Skyliners IPA launch party at Silver Moon Brewing

Beer and history! That’s what the Silver Moon-crafted Skyliners IPA represents, as they worked with the Deschutes Historical Museum to create a special-label beer to commemorate the history of Nordic skiing and the Skyliners in Central Oregon. And tonight is the launch party for the beer, being held at Silver … Continue reading

New local history book signing: “Legendary Locals of Bend”

This Saturday, February 6, the Deschutes Historical Museum will be hosting a talk and book signing for a new local history book, Legendary Locals of Bend, by Les Joslin. It will start at 1pm and should definitely be of interest to anyone interested in history, local or otherwise. From the press … Continue reading

Deschutes County celebrates a century this year

This year Deschutes County celebrates its centennial! The County was formed back in 1916 (the same year the two big sawmills opened on the river and statewide prohibition took effect) out of the western part of Crook County, the last of Oregon’s counties to be established. So all year long … Continue reading

Bend’s Haunted Places

Updated for 2022! It’s been forever since I last wrote about the haunted places of Bend, and because it’s Halloween (and inspired by last weekend’s Haunted Heritage Walk by the Historical Museum) it’s high time to tell some ghost stories again! Deschutes Historical Museum The Deschutes Historical Museum is located in … Continue reading

Historical Haunts Heritage Walk of Downtown Bend

October is a great month, not only for pumpkins and fall colors, but of course because of Halloween! I’ve written about various haunted buildings are Bend in the past around this time (and it’s a good time to revisit those this month!), and the Deschutes Historical Museum has taken it one step further … Continue reading

So where did “300 days of sunshine” come from, anyway?

We’ve all heard it, the oft-repeated “statistic” that Bend and Central Oregon have 300 days of sunshine a year, so much so that it shows up in travel guides and promotional materials and just about anything else you read about the region. This came to mind to me again recently when a … Continue reading

Beer Books signing at Crux Fermentation Project, Saturday 5/30

Do you like beer? What about books about beer and breweries? Even better—regionally relevant books! This Saturday, May 30, Crux Fermentation Project is hosting myself and Portland-based beer writer Brian Yaeger for a dual signing event for our two books, Bend Beer: A History of Brewing in Central Oregon and … Continue reading

“Bend Beer” book signings at Paulina Springs Bookstores

This weekend I have two book signing events for my book Bend Beer: A History of Brewing in Central Oregon, taking place at the excellent Paulina Springs Books locations in Sisters and Redmond. Have you been to Paulina Springs Books (either one)? They have a terrific, wide selection of books, … Continue reading

The High Desert Museum’s new Brewing exhibit

In two weeks the High Desert Museum will be opening a new exhibit I’m a little excited about: Brewing Culture: The Craft of Beer. It’s promising more than just the history of beer and brewing, and is the perfect addition for the Museum to complement our beery culture here. Oregonians … Continue reading

Historical Haunts is back, in its fifth year

You have to love the Halloween season, not just for the pumpkins and candy and trick-or-treating, but for the ghost stories and hauntings and creepy/scary fun—and starting today, the Deschutes Historical Society’s “Historical Haunts of Downtown Bend” walking tour is again taking place! Stories of mystery, love, loss and the … Continue reading