The Nugget Vol. XLVII No. 23
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Sisters gets ready to rodeo Sisters is ready for a week of rodeo action — but not all of it is in the Sisters Rodeo arena. The whole town evokes the western spirit this week, with a parade that is as big an attraction for some folks as the main event, and live music to put boot heels on dance floors at local watering holes. There are also some opportunities for celebrity meet-and-greet events. The week’s action kicks off Wednesday evening, June 5, with Xtreme Bulls, pitting the rankest stock in the West against elite bull riders. The main event runs June 7-9 with performances on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening See RODEO on page 20
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Summer season is underway...
PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT
Soren Smith offers up produce from the Seed to Table booth to marketgoer Kathy Marshall. The opening of the Sisters Farmer’s Market last Sunday marks the unofficial kick-off of the summer season. The market runs each Sunday through October.
Firefighters douse brush fire in Camp Sherman An alert resident helped firefighters catch a brush fire in Camp Sherman before it got out of hand. The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District responded to the area of Tract C Lane in Camp Sherman at 4 p.m. on May 30 to investigate a report of smoke seen by a resident passerby. A brush engine crew arrived to find a fire burning in brush and grass on National Forest land adjacent to the 1419-206 forest road near Tract C Lane. Firefighters initiated See BRUSH FIRE on page 17
A scholarship and a rodeo Girls attend Junior Firefighter camp run for Montgomery By Sue Stafford Correspondent
By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
Cache Montgomery has a $2,000 Sisters Rodeo Scholarship under his belt. Now he’s setting out to add some trophy buckles to put on that belt as a professional rodeo cowboy. The 18-year-old La Pine High School graduating senior just received his PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) card and will enter his first professional rodeo as a steer wrestler at Sisters Rodeo. As of press time he was close to certain that he will run in Friday evening’s performance. Montgomery has had a successful high school rodeo career, standing at second in the state in steer wrestling, and making nationals competition. Montgomery told The Nugget that the spark for his rodeo career caught when he was working on a haying crew in Nevada. He watched
Inside...
a lot of rodeo while working on that crew. “I thought, man, that looks kind of fun,” he recalled.
I thought, man, that looks kind of fun. — Cache Montgomery He decided he wanted to get into rodeo competition in calf roping, steer wrestling, and saddle broncs. However, he didn’t think he had the horsemanship skills for calf roping. As for saddle broncs, “I thought it would be easier to convince my parents to let me do steer wrestling than doing saddle broncs,” he said. So steer wrestling it was — and he has had considerable success before turning pro. In addition to rodeo, he participated in other high school sports, including See TURNING PRO on page 18
The area surrounding Scout Lake was abuzz with girl power last Saturday as 34 girls, ages 7–14, learned and practiced fire safety and outdoor skills they need for adventuring outside. The U.S. Forest Service and SheJumps Wild Skills co-sponsored the Junior Firefighter day camp combining the skills and expertise of their organizations with mentoring provided by female members of the Forest Service (four from Sisters Ranger District) and SheJumps. According to the program’s curriculum, the day camp “is meant to be an experience the girls will remember, one that will spark a lifetime of passion and respect for the outdoors and our natural resources.” The Forest Service’s goal is to introduce young girls to strong women who work in outdoor careers usually dominated by men, and mimic some of the things wildland firefighters do on a
PHOTO PROVIDED
Campers learned to read compasses and topographical maps. fire. A majority of the USFS personnel at the camp came from Central Oregon Forest Service districts, with a few from the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Baker, and the Oregon Department of Forestry. This day camp started five years ago in the Columbia Gorge, was interrupted by COVID, and is currently being sponsored by the Sisters Ranger District. A larger program, Women in Wildfire Boot Camp, is offered annually all over the
United States. The Oregon SheJumps also offers a Central Oregon Junior Ski Patrol program at Hoodoo. The Junior Firefighting day camp is structured to resemble a simplified wildfire assignment. The girls are divided in similar age groups to make “crews,” each with a Forest Service crew boss and a SheJumps assistant. They all attend a morning briefing where they learn vital information for the day from See FIRE CAMP on page 22
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Bunkhouse Chronicle ........ 5 Of a Certain Age ................ 9 Entertainment ................. 11 Classifieds................. 24-26 Meetings .......................... 3 Obituaries ........................ 8 Announcements...............10 Crossword ...................... 23 Poetry .............................27