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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2019)
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon During Barton9s trek to now-retired 17-year-old Lab mix Sasha. After moving to Oregon in 2008 as an undergraduate stu- dent at OSU, she apprenticed under Karen Yeargain to learn about sled dogs. Yeargain, experienced musher, instructor, Mush Without Slush founder and founder of Tumnatki Siberians, has been raising and training sled dogs for over 28 years. “I first met Kelly at a sled dog race outside of Yosemite in 2009,” Yeargain said. “She came over to my truck, full of Siberian huskies, and asked if she could help me for the weekend. She learned about hot-waxing sled runners, and on the second day, her role shifted, and she was the one teaching new mushers the tricks of waxing!” “Six months later she called out of the blue and asked if she could stop by my kennel in Prineville on the weekends to help out.” Over the course of the next few years, Barton learned how to manage a kennel, assess sled dog form and function, set training schedules, main- tain good nutrition, and how to properly drive a sled team. Barton noted, “Karen per- mitted me to compete with her dogs that we trained together from 2009-2015.” Barton has participated in mushing races as short as a two-dog couple-mile scooter race to eight-dog 25-mile races and even a three- day, 75-mile race one year. “When not racing with them, we spent a lot of time training and conditioning the dogs and would take a dog team camping from time to Cold Weather, Warm Soup time,” Yeargain said. Between 2015 and 2018, Barton attended veterinary school at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, she resumed training with Yeargain and her current dog team, recently competing at the Diamond Lake sled dog race. “Last weekend, I offered Kelly my main race dogs to compete in the Diamond Lake Sled Dog Race at Diamond Lake, Oregon. Conditions were tough but Kelly ran the team well and took first place in the 6-dog 15-mile class,” Yeargain said. Barton has two Siberian huskies out of Yeargain9s ken- nel, Larka, a four-month-old puppy and her 8-year-old lead dog, Wingman (aka Wing). “I chose dog mushing as my sport and veterinary medicine as my profession for similar reasons,” said Barton. “I love the human-animal bond and watching how that develops over time through life9s ups and downs. In the case of dog When not racing with them, we spent a lot of time training and conditioning the dogs and would take a dog team camping from time to time. — Karen Yeargain sledding, that relationship is incredibly close, as the dogs are frequently your mode of transportation through remote wilderness. They rely on you 13 to take care of them and you rely on them to get you here and there safely. I see that deep bond with many of the clients and patients that frequent the clinic as well and am happy to help both sides of the relation- ship as much as I can.” In veterinary medicine, Barton is particularly fond of client education to help pet owners make the best-informed decisions for their pets9 needs. “I became a vet primarily for these reasons and am very excited to get to know the peo- ple of Sisters and their pets!” Yeargain added, “Over the years, Kelly became my most consistent and adept mushing student. Her skills as a musher and sled-dog racer have gained her a reputation in the sport that is one of being a good dog person and a mentor to others in her own right.” Students Weigh in on “Ski and Ride” at Hoodoo By Clover Keyes Black Butte School has a tradition. All of the students get to ski or snowboard at the amazing Hoodoo. “I like to snowboard,” said Scott, a 7th- grader at BBS. “I prefer to ski,” said Maddie, a 4th- grader also at BBS. Our instructors are always super cool; the last two years I have had Brandon. He is the best ski instructor. He would let us ride to the top of Hoodoo. Emily, another 7th-grader, said, “The top of Hoodoo is so magical.” We get to ski/ snowboard every Friday for eight weeks plus a family ski day on an extra Friday. Clover Keyes is a 4th-grader at Black Butte School in Camp Sherman. PHOTO BY D. SHARP Fish, Bake, and Quilt: Math Class By Lily Henderson Photo by TL Brown Orion Schmill helped cook a soup for guests of Sisters Cold Weather Shelter in an after- school cooking class at SPRD. Students learned knife skills, food safety, and hands-on cooking from Angelena Bosco of Kid Made Camp. They ate some of their own soup. Then Angelena brought soup to the shelter, which helps people without homes when it gets cold out. I love math, it’s awesome. We have so much fun with problems and projects. Every week we have a Problem of the Week. Each week it is a different problem. This week we had options. The options were you could fish, bake, or sing. I chose baking. Our math teacher’s name is Ms. Steele. She is really nice. Ms. Steele has one daughter who is in fifth grade like me. This is Ms. Steele’s third year teaching at BBS. She is a “math nerd.” She is very passionate about math and will do math problems for fun. This year we are doing a quilt project that all of the school is helping with. The owner from the Stitchin’ Post is coming to help us make the quilt. She is very nice, and she is going to bring us fabric. We all have a lot of fun in math at school. Lily Henderson is a fifth-grader at Black Butte School in Camp Sherman. SPRING BREAK CLASS AT SPRD “Make Your Own Newspaper” Write, illustrate, and design a mini newspaper in one short day! We’ll go outdoors for inspiration from nature, and learn to conduct a feature interview. Professional writers, editors, and graphic designers will lead this Kid Made Camp class. The writing, art, and comics we make at camp will also be submitted to The Nugget. Thursday April 4, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Grades K-8 | $50 Register with SPRD at 541-549-2091. Got questions? Email t@kidmadecamp.com EVENTS & ACTIVITIES FOR YOUTH & FAMILIES More announcements/events on pages 10 and 11 Family Fun Story Time Kids of all ages join in songs, rhymes, and crafts designed to grow readers. 10:30-11 a.m. Thursdays at Sisters Library. Caregivers attend. 541-617- 7078 or deschuteslibrary.org. Royal Tea Party Wear your crowns, sparkles and super- hero capes for stories, enter- tainment and refreshments. Ages 2-11. Sat., March 9 at 1 p.m. at Sisters Library. 541-617- 7078 or deschuteslibrary.org. Tw e e n W r i t i n g C a m p Workshops for kids ages 9-14 at Suttle Tea on Tuesdays, March 12 and 19 at 4 p.m. Sponsored by Sisters Library. Registration required, 541-617- 7078 or deschuteslibrary.org. Sisters Science Fair Balloon car races, student projects, planetarium by OMSI, green- house gardening and more. Presented by Sisters Science Club Saturday, March 16, 12 to 4 p.m. at Sisters High School. Animal Adventures Live ani- mals, stories, crafts with High Desert Museum at Sisters Library Tuesday, March 19 at 11:30 a.m. For ages 3 to 5 with their caregivers. 541-617-7078 or deschuteslibrary.org. Rodeo Day at Hoodoo Ski the Wild West with a chili cookoff and free rides on a mechani- cal bull in the lodge. Wear your Western gear and join the fun March 30 at Hoodoo. 541-822- 3799 or skihoodoo.com.