16 Wednesday, September 8, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Dark days of September 2001 set a path to Central Oregon By Vicki Curlett Guest Columnist Long before my coming to The Nugget, I had my own business in strategic meeting, incentive, and special events planning, working mostly with corporations and mid- size businesses. For nine months prior to September 11, 2001, I was at work on a custom-designed incentive trip for a client in Michigan that was taking 200 people on a trip rewarding them for their sales efforts with his distributorship. The destination for that group was Santa Fe, New Mexico. I9d made several trips out to New Mexico as I planned the trip, and then a few days prior to the scheduled arrival of the group, I flew out and settled in on-site with prepa- rations for their arrivals, flights in from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Fortunately, there were no flight delays and everyone was put on char- ter bus transportation from Albuquerque as they arrived. We opened the trip that night with a Native American feast high up in the moun- tains. I had worked with the hotel chef on a special menu. And after dinner, I9d arranged for live eagle handlers to fly them around the perimeter of where the group was and then perch them so guests could get a closer look. After din- ner, we did a roaring fire with Native American storytellers and dancers. It was a great opening for the trip, as I was always known for my origi- nal ideas and activities. Two days into the trip, I was up early before checking on breakfast arrangements and turned on the TV to see planes flying into the Twin Towers. Meeting and incen- tive planners are trained in crisis management but there was no way anyone could anticipate an event of this magnitude or what was to follow. I rushed downstairs to get some TVs set up in my host suite for guests to monitor. The panic and uncertainty, with each guest walking into the suite, was evident. As the day wore on, and I tried to keep the group on track with the tours activities we had planned, and their anxiety levels down, it was obvious I was going to have to make some major modifications to the trip originally planned for seven days. All flights were grounded nationwide, people around the country who were traveling by car had to find a hotel and stay put, and emer- gency management efforts were in full swing as officials tried to determine whether this was just the first of other attacks. For starters, some guests were National Guard and indicated they would have to get back home as quickly as possible in case they were called up for duty. Others just thought the world was going to end and wanted to rent cars to drive cross-country for fear of never seeing their children and families again. I advised against it, noting they might not find hotels or food or other necessary services, depending on the outcome. Interesting how people react in times of crisis. I called a meeting of the entire group and indicated we would need to prioritize getting those like National Guard back as quickly as possible, asking other guests to remain for the duration of the trip if they could and be patient as I tried to get air- line seats as they became available. For some it would mean extending their stay depending on where their hometown airport was. With all flights grounded, I was up all night most nights with air- line agents trying to change tickets and get a seat or two on any given flight when it became available. When you have to do that with 200 seats it is a monumental task! Others needed rental cars or vans to drive out, but at a steep price the rental companies were charging. Meanwhile, I kept the sched- ule as best I could, and even had to start arranging for additional activities, meals, and more hotel nights since some guests would need to stay beyond the planned departure date. What was to be a seven-day trip, turned WE’RE HIRING! At your business at no cost to the employer. Call Deb to schedule a clinic. WALK-IN • URGENT CARE • OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE • X-RAY 541-549-2091 541-904-4673 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Place, Suite 100 (Near the Redmond Airport) 1750 W. McKinney Butte Rd., Sisters YourCareMedical.com CCB#203769 WE ARE HERE FOR YOU! Trevor Frideres, D . M . D . Greg Everson, D . M . D . 411 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THE FLU No cost with most insurance plans, or $25 cash. Flu Shot Clinics REVIEW ALL JOB J O B OPENINGS O P E N I N G S A AT: T : Sisters Dental School Backpack & Lunch Box Combo weeks later. We flew into Portland and headed down the rainy coast, then turned east and crested Santiam Pass to a spectacular fall leaf dis- play. As we drove into Bend, my husband and I looked at each other and said