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✨ 'Tis the season

✨ 'Tis the season

Santas across town, the Dirksen Derby returns to Bachelor, and one last round of holiday markets

Derek Carlson
December 20, 2024

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Bend! Here’s a little cup of cheer to get your weekend started right.

In today’s Bend Buzz:

🏂️ Dirksen Derby weekend at Bachelor
🎅 Santas and holiday parties galore
🕯️ One last round of holiday markets

Let’s get to it.

— Derek Carlson

SNAPSHOTS

🕯️ Winter ski concerts

Local pianist Paula Dreyer is hosting a series of evening ski concerts throughout the winter at both Mt. Bachelor and Meissner Sno-park (we called out the Bachelor event last week but wanted to give it a little more press as these tickets sell out fast!). Candles light the trails as you cross-country ski to her enchanting music that is streamed wirelessly to headphones provided at the event.

This weekend’s concert at Meissner is sold out, but there are plenty more to come throughout the winter, so make sure to grab your tickets now!

🏂️ It’s Dirksen Derby weekend at Bachelor

The 17th annual Dirksen Derby will be taking place at Mt. Bachelor this weekend. This event moves around the mountain every year and features custom-built banked courses that pros and amateur boarders alike can try their hand at mastering.

BUSINESS HAPPENINGS

🍕 Van Henion Brewing welcomes a 2nd food truck: Van Henion Brewing, on Bend’s east side, was already home to Manzanita Grill. Today, they are officially welcoming the arrival of a new pizza cart - Chonie’s Pizza. So stop by to beat the winter chill with a tasty ‘za to go along with their stellar brews.

🏌️ A new spot to work on your swing: Bend is getting a new indoor golf training facility so you can work on those swings all winter long. The Golf Farm, which will be located off of Empire, is slated to open sometime next month and will offer coaching services, youth camps, and more.

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TOGETHER WITH OREGONIZED BREWING

If you’ve been procrastinating on those last-minute gifts, I’ve got bad news: Amazon isn’t saving you this time—anything you order now won’t show up until well after the holidays.

But don’t panic! Bend has some amazing local shopping options, and if there’s a beer lover on your list, I’ve got the perfect idea: an all-in-one homebrew kit from Oregonized Brewing.

Their shop, tucked inside Spider City Brewing on SE 9th, has everything you need to kickstart a brewing hobby, plus plenty of supplies for the hard-to-shop-for homebrewer.

Stop by today and cross that last gift off your list—as a bonus, you can use the code BENDBUZZ24 to take 10% off your order in person or online!

LOCAL LOWDOWN

Friday

🍋 Fresh squeezed trivia: Kick off your weekend at the Deschutes tasting room with a round of fresh squeezed trivia from UKB Trivia. Deschutes will be offering $5 pints of Fresh Squeezed IPA during the event to keep that thirst quenched and answers flowing. 5 PM 921 SW Colorado Ave

🇺🇦 Ukrainian Christmas Soirée: Experience the magic of a Ukrainian Christmas with live music, mask making, authentic dishes, and caroling. 5 PM Cafe Des Chutes

⛸️ Solstice celebration at the Pavillion: Celebrate the shortest day of the year with an evening at the Bend Pavillion. Bring a non-perishable food donation to get a discounted skate rental and enjoy snacks and a performance by the Bend Ice Figure Skating Club. 6 - 8:30 PM 1001 SW Bradbury Way

🔢 Bingo with the fam: Take the kids out for an evening of fun with family bingo at Craft Kitchen & Brewery. The bingo fun kicks off at 6 PM, and if your littles still haven’t told Santa what they want for Christmas this year, the big guy will be on site from 4 - 6 PM as well. 6 - 8 PM 62988 Layton Ave

⛷️ Ski film night at VTP: Come experience one of the wildest ski lines in the world (on film, of course) with a screening of Papsura: Peak of Evil at the Volcanic Theatre Pub. Admission is free, and you’ll have a chance to chat with the athletes afterward. 6:30 PM Volcanic Theatre Pub

🎁 Gift wrapping party: Bring those air fryers and Squishmallows to the East Bend Library for a gift-wrapping party. There will be materials on hand, or you can bring your own to share. 4 - 6 PM 62080 Dean Swift Rd

P.S. If you’re like me and your attempts at gift-wrapping aren’t exactly Instagrammable, then bring your gifts to the Bend River Promenade between Macy’s and the Party Store, where the team from Oregon Equestrian Trails will handle it for you. The service is free, but they accept donations that go towards maintaining equestrian trails around the region.

Saturday

🏓 Ugly sweater beer pong party: Show off those beer pong skills while dressed in your best holiday attire (ugly sweater edition). I should note that I once won a large beer pong tournament in college, so I’ll sit this one out and let everyone else have a chance at taking home the gold. 8 PM Volcanic Theatre Pub

🎉 Winter Solstice showcase w/Bend Burlesque: Leave those ugly Christmas sweaters at home for this party celebrating Bend Burlesque’s 10-year anniversary. 8 PM 818 Southwest Forest Ave, Redmond

🧥 Worn wear repair clinic: Patagonia of Bend will be setting up shop for the weekend at Mt. Bachelor’s West Village Lodge and offering free gear (clothing, not skis) repair services. So, if you happened to (this is a totally hypothetical situation and definitely did not happen to me) rip your down jacket on a hook in the airport bathroom and then proceed to leak feathers all over the airplane on a recent trip, the Patagonia team can fix you right up. Saturday 9 AM - 2 PM & Sunday 9 AM - 1 PM West Village Lodge

🎅 Santa’s holiday slay party: Slay the holidays at Boss Rambler Beer Club with a party for the ages. Put on your favorite Santa suit and come down for jello shots, live music, and classic holiday flicks. 6 - 9 PM 1009 NW Galveston Ave

🔥Christmas Eve-eve-eve-eve celebration: Come check out Bend’s newest cocktail spot, Freeland Spirits, for their Christmas Eve x 4 celebration. There will be free cookies, boozy hot cocoa, and live music. 5 - 9 PM 550 SW Industrial Way

🍾 Naughty or nice bottle share: Aged beer aficionados unite. Boneyard is hosting a bottle share, so dig through the cellar and share some of your favorite rare suds with your new best friends. 7 - 10 PM 1955 NE Division St

🍪 Pajama dance party & cookie swap: Ever wanted to learn how to swing dance but didn’t want to get dressed for the day? Well, today is your lucky day! The Space is hosting a holiday pajama dance party and cookie swap. So throw on your favorite holiday PJs and dance the evening away. 6 - 11ish PM 2570 NE Twin Knolls Dr

Sunday

🎅 Santa is coming to NWX: Did your kids have a sudden Christmas wish-list change of heart and need to get the news to ol’ Kris Kingle pronto? Swing by Mountain Burger, where Santa will be set up for the afternoon. 12 - 3 PM 2747 NW Crossing Dr

📷️ Elevation photography exhibit: Enjoy a glass of wine on the house while you browse photography from artists Beatriz Noriega, Cody Burglehaus, and Nick Rasmussen. 12 - 8 PM 63193 NW Via Toscana

❓️Trivia night at The Commons: Gather round the tree for an evening of trivia in downtown Bend at The Commons Cafe. 6 - 7:30 PM 875 NW Brooks St

HOLIDAY MARKETS

Dec 20: Last Minute Makers Market at Boneyard

Dec 21: Holiday Spirit Market at Groove Yoga

Dec 21 - 22: Magical Markets of Merriment at Somewhere That’s Green

LIVE MUSIC

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

WEEKEND SNOW REPORT

Get in those last runs before the holiday crowds descend on Bachelor for the next week or two. It looks like the week ahead is shaping up to be a stormy one with some days of higher snow levels, so fingers crossed that the precipitation stays snowy!

Bachelor Snow Forecast

Current base: 69”

❄️ Friday - ~1 inch
❄️ Saturday - 1 to 3 inches
❄️ Sunday - 3 to 5 inches

Meissner Snow Forecast

Current report: Despite some warmer temps at Meissner, the trails are still turning out great. With 4 ½ feet of snow at the Bitterbrush stake, there should be plenty of base to weather any upcoming rain.

🌧️ / ❄️ Friday - No accumulation forecasted
🌧️ / ❄️ Saturday - <1 inch
🌧️ / ❄️ Sunday - <1 inch

THANKS!

Stay warm, and thank you again for reading!

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