Wood River Valley Guide 2011 by Boise Weekly

WOOD RIVER VALLEY GUIDE 2011

PRESENTED BY BOISE WEEKLY

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VOLKSWAGEN BOISE

Welcome to the 2011 WOOD RIVER VALLEY GUIDE Getting away from it all doesn’t mean you have to A) take out a loan, B) take an extended leave of absence, or C) dig out your passport. In fact, for those of us who live in Southern Idaho, a grand escape is mere hours away. A short drive can take you to a magical land where your hands don’t burn on your steering wheel on a summer day, crisp air greets you in the morning and star-filled skies glitter overhead at night. OK, so maybe it’s not actually magical, but the Wood River Valley offers an all-toorare escape from the city, and one that is completely doable over a single weekend. This is Boise Weekly’s third annual Wood River Valley Summer Guide, your

go-to guide for plotting your mountain minivacation this year. Whether you’re interested in the arts, big-name concerts, festivals, hours spent antiquing or racking up miles on some stunning trails, you’ll find it in this guide. Check out the extensive calendar to help you plan your fun-filled vacation. Of course, if you’re more interested in dedicating yourself to some quality time spent sipping a drink under the clear, blue skies while munching some gourmet goodies, we’ve got you covered, too, with some of our picks for the best al fresco dining around. Mark off a weekend on your calendar before the entire summer fills up.

The valley’s “Best Price” dealership.

—Deanna Darr

Table of

Contents

outdoors by the numbers

Events Calendar

Big Names, Big Concerts

Sun Valley Dining Out(side) is In

Farm Fresh

Sun Valley’s Fine Art

The all-new 2011 Jetta

Great. For the price of good. 8400 W Franklin Rd., Boise 83709 l (208) 377-5400 l www.VolkswagenofBoise.com

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Away from the hubbub is yurt biking at Sun Valley Trekking’s Coyote Yurt, the only backcountry yurt in the Sun Valley area open summer and fall to hikers and bikers. Offerings may be expanded with the Forest Service recently announcing Sun Valley Trekking and Galena Lodge will receive new permits for guided mountain biking this summer on National Forest trails. Be sure to check in at the Ketchum Ranger District office on Sun Valley Road for more information. Check with Sun Valley Trekking (svtrek.com) for yurt and guided hiking prices.

OUTDOORS BY THE NUMBERS

10 things to keep you busy

Yurts

— M AT T F U R B E R — illustrations by adam rosenlund

If Leonardo Da Vinci is out there in a time machine somewhere in the cosmos, he is sure to hit Sun Valley at some point to test out the progress of humanity’s most elegant invention: the bicycle. Of course, bikes still have greasy chains and it takes a few rough tumbles to learn how to ride in the mountains, but for artists, anglers, horse people, David Hockney and blown glass fans and at least one bicycle, Sun Valley has many affordable outdoor options for active travelers, even if they really came for the arts. Top billing for 2011 is the first Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival (ridesunvalley.com) presented by Sun Valley bicycle manufacturer Scott. From Monday, July 11-Sunday, July 17, visitors can learn about the Sun Valley riding scene from the experts while watching the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross-Country National Championships (usacycling.org/ mtb). Greg Randolph, a former cycling champion and spokesman for the event, said the highlight will be the Local Stoker Rides—a free tour of Sun Valley’s single track. And this is a full-service tour, including a ride, shuttle and a guide. Randolph said the Sun Valley course designs make for an excellent set of spectator races, from Bald Mountain downhill to Ketchum Town Square Fat Tire Criterium. “It is the most spectator-friendly mountain biking course I have ever seen,” he said. Better yet, it’s free.

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Something similar but definitely more youth oriented is the Galena Summer Camp (galenalodge.com), which is a mix of local and visiting children who come to “get dirty and play” in the outdoors, said chef Don Schepler, who with his wife, Erin Zell, manages Galena Lodge. Famous as a former mining town, the heritage of Galena comes to life in summer. There is a wagon ride and barbecue every Thursday—the same wagon that has transported many a bride to be wed in the regal backdrop of Senate Meadows. Mystic Saddle Ranch offers daily horse rides. Camp costs $250 to $395 per week.

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BIKING

Horseback riding and llama treks in the Sun Valley area are a huge opportunity to transform a cowpoke into a swashbuckler able to clang spurs with the best wranglers. There are eight outfitters listed on the visit Sun Valley website (visitsunvalley.com) that cater to travelers interested in animalguided adventures, which can include pack mule aid during hunting season. Those willing to muck out a stall or two might even find a free riding lesson. Mystic Saddle Ranch (mysticsaddleranch. com) charges adults $75 for a half-day ride.

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Another free way to play in the dirt is at the pump parks, where kids and adults test dirt bike skills in Ketchum and Hailey. The already popular Ketchum park—located across from Hemingway Elementary School—was expanded last fall. The Hailey park—adjacent to the Blaine County Aquatic Center—boasts a beginners’ area. Both parks were built by the volunteer Wood River Bike Coalition, which is largely responsible for the stewardship of Sun Valley’s 400 continuous miles of world-class single track.

Sun Valley biking is not all about dirt, however. Local outfitters (read “bikeshops”) offer weekly free group rides, including Wednesday night road rides. Meet at The Elephant’s Perch (elephantsperch.com) for a prompt 5 p.m. start.

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The Wood River YMCA (woodriverymca.org) in Ketchum has a 30-foothigh climbing gym with about a dozen belay stations that can help prepare the vertically inclined athlete with a climbing waiver and ambition to tackle the Mountaineers Route on the Elephants Perch in the Sawtooth Mountains or any one of the hundreds of climbs, many pioneered by Wood River Valley climbers, at the City of Rocks down south. The gym charges $3 each for harness and shoe rentals or $5 for both. Staff belays are $5 for two climbs and $10 for five climbs. Check with Sawtooth Mountain Guides (sawtoothguides. com) for climbing guide prices.

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Although the word “fore!” sounds something like the wartime adage “fire in the hole!” when used appropriately, it is reserved as a mild declaration of warning for the most gentlemanly of Sun Valley sports: golf. The valley boasts half a dozen courses and tee times rarely include a wait. Knickers, cleats and other golf attire are welcome—the more vintage the better, especially at the Sawtooths Putting Course at the Sun Valley Club (sunvalley.com/golf/ sawtooth), the resort’s latest lodge addition. Putting is $3 for children and $5 for adults.

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Golf

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More than a dozen outfitters listed on the visit Sun Valley website (visitsunvalley.com) will point anglers and rafters toward water sports on the rivers of the Sun Valley area. Hiring a guide and buying licenses will cost, but like most activities in the Sun Valley area, the greatest expense is really transportation, food and shelter. Famed spots such as Silver Creek, the Big Wood River, the Big Lost River, Copper Basin and the Little Wood River all lure those with a penchant for fish and game.

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The same attire plus kneepads and a helmet can also be used for the Ketchum and Hailey skateboarding pools, ramp lips and pipes. Just ask for a tour. The Hailey park is located by the Snow Bunny Restaurant and the new rodeo grounds and visitors’ center now under construction. The Ketchum park is located on Warm Springs Road west of the Wood River YMCA and it’s free for users.

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Sun Valley Summer Symphony

Weekly charity concerts to benefit the Envrionmental Resource Center on Wednesday evenings through the summer beginning Wednesday, June 29, at the Wicked Spud in Hailey. 208-788-0009, ercsv.org.

July

Hailey’s Main Street Antique Show

The bluegrass legend brings her Paper Airplane Summer Tour featuring Jerry Douglass to the Sun Valley Pavilion on Saturday, July 2. Tickets $29-$110, seats.sunvalley.com.

One night, two shows. Featuring Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, Bela Fleck and the Original Flecktones and an

Sun Valley Shakedown

Pavilion and on the lawn outside. The season runs Sunday, July 24-Tuesday, Aug. 16. Open seating begins at 5:30 p.m. Concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. svsummersymphony.org.

Take in free classical music performances in the Sun Valley

Cross-country and marathon race Saturday, July 23, sponsored by Knobby Tires Series, includes double track, single track, creek crossings, flats and climbs, all with scenic mountain views. knobbytireseries.com.

Back Alley Concert Series

Alison Krauss & Union Station

Galena Grinder

Company of Fools presents Annie Baker’s Obie Award-winning play at the Liberty Theatre, Tuesday, June 28-Saturday, July 9. companyoffools.org.

Sun Valley Center Wine Auction

The popular fair in a beautiful setting sells only handcrafted items with food available. Saturday, July 16-Sunday, July 17, in Stanley.

35th Annual Sawtooth Mountain Mama’s Arts And Crafts Fair

Free events throughout the month of July include art walks, concerts, farmers and artist markets and theater productions. Includes the Night of Music on Monday, July 11. haileycityhall.org.

A Month of Art in Hailey

Enjoy gimlets and music from the Joe Fos Trio to benefit the Sawtooth Botanical Garden’s educational programs on Saturday, July 16. Tickets are $100, sbgarden.org.

Gimlets in the Garden Fundraiser

Stroll through private gardens to learn about native and cultivated plants, as well as to see unique garden designs on Saturday, July 16. Tickets are $35 for Sawtooth Botanical Garden members and $45 for nonmembers. sbgarden.org.

16th Annual Garden Tour

The 30th annual event runs Thursday, July 21-Saturday, July 23, and includes the auction gala, vintner dinners in private homes, a hosted wine picnic on a golf course, and a tasting of wines from 120 wineries. sunvalleycenter.org.

Circle Mirror Transformation

The Tuesday evening free concerts are held in Ketchum’s Forest Service Park and run June 14-Aug. 30. A local band opens at 7 p.m., followed by a headliner act at 7:30 p.m. allsunvalley.com.

Ketch’em Alive 2010 Summer Concert Series

The free concerts run Sunday, June 26-Sunday, July 31, in Rotary Park on Warm Springs Road in Ketchum. The concerts begin at 6 p.m.

Sunday Evening Jazz In T he Park

The 10-piece Latin-funk orchestra plays Hop Porter Park on Thursday, June 16. Tickets $5-$20, sunvalleycenter.org.

Grupo Fantasma

June

cAlenDAr OF eVents

Colin Hay

Bellevue’s Labor Day festivities kick off with a street dance on Saturday, Sept. 3, followed by a parade on Sunday, Sept. 4, with music, food, crafts and antiques in the Bellevue Park. On Monday, Sept. 5, the celebration includes music, art, vendors and children’s activities.

Bellevue Labor Day Celebration

This celebration of Idaho’s mining history runs Friday, Sept. 2-Monday, Sept. 5. wagondays.com.

2011 Wagon Days Celebration

september

The two-day festival Saturday Aug. 20-Sunday, Aug. 21, at Pioneer Park in Stanley includes educational tours and booths, along with food, vendors and entertainment. stanleycc.org.

Sawtooth Salmon Festival

Conference held Friday, Aug. 19-Monday, Aug. 22, features talks, readings and group discussions led by distinguished writers, including Poet Laureate of the United States W.S. Merwin, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks. 800-841-4906. svwc.com.

Sun Valley Writers’ Conference

Bring the whole family to groove to their unique sound at River Run Lodge on Monday, Aug. 15. Tickets $35-$80, sunvalleycenter.org.

Michael Franti and Spearhead

Labor Day weekend in Ketchum means the return of the granddaddy of all area festivals: the 54th annual Wagon Days. The three-day event is a celebration of the area’s mining past, and visitors can spend the weekend checking out gallery walks, a classic car auction, an Old Western shootout, antique fairs and star-studded ice shows. But the highlight is the Big Hitch parade, featuring museum-quality buggies and wagons. Anchoring the parade is the Big Hitch—six 15-foot-tall Lewis Ore Wagons

Wagon Days Friday, sept. 2-monday, sept. 5

For the last 34 years, Hailey has been a destination for folk music fans. This year’s lineup includes Quailfish, Rose’s Pawn Shop, James McMurtry, Sloans, Justin Wells, Carly Gibson, Intersection, Slow Children Playing, Up A Creek, Bill Coffey and The Gourds. Music lovers can plop themselves on a blanket in Hop Porter Park along the Big Wood River all weekend for $32. In addition to the music, downtown Hailey will host a two-day craft festival on Saturday, Aug. 6-Sunday, Aug. 7. For more information, visit nrff.net.

northern rockies Folk Festival Friday, Aug. 5-saturday, Aug. 6

The holiday weekend is filled with events from one end of the valley to the other. Hailey is hosting a three-day antique show, while Alison Krauss and Union Station will be rockin’ in Ketchum. But the real Americana will be happening at the Hailey Days of the Old West celebration. The annual event is as much a celebration of Western small town culture as Independence Day and includes three nights of rodeo. The oldfashioned celebration continues Monday, July 4, with a children’s carnival and a parade down Main Street followed by a criterion bike race. The day finishes with a concert by the Army Band in Fox Acres Park and the ever-important fireworks display beginning at dusk. For more information, visit haileyidaho.com or call 208-788-3484.

Fourth of July saturday, July 2-monday, July 4

Need an excuse for a weekend getaway? The Wood River Valley hosts a rich series of festivals throughout the summer and fall that can provide the perfect reason to head to the mountains.

FestiVAls WOrtH tHe trip

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Crosstoberfest, Saturday, Oct. 29-Sunday, Oct. 30, features the 2010 Idaho State Championship Cycle Cross, as well as a traditional Bavarian Oktoberfest-style festival with food, a beer garden and music. sunvalley.com.

2010 Crosstoberfest

The event held Thursday, Oct. 20-Saturday, Oct. 22, celebrates Hemingway’s history in the Wood River Valley. The event includes lectures, speaker presentations and a Hemingway Haunts tour of Papa’s favorite spots in the area. thecommunitylibrary.org.

Ernest Hemingway Symposium

Get in the mood at the 21st annual Jazz Jamboree Wednesday, Oct. 12-Sunday, Oct. 16. Times and locations vary. sunvalleyjazz.com.

Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree

The 15th annual event in Ketchum runs Friday, Oct. 7-Sunday, Oct. 9, and honors the history and culture of sheep ranching in the West. trailingofthesheep.org.

Trailing Of the Sheep Festival

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The 33rd annual Baldy Hill Climb Saturday, Sept. 24, will include both hiking and mountain bike events. Also featured is the “Baldy Double,” consisting of a mountain bike race followed by a hiking race. svsef.org.

Baldy Hill Climb

Formerly the Sun Valley Food and Wine Festival, the event, held Friday, Sept.23-Sunday, Sept. 25, will feature cooking demonstrations by visiting regional chefs, wine and beer tastings, a culinary trade show, a restaurant walk, chefs’ dinners and a beer garden, all focused on regional sustainable products. sunvalleyharvestfestival.com.

Sun Valley Harvest Festival

See a collection of traditional and contemporary quilt designs on Friday, Sept. 16-Sunday, Sept. 18, in the heart of Stanley. stanleycc.org.

Sawtooth Mountain Mamas Annual Quilt Festival

Classics mixed with new music from the former front man for Men at Work at the Sun Valley Opera House on Sunday, Sept. 18. Tickets $20-$25, sunvalleycenter.org.

July 21-23

August 2

Sun Valley Center for the Arts sunvalleycenter.org | 208.726.9491

—Deanna Darr

The festival season in Sun Valley comes to a conclusion with a celebration of all things jazz. For five days, more than 40 groups perform every incarnation of jazz across the town, playing more than 300 shows in all. No matter the time of day, jazz can be heard, drawing crowds from across the country. The earlier you buy your passes for this one, the cheaper they are, but they top out at $144 for a five-day pass. For info, check out sunvalleyjazz.com.

sun Valley Jazz Jamboree Wednesday, Oct. 12-sunday, Oct. 16

Sheep once ruled the Wood River Valley, and for a brief period each fall, they do again. The three-day festival is all about living history. The 15th annual event will include music, wool spinning and sheep dog demonstrations, story telling, sheeporiented crafts and some lessons on cooking with lamb (don’t tell the sheep). The event’s highlight is on Sunday, when masses of sheep making their way from summer to winter pastures are the centerpiece of a parade. For more information, check out trailingofthesheep.org.

trailing of the sheep Friday, Oct. 7-sunday, Oct. 9

What was once the Sun Valley Food and Wine Festival is now all about the fall harvest. The event focuses on regional foods with cooking demos, beer and wine tastings, a restaurant walk, chefs’ dinners, a martini and caviar party and a River Guide Culinary Competition, showing off Dutch oven skills. The weekend’s finale will be the Grand Tasting, with proceeds going to the Make A Wish Foundation. Check sunvalleyharvestfestival.com for a full schedule.

sun Valley Harvest Festival Friday, sept. 23-sunday, sept. 25

pulled by a 20-mule jerkline. Crowds line up to see the team make the 90-degree turn at Main Street and Sun Valley Road, a maneuver that requires the muleskinner to move half the mules to one side of the hitch. Of course, watching 24,000 pounds of antique wagons heading back down Saddle Butte is exciting in its own right. For more information, visit wagondays.com.

August 12-14

August 15

MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD

SUN VALLEY CENTER ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL

RICKIE LEE JONES

SUN VALLEY CENTER WINE AUCTION

THE AVETT BROTHERS July 13

The 2011 Sun Valley Center Arts and Crafts Festival will run Friday, Aug. 12-Sunday, Aug. 14, and will include more than 130 artists with fine arts and crafts, including painting, photography, fiber, ceramic, metal, jewelry and woodwork. Atkinson Park, sunvalleycenter.org.

43rd Annual Sun Valley Center Arts and Crafts Festival

Three-day concert festival featuring members of the musical family, their bands and friends playing to a packed crowd at the Challis Community Stage. Thursday, Aug. 11-Saturday, Aug. 13, $45 one-day pass, $74.95 two-day pass, $99.95 three-day pass. braunbrothersreunion.com.

Braun Brothers Reunion

Music festival at Hop Porter Park in Hailey Friday, Aug. 5-Saturday, Aug. 6, featuring headliners Lisa Haley and the Zydekats and Kelly Willis. nrff.net.

33rd Annual Northern Rockies Folk Festival

On Tuesday, Aug. 2, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter will perform at River Run Lodge. Tickets $35-$80, sunvalleycenter.org.

Rickie Lee Jones

August

The annual summer event brings out the outdoor enthusiasts to ride the 20-mile Wood River Trail, a paved bike path that runs along the river and through the streams from Ketchum to Sun Valley on Saturday, July 30. bcrd.org.

Ride the Rails

Three days of music in the mountains, Friday, July 29-Sunday, July 31. $50-$55 weekend pass, or $20-$40 single-day ticket, ages 12 and younger get in free. $10-$22 camping pass, Pioneer Park, Stanley, sawtoothmusicfestival.com.

Sawtooth Music Festival

after party at Whiskey Jacques. All ages are welcome, and camping is available. Thursday, July 28. Tickets $48-$125, kids 10 and younger are FREE. Sun Valley Festival Meadows, sunvalleyshakedown.com.

Save the dates & head to the mountains for these great events!

The Sun Valley Opera is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an evening of favorite songs performed by a five-voice ensemble on Sunday, July 10. sunvalleyopera.com.

Sun Valley Opera: Midsummer Night’s Serenade

Celebrate some of the country’s best race courses and more than 400 miles of continuous singletrack, bike parks and paved bike paths during this week-long event from Monday, July 11-Sunday, July 17. Includes the Fat Tire Criterium for amateurs and pros and USA National Mountain Biking Championships. ridesunvalley.com.

Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival

The white-hot Americana group takes the stage at the Sun Valley Pavilion on Wednesday, July 13. Tickets $25-$40, sunvalleycenter.org.

Avett Brothers

Booths will be set up at Sun Valley Festival Meadows from Friday, July 8-Sunday, July 10, featuring work from more than 100 Wood River Valley artists, as well as live music, dancers, poets, chefs, brewmeisters and a new children’s festival tent. ketchumartsfestival.com.

Ketchum Arts Festival

A celebration of the Old West, including a Fourth of July parade, Days of the Old West rodeo and community fireworks. Saturday, July 2-Monday, July 4. haileyidaho.com.

Hailey Days of the Old West

Ketchum Antiques Show comes to town during the Fourth of July weekend, Friday, July 1-Monday, July 4, at the Nexstage Theatre on Main Street. 208-720-5547.

Ketchum Antiques Show

Everyone loves a parade, especially one that marches through downtown Hailey, followed by a bike race hosted by the Blaine County Recreation District. The Fourth of July Bike Criterium features a carnival with bounce houses, face painting and children’s activities. haileyidaho.com.

Fourth of July

The annual music festival runs Friday, July 1-Saturday, July 2, at Bellevue Memorial Park. Music starts at 5 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday. Tickets $10 advance; $12 door. 208788-1526.

Bigwood Folk Festival

Watch as world-class ice skaters perform on the ice rink every Saturday from July 2-Sept. 3, at the Sun Valley Lodge. Tickets $54-$107, sunvalley.com.

Sun Valley Summer Ice Shows

More than 50 antique dealers will set up shop on Main St. Friday, July 1-Sunday, July 3.

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Big Names, Big Concerts

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Sun Valley works its magic to attract leading acts — MATT F URBER —

ntimate music venues are what make Sun Valley, said Kristine Bretall of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, who has booked everyone from Bob Dylan to Michael Franti. “Even our big concerts max out at about 4,000 people, which means you can see your favorite performers in really small settings,” Bretall said. “One of the great things about Sun Valley Center concerts at River Run is that you can bring in a full picnic, sit wherever you want, see friends, mix and mingle, and have Baldy behind you with top-notch performers in front of you.” Booking shows in Sun Valley—including Groupo Fantasma, Avett Brothers, Rickie Lee Jones and Michael Franti and Spearhead, all scheduled for this summer—is like trying to win the lottery, Bretall said. “As everyone who spends time here knows—and secretly loves—it’s not easy to get here and we’re not close to any big cities. When trying to book big-name concerts, we have to try to find them as they are touring, and catch them when they’re nearby.” Peak Productions has booked Bela Fleck and the Original Flecktones and Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, who will perform separately and together for a finale at the first Sun Valley Shakedown (sunvalleyshakedown. com) at the Sun Valley Festival Meadows on Thursday, July 28. “As a producer and a promoter here, you have to go beyond the people who live here. You just have to appeal to the region,” said Jay Fry, principal promoter of the Shakedown. John Mauldin, Sun Valley’s director of entertainment, who booked Bill Cosby, Alison

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Krauss and Union Station and the Robert Moses’ Kin Dance Company, said it helps when artists want to spend time in the area. “The public demands good entertainment,” Mauldin said. “If you don’t come through with good entertainment, I hear about it.” Fry said he and his supporters want The Shakedown to be a destination festival and he hopes to add a day to the event in 2012. Who performs in Sun Valley is also dictated by local interest, he added. “We’re almost too straight-laced for Widespread Panic. Would we do a Vans Warped Tour here? Probably not, but Boise would kill it ... It is a challenge to get the bigger artists here. You might think that Springsteen should love to come here because he stays here on vacation, but when you’re on tour, you’re working—vacation when it’s time for vacation.” Of course, some musicians are swayed by the beauty of Sun Valley and sometimes fit it in. “With the Avett Brothers, I’d been talking to their agent about them for about the last year and called him one day this winter to remind him of my interest. He’d just booked them in Colorado at Red Rocks and he was looking to fill in travel locations. Lottery win,” Bretall said with utter enthusiasm for the show. “All the stars lined up on this one, including having a venue available. They often don’t. But it’s wonderful to try to find the needle in the haystack, and this summer, I feel that I came up with four winning lottery tickets with our four concert series.” www. b o i s e we e kly. c o m

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DAVID S EELIg

R i v e r Va l l e y G d ui oo de W

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Sun Valley Dining Out(side) is In

The Top Ten

T he best places to go al fresco

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— M AT T F U R B E R —

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occe at The Powerhouse Pub & Bike Fit Studio in Hailey and ping pong at Rickshaw in Ketchum are not the first things that come to mind for most gourmands contemplating dining options. However, patrons who love to mix mountain breezes with fresh homemade food will thrive on the bounty of the state Highway 75 culinary corridor. Veteran Ketchum chef Chris Kastner, owner of CK’s Real Food (320 S. Main St., Hailey) has perfected the outdoor dining experience. After 17 years with Ketchum’s former outdoor hotspot Evergreen, Kastner brought his outdoorsy style to Hailey, where the perennial gardens of his slow food establishment on Main Street, managed by master gardener Mary Ann Wuebker, are responsible for transforming at least a few Hailey visitors into regulars. It is common to see Kastner returning from Croy Canyon on his mountain bike before a shift. Even a small metal table and chair precariously perched on a curb allows diners to soak up the valley’s ambiance, but many substantial patios, decks and porches cater to dining en plein air. The outdoor games, including the chessboard in the Wicked Spud beer garden (305 N. Main St., Hailey), and especially the Sawtooths Putting Course at the Sun Valley Clubhouse (200 Trail Creek Road, Sun Valley), go well with cold beer or a bottle of sake. It is a fitting cool down from a day of outdoor adventure or after dipping into the artistic pursuits that breathe life into Sun Valley. Between the Timmerman Hill, U.S. Highway 20 and

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Highway 75 junction and Stanley in the Sawtooth Valley, nearly every restaurateur and coffee shop or pub owner offers some homage to the sun and fresh air, like the tiny but adequate portico at Wize Guy Pizza Pie (460 Sun Valley Road, Ketchum). The Hailey store shares a more spacious raised dining patio with large tables and umbrellas with Ketchum Burritos (126 S. Main St., Hailey) for those with the need to spread out. It also has more shade than some outdoor haunts for those feeling a little sun-weary. KBs offers a summer food cart in Ketchum on the curb by Sturtevants Mountain Outfitters (340 N. Main St.) for a ready meal enjoyed anywhere in the mountains. Even those sticking to the main drag will find many gastronomic enterprises with outdoor seating. A quick peek at the visitsunvalley.com dining guide opens even the repeat visitor to new tantalizing dining experiences. Take Oak Street Foods (109 Oak St., Bellevue), which has perhaps the quintessential garden patio for a leisurely lunch. The roomy deck at El Pastor (321 S. Main St., Bellevue) is a sunny treat for Mexican food aficionados. Don’t be surprised if their taco truck also shows up at any number of outdoor events. Hailey is a tough nut to crack for the passerby because there are so many choices. The Cowboy Cocina (111 N. First Ave., Ste. 1C, Hailey), secluded in the Meriwether Building, offers some comforting shade with bottomless swamp water for a hot day. The building is also home to one of the two Java coffee houses in the valley (191 Fourth St. W., Ketchum; 111 N. First Ave., Hailey), each with sunny outdoor spots for a morning espresso shot. Back to bocce, another thing that makes the Powerhouse

(411 N. Main St., Hailey) a delight, beyond the homemade ketchup and a beer list so lengthy it is in fine print, are the custom outdoor tables made by artist Nate Galpin—who is also contributing artistic bike racks with a group of other artists for the multi-million-dollar Woodside Boulevard reconstruction. Galpin’s contemporary, outdoor table designs and the Powerhouse ambiance smacks of Bavarian beer gardens. It feels proper to plunk a respectable pint on the sturdy wooden planks in sheer appreciation of Mother Nature’s finest. Shorty’s Diner (126 S. Main St., Hailey) has dependable umbrella seating that is sunny side up. On an unhurried morning when the orb is a little higher in the sky, another prime outdoor breakfast spot in the county seat is Zaney’s River Street Coffee House (208 N. River St., Hailey). It’s simply a good place to sip a hot brew, catch up on local happenings and contemplate life. Ketchum delivers the al fresco goods from the extended sidewalk in front of the sun-focused Coffee Grinder (321 E. Fourth St., Ketchum) to the rooftops of The Roosevelt Grill (280 Main St., Ketchum) and The Sawtooth Club (231 N. Main St., Ketchum), and the newer Sego Restaurant (131 N. Washington Ave., Ketchum)—all are outdoor venues with impeccable views. Back to ping pong, Rickshaw (460 N. Washington Ave., Ketchum) also stokes a fire for cooler evenings. An unrivaled old-world experience is certainly choosing an excellent wine to accompany the cuisine and ambiance of a meal outside at Michel’s Christiania Restaurant & Olympic Bar (303 N. Walnut Ave., Ketchum), not to be confused with Cristina’s Restaurant & Bakery (520 Second St. E., Ketchum), where a sumptuous outdoor lunch is nationally acclaimed. www. b o i s e we e kly. c o m

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Farm Fresh

Community is the kernel of Wood River farmers markets

lthough Wood — MATT River Valley farmers markets take place on Tuesdays in Ketchum (East Avenue and Fourth Street) and Thursdays in Hailey (Main Street between Carbonate and Galena streets) from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., fresh Idaho produce is available every day somewhere in the Sun Valley area. Because the growing season in the mountains is constrained by climate, in recent years, promoters of locavore living have developed strong ties to farmers in Southern Idaho communities from Picabo to Buhl. “We kind of fill in the gaps,” said Melinda Springs, who, with her husband Richard, runs the Wood River Sustainability Center. Springs has offered the center to Idaho’s Bounty, a non-profit food distribution cooperative that works with some 60 farmers, for its online orders for Wednesday pickup. Idaho’s Bounty and the Sustainability Center’s year-round indoor farmers market (308 S. River St., Hailey) work with many of the same farmers who create the profusion of fresh local veggies, herbs, trout and assorted goods, including fresh-baked breads, jewelry, photography, stained glass and clothing for the farmers markets. Fans and farmers post updates daily on Twitter and Facebook. “Buying local products is not like buywww. b oiseweekly.c o m

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ing processed packaged products,” said Manon Gaudreau, a new U.S. resident from Quebec. She said she lets salad greens soak in water for an hour to restore crispness. “I have a goal to eat 80 percent local. That means buying local and processing myself. It can be time consuming, but it is like a hobby—to preserve your food for a week, you have to plan a little.” Gaudreau said one interesting fact about the increasing popularity of the farmers markets is that Southern Idaho farmers can rely a little less on exports and consumers less on imports. Some claim Idaho farmers could feed the entire state, which means that by feasting locally, Idahoans are helping to reduce the part of their carbon footprint that goes to trucking food. The less farmers spend on fuel, the more they earn and the more ecologically sustainable their enterprise becomes, said Richard Springs. That seems like reason enough to fill a market basket. Another is to soak in the festive atmosphere of the community wide food shopping spree. “I think the farmers market is an amazing event that happens in our community,” said Stephanie McCord, special events coordinator for the city of Ketchum. “It brings music, food, local artists and farmers from around the area together every week.”

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Sun Valley’s creative community fosters vibrant arts scene

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website. “It’s a subject that fascinates—and obsesses— d an a huge number of people in t s i our community,” said Britt Udeart the atin y s e sen, the center’s director of education a Hust t r u o C . on, Book, 2008 and humanities. “I love it when we can find a subject that is pushing contemporary artists to make work that forces us to ask better questions and look more closely at what we already know. Plus, we’re showdventures in the ing really good movies and hosting good parties.” wilds of Idaho’s Wood River Valley are uniquely steeped “People who come here do all this amazing outdoor recrein a cosmopolitan brew of fine arts, from poignant theater and ation and you have the supporting backdrop of the arts,” said rousing classical concerts in the Sun Valley Pavilion to titillating Greg Randolph, the Wood River Valley’s marketing linchpin. paintings and sculptures by national and international artists “It’s so unique. It’s world-class recreation on this remote outduring a Friday evening gallery walk. post of civilization and it has New York City- and Los AngelesEven a passing visitor in July can get involved with one of level arts. We have a really unique proposition that highlights the Creative Jump-Ins! from Company of Fools (companyofthe center for the arts, Boulder Mountain Clayworks and the fools.org) and Sun Valley Center for the Arts. The one-time, [Sun Valley] Writers’ Conference. It’s world-class stuff.” two-hour, $25 classes are for people age 17 and older to learn Another summer tradition in Sun Valley is the August Sun a song and a dance, work on forming a British stage accent or Valley Center Arts & Crafts Festival at Atkinsons Park by develop abstract water color skills. the Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum, which allows “Education is really an integral part of who we are here,” children to create art with a teaching artist for free. Projects are said Denise Simone, who served six terms with Idaho Arts different every day and mesh with what artists are working on. Commission and is a Company of Fools founding member. Past projects have included hat making, felting, painting, paSimone is leading July’s Act II course Stages of Memory, permaking, bookbinding and printmaking. Udesen said while which incorporates personal experience for adult thespians age there are no formal classes for adults, there are artist demon55 and older. “We have an amazing group of extended learners. strations from 1-4 p.m. each day of the festival. Arts education is such an important part of what we do.” Fine arts are prominent and successful in the Wood River Visitors can feel the benefit of dynamic community support, Valley because many people come from very urban areas and including a special Sun Valley Center for the Arts (191 Fifth want to have the same experience they might have in a city, St., Ketchum, sunvalleycenter.org) summer installation titled said Claudia McCain, president of the Wood River Arts AlliGeared: The Culture of Bicycles. Images of bicycle portraits ance and chair of the Ketchum Arts Commission, two organiare on display at the Hailey Center (314 Second Ave. S., Haizations that work to promote Sun Valley arts. ley)—on a very bicycle–friendly street—a hot spot for “a sumAs the draw to the Sun Valley arts scene expands, the mer’s worth of bike-related events, including classes, films and economy does as well, McCain said. an interactive outdoor installation,” according to the center’s “We’re going into our 27th season, and I think that the ne An

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Sun Valley Summer Symphony is successful because of our widespread community support,” said Jennifer Teisinger, executive director for the symphony. That support is more than financial—although that part is substantial considering it’s the nation’s largest privately funded, free-admission symphony. “The community attendance keeps growing. We grew 25 percent from 2009 to 2010 in part because of our major marquis artist (Itzhak Perlman). We had 42,000 who attended concerts last year,” Teisinger said. Music education is also an important part of the symphony (svsummersymphony.org) with three main programs: the School of Music, a comprehensive year-round music program for local students; the Summer Music Workshops, a week-long music workshop for elementary through high school students held the first week of the symphony season each August; and the Adult Education Lecture Series, which is held during the symphony season and includes “Upbeat” with Music Director Alasdair Neale and pre-concert talks. “The audience is so appreciative. The orchestra musicians feel it. The guest artists feel it. They want to come back year after year,” Teisinger said. “It is an inspiring and supportive community that is enthusiastic about having the highest quality musicians here. The energy goes both ways and is transformative.” Reserve seating in the Sun Valley Pavilion goes to major donors, but there is usually space for those who choose to relinquish the picnic blanket and sit inside the state-of-the-art canopy. The thousands who choose to enjoy the views of Bald Mountain from the lawn, which also has a large-screen LED that shows the stage, are encouraged to picnic. “Our tag line for the Sun Valley Summer Symphony is ‘elevate your senses,’ which is a double entendre with the altitude and increasing your musical experience,” Teisinger said. “All five senses are engaged. We’ve got people eating and Baldy in the background. It can be any experience you want it to be. It doesn’t matter how much money you have and you don’t have to plan ahead.” www. b o i s e we e kly. c o m

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