At last night's City Council Meeting, Mindy Aisling, Executive Director of the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA), presented to Councilors during the the Council Work Session.  Aisling covered some of the key metrics of Downtown, the scope of the DBBA, the proven success of the DBBA and City of Bend (COB) partnering, and the alignment between COB goals and DBBA goals for 2019/2020.

Please review the highlights below, and download the documents provided for more detailed information.

A few facts about Downtown Bend
1.  Downtown is the largest visitor attraction in Bend.
Excerpt from page 5 of the Visit Bend - Bend Summer 2017 Final Report

​2.  Downtown is the largest employer in Bend. 
 Excerpt from page 1 of the EDCO – 2018 Largest Employers Report 

3.  The Downtown EID has an annual Tax Assessed Value (TAV) of $112,387,304.00.
 
4.  Downtown Bend is a hub for entrepreneurship, culture, civic services, and it is the historic core of our City.  

The DBBA Scope
The DBBA's scope includes everything from the street up.  They create Downtown Bend as you know it.

​The DBBA/COB Partnership
•Increases the effectiveness of both the COB and the DBBA
•Builds trust and communication between Downtown stakeholders
•Would be advantageous to expand

​Goal Alignment
•City Council goals align with the top two goals of the DBBA, which are improving transportation access to Downtown & safety and hospitality in Downtown.
•The DBBA expects to be an active partner with the COB in achieving our aligned goals

To watch the video of last night City Council session, click here.

Documents supplied to City Council:

Happy Friday from Downtown Bend! 
​This weekend we have classic Springtime weather (Sun, Clouds, Rain) -  a bit of everything and nothing too cold or too warm.  In Downtown Bend, we've got a calendar full of fun, exciting things for you to do!  View the list below to plan your fun-filled weekend in Downtown Bend.

that has helped her break down barriers and set a new standard for women’s big wave surfing. The film looks at what drives her, what inspires her, and how she turns fear into fuel when the surf gets huge.
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Drinks provided by Worthy Brewing and Brew Dr. Kombucha, by donation, benefiting Bend Paddle Trail Alliance with light snacks by Patagonia Provisions. ​  More info

With the recent parking changes, there has been some questions about where (and how) to park in Downtown Bend.  There are more than 5,000 parking spaces, 3 public lots and a 4 story parking garage - keeping it simple and convenient to come downtown.  So while you are dining at one of our award-winning restaurants, shopping for the perfect gift, seeing the latest live performance or attending one of our Downtown events – you won’t have any problems parking downtown.  

Riding your bike is a great way to get around Bend.  Here are some helpful links to check out so that you can create your perfect route:

• https://www.traillink.com/city/bend-or-trails/
  
• https://www.visitbend.com/things-to-do/activities/cycling-biking/road-cycling/
  
• https://www.bendbulletin.com/outdoors/5175550-151/bends-urban-trail-system-a-way-to-ease
  
• https://www.bendparksandrec.org/parks-trails/trail-list/
  

You can also bike share through the OSU Zagster Bike program. 

Uber is also a great way to get around Downtown, and during the day the CET Bus is easy to ride (and you can even put your bike on the bus).  In the summer, they also provide the free Ride Bend service!  Finally, if you carpool or ride your bike, make sure that you are logging your trips so that you can win rewards from Commute Options.

It's First Friday Art Walk!  Head into Downtown Bend for a night filled with art, shopping, music and local food & drink.  On First Friday in Downtown Bend, we celebrate ALL forms of art - music, comedy, photography, painting, sculpture, acting and more.  Head to Downtown Bend, and delight your senses!  

Visit Sage Custom Framing during First Friday Art Walk and during the entire month of April!  Located on Brooks Alley right next to Beach Hut Deli.

First Friday APRIL 2019 plans entail...
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Found is, of course, serving complimentary 100% agave tequila margaritas ––radical mixer to be announced–– with the colorful company of local plein-air oil painter, Jacob Joseph Norris.

"Jacob Joseph Norris is a plein-air oil painter, meaning he paints in the open air. His portfolio is filled with owls, trees, power lines, scenes and colors of Central Oregon, but there is also a magnificent transcendent nature to his work, beyond the range of mere human experience. It is as if he is able to catch things in their hidden moments before they are ready to be seen." - quoted from a Source Weekly article on Jacob in 2016.

Jacob's art fills the walls and shelves of Found and has since day one with his birds--inspired by our space. We are pleased to be hosting him for an official artist exhibition on April 5, 2019 for First Friday April.

Cheers!
Jacq & Jacob ​

Visit Princess Athletic on Wall Street in Downtown Bend and check out the photography of Deb Blair: https://www.debblairphotography.com/

Amanda Clair is an artist based in the Pacific Northwest. She collects her inspiration from the landscape; it’s textures and colors, mixed with her memories of the time she spent there.

A sunny spring day and new art work on the walls can only mean one thing. It's Art Walk Friday! Come down and support your local shops while looking and buying some fabulous art. Drink specials at The Wine Shop and Beer Tasting Bar. 
Remember we are open until 11:00 pm so make us the last stop on your Art Hop evening!
More info: https://sagebrushersartofbend.com/index.html & https://www.thewineshopbend.com

**We'll add the downloadable/printable Art Walk Guide to this post on Friday morning to assure that we have included any last minute submissions!

Do you want your event listed on this blog?  Click here  See changes that need to be made?  Email us

Kids Intervention and Diagnostic Service Center (KIDS Center) and MountainStar Family Relief Nursery (MountainStar) will kick off the Blue Ribbon Campaign on April 1, 2019. The Blue Ribbon Campaign coincides with April’s “National Child Abuse Prevention Month.”

The Blue Ribbon Campaign began in 1989 as an awareness movement when one woman tied a blue ribbon on her car antenna to symbolize her grandson’s bruises after he died at the hands of his mother’s abusive partner. The Blue Ribbon Campaign has grown to include educating individuals and groups on how to better protect children, as well as their community, from child abuse. As part of our 2019 Blue Ribbon Campaign, we ask all community members to “Speak Up and Save a Child,” taking an active role in keeping kids safe across Central Oregon.

This year, KIDS Center and MountainStar are proud to award four community organizations as 2019 Prevention Partners of the Year! Each organization has dedicated valuable resources and time to learn how to better protect children and prevent child abuse in Central Oregon. Please join us in honoring the following organizations: Advantage Dental in Madras, Facebook in Prineville, Healthy Beginnings and PacificSource in Bend. Congratulations for your outstanding work in preventing child abuse!

Inside The Bulletin on Monday, April 1, readers will find a Blue Ribbon newsletter and a wearable blue ribbon. Almost 50,000 blue ribbons along with educational materials and posters will be distributed throughout the community in April. People are encouraged to wear a blue ribbon to show support for the awareness and prevention of child abuse.

Several special events are scheduled for the month of April and are outlined below. For more information about the Blue Ribbon Campaign, child abuse prevention, and other events in April, visit kidscenter.org or mtstar.org/april.

My favorite thing about Downtown Bend is the public art work.  The neat thing about public spaces is that they take an entire diverse community to create them.  Unlike a mall, public spaces are made by (and for) the community.  When I am walking around in Downtown Bend, I marvel at all of the unique jobs, individuals, and stories that created the atmosphere.  ​

For Downtown Bend, this is even more intriguing as the story began 100 years ago, when brave entrepreneurs (just like the ones today!) set up shops in Downtown Bend, streets were made, sidewalks developed, buildings went up, trees were planted - and Downtown Bend as we know it was born.  

This historic footprint allows for the rich culture that we experience in Downtown Bend today.  Artists, performers, buskers, and small business owners build on this footprint, weaving in the richness of each individual's experience into the tapestry that is our Downtown.  

The photo above was taken by Miguel Edwards Photography in Gasoline Alley between Oregon and Minnesota Ave in Downtown Bend.  There are works of art like these all around our Downtown area, and every time I see one, and I ask myself:  What was the artist feeling that created this expression?  How much joy did they feel as they set it up on display for others to witness?  As people walk by, what emotions do these art pieces evoke? If Can o'Beans, Dirty Sock and Spoon were walking through Downtown Bend and viewed this art, what ironies would be exposed and what veils of society lifted?

Art is an important part of our community, and Downtown Bend plays the perfect host.

About the author:

Mindy Aisling is a local Bendite with a love for the outdoors, Irish whiskey, bar trivia, stand-up-comedy, live music, and all things goofy and ridiculous.  A multi-generational entrepreneur, Mindy is passionate about small business, shopping local and commitment to community.  Currently Mindy serves as the Executive Director for the Downtown Bend Business Association. 

When I walk into Looney Bean in Downtown Bend, I am greeted with smiles and the smell of coffee.  This never fails to bring me as much joy as my cup of locally roasted coffee will as soon as I consume it.
 
​Looney Bean is housed in an old converted cottage on the Deshutes River. ​ This makes it feel like you are visiting an old friend when you go there.  In the Winter, the fire is roaring in the fireplace and in the summer the dogs and the kids are playing in the back yard by the river.  It's so homey, in fact, that the only thing missing is my dad with his bad jokes and my mother in her mom jeans.  

My first choice is meeting up with friends here for lively caffeinated conversation, but I also use it as a I-work-from-home-please-help-me-escape second work location.  Because it is an old house, there are lots of different rooms to hide away in with your laptop to complete some quality work.

We have a ton of great cafes in Bend, but (for me), Looney Bean is a stand-out.

This post was submitted anonymously 

Mindy Aisling is a 3rd generation entrepreneur, both parents and both sets of grandparents all owned and operated small businesses.  Mindy grew up working at her mom's photo lab and her dad's auto repair and auto body shops.  As an adult, Mindy has owned and operated 3 different successful small businesses.  Mindy is passionate about entrepreneurship, creativity and communication.  Her values also include a strong belief in volunteerism and giving back to the community.  She previous served as a volunteer mediator at the Deschutes Court House and Community Soulutions of Central Oregon.
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Mindy brings decades of expertise in leadership and small business management to the Downtown Bend Business Association, where she's been in service to the Downtown Bend community since 2015.  In her free time, Mindy loves long backpacking adventures, challenging mountaineering trips, playing board games with friends, listening to live music, competing in bar trivia, and like any good Bendite - drinking craft beer.

Dudley’s Bookshop Café, an independently owned bookstore in Bend, Ore., has become the first U.S. bookstore to join 1% for the Planet. Dudley’s is donating 1 percent of its annual gross sales to local environmental nonprofits approved by the organization, a worldwide nonprofit based in Burlington, Vermont.

“As booksellers, our mission is not only to provide entertainment but to educate,” says Tom Beans, Dudley’s owner. “Aside from extensive fiction titles, we feature books about the outdoors, adventure and exploration, and the natural sciences. These books reflect the interests of both our residents and visitors to Bend, one of the Pacific Northwest’s premiere outdoor destinations. “So, aligning our mission with 1% for the Planet seems a natural fit. I’m sure that our customers will be pleased to know that 1 percent of their purchases will go towards conserving and protecting our local environment, which we all really value.”

The 1% for the Planet network that Dudley’s is joining consists of more than 1,800 member businesses, hundreds of individuals and thousands of nonprofit partners in more than 60 countries. Since its founding in 2002, its members have given more than $200 million back to environmental nonprofits. The group was launched by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, the founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, a fly-fishing guide service based in West Yellowstone, Montana, that is dedicated to preserving wild trout habitat.

“We’re excited to welcome Dudley’s Bookshop Café to our global network,” says Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet. “Currently, only 3% of total philanthropy goes to the environment and, only 5% of that comes from businesses—which is not enough to solve the most pressing issues facing our planet. “Our growing network of member businesses, like Dudley’s, is doing its valuable part to increase giving and support on-the-ground outcomes.” Williams contends that 1% for the Planet inspires people to support environmental organizations through annual membership and everyday actions.

The group advises members on giving strategies, certifies donations and amplifies the network’s impact. 2 Dudley’s direct donations will support nine local nonprofits certified by the 1% for the Planet organization: the Central Oregon Environmental Center, the Coalition for the Deschutes, the Conservation Alliance, the Deschutes Land Trust, the Deschutes River Conservancy, the High Desert Museum, the Oregon Blue Project, the Oregon Natural Desert Association and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council.

For more information, visit Dudley’s Bookshop Café at 135 NW Minnesota Avenue in Bend, Oregon, or go to its website: http://www.dudleysbookshopcafe.com/. To learn more about 1% for the Planet, visit www.onepercentfortheplanet.org.