By Amber Ford, The Mountain Times The Mt. Hood Villages and Mt. Hood National Forest are home to many creatives who seek inspiration and refuge in the beauty that is their backyard. But one lifelong local has taken her residence and not only used it as inspiration for her artwork, but has created and designed pieces that give meaning, direction, and knowledge to her beloved community. Mt. Hood Villages resident Liz Cox is not only a gifted artist, but is also using her skills

By Justin Andress, The Mountain Times For its 10th year, the Clackamas ESD Regional Art Show called attention to the creative efforts of Clackamas County students in middle and high school. The show celebrates the work being done by students spread across 10 public school districts and nearly 30 schools. The art show ran from March 30 through April 28, when an awards ceremony announced the winners in each category. Amid the stiff competition, Welches Middle School students st

By Justin Andress, The Mountain Times Beginning June 5, the expansive lot behind Dick Hannah Ford will host the fourth annual Sandy Invitational Chainsaw Competition and Forest Festival. The yearly celebration draws attention to the work being done at Trajectory, a Sandy-based nonprofit that works to bridge the cultural divide between forestry conservation and the logging industry. And what better way to get the public excited about that mission than with a celebration of the

By Gary Randall, For The Mountain Times In the late 1970s and early 1980s, weekends on the mountain had a rhythm of their own. As the work week ended, parking lots filled outside taverns and night spots. Music drifted through the cool evening mountain air. Inside, dance floors stayed crowded long after midnight. Bo Cody was the mountain’s local band. The group played all over the Mount Hood area, but many people remember them most from nights at the Inn Between. The old taver

By Marie Kennedy, The Mountain Times What began as a place for vigils and remembrance after the death of Phoenix Lane is evolving into something larger – a community healing space rooted in spiritual practices, support, and connection. Friends, family members, and community supporters recently gathered at the Hoodland Bazaar, in what is now known as the Phoenix Room in Welches, for an official dedication honoring Phoenix’s legacy and the community response that followed her d

These are close-up illustrations of fruit, by the middle school Art class. Blueberry Pomegranate Kiwi Strawberry Melon Grapefruit

By Marie Kennedy, The Mountain Times At first glance, the 16-year-old Mount Hood-area student appears quiet and unassuming. Sitting in a local coffee shop beside his mother, Rebecca, he speaks softly about music, school, and ongoing work around the family’s home. Beneath that calm demeanor is a young musician performing advanced classical repertoire, studying college-level theory, and preparing for a future in professional music. Charan studies classical violin and trumpet, p

For this season at the Mt. Hood Community College Theatre Department, the sky is the limit. In keeping with their theme of “elevate,” the department will produce Laurel Ollstein’s “They Promised Her the Moon,” highlighting the story of lesser-known aviator and trailblazer Jerrie Cobb. Cobb was trained and meant to be the first female astronaut on the moon, but that dream was never actualized. “The theme is obvious in the idea of someone wanting to go to space,” said Direct

For decades, the Wy’East Artisans Guild has supported local “art, artists, and artisans” throughout the greater Mt. Hood area. Residents know the nonprofit for their stirring public art or their regular art classes, but perhaps their largest impact comes from nurturing the skills and showcasing the talent of some of the area’s most respected artists. The Mountain Times sat down with Communications Chair Becky Hawley to discuss the nonprofit’s history and legacy, its upcoming

It’s not often that The Mt. Hood Villages gets excited about new businesses and events in this small corridor, but residents and neighbors are on pins and needles with the grand opening of Vinyasa Casa. Located in the back of the Thriftway plaza, Vinyasa Casa will not only house a variety of different yoga classes, but will also host a number of exciting community events inspired by the needs and wants of The Mt. Hood Villages. Owner and massage therapist Kristi Carson, along

Early March brought a lively evening of conversation, dinner, and dancing as the Hoodland Women’s Club hosted its annual Spring Fling on March 7 at Alpine Events in Rhododendron. Guests arrived for a relaxed hour of mingling before sitting down to dinner. The celebration continued on the dance floor as DJ Nathan Ostrander kept the music going throughout the night. The event was held at Alpine Events in Rhododendron, with new owners Dani Wolfe and Tony Kelner at the helm. The

The cavern was dark, lit only by flickering candles. Will Frank plucked his guitar, and the sound echoed through the underground café in medieval Caen, France. Nobody spoke his language – and he didn’t speak French – but by the time he reached the “la-la-la” part of Paul Simon’s The Boxer, everyone was singing along. It was 1972. Will had set out across Europe with a backpack and guitar, hitchhiking from country to country for four and a half months, never quite sure what wou

One of Mt. Hood’s most respected institutions, Camp Arrah Wanna, is celebrating 85 years as a summer camp, retreat location, and Mt. Hood landmark. Camp Arrah Wanna has long been a landmark in the Hoodland area. Newcomers to the area quickly discover a new friend or neighbor with some connection to the Christian camp. Arrah Wanna is in the mountain’s bloodstream. And, it has worked hard to earn that spot by providing a safe space for kids throughout the region to learn and gr

Music by Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi will fill the historic Steiner Log Church in Welches this spring when the Bach Cantata Choir presents two special performances on Sunday, May 17. The choir will perform the same one-hour program twice that afternoon, with concerts scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m. and again from 5 to 6 p.m. at the small hand-built Steiner Log Church, 68835 E. Barlow Trail Road. The performance will feature 30 voices from the Bach Cantata Choir accompanied by two vi

Back by popular demand, The Mt. Hood Villages yoga scene returns to the area with a number of classes, days, and times for community members to choose from. After a long hiatus owing to different yoga instructors moving from the mountain to explore other avenues, fresh new community members have relocated to The Mt. Hood Villages, and with them comes a new influx of yoga for the community. Mt. Hood Villages resident and current yoga instructor Elle Mesa is just one of the man

On March 20, the Sandy Parks and Rec Department and Sandy Library are taking over the Sandy Community Center for a night of wholesome, nearly silent fun. For 15 dollars, kids in grades six through 12 can spend two-and-a-half hours hanging with their friends in an environment parents can feel comfortable with. It’s time for the fourth annual Silent Disco at the Sandy Community Center. The Silent Disco is organized by the Parks Department’s Recreation Coordinator, Carol Cohen,

Grief Made Visible is a collection of writing and visual art that fosters greater awareness and understanding of grief within our community. Each year, participants from Mt. Hood Hospice’s free community grief support groups are invited to share artwork and writings that reflect insights from their personal grief journeys. The exhibit typically features 50-70 pieces created by 10-20 artists. Hosted throughout the month of April at AntFarm Café and Bakery in Sandy, Oregon, th

Seven years ago, the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival returned home to the Mt. Hood Community College campus, where, in its heyday, it drew in thousands of jazz enthusiasts and big name musicians like B.B. King, Rosemary Clooney, and Tito Puente. Now under the management of the college — and its Director of Jazz Studies/Music Instructor Dan Davey — the festival has expanded to not only serve up five days of terrific tunes, but opportunities for middle and high school musicians to comp

Hoodland Women’s Club member Emily Overland had been an urban kid all her life. But she’d always dreamed of living in the mountains. Then, two years ago, an opportunity to live on the mountain just dropped into her life. She and her partner moved up here in 2025. “It has been a big adjustment, but we love it,” Emily said. Trails into the woods are right out their front door. “I love the quiet and the slower pace on the mountain. It’s so easy, so fulfilling.” Emily joined HWC

As an avid lover of the written word, both from my own creativity and that of others, my fellow Mountain Times journalists have given me my very own column to discuss all things books and boy, oh boy, am I excited! A passionate pastime of mine, and part of my professional life as a book cafe owner, literature has always been the pinnacle of my existence and, by default, my beloved cat, Eleanor’s. So without further ado, I give to you, a brief synopsis of Maggie O’Farrell’s h