This year the Bend Police Department along with the Fire Department are going to be cracking down on illegal fireworks use this year; you can read it in the release I've included below, but essentially they will be patrolling on the Fourth and anyone caught with illegals will face confiscation and some steep fines.

Legal fireworks are any of the ones that are sold in town: fountains, wheels, sparklers, hand-held fountains, ground bloom flowers. Anything that flies, shoots more than six feet into the air, or explodes is illegal.

I like fireworks, but find it ridiculous the sheer number of blatantly illegal ones that people set off every year. This should be an eye-opener.

Read full release details

This is a big weekend for Deschutes Brewery; not only is it their 20th Anniversary—and they're holding a party—but they are also releasing two big beers, their Black Butte XX (in wax-dipped bottles) and their 20th Anniversary Wit.

They've got parties going on Friday and Saturday (see below) and, if their Now Pouring page is up to date, they've got both of these beers on tap right now.

Ironically, I won't be able to attend either party—prior commitments have us tied up completely. But I expect each and every one of you to go and drink some good beer for me. And take pictures if you can.

Here's the press release that the Brewery sent me, which I also ran on my beer blog:

Deschutes Brewery Celebrates 20 Years of Great Beer

To celebrate 20 years of creating some of the world’s finest craft brews, Deschutes Brewery is opening its doors to host a two-day 20th Anniversary party.

On Friday, June 27th, locals and visitors are encouraged to take advantage of Central Oregon’s beautiful June weather with a celebration outside the Deschutes Brewery and Public House in downtown Bend, Oregon. This event is free and open to the public, with live music by Scott Fox and his band, beers and a barbecue available at Locals' Night prices completing the festive atmosphere.

Then, on Saturday, June 28th, the party moves to the brewery where self-guided tours and music from the Moon Mountain Ramblers allow attendees to explore at their own pace. The brewery’s newest releases, Black Butte XX and 20th Anniversary Wit, will be poured along with the brewery’s original offerings, Black Butte Porter, Bachelor Bitter and Cascade Ale, from 1988.

When & Where:
Friday, June 27th, 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Deschutes Brewery & Public House
1044 NW Bond Street, Bend, OR 97702

Saturday, June 28th, 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Deschutes Brewery
901 S.W. Simpson Ave., Bend, OR 97702

Last year about this time I wrote up the Top 8 Free (or nearly!) Summertime Activities. Since summer is finally upon us—both on the calendar and by the weather—I thought I'd revisit that list and add some more.

And "saving money" seems to be a bigger theme this year. So keeping in mind that none of these are truly free—the outrageous price of gas argues against that, after all—they're still a pretty good deal all around.

Last year's list was:

1. Climb Pilot Butte
2. Float the river
3. Munch and Music
4. Munch and Movies
5. Bicycling/mountain biking
6. Go caving
7. Take the Heritage Walk
8. Free Summer Sundays Concerts

This year's list pulls some things from last year's comments, and adds a few more. A bunch of these are kid and family oriented.

1. Regal Cinemas Free Family Film Festival: From mid-June through mid-August, Regal Cinemas at the Old Mill 16 theater shows free family movies every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am. These are always rated G and PG movies and you can see this year's schedule at the link.
2. Lava Lands. South of Bend on Highway 97 rises the unmistakable extinct cinder cone volcano of Lava Butte, which marks the Lava Lands Visitor Center. From the site:

   The Lava Lands Visitor Center is the interpretive hub for Newberry National Volcanic Monument and is located just off U.S. Hwy. 97, 13 miles south of Bend. Lava Lands offers nature walks, interpretive programs, visitor information, displays on geology, volcanology and the cultural history of Central Oregon. A small book shop offers books on the Central Oregon area.

   Cost is $5 for a Forest Service Day Pass permit; trails are self-guided.
3. Lunch & Learn. The school district is offering up free lunches for children under 18 at certain locations; the only writeup I can find is this Bulletin article. (Parents can purchase a lunch for $3.) The "Learn" part comes from the fact that at certain locations, a book reading program encourages kids to read by offering Otter Pops for every 10 books read, and a free book for every 30, as long as they read during the L&L hour. It's a great way to get out of the house, provide lunch for the kids and enjoy some outdoor time.
4. MAGIC in the Parks. I of course blogged about this the other day. Great program for young kids, entirely free.
5. Head to the Library. Visiting the Deschutes Public Library is a good way to beat the heat—plus they have a ton of other things going on, like free internet access, activities and storytimes for kids, classes, art exhibits, and, you know, books. (For instance, right now you can vote on the artwork for a new roundabout.)
6. Cheap movies at McMenamins. Okay, it's not the free movies that something like Munch and Movies offer, but the theater at the Old St. Francis School shows second-run movies for only $3 per person—and believe me, that beats the sticker-shock out of control prices at the regular movie theaters any day! Plus you can drink beer and order decent pub food (tater tots!) while watching the movie, and many of the seats are nice and comfortable.
7. Pine Mountain Observatory. Almost 30 miles southeast of Bend, at an elevation of 6500 feet, is an observatory that is open to the public during the summer on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Observatory is run by the University of Oregon and is the real deal. A $3 donation is encouraged, but not required, and there is a primitive campground nearby.
   Hat tip to KTVZ for this one, though their site seems to be down at the moment.

Lyle on the Jake's Diner blog has a post this morning which highlights some of the great dinner deals they're offering:

Tuesday night is Spaghetti night. All you can eat for a very reasonable price of $7.99 with the kids eating for $1 each. I meant this to be a night for families (especially ones that normally cannot afford to go out much).

Thursday nights, we have started a steak night that we have coined "Thank goodness it's Thursday" (thanks to Lana, our day cashier, who came up with the name and by the way is a reader of this blog so when you read this Lana, Thanks!). We sell our hand cut ten ounce Black Angus Top Steak for under Ten Dollars (I don't know of another restaurant around who does that). It allows for that person who loves a good steak to have one without killing their pocket book.

They're also soliciting ideas about what to do on Sunday nights—generally their slowest night. Click through on the link to read more.

Bend Parks and Rec is offering a fantastic free summertime kids program: MAGIC in the Parks, which takes place four days a week in the afternoon from today (June 23rd) through August 13th.

I don't see anything about this on their website, so here are some pertinent details from the brochure I have:

• Takes place from 1pm until 4pm
• Locations: Al Moody Park on Mondays and Wednesdays, Harmon Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• It's free for children ages 4 through 10
• Children under 8 need to be accompanied by an adult (one adult may accompany up to 3 kids)
• No registration required, kids can come and go as they wish
• Direct quote: "MAGIC is not a daycare program. Please do not leave children under the age of eight unattended."
• They may cancel (without notice) for bad weather

Anyone looking for more info can contact Laura at Parks & Rec at 389-7275, extension 129.

Just in case you can't get enough Deschutes beer and Blacksmith goodness, I notice that on the Blacksmith's blog they announced a beer dinner for tomorrow, June 24th Tuesday, July 8th.

Blacksmith and Deschutes Brewery team up on Tuesday, June 24 July 8th to create a five-course meal paired with five Deschutes brews. Mix and mingle starting at 6:00 p.m., then sit down to a gourmet meal at 6:30 with a Deschutes Brewer. $75 per person. RSVP: 541-318-0588

Yes, I'm behind on pointing to this. I was out of town all weekend.

Update: the Blacksmith's new blog entry has published the updated date for the dinner: two weeks away.

It's this weekend; I already wrote about the Iron Chef competitions they're having, but here's the overall rundown:

• Saturday and Sunday, June 21st and 22nd, from 11am to 10pm and 11 to 7, respectively.
• Downtown Bend, in the usual locations: Bond Street from Franklin to Oregon; Minnesota and Oregon Avenues from Wall to Lava.
• Beer, wine, martinis available along with non-alcoholic drinks
• Kids' area on Oregon filled with inflatable toys
• Food, food, food, and more food.

View the 2008 map (PDF) here.

Tonight's lineup of "Western Beers" is online on the Blacksmith blog:

• Mac & Jacks African Amber (American Amber | Redmond, Washington | 5.6% ABV
• Rogue Younger’s Special Bitter (English Special Bitter | Newport, Oregon | 4.8% ABV
• Green Flash West Coast IPA (American IPA | San Diego, California | 7.0% ABV
• Deschutes Hop Henge (Imperial IPA | Bend, Oregon | 8.10% ABV
• Midnight Sun La Mâitresse du Moine (Belgian Strong Dark | Ankorage, Alaska | 9.0% ABV
• Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti (Imperial Stout | Denver, Colorado | 9.5% ABV

Another "Marine Minute" dispatch from the County, which I'm finding pretty interesting. This week's topic: drinking and boating. Not trying to be preachy—I genuinely find this interesting.

Ask any ten Oregon boaters if they can legally drink alcohol while operating a boat (powered or otherwise), and there’s a good chance that six or seven of them will say, “NO!” The truth is, there is NO open container law for boaters in Oregon; while it may be legal to operate a boat with a beer in hand, the operator cannot be intoxicated.

Oregon's BUII (Boating Under the Influence) laws apply to motorized and non-motorized watercraft alike. (Remember, in a raft, everyone with a paddle is an operator!) All 48 mainland states now have a legal per se statutory limit of 0.08% BAC (blood alcohol concentration) to be considered "Under the Influence" of alcohol or other impairing substances. The U.S. Coast Guard says a boat operator whose BAC exceeds 0.08% is 10 times more likely to be killed in a boating accident than a boater with zero BAC.

Alcohol affects balance, vision, coordination and judgment. Environmental factors that come with boating - such as wind, sun, noise and motion - can magnify the effects of alcohol and accelerate impairment. Medical testing has shown that one beer consumed on a boat can be equal to three consumed on land!

Research has also shown that as little as four hours of exposure to sun, wind, glare, vibration and other motion on the water produces "boater's hypnosis", a kind of fatigue that slows reaction time almost as much as if a person were drunk. Ever spend several hours on a boat and feel like your balance was off when you come back to shore? Imagine also having alcohol in your system!

Boating and alcohol are a deadly mix. Alcohol is involved in approximately 30 percent of boating fatalities in Oregon each year, 50-70 percent nationwide. A drug or alcohol impaired boat operator who is arrested for Boating Under the Influence of Intoxicants faces the following:

• Could face fines of up to $6,250 and up to a year in jail
• Must complete a boating safety class
• Lose his or her boat operation privileges for a period of time
• Have boat registrations suspended for up to three years

Most boaters think of collisions as the greatest threat when drinking on the water. However, according to BOAT/U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety, an estimated 75 percent of alcohol-related boating accidents and injuries do not involve collisions. The greatest threats when drinking while boating include falls on board, or overboard, and missteps at the dock or when getting into a dinghy.

Alcohol makes it harder to control the gasping reflex that occurs involuntarily when the face or upper body is suddenly immersed in cold water. An intoxicated person is more likely to inhale water into the lungs when plunged suddenly into cold water.

Our suggestion is to leave the booze in camp, not on the boat. If you DO consume alcohol in camp or at home and then go out on your boat, be very aware that the alcohol you’ve already consumed will have an enhanced effect in a boating environment…possibly leading to an arrest…or worse. Appoint a designated operator…and have a safe trip.

I didn't see this coming (I really didn't): Redmond's Project Blue Book Festival (see last's year's post) is back for their Second Annual edition. Here's the email I got tonight (I bolded the date):

Hey! Last years festival was great for a first time event! And surprising how many people do not know about Redmond & Central Oregon's rich history of UFO sightings! Here is a link to one of the documented sightings: http://www.nicap.org/oregon.htm

So, just to let you know the 2nd Annual Redmond's Project Blue Book UFO Parade will be June 28th, Downtown Redmond, OR...10:00AM on 7th & 8th Streets between Evergreen & Deschutes...Free event! Staging for the parade is on 8th street between Evergreen & Deschutes, and route is twice around the block!!!

If anyone is interested in being in the parade, contact me by June 25. Ribbons for Best of Categories including; Best Alien Look-Alike, Alien Group/Family; Alien Craft, Alien Being, and Historical Alien.
Tracy Thille 408-6554

Too strange to make up. The 28th is a Saturday, by the way.

Good beer drinkers take note: on tap at Kebaba right now (I know, Kebaba, right?) is a keg of Chimay White. It's on tap for $6.50 a glass and the owner expects it to last only four or five days.

(Believe it or not, $6.50 for Chimay White on tap is a good deal.)

After that, it gets better:

The next import keg I am trying to get is a Saison Du Pont. Another Belgium beer that is equally as tasty as the Chimay. It will be a few weeks after the Chimay is gone when it goes on tap. Then every few weeks another specialty import keg.

Chimay is good, but Saison Dupont is amazing. I wouldn't have guessed Kebaba as having anything more than the usual run-of-the-mill tap list restaurants mostly have around here, but this is good to know.

The July meeting for COWPU has been posted. It's Tuesday, July 1st at 6pm at the McKay Cottage. The topic is Amazon Web Services.

Topic: Amazon Web Services - Is "Cloud Computing" the answer?

So you've created a sweet web application... now what? Age old decisions come into play when determining where to host the application, who's going to manage the servers, and how much bandwidth is needed. Is "Cloud Computing" the answer? Can you really just "throw" your application on the cloud and have all your hosting nightmares disappear?

For the next COWPU meeting we will be discussing this new paradigm of cloud computing ushered in by Amazon Web Services. This new way of doing things forces developers and administrators to think in an entirely different way when implementing a solution on the cloud.

Definitely an interesting topic for web developers. Be there!

In today's Bulletin: Valet service brings a bit of big city to downtown.

Bend Valet plans to begin operations Friday evening, and for $7, patrons can drop off their vehicle downtown and be done with it....

The company will operate from a kiosk at the northeast corner of Brooks Street and Oregon Avenue, directly across from the Pine Tavern.

Customers will be able to drop off their cars at the kiosk, and Bend Valet employees — identified by orange shirts and khaki pants — will then drive the cars across Newport Avenue to park them in the lot behind the old Elks Building, which now houses Randall & Thomas Furniture and Boondocks Bar and Grill [formerly Joker's].

They plan to run from 5pm until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays (and on special event weekends); and right now the Pine Tavern is on board, offering a $3 discount for patrons.

Overall, I'm not sure what to make of this... on one hand, it's going to be a tough sell, but on the other hand, who knows, they might be successful. Some thoughts:

• You can't just "drive across Newport Avenue" from Brooks Street to go park—there's a concrete lane divider right there on that stretch of Newport (in front of Brooks). They'll have to go the long way around. That doesn't sound like it helps traffic much.
• How long before some random person puts on an orange shirt and khakis and just takes off with the car someone gives them?
• Is this a reaction to the City backing off their plan to charge for Mirror Pond lot parking?
• According to the article, there are "roughly 40 restaurants" downtown! I knew the number was high, but not that high.

It's going to be interesting to see the reactions to this.

Ah, getting a pint of beer after donating a pint of blood. I never know if I should be worried about that kind of thing or not.

June Event: Wednesday, June 18 at Umpqua Bank in Bend from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Bend Chamber Young Professionals Network (YPN) June event will be hosted by Umpqua Bank on Wednesday, June 18 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 390 SW Century Drive Ste. 100 in Bend, OR. The evening will feature food and drinks, door prizes, networking opportunities, and a blood drive sign-up for the American Red Cross. In addition, Cascade Lakes Brewery will offer “a pint for a pint” to all participating blood donors. Registration is available on-line at www.bendchamber.org/ypn or by phone at 382-3221. By registering in advance, the cost is $7 for members and $12 for non-members. The cost increases to $15 at the door.

YPN monthly networking events are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. This year, the group has elected to dedicate half of its networking events to reach out to local nonprofits. The American Red Cross will be in attendance at the June YPN event with information and sign up opportunities to donate blood. For every pint donated, Cascade Lakes Brewery will provide “a pint for a pint” gift certificate for donors to redeem for one of their local brews.

The American Red Cross Pacific Northwest Regional Blood Services must collect at least 5,000 pints of blood each week to meet the needs of local patients. The organization is the sole supplier of blood and blood products to more than 80 hospitals in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. YPN invites all of its members and those interested in membership to support the American Red Cross by signing up to donate on June 18.

Got this in the contact form yesterday. Not entirely sure if I should be reading more into it or not; though it's interesting to see the new happy hour going into effect. I don't see any details about that on the website (yet); anyone want to report when it goes live?

John Churm, a successful local restaurateur with 26 years of experience in the hospitality industry, has been named general manager of Greg's Grill.

Located in the heart of the Old Mill District in Bend, Greg's Grill opened last spring and is owned by Greg and Teresa Hubert of Seattle.

Churm is a partner with the Huberts in two popular and thriving Bend restaurants, Red Robin, also located in the Old Mill District, and Carino's Italian, situated in the Cascade Village Shopping Center on the city's north end. Churm moved to Bend in 2000 from Portland, where he had worked for Pacific Coast Restaurants, Inc., and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.

Read full press release

The lineup of beers for this Wednesday's Blacksmith Beer Tasting is posted:

Join us this Wednesday to taste some great beer from the East Side. This week we will be tasting the Dogfish Head 60 & 90 minuet IPA’s side by side. Plus two distinctly different and wonderful beers from Victory Brewing. And last but not least one big Belgian from New York.

• Victory Prima Pils (German Pilsner | Dowingtown, Pennsylvania | 5.3% ABV | RB: 90)
• Dogfish Head 60 Min IPA (American IPA | Milton, Delaware | 6% ABV | RB: 95)
• Dogfish Head 90 Min IPA (Imperial IPA | Milton, Delaware | 9% ABV| RB: 99)
• Ommegang Abbey Ale (Belgian Strong Ale | Cooperstown, New York | 8.5% ABV | RB: 97)
• Victory Storm King Stout (Russian Imperial Stout | Dowingtown, Pennsylvania | 9.1% ABV | RB: 100)

Join The Blacksmith’s own beer connoisseur’s study group in the Anvil Room this Wednesday from 5-7 PM. $10 per person including passed apps.

Most of those are fairly heavy and more expensive beers, so $10 is definitely worth it.

Looking back, once again catching up for two(!) previous years of blogging.

In 2006:

• We observed the launch of the Bend Weekly newspaper and website.
• Farmer's Market month.
• I wrote a bit about the Lava River Cave.
• craigslist came to Bend (pushing "BendStuff" out of the spotlight).
• Fiona Apple tickets were (nearly) free for her July 1st concert here.

In 2007:

• The Homebrew Shop moved back out to Division (from downtown).
• I first got wind of the brewpub opening in Sisters.
• I broke news about Central Oregon's first OPB news bureau, with more details following.
• Top 8 Free (or nearly!) Summertime Activities (one to revisit this year)
• Festival pictures: Bite of Bend and Sunfest.
• Redmond's UFO festival.
• We learned that the Grove was closing.

This was a flyer emailed to me in PDF format: Noxious Weed Eradication Day ("Let's Pull Together") is a program calling for volunteers to donate time pulling noxious, invasive weed species from Central Oregon forests and open spaces. It's taking place June 14th (Saturday) from 9am until noon, and volunteers will be provided with a BBQ feast at noon (if you're in Bend).

Just bring a bag of weed.

This PDF is large-ish, at almost 2 megabytes, but contains the full details plus maps of where to go to pull weeds based on what neighborhood you live in.

The other day I blogged about the Blacksmith's beer tasting Wednesdays, and I wondered aloud (as "aloud" as posting on a blog can be) what the actual beers would be. Wonder no more; I got an email pointing to the BS blog listing just what will be tasted this week:

This week will be the first installment of Beer month at The Blacksmith and we will be tasting five international beers. 

• Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse (Munich, Germany | ABV 5.0%)
• Fullers ESB (London, England | ABV 5.9%)
• Mikkeller All Others Pale (Copenhagen, Denmark | ABV 6.0%)
• Saison Dupont (Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium | ABV 6.5%)
• Black Boss Porter (Witnica, Poland | 9.4%)

Join The Blacksmith’s own beer connoisseur’s study group in the Anvil Room this Wednesday from 5-7 PM. $10 per person.

That's a nice lineup, a bit different from their usual assortment of beers (based on what they have listed online; the Franziskaner is the only cross-over that I see).

I looked at the calendar today and realized that Wednesday is the first day of the Bend Farmer's Market, the one at the top of Drake Park behind the Riverfront Plaza.

It runs from 3pm until 7pm, and should be there all summer until mid-October.

Hopefully the weather will be nice for it.

This past Saturday Deschutes Brewery had their annual Chocolate Beer Pairing Dinner, and I was extremely fortunate to get invited to attend on the house. Naturally I blogged about it, and you can read that review (with pictures) on my beer blog here. Overall, it was a lot of fun and I'd recommend it or similar events to anyone who likes beer.

Late notice, I know. The June COWPU meeting (Central Oregon Web Professionals Usergroup) is Monday, June 2nd.

Topic: Nothing in particular
Location: McKay Cottage

Hello fellow Cowpuddlians!

The first of the month is just around the corner. Our group has McKay Cottage for June 2 at 6pm. The restaurant is offering a nice dinner for anyone that wishes to purchase a meal:

- Warm Goat Cheese Salad (Caramelized walnuts, roasted peppers, mixed greens, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.)
- Pesto Chicken Pasta (Chicken and radiatori pasta served with a creamy pesto sauce, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and mushrooms topped with fresh Parmesan.)
- Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding (Egg bread custard with chunks of tart apples and cinnamon, served with whiskey sauce.)
$11.95

Yummm... sure sounds good, doesn't it?! Please contact Jen directly if you wish to purchase a meal.

There is no speaker for this meeting, unless someone would like to step forward at the last minute. On the other hand, this might be a nice opportunity for us to socialize and chat about our projects and summer plans.

Doors open at 6pm, dinner is served at 6:30.