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Tuesday, December 6, 2022 • Redmond, Oregon
redmondspokesman.com
@RedmondSpox
Finding
peace behind
the podium
Weekly Toastmasters meetings provide
support for public speaking skills
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
Nervous energy radiated through a room Nov.
29 at the Church of Christ in Redmond. Feet
tapped, heartbeats raced and fingers flexed as
members of the local Toastmasters club prepared
for the opportunity — however excruciating it
may be — to speak.
Alayna Weimer’s knee bounced as she waited
to stand in front of the 10 people scattered around
the room. She stood up, smiled, walked to the po-
dium and began to speak in a clear, smooth voice.
“Thank you, madam president, fellow Toast-
masters and guests ...” she began.
Weimer is a member of the Redmond Toast-
masters club, a nonprofit focused on improving
public speaking and leadership skills for mem-
bers. It is a nerve-wracking weekly event that is
both an opportunity to bond with others and a
fierce example of bravery.
Gary Einhorn, an 80-year-old business consul-
tant who has been involved with Toastmasters for
about 14 years, was so nervous his first time at a
club meeting that he knocked the podium over.
“It was just total anxiety and panic,” said Ein-
horn.
He said it can take time to get comfortable with
public speaking, but there are lasting, positive ef-
fects for those who do. Einhorn said he saw an
interest increase of about 30 to 40 percent after
Toastmasters gave him the confidence to present
and promote his business.
“After a period of time doing it, my life changed
positively,” he said.
See Toast / A6
SPORTS
Rendering courtesy Deschutes Public Library
The front of the proposed Redmond Public Library, facing out to Centennial Park.
Starting a new chapter
Redmond library readies for demolition, reconstruction
BY TIM TRAINOR • Redmond Spokesman
T
he former Jessie Hill
School, current home
of the Redmond Li-
brary, will not live to see 100.
Built in 1929, the historic build-
ing in downtown Redmond will be
torn down next month to make way
for a new, two-story library that will
be built at the same location.
In the meantime, Redmond pa-
Redmond’s public
school, built in 1908,
served grades 1-12.
The building, which
stood on the site of the
present Redmond Pub-
lic Library and former
Jessie Hill School, was
enlarged to double this
size in 1911.
trons will have to check out books,
access the internet and do research
in a smaller, less inviting space at
2127 S Highway 97 for the nearly
two years of construction.
But once the new building is fin-
ished, Deschutes County Library
officials say it will meet the needs
of growing Redmond for decades
to come.
Spokesman file photo
See Library / A6
Sewing school is in session
Hit the slopes
Hoodoo Ski Area opens for the season. A8
BUSINESS
Cookie time
New bakery, Kook’i, comes to Redmond. A5
‘Professor Pincushion’ teaches basics
of sewing via video, new book
BY TIM TRAINOR
Redmond Spokesman
From her 500-square-foot studio built in her
Redmond backyard, Tova Opartny makes in-
structional videos for her more than half a mil-
lion subscribers.
Opartny has made more than 500 such films,
posting them both to her website and her You-
Tube page under the moniker ”Professor Pin-
cushion.” In each one she teaches techniques that
help DIYers overcome the hurdles that invariable
pop up and stifle creative projects.
It takes about a week to produce each video,
each well-lit with plenty of transitions and
post-production work. But the advertising on
her website and video channels is enough to pay
the mortgage and allow Tova to be a full-time
content creator.
“I’m not rich by any means, but (YouTube) has
helped me make a living doing what I love,” she
said.
Now, Opartny is branching out. She recently
wrote a book ”Professor Pincushion’s Guide to
Sewing: Garment Making for Nervous New-
bies.” During the process, Opartny was quickly
reminded that writing and sewing have a lot in
common. Both require consummate planning,
a need for creative thought and — invariably —
the creator finds themselves in a tight spot where
the whole darn thing just seems impossible.
“Writing is basically like sewing,” she laughed.
“You’re crying all the time.”
Opartny grew up in the Bay Area of Califor-
nia. Her mother was a hobby sewer and taught
Opartny the basics, but it wasn’t until a high
school class that she found her passion for fabric
arts. As a high-achieving student with loads of
Advanced Placement classes, sewing freed up her
Courtesy photo
mind to think creatively. She loved troubleshoot-
ing problems and making something meaningful Tova Opartny, with her beloved sewing machine.
Together, the duo produce videos to help DIYers
out of mounds of scraps.
See Sewing / A6
complete complicated projects.
WEATHER FORECAST
INSIDE
Calendar .......................................................A2
Opinion ........................................................A7
Coffee Break ............................................. A10
Classifieds ................................................. A12
THIS WEEK’S FORECAST SPONSORED BY
Volume 119, No. 13
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