opine that the office should be appointed, rather than elected, it was clear she took the issue with the seriousness it warrants. Connally did not impress us with her support of the district mapping proposal that is before Deschutes County voters this November, nor with her argument that different areas of the County need their own representation. As Sabbadini pointed out, both outgoing commissioners Tony DeBone and Patti Adair were from rural parts of the county — so the notion that the County has thus far been run with a Bend-centric position is simply not true. On the topic of the map, Sabbadini was more aligned with the values of this editorial board; however, that matter will be decided by voters by the time one of these candidates becomes commissioner. If the map passes, both agreed they’d want to see the lines redrawn following the next U.S. Census. In other words, voters will decide how they want to be represented; what we want in a commissioner is someone who will ensure those boundaries are drawn in the fairest manner possible. Both candidates seemed committed to that.
Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners, Pos. 5 Our pick: Morgan Schmidt Our endorsement in this race has not changed since we named Morgan Schmidt our choice during the May primary, when she faced morgan schmidt off against multiple other candidates. In the two-person race between her and Rob Imhoff this November, the former pastor and Executive Director of the local Red Cross is still our pick. Both of these candidates have done the homework to understand how Deschutes County operates and the players involved. We liked Imhoff’s idea of building a sports complex at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, and Schmidt’s support of the creation of a county ombudsman’s office — two examples of the preparation of these candidates. When it comes down to it, though, the values of this editorial board align more with Schmidt’s. While Imhoff is in favor of a buffer zone around Central Oregon cities where homeless camping would be banned,
Schmidt sees the reality: that nearby services such as safe camping and safe parking help keep all of us safer. It is high time that the County Commission was populated by leaders who actually want to see the County lead on this issue. Our endorsement remains with Schmidt.
Deschutes County Sheriff Our pick: Ty Rupert We don’t fault anyone who harbors doubt, or even downright disdain about the state of things at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. A culture of retaliation and dishonesty has pervaded the office for years. While they may or may not have taken part in all of it, the two people running to be the next elected sheriff have worked in the office long enough to have been at least in some way affected by all the drama. The retaliations and recriminations of longtime former sheriff Shane Nelson and the downright dishonesty of short-lived sheriff Kent Vander Kamp are enough to make any voter think twice about casting their vote in this race. However; rather than flinging up our hands, we as voters should be leaning in. The Deschutes County Sheriff has over 200,000 supervisors, and they are us. Opting not to take part in this election is opting to say that the past ty rupert troubles are not worth our time to correct — and further, that they are not the public’s problem. Whoever you decide to vote for in this race, do it in the spirit of having skin in the game. This is hands-down the hardest endorsement we have had to make in the November 2026 election. Through the reporting in this newspaper, and through our endorsement interview process, we have discovered mistakes made by both candidates. In quick summary, candidate James “Mac” McLaughlin was found by an independent investigator to be guilty of failing to file a report containing potentially unflattering information about his colleague, following a controversial SWAT raid. He’s also known to have registered as a Democrat just ahead of his appeal to the local Democratic party to endorse him. Interim sheriff (appointed by county commissioners after the fall of Vander Kamp) Ty Rupert is being investigated for allegedly making some mistakes in using County resources to campaign for the office of sheriff. None of these are actions worthy of praise — and were we living in a county that has not gone through what it has gone through in recent years, these actions would very likely not have the weight they have now. Were we not in an election, McLaughlin would likely have gotten a slap on the wrist for his actions following the SWAT raid, rather than facing termination. These are two candidates, both with records of military service followed by long stints at the sheriff’s office, who are inheriting a community that is justifiably distrustful. Mistakes aside, we find them both to be upstanding people with the backgrounds and experience to be decent leaders. Rupert naturally has the upper hand, being the one already serving. So, the question for our board became: In light of the information we know about the candidates, their backgrounds and their decision-making on the job, does McLaughlin deserve to be promoted, over Rupert? While it’s true that the investigator looking into
FEATURE
Deschutes County Circuit Court Judge No endorsement As the Source reported in its article, “Compassion, ‘Tone and Tenor,” candidates for judge positions can’t offer a broad opinion on matters that may come before them in court. That basically means in spite of our clever questions, it’s next to impossible to wrest defining answers from them. Check out that article that outlines the backgrounds of the candidates, and use it to inform your choice.
Oregon State Oregon House District 53 Our pick: Emerson Levy With Democrats currently holding the majority in both chambers of the state legislature as well as the governor’s office, it could be easy for a Democrat like Emerson Levy to simply fade into the blue and go along for the partisan ride. But with a mixed district, Levy seems to understand that a more holistic, kitchen-table approach is needed. You can see that in the community-centered priorities she told us she’s setting for her next term in the Oregon State Legislative Assembly, which include reducing the cost of prescription drugs, preventing and mitigating wildfire, regulating
e-bikes and protecting kids online. In addition, she’s committed to keeping Oregon kids covered by health insurance as the state navigates a billion-dollar deficit in the coming session. Levy has seemingly navigated the needs of her purple district through her years in office and has brought some important investments home as a result. She helped to fund the first and only youth psychiatric hospital bed in our region, and for championing a youth e-bike safety bill that brought some clarity to what adolescents should and shouldn’t be able to do. She also eMerson levy supported legislation that would have banned cell phones in schools (though that was ultimately achieved through Gov. Tina Kotek’s executive order). Levy’s experience tackling the complicated business of preventing and battling wildfires gave her a noted leg up on her challenger in this race, Michael Summers, who spoke in broad terms about things like incentivizing forest clearing and thoughtful logging, but who didn’t possess the nitty-gritty knowledge about recent legislation aimed at mitigation, past-due federal emergency funds and other details that Levy did. With his connections and charisma, Summers could be a good legislator. But Levy’s hard work over the last several years is too valuable to toss away.
Oregon Governor Our pick: Tina Kotek We commend the two candidates in this race for their poise and preparation during the debates in Bend and beyond. There’s no doubt that both Christine Drazan and tina kotek Tina Kotek are versed on the issues and ready for the challenges in this very tight race. Drazan has the folksiness and local connections that may make her more likeable on camera, and she talks a good game as it pertains to supporting local businesses, but under Drazan we fear a regime that moves Oregon backward. It’s true that the state is struggling with educational outcomes and in attracting business investment, but we can’t stomach the notion of going even further backward in the realms of abortion and the environment, to boot. Kotek has fallen short of her own housing goals, and in spite of showing up in our community numerous times over the past year to celebrate improved attendance rates at local schools, has not moved the needle much on educational outcomes. We suspect conversations about schools will have more prevalence in the governor’s office and beyond this year. Our endorsement goes to the incumbent here.
Federal Elections Oregon Congressional District 2 Our pick: Chris Beck In some quarters, you might find Rep. Cliff Bentz railing about the national debt; in others, he’ll defend the passage of that “beautiful bill” that is moving the nation backward in terms of public health and so much more. That bill alone added up to $4.7 trillion to the national debt, according to the Committee for a Responsible Budget. Bentz has done nothing to move toward the end of a so-called war (not approved by Congress) that is hitting Americhris beck can pocketbooks hard at the gas pump. He’s stood behind a president whose tariffs have caused increases in consumer prices and done damage to our relationships with our closest allies. All of these things hit home in the increased costs of transportation, energy, and food. In addition, Bentz has made very little effort to reach out and hear the concerns or answer directly to his constituents. Chris Beck’s experience includes a three-term stint as an Oregon state legislator in the 1990s and early 2000s, and time working for a federal agency. It’s a long-shot race for Beck, but we still go on the record saying we can do better than Bentz.
Oregon Congressional District 5 Our pick: Janelle Bynum It doesn’t take someone immersed in local politics to see that current County Commissioner Patti Adair is totally outmaneuvered in this race. With all the onslaughts janelle bynum that are coming from the federal level, the people of Congressional District 5 need a fighter in Washington — and in this cage match, it’s not really even a contest. Some might have found Janelle Bynum’s style of debating with Patti Adair to be off-putting, but that is the kind of feist and unwavering values we need advocating for us in D.C. Adair’s penchant for the non sequitur and her inability to directly answer questions may be sorta cute at the county level, but those are liabilities in a higher office. This position deserves a serious candidate, and Bynum delivers that.
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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the circumstances of the SWAT raid found several of the claims against McLaughlin to be unfounded, that investigator did find cause to elevate the inquiry on at least one major point. Failing to file a report that might make one’s self and one’s colleague look bad was a poor decision, and in regular circumstances, may not be a fire-able offense. But a candidate running for the County’s highest office needs to keep his nose clean, even when he thinks the cameras are not running and no one else will find out. We don’t believe McLaughlin should be fired for such a thing — nor should he be promoted. But we should also watch how Rupert handles this delicate matter with his subordinate, because it could speak to whether he’s really committed to a change of culture at the office. During our interview with the candidates, we asked Rupert plainly whether he will be the one to decide whether to fire McLaughlin once the final report is out on the matter. The decision is Rupert’s to make — unless he decides to let it be the decision of County Administrator Nick Lelack, he said. If Rupert wants to show that this is not a political decision, he should commit now, ahead of the election, to letting Lelack be the one to fire McLaughlin (or not). Both candidates indicated support for either a county ombudsman or a citizens’ review board to add some oversight to the office; Rupert and McLaughlin should be sure to follow through on those important initiatives. Rupert has made quite a show of his desire to cut expenses at the sheriff’s office, and to be a good steward of county resources. These are positive moves. How he handles the results of the investigation into McLauglin is the next step in a long quest to show voters that retaliation and politicking are behind us at the sheriff’s office. This is a tough call for voters, as both candidates have a long tenure of service to their community, but we believe Rupert is the better choice in this election.
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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proudly endorses these proven leaders for the November midterm election A DROP BOX TO RETURN YOUR BALLOT BE SURE TO VOTE EARLY USE (PREFERABLE) OR MAIL BY OCT. 27TH
PROVEN
EFFECTIVE DESCH. COUNTY COMMISSIONER POS. 3 AMY SABBADINI
DESCH. COUNTY COMMISSIONER POS. 5 MORGAN SCHMIDT
DESCH. COUNTY CLERK STEVE DENNISON
U.S. SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY
CITY OF BEND MAYOR MELANIE KEBLER
BEND CITY COUNCIL POS. 5 ARIEL MENDEZ
BEND CITY COUNCIL POS. 6 ELANA REINHOLTZ
STATE REP./DISTR. 54 JASON KROPF
LEADERS
COMMITTED TO INTEGRITY, TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND FINDING REAL SOLUTIONS FOR COMMUNITY PROBLEMS
DON’T GERRYMANDER DESCHUTES COUNTY! STATE OF OREGON GOVERNOR TINA KOTEK
Vote NO on District Map! Vote NO on Measure 9-185
U.S. HOUSE REP./CD 5 JANELLE BYNUM
U.S. HOUSE REP./CD2 CHRIS BECK
STATE REP./DISTR. 53 EMERSON LEVY
SOURCE PICKS
10/21 – 10/24
This week’s Source Picks are events that support and benefit the families and community members impacted by the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting. Please note, in addition to those items listed here, there are a variety of donation options at silverrailpto.org/donate. 10/21-10/23
WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY
10/21-10/22
FRIDAY
Bend FC
BEND FC FREE DAY CAMP NO SOCCER EXPERIENCE NEEDED
Healing Reins Equine Assisted Service
Elementary-school children who are looking for a fun, positive, welcoming experience this week are invited to sign up for a free day camp. Activities will include soccer, games, other sports, art and time spent with friends. 9am-2pm at Pine Nursery Park and/or Bend FC Futsal Center (specific location will be emailed to registered families), Sign up at https://www.bendfctimbers.com/free-community-camp or email brady. brent@bendfc.com.
WEDNESDAY
10/21
HAWKEYE & HUCKLEBERRY FUNDRAISER EVERY $1 SPENT = $3 DONATED
Enjoy a regular dining service with a shared purpose! 100% of the fundraiser proceeds will be donated to the families and teachers affected by the Silver Rail shooting. The Malarkey Family (owners/operators of Hawkeye & Huckleberry) will match all sales dollar-for-dollar, and a private citizen has stepped up to match all sales, as well, so for every dollar spent, $3 are raised. Wear purple, silver and black to honor Silver Rail. 4-9pm at Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge, 225 SW Century Blvd., Bend.
WEDNESDAY
10/21
SILVER MOON BREWING FUNDRAISER 100% OF ALL SALES AND DONATIONS GO TO FAMILIES FROM SILVER RAIL
Gather at the pub to talk, come together and support one another. 100% of all sales and donations, not just the profit, but every dollar spent, will be donated to the families (or a charity of their choosing) who have experienced loss from the Silver Rail shooting. Noon-9pm at Silver Moon Brewing, 24 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend.
towertheatre.org
10/23 KPOV Community Radio
HEALING REINS CRISIS SUPPORT OPEN RANCH A SAFE, PEACEFUL PLACE TO SPEND TIME WITH ANIMALS AND ONE ANOTHER
Spend time with the program’s horses, visit with farm animals, sit outdoors and enjoy a little peace and quiet. There is no expectation that people participate in an activity or share their experience. Just show up and enjoy the peacefulness of the animals and surroundings. Upon arrival, stop by the welcome table near the ranch office to check in and learn what’s available, including support services. From 10am-5pm at Healing Reins Equine Assisted Services, 65325 Cline Falls Road, Bend. Free.
WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY
10/21-10/22
SYNERGY CERAMICS OPEN FOR FREE CLAY WILL BE READY, TEA WILL BE WARM
Safe spaces can help transform lives. With that in mind, community members are invited to mold some clay and enjoy a quiet, healing space. Noon-5pm at Synergy Ceramics Studio and Gallery, 1900 NE Division St., Ste. 108, Bend.
FRIDAY
10/23
DUTCH BROS. FUNDRAISER $1 FOR EVERY DRINK SOLD ALL DAY DONATED TO SILVER RAIL ELEMENTARY PTO
All Dutch Bros. locations in Bend, Redmond and Sisters are participating in the fundraiser. Dutch Bros. Foundation will donate $1 from every drink sold to the Silver Rail Elementary PTO. Most locations open from 5am-11pm. Find a Dutch Bros location by going to dutchbros.com/locations.
Sunday, November 15
SOLAS
ALL TOGETHER NOW: A COMMUNITY SINGALONG FOR HOPE AND HEALING NO SINGING EXPERIENCE OR TALENT NEEDED, JUST HEART
Sometimes the best thing we can do is come together and sing. Join your KPOV radio community to raise voices together through familiar songs that celebrate hope, love, resilience and the power of community. 6-7:30pm at The Commonwealth Pub, 30 SW Century Dr., Bend.
SATURDAY
10/24
PUMPKIN PAINTING PARTY AT DRY CANYON CLUB 100% OF PROCEEDS BENEFIT FAMILIES OF SILVER RAIL ELEMENTARY
Kids, families and adults, celebrate fall with a costume contest, trick-or-treating around the lot and pumpkin painting and spending an afternoon together as a community. Food carts, craft beer, wine, cider, seltzers, and premium coffee. 1-7pm at Dry Canyon Club, 1865 Northwest Hemlock Ave., Redmond. Pumpkin painting is free.
ONGOING
BOTTLE DROP FUNDRAISER FOR SILVER RAIL ELEMENTARY PTO DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TO SILVER RAIL PTO
Contribute from an existing Oregon Bottle Drop “Green Bag” account at the bottledrop.com website or by leaving bags of cans in specific containers at local BottleDrop Redemption Centers. All donations go directly to the Silver Rail Parent Teacher Organization. The Bend Redemption Center is open from 8am-6pm at 755 NE 2nd St. in Bend.
Saturday, November 21
SCHISM: A TRIBUTE TO TOOL
Sunday, November 22
SCOTT BRADLEE'S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX
VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY
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LIVE MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
CALENDAR
Ticket and promote your events with BendTicket! Cherry Poppin' Daddies
21 Wednesday
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M&J Tavern Almost Dance the night away at
Bends OG night spot with high-energy live covers from the 70’s to the 90’s! 9pm-Midnight. Free. the best tunes of the 70s, 80’s and 90’s brought to you by Almost!. 9pm until midnight! 9pm. Free, but please tip the bands!.
Oregon Spirit Distillery The Crazy Happy Silly Funny Nerdy Show: A Comedy Focused Variety Show Join Anthony Poponi for a comedy variety show with stand-up, stories, games, and special guest Michael Baker. October 23 at Oregon Spirit Distillers in Bend! 7-9pm. 20.00.
The Coyote Partner & Line Dance Lessons
at The Coyote Join us for fun dance lessons on Wednesdays at The Coyote in downtown Bend! Partner dance lessons from 6–7pm with Seth and McKenna. No partner or experience needed. Beginner-friendly line-dance lessons follow from 7–8pm with Alex Reininger. Learn two fun dances in one hour. Come solo and connect in a welcoming atmosphere. Enjoy great energy, a spacious dance floor, food, drinks, mocktails, pool tables and TVs. 6-8pm. 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. 7:30-9pm. Free. Flux Thermal Lounge Flux Block Party Just a little gathering with local businesses focused on health, wellness, and good vibes. Join with your friends and family for a chill Sunday afternoon of music and to sample some tasty treats. Third Wednesday of every month, 3pm. Free. M&J Tavern Musicians Open Mic All Musicians
welcome to the downtown living room! Sign-ups start at 6pm. Set up and ready to go by 6:30pm. You bring instrument, your band and your friends. Goes until last call or last musician, which ever happens first. 21 and over. 6:30pm. Free.
McMenamins Father Luke’s Room
Potter & Quon at McMenamin’s Potter & Quon features songwriters Mike Potter on lap steel, mandolin and guitar, with Mark Quon on guitar. Potter & Quon play original songs in the classic “singer-songwriter” genre as well as a handful of their favorite covers. 7-10pm. FREE.
Midtown Ballroom Michael Franti Trio
- Heartstrings & Dynamite Michael Franti is a globally recognized musician, activist, and award-winning filmmaker celebrated for his high-energy live shows, inspiring music, worldwide philanthropic efforts, and unshakable optimism. Over his multi-decade career, Franti has earned three Billboard No. 1 hits. Guest: Wheeland Brothers (acoustic.) 8-11pm. $49.78.
Portello Lounge Tony Smiley “The Loop The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies play at Volcanic Theatre Pub, along with Los Mal Hablados and The Skylarkers on Thursday, Oct. 22.
The Cellar Live Irish Trad Music with The Ballybogs! Live music featuring Bend’s Irish Trad band, The Ballybogs! Every Thursday at The Cellar. Seats fill up, so get there early! 6-8pm. Free. The Commonwealth Pub The Helltones The Helltones are a Surf-Soul-Rock n Roll fivepiece based in Oakland, California. Founded in 2016 by frontman Darwin Siegaldoud, the band is an indiscriminate celebration of retro American music and culture, taking cues from garage rock, motown, surf and blues. Don’t want to miss this. 9-11pm. Free. Eastside Worthy Brewing Comedy Mics Treat yourself to free entertainment on select Thursday nights. Hear fresh jokes from established comedians, cheer on first timers and drink tasty brews. 7-9pm. Free. The Lot Brogan Brogan Woodburn is a versatile jazz guitarist based in Central Oregon who blends classic standards, original compositions and free-form improvisations into a vibrant, adventurous sound. Whether reimagining timeless melodies or venturing into uncharted sonic territory, his performances showcase a deep respect for tradition paired with a fearless creative spirit. 6-8pm. Free. Monkless Belgian Ales - The Abbey
Spooky Cult Classics: Trivia Night! Join us at The Abbey Taproom for a night of trivia featuring five spooky cult classics we can’t get enough of: Twilight, Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice. Teams of 2–4. Compete for a Monkless Gift Card! Seating is first come, first served. 6-8pm. Free.
River’s Place Big Treble Acoustic guitar,
Northside Bar & Grill Mellow Wednesday Open Mic Night Open mic night hosted by Derek Michael Marc! 5:30-8pm. Free.
slide guitar, fiddle, lots of three part harmonies and jamming to well known songs done in their unique style. 6-8pm. Free.
Silver Moon Brewing Ladies Night Comedy - Small Batch Comedy Festival These ladies are bringing the funny to Silver Moon! Hosted by 3-time winner of the CommunityVotes - Entertainer, Katy Ipock. Featuring: Laura B. Wright, Ella Terese, Tess Eddington, and Courtney Stevens. 7:30-9pm. $5.
Silver Moon Brewing Fresh 2 Fest Small Batch Comedy Festival 100% fresh faces to the 3rd edition of the Small Batch Comedy Festival! Hosted by Jamon Jamison. Featuring Cam Stone, Creach, Jeddy Machete, Brian Keister, Ella Terese, Tess Eddington, and Jason Leonardo. 7:30-9pm. $5.
22 Thursday
The Winery at Manzanita- Bend Vino & Vibes Enjoy an evening of wine and Local community grooves every Thursday. Local singers and song writers welcome. 5-7pm. Free.
The Belfry Glitterfox Glitterfox doesn’t chase the algorithm—they follow instinct, raw feeling, and an unmistakable community-driven energy. Moving past their scrappy origins as a traveling West Coast project, the Portland-based outfit has grown into a formidable indie-rock powerhouse. 7-11pm. $22.94.
Velvet Lounge Open Mic! Warm up those
vocal cords because this is an open mic night! Party goers will be able to grab a drink, cozy up, sit back and enjoy a local singer sing or sing themselves up on stage. Fourth Thursday of every month, 7-9pm. Free.
Volcanic Theatre Pub Volcanic Theatre Pub
& 1988 Entertainment present Cherry Poppin’ Daddies w/ Los Mal Hablados & The Skylarkers Cherry Poppin’ Daddies bring their signature blend of ska, swing, jazz and Americana to the Volcanic Theatre Pub. The Eugene band gained international recognition with their platinum-selling album Zoot Suit Riot, helping define the neoswing movement of the ’90s. 7-10pm. $30-$40.
23 Friday The Astro Lounge Live local sounds with
assorted DJs. Live local sounds from different artists every Friday and Saturday. 10pm-2am. Weekend cover charge.
The Belfry Glitterfox Glitterfox doesn’t chase the algorithm—they follow instinct, raw feeling, and an unmistakable community-driven energy. Moving past their scrappy origins as a traveling West Coast project, the Portland-based outfit has grown into a formidable indie-rock powerhouse. 7-11pm. $22.94. Bend Tea and Art Lounge Wickedly Wonderful High Tea Leave the ordinary behind and step into a wickedly wonderful night at TEAL. Come dressed in your Halloween best (glamorous, spooky, silly, mysterious, or completely over the top) and enjoy an evening designed for grown-ups to relax, connect, and celebrate. 4-5:30pm. $35. The Commonwealth Pub The Rumpeppers The Rumpeppers are a five-piece band from Bend that blend melodic rock, funk, and a psychedelic streak. Their sound brings together big guitar hooks, deep grooves, Latin-influenced percussion, and melodies that stick with you after the show. The Rumpeppers: melting faces, warming hearts. 8-10pm. Free. Craft Kitchen and Brewery Ball Pit Comedy - Small Batch Comedy Festival This format, developed right here in Bend, takes the idea of throwing tomatoes and turns it into something fun. Laugh and Lob with these line up of local (and local by association) comedians! Hosted by Katy Ipock. Featuring: Tanner Torkelson, Amanda Lynn Deal, Cam Stone, Ella Terese, Creach and Jason Leonardo. 8-9pm. $5. Desert Inn Sports Bar & Grill FREE LIVE
MUSIC: 454 @ The Desert Inn in Metolius 454 is back! A Central Oregon favorite for over 30 years, 454 brings its signature blend of classic rock, funk, rhythm and blues, and originals to the stage. With infectious energy, a unique sound, and loyal fans, 454 knows how to get the crowd moving and fill the dance floor! 6:30-9:30pm. Free.
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Ninja” @ Portello Lounge! Tony Smiley returns to Portello Lounge this Friday, and his infectious, high‑energy show couldn’t come at a better time. It’s been a stressful week in Bend, and Tony’s music has a way of lifting the room, bringing people together, and reminding us what community feels like. Reservations and walk-ins welcome! . Free for customers.
Silver Moon Brewing Chained to Stone As the weather cools down and the year starts winding down, come pack out Silver Moon with us for one more huge night of loud guitars, cold beer, and singalong 90’s anthems. If you’ve been meaning to catch a Chained to Stone show this year, this is one you won’t want to miss. 7-10pm. $17.59. Silver Moon Brewing The Warped Tour Band - The Official Tribute to Warped Tour The Official Tribute to Warped Tour, bringing the sound and spirit of the most iconic summer festival to life. Relive the anthems that defined a generation with hits from Blink‑182, Green Day, Papa Roach, Good Charlotte, NOFX, Goldfinger, Avril Lavigne, Linkin Park, Pierce The Veil, 3OH!3, and more. 7-10pm. $20.27. Volcanic Theatre Pub CYTRUS & MAMASBOY Parallel 44 Presents CYTRUS & MAMASBOY live at Volcanic Theatre in Bend, OR on Friday, October 23, 2026. Seattle’s own CYTRUS is a juicy one-of-a-kind psychedelic funk rock band with deep grooves, soaring solos, hooky riffs and euphoric vocals. MAMASBOY is pure inspiration and has fast become one of Bend’s 7pm. $20-30.
24 Saturday The Astro Lounge Live local sounds with
assorted DJs. Live local sounds from different artists every Friday and Saturday. 10pm-2am. Weekend cover charge.
Backporch Coffee Roasters - Greenwood Ave. Greenwood Concert Series:
Featherlow Husband-and-wife folk duo from Oregon. The Greenwood Concert Series brings Central Oregon musicians to Backporch Coffee Roasters’ Greenwood café every Saturday from 3-5pm. Free, all ages, no tickets needed. Coffee, beer, wine and mimosas available. 3-5pm. Free. No tickets needed.
The Belfry Abby Webster and her Imaginary Band Abby Webster is an American singer-songwriter and musician based out of Livingston, Montana. Her musical style uniquely weaves together alt-country, indie folk, bedroom pop, and honky-tonk. She is best known for her raw, introspective vocals—frequently compared to artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Sierra Ferrell—and lyrics that balance off-beat, whimsical humor with deeply honest, visceral storytelling 7-10pm. $22.94.
Add your event to our calendar at bendsource.com
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VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
M&J Tavern ALMOST Come out and dance to
The Commonwealth Pub Golden Shoals Golden Shoals is a Nashville-based fiddle and guitar duo with a “rousing old-time-style music that’s fueled by acerbic modern-day wit” (-No Depression Magazine). They are no strangers to traditional music, having placed in contests including Clifftop, Mount Airy, The Grand Masters Fiddlers Championship and Galax. Don’t miss them on tour! 7:30-9:30pm. Free.
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OCTOBER 24 OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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MAY 10
1 0 21 E Desperad D esperado Trail Ha Hall f M arat h on – 9am 1 0 K – 9:15am 5K – 9:30am
DO WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE!
Register Now at BendRaces.com
EVENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT
Bigfood Country
GoodLife Brewing Live Music in the GoodLife Beer Garden Free Live Music in GoodLife’s Beergarden every Sunday 4-6 and Tuesday 6-8. Full Kitchen, Full Bar, Food Trucks, Playground, Kids Menu, GOOD VIBES! 4-6pm. Free.
Bevel Craft Brewing Scary Movie Trivia Participants with knowledge of all things spooky will have a great time at this fright-filled trivia night featuring horror favorites old and new. Bevel Craft Brewing’s social media will include hints on what to study! Costumes are highly encouraged! Teams of six max are allowed, free to play and the event is family friendly. Bevel gift card prizes for the bravest brains in the room 6-8pm. Free. The Commonwealth Pub Sweetness In A Box Come rock out with Sweetness in a Box, a new project by Dan Larsson and Sean Rule of Superball, and Jordan Decker of Chained to Stone. This will rock your socks off. 8:30-10:30pm. 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. 9pm. Free.
Bigfoot Country hits the stage at The Commonwealth Pub on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The Commonwealth Pub Bigfoot County
Bigfoot County is a blues-rock and country band from Bend, Oregon, known for their soulful takes on classic tunes. Mixing the grit of the Allman Brothers with the swagger of Waylon Jennings, they bring high-energy covers and good-time vibes to every stage. 8-10pm. Free.
Craft Kitchen and Brewery Brunch
History - Small Batch Comedy Festival Mimosas and Mayhem when comedians retell history and the local improv team, Tugboat Improv Troupe, tries to act it out. Hosted by Jon Brown. Featuring: Tanner Torkelson, Amanda Lynn Deal, Jeddy Machete, Brian Keister, and Courtney Stevens. 11:30am-1pm. $10.
Craft Kitchen and Brewery The Away
Team - Small Batch Comedy Festival Festival Comedians come together for one last glorious night of laughs. Everyone is putting together there best 5 minutes and it will be recorded live! Celebrate and support your local comedy team as they get ready for 2027! Hosted by Laura B. Wright. Featuring: Brian Keister, Katy Ipock, Creach, Ella Terese, Tess Eddington, Cam Stone, Jason Leonardo, and Jeddy Machete. 8-9:30pm. $5.
Midtown Ballroom Back To The 90’s An event for all ages with a 90’s costume contest! All 90’s night with That 90’s Band, Chained To Stone, Young Guns, Hella Shy, & Music Flow. 6:3010:30pm. $21.96. Open Space Event Studios Duality Pres-
ents: UNDERSOUND Duality Events & NASH present Undersound: a new recurring series bringing forward-thinking dance music to Bend. Deep, driving grooves, stripped-back sound design, with a system built for it. Five selectors moving through House, Techno, and UK Garage. Headlining the night is GITANÃõS, a fixture of the Portland underground. 8pm. $10.
Portello Lounge Pina Colada - Yacht Rock @ Portello Lounge Pina Colada brings their signature Yacht Rock magic back to Portello Lounge this Saturday. Always fun and light‑hearted, their smooth‑sailing set has the whole crowd singing, swaying, and dancing along. It’s the kind of feel‑good energy we all need right now. Reservations and walk-ins welcome! 7-9pm. Free for customers.
Silver Moon Brewing Song of Sunset: Underground Song of Sunset: Underground is an immersive evening of independent film, live music, storytelling, and Pacific Northwest culture. This year’s production explores the idea of the “underground” through hidden histories, independent creative spaces, cultural traditions, and the artists and storytellers working to keep them alive. Rather than a traditional film screening or concert, Song of Sunset unfolds as a sequenced live experience, moving between original documentary films, live performances, and conversations presented by Oregon Film. 7-10pm. $25.08. Silver Moon Brewing Jay Webb, Caitlynne Curtis Pulling from a wide range of influences, he pairs the weight of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams with the edge of Juice WRLD and Post Malone. It’s not traditional country — and he doesn’t want it to be. He calls it “music for real people with real problems,” and his fans know exactly what that means. 8pm. $20.
25 Sunday The Domino Room Kottonmouth Kings 30th Anniversary Tour Blazing back from the underground, the Kottonmouth Kings return with a renewed mission: to honor the fallen, raise the living, and reclaim the krown. Now led by original founder Dustin “D-Loc” Miller, KMK blends raw hip-hop, punk energy, and outlaw spirit into a movement that’s louder than ever. 7-10:30pm. $35.87.
On Tap Locals’ Day Plus Live Music Cheaper
drinks all day and live music at night, get down to On Tap. 11am-9pm. Free.
Volcanic Theatre Pub Blitzkid Genre - Horror Punk / Gothic Rock. Doors @ 7PM - Show Starts @ 8PM. Presale - $20 Door - $30. 8pm. $26.77.
27 Tuesday
Volcanic Theatre Pub Karaoke in the pub of VTP! Every Tuesday, 8pm on the main stage. $3 off all drinks. Costume and singing on theme highly encouraged. Themes: Oct. 13, Pop Divas & Rock Legends; Oct. 20, Disney & Musical Characters; and Oct. 27, Tim Curry & Dolly Parton Mashup. 7pm. Free.
28 Wednesday The Commonwealth Pub Musicians Open Showcase Calling all musicians! Join us for a special opportunity to share your talent, connect with other artists, and perform in a welcoming and collaborative, music-loving atmosphere hosted by The Session. Signups at 5, music starts at 6. 5pm. Free. The Coyote Partner & Line Dance Lessons at The Coyote Join us for fun dance lessons on Wednesdays at The Coyote in downtown Bend! Partner dance lessons from 6–7pm with Seth and McKenna. Learn two fun dances in one hour. Come solo and connect in a welcoming atmosphere. Enjoy great energy, a spacious dance floor, food, drinks, mocktails, pool tables and TVs. 6-8pm. 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. 7:30-9pm. Free. M&J Tavern Musicians Open Mic All Musicians
welcome to the downtown living room! Sign-ups start at 6pm. Set up and ready to go by 6:30pm. You bring instrument, your band and your friends. Goes until last call or last musician, which ever happens first. 21 and over. 6:30pm. Free.
The Cellar Open Mic Open Mic is hosted by Mari
Northside Bar & Grill Mellow Wednesday Open Mic Night Open mic night hosted by Derek Michael Marc! 5:30-8pm. Free.
The Commons Cafe & Taproom Open Mic
Silver Moon Brewing Holy Pinto & guests “Sweetly jangling, good-natured Britpop - dispensed with abundant charm and grace, his songs feel warm and lived-in.” - Stephen Thompson, NPR. From 7-10pm. $14.92.
of the band, Mari & The Dream! This is an intimate night of sharing music in a welcoming environment and supportive community. 6-8pm. Free. 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.
The Commonwealth Pub Chewtoy - Tues-
day Night Jazz Expect the unexpected! Chewtoy is a six-piece group led by composer Carl Royce, a recent transplant to the Bend music scene from the city of Los Angeles. Onstage, Chewtoy delivers a polished mix of Worldbeat, Post-rock and melodic Jazz fusion. You will be in for a sonic treat. 7-9pm. Free.
Elements Public House Trivia Tuesdays
at Elements Public House Live trivia quiz show presented by genuine Useless Knowledge Bowl Trivia. Play for free, play for fun, win gift card prizes. Take a break and get your think on this week! Good vibes are encouraged and always welcome! 6:30-8:30pm. Free.
GoodLife Brewing Live Music in the GoodLife Beer Garden Free Live Music in GoodLife’s Beergarden every Sunday 4-6 and Tuesday 6-8. Full Kitchen, Full Bar, Food Trucks, Playground, Kids Menu, GOOD VIBES! 6-8pm. Free.
MUSIC
Archaeology of Early Persistant Places in Central Oregon Discover the ancient
history of Central Oregon during a special lecture with Anne Dowd, U.S. Forest Service archaeologist about the archaeology of the Ochoco Mountains. Dowd will share recent archaeological discoveries from the Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland. Oct. 28, 6pm. A. R. Bowman Museum, 246 N Main St, Prineville. Contact: 541-447-3715. Free.
Central Oregon Symphony Fall Concert Series with Violin Soloist John Fawcett The Central Oregon Symphony opens Jonathan Moore’s inaugural season as Music Director with Bend native violinist John Fawcett performing Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. The program also features Bernstein’s sparkling Overture to Candide and Beethoven’s beloved “Pastoral” Symphony, evoking birdsong, flowing streams, a thunderstorm, and a joyful celebration of nature. Oct. 24, 2-4 and 7:30-9:30pm and Oct. 25, 2-4pm. Mountain View High School Auditorium, 2755 NE 27th St., Bend. Contact: 5413173941. info@ cosymphony.com. Free with membership.
25 VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
26 Monday
CALENDAR
CALENDAR Shock Rock: How Creepy Media Influenced Rock Music Experience how
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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creepy culture, horror films, and Halloween influenced rock music. Join David Miller (musician, broadcaster, musicologist) for a tour through the birth, history and stories of rockers who incorporate horror, fear and dark subjects into the music they create. A perfect spooky season activity! Oct. 23, 4:30-5:30pm. Redmond Public Library, 827 SW Deschutes Ave., Redmond. Contact: 5412413395. emilyc@deschuteslibrary.org. Free.
Stella Heath: The Billie Holiday Project
Stella Heath has many stories to tell. Since emerging on the Bay Area jazz scene in 2014, she’s become one of the busiest and most consistently captivating vocalists in the region. Oct. 25, 7:30pm. Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend. Contact: 541-317-0700. info@towertheatre.org. $17-$37 (plus $8 Historic Preservation Fee).
TAIKOPROJECT TAIKOPROJECT was founded in 2000 in Los Angeles, California by a group of young, emerging taiko drummers, seeking to define a modern American style of taiko. The group maintains powerful traditional taiko songs and styles while also composing new music and choreography that pushes the boundaries of taiko artistry. Oct. 21, 7:30pm. Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend. Contact: 541-317-0700. info@towertheatre.org. $37-$57 (plus $8 Historic Preservation Fee).
DANCE
Cuban Dance Classes! Learn to dance with us! Rueda de Casino is an energetic, community-oriented dance from Cuba where dancers form a circle, switch partners and move together to the music. No partner or experience needed! Price includes a four-week progressive series, plus additional socials announced in class. Mondays, 6-7:30pm. Through Oct. 26. Upp Liquids, 550 SW Industrial way, Bend. Contact: 5416108865. bendrueda@gmail.com. $40. Bachata Dance Classes Are Here! Join
Latin Dance Bend every Tuesday in October for Bachata! Whether you’re brand new or ready to build on your skills, come learn, dance, and connect with our Latin dance community. ✨ Beginner Level 7:30–8:30 PM, Intermediate Level 8:45–9:45 PM. All classes are drop-in. Tuesdays, 7:30-8:30pm. Through Oct. 27. Foundation Health & Fitness, 1105 SE Centennial St., Bend. Contact: 5413256676. latindancebend@gmail.com. $15.
FILM EVENTS
SUPER MISTO - A Big Mountain Metal Moview SUPER MISTO is a snowboard movie set in the unpredictable springtime conditions of the Pacific Northwest volcanoes. It blends the raw energy of skateboard filmmaking and editing with alpine riding and mountaineering, creating a fun and scrappy approach to backcountry snowboarding. Oct. 23, 6pm. Wandering Ranchero, 643 NW Colorado Ave, Bend. Contact: 2314200552. marissakrawczak@gmail.com. Free.
ETC.
It’s A 2000’s (Halloween) Party: Bend Experience a nostalgic blast from the past
at “It’s A 2000s Halloween Party”. This electrifying event celebrates the iconic 2000s and 2010s eras, featuring the decade’s biggest hits across pop, hip-hop and rock genres. Embrace the Y2K fashion and culture as you dance the night away to tunes from Britney Spears, Eminem and more. Ages 18 and older. Oct. 23, 9pm. Midtown Ballroom, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $21.56-$38.53.
ScareGrounds Haunted Attractions
The ScareGrounds returns to Redmond with two terrifying haunted attractions in one location. Step into Juniper Hollow, where a mysterious traveling circus left an entire town changed forever, or brave The Asylum for the Crazy and Criminally Insane. With immersive sets, live scares, special effects and timed ticketing Fridays-Saturdays, 7-9pm. Through Oct. 31. The Scaregrounds, 120 SE Glacier Ave., Redmond. Contact: 541-5484755. info@scaremegood.com. $25 to $40.
EVENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT
Witches Tea Join us for an enchanting Witches Tea. An evening of tea, intuition, ritual and a little Halloween magic! Oct. 24, 7-9pm. Bend Tea and Art Lounge, 1024 NW Bond St, Suite 101, Bend. Contact: 541-668-6708. info@ bendteal.com. $45.
6th Annual Bend Witches Paddle
Calling all witches, warlocks and ghouls! Put in at Riverbend Park and paddle down through the Old Mill District, waving to the spectators lining the banks. Many participants bring along their doggies, too. Paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and tubes welcome, as are warlocks and ghouls! Donations of diapers and wipes will be collected for families served by MountainStar. Oct. 31, 3pm at Riverbend Park, 799 SW Columbia St. Free.
Forest Bathing Join the Deschutes Land
Trust for a guided forest bathing experience at the Metolius Preserve. We will begin with a short grounding exercise to help you arrive and tune into your senses, followed by guided invitations that encourage slowing down and noticing the world around you. Registration is required. Oct. 25, 1-4pm. Metolius Preserve, near Camp Sherman, Sisters. Contact: 541-330-0017. event@ deschuteslandtrust.org. Free.
Oregon State Disc Golf Championships The Oregon State Disc Golf Championships, presented by Resistance Discs, will take place at River’s Edge Golf Course. See the top professionals from throughout the state take on the NW Bend course. Oct. 24-25. River’s Edge Golf Course, 400 NW Pro Shop Dr., Bend.
The Roller Rumble The Roller Rumble
returns to Worthy as Fiercely Local brings it back. Come dance, drink and if you choose... race. $10 gets you as many races as you can fit in. Races are fast, head-to-head sprints lasting about 2040 seconds. It’s high RPM and a little ridiculous. Oct. 22, 7-9pm. Worthy Brewing - Main Pub and Brewery, 495 NE Bellevue Dr., Bend. Free.
GROUPS + MEETUPS
I Had No Idea, Part 2 Take a step past the
media and connect with community leaders directly at Civics Lab: I Had No Idea, Part 2. Meet candidates in small group conversations, then hear a moderated panel focused on relationships and accountability. Oct. 22, 5:30-7:30pm. Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend. Contact: 458-202-9692. embracebend@gmail.com.
FOOD + DRINK
Free Fall Harvest Wine Tasting Come for a free tasting of more than 30 different wines from three of our local distributors. Introduce yourself to new favorites and stock up for the upcoming holidays. Discounts offered on purchase of showcased wines. No reservations required. Just drop in and bring a friend! Oct. 22, 4:307pm. Viaggio Wine Merchant, 210 SW Century Dr., Bend. Pint Night Drink for a cause! A portion of every pint sold with benefit our beloved local community radio KPOV. Oct. 28, 6-8pm. River's Place, 787 NE Purcell Blvd., Bend.
Pixabay-jackmac34
Champagne Bubble Bar Weekend
Our monthly weekend-long celebration of the finer things in life! Enjoy a curated flight of three gorgeous Champagnes along with additional by-the-glass bubbles and a European-style food menu. Come cozy up on our couch, maybe pick out a game to play with friends and treat yourself to a little luxury! Oct. 23-24, 12-9pm, Oct. 25 2-9pm. Viaggio Wine Merchant, 210 SW Century Dr., Bend.
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FUNDRAISING
The Transplant Comedy Show: COTA Fundraiser Join host Cole Robeson for The
Transplant Comedy Show, an evening of live stand-up, local prize giveaways, and community connection benefiting COTA in honor of baby Cameron Michael. Enjoy great local comedy while supporting Cameron’s journey toward a life-saving heart transplant! Oct. 24, 7-9pm. The Capitol, 190 NW Oregon Ave., Bend. $20.
HEALTH + WELLNESS
Check out the Champagne Bubble Bar event Oct. 23-25 at Viaggio Wine Merchant in Bend.
Full Moon Sound Bath: A Journey Within - Shriman Join Shriman for a peace-
A Place Within A Place Within is a gentle weekly practice for slowing down, turning inward and meeting the week from a more grounded place. Through breathwork, meditation and guided imagery, we’ll create space to notice what’s here, reconnect with ourselves and spend a little time simply being. Mondays, 10:30-11:30am. Through Nov. 2. Pine and Prism Wellness Collective, 856 NW Bond St., #Suite 202, Bend. Contact: 949-274-2731. jane@thewowphase. com. $5-$20. Body & Being Meditation Circle Come
settle in community with a weave of somatic practices for grounding, calming and coming home to yourself. Oct. 27, 6:15-7:30pm. Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini St., Bend. Free.
Family Yoga Registration required. Bring the
whole family for a playful yoga class designed for all ages and abilities! Through fun movement, partner poses, breathing activities and mindfulness, families will connect and create memories together. No yoga experience is needed. Just come ready to play, explore and have fun together. Wednesday, Oct. 21, 6-7pm.Redmond Library, 827 Southwest Deschutes Ave., Redmond. Free.
Full Moon Candlelit Sound Bath Join in
this October for a Candle-lit Full Moon Sound Bath at Namaspa. A symphony of singing bowls will blend intentional sound, soft candlelight, and the natural energy of the full moon’s cycle to create a peaceful, grounding atmosphere. Doors open 7pm, event starts 7:15pm. Oct. 23, 7-8:30pm. Namaspa Yoga Studio, 1135 NW Galveston Ave., Bend. Contact: 5419052949. info@ stepintostillness.org. $35.
Full Moon Sound Bath: The Alchemical Chamber As darker and quieter days return,
join for an immersive Full Moon Sound Journey woven through guided inquiry, intentional breath, gentle movement, alchemy crystal singing bowls, gong, hand pan, chimes, synthesizer, layered loops and ambient textures. Enter the alchemical chamber, where mystery becomes a living force of creation. Oct. 25, 7-8:15pm. Bend Yoga Center, 1230 NE 3rd Street, Suite A230, Bend. Contact: yoga@bendyoga.center. $25.
FEATURED EVENTS
ful evening of sound vibrations, yogic techniques and a deep relaxation designed to support overall wellbeing. Oct. 23, 7-830pm. Yoga Shala Bend, 806 NW Brooks St., Ste. 200. $45.
NAMI Central Oregon Bend In-Person Adult Mental Health Peer Support Group NAMI’s Peer Connection Support Group
is a free, peer-led support group for adults living with mental health challenges. Attendees will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others, and the groups are led by NAMI-trained facilitators who’ve been there. Fourth and Second Sunday of every month, 3-4:30pm. NAMI Bend In-Person Peer Support Group, 62030 Dean Swift Rd, Bend. Contact: 541-316-0888. organize@namicentraloregon.org. Free.
NAMI Family Support Group Gain hope and develop supportive relationships. This group allows one’s voice to be heard and provides an opportunity for personal needs to be met. It encourages empathy, productive discussion and a sense of community. Second and Fourth Wednesday of every month, 5:30-6:30pm. First Presbyterian Church, 230 NE Ninth St., Bend. Contact: info@namicentraloregon.org. Free. NAMI Mental Health Peer Support Group: La Pine NAMI’s Peer Connection
Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for adults living with mental health challenges. You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others, and the groups are led by NAMI-trained facilitators who’ve been there. 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of each month. 3pm. La Pine Senior Activity Center, 16450 Victory Way, La Pine. Free.
Reiki Yin Unwind in this deeply restorative 90-minute Yin Yoga class combining long-held poses, Reiki energy healing, hands-on healing, and craniosacral techniques. Release tension, calm your nervous system, and restore balance. Close with an extended savasana and guided chakra-cleansing meditation for deep relaxation and renewal. Sliding scale options - email us: yoga@bendyoga.center Sun, Oct. 25, 2-3:30pm, Sun, Nov. 22, 2-3:30pm and Sun, Dec. 13, 2-3:30pm. Bend Yoga Center, 1230 NE 3rd Street, Suite A230, Bend. Contact: yoga@bendyoga. center. $35.
Return to Resonance Through breath,
mindful movement, Reiki and moments of stillness, we’ll create space for what feels stuck to soften and what feels quiet within you to stir back to life. From yoga, qigong and nervous-system regulation, this practice invites you to reconnect with your body, energy and wisdom already within. Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30pm. Pine & Prism Wellness Collective, 856 NW Bond St., Suite 202, Bend. Contact: hello@pineandprism.com. $5-$20.
Rise in Rhythm Begin the morning with
slow-flow yoga to wake up the body and ease into the day, accompanied by short meditative sound bath. Rise in Rhythm offers a softer start to the day, one rooted in steadiness, presence and care. Thursdays, 7:30-8:30am. Pine & Prism Wellness Collective, 856 NW Bond St., Suite 202, Bend. Contact: hello@pineandprism.com. $5-$20.
Root & Receive Slow down, settle in and
reconnect through a nourishing blend of restorative and yin yoga, Reiki and guided energy work. Through supported, long-held postures, we’ll create space for the body to soften and settle. Reiki and gentle craniosacral-inspired touch will be offered throughout the practice. Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30pm. Pine & Prism Wellness Collective, 856 NW Bond St., Suite 202, Bend. Contact: hello@pineandprism.com. $5-$20.
Rooted in Refuge Blending somatic
movement, supported yin postures, embodied meditation and quiet moments of rest, we’ll move slowly, notice deeply and reconnect with ourselves from the inside out. Expect subtle, intentional movement that supports nervous system regulation, mobility and a deeper sense of ease. Thursdays, 4:30-5:30pm. Pine & Prism Wellness Collective, 856 NW Bond St., Suite 202, Bend. Contact: hello@pineandprism.com. $5-$20.
Trauma Healing Group Current difficult events have the capacity to remind us of our personal trauma that still needs healing. Are you needing held community space to acknowledge and tend all feelings and parts of you? This healing group offers space to tend your nervous system, while working with intention, guides and angels. Fridays through Feb. 28. Registration required. True Center Therapy, 2669 NE Twin Knolls Dr., Ste. 103, Bend. Contact: 541-205-9235. jess@truecentertherapy.org. Sliding scale.
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THE WARPED BAND: THE
SONG OF SUNSET: UNDERGROUND
HOLY PINTO & GUESTS
The Belfry
Silver Moon Brewing
Silver Moon Brewing
Silver Moon Brewing
THURSDAY OCT 22 @ 7:00pm
FRIDAY OCT 23 @ 7:00pm
SATURDAY OCT 24 @ 7:00pm
WEDNESDAY OCT 28 @ 7:00pm
GLITTERFOX THURSDAY SHOW
OFFICIAL TRIBUTE TO WARPED TOUR
VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
OUTDOOR EVENTS
CALENDAR
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM 28
EVENTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT
FAMILY + KIDS
CALENDAR Bend TEAL
Creepy Creatures with Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory This program
is open to all ages, but best suited for 5 and up. Children 10 and younger must be accompanied by a caregiver. Kick off October learning about bats, owls, toads, bugs and more with the Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory. Wed., Oct. 21, 2-3pm. SNCO, 56855 Venture Lane, Sunriver. Free.
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found. Begin with a treasure map at Herringbone Books, then explore Downtown Redmond and visit businesses to meet local authors and illustrators, enjoy activities and collect stamps. Enjoy the adventure! Oct. 24, 10am-1pm. Herringbone Bookstore, 422 SW 6th Street, Redmond. Contact: 541-526-1491. herringbonebooksevents@ gmail.com. Free.
Dia de Muertos Community Craft Nights at the OAC Join us for Community
Craft Nights as we prepare for Día de Muertos together. Each Thursday, we’ll create meaningful decorations and offerings, from altar kits and paper flowers to masks, flower crowns and Catrina face painting. No experience needed, just creativity. All ages and families are welcome. Kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Thursdays, 4-7pm. The Open Arts Center, 999 NE 2nd St, Bend, OR 97701, Bend. Free.
Nature Kids: Batty for Bats! Join the Deschutes Land Trust and Karen Walsh for Nature Kids! Get outside and explore the nature of Central Oregon on guided family nature walks just for kids ages 5-10. Registration is helpful, but not required. Registrants will receive important event details and directions leading up to the outing. Saturday, Oct. 24. 10:30 am. Metolius Preserve, near Camp Sherman. Free. Family Compass The Family Compass is
the conversation most couples mean to have someday but never do — what do we actually stand for as a family? You leave with clarity on your family's values and a tangible art piece to represent your chosen values. Saturday, Oct. 24. 6-8pm, Bend Tea and Art Lounge, 1024 NW Bond St, Suite 101, Bend. $150.
Family-Friendly Karaoke Night If
you're looking for fun on Saturday night, come out to Bridge 99 for karaoke with A Fine Note Karaoke Too! It's a great night out for the whole family. Adults, children and even good dogs are welcome. It's the show where you're the star! Saturdays, 6-9pm. Bridge 99 Brewery, 63063 Layton Ave., Bend. Free.
Kids can make a custom Day of the Dead mask on Oct. 26 at Bend Tea and Art Lounge. Courtesy Bend TEAL.
Build-A-Boo-ble Tea A hands-on Hal-
loween bubble tea workshop. Brew your spooky base, build it with tapioca pearls, shake it like a skeleton and then sip your creation. Pick your potion: Blood of Hibiscus & Orange, Ghastly Vanilla Black Tea or Rooibos or Screaming Holy Basil & Dragonfruit. Tue., Oct. 27, 6:45-7:30pm. Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend. $45.
Kids Halloween Adventure Kids Halloween Adventure is full of fun with activities, crafts, pumpkin painting, kid's karaoke and dance, a few vendors, costume parade and more! Parental supervision required, kid tix only! Sat., Oct. 31, 11am-4pm. Open Space Event Studios, 220 NE Lafayette Ave, Bend. $5 at the door. Kids Art Night Out Give your kids a night of
creativity, fun, and making while you enjoy a little time to yourself! Friday Night Kids Art Night is a special evening designed for children ages 5–12 to explore their creativity through a fun, handson art project. Every other Friday, 5:30-7pm. Continues through Dec. 19. Bend Tea and Art Lounge, 1024 NW Bond St, Suite 101, Bend. $40.
A Raven of the Rainforest Rosanne Parry,
winner of the Oregon Spirit Book Award for "A Horse Named Sky," is coming to Roundabout Books to talk about her new book, "A Raven of the Rainforest." This event is free but please register so we can plan for accurate seating. Wed., Oct. 21, 6:30-7:30pm. Roundabout Bookes, 900 NW Mount Washington Dr., #110, Bend. Free.
Kids Line Dance Lessons Free line-dance lessons for kids every Wednesday, 5–6pm at The Coyote, taught by Alex Reininger. Recommended ages 4–12. Kids stay active while parents enjoy food, drinks or mocktails, pool tables, TVs and full bar seating. Spacious dance floor and family-friendly fun in downtown Bend. Wednesdays, 5-6pm. The Coyote, 910 NW Harriman St., Bend. Free.
Kids and Teens: Handmade Dog and Cat Bowls We will build dog and/or cat bowls,
decorate them, and after firing, you'll pick up your handmade, food safe dog or cat bowl. Dishwasher safe and ready for your pet to love. No experience necessary. Sat., Oct. 24, 10am-12pm. Bend Tea and Art Lounge, 1024 NW Bond St, Suite 101, Bend. $75.
Kids: Day of the Dead Masks Make a vibrant papier-mâché mask while learning the history of the Mexican celebration, Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). Mon., Oct. 26, 4-5pm. Bend Tea and Art Lounge, 1024 NW Bond St, Suite 101, Bend. $30. Toddler Story Time Join us for stories and
a fun simple craft. Geared towards children 5 and younger but older kids are always welcome. Every other Tuesday, 10-10:45am. Continues through Dec. 22. Big Story Movies and Books, 228 NE Greenwood Ave, Bend. Free.
Halloween Hangout - Kids Event
Come hang out during this special Halloween Kids Open Play for ages 13 and under. We'll be leading fun games like “Zombie Tag”! Kids come in your craziest costume for our costume contest, plus we'll have a spooky photo backdrop, fun Halloween music and a raffle with some awesome prizes! Fri., Oct. 30, 12:30-2pm and 2-3:30pm. Free Spirit Yoga + Ninja + Play, 320 SW Powerhouse Drive, Suite 150, Bend. $28.
Halloween Hangout - Toddler Event
Come celebrate Halloween with a spook-tacular Toddler Open Play! Dress up your little one for our adorable costume contest and enjoy festive music, a spooky photo backdrop and our giant pumpkin weight-guessing raffle. Plus, everyone’s favorite pup, Bluey, will be here for smiles, high-fives and photos! Fri., Oct. 30, 9-10:30am and 10:30am-12pm. Free Spirit Yoga + Ninja + Play, 320 SW Powerhouse Drive, Suite 150, Bend. $28.
Kid's Music Performance with Matthew Gwinup This event is intended for ages
3-8 years old. All children must be accompanied by a caregiver. Matthew Gwinup brings his lively kids music show to the Deschutes Library for a fun-filled experience the whole family can enjoy. With upbeat songs, playful humor, and plenty of chances to sing along. Fri., Nov. 6, 11-11:45am. Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend. Free.
VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
Treasure Hunt Adventure Mini author events. Downtown adventures. Treasure to be
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM 30
C
CHOW A Little Comfort, Shared Around the Table By Donna Britt
C
omfort food is a real thing. Look at any culture, anywhere in the world, and it won’t take long to find stories about food and the ways gathering around a table builds community. Sharing a meal can offer comfort in hard times, in moments of stress and in the face of loss. Our community is experiencing unimaginable loss right now. From the moment I heard the news about what happened at Silver Rail Elementary, I found myself asking, “What can I do? How can I help?” Whenever I’m at a loss, I head to the kitchen. Perhaps it’s my Southern upbringing that draws me there. From a young age, I learned that food was what you brought when someone was sick or when a family had lost a loved one. You showed up with chicken soup, a casserole or a cake. It was a simple, tangible way to say, “I’m here. I care. You don’t have to do this alone.” The kitchen is still where I find comfort and a sense of grounding. The simple motions of chopping vegetables, kneading bread and stirring a pot of soup have a way of calming me. Sharing whatever I’ve cooked or baked with others brings an even deeper sense of connection. I’m cooking a lot right now. I wish I could invite every single one of you over for dinner. Since I can’t, I’m sharing this humble recipe in the hope that you might make it for someone who could use a little comfort. A neighbor. A friend. A family connected to Silver Rail. Or perhaps just yourself, if that’s what you need right now. Food cannot take away grief or make sense of a senseless tragedy. But sometimes a warm bowl of soup, a meal delivered to a doorstep or an invitation to sit together can remind us that we are not alone. Sometimes, caring for one another begins with something as simple as a shared meal.
Photos courtesy of Donna Britt
Roasted Squash and Potato Soup This simple, comforting soup is a lovely way to use fall squash. It’s creamy, gently seasoned with nutmeg and easy to adapt to what you have on hand. Make a pot for yourself, or double the recipe and share some with someone else. Serves 4 to 6 Ingredients • 1 acorn squash (butternut or another hard winter squash works, too) • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted • 1 onion, thinly sliced • 2 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg • 2½ cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water • 1 cup milk, cream or half-and-half Instructions • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. • Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the halves cut-side down on a baking sheet and add a little water, about ¼ cup or less. Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, usually 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size and variety of squash. Set aside to cool until easy to handle. • Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over low to medium-low heat. Add the onion, along with a generous pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Sauté until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. • Add the sliced potatoes and cook with the onions until potatoes are softened. • Add broth or water. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook until the vegetables are completely tender. • Scoop the cooked squash from its skin and add the flesh to the pot. Stir in the nutmeg and simmer for a few more minutes, allowing the flavors to mingle. • Remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender. Alternatively, carefully transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender, following the blender manufacturer’s instructions for hot liquids. • Return the soup to the pot, stir in the milk, cream or half and half, and warm gently over low heat. Avoid boiling. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. • Ladle into bowls and finish with a little swirl of olive oil, if desired.
By Donna Britt
Local businesses contribute
B
end is a tremendously generous community. In the wake of this tragedy, local food businesses and gathering places have been finding ways to help, whether by offering meals, raising money or simply making room for people to come together. The following are just a couple of examples of that generosity. Viaggio Wine Merchant is donating a percentage of proceeds this week to the Silver Rail Elementary PTO, which is supporting the school community. Check with Viaggio for details about its events. The Hook & Plow is offering free kids’ meals at its Westside Yard location through Oct. 31 to help ease the burden on local families. These gestures, like a pot of soup shared with a neighbor, may seem small in the face of such enormous loss. But they are reminders that care can take many forms, and that we don’t have to wait until we know exactly what to say or do before reaching out. If you have the capacity, make a little extra soup. Drop off a meal. Check on a neighbor. Support a local business that’s giving back. Or simply sit with someone who needs company. We cannot undo what has happened. But we can keep showing up for one another, one small act of kindness at a time.
BITE OF THE WEEK: BBQ SHRIMP Out and about with food writer Donna Britt
Donna Britt BBQ Shrimp appetizer at Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails. I get this take on shrimp & grits every single time I go to Zydeco and it never disappoints. BBQ shrimp on top of a southern grit cake. The sauce is perfect, creamy, slightly spicy and there's plenty of it. If you run out of grit cake, the sauce is also good sopped up with a side of Village Baker bread because trust me, you'll not want to leave a drip of this sauce on your plate!
31 VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
In times of unimaginable loss, food can be one small way we care for one another
LITTLE BITES A community that shows up
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CULTURE HALLOWEEN ROUNDUP! Frights and delights for folks of all ages Curated by Dallas Finn Calvert
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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GHOSTS & LEGENDS OF DOWNTOWN BEND
Do you dare join us this spooky season and meet downtown Bend's many ghosts? Bend Ghost Tours features historically accurate, spine-chilling ghost tours presented by bestselling Bend authors. It's the perfect way to celebrate the spookiest time of the year! Tickets are nearly sold out for the season, so get tickets soon so you don’t miss out. Wednesdays through Sunday from 7:30-9:30pm at Mirror Pond Plaza, 875 NW Brooks St., Bend. Tickets required. $30 adults, $25 children under 12.
SHOCK ROCK: HOW CREEPY MEDIA INFLUENCED ROCK MUSIC
PUMPKIN CARVING AT HARMONY FARM SANCTUARY
Celebrate on a fun, fall, family-friendly afternoon with the rescued residents of Harmony Farm Sanctuary! Advanced tickets required. Your ticket includes a small pumpkin, all carving supplies, refreshments and treats, and a visit with the animals. Saturday, Oct. 24 from Noon-2pm at Harmony Farm Sanctuary, 18095 Cascades Estates Dr., Bend (located between Bend and Sisters). More info: 248-860-3646. $15.90$26.50. Unsplash- Lukasz Nieścioruk
RED CARPET CAR WASH’S 55TH ANNIVERSARY TRUNK-OR-TREAT
THRILLER WORKSHOP
Want to learn the iconic dance from Michael Jackson’s Thriller video? Now’s your chance! Liv Mills, owner and instructor at Studio 61ST, will break down the dance and run it in a small group. Dressing up in your favorite Thriller look is encouraged. Noon-1:30pm on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Studio 61st, 550 SW Industrial Way, Ste. 154, Bend. $25.
IT’S A 2000’S HALLOWEEN PARTY
TEAM HYUNDAI BEND’S SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN BASH
Experience a nostalgic blast from the past at this electrifying event celebrating the iconic 2000s and 2010s eras, which featured the decade's biggest hits across pop, hip-hop and rock genres. Embrace the Y2K fashion and culture as you dance the night away to tunes from Britney Spears, Eminem and more. Ages 18 and older. 9pm on Friday, Oct. 23 at Midtown Ballroom, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $21.56-$38.53.
Team Hyundai Bend is hosting a free Halloween Family Fun Night! Bring the whole family for candy, obstacle courses, indoor games and plenty of spooky fun! Costumes encouraged! Saturday, Oct. 31 from 4-8pm at Team Hyundai of Bend, 2250 NE Highway 20, Bend. Free.
TRUNKS, TREATS AND TAILS
LIGHT UP HALLOWEEN
6TH ANNUAL BEND WITCHES PADDLE
THE HASBENS’ 6TH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN SHOW
Calling all witches, warlocks and ghouls! Put in at Riverbend Park and paddle down through the Old Mill District, waving to the spectators lining the banks. Many participants bring along their doggies, too. Paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and tubes welcome, as are warlocks and ghouls! Donations of diapers and wipes will be collected for families served by MountainStar. 3pm, Saturday, Oct. 31 at Riverbend Park, 799 SW Columbia St. Free.
Trick-or-treat from car to car, play carnival games, enjoy hot cider, find all the scavenger-hunt items and more. This event is family-friendly fun for all ages! 3-4:30pm on Saturday, Oct. 31 at First Presbyterian Bend, 230 NE 9th St., Bend. Free.
Family-friendly fun is on the menu as Red Carpet Car Wash celebrates 55 years serving Bend with a Trunk-Or-Treat Party. There’ll be decorated trunks, Halloween treats, face painting, Halloween activities, a family photo area and more. Don’t forget to wear a costume! 4-6pm on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Red Carpet South, 235 SE 3rd St., Bend. Free.
Interested in how creepy culture, horror films and Halloween have influenced rock music. David Miller, a musician, broadcaster and musicologist, takes participants on a tour through the birth, history and stories of rockers who incorporate horror, fear and dark subjects into the music they create, from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to Alice Cooper, and Marilyn Manson to Slipknot. Explore what draws us to rock out on the dark side. Friday, Oct. 23 from 4:30-5:30pm at Redmond Public Library, 827 SW Deschutes Ave., Redmond. Free.
An afternoon of trunk-or-treating and festive music are on tap at this event, put on by the Veterinary Referral Center of Central Oregon and Vet Cadets Childcare. Families will enjoy the safe, exciting trunkor-treat event as kids go from vehicle to vehicle and explore fun, decorated trunks from VRCCO employees and local businesses. 3:30-5:30pm on Saturday, Oct. 24 at VRCCO, 62889 NE Oxford Ct., Bend. Free.
TRUNK OR TREAT AND HALLOWEEN SCAVENGER HUNT
Enjoy a family-friendly evening of Trunk or Treat, pizza, cotton candy, free popcorn and hot chocolate, bounce houses, games, a photo booth, live reggae music, prize raffles and more. Invite friends and neighbors for a fun night celebrating together! Sunday, Oct. 25 from 5-7pm at Bend Church of the Nazarene, 1270 NE 27th St., Bend. Free.
The Hasbens are bringing their 6th Annual Halloween show to the Domino Room, joined by local support ROMZ! This year’s show has a theme of “Primal Animals,” and The Hasbens will mix up a monster mash of songs by Primus, the album "Animals" by Pink Floyd, more animal-themed jams and their own original music. Wear a costume! 7pm-Midnight at The Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. Advance tickets are $15, and tickets at the door are $25.
MCMENAMINS HALLOWEEN PARTY
It’s all treat, no tricks at the McMenamin’s Halloween Party. Enjoy an evening of music in both the Theater and Father Luke's Room! Dance the Monster Mash between the two shows while sipping on Halloween-inspired cocktails. Don't forget to dress in your Halloween best for the costume contest. 9-11:30pm on Saturday, Oct. 31 at McMenamins Old St. Francis School. 700 NW Bond St., Bend. $25 advance tickets, $30 at the door.
2ND ANNUAL HALLOWEEN BASH BENEFITTING BEND RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE
Hardtails Outlaw Country Dive Bar & Grill is hosting its second-annual Halloween Bash, benefitting Bend’s Ronald McDonald House. There’ll be a costume contest, silent auction, a DJ spinning great tunes, and good food and drinks. 8pm-1am on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Hardtails Outlaw Country Dive Bar & Grill, 175 N. Larch St., Sisters. $10. All proceeds of cover charge will be donated to RMH.
SC
Magic SCREEN Handmade The lessons of Laika and "Wildwood," plus six picks for comfort movies to watch with the kids
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By Jared Rasic Laika
Six Comfort Movies to Watch with Kids: “Inside Out” An invaluable film for helping kids express emotions they previously didn’t have a vocabulary for. “Paddington 2” The ultimate comfort movie where a polite and clumsy bear goes on lighthearted adventures while bodying marmalade sandwiches. “The Princess Bride” It only takes one viewing to get your kid saying “Inconceivable” over and over for six months. “My Neighbor Totoro” This movie is perfect. Share perfect with everyone you can. “Back to the Future” “Where we’re going… we don’t need roads.” “The Goonies” So, beautifully, perfectly Oregon.
Equal parts “Stand By Me” and “Labyrinth,” yet wholly belonging to the boundless imaginations of the Hillsboro geniuses at Laika, “Wildwood” heralds the future of handmade animation…but it must be supported. If this film flops, we will lose this level of ambitious, human storytelling as AI makes filmmaking faster, lazier and uglier. Beyond the dark, honest lessons “Wildwood” has to teach, the real miracle here is the work itself and not necessarily what it’s saying. If you bring your kids, you don’t even have to discuss the thematic weight of trauma and loss; instead, marvel with them at the beauty on display. Tell them that once upon a time, in the magical land of Oregon, hundreds of people came together to make something beautiful, one frame at a time across years and years of their lives. Children were born, lives changed, but still, all these artists made something beautiful and singular that will last forever. And if that’s not magic, I don’t know what is. “Wildwood”
Dir. Travis Knight Grade: A+ Opens Friday at Regal Old Mill, McMenamins, Sisters Movie House, Madras Cinema 5
A+
VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
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t feels reductive to spend this space writing about movies after the nightmare that children, teachers and their families went through last week at Silver Rail Elementary here in Bend. So then I thought I should make a list of comforting movies that parents can watch with their kids to help block out some of the noise. But then an early screener of Portland animation studio Laika’s astonishing new film, “Wildwood,” arrived and I knew exactly what I needed to do: write about both. Without hyperbole, “Wildwood” is an instant classic, not only elevating the boundaries of stop-motion animation to new horizons, but also standing as a defiant line in the sand against the rising tide of AI-generated slop. Early in the film, a young girl rides her bike through a gorgeously realized Portland and she passes a sign that reads: “Enjoy handmade art before it’s gone for good.” I entreat audiences, with each drop of my film-loving soul, not to let those words become prophetic. Based on the fantasy novel written by The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, “Wildwood” tells the story of Prue McKeel, a teenage Portlander whose baby brother is carried off by a murder of crows into the Wildwood, an “Impassable Wilderness” populated by a coyote army, the Avian Principality, indigenous bandits and a Dowager Governess fueled by dark magic and grief. Alongside Curtis, a hapless accidental tagalong, Prue must traverse the Wildwood to rescue her brother and save the ancient woods from Take a walk through the Wildwood. villains both literal and metaphorical. That is just the plot and not actually what makes “Wildwood” a generational work. scary, the movie doesn’t hide the ugliness of war and First, as a longtime Oregonian (as are Meloy and hatred. Characters we grow to love die abruptly, withEllis), it’s a singular treat to see Portland so loving- out fanfare. In a world populated with anthropomorly and meticulously recreated through the finest phic wolves, rats and birds, “Wildwood” takes a deeply stop-motion animation ever crafted. Watching Prue humanist stance against violence and othering, nearly ride her bike past Powell’s to Voodoo Doughnut for a begging audiences to find what binds us together, rathtreat is immediately transportive and it’s nice to see er than fanning the flames already burning the house Portland treated like something other than a dystopian down around us. nightmare onscreen. Laika knows the heartbeat of the Movies allow us to engage with kids in ways we city and brings it to life. sometimes aren’t aware were needed. ThematicalAlso, the sheer scale of this thing is incredible. ly, “Wildwood” tackles subjects of profound existenCrafted over seven years using 136 sets and 231 prac- tial weight like the futility of war, finding magic in the tical puppets with a battle sequence that rivals “The mundane, hope in the face of overwhelming odds and Lord of the Rings’” Battle of Helm’s Deep, “Wildwood” the loss of childhood. It directly addresses the thought manages to be visually jaw-dropping and emotionally that seconds of being a hero can mean a lifetime of devastating in equal measure. trauma. It questions the quiet, shadowy rise of fasAside from the flawless craftsmanship, mesmeriz- cism, accepts the disappointment that you might have ing direction of Travis Knight and the nuanced voice ineffectual parents and allows that sometimes, most work from Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Jake John- times, there is no happily ever after other than the son, Charlie Day, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Angela ones we make for ourselves. Bassett, Tom Waits, Tantoo Cardinal, and lovely work There will be an entire generation of kids who watch from Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Prue, what we have is a this movie and become obsessed with being visual film that could offer some genuine, non-condescend- artists, stop-motion animators or storytellers of any ing catharsis for kids dealing with trauma. stripe. This will be a movie that a 12-year-old watches “Wildwood” is Laika’s first PG-13-rated film and it before falling in love with the infinite possibilities and very much earns that rating. While it isn’t necessarily inherent power of cinema.
THE PSYCHEDELIC FRONTIER
Exploring intentional psychedelic use in the modern world By Mary Casanave Sheridan
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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The Kids We Tuck Away
We built a system that isn’t designed for children who struggle
T
his week I’m putting my regular content down to talk about something close to my heart, and close to this community. My heart is with those affected by the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary school last Thursday. I knew Griffin J. John II, the shooter, although only a little. My kid was in a special education program, called Tamarack, at Silver Rail Elementary from 2017 to 2020. Griffin was in the program, too. I won’t guess at his life or why he did what he did. I am horrified by what Griffin did. What I do know is that program, and that it heavily impacted my kid. My kid struggled in school from the start. It was too loud, bright, chaotic and overwhelming. In kindergarten they learned that being loud or out of control meant being sent home, which was what they wanted, so they acted out. From there they got sent into increasingly restrictive programs, until finally sent to a school where kids were physically restrained, put into isolation rooms, and fights and bullying were part of every day. When an adult did real harm, it was swept under the rug. My kid was 7 years old, hopeless, lonely and so angry. They were beginning to act like a caged animal. I wish I could say it got better. We built a system that isn’t designed for children who struggle. When a kid is too loud or disruptive, we tuck them away in another room, another program, another school. Even among kids who struggle, we sort. The quiet ones tend to stay included. The noisy, messy ones get put in contained classrooms, kept apart from the rest of the school, and asked to talk about what hurts. We call it support. Mostly it is containment. In the rooms I saw, nothing changed about the reasons the kids got there. The only goal was changed behavior. These programs are full of angry, lost kids supported by exhausted, struggling parents. Many don’t have good outcomes. In my experience, kids made to obey out of fear don’t learn what we hoped. They learn that power wins, and they build resentment and a hunger for revenge. Their chance at an education dwindles and disappears. Chances for success disappear. Anger is a sign: a boundary was crossed, something was unfair, something was lost. If a child’s anger isn’t investigated they learn no one is going to help. They are on their own. Behind many hurting kids is a family stretched too thin: a single parent
working too many hours, money that never covers it, burnout, neurodivergence without support. Schools can’t cover all of that, and the safety nets have thinned. Teachers aren’t the enemy. They are doing the impossible with too few hands. So here is how we catch kids, and their families, before they fall through the cracks. In the classroom: • Stop sending kids home as the consequence. It teaches a child that acting out is the way out, and leaves them alone with the problem. • Give them a calm place with a trained adult who stays. A child in a big feeling needs a person, not an empty room or a restraint. • Give each struggling child one trusted adult, across years. Trust takes time, and a child who starts over every September never gets to finish. • Keep them in the whole school. Lunch, recess and activities with everyone else, so they belong to the school and stay connected to friends. • Start the day with a 2-minute checkin. “How are you coming in today?” is how you learn about the dog that died or the parent who moved out before it shows up as behavior. • Teach every child conflict and repair. Say what happened, take accountability, make it right. Struggling kids aren’t the only ones expected to learn compassion. • Bring support into the regular classroom. Help should come to the child, so getting help doesn’t mean being sent away. For families: • Put an advocate in every school. Someone who can connect a family to food, housing and care, so a hard home gets help before it becomes a crisis. • Call home with good news, too. A parent whose phone only rings when there’s trouble starts to dread it. • Shorten the wait for help. Support that takes months to reach arrives after the damage is done. • Ask what a child is coming home to, with curiosity, not judgment. Most parents are doing the best they can, and often it’s not enough. If you’re a parent or teacher who has lived this, I’d like to hear from you. If you or a child you love is struggling, call or text 988, any hour. -Questions or thoughts? Write to Mary@Myco.Vision.
COLUMN
GUEST COLUMN By Andria Clark
School Lunches Made Easier
A pediatric dietitian’s tips for packing a lunch your child will actually eat
35 VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
Dana Sarsenbekova / Unsplash
WELLNESS
Often, healthful foods even look more appealing than junk food.
A
s a pediatric dietitian, one of the most common questions parents ask this time of year is how to pack a balanced school lunch their child will actually eat. Planning school lunches can be time-consuming and discouraging, especially when they come home mostly untouched. A few simple strategies can take some of the stress out of packing lunch while still keeping your child nourished. I encourage parents to include a few different food groups in their child’s lunch, such as a source of protein, a grain or starch and fruits or vegetables. You may also include dairy or a healthy fat. Instead of aiming for a perfect lunchbox every day, try to offer a variety of foods that will help your child stay energized throughout the school day. By offering various colorful fruits and vegetables, you are helping your child get key vitamins and minerals that will support their health. Try cutting fruits and veggies into fun shapes, sending a small packet of a dip or sauce, or adding an extra spice or seasoning (such as sprinkling apple slices with cinnamon). When possible, send foods to school that your child has already seen or tried at home. Packing leftovers can be a great way to save time and reduce uncertainty for your child. Try prepping a larger batch of pasta, casserole, salad or soup on the weekend and sending small portions throughout the week.
Water is typically the easiest way to keep your child hydrated throughout the day, so consider sending a reusable water bottle they can easily access. If your child drinks milk, that can be part of their lunch, too. Sugar-sweetened beverages are best kept as an occasional choice. Shifting your focus from recipes to food groups can create endless possibilities. A turkey and avocado rollup with a side of cucumber slices and fruit is a simple combination of protein, healthy fat, fruit and a veggie. A bean and cheese quesadilla can be packed with a container of guacamole and veggies for dipping. Leftover pasta can become an easy cold pasta salad with peas, cheese and cherry tomatoes. For kids who prefer variety, a sectioned lunchbox filled with crackers, cheese, deli turkey, fruit and vegetables can feel more approachable. Remember that school lunch doesn’t have to be perfect. Focus on offering a variety of familiar foods and give yourself permission to keep it simple. The goal is to help your child feel nourished, energized and comfortable with the foods they’re offered. —Andria Clark is a pediatric dietitian in Bend. She is currently accepting new clients for telehealth visits at andriaclarkrdn.com.
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We Are Bend Strong
Sasun Bughdaryan / Unsplash
T
his column is usually about real estate. This week, it isn’t. Like everyone in Bend, we have been heartbroken since learning of the tragic event at Silver Rail Elementary School. We don’t have the right words for what the children, teachers, families, first responders and community members are going through, and we won’t pretend to. We are thinking of them, and of everyone who is trying to put one foot in front of the other right now. What we can say with certainty is that in times of tragedy, the true heart of our town shines through. To us, Bend Strong isn’t just a tagline or a trending hashtag. It never has been, and right now it matters more than ever. Over the past few days, we have seen businesses open their doors with special activities for children. We have seen countless restaurants offer free meals to anyone not up to cooking. We have seen friends and neighbors start and give to GoFundMe campaigns to support the victims and their families. Thousands gathered for a candlelight vigil in Drake Park, leaning on one
another and honoring those we lost. Students wrote cards and left flowers and stuffed animals at the school’s memorial. And overnight, the Centennial Logger statue in the roundabout was transformed into an angel. These actions don’t make a tragedy like this any smaller. And it doesn’t fix anything. But these things still matter. People are showing up for our community, without question or hesitation. We are grieving together and supporting each other in real time. Bend is authentically different in this way, and we know that will never change. We’re in the business of helping people find a home. And yet, we have always believed that Bend’s greatest asset isn’t its real estate, mountain views, or lifestyle. It’s the people who make this place truly special. Healing will take a long time. To the Silver Rail Elementary School community, and to everyone affected by last week’s tragedy: we are beside you now, and we will be beside you in the months ahead.
37 VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
In the face of tradegy, our community comes through
ASTROLOGY By Rob Brezsny LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I admire your ability to stay outside the conflict and offer detached, incisive commentary. I respect your preference for avoiding small-minded camps and partisan skirmishes. But in the coming days, I hope you'll step directly into the muck and bring the passionate contributions of a devotee who’s invested in the outcome. Put the grand ideas aside and stir up good trouble in service of practical justice. Clever sidestepping won't do; what's needed are honest tests of what actually works. Be a pragmatist who makes soulful things happen through tender focus on the concrete tasks.
OCTOBER 22, 2026 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE - NOW DAILY AT WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Are there parts of
the past you're in bondage to? Maybe some shackles are even beloved to you, like a comfortable old belief, a protective habit, or a story about who you are that once helped you but now confines you. If you're like most of us (me included!), you have fond memories that unfortunately impose limits on your future. Whatever they may be, dear Scorpio, now is an excellent time to disengage from their hold on you. To begin, make one small but potent gesture of liberation. As you do, say this aloud: "I am no longer chained to outdated versions of myself." Alternate version, if you’re feeling extra fiery: "I am no longer &^%$@# chained to any *%#@&+ outdated versions of myself."
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Supreme Ministry of Astrological Myth has agreed to my request to temporarily give you a new designation. For the next four weeks, you are authorized to refer to yourself as the Contemplative Adventurer or the Meditative Rambler or the Pensive Pathfinder—or all three, if you like. In bestowing these titles, I'm encouraging you to free up heroic energy for use in your inner realms. One good way to capitalize on this blessing will be to relax in a comfy chair and negotiate truces with your demons. Another recommended activity: Ask the spirits of nature and the songs of birds to heighten your intuition about your future as you take long walks.
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predict you'll get nanotech implants to fight the aging of your body, ensuring that you'll live well past 100. In 2032, you'll begin downloading your nightly dreams into a digital medium, allowing you to study them at length and bolster your ability to learn from their coded messages. In 2037, you and a loved one will be able to take advantage of technology that allows you to merge telepathically. In 2043, you'll take a vacation on the moon, where you'll dance exuberantly in low lunar gravity. But in 2027, your task will be simpler. You'll learn to love yourself better and treat yourself with more tender kindness than ever before. Now’s a great time to get started!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Many celebrated chefs insist that acidity is an underestimated element that transforms good food into memorable food. A squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar awakens other flavors already present. Consider what the equivalent might be in your own life, Aquarius. What's the seemingly simple ingredient that could enliven everything else? More playfulness or more walking? More music, more honesty, or more sleep? The astrological omens are clear that now isn't the time to overhaul your entire existence. Instead, identify one or two subtle additions that make your existing gifts brighter. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Nothing is the same as what it appears to be, but neither is it the opposite of what it seems to be. Life isn’t fair, yet we'd be wrong to say it's unfair. You should be on the lookout for the words that are NOT being said. Assume that every question has a hidden complication. Be skeptical if anyone tells you the current mysteries are unsolvable and be eager to discover the deeper riddle buried inside each superficial riddle. But now here's the good news. The maddening complexities will ultimately prove to be fun and helpful if you’re diligent in untangling them. The key to success: Be tender as you explore un-
comfortable thoughts and frustrating feelings.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The 18th-century
Aries watchmaker John Harrison solved one of the great scientific problems of his time: how to determine longitude at sea. Many learned astronomers failed to crack the puzzle, yet Harrison, largely self-taught, persisted for decades to refine the method. His breakthrough transformed navigation and enhanced the safety of sea journeys. I nominate Harrison to be your inspirational role model in the coming weeks, Aries. Persistence combined with ingenuity and a trust in your hunches will be more important to your success than your mastery of the way things have always been done.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A greenhouse can
coax flowers to open ahead of their natural timetable. I recommend applying a similar approach to the fears taking root in you. Rather than letting them spread gradually and feed you a stream of low-grade dread, push them toward an immediate peak. Let every concern become enormous and fully formed as quickly as possible. Invite the anxieties to arrive all at once. Then meet them in a decisive confrontation, exhaust their drama, and clear space for adventures that will give you deep, sweet pleasure. Set a date for your worrygasm, the grand finale of your fretting, for no later than 48 hours from now.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini-born physicist
Richard Feynman was famous not only for his brilliance but for his refusal to pretend he understood things he didn't. He routinely asked childishly simple questions in rooms full of experts. "But why does that happen?" was one of his favorites. Those naïve inquiries often cracked open problems the specialists had stopped seeing. He distrusted jargon and prized the ability to explain a complex idea in plain words. If you can't explicate it simply, he suggested, you don't really understand it. I invite you to adopt this as your strategy in the coming weeks, Gemini. Your superpowers will be to pose obvious questions everyone else is too proud or numb to ask, and to insist on answers you can actually understand.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian dancer
and choreographer Anna Halprin lived to 100 and danced to the end. She taught the idea that movement could heal. Our bodies, given permission to move freely and expressively, know how to release grief, summon joy, and restore wholeness. She once danced through her own cancer diagnosis as a form of medicine and lived for decades longer. Her lesson for you: Your body has its own intelligence, and you can enhance your ability to access it. In the coming weeks, let it lead. Dance, stretch, walk, sway. Trust what your flesh knows that your mind hasn't figured out yet.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In at least one way, Leo, you’ll be coming home during the coming weeks. Perhaps you will discover a sanctuary that brings out your best: a power spot where you feel unguarded and authentic. Or you may gather (or stumble into) the community you’ve always imagined, or link up with a web of allies and resources that once felt out of reach. You might dream of journeying to the land where your ancestors loved and labored for generations, or consider a pilgrimage to a storied place that holds the key to a mystery you’re hungry to resolve. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Renaissance astronomer and astrologer Tycho Brahe spent decades collecting precise measurements of planetary motion. He never developed a final theory to explain the data, and he harbored mistaken theories about how the solar system worked. But his observations enabled his assistant Johannes Kepler to discover the laws of planetary orbits. You could play a similar role, Virgo. Your careful attention to details can lay the groundwork for important realizations, whether by you or someone working in collaboration with you.
Homework: You can finally do what you haven’t been able to before. https://tinyurl.com/77vv77vv
THE REC ROOM Crossword
By Brendan Emmett Quigley
K
P H
U M
N M
★★★
We’re Local!
Questions, comments or suggestions for our local puzzle guru? Email Pearl Stark at pearl@bendsource.com
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Difficulty Level: ●●●○
P H I E I U H K Puzzle for October 19, 2026 N HN M M P K P H KDifficulty T Level: ●●●○ U M P H I I EMH K I U N H M P H M T K T
© Pearl Stark mathpuzzlesgames.com/quodoku
I M Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters exactly once. H M T
and 3x3 box with each of the lett UFill N in K every E M row, P T column, H I Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters
ACROSS 1 Tree with custardy fruit 6 Red-waxed Dutch cheese 10 Rider in a Bob 14 Pasta shape 15 Astronaut Cernan who was the last man to walk on the moon 16 What's on tap in Barcelona 17 Circular-shaped dance hall? 20 Text message initialism 21 Like sprinters 22 Wild bash 23 Bounder, in Britain 24 Competent 26 Cowardly Sylvester? 33 Clear part of blood 34 "I just remembered something" 35 Court 36 Exam taken with the Bluebook app: Abbr. 37 French girlfriends 38 DiMucci in the Grammy and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame 39 Doc treating laryngeal disorders, briefly 40 Like a one-man army 41 Hits on the head 42 Expressionless cell phone histories? 45 Model ___ Yai 46 Sharers' word 47 ___ Khalifa (world's tallest building) 49 Small land in the sea 51 Royal jelly maker 54 Onion cousins that give you a heads-up? 58 Discount grocery chain 59 The Edge's bandmate 60 He spoke for the animals 61 Obscene material 62 Dove's home 63 Itty-bitty
Difficulty Level
VOLUME 30 ISSUE 43 / OCTOBER 22, 2026 / THE SOURCE
©2021 Brendan Emmett Quigley (www.brendanemmettquigley.com)
“You Can See Everything”
Pearl’s Puzzle
Puzzle for October 19, 2026
DOWN 1 Push-up muscles muscles, informally 2 Fund drive target 3 Hipsters' cheap brews, initially 4 Early internet provider 5 "All Quiet on the Western Front" or "Wings," e.g. 6 Frittata ingredients 7 Money owed 8 Navarro of "The View" 9 NFL Draft guru Kiper 10 Oak cask 11 Wide-eyed with excitement 12 Quay component? 13 Sweet potato relative 18 Alliance with 32 members: Abbr. 19 Sucker, in Sheffield 23 Oversupply 24 Close behind, like a trained dog 25 Sweethearts, in slang 26 Kind of question with one of two answers 27 Muse of lyric poetry 28 "Across 110th Street" singer Bobby 29 Hindu destroyer god 30 Still due to the bank 31 Gifts for avid readers 32 Ages and ages 33 Gush forth 37 River through Florence 38 Entrance 40 Mixed-breed movie dog 41 Sunday liquor sales prohibition 43 Fudge alternative 44 Kinks character who "walk like a woman and talk like a man" 47 Soothing ointment 48 Language of Pakistan 49 Ceases to be 50 Pump, e.g. 51 Maker of noise-canceling headphones 52 School that Dominic West and Damian Lewis went to 53 Catch sight of 54 Previously existed 55 Peacock's owner 56 Sticky stuff 57 "Beef" creator ___ Sung Jin
U NN KEM P TEhighlighted HM I U KThe P TlettersHreadI left to right and top to bottom will complete the quote: exactly once. “I haven't exactly once. taken my Christmas lights down. They look so nice on _______.” The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will complete the quote: — Winston Spear “I haven't taken my Christmas lights down. They look so nice on _______.” - Winston Spear
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“Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late -Benjamin Franklin © Pearl Stark www.mathpuzzlesgames.com/quodoku
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