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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2020)
10 Wednesday, September 9, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... Celebrating Early years in Sisters the spirit of Central Oregon By Carol Moorehead Guest Columnist Everyone who visits or moves to Central Oregon knows it9s a special place. The natural beauty and out- door recreation opportunities attract the adventurous and inspire the artistic. A vibrant community has grown up in this region 4 diverse in background and outlook; entrepreneurial in spirit. That community has shown remarkable resilience in tough times. The Nugget is celebrat- ing the bounty of the region with a new magazine-for- mat publication entitled <Spirit of Central Oregon.= In-depth stories will reveal adventures, volunteer ser- vice, artistic endeavors, culi- nary explorations and other aspects of the true spirit of life in Central Oregon. The magazine will be inserted in The Nugget in mid-October, and distrib- uted in locations across Central Oregon. It will also be distributed as a digital magazine. For information on the publication contact Vicki Curlett at 541-549-9941. Seeing the recent Nugget article about the new Sisters Historical Museum reminded me of our history with Sisters. Though we cannot trace our heritage back to homestead- ers, my husband and I moved to Sisters in September 1976 and things did look much dif- ferent than today. Imagine a Sisters with no Ray9s supermarket or even Ace Hardware. It was before Sisters had a city sewer and developments like Tollgate, Crossroads, or Sage Meadow were only beginning to emerge. Cascade Avenue had few shops and our tiny library sat across the street and west of The Gallery Restaurant. The Gallery Restaurant had a payphone inside the vesti- bule, we used it often, espe- cially that winter. We were just married and both had jobs in the area. No houses were immediately available to buy or rent. For two weeks, we camped beside Whychus Creek (then called Squaw Creek) and lived out of our 1969 Volkswagen van. Rod was in construction and I was working at Cloverdale School (part of the Redmond School District housing grades one through three). Rod could wear the same Levi9s day after day but I needed to look clean and pre- sentable for work. Seeking more than a splash in the creek, I made arrangements to rent a room at the Sisters Hotel. What is now the Sisters Restaurant/Saloon was truly a hotel at the time, with rooms upstairs. I booked the room in advance but when we arrived the next day after work, the doors were locked with no one around. A local passed by and told us we would likely find the proprietor at the local saloon. The B Bar B saloon was practically next door (what is now Rancho Viejo). Entering the dark, cavernous tavern, my eyes slowly adjusted. The carpet was nearly thread- bare and stained, a layer of tobacco smoke filled my nos- trils, spilled beer left a sticky sheen on the tables I passed. Peering through the dusky interior, I saw a few imbib- ers seated at the bar. Among them was the woman from whom I had rented a room. I hesitantly approached. To my relief, she recognized me, leaving the half-finished beer she motioned to the bartender to indicate she would be right back to finish her quaff. Once inside, our rented room looked clean enough and I was thrilled to see the claw-footed tub in the bath- room. With the anticipation of soaking in a tub of hot water, spir·it (noun) A personal attitude and energy for life or to other people...enthusiastic, adventurous, determined…creating a powerful independent community spirit. O F CE NT RA L RE GO N SPIRITED DAYS ....... 7 A SIP & A SWIRL...... 9 COOKING IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS ...........16 ART ON THE STREETS — ROUNDABOUTS ..... 3 ARTISTRY 25 IN BAKING ................ PROTECTING OUR 17 RESOURCES .............. TRAINING GROUNDS 6 OF CHAMPIONS .......... The Nugget Newspaper MINING THE 14 OCHOCOS .................. my body had already begun to relax. I soon found the exposed water pipes were a bit too close to the toilet seat and sustained a minor burn on my thigh. After filling the tub I lowered myself into the steaming water feeling the bliss of its warmth. About five minutes later my euphoria came to an abrupt end. There was a knock on the opposite door from where I had entered. A male voice asked me to let him know when I was done in the bathroom. Even with only one other guest in the establishment, the proprietor had rented the room next door sharing our bathroom. At first annoyed, I then marveled at her cleverness, there would be only one bathroom to clean. My respite disturbed, I quickly finished up and gave him a turn. The diversion I sought was interrupted by having to share the facilities with a stranger. Well, at least we had the welcoming promise of a beautiful brass bed with its colorful handstitched cover- let to warm us and support our night9s dreams. But as Rod and I sought our repose and climbed into bed we both rolled to the middle of the well-used mattress. This was not turning out to be a pleas- ant and restful break from van camping. We looked at each other and with a sigh of disappoint- ment shrugged our shoulders and removed ourselves from the clutches of the offending pallet. We had met the objec- tive for cleanliness so we packed up our belongings and in the dark of night found our way back to our campsite, and a comfortable night9s sleep. Why do people choose to build their lives in Central Oregon? The answers might surprise you! Is it the chance to let talent and passion soar in an entrepreneurial small business? Is it the bounty of locally grown fresh food and artisanal beverages? Is it the four-season climate, proximity and access (without the traffic) to other larger cities like Portland, Seattle, Boise and northern California? Is it the interesting life stories of neighbors? Is it the endless philanthropic opportunities? The short answer is probably a spirited quality of life, but there’s so much more to it than that. 25,000 COPIES PRINTED (plus digital distribution) • Inserted inside The Nugget mid-October to reach every household in the Sisters School District. • Distributed at strategic locations throughout Central Oregon. • Digital magazine distributed year-round on NuggetNews. com, Facebook, and issuu.com. Spirit of Central Oregon is designed as a magazine-style “keeper” piece, widely distributed throughout Central Oregon in mid-October. Contact The Nugget Newspaper’s Community Marketing Partner, Vicki Curlett to reserve your space, 541-549-9941 or vicki@nuggetnews.com