Melanie from Cog Wild sent this along today:

Mountain bike camp for kids - two sessions this fall September 8-25 September 29-October 16 Ages 8-14 Choose either Monday & Wednesday or Tuesday & Thursday Each session three weeks long, two afternoons a week from 4-6pm Camp starts and ends at Pine Mountain Sports, 255 SW Century Dr. in Bend Price - read below

This past Spring was the first Cog Wild Mountain Bike Kids Camp. Not trying to compete with MBSEF's very popular camp aimed at teaching kids how to prepare for racing, Cog Wild's camp focuses on just having fun through mountain biking while teaching riding skills and confidence.

Our camp was a huge success with rave reviews from the parents. We heard everything from "our kids now take us for a ride and show us their favorite trails", "our son spent all summer on his bike with his newly acquired skills" and our daughter is eager to go riding now vs. us having to drag her out, it is her new favorite sport!"

We also heard from some parents that the cost was a little difficult for them. Although we are a business, it is very important to us that kids have an opportunity to get out and ride, so we have decided to lower the price to $195 for any camp kids sign up for. Before the price was $230 for the first camp and $195 for any other camps the same child signed up for. Hopefully this means more kids will be able to join us for kids camp this fall!!

Check out more info on our website at: http://www.cogwild.com/Kid-Camp/Default.aspx and call us in the office to sign your kids up!

This was originally reported last month, but Bend is getting a new television affiliate-slash-station(?) for CBS soon: KBNZ. I believe it will replace KOIN on channel 13 on Bend Broadband with channel 6 for the local channel.

KBNZ-LP, a low-power station being launched soon by New Vision Television in Bend, Ore., will be the CBS affiliate in the 192nd-largest TV market in the country.

New Vision Executive VP Steve Spendlove will oversee KBNZ and sister Oregon station and CBS affiliate KOIN-TV in Portland, according to the announcement Wednesday.

I don't really know much else, except they had an employment ad in Sunday's Bulletin classifieds, wherein they're looking to hire "Account Executive, News Reporter, News Photographer, News Editor, Production Editor/ Photographer".

Can't find a website yet, either.

This is news I'd expect to have shown up locally first, but instead it showed up on the NewWest site (out of Montana): Bend’s Wildfire Brewery Forced To Change Name.

Wildfire restaurants - a chain of eateries with locations in Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia and Georgia - sent a letter earlier this month to the owners of Wildfire Brewery informing them that they were in violation of a trademarked title. The letter strongly suggested that the brewery changes its name within six months, said Paul Cook, a co-owner and brewer for Wildfire.

Rather than take the issue to court, Cook said the Bend suds producer opted to change their business name....

As for a new name to replace Wildfire, Cook said he and his business partners currently have a list of five they are trying to narrow down. The owners of Wildfire Brewery - which opened in April 2007 - are also reaching out the public for help creating a new name. Fliers are being distributed throughout Central Oregon where patrons can write down what they think should be a new name for the brewery. If Wildfire Brewery owners choose one of the names suggested, the individual who creates it will be given a free kegerator.

Fortunately, the main things they have to replace that are branded are tap handles around town. And, they're still producing beer during this time, so that's good news.

Anyone seen any of these name-change fliers yet?

Very interesting and revealing article in the Bulletin today about the state of Downtown Bend's restaurant economy—including the surprising fact that Bluefish Bistro closed on Saturday(!).

Bluefish is just the latest in a string of sudden closures, I guess. The new burger place mentioned in the article is slated to occupy its former space.

At least four new restaurants — Subway Sandwiches, Ciao Mambo, Pita Pit and the Bend Burger Co. — have opened or are slated to open soon in downtown Bend.

The new Subway will fill a hole in a downtown space, formerly occupied by a retail shop, that had been vacant for at least several months....

It’s still a great time for small, not-so-upscale restaurants to come into town, said Jon Hayes, new owner of the Bend Burger Co., which is opening Sept. 15 in the former site of Bluefish Bistro.

Bluefish closed Saturday, about four years after it opened, Hayes said. The owner could not be reached for comment.

“We’re trying to bring back the old-style burger, fries and milkshake restaurant,” Hayes said. “People don’t want to pay $30 for a meal anymore if they can pay $10 and feel like they’re getting their money’s worth.”

Around the corner from where the new burger spot will be located, the Pita Pit opened two weeks ago, serving Lebanese-style pita sandwiches. Nothing on the menu is priced more than $6.65, and the restaurant fills a niche downtown serving many of the people who work in other restaurants and shops, said Casey Howland, the owner and manager.

But what's interesting is the focus on downtown becoming more economical and "less upscale" than the trends have been over the last few years. There's even some numbers which I think will back up what Duncan's been saying for like a year now.

Lease rates — which reached $2.50 per square foot in summer 2007, on par with areas such as Newport Beach, Calif. — are starting to drop to around $2 per square foot, Mape said.

Fewer mom-and-pop businesses, however, can survive the existing market conditions, Mape said.

“It could be spring 2010 before we get the healthy economy back,” Mape said. “We’re recommending that restaurateurs have at least 18 months to float themselves. They need the deeper pockets to cover any potential losses.”

I really like the idea of getting "cheaper" eateries back into Downtown; it seems like every new-ish place down there is upscale and very expensive. They may be really good, but it just seems like there's too few options for an affordable meal these days, especially if you're on the go or just want to grab a casual meal.

Plus, despite how Downtown wants to remain "local and independent" they really need to get some lower-priced, chain stores like Subway in there for the health and vibrancy of the economy. In my opinion, of course.

Thoughts?

The next two weeks we're seeing some big concerts coming to the Les Schwab Amphitheater, starting on Saturday:

• Wilco, Saturday the 23rd. $35 (Ticketmaster)
• Beck, the next day (Sunday the 24th). $38 (Ticketmaster)
• Michael McDonald, Tuesday the 26th. $32 and $59 (Ticketmaster)
• Sheryl Crow, Thursday the 28th. $45 and $85 (Ticketmaster)
• Stone Temple Pilots, Monday, September 1st. $39 and $69 (Ticketmaster)

At all the concerts, gates open at 5pm and the show starts at 6:30.

This came in via the contact form on Friday while I was still mostly out of the loop:

At First Presbyterian Church on August 23, 9-3, there is a "Really Free Car Wash"

No Donations, No Strings, Just a Clean Car

230 NE 9th St
Bend, OR 97701

Seems like a good deal.

This is one of those things that I find kind of bizarre but it amuses me so I'm running the press release. Obviously it's modeled on the "Next Design Star" and "Next Food Network Star" kind of shows, but I'd be even more interested if it took on an "Iron Chef" twist. Like who can best decorate the room in one hour, in head-to-head competition or something.

Calling All Local Interior Designers:

• Central Oregon's Next Design Star Competition is Back at the COBA Fall Home Show™: October 17-19 Presented by BendBroadband and sponsored by TNT Home Remodelers and Neil Kelly
• Interior Designers Must Submit Applications by September 12

Do you have an eye for color and a flair for style? Are you passionate about interior decorating and design? Then the Central Oregon Builder's Association (COBA) and BendBroadband want you to be Central Oregon's Next Design Star!

Read on

Some things beyond our general control have come up, and as a result there will be little or no blogging this week. In the meantime you can check out Bend Blogs to see what the local blogosphere is chattering about, and as always, use the contact form to send me things to write about. (I'll check in when I can.)

The news has been bouncing around today, but the first link I saw today is the Bulletin's: Redmond to get Phoenix-Mesa flight in October.

Allegiant Air announced today that it will begin weekly, nonstop service from Redmond Airport to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, starting Oct. 24. Flights will depart Monday and Friday from Redmond at 12:20 p.m. and arrive in Mesa at 2:45 p.m. local time. Return flights will depart Mesa at 9:10 a.m. local time and arrive in Redmond at 11:35 a.m. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is about 40 miles southeast of Phoenix.

Finding out that the airline options out of Redmond is expanding is always a good thing. I don't think it'll be as big an "opening" as Allegiant's Las Vegas flight, but it's cool nonetheless.

This is an item that came through in one of the County's dispatches that I thought was worth passing on.

The Rainbow Clubhouse is holding a hotdog fundraiser Tuesday, August 12 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For only $2, customers will receive a hot dog, chips and a can of soda. The sale will be held at the Pot of Gold Thrift Store, 1128 NW Hill St, in the driveway. Mental Health's Rainbow Clubhouse is designed to create a restorative environment for individuals who are socially and vocationally disabled with mental illness. In the program, clients are helped to achieve or regain the confidence and skills necessary to lead vocationally productive and socially satisfying lives. Mental Health staff help clients run the Clubhouse and the thrift store. Funds raised usually contribute to group outings, new equipment for the Clubhouse or to maintain the program vehicle. Please help us to spread the word about the fundraiser and thank you for your help. For more information, please call Scott Johnson at 322-7502.

The Pot of Gold Thrift Store is on Hill just north of Greenwood.

Jen sent me this heads up about the northbound entrance and exit ramps to the Parkway from Revere Avenue:

The northbound on and off ramps at Revere Avenue on the Bend Parkway will be closed Thursday August 7, from 9 am to 1 pm. ODOT crews are performing routine bridge maintenance.

Southbound ramps should be fine.

Here's a story that I would have expected local news to have picked up (other than KOHD, see below): Oregon Man Catches Possible UFO on Video.

Home video from a man in central Oregon showing what appears to be a UFO has experts scratching their heads.

"This is odd, I said, 'I've got to go get my video camera.' So I ran upstairs to the office and grabbed my video camera and the tripod," said Blake Lundstrom. He had been enjoying the view of gliders from the Sunriver airport outside his office sunday morning when what he calls a ufo appeared out of nowhere.

"The glider was just about 1000 feet off the ground here and the object was way up in the sky up here when I first saw it pretty much we are looking due west," Lundstrom said.

He followed the object for 45 minutes as it traveled curving south and then north towards Bend, Oregon.

"It came way out here there until it became so distant and then I lost it.

That first showed up on a Sacramento news site, and then KOHD picked it up later. Kind of an odd story, but it's the kind of thing people usually eat up.

The guy who shot the video—Blake Lundstrom—also left a detailed comment on the site with the date and time he recorded: Sunday the 3rd from 10:30 until 11:15. Anyone else notice this, or anything unusual? Anything to lend credence to the situation?

Here's an unusual one. The Bulletin is offering a "Deal of the Day" service to site visitors and mobile text messagers:

Bendbulletin.com is pleased to offer our site users a special Deal of the Day every day from Aug. 8 through Aug. 14. The deals and merchants change daily, so check back each day to get a new special offer from a Bend merchant.

Just text "deal" to 20123 and you'll receive a bar code on your cell phone. Present that bar code to the participating merchant to claim your special deal.

I'm not sure why the cell phone component is there, unless it's really exclusive to cell phones? Plus a bar code on the cell just seems so random.

I'll keep an eye on their site for the Deal of the Day, but does someone want to report back on the cell phone component when it goes live?

You know, I got nothin'. So, just some meta-pointers.

Check out the calendar periodically to see what's happening. It's not definitive, but I try to keep it up-to-date with interesting events (and free or good-deal ones too).

Also, the contact form is there in case anyone wants to submit anything—links, news, questions, whatever. If you're submitting press releases, then there's a fair chance it'll get run—but I don't run every single one that is submitted, so don't be disappointed if it doesn't show up on the site.

Looking back at the previous couple of Augusts here on the blog.

In 2006:

• The Source got with the times and added blogs to their site
• August is the month of the Bend Brew Fest
• I mentioned the Cascade Festival of Music (which retired this year)
• The golf nets at the old Volcano Golf Center came down—leaving giants poles and rotting fake green behind
• Reader comments and reviews of 38 Degrees (which just recently closed)
• Pondering the mystery of chalk shadow outlines
• I (finally) noticed Jokers Bar & Grill (also now closed)

In 2007:

• Supper Burrito's last day at their old downtown location was imminent
• Bend Brew Fest again—and they were looking for volunteers this time
• Writer Ursula Le Guin came to Sisters for a reading and signing
• We found out that KOHD's Jay Frank used to be on MTV's "The Real World"
• Jake's Truck Stop: The Movie
• The news broke that Hans was closing
• Pictures of a fire on Awbrey Butte
• Zucca's—the restaurant that replaced Mercury Diner—closed after only six months
• First in the "Why the Eastside Rocks" posts: Pilot Butte
• Eastside Rocks #2: Juniper Pool
• Giuseppe's announced they were closing to change to "Bistro Pow" (note that they've since changed back to Giuseppe's again)
• Eastside Rocks #3: Best burgers
• Eastside Rocks #4: Costco (oh I so did)
• Eastside Rocks #5: Down-home diners