August 2026 Sunriver Scene - Flipbook - Page 1
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Sunriver
Music Festival
returns for its
49th season
Aug. 10-20
SROA News ............. 4
Calendar ................ 15
Public Safety........... 30
Classified Ads ......... 39
Page 9
Learn about the
most anticipated
meteor shower
of the year, the
Perseids.
Pages 13
S U N R I V E R
S C E N E
A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
AUGUST 2026
VOLUME XLIX • NUMBER 8
PHOTO BY KRISTINE THOMAS
By Keith Wallach
Sunriver's miles of trails, open
spaces and outdoor recreation opportunities make it a paradise for dogs
and their owners. Whether you're a
year-round resident or visiting for a
summer getaway, there are plenty of
ways to enjoy Central Oregon with
your four-legged friends.
The good news, according to
Sunriver Veterinary Clinic, is that
most summertime pet emergencies
are preventable with a little preparation and awareness.
One of the biggest surprises for
visitors is that one of the most common problems veterinarians see in
the summer has nothing to do with
heat. Instead, it’s grass awns, like
cheatgrass and foxtails.
As grasses dry out during the
summer, the sharp seed heads can
become lodged in a dog's ears, eyes
or between their toes. Because these
grass awns can cause pain and infection, veterinarians recommend
avoiding tall, dry grass whenever possible and checking dogs after hikes
and outdoor adventures.
T D,
Sunriver Solstice 2026: A tale of two tennis tournaments
By Tom Wimberly,
Tournament Director
The weather was warm and sunny for
the Sunriver Solstice Junior Challenger,
the weekend of June 20-21.It was a
different story the following weekend
for the Sunriver Solstice Adult NTRP.
There was a point when the National
Weather Service was actually forecasting
snow showers for the Saturday morning
of the tournament!
The junior tournament was back for
the first time since COVID. Sixty-four
boys and girls, ages 10 to 18, participated in singles and doubles competition. The format was new this year and
was designed to give each player the
maximum number of matches against
the maximum number of opponents.
In some divisions, the round-robin
format meant that a player could have
up to nine singles matches and up to
seven doubles matches. Depending on
the total number of matches a player
could play, the “match” could be a single
6-game set, an 8-game pro set, or the
usual best two out of three sets. The
players appreciated having so many
opportunities to play. Win or lose, there
were smiles on the faces of kids eager to
play tennis against their peers.
The Sunriver Solstice Adult NTRP
was the largest in its 17-year history
with 324 players entered. Of the 300
who indicated their home residence,
115 were from Central Oregon, 185
were from out-of-area and 85 were from
out-of-state. More than 370 matches
were scheduled on the 17 SROA courts
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday
and Sunday.
With so much packed into three
days, I was sure that with any hiccup
the tournament would implode. And
then there was the weather. Although
we didn’t actually get snow, it was cold,
windy and overcast with a few short
rain delays.
The enthusiasm of the players was
amazing. Play continued in spite of the
cold, the wind and the threat of rain.
Friday evening, after closing up at the
North Courts, I drove back to my house
at the south end near the Meadow Village courts.
I saw a group of people on the courts
so went to see what was going on. It
was almost 9 p.m. and it was cold and
getting dark.
The players were walking off the court
as I pulled in. The first words I heard
were, “Did you come to watch? That
was the best match ever!”
I don’t know who won or lost in
that group, but everyone was laughing
and talking about how much fun the
match had been. The sun came out on
Sunday, and the tournament completed
on time with no matches canceled due
to weather.
The Adult tournament included
Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles,
with National Tennis Rating Program
(NTRP) levels of 3.0 (Intermediate)
to Open (Advanced – Expert). Mixed
Doubles is always the most popular
event with many father-daughter,
husband-wife, or other family team
combinations. The Men’s Open Singles
provided some high-level play with a
number of ex-D1 college players participating. Colby Jager returned this
year after a few years absence to reclaim
his title as Men’s Open Champion. It
was great to have him back as he has
been coming to this tournament almost
since its inception, initially as a coach of
some of the junior players and then as
a player himself. It was also great to see
some strong participation in the lowerlevel men’s and women’s singles events.
T S,
SUNRIVER SCENE
SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSN.
VOLUME XLVIV • NUMBER 8
SUNRIVER, OR 97707
Bringing your
dog to Sunriver
this summer?
Here’s what
to know
MARKETING MAIL
US Postage
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Permit #241
Wenatchee, WA 98801
