In this Issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🤔 Local Trivia 2for

🌄 Bend, OR Weather

📅 Lots and LOTS of Events

🤠🍔🍉🍖 La Pine Frontier Days

🎆 Lots of July 4th Happenings

🎉New Event Calendar! Central Oregon Local Live!

📰 Local News - What’s a Happening?

📰2024 Fireworks on Pilot Butte Fireworks Show Safety Information

🎆🎆Bend fireworks show: How not to burn down Pilot Butte - Bend Bulletin

🏕️Seeking Public Comment on Proposed Adjustments to Rate Ranges in Park Rule

🔥Central Oregon Fire Info

🚧 Road Closures

🚨 Crime News

👮Redmond Street Crimes Unit Arrests 26-Year-Old for Unlawful Possession of Fentanyl Following Extensive Investigation

📰 Community News

🖼️Volunteers Make Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show Possible

🫴💖 Local Cause Spotlight

🐶😺Changing Lives, One Paw at a Time: The Heartwarming Work of The Humane Society of the Ochocos

Fundraisers | Pets available

😁 MEME of the Day

What geological formation is Pilot Butte?

A) A mountain
B) A hill
C) A volcanic cone
D) A mesa

What is the elevation of Pilot Butte?

A) 4,000 feet
B) 3,000 feet
C) 4,500 feet
D) 3,500 feet

👉 Find the ANSWERS in Tomorrow’s Newsletter👉

BEND

Events Sponsored By Enjoy Bend Life Real Estate

What’s Up Central Oregon

2024 La Pine Frontier Days

The tradition of a community gathering during the celebration of the 4^th of July is a long one.  At the start of the 20^th Century, when the locals consisted of a handful of hardy pioneering families, it became a highly valued time to gather and trade and just catch up with what had been happening in their lives.  They were ranchers and farmers mostly, so they would include activities such as a rodeo, and always with much food and drink. As the story goes, they would dig a large pit in the ground and someone would donate a large critter to become the celebratory roast beast, and everyone else would provide the rest.   It is the need to be with people of like mind with a “heart” for their community that sustained this gathering throughout the years.  Stories abound such as the year local trapper Ray Morehouse provided a bear for the pit. Some of the earliest photos of La Pine show a raucous rodeo of locals, along with music and dancing.

Lot’s of July 4th Happenings, check out Central Oregon Local Live Events Calendar for all the Details

2024 Fireworks on Pilot Butte Fireworks Show Safety Information

Bend fireworks show: How not to burn down Pilot Butte

• By MORGAN OWEN The Bulletin

• By MORGAN OWEN The Bulletin

 Bend has hosted its annual fireworks show from the top of Pilot Butte every year since 1976. For days before the holiday, the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Department of Forestry, Bend Fire & Rescue and professional pyrotechnicians prepare the butte by clearing brush, setting up fire hoses and creating a safety plan.

And every year, Pilot Butte catches fire.

“It’s an annual tradition,” said State Park Manager Joe Wanamaker with a laugh. “Normally, fireworks aren’t allowed in any state park. This is an exception.”

Even though sparks inevitably fly during Bend’s Fourth of July celebration, there’s no cause for concern, said Bend Fire & Rescue Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki. That’s because 25 firefighters and several engines are already waiting to tame the blaze. Crews have even set up 2,000 feet of fire hose snaking up and around the side of the butte that they charge with water before the show starts.

“Know that there are firefighters up here,” Derlacki told The Bulletin as crews prepared for Thursday’s show on top of the butte. “It’s going to be dark. You might not quite see them all, but if you’re looking closely enough, you’ll see headlamps moving around … not only during the show but for about an hour after.”

Derlacki said it’s important for people watching the show to know that if they can see the flames, crews on the butte already know about it. They’ve been doing this for 50 years, he said, and operations flow like a well-oiled machine.

“Please don’t call 911. We know about what’s going on up here. We have spotters in the community looking at the butte from the base to give us a better vantage point … Just leave it to the professionals,” he said.

Brush caught fire at the July 4, 2007, fireworks display at Pilot Butte — as it often does.

While there is a trade-off for having the fireworks show on top of Pilot Butte, Derlacki said the benefits are huge. Having such a visible show encourages fewer people to hold their own pyrotechnic displays and the topography of the butte allows crews to contain any fires that may start easily.

A year for breaking records

The atmosphere on top of Pilot Butte on Wednesday wasn’t just that of focused preparation, there was also excitement about plans for this year’s fireworks show. Chris Mattison, with Sure Shot Fireworks, has run the show for the past seven years, and before that, it was his dad. It’s been the same crew for 25 years, he said, and this year the show will be bigger than ever.

“We just went all-out last year, and then this year, we’re breaking records,” Mattison said. “Last year, the biggest shell that we shot off was 12 inches, and that was a big show. That one was about 15-20 pounds for one shell. Well, this year, we are shooting a 16-inch shell … It’s the largest shell that’s ever been shot off this butte and of this size in Central Oregon.”

The 16-inch shell is 55 pounds of pyrotechnics in a small package. The explosion will be as big as the butte itself, Mattison said, which is why it’s so important people stay away from the butte while the professionals are setting things up.

Dillan Mattison, right, of Sure Shot Fireworks, walks past an array of tubes Wednesday that will be used to fire off fireworks, during a day of preparation on top of Pilot Butte in Bend.

“There’s live explosives,” Mattison said. “Worst case scenario — an act of God or something like that — I don’t want anybody on this butte while we go to work, while the firefighters go to work.”

But Mattison said there’s no reason for anyone to worry too much about worst-case scenarios. With minimal wind in the forecast, he expects everything to go off without a hitch. What’s he most looking forward to? The cheers that float up to the top of Pilot Butte after the show.

“We are really excited that we got blessed with really beautiful weather,” he said. “As a pyrotechnician, that’s what we really look forward to. And then (after the show) if you could be as loud as possible, we want to hear you. I want to hear what Bend sounds like.”

How to watch

The Bend fireworks show will begin at 10 p.m. on Thursday and can be viewed anywhere in where Bend Pilot Butte is visible. The show is sponsored by Subaru Bend and its partners.

Seeking Public Comment on Proposed Adjustments to Rate Ranges in Park Rule

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is seeking public comment on a proposal to adjust the ranges of rates that parks can charge for camping and other facilities in state parks starting in summer 2025.

Regular adjustments to rate ranges are necessary to respond to increases in utility costs, operations and maintenance needs, and inflation. Currently the rate range for tent campsites, for example, is $17 to $22 per night (plus any local lodging taxes). Rates vary by park and season. The proposal would increase the top end of the range to $29 per night before taxes. See the proposed rates.

Increasing the rate ranges does not mean that the current fees charged per night will increase automatically. Instead, the ranges provide flexibility to adjust fees within that range over time as needed. This avoids large increases all at once.

Once rate ranges are adopted into rule, the state parks director has authority to adjust fees based on visitation patterns, increased costs and seasonal fluctuations up to four times per year (offering discounts during the fall/winter seasons for example). The first rate ranges were adopted into rule in 2018 and implemented by the department in 2019.

In addition to rate-range adjustments, the proposed rules would:

• Expand the 25% surcharge for out-of-state RV campers to include all site types for out-of-state campers.

• Allow the director to determine which parks assess a day-use parking permit fee. Currently parks requiring a parking permit are listed in rule.

Public comments on the proposed rule change will be accepted through 5pm August 30, 2024 and can be submitted:

• Online: oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-Rule-2024-Fees-V2.aspx

• Mail: OPRD Department, attn: Katie Gauthier, 725 Summer St. NE, Suite C, Salem OR 97301

• Email: [email protected]

Three public hearings will be held for the public to provide comments.

• Virtual Hearing: Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 5:30pm. Register to attend the hearing at: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aT-S-tRHScONYnp8SxErmQ

• In Person Hearings: Tuesday, August 6, 2024, 5:30pm, Nehalem Bay State Park Meeting Hall, 34600 Garey St., Nehalem, OR 97131

• Tuesday, August 13, 2024, 5:30pm North Mall Office Building, 725 Summer St. NE, Salem, OR 97301. Must arrive by 6pm to testify.

The department is also seeking feedback via a short survey about opinions on camping facilities and programs that can be taken during the public comment period: form.jotform.com/241823872287162

Once the public comment period ends, the proposal with any incorporated updates is slated to go to Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission in September or November for possible adoption. Any changes in rate ranges would not be effective until the agency budget is approved by the Oregon legislature and signed by the Governor in 2025.

oregon.gov/oprd

Link to: Northwest Large Fire Interactive Web Map

Redmond Street Crimes Unit Arrests 26-Year-Old for Unlawful Possession of Fentanyl Following Extensive Investigation

Redmond, OR- Detectives with the Redmond Street Crimes Unit arrested a 26-year-old for Unlawful Possession of Fentanyl early yesterday morning. The arrest is a result of an investigation spanning several months and included a multi-jurisdictional surveillance operation. The female, a Redmond resident, was arrested during a traffic stop and a subsequent search warrant was executed at a Redmond area apartment. 

Evidence seized in the case includes cash, fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and a digital scale. The case has been referred to the Deschutes County Districts Attorney’s Office for consideration of additional drug related charges.  

The Redmond Police Department would like to thank CODE and DCSO Street Crimes for their assistance in the investigation. Drugs are addictive and dangerous. If you a struggling with addiction, please call a substance abuse hotline such as Ideal Options 1-844-GO-IDEAL. If you are aware of drug activity, please report it to your local law enforcement agency.  

Volunteers Make Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show Possible

Every second Saturday in July, quilts magically appear on the walls of Sisters businesses. This magic is actually the result of hard work by dedicated volunteers, some local and some from out of state, many of whom have been helping for years or even decades.

Susan DeGroat volunteers year-round, handling office work and coordinating the WISH Fabric Postcard Challenge. She finds joy in contributing to the Quilt Show, which enhances her experience as a quilter.

Martha Sanders, volunteer coordinator for the Mt. Bachelor Quilters' Guild and Undercover Quilters Special Exhibit groups, collects quilts for sponsor displays. She finds personal reward in helping others see their quilts showcased in the major show.

Sally Frey, who coordinates the installation of the iconic display on the Stitchin' Post's east wall, works closely with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District for the setup. She travels from California each year to teach at Quilter's Affair and has been volunteering for over 15 years.

The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, a free and unticketed event, relies on donations and fundraisers. Many volunteers are also donors, and DeGroat encourages anyone interested to join in. The work can be easily integrated into one's life, making it a fulfilling way to contribute to the quilting community.

"Quilting is totally my passion," said Frey. "Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show is the highlight of my summer."

Changing Lives, One Paw at a Time: The Heartwarming Work of The Humane Society of the Ochocos

Are you an animal lover looking to make a positive impact on the lives of our furry friends in need? If so, you're in luck! Let me introduce you to a wonderful non-profit organization that is doing incredible work for animals in our community - The Humane Society of the Ochocos (HSO).

Visit their website at https://www.thehso.org/ to learn more about their programs, upcoming events, and how you can get involved. Together, we can make the world a better place for animals in need.

A few of the pets HSO has available:

Come on out to our Back to the 80's Fundraiser!

This event will be open to the public of all ages!
There will be a $15 admittance charge to cover the cost of food that will be included with your ticket.
Be sure to dress in your 80's best! There will be costume contests, games with prizes, door prizes, glamour shots by Photography By Arielle, face painting, as well as a silent auction with lots of fun 80's themed items!
A HUGE thank you to all that have reached out to donate and are continuing to do so!
All proceeds will go towards the shelter's new build!
You won't want to miss this one!!

Starting at 5:00 PM on July 6th at the Carey Foster Hall

To purchase tickets online, go to https://thehso.kindful.com/e/back-to-the-80s or you can come up to the shelter and grab yours there!

Made by the amazing Itzcoatl Xipil & Justina Price

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