22
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
GARRIGuS: Voice has
been part of radio
scene since 1974
Continued from page 1
22 R.L. Garrigus Day. That
same year, he was admitted
to the Oregon Association of
Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
His studio is full of profes-
sional and volunteer awards
and banners, including a
Klondike Kate trophy from
the Bend Fire Department.
As an expression of thanks
for his volunteer efforts,
Sisters Rodeo awarded
Garrigus a commemorative
buckle during the 70th annual
Sisters Rodeo Parade.
Garrigus is part of Bend
Radio Group, where he serves
as News Director and Public
Affairs Director at KSJJ,
ESPN, KNGX and Power
94. His voice has been part
of the Central Oregon radio
scene since 1974. It is the
most recognized voice in the
territory, and one of the most
familiar faces. With his trade-
mark mustache, he stands
out in many local television
commercials. He is even the
recorded message for Bend
Fire.
The enthusiastic volun-
teer announces three other
rodeo parades, Crooked River
Roundup, Deschutes County
Fair and Rodeo and Pioneer
Frontier Days. He is the
voice of the Bend and LaPine
Christmas Parades and the
Redmond Starlight Parade.
Garrigus has served as
master of ceremonies at the
annual Bend Rocky Mountain
Elk Foundation dinner for
28 years. Bend RMEF is an
organization for which he
expresses great respect and
love. In John Day, he has
been the master of ceremo-
nies for RMEF for 22 years.
He calls the Great Drake Park
Duck Race and has volun-
tarily recorded public service
information releases for the
Ronald McDonald House of
Bend.
The fifth-generation
Oregonian was raised in
Hillsboro. His great-great-
grandfather guided settlers
through the plains on the
Oregon Trail and home-
steaded in Buxton.
r.L. has done so many
things for us, especially
as our volunteer
parade announcer
for so many years.
— tom crowder
“He kept journals of those
years, but they were lost when
my grandmother sold the
land. All we have left is the
conch shell that was blown
to call those pioneers in for
dinner on the trail,” he says
wistfully.
With his family, Garrigus
fished the Tualatin River and
Marga d r a it y a s!
Tues
Shh…Secret Sale!
50% Fridays!
hunted in Sweet Home and
John Day. He and his brother,
Tom, became accomplished
trap-shooters, the competitive
sport that energized him. His
brother won a Silver Medal in
the 1968 Olympics in Mexico
City.
“I competed in interna-
tional trap shooting for the
Air Force and in the Pan
Am Games, but I was never
as skilled as my brother,”
Garrigus said. “I did win
the Oregon Junior State
Championships in 1969 and
‘70.”
Garrigus used his G.I. Bill
funds to get a degree in broad-
casting, the career he sought
since he was 15. After gradu-
ating, he worked in Lacey,
Washington, for a year.
Ready for a change, friends
who had moved to Central
Oregon recommended Bend.
“The Bend population was
about the same as Hillsboro’s
was when I left for the Air
Force, at around 16,000
residents.”
There were five radio sta-
tions when he arrived. Now,
there are over 20. He has
grown with, watched and
relished the growth of the
Central Oregon community.
He still enjoys hunting and
fishing.
Garrigus is married to an
artist, Kathie.
“She is a great artist,”
Garrigus exclaimed.
Their daughter, Lacey,
her husband, Tim, and
Margarita, Draft Beer,
Wine & Drink Specials
5 p.m. to close!
Appetizer and
dinner specials!
541-549-3594 |150 E. Cascade Ave.
7 Days a Week | Lunch 11 a.m.-
3:30 p.m. Dinner ’til 9:30 p.m.
Come fi nd out
which department!
Mackenzie
Creek Mercantile
290 W. Cascade Ave.
541-549-8424
Lake in the Dunes
Private lake access
March thru mid-June OK
BO
!
W
151 W. Main Ave., Sisters
NO
541-549-FISH | Open 7 days a week
SPRING BIKE
TUNE-UP $45
541-549-2471
Open 7 days a week
Corner of Hood & Fir, Sisters
www.eurosports.us
three grandchildren live in
Medford.
Lacey grew up hiking the
Pacific Northwest with her
parents, from the Desolation
Unit east of Bend to the
Mount Rainier wilderness.
When they have free time,
this is still the preferred life-
style of the radio wizard and
the artist. Tumalo and Paulina
Creeks are favorite local
treks.
“When I die, however, my
ashes are going to Desolation,
where the wildflowers are
beyond compare,” he said.
Having a conversation
with Garrigus is as natural
as sitting next to a friend by
a creek with a fishing pole.
His brilliant blue eyes are off-
set by a mane of white-gray
hair and that burly mustache.
He dresses in the relaxed
style recognized as signature
Northwest casual. His gentle
persona and interesting sto-
ries draw people into telling
tales of their own. He is so
good at interviewing that, by
the time the interview is fin-
ished, his subjects probably
don’t remember what they
said. Conversation flows that
easily.
Garrigus is a platinum
professional in the world of
broadcasting, with the bonus
of being a truly soft-spoken
humanitarian.
After he finishes leading
the parade, Garrigus and his
crew are already planning to
get him back to the announcer
stand to finish the job he
began 36 years ago. Then,
he’ll be at the rodeo grounds,
where he is usually interview-
ing fans as they arrive for
rodeo. Except, this time he
will be watching the rodeo he
has supported for most of his
life.
When I die, however,
my ashes are going
to desolation, where
the wildflowers are
beyond compare.
— r.L. garrigus
Sisters Rodeo will begin
June 10 with Xtreme Bulls
followed by four rodeo per-
formances June 12-14. For
tickets and information, call
the ticket hotline at 541-549-
0121 or 1-800-827-7522, or
visit the ticket office at 220
W. Cascade Ave. in Sisters.
For information visit www.
sistersrodeo.com.
The Sisters-Camp Sherman
Fire District is now accepting
applications for its April
Basic Firefi ghter Academy
As a Fire/EMS Volunteer with Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Dis-
trict, you will have the opportunity to respond to a wide variety of
emergency incidents including: structural and wildland fi res, motor
vehicle accidents, medical emergencies and others.
Additional activities throughout the year give members the op-
portunity to participate in events of a less serious nature. These in-
clude standby at events such as: the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show,
rodeos, parades, football games and Muscular Dystrophy Associa-
tion – Fill the Boot drives. Community events include: Community
Christmas dinner and Spirit of Christmas Tree, Easter egg hunt,
Halloween haunted house and various fi re prevention activities in
local schools and social events for department members and their
families.
To prepare our personnel to handle these situations, Sisters-
Camp Sherman Fire District provides the highest level of training
and educational opportunities as well as the latest in apparatus and
equipment. The upcoming three-weekend, Basic Firefi ghting Acad-
emy is scheduled to begin on April 11 and will run the following
two weekends (April 18-19 and April 24-25) with an initial orienta-
tion on the evening of Friday, April 10.
Qualifi cations required
• Applicant must live within
the Sisters-Camp Sherman
Fire District boundaries.
• Possess a current and valid
driver’s license and be insur-
able by the Fire District.
• Meet with an interview
panel.
• Satisfactorily complete a
background, DMV record
check and drug test.
• Be at least 18 years of age.
To apply please fi ll out and return the Volunteer Application that
is available at the main fi re station located at 301 S. Elm Street in
Sisters or online at http://sistersfi re.com/volunteer-program-2/ap-
plication/.
For more information on the volunteer program please select the
following link http://sistersfi re.com/volunteer-program-2/.
If you have questions regarding the volunteer program,
please contact the District’s Volunteer Coordinator, Captain
Jeff Liming at 541-410-7494.