If you’re at Bachelor this weekend, don’t miss the Dirksen Derby. In town, there’s live music, a local holiday shopping event, and the annual Holiday Lights Winter Paddle on the Deschutes River.
Blake Little, Bareback Bronc Riding, San Diego, California, 1992. Part of the new exhibit opening at the High Desert Museum this weekend.
Tetherow Holiday Bazaar
December 13 | Tetherow Resort, Bend
If you’re still looking to do some local holiday shopping, Tetherow’s annual Holiday Bazaar is the place to be this week. Find favorite Bend boutiques such as Hot Box Betty and Revolvr Menswear will be there, along with local artisans and craftsmen with one-of-a-kind gifts. Admission to the event is free and includes a complimentary cocktail and appetizers.
Dirksen Derby
December 15-17 | Mt. Bachelor, Bend
The Dirksen Derby is an annual snowboard, splitboard and sit-ski race held annually at Mt. Bachelor. Raises money for Tyler Eklund, a snowboarder who was paralyzed from the neck down in a snowboarding accident when he was 14. The race is one of the first official events of the season at Bachelor, and always brings out crowds to watch or join. The kickoff party and film festival will take place on December 15 at the Tower, and the annual dinner and auction will take place on December 16 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Blake Little: Photographs of the Gay Rodeo
Exhibit opens December 15 | High Desert Museum, Bend
Peter Boag, author of Re-Dressing America’s Frontier Past, will present Camera Oscura: A Different View of the Iconic Cowboy. The presentation will turn “what you know about the American cowboy upside down and backward,” according to the High Desert Museum. The talk is part of the opening of a new exhibit at the museum called Blake Little: Photographs from the Gay Rodeo, which consists of forty-one black and white photographs taken between 1988 and 1992 at the gay rodeo circuit. The event is free for member, and $5 for guests.
Christmas Lights Winter Paddle Parade
December 15 | Old Mill District, Bend
A favorite holiday season tradition in Bend, the Chistmas Lights Winter Paddle Parade will launch at 4 p.m. on Friday. It’s free to watch and to participate. If you’d like to join, get to Tumalo Creek Kayak and Canoe by 2:15 to decorate your kayak, canoe or standup paddleboard (and bring your own supplies to decorate). The boats will launch from Tumalo Creek, then head upriver to the flag bridge in the Old Mill District and then back down to the kayak and canoe shop.
Live Music
December 14-16 | Tower Theater and Volcanic Theatre, Bend
If you’re looking for some live music this weekend, head to the Tower on Thursday night to see Todd Haaby and Sola Via perform. Volcanic Theatre also has a solid weekend line-up. On Friday, catch G Bots and the Journeyman, and on Saturday see Blue Lotus and Deadphish Orchestra.
