| ||||||||
 YOUR CITY. YOUR MORNING. Hello, Bend.CITYAPOLLO DAILY · OR | ||||||||
City view · Bend  Downtown Bend with Pilot Butte viewed from Greenwood Avenue · UpdateNerd · License | ||||||||
| ||||||||
Hello, Bend. A river crossing is about to change for months, and there is time to adjust your usual route. We also have tonight’s poetry and bingo, hands-on plans for later this week, and school dates worth putting on the family calendar. | ||||||||
Local change The river route aheadColumbia Park and Gilchrist Bridge close Monday morning Closure planning guide based on the park district’s current notice. · CityApollo original editorial graphic If Gilchrist Bridge is part of your regular walk or ride across the Deschutes, plan a different crossing for next week. Bend Park & Recreation District will close the bridge and Columbia Park to public use Monday, October 19, at 8 a.m. The work combines a bridge replacement with riverbank restoration and improved river access. The district anticipates keeping the closures in place through early summer 2027. The whole park will close, including its playground, lawn, pathways and other amenities. That makes this a change for families planning a park stop as well as people passing through on foot or by bike. The district recommends crossing at Bend Whitewater Park or Galveston Avenue. Contractor staging and fencing may appear before Monday, so pay attention to posted barriers even while the closure date is approaching. The project responds to a river access point that deteriorated after years of use and growing demand. Plans include accessible pathways, plazas, site furnishings and a smaller improved place to enter or leave the river or enjoy its edge. In March, the park district’s board and Bend City Council added replacement of Gilchrist Bridge to the park project so the work could be designed and delivered together. Once complete, bridge ownership and maintenance will move from the city to the park district. River recreation through the construction area may also close temporarily during particular stages, including removal of the existing bridge. Those restrictions will receive separate advance notices on project boards near river access points and through public updates. For now, the useful next step is simple: choose your alternate crossing, adjust any recurring park plans, and bookmark the district’s project notice. The early-summer reopening remains an expected timetable, so check the project again before planning a return visit.
| ||||||||
EventsWednesday, Oct 14Crafternoon | 12:00 PM–12:40 PM | Creative 1 (2nd Floor), Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend | No price stated on the event page Developmentally appropriate for ages 3–5; all are welcome · No registration requirement shown; confirm attendance details An early-learning librarian guides a craft built around fine motor skills, shapes, textures and colors. A caregiver should stay and help their child. Supplies are limited. The library says the activity is developmentally appropriate for ages 3–5, while welcoming others; the listed session lasts 40 minutes. Sculpture Needle Felt: Alien Autopsy | 2:00 PM–4:00 PM | Community 1, Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend | No price stated on the event page Creators ages 14 and older · Registration required; 4 seats remained at the 9:42 a.m. check. Confirm before booking. Learn to shape wool with a specialized needle and create a small alien-themed sculpture that becomes a keychain or charm. Tova Opatrny leads the fundamentals while encouraging individual designs. This workshop is intended for creators 14 and older, and registration is required. Use the current booking page before making plans. Brewery Bingo with Wild Ride | 6:00 PM–8:00 PM | On Tap, 1424 NE Cushing Drive, Bend | Free to play; purchases priced separately All-ages venue; no game-specific numeric restriction stated · First come, first served; venue does not accept reservations On Tap’s dated calendar lists free-to-play bingo from 6–8 p.m., with brewery merchandise prizes. The taproom and food-truck lot are an all-ages venue. Pick a comfortable place to gather for the game, and check individual food-truck hours if dinner is part of your plan; the venue lists some truck-specific closure days. Reading the Rainbow | 6:00 PM–7:00 PM | Community 1, Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend | No price stated on the event page Adults · No registration requirement shown; confirm attendance details Carol Barrett and Judith H. Montgomery will read from The Color Wheel and discuss how color works in poetry. The evening includes questions and answers, with some poetry books available for purchase. Visual artists and writers are invited to hear the two Oregon poets in Central Library’s Community 1 room. Thursday, Oct 15Toddler Story Time | 10:30 AM–10:55 AM | Youth Programing (2nd Floor), Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend | No price stated on the event page Toddlers ages 18–36 months with caregiver · No registration requirement shown A moving, singing story time gives toddlers plenty of chances to participate. Stories and action rhymes introduce letter sounds and vocabulary while children interact with their caregiver and other families. This 25-minute session is the toddler option, with its own age range. Shock Rock: How Creepy Media Influenced Rock Music | 3:30 PM–4:30 PM | Community 2, Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend | No price stated on the event page High-school-age teens and adults; no numeric minimum stated · No registration requirement shown Musician and broadcaster David Miller traces the way horror films, Halloween and darker cultural stories shaped rock music. The presentation moves through performers such as Screaming Jay Hawkins and Alice Cooper, giving music fans a seasonal afternoon option beyond a costume party. Friday, Oct 16Sensory-Friendly Story Time | 10:30 AM–11:10 AM | Youth Programing (2nd Floor), Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend | No price stated on the event page Designed for ages 0–5; all abilities welcome · Registration required; 25 seats remained at the 9:42 a.m. check. Confirm before booking. Friday’s registered story time offers dim lighting, quieter music, a visual schedule and different ways to interact with stories and activities. It is designed for children ages 0–5 with diverse sensory needs, and the library welcomes all abilities. Reserve through the organizer and check current availability for the 40-minute session. Zine Crafting: From Sketchbook to Copy Machine | 3:30 PM–5:30 PM | Community 2, Central Library, 61956 SE Santorini Street, Bend | No price stated on the event page Adults and teens ages 14 and older · Drop-in; registration is not available Turn a page of writing or drawing into part of a collective zine. Rachel Lee-Carman will explain the format, provide supplies and guide a shared prompt. The finished pages will be copied and mailed to participants. The library identifies this as a drop-in workshop for adults and teens 14 and older. Saturday, Oct 17Bend Fire & Rescue Open House | 10:00 AM–1:00 PM | Bend Fire North Station 305, 63377 NE Jamison Street, Bend | No price stated on the official event page Community and families; no numeric age restriction stated · No registration requirement shown; confirm attendance details Saturday’s North Station open house brings together community partners, hands-on opportunities and live safety demonstrations for Fire Prevention Month. The official city listing places it at Station 305 on Jamison Street from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Check the organizer’s details for the visit rather than treating it as a regular station tour.
| ||||||||
News NotesGetting around Two traffic timings to keep handy The city’s current weekly report schedules three-way flagging at Stevens and Ward tomorrow, October 15, from 9 a.m.–noon. On NW Arizona Avenue between Industrial Way and Staats Street, sewer and utility work carries a nighttime closure with a detour, 7 p.m.–7 a.m., through October 23. These are the published work schedules, which can change with weather and other conditions; use the city’s report for current route planning. Neighborhood planning Olney and Revere feedback remains open The in-person October 8 meeting has passed, but the online open house and survey continue through October 22. The project covers Olney and Revere at both Eighth and Fourth streets. The city is gathering feedback on early designs: roundabouts along Eighth and signals along Fourth. Construction is anticipated in 2027, with sequencing subject to change; this is a design-stage opportunity, rather than notice that those intersections are already being rebuilt. Schools Put the correct school-calendar dates on your fridge Bend-La Pine Schools lists October 28–30 as no-school conference days for elementary and middle schools. The district publishes separate calendars for Realms Middle and Deschutes River High: both have an October 23 staff-work day, and Realms Middle has conferences October 29–30. Use your school’s exact calendar before arranging childcare or time off; the general elementary/middle dates should not be applied to every high school. Schools A school information night worth saving The district’s new October 12 announcement sets Financial Aid Information Night for November 18, 6–7:30 p.m., at Caldera High School. It is geared toward seniors and families, while welcoming others interested in postsecondary education. Local college presenters will explain the application process and take questions, and school-to-career counselors will share available support. Save the date if college, community college or vocational training is part of your student’s plan. Local services Use Central while Downtown remains closed Downtown Bend Library at 601 NW Wall Street remains closed for its extensive remodel, with reopening expected in summer 2027. The work will add public space, meeting and co-working areas, technology improvements and a children’s discovery area. The library plans in this issue take place at Central on Santorini Street, so check the branch as well as the activity time before heading out. Arts A longer-running art option on the COCC campus The Best of the High Desert Art League is on view in Barber Library’s Rotunda Gallery on COCC’s Bend campus through December 6. The exhibit’s September reception has passed, but the display continues. Barber’s current calendar lists Thursday hours of 8 a.m.–6 p.m. and Friday hours of 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Check the library’s hours before combining a gallery look with a campus visit. | ||||||||
Local food and drink The Local FindPlan a Monday meet-up at On TapOn Tap’s next dated Local’s Day is Monday, October 19, from 11 a.m.–9 p.m., with $1 off all drinks at 1424 NE Cushing Drive. The organizer’s current event description states the discount explicitly, making it a useful date to save if you are arranging a casual neighborhood meet-up. Drinks are purchased separately, and the posted offer does not include a food discount. The northeast Bend venue combines its tap selection with independent food trucks and welcomes all ages. Seating is first come, first served, and the venue says it does not take reservations. If your group wants dinner too, check the specific truck’s operating days on On Tap’s home page before choosing a time. The trucks have their own schedules, so a drink special alone will not tell you which meal options are open. Use the October 19 listing when making plans; today’s separate event is brewery bingo at 6 p.m.
| ||||||||
Community arts Worth a closer lookA new place to make something at Larkspur ParkBend’s Art Station is operating in its permanent home at 1650 SE Reed Market Road in Larkspur Park. The roughly 5,000-square-foot building gives art and enrichment programs a dedicated base again after the district left the Old Mill District train depot in 2022 and used other community spaces. It has a clay studio with a kiln room, two multipurpose classrooms and a gallery wall. The current offerings span pottery, painting, glass, drawing and other creative work for preschoolers, youth and adults. Families can also look at “With A Child” classes: the program fee includes one child and one required accompanying adult, and the district instructs families to register the child only. Those are registered classes with individual prices and availability, so choose a specific session before booking. The opening celebration on October 11 has passed, but the facility’s ongoing class listings give residents a practical next step for finding a creative outing that fits their schedule.
| ||||||||
Plan aheadTuesday, Oct 20Hawthorne Crossing Final Design Open House | 4:30 PM–7:00 PM | Open Space Event Studios, 220 NE Lafayette Avenue, Bend | No price stated on the official event page Community members · No registration requirement shown See the final design, learn what changed after community input and technical review, and ask about the crossing’s next steps. The project presentation runs Tuesday afternoon into early evening. An online open house will also be available October 20–November 3; neither listing means the crossing is completed or open. | ||||||||
The WrapBefore the week runs away from you, put Monday’s bridge change and your school’s conference dates on the calendar. For a lighter plan, tonight offers poetry or bingo, and Friday brings a drop-in zine workshop. There is a satisfying mix of practical planning and making something with your hands in this issue. Have a useful neighborhood update, opening or local idea? Send it through the local-tip link below so the next Bend read can help more people close to home.
CityApollo’s editorial team is responsible for research, publication and corrections. Prepared with AI assistance and source checks. Have something local to share? | ||||||||
 | ||||||||
CityApollo · Bend Publisher mailing address: 9273 SW 8th Street #223, Boca Raton, FL 33428 | ||||||||
