THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2022 A5
Mellow mood for Redmond
Music & Arts Festival
Nick Rosenberger/Redmond Spokesman
David Maldonado cooks caramel corn at the Deschutes County Fair in Redmond on August 3.
Photos by Bill Bartlett
LeeAnn Sturrock, a printmaker, was part of the visual arts component of the Redmond Music & Arts Festival.
BY BILL BARTLETT
For The Redmond Spokesman
The second annual Redmond
Music & Arts Festival took place
over the weekend and crowds,
while not large, appeared
pleased with the three day hap-
pening at the High Desert Mu-
sic Hall.
It was a family affair with
younger families chief among
the attendees.
“It’s a place where we can
come, have a beer or two, check
out the music and not worry
that our kids will be bored,”
said Redmond resident Tanya
Estrada. Her husband Miguel,
added: “The whole thing is kind
of laid back, lots of music op-
tions.”
Music was the main attrac-
tion with 16 different perform-
ers, mostly solo acts. That it
was all free was a strong selling
point.
“We got our money’s worth,”
Willy Hudson beamed. “I’ve
seen five or six of the acts and
the vibe was good.”
Attendees seemed to like the
fact that it was all in one spot.
“I thought we’d be walking all
over Redmond in the heat. This
made it really comfortable,”
mentioned Charleen Filton.
Both she and her friend, Betz,
were aided by walkers.
Half of the hall was set aside
for music, half for visual art.
There were only a few art
choices, enough to justify the
word “Arts” in the festival brand
but several visitors expressed
hope that the visual arts portion
of the event would grow.
On Sunday, the music moved
outdoors to the food and drink
area. Four food trucks offered
a range of popular options all
weekend including Mexican
and Greek cuisine. By Sunday
afternoon the temperature was a
pleasant 82 degrees, down from
a forecast five days earlier of
temps in the 90s.
The good weather was a main
topic of conversation including
gratitude for the few wildfires
burning in Oregon. Tables filled
quickly particularly those under
the canopy or umbrellas.
There was food and drink
inside of course at the perma-
nent Backline Restaurant, Bar
& Lounge. A good portion of its
space was converted to the art
exhibit space.
According to its owners, the
Music Hall aims to curate and
provide a diverse set of music
genres, along with a palette of
healthy foods, sips, brews and
libations, as well as a handful of
professional and creative spaces
for community engagement.
The Festival had to compete
with the Rhythm & Brews Fes-
tival in Sisters, the Sunriver Art
Fair and summer concerts at the
Hayden Amphitheater in Bend.
The party atmosphere of the
festival spread to close-by Cen-
tennial Park. A good number of
families picnicked there before
of after exploring the Festival.
The splash pad was very active.
Linda Spence, a mosaic glass
artist, drew a steady stream of
festivalgoers. Her glass-infused
guitar was a sensation and a
good match for the music spill-
ing from across the hall.
LeeAnn Sturrock, a print-
maker, had the primo spot in
the art section. Her pop-up
store was situated at the en-
trance impossible to bypass. Her
County fair attracted
record crowd in 2022
and focused on high-energy,
well-produced events, he said.
For Deschutes County Fair
On multiple nights, it was
& Expo manager Geoff Hinds, standing room only inside the
the 102nd annual fair was a re- 4,000-seat First Interstate Bank
sounding success.
Center.
The 2022 De-
This year’s fair also
schutes County Fair
built off 2021 adjust-
broke an attendance
ments, like moving
record set just last
concerts outdoors
year as it welcomed
and making them free
165,000 visitors
with fair entry. While
Geoff Hinds
through the five-day
Hinds said the move
event, and set a sin-
was initially moti-
gle-day record with almost
vated by COVID-19 safety, fair
50,000 fairgoers on Saturday
organizers decided to continue
alone.
the new tradition this time
“We were just honored to
around.
be able to celebrate with so
Part of that was motivated
many members of our com-
by the awareness that the pan-
munity, and that the different
demic isn’t fully over and risks
activities and events we put to- increase when tens of thou-
gether were well-received,” said sands of people gather indoors,
Hinds.
Hinds said. But he said it also
From Hinds’ perspective,
plays into Central Oregon’s
this year’s biggest success was
summer outdoor concert cul-
the rodeo. Organizers moved
ture, and that they expect the
this year’s rodeo indoors
tradition to continue in up-
BY LEO BAUDHUIN
Redmond Spokesman
coming years.
Even areas where the fair
has struggled have seen some
level of improvement. Hinds
said last year was a major mile-
stone in traffic management.
Through a multi-jurisdictional
management effort, organiz-
ers were able to get exit times
down from two hours at peak
capacity to about 45 minutes.
Although he doesn’t yet have
specifics for this year, Hinds
said he’s heard anecdotally that
this year’s traffic has met or ex-
ceeded that 45-minute bench-
mark.
Still, Hinds said, most of this
fair’s takeaways will be up to
the community — both of or-
ganizers and their networks —
that helped it come together.
“We have to take some time
to recap this one and recognize
our successes and where we
can improve,” he said.
█
Reporter: lbaudhuin@
redmondspokesman.com
Plan your 2023 Getaway!
Mary Eliza (top) took the stage at the Redmond Music & Arts Festival,
while children took on some art projects (above).
aprons and journals were the
most asked about.
Children invariably found
their way to the art project table
where a variety of opportunities
were available for budding art-
ists like Ezra Dickinson, 6, and
Vaeda Dickinson, 8, from Bend.
The family is hoping to relocate
to Redmond soon, after finding
its lifestyle more compatible and
less hectic than Bend.
Patsy Erskine, Sybil Hardesty
and Leah Porter came over from
Prineville for the event. They
commandeered an outside table
under a tree and in the shadow
of the Music Hall where they sat
for several hours able to hear the
music seep through the doors
onto the uncrowded street.
Looking up from lunch, a
plateful of quesadillas, Leah
spoke for the group.
“We could sit out here all af-
ternoon and just watch and lis-
ten,” she said. “It’s all so mellow.”
GREAT TRAINS 6 & DAYS
GRAND CANYONS
MARCH 19-24, 2023
A fused glass guitar made by
artist Linda Spence grew a
steady stream of festivalgoers.
DAY 1: PHOENIX, SEDONA
DAY 2: SEDONA
DAY 3: GRAND CANYON
DAY 4: MONTEZUMA CASTLE, JEROME, VERDE
CANYON RAILROAD
DAY 5: DAY AT LEISURE, BLAZIN’ M RANCH
DAY 6: SEDONA, SCOTTSDALE, FLIGHT HOME
HIGHLIGHTS:
Two Rail Journeys
Grand Canyon Railway
Verde Canyon Railroad
Grand Canyon Nat’l Park
Oak Creek Canyon
Sedona Trolley Tour
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Tlaquepaque & Uptown Sedona
Montezuma Castle
Jerome
Chuckwagon Supper & Show
INCLUSIONS:
Roundtrip Airfare
- PDX or RDM (+ $250)
5 Nights Hotel Accommodations
8 Meals (5 Breakfast, 3 Dinners)
Professional Tour Director
Motorcoach Transportation
Sightseeing per Itinerary
Admissions per Itinerary
Hotel Transfers
Baggage Handling at Hotels
ACCOMMODATIONS:
5 Nights - Hilton Sedona Resort,
Sedona Courtyard by Marriott or
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On some dates alternate hotels may
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Visit www.bendbulletin.com/offers/travel
for a more detailed look at all trip itineraries.
For more information or to book, call (877) 953-8687 x 276