🚲️ Are you poling, pedaling, or paddling?

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Bend! And good luck to everyone who is competing in the PPP this weekend!

In today’s Bend Buzz:

• 🚲️ Pole Pedal Paddle is happening this weekend

• 🐕‍🦺 Keep those pups on a leash in Bend parks

• 🚧 Another busy intersection to close for construction

Let’s get to it.

— Derek Carlson

SPONSORED BY AUSTIN BUSKOHL REAL ESTATE

Don’t Let Bend’s $832,000 Median Home Price Fool You—Here’s the Real Story

Yes, it’s true: The April Beacon Report just confirmed that the median sale price in Bend hit $832,000—the highest it’s ever been. And I know how that can feel if you're currently shopping or thinking about jumping into the market.

But here’s what that number doesn’t tell you:

• Who’s buying is not the same as what’s available—in fact, most buyer activity right now is concentrated above the $800K mark, which pulls the median upward.

• Meanwhile, the two most common active price points in Bend are $500K and $600K, with better home quality than we’ve seen in past years at those levels.

• 6 out of every 10 homes for sale right now aren’t fresh to the market. That means more room to negotiate, more leverage for buyers, and in many cases, more motivated sellers.

• And only 1 in 4 active listings is going pending right now, which is a big shift from the frenzied pace of recent years.

Translation: If you're qualified to buy, there is still opportunity in this market—and it may be better than you think.

If you're trying to make sense of it all or wondering where your best move might be, I’m happy to walk you through what’s happening and where the overlooked opportunities are.

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SNAPSHOTS

🚲️ Get those skis, skinny skis, bikes, paddles, and running shoes ready

Pole Pedal Paddle, Bend's signature sporting event that combines downhill skiing, nordic skiing, biking, running, and paddling, returns for another year of action-packed fun. Expect huge crowds along the river on Saturday and some epic performances by some of the impressive athletes that call Central Oregon home. If you’ve never participated, it’s a ton of fun, and you can either do the entire course on your own or join a team and break it up into individual legs. Should we do a Bend Buzz team next year?

🚧 NW Bend intersection to close for 2 months

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but another busy intersection in Bend is set to close in mid-June for 2 months while a new roundabout is built. This time, the closure takes place in NW Bend at the intersection of Skyline Ranch Road and Skyliners Road. So if you’re headed up to Tumalo Falls or Phil’s trailhead this summer, prepare for detours.

🐕‍🦺 Leash up those pups

If you’re headed out to a local park with your pup this weekend, make sure they’re leashed up. Bend Parks & Rec and the Bend PD will be ramping up patrols to remind folks to keep their dogs leashed if they are outside of an off-leash area. Repeat offenders of the leash laws could end up being excluded from local parks for up to a year or hit with a $250 fine.

BUSINESS HAPPENINGS

🥪 Sandos and Smash cart lost in fire: Sandos and Smash, a sandwich and smashburger food truck located at The Bite in Tumalo, caught fire earlier this week and was a total loss. Luckily, no one was hurt in the blaze, and the cart’s owners say they will be back up and running hopefully sooner rather than later.

🚲️ Loam Wolf parking lot sale: Loam Wolf is hosting their 4th annual parking lot sale on Saturday from 9 AM - Noonish at Audiowerks (61550 American Ln. Unit 1). Here you can score some sweet deals on test bikes, tires, gear, and more. The early bird gets the worm, so don’t dawdle.

🏋️ Mindful Bend 3rd anniversary celebration: Mindful Bend is celebrating their 3rd anniversary with a get-together at Drake Park on Saturday morning from 9 AM - 12 PM, and you’re invited. The event includes a bake sale supporting their nonprofit and a free group workout from 11 AM - 12 PM.

@THEBENDBUZZ

📸 @mcmenaminsosf |📍Old St. Francis School
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TOGETHER WITH NOURISH FROM WITHIN

Build a Healthier, More Balanced Version of You

I’m Abby, a certified health coach and founder of Nourish From Within. Whether you want to boost energy, improve your diet, or make lifestyle changes, I’m here to help. Start with a 1:1 Holistic Health Consultation—a deep dive into your health history, goals, and habits, and receive a personalized wellness plan with custom tips, recipes, and realistic steps to help you thrive.

Ready to make the change? Improve your overall well-being with health coaching today!

📸 Instagram: @abbyhealthcoach
📧 [email protected]
🎉 Mention The Bend Buzz and receive 10% off your booking!

LOCAL LOWDOWN

Friday 5.16

💃 Get up & groove: Start your Friday off right with a morning of mindful breathwork followed by a dance party at The Commons in downtown Bend. 7:45 AM The Commons

🎭️ Mean Girls: Get in loser, we're going to the Tower Theatre. Catch this or any of the performances of Mean Girls - The Musical that are happening all weekend long. 7:30 PM Tower Theatre

🛼 Friday night roller dance: If your wrists and elbows have survived the first two weekends of roller dances at The Pavilion, then you're likely a better skater than me. This week's theme is queer night so strap on those skates and spend another evening skating/dancing the night away. 7:30 PM The Pavilion

🎭️ Anything Goes: Did you miss last week’s performances of Anything Goes at Caldera High? Well, you have one more weekend to get in on the fun. 7 PM (also showings Saturday @ 2 & 7 PM) Caldera High School

🍋 Shandy shindig: Deschutes Brewing is kicking off the seasonal opening of their beer garden with a shandy shindig. There will be live music, a cornhole tournament (Saturday), and, of course, $5 pours of Anytime Lemonade Shandy. Friday 5 - 8 PM & Saturday 1 - 8 PM Deschutes Brewery

🎭️ Alice in Wonderland: Support the BEAT Children’s Theatre at their production of the classic tale Alice in Wonderland. Performances are taking place all weekend long. Summit High School

Saturday 5.17

🐈️ Cats on mats yoga: Looking for the purrfect way to spend a Saturday morning? How about with a yoga session with some feline friends? 9 AM Playful Paws Cat Cafe

🦑 Search for A Giant Squid: Bring the little ones (ages 6-9) to the downtown Bend library for a choose-your-own-adventure hour of fun with the author of Search for A Giant Squid, Amy Seto Forrester (our 8-year-old loves this book, so this event should be a lot of fun!). 10 AM Downtown Bend Library

🌓 Moonlight Market: The May edition of the Bend Moonlight Market is here. With vendors, tattoos, food, drinks, and live music, this is always an event that is not to be missed. 4 - 11 PM Silver Moon Brewing

🎉 Party with a purpose: Valentine’s Deli (if you’ve never been, they’re the home of some of our favorite sandwiches in town) is hosting a fundraiser party with music, food, drinks, and art! 100% of the food/drink sales will go towards helping William, a 6-year-old with a rare disease. 2 PM Valentine’s Deli

🌱 Garden cloche repair & building class: Those of you who garden in the High Desert know just how challenging it can be with late-season frosts, freak July hail storms, and our overall short growing window. One of the best ways to extend your growing season is by adding a cloche, or mini greenhouse, to your raised beds. At this free class taught by OSU master gardeners, you’ll learn how to repair your cloche or build your own. 10 AM Discovery Park Community Garden

🏃‍♂️ Crush Cancer run: Take a drive up to Terrebonne to take part in a race (5k, 10k, or half marathon), hang out with some alpacas, and eat pizza by the pond at Faith, Hope, and Charity Vineyard’s Crush Cancer event. 8 AM Faith, Hope, & Charity Vineyard

Sunday 5.18

🦉 Wildlife baby shower: Join Think Wild at The Commons Cafe in downtown Bend for a wildlife baby shower fundraiser. There will be lawn games, music, prizes, and more! 11 AM - 3 PM The Commons

🌲 Forest Bathing at Shevlin: Let the sounds of nature envelope you and take the time to slow down and relax at Rooted Presence's Shevlin Park forest bathing class. 1 PM Shevlin Park

⚡️ Catch the lightning: Did you know that Central Oregon is home to an arena football team? Well, now you do, and if you want to check out the action, they're taking on the Corpus Christi Tritions at the Expo Center. Gametime TBD Deschutes County Expo Center

🌱 Crux spring market: Kick back and relax in some (hopefully) warm spring weather at the Crux spring market. There will be music, makers, and many brews to choose from. 11 AM - 4 PM Crux Fermentation Project

🎵 The Chorale sings the pops: Nothing says the arrival of summer like a pops concert. The Cascade Chorale is hosting free (although donations are always welcome) Pops concerts on Saturday & Sunday. 7 PM Sat & 3 PM Sun First Presbyterian Church

🥕 Worthy farmers market: You all know the drill now. The Worthy Farmers market is taking place every Sunday at Worthy Brewing from 10 AM - 2 PM. If you haven’t tried the blueberry galette from Curmuffins Bakery yet, I highly recommend grabbing one! They go great with a morning beverage from Worthy! 10 AM - 2 PM Worthy Brewing

🥾 Hike Oregon book signing: Get in the mood for hiking season by meeting the author of Hike Oregon, hang with other hikers, and chat about hiking (lots of hiking stuff here) at Title Nine. 5 - 7:30 PM Title Nine

Bonus Monday Events

Monday is normally my day of rest here at the Bend Buzz (although that is changing soon 🫢), but there were two Monday events I really wanted to call out this week.

🎸 Concert season at the Amphitheater is back: The Hayden Homes Amphitheater is kicking off the season of concerts along the Deschutes River with An Evening with James Taylor. Tickets are still available if you want to get in on the season-opening fun. 7 PM Hayden Homes Amphitheater

🚗 Oregon clean vehicle rebate program info session: The Oregon clean vehicle rebate program is back for 2025, which means you can save some big bucks on a qualifying vehicle purchase. If you want to learn more about the program, the Environmental Center is hosting an informational session on how this rebate program works. 4:30 - 6 PM The Environmental Center

LIVE MUSIC

Friday 5.16

Banshee Tree | Volcanic Theatre Pub | 8 PM | Tickets
Popcorn | Wildwood Bar & Grill | 7 PM
The Cutmen | Commonwealth Pub | 7 PM
Ghost of Brian Craig | Ponch’s Place | 6 PM
Toothpick Shaker | Bend Cider Co. | 6 PM
Billy and the Box Kid | M&J Tavern | 9 PM
Precious Byrd | St. Francis of Assisi School | 5 PM | Tickets

Saturday 5.17

Watkins Glen | Domino Room | 8 PM | Tickets
JuJu Eyeball | Commonwealth Pub | 8 PM
Central Oregon Symphony spring concert | Mountain View High School | 2 PM | Tickets
GBots and the Journeymen | Silver Moon Brewing | 7 PM | Tickets
DuBb Central | Bevel Craft Brewing | 6 PM
CyDefects | Wildwood Bar & Grill | 7 PM
The AM | Portello Wind & Spirits | 7 PM
Land Norberg | On Tap | 6 PM
Livid Kings & Amargosa | M&J Tavern | 9 PM
Highway 97 | Northside Bar & Grill | 8 PM

Sunday 5.18

Merkules | Volcanic Theatre Pub | 7 PM | Tickets
Mari & The Dream | Bar Rio | 5 PM
Aage Birch | Silver Moon Brewing | 7 PM | Tickets
Jesse Meade | River’s Place | 5 PM

THANKS!

Stay cool, and thank you again for reading!

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