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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2019)
6 Wednesday, December 4, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon ‘One Tree – Many Songs’ unveiled in the woods near Sisters By Helen Schmidling Correspondent Young Frankie Borla gave a drum roll and 40 hardy souls clapped mittened hands at the grand unveiling of <One Tree 3 Many Songs= on the sawdust-covered snow outside the studio of master chainsaw sculptor J. Chester <Skip= Armstrong on Sunday. Before Jan Hansson and David Hough moved the tarp, Armstrong called for a moment of silence, then revealed the sculpture9s final name. Luck was with everyone at the December 1 event. It wasn9t snowing; in fact, temperatures warmed up to around 32 degrees, and the sun came out. Dozens of Sisters residents trucked up Edgington Road to the com- pound where Armstrong lives and creates his masterpieces, and only one vehicle got stuck (but rescued). The Sisters Arts Association sponsored the gathering, and served hot mulled cider and cookies to visitors. <I came to see the sculp- ture made out of a 100-year- old maple tree,= said Cathy Bullis of Sisters. <This is my first time here,= said Tollgate resident Melanie Rose Dyer, a singer-songwriter with roots in Nashville. <I9ve been fol- lowing Skip9s work on video and in newspapers, and now I get to be here,= she said. Armstrong led guests through his studio, full of years worth of wood sculp- ture, much of it soon to be loaded on a trailer for des- tinations in Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Every year, about this time, once Armstrong and his assis- tant Jan Hansson, the Great Swede, have finished their major projects, the work gets delivered to its new destina- tions. Guests got to see and touch and admire his work, up close. Visitors chuckled at Armstrong9s self-portrait as a prehistoric man with a chisel, proudly sporting a Boy Scout sash full of badges. <Yes, I was an Eagle Scout,= Armstrong said, dis- playing dozens of woodcarv- ing badges on the sawdust- covered sash. <I was inspired because my mother collected wood carvings from around the world. I grew up around them, and I eventually dis- covered my perfect carving tool 4 the chainsaw!= Sometime this month, his big new work will go to its new home in West Linn. It is special, and it has intimate ties to Sisters. PHOTO BY DENNIS SCHMIDLING The Sisters arts community gathered last weekend for the unveiling of a project that turned the loss of a tree into the gain of a sculpture. Sisters Artist Kathy Deggendorfer9s sister, Sally Bany, rescued an old church in West Linn, Oregon, and turned it into a music school. Bany co-founded the Youth Music Project, as a way to cel- ebrate youth playing music, after her daughter, Annie, attended (and fell in love with) Sisters Folk Festival9s Americana Song Academy. The nonprofit Youth Music Project now enrolls 3,000 kids a year, from around Clackamas County, teaching rock, pop, and country music via group and private lessons and summer camps, based in the former church. About two years ago, Bany received the sad news that a century-old maple tree on the property had to come down. Bany contacted her sis- ter. Deggendorfer facilitated See UNVEILING on page 8 Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben General, Cosmetic, Implant and Family Dentistry ~ Your Dentist in Sisters Since 1993 ~ We are here to help you smile with confi dence! 541-549-0109 | 304 W. Adams Ave. | Sisters CHOICE O U R G R E AT E S T G I F T C H O O S E H E A LT H 1 0 - D AY D E T O X SP A AT F I V E P I N E JANUARY 2 – JANUARY 12 C a l l 5 4 1 - 5 4 9 - 6 1 6 4 o r v i s i t s h i b u i s p a . c o m / re t re a t s A U T H E N T I C J A PA N E S E , S U S H I , A S I A N ALTA Blinds LASTING QUALITY Exceptional Value TIMELESS STYLE Dine-In or Take-Out Tues.-Fri. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4-8:30 p.m. Sat. & Sun., 12-3 p.m., 4-8:30 p.m. Closed Monday DOWNTOWN REDMOND 511 SW 6TH ST. 541-548-3035 Stop by to see Shelly and explore the many styles and colors available at great prices! Get our best price every day on the highest-quality windows, doors, and architectural millwork CCB# 210187 541-549-0968 lakeviewmillworks.com l A division of Lakeview Millworks The lowest price every day on top-quality window coverings! BestVueBlinds.com | 541-588-6201