Early in the day an anonymous tipster passed along a rumor that The Grove was closing. Sounded like a good thing to blog about, but I didn't want to pass along a rumor that could (potentially) be damaging, so I fired off an email to The Grove to see if it could be substantiated. (Didn't get the reply yet.)

I needn't have bothered. I picked up The Source today and right there on their front page: Say It Ain't So: Grove announces its last show. Beat me by 10 miles.

The Bend Restaurants Blog has a post about it too.

Kind of ironic that when I posted about Storm and the Balls playing there last Sunday, that it was to be one of their last shows.

Not only was this weekend the debut of the Project Blue Book festival in Redmond, but it was also the culmination of the week-long bigfoot search I blogged (and totally forgot) about way back in January. Fortunately, the Bulletin was on the scene.

Sucking in a deep breath, tilting forward then throwing his head back and cupping his hands around his mouth, Matt Moneymaker let out a siren yell that echoed across the forested valley.

The dozen people on the ridge stand silently, listening intently, binoculars scanning the distance. One points a sound amplifier toward the opposite slope.

“WoooooOOOOOOoooooo,” Moneymaker calls again, altering the inflection of the yell.

Like coyotes, if you call to a bigfoot properly, it will call back and venture closer to check out the source.

“I’m good; I can call them in,” Moneymaker said earlier in the day. Creating the calls takes a lot of volume and some technique as well, he said.

“It’s gotta have a bit of a mournful touch to it,” he said of the calls, adding that they vary in different parts of the country — a sort of regional accent.

The paper also had a writeup of the PBB UFO festival, but it's not freely available online. Nor have any of the other local news sites written about it (so far). From the Bulletin's writeup:

The one-day festival celebrated unexplained sightings, aliens and all things intergalactic with food, craft booths, live entertainment and children's activities. Residents sipped green-tinted "alienade," trailing balloons that looked like the heads of big-eyed extraterrestrials.

Dozens of people lined Seventh Street between Evergreen and Deschutes avenues before the festival to watch the parade.

Bigfoot and UFOs. I think what we need next is some sort of lake monster...

Suzanna Johnson writes in with a good cause to promote: Energy Independence Month.

In an effort to not wait for legislation but rather light the fire under our community to choose renewable and more efficient energy sources, five local non-profits are collaborating on a month long series of events known collectively as Energy Independence Month.

Kicking off this week (June 18th) with the Commute Options Week, the events run the gamut from fun to more serious. The Art of Energy Independence Fair (July 14th and 15th) will occur as part of the Bend Summer Festival; Northwest Earth Institute is offering a discussion course on global warming and personal choices; Oregon Paleo Lands Institute has a number of tours and trips; 3E Strategies and reSource have several presentations with local and visiting experts. All the details are on the website.

From the site:

Energy Independence Month is an initiative to empower the citizens of Central Oregon to begin the process of creating a model energy independent community. Our intention is to rally a sense of urgency and empowerment about our nation’s need to transition to a cleaner, energy independent future.

We will deliver a series of events, publications and action campaigns that address practical ways to reduce fossil fuel dependency, increase energy efficiency, increase development of local renewable energy resources and establish community and economic development practices that reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Redmond Spokesman blog has posted the schedule to the Project Blue Book Festival that I blogged about yesterday. I'm taking the liberty of formatting it to be more readable and posting it here:

• alien parade at 10 a.m. followed by a children's costume contest
• UFO cook-off at 11 a.m. (Food entries should contain something green)
• kids activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• ice cream social at noon
• mashed potato “Devil’s Tower” sculpting contest in the afternoon
• a performance of “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” by the Central Oregon Literary Theatre at 6 p.m.
• Galaxy (costume) Ball from 6:40-9 p.m.
• an adult costume contest and live entertainment from noon to 5 p.m.

(The Bulletin's Go! Magazine had an article with the schedule for the festival too, but it's their "e-edition extra" and not accessible publicly.)

Now there's a title, eh? My wife spotted this in The Source: Storm Large and the Balls will be playing The Grove this Sunday, June 24th. Show starts at 9pm, and the cost is $12.

Storm Large (yes, her real, actual name, I believe) is from Portland and she was the local favorite on the "reality" show "Rockstar: Supernova" last year... not something I would ordinarily watch, but friends in Portland clued us in at the time. She was definitely one of the best singers/performers on the show.

Check out their Myspace page to listen to some of their songs.

Spotted on craigslist and looking kind of interesting: the Tumalo Outdoor Market, this Saturday (June 23rd):

FREE community event! • Saturday, June 23rd from 10:00-4:00 • Downtown Tumalo on Cook Ave.

Creative merchants will be selling: Vintage & rustic furniture & décor, Organic vegetable plants, Fresh Oregon strawberries and raspberries, Candles & lotions, Jewelry, Fun kid’s accessories, Handbags, Trendy accessories, and much, much more!

Come & enjoy magical music for children performed by Janellybean at 10:00 am, local Blues Trio ‘FX’ live at noon - and relaxing 15 minute chair massages all day.

Via Shannon.

Just a quick post to note that D's Hobbies has moved—down the street from their former location at the corner of 10th and Greenwood to a space in the 7th and Greenwood shopping center. (You know the one I mean, with the Thriftway grocery, sharing the lot with Papa John's.) They're right next door to Rent-a-Center.

I haven't been in there yet to check out the new space, but I have to say I think it's definitely a good move; their old location was kind of awkward and parking was iffy, I thought. Now they're more visible and accessible, which can only be a good thing.

The Redmond Spokesman blog has an article (from their print edition, of course) about the Project Blue Book Festival coming up in Redmond this Saturday the 23rd—this the UFO festival I blogged about a few months back, I believe. I'm kind of surprised to see it happening.

Based on what information I can scare up online, the festival starts at 10am and runs all day in Downtown Redmond (til 8pm). Looks like there will be a kids costume contest at 11am and an adult costume contest at 6pm... so I guess dress up as an alien?

Also, from the article:

[Tracey] Thille said though she's hoping for a fun event, there's a serious aspect to the Blue Book festival as well. No one will be laughing at anyone who has a story to share. "We respect their experiences. We're going to have something called the Sightings Studio, where you can come in and record your experiences. And later in the evening we're going to have a gathering which will be just an open time in the plaza where you can sit and talk with fellow encounterees," she said. "Talk about your experiences and you see that you're not alone, there are a lot of people who've seen something. Some people won't say anything, they'll say 'It'll make me sound like I'm whacko,' but nearly everyone I've talked to knows someone who's seen something or they've seen something themselves."

The Spokesman blog mentions a guide to activities on page 16 of their print edition... which I don't have, sorry.

If anyone goes, feel free to send me a report. I'll host pictures, too. If nothing else, I'm sure there will be something about it on KTVZ.

Ah, the Central Oregon Web Professionals Usergroup (ie, COWPU)... every time I hear about the next meeting or think to look when it is, it's the day before and I already have plans. Well, I already have plans for tomorrow, but it sounds good to those who can make it. Jen writes:

I have gifts (including books from O'Reilly Publishing) that will be raffled following Ricardo's presentation. Everyone that attends will receive a raffle ticket. In addition, if you bring a friend and/or RSVP for the meeting (on upcoming.org or leave a comment) you will receive another raffle ticket.

Tomorrow's meeting (that's Wednesday, June 20th) will be held at the Deschutes Public Library. Here's the pertinent details from the Upcoming page:

The topic this month is Plone CMS presented by Ric Newbery.

Come check out Plone CMS, an open source content management system used by organizations as diverse as NASA, Marriott, Continental Airlines, Oxfam, eBay, Trolltech, Nokia, and Creative Commons. Supported by thousands of developers from around the world, Plone is one of the most sophisticated, popular, and easy to use Enterprise Content Management Systems on the market today.

After the presentation we will head down the street to O'Kanes Pub (at McMenamin's) for socializing around the outdoor fireplace!

Agenda:
6:00pm - Networking and discussion
6:30pm - Presentation by Ric
8:00pm - Social at McMenamin's - O'Kanes Pub

Sunday we hit the Sunriver Sunfest and I got a few pictures of that while we were there. It was another beautiful day, weather-wise, and we spent about two and a half hours there, all told.

Click through to see my capsule review and pictures.

We went down to the Bite of Bend Saturday to have lunch and check things out, and I snapped a few pictures. It was a pretty decent event, beautiful day for it, we had a pretty good time. Consider these photos (with occasional commentary) my review...

Click through to see the rest of the pics.

Don't forget, this weekend is the Bite of Bend, in downtown Bend. Live music, food, etc. Today's Go Magazine in the Bulletin has a map of which streets will be closed downtown; it's not online though. However, I've tried to recreate it from memory and Google Maps in the image there on the right. (Closed streets are the highlighted ones.)

Also going on this weekend that I hadn't blogged about is the Sunriver Sunfest. It's the two-day wine tasting festival held in the Sunriver Village square. Food, music, and some craft vendors are also there but the focus is really on the wine. Times are 11:30am - 7pm Saturday and 12pm - 4pm Sunday. Looks like they have 29 participating wineries.

We'll be hitting the Bite of Bend Saturday and then the Sunfest on Sunday, it looks like. Busy weekend!

Thinking about the Bulletin's article yesterday about the collapse of the local real estate market, I just thought I'd share than on the half-mile or so drive through the neighborhood (after leaving the "main" road) to my house, I count 16 "For Sale" signs. That's just crazy.

I have more details on Oregon Public Broadcasting's new News Bureau that's opening up next month. I spoke with Morgan Holm, Vice President of News and Public Affairs at OPB, last week and he was more than happy to fill in the blanks for me.

First off, it's primarily for OPB Radio, though the stories will be posted on their website as well. The Bureau will cover all of Central Oregon, not just Bend, and what strikes me as being very cool is the fact that this is almost more of a "virtual" bureau—the reporter will record and file stories on a laptop (with portable audio equipment) and post them to the OPB server (either via email or FTP) as MP3 files. No studio necessary.

This is a much more grassroots and modern direction to take, and definitely shows that OPB is thinking a lot about these issues and about how to do radio (and news) in the modern era of wireless, ubiquitous internet and blogs and podcasts. (OPB does have a podcast feed, incidentally, and you can listen to their radio stream live online.)

Here's a few snippets from the article Holm wrote for the OPB July Member Guide, which he was kind enough to forward to me:

OPB Radio began broadcasting in Bend in 1986. Since that time, OPB has been represented in the area primarily by excellent engineers who work hard to keep both our radio and television signals on the air. Beginning in July, though, we will open our first news bureau in the region to expand our coverage of central Oregon. We are re-assigning a position from our Portland newsroom, and we have hired Ethan Lindsey to fill that position.

In the early 1990’s, OPB brought Oregon Considered, our daily news program, to Bend for an entire week each summer. Back then, it took two people and a trunkload of cassette tape machines, reel-to-reel tape decks, phone coupler units and microphones to produce the show. Central Oregon Community College allowed us to use their board room to set up a mini-studio for our live broadcast each afternoon. Those shows “on the road” were great opportunities for us to meet people and hear stories that we wouldn’t have encountered during a quick trip to the area or through covering a story by phone.

Today, we can put together news stories and entire shows with much less equipment. OPB’s reporters record interviews on machines that use Flash card memory (the same little cards you find in a digital camera). A laptop computer has all the necessary software to produce top-quality audio stories. And instead of filing those stories by phone, our reporters can e-mail them or send them to an FTP server, often using a wireless connection. All of that equipment fits in a modest bag that can be carried over the shoulder. In short, it’s much cheaper and easier to set up a bureau virtually anywhere, and our reporters can file the same high quality stories as they can when working out of a studio.

(I added the links and emphasis.)

This is also their first satellite bureau (outside of one in Salem), so this will be something of an experiment for OPB as well. In addition, assuming all goes well with the News Bureau, Holm talked about exploring the possibility of isolating a radio signal in Bend in order to be able to broadcast for Bend only—hyper-local and not piggybacking on another signal/station. That's still up in the air, though, so there's no saying (yet) whether that would consist of all-local news or general OPB broadcasts.

Also a possibility: launching a local talk show/call-in show around the first of the year. Again, up in the air, but it sounds like they might send another reporter over to Bend for that.

This is all very cool. I've subscribed to a number of the OPB RSS feeds and I'll be watching closely in July to see when they go live (most likely the second week) and keep track of the local news being generated. I'm quite sure I'll be blogging more about this during that time.

Ah, summertime in Central Oregon: there's a ton of things to do, but not everything comes cheap. So I got to thinking about what does come cheap, and compiled a list: The Top 8 Free Activities. Or Nearly Free. Basically, I'm listing things that you can do in or around Bend with a minimum of expense and driving, and without requiring any special equipment and gear.

In no particular order:

1. Climb Pilot Butte. Do it for the exercise and the scenery! The trailhead access is on the east side of the Butte, and there are two trails to choose from: the nature trail and the paved road. From the top of Pilot Butte the view of Bend and the surrounding area is spectacular.
2. Float the river. Put in the water at just below the Bill Healy Bridge (Reed Market Road) at Farewell Bend Park and enjoy a leisurely trip through the Old Mill District and towards downtown. Be sure to avoid going under the Colorado Street bridge—there were several drownings there last year.
   
   • The Bulletin has a short article about this, including a "Plan your Float" list and a map of the floatable area that shows stops for the "Ride the River" bus.
   • This isn't entirely free—you'll need to shell out for an inner tube or other type of flotation device (if you don't already have one). However, various flotation toys can be had at the box stores for relatively cheap, and Les Schwab sells a heavier-duty inner tube for $17.50. On the plus side, you can use this over and over throughout the summer, so it's money well spent if you get out on the river a lot. You'll still have to provide the air—or cough up a quarter or two at a gas station for it.
3. Munch and Music. Every Thursday evening from mid-July through mid-August, head down to Drake Park to listen to free music. There's also arts and craft vendors to check out and plenty of food booths (but ya gotta pay for that).
4. Munch and Movies. Just like Munch and Music—only you see a free movie, it's on Friday nights, and located in McKay Park. These run from mid-August through mid-September, picking up after Munch and Music winds down.
5. Bicycling/mountain biking. C'mon, everyone has a bike, right? Bend is a really bike-friendly town: not only is it nice to ride around the town itself (downtown, "old town," and the westside in particular), but there's a multitude of choices for trails and bike routes if you have a mountain bike. The Deschutes River Trail ($5 Day Pass), Phil's Trail (free), and the Swampy Lakes Loop (free) are just a few examples. Want more local biking resources? Check out BikeMecca.com.
6. Go caving. Whether it's the caves off of China Hat Road or the Lava River Cave, there will be a bit of driving for this activity.
   
   • Lava River Cave: $5 for the Day Pass. Bring your own light (or pay an additional $3 to rent one). Perfect way to beat the summer heat—in fact, bring a jacket! It's a constant 40-45 degrees inside the cave, which runs for over a mile underground. It's located 12.5 miles south of Bend on Highway 97 (one mile past Lava Lands Visitor Center).
   • China Hat Road Caves: These are closer to Bend than the Lava River Cave, and don't require a Day Pass (ie, free). But they are harder to find and you absolutely have to bring your own light. The caves are Arnold Ice Cave, Skeleton Cave, Boyd Cave, and Wind Cave, all located off China Hat/Forest Road 18 approximately six miles southeast of town. Skeleton Cave may be inaccessible, however; in 2005 the Forest Service removed the staircase due to vandalism. Also be aware that these caves are bat habitats.
7. Take the Heritage Walk. Ever been wandering around downtown and noticed the historical marker plaques for certain buildings and houses? Well, the Deschutes County Historical Society has a booklet they've published that lays out a self-guided walking tour of these historical sites. Each of the more than 40 historic sites is detailed in the booklet along with a map of their locations—plenty to space this out over several days or weeks, and enjoy seeing a fair amount of older Bend. The Heritage Walk booklet is available from the Society for $3, or you can try to check out the Library's copy for free.
8. Free Summer Sundays Concerts at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. Every Sunday from June through August, the Les Schwab Amphitheater hosts free concerts. Shows start at 2:30, gates open at 1:00. Their website sums it up nicely:
   

   Bring your sweetheart, kids, puppies (on leashes), friends or just yourself and enjoy a sunny afternoon of world-class music. Bring your own picnic or stop by one of our great food vendors, or the Sidelines Sports Bar family-friendly beer garden for a cold cerveza. Kids must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to enter.

Is this an ultimate list? Not hardly! I was originally shooting for 10 things, but ran into blogger's block coming up with two more and wanted have this posted before summer was over. Other cool things I missed, or comments on what I've picked? Discuss below.

Shannon says, "Join Blink Optical Boutique for the annual Spec Fest on June 9 from 9 am – 2 pm at BMC's Westside Primary Care Clinic."

25 to 50% off eyewear, sunglasses & accessories.

Brands include Versace, Anne Klein, Kate Spade, Nine West, Saks Fifth Ave, Gucci, Chesterfield, Coach, Nautica, Fendi, Swarovski and Adidas. Discontinued frames will be $65 as well.

• Free hot dogs, veggie burgers donated by Rudy Project
• Free beverages donated by Ray Ban and Versace
• Condiments provided by Prodesign, Coach and Fendi
• Giveaways from Harry and David, Eddie Bauer and Columbia Sportwear

For more information, stop by Blink Optical Boutique (located at the Main Clinic and Westside).

BMC's Westside Clinic is located at 1080 SW Mt. Bachelor Drive, off of Century.

This is a few days old, and I plucked it from Bend Oregon Restaurants:

Every Monday night, Jake’s Diner holds a Texas Holdem Tournament with all proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity. To date, nearly $6000 has been raised to help build homes for local people.

On Monday, June 11th , there will be a special night which will include officers from Habitat and some of the new soon to be Habitat homeowners. Sign ups will begin at 5PM and the tournament will start at 6:30. The charge for the event is the same as every Monday night which is $5.

Sounds like both a good cause, and an inexpensive buy-in for a regular poker game. Not that I've ever played, you know, for real. But I like the idea.

Also I like the idea of Jake's Diner having a blog. I'm hoping it gets updated regularly.

This was forwarded on to me by Jen:

Thursday June 7^th, Michigan singer songwriter Joe Reilly appears at Strictly Organic Coffee, 6 SW Bond St., Bend, OR, 5-7pm, Free www.strictlyorganic.com

Planting Gardens is the latest album by Kalamazoo native singer songwriter and activist Joe Reilly. The result of a three-year process of songwriting, musical collaborations, and spiritual activism, this album offers listeners a hopeful vision of peace, non-violence, and love within the context of community building. In times when positive messages are difficult to find in the media, Reilly waters seeds of compassion and understanding with poetic lyrics, beautiful melodies, and soulful rhythms. Planting Gardens gives us a tour of Joe's experiences and reflections of life in Detroit and Chicago and of the earth and waters in between.

Backed by his Chicago-based band The Faith Project, Reilly recorded the album at the Leaven Center, a retreat and study center nurturing the relationship between spirituality and social justice in Lyons, Michigan. The spiritual activism supported by the Leaven Center as well as the beauty and serenity of its land provided the perfect conditions for the germination of this creative project. A ten-minute enhanced video portion of the album documents this creative process and includes interviews and scenes of the Leaven Center recording sessions.

The Faith Project consists of jazz drummer Jon Faro, soul gospel bassist Alejandro Cornejo, Haitian Master Percussionist Camelo Romelus and special guest vocalist, Chicago's Native soul diva Michaela Marchi. Their multicultural musical chemistry transcends barriers of race, class, and religion to create a solid foundation of world rhythm behind Joe's powerful voice.

Complementing the music are three excerpts from a talk by Vietnamese Zen Master, author, and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, given during a retreat for entertainers at the Deer Park Monastery in California.

Funky.

Shannon sends along a pointer to this item on the Economic Development For Central Oregon website:

Today Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the selection of Jason Carr to manage a new economic development program focusing solely on Prineville and Crook County, effective June 4th. Carr brings over 10 years of media and community experience to the position and a strong knowledge base of individuals, businesses, and organizations throughout the region.

Central Oregonians may recall Carr as KTVZ NewsChannel 21 primary anchor from 2002 to 2005. Carr spent nearly a decade with KTVZ in a variety of reporting positions including business and government, sports, and community issues as well as producing and writing assignments. For the past two years, Carr has been Anchor, Reporter, and Producer at KEZI 9 News in Eugene, Oregon.

I guess it's mostly of interest to those who follow the local celebrities/TV personalities. Carr was definitely one of the most polished reporters to leave KTVZ, and occasionally seeing him pop up on channel 9 news is (was) a bit of a disconnect.

On a (semi) related note, I caught part of the Fox newscast tonight, and they had a Z21 reporter doing a story. Does this mean the KTVZ buyout/merger with KFXO is in effect?

Here's a bit of interesting news that I haven't seen anybody break yet: Oregon Public Broadcasting is opening a new News Bureau here next month. I don't know if this is for general news or if it's for OPB Radio, TV, or what, but I got a confirmation email from OPB saying, "Final touches are now being put into place. The reporter has been hired and will begin working in early July."

I got the tip on this from the reporter himself, who emailed me about it (but didn't want to run anything til I got official confirmation). I'll post more details as I find them out.

An item in yesterday's Bulletin Business section caught my eye: "FivePine to get boost from new brew pub, restaurant" is the article's title, though it's behind the Bulletin paywall so you can't read it online. Here's the brewpub-pertinent stuff:

A new brew pub in Sisters could serve as a gathering place for locals and tourists and further cement Central Oregon's reputation as a craft brewery mecca, industry analysts say.

The unnamed brewery would open by the end of next spring at the FivePine development on the eastern edge of town, said Wade Underwood, a partner in the project who would own and manage the brewery.

"We'll start brewing in-house and ultimately strive for small-scale local distribution," Underwood said. "We're hoping to serve locals as well as people passing through town."

I found a bit more detail from the Sisters Nugget (Bulletin, take note: it's freely available):

Wade Underwood, who moved with his wife to Sisters last July, is adding the brew pub that will be located across from the movie house.

"We decided that a brew pub would be something we'd be interested in bringing to the town because we think the craft beers are great," Underwood said. Underwood's vision is for the pub to offer a family environment with great food at a reasonable price.

The building which is currently being designed will have a warehouse and livery stable appearance with commanding barn doors. "We'll have our brewing equipment up front that will be visible and well lighted and hopefully kind of fun to watch the brewing process go on," Underwood said.

The pub will offer pool tables and only a few televisions to keep up with sporting events.

"Hopefully we can keep our local patrons from having to drive all the way into Bend if they want a craft beer," Underwood said.

All pretty interesting, and pretty inevitable, I think. I've thought for quite a while now that a brewpub would do well in Sisters—seasonally, anyway. Sisters is pure tourist town, and while I'm pretty sure a good brewpub would do well there, during the tourist season, I don't know if during the off-season there would be enough of a local support base to maintain one.

Maybe a McMenamins, or something with backing like that.

And I think for one to really do well, it would have to be located right in the center of town, on the main drag, to pull in all the foot traffic.

So, some questions to keep in mind: What will be the name of the brewpub? Who will be brewing for them? And what kind of beers will they brew?

For a long time now, the local (and only) shop for homebrewing supplies was hand-in-hand with Silver Moon Brewing, located on Greenwood just west of the underpass. In fact, Silver Moon started out as The Homebrewer (or The Brew Shop), and gradually made the transition to microbrewery.

Now, the Brew Shop (not sure if this is the official name) is getting new life breathed into it and is moving—back to its old location on Division Street, for those who remember that—separate from Silver Moon (which is still downtown). And today, the 5th, is the big opening for the Shop, at 10am. I haven't yet met Tom, the guy who's operating it now, but I will soon, I imagine.

If you brew beer, or make wine, it's the place to go for supplies and equipment. It's located at 2538 NE Division, the building and driveway just north of Yale Ave.

The Farmer's Market starts this week, and runs through October. There are two days of Market each week: Wednesdays in Drake Park, from 3pm until 7pm, and Fridays at St. Charles Hospital, from 2pm until 6pm.

I've never been to the St. Charles Market (it's pretty much the same as the other), but I love the downtown one.

Unfortunately, the nice weather we had last week is DOA this week for the start of the Farmer's Market... according to Weather.com it's only going to be 51 degrees and rainy.

While looking for something else online yesterday, I came across the Deschutes County History Blog. It's a Blogger site run by the Deschutes County Historical Society and looks promising—or it would, if it were updated more frequently; the last of the very few postings are over two months old.

Unfortunately, when I tried filling out the Society's contact form to express this, I get a server error. I'll try from the blog instead.