We’re Paige and Mason. The Bend Banner is our way of keeping tabs on this wild, beautiful place we call home. To the mornings that start with coffee and mountain air, the trails that somehow always lead to a brewery, and the kind of small-town stories that remind you of why you chose to live here in the first place.

There’s something about October in Bend that makes you want to linger.
The air turns sharp in the mornings, the kind that wakes you up before the coffee does. The mountains start flirting with a little dusting of snow, and every tree in town decides to put on its best outfit. Reds that don’t even look real. Golds that glow like someone turned the saturation all the way up.

You can feel the season shifting, not in a rush, but like it knows exactly what it’s doing. The tourists thin out. The trails get quieter. The Deschutes moves a little slower. And for a few golden weeks, it feels like the whole town exhales.

Walk downtown and you’ll hear the crunch. Leaves underfoot, boots on brick, that steady reminder that summer’s finally let go. The air smells like woodsmoke and pine sap, and someone somewhere just started making chili.

October might just be Bend at its best. Mornings are cold enough for flannel, and afternoons are warm enough to still sit outside with a pint. Days that start with a hike and end with a fire pit. The season where locals come out of hiding, where we all remember why we live here in the first place.

If you’re lucky enough to catch a sunset on Pilot Butte this month, stay a little longer than usual. Watch the sky fade from gold to lavender to blue. Listen to the sound of the wind in the junipers.

It’s not loud. It’s not trying to impress you.
It’s just October in Bend. Quietly perfect.

🐶 Shasta – 3 years, German Shepherd
A playful, talkative pup who loves to run and hang with other big dogs. Not a fan of small dogs, but full of energy and sweetness. She’ll shine in a home with routine and space to play.

🐱 Riley – 8 years, Poodle Mix
A sweet Poodle mix looking for a partner to be with forever. Ready to love and be snuggled again.

🐶 Goober – 2 years, Shepherd Mix
A big-hearted goofball who leans in for cuddles and lives for playtime. He needs structure, exercise, and plenty of affection. The ultimate adventure buddy and loyal sidekick.

If you’ve ever tried to layer up for a Bend winter and still ended up freezing your fingers off in a brewery parking lot, you’ll get why Toast won.

The Bend-based startup walked away with a $25,000 Early Stage cash prize at this year’s Bend Venture Conference for their invention. A personal thermostat that slips right into your jacket. Basically, it turns the coat you already own into a heated one. No bulky batteries, no techy snowman vibes. Just quiet, on-demand warmth when you need it.

Now in its 22nd year, the Bend Venture Conference has become the region’s annual show-and-tell for big ideas. Toast was one of ten finalists to pitch at the Tower Theatre last week, facing a crowd of investors, founders, and anyone who’s ever muttered “I should’ve brought another layer” under their breath.

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MTG Welcome Deck Event @ Modern Games | 4 PM

Bend Table Tennis Meetup @ NPJ SportsZone | 10 AM

Day of the Dead Mask Painting @ Bridge 99 | 6 PM

Headgames Trivia @ Crosscut Warming Hut | 6 PM

Night Moves @ Volcanic Theatre Pub | 7 PM

Five in the Pines Jazz Quintet @ Commonwealth Pub | 7 PM

Kids Costume Dance Party @ Cross-Eyed Cricket | 5–6 PM

Dance Through the Decades @ Father Luke’s Room | 7 PM – 9 PM

The Great Pumpkin Party @ Church of the Cascades | 6–8 PM

Forest bathing experience @ Shevlin Park | 1 PM

Beetlejuice JR (Premiere) @ Open Space Event Studios | 5 PM – 10 PM

Wine Workshop: Rogue Valley After Dark @ Flights Wine Bar | 6 PM – 7 PM

Spooky Wine & Paint Night @ Flights Wine Bar | 6 PM – 8 PM

Five for Fighting with String Quartet @ Tower Theatre | 7:30 PM – 10 PM

$8 Halloween Skate @ The Pavilion | 6:30–7:45 PM

Trunk or Treat @ Trinity Lutheran School | 4–6 PM

6th Annual Trunk or Treat @ Moose Lodge 384 | 5–7 PM

Trunk or Treat at Affinity @ Affinity at Bend | 4–5:30 PM

Get Up and Groove Halloween @ The Commons | 7:45–9 AM

Bend Witches Paddle @ Riverbend Park | 4 PM

Rally Recreation Halloween @ Rally Recreation | 7–10 PM

Halloween in the Old Mill @ Old Mill District | 4 PM

Store-to-Store Trick-or-Treating @ Bend Factory Stores | 3 PM

Halloween Curiosities Faire @ Downtown Bend Library | 11 AM–4 PM

Halloween Party @ Cascade Indoor Sports | 9 AM–12 PM

Downtown Bend Trick or Treat @ Downtown Bend | 2–5 PM

Boo-Scootin’ Boo-gie @ Discovery West | 4:30 PM

Worthy Halloween @ Worthy Brewing | 7:30 PM

Dirtbag Ball @ The Domino Room | 8 PM – 12 AM

Hollow and Still: Photographs Following Fire @ High Desert Museum | 10 AM – 4 PM

Beetlejuice JR @ Open Space Event Studios | 12 PM – 4 PM & 5 PM – 8 PM

Vintage Pop-Up Shop @ UPP Liquids | 11 AM – 4 PM

Introduction to Wine Tasting: Glassware Exploration @ Willamette Valley Vineyards – Bend | 3 PM – 4:30 PM

Indigenous Speakers Series @ COCC | 1 PM – 2:30 PM

Until Next Week,

Paige & Mason