Bend, Oregon Holiday Fun Continues

As school winds down for Christmas break, there are still plenty of wonderful things to do in Bend, Oregon to celebrate the season. We wanted to share a few of our "picks" for fun in the coming days.

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"

A perfect retelling of the Olde England story, with its ghosts and timeless message of kindness, by the talented youth and adults of Central Oregon A stellar community cast of youth and adults again bring to life the classic story of redemption and the trueholiday spirit, produced by Bend Experimental Art Theatre (B.E.A.T.). Rick Jenkins returns as Scrooge in this original adaptation by Howard Schor, directed by Mary Kilpatrick. Runs Friday 12/17 through Monday 12/20 at the Tower Theatre.

Saxons Fine Jeweler's On a Clear Winter's Night Jazz Christmas

CLEAR 101. 7 proudly welcomes... Peter White on Guitar, Mindi Abair on Sax and Vocals, and Rick Braun on Trumpet, lead an 6 piece allstar, touring jazz ensemble of musicians, performing interesting covers of traditional holiday tunes! The show starts with the brilliant vocal stylings of SONOS, also performing Christmas tunes, accapella! This event is the perfect way to move into the holidays as the Riverhouse Convention Center is transformed with a dazzling array of Christmas lights, John Hillmer designed Christmas Stage Murals, and a ho-ho-whole variety of other decorations! The Saxons Fine Jeweler's on a Clear Winter's Night Jazz Christmas is presented by Big Country RV's and is hosted by Northwest Brain and Spine, Dr's Yundt and Hadden. The event is produced by C3 Events. Sunday, December 19th

We're so happy to be #inbend on the holidays!

Children’s Holiday Party Scheduled in NorthWest Crossing

NorthWest Crossing and Sage Café and Coffeehouse are teaming up to help families in Central Oregon make some special holiday memories. A holiday party will be held in the NorthWest Crossing neighborhood center that is fun for kids of all ages. Cookie decorating, holiday crafts and an appearance by the one-and-only Santa Claus (from 11 am to 1 pm) are just part of the day’s festivities!

WHEN: Saturday, December 11th from 10am to 2 pm
WHERE: 2755 NW Crossing Dr. #109 (the former Riley's Market space)
COST: $5 per child includes all supplies!

Come make some memories! For more information visit www.nwxevents.com.

NorthWest Crossing Bend, Oregon - Top Place to Retire

Bend, Oregon has long been lauded as a great place to retire. Recently, Where to Retire Magazine narrowed down that assertion by focusing specifically on NorthWest Crossing in their “Discoveries” section. The article, which appeared in the magazine’s November/December 2010 issue, describes NorthWest Crossing as best suited for those who seek “abundant outdoor pursuits near big-city amenities.”

Where to Retire writer Monique Lugo writes, “Residents at this master-planned community get the best of both worlds. They are minutes from trendy downtown Bend...and convenient to the region’s natural wonders.”

The article also covers other amenities in the Bend, Oregon neighborhood, including NorthWest Crossing’s commitment to conservation and sustainability, convenient neighborhood center, many acres of integrated parks and open spaces, and the community garden.

Where to Retire is the only magazine that is specifically designed to help people with retirement relocation decisions.

Community Garden wins local award!

The NorthWest Crossing Community Garden was recognized by the Central Oregon Association of Realtors for "Outstanding 'Green' Enhancement to the Community Award" on Wednesday night at the Building a Better Central Oregon awards ceremony held at the Oxford Hotel. This is a wonderful accomplishment for the garden and an extraordinary way to be recognized for community involvement in Bend, Oregon and NorthWest Crossing!

Forbes Names Bend Top Small City? We're Not Surprised

We love living in Bend, Oregon. It's a recreation mecca, a cultural hub and we get lots and lots of sunshine. Even with the chill of winter in the air, we can't get enough of the smell of pine trees, fresh water and sage. Being able to live here, work here and play here is a dream come true for many Central Oregonians. So, we weren't surprised at all by this news:

Forbes.com recently released an article naming the best small cities in the U.S. for business and careers, and Bend was included! The magazine looked at cities of less than 245,000 population across the country and evaluated them based 12 key factors, including living and business costs, job growth, income growth, educational attainment and projected economic growth. They also factored in quality of life issues, such as crime rates, cultural and recreational opportunities and similar.

And what better place to enjoy all Bend, Oregon has to offer than from NorthWest Crossing? :-)

Finding Fremont in Oregon

You may or may not know that NorthWest Crossing was fashioned after a theme of "exploration" and that's why many of the place and street names are reminiscent of the Lewis and Clark expedition. We also have a street named after John Fremont, and recently the Deschutes County Historical Society premiered a new documentary this historical trailblazer.

The film, entitled Finding Fremont in Oregon, 1843, makes the remarkable story of John C. Fremont's 1843 trek through Oregon come to life. Bend, Oregon local, Loren Irving,teamed up with Sandy Cummings of TVStoryteller and the Deschutes Historical Society to produce the film. This short film was debuted Tuesday night to a full house at McMenamin’s Theatre, and will be part of this weekend’s BendFilm Festival.

Kudos to Loren and the team for their work in tracing the trail of John C. Fremont and his expedition. Next time you visit Shevlin Park, take a stroll down to Fremont Meadow and imagine dozens of men, horses, and livestock camping overnight on their trek through our wonderful Bend, Oregon countryside.

NorthWest Crossing 2010 Farmers Market Ends this Saturday

Second year of popular Saturday Farmers Market wraps up its second year in Bend, Oregon

The NorthWest Crossing Farmers Market began during the summer of 2009, providing a weekend farmers market option to the local community. Founded by West Bend Property Company, the developer of the NorthWest Crossing neighborhood, the NWX Farmers Market features local, organic fresh foods, locally made arts and crafts, specialty foods, and live music each Saturday.

In 2010, the market opened on June 26, after the popular NWX Hullabaloo street fair, and will run through this Saturday, September 25^th. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The focus in 2010 was to bring local produce, meat, flowers and specialty items that are of the highest quality, to the greater community. The market’s definition of local encompasses the state of Oregon. There have been approximately 25 vendors each week.

Throughout the summer, free booth space was offered to select area non-profits for single or multiple Saturdays during the summer. At their booth space, the organizations took donations and disseminated information about their programs and services to attendees. In 2010, Grandma’s House, the Family Access Network and Bethlehem Inn all participated in the non-profit booth opportunity. NWX also donated a portion of its tote bag sales proceeds to participating non-profits.

Come say good-bye to the 2010 NWX Farmers Market this weekend and stock up for fall!