With all the crazy growth the Bend area has experienced over the past years, it's amazing to see that this community can still come together in generous support of a good cause.

Last Friday was such an occasion. As I had previously posted, the fire performance troupe Fyreflyte was holding a fundraiser for an injured family member at the downtown Bend Plaza. I'm sure to no small effect, posts by Jake, Jon over at Hack Bend, and Bendnights.com helped draw a huge crowd - so big in fact, that people were standing thick almost back to the Martini Bar, and the trellises on both sides of the Plaza were laden with young people who had illegally climbed them for better viewing (thanks to the Bend Fire Department for not shutting the performance down because of that ...). With my bum foot, I was relegated to the back of the crowd and only caught occasional glimpses of the spectacle (that's the last time I'm pushing PR for a Bend downtown event I really want to see myself... ;) - but I'm told a DVD of the performance will be available in a couple of weeks. Yay.

Even more stunning than the actual performance - the donations collected: a cool $2,000. (Thanks to Kina for even mailing $20 from Baker City! Wow.).

How insanely, utterly, wonderfully cool is that? I was honestly blown away when Mikey from Fyreflyte called me yesterday to give me the good news.

The only sad thing - this was the troupe's last performance. Fyreflyte is no more. (For various reasons I will not go into here.) There will still be random fire displays and spin jams downtown, but no more coordinated performances by the group as a whole. Bummer too, because the May issue of Bend Living will feature a 9-page portfolio of shots I took of them over the past year.... In a sense, I suppose, it will be a fitting tribute...