Community Conversations: Central Oregon Aerial Arts brings a spooky spectacle to the Old Mill
Lynsey Harris
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon Aerial Arts is taking Halloween at the Old Mill to new heights, bringing its annual spooky showcase back to the community.
“They put on a really big Halloween spectacular for all the kiddos to do their trick-or-treating,” said owner Kendall Knowles. “We’ve been putting on a Halloween show where our performance troupe, about nine performers this year, will each do their own solo act, being scary, spooky, or just plain crazy.”
Knowles said the tradition has become one of the studio’s favorite community events.
“It’s so much fun to see the kids’ reactions,” she said. “Each of our performers really leans into their character, some are creepy, some are funny, and all of them are amazing to watch.”
Knowles said her journey to opening Central Oregon Aerial Arts began more than a decade ago.
“I grew up here, we moved up here in 1989 from California,” she said. “I went to college in Reno, Nevada, and got really involved in the arts community there. I moved up here in 2012 and opened Central Oregon Aerial Arts in 2013.”
Instructor Lauren Fletcher said the studio offers a welcoming environment for anyone interested in trying aerial arts, even those with no prior experience. “We love people who’ve never done it before,” Fletcher said. “We teach everybody individually. You can drop in any time, learn a few poses, and get a few picture-worthy moments while getting stronger.”
Fletcher said what makes the studio unique is how personal the experience is.
“Everything is connected to the person,” she said. “As quickly as you need or as slow as you need, we’re going to make sure you’ve got exactly what you need.”
She added that the art form has flourished locally. “We’ve definitely seen aerial arts explode,” Fletcher said. “As the longest standing studio in Central Oregon, we’ve had a chance to really watch it go from a small art form to a performance-based community.”
The group’s Halloween show is one more way they’re sharing that art, and a little bit of Halloween magic, with Central Oregon.