Ride Bend is back for another summer in Bend. The free shuttle had a successful first-year last summer. It’s now back with longer hours and a larger route. The bus runs from noon until 10 pm every day until September 3rd. You can go from downtown to the Old Mill without worrying about driving or parking. “Shop, eat and play in Bend… leave the driving to us” says Cascades East Transit (CET). There was a launch on June 29th to highlight the beginning of the summer free shuttle. At the event was; Michelle Rhoads the CET manager, Sally Russel from the City of Bend, Kevney Dugan the CEO of Visit Bend, Katy Brooks the Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Mindy Aisling the Executive Director of Downtown Bend Business Association, Jeff Monson the Executive Director of Commute Options, Casey Bergh the Transportation Manager at OSU-Cascades, and Jordan Ohlde the RPTAC member and transit advocate. During the event, each person listed above spoke about the benefits Ride Bend brings to businesses, residents, and tourists throughout Bend. If you’re downtown, you can grab the shuttle at the corner of Franklin and Wall Street. From there, the shuttle will take you to the Old Mill District on Bluff Drive. The shuttle will then take some stops on the way to Century Drive near OSU-Cascades campus. This provides an easy way for people living on the west side of Bend to make it downtown. The last stop on the trip is on Galveston and 13th Street. The entire loop only takes fifteen minutes.
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The long-anticipated Worthy Brewing’s Taps & Tacos has officially opened in Downtown Bend! There’s outdoor and indoor seating as well as bar seating. It’s the perfect atmosphere for families, friends, or even a date. The tacos contain multiple flavors made in-house from local ingredients. To top that off, eight beers from Worthy’s brewery are on tap. Not to mention, a wine and cocktails list. No matter your taste palate, there is something for everyone. When you walk into the restaurant, it’s hard to miss the bright colored canvases on the walls. They are mugshots of celebrities or iconic figures. The pictures were transformed into an Andy Warhol themed color and design. The pictures tie in the “American Rebel” theme. Worthy says, “ The revolution will not be televised, brother. It will come in small bursts of color and flavor. It will ive at the nexus of art and tacos, and come together in Downtown Bend." Worthy Brewing’s Taps and Tacos grand opening will be June 30th with a ribbon cutting on July 5th. For more information click here. Parking pilot program aims to make it easier to access Drake Park this summer. Bend Park and Recreation District and the City of Bend are partnering to facilitate easier access to Drake Park this summer. With a new, limited-duration parking program, the City and the park district are initiating four-hour parking limits along Riverside Boulevard to allow more park users the opportunity to visit Drake Park between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. Drake Park is a very popular river exit location for thousands of river floaters each day in the summer and it also hosts numerous events and festivals. “Residents and visitors are encouraged to continue enjoying activities in the park with alternative modes of transportation or within the four-hour parking limits as we aim to make it easier to come and go to the park more frequently,” said Michelle Healy, planning and park services director, Bend Park and Recreation District. Cascade East Transit’s seasonal shuttles and Bend fixed route services provide easy and affordable transportation options. Cascades East Transit’s Ride the River shuttle transports river users from Bend Park & Float, located at Simpson Avenue and Bradbury Drive next to The Pavilion. This location will serve as the new start and end of the river floating activities with abundant parking available. Running every 15 minutes during the summer, the $3 fare includes transportation of river tubes to and from the floating launch and exit. For other park activities, including festivals, picnics or a walk along Mirror Pond, the free Ride Bend shuttle stops within a five-minute walk of Drake Park, making it easy to leave the vehicle parked at home, work or other parking areas. The City of Bend and Bend Park and Recreation District will gather input from neighbors and others through the pilot program to determine if parking limits achieve the goals. The agencies will also evaluate the cost-effectiveness of time-restricted parking beyond the Downtown Parking District. “Our hope is that this parking pilot program will provide greater access to Drake Park and give Downtown businesses much-needed parking stall turnover during our busy summer season, “ said City of Bend Economic Development Director Carolyn Eagan. Vehicles cited for exceeding the four-hour parking limit will receive a $50 parking ticket as part of the 24-hour enforcement activity. Diamond Parking, the City’s parking enforcement contractor, will enforce the restriction along with Bend Police Department. To report a vehicle that has exceeded the four-hour parking limit on Riverside Boulevard during the day (8 am to 6 pm) call Diamond Parking Services at 541.317.2805. To report a vehicle overnight (6pm to 8am) contact the Police non-emergency number 541.693.6911. Neighbors who would like to provide feedback are asked to call 541.317.3000, option 3. Calls to this number will be logged and the feedback recorded. Calls to this number will not be forwarded to enforcement. Marty as been a business owner in Downtown Bend for 50 years! Anyone who has met her knows that she is delightful, intelligent and savvy. Merriam-Webster defines Moxie as: force of character, determination or nerve. Marty is all this plus a heavy dose of style. Marty began her entrepreneurship when she was 9 years old in the Philippines. It all began when she asked her mother to loan her 25 pesos for her produce venture. Her mother not only gave her the loan, but also shared with her some words of wisdom, “First, you have to suit up and show up. Second, you cannot be an oak tree, you have to be a willow tree, because the only thing for certain in life is change and when change occurs everything goes to ground zero. Third, as long as you can see, you can get up… And, last but not least, when life hands you lemons you make lemonade and when that’s not enough, lemon cookies, lemon meringue pie, lemon bars………” Fast-forward to 1978 when Marty became the first women manager out of the 68 Weisfield’s Jewelers stores. Not surprisingly, that first year Marty won the District Manager’s Competition by selling the most diamond jewelry in volume and percentage. As a successful woman, Marty has paved the way for other women to follow in her path. The Bend store became a significant training center for future manager under Marty’s tutelage. Marty opened her first store, Marty’s Fine Jewelry in the Oregon Street Mall followed by Ashley Christine Clothingon Bond Street, then Designers Fine Jewelry on Wall Street and Designers’ Artiquites and Furniture. Currently Marty owns Ice Fine Jewelry on Wall Street and she just recently purchased GiGi’s next to Footzone! Marty is nowhere close to stopping – it fact, with GiGi’s, she is just getting started. Over the years, several boards have been privileged to have Marty’s wisdom and contributions; including the Tower Theatre Foundation, The Small Business Development Center, The Network of Entrepreneurial Women, and The Bend Downtowners Association – just to name a few. She has also supported over 400 charities throughout Central Oregon. To this day Marty loves her work. Her customers often ask, “When are you going to retire?“, to which Marty answers, “When I get it right.” Last night the Downtown Bend Business Association spearheaded a gathering to celebrate her 50 years in Downtown Bend. The Tower Theatre put a notice on the marquee, friends congratulated her over wine and snacks at Mockingbird Gallery, and Marty was given a painting of her store, Ice Fine Jewelry, called “Wall Street Reflections by Richard Boyer. You can see more of Richard Boyer‘s work in October during his one person show at Mockingbird Gallery. After this Marty-Party, Councilor Barb Campbell declared it Marty Smith Day during the City of Bend Council meeting. Councilor Barb Campbell gave a wonderful proclamation highlighting some of what was when Marty first began doing business in Downtown Bend. “Where as, when Marty Smith started her business in Bend…There were logs, not kayaks, floating in there river; There were fewer than 14,000 potential customers; The hospital was still on the hill downtown and kids may have cut classes at St. Francis to see Love Story or Two Mules for Sister Sara at Tower Theatre“ “Today, Sept 6th, is Marty Smith Day in Downtown Bend!“Marty Smith is a living legacy, and we are so honored to have her in Downtown Bend! |
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