Locals and visitors alike will celebrate the Valentine “season” with a Sunriver Resort Romance Special. Village guestrooms start at $149 per night. From now until April 13, 2008 Lodge Village guests will receive $25 credit for each night they stay. The credit is good towards spa services, golf, dining, ski lift tickets and more. For information and reservations call 800-801-8765 or visit the Sunriver website.

Sunriver is the place to start a romantic High Cascade Bonfire Snowshoe trip. On Saturday evening, February 16th, 2008 a van from Wanderlust Tours will pick up resort guests at 7:00 PM for a trek through a snowy forest to bask in a glowing bonfire. Naturalist guides share fun information about history, ecology, animal life, and the stars. The cost is $75 per person, which includes guide, snowshoes, instruction, transportation, dessert, and drinks. Tours are scheduled throughout this month and March. For more information visit the Wanderlust Tour website or call 541-389-8359 or toll free 800-962-2862.

Central Oregon is getting ready for WinterFest. LibertyBank Bend, Les Schwab and Seventh Mountain Resort are getting ready to host WinterFest in downtown Bend starting Friday February 8th through Sunday February 10, 2008. The event center will be located in the area extending from Troy Field to the Library with additional events held at the Seventh Mountain Resort. The closest lodging to Mt. Bachelor in Oregon’s premier ski and snowboard area, the resort will also host a special ice skating performance and other winter activities. WinterFest attracted more than 40,000 visitors in 2007, and is expected to attract more residents and visitors this year. Created as a way to celebrate arts, culture and winter sports in Central Oregon. Seventh Mountain has festival packages available, with amenities such as 3 swimming pools, 3 hot tubs, a fitness center, and tennis and basketball courts. For reservations or information call 800-452-6810 or check out the Seventh Mountain website.

Beginning Friday evening, downtown bustles at the Winter Wine Hop with art, music, foods, and wine sampling. A fireworks show will kick off the weekend followed by entertainment in the festival center, cross country ski competition on Louisiana Street as well as the ever popular U.S. Cellular snowboard and ski rail jam competition on Troy Field.

Saturday, the festival is alive with family entertainment, including a fine food marketplace. The festival hub will feature ice carving competitions, more cross country ski racing and demos, art, and vendors. Later that evening is the ski and snowboard rail competition. The festival pavilion will be jammed with concert goers eager to hear a Northwest favorite, The Blakes.  A band based in Seattle, The Blakes have concert dates scheduled this winter throughout the entire west, from L.A. to Bozeman. They have a new CD out, and plans to tour Europe later in the year. They tell people who are new to their music:  “We don’t try to take the cool retro vibe to an extreme degree - we are as influenced by the Everly Brothers as the Kinks.” They recently opened for Blue October to a sold out crowd at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom. 

Sunday, the festival closes with a full day of activities including snow bicycle racing, shopping in the WinterFest Marketplace, delicious food at the food court as well as numerous children and family activities. The festival culminates with closing ceremonies and a drawing for the WinterFest grand prize — a trip to Hawaii. Admission to WinterFest is free. However, everyone is encouraged to buy a $6.00 WinterFest button for discounted admission into certain events. Buttons may be purchased at all LibertyBank and Les Schwab Tire Centers as well as various Bend locations. A portion of all button sales is donated to Girls Go Outside, a non profit organization based in Bend.  For a complete list of activities or more activities call 541-323-0964 or click on the WinterFest website.

David MacLay Kidd, named “the hottest architect in golf” by Golf World magazine, has moved his home and the world headquarters of his company, DMK Golf Design, to Bend, a Central Oregon city that’s become the most popular vacation spot in the Pacific Northwest. Situated on a high plateau 160 miles east of Portland, Bend has 300 days of sunshine a year, world class outdoor sports and sophisticated city amenities in a small town atmosphere. Residents are loyal to Bend, and say it’s a fulfilling and enriching community to be a part of. In its 100 years Bend has evolved from a timber town into a cultural hotspot. Tourists from all over the country spend their visits attempting to soak up every bit of it.

The move gives Kidd plenty of time to play on his newest creation, Tetherow Golf Course, which officially opens in June. The resort course is the centerpiece of the 700-acre Tetherow resort community and will offer reciprocal play for members of other top-rated courses throughout the country. Once the planned Hotel Tetherow opens next year, play will also be available to hotel guests.

“Everyone on my staff was happy to move here,” Kidd says. “We are living a wonderful rural lifestyle, with all types of outdoor sports right out the door and downtown Bend just a few minutes away. Tetherow has low density, great amenities and views and lots of open space. From the personal and business point of view, it’s a perfect blend.  We’re a few hours from the coast and the airport lets me make easy connections to see my other clients across the world.” With daily direct flights from San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland, Tetherow residents will return home from their business travels to be rejuvenated by the magic and majesty that is life in Central Oregon. 

Barely out of his 30s, Kidd has been a celebrated architect for more than 16 years. In the U.S., his most well-known course is Bandon Dunes on the southern Oregon Coast. He recently completed the design and construction of the new No. 7 Castle Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, the first new course built at ‘the home of golf” in nearly 100 years.  “I built my business on a reputation for being hands-on, said Kidd. “Even as we have added more people and more projects in more countries one thing that has not — and will not — change is my dedication to delivering the highest level of creative golf course design.”

Last spring, he and his wife purchased the first homesite in Tetherow, and Kidd is on the Tetherow course every day he’s in Oregon. “Above all, the course is fun,” he says.  “It’s an adventure to see what the next hole will bring. As a golfer, I love that.”

Traditional golf course designers lay the fairways down with a knife edge where they meet the unplayable areas, Kidd says. “Here, we blur the edges of the fairways so it seems that the natural landscape is gently taking over. It’s much more in keeping with this type of environment.”

When it’s fully developed, Tetherow will have 589 homes and townhomes. Ownership opportunities include homesites, lodge homes, cabins, townhomes and a variety of custom homes. For more information, visit the Tetherow website or call Brand Director Femke van Velzen, 541-390-2259.

Mavericks at Sunriver can be found within the premiere resort destination of Sunriver, Oregon. Winter sports are in full swing and Mavericks at Sunriver has vacation packages available with special rates. Offering residents and guests a full spectrum of fitness feature and recreational activities, this unique 30,000 square foot was recently expanded with a new Aquatics Center.  In addition to all the features of the original facility – rock wall, basketball, group classes, and high-end fitness areas – the Aquatics Center offers a one-of-a-kind surfing experience on the Flowrider™ – as well as a children’s’ sprayground, an outdoor spa and the only indoor deep water pool in Sunriver. The Mavericks website includes club videos and a virtual tour.

Mavericks members receive discounted rental rates for select properties managed by Sunriver Vacations. Central Oregon offers a wide array of winter activities from skiing and boarding. If the road is clear snow lovers are only a short drive from the front door straight up Century Drive to Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort. The site of a 9,065-foot volcanic cone famous for its downhill skiing, Mt. Bachelor is the first snowboarding pipe on the West Coast. For more information about vacation packages at the enhanced Mavericks at Sunriver call 800-544-0300 or visit the Discover Sunriver website.

McMenamins Old St. Francis School brings romance to Bend couples with a special Valentine Overnight Package — available throughout the Valentine week starting Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 17. The cost is $185-$229 per couple per night (21 and over) and includes:
• Lodging for two in a queen European room
• Dinner at McMenamins Pub
• A bottle of Edgefield Winery’s sparkling wine with two keepsake flutes
• Breakfast the following morning
On Wednesday, February 13 McMenamins and opbmusic.org presents Great Northwest Music Tour featuring the live music of The Everybodyfields. The 7:00 PM concert is free and open to all ages.

The Everybodyfields are from Johnson City, Tennessee. They are a band rapidly gaining a reputation as the front-runners of the newest generation of the alt-country movement. They offer melancholic interpretations of universal human stories set to achingly beautiful melodies, put to life with such instrumentation as lap steel, lead guitar, electric bass, piano and acoustic guitar.

The members of The Everybodyfields cite their influences as country, rock and roll, and folk. Sam Quinn and Jill Andrews front the act, sharing instruments and seamlessly merging their wildly different voices. Quinn’s echoing twang reverberates like a long-lost radio broadcast and provides a hard edge to Andrews pure, soothing tones.

For more information about McMenamins Old St. Francis Valentine packages or The Everybodyfields concert, call 541-382-4228 or toll free 877-661-4228 or visit the Old St. Francis website.

In late October, international golf course architect David McLay Kidd and his wife Jill closed on the sale of the first homesite at Tetherow, a new 700-acre golf resort community near Bend, Ore. They were followed by 21 more buyers in six weeks. The 22 lots have a combined value of more than $14 million.

Kidd, named “the hottest architect in golf” by Golf World magazine, designed Tetherow’s private resort course. He recently completed “the No. 7” Castle Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, the first new course built there in nearly 100 years.  Kidd’s courses include the celebrated Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast, and others in Hawaii, California, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, Morocco, Canada, and a private island in Fiji.

The only contemporary golf-course architect whose work has been the subject of two books, Kidd can choose to live and work anywhere on the globe.  In April he moved his company, DMK Golf Design, to Bend and is living there fulltime.  His homesite, like many others at Tetherow, overlooks his course and has sweeping views of the city and the Cascade Mountains.

 “My wife is an Oregonian and has deep ties here,” says Kidd. “Our choice of Bend was based mostly on where we would like to bring up our family. We are living a wonderful rural lifestyle here, with all types of outdoor sports right out the door and downtown Bend just a few minutes away. Tetherow has low density, great amenities and views and lots of open space.”

Since Kidd’s purchase, 21 more Tetherow homesite purchases have closed, with 65% of the buyers coming from Oregon and the balance from California, Washington and throughout the country.  More than 80 sites have been reserved, with an estimated value of $42 million.  Ownership opportunities include homesites, lodge homes, cabins, townhomes and custom homes.

In the past 10 years, Bend, Ore. has become the most sought-after home and vacation spot in the Pacific Northwest. Situated on a high plateau 160 miles east of Portland, Bend has an irresistible combination of 300 days of sunshine a year, superb outdoor sports and sophisticated city amenities.

Located in Oregon’s high desert a few minutes from downtown Bend, Tetherow’s 700 acres will also encompass a golf academy and clubhouse, luxury hotel, spa and wellness center, recreation center and conference center. Tetherow’s hotel guests and owners of the 589 homesites and townhomes will have access to all amenities. The golf course and clubhouse are scheduled to open in June, 2008. For more information call Joe Kearney, Director of Sales, 541-318-1234 or toll free 866-234-4848 or visit the Tetherow website.

Hotel Tetherow, a 700-acre resort encompassing a luxury hotel/spa/restaurant, recreation center and conference center, a David McLay Kidd-design golf course and 589 homes and townhomes are poised to offer the first luxury accommodations in Bend, central Oregon’s famed outdoor playground. Tetherow will rise on the last of the city’s prized westside acreage, with sweeping views of the city and the Cascade Mountain.Situated on a soaring lava ridge overlooking the golf course, Hotel Tetherow will offer 50 luxury rooms and suites in a main building that includes a full-service spa/wellness center and restaurant. The hotel can accommodate an additional 250 overnight guests in nearby lodge homes and cabins with more spacious rooms and private kitchens.Global hospitality company Dolce International will manage the facility, with a goal of achieving a four-star rating.  Arrowood, Tetherow’s development company, chose Dolce as its hotel partner because of its proven ability to deliver a luxury hotel resort and spa experience with a strong local character.  Arrowood partner Don Bauhofer said, “Hotel Tetherow will be unlike anything else offered in Bend – a destination that will offer a unique experience for our guests and residents, as well as the community of Bend.” A conference center adjacent to the hotel, recreation center and golf clubhouse will offer flexible meeting space for groups as large as 300.

Ownership opportunities include homesites, lodge homes, cabins, townhomes and custom homes. The first phase of homesites became available in July, 2007, and more than 80 sites have already been reserved, with an estimated value of $42 million.  All homeowners will have access to the amenities at Hotel Tetherow, the Golf Club and Recreation Center.

Tetherow’s 18-hole private resort course, designed by famed Scottish golf architect David McLay Kidd, will open in June, 2008, with the clubhouse set for a fall, 2008 opening. Kidd recently completed the Castle Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. It is the first complete new course added to St. Andrews in the past 100 years, as well as the highly-regarded Bandon Dunes course on the coast of southern Oregon. Kidd recently purchased the first homesite at Tetherow and moved his world headquarters to Bend.

The private Tetherow Golf Club will offer both golf and social memberships for homeowners. Amenities planned for the 17,500-square-foot clubhouse include a pro shop, restaurant and lounge, meeting room and men’s and women’s locker rooms.

For more information, visit the Tetherow website or call Brand Director Femke van Velzen, 541-390-2259.

Two prominent Bend resorts and hotels offer guests holiday packages for lodging and a New Year’s Eve Bonfire on the Snow on December 31, 2007.  Mt. Bachelor Village and McMenamins Old St. Francis School have designs for an expedition that puts visitors smack in the middle of Central Oregon paradise to welcome the New Year. With Bonfire on the Snow packages, guests can celebrate under the night sky and stars with luscious desserts and a hot drink in a stunning old-growth Hemlock forest.  Both hotels offer van service and discounts on holiday packages of various kinds.  Bonfire on the Snow packages include transportation, snowshoes, instruction and hot chocolate

Families that love skiing and snowboarding have traditionally spent holidays at Mt. Bachelor Village because it comes alive with festivities. Many snow enthusiasts praise the lavish space of River Ridge Condominiums with their spectacular Deschutes River views. To reserve lodging at Mt. Bachelor Village call 800-547-5204 or check out the website.

McMenamins Old St. Francis School has music, movies and good food during the New Year’s weekend. Friends and visitors rave about their pub, brewery and bakery, movie theater and elegant Turkish-style soaking pool. For reservations at McMenamins call 541- 382-5174 or Toll Free 877- 661-4228 or visit the McMenamins website.

Lucky guests will snowshoe a short way in the High Cascade Mountains with a tour guide to a serene spot in the forest and then snuggle up to a blazing bonfire. It all takes place in a unique amphitheater that was hand carved into the snow. Naturalists discuss history, ecology, nature and astronomy. Here and on this night nature and the stars are the main attraction. For more information about the New Year’s Eve Bonfire in the Snow, call 541-389-8359 or toll free 800-962-2862 or logon to the Wanderlust Tours web site.

The Mt. Bachelor Village Resort in Bend is hoping to make Central Oregon visitors’ holidays a little brighter by offering a free $75 fuel card. All guests that stay between Dec. 26, 2007 and Jan. 6, 2008 will receive the card. It’s the resort’s way of saying, “Thanks for spending the holidays with us.” A getaway to the resort may serve as a relaxed retreat with days spent lounging in the Jacuzzi at the Athletic Club of Bend, or enjoying gourmet cuisine at Scanlon’s, located on the property. Visitors can enjoy live music at Merenda Restaurant and Wine Bar a short distance away. Merenda’s provides all catering services to the resort. Either way, an Oregon holiday vacation at Mt. Bachelor Village Resort is enhanced by a selection of elegant accommodations at the resort, including traditional guest rooms, condominiums, and vacation homes. For more information call 541-389-5900 or toll free 888-449-5917 or visit the website at MtBachelorVillage.com.

Visitors to Central Oregon love to stomp and shout at the McMenamins New Years Eve Bash in Bend. Both dance floors at the historic Old St. Francis School will be jumping to a couple of Oregon’s most popular bands. Smith & Hayes , and the Moon Mountain Ramblers. Music starts at 9:00 PM on Monday, December 31. Overnight packages may include everything from dinner and drinks to a private party with breakfast the following day. Rental cottages are private with a full list of amenities, such as Cable TV, phone, refrigerator and high speed internet access.  Some can accommodate a family or party of up to ten. All have access to an exquisite soaking pool with lavish ceramic tile work and Turkish style fountains. The on site theater presents recent films, classics, and sporting events. Guests relax in overstuffed sofas and snack on pizza and sip a wide choice of spirits from the full service bar. Families are welcome at matinees. Guests can extend the stay by adding Sunday, Dec. 30 or Tuesday Jan. 1 and receive a 10-percent discount that night. The price for dinner and music only is $250. For information and reservations call (541) 382-5174 or toll free 877-661-4228, or visit Mcmenamins.com.