Community Events
The district offers several community events each year, including our Old Fashioned July 4th Celebration and Pet Parade and the new Day of Play.
Old Fashioned July 4th Festival & Pet Parade:
Downtown Bend & Drake Park
If you are looking for a special way to celebrate July 4th, start the day with Bend's most historical event, the Pet Parade, where children of all ages bring their special pet (we've seen dogs - large & small, llamas, horses, lizards, goats, and lots of stuffed animals) to parade through downtown Bend. Sponsored by Bend Pet Express, it's one of the most unique parades you'll ever see!
Decorating and lineup start at 9:30am and the parade begins at 10am.
For more details, visit the Pet Parade page.
After the parade join the rest of the community for our traditional event in Drake Park. The Old Fashioned July 4th Festival goes from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. You'll find craft and food booths, old fashioned games like three legged races, watermelon eating and water balloon contests as well as wonderful live entertainment. The festival is sponsored by BendBroadband.
For festival schedule and details, visit the July 4th Festival page.
Do you want to be a vendor? Click here for information.
Gopher Broke Scramble:
September 13, 2013
Bend Golf & Country Club
The annual “Gopher Broke Scramble” ~ Bend’s Own Caddyshack for Kid’s Sake fundraiser. Bend Golf & Country Club, 12:30 pm start. The event is a four-person scramble that includes 18 holes of golf and a happy hour & hors d'œuvre awards presentation. The money raised in the tournament is used for creating a scholarship endowment fund to help provide families in our district the opportunity to participate in our recreation programs. In the past year the Scholarship fund has been used to award over $100,000 to families in need. We still have room for a couple more teams so sign up today! Download flyer here. Sponsors are always welcome. For more information contact Sue Boettner at (541) 706-6125, or email her at sueb@bendparksandrec.org
Day of Play: FREE
Saturday, September 21, 2013
11 am - 3 pm
Riverbend Park
Come out and play with us at this free event at Riverbend Park, 799 SW Columbia Street. Join in a game, climb on a big truck, splash around and PLAY! Bend Park & Recreation is excited to continue this event packed full of fun, food, music, laughter and activities for all ages.
Activities include:
Obstacle challenge course / Canoeing / Archery / Giant scooters / Creative play / Quick Start Tennis / Live music / Family Zumba / Hand cycles / Arts & crafts / Try-A-Sport / Family fitness / Food booths / Touch-a-Truck / Giant sandbox / and much more!
For more information contact Chris Zerger at (541) 706-6118, or email her at chrisz@bendparksandrec.org
Past events:
Central Oregon's Got Talent:
Saturday, March 9, 2013
at Tower Theater
Presented by Century Insurance Group LLC, Central Oregon's Got Talent featured singers, dancers and more. Local celebrity judges chose the top five acts and a final audience vote determined who won cash prizes totaling $1,000.
Congratulations to all that participated - it was a great show. The evening's winners were:
- First place - Sierra Lantz
- Second place - Erin Brookhart
- Third place - Elissa Grant
This year's event was another great success and raised more than $6,600 for special and adaptive recreation for people with disabilities in our community. Cash prizes have been donated by Bend Kiwanis Club.
Big thanks to all our event sponsors:
- Century Insurance Group LLC - Presenting Sponsor
- Kiwanis Club of Bend - Prize Sponsor
- Central Oregon Transitions Plus
- Cascade Community Development
- United Seating & Mobility
- Kawak Aviation
- Bend Garbage & Recycling
- Skjersaa's
- Jorgenson Insurance
Presented by the Deschutes Children ’s Forest partners
FREE! Discover Nature Day!
Arbor Week Tree Planting & More!
Who knew getting dirty could be so much fun!!!
Look for next year's event in Spring 2014
Shevlin Park
Grades: K - 8 & parent
Bring your family and friends to learn about the fun adventures you can have exploring in the out of doors.
Along with Bend Park & Recreation District’s annual Arbor Week Community Tree Planting (supported by The Newport Avenue Market), join the High Desert Museum, Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, the Forest Service and others to do some bird watching, looking for animal scat and tracking, exploring along the stream and more!
Schedule:
9:30 am -1:30 pm (ongoing) – Tree Planting with Bend Park and Recreation District. Come get your hands dirty and restore native habitat at the same time.
10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 1:00 – Birds of Prey with High Desert Museum. Have an up close and personal encounter with a live raptor and learn about their amazing adaptations. 30 minutes
9:30, 10:30, 11:30 – Junior Forest Ranger Program with Deschutes Forest Conservation Association. Become an official Junior Forest Ranger by learning about native plants and animals and doing fun interactive activities. 45 minutes
9:30, 10:30, 12:30 – Watery Wonders with Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. Learn about the stream ecosystem and have fun searching for critters in the stream. 45 minutes
10:30, 11:30, 12:30 – Animal Adaptation Games! with The Environmental Center. Have a blast learning about predators and prey in nature while playing fun, active games. 45 minutes
9:30, 10:30, 11:30 – Map and Compass Skills with Deschutes Forest Conservation Association. Learn how to use a map and compass and go on a mini-scavenger hunt. 45 minutes
10:30, 11:30, 12:30 – Wildlife Tracking with High Desert Museum. Put your detective skills to use by learning how to track wildlife in Central Oregon through fun, interactive activities. 45 minutes
9:30, 11:30, 12:30 – Botany Discovery Table with Deschutes National Forest. Check out cool plants and lichens and learn unexpected secrets about these amazing organisms. 45 minutes
Arbor Week Tree Planting:
For more than thirty years, Arbor Week has recognized the contribution trees make in our community whether providing shade on a hot day, offering wildlife habitat or cleaning the air we breathe. Families, youth groups and individuals are invited to plant Ponderosa Pine seedlings in the park. Participants may arrive and plant at any time during the event and will receive a brief interpretative presentation, pine seedlings to plant and help planting.
Last year, approximately 245 community members volunteered 360 hours of time, over three days, planting 2,700 trees in the park’s burn area. This year, Eric Denzler, BPRD Outdoor Program Coordinator, anticipates planting 1200 trees in a single day.
Participants should wear sturdy boots, long pants and clothing appropriate for changing spring weather. Bring gloves and a garden spade if possible. For more details on equipment, clothing, etc, please contact Eric at (541) 706-6116 or EricD@bendparksandrec.org.
Volunteers are needed to make these events happen!
