Popular Outdoor Recreation Destination in Oregon Turns 100 With a Year-Long Celebration

It’s not often you get to see 100 candles atop a birthday cake, but there will be plenty to celebrate in Bend on January 4, 2005, the 100th birthday of the most populated city in central Oregon and one of the country’s burgeoning travel/regreation destinations. A year-long centennial celebration is planned to commemorate the city’s past and look to the future.

Farewell Bend, as it was once called, was established in 1905 and was
a popular stopping point for covered wagon trains before they
continued over the Cascade Mountains to reach the Willamette Valley.
The town was named for a bend in the Deschutes River where many people
bid farewell to Central Oregon, and often to loved ones, before they
continued their journeys. The name was shortened to Bend by the US
Postmaster, who felt the name was too cumbersome.

Bend has come a long way from its roots of covered wagons and logging,
becoming a bustling city with a population of nearly 63,000, but has
largely managed to maintain its historic downtown core, small-town
atmosphere and charm. The timber industry that built and sustained
Bend for the majority of its first 100 years has been replaced by
outdoor recreation, and the town now boasts numerous art galleries,
shops, microbreweries and extraordinary dining.

To celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, the City of Bend and
the Bend Visitor and Convention Bureau have organized various anchor
events throughout the year. The Mayor’s Ball will be held on the
centennial anniversary, Jan. 4, and will be followed by the Bend
Winterfest February 11-13. The Winterfest is held downtown and
includes local art, music, food, and even an ice-carving competition.

The events will continue with a centennial-themed 4th of July
celebration and the “Log Jam,” an October event that includes a
Run/Walk, professional wood-chopping and log-rolling competitions,
along with music, food and local booths.

In addition to these large-scale celebrations, various businesses and
organizations in Bend have scheduled other unique events to
commemorate the centennial. Details on these events can be found by
logging onto www.VisitBend.com

The Bend Visitor & Convention Bureau is a non-membership, non-profit
economic development organization dedicated to promoting tourism on
behalf of the City of Bend. For more information or to order a
complimentary 22-page Official Visitor’s Guide to Bend, contact the
Bend Visitor & Convention Bureau at 1-800-949-6086 or visit
http://www.VisitBend.com

November 22, 2004   Posted in: United States NorthWest