Farmers’ Market season is in full swing, and boy, was it crowded. Be sure to check out one of the awesome Farmers’ Markets and support our local farms and businesses. Thanks for being here. 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.

A Buck, A Sticker, And A Big Idea

Somewhere between the frozen yogurt machine and the brick oven pizza at Reed Crossing Market, there is a small vending machine doing something quietly wonderful.

Drop in a dollar, and out comes a sticker. But it is not just any sticker. It was drawn by a kid at High Desert Middle School, right down SE 27th Street, with the goal of helping fund their art class.

The person who made it happen is Timmy Crawford, a substitute teacher who walks into different classrooms around Bend on a rotating schedule, never quite sure what the day will bring. On this particular stretch, what it brought was a group of middle schoolers with more creativity than resources, and enough drive to do something about it.

Rather than a bake sale or a car wash, they went small format and big-hearted. The kids designed the stickers themselves. They figured out the machine. And Timmy helped them find a home for it at Reed Crossing Market, a neighborhood spot that was happy to say yes.

Reed Crossing Market is the kind of place where people stop in more than once a week. Which makes it a pretty perfect gallery for student art, if you think about it. Each sticker costs a dollar, and every single one goes back to keeping art alive at High Desert Middle School.

No raffle. No gimmick. Just a tiny piece of art you get to take home on your water bottle or your laptop, knowing a kid in southeast Bend drew it, and a sub named Timmy believed in them enough to help make it real.

Next time you are filling up or grabbing a slice, look for the little machine. Bring a dollar. Or five.

Summer Mail

We can't spill everything that's in the summer mailer, but here's a hint: local food and drink partners you'll want to revisit all season, a few places most people overlook, and some things that genuinely made us say "wait, this is in Bend?"

One of our favorite things we packed into the summer mailer is a Bend summer bucket list. The kind you print out and stick on the fridge. Float the Deschutes, find a new trail, eat somewhere you've driven past a hundred times, catch a sunset from somewhere new. It's all in there, and it's the kind of list that makes July and August feel like they actually count.

The mailer ships to your door. Order yours this week.

Summer Mailer

We’re looking for 1 more local business, brand, or eatery to partner with on the Summer Mailer. If that might be you, reach out and say hello!

This Week’s Conditions
☀️ Sunrise: 5:22 am
🌅 Sunset: 8:52 pm
High Temp: 84°F
Weather Inbound: Rain This Weekend :)
Local Shop of the Week: Reed Crossing Market
Local Art of the Week: Watercolor Wednesday

🐾Bend’s Best Good Boys & Good Girls 🐾

🐶 Walter – 4 years, German Shepherd Mix
Walter is a smart and silly dude who will fall in love with you. Clever and smart, Walter is picking up training quickly.

🐱 Sunny – 7 months - Mix
Sunny is still figuring out that the world is a pretty great place. He warms up fast once he feels safe; he just needs a little patience getting there. A calm home with older kids or adults who are happy to let him set the pace would be the perfect fit.

🐱 Rufus – 3 months - Mix
One of the cutest pups we’ve ever seen, and it looks like there may be quite a few from the litter available for adoption.