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About The Redmond spokesman. (Redmond, Crook County, Or.) 1910-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2021)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2021 Redmond, Oregon • $1 Inside: Flashback » redmondspokesman.com A special good morning to subscriber Mike Plenge @RedmondSpox REDMOND IS SPROUTING HOTELS Occupancy rates tops 80% most of the year BY SUZANNE ROIG For The Spokesman REDMOND — The devel- oper of two hotels in Redmond and one in Bend is bullish on Central Oregon and plans to add more near the Pine Ridge Inn on SW Mount Bachelor Drive. In all the Wealth Hospital- ity, which formerly was called Heritage Hospitality, will be responsible for building more hotel rooms over the next de- cade in Bend and Redmond, according to Chico Patel, com- pany president. Earlier this month, the company opened a Home2 Suites near the St. Charles Bend hospital. Central Oregon has seven to eight months a year of occu- pancies north of 80%, Patel said. Those are great rates for a devel- oper especially in markets that cater to the outdoors and are projecting continued growth. “We’re looking at a combi- nation of leisure and business travelers at these properties,” Patel said. “The growth of Red- mond has been exceptional.” Normally a town the size of Redmond with a population of about 36,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau 2019 esti- mates, has nearly a dozen ma- jor branded hotels, Patel said. Today it has a Comfort Suites, a SCP Redmond Hotel and a Best Western Plus. “Redmond continues to show strong growth and as the community and other eco- nomic drivers like the Red- mond Airport and the De- schutes County Fair and Expo Center continue to grow, the demand for overnight stays in Redmond will grow exponen- tially,” said Eric Sande, Red- mond Chamber of Commerce executive director. Patel’s firm was poised to open a 105-room Hampton Inn & Suites in Redmond in March, near the airport, but an electrical rooftop fire a year ago delayed the opening, Patel said. The company spent the past seven months negotiating with insurance people and in- vestigators to make the repairs. See Hotels / P3 An artist’s rendering of the Home2 Suites by Hilton that opened this November is located on the east side of Bend at SE 27th Street and Liv- ingston Drive. Festival of Lights shines Submitted photo Santa will be on hand at the walk-through of the holiday lights display now on at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds & Expo. Holiday display will be at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo through Jan. 1 From a press release REDMOND — Everyone loves touring to see the holiday light decorations across Redmond and Central Oregon. New this year is the Holiday Lights at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo, a walk- through holiday light experience, which makes its debut in 2021 to celebrate the season with 100,000 square feet of lights to greet Yuletide revelers. Holiday Lights opened Nov. 19 and ends on New Year’s Day. Starting Wednesday, Dec. 1, it is open seven days a week from noon to 10 p.m. Tickets range from a gen- eral admission of $18 weekdays to $25 weekends to a family four pack for $60. Tickets for various experiences are available at HolidayLightsDCF.com. “Deschutes County Fair & Expo is ex- tremely happy to bring in another fun fam- ily event that can be participated in safely. The Holiday Lights event will be an excep- tional experience for families to enjoy to- gether and to celebrate the holidays,” said Geoff Hinds, general manager of the fair- grounds. “With the last holiday season be- ing such a difficult year for everyone, we look forward to seeing many smiling, happy faces at this wonderful event. We welcome all to enjoy the magic of the holiday lights and hope that everyone’s spirits are lifted by this event.” Holiday Lights at Deschutes County Fair & Expo is designed to be enjoyed from the comfort of one’s own pace strolling through the exhibits. At every turn, the route is an- ticipated to overflow with spectacular light displays, along with Christmas melodies that bring popular holiday themes and characters to life. If You Go Ticket options* Nov. 19 through New Year’s Day: • General admission: $18 online weekdays & $25 weekend • Family four pack: $60 • Corporate groups email info@rpmtix.com *Prices subject to change For tickets and latest event details, visit Holiday- LightsDCF.com and follow on Instagram and Face- book @HolidaylightstDCF. The walk-through holiday light show is a “completely immersive” experience, promoters say. Submitted photo The Spokesman uses recycled newsprint DAILY EVENTS Events in and around Redmond The Redmond Spokesman welcomes event information for its community calendar. Submissions are limited to nonprofit, free and live entertainment events. Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday for the following Wednesday’s paper. Items are published on a space-available basis and may be edited. Contact us at news@redmondspokesman.com or fax 541-548-3203. Three Sisters Lions Club 10th Annual Holiday Faire: The annual boutique-style fair features gift items made by local vendors; 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; free; Sisters Lions Holiday Faire, 142 E. Main St., Sisters; sisterscountry.com. WEDNESDAY 12/1 Living Well with Chronic Conditions: The Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson County health departments are offering this six week, online class to support people living with chronic health conditions; 2-4 p.m.; free $10 suggested donation for workbook; Your Health Central Oregon, online; yourhealthcentraloregon.org Tetherow Holiday Bazaar: Enjoy a free round of Santa-riffic cocktails, free snacks and local artisans and vendors; 4-8 p.m.; free; Event Pavilion, 61240 Skyline Ranch Road, Bend THURSDAY 12/2 Holiday Lights: A walk-through holiday light show spanning 100,000 sq. ft. with more than 3 million dazzling lights happening daily; 4 a.m.- 10 p.m.; $25 per person, $65 family four pack, $95 family six pack; Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond; holidaylightexperience.com or 541-548-2711. Empowering Families Luncheon: The Latino Community Association luncheon raises funds to support English, computer and citizenship classes, employment assistance, legal clinics, income See Calendar / P3 INDEX Puzzles ............. 2 Obituaries ....... 5 Flashback ........ 2 Classifieds ....... 5 Volume 112, No. 14 USPS 778-040 U|xaIICGHy02326kzU