The Bulletin announced today that they are offering free music downloads on their site: an album’s worth of music from local bands, and an album’s worth from national bands (15 each). For anyone who’s familiar with the usual online offerings/technical abilities of the Bulletin, this is a Big Deal—the web … Continue reading
In my Holiday Gift Guide entry for Beer, I mentioned that I didn’t know if Wildfire Brewing had beer available to go. (Wildfire is the brewery established by the JC’s folks.) Well, Paul (the brewer) was kind enough to write in to let me know: Growlers can be filled at … Continue reading
What: Albums from local bands and artists. Central Oregon has a thriving music scene, ranging in styles from hip hop (MC Mystic) to folk (Moon Mountain Ramblers) to alt rock (KouseFly) to just about any other genre you can think up. For: Music lovers, anyone who wants local flavors of … Continue reading
What: Frontier Doctor, by Urling Coe. One of my favorite Bend history books—this is more of a narrative than a dry history tome and it’s a fantastic read. Urling Coe came to Bend in 1905 to practice medicine when Bend was still entirely a frontier town, and his experiences and … Continue reading
What: Cog Wild is a local guide company dedicated to mountain biking, and they offer a whole slew of bike tour options as well as gear you can buy directly from them. Tours are available from April to November (mountain biking season), so you won’t be riding right away, but … Continue reading
What: A bottle (or two! or more!) of wine from one (or both!) local wineries, Maragas Winery and Volcano Vineyards. Maragas is the winery that is also attempting to grow vineyards locally, just north of Terrebonne—something that hasn’t been done here before. The available styles of wine are Zinfandel, Pinot … Continue reading
What: Locally-distilled spirits from Bendistillery. Everyone knows about their Crater Lake Vodka and Cascade Mountain Gin, but they also have a hazelnut espresso and a hot pepper-infused vodka. The vodka is filtered though crushed volcanic rock—local, of course—while the gin is made from locally-picked wild juniper berries. And the distillery … Continue reading
What: A wide selection of bath and body products from Dani Natural Products, including lotions, hand cremes, oils, soaps, and more. All of their "product bases contain 100% vegetable oils with NO petroleum or animal oils" and they do no animal testing. For: Girlfriends, wives, female friends and relatives. Men … Continue reading
What: Organic and eco-friendly clothing from Of the Earth, who strive "to be the premier resource for fashionable alternative and organic apparel." Organic cotton, merino wool, hemp, and bamboo are among the fibers they use in their products. For: Anyone wanting stylish clothing and who wants to be environmentally conscious. … Continue reading
What: Growlers of beer from one of our local microbreweries, of course! (Oh come on, you knew I’d get to this one eventually, right?) And actually, they don’t have to be limited to growlers: Deschutes Brewery, for instance, will fill any (reasonable) container for you. But don’t just get any … Continue reading