BE HERE IN BEND--FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS: Popular Outdoor Recreation Destination Turns 100 With a Year-Long Celebration

Contact: Justin Yax
DVA Advertising & Public Relations
541-389-2411
justin@dvaadv.com

FOR RELEASE AT WILL

Contact: Mike Glover, Executive Director, Bend Visitor & Convention Bureau, 800-949-6086, mike@VisitBend.com Justin Yax, DVA Advertising/PR, 541-389-2411, justin@dvaadv.com

BE HERE IN BEND--FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS

Popular Outdoor Recreation Destination Turns 100 With a Year-Long Celebration
(BEND, Ore.)--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 The timber industry that built and sustained Bend for the majority of its first 100 years has been replaced by outdoor recreation, and the town now boasts numerous art galleries, shops, microbreweries and extraordinary dining.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.