OFFICIAL
The Nugget
PROGRAM E! ID FOR SFF INS
POSTAL CUSTOMER PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Vol. XLV No. 39
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Sisters welcomes thousands for weekend By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
On any given summer Saturday or Sunday some 500 to 1,000 tourists make their way to Sisters. Last weekend that number swelled to 2,000-3,000 as visitors feasted on four events. Precise estimates are not available but even an untrained observer could see packed streets, galleries, studios, and tents. Saturday began with the Giddy Up 5k/5Miler Ranch Run through picturesque Pole Creek Ranch. About 150 ran or walked, with another hundred or so cheering them on. The event included yard games and a country band. In the heart of town, the Glory Daze Car Show brought over a hundred cars and at least 1,500 onlookers. All before noon. Glory Daze gave way to the Fresh Hop Festival over at Three Creeks Brewing, where another nearly 1,000 dropped in and out for the good times throughout the afternoon. All the while the 2023 Artist Studio Tour feted hundreds of art lovers at no less than 19 studios or galleries, an event extended into Sunday, the same day when
By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
J. Chester Armstrong’s workshop was one of the stops on the Sisters Artist Studios tour last weekend. Sisters Farmers Market welcomed a few hundred as it ended its summer season. This unordinary ordinary weekend in Sisters included three weddings, one packing a ranch, and another with nearly 200 guests as the bride and groom — activeduty U.S. Navy personnel
Car show was a big draw in Sisters By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
They roared into town last Saturday, engines reverberating, some from over 100 miles away. Volunteers methodically marshaled the pristine cars and trucks, several dating over 80 years, into position as they lined the three blocks of Main closed to regular traffic from Elm to Larch for the Glory Daze Car Show. Many came in groups — car clubs or just garage buddies. One hundred and two registered out of 110 openings. The event, sponsored by SPRD (Sisters Park & Recreation District), is growing in popularity. Next year
Inside...
City ruling is a final ‘no’ on shelter
the event may need to add the block between Larch and Cedar. “Wouldn’t it be great if you guys had a motorcycle show in Sisters? At least a combined event,” said Willy Tanner, one of 11 bikers who accidentally discovered the event while following a group of six 1954 to ’57 Chevys all the way from Bend. “Wherever they were going, we were, too,” he said. Tanner and his pals were spotted later at the Sisters Fresh Hop Festival (see story page 6) where they were still talking about the car show. The show was a magnet for See CAR SHOW on page 20
— tied the knot at Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. The formal affair was complete with a crossed-swords military honor guard. Of course there was the usual entourage of regular tourists just dropping in and delighting in the serendipity
of the extracurricular happenings. (See related stories pages 1, 6, and 14). The good times continue next week with the sold-out Sisters Folk Festival. It has been said often that Sisters punches above its weight class, and last weekend proved just that.
After weeks of heated debate and discussion across the community, the Sisters City Council officially said “no” to the application by the nonprofit Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) for an emergency shelter to be located at 192 W. Barclay Dr. in Sisters. The Council voted 4-1 on Tuesday, September 19, to adopt written findings by staff supporting denial of the application. Susan Cobb cast the sole vote in favor of the application, arguing that she believes the applicant met the requirements set out by the State of Oregon in House Bills 2006 and 3395. Councilor Andrea Blum had voted in favor of approval at a September 5 public hearing, but she joined Mayor Michael Preedin, and councilors See SHELTER on page 13
What will winter bring? By Ron Thorkildson Correspondent
There is an increasing probability that the upcoming winter weather will be orchestrated by a moderate to strong El Niño. What that means in our part of world is that warmer and drier than normal conditions will likely prevail. But please read on, for as it’s oft said, the devil is in the details. After influencing global weather patterns for three straight years, La Niña is now gone. Her departure is making way for the El Niño Southern Oscillation’s (ENSO) warm phase, namely El Niño himself. Atmospheric scientists explain that the easterly trade winds in the tropical Pacific Ocean have weakened, or
PHOTO BY LISA MAY
The Sisters got their first dusting of snow last weekend. Does it portend a snowy winter? Or will El Niño exacerbate drought? even reversed direction. This is allowing warmer water in the western Pacific to be transported eastward.
When sea surface temperatures (SST) in the central and See WINTER on page 9
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Sisters Country Birds ........ 4 Announcements...............10 Obituaries .......................19 Crossword .......................21 Meetings .......................... 3 Bunkhouse Chronicle ........ 8 Entertainment .................12 Fun & Games ................... 20 Classifieds................. 22-23