Behind the curtain
Your summer source
‘Wizard of Oz’ opens at MV Theater this weekend
Methow Valley Summer 2023 magazine is here
Methow Valley News
STORY Page A6
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PUBLISHED WEEKLY SINCE 1903
TWISP, WASHINGTON
MENDING THE PLANET
VOL. 119 NO. 52
BY MARCY STAMPER
Photo by Steve Mitchell
APRIL 26. 2023
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Gravel pit excavation near Winthrop raises concerns Operators working with state on new permit for site
The Methow Recycles Repair Cafe was a popular attraction, among many others including music, demonstrations and food, at the second annual Earth Day Celebration last weekend at the John Doran Ranch north of Twisp.
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Some valley residents are concerned by recent excavation at a gravel pit about 1 1/2 miles west of Winthrop where operators have been digging on a hillside that previously blocked the pit from view. Some neighbors and people who travel Highway 20 from Mazama have raised their concerns with Okanogan County and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
At the rate the excavation is progressing, the steep shrub-steppe hill could be gone in a matter of days, an area resident told the Methow Valley News last week. The pit has been mined for gravel for years, but the hill shielded the pit from view and muffled sound from heavy equipment, one person said. “The big difference is that they’ve pulled off the hillside that hides the pit from the highway,” he said. Lloyd Logging is moving the boundaries of the pit and expanding a little bit, Lloyd Logging Secretary/Treasurer Bob Lloyd told the Methow Valley News this week. The company is working with DNR to update its permit and will be meeting with agency representatives on
Photo by Marcy Stamper
Area residents are concerned that after recent excavation of the hillside, this gravel pit on the scenic highway corridor west of Winthrop is now visible. Wednesday (April 26), he said. DNR is sending an inspector to map the area and meet with the company, DNR Communications Manager Joe Smillie said.
The work that’s sparked concern started about two weeks ago. In past years, there was little noticeable
See GRAVEL, A2
It’s been sweet, but Cinnamon Twisp Bakery owner ready to sell provides consistency to my business and to my customers that indicates they can rely on me.”
Katie Bristol reflects on 29 years of baking and community connections
Memorable moments
BY JULIA BABKINA
Cinnamon Twisp Bakery, one of the defining businesses on Glover Street, is for sale. The bakery will celebrate 29 years of service on May 5, and Owner Katie Bristol says the time is right for her to pursue the next chapter of her life — even if her love of baking hasn’t changed. “I’m a baker to the core,” she said. Bristol has made it a priority to support other businesses in the valley. She uses wholegrain flours grown and milled by Winthrop-based Bluebird Grain Farms. The honey, fruit, vegetables and coffee are all from local businesses. The bakery’s walls provide space for local artists to showcase their work. The bakery is so local, it doesn’t even have its own website. Instead of a computer mouse, it’s the door hinges that get a workout. But not
Photo by Julia Babkina
Katie Bristol says the time is right for her to sell Cinnamon Twisp Bakery. long before the last customer leaves for the day, the ovens take over. A prep baker comes in at 2 p.m. to bake cookies, pies, brownies, cupcakes and eclairs. There is a slight overlap when the bread baker walks in at 10 p.m., joined by the pastry baker at 3 a.m. The bread baker
Methow Valley Senior Center maintains bus trips to Wenatchee Board OKs funding for monthly rides BY MARCY STAMPER
Seniors in the Methow Valley will still be able to get to Wenatchee by bus, following a decision by the Methow Valley Senior Center board to charter a bus after the nonprofit that formerly provided monthly service discontinued the trips. Okanogan County Transportation and Nutrition (OCTN), the nonprofit that provides meals and bus service to seniors, notified the Methow Valley Senior Citizen Association at the beginning of April that they would no longer provide bus trips from Twisp to Wenatchee once a month. Seniors would have had to
take a TranGO bus to Okanogan and then transfer to an OCTN bus to Wenatchee, then do the same on the way home, association president Judy Tonseth said. The board felt strongly that that arrangement was not viable, Tonseth said. “It’s just unacceptable. We treasure and honor our seniors. To have that removed, it just was not acceptable,” she said. The board was also concerned about safety, since people would have had to make connections in the dark during the winter, Tonseth said. The association will pay for the bus, fuel, wear and tear, and driver John Jumper’s wages for the day. Tonseth estimated the bus trips will cost the association about $400 per month, but the board voted to charter the bus
See BUS, A3 ADDRESS LABEL
leaves just as the opening shift arrives at 6 a.m., followed by reinforcements at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. The ovens finally take a breather at 10 a.m., but it’s a 24/5 operation, one that suits Bristol’s talents. “I’m organized, I’m orderly, I’m systematic,” said Bristol. “I feel like that
Between the rhythms of the day, there have been moments that stood out — a customer learning she was going to be a grandmother, a young couple requesting a giant cinnamon twisp pastry as their wedding cake, another couple ordering braided challah bread to share with 50 wedding guests. Recently, said Bristol, three generations of the same family stopped in separately in the span of an hour, a reminder of what her business has become. Even when the bakery is closed, there is pressure on those door hinges. During the interview, a steady stream of people peeked through the glass doors, hoping to find the bakery open. Starting May 1, the bakery will be open on Mondays and seven days a week in the summer, when high schoolers and college students are off from school. “Business at the bakery has never been better,” said Bristol. The bakery averages 15-22 employees, depending on the season, a third of which are full time. From the beginning, Bristol sets high standards.
“I’ve a strong work ethic. I have high standards for my products. I have high standards for myself and for my employees. I’m organized. I definitely put work first,” she said. “Some of the kids I hire, it’s their first job. I’m their first job experience. It’s challenging, it’s rewarding. Sometimes, 10 years later, they come back and say, it was the best job they ever had.”
Making of an icon
Cinnamon Twisp offers traditional, vegan and gluten-free pastries as well as soups, salads and sandwiches (from homemade bread, of course.) Over 29 years, Bristol and her team have developed over 200 unique recipes, but they are most known for their eponymous cinnamon twisps. “The twisp has just become a regional icon of tastiness. It sort of represents what people think of when coming to the Methow Valley. Part of what’s on their list is to get a cinnamon twisp,” Bristol said. Although the play on words is obvious, the business’ name had to beat out other contenders.
See BAKERY, A2
Trails Collaborative needs your boots on the ground when people can work toward a goal of improving an area they enjoy recreating in,” he said. A description of events and sign up forms are available on the Methow Valley Trails Collaborative website, trailscollaborative.org.
Repair and improvement projects are plentiful
Upcoming opportunities
BY ANN MCCREARY
People who love to recreate on trails — whether on foot, horseback or bike — will have plenty of opportunities to pitch in on a variety of trail improvement projects around the Methow Valley in coming months. The Methow Valley Trails Collaborative is helping coordinate several projects to maintain and repair trails, such as replacing bridges, restoring trails damaged in recent fires, and repairing erosion caused by heavy hiker traffic. Allen Jircik, trails manager for the Trails Collaborative, is working with the Methow Valley Ranger District and trail organizations that are part of the collab-
Photo courtesy of Ike Bancroft
Trail repair crews worked on the Lightning Creek ramp. More trail work opportunities are coming up soon. orative to plan and carry out a full groups that are part of the colschedule of projects from May laborative, such as back country through October. horsemen and mountain bikers, Jircik was hired as the Trail donate labor and materials for Collaborative’s first trails man- trails projects. Grants and federal ager — and only employee — last funding obtained by the Methow year to help the organization with Trails Collaborative and member its broad goal of connecting com- trail organizations will support munity advocacy groups and land of the work this year, Jircik said. managers to collaborate on trail Anyone who wants to support stewardship in the Methow Valley. trails is welcome to join in work Members of the various trail parties, Jircik said. “It’s great
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• May 6-7: The Trails Collaborative is coordinating with the Methow Valley Forest Fire Lookout Association to restore an eroded section of trail that accesses the North 20-Mile fire lookout. The lookout is having its centennial this year, and the goal of the weekend work party is to make it easier to access the lookout via horseback. Both work days will involve a moderately strenuous 4-mile round-trip hike. • May 20: Save A Trail/Twisp River Trail. Save A Trail projects are chosen by the Trails Collaborative based on community input to restore high-use trails. The first day will focus
See TRAILS, A2
INSIDE ... OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 HARTS PASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2 COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 VALLEY LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6