Bend Elks vs. Olympia Senators
wednesday 22
What’s more summer-y than baseball? Nothing! So get your ass down to Vince Genna Stadium and root on your home team. It’s their last game of the season and the 24-30 Elks haven’t had the easiest of seasons. Send ‘em off on a good note and cheer for a win. It’s free kids night so bring the whole fam damily. $3-10. 6:35 p.m. Vince Genna Stadium, 4th and Wilson St.
Shakespeare in the Park: ?Romeo and Juliet
thursday 23 - saturday 25
Two young lovers torn apart by a family feud turn to trespassing faked death to fulfill their star-crossed love. Spoiler alert: It ends badly for everyone. Get down to Shakespeare in the park and enjoy some culture with a good dose of tragedy. Set in the tumultuous 19th century Italian uprising, the performance should be violent, sexy and clever, all the best parts of Shakespeare. $20-$75. Tickets at shakespearebend.com. Three performances each at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Drake Park, 777 NW Riverside Dr.The Twangshifters
thursday 23
This is the kind of music you’ve been looking for. You know, like when you’re tired of all that whiny indie pop and you think, “Geez, I wish I could just get some good ol’ rock and roll in my life.” The Portland quartet sounds like they’re straight outta 1955 and are sure to provide the unfiltered jolt of rockabilly that you’ve been looking for. With a guitar, drums, upright bass and female vocalist The Twangshifters are just the band to pull you out of your musical rut. And it’s A FREE SHOW! 21+. 9pm. Maverick’s Country Bar and Grill, 20565 Brinson Blvd.
ZZ Top with Nashville Pussy
friday 24
Rock and Roll hall of famers ZZ Top will cool their afterburners for a few hours at Les Schwab Amphitheater, but don’t expect these veteran rockers to rest on their leather bedecked laurels. The power trio is known for its hard charging show that centers around a box-set-worthy catalog of hits spanning a four-decade career. Air guitar aficionados unite! Oh yeah, psychobilly ass kickers Nashville Pussy open, so don’t be late. $42/G.A. $79/Reserved. All ages. Doors 5 p.m. Showtime 6:30. Les Schwab Amphitheater.
High Desert Museum Batwalk
saturday 25
Parents, this is your opportunity to dispel once and for all the notion that bats are to be feared above all else. It’s also a good chance to discuss these mysterious nocturnal creatures outside the context of Christopher Nolan’s films. Bonus: you get to use something called an echocalculator to locate bats on the museum grounds. If your kids don’t think that’s cool, you might as well just give up. $3 members. $5 non-members. All ages. 7:15-8:30 p.m. High Desert Museum. RSVP, 541-382-4754 ext. 241
Oregon Enduro Series: Sisters
sunday 26
Here’s why enduro races are super fun: you ride all day and with just enough timed racing to satisfy your competitive spirit but not so much that it’s soul crushing. The races are mostly downhill but tame enough that you can use a cross-country or all-mountain bike; the uphill portions aren’t timed. Finally, and most importantly, you’ve probably never done one before. And it’s local, which means you don’t have to sit in the car for hours to race your bike. Great deal. Visit oregonenduro.com for more info and to register. While the race, which will be broken into three stages, is on Metolius-Windigo/Trail 99, the Expo area, parking area, and finish line is on Forest Service Road 1514, seven miles from Sister. $65.
Pacific Am Golf Classic
sunday 26 – friday 31
Central Oregon’s premier amateur golf event returns for its 16th year. Players from around the country will descend on Bend for this tourism and golf showcase that includes three days of competitive golf and a playoff at Sunriver’s Crosswater. Players have the opportunity to play on a different championship course each day followed by 19th hole dinners and socializing. (Read microbrew pints and cigars). $530 per player. Sunriver Resort. Register pacamgolf.com
Kim Cooper Findling Reading
thursday 30
Spunky blonde Kim Cooper Findling likes to say Chance of Sun: An Oregon Memoir is a story of sex, drugs and camping. The book is 23 essays about her journey from a misty Oregon coast childhood to a druggy, boozy low point in Portland and finally to the clarity she found on the east side of the mountains. The book is very Oregon, plus she’s smart and funny. All good reasons to go. 6 p.m. Nature of Words, 224 NW Oregon Ave.
Madeleine Peyroux
thursday 30
Peyroux’s influences include Patsy Cline and Billie Holiday. She was raised by rather nomadic, eccentric academic parents. Her teenage years were spent on the streets of Paris busking with jazz singers. She jazzes up Hank Williams and Bob Dylan covers. She is smooth. Yeah, we’re into it. $25. Doors at 6 p.m. Athletic Club of Bend, 61615 Athletic Club Dr.
