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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2021)
The Nugget Vol. XLIV No. 24 P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon www.NuggetNews.com Volunteers tackle trail work in Sisters Country PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 Wednesday, June 16, 2021 Sisters athletic director earns honors Celebrating eighth grade... By Bill Bartlett By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent Correspondent This past weekend saw 20 volunteers from the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) and OTTA (Oregon Timber Trail Association) conduct their first joint trail-improvement work party. Judging by the smiles and laughter exhibited by the group, it was party- like as they toiled in three sections. The weather added to the joy being expressed by the workers who ranged in age from 13 to 66. The work group came from as close as Sisters and as far as Bellingham, Washington. Outlaws Athletic Director Gary Thorson is the Oregon 4A Athletic Director of the Year for 2020-2021. The Oregon Athletic Directors Association (OADA) state athletic direc- tor of the year award was established to recognize out- standing athletic directors in recognition of contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state, and national lev- els made while serving as an athletic director at an Oregon high school. PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK Sisters Middle School’s eighth-grade class gathered at Scout Lake last week for the Eighth Grade Olympics. Events included arts and athletics and gave the students and their teachers an opportunity to mark the end of the middle-school years and the transition to high school. See story, page 4. See THORSON on page 22 See TRAIL WORK on page 14 Sisters youth is a rodeo champion Folk festival kicks off summer concert series By Jim Cornelius Editor In Chief The Sisters Summer of Festival series kicks off on Friday, June 25 with a co- bill featuring Americana songstress and singer Sierra Ferrell playing as a trio, and the dynamic Freddy & Francine with a full band. Ferrell has made waves in the acoustic music world with her signature singing style and aesthetic, while Freddy & Francine are celebrating a new record, <I Am Afraid to Die,= recorded pre-pandemic. The Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) has made a reputation for introducing artists to its audience just as their star is rising. That9s very much the case with Sierra Ferrell. Crista Munro, the Festival9s executive direc- tor, said that a friend who promotes events in Colorado urged her to get Ferrell booked. <He said, 8You9ve got to check her out; you9ve got to book her while you still can.9= Sure enough, Ferrell has caught fire. Inside... <She is the most-booked artist in the Americana- Bluegrass-folk festival scene this summer,= Munro said. The Festival9s audience is primed to get back to a regu- lar diet of live music. <Can9t wait,= said long- time Sisters Folk Festival attendee Kay Grady. <I just can9t wait to all be back together again, and see all the people we love and have missed.= Paul Bertagna is espe- cially excited to see the return of Freddy and Francine. The artists have performed at the Sisters Folk Festival 4 and also turned in an epic perfor- mance when rain forced them to move from Fir Street Park into The Belfry, where they proceeded to share the history of their artistic collaboration in a cycle of song. <I saw them when they came to the festival 4 blew the doors off,= Bertagna said. <How can you not like these guys? Unbelievable. See SFF on page 6 Gabby Bartolotta of Sisters rode her 7-year-old quarter horse Jess to a state championship in pole bend- ing in Oregon Junior High Division Rodeo competition in Burns May 28-30. The 14-year-old rodeo champ is headed to nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, June 20-27. Pole bending is a timed event in which the horse and rider run a weaving course between six poles set up in a line 4 similar to a slalom course in skiing. Bartolotta9s champion- ship came down to the last go-round. <I was doing pretty good,= she said. <Me and this other girl were neck-and-neck. It was really close. If I9d have knocked a pole, I9d have been out of it.= A clean, fast run gave her the title. In the championship crunch, success often comes down to managing nerves. That9s something Gabby knows how to do. <That9s the main thing, no PHOTO PROVIDED Gabby Bartolotta won a state championship in pole bending in Oregon Junior High Division Rodeo. matter what,= she said. <And be happy with your horse no matter what.= It9s the love and connec- tion between horse and rider that forms the foundation of the sport for Bartolotta. It9s a passion she discovered on her own. <It9s her,= said her mom Julie. <It9s her passion; her journey.= <I9ve been around horses all my life,= Gabby said, <but I just got into rodeo six years ago, seven years ago... It9s just the bond, the con- nection with your horse. It9s hard to explain. <She matches my energy. Whenever I9m having a bad day, she9s having a bad day& When I9m having a good day, she9s the best horse ever.= Jess is just one of 17 See BARTOLOTTA on page 22 Letters/Weather ............... 2 Announcements ................ 8 At Your Service.............11-13 Fun & Games ....................16 Classifieds ................. 18-20 Meetings .......................... 3 Entertainment .................. 9 Obituaries .......................15 Crossword ....................... 17 Real Estate ................ 20-24