Bend Family Loop: Weekend of Apr. 24-26

Hi there,

The theme of this weekend’s Earth Day Fair costume parade is “your favorite part of the Earth”, and it was an easy decision for my oldest: purple butterfly. My one-year-old's costume is still up for debate, but based on how she looks after 30 minutes in the yard, I'm going with "dirt." 😆

In this weekend’s Loop:

Let’s jump right in!

–Megan

Celebrate Earth Week with the Environmental Center!

Head to Alpenglow Park this Saturday for The Environmental Center's Earth Day Fair & Parade: a nature-inspired costume parade with Lava City Cirque's stilt walkers, unicyclists, and circus performers (kids are invited to dress up as their favorite part of the Earth and join in!), live music and dance from Red Clan of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Hokule'a of Central Oregon, free face painting, a kids activity zone, and 70+ local vendors and food booths.

Want to make the trip part of the fun? Bend Bikes is running a bike bus from NW Crossing with stops along the way, arriving at the park by 11am.

April 25 • 11am–3pm • Alpenglow Park (61049 SE 15th St) • Learn more

Heads up: parking is limited, so plan to park at Caldera High School and walk over.

There's something pretty special happening at R.E. Jewell this Saturday. On Monday, a team from the Missoula Children's Theatre pulled up to the school, unloaded a truck full of sets, costumes, lights, and props, held open auditions, and cast about 50 R.E. Jewell students in a full production of Sleeping Beauty. By Saturday, those kids will perform the whole thing on stage in front of a live audience. One week, start to finish!

The Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) has been doing this for nearly 50 years, touring to over 1,000 communities a year. Their model is pretty incredible: two professional actor/directors show up with everything needed to put on a show… except the cast! They hold auditions, select the cast, and then spend the week rehearsing after school. By the weekend, it's a real production complete with costumes, scenery, props, and a whole lot of kids who just pulled off something they didn't know they could do five days ago.

R.E. Jewell's PTO has brought MCT back for several years now, and the Saturday performances are open to the whole community. There are two showtimes (12pm and 2:30pm) which are donation-based with a suggested $5–$10 per person. All donations go toward bringing the MCT program back next year.

Even if you don't have a kid at R.E. Jewell, this is a really cool thing to show up for. Watching a stage full of elementary schoolers perform a full musical they learned in a week is pretty inspiring!

Saturday, April 25 • Performances at 12pm & 2:30pm • R.E. Jewell Elementary Gymnasium (20550 Murphy Rd.) • Suggested donation: $5–$10/person

Here’s what’s happening this weekend!

🥾 Slow Season Hike Club
9:30am • All ages • Free • Register
📍Whychus Creek Overlook (Sisters)

The Slow Season crew heads to Whychus Creek Overlook in Sisters for a group hike. Same parent-friendly vibe as the run club. Register through the link to save your spot.

💃 Zumbini Bend
10am–11am • Ages 0–4 • Free • More info
📍Family Resource Center (2500 NE Twin Knolls Dr.)

Come prepared to dance and be silly! This interactive music and movement class is designed for little ones and parents or caregivers, with songs, rhythms, and plenty of wiggling.

🤸 Toddler Open Play
10am & 12pm sessions • Ages 10 months–5 • Book now
📍 Free Spirit (320 SW Powerhouse Dr)

Little ones can climb, crawl, and explore soft obstacles and tunnels in the Free Spirit ninja gym.

🎨 Resin Friendship Necklaces
3:30pm–5pm • Ages 8+ • Register
📍Bend TEAL (1024 NW Bond St.)

Make a resin friendship necklace set, led by Jade, a 10-year-old artist. Grab a friend and split the matching set. A creative Friday afternoon project at Bend's new tea and art lounge.

🌙 Tula Kids Night Out
5:30pm–7:30pm • Ages 6+ • Register
📍Tula Movement Arts (2797 NW Clearwater Dr.)

Drop-off evening of open play, plus pizza and snacks. Only a handful of spots were left as of this writing, so register soon if your kid needs to burn some Friday night energy.

🌙 Mountain Air Kids Night Out
6pm–9pm • All ages • More info
📍Mountain Air (20495 Murray Rd.)

Kids get the run of the facility for jumping and staff-lead activities while you get a few solid hours to yourselves. Pizza included!

🤸 COGA Friday Open Gym
7:30pm–9pm • Ages 6–12 • Register
📍Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy (63060 Layton Ave.)

A Friday night open gym at Central Oregon Gymnastics Academy where kids get free rein on the equipment and gym floor. Registration required to hold your spot.

🚲 Bend Bikes Bike Buses To Earth Day Fair
9:45am–11am • All ages • Free • More info
📍Compass Park (NW Crossing) or Pilot Butte State Park

Two guided bike bus routes heading to the Earth Day Fair at Alpenglow Park. NW Crossing departs Compass Park at 10am, east side departs Pilot Butte at 10:30am. Volunteers stationed at meetup stops along the way.

🌍 Earth Day Fair And Celebration
11am–3pm • All ages • Free • More info
📍Alpenglow Park (61049 SE 15th St.)

An annual celebration of Earth and community with food vendors, performers, artists, and booths. Costumes encouraged! Dress up as your favorite thing about the planet and enjoy the fair.

🚲 Bend Bike Fest + Swap
9am–6pm • All ages • More info
📍The Pavilion (1001 SW Bradbury Way)

Bend Endurance Academy’s annual fundraiser is here! Bike swap runs 9am to 4pm, and Bike Fest is open til 6pm with raffles, classes, and contests, kids activities, food & beer garden, and live music by Rouge City Renegades & Sessions starting at 2pm.

🤸 Tula Family Open Play
9am–10:30am • Ages 0–7 • RSVP
📍Tula Movement Arts (2797 NW Clearwater Dr.)

Obstacle course, bounce house, and ariel hammocks will be set up for an open play session for families.

🍴 BPR With A Child: Snack-Cuterie
10am–12pm • Ages 7–13 • Register
📍Larkspur Community Center (1600 SE Reed Market Rd.)

Learn to build an impressive snack board together with cheeses, crackers, fruits, veggies, caprese kebabs, and protein nut balls.

🌿 Nature Kids: Sky Explorers
10:30am–12pm • Ages 5–10 • Free • Register
📍Camp Polk Meadow Preserve (Sisters)

Guided family nature walk with the Deschutes Land Trust. This month's theme is birds! Learn about birdwatching, practice using binoculars, and discover how birds communicate. Easy walk, under 1 mile. Registration helpful but not required.

🎭 Sleeping Beauty (Missoula Children's Theatre)
12pm & 2:30pm • All ages • More info
📍R.E. Jewell Elementary (20550 Murphy Rd)

R.E. Jewell students perform Sleeping Beauty with the touring Missoula Children's Theatre company. Two showtimes (doors open 30 min before each), suggested donation is $5-$10 and goes towards supporting this program.

🌙 Seahorse Academy Kids Night Out
5pm–9pm • Ages 2–12 • More info
📍Seahorse Academy (757 NE Greenwood Ave.)

Drop-off evening with games, crafts, dinner, and swimming. Four solid hours for the kids to have a blast while you get an actual evening to yourselves.

🎵 School Of Rock HouseBand Summerfest Fundraiser
6pm–9pm • All ages • Tickets
📍Volcanic Theatre Pub (70 SW Century Dr.)

School of Rock Bend's student HouseBand is performing live to raise funds for their trip to Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI. They have been playing for five months together and are already headed to a national stage!

🚶 Dad Walks
9am • All ages • Free
📍Riverbend Park (near the boat rentals)

Join other dads on this morning walk with little ones in tow (strollers, carriers, or on their own two feet!).

🎯 Not'cho Grandma's Bingo
9:30am–12pm • All ages • Tickets
📍Silver Moon Brewing (24 NW Greenwood Ave.)

Join YOUNI Movement’s Dusty & Stacia for a high-energy Sunday morning bingo fundraiser benefiting Camp Fire Central Oregon. Family-friendly and tons of fun!

🧑‍🌾 Worthy Brewing Farmer's Market
10am–2pm • All ages • Free • More info
📍Worthy Brewing (495 NE Bellevue Dr.)

The first Sunday of Worthy Brewing's farmers market! Local produce, handmade goods, and live music on the dog-friendly patio along with food and drinks.

🧘 Hanai Mini + Me Yoga
10am–11am • Ages 4 & under • Book here
📍Hanai (62430 Eagle Rd)

Parent-and-child yoga in a relaxed, welcoming class. One of our favorite way to start a Sunday morning together!

🎨 Acrylic Pouring On Canvas
10am–11:30am • Ages 6–15 • Register
📍Larkspur Community Center (1600 SE Reed Market Rd.)

Swirl and pour acrylic paint across a canvas together for some pretty wild results. Learn the technique and take your piece home.

🎨 Fun With Clay: Jewelry Dish
11am–1pm • Ages 5–15 • Register
📍Harmon Park Clay Studio (1100 NW Harmon Blvd.)

Make a jewelry dish together at the clay studio and work on hand-building and glazing techniques.

🎵 CSM Student Showcase
2pm–5pm • All ages • Free • More info
📍Tower Theatre (835 NW Wall St.)

Cascade School of Music students, faculty, bands, and ensembles take the Tower Theatre stage for their annual showcase. Two acts (2 to 3:30pm and 3:45 to 5pm), free, and open to the whole community.

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