Friday, November 20, is the busiest public day of the fall at Central Oregon Community College's Bend campus. It is also the last day for much of it. Elevation, the student-run restaurant at Cascade Culinary Institute, serves its final public lunch of the term that afternoon. The CCI Bakery Kiosk opens that morning for one of its last Fridays. That evening, the COCC Big Band Jazz concert fills Wille Hall at no charge.
The public calendar at the campus, 2600 NW College Way, follows the fall term. Elevation's own page counts its final lunch as "the last day open to the public this term." For Awbrey Butte, which counts the college among its nearest neighbors, the public side of campus is open for a few more weeks and then closes for the term just as the rest of Bend gets ready for the holidays. Here is what remains as of this Thursday, in the order it ends.
Lunch on a grading schedule
Elevation is the capstone course for Cascade Culinary Institute students, and the restaurant works like one. Students write the menus, cook the food, serve the guests and get real-time feedback as part of their coursework. Cascade Culinary describes the focus as sustainability, seasonality and regional sourcing.
The fall 2026 format is a three-course fine-dining lunch for $24 per person, served Thursdays and Fridays from October 15 through November 20. Seatings are at 11, 11:15, 11:30 and 11:45 a.m. Today, November 12, the dining room is closed to the public for a Veterans Day luncheon. That leaves three public lunches for the term:
- Friday, November 13
- Thursday, November 19
- Friday, November 20
The Elevation page puts the deadline plainly:
The last day open to the public this term is Nov. 20th.
The rules suit a small group better than a holiday party. Reservations are required and booked through Elevation's Tock page. Diners are asked to book only one or two reservations per term. Tables seat two to four guests, and large parties, holidays, rentals and catering are excluded. The restaurant is at 2555 NW Campus Village Way, open only during reservation times, and takes cash, Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Gratuities go to student scholarships. The menu may change based on availability or student specials, so the posted fall lunch menu shows the style of the meal more than a fixed list.
Elevation's page also says to "check back" for term offerings and holiday events. Until more is posted, November 20 is the last date on its public calendar.
Friday mornings last two weeks longer
The same building has a cheaper, quicker option that runs past the restaurant's closing date. The CCI Bakery Kiosk sits at the east end of the Cascade Culinary Institute building, beside the Elevation entrance. It is open Fridays from 7:30 to 10 a.m. or until the goods sell out.
Items cost $2 to $4, and COCC students pay half price. There are no reservations or pre-orders, so it works for a morning when lunch at 11 doesn't. The fall schedule runs from October 16 through December 4 and skips Thanksgiving week. From today, that leaves three Fridays: November 13, November 20 and December 4.
On November 13 and November 20, you can stop at the kiosk for breakfast and come back to the same building a few hours later for a seated lunch, if you booked a table. After November 20, the kiosk is the only CCI food option left, and only for one more Friday.
The Turkey Trot dropped the stopwatch
The COCC 5K "Turkey Trot" is in its 27th year and runs this Saturday, November 14, at the Mazama Track on the Bend campus. Check-in opens at 9:45 a.m., the free Toddler Trot starts at 10, and the 5K starts at 10:30.
This year's race is a different event than it was. COCC removed race bibs, chip timing, official printed results, age divisions, prizes and awards. A race clock at the start and finish line is the only timing. The college explains the change on its races page:
Our goal is to simplify event operations and direct all proceeds towards supporting COCC student scholarships while continuing to provide a fun, family-friendly Turkey Trot tradition for our community.
Community participants pay $20, and COCC students and staff run free. The fee covers a T-shirt and breakfast foods, and the proceeds go to COCC Foundation scholarships, according to MyCentralOregon's November 1 preview. COCC strongly encourages registering in advance through its Turkey Trot registration page.
The Toddler Trot is the event for the smallest runners in the family. Kids race the full length of the athletic field in two categories, ages 3 and younger and ages 5 and younger. There is no online registration. MyCentralOregon's preview asks families to arrive by 9:30 a.m.
The money from Saturday's race goes to the same place as the tips left at Elevation's tables. Both support student scholarships.
The evening and the gallery that close the term
The night of November 20 belongs to music. Central Oregon Jazz lists a COCC Big Band Jazz concert at 7 p.m. that Friday in Wille Hall, inside the Coats Campus Center. Admission is free and donations are welcome. Wille Hall is the same room that hosts the college's Nancy R. Chandler Lecture Series, so plenty of neighbors already know the way in.
The last date on the fall calendar belongs to a quieter room. "The Best of the High Desert Art League" hangs in the Rotunda Gallery at Barber Library through December 6, 2026. It opened September 16, so the remaining weeks are the end of a show that has run all fall.
The fall calendar, by closing date
Here is everything above in one view, from the vantage point of this Thursday, November 12:
| What | Where on campus | Remaining public dates | Cost and details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevation three-course lunch | 2555 NW Campus Village Way | Nov. 13, 19, 20 | $24 per person, reservation required |
| COCC 5K Turkey Trot | Mazama Track | Sat., Nov. 14, 10:30 a.m. | $20 community, Toddler Trot free |
| CCI Bakery Kiosk | East end of CCI building | Fridays Nov. 13, 20 and Dec. 4, 7:30–10 a.m. | $2–$4 per item |
| COCC Big Band Jazz | Wille Hall, Coats Campus Center | Fri., Nov. 20, 7 p.m. | Free, donations welcome |
| "The Best of the High Desert Art League" | Rotunda Gallery, Barber Library | Through Dec. 6 | Opened Sept. 16 |
Look at the table by date and the season comes together on Friday, November 20, with breakfast at the kiosk, the last Elevation lunch and the evening concert. After that, only the bakery's December 4 morning and the gallery's final weekend remain before the campus closes for the term.
The college's schedule pairs well with the rest of the butte's late-season routine. Our Awbrey Butte fall playbook covers the trail side of the same weeks, and the Awbrey Butte neighborhood page maps the streets around it.
At Bend Living, we keep track of what happens around Awbrey Butte through the seasons, including when the college opens up to its neighbors. If you'd like to talk about the neighborhood, whether you're thinking about your own home or your next move, we'd be glad to have you join us. Schedule a Consultation.
