Columbus
The Madras Pioneer
Mayfaire set to transform Sahalee Park
Sahalee Park is soon set to transform into a Renaissance festival filled with flowers and fairies. The large oak trees will be filled with banners and flowers for the first, and only, Renaissance festival in Madras. The Madras Mayfaire will be held on Sunday, May 19 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Sahalee Park. The event is the brainchild of fantasy enthusiast Nova Papasodora, co-owner of The Black Bird Tea & Tales, a bookstore and tea shop in Madras. ...
Priday Ranch announces 2024 events
Priday Ranch, a 4,621 acre preserve north of Madras on Trout Creek, is managed by Deschutes Land Trust. The organization has announced events for the 2024 season. These hikes focus on specific areas of the ranch and include tours from local experts. Registration for these events is required, opens one month before the event, and can be made at deschuteslandtrust.org. Most hikes are moderate hikes of two to three miles on roads and grassy meadows. A bird walk will be held at the ranch May...
Tribes receive historic preservation funding
As part of national funding from the National Park Service, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs were awarded $127,740 to support historic preservation efforts on the reservation. $1.7 million in funds was distributed across the state, including to state and local historic preservation offices and to seven Tribes in Oregon. “A core pillar of ensuring Oregon’s future success is preserving its rich past, places, and culturally significant sites, including for Tribes who have been here since time immemorial,” said Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), who oversees...
Veterans honored with breakfast and dedication
The Jefferson County Veterans Service Office will be hosting a Memorial Day celebration on May 25. The even will begin at 9 a.m. with biscuits and gravy, followed by a bench dedication for the United States Public Health Service, and a ceremonial laying of engraved bricks at the Veteran’s Healing Memorial. The event is free and open to the public, and will be held at the Jefferson County Community Center at 860 SW Madison St.
Summit focuses on youth drug prevention
A weeklong summit held by Jefferson County Public Health May 20 through 24 hopes to raise awareness among youth, parents, and the community about the danger of opioid use. The summit includes assemblies at Culver and 509J schools and Kids Club. Representatives from the Opioid Response Network will be present to engage students in presentations and activities around drug awareness and prevention. “It’s in this community, we need to make...
Cove Palisades State Park celebrates Festival of the Land
Festival of The Land returns to The Cove Palisades State Park to celebrate the diverse history, food, and cultures from Central Oregon 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 1. This free festival honors the land, food, and stories from where the Crooked River and the Deschutes River canyons meet. Many cultures have made this area home, and each brings a diversity of experiences to share. All activities will be held...
Fruit Tree Varieties for Central Oregon
The blossoms on the Gravenstein are beautiful this year. That might be why the neighbors were asking about the fruit trees last week. The Gravenstein apple tree is about 18 years old, and still a dependable producer. It magically blooms after the last frost, a critical trait. Our other trees include a McIntosh apple, Italian prune plum, Bartlett pear, Shinseiki Asian pear, and Weeping Teas mulberry. The OSU Extension publication EC 1622 “Selecting Fruit Tree Varieties for Central Oregon Landscaping and Home Orchards “is a...
Our TV picks for Tuesday, May 14: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special; The Express Way With Dulé Hill
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special KGW 9 p.m. From “Saturday Night Live,” to “Late Night,” to “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon has dazzled NBC for the last decade with his signature brand of humor and an unforgettable laugh. Celebrate his 10 years on air with this two-hour anniversary show. The Express Way With Dulé Hill KOPB 9 p.m. In this season finale, Dulé Hill visits Chicago to explore the life-changing power of the arts. There, he participates in a casting session at the Andre Theatre Collective before speaking with the director of Red Clay Dance Company, Vershawn Sanders-Ward.
Buff track sending experienced contingent to state
Madras is sending its 4x100 boys relay team, jumpers Andres Aguilar, Danny Easterling and Gavin Williams, plus jumper Adelynn Adams and middle distance standout Emily Picard to the state meet at Hayward Field May 17-18. As for team competition, there was none. Crook County dominated the boys and girls scores at the Tri-Valley Conference Track & Field Championships at Gladstone May 10-11. Crook County scored 247 points in the boys...
Madras baseball rides seniors for season-ending victory
As is should be, seniors carried the Madras White Buffalos to victory in their final game of the season Friday, a 9-6 victory over Gladstone on senior night. The Buffs, who endured a tough 4-11 Tri-Valley Conference season, rode the two seniors on the team, Tyler Clarkson and Noah Vibbert, to victory over the third-place Gladiators. Clarkson was 3-for-4 on the night, with a huge two-run triple and a pair...
MHS tennis players advance at district
Madras High School’s No. 1 boys and No. 1 girls singles players both advanced to the quarterfinals in the Special District 4 tennis tournament this past weekend. Fernando Saldana lost just one game in two matches to reach the final 8 and Mia Mitchell won her opener easy, 6-1, 6-0, then survived a battle with Crook County’s Kristianna Boyum 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 to make the final 8. The initial rounds...
Cowboys, Cowgirls host district finals this week
Three Crook County Cowboys have made the quarterfinals in the final 8 in the Special District 4 tennis tournament and will be shooting for spots in the state tournament on their home courts Thursday and Friday. The opening rounds of the district tournament were held in Richland, Washington. The quarterfinals, semi and finals will be at Crook County High School May 17-18. Entrants placing first through third earn a spot in the state tournament. ...
Our TV picks for Monday, May 13: 148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show; Seeking Sister Wife
148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show FS1 4:30 p.m. America’s most prestigious dog show is back for more as numerous breeds join the fray to strut their stuff and get some final primping before the judges take a final look at the competitors before crowning the Best of Show winner. Please no wagering. Seeking Sister Wife TLC 9 p.m. “The more the merrier” is a common theme when various polygamous relationships look to add a charming new member to the family. And with each new “interview,” the couples, throuples and multiples get closer to happiness — and covering the rent.
Tales of the Past: Leach was a hearty pioneer who raised eight children
Elizabeth Jane Banta was born in Dodge County, Nebraska, on Sept. 21 1877. She came to Central Oregon with her parents in the 1880s, where they settled near present-day Culver. She met Thomas Leach, a neighbor homesteader, and they soon became enamored with each other. Thomas was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on Sept. 3, 1861. He came to Central Oregon in 1886 and settled near Haystack. He later bought property near Grey Butte. They were married on July 11, 1896. They lived on Thomas’s farm...
Our TV picks for Sunday, May 12: The Masters Agility Championship at Westminster; 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing
The Masters Agility Championship at Westminster KPTV 11 a.m. When it comes to agility, it seems four legs are better than two as the world’s top dogs visit Westminster Kennel Club to compete for the agility championship. The top 50 dogs go head-to-head for best of class honors through tunnels, jumps and more. 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing FOOD 8 p.m. It’s the last shift of this 24-hour competition and hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi bring back a challenge where the competitors must cook the best dishes of their lives for a shot at $50,000 and a trip to Hawaii. But exhaustion is kicking in.
Four in custody after reported stabbing at Sahalee Park
Authorities responded to a stabbing and assault at Sahalee Park in Madras at approximately 3 p.m., Friday, May 10. Initial reports from police at the scene said the perpetrator fled the scene. Police and emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene to find one victim, who was transported to the hospital with reports of a stab wound and loss of consciousness. Police said the incident involved four individuals, including minors....
Buffalos fall flat on the diamond
Light hitting and inability to too many errors are crushing the Madras baseball squad's chances at Tri-Valley Conference victories this week. On Monday, the Buffalos were hammered by the hot-hitting Crook County Cowboys 25-6 then on Wednesday the Buffs fell to last-place Estacada 10-4. Against the Rangers The Buffs outhit Estacada 9-8, but the Rangers...
Buff softball nearly upsets second-place Rangers
The White Buffalo softball squad played one of their best games of the season on senior night Thursday, May 9 but one bad defensive inning for the Buffs let Estacada slip out of town with a 7-5 win. Madras came out firing on offense, scoring three runs in the first inning. Estacada — which has won seven of their last nine games, losing only to No. 1-ranked The Dalles twice — rallied for three runs in the second to tie it at three. ...
After two searches, Oregon Gov. Kotek appoints insider to lead state water department
After two searches within the last year, including a national sweep for top water managers, Gov. Tina Kotek has settled on an insider to oversee management of Oregon’s water, one of its most valuable resources. Kotek said in a news release Wednesday, May 8, she has appointed Ivan Gall, a longtime manager in the Water Resources Department, as the agency’s director. The department, charged with allocating and distributing water in Oregon, plays a crucial role in the state, especially now after years of drought, declining...
Movie Review: Tom Hanks holds much of ‘Cast Away’ on his own
Rare is the performer who can hold a movie on his or her own for more than half of the film’s running time. Well, OK ... in Tom Hanks’ case, on his own with some help from a volleyball. Being shown by Freeform on Tuesday, May 14, the somewhat underrated 2000 drama “Cast Away” showcases one of the greatest challenges the two-time Oscar winner has had in his career. Playing...
The Madras Pioneer
4K+
Posts
6M+
Views
The Pioneer has served Jefferson County since 1904. It is a member publication of Pamplin Media Group and is published weekly, distributed locally Wednesday mornings. The Pioneer, with a circulation of 3,600, reaches homes every Wednesday.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.