Welcome to the 148 new Banner members. 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 why you chose to live here in the first place.

50 Years Later

In 1976, a Bend woman named Jenny Sheldon had a problem: her Skyliners Ski Team kids all looked the same on the mountain, and she wanted to buy them distinct hats. Her solution…a fundraiser race… but this was a new kind of race.

Not a 5K. A race that started on Mt. Bachelor, wound 22 miles into town on bikes, looped around Drake Park on foot, and finished with a paddle up Mirror Pond. All in one day.

Almost everyone thought it couldn't be done. Mt. Bachelor's management wasn't interested. Phone calls came in weekly explaining why it would fail. Jenny's response was to screen-print a stack of posters with her husband Dave and drive them to every bike and ski shop in Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis. That first PPP drew about 65 participants. The $800 they raised bought hats for 50 kids.

This May, the Pole Pedal Paddle turns 50. The course now runs six legs from the top of Bachelor all the way to the finish line at Riverbend Park, passing through the Old Mill along the Deschutes. Close to 3,000 people compete each year, roughly half from outside Central Oregon. The coveted prize is still a handmade ceramic mug. Locals have a word for earning one: "mugging."

The race is the largest annual fundraiser for the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation, which provides athletic programs to over 800 youth athletes every year. Dave passed away in 2010, and Jenny lost her battle with cancer in March 2020. Neither of them got to see this anniversary. But what they built out of a borrowed station wagon and a stack of homemade posters is still the most Bend thing that happens here every year.

We're taking our two-year-old down to watch the paddle leg this May. I can already picture him watching kayaks disappear under the Old Mill bridge with absolutely zero idea why everyone around him is losing their mind.

But that’s kind of the point, that energy. That feeling of everyone cheering for a common cause.

Last Week For Spring Mailers

The support for our Spring Mailer has been immense. We did not expect this kind of interest. Thank you so, so much!

That being said, if you've been on the fence, this is your reminder. We're closing orders soon, so we can finalize everything headed your way in May.

Inside you'll find locally sourced items, like a drink ticket from a Bend business we love, a seasonal story card, a spring packet, and a few more local perks. All of it genuinely from here.

Spring Mailer

This Week’s Conditions
☀️ Sunrise: 6:11 am
🌅 Sunset: 7:56 pm
High Temp: 59°F
Mt. Bachelor: 31” base depth
Local Shop of the Week: Tumalo Art Co.
Local Art of the Week: Connections Exhibit

🐾Bend’s Best Good Boys & Good Girls 🐾

🐶 Sasha – 9 years, Husky
Sasha is friendly and energetic and can’t wait to be a part of a new family. She loves to run and will need a family with lots of outdoor exercise to take her in.

🐱 Angel – 2 year - Mix
This 2-year-old is a playful pup who is known to be good around cats and housetrained.

🐶 Brownie - 1 year- Mix
This gentle soul was previously in a house with children and is very calm. He can’t wait to find his forever home.

The Bend Banner is as local as it gets. Written here, for the people who actually call this place home.

No big media machine, no out-of-town editor guessing what Bend cares about. Just a weekly letter built from real conversations, real places, and real curiosity.

If you choose to support it, every bit helps me bring you more of the good stuff. The stories, the characters, the weird corners of this town that deserve a spotlight.

Appreciate you, friends. Thanks for being part of this.

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