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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2020)
30 Wednesday, June 10, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon DEMONSTRATION: Gathering was orderly and peaceful VAN DER LOON: Sisters man lives outdoor lifestyle Continued from page 1 Continued from page 3 but I wanted to stand with my friends here and help out and be a voice for the community.= Community member Pete Shepherd was one of the many demonstrators out on Saturday. He said he was out in support to memorialize George Floyd. <I hope also to stimulate my own thinking about what I and we can do to make this situation better,= he said. He hopes that this can be an occasion for everyone to think about what they can actively do to help. It was the first time in 50-plus years that Shepherd has held up a sign. <The last time I held up a sign at a demonstration was 50 years ago since the Vietnam War,= he said Sisters High School grad- uate Margo Bruguier was also amongst demonstrators and she was there in hopes to represent the Sisters commu- nity to marginalized groups. <I want to let the mar- ginalized groups of people know that our community supports them and that their voices will no longer remain unheard,= said Bruguier. Bruguier thought the location was a good place to reach a broad audience as it is heavily traveled. <It will hopefully start the conversation with family members as they see us when they drive by,= she said. One of Bruguier9s biggest hopes from these demonstra- tions is that more education will come out of it. <I think we need to be more proactive in teach- ing about racism within the schools and with each other. It is a privilege to be able to learn about it and I think it9s important to teach about it and understand that it is real and present, everyone has to talk about it,= she said. Two Sisters High School graduates 4 sisters Mary and Liz Stewart 4 were also out. Mary was out there <because I want to stand in solidar- ity with our black brothers and sisters and demonstrate against the unfair treatment of them in our country,= she where cooperation is required to avoid getting voted off the island. The History Channel9s offering places each con- testant in solitude. With no camera crews and fellow con- testants to distract them, they grapple not only with surviv- ing the elements but facing their own selves. <It9s unusual in that you9re alone for a long period of time,= said van der Loon. <The psychological aspect of being alone, which brings challenges. Being away from family.= He described himself as more solitary and introverted naturally. Being away from his two-year-old son was his psychological challenge. <Otherwise I enjoyed the time alone,= he said. He appreci- ated <the deep level of con- nection that you form with the natural world when you don9t have any distraction, where all you have to worry about is the essentials: staying warm, feeding yourself, stay- ing creative.= The physical challenge was considerable as well. He listed the obstacles: dealing with not eating very much, weight loss, and lack of nutri- ents, <with a sort of high workload.= He noted, <It takes a lot of work to feed yourself and build a shelter and pick berries and keep warm.= The van der Loon fam- ily moved to Sisters Country about two years ago. Joel and his wife Leah first met when they were both employed on yachts, out at sea. <I was a chief engineer, and she was a PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS Art teacher Bethany Gunnarson made signs for demonstrators in Sisters. said. Liz said, <I want to help normalize people chang- ing their views and that it is totally OK to learn and change your views on some- thing, especially in this time.= Mary Stewart also said that she hopes that at least, it will get families and commu- nity members talking about racism in the United States, no matter what you believe. <I hope at least doing this will get people starting those important conversations with their kids,= she said. Cheryl Stewart, Mary and Liz9s mother, was among demonstrators. <I am here because my Christian faith calls upon me to do this,= said Stewart. She believes that the Black Lives Matter move- ment is not a political, parti- san or religious issue, but a humanity issue. <I hope that this time is a watershed moment for our I want to let the marginalized groups of people know that our community supports them and that their voices will no longer remain unheard. — Margo Bruguier country to get this right; it isn9t about Christian views versus non-Christian, it is an issue of humanity,= she said. She hopes that the audience of drivers see this as a neces- sary movement. <We are not here to dilute the message of Black Lives Matter and make it about something else. In order for all lives to matter, black lives have to matter too,= she said. Sisters High School teacher, Gail Greaney and her family held signs. <I think the time of not doing anything is well passed 4 it is important that people that were silent now step up,= she said. She expressed that every car honk is another ally in the fight for justice. Greaney also hopes that since it is 2020, and racism is still in commu- nities and around the world, that people can acknowledge the problem and speak up. <I hope all of this at least starts the conversation again, keeping the issue an actual problem, opposed to just focusing on one part of it when something happens; it all becomes cyclical,= she said. Greaney strongly believes in the community figuring out their own role in actually doing something, whether it be demonstrating, document- ing, or just having the tough conversations. <Pick one thing or way and do something,= she said. SOLD ! 69230 TAPIDERO, SISTERS HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU? 1670 Williamson 69422 Lasso 576 S Spruce 333 N Tamarack 54485 Huntington 592 S Pine Meadow 217 W Jefferson hostess,= he explained. They settled in California for a few years, where van der Loon started his Bush Survival Training school. In addition to direct bush- craft experience, van der Loon9s bio states that his certifications and educa- tion include STSC survival instructor, WMA wilderness first responder, ASHI wil- derness first aid, and MCA advanced fire fighting. He is a kick boxer, hunter, fisherman and diver, and is qualified in advanced sea survival under the British Coastguard. After having a baby, the couple wanted a more rural lifestyle. <We sought out a place that would provide a compromise for myself, what I desire, and my family,= van der Loon said. <My wife wanted a sense of community whereas I9m more introverted. Sisters, we felt, was the per- fect size.= Since moving here, he too has become fond of the community. The van der Loons live north of city limits, bordering public lands. <We have everything we need in town,= van der Loon enthused. <It9s a great life- style. The access to the out- door activities is what does it for me. I9m not as off-grid as I9d like 4 but it9s all on our doorstep.= He enjoys mushroom for- aging, hunting, the mountains and getting his son out in nature (see story, page 31). Learn more about Joel van der Loon at www.bushsurvival training.com. Info about Alone is available at www. history.com/shows/alone. <It9s going to be a great season,= said his wife, Leah van der Loon. <We hope our community will be stoked to see one of its locals out there!= 67355 Bass Ln 473 N Village Meadow 66986 Gist Rd 1040 E Cascade 14978 Buggy Whip 69770 Old Wagon 442 E Adams 613 E Tyler 70126 Sorrell Dr 14688 Bluegrass Lp 493 N Village Meadow 866 N Smith Ct 17384 Ivy Ln Call Jen McCrystal, Broker 541-420-4347 • jen@reedbros.com Reed R e ed d Bros. B ross R Realty ealt ea ltt y lty 291 W. Cascade Ave. | Sisters, OR 97759 541-549-6000 | www.reedbros.com Each office independently owned and operated. “We loved working with Sheila Reifschneider as our realtor in the recent sale of our property in Sisters. Ivan and I were impressed with her friendliness, professionalism, honesty and knowledge of the local market. Sheila’s ideas as to what would successfully sell our house were spot on! One of her ideas was to provide a video, thinking our home would video well. It worked! Our house sold in one day without the buyer seeing the house in person. Sheila was always one step ahead of what needed to be done and so organized. She made it easy for us to put our faith, confi dence, and trust in her ability to sell our beloved Sisters home. We highly recommend Sheila for any realtor needs. She truly had our best interests at heart throughout the process. Highest regards Sheila!” — Ivan and Gena B. WE HAVE BUYERS, NOT ENOUGH INVENTORY! Call me to list your home today! Sheila Reifschneider, Broker, 541-408-6355 Licensed Broker in Oregon | sheila@reedbros.com Coldwell Banker Reed Bros. Realty 291 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-549-6000