This Friday, April 3rd, is not only the monthly First Friday "Gallery Walk" where art galleries downtown and in the Old Mill District stay open for wine and festivities—it's also the Spring Art Hop.

Thousand of folks will be downtown to appreciate art, wine and food.

The bi-annual arts event is held on the first Fridays of April and October in downtown. Organized by the Downtown Bend Business Association, the event seeks to bring people downtown while supporting the arts in our community. We encourage EVERY business to participate; it brings lots of people downtown and into your business!

Not just galleries, but businesses of all sorts will be getting in on the festivities. The Art Hop has been going on for over 20 years, and it should be pretty lively downtown.

It starts at 5pm and runs until 9pm.

This Saturday, April 4th, is the "Friends of the Bend Library Spring Book Sale". As usual it takes place downtown at the Library Administration Building at 507 NW Wall (in the basement). Time is 10 until 4.

This is a quarterly favorite of mine (as you regular readers all know). Try to get there early; the deals are great with books typically being 50 cents to a dollar, and children's books are paid by the inch (stacked).

Central Oregon only has one beer brewing supply shop that I'm aware of: The Brew Shop. If you homebrew, you get your stuff there, and for a long time it occupied a small space at 2538 NE Division, a small, industrial-type building, just big enough to have supplies in the front and a small brewing "kitchen" and storage in the back.

(In fact, Silver Moon Brewing got its start in that very space, on a 1-barrel brewing system, if I remember right.)

Well, good news to homebrewers: the Brew Shop has recently moved and expanded—however, "moved" is relative as it's still at the same address: they simply moved into the larger building on the other side of the parking lot.

I was in there last weekend and was very impressed with the extra space, and most interestingly, the entire back wall is a big bank of refrigerators—the big "grocery store style" coolers fronted with glass doors. When I asked after them, they told me they had just received their OLCC liquor license and were planning on stocking them full of beer—becoming, in effect, a boutique beer shop as well as homebrew supply shop.

Their plan is to ramp up with some 300 varieties of beer, and ultimately expand to 900 or more. There will also eventually be some beer on tap and a small tasting room area.

The good news is, they already have beer for sale! (I have an email confirming it.) Bend's beer scene just got even better.

Head down there this weekend and pick up some specialty beer, why dontcha?

Geoffrey from All Around Bend sent this tip along:

Hey man, there is a Deschutes Brewery promo event this Thursday from 4-6pm at the Reed Pub. Pints are $1.75 each and there will be prizes to win!

I can't find anything else online about it, which seems odd because this sounds like a huge wine if you like Deschutes beer.

Reed Pub is at 1141 SE Centennial, just off of Reed Market by the railroad tracks.

Incidentally, I don't know if I've seen the All Around Bend site before (or if I have, it was vastly different). Seems sharp, and I'm most impressed that they've got a book coming out. Nice.

I haven't blogged about COWPU in a while—possibly because there hasn't been a meeting lately, or possibly because, er, it might have slipped my mind—but there's a meeting this Wednesday, the 25th.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 5:30pm
G5 Search Marketing, 906 NW Harriman Street - Bend, OR 97701

Merb + ExtJs = Fun
Presented by Timmy Crawford, G5 Search Marketing

Agenda
5:30pm - Doors open, networking
5:50pm - Announcements and door prizes
6:00pm - Presentation

"Apres Geek" Beverages: Across the street at Blacksmith

COWPU stands for "Central Oregon Web Professionals Usergroup."

This came via email and it seems like a worthwhile event/fundraiser:

Eat Ice Cream & Support
A Free Program for Local Public School Students!

March 24th from 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Cold Stone in the Cascade Village Shopping Center is serving ice cream for two hours……20% of all purchases will go directly to Stop and Think along with any donations that come in during these two hours.

We have been teaching a non-judgmental critical thinking abstinence course in Middle and High schools since 2002. We have presentations scheduled into June; however, our funding has run dry. (Our services are FREE to each and every classroom.)

We are asking our community to dig deep and reach out to thousands of youth in our own communities. Your financial support will ensure that our youth will have the opportunity to engage in discussions about the pros and cons of sexual activity and sexual abstinence, the reality of sexual activity, what true freedom looks like, & how to remain in control of our own lives. Students also learn valuable life tools and refusal skills.

Our program has been successful for one main reason: We are honest, straight forward, and real. Please support this amazing program.

For more information feel free to contact Jennifer Heinze at coprc@hotmail.com or on her cell at 541 788 2697

Today is the first day of spring and school is out for spring break all next week. But now you have to entertain the kids—what to do? The Bulletin has a comprehensive and innovative list of things, particularly for those on a budget (and aren't we all these days).

• Go to the airport
  Kids can watch the planes and helicopters take off and land, especially at smaller airports like the Bend Municipal Airport, 63132 Powell Butte Highway, in Bend. (Construction at the Redmond Airport could make viewing the planes there more difficult).
• Tour a fire department
• Check out a Desert Explorers Pass
  This family pass to the High Desert Museum is available at branches of the Deschutes Public Library system. (Families can check the online catalog in advance to see if passes are available.)
• Check out a discover pack
  Available at the branches of the Deschutes Public Library system, these are backpacks filled with games, books and activities on a particular theme, such as astronomy, nature hikes or the five senses.
• Whittle a stick
• Attend a free clinic for kids at Home Depot

Definitely worth checking out the full article.

I'm sure you've seen the local commercials for "Talk of the Town"—the locally-produced cable-channel "town hall" TV program—and like me, haven't paid them much mind. After all, they're a little goofy in that "public access television" kind of way.

But this Monday's Talk of the Town sounds pretty interesting: it's a "Meet Your Legislators" edition, with State Senator Chris Telfer, State Representatives Gene Whisnant and Judy Stiegler, and Deschutes County Commissioners Dennis Luke, Tammy Baney, and Alan Unger all attending.

Imagine having the chance to go one on one with your state representatives. What if you could ask them anything on your mind, including state budget cutbacks, how that will impact us in Central Oregon, and more? You now have that opportunity!

Join us Monday, March 23rd, 5:30 p.m.
Cascades Theatrical Company
148 NW Greenwood, Bend

FREE TO ATTEND but seating is limited. Please RSVP!
388—5814
talk@bendbroadband.com

The resulting program will be aired on COTV 11 the following Monday, March 23rd at 7pm.

(From backlogged email.) I guess technically this is an upcoming event (singular) and a notice. At any rate, Jackalope Grill is one of those restaurants still open and doing interesting things. From the email:

April Cooking Class
Monday, April 6
Tim will be teaching a cooking class on March 2, the topic will be “Butchering - Stretch your dollar by learning how to cut your own meats." Space is limited, so reserve your spot now!

We will be open on Easter
Sunday, April 12, 4pm - 8pm
(The Jackalope is the Easter Bunny's cousin.)

The Renegade Rollergirls events I blogged about last week has been canceled. It was the bout scheduled for this Saturday, the 21st.

No word on if it will be rescheduled, or if they'll just pick up again next month.

Hard to believe, but everyone's favorite drinking holiday is just around the corner: Tuesday the 17th. Like the last couple of years, it's time for the "official" Pub Hopper's Guide. It's not definitive, but a list of the places that strike me as St. Patty's-appropriate.

And like last time, I'm also noting when a place has a specific St. Patty's thing going on (I've bolded the name and included a blurb).

The next Renegade Rollergirls bout is coming up on Saturday, March 21st, and fittingly it's leprechaun themed.

The Renegades will be competing in a St Patrick’s Day themed event with two local Renegade teams in a no holds barred bout, full of hardcore skating abilities, wipeouts, bumps, bruises and cat fighting fistfights. Doors open at 7 p.m., Admission is $10.00 and kids 10 and under are free. Presale tickets are available at Riverside Market, Aspect, or from your favorite rollergirl. Tickets are also available for purchased at the door beginning at 2pm the day of the event.

And, there will be a special halftime promo; members of the audience are encouraged to participate in "games, races, photos as a roller derby player and more." Participants will receive a prize.

It's all taking place at the Midtown Music Hall, downtown at 51 NW Greenwood.

I blogged back at the end of last year about the Crooked River Dinner Train closing. Well, good news today as KTVZ and a tip from AllAboutBend.com report that the Dinner Train is re-opening this month, under new ownership.

The dinner train will kick-off its season of weekly train operations through the Crooked River Valley in March.

Weekend departures will include the famous Jesse James train robbery, murder mystery performances, an enhanced menu, and more.

New for 2009 is the addition of Cougar Canyon BBQ, featuring the new owner of the dinner train and owner of Cougar Canyon Catering, Jimmy Brundage. Better known in Central Oregon as Jimmy B.

According to their website, it looks like the schedule resumes on March 21st.

Here's a nice chunk of upcoming events from Spice Trader Records—through June. The one that looks most interesting (to me) is the "Bend's Best" event starting in May; a local band showcase.

Most of these are also on the calendar now too.

Pirate Beach Party
The Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave. Bend
March 20th, 2009. All ages, bar with ID upstairs.
Doors at 7:30, show at 8pm
Tickets: $8 in advance at www.spicetraderrecords.com or $10 at the door.
Spice Trader Records presents a pirate themed beach party to kick-off Spring Break. Music performances by local Pirate Rock band, RELATIVE, as well as Necktie Killer, DJ ISH-U and some Surprise Guest MC's. We will have Pirate Party Favors for sale, with sale proceeds going to The Boys and Girls Club. There will also be a best dressed pirate contest with great prizes.

Dirty Penny
The Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave. Bend
April 3rd, 2009. All ages, bar with ID upstairs.
Doors at 8, show at 8:30pm
Tickets: $12 in advance at spicetraderrecords.com or $15 at the door
Spice Trader Records presents, for their second return, Slithering out of the gutters of Santa Cruz, California, come four incredibly talented musicians determined to revolutionize the all-but-forgotten genre of 'old-school' classic metal. Their sound is sheer penetration and shivering energy; their live performances explode with screaming guitars, thumping bass and drums, and powerhouse vocals. After playing the main stage at Rocklahoma, on July 13th 2007, Dirty Penny caught the attention of fans and media alike. They were featured in the 2007 Rolling Stone Magazine's year end issue, and returned at Rocklamoma again on July 12th, 2008.
Performing with Dirty Penny will be local group Vengeance Creek, and Portland's Restruct.

Bend's Best
The Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave. Bend
Tuesday Nights, starting May 2009. All ages, bar with ID upstairs.
Tickets: $5 at the door
Spice Trader Records presents a monthly local band night at the Domino Room. Bands performing would be exclusively from Central Oregon, including bands with high school aged musicians. This monthly show will have rotating programming; each month will be a different style of music, for example, Rock, Metal, Hip-Hop, etc. One month will be a round up of the best group's of the past four shows. These monthly shows are designed to be simple, affordable yet fun local entertainment that benefits our local community and local musicians.

That's So Gay: Bend Pride ExtravaGAYza!
The Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave. Bend
June 27th, 2009. Ages 18+, bar with ID upstairs.
Spice Trader Records presents the 5th That's So Gay, in a special celebration for Bend's Pride Week. We will have our crowd favorite comedian, Jackie Jones, returning to host the evening. There will also be live music, performance art, and a big gay DJ Dance Party - all featuring local and regional artists. That's So Gay is fun, safe environment for all gay and straight adults. Portion of event proceeds go to the Human Dignity Coalition

Weston Technology Solutions, a computer services and computer consulting company, along with Central Oregon Community College, are helping to host a seminar that will showcase changing mindsets can alter success in today’s challenging economy.  Survive Thrive or Flourish; Tools for a Prosperous Business will be presented Friday, March 13, 2009, at Central Oregon Community College’s Hitchcock Auditorium. Keynote speaker Nigel Henry, president and founder of Mastery Unleashed™, will highlight how accomplishing Better-Faster-Cheaper is attainable in today’s marketplace while still experiencing the “WOW” factor in business.

Read full press release

The MS Walk is coming up on April 18th, and I'm told that Monday night, March 9th, there is a "sign and dine" event at Deschutes Brewery during their Locals Night.

The idea is, you head down to the Brewery for beer and dinner and sign up to participate in the MS Walk. I don't know if there are any specials to be had for doing so, but it's a good cause and there are deals to be had at Locals Night.

Made available on the Deschutes County website is the 2009 State of County presentation, so I snagged it and converted it to PDF for anyone who's interested. You can get it here. It's about 3 MB in size.

Originally it was a PowerPoint presentation, which explains the slideshow format, and the fact that it's summarized and disjointed. But still interesting, if you're into that sort of thing.

The overall message is the poor economy... but pay attention to the last few slides for some unexpected (gallows?) humor.

This is a press release, but what's especially interesting is that Rivals Sports Bar is finally opening up. All I know about it is that it occupies the building on north Division (that No Man's Land just south of the 97/Parkway interchange at the Mall) that formerly housed such restaurants as Pepe's Mexican, a BBQ place, and (way back) the Italian Cottage. Every time I've driven by there over the past year (at least) there's a big banner saying "Opening soon!" with the name "Rivals" on it.

So they're finally opening... wonder how that's going to work out in a) this economy and b) that location?

• March Event: Wednesday, March 18 at Rivals Sports Bar, Grill, & Poker
  2650 NE Division St. from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Exclusive YPN Sneak Peek – Be the First to Discover Bend’s Newest Hot Spot Before it Opens to the Public!

Bend, OR - The Bend Chamber Young Professionals Network (YPN) March event will be hosted by Rivals Sports Bar, Grill & Poker. When your living room just won't do, when you can't make your favorite game, when you want that away-game tailgate spot, RIVALS is the answer! This authentic sports bar atmosphere features flat screen TVs, a full bar, an enticing menu, and more.

This Young Professionals event will give you a sneak peek at one of Bend’s newest restaurants, the ability to meet professionals from all areas of business, and work on your networking skills.

Registration is available on-line at www.bendchamber.org. Prices for advance registration are $7 for members and $12 for non-members. At the door the prices change to $10 for members and $15 for non-members.

Starting March 30, oncology clinical and infusion services will return to Redmond. The Redmond Clinic is located at 1541 NE Canal Blvd in Redmond.

“Patients shouldn’t have to drive when fighting cancer. BMC understands the challenges oncology care places on a family and wants to help provide the best possible cancer care available, close to home and well into the future for patients,” said Marvin J. Lein, Chief Executive Officer at Bend Memorial Clinic.

“We are pleased to bring full time oncology services to Redmond. Bend Memorial Clinic will be the first to offer oncology in Redmond and will continue to meet the community needs as we have for the past 60 years,” states Ted Braich, MD, chair of the oncology department at BMC. “We will have a full time provider and well-trained capable staff in Redmond.”

BMC also provides Anticoagulation, Laboratory, Nephrology, Occupational Medicine, Ophthalmology and Pulmonary services at the Redmond Clinic.

For more information regarding oncology services or to set up an appointment, please call 318-3255.

They've only got the Portland Pub event listed on their page, but Deschutes Brewery is having their Cinder Cone Red release party at the downtown pub this Thursday, the 5th, starting at 5pm.

Cinder Cone Red is their spring seasonal and one of their popular ones. Cinder Cone will be pouring, naturally, on Thursday, and there will be a menu of Cinder Cone-inspired dishes.