NorthWest Crossing Blog

Farmers Market Spotlight: Below Grade Brewing

nwx_admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:14:34 +0000

In the basement of an unassuming house in the heart of Bend, Oregon’s NorthWest Crossing neighborhood lies a craft beer lover’s playground. That’s right, you’d never know that at the end of a plain wooden staircase is a laboratory stocked with malt, hops and the sweet smell of fermentation. This is where owner of Below Grade Brewing, Dean Wise, creates the most “underground” of Bend’s beers – mysteriously called names like Jackaboy and Dangerous Kate.

Dean Wise and his brewing notebook

Wise began his love affair with brewing two decades ago, as recorded in well-used notebook dating to 1992. He started out simple, but soon became infatuated with the process and the creativity of brewing – becoming more and more sophisticated with his art as the years progressed. This love culminated in a win for craft beer lovers: the formation of Below Grade Brewing in 2010. Below Grade first debuted its beers at the NorthWest Crossing Farmers Market in summer of 2011, and Wise’s artistic experiment was vindicated: he sold 200 beers in the first hour the market was open – so he knew they were doing something right.

The Wise family, including twin 13-year-olds Emily and Jack, spend their spare time hand bottling the Below Grade creations in order to supply beer lovers at the brewery’s main retailer – Newport Market on Bend’s west side. While you might be able to find Below Grade’s beer at some other places, like the popular Jackson’s Corner, Wise has kept distribution small, for now. We do know one place you’ll be sure to find his beer though – the NorthWest Crossing Famers Market this summer! He’s assured us he’ll have plenty of tasty brews for our visitors to enjoy on sunny Saturdays throughout our Central Oregon summer. Cheers!

Spring Festival A Huge Success!

nwx_admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:46:19 +0000

While we had a great time planning out all the fun activities that you all enjoyed last weekend during the NorthWest Crossing Bend Spring Festival, but the coup de grace was the beautiful weather that our finicky Central Oregon spring sent our way! The sun came out to play and none of us could have been happier. (Especially our street chalk artists!)

What else can we say? It was a blast for everyone! Here are some photos courtesy The Garner Group Real Estate and this wonderful Central Oregon Blog.

Don’t want to miss the fun next time? Make sure to mark your calendars for the Hullabaloo, June 29, 2012!

NorthWest Crossing Bend Spring Festival is This Weekend

nwx_admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:21:44 +0000

We’ve all seen those poor little crocus and daffodils poking up through the formerly-frozen soil around Central Oregon. Let’s give those little guys some encouragement and celebrate the season properly with the Bend Spring Festival, being held this weekend at NorthWest Crossing. The festivities begin on Friday, April 13 and run all the way through Sunday. Welcome in new life, a new season and some more sunshine with your whole family!

A short overview of events:

Cascade School of Music Art and Wine Bop! (Check out the daycare option here)
Cycle/Recycle themed booths and events
Fine Artist Promenade
Street Chalk Art Competition
Live Music, headlined by Todd Haaby & Sola Via
Spring into Fun Family Area
Afternoon High Tea with the Spring Fairy
Spring Sunrise Yoga Session

Time

Friday, April 13: 6 – 9 pm
Saturday, April 14: 11 am – 10 pm
Sunday, April 15: 11 am – 4 pm

All being held in the NorthWest Crossing Neighborhood Center in Bend, Oregon. Please visit the Events portion of this site for complete details and we look forward to seeing you there!

NWX Farmer’s Market Vendor Update: Good Earth Farms!

nwx_admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:33:58 +0000

It’s never too early to start thinking about our summer farmer’s markets and buying local produce and other goods! That’s why we thought you’d be interested in hearing about what’s going on right now at Good Earth Farms, one of our NorthWest Crossing Farmers Market vendors. This year, the market starts on June 30, right after the Hullabaloo street fair.

Here is what’s happening now at Good Earth farms: January and February was seeding time in the company’s greenhouses, and now they have more than 25,000 seedlings growing – scrumptious plants such as lettuce, kale, spinach followed by onions, cabbage, tomatoes, broccoli peppers and herbs. Why do you care? Because you’ll be buying and eating this local food at the Farmers Market! Yay! Good Earth Farms will start having seedlings for sale as early as April at the Moonfire and Sun Garden Center, if you’d like to grow your own food.

The farm has also just added another 100 baby chicks to its current flock of 30 hens to expand the availability of extremely popular and tasty free range eggs. The bright orange yolks and several studies show that free range eggs are much healthier for you than the industrial eggs (i.e. confined hens) sold at grocery stores. Good Earth Farms plans to offer eggs at its booth at the NWX Farmers Market this summer!

Why buy local? You get fresh produce that is hours old (instead of days or weeks) and is still full of nutritional value.And since Good Earth Farms uses holistic, sustainable and organic practices, youare also supporting our natural resources (soil and water) and the health of everyone in the local community.Corporate chains send most of your money out of town -studies have shown that 45% of money spent at a local business is reinvested back into the local economy versus only 15% from purchases made at corporate chains.

See you this summer at the NWX Farmers Market!

More Accolades for Bend, Oregon

nwx_admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:36:49 +0000

Bend, Oregon is once again being touted in national and regional press as the perfect place to ski, golf, run, fun…you name it! Recently, three more magazines gave Bend some love. If you live or play here, you know why! And the perfect place from which to enjoy all this bounty? The Bend, Oregon neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing of course!

LINKS, a national golf publication, named Bend as number one on the top five ski and golf destinations in the United States. “…the great volcanic cone of 9,060-foot Mt. Bachelor, its slopes blanketed with deep powdery snow, rises from the region’s juniper trees and ponderosa pines like a talisman…” Yeah.

Sunset Magazine recently gave Bend a nod as one of the “West’s Best Ski Towns.” Why? Well, we have the best food …from ”locavore dining” to “nouveau food carts.”

And, to top it off, National Geographic, just named Bend as one of the top 25 ski towns in the WORLD. Why? It’s a great spot for “Multisport junkies with a taste for microbrews.”

Rock on, Bend Oregon.

AARP Includes Bend in “10 Great Sunny Places to Retire”

nwx_admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:46:23 +0000

Bend, Oregon has been getting a lot of attention lately as the perfect place for retirees to soak up some of the good life. The latest organization to give our hometown a nod is the AARP in a recent article about the best sunny places to call home. Mentions of our high desert climate, picturesque scenery and easy access to “skiing, hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing, whitewater and rock climbing” are a few of the compelling reasons to give Bend a try. Many retirees that consider Bend prefer NorthWest Crossing due to its walkability, environmental sensibility and efficient design.

Happy New Year! Sustainability Message Stays Strong in NorthWest Crossing

nwx_admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:33:21 +0000

We were proud to recently win the Central Oregon Environmental Center’s Sustainability Award, which we wrote about here. Local television station, KTVZ, is doing a series on all the award winners called “The Green Life.” NorthWest Crossing was recently featured and the segment covered the neighborhood’s commitment to preserving existing trees and rock outcroppings, pedestrian friendly design and sustainable building requirements. Take a look!

Dogs of NorthWest Crossing 2012 Calendar now available!

valerie — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:40:47 +0000

The “Dogs of NorthWest Crossing 2012 Calendar”, a fundraiser for the Bend Spay and Neuter Project was released last night at a calendar launch party attended by the doggy models and their owners.

The calendar is now on sale for $16 at various retail locations throughout Bend including:

Sara Bella Upcycled Boutique
Sage Café
La Rosa
Look! Salon
Cascade Cottons
Paper Jazz
Dudley’s Bookshop Café
Best Friends Pet Supply
Healthy Paws
Bend Pet Express
Birkenstock of Bend
Newport Market

Or you can buy via PayPal with the button below.

: Lily Pug (aka: Miss December) prepares for her debut

: Proud dog owners view the calendar for the first time.

This project was born out of a dog-inspired photo contest last spring when NorthWest Crossing residents submitted photos of their beloved pets. 14 were selected by Facebook friends and throughout the year, each doggy was professionally photographed by local artist Karen Cammack. Ruff Wear, a dog gear manufacturer with headquarters in the neighborhood provided gear for props and prizes. A large portion of the printing costs were donated by local printer Ryder Graphics. And several retailer partners throughout Bend are selling the calendars to benefit Bend Spay and Neuter Project.

Please visit a retail location listed above to purchase your calendar, or contact Bend Spay and Neuter Project at 541-617-1010 for more information.

: Lilly (Miss July) and her parents preview the calendar

Are You Ready to Get All Mixed-Up?

nwx_admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:53:22 +0000

We are excited to welcome a new independent, locally owned shop to our neighborhood center – All Mixed-Up will be opening in early November. The shop will offer a variety of high quality self-serve frozen yogurts and toppings, fresh smoothies and seasonally, homemade soups, while modeling green, compostable and eco-friendly operations. All Mixed-Up was created through a partnership of long-time Bend resident, JoAn Mann, and Paul Gooch, who recently retired to the area. Gooch’s sister Karen Vela, a 30-plus year resident of Bend, will be managing the day-to-day operations of the new store.

“We are looking forward to being true partners in the community, with residents, other businesses and the neighborhood schools,” said Mann. “Those are some of the reasons we chose NorthWest Crossing for our location – there is a fun, positive and strong sense of community with caring for the environment here that we really relate to.”

Mann’s grown children attended Summit High School and have been actively involved in the start-up process. She also lives a short walk from the NorthWest Crossing shop. While doing marketing for the new venture, she will continue to operate PREP, a human resources consulting firm she has owned for over 25 years, staying more home-based. Mann is looking forward to the new adventure that All Mixed-Up will bring. Gooch, who retired from Hewlett Packard nine years ago, briefly owned and operated an import store in Bend before converting that property over for a fast-food restaurant franchise. Gooch will be running the finance and operations side of the new business.

All Mixed-Up will be located near Sage Café, Tate & Tate, Pisano’s Pizza, portello winecafe and LaRosa Mexican Kitchen at 2754 NW Crossing Drive, opening in early November. The company can be reached at 541.480.8830.

Welcome! We can’t wait to try the goodies you have to offer!

Bend, Oregon Neighborhood of NorthWest Crossing Wins Sustainability Award

nwx_admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:46:52 +0000

We were very pleased and excited to receive a Sustainability Award from The Environmental Center at a special ceremony at the Oxford Hotel in downtown Bend last week. The awards honor businesses, organizations and individuals that are leading the way to a sustainable future in Central Oregon. There were four categories for the award program, and NorthWestCrossing was recognized as the top Large Business of the year. First Lady of Oregon, and founder of 3E Strategies, Cynthia Hayes spoke at the event.

The Environmental Center hosts the annual Sustainability Awards as a way of highlighting the determined and persistent change makers—in business, government, nonprofit, and the community—who are essential to achieving a sustainable future. By showcasing these commitments to a healthy environment, a vibrant economy, and an equitable society, The Environmental Center hopes to inspire even more sustainable action in Central Oregon.

Built on the intrinsically sustainable principles, NorthWest Crossing has won several awards and been featured in national publications for its green practices. Residents benefit from homes built to Earth Advantage and ENERGY STAR standards, connectivity to encourage alternative transportation and neighborhood amenities, such as parks, trails and a community. Several buildings in the commercial area of the neighborhood are LEED certified.

Check out the super cool hand-forged award by a local artist: