the Source October 16, 2025

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Nicole Vulcan–nicole@bendsource.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Nic Moye–editor@bendsource.com

FEATURES AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

Peter Madsen–peter@layitoutfoundation.org

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

A man wandered into our office one day asking to speak with a reporter. That conversation led to a several week investigation into Cleveland Commons, a supportive housing apartment building in Bend. In this issue, you’ll read Peter Madsen’s account of a complex, often difficult to manage situation with no easy solutions.

In other news, a new store is opening on the east side of Bend offering a place to buy locally made products year-round. Plus, parents are investing in the power of youth sports by building a massive indoor arena so kids can grow their athletic skills. And what’s being done to save porcupines from disappearing. —Nic Moye, Managing Editor

LIGHTMETER:

With Health Insurance Costs Set to Rise, Deschutes County Will Remain ‘Poverty with a View’

Amid a government shutdown and growing economic uncertainty, one thing is sure: Health insurance — already expensive — is going to get a lot more spendy in the coming year. Part of that is inflation, but another part of it has to do with the tax credits that have helped keep health insurance relatively affordable for millions of middle-class Americans in recent years.

While Republicans in Congress would have you believe that the current government shutdown is rooted in the false notion that Democrats want to offer free health insurance to undocumented people, the truth affects far more than the undocumented. Those individuals have not and will not be added to any prospective health care scheme in this country, and if you can get past that parroted talking point, then you might be able to understand the actuality: That many people you know will soon be faced with insurance premiums that are simply too unsustainable, due to Republicans’ insistence on keeping the enhanced premium tax credit out of the current budget.

This is not some abstract notion that is going to hit someone else, somewhere else. In Oregon, a recent report by the Oregon Journalism Project, citing an Oregon Health Authority report, estimated that some 110,000 people will need to shell out an extra $127 to $456 a month for insurance plans brokered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Some are already getting notices of premium increases.

OJP reported that three counties in Oregon will be the hardest-hit by the expiration of the tax credit. Among the three is, you guessed it, Deschutes County. Here, OHA estimates that some 3,750 individuals will lose the premium tax credits.

A tourism expert from Oregon State University posited to OJP that Deschutes’ high number of people working in the outdoor recreation industry is part of the reason we’ll see

higher numbers of people hit by the premium increases. These are people who make more than minimum wage but still can’t afford the full meal deal when it comes to health insurance.

As anyone already on the margins knows, Deschutes County is already a tough place to make ends meet. Bend came close to a balanced housing market for the first time in a long time this summer, but housing prices are still high. High-paying jobs are hard to come by. Just last week, a report from Oregon Public Broadcasting stated that the city is bleeding its low- and moderate-income earners.

“Given the growth in high earners, a modest increase in income for middle-class earners and the drop in low-income earners, income inequality has increased at a higher rate in Bend, than the state of Oregon and nationally,” OPB’s report read.

What is most diabolical about all of this — that those in power want you to believe in the tired trope of the scary immigrant, rather than getting real about affordable health care options? Or that hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed — and threatened to not receive back pay — due to the current standoff?

Here in Deschutes County, we live in a beautiful locale that has enjoyed a positive reputation as a place people want to be. Local governments have taken some action to address the housing shortages that have made homes too expensive in Bend, Redmond and elsewhere. We’re just barely starting to see the results of increased inventory — even if not enough of that is actually affordable for the average outdoor-recreation worker.

But even with those efforts afoot, Bend remains among the least-affordable cities in the state to buy a home. With wild increases in insurance premiums coming, we take yet another step back from doing away with the moniker, “Poverty with a View.”

OLetters

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY?

Send your thoughts to editor@ bendsource.com.

Letters must be received by noon Friday for inclusion in the following week’s paper. Please limit letters to 250 words. Submission does not guarantee publication. Opinions printed here do not constitute an editorial endorsement of said opinions. Letter of the week receives $5 to Palate!

SUPPORT FOR A PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Thank you for your September 25 article and your October 2 opinion piece about the need for a performing arts center in Central Oregon. I would love to see this come to fruition. I am concerned, however, that all acreage that would support a large center is being gobbled up by commercial and residential development.

How about purchasing the Regal Theatre and converting it to a multiplex live performance center? Considering the cost of a movie and snacks, the population of movie goers must be dwindling. Streaming has taken over movie watching. The Regal Theater could be repurposed to support the performing arts. Yes, some walls would need to be taken down but restrooms are already plumbed, the snack bar is working and the ticket booth is ready for use. There is plenty of parking and there are a number of restaurants nearby for pre- or post- performance dining. Can we crack open this other door before all others close?

—Eileen Katz

RED LIGHT CAMERAS DON’T VIOLATE PRIVACY

As noted in your recent editorial, the City of Bend is going to spend about $780,000 per year on 10 red light cameras. That is money well spent if it saves just one life or spares an innocent person from a lifetime of debilitating injuries. My wife and I lived and worked in Australia last year. We drove quite a bit and visited each of the six states and Northern Territory. Early on, I was picked up by a traffic camera/ radar speeding 6 mph (10 kph) over the limit on a downhill highway and was fined $541. That made me sit up and take notice! I knew a lad who did not notice the speed limit drop as he came into town from the open highway and was fined $4,000 for going 18 mph over the limit (30kph). He certainly is more observant of the speed limit signs now and I am sure his friends heard his story as well. Australia has cameras at many stop lights and radar/cameras on many highways. Fines are high. Consequently, you see little speeding and almost never see someone run a red light. Australians drive plenty, but their annual national death rate from crashes is about five per 100,000 people.

In the USA it is about 13 per 100,000, with Oregon slightly higher at 14 annual deaths per 100,000.

Americans tend to be insular and look at our navels a lot. My year living in Australia showed me that we Americans should pop our heads up and see how other people are solving serious problems, like highway deaths. Technology is preventing deaths and injury in other places, why can’t we get on board?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries and property damage from motor vehicle crashes through research and education. According to IIHS: “Red light running happens frequently and is often deadly. In 2023, 1,086 people were killed in the U.S. in crashes that involved red light running. Red light safety cameras are an effective way to discourage red light running. Enforcement is the best way to get people to comply with any law, but it’s impossible for police to be at every intersection. Cameras can fill the void. An IIHS study found that cameras reduced the fatal red light running crash rate of large cities by 21% and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14%.

Cameras don’t violate privacy. Driving is a regulated activity and people who obtain licenses are agreeing to abide by certain rules. Red light safety cameras are a way to catch people who break those rules, just like traditional enforcement. Proper signal timing makes intersections safer. Adequate yellow time reduces red light running and leads to fewer crashes.”

I applaud the City of Bend for taking proactive measures to protect the health and safety of anyone using our roads, be they motorists, cyclists or pedestrians.

—Dave Morrow

Letter of the Week

Thank you to everyone who submitted letters this week.

Dave, as letter of the week, you can stop by our office at NW Bond and Georgia for a gift card to Palate coffee.

—Nic Moye, Managing Editor

Keep in the know of what's going on in Central Oregon, follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Decision Delayed Regarding Expansion of Sisters’ Urban Growth Boundary

A potential appeal of a recent rezoning has given city councilors pause

By Peter Madsen

Sisters City Council has delayed its decision on the proposed expansion of its urban growth boundary until Nov. 5.

That’s due largely to the recent rezone Deschutes County granted McKenzie Meadow Village, a 58-acre multifamily development north of Sisters High School. That Oct. 6 rezone brings the parcel from Forest Use 2 to Multiple-Use Agricultural — qualifying it for potential inclusion into the proposed UGB expansion.

The population of Sisters is projected to nearly double by 2043, according to a study by Portland State University Population Research Center. That means its 2023 population of 3,649 will reach about 7,108 in that time, nearly doubling its total needed housing units to about 4,054. An Urban Growth Boundary expansion is expected to help meet those goals by adding more land into the city’s inventory.

However, city councilors have paused the momentum, citing public objection of MMV’s designation. Opponents include some neighboring Tollgate community members and Central Oregon LandWatch, the nonprofit that often weighs in on land use issues in Central

Oregon. The nonprofit announced it would appeal that decision to the State Land Use Board of Appeals. The appellant window expires after 21 days. If set in motion, the appellate process could last a year or longer.

An Oct. 22 workshop, in which the steering committee will bring more information before the Sisters City Council, will allow more time for reflection before the new Nov. 5 decision, said Scott Woodford, Sisters’ community development director.

“The council wanted to punt on the decision to see if, in fact, someone did appeal the decision,” Woodford said.

Hitching the proposed UGB expansion to Mckenzie Meadow Village could drag the UGB expansion beyond its state deadline at the end of 2026. That would mean having to start from fresh, forfeiting the consultant fees, which presently hover around $149,000; they could ultimately ring in at around $239,000, Woodford said.

Concept A.a of the proposed UGB expansion would add about 314 gross acres and about 202 net acres to Sisters city limits.

Federal Grant Supports FirstGeneration College Students in Bend

It’s the first TRIO grant for Central Oregon Community College

By Nic Moye

Central Oregon Community College received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to provide low-income, first-generation students with specialized support to help them graduate and transfer to a four-year university. The TRIO Student Support Services grant will help 140 students per year over the next four years, pending congressional approval after the first year. It’s the first time COCC has applied for the TRIO. Ten other Oregon community colleges and eight Oregon universities also have the grant. COCC also received a grant from the State of Oregon’s First-Generation Student Success program which will fund a portion of the TRIO program.

COCC says the grant will pay for staff dedicated to assisting the students, including a project director, tutors and student success coaches. The team will advise and encourage students as they complete their studies at COCC and move onto a four-year university.

“The grant was awarded in September, but we have not yet begun serving students. We are in the process of hiring the staff and developing the space were we will be able to assist students and anticipate doing so at the beginning of winter term,” COCC’s Dean of Student Engagement Andrew Davis told the Source.

Selected students will be assigned a success coach and access to other support services such as tutors, workshops and tours of universities. The Oregon TRIO Association states that 77% of participating students in the 2023-24 year graduated with a bachelor’s degree within six years.

“Coaches will carry an approximate load of 60 students and the director will carry approximately 20 students,” Davis says. While the grant won’t financially benefit low-income students, staff will connect them to other college resources that can address individual needs like financial aid, tutoring and wellbeing.

TRIO programs began nationwide in 1964 and have been supported by Congress. A news release states that past alumni of TRIO support include NBA All-Star Patrick Ewing, the first Hispanic NASA astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

At COCC, during the last academic year of 2024-25, more than 26% of credit students identified as first-generation, meaning the first in their family to attend college, and 23% identified as low income.

Jackstraw Includes Townhomes with Nanny Space

The first tenants of the Jackstraw apartment complex, located on SW Industrial Way next to the Box Factory, began moving in on Friday, Oct. 10. The 313-unit building is Bend’s first LEED Platinum multifamily project and includes 11 townhomes. Two are designed to meet standards for Registered Family Childcare Homes, allowing providers to live and work in the same space. Cassidy Bolger with Killian Pacific Development, says it’s a pilot program that’s still being developed with local child care experts. The ground floor is retail space with three businesses slated to open by next spring, including Sisters Coffee Company, The Way West bar and deli and Drybar salon. New street connections extended NW Sisemore Street to connect Industrial Way with Arizona Avenue. The public is invited to a grand opening event at Jackstraw on Saturday, Oct. 25 from Noon-4pm.

Bend

Public Works Begins Move to Juniper Ridge

The Public Works departments for the City of Bend have begun moving to the new campus in Juniper Ridge. That includes Engineering, Facilities, Fleet, Transportation & Mobility and Water Services, which were spread out at different locations. The move should be complete by Nov. 17. While there will be no disruption of services, some locations will be closed to walk-in customers. Transportation and Mobility on NE 15th closed on Oct. 13. Water Services on Boyd Acres will close its doors on Oct. 27, but expects to reopen at the new location on NE Talus Place by Nov. 10.

—Nic Moye

1,000

—The number of students who attend Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy weekly, with more on the waitlist, from “New Sports Arena Under Construction.”

“I’m always impressed at what products come out of Central Oregon.”

—Merrideth

Kind

Lindsey from “A New

of Corner Store.”

RN

REDMOND NEWS

Back in June, the No Kings protests were clocked as one of the largest single-day protests in American history, bringing nearly 5 million people to the streets in 2,150 locations. Redmond was among them, along with several other cities in Central Oregon. On Oct. 18, Redmond residents are planning yet another action. Like the last one, the Oct. 18 protests are a demonstration against what organizers say is the authoritarianism of President Donald Trump.

Redmond’s event takes place from 10 to 11:30am at the Freedom Hub at 732 SW 6th Street in Redmond. Redmond’s protest is organized by Indivisible Redmond.

“As President Trump continues to use the US military as a political weapon to threaten Portlanders, we are standing up again to push back against his hateful, authoritarian actions,” Jen Laverdure, an Indivisible Redmond spokesperson, stated in a press release. “Our peaceful day of action is going to bring together Oregonians from all walks of life who share a simple message: We don’t do kings in America.”

No Kings Day protests are planned

Redmond Among Central Oregon Cities Planning

‘No Kings’ Rallies

Oct. 18 events planned in numerous Oregon locales

By Nicole Vulcan

in the spirit of nonviolent demonstrations.

“Organizers are trained in de-escalation and are working closely with local partners to ensure peaceful and powerful actions nationwide,” Indivisible Redmond detailed in a press release.

Other actions around Central Oregon on Oct. 18 include a protest at

Drake Park in Bend from 2 to 3pm before moving to the Peace Corner at Greenwood Avenue and Wall Street from 3 to 4:30pm, one in Sisters from 10 to 11am at Wild Stallion rally corner, one in Prineville from noon to 1pm at Pioneer Park, one in Madras from 2 to 4pm and one in La Pine from Noon to 2pm. A full list of planned protests is available at nokings.org.

THURSDAY–SATURDAY 10/16–10/18

COLUMBIA RIVER CIRCUIT FINALS

PNW RODEO CHAMPS

Cowboys and cowgirls from across Washington, Oregon, and Northern Idaho leave it all in the dirt as they compete throughout the PRCA rodeo season for coveted prize money. From that pool of talented athletes, only the top 12 earners in each event secure their spot to compete at the Northwest Ford Columbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo. We invite you to come experience the talent, the skills, and the heart each one of these competitors brings to this event. Thu., Oct. 16–Sat., Oct. 18 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center. 3800 SE Airport Way, Redmond. $15–$75.

FRIDAY 10/17

PAGE TO SCREEN

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT

Head to the library with your family to enjoy the 2003 movie, “Holes.” After Stanley Yelnats IV is wrongfully convicted of stealing, he is sent to the mysterious Camp Green Lake in rural Texas. The warden tasks Stanley and his fellow inmates with digging holes in the hot sun, and soon the boys discover that they are being used to search for treasure. Stanley and his new friend Zero must work together to uncover the mystery of the treasure, an old curse, and the history that binds their lives together. Fri., Oct. 17, 6:30pm at Redmond Public Library. 827 SW Deschutes Ave., Redmond. Free; tickets required.

BFALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS

AT CLEVELAND COMMONS

A 55-year-old climbing pioneer, recovering from traumatic injuries, says he was forced out of a new supportive permanent housing facility for publicizing an alleged drug culture that involves a murky death, a fired counselor and dueling restraining orders

Story and photos by Peter Madsen

y most appearances, Cleveland Commons, Central Oregon’s newest permanent supportive housing facility, was built for someone like Shawn Snyder.

A retired professional rock climber and an SUV-dweller before the lifestyle became socially acceptable, Snyder, 55, has lived his life mostly on his own terms. He’s also been a divisive personality in the climbing community, banned from Smith Rock State Park for three years, stemming from convictions in 2021. Since then, a passion for high-end, remote-control cars has helped him temper his rage problem. And, for a decade, arborist work has satisfied his climbing itch while putting money in the bank.

Snyder’s life changed on Sept. 3, 2024, when he plummeted from a 75-foot ponderosa in Bend. Somehow, he survived, but he was rendered without an income, with a traumatic brain injury and in need of surgeries to repair a shattered pelvis and three fractures to his skull. Snyder holed up in a motel, which drained his savings. His case worker at Deschutes County Behavioral Health found him a room at Bethlehem Inn’s high-barrier shelter in Bend.

Snyder was in denial that a homeless shelter is somewhere he’d end up. Yet, after settling in, Snyder was impressed by how clean and well-run he found the place.

“The people there really care,” he said. “They were constantly making sure things were running smoothly. It was a great place for people to get back on their feet and re-enter society.”

During the winter of 2024, Snyder regained his mobility enough to resume driving his SUV. He made a habit of driving Bethlehem Inn residents to doctor appointments and other errands. When Snyder learned that his ban from Smith Rock was lifted to coincide with the end of his probation, he was ecstatic. He took several Bethlehem Inn residents on their first guided visit through the park.

Around this time, Snyder noticed some of his Bethlehem Inn neighbors were being moved into supportive housing at the Old Mill Apartments. By March, it was Snyder’s turn for a move. His DCBH counselor secured him a place at Cleveland Commons, the first permanent supportive housing complex built east of the Cascade Range, just off Southeast Reed Market Road.

There, Shepherd’s House Ministries, as the building operator and service provider, is contracted to provide chronically homeless residents with wraparound services, such as peer support and case management. (Folks aren’t required to participate, however.) Other onsite services are provided by a dizzying list of providers that include THRIVE, Central Oregon FUSE and Mosaic Community Health. Housing Works (formerly known as the Central Oregon Region Housing Authority), and NeighborImpact co-own Cleveland Commons in a 51/49 respective split. The two nonprofits formed

an LLC called Housing Impact PSH, which appears on contract agreements. Some of the residents I talked to, however, say these services are not being offered, or are being provided in a selective manner.

A part-time nurse, 24/7 front desk and security staff — the latter two hired by Shepherd’s House Ministries — are intended to keep an even keel. The wrap-around services cost $47 each day per resident, according to a press release. Cascade Property Management, based in Tigard, had taken over day-to-day operations from the now-defunct Epic Property Management, by March 1. Snyder recalled visiting Cleveland Commons for the first time. As he made his way across the parking lot, pacing himself with his cane, Snyder felt overcome by emotions. He’d soon walk into a new 606-squarefoot, single-room apartment — all his own.

“My door is open to any taxpayer who would like to come to Cleveland Commons and see for yourselves the nonsense that is going on daily."

— Shawn Snyder, former Cleveland Commons resident

“A 55-year-old man, I was in tears,” he said. “I’d already had surgery, and I was going to have more. But I was going to have a place to heal.”

Cleveland Commons is home to 33 studio and single-bedroom apartments. Its construction cost $10.8 million, funded by a permanent supportive housing grant from Oregon Housing and Community Services, with a portion going toward support services. The City of Bend contributed a $700,000 loan, while Deschutes County contributed $2 million from its American Rescue Plan Act funds. Its estimated annual program budget is about $632,000. Residents sign a conventional rental agreement with a property management company. Most contribute roughly a third of their income toward rent as part of the supportive housing model.

Without the ability to work, and preparing for upcoming surgeries, Snyder would live rent-free for a year, after which his rent would kick in at $1,000 per month. Snyder said he appreciated the support, yet he was never given an answer about which program, exactly, was covering his rent. Even more strangely, Snyder says he was never given a lease to sign.

“It was almost like hush-hush,” Snyder said. “Every time I asked, I was never able to get to the bottom of it, so I have no idea.”

No one, not Shepherd’s House Ministries, nor Cascade Property Management, could tell us whether a lease, signed by Snyder, ever existed.

‘What’s the room number?’

Permanent Supportive Housing like Cleveland Commons represents a graduation from temporary, sometimes chaotic low- or high-barrier shelters to something much more permanent. PSHs often serve as stepping stones — or sometimes ends unto themselves, where leases can be renewed again and again.

Like any other lease, however, violating a PSH’s lease conditions can trigger an eviction. Such is Snyder’s fate, handed down to him on Aug. 21 following an incident with another resident. That Snyder never signed a lease doesn’t matter; under state law, his occupancy is monthto-month, according to an online legal source.

When Cascade Property Management taped an eviction notice to Snyder’s door, he wasn’t home. He and several Cleveland Commons residents were talking to me at the Source office about the problems they saw at the PSH complex.

In what would be the first of several long interviews, Snyder and his neighbors, Tina and Edward Wines, gathered with me outside around a patio table. Snyder walks with a cane yet sits with straight posture. He’s tidy, buttoning his flannel shirt to the collar. His trucker cap looks brand-new even though he wears it every day. Tina, 57, who would speak up later in the interview, was breathing oxygen she carted around in a tank. Coughing fits disrupt her speech. Edward Wines, with nods of his chin, affirmed what the two had to tell me, yet he was there for support more than anything.

During our initial two-hour conversation, Snyder and Tina Wines told me about the whirlwind events they said turned living at the Cleveland Commons into a maelstrom.

They described a new air ventilation that pumped dusty air into their apartments, a laissez-faire drug culture among residents — and even an SHM staffer — and selective enforcement of regulations regarding guest parking and intra-resident conflicts. A designated quiet time went away, they said, along with pet and guest restrictions. The 15-spot parking lot became clogged with junked vehicles, some owned by guests and seemingly inoperable. Wines described voicing these concerns verbally and in writing to onsite Shepherd’s House Ministries staff and to Cascade Property Management.

Still, Snyder, Tina and Edward appreciated an open-door policy in which residents would pop in and out of each other’s apartments, socializing and making meals together. When Snyder was away, he rarely locked his door — Cleveland Commons felt that safe of a place, he said.

Snyder described how, sometime in March, one of his high-end remote control cars, which he valued at more than $2,000, went missing from his apartment. On a separate occasion, his prescription drugs — which include oxycodone and oxycontin — went missing from his bathroom. Snyder said he reported both instances to Bend Police and SHM.

Snyder began locking his doors. Yet he retained his neighborliness, giving folks rides around town and chatting in the common areas.

In recovery from opioid addiction with two years of abstinence, Tina Wines shared an experience that shook her to the core. As she was sitting in her apartment, visiting with a resident, the person told her that someone on the floor above them had a supply of fentanyl.

“For one split second, I thought, ‘What’s the room number?’” Wines said, wiping away tears. “I went to a really dark place. It was really hard. But I know that’s in my past. I don’t say I’m in recovery for fentanyl; I say I survived fentanyl. Knowing that, why would [SHM] place me in Cleveland Commons? That’s like throwing me to the lion’s den. I can’t be around all these drugs.”

‘Dog bites back’

When Snyder returned home after talking to me, he found a 24-hour emergency eviction taped to his door by Cascade Property Management. He returned to the Source office to give me a copy:

“You are hereby notified that your tenancy will terminate at 11:59 pm on the vacate date set forth above, based on the following acts and/or omissions:

*On Aug. 3, 2025, at approximately 8 pm, you retrieved a chainsaw from your vehicle in the property parking lot, started the chainsaw, and while wielding the running chainsaw, yelled death threats at a resident including, ‘Let’s go for a walk, I’ll cut you up in little pieces.’

*On Aug. 15, 2025, at approximately 12:15 am, law enforcement responded to the premises and arrested you for the above-described conduct.”

During our interview a couple hours prior, Snyder told me about the chainsaw incident. He’d been cleaning out his SUV’s cargo space. Doing so meant removing his arborist tools, which include the chainsaw, an axe and other things so he could shake out a rug. Snyder alleges that, in passing, Mark Jenkins, a Cleveland Commons resident the Source is naming because his name has has appeared in court documents, called him a “chump bitch.” Snyder then tripped on his tools. Incorrectly thinking Jenkins had shoved him, Snyder started the chainsaw. [Speaking by phone, Jenkins denied all allegations and accounts supplied by Snyder and Wines. “They’re liars,” he said.]

Throughout our meetings, Snyder has recited a kind of mantra: “How many times can you kick the dog and kick the dog before the dog bites back?”

Regardless, the eviction was in motion. A clause details how a resident who protests the eviction may present a defense at a court hearing.

“Persons with disabilities have the right to request reasonable accommodations to participate in the hearing process,” the notice read.

Snyder had a 10-day window to discuss the eviction with Cascade Property Management, and to initiate his legal recourse. In the meantime, he was required to vacate his apartment by Aug. 26 — in five days.

Snyder worried about the Sept. 12 surgery to remove metal pins from his pelvis.

“I can’t just go from surgery back into my car, man,” he said. “I can’t be moving around like that. Cleveland Commons was supposed to be a place for me to heal.”

Snyder stared at the eviction notice.

“Is this thing even legit, or are they just messing with me?” he said. “I seriously only learned to read when I was 30. These things make no sense to me.”

I told him the eviction seemed legit.

Even so, I had a lot to catch up on myself.

A public invitation: ‘My door is open’

Three days after the chainsaw incident, on Aug. 6, Snyder took his grievances about Cleveland Commons to the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners. During a three-minute public comment, Snyder alleged that active drug addicts and alcoholics were “destroying” what Cleveland Commons had set out to achieve. Despite the many nonprofits offering wrap-around services, Snyder alleged the situation was, “a shit show.”

“My door is open to any taxpayer here who would like to come to Cleveland Commons and see for yourselves the nonsense that is going on daily,” Snyder said.

The commissioners thanked Snyder for his comment. Commissioner Phil Chang encouraged Snyder to document and report to management specific instances of rules being violated — in writing.

“And ‘cc’ us so we can follow up,” Chang told him. I decided to take Snyder up on the invitation. I visited him at Cleveland Commons on the evening of Aug. 25 — the day before the eviction date.

Cast in a golden-hour glow, Snyder stood outside, noodling a remote control car up and over the landscaping boulders near the facility’s parking lot. Tina and Edward Wines, sitting nearby in the dog park with their Australian Shepherd, waved hello. Snyder shook my hand and thanked me for coming.

Walking gingerly with a cane, Snyder led me to the front desk, where a Shepherd’s House Ministries employee asked for my name. She didn’t enter it in a database. On the opposite side of the entrance, the Cascade Property Management window was closed; their operating hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. (Cascade employs a full-time maintenance worker, McConnell said. Their front desk employee is there on a part-time basis.)

“Cascade only has someone here like five hours a week,” Snyder said. “Whenever I bring something up to them about the building, they’re always on their way out to a different property across town.”

We walked through the brightly painted hallway, past a communal kitchen, bulletin board and a courtyard.

“People ransacked the kitchen for small appliances,” Snyder said. “[An SHM director] was embarrassed when he saw all that had been taken.”

Snyder unlocked his apartment with a keyless fob. He’d taped a No Trespassing sign, along with a handwritten notice that complied with the contestation clause in his eviction notice: “According to ORS 105.135 and ORS 105.137, I am entitled to a fair hearing

to contest this eviction before any final judgement or enforcement action…is issued.”

At the note’s bottom, he’d written: “Go away!” Snyder told me that his ground-floor apartment had been broken into just the night before. For the second time, he said, his prescription drugs were stolen. He ushered me to his bedroom, where a small, knee-high window had been pried open. Dirt, tracked in by the alleged burglar, is visible in photos I snapped of the interior window ledge.

“All I need is a place of my own for about six months so I could heal,” said Snyder, throwing his hands up. “Then, I’m outta here.”

We settled into his apartment, which he keeps fastidiously organized. The walls were lined with shelves housing more than 20 remote control cars and a dozen matching Patagonia duffel bags.

“I was a sponsored climber for a long time, man,” he said. We thumbed through climbing magazine profiles about him, published in the ‘90s. He passed me a laminated permit, issued to him by Joshua Tree National Park, authorizing him to drill bolts in the establishment of new climbing routes — the first such permit for anyone, he said.

Other artifacts from Snyder’s climbing days are less illustrious. He told me about his one-man mission to regulate at Smith Rock State Park that began in 2004. He took on a custodial role of removing climbing bolts and abandoned lines and reassigning gear that climbers had stashed under rock shelves to garbage cans.

“This is God’s temple and they’re trashing it,” he said.

The Source tracked the Smith Rock drama, profiling Snyder in September 2020. Sitting with me, Snyder shared videos he’d taken on his phone of the numerous confrontations with groups of Smith Rock climbers he accused of drilling sloppy and unsafe bolts. Snyder’s tone, depending on the topic, ranged from conversational to vehement. In one video, he sounds like a madman.

“I will go to war on you motherf*ckers!” he says.

“I will beat the shit out of all you guys,” he says in another. “I will go to prison for the rest of my life and be happy that I shut this shit down.”

In a clip Snyder took May 30, 2021, he swings a hammer at the face of another rock climber — in front of the man’s teenage son — missing him by an inch. Snyder was subsequently convicted of unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and two attempts to commit a class B felony. He was sentenced to 60 months’ probation. He also received an initial five-year ban from Smith Rock, and four restraining orders.

Why did he take things so far, I asked. Snyder spoke of a spiritual moment he experienced in 2001. He was traversing a 800-foot high line he’d installed between two rock pillars when he was struck by a divine message: Defend the sanctity of rock climbing and ensure that the natural wonders found in Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Smith Rock are treated like deities.

The Bolt Wars ensued.

“I used to have blinders on,” Snyder said. “If I had an issue with something you’re doing, I wasn’t able to focus on anything but that. But since that time, I’ve come to appreciate that I have to think about everyone in the periphery; if one person will be affected, then I don’t act.”

A feel-good experience

Given the voluminous videos of climber confrontations I saw, I realized that compulsive documentation, especially of confrontations, is something Snyder has long done. That continued at Cleveland Commons.

On July 22, Snyder recorded an interaction with an alleged SHM counselor. In the video, Snyder is chatting with a woman who appears to be in her early 30s outside Cleveland Commons. The counselor tries to persuade him to take ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic drug that contains DMT.

“It’s an experience where you’re just relaxed after. You feel good,” she says. Her eyelids are heavy, her speech is slurred.

Snyder declines, telling her that psychedelics wouldn’t be good for someone with a traumatic brain injury.

“I’m willing to be there for you,” she says. “I make it. …I have some in the car if you want to see it. I’ll go get it.”

Things ramped up on July 29. That’s when, according to the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, Cleveland Commons resident Cindy Lynn Byrd, 53, and a neighbor of Snyder and the Wineses, died. Snyder and several neighbors believe it was a drug overdose.

District Attorney Steve Gunnels instead told me by email that Byrd had been in poor health; she died of natural causes. In hearing this, Snyder balked — he said he and others witnessed “lots of syringes” in the garbage hauled out from Byrd’s apartment. They weren’t certain whether Byrd’s medical condition required intravenous injections.

In the following days, the onsite counselor who offered Snyder ayahuasca was fired, according to several Cleveland Commons residents. Yet since then, Snyder and Wines said they could hear the former counselor’s voice on phone calls with residents who put her on speakerphone while sitting in the common areas. Snyder and Wines were concerned she was continuing to offer residents drugs, as she had to Snyder.

Nicole Merritt, the director of public programs at Shepherd’s House Ministries, declined via email to comment on this story, giving no further details about the death, the alleged drug-dealing and accusations of intimidation and selective policy enforcement. In an email, Merritt did provide data regarding 1,455 documented “touch points” between tenants and SHM staff that “model and teach pro-social skills.”

Supportive permanent housing vs. high- barrier shelter

As troubling as alleged drug abuse at Cleveland Commons is, Lynne McConnell, the executive director at Housing Works, told me that there is a common misconception that supportive permanent housing facilities function in the same way that high-barrier shelters do. McConnell said agencies like hers, or those like Shepherd’s House Ministries or Cascade Property Management, don’t have heightened access to residents’ private spaces. Staffers can’t investigate rumors of prohibited drug use by letting themselves into people’s apartments. Residents live in privacy as they would in any typical apartment. At the end of our interview, McConnell said she’d speak more in-depth about Wines’ and Snyder’s situations if the two signed releases. Both said they’d sign them. But McConnell sent the subsequent email a couple days later:

“Upon reflection, I am not able to speak further about tenants. Even if it could help shed light on the situation, it could also jeopardize my ethics. I hope you are successful in finding the information you need.”

McConnell did follow up with information regarding recent maintenance to Cleveland Commons’ ventilation system, providing documentation of three inspections that include filter replacement and cleaning since Feb. 14.

Advocates for supportive permanent housing abide by a Housing First principle that doesn’t require sobriety or enrollment in mental health services for housing, according to the National League of Cities. This approach leads with the logic that homelessness and its attendant issues are often best solved by getting folks into homes, first and foremost.

Snyder encouraged me to contact his case worker at Deschutes County Behavioral Health; he’d granted her permission to speak with me. She did call me, but only to say that she won’t confirm that she is his case worker, let alone comment on Snyder, citing privacy concerns.

Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang was an instrumental advocate for building Cleveland Commons. In a Sept. 25 email, Chang praised Housing Works and Shepherd’s House Ministries, noting their roles in creating approximately 1,000 units of affordable housing in Deschutes County.

“It’s important that we have supportive housing to serve the hardest-to-house homeless population,” he wrote. “These are often people with acute mental health challenges or significant disabilities. Running a supportive housing facility to serve this population can be very complex and challenging. I believe that, if there have been problems with the operation of Cleveland Commons, that [Housing Impact] and Shepherd’s House are working to fix them.”

According to the operating services agreement with Housing Impact, Shepherd’s House Ministries is required to provide a variety of services to residents. They include: the early identification and intervention for behaviors that may jeopardize housing; providing crisis intervention services and assisting in the resolution of household disputes and conflict resolution as needed and when requested; assisting tenants in understanding their roles, rights and responsibilities under a tenant lease, along with support in landlord communication and lease navigation, including explaining the eviction and appeal process.

SHM is also required to develop mechanisms and structure to facilitate community input, including but not limited to: a Resident Advisory Board and other venues for resident input; and a Formal Grievance Process for residents.

Lynne McConnell said Housing Impact is pleased with Shepherd’s House Ministries’ work.

“Any new services or facility is going to have challenges,” she added. “Some of those we can anticipate, some we can’t. We believe that Shepherd’s House has identified and remedied the issues that have been presented.”

McConnell declined to comment on whether these services had been delivered to any particular residents, such as Wines and Snyder, but she said operators have to take a holistic approach to running the ship. Sometimes folks aren’t ready for their particular housing situation, whether it’s PSH or otherwise.

When I texted Wines and Snyder whether SHM had met these clauses, they were emphatic: No. ‘It all stems from prison’

Since speaking up to SHM and property management since moving into Cleveland Commons in March, Tina Wines said some residents began to think of her as a rabble-rouser. In the meantime, Tina and Snyder had deepened their friendship. Snyder empathized with Wines, saying he felt he could be her action agent when her physical ailments and nerves left her too weak to leave her apartment. Because of their friendship, Snyder said he began to receive harassing comments and cold shoulders from those to whom he’d given rides around town.

By early August, Snyder and Wines allege that rumors began to circulate that the two had gotten the ayahuasca counselor fired.

On Aug. 3, Snyder said the harassment came to a boiling point. That’s when the chainsaw came into the picture.

The day after the County Commission meeting, Snyder was sitting on a bench outside Cleveland Commons. A female resident, presumably in her 50s, approached. He recorded her message on his phone: “It’s been hard in prison, huh? I feel sorry for you. Getting raped and beat,” she says. “Is that why you’re trying to wreck everything? If you’re so unhappy here, why don’t you leave. Because everyone’s happy. This was a nice community. …I could go to a city councilman [sic] and talk shit about you, too, and what you’re trying to do. You’ve got this place so unhappy it’s ridiculous. And it all stems from prison. I’ve never been in prison. I’ve never done anything to warrant going to prison. But I’m not a bad person. That’s for scum, right?”

Chronicle of a tailspin

In the coming days and weeks, circumstances compounded like pieces in an advanced level of Tetris.

On Aug. 14, Bend Police officers arrived at Cleveland Commons to arrest Snyder for the chainsaw incident, according to Deschutes County 911 records.

The following day, officers returned to question Snyder about an axe in his SUV.

On Aug. 24, Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies issued Snyder a restraining order, filed on Aug. 18 by Mark Jenkins. Despite living in the same building, Snyder has been ordered to stay 150 feet away from Jenkins. DA Gunnels explained that judges decide the stipulations of a restraining order on a case-by-case basis.

Three days later, on Aug. 27, Snyder filmed Jenkins in the hallway outside his apartment. Jenkins is yelling at someone Snyder identified as a staff member. Jenkins noticed Snyder’s filming; he reported this as a violation of the restraining order. Authorities arrived later that day to arrest Snyder. After he was let out of jail on Aug. 28, he said he was told not to return to his apartment.

Snyder holed up in his SUV with bare essentials that included a pad, a sleeping bag and a cooler. His laptop, which he needed to upload documentation to contest his eviction, was locked in his apartment. Parking near the Source on Sept. 9, Snyder showed me his spartan accommodations. He worried about the Sept. 12 surgery to remove pins from his pelvis.

“I’m not supposed to be moving around like this after I get my pins out,” he said. “I’ll need to heal but I won’t be able to.”

A friend arranged for Snyder to stay in a motel room immediately after his operation at St. Charles Medical Center. After that friend phoned PacificSource, his health insurance provider, Snyder said he received sufficient coverage to stay until Sept 30.

I visited Snyder at his hotel room on Sept. 13. A long

row of pain medication lined the nearby counter.

“I’m not doing very well, man,” Snyder said, his voice faltering. “I’ve done so much work to never have these thoughts. It’s broken me again.”

He trembled as he lifted his t-shirt to show large fresh bandages on his hip and along his lower abdomen. They were saturated with blood.

“I’m in suicide mode,” Snyder said.

We talked for another hour. On Sept. 16, Snyder caught up on the mail sent to him at Cleveland Commons during his operation. He received legal notices about the eviction. One notice informed Snyder that a judge had closed the case, ruling against him, because he hadn’t uploaded his documents on time. He would have to immediately remove his property via third party.

The next day, Snyder returned to a Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners meeting to make a follow-up comment. He accused Phil Chang of plotting to have him committed for psychiatric evaluation.

“Really, Mr. Chang?” Snyder said. “Is that how you get down, sir?”

“No,” Chang said. After Snyder’s three-minute allotment, Chang clarified that, in conversation with an advocate for Snyder, he explored the idea of voluntary, civil commitment as an option for him to get support and temporary housing. Chang said he was aware that Snyder had made threats to others and may be a threat to himself. Chang also stated that he had visited Cleveland Commons since Snyder’s initial Aug. 6 invitation and discussed the improvements and staffing changes with officials from Housing Works, SHM and Central Oregon Fuse. (Chang wrote in a Sept. 19 email that he’s not received any documentation from Snyder.)

"Any new services or facility is going to have challenges. Some of those we can anticipate, some we can't. We believe that Shepherd's House has identified and remedied the issues that have been presented."

— Lynne McConnell, executive director of Housing Works

“That didn’t go so well,” Snyder texted me later that afternoon.

On Sept. 22, Tina Wines was granted a restraining order against Jenkins. In the application, she detailed most-recent instance of harassment: her adult son had come to visit her at Cleveland Commons. Jenkins, according to Wines, intercepted her son as he walked across the parking lot, threatening to fight him. Jenkins disagrees with this characterization.

The restraining order mandates Jenkins to remain 100 feet from Wines’ apartment door and to not loiter in Cleveland Commons’ shared spaces, including the front door and parking lot.

That same day, Snyder sent people in his orbit into a panic. Posting to Instagram, Snyder captioned a photo of his high-end remote control cars, displayed in a neat row:

“Looking to trade for a legal clean handgun. Anybody has one please reach out,” he wrote, punctuating it with a peace-sign emoji.

That afternoon, Snyder drove to Smith Rock. In the parking lot, he said he was swarmed by Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies. Snyder said he assured the deputies he wasn’t a threat to himself or anyone else, and they released him. Jason Carr, the DCSO public information officer, said he doesn’t have any record of an interaction with Snyder that week. Snyder thinks he’s lying.

With the ban from Smith Rock State Park now expired, Snyder took a long hike up Misery Ridge, eventually arriving at a ledge near Monkey Face. He let his toes droop over the edge. To experienced climbers, such precariousness is untroubling; to one in crisis, it represents an existential decision.

Snyder thought he might jump.

On Sept. 25, Snyder appeared at his arraignment for indictment at the Deschutes County Circuit Court. A woman who accompanied Snyder into the building sat next to him. She’s friendly but said she can’t say how she knows Snyder, nor what her role may be in these proceedings, because she “could lose her job.”

A silver-haired man, whom Synder greeted as “Pastor Mike,” also took a seat near Snyder.

“I’d rather not meet you under these circumstances,” he said. In the hearing room, the judge informed Snyder and his attorney that the arraignment had been postponed to Nov. 5.

We left the building, regrouping outside the guard shack. Snyder had finished a roving soliloquy about how respect is earned, not automatically granted. He was mad about having to remove his mesh cap each time he appeared in court. The topic turned to his solicitation of a gun on social media. He said he appreciates his friends’ concern, but they misread the situation, he said.

I spoke up: “Shawn, you’ve told us a couple times that you’re in ‘suicide mode.’ What were we supposed to think?”

He told us that, for the first time in his life, he felt he needed a gun for protection.

Pastor Mike peered at the sky.

The anonymous woman glanced across the courthouse parking lot.

Snyder told us about the evening of Sept. 22 that took him to Smith Rock. Standing on a cliff, he’d decided he didn’t want to kill himself. He stepped away from the ledge and sat, resting his elbows on his knees, he said.

He laid down and stared at the dusk sky.

He fell asleep.

When he woke up, the sky was dark and the stars were shining.

“I meditated, I hollered, I bawled my eyes out,” Snyder said. “I talked to God.”

He glanced at each of us.

“I decided I wanted to live,” he said. “So here I am.”

Postscript: Tina and Edward Wines moved out of Cleveland Commons on Oct. 10. They found an apartment at Stillwater Crossing, an affordable housing complex in southeast Bend. They did not ask Shepherd’s House Ministries for help with the housing hunt, nor with the move.

—This story is powered by the Lay It Out Foundation, the nonprofit with a mission of promoting deep reporting and investigative journalism in Central Oregon. Learn more and be part of this important work by visiting layitoutfoundation.org. If you're interested in syndicating Lay It Out Foundation content or purchasing an article for use, you can do so through the website.

SOURCE PICKS

THE TURKEY BUZZARDS

AMERICANA/FOLK/OUTLAW COUNTRY

The Turkey Buzzards tell simplistic stories that unravel through gritty vocals and thoughtful harmonies. The carefully crafted guitar riffs set against a solid bone bass stretch out across an American landscape with enough depth to sink well beneath the skin. Wed., Oct.15, 7pm at Silver Moon Brewing. 24 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend. $10.

*GIRL CLIMBER

SHOWING AT SISTERS MOVIE HOUSE

Professional climber Emily Harrington has summited Everest, 8000-meter peaks, and dominated the competition circuit, but her greatest challenge extends beyond the physical. To cement her legacy in the male-dominated world of elite rock climbing, she sets her sights on a career-defining 24-hour ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Wed., Oct. 15, 6:45pm at Sisters Movie House. 720 Desperado Court, Sisters. $17.

RAISED IN THE ‘80S

COMEDY SHOW AT SISTERS DEPOT

Join Anthony Poponi, Sara Schor and Jodi Compton for a funny night of nostalgic comedy from comedians shaped by the 1980s. Maybe you’re missing the sweet Tang of life as it was in the best decade, and you’re feeling like one of the Lost Boys. If so, strap on your Sony Walkman and rollerblade down to Frankies and get a Tab going. Thu., Oct. 16, 7pm at Sisters Depot. 250 W Cascade Ave., Sisters. $22.

REDPOINT ROCK WRANGLER

The 4th Annual Climbing Competition & Community Celebration at Redpoint Climbing, Coffee & Taps in Terrebonne is hosting a full day of climbing competitions and good-vibes community gathering. Climbing runs from morning until late afternoon at Smith Rock State Park, with the BBQ kicking off after an awards ceremony at Redpoint. Compete, cheer on your friends and stay for food and fun. There will be a vendor village, catered food, raffles and live music from Eli and Dave of Call Down Thunder. Sat., Oct. 18, 9am–9pm at Redpoint Climbing, Coffee & Taps. 8222 US-97 N., Terrebonne. $50 to enter a climbing competition, free to spectate and attend.

THURSDAY–SATURDAY 10/16–10/18

EDGAR ALLEN POE SPEAKEASY

A CHILLING COCKTAIL EXPERIENCE

The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy returns to Bend for a haunting sequel that delves even deeper into the macabre. This time, the Poe Historians bring four new tales from Poe’s dark imagination to life, each paired with a fresh selection of classic cocktails. Thu., Oct. 16, Fri., Oct. 17 and Sat., Oct. 18 at Volcanic Theatre Pub; start times vary. 70 SW Century Dr., Bend. $55–$65.

SATURDAY 10/18

FALL INTO ART

CREATIVE COMMUNITY GATHERING

Bring the whole family for an afternoon of art, music and seasonal fun. Enjoy hands-on art activities for all ages: kids can explore the children’s art station, while adults are invited to try their hand at pastels and watercolors. Lunch, pastries, live music, $5 art show and more. Sat., Oct. 18, 1–4pm at Sagebrushers Art Society. 117 SW Roosevelt Ave., Bend. Free.

SATURDAY 10/18

POLLINATOR PLANTING

VOLUNTEER WORK AT ALPENGLOW PARK

Help take care of your favorite places in Bend! Join the Bend Parks and Rec Natural Resources and Trails team to pull weeds, remove trash and plant native vegetation that will support area pollinators such as butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and moths. Sat., Oct. 18, 9am–Noon at Alpenglow Park. 61049 SE 15th St., Bend. Register online at www.bendparksandrec.org/ events.

TUESDAY 10/21

JACOB JOLLIFF WITH SKILLETHEAD

Jacob Jolliff is one of the world’s premier contemporary mandolinists. A fixture of the bluegrass scene, he has performed and collaborated with Béla Fleck, Tony Trischka, Michael Daves, Grant Gordy, Wes Corbett, and Alex Hargreaves, to name a few. With his excellent band, he plays a combination of complex, original instrumental music and vocal repertoire that spans from traditional bluegrass to unlikely pop covers. Thu., Oct. 21, 7:30pm at the Tower Theatre. 835 NW Wall St., Bend. $19–$39.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21

JACOB JOLLIFF BAND W/ SKILLETHEAD

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22 BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA W/ SPECIAL GUEST CORY HENRY

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 FIVE FOR FIGHTING WITH STRING QUARTET

S SOUND Travel to Taizé in France Without Leaving Town

First Thursdays with the Central Oregon Taizé choir provide peace, reflection and beauty

By Julie Hanney

When I entered the dimly lit St. Helen’s Hall in downtown Bend on the first Thursday of October for the monthly Taizé meditation service, I was somewhat familiar with the music that originated in Taizé, France. These short and melodic spiritual songs are repeated several times as instruments and perhaps a solo voice are added over the top to bring richness and variation. Sung mostly in Latin, a beautiful and phonetic language, the songs are also sung in English, French, Spanish and other languages. I have a few friends who have spent a week at the Taizé Community at one point in their lives, and they all seem to get a far-off look in their eyes when they speak of it. “Wonderful,” they say. “Nothing else is like it.” They seem wistful, longing for more of what they experienced in the provincial French retreat center.

The Taizé Community in the Burgundy region of France has existed as a retreat for hundreds of thousands of people, many of them young, since its founding in 1940 by Brother Roger. Today the community is made up of approximately 80 brothers who include Catholics, Anglicans and Protestants, hailing from almost 30 countries. The draw for people who make the journey to Taizé is to spend a week “set apart.” The guests live simply, sleeping in tents in the spring and summer months. Heated cabins are available in the winter, and visitors can also stay in nearby villages. Everyone participates in

communal meals, prayer three times a day, study, discussions, chores, silence, and of course, every evening, the singing of the iconic songs that were written for the community by founder Brother Roger and Paris composer Jacques Berthier.

For the Taizé meditation evening in Bend, a sign on the door to the chapel let us know to enter in silence. A long and beautiful instrumental piece was played by musicians who are a part of the Taizé Choir of Central Oregon. The cello, violin, classical guitar, piano and a large, mellow recorder set the tone, literally. This instrumental music helped me transition from the outside world to this inner place of people gathering for an experience of peace. My thinking slowed. I remembered to breathe more

deeply than I usually do. A small choir sat quietly, waiting to lead us in song.

Gail Coon directed the group while playing her classical guitar. She has been leading this Central Oregon choir since sometime in the 1980s. Several years ago, a dozen or so of the choir members visited Taizé together, and they now infuse their offering with this first-hand knowledge. Their music meditation evenings have been held at different locations over the years, but a few years ago Trinity Episcopal Church allowed them to make St. Helen’s Hall their monthly home.

Near the entry of the hall are small songbooks that you are invited to use as you experience a realm of beautiful songs, sacred and poetic words, silence, candle lighting and then more songs. A

small board to the side let us know which songs we would be singing. “Da Pacem Cordium” (Give peace to our hearts) is a round in a minor key that began simply and grew to a symphony of our hearts’ cries. “Confitemini Domino” (Give thanks to the Lord for He is good) is a gorgeous four-part harmony piece that we sang enough times that I was able to pick up on the alto line, feeling even more enmeshed in the harmonies that grew.

“Deep Peace,” our final song of the evening, was actually written by Gail Coon and it was the perfect send-off.

A few things shocked me about this event: how beautifully the music was presented, how easy it was to sing along, how much I needed an evening in a dimly lit chapel, how good it is to be silent with other people and how very good it is to sing together. Oh, and yes… it was free.

Spending a week at the Taizé Community is definitely a dream of mine, but until my bank account allows for that, to experience this “retreat” for even an hour once a month is a beautiful gift that I hope more people, young and old, will open.

Taizé Choir of Central Oregon First Thursdays of every month, 7pm Trinity Episcopal Church — St. Helen’s Hall 231 NW Idaho St., Bend Taize-of-Central-Oregon-100071919285548/ Free

CALENDAR

15 Wednesday

The Astro Lounge Karaoke Get here early to put your name on the list! Drink specials every night. 9pm-2am. Free.

Bunk+Brew Open Mic Show off your talent at Bunk + Brew’s Open Mic Night! <0x1F3A4> Sign-ups begin at 5:30 PM, the show kicks off at 6. All acts welcome—music, comedy, poetry, and more. Grab a drink, hit the stage, or cheer them on. Free to attend. Good vibes guaranteed. 6-8pm. Free.

The Capitol The Capitol Karaoke Music Weekly Karaoke at its finest! Central Oregon’s premiere karaoke experience has just moved locations! Now at the Capitol! Drink specials! Air guitars! Come see for yourself. 8pm-1am. Free.

The Cellar Live Music with Danger Gently Head down to The Cellar every Wednesday to enjoy live music from Danger Gently, a talented rotating cast of characters playing old-timey jams! 6-8pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Scott Foxx Come join us for multi-instrumentalist and singer/ songwriter Scott Foxx. You are in for a treat! 7:309:30pm. Free.

Craft Kitchen and Brewery Comedy Open Mic Night Open mic comedy on Bend’s NE side. Come down, eat some BBQ, drink some drinks, and be prepared to laugh. Great for first timers to experienced performers. FREE 7:30-9pm. Free.

Crosscut Warming Hut No 5 Megan Alder Hailing from the Columbia River Gorge, Megan Alder is a vocal powerhouse performing upbeat swing and Americana music. She delivers her original songs with raw grit and soul. Influenced by artists like Billie Holiday and Bonnie Raitt, Alder performs with live loops and kazoo flare. Her latest release, Dark Side, 6-8pm. Free.

Deschutes Brewery & Public House

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

Dogwood At The Pine Shed Transmission: ‘80s Dark Wave Social Club Immerse yourself in the sounds of the ’80s underground. DJ Mark Brody spins Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Cure, Clan of Xymox, and more at Dogwood at The Pine Shed. A moody night of goth, postpunk, and darkwave. Every 2nd Wednesday. 7-10pm. Free.

Hosmer Bar Trivia Night Join us midweek for brainy banter and cold drinks! Whether you’re a seasoned quiz champ or just in it for the laughs, gather your crew and test your knowledge! See you there! 7-9pm. Free.

M&J Tavern Open Mic Night Downtown living room welcomes musicians to bring their acoustic set or turn it up to 11 with the whole band. Bring your own instruments. 6:30pm. Free.

Northside Bar & Grill Mellow Wednesday

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

Pinky G’s Pizzeria MUSIC BINGO Join music Bingo (think Bingo and Name that Tune). Great food, cold drinks and good times. Free to play and prizes for each round winner. 6-8pm. Free. Ponch’s Place Bingo Wednesdays at Ponch’s Place Enjoy Bingo at Ponch’s Place on Wednesdays. 5:30-7pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing The Turkey Buzzard The Turkey Buzzards tell simplistic stories that unravel through gritty vocals and thoughtful harmonies. The carefully crafted guitar riffs set against a solid bone bass stretch out across an American landscape with enough depth to sink well beneath the skin. 7-9pm.

Upp Liquids Bend Comedy Open Mic The Bend Comedy Open Mic, every Wednesday at UPP Liquids. All peformance types and ages are welcome! 7-9pm. Free.

Wonderland Chicken X Worthy Brewing Karaoke Wednesdays Sing your heart out, enjoy a cold beer and fried chicken! 7-11pm. Free.

16 Thursday

The Astro Lounge Karaoke Get here early to put your name on the list! Drink specials every night. 9pm-2am. Free.

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

Bar Rio Live Music at Bar Rio Grab your favorite bites and sips and relax into the music— ranging from jazz and blues to pop and flamenco. 6-8pm. Free.

Bunk+Brew Karaoke Thursdays Sing your heart out at Bunk + Brew’s Karaoke Night!

Whether you’re a pro or just love the spotlight, all voices are welcome. Food carts available all evening! Located in the Historic Lucas House Living Room for winter. 7-10pm. Free.

The Cellar Live Irish Trad Music with The Ballybogs! Join us for a night of live music featuring Bend’s Irish Trad band, The Ballybogs! Every Thursday at The Cellar. Seats fill up, so get there early if you can! 6-8pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Kahrin Kahrin is a singer-songwriter, sound healer and multi media artist from Cleveland, Ohio. Angelic and sincere, her voice carries listeners on a journey through the heart. Spear collects inspiration from her ancestors and the natural world, describing her music as Shamanic Folk—the kind for meditation and long road trips. 7:30-9:30pm. Free.

Crave Bend COMEDY OPEN MIC NIGHT

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

The Dez Lounge Open Mic Join Joyful Lane at open mic night! Enjoy NA cocktails, charcuterie and dessert while listening to local talent! 6-9pm. Free.

Dogwood At The Pine Shed Let’s Have a Kiki A weekly 2SLGBTQIA+ night hosted by Cliché, with a new featured resident DJ each month. Kicking off the series in May with DJ Lunallday. Let’s have a kiki! 7-10pm. Free.

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

LIVE MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

Ticket and promote your events with BendTicket! →

Chained to Stone captures the raw energy and spirit of the grunge movement and takes audiences back to the heart and soul of the '90s. Fri., Oct. 17, 7pm at Silver Moon Brewing.

Hosmer Bar Bingo Night Your week just found its highlight—bingo! Join us for drinks, good company and a little friendly competition. Pull up a chair, grab a board and let’s make some memories! 7-9pm. Free.

The Lot Carson Hackbart Jazzy instrumental, jazz standards, R&B, Latin, pop, reggae and more. Full band sound from backing tracks. Performed live with saxophone. 6-8pm. Free.

Mountain Burger Thursday Night Live Victor Johnson at Mountain Burger for Thursday Night Live! 6-8pm. Free.

Ponch’s Place Trivia Thursdays at Ponch’s Place Trivia Thursdays at Ponch’s Place with QuizHead Games. 6-8pm. Free.

River’s Place Fluffalove Music for the soul, consisting primarily of ‘70s folk-rock gems. Their Laurel Canyon vibe includes two acoustic guitars and tight harmonies. 6-8pm. Free.

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

Sisters Depot Raised in the ‘80s: Comedy Show A funny night of nostalgic comedy from comedians shaped by the 1980s. 7-9pm.

Stoller Wine Bar Bend Live Music Thursdays Join us for our live music series, featuring local artist we know and love! 6-8pm. Free.

17 Friday

The Capitol Perreo Friday + DJ Stteven Get ready for a night of non-stop dancing with DJ Stteven spinning the hottest beats all night long. Join us at The Capitol for an unforgettable event. Let’s dance, vibe, and make memories together. Don’t miss out on this epic Friday night party! 9-10:45pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Cheyenne West Band Nashville recording artist and seasoned songwriter Cheyenne West has been making country music since she was barely 12 years old. Come join us for a night of great songs and musicianship. 8-10pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Commonwealth DJ Dance Party with TRUNORTH Join TRUNORTH as he makes his way down from the 49th parallel, spinning the latest and greatest, raising the bar on this year’s playoff season. Join him Friday and Saturday nights at The Commonwealth Pub and cheer on the beats from soul, to funk, to today’s hits. 9pm-Midnight. Free.

Craft Kitchen and Brewery Comedy Night Prepare to embark on a wild comedic rollercoaster ride with the unstoppable force of laughter that is Nate Ford! 8-9:30pm.

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

Hosmer Bar Bend’s Blindfolded Bachelor Join Bits N Skits Productions for another Bachelor Show with a comedic twist! Located in the lobby of the Waypoint Hotel, Hosmer Bar, the newest of swanky Bend hotspots offering delicious drinks, yummy mocktails and kick-ass food! It’s is the perfect backdrop to laughing along with Bend’s most talented comedians! 7-8:30pm.

M&J Tavern Rustmouth + Johnny Bourbon Heavy hitting and deep southern blues meets west coast Americana stories and ballads. 9pm. Free.

Ponch’s Place Alex Winters Enjoy Friday night live music! 6-8pm. Free.

Portello Wine and Spirits Kurt Silva & Cynthia West Kurt Silva & Cynthia West bring the genuine country charm to Portello. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Chained To Stone From the gritty riffs of Nirvana and iconic vocals of Alice in Chains, to the emotive melodies of Stone Temple Pilots, Chained to Stone captures the raw energy and spirit of the grunge movement and takes audiences back to the heart and soul of the ‘90s. 7-10pm

Wildwood Bar & Grill The Desert Howlers The Desert Howlers have established themselves as Central Oregon’s premier roadhouse blues band. With a tight rhythm section, soulful vocals, and the blazing harp and guitar work of British born Blues Man Steve Counsel, The Desert Howlers are fast becoming a fixture of the Pacific Northwest blues scene. 7-10pm. Free.

CALENDAR EVENTS

18 Saturday

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

Bridge 99 Brewery Family-Friendly Karaoke Night Looking for family fun? You’ll find it every Saturday night at Bridge 99 Brewery. Family-friendly karaoke is hosted by DJ Jackie J and A Fine Note Karaoke Too from 6-9 PM. Adults, kids and good dogs welcome. 6-9pm. Free.

The Commonwealth Pub Silvertone Devils The Silvertone Devils play roots rock and roll with a love of good old country music, especially Waylon. The band is able to craft sweet little handmade artisan beauties as well as smash the box wide open with gut bucket funk, blazing rock, and jam dance music. 8-10pm. Free.

Faith, Hope & Charity Vineyards Brian Hanson Band The Brian Hanson Band is an electrifying country music group! 5-8pm. $22.

Northside Bar & Grill Live Music + Brian Hanson Band Come down for an amazing show! 8-11pm. Free.

On Tap Almost Wind down the summer season with great food, beverages and live music from the ‘70s to the ‘90s brought to you by Almost. Family friendly! 6-8pm. Free.

Ponch’s Place Halloween Family Fun Day A fun-filled Halloween celebration for the whole family! Stick around for a costume contest and live music to keep the spooky fun going! 11am4pm. Free.

Portello Wine and Spirits Jacob Westfall Jacob Westfall brings his soulful vocals and magnetic stage presence to Bend! known for his high-energy performances and rich storytelling, Westfall’s sound blends pop, rock, and folk influences into an unforgettable live experience. Don’t miss this night of great music and good vibes! Reservations or walk-ins welcome! 6:308:30pm. Free.

Redpoint Climbing, Coffee & Taps Redpoint Rock Wrangler: Climbing Competition & Community Celebration w/ Live Music! Join us for the 4th Annual Redpoint Rock Wrangler! After our all-day climbing competition at Smith Rock, we will be hosting a community celebration with a vendor village, catered food, raffles, and live music from Eli and Dave of CALL DOWN THUNDER!!! Follow link below for more details! 9am-9pm. FREE Community Event (ticket to compete is $50/person).

River’s Place Saturday Jazz Sessions T5 Trio playing jazz standards. 6-8pm. free.

Silver Moon Brewing Gayhteist, Baby Gurl, SPINA Gaytheist is a 3-piece noisy rock band based out of Portland. Songwriter/guitarist Jason Rivera and bassist Tim Hoff have been friends since high school. Rounded out by the ridiculously explosive drumming of Nick Parks. 7pm. $15.

Wildwood Bar & Grill Jared Eisenhauer Trio Jared Eisenhauer is a successful singer-songwriter based on the West Coast. He’s known for his fun, catchy mix of RNB, Americana and pop music. Jared Eisenhauer Trio elevates that sound to the next level! Don’t miss these rising stars on their way up. 7-10pm. Free.

19 Sunday

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

The Commonwealth Pub Talam Dubh & Friends - Sunday Irish Evening Talamh Dubh is a trio with collective ties to Ireland and a love for Irish music. Their name, “Dark Earth” in Gaelic, pays homage to the volcanic ground of the Cascade range upon which the group formed. Featured in their repertoire are jigs, reels, hornpipes, marches, waltzes, and songs. 5-7pm. Free.

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

Dogwood At The Pine Shed Okay Karaoke Sing your favorite songs with friends, enjoy professional sound and lighting, and let the spotlight shine on you. Hosted by the dynamic Tammy Larsen, it’s the perfect night out for music lovers and party people alike. Noon-11pm. Free.

The Domino Room Jason D. Williams, Supersuckers, & Wayne Hancock Live music! 21+. 8-11:30pm. $30.

River’s Place The Brainy Brunch Trivia! Useless Knowledge Bowl Trivia presents “The Brainy Brunch!” Bring your crew of friends or family and a pen/pencil! Play for fun and gift cards, play for free! Experienced, independent, locally owned and operated! Noon. Free.

River’s Place Doc Monos Folk, Americana, blues and rockabilly, performed in a raw, low-fi style. 5-7pm. Free.

Silver Moon Brewing Open Mic at the Moon

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

Stars Cabaret Early & Dirty Comedy

These comedians might not work the pole, but you’ll work your abs from laughter. Featuring: Brian Keiser, Tess Eddington, Jon Brown, Julia Reed Nichols, Katy Ipock, Logan Lennox and Jason Leonardo. 6-7:30p.

Tower Theatre Stayin’ Alive - A Tribute

To The Bee Gees STAYIN’ ALIVE offers to their audiences the songs and sights of a full Bee Gees playlist. 7:30pm. $34.50-$64.50.

20 Monday

Bevel Craft Brewing Bingo with Bren Supporting Central Oregon Disc Golf Club We love disc golf at Bevel! Join us for Bingo with Bren, where half the proceeds go to cash prizes and half support the Central Oregon Disc Golf Club. Cards are $2 each or six for $10. Every dollar raised helps grow disc golf as a fun, affordable sport. 6-8pm. $2.

The Commonwealth Pub Monday Night Musicians Open Showcase and Jam Calling all musicians, singers and performers! Join us for a weekly open showcase where you can share your talent, connect with other artists and perform in a welcoming atmosphere. Bring your instrument — backline is provided. 5-9pm. Free.

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

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

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

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

21 Tuesday

The Astro Lounge Karaoke Get here early to put your name on the list! Drink specials every night. 9pm-2am. Free.

Beach Hut Deli Tip of the Tongue Trivia Come out and play Tip of the Tongue trivia for a chance to win some great prizes and show off your trivia skills! 6-8pm. Free.

The Capitol The Capitol Karaoke Music Weekly Karaoke at its finest! Central Oregon’s premiere karaoke experience has just moved locations! Now at the Capitol! Drink specials! Air guitars! Come see for yourself. 8pm-1am. Free.

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

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

The Commonwealth Pub CyDefects: Tuesday Night Jazz Formed in 2017 as a casual musical gathering, CyDefects has evolved into a serious jazz fusion act, bringing a dynamic blend of funk-oriented grooves and rock energy to stages across Central Oregon. This five-piece ensemble delivers a fresh take on the genre, balancing high-energy improvisation with intricate compositions. 7-9pm. Free.

Elements Public House Trivia (&Taco) Tuesdays Quiz fans of Redmond: bring your crew this week for UKB live trivia & more! Delicious menu favorites, brews, cocktails, plus Taco Tuesday menu! Play for gift card prizes or just for fun. Bring good vibes and a pen. 6:30pm. Free.

M&J Tavern Karaoke Every Tuesday at your downtown living room! Sign-ups start at 8pm and the singing goes until last call OR last singer, whichever comes first! 8pm-1:15am. Free.

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

Northside Bar & Grill Karaoke with DJ Chris Ossig Karaoke with DJ Chris. 7-9pm. Free. Pinky G’s Pizzeria TRIVIA NIGHT Test your knowledge in a casual/laid-back atmosphere. Pizza, beer and trivia. Free to play and prizes for 1st and 2nd place. 6-8pm. Free.

MUSIC

Jacob Jolliff with Skillethead The Jacob Jolliff Band—one of the most cutting-edge progressive bluegrass groups on the scene today. The band plays a combination of complex original instrumental music and vocal repertoire that spans from trad bluegrass to unlikely pop covers. Improvisation and the ensemble interplay are at the forefront. Oct. 21, 7:30pm. Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend. Contact: 541-3170700. info@towertheatre.org. $19-$39.

Sam Bush There is only one progressive hippie allying with like-minded conspirators, rolling out the New Grass revolution, and then leaving the genre’s torch-bearing band behind as it reached its commercial peak. Music’s ultimate inside outsider. Or is it outside insider? There is only one Sam Bush. Oct. 18, 7:30pm. Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St., Bend. Contact: 541-3170700. info@towertheatre.org. $49-$69.

FILM EVENTS

*Girl Climber Professional climber Emily Harrington has summited Everest, 8000-meter peaks, and dominated the competition circuit but, her greatest challenge extends beyond the physical. To cement her legacy in the male dominated world of elite rock climbing, she sets her sights on a career-defining 24-hour ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Oct. 15, 6:45-8:15pm. Sisters Movie House, 720 Desperado Court, Sisters. Contact: 5415498833. inquiries@sistersmoviehouse.com. $17.

PRESENTATIONS + EXHIBITS

Meet Tayas Yawks and Good Medicine Outreach Staff Learn more about peer support for Native cultures. At Tayas Yawks, the focus is on family values, culture, and the sense of community where the mindset is of care and concern. Oct. 16, 1-2pm. La Pine Library, 16425 1st St, La Pine. Contact: 541-312-1032. lizg@ deschuteslibrary.org. Free.

FUNDRAISING

Malheur Inspired: a Night with Friends

Whether you are a longtime friend or newly Malheur-curious, this is an opportunity to learn more about the refuge and the work FOMR is engaged in on the ground and in the local community. Oct. 18, 5-8am. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon, 61980 Skyline Ranch Rd, Bend, OR 97703, Bend. Contact: 5418926063. friends@ malheurfriends.org. $25.

EVENTS + MARKETS

The Last Blockbuster Block Party Help celebrate 40 years of Blockbuster with ‘80s-themed music, karaoke, trivia, a costume contest, local food and fun prizes! Oct. 18, 11am-4pm. Blockbuster Video, 211 NE Revere Ave., Bend. Free.

BEER + DRINK

$10 Wing Wednesdays A new weekly special: $10 Wing Wednesdays at Cascade Lakes Pub on Reed Market. Choose from one of the house-made sauces like Char Sui, This IPA BBQ and Spicy Staycay Pineapple or go naked! Wednesdays, 11am-9pm. Cascade Lakes Pub on Reed Market, 21175 SE Reed Market Rd., Bend. Commonwealth Pub Happy Hour It’s 5 for 5, with $5 draft beers, $5 house wines, $5 margaritas, $5 crushes and $5 well liquor. Play ping-pong, darts, cornhole, games and enjoy afternoon music on patio and indoors. Ongoing, Noon-6pm. The Commonwealth Pub, 30 SW Century Dr., Bend. Free.

Crosscut Warming Hut: Locals’ Day! Tuesdays are Locals’ Day. Every Tuesday enjoy $1 off regular size draft beverages. Come by the Warming Hut and hang out by the fire. See you soon, Bend! Tuesdays. Crosscut Warming Hut No 5, 566 SW Mill View Way, Bend.

Friends and Family Night McMenamins Old St. Francis in Bend is opening its doors and its heart to support CASA of Central Oregon through its Friends & Family Night. When you dine, sip, or order takeout, 50% of the evening’s food and drink sales will be donated directly to our mission. Oct. 21, 5-10pm. McMenamins Old St. Francis School, 700 NW Bond St., Bend. Contact: 5413891618. lfelt@casaofcentraloregon.org.

Happy Hour at Mountain Burger Happy Hour happens every day at Mountain Burger! Ongoing, 3-5pm. Mountain Burger, 2747 NW Crossing Dr., Bend. Contact: 5416687177. info@ mountainburgerbend.com.

Happy Hour at Viaggio Wine Merchant $7 and $8 glasses of wine, cold beer and delicious discounted snacks. Cheers! Tuesdays-Sundays, 3-5pm. Viaggio Wine Merchant, 210 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: 541-299-5060. info@ viaggiowine.com. Varies by Purchase.

Happy Hour Every Day Make every afternoon a little brighter with a hint of British charm at The Commonwealth Pub! From 3-5pm, enjoy drink specials and a cozy pub vibe that’s perfect for winding down. $3 PBRs $5 RPMs $6 Margaritas $7 Wine Happy Hour bites from Whappos! Mondays-Sundays, 3-5pm. Through Dec. 18. The Commonwealth Pub, 30 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: 541-668-6200. thecommonwealthpubevents@gmail.com. Free.

Industry Appreciation Day! 20% off for all Industry friends! Wednesdays, 2-8pm. Contact: taryn@thealeapothecary.com. Free.

Industry Night! If you’re a bartender, server, chef, cook - anyone in the biz - come unwind with: $5 Hornitos or Monopolowa, $7.50 draft domestic beer + well whiskey, and $3.50 tallboys & $10 man-mosas (on special for all!). You work hardcheers to you! Sundays-Noon-2am. JC’s Bar & Grill, 642 NW Franklin Ave., Bend. Contact: 541383-3000. jcsbend@gmail.com. Free.

Locals Day! Locals Day at the Ale! $2 off drafts and $1 off wine and cider! Wednesdays, 2pm. The Ale Apothecary Tasting Room, 30 SW Century Dr., Bend. Contact: taryn@thealeapothecary.com. Free.

Locals’ Day Come on down to Bevel Craft Brewing for $4 beers and cider and $1 off wine all day. There are also food specials from the food carts located out back at The Patio! Tuesdays. Bevel Craft Brewing, 911 SE Armour St., Bend. Contact: holla@bevelbeer.com. Free.

Locals’ Night at WaypointBBC Locals’ Night at WaypointBBC! $5 draft beer, $8 house red and white wine and $8 specialty cocktail. Tuesdays, Noon-10pm. Waypoint, 921 NW Mt Washington Dr., Bend. Contact: 458-206-0826. Waypointbbc@gmail.com. Free.

Monday Night Football Fall, football, and beer! This week we feature Fort George Brewing $4 pints and swag giveaways! For the non beer lover, we also have Bend Cider and $2 off house wine. Oct. 20, 5-8pm. River’s Place, 787 NE Purcell Blvd., Bend. Come down for Northside’s Monday night football! Food, drinks and a raffle for your chance to win a jersey! Mondays. Northside Bar & Grill, 62860 Boyd Acres Rd., Bend. Free.

Power Hour Come check out our new Power Hour deals: $3 draft Coors Light, $5 draft beer, food cart specials that will make your taste buds dance! Mondays-Thursdays-Sundays, 8-9pm. Midtown Yacht Club, 1661 NE Fourth St., Bend. Contact: 458-256-5454. midtownyachtclub@ gmail.com. Free.

Spooky Wine & Paint Night Includes a glass of wine and all the painting supplies you’ll need to create a piece of spooky Halloween decor! We recommend making an earlier reservation if you’d like dinner before. Oct. 17, 6-8pm. Flights Wine Bar, 1444 NW College Way, Bend. Contact: 541-728-0753. events.flights@gmail. com. $48.

Stoked for Thursdays $2 Stokes Lager drafts. Yeah, you read that right. Crazy cheap beer, crazy fun vibes! Thursdays. JC’s Bar & Grill, 642 NW Franklin Ave., Bend. Contact: 5413833000. jcsbend@gmail.com. Free.

Taco & Margarita Tuesdays Enjoy 2/$10 chipotle chicken street tacos and $10 margaritas! Tuesdays, 4-9pm. Portello Wine and Spirits, 2754 NW Crossing Dr., Bend. Contact: 541-385-1777. contact@portellobend.com. Free.

Thirsty Thursday! $7 glasses of wine/bubbles, $4 Rainiers, $10 margaritas + mules, $7 Wild Roots vodka lemonades, $12 Aperol spritz. Thursdays, 4-9pm. Portello Wine and Spirits, 2754 NW Crossing Dr., Bend. Contact: 541-3851777. contact@portellobend.com. Free.

Wine Mondays! Every Monday night all glasses of wine are $9! This is an opportunity to try wines from our vast wine list all night long and pair with either tasty small plates or delicious dishes by creative chef Nikki Munk. Mondays, 4-9pm. Portello Wine and Spirits, 2754 NW Crossing Dr., Bend. Contact: 541-385-1777. admin@portellowinecafe.com. Free.

Wings + TRIVIA + Whiskey Enjoy $0.75 wings, $4.50 well whiskey, $6 seven & sevens while testing your knowledge with Trivia, hosted by our amazing Cole! Take on our infamous “physical” challenge - think paper airplanes, musical chairs, limbo etc! Come eat, drink and bring your A-game! Wednesdays, 7pm. JC’s Bar & Grill, 642 NW Franklin Ave., Bend. Contact: 541-3833000. jcsbend@gmail.com. Free.

HEALTH + WELLNESS

Grief Support Group Participants can expect to develop their understanding of the grief process while also acquiring the skills to assist themselves through the journey of grief. Contact Carla P at (541) 771-3262 to register. Wednesdays, 3-4:30pm. Through Oct. 29. Partners In Care, 2075 NE Wyatt Court, Bend. Contact: (541) 771-3262.

NAMI Connection Peer Support Group

NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for any adult who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others, and the groups are led by trained leaders who’ve been there. Mondays, 7-9pm. Contact: 503-230-8009. info@namicentraloregon.org. Free.

NAMI Mental Health Peer Support Group: Madras 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 Fridays of each month. First and Third Friday of every month, 1-2pm. Best Care Treatment Services, South Y Complex Building, First Floor, Madras. Contact: 541-316-0167. support@ namicentraloregon.org. Free.

Nervous System First Aid A restorative class that teaches simple, evidence-based practices to calm stress, reset your body and restore balance. You’ll leave with a personal toolkit to transform overwhelm into resilience— anytime, anywhere. Third Monday of every month, 4-5:15pm. Through Dec. 15. Contact: 6508629336. willowmerchant@gmail.com. Free.

Pain Free Posture - Celebrating More than 50 Years of The Vance Stance Tired of being in pain? Get to the root of why you are tight & suffering. Learn to stand in gravity, not behind it. Offering a series of 5 1.5 hour sessions in my private studio for $175. You pick the date and time. Wednesdays, 12-1:30pm. EastSide Home Studio, 21173, Bend. Contact: 541-330-9070. vancebonner@juno.com. $175 for 5 class series. PeriMenopause/Menopause and HRT Dr. Michelle K. Jackson, ND will be giving a Free In Person lecture about the changes that can occur in women’s bodies when going through Perimenopause and Menopause as well as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement options. Please RSVP to attend: office@drjacksonnd.com. The lecture is meant to be fun and informative. Oct. 18, 1:303pm. Downtown Bend Library - Brooks Room, 601 NW Wall St,, Bend. Contact: 541-385-0775. office@drjacksonnd.com. Free.

Pins and Chimes Join us for an evening of deep relaxation and rejuvenation, where the healing power of traditional acupuncture meets the soothing embrace of an immersive sound bath. This unique experience invites you on a journey of profound restoration, harmony, and inner tranquility. Oct. 21, 6-7:30pm. Stillwater Yoga, 1375 SE Wilson Ave Suite 180, Bend, OR 97702, Bend. Contact: info@stillwateryoga.com. $45.

Yoga for Pelvic Health and Healing, with Laura Flood, PT, DPT, RYT - Local Pelvic Health Physical Therapist Learn how to connect to your pelvic floor muscles, so you can care for your pelvic area in your daily life, yoga practice and recreational activities. Small group class focused on: pelvic anatomy and physiology, alignment based yoga postures, breathing and nervous system awareness. Sign up online: www.lotusflowerphysio.com/yoga Fridays, 12:30-1:30pm. Namaspa Yoga Studio, 1135 NW Galveston Ave., Bend. Contact: 541-2416008. Laura@lotusflowerphysio.com. $25.

A New Kind of Corner Store: Bend Roots Mercantile Sprouts on the East Side

A new co-op-style market celebrates local makers and brings farmers market vibes to Bend year-round

By Donna Britt

Anew kind of local love is taking root on Bend’s east side. Bend Roots Mercantile, a fresh new co-op-style market founded by local entrepreneur Merrideth Lindsey, is set for a soft opening in mid-October with full daily hours launching in November. The space will feature a curated selection of local foods, artisan goods and pantry staples, all made right here in Central Oregon.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Lindsey is also the founder of Oh Ghee!, a local farmers market favorite, that features clarified butter as the main ingredient in all its products. Her Oh Ghee! production facility and storefront on Dean Swift Road, right next to the East Bend Library, will now also serve as home to Bend Roots Mercantile.

“I’ve had a lot of success having the space as a retail shop for my own company, and I’m excited to bring a one-stop shop concept to the east side of town,” Lindsey says. “Not only is it a chance to offer more products to the consumer, it’s another outlet for the makers too.”

Lindsey’s vision is simple but smart: create a space where local producers can sell their goods directly to customers, no middleman involved. Think of it as a farmers market, but indoors, open year-round, and designed for browsing on a snowy January afternoon or a sunny June morning alike.

From baked goods and gluten-free treats to ferments, pickles, dry goods and pasta, the Mercantile will stock an assortment of items that showcase the creativity and resourcefulness of Central Oregon’s small-scale producers. “Everything is sold direct to the consumer from the makers,” Lindsey says. “So not only do customers get fresh, local products, but the people behind those products get the full benefit of their sales.”

For shoppers, that means discovering small-batch foods and handmade goods you might otherwise only find at the summertime farmers markets. For makers, it’s a chance to reach new customers without worrying about the logistics of staffing a booth or managing online orders.

Lindsey is constantly blown away by what people are making here. “I’m always impressed at what products come out of Central Oregon,” she says. “There are so many amazing things being created right here that people don’t even know about.”

From Idea to Reality

The concept for Bend Roots Mercantile didn’t appear overnight. Lindsey has been percolating on the idea for several years, drawing on her own experience as both a producer and a former meal prep business owner. “I know the obstacles that people face to bring product to market,” she explains. “It’s hard work to make something and then figure out how to get it into customers’ hands. I want this to be a home for folks to do that.”

That empathy for other entrepreneurs is baked into every part of the Mercantile’s design. By offering a shared retail platform, Lindsey hopes to create

a community space where makers can thrive together rather than compete for limited shelf space or market exposure. Her long-term goal is to see the Mercantile grow organically, expanding to include more producers and a broader range of products as word spreads. “This is just the beginning,” she smiles.

In a city that embraces local food culture with open arms, Bend Roots Mercantile feels like a natural next step. The concept bridges the gap between the energy of summer farmers markets and the quieter winter months when local shoppers crave those connections but options are limited. It’s a small but meaningful nod to the crossover between food, wellness and sustainable living that defines so much of Bend’s entrepreneurial scene.

The Mercantile will also carry Oh Ghee!’s signature line of products, including its original and flavored ghee, as well as its body and pet products. And while the focus is on food and pantry staples, Lindsey sees Bend Roots Mercantile as more than just a place to shop. She imagines it as a gathering spot, a hub of community energy where customers can pop in for a jar of local honey or a bag of handmade granola and walk out with a deeper appreciation for the people behind it.

Lindsey’s enthusiasm for the project is contagious. She lights up when talking about giving makers a home base and customers a space to connect with local food. “I invite everyone to come check it out and see the wonderful things made here locally that you may not even know about,” she says.

For anyone who’s ever left a farmers market wishing it happened more often or wished they could find those same fresh, local products closer to home, the Mercantile is an easy yes.

Bend Roots Mercantile plans its soft opening in mid-October, with regular daily hours beginning in November. Local makers interested in joining the co-op-style shop can reach out through Instagram at @bendrootsmercantile

CULTURE

C Lazy Z Ranch History, mead and regeneration

By Joshua Savage

If you’ve ever driven on Highway 20 toward Sisters, you’ve seen the metal horses off to the left side, frozen midstride against the Cascade peaks. Just past them on the right, not as noticeable but with a much longer history, lies the Lazy Z Ranch.

At first glance, with all the recent construction happening on the land, most of it in preparation for Central Oregon’s only meadery, you might think the Lazy Z is new. But this land has been worked for more than a century. In fact, it’s one of the oldest ranches in Sisters, first homesteaded in 1885 by Alfred Cobb. One of the property’s oldest buildings, the noticeable large red barn, still stands as a nearly 100-year-old testament to that early era.

Back then, the highway we now speed along was a dusty wagon road carrying families into the High Desert frontier. The ranch sprawled across 1,400 acres. Its name came from a livestock brand, the letter Z tipped sideways, or “lazy.” Little did Cobb know that a simple brand would become a symbol, one that would long outlast its original fences and owners.

Fast forward to 2020. The world was shuttered in uncertainty, but amid the quiet of COVID lockdowns, John and Renee Herman took a leap of faith. Drawn to the potential, they bought an 80+ acre parcel of the former ranch.

As the Hermans and I converse in the new taproom, John is full of knowledge about everything agricultural and I assume he has a degree in a related field. To my surprise, he admits that he holds a philosophy degree and taught math for a while.

His education in agriculture began in the 1990s when his father bought a ranch in California. Much of what he knows came through hard work with his own two hands as he slowly learned the rhythms of the land.

“When we got this land, my first question was, how does this place work as a system? How can we use our water rights effectively? What does the soil need?” he recalls. Soil, water, biodiversity, cattle - every piece mattered, and each had to connect. For Herman, the ranch is a living puzzle waiting to be solved.

Mead, an alcoholic drink made from honey, is considered the world’s oldest fermented beverage. Herman prefers to call it “Ranch Wine,” A longtime brewer, after testing his soil and consulting with other farmers, he explains that making mead wasn’t simply about beverages. “It was another tool in the toolbox,” he says. “And it just made sense for the long-term ecological system we want in place.”

Mead also allows him to tell a story not just about the ranch, but about the bees, the wildflowers, the lavender fields and the ecosystems that make Central Oregon unique. Herman’s Ranch Wines have a variety of flavors like raspberry-marionberry mix and huckleberry blends to fragrant lavender blossom and wildflower honey styles. Some are very unique, like the

Coffee or Carrot Blossom mead. Each sip carries the landscape.

Partnerships are integral to the local farmer scene. At Lazy Z, honey comes from trusted local producers like Broadus Bees and beekeeper Britney Dye of Mitchell. The Hermans have partnered with Funky Fauna Artisan Ales on beers and even with McMenamin’s, Tumalo Lavender, barrels from Crater Lake and Oregon Spirit Distillers — local collaborations continue to grow.

Lazy Z has put Ranch Wines squarely on the regional beverage map. But it isn’t just about what’s in the glass. It’s about what’s underfoot. Herman is committed to regenerative agriculture, a philosophy as much as a practice.

“Most businesses chase a single bottom line. Profit,” he explains. “Here, we use a triple bottom line: ecology, economy and community.”

Practically, this means planting legume heavy pastures with crops like clovers and alfalfa to fix nitrogen. It means experimenting with a “Chaos Garden,” where kale, pumpkins and whatever else the seed mix carries are left to grow in a riot of biodiversity. It means practicing no-till drilling, protecting fragile soil from disruption. Livestock grazes in managed rotations, mimicking the movements of wild herds that enrich the land instead of stripping it.

Every step is guided by a single principle: leave more than you take.

The most tangible piece of this philosophy sits just off Highway 20, the new Lazy Z tasting room. Now open after much planning, it buzzes with activity. It’s proof of the Herman family’s hard work, their story in motion, a gathering place where people can step into the story, taste the land and leave with more than a bottle of mead.

The Hermans’ vision is still unfolding. While the farm is firing on all cylinders, they are still learning and still dreaming. Cattle are on the way. New pastures will be seeded. Each season brings new experiments, new flavors and new challenges. But one thing that remains constant is their commitment to regeneration of the land and community.

In the meantime, visitors can sip mead flights, shop for honey and Lazy Z gear and gather for a spectacular view of the mountains with music and food trucks.

Lazy Z Tasting Room

Fri 3-8pm, Sat Noon-8pm, Sun 11am-6pm 68540 US-20, Sisters lazyzranch.com/

SC SCREEN Revolution and Other Lovers

“One Battle After Another” is an instant classic

By Jared Rasic

Let me get the hype out of the way right from the jump so it doesn’t seem like I’m hyperbolically gushing over this movie for too many paragraphs in a row: “One Battle After Another” isn’t simply just an instant classic (which it is). Neither is it just another great Paul Thomas Anderson movie in a career filled with two or three of the actual greatest films ever made. What “One Battle After Another” actually achieves is something even more singular: it’s a film released at a perfect time and with so much on its mind as to feel like equal parts manifesto, state of the union address and canary in a coal mine.

But since Paul Thomas Anderson is a master filmmaker incapable of making art that doesn’t leave a lasting imprint on our cultural zeitgeist, he didn’t just conjure a scolding rebuke of policy or a bitter takedown of the racism inherent in our current administration; he instead made a film completely drunk on the possibility of cinema and the importance of the medium. Every frame, every performance, every line of dialogue exists in “One Battle After Another” not just to make a statement, but to be a wildly entertaining rollercoaster capturing lightning in a bottle and then setting it free for us to dance beneath.

Equal parts “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Battle of Algiers,” and “Paper Moon,” the film follows Leonardo DiCaprio as “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun, an explosives expert and member of the French 75, a revolutionary group that we meet rescuing immigrants from a detention center in Southern California. He falls in love with Perfidia Beverly Hills (played by the incendiary Teyana Taylor) and has a daughter, Charlene. On the run from the U.S. Government (personified by Sean Penn’s profoundly disturbed Col. Steven Lockjaw, Pat just wants to keep his little girl safe while being true to his own subversive spirit.

I don’t want to share any more of the story because watching the deliciously unpredictable tale unspool across a breezy three hours is too mesmerizing to risk spoiling. That’s one of the things I keep coming back to with “One Battle After Another:” yes, it’s timely and important and all of those adjectives critics use to mark the significance of a film, but it’s also ridiculously funny and twitchily intense…an unreservedly entertaining ride that pulls the audience along through its twists and turns in such a propulsive way as to feel just as revolutionary as the French 75.

Beneath the expertly calibrated performances by DiCaprio, Penn and Benicio del Toro (who might be having more fun here than I’ve ever seen him have) and beneath the brilliant madcap satire designed to stir the hearts and minds of its viewers, I think what PTA really achieves with this film is to say, unequivocally, that the most American thing a person can do is to be a revolutionary. Not necessarily by the strictest definition of the terms, but by living life in a way that fosters connection, beauty, and love. As much as “One Battle After Another” rallies against injustice, racism and a police state, it pushes its viewers toward just being better humans, toward helping strangers, and being better parents and more engaged members of our community, all while leading with love instead of fear.

“One Battle After Another” will be taught in film classes decades from now when instructors want to illuminate the inherent power of cinema in the hands of a visionary.

Aside from PTA’s stunning script and direction, we’re also blessed with career-best compositional work by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, understated and lush cinematography by Michael Bauman and star-making performances from Teyona Taylor and Chase Infiniti…among so many other amazing elements. Every detail is executed flawlessly in a way that most movies don’t even come close to achieving, leaving “One Battle After Another” feeling momentous even as you’re watching it, but without crystallizing as to why until after it’s over: it’s perfect. An actual, perfect film. One of the very few.

What’s also slyly and brilliantly subversive about the film that I can’t stop thinking about is that “One Battle After Another” isn’t just set in Trump’s America. By letting the technology look somewhat dated in the service of a story that feels immediate, “OBAA” then becomes unstuck in time. It’s a rallying cry for the past, the present and the future that won’t feel like an artifact when people marvel at its prescience a hundred years from now. PTA isn’t telling people to wake up right now; he’s telling the entire world to pay attention to the collective mistakes of our past so we’re not chalking off the outline of the ruins in our future.

“One Battle After Another” will be taught in film classes decades from now when instructors want to illuminate the inherent power of cinema in the hands of a visionary. I hope the shaggy odyssey of this story helps empower generations of Americans to push back against the dehumanizing othering being weaponized into turning a country of immigrants into something far less utopian than dystopian. Whatever the eventual legacy of “OBAA” is decades from now, it’s unlikely there will be a more entertaining or important film in 2025. Movies like this are why I champion cinema as an art form and have dedicated a big part of my life to writing about them. It’s a mirror and a window. What do you see?

OUTSIDE New Indoor Sports Arena Under Construction

Jordan and Jacob Bailey believe in the power of youth sports

By Nic Moye

Jordan and Jacob Bailey are on a mission to build skills and confidence in the youth of Central Oregon, one sport at a time. They’ve owned the Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy since 2021, a sport they became involved with through their daughters. Their boys are active in skateboarding.

“Jacob runs action sports camps at all the local skate parks through parks and rec,” Jordan says. “He has done so for about nine years with our nonprofit Truckstop [Action Sports]. So we really are heavily invested in youth sports and we believe firsthand in the power… We’ve seen it really transform our kids. So that’s why we get so excited about doing it at this scale, to be able to find that opportunity for every kid in Central Oregon, regardless of their inclination, interests, ability level.”

What they’re doing is building a massive, indoor arena featuring a variety of sports and classes. Construction is underway on a 45,000 square foot building at the north end of Bend, off Highway 97 across from Trader Joe’s. Once completed, the gymnastics academy and all of its programs including Ninja, tumbling, cheer and preschool, will move into the new building under the name Bailey’s Sports. The space will be large enough to add volleyball courts and a fitness center. The current building on Layton Avenue off Empire Boulevard will be transformed into an indoor BMX, skate and scooter park, offering classes to build skills. Both of those are expected to open late next year.

Phase two will be construction of a nearly 23,000-square-foot building next to the new one which will encompass a new skatepark and Ninja Warrior training center. Once that’s open, the Baileys say they will no longer need the current building on Layton Avenue. All activities will be indoor, making it yearround no matter what kind of weather or smoke may be filling the sky.

The plans are ambitious, but the couple, who has six children, say they are filling a need. Their gymnastics academy is at 100% capacity serving 1,000 children each week with more on a waitlist. They are also anticipating a growing community, citing a study forecasting Bend’s population to grow from 103,254 to 132,209 by the year 2035.

“The biggest void that we see is there’s just such a severe lack of space for volleyball. A lot of club programs are operating in school gyms late at night,” Jordan says.

While the Baileys are making a sizeable investment, they’re cognizant of the economic times with rising prices and tariffs. “We’ve done our due diligence to see how the community really invests in their kids and sports,” Jacob says.

“A lot of time and care has gone into this project to ensure that it is financially sustainable. It’s a huge goal, but it’s something that we believe wholeheartedly in,” Jordan told the Source. “There’s a real historic record of Central Oregon families prioritizing their kids and their activities and their sports quite highly, even through economic uncertainty.” Jordan goes on to explain they offer scholarships to families with financial barriers. “One of the biggest things that we do is make sure that there are no barriers, if at all possible, to a kiddo who wants to plug in and engage, And we’re really proud of that. We do things like offer school field trips here at no cost for the schools.” Jordan also says they do feel the impact of recent economic conditions with higher interest rates, shipping costs and tariffs.

Part of the expansion is to fulfill their dream of becoming a regional destination. In January they’ll host their second USA Gymnastic-sanctioned meet held at the Riverhouse Convention Center. Last year, about 450 athletes participated, with about 1,600 spectators. This year more than 600 gymnasts have registered. They hope to do the same with other sports. In coming years, during the second phase of construction, they envision a skatepark designed for every level of athlete from first-time riders to advanced, with the ability to host regional and national skate and scooter events. The second facility will also provide an expanded Ninja Warrior section with the capacity to host regional and national Ninja competitions. Their ultimate dream is for the Bailey’s Sports Campus to be one of the west coast’s premier multi-sport and action sports destinations, but always with the child in mind.

“The cool thing is when a kid walks through these doors, no matter what’s going on at home, no matter what’s going on at school, they’re gonna be welcomed with positivity, with what is the potential that you want to achieve and the playing fields even. That’s the beautiful thing about what we’re wanting to do here,” Jacob explains.

Are Porcupines in Peril?

ODFW kicks off study with volunteer effort to answer the question

By Damian Fagan

Porcupines, which are the second largest member of the rodent family (Rodentia) and in the Beaver State (named after the largest member of the Rodentia), are classified as an unprotected species. But this status may change depending upon a new study of North American porcupines being initiated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“Historically, they were so abundant in Oregon that there were no concerns regarding their populations,” said Mikayla Bivona, ODFW acting Prineville assistant wildlife biologist. “Unfortunately, anecdotal evidence suggests that their populations are declining across the western United States and we’re seeing more and more people asking, ‘Why?’”

Recent research on Pacific Northwest porcupine populations, published in 2021 in “Northwestern Naturalist” by Cara L. Appel and others, indicates declines in the population that include human persecution and habitat selection changes. Road mortality may also be a factor as these slow-moving creatures attempt to amble across busy roads. “Because of this and other reasons, ODFW will add the North American porcupine to the state’s list of species of greatest conservation need in 2026,” Bivona said.

The study area encompasses the Deschutes Watershed, from Gilchrest north to The Dalles and areas east of Post and Paulina. ODFW biologists from different districts within the study area will participate in the study, along with numerous volunteers. “We have a limited staff available to work on this project, and our study funding also requires us to utilize match funds through volunteer hours,” added Bivona. “In short, this project would not be possible without our volunteers!”

Joshua Benjamin, a volunteer from Vancouver, Washington, traveled to Central Oregon recently to participate in a training program. “The North American porcupine is one of the most eclectic extant mammals on the continent and I’m always looking for another excuse to venture back into Oregon, so this program seemed to really appeal to me and my interests,” said Benjamin. “Presently, I have time to contribute to conservation efforts through volunteerism, which has been a richly rewarding experience.”

ODFW staff began this project in June 2025 and combed through iNaturalist for historic and recent porcupine observations. Utilizing this data, ODFW staff began placing trail cameras in likely locations where these prickly creatures live. This non-invasive trail camera technique combines with searches for tracks, scat, chewed twigs, or the tell-tale stink of a wild porcupine.

Other partners on the project include the Oregon Wildlife Foundation, The Wildlife Ecology Institute, and the High Desert Museum.

“The High Desert Museum is key in this volunteer effort, as they are supplying the trail cameras for our volunteers to search areas to detect porcupines,” said Bivona. “In addition to helping us on the project, volunteers are also uploading their observations (porcupine and otherwise) to iNaturalist in an effort to get more people involved on that website.”

“Porcupines’ home ranges shrink drastically in the wintertime, oftentimes limiting themselves to their den and a specific tree to feed on,” Bivona said. “Volunteers will continue surveying for porcupines in the winter; however, the survey methods and accessibility will change given the snow cover.” ODFW also plans to radio collar some porcupines to track their seasonal movements.

Though armed with quills that can inflict a lot of misery to predators and overly curious dogs, porcupines have a very appealing appearance.

Dr. Tim Beam, Cal Poly professor and porcupine researcher, described porcupines this way in an Ologies podcast, “What makes them so compelling is that they are dopey, loveable and sweet and almost apologetic that they are unhuggable.”

However, the charismatic nature of porcupines only carries them so far. Even their scientific name, Erethizon is from a Greek word meaning “irritating.” Also known as “thorny pigs,” porcupines have been persecuted for their damage to orchards, woodland trees and expensive trips to a veterinary clinic — even though it’s the dog’s damn fault. Bounties once existed but now ODFW and other researchers in the West are trying to get rewarded with sightings of these desert dwellers.

ODFW will conduct additional volunteer trainings for those interested in the program. Interested volunteers can sign up on the ODFW website and will be notified about the next training session. Also, incidental sightings can be submitted to ODFW via a reporting form found on the website.

Serving Up Fond Memories

Alumni are invited to the last volleyball

game held in the Bend Senior High School gym

By Nic Moye

The last varsity volleyball game in the current gym at Bend Senior High School will be Tuesday, Oct. 28, a bittersweet moment for the team. The gym is being demolished in June, as part of a four-year reconstruction plan funded by a $250 million bond that voters approved in 2022. The first phase of construction, which includes new classrooms and school entrance, began in 2024.

Head varsity coach Kristin Cooper is in her 18th season of coaching at Bend High. “I feel sadness when I think about our gym being torn down,” she told the Source. “When I moved here in 2007, I was pregnant with my first child. I have literally raised all three of my children in that gym. I still have their Pack ‘n Play in the closet, and it will be swept away with the rubble of the gym.”

The last volleyball match will be a special event. Before the game against Ridgeview High School, six seniors on the Bend High team will be celebrated. At the end of the match, a photo presentation will commemorate the gym’s history as well as honor assistant varsity coach Liz Hewitt who’s coached at the high school since 1979.

Cooper is hoping that Bend Senior High volleyball alumni will attend the last game and celebrate their own memories. The normal $6 entry fee will be waived for alumni attending that night. Cooper expects the matchup to be a good one. The lady Lava Bears are currently seeded third in State in the 5A division with a 14-6 record overall. She expects to make a run at the state championship.

“I know our school needs a makeover and new facilities, but there certainly is comfort in this gym and A LOT of fond memories,” Cooper says.

ODFW Volunteer Sign-Up myodfw.com/volunteer

Volleyball Alumni Night

Tue. Oct 28, 6:30pm

Bend Senior High School

230 NE 6th St., Bend Free for Alumni/$6 adults/$4 children

ASTROLOGY

By Rob Brezsny

rawest truth, the wildest beauty, and the most precious love. Your ancestors are conspiring with your guardian angels to lure you into the secret heart of the inner sanctum of spiritual truth. I am totally sincere and serious. You now have a momentous opportunity—a thrilling opening to commune with subtle powers that could provide you with profound guidance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I’m pleased to inform you that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to make a big wish upon a bright star. But I must also tell you how important it is to be clear and exact. Even a slight error in formulating your wish could result in only a partial fulfillment. And aiming your plea at the wrong star could cause a long delay. Sorry I have to be so complicated, dear Libra. The fact is, though, it’s not always easy to know precisely what you yearn for and to ask the correct source to help you get it. But here’s the good news: You are currently in a phase when you’re far more likely than usual to make all the right moves.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): During World War II, Scorpio actor and inventor Hedy Lamarr developed frequency-hopping technology to prevent enemies from jamming torpedo guidance systems. Her solution rapidly switched radio frequencies in hard-to-intercept patterns. The technology was so advanced that no one could figure out how to fully adopt it until years later. Engineers eventually realized that Lamarr’s invention was essential for WiFi, GPS, and cell phone networks. In the coming weeks, Scorpio, you, too, have the potential to generate ideas that might not be ready for prime time but could ultimately prove valuable. Trust your instincts about future needs. Your visionary solutions are laying the groundwork for contributions that won’t fully ripen for a while.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the forests of America’s Pacific Northwest, “nurse logs” lie fallen but fertile. These dead trees host seedlings, mosses, and new saplings that rise from their decaying trunks. I regard this as a powerful metaphor for you, Taurus. Something old in you is crumbling, like outdated beliefs, outmoded duties, or obsolete loyalties. Part of you may want to either grieve or ignore the shift. And yet I assure you that fresh green vitality is sprouting from that seemingly defunct thing. What new possibility is emerging from what was supposed to end? Resurrection is at hand.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I guarantee you won’t experience a meltdown, crack-up, or nervous collapse in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. What unfolds may bring a similar intensity, but in the opposite direction: a personal breakthrough, a cavalcade of illumination, or a surge of awakening. I urge you to be alert and receptive for relaxing flurries of sweet clarity; or streams of insights that rouse a liberating integration; or a confluence of welcome transformations that lead you to unexpected healing. Can you handle so many blessings? I think you can. But you may have to expand your expectations to welcome them all.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 1959, a Swedish engineer named Nils Bohlin designed the three-point seatbelt, revolutionizing car safety. Working for Volvo, he insisted the design must be made freely available to all car manufacturers. Bohlin understood that saving lives was more important than hoarding credit or profit. Capricorn, your assignment now is to give generously without fussing about who gets the applause. A solution, insight, or creation of yours could benefit many if you share it without reservation. Your best reward will be observing the beneficial ripple effects, not holding the patent.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your exploratory adventures out on the frontiers have been interesting and mostly successful, Aquarius. Congrats! I love how you have avoided tormenting yourself with self-doubt and roused more boldness than you’ve summoned in a long time. You have managed to ignore useless and superstitious fears even as you have wisely heeded the clues offered by one particular fear that was worth considering. Please continue this good work! You can keep riding this productive groove for a while longer.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In Korean tradition, *mudangs* are shamans who endure a personal crisis or illness and emerge with supernatural powers. They perform rituals to seek the favor of spirits. They heal the ancestral causes of misfortune and ensure good fortune, prosperity, and well-being for the people they serve. I don’t mean to imply you’re following a similar path, Pisces. But I do think your recent discomforts have been like an apprenticeship that has given you enhanced capacity to help others. How will you wield your power to bless and heal?

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Life is tempting you to tiptoe to the brink of the threshold of the

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A deeper, wilder, smarter version of love is beckoning you from the horizon. Are you ready to head in its direction? I’m not sure you are. You may semi-consciously believe you already know what love is all about, and are therefore closed to learning more. It’s also possible that your past romantic wounds have made you timid about exploring unfamiliar terrain. Here’s my assessment: If you hope to get exposed to the sweeter, less predictable kinds of intimacy, you will have to drop some (not all) of your excessive protections and defenses. PS: At least one of your fears may be rooted in faulty logic.

CANCER (June 21July 22): Princess Diana transformed the British monarchy because she insisted that royal duty should include genuine emotional connection. Her generosity wasn’t merely ceremonial but was expressed through hands-on charity work. She had close contact with youth who had nowhere to live. She walked through minefields as part of her efforts to rid the planet of that scourge. She hugged people with AIDS at a time when many others feared such contact. “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward,” she said. Her ability to maintain grace while remaining emotionally authentic reflected a genius for blending strength with sensitivity. Can you guess her astrological sign? Cancerian, of course. Now is a perfect time for you to draw inspiration from her example. Express your wisely nurturing energy to the max!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Certain African lions in Kenya have no manes. Scientists theorize it’s an adaptation to heat or a reflection of extra aggressive hunting strategies. But symbolically, it challenges expectations: Is royalty still royalty without the crown? I bring this to your attention, Leo, because I suspect you will soon be asked to explore your power without its usual accouterments. Can you properly wield your influence if you don’t unleash your signature roar and dazzle? Will quiet confidence or understated presence be sufficiently magnetic? Might you radiate even more potency by refining your fire? I think so. You can summon strength in subtlety and majesty in minimalism.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): During the next nine months, you will face a poignant and potentially inspiring choice: whether to wrangle with an endless tangle of mundane struggles, or else to expand your vision to the bigger picture and devote your energy intensely to serving your interesting, long-term dreams. I hope you choose the latter option! For best results, get clear about your personal definition of success, in contrast to the superficial definitions that have been foisted on you by your culture. Can you visualize yourself years from now, looking back on your life’s greatest victories? You’re primed to enter a new phase of that glorious work, rededicating yourself with precise intentions and vigorous vows.

Homework: My home country, America, is in a dire crisis that impacts the whole world. Read my comments here: https://Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

Crossword “The Consequences”

Dream team game?

Hoarse 42.  Joy Division singer ___ Curtis

Insect that does a waggle dance

44.  Familia member

45.  Ink squirters

48.  Accordion-style pleats

51.  Flat fees?

54.  It ends in diciembre

55.  The buck stops here

56.  Bird-like

58.  Flattens in a ring

59.  What a leaf peeper peeps

63.  Ode preposition

64.  Sells online

65.  Dino with around 60 teeth

66.  One who might think duct tape fixes everything

67.  “Sure, let’s try it!”

68.  It’s always right

By Brendan Emmett Quigley

DOWN

1.  Acronym that means foolish actions will lead to negative consequences, and the theme of this puzzle

2.  Not together

3.  Interior designer’s concern

4.  Gregg specialist, for short

5.  Brian who said “Honor your mistake as a hidden intention”

6.  ___ annum

7.  “Too cute for words!”

8.  Pounce towards

9.  Rich tapestry

10.  Rocky beginning

11.  Ability to talk

12.  Bruneau Dunes State Park state

13.  Like brains and leaves

18.  See 19-Across

24.  Slightly drunk

25.  Unauthorized stories of well-known characters

26.  Love handles, so to speak

28.  Dissenting vote

30.  “Would You Rather” playmate, for short

31.  Establishment with a TouchTunes machine

32.  Childish and inexperienced

34.  Philanthropist

35.  Cheer during El Clásico

36.  Phillies div.

38.  Initialism before a three-day weekend

39.  Decent amount

40.  Granola morsel

45.  1996 Beck album with a nonsense title

46.  Resound

47.  Request formally

48.  Not legit

49.  2025 Best Picture winner

50.  Reluctant

52.  Drag queen topper

53.  Wise guys

57.  On deck

60.  Memorial architect Maya

61.  Rapper ___ Rida

62.  68-Across, in German

Puzzle for the week of October 13, 2025

Pearl’s Puzzle

Puzzle for the week of October 13, 2025

Difficulty Level: ●●○○

Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters

Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters exactly once. RIND VOWEL

R I N D V O W E L exactly once.

Fill in every row, column, and 3x3 box with each of the letters R I N D V O W E L exactly once.

The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will complete the quote: “I'm so glad _______ a ______where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it?”

The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will complete the quote: “I'm so glad a where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? ”

- Lucy Maud Montgomery

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S PUZZLES

Answer for the week of October 06, 2025

The highlighted letters read left to right and top to bottom will “I'm so glad a where there are Octobers. It skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? ” - Lucy Maud Montgomery

D R I N P E

I R T P N E U D N T P U E D I R S

Answer for the week of October 06, 2025

“Let’s unplug [the government] for a while, plug it back in, see if it reboots. If that doesn’t work, maybe toss it in a bag of rice. Leave it there for a couple hours. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just throw it away and buy a new one with a better camera and a functioning president.” — Stephen Colbert

“Let’s unplug [the government] for a while, plug it back in, see if it reboots. If that doesn’t work, maybe toss it in a bag of rice. Leave it there for a couple hours. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just throw it away and buy a new one with a better camera and a functioning president.” - Stephen Colbert

THE MEDICINE CABINET WITHIN

HOLISTIC MEDICINE AND YOUR POWER TO BE WELL

By Joshua Phillips, ND

Supporting the Immune System Through Fall and Winter

The morning frost outside and kids back in school remind us of the turning of the season. Seeing more upper respiratory infections in our clinic is also a reminder of the time of year when we’re more likely to come down with a cold or flu. This is a very natural rhythm, as we begin to spend more time together indoors and the sun is gradually falling lower on the horizon, offering less of that glorious vitamin D-creating UV radiation our bodies so happily take in.

While it is not an unexpected phenomenon, there are several things to be aware of, and steps that can be taken to support our immune systems during this time of year. As mentioned, this is the time of year a drop in the body’s vitamin D levels begins to happen. The sun’s lower altitude in the sky means less vitamin D gets converted to its active form. The simple solution is to begin taking a vitamin D supplement — and I recommend having blood levels tested with your doctor. This important vitamin assists with a long list of important physiological functions, including supporting the immune system’s ability to perform its virus and bacteria fighting duties.

The food we eat can be especially empowering this time of year, to help support a healthy and robust immune response. While everyone is unique in their specific dietary needs or food intolerances, there are some general recommendations worth considering. Minimizing refined sugars does make a difference in immune system function and likelihood of infections. For many, excessive amounts of dairy in the diet is congesting and phlegm producing, making the body more inflamed and less resilient.

I’m a fan of hearty soups and broths this time of year, thick with vegetables and your favorite protein. Leaning into foods that feel good to your digestive system and body is usually a good signal that they are going to be supportive for health. Remember also the basics of staying well hydrated throughout the day — so simple, but so important for a healthy immune system response.

While there are dozens of reasons why a good probiotic supplement can be helpful for the vitality of body and mind, this time of year is a good one to

do a round of probiotics. A healthy and varied microflora in the lower GI is not only helpful for digestive function but also has a big impact on the immune system. This is true because the majority of immune system lymphatic tissues reside in the gut, and there is a tremendous amount of communication happening between these body systems.

On the topic of medicinal herbs and other supplements, there are many that can be extremely supportive for a robust immune system, but I’m a fan of tailoring these to the individual. We are unique in our susceptibilities, and for that reason, it is good to work with a holistically minded provider to create a plan that really fits you.

On the topic of fever, I have written before about the importance of this very natural and healthy response to the presence of viruses or bacteria threatening an infection. In almost all cases, I recommend adults and children avoid the temptation to reach for Tylenol at the onset of a fever. Yes, you will feel better if you do so, but you will also lower the body’s temperature and slow down the body’s infection-fighting capabilities. A body temperature between 100 and 103 is considered a good and helpful fever. At these temperatures microbes are less likely to survive, while white blood cells are more effective due to overall increased metabolic activity.

Adequate sleep and rest is crucial for a smart and prepared immune response. Pushing the stress program and trying to pack too much in is a sure way to make yourself susceptible to illness. Take it easy, central Oregon, your body will thank you.

Finally, be sure you are taking steps to increase the joy and contentment aspect of your mental and emotional landscape. My favorite Tai Chi instructor always said, “Be sure to keep the inner smile.” This stance is more instructive than you can imagine toward a vital and well-balanced immune response.

—Joshua Phillips, ND is a naturopathic physician and the director at Hawthorn Healing Arts Center in Bend, Oregon. He can be reached at docnaturecure@gmail. com with questions or comment.

TAKE ME HOME

By Nathan Powers Engel Volkers Bend

A Market in Motion

As the leaves pile up and Halloween decorations take center stage across town, it’s time to reflect on the summer that was in Bend real estate. It’s no secret that the real estate market has been in flux this year due to factors like high interest rates, larger inventories, and buyer uncertainties. With misinformation spreading rapidly online — where one source claims “this could be the best summer yet in real estate,” while another insists, “it’s the worst market we’ve ever seen”— one thing remains true: numbers don’t lie. All figures in this article represent single-family homes in Bend and are sourced from the local Flex MLS, deemed to be accurate.

Quarter 3 (July, August, September) is typically the busiest time of year for Bend real estate, producing the highest number of single-family home sales in 11 of the last 12 years. The only exception was 2022, when Q2 slightly outpaced Q3. This year, 655 single-family homes sold in Bend— up 14% from 574 in Q2 — and the strongest summer since 2022, when 675 homes sold.

While that’s a far cry from 2020, when sales peaked at 1,145, it still represents a healthy seasonal uptick in today’s market. A key difference between today’s market and that of 2022 is inventory. At the end of September, there were 828 active single-family listings compared to 576 in 2022 — a 44% increase and the highest September inventory since preCOVID 2019 (866).

Digging deeper into the numbers, a few trends stand out. Homes sold for an average of 94.3% of their original list price — meaning a home listed at $1,000,000 typically sold for about $943,000. That’s

the lowest third-quarter percentage since 2011 (92.5%) and nearly 8% below the peak of 100.6% recorded in 2021. Even more striking, just 11.5% of homes sold above their list price, the lowest Q3 figure since the Great Recession in 2008, when it dipped to 10.7%.

With more inventory and homes selling well below their original list prices, properties are naturally staying on the market longer. The average Days on Market in Q3 2025 was 32, the highest third-quarter average since 2012 (35 days). While that figure is high, September alone averaged 49 Days on Market — a number not seen in September since 2011.

Another key metric to watch is appreciation. Bend’s median home price for Q3 2025 settled at $775,000, up 2% from 2024 but slightly lower than 2023—and nearly identical to 2022. The median price per square foot landed at $399, $5 below 2022’s $404. Looking at the broader picture, the Bend market saw explosive 37% Q3 growth from 2020 to 2021 but has grown just 7% since, as the market works to correct itself after such unprecedented expansion. September’s unusually high Average Days on Market shows buyers continue to be patient and strategic — viewing more homes than in previous years and often waiting for price reductions. With inventory now at its lowest level since April, expect homes to gradually start selling closer to their original list prices. And if interest rates continue to drop, it could lead to a busier-than-normal fall for Bend real estate.

—Nathan Powers is the director of Marketing/Business Development at Engel & Völkers Bend