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JACKSON HOLE'S ALTERNATIVE VOICE
VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 39 | OCTOBER 5-11, 2016
11 COVER STORY ON THE EDGE How healthy is Jackson Hole’s addiction to the ‘extreme’?
Cover photo by Elizabeth Koutrelakos
5
20 CULTURE KLASH
OPINION
6-10 THE BUZZ
22 WELL, THAT
16 MUSIC BOX
23 FOODIE FILES
18 GET OUT
28 COSMIC CAFE
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October 5-11, 2016 By Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey When I think of October, I usually think about beer, since everyone seems to be having a fest. Maybe that’s because we are spending time quaffing beers while we wait for the snow in October. Drink up, because we only average one and a half inches of snow in town during October in Jackson. The biggest snow-fest we ever had in October was way back in 1946, when 18 inches of snow fell during the month in downtown Jackson.
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Average low temperatures this week are in the mid-20s. However, record low temperatures are somewhat lower than that this week. There were three years in particular that had very chilly starts to October, which really stand out: October 1955, 1968 and 1987. Each of those years saw overnight lows dip into the single digits. The record coldest of those temperatures this week was 7 degrees, and that record is shared by: October 9th, 1968 and October 11, 1987.
After a couple of days last week with highs in the 70s, we are suffering through cooler afternoon high temperatures this week. Actually, the high temperatures this week are closer to normal, with lower 60s being for average highs. The record high temperature in Jackson this week is 82 degrees, which occurred on October 5, 1958. This week also marks the latest week in the calendar year with record highs in the 80s. It’s downhill from here, through the end of the year.
NORMAL HIGH 62 NORMAL LOW 26 RECORD HIGH IN 1958 82 RECORD LOW IN 1987 7
THIS MONTH AVERAGE PRECIPITATION: 1.17 inches RECORD PRECIPITATION: 3.2 inches (1972) AVERAGE SNOWFALL: 1.5 inches RECORD SNOWFALL: 18 inches
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Jim has been forecasting the weather here for more than 20 years. You can find more Jackson Hole Weather information at www.mountainweather.com
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NIMBY not to blame
NIMBYism has a bad name, for sure. But your article (The Buzz: “Mass Exodus,” September 28) seems to suggest that trying to enforce zoning regulations that are already in place is as serious a threat to community values as using any means available to stop what appears to be a legal subdivision proposed by the ranch owner next door. These actions are not the same, even though they both involve law enforcement - and both, of course, involve interpreting the law. Expecting and requiring one’s neighbor to abide by local zoning restrictions should not automatically be lumped in with trying to stop one’s neighbor from using legal means to improve or develop his property. Your article, if I read it correctly, suggests that both are examples of the dreaded NIMBYism that you claim is “largely to blame for the valley’s woes.” As one of the founders of the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust in the early 1990, my heart goes out to Katie and Scott Wood who tried so hard to make a go of it here in Jackson Hole. And certainly they have given a lot back to this community, though they could not bend the iron laws of supply and demand, as currently regulated by Teton County zoning, that prevented them from joining us for the long term. They had no way around the market, or around the law. My wife and I, who did indeed spearhead the fight against the Siegfrieds’ commercial party house, did so because it was against the current zoning regulations. In other words, just as with their helicopter use, it was illegal. When the county decided to rewrite the laws to make it legal we weighed in, as was our right, against establishing this kind of commercial venture in a quiet, rural residential neighborhood. We lost the fight and the law got changed. I do not know what happened after that, except that the Siegfrieds started the application process for a Conditional Use Permit for their party house but then dropped it a few months later. It’s great that the Siegfrieds supported a lot of community efforts and we all thank them for it. That fact has no bearing, though, on whether the law should apply equally to all citizens. It was a complicated story and involved a lot of hurt feelings, but as part of the process the original law did eventually get enforced - and then, ironically, it got rewritten to accommodate the new commercial activity. My wife and I were NIMBYs, for sure, but we also initiated a countywide discussion of some significant zoning issues. Maybe in some cases NIMBYism can help keep us honest.
— Loring Woodman Wilson, WY
Lessons on the Square If Jackson Hole wants to attract tourists from across the nation and abroad, it must engage in national conversation. BY SARAH ROSS
A
s he stood outside his father’s funeral in Douglas, Wyoming, Jasen Scott Ramirez was shot dead by a police officer in June. However, unlike the litany of innocent, unarmed African Americans killed by police, Ramirez was wanted for drug charges. Still, questions remain about Ramirez’s death, such as what led to the shooting and whether or not he was armed, according to the Casper Star Tribune. The numbers were never in favor of Ramirez or the list of the fallen that he joins. More than 700 people have been killed by police in the U.S. this year. Native Americans are about five times more likely to be killed at the hands of police compared to white people, while African Americans are three times more likely to die at the hands of police and Latinos are about twice as likely. In about 98 percent of killings, police are never charged with a crime. Protests have erupted across the country to mourn these deaths and demand justice. In solidarity, I have organized a weekly protest in the town square to have
conversations about racial justice and share information about police violence. Some have said this issue is irrelevant in Jackson. However, in the square I’ve met visitors of all races from all over the country and world who think otherwise. Indeed, when we made the decision to welcome these visitors, we made the decision to engage in national conversations, to demonstrate our solidarity with victims of police violence and racism, to ensure that it never happens here. One tourist complained my posters were blocking the view, while another smiled, saying she would tell everyone she saw a “Black Lives Matter” sign in rural Wyoming. Last week I had been sitting in the square for an hour when an older white couple walked by. The man’s face twisted as he read my signs. He asked if I had the name of “that Ferguson thug” on the list of people killed by police. “Michael Brown?” I asked. “Yes. I do.” Trembling, he said, “You better believe if a 300-pound black thug charged at me, I would fucking shoot him too.” His wife read the posters and said, “Unarmed people of color killed? I don’t care.” Many of the recently departed were doing far less than publically protesting when they were killed. In the last two weeks police shot Terrence Crutcher when his car broke down. His arms were in the air, his back to police. Keith Lamont Scott was reading a book as he waited for his son. Alfred Olango was having a medical emergency. His sister called 9-1-1 for help. People in the square have called me a moron, a waste of space, and said that I shouldn’t be surprised if I get beaten to death. However, despite their reactionary anger, they don’t see me as an imminent
SARAH ROSS
GUEST OPINION
threat. They don’t say I “look like a demon,” as officer Darren Wilson said before he shot Michael Brown, or that I “just look like [someone] involved in a robbery,” like officer Jeronimo Yanez said when he shot Philando Castile, an unarmed black man at a traffic stop. White privilege means presuming that the people meant to protect me will protect me. White privilege means making mistakes, or even doing something illegal, and not expecting to be shot extra-judicially. White privilege means looking at a list of people killed and saying, “I don’t care” rather than, “I could be next.” Another couple that stopped in the square saw firsthand how quickly police violence shifts from a distant news item to reality. They are from Douglas and the woman witnessed the shooting of Jasen Scott Ramirez. I didn’t have Ramirez’s name written down, and they asked me to add it to the list. She said Ramirez was tased once and shot seven times outside the church. She watched from her car, and described the trauma of witnessing the event. “He was murdered,” the couple told me, “and they’re getting away with it.” As a part of one of the whitest states
in the nation, and as one of the country’s most privileged counties, we have a powerful opportunity: To speak out against injustice where and when we see it. We have the responsibility to show those in Charlotte and Tulsa that we hear their pain and that we too demand change. We have the responsibility to demonstrate to our visitors of color that they will be protected and welcomed. I have the responsibility to fight so that Latino community members in Jackson aren’t twice as likely as I am to experience police brutality. As Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in the situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” If we are silent, we are complicit in violence, and, however accidentally, join the ranks of those looking at the names of the dead and saying, “I don’t care.” If you care, please join me 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday, in the town square. You can also email me for more info on the Wyoming chapter of Standing Up For Racial Justice: sarah.ross200@gmail.com. PJH SEND COMMENTS TO EDITOR@PLANETJH.COM
ABSENTEE BALLOT NOTICE
Headed south for the winter? Worried about having to wait in line? Have you made up your mind and want to vote NOW? That’s okay, because whatever the reason, you can vote by absentee from September 23 to November 7, 2016!
All absentee ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on November 8th, 2016.
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 5
Stop in and vote at the absentee polling site located in the basement of the Teton County Administration Building at 200 S. Willow St., Jackson, WY. You can also call or email us to request that a ballot be mailed to you. 307.733.4430 | elections@tetonwyo.org
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November 8th, 2016 General Election
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Housing Hopes Electeds forge ahead with ARUs, District 2 remains grounded and a massive housing project hangs on. BY JAKE NICHOLS
T
own leaders continue to work their way through revisions to land development regulations in Jackson that are intended to give better clarity to what landowners can do with their properties. Some features may also put much-needed workforce housing on the ground. Two such changes are headed in opposite directions. A proposal to add more accessory residential units (ARUs) potential to an expanded area of town passed first reading Monday after the plan was reworked by an ad hoc advisory group. The 600-plus-page revised land development regulations (LDRs) for Jackson’s downtown core District 2 hit a bigger snag last month when a referendum vote repealed the changes to that district and sent elected officials back to the drawing board. At Monday’s regular town council meeting, officials discussed how they might go about wiping the proposed LDRs from the books and move forward with crafting a replacement. The council also heard from three developers hoping to break ground with their plans, and a fourth that voluntarily put off his remodel until zoning laws are firmed up.
ARUs pass first reading At first blush, ARUs could conceivably provide housing relief in a way that would benefit both landlord and tenant without costing the town and taxpayers anything. But ordinances allowing or relaxing restrictions on things like mother-in-law suites and guest houses may degrade neighborhood character, some worry. “Part of the reason ARUs appeal to me is you have an opportunity for an ideal scenario where an owner who is renting on their property [creates] a relationship that benefits both the owner and the renter in terms of keeping rent affordable, and in terms of compliance and other issues we’ve considered in supporting this,” said councilman Jim Stanford during Monday’s meeting. Sticking points are compliance and size. The working group came to the consensus that everything hinged on whether the town would be able to monitor these ARUs to make sure homeowners actually lived on the property and indeed rented to locals with jobs. And what could be done about
parking the additional renters? “Enforcement was the biggest issue for the working group. I’m disappointed there was no commitment to address that,” Lorie Cahn, a member of the advisory group, told councilors. Town staffers say they do the best they can monitoring ordinances now, but it would be difficult to keep track of ARUs especially after properties change hands. Mayor Sara Flitner put the onus on citizens. “It will take a lot of community effort, and we need to rely on each other,” Flitner said. “It is incumbent on all of us as neighbors to help make sure the rules we have on the ground are adhered to. It takes all of us to make our neighborhoods function.” Regarding a maximum size of 500 square feet for detached units on smaller lots, councilman Don Frank maintains they simply don’t work. “I will assert again that a 500-square-foot detached unit will never be built. They are far too expensive to build,” he said. “Shrinking these things to thimble size is counter-productive to our goal of actually seeing them get built.” Stanford rejected the notion that keeping rents reasonable and ensuring properties didn’t become frat houses would be troublesome. He also thought smaller sized units could pencil for homeowners. “Part of the goal here is to create affordable housing. By the size of the unit alone it helps ensure these units remain affordable,” Stanford said. “And just in my neighborhood I’ve seen an 800-square-foot detached unit and it’s hard to tell which is the primary unit and which is the ARU. And the rent is preposterous compared to what you or I might envision as being affordable. As people move toward tiny homes and ways to do things in smaller spaces this gives them a way to put a tiny home on their property and call it an accessory unit.” Ordinances concerning ARUs passed first reading with few changes.
District 2 redo Frank began discussion about District 2 with a bang. “You betcha,” Frank exclaimed at Monday’s meeting when the mayor asked if anyone wanted to open the discussion. “There was a very noticeable, very well-funded, and very targeted argument about short-term rentals. I was curious about that. I couldn’t decide whether that was a coincidence or a very strategic propaganda effort. And I would have preferred that the sponsors of this referendum had been more honest about what they wanted to discuss … rather than fulminate a lot of misinformation and a lot of drama and a lot of emotion. And then bait-and-switch the issue after they got a lot of people wound up. I had to get that off my chest.” The council ultimately decided against an emergency ordinance (a two-week process) and instead made the first of three readings (a six-week process) Monday to
TOWN OF JACKSON
THE BUZZ
erase regulations from zoning code. Town leaders also expressed a desire to get busy right away with a revised set of zoning regulations so developers don’t remain in limbo. Some wanted to go fast, others, slower. “I make the case for doing this quickly. To me it’s not ideological. I’m only trying to be practical,” Stanford said on proposing an emergency ordinance to repeal District 2, while simultaneously slicing out shortterm rentals and retrying iced zoning. “I feel like we were very close. The only thing that people seem to go ballistic about was the change we made before the second reading.” Flitner seemed more cautious. “I read the papers. I want some assurance that we are not headed for another referendum. Doing it in six weeks instead of two weeks seems prudent,” she said. Frank said that since the referendum repealed all ordinances concerning District 2 and not just the short-term rental aspect, town officials had the opportunity to put “everything back on the table” in redrafting another set of LDRs, rather than just stripping out that quarrelsome aspect and moving forward quickly. He said he was OK if the process took up to 10 weeks. “Frankly, capitulating to a very small minority with a very small voting outcome, I don’t think is good government at all. I think it’s a great example of pinpoint lobbyists using dog whistle politics to promote an agenda that I don’t believe is shared by the majority of the 4,540 [registered town] voters.” The council promised to have something drafted for their next meeting in two weeks.
On the ground While electeds wrestled with theoretical tweaks to zoning, one developer came forward with a concrete project ready to go. Or at least ready to tap the town’s water. Zane Powell representing Hidden Hollow, a proposed 168-unit housing project at the former site of the Forest Service headquarters on N. Cache, is seeking assurances the town would be willing to take ownership of the property’s onsite water/sewer infrastructure, and needed permission to begin grading onsite. He was admittedly out ahead of the curve with the request since the town council has not seen so much as a sketch plan for the project, though it did recently receive approval from the planning commission. “Everybody told us it would be a two- to
three-year process to get through [planning], and another two or three years to get a building permit,” Powell said. “We refused to believe that. If we get sketch plan approval this fall and do grading and water/sewer, that gives us the winter months to bring to you a final development plan. It puts housing units on the market in 2017 rather than 2018.” Hidden Hollow is projected to be a mix of affordable, workforce and market units on the 10-acre parcel. According to Powell, the project will consist of 13 single-family home sites, 20 multi-family townhouse units, and 135 additional units built within apartment/condominium buildings. Bob Lenz called the project a “huge development” and said the additional sewer load would push the town’s wastewater treatment plant “to the brink.” Flitner also was uncomfortable with the size and scope. “I don’t know if we are about right with the number of units, or whether it’s way too dense, or what. I’m not able to make a decision right now,” she said, adding, “If we get value (housing) and more protected units that are not vulnerable to second home purchase or use, that would be something I would like the opportunity to consider. Because we just learned this afternoon that 27 percent of the units in our community are empty for a significant portion of the year, or occupied by someone who doesn’t work and live in our community. I’m at least interested in the housing being tied to someone with a job here.” Stanford wasn’t interested in giving away too much, too soon, saying he wanted more assurance affordable units in Hidden Hollow would remain affordable. He also was not interested in footing the entire bill for infrastructure work. Frank embodied the collective will of the council by expressing a desire to hold off until electeds could get a better understanding of what was going in on N. Cache. “I do appreciate the applicant’s desire to move quickly to create housing of various types including workforce housing,” Frank said. “However, it’s not been my experience that we move ahead with a grading permit when this body hasn’t even seen so much as a doodle on mass, scale, or clustering.” Hidden Hollow received a “wait and see” from the council until its sketch plan presentation scheduled for October 17. PJH SEND COMMENTS TO EDITOR@PLANETJH.COM
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THE BUZZ 2 Fire Good, Fire Wise Understanding how to live and let burn in the West after GTNP’s largest fire in history. BY JAKE NICHOLS
First run Interagency fire managers felt confident the fire was in a good place. Northern movement was possible but the blaze would likely be held in check by a 2,700-acre fire scar called the Dave Adams Hill Fire that ignited in 1987. The Hechtman Fire of 2006 also had the potential to limit growth to the north and northwest. Diane Abendroth, a fire ecologist with Teton Interagency Fire, said the west side of Jackson Lake where Berry got started is pocked with old burn areas that usually retard or stop fire growth. “When a fire burns into an area that has already been burned in the past, the fuel is different and therefore the fire’s behavior is a little bit different. And the more recent the fire was, the more likely [a current fire] is to slow down and sometimes even stop when it comes into a burned area,” she said. So everything looked good for a “let it burn” policy even with one of the driest summers on record in full swing and area blazes like the Cliff Creek and Lava Mountain fires plaguing communities in the region. The Berry Creek Patrol cabin was wrapped with fire protection and crews performed a successful burnout around its perimeter to save the structure as flames licked at its doorstep late July. Then came August—each day hotter than the last and no rain in sight. Winds picked up after three weeks of no measurable precipitation. Red flag warning days were forecasted for the valley. On August 21, when the perfect firestorm of high winds and tinder dry conditions met, everyone braced for the worst. Wind whipped the Berry Fire into frenzy that Sunday. Firefighters were pulled back, treetops torched and swayed in the gales. Embers were tossed into the air, easily sailing across Jackson Lake and the Snake River, igniting beetle-killed Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, and lodgepole pine
GTNP
T
he Berry Fire began as most Western wildfires do: with little fanfare, unseen and unknown, it smoldered for days after a late-July thunderstorm. First, passing commercial pilots overhead spotted a trifling column of smoke. At night, the flames could be seen. Pilots flying 30,000 feet overhead reported them to FAA air traffic control. Original longitude-latitude readings had the fire pegged somewhere around the Grassy Lake area—some 10 miles from the actual fire’s genesis. Officials searched but couldn’t find it. Then the pilot of a tanker on its way to fight a nearby forest fire noticed flames jumping out of a drainage between Berry and Owl creeks. On July 25, park officials confirmed they had a wildfire in Grand Teton National Park. Immediately they did what fire managers do when a fire is sparked on public land. They pulled maps, studied fire history data, and built computer simulation models. Where would the fire go and how fast would it get there? What valuable resources were at risk? What would be the benefits of allowing the fire to play its role in the ecosystem? They didn’t know then they were writing the story of the largest fire to ever burn in Grand Teton National Park.
The Berry Creek patrol cabin is wrapped and ready. on the east side of Highway 89. Lizard Creek campground was evacuated, the highway was closed, and Flagg Ranch was put on notice: get ready to go. The fire made a five-mile run on August 21, tripling in size. Each day the counts were staggering. August 22 (1,785 acres), August 23 (6,319 acres), August 24 (12,279 acres). Access to Yellowstone from the south was cut off for next eight days. A Type 2 incident management team was called in to make sure the fire didn’t run all the way up the John D. Rockefeller Parkway to the south gate of Yellowstone. The National Park Service’s celebration of its 100 birthday on August 25 was an inauspicious one. There were too many candles on the cake. Yellowstone managers were battling several blazes within their 2.2 million acres. Birthday party invitees for Grand Teton included six helicopters, 18 engines and 278 total firefighters.
Déjà vu all over again Park officials reopened Highway 89 August 30. One finger of the fire had blown through and headed northeast into the forest. There was little at risk in that direction other than the Huckleberry Fire Lookout, a historic cabin built in 1923, and later rebuilt in 1933. The other fork was creeping north toward Flagg Ranch. As some breathed a sigh of relief, firefighters knew better. They continued fire protection efforts at Flagg—wrapping buildings in an aluminum-Kevlar insulated mesh and setting up sprinkler systems. They cleared brush and understory, and delimbed nearby trees. Their efforts were enhanced by previous wildfire mitigation conducted for several years in the mid-2000s. In fact, fire officials credit this preparation as the key reason Flagg Ranch is still standing. Even as fire growth stagnated and weather forecasts showed an early fall cold front moving in, firefighters never let up. Chain saws buzzed day and night as ground crews made sure anything that could burn at Headwaters Lodge and Flagg Ranch was removed or as wet as they could make it. The fire perimeter was still more than five miles to the south, but officials had seen Berry make a run that big before. Then another Sunday, another red flag warning on 9-11. As 40 mph gusts blew new life into smoldering hotspots, fire crews at Flagg Ranch made last-minute preparations and retreated to the Headwaters parking lot where they would be relatively safe from the wildfire’s expected push. On September 11, extreme fire behavior closed Highway 89 again and people at Flagg Ranch evacuated for the second time. The fire swiftly gobbled six miles of mature tree stands on its way north, ballooning to more than 20,000 acres in size. Flagg was an inferno as the blaze popped and crackled all around the lodges and employee housing. Firefighters couldn’t sleep that night. It was wild, they said. Their efforts paid off, though. Firefighters jumped on a few
hotspots in and around the cabins at first light. By September 13 the worst was over and the highway reopened. In all, The Berry Fire consumed 20,800 acres—90 percent of that inside park boundaries. It still isn’t out. It won’t be until winter.
Fire behavior
The use of natural fire as a resource management tool in national parks began in earnest in the early 1970s. After decades of aggressive fire suppression, extreme fuel loads were worrying park officials. The first fire Grand Teton administrators allowed to burn was the Waterfalls Canyon Fire in 1974. They were encouraged by the results. In the 17-year period following the 3,500-acre WCF, post-fire succession included forest rejuvenation and enhanced habitat for many species of wildlife. Grand Teton fire management officer Chip Collins is pleased with the way Berry burned, even if it inconvenienced park visitors and made for some pretty smoky days. “Having these additional acres burned this year just adds overall to the ecosystem resilience that we hope to see in future years,” Collins said. “It’ll restart the natural cycle of the forest regeneration. We’ll see younger trees in starting next year. Lots of forest and wildflowers, and a whole host of species will come in immediately post-fire that you do see in an older forest.” If there is one takeaway from the Berry Fire, officials want the public to know it’s the importance of developing a “firewise” attitude. Homeowners, in particular, whose properties are nested in forested areas, should learn to interface safely with their surroundings. That includes replacing shake roofs with metal ones. Removing stacked firewood off decks and away from the house in the summer. Clearing or trimming brush and trees close to structures, and keeping a property well-irrigated and green is essential if a homeowner wants to protect their investment and ensure the safety of firefighters. Teton County fire marshal Kathy Clay said a good wildfire barrier around property can often mean life or death for a firefighter, and increase the odds a home can be saved in the event of fire. “If you have a shake roof [for instance] and it’s more than 20 percent burned, firefighters will give up on it. It’s a waste of their efforts and not worth saving. They will move on to another home that has a chance,” Clay said. “We have to learn to live with natural events like wildfire. If we practice good preparedness, we might see a fire blow through a forested subdivision and everything is fine. No structures or lives are lost.” As climate change exacerbates the burning season, larger and more numerous wildfires will be the norm in the coming years. PJH
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Foul-Feathered Friends
NEWS
By CHUCK SHEPHERD
OF THE
detectives in September in a drug bust with five bags of heroin and four of cocaine (along with $3,083 cash) and charged with dealing. Autrey (street name, for some reason: “Newphew”) wet his pants during the arrest, which police said he did under the mistaken impression that heroin would dissolve when exposed to urine.
WEIRD
In September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noting a recent uptick in cases of “live-poultry-associated salmonella,” repeated its earlier (apparently largely ignored) alert that people should not be kissing chickens (or ducks or turkeys). CDC noted the recent popularity of urban egg farming, but reminded “hipster” farmers and faddish pet patrons that cuddling the animals, or bringing the little darlings into the home (even those that appear clean and friendly), can spread dangerous bacteria for which humans are unprepared.
Suspicions Confirmed
A recent working paper by two Louisiana State University economists revealed that the state’s juvenile court judges dole out harsher sentences on weeks following a loss by the LSU football team (among those judges who matriculated at LSU). The differences in sentences were particularly stark in those seasons that LSU’s team was nationally ranked. (All sentences from 1996 to 2012 were examined, for first-time juvenile offenders, except for murder and aggravated-rape cases.) n The NCAA’s two-year probation handed to Georgia Southern University’s football program in July included a note that two football players were given “impermissible” inside help to pass a course. It turns out that even though GSU’s former assistant director of student-athlete services stealthily wrote five extra-credit assignments for each of the players, still, neither player was apparently in good enough shape to pass the course.
Awkward
A paramedic with the St. Louis Fire Department discovered on Aug. 4 that his car, in the station’s parking lot, had been broken into and was missing various items. Minutes after he filed a police report, the station received an emergency call about a pedestrian hit by a car, and the paramedic and crew rushed to the scene. As he was helping the victim, the paramedic noticed that his own gym bag and belongings were strewn about the scene and concluded that the man he was attending to was likely the man who had broken into his car. The paramedic continued to assist the man, and police told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they would arrest the man as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.
n Although India’s sacred Ganges River remains ridiculously polluted, it retains holy credibility for Hindus, who consume and bathe in it regularly for salvation. Since reaching the Ganges can be difficult for India’s poor, the country’s postal service (with 155,000 offices) began recently to offer home delivery of the Ganges, in bottles, for the equivalent of about 22 to 37 cents. (Tip: Water bottled in the small town of Gangotri, which is near the origin of the river, is likely cleaner; the other bottler, in the city of Rishikesh, which is holier but located farther down the river, likely presents worshippers a stronger test of faith.) n “Clitoris activism is hot in France right now,” reported London’s The Guardian in August, highlighted by the introduction in school sex education of a 3-D model of the organ—demonstrating, by the way, that it more resembles a “wishbone” or a “high-tech boomerang” than the “small, sensitive” “bud” of dictionary description. French clitoris scholars emphasize that most of the several-inch-long organ is internal and just as highly excitable as its male counterpart, and their wide-ranging societal campaign includes a magazine whose title translates to “The Idiot’s Guide to the Clit.”
Recurring Themes
Emma Marsh of Kuraby, Australia, shelled out $500 in September for her goldfish’s emergency medical care to remove the pebble stuck in poor Conquer’s throat. (Brisbane’s Courier-Mail noted that the $500 could have bought 40 replacements—that $500 is about what an actual bar of gold of Conquer’s weight would cost.) n Elsewhere Down Under, researchers from Murdoch University in Perth said in August they were working on a goldfish-control program after learning that one species dumped in the nutrient-rich Vasse River in Western Australia could grow to 4 pounds—and the size of a football.)
Updates
Music researcher David Teie announced in September that he had landed a deal with major label Universal Music to distribute his “Music for Cats” (touted in News of the Weird in February). The music, with Teie accompanying on the cello, includes painstakingly timed “purring” and “sucking” sounds designed to relax kitties, and he reiterated plans to move on to special music for other animals. (In a similar vein, artists led by Dominic Wilcox staged a brief August show in London of exhibits and paintings of scenes that Wilcox thought would appeal to dogs, and would, he said, garner “tail wags.” One interactive exhibit, for example, featured an open car window simulator hosting an array of scents.)
Bright Ideas
The Passing Parade
n Wesley Autrey, 42, was arrested by Scranton, Pa.,
THE QUALIFIED APPLICANT: • IS PASSIONATE ABOUT NEWS, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, LONG-FORM NARRATIVES, AND COMMENTARY • DISTILLS COMPLICATED ISSUES FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION • WRITES WITH CLARITY AND CONTEXT • OBSERVES, LISTENS, AND ASKS THE RIGHT QUESTIONS • DIGS DEEPER TO FIND THE UNTOLD STORY AND THE ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Hippie grandmother Shawnee Chasser, 65, who has lived in a tree since 1992, is under siege by county officials in Miami who plan to tear down her tree house by December unless she brings her property up to code. It’s a full-featured, well-appointed tree house—and she owns the land underneath, but prefers the “heaven” of her high perch, especially when it rains. Thanks This Week to Rob Boyden, Michael Brozyna, Russell Bell, and Edgar Pepper, and to the News of the Weird Board of Editorial Advisors.
EMAIL WRITING SAMPLES AND RESUME TO EDITOR@PLANETJH.COM.
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 9
Business is booming for Lainey Morse, the owner of No Regrets Farm in Albany, Oregon, and the founder of “Goat Yoga”—an outdoor regimen of relaxation carried out among her wandering goats. “Do you know how hard it is to be sad and depressed when there are baby goats jumping around?” she asked, proudly noting that she is booked up right now, with a waiting list of 500. One problem has surfaced, though (as she told a Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reporter): Naive baby goats try to eat flower designs on yoga mats, leading Morse to permit only mats of solid colors.
WANTED
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
n Raylon Parker, doing his duty in August on a grand jury in Halifax County, N.C., listened to a prosecutor lay out a case, and to Parker’s apparent surprise, the case was against Raylon Parker (for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill). Still, he voted on the indictment, which passed (though, due to grand jury secrecy, we do not know which way he voted). One possibility: He voted to indict, assuming a judge would toss it out, tainting the prosecutor’s case. However, Parker’s judge said the indictment—signifying “probable cause”—was still valid and that she would not inquire how Parker had voted.
REPORTER
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
10 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
THE BUZZ 3 Civil Displeasure Don Jr. campaigns for daddy Trump in Jackson, drawing ire from local protestors. BY MEG DALY
Local fire The intersection of locally and nationally relevant issues is in high relief this
JESSICA CHAMBERS
W
hen news of a protest against Donald Trump, Jr.’s Jackson visit appeared in Natalie Bates’ Facebook feed, she and three friends promptly bundled up and headed to the Snow King Ave. rally. Bates, a 26-year-old teacher, says she doesn’t like talking politics but that the 2016 election “is getting out of hand.” She is part of a growing number of Jackson residents willing to take to the streets as big city problems invade their small town. Jackson town council candidate Jessica Chambers organized the Monday protest against Trump Jr.’s appearance, which was hosted by multimillionaire Foster Friess. An email invitation Friess sent to potential donors was titled “Return to Civility,” a phrase that struck Chambers as disingenuous. “I organized the protest to question this frankly unfathomable notion that Donald Trump is the one who will return civility to politics, as Foster Friess suggests,” Chambers said. Trump Jr. recently made the news when he tweeted a photo of a poisoned bowl of Skittles candy, likening it to the Syrian refugee crisis. “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. [sic] Would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.” Friess’ email invitation praised the 38-year-old Trump Jr. as “a really, really nice guy.” Freiss asked supporters to pay $25,000 for a sit-down with Trump, Jr. or $1,000 to meet him in a larger group setting. The Don’s appearance in Jackson Hole, a place touted as a tax haven for the rich, falls on the heels of a revelation by The New York Times that his father may not have paid federal taxes for almost two decades. Trump Sr. declared a nearly one billion dollar loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a deduction weighty enough to absolve him from paying federal income tax for up to 18 years, NYT found.
One of the many messages lovingly crafted for Donald Trump Jr.’s Jackson Hole appearance on Monday. Multimillionaire Foster Friess played host to the Don. election year, with a report deeming Teton County the most economically disparate place in the nation. Meanwhile a historic housing crisis continues to uproot more and more people from the valley. The small group of people gathered outside Friess’ office Monday held signs that read “Love Trumps Hate,” “Foster, What would Jesus do?” and “Trump is for himself, not for America.” Among those in attendance was Deb Hansen. As a mother raising a child in turbulent times, she has found herself increasingly politically engaged. “I stood in the freezing rain so that Donald Jr. could see that [he and his father] do not represent me or my values,” she said. “The thought of Donald Trump as president scares me terribly. I don’t want a misogynistic, fascist, egomaniac who sputters drivel constantly and seems to have the maturity of a schoolyard bully.” Protestor Carol Francis said there are myriad issues that matter to her, from racism and sexism to raising the minimum wage and ensuring all Americans have access to quality education and health insurance. According to Francis, this means doing everything possible to
prevent Trump from becoming president. “I was a Sanders supporter and vowed that I would never vote for [Hillary Clinton], but have since changed my mind. She is highly qualified to be in the White House and Trump isn’t,” she said. During the protest, Friess came out of his office to greet the crowd and engage in dialogue. “I was impressed with [his] willingness to engage everyone,” Chambers said. According to Chambers, Friess thanked everyone for showing up and organizing but he said he couldn’t understand why people would protest Trump’s son when it is Trump Sr. who needs to tone it down. Friess, who bankrolled Rick Santorum’s failed presidential bid in 2012, told the website The Hill that he supports The Donald. “I have donated to Donald Trump’s campaign and will be enthusiastically supporting him, our Republican governors, and efforts to keep Congress in Republicans hands, both financially and in other meaningful ways,” Friess said. PJH SEND COMMENTS TO EDITOR@PLANETJH.COM
How healthy is Jackson Hole’s addiction to the ‘extreme’? BY RYAN BURKE |
@WANAKA11
A
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 11
GORDY MEGROZ
ON THE EDGE
s the boardwalk creaks under the strain of footsteps, it appears to be a normal Saturday night in Jackson. Below the neon sign of the Cowboy Bar, a motley crew of professional skiers, venture capitalists and drunken millennials discuss the summer crowds and compare their outdoor tick lists. By the antler arches, a group of cyclists turn on their headlamps and strap down their gear. They are setting out to complete a round trip mission to the top of the Grand Teton under a starry sky. Ten feet to their left two shadowy figures stagger towards the safety of the buckrail fence as their world begins to spin from too many whisky shots. The average American is in bed at two in the morning, not sipping on her fifth drink or waking up to start an alpine climb. Many Jackson residents, on the other hand, have the tolerance of sailors and the lung capacity of Nepalese sherpas. While the average American visits national parks maybe once a year, locals here dedicate their lives to exploring them. And in Jackson, taking risks and spending time on the edge are the makings of a Thursday afternoon. So what makes Jackson Hole’s natives and transplants different than the rest of Americans? Do the jagged peaks and extreme landscapes create an environment of abnormality? Or is a certain personality attracted to a rugged mountain lifestyle? To help explore the question of why people here gravitate towards extremes it’s worth noting two ways that residents stand out: extreme exercise and high alcohol and drug consumption. To put it in perspective, the average American enjoys just 17 minutes of physical exercise per day, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For Jackson locals, however, anything less than an hour of daily physical exertion doesn’t cut it. Not to mention that the valley is home to world-class skiers and snowboarders, multiple Olympians, and countless mountaineers and ultra-runners. But addictions here span beyond the outdoors. Matt Stech, of the Prevention Management Organization, notes that 87 percent of all arrests in Teton County are alcohol related. Stech points to a “play hard, party harder culture,” where public intoxication arrests are high and 50 percent of total arrests are DUIs. Being “extreme” in Jackson Hole can have multiple meanings and community members seem to take pride in going hard in the mountains and at the bar. Both of these behaviors seemingly help people to cope with the stressors of living in Jackson Hole, such as working long hours and multiple jobs to afford the area’s high cost of living. While some encourage a “more is better” mantra, folks sometimes conveniently forget the potential consequences of adhering to this ethos. While exercise is perceived as the healthier alternative, both substance use and adventure sports can be taken too far. Either behavior can cross a boundary into unhealthy use when it becomes a person’s only outlet for stress reduction and a psychological “need” is formed. Examples of overuse include continuing to drink heavily after getting a DUI or running on a torn ACL against doctor’s orders. People on the outside judge those with substance abuse issues for not having the willpower to stop. However, folks applaud the same behavior in athletes who center their whole identity on their sport and risk injury and death to push the limits. Sure, there is a divergence in how both groups are viewed, but understanding the contributing factors that make them similar may also forge people’s understanding of what constitutes “too much of a good thing.”
Pathways to pleasure
and doing it all over again.” Overstimulating the brain’s pleasure centers with either mood altering substances or adventure sports gives people the unrealistic expectation that it’s possible to be on cloud nine at all times, but eventually there’s a crash. For Nick, getting in trouble with the law brought his fast-paced lifestyle to a halt, but he now enjoys having balance in his life. He says he has become more dynamic, spreading out his interests to include music production, spirituality, and starting his own business.
Person makes the place
Research indicates many individuals who partake in adventure sports and abuse substances have pleasure systems that take in dopamine at a higher rate than the average person, according to psychologist Marvin Zuckerman. It seems both groups may have an abundance of the D4 dopamine receptor in their brains allowing for a “higher high” than the rest of the population. This evidence supports the claim that people can be “born risk takers” as genetics seems to account for 60 percent of sensation seeking behavior. So it is possible that individuals with an overactive dopamine system were already predisposed to love “super-stimuli” like adrenaline sports and mood altering substances, and their biology gets magnified in these extreme settings. Gilmore, who has lived in the valley for more than 30 years, noted “Those of us who learned to love the rush from a young age will then seek it out and Jackson is like no other place in the world to do that.” The downfall, of course, is when people place themselves in dangerous situations as they seek that next higher experience. Researchers at the Dana Foundation also point to evidence that people who are high sensation seekers interact differently with the world than people who are risk averse. It seems that looking for new highs has evolutionary advantages that allowed our “novelty seeking” ancestors to find food sources and overcome fear to explore to new areas. “Homo-sapiens were the only group of early hominids to emigrate over the entire world, which entailed great risk,” Zuckerman explained. “So I think humans as a species are characterized by novelty- and intensity-seeking.”
Lewis Smirl on Eagles Rest Peak.
RYAN BURKE
12 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
According to David Linden, a neuroscientist from John Hopkins University, all activities and substances that create pleasure run through the same circuits in the brain. This means your mind doesn’t discriminate between running down the Hagen trail, taking a sip of beer, skiing in powder, or popping an Adderall. A person’s brain just knows it feels good and will then remind you to repeat the behavior. When kept in balance, pleasure pathways keep people alive by allowing them to approach opportunities, but when these pathways are overstimulated it can cause people to engage in destructive behavior. As a species, humans have now created substances and activities that “hyper-stimulate” the brain’s pleasure sense and surpass what has been found naturally in our evolutionary past. Take heroin, for instance. It synthetically attaches to natural opiate receptors in the brain. Our biological system then believes it has found a wonderful new mechanism for pain relief because it is unable to distinguish between a substance that is made in a lab versus what can be found in nature. This is one of the reasons that between 2004 and 2013 the U.S. saw a more than 100-percent increase in heroin use for people between the ages of 18 and 25, according to the Center for Disease Control. Skiing then, can be thought of in the same category as mind altering substances, because racing at breakneck speeds down a ski slope is not something that the human brain was designed to handle. Therefore, excess dopamine is released to help us focus and survive this unusual and threatening situation. This overstimulation of the brain’s pleasure center is, physiologically speaking, no different than using cocaine, which also spikes dopamine production. Andy Glossner is an avid backcountry skier who survived an avalanche in 2007. “There are two kinds of white powder addictions in this world and I have one of them,” he said. Linden explains that people’s pleasure sense has developed over millions of years to ensure survival, not for enjoyment or pleasure. Therefore, a high dose of dopamine, either from alcohol, which can raise dopamine levels 40 to 360 percent, or from riding a bike at high speeds, can signal the brain that these activities are important to survival and should be repeated.
In Jackson, folks enjoy the natural release of dopamine when they exercise, and get a synthetic boost when they partake in alcohol or drugs. Dopamine, often characterized as a “feel good” chemical, keeps us on high alert, according to Nora Volkow of the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Evolution seems to have tailored the release of dopamine to feel “pleasurable” as a survival strategy to maintain focus in intense situations or to keep homosapiens motivated to search for valuable resources. This plays out in Jackson’s culture through a desire to take risks and try new things, either when people push their limits in the mountains or reach for a drug of choice. However, through a process called “hedonic adaptation,” both athletes and people with substance abuse issues develop a tolerance to the initial high. That’s when the brains develops a “been there, done that” attitude. People are then compelled to add new twists and increased intensity to recreate that initial charge. Steve Gilmore has worked in the substance abuse field for more than 15 years and has a master’s degree in exercise science. He explains that addiction can be defined as “depending on an activity or substance to give you joy or peace.” When determining if your use of a substance or activity is at an unhealthy level, Gilmore suggests stopping the behavior and asking yourself the question, “Am I still OK, do I still feel like me?” Drugs and alcohol are labeled as “mood altering” substances, but exercise and adventure sports fill the same role of helping folks to self-medicate by changing their biology. Gilmore noted how exercise provides the same euphoric feeling of drugs. “Climbing and cocaine have the same biochemistry, both are hijacking brain receptors that are meant to heighten our senses in periodic situations,” he said. However, these are not circuits that should be firing all the time. But in Jackson and other mountain communities, adrenaline junkies and substance abusers are often pressing the gas pedal and avoiding the brake to remain “high” at all times. Take for instance, Nick*, who is currently in a local substance abuse treatment program after he was arrested for heroin and cocaine use. He says it’s a constant grind in Jackson. “People are smoking on their way up the gondola to relax, jacking up their adrenaline levels while skiing, then leveling off with some alcohol at night. Then getting up the next day
However, there is a normal bell curve for this adaptive trait currency, it’s how you become credible here,” Shorts said. “You and people at the high end of this curve are at a disadvantage can either play the party card or the ski card with some people because they might risk too much and die before they spread playing both.” He spent time in group homes and jail before their genes. Therefore, if being born with an “overactive deciding at the age of 18 that he had enough. Now 20 years approach system” is possible then some Jackson residents are old, Shorts has been sober for two years and is spearheading at the far end of this novelty-seeking spectrum. a program that gives at-risk youth valuable info on substance “We’re all trying to seek something and some people just abuse and connects them with area mentors. end up running into alcohol or drugs first and others find the outdoor world,” said Lewis Smirl, a mental health counselor and avid mountaineer. Maybe it’s possible there is just something in the air in An overactive reward and approach system may not be the Jackson that makes its residents want to ski off 30-foot cliffs only reason Jackson residents lean towards risk more often or pound that seventh shot of Jack Daniels. In fact, the air at than the average American. A further contributing factor may be that their brains do not respond to fear the same way most 6,000 feet may be a contributing factor to people’s propensity towards the extreme. Perry Renshaw, a biophysics P.h.D. people’s brains respond. Kerry Ressler, a psychiatrist from Emory University, points from the University of Utah, explains that living at higher out that the amygdala, which is the brain region most asso- elevations tampers with brain chemistry, leading to a drop ciated with fear processing, is the same region involved in in serotonin and a rise in dopamine, through a process called “hypobaric hypoxia.” addictive behaviors. So high sensation This means that as oxygen density seekers and substance abusers may “have decreases, it can cause brain chemicals to a lower set-point for fear extinction,” she become unbalanced. Renshaw estimates explained. “This means they can more easthat being in the mountains can raise a ily turn off, or at least tamp down, the person’s average dopamine levels up to physiological response to a fearful event.” 20 percent. A lack of serotonin, which is Research on extreme athletes, such a mood stabilizing chemical, might also as Alex Honnold who climbs without a illuminate why mountain towns have so rope thousands of feet above the ground, many substance abuse issues. ”Serotonin ANDREW SHORTS explains that some sensation seekers’ deficiency can exacerbate symptoms of threat response circuitry is sometimes a little haywire. J.B. Mackinnon reports that when researches pre-existing anxiety and depression,” Renshaw said. Members of Jackson’s community may then experience put Honnold in an MRI machine and had him look at anxiety exaggerated feelings of joy on the ski hill during the day, but provoking images, nowhere in the fear center of Honnold’s brain could neuroscientists spot activity. Mackinnon says ath- an inability to stabilize their mood at night pushes some to letes such as Honnold react with lower anxiety and a blunted level out with alcohol or drugs. In addition, Jackson’s culture seems to reward extremes, and the community embraces its response to potentially dangerous activities. Andrew Shorts, who skied competitively on the Junior identity as a place that pushes limits. However, when people Free-ride World Tour and also struggled with substance abuse live up to that image and the darker side of “being extreme” as a teenager, says he experienced a similar response to fear appears through addiction issues and injury in the backcouninducing activities as he did to taking drugs. “I didn’t go try, judgment and shaming can occur. One valley local, John*, incurred multiple ski injuries in his looking for death, but I wasn’t afraid of it either,” he said. “The high didn’t appeal to me as much as doing something lethal teenage years which led him to take pain killers in order to did. Unfortunately, at that point I was more focused on being keep doing what he loved. He didn’t want to miss out on the hardcore.” Growing up in Jackson Hole, Shorts said his identity camaraderie of being in the mountains with his friends and was heavily shaped by ski and drug culture. He spent a large was hooked on the escape that skiing provided. “To me, skiing feels like dancing. Time seems to stop and portion of his teenage years attempting to live up to the persona of a being from Jackson Hole. “Going big is Jackson’s form of all my problems seem to disappear,” he said. After his medications ran out, however, he still wanted the euphoric feeling
Place makes the person
“I didn’t go looking for death, but I wasn’t afraid of it either.”
that opiates provided, so John turned to black tar heroin as a substitute due to its low cost and accessibility. While powder turns were still on his mind, they couldn’t deliver the same high. He says he started out in control of his use, but heroin quickly turned into an all-consuming habit and he became lost. “It was depressing getting high knowing there was all this stuff I used to love to do and the only thing I cared about was getting high,” he said. “I hated what I was doing, I hated what I had become.” After periods of sobriety, John is now six months sober from opiates and will return to the ski hill this winter.
Lessons learned
When people experience stress, alcohol and drugs appear a common coping method. Athletics can be a pathway out of addiction and a replacement high that fills the gap when alcohol or drugs are gone. But even with “extreme” sports, mental health experts say it’s important to find a balance and not fall into a similarly destructive pattern with physical pursuits. “It used to be much easier to roll over and grab my bag of weed, rather than motivating to get out the door and sit in the cold tram line for powder,” Shorts noted. However, now that he is clean and getting back in shape for skiing his perspective has changed. “Being successful on a day-to-day basis is my new organic high. I used to love smoking weed but it was temporary and artificial, now I just like the sober alternative better.” When John was using and addicted to opiates he remembered, “I felt lost and everyday I would think ‘just a few more times.’ I kept trying to get back to being me.” It took several tries before he gained full sobriety, but today he relishes in running up Snow King as fast as he can and doing yoga at the top. “It feels better than using heroin,” he said. In many ways, Jackson Hole is the best the world has to offer—magnificent landscapes, passionate people, and a mental mindset among many to always go further, and often times bigger. This ethos injects pride into its community members, but it also means societal norms are different here than in other places. For some, simply recognizing that these norms are not necessarily normal, or healthy, can be of great benefit. Making sure the coping skills one chooses are sustainable in the long term is paramount. “It’s a seductive idea to believe you can always be on the move,” Shorts said, “but skiing and drinking six or seven days out the week is exhausting and completely unmanageable.” PJH
ANDREW SHORTS
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 13
CARSON MEYER
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Growing up in Jackson Hole, Andrew Shorts said ski and drug culture helped shape his identity.
IN THE MOUNTAINS AND ON THE STREETS BY KELSEY DAYTON
R
yan Burke was on day six of a seven-day traverse of the Teton Range when he hit a mental wall. He was hiking off-trail through head-high bushes on loose dirt and rock on his way to Rimrock Lake. It was a journey where he planned to summit 50 Teton peaks, cover 102 miles and climb 112,000-feet of elevation in the process. As Burke bushwhacked his way toward the lake he started his mental mantra. “One is ‘I’ve been here before, I can do it again,’” Burke said. “That keeps me moving. The other question I ask is ‘Can I get through the next 10 feet?” It’s similar to what Burke teaches his clients at Curran-Seeley where he is an addiction specialist. With addiction it’s about getting through the next day and reminding one’s self you have gotten through similar days before and have the strength to do it again, he said. These similarities of what gets him through the mountains and what helps addicts stay clean, are why Burke started the Mind Strength Project, a program that physically and mentally trains athletes and addicts side-by-side. The program, which he piloted this summer, brings together world-class athletes with substance abuse addicts. “We use these Rocky-type workouts, with geeky neuroscience and some Jedi mind tricks of mindfulness,” he said. The group performs high-intensity exercises to elevate heart rates. Then participants practice cognitive skills, learn mindfulness and coping mechanisms and how to use them in high-stress situations. The goal is to prepare people for stressors, whether it’s a dangerous situation in the mountains for an athlete, or an addiction-triggering situation for an addict. “Both people in the mountains and those coping with addictions have these moments of risk,” Burke said. Burke knows the power of mental strength in the mountains from his own personal experiences. He moved to Jackson from Maine in 2004 and wasn’t a climber or mountaineer—not yet. He started exploring the mountains, but it wasn’t until 2010 when he met Jarad Spackman, who would become his friend and mentor, that Burke started embarking on epic adventures that tested his physical stamina and mental endurance. “I did some 30- and 36-hour missions and you go into that and your body wants to stop and everything in your brain wants you to pull over,” he said. “It becomes kind of meditative and you just have to focus on the next step in front of you.” Burke practices meditation and mindfulness. He attributes his success in completing long endurance events to his mental strength. It also allows him to complete what some might see as abnormal or extreme physical challenges without losing balance in his life. Yet many athletes didn’t understand how to train mental toughness. “As athletes, we spend so much time training our body and not enough time training the mind,” he said. The skills he teaches are applicable for all high-stress situations and everyone in the program is equal. It is not a mentor-mentee relationship. Both groups learn from each other, Burke said. “Everyone is collaborating to figure out how to stay alive, whether it’s in the mountains or in the streets.”
CRISTA VALENTINO
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
14 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
MIND STRENGTH
High Holidays Schedule of Events
THIS WEEK: October 5-11, 2016
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6
n Business Over Breakfast: Chamber Candidate Forum 7:30am, Snow King Resort, $16.00 - $25.00, 307-2012309 n Dance & Fitness Classes All Day 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-7336398 n Wilderness First Responder and BLS CPR 9:00am, CWC-Jackson, $725.00, 307-733-7425 n Yoga 9:00am, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025
n Storytime 10:30am, Teton County Library Youth Auditorium, Free, 307-733-2164 n Teton Toastmasters 12:00pm, Teton County Commissioners Chambers, Free, n Spin 12:10pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Beginning Painting 1:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $140.00, 307733-6379 n Murie Center Ranch Tour 2:30pm, Murie Center, Free, 307-739-2246 n Hand and Wheel 4:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $120.00, 307733-6379 n Roam is One 5:00pm, Roam JH, Free n Four Seasons Chamber Mixer: Warm Up for Winter! 5:00pm, The Handle Bar, Free, 307-201-2309 n REFIT® 5:15pm, First Baptist Church, Free, 307-690-6539 n Zumba 5:30pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Whiskey Experience 6:00pm, VOM FASS Jackson Hole, Free, 307-734-1535 n Writer’s Workshop Series 6:00pm, Valley of the Tetons Library, Free, 208-787-2201 n Meet & Make at Penny Lane 6:00pm, Penny Lane Cooperative, Free, 804-380-6728 n Printmaking 101 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $225.00, 307733-6379 n Silver Projects: Fabrication and Stone Setting Varieties 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $65.00, 307733-6379 n Selective College Admissions & Timeline 6:00pm, Teton County Library Youth Auditorium, Free, 307-733-2164 x 258
Services led by Carl Levenson, Josh Kleyman, Chazzan Judd Grossman, and Rabbi Tirzah Firestone St. John’s Episcopal Church 170 N. Glenwood | Jackson, WY
Services led by Rabbi Tirzah Firestone & Chazzan Judd Grossman Prelude music begins at 7:00 p.m. Services will begin at 7:30 p.m. (Childcare provided)
Yom Kippur Wednesday October 12 9:30 a.m. Children’s Service 10:00 a.m. Shacharit, Morning Service (Childcare begins at 10:00 a.m.) 2:30 p.m. Workshop 3:45 p.m. Yizkor 4:45 p.m. Mincha/Torah Reading 5:45 p.m. Break 6:00 p.m. Rabbi’s Discussion 6:30 p.m. Ne’ila 7:00 p.m. Potluck community Break Fast in the Hansen Hall. Please bring a savory main dish or hearty side dish/ salad. Bagels, cream cheese, dessert and drinks will be provided.
No tickets required.
Jackson Hole Jewish Community 307-734-1999 • info@jhjewishcommunity.org
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 15
SEE CALENDAR PAGE 18
n Byron’s Guitar at Jenny Lake Lodge 6:00pm, Jenny Lake Lodge, Free, 307-733-4647 n Adult Writer’s Workshop Victor 6:00pm, Valley of the Tetons Library, Free, 208-787-2201 n Introductory, Conversational Spanish 6:00pm, CWC-Jackson, $110.00, 307-733-7425 n Cribbage 6:00pm, Valley of the Tetons Library, Free, 208-787-2201 n Disc Golf Doubles 6:00pm, Teton Village, 307733-2292 n Ballroom Dancing Workshop 6:30pm, 83001, $75.00, 307733-6398 n Introduction to Transcendental Meditation 6:30pm, The TM Center, Free, 307-690-5727 n KHOL Presents: Vinyl Night 8:00pm, The Rose, Free, 307733-1500 n Songwriter’s Alley Open Mic 8:00pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939 n KHOL Presents: Vinyl Night featuring Frank Zappa 8:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, Free, 307-733-1500 n Matt Boone Band 9:00pm, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, $5.00, 307-733-2207
Compiled by Caroline LaRosa
Tuesday, October 11
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
n Yoga 7:00am, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Dance & Fitness Classes All Day 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-7336398 n Toddler Gym 8:30am, Teton Recreation Center, $4.00, 307-739-9025 n Wilderness First Responder and BLS CPR 9:00am, CWC-Jackson, $725.00, 307-733-7425 n Storytime 10:00am, Valley of the Tetons Library Victor, Free, 208-7872201 n Fables Feathers & Fur 10:30am, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Free, 307-7325435 n Lap Sit 11:00am, Valley of the Tetons Library, n Introduction to Transcendental Meditation 12:00pm, The TM Center, Free, 307-690-5727 n Total Fitness 12:10pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Open Build 1:00pm, Valley of the Tetons Library, Free, 208-354-5522 n Murie Center Ranch Tour 2:30pm, Murie Center, Free, 307-739-2246 n 4-H National Youth Science Day Afterschool Program 3:00pm, Teton County Extension Office in Driggs, $5.00, 208-354-2961 n Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group 6:00pm, St. John’s Medical Center Eagle Classroom, Free, 307-690-5419 n Barbara Trentham Life Drawing 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $10.00, 307733-6379 n Wednesday Community Dinner 6:00pm, Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, Free, 307734-0388
5777
Erev Yom Kippur/Kol Nidre
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
16 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
MUSIC BOX Zappa Plays (Whatever the F@%k He Wants) Dweezil Zappa keeps a legacy alive; Sean Hayes brings low-fi grit. BY AARON DAVIS @ScreenDoorPorch
W
hat I’ve noticed about unwieldy Frank Zappa fans is that they rarely put one casual foot in the circle. Instead they often dive into the oddball and exhausting catalog that surrounds the absurdist genius. Perhaps it’s the blistering, exploratory guitar solos or the hardnosed opposition to government encroachment that strikes the loudest chord for listeners on the 68 or so official releases. Zappa heads have the geeky love and dedication comparable to the cult followings of The Grateful Dead, Phish and Rush. It’s sacred. So it goes without saying that Dweezil Zappa’s upcoming show at the Pink Garter is something of an otherworldly gathering. By the way, his birth name was Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa. Dweezil—a virtuoso guitarist in his own right—is one of four Zappa children along with Ahmet, Diva and Moon. Though Dweezil has been touring under the name Zappa Plays Zappa and playing his father’s music for the last decade, the family drama that has unfolded put a stop to Dweezil using the name. In response, the name of the current tour—Dweezil Zappa Plays Whatever the F@%k He Wants: The Cease and Desist Tour—reflects his mentality as well as the 50th anniversary of his father’s album Freak Out! As reported by Rolling Stone, roots of the squabble lie in the children’s relationship with their mother, Gail, who put siblings Ahmet and Diva in charge of business
At the Garter on Friday Dweezil Zappa melds his father’s musical sensibilities with his own virtuosic guitar chops. operations as well as a larger percentage of the Estate before she passed away last year. Frank died in 1993. “All my efforts to do this, to protect my ability to do this, are so that I can continue to play and so that the music isn’t overshadowed by any drama,” Dweezil told Rolling Stone. “There is a difference between protecting the music and preventing people from hearing it. I’d love for people to experience Frank’s music. I’m not a victim, but I did want to stand up for what feels right.” Dweezil will feature obscure songs from Freak Out! during the set including “Who Are the Brain Police?” “The Return of the Son of the Monster Magnet,” and “It Can’t Happen Here,” the latter of which includes purposefully out-of-tune singing via multiple over dubs. Dweezil describes this era of his father’s as “dangerous” with “insane distortion, noise, aggro feedback.” Learning from his father’s band mates and worldclass guitarists Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen, Dweezil
was exposed to the music industry very early in his life. Van Halen even produced his first single when Dweezil was just 12 years old. He went on to work as an MTV VJ in the 80s, and since the early 90s, has been composing a 75-minute piece featuring guitar solos by dozens of famous players. Dweezil has done some theme music scoring while making appearances as an actor as well (including music for the film Jack Frost and the TV sitcom Normal Life). According to Dweezil’s website, his current band includes pianist/vocalist Chris Norton, bassist Kurt Morgan, drummer Ryan Brown, guitarist Pete Jones, and new comer vocalist Mikki Hommel. Along with the Zappa material, the band has also been playing an epic 100-plus song that’s more than 25 minutes of 80s covers. Dweezil Zappa, 9 p.m. Friday at the Pink Garter Theatre. $35/GA, $59/VIP. PinkGarterTheatre.com or 733-1500.
WEDNESDAY Open Mic/Songwriter’s Alley (Silver Dollar) THURSDAY Mikel Wright & the Wrongs (Town Square Tavern) FRIDAY Dweezil Zappa (Pink Garter Theatre), Sean Hayes (Town Square Tavern), Twiddle with Kitchen Dwellers (Knotty Pine) Singer-songwriter Sean Hayes makes his Wyoming debut Friday at Town Square Tavern .
Unpolished warmth with Sean Hayes For San Francisco singer-songwriter Sean Hayes, being an independent artist for more than 20 years is a reflection that sits in a comfortable zone regarding what he has set out to do. “My ambition has always been moderate. I’m a do-it-yourself guy,” Hayes commented before a soundcheck in New York City. “Just making a living doing what I do is some form of success. I worked in coffee shops and bars through much of that time, but about the last 10 years I’ve been full-time with music. There’s always more success to be had, though with two little boys at home, the perspective has shifted somewhat.” Hayes recently released his eighth studio album, Low Light, an intimate set of pulsing R&B, low-fi grit, folk, and old-school country that was recorded both at home and in the studio. In the track ‘’Home I Left’’ Hayes sings of leaving San Francisco to Petaluma—“headed north with
my young family, needed space to grow’’—and the album is structured to represent snapshots from his life in the four years since. “When I moved to San Fran it had a bohemian/beat vibe, and had a mystical draw,” Hayes said. “It’s gotten very expensive in the last five years, so it’s not exactly the place young musicians are deciding to move to these days.” Hayes will make his Wyoming and Jackson Hole debut with this show, with bass and drums as the foundation. PJH Sean Hayes, 10 p.m. Friday at Town Square Tavern. $10. 733-3886. Aaron Davis is a decade-long writer of Music Box, a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, member of Screen Door Porch and Boondocks, founder/host of Songwriter’s Alley, and co-founder of The WYOmericana Caravan.
SATURDAY Triggers & Slips (Silver Dollar) SUNDAY Open Mic (Pinky G’s) MONDAY JH Hootenanny (Dornan’s) TUESDAY One Ton Pig (Silver Dollar)
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 17
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
18 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
GET OUT 2nd Annual Crushfest Saturday, 11 am at the Teton County Fair Building
n JH Community Band Rehearsal 7:00pm, Center for the Arts Performing Arts Wing, Free, 307-200-9463 n Major Zepher 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-733-2190 n Salsa Night 9:00pm, The Rose, Free, 307733-1500 n Matt Boone Band 9:00pm, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, $5.00, 307-733-2207 n Mikel Wright & the Wrongs 10:00pm, Town Square Tavern, Free, 307-733-3886
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7
n Dance & Fitness Classes All Day 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-7336398 n Toddler Gym 8:30am, Teton Recreation Center, $4.00, 307-739-9025 n Wild Festival: SCIENCE 8:30am, JH Center for the Arts Lobby and Theatre, Free, 307-200-3286 x 4 n Wilderness First Responder and BLS CPR 9:00am, CWC-Jackson, $725.00, 307-733-7425 n Portrait Drawing Club 9:00am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $10.00, 307733-6379 n Yoga 9:00am, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Tai Chi for Better Balance 10:30am, Senior Center of Jackson Hole, $3.00, 307733-7300
SEE CALENDAR PAGE 21
n Zumba 12:00pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Total Fitness 12:10pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Murie Center Ranch Tour 2:30pm, Murie Center, Free, 307-739-2246 n Photography Intermediate 3:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $130.00, 307733-6379 n Electronics/Tech 3:30pm, Valley of the Tetons Library, Free, 208-787-2201 n Free Friday Tasting 4:00pm, Jackson Whole Grocer, Free, 307-733-0450 n Friday Tastings 4:00pm, The Liquor Store of Jackson Hole, Free, 307-7334466 n Zenka: Augmented Reality Interventions 5:00pm, The Center Theater Gallery, Free, 307-733-4900 n Whiskey Experience 6:00pm, VOM FASS Jackson Hole, Free, 307-734-1535 n Pam Drews Phillips Plays Jazz 7:00pm, The Granary at Spring Creek Ranch, Free, 307-733-8833 n Adventure + Science Explorers Night 7:00pm, JH Center for the Arts Lobby and Theatre, $10.00, 307-733-4900 n Country Western Swing Workshop 7:30pm, Dancers’ Workshop, $65.00 - $90.00, 307-7336398
n Triggers & Slips 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-733-2190 n Matt Boone Band 9:00pm, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, $5.00, 307-733-2207 n Dweezil Zappa 9:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, $35.00 - $59.00, 307-7331500 n Twiddle & The Kitchen Dwellers 9:00pm, Knotty Pine, $10.00, 208-787-2866 n Sean Hayes 10:00pm, Town Square Tavern, $10.00, 307-733-3886
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8
n Dance & Fitness Classes All Day 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-7336398 n Saturday University 8:30am, Center for the Arts, Free, 307-699-2680 n Wild Festival: SCIENCE 8:30am, JH Center for the Arts Lobby and Theatre, Free, 307-200-3286 x 4 n REFIT® 9:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $20.00, 307-7336398 n Volunteer for a Wildlife Friendlier Fencing Project 9:00am, Buffalo Fork in Grand Teton National Park, Free, 307-739-0968 n Intro to Silversmithing 9:30am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $140.00, 307733-6379
SAM MORSE
Dance, taste and stomp grapes Crushfest is an interactive and family-friendly forum for local farmers, organizations, and community members to celebrate, learn, and enjoy the end of the harvest season in the Tetons.
Teton Relativity Slowing down time with a 19-mile walk in the park. BY SAM MORSE @samueladamsmorse
E
instein’s general theory of relativity states that the speed at which time passes is relative to the speed an object is moving. Of course, this phenomenon only becomes noticeable when approaching velocities akin to the speed of light. It is a principle, however, that also applies to outings in the backcountry, when early starts and long suffer fests can bend time. I recently experienced this time warping sensation while hiking the Paintbrush Canyon to Cascade Canyon loop in Grand Teton National Park. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes during a coffee-fueled 4 a.m. drive to the String Lake trailhead, I had the apprehensive feeling that normally precedes a long day in the mountains. As we hit the trail my buddy Ryan and I alerted area bears of our presence via our loud and obnoxious chatter. Sadly, Ryan’s hiking music was also obnoxious. Passing around the western side of String in the pre-dawn glow, Seal’s “Kissed By A Rose” brought back memories of puberty, middle school and Batman Forever. Those early hours of the hike were defined by a kind of cold determination to hammer out as many miles as possible before the sun made its way over the horizon. We pushed into upper Paintbrush Canyon, where, during the formative hours of a golden Teton morning, we stopped to recharge and consume calories. This was my first time in the upper confines of Paintbrush Canyon, and I now
Sunny, warmer weather this weekend could make this journey an enjoyable late-fall venture.
understand why so many whisper of its raw and vivid beauty. Soaked by the morning light, the majesty of the park was on full display. Hiking past Holly Lake and climbing the upper parapets toward Paintbrush Divide (10,720 ft.), my mind had the Lord of the Rings horn theme music on repeat. For me, having lived in Jackson Hole for a few years now, seeing the park from this angle seemed a capstone of sorts, an overdue consummation of my love affair with this place. Dropping into the North Fork of Cascade Canyon, we confronted miles of emerald trail and jagged granite. Now 12 miles deep as the morning flirted with the afternoon, I found myself less consumed by natural beauty and more preoccupied with distance. At a certain weary point, the cordial banter we conducted with passing hikers was over. What were once warm pleasantries became gruff nods and quick “hellos.” The last thing I clearly remember was eating lunch at the confluence of the North Fork and Cascade Creek proper. Exhausted and in need of a pick-me-up, I took sour candy strips from my pack and stuffed them between my lips and gums like chewing tobacco. A couple hours later, hobbling across the bridge at southern String Lake, I felt like I’d just gotten my ass kicked. This was easily the biggest circle I’d ever walked, but even there, in the deep grip of exhaustion, I contemplated my next Teton mission. During the drive back to Jackson, it was difficult to accept that just 12 hours ago we’d crossed that same bridge before dawn. While hiking that day, time was relative; it seemed much longer than half a day. Human lives are interesting that way: small bursts of adventure and excitement contrast longer stretches that pass only as fast as the time clock at work allows. PJH
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 19
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
20 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
CULTURE KLASH State of the Art Northwest Wyoming bustles with contemporary art and WILD science this week and next. BY MEG DALY @MegDaly1
A
s Jackson streets teem ever fuller with Beemers and Lexi (pl. Lexus), and art gallery walks increasingly cater to those in patent penny loafers and upturned collars (or stiletto heels and augmented breasts) it’s a relief to the plebian among us that a town still exists where a gallery stroll can be attended in dusty jeans and all their Western implications. This Friday, Pinedale celebrates Art Night, a multi-venue extravaganza of contemporary Wyoming artists. Helpfully staged in two-hour chunks, the evening will take you on a brief tour of downtown Pinedale. Start your adventure at Isabel Jewelry & Gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. Proprietor Isabel Rucker is holding a reception for a show by Wyoming photographers Bailey Russel and Ryan Keith Parker. “Bailey has been using the wet-plate collodion process in the studio to capture bleached animal skulls and bones,” Rucker said. “The work is all the original plates, so it’s one of a kind.” Parker also uses the tintype process, taking photos of industrial facilities and barren manufactured landscapes. Together the artists’ work probes the shadows of history that lie underfoot and under the skin in our contemporary Western lives. From Isabel’s, saunter over to the Sublette County Library at 7 p.m. to see Laramie-based painter June Glasson’s latest work. Glasson will be on hand for a conversation. Combining splashes of bright color in otherwise black and white minimalist compositions, Glasson’s paintings explore themes of women and the natural world. Her work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London and other esteemed galleries and museums. Sponsored by the Pinedale Fine Arts Council, Glasson spent the week working with students in Pinedale schools. “Her work is stunningly beautiful,” Rucker said. “It’s always great to get a chance to listen to an artist, hear about her process and see a slideshow portfolio. This creative idea sharing opportunity is pretty rare in Pinedale.” Once filled with inspiration, gallery goers can fill their bellies with food and drink at Boondocks Pizza at 9 p.m., featuring local musicians Jason Burton and Terry Hill. “The after party musicians operate in a similar fashion to us visual artists,” Rucker said. “They get together and sing and write and support each other’s careers.” A small but determined group of people work tirelessly to make Pinedale a mini arts hub, Rucker noted. An artist herself, she admits that her remote location can be difficult, but she finds many rewards as well. “A fun thing comes of the remoteness,” she said. “That is a freedom from entrenched legacy. We are able to experiment.” Pinedale Art Night locations include: Isabel Jewelry & Gallery, 21 N. Franklin Ave.; Sublette Co. Library, 155 S. Tyler St.; and Boondocks Pizza, 23 W. Pine St.
This weekend head to Pinedale for no frills contemporary art or stay in Jackson for the WILD Festival, a celebration of wildlife, nature and science. Then on Wednesday CES holds its first art-focused fundraiser.
Wild science The rugged, iconic West is not known for its science geeks, but luckily they do exist and will be gathering en masse at the Center for the Arts this weekend for the Jackson Hole WILD Festival. Each year the WILD Festival chooses a theme. This year it’s science, which, hey, has a thing or two to do with wild animals and wilderness. Highlights include a presentation by Gregg Treinish and Dr. Laly Lichtenfeld. Treinish is the founder and executive director of Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation. That organization does cool things like track wolverines with the help of ultra-runners. It has also enlisted climbers in Greenland to collect wildlife scat. Often referred to as citizen science, this kind of nonprofessional contribution to research is a growing field. Lichtenfeld is the executive director of the African People & Wildlife Fund, a citizen science organization based in Tanzania. They enlist locals to collect and analyze valuable information about human-wildlife conflicts, diffuse and work on anti-poaching patrols. Lichtenfeld is a big cat specialist and has received six grants from the National Geographic Big Cats Initiative. Treinish and Lichtenfeld will be joined by Topher White, founder of the Rainforest Connection and a 2015 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and Rebecca Martin, director of NatGeo’s Expedition Council and Young Explorers Grants. “There has never been a more important time for people to engage with science and the same technology that connects us instantly to virtually any place on the globe,” said festival director Lisa Samford. “It has opened the door for massive citizen science engagement.” Another highlight of the festival is Saturday’s Science Fair. Workshops include “Organ Dissections” (gross!), Minecraft Magic (cool!), the Science of Music (trippy!) and many more. Preregistration for some workshops is required. The festival closes with a screening of a film by everyone’s favorite British naturalist and broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough. Light on Earth delves into the weird world of glowworms, fireflies, luminous plankton and other purveyors of bioluminescence. “This groundbreaking film will venture into the soil beneath our feet, into mysterious tropical forests, and the twilight zone, the world of the deep ocean, the inimitable,”
Attenborough says in the films’ trailer. Looking a little worse for wear—he happens to be 90—Attenborough conveys the same kind of kid-like enthusiasm for his subject matter as ever. “This is quite simply a brilliant and beautiful film,” Samford said. The film won the festival’s Grand Helix (Best of Science Media Festival) Award, and was praised by the jury as “a reflection of great filmmaking that shines a light on science big and small with youthful charm and energy.” For the most up to date information about the WILD Festival and to register for workshops, visit jhwild.org.
When art equals love
Save the date for Community Entry Services’ first annual benefit auction, The Art of Love on Wednesday, October 12. Community Entry Services (CES) facilitates empowering activities and learning for adults with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries so they can further their independence. The Art of Love plate auction features designs by many who’s who of Jackson artists, including Amy Ringholz, Anika Youcha, Carrie Wild, Brian Iguchi, Bill Sawczuk, Jenny Dowd, Travis Walker, Katy Fox, Nicole Gaitan, Kathryn Mapes Turner, Jason Borbay, Shannon Troxler, Ben Roth, Liz Park, Tenley Thompson, Boughton Walden, Jennifer L. Hoffman, Amanda Martin, Deb Penk, Grace Davis, Bobbi Miller, Sarah Webber, Walter Gerald and Valerie Seaberg. All plates were crafted and fired by ceramist Sam Dowd and all the artists donated their work. In addition to the plate auction, the evening event features cocktails, bountiful hors d‘oeuvres, and live entertainment by Crazy Tom, who will also act as emcee and DJ. Wyoming senator Leland Christensen will be the auctioneer. Additional work by Jackson Hole High School students will be on display, as well as pieces by several CES participants. PJH
“The Art of Love,” CES’ first annual plate auction is 6 p.m. Wednesday, October 12 at The Center for the Arts. Tickets are $47 and available through the Center Box Office.
n 2nd Annual Crushfest Jackson Hole Winery 11:00am, Teton County Fair Building, Free, 760-500-0873 n Wurst Fest 12:00pm, Alpenhof, 307-7333242 n Whiskey Experience 6:00pm, VOM FASS Jackson Hole, Free, 307-734-1535 n Jackson Premiere: David Attenborough’s Light on Earth 7:00pm, JH Center for the Arts Lobby and Theatre, Free, n Art Opening: NATALIE CONNELL A Few Brief Seconds 7:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, Free, 307-733-1500 n Jackson Premiere: David Attenborough’s “Light on Earth” 7:00pm, The Center Theater, $5.00, 307-733-4900 n Triggers & Slips 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-733-2190 n Matt Boone Band 9:00pm, Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, $5.00, 307-733-2207 n The Moist Boys 10:00pm, Town Square Tavern, Free, 307-733-3886
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
n Dance & Fitness Classes All Day 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-7336398 n REFIT® 8:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $20.00, 307-7336398 n Yoga 8:30am, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Tai Chi for Better Balance 10:30am, Senior Center of Jackson Hole, $3.00, 307733-7300 n Chamber/Rotary Candidate Forum Series 12:00pm, Snow King Resort, $25.00, 307-201-2309 n Spin 12:10pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Murie Center Ranch Tour 2:30pm, Murie Center, Free, 307-739-2246 n Writer 3:30pm, Valley of the Tetons Library, Free, 208-787-2201 n Zumba 4:30pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n REFIT® 5:15pm, First Baptist Church, Free, 307-690-6539 n Total Fitness 5:30pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Cribbage 6:00pm, Valley of the Tetons Library, Free, 208-787-2201 n Relief Printing - Evening 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $64.00, 307733-6379 n Workshop: Increasing your Social Fluidity 6:00pm, CWC-Jackson, $200.00, 307-733-7425 n High Holidays Yom Kippur 7:00pm, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Free, 307-734-1999 n Bluegrass Tuesdays with One Ton Pig 7:00pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-733-2190
FOR COMPLETE EVENT DETAILS VISIT PJHCALENDAR.COM
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 21
n Yoga 7:00am, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
n Aerial Tram Closes for Season 9:00am, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, 307-7332292 n Coffee & Collect 10:00am, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Free, 307-7335771 n NFL Sunday Football 11:00am, The Trap Bar & Grill, Free, 307.353.2300 n Stagecoach Band 6:00pm, Stagecoach, Free, 307-733-4407 n Open Mic 9:00pm, Pinky G’s Pizzeria, Free, 307-734-7465
n Dance & Fitness Classes All Day 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-7336398 n Toddler Gym 8:30am, Teton Recreation Center, $4.00, 307-739-9025 n Intermediate Throwing 9:00am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $170.00 $204.00, 307-733-6379 n Create with Me: Ages 2 & 3 with caregiver 9:15am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $65.00, 307733-6379 n Kindercreations 10:30am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $70.00, 307733-6379 n Total Fitness 12:10pm, Teton Recreation Center, $8.00, 307-739-9025 n Beginning Drawing 1:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $145.00, 307733-6379 n Murie Center Ranch Tour 2:30pm, Murie Center, Free, 307-739-2246 n Maker Monday’s 3:00pm, Valley of the Tetons Library Victor, Free, 208-7872201 n After School Kidzart Club: Grade K-2 3:30pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $150.00, 307733-6379 n Handbuilding Plus! 3:30pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $100.00, 307733-6379 n Stepping Stones 4:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $40.00, 307733-6379 n Hootenanny 6:00pm, Dornan’s, Free, 307733-2415 n Beginning Drawing Evening 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $145.00, 307733-6379 n Stained Glass - Design with Light 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $160.00, 307733-6379 n Teenage Angst Screen Printing 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $145.00, 307733-6379
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
22 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
WELL, THAT HAPPENED SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH 10:30am - 3:00pm Bottomless Mimosas & Bloody Marys $15
HAPPY HOUR
1/2 Off Drinks Daily 5-7pm
•••••••••••
Monday-Saturday 11am, Sunday 10:30am 832 W. Broadway (inside Plaza Liquors)•733-7901
Endangered Creativity As more of the creative class leaves, the need to elevate local art is increasingly important. BY ANDREW MUNZ @AndrewMunz
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S
itting in town chambers last Friday morning during Mayor Sara Flitner’s gathering of local creatives, I raised my hand tentatively. Despite the good intentions of the meeting, pitched as an effort to put more public art in public spaces, the outcome was frustrating. The conversation teetered between a dialogue about turning town hall into an art gallery, to a disagreement about how best to support our creative community. I was vocal about my stance: Visual art is not the only type of art produced here. The room was filled with a spectrum of artists. An antiques restorer. A wildlife painter. A writer. A fashion designer. When it was challenged, the art gallery idea was spun to be a stepping stone towards a more tenacious artistic community. I left unimpressed. Exiting town hall, I got a coffee and immediately went to work on this week’s column. We’re standing on the brink of change. We’ve ended up here together, standing on the same precipice, overlooking the same ocean of possibility. The crashing waves of outside influence carving away at our local foundation, eroding the cliffs we stand upon, and at any moment we can lose our footing (or our housing), and be forced to step backwards, or tumble forward into the abyss. I have no intention of falling or stepping back. And I have no intention of watching others fall. Western communities were founded by pioneers, people whose worldviews were crafted with an ethos of opportunity, a vast grassy plain, an empty canvass. It was here in the West where these visions were cultivated and celebrated. The children that followed developed those ideas further and eventually, as the years passed, and the snow fell, melted, and fell again, Western Americana established its own creative voice. We became locals. Our art, our perspectives were local. These pioneers weren’t raising money to hire wagons delivering performers of eastern perspectives to showcase in saloons or at fancy dress balls. They celebrated what
Caspar David Friedrich depicts standing on the precipice in ‘Wanderer Above The Sea Of Fog,’ 1918. they had, cultivated their citizens, challenged them, forced their artists to come up with new material and new visions. As a local artist in 21st century Jackson Hole, I can say making a name for oneself is an uphill battle. I’m sure we’ve all lost count on how many projects we could have cultivated here, if we only had access to resources and funding to make them possible. The constant fight for gallery space, venues, art materials, etc. only exacerbates the issue, and despite Jackson being touted as having a vibrant arts scene, local artists receive little to zero financial support as individual entities. Without an artistic endowment from the town or county, individuals who are not pairing up with a nonprofit must reach out on the state or national level to find funding for projects. Otherwise, any fundraising is done on a grassroots level, seeking out donors and asking friends to pitch in a couple (or a hundred) bucks. You would think it would be easier here, what with all the economic and artistic wealth in the community. Those of us who are visual artists have an easier time with this escapade, as the product is often tangible and easily acquired through a single transaction. But what about the filmmakers, the poets, the musicians? The art produced by an actress, dancer, or sound designer cannot be hung up on the walls of a gallery or living room, so we can develop the illusion that visual art is the most prevalent form of art in our community. In our town, performing artists are overshadowed by a plethora of photography, painting and sculpture galleries. Our local theatre venues are often inaccessible due to high rental rates and packed calendars. Writers and performing artists are overlooked in our annual Fall Arts
Festival, save for the occasional guitarist performing in the corner of an art opening. If you think this revelation sounds as though there is a group of local artists in town stomping around like toddlers who got their toy taken away, you’re absolutely right. Our community and our local government should be doing more to help cultivate our local artistic perspectives. Our local nonprofits should consider putting more of their fundraising dollars into supporting artists of every age, and helping them drive their creative visions. Artistic nonprofits who raise local money should be spending less on out-of-town talent, and more on scholarships, fellowships, and individual grants on the residents who want to fuel our town’s vibrancy. Venues should find ways to offset rental costs and give breaks to locals, not just nonprofit entities. Art galleries should curate and champion local artists with different perspectives, encouraging them to create challenging, transformative work. If our housing crisis deepens, and more locals leave the valley, we will no longer have an artistic community to celebrate. Our creative voice will be lost. All that will remain are the high-profile visual artists and their brands. And that’s on par with getting rid of farmers markets to make room for a Whole Foods. Local artists of all genres are facing the winds with their teeth clenched, refusing to step back, refusing to give up. If Jackson wants to retain its vibrant artistic culture and small-town sensibilities, its citizens need to unite and start demanding we do more to support local art. Each of us must take up an instrument in this orchestra, and we have to play wildly and loudly, and find the artistic harmony that our home so desperately needs. PJH
Pins, Pints and Panache Boutique bowling alley fills valley void with delicious food, drinks and fun for all ages. BY ANNIE FENN, MD @jacksonfoodie
I
Far left: The bar at Hole Bowl is bright, hip and inviting. Left: It’s tough to choose a flatbread, but why not start with the Italian sausage and mustard greens? Right: The eggplant parmesan sandwich on a soft white bun is one of the author’s favorites. Far right: Last (but perhaps most important) are the housemade chocolate chip cookies. her husband to take the kids out of the house and find something to do. “They ended up going to Albertson’s to grocery shop for two hours,” she said. It was then that MacGregor realized there was literally nothing to do with kids their age in town. “My dad always taught me you can complain about something or you can do something about it,” said MacGregor, who grew up hanging around bowling alleys in Indiana. So she googled ‘how to start a bowling alley.’ Within days she had a consultant. Knowing MacGregor as a nurse, a mom, and a card-carrying foodie, I should have realized that with her at the helm of Hole Bowl, there would be healthy, appealing food for kids and grown-ups alike. And it won’t cost a fortune to take the whole family out to dinner—well-balanced children’s dishes are just $6. (Fun fact: MacGregor and I worked together at Women’s Health and Family Care, she as a nurse and me as a physician.) To make a long story short: We dined, we drank, we bowled, and we declared the flatbread to be a winner. Bumping into friends we hadn’t seen all summer, we were having so much fun we extended our lane time past 10 p.m., when the black light bowling starts. (Just for the record, I handily beat my good-at-everything husband, making bowling my new favorite sport.) The next day, I went back for happy hour, sinking into one of the comfy white booths with a glass of rosé from Provence. Then, wanting to make my way through the flatbread options, I returned for a solo lunch of Italian sausage and mustard greens flatbread, cementing it as a favorite menu item, second only to the eggplant parmesan sandwich, which I also devoured. And for the grand finish: A plate of six small, perfect, housemade chocolate chip cookies. Yesterday I learned my godmother Melina, matriarch of the bowling alley of my youth, had just passed away at the age of 91. I think she would be tickled to learn my fondness for bowling has been rekindled (and that I’m trying to track down my dad’s old bowling shirt in case I am invited to join a league). She’d love to know there’s a bowling alley in my adoptive hometown that is family owned, run by local moms, and serves up great hospitality and the most excellent flatbread pizzas. PJH
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 23
Hole Bowl is a happening, fun spot, with more going on than just bowling—there’s shuffleboard, pool tables, arcade games, a nice restaurant and bar. On my first visit, I only had food on my mind. Hungry from hiking in the Tetons all day, I wanted something hearty yet healthy-ish, a nice glass of wine, and a quiet booth away from the fray to visit with my husband and our friends. The locally conscious Hole Bowl menu is not at all what I would anticipate in a bowling alley—like the presence of Vertical Harvest produce featured in many dishes. Sure, there are chicken wings and pretzel bites, as you might expect, but there are also some really unique items, like the eggplant parmesan sandwich. We had a tough time deciding, which is always a good sign with menus, but settled on starting with the braised short rib sliders and an order of loaded fries, which come topped with gruyere, fontina, and parmesan cheeses and shredded braised beef. We had to try a flatbread, Hole Bowl’s version of pizza, which comes in three varieties: the gruyere and caramelized onion, Italian sausage and mustard greens, and the prosciutto, artichoke and Castelvetrano olives. For dinner I ordered an arugula salad with a side of Skuna Bay salmon. The greens were impeccably fresh, lightly dressed, and topped with crispy prosciutto and dried cherries. It was exactly what I had been craving. Not being a big drinker of beer or spirits, I was happy to discover a solid wine list, and I chose a glass of Jackson Hole Winery’s Rendezvous Red. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the food would exceed my expectations for a bowling alley, or anywhere else for that matter. Chef Jason Mitchell, formerly of Spring Creek Resort, created the menu of crowd-pleasing dishes with input from director of operations Erin Oda, formerly of Fine Dining Restaurant Group. The team put their combined years of restaurant experience together to create a menu that aims to offer simple, delicious, consistent, locally sourced food with a price point that locals will love. The idea of bringing a boutique bowling alley to Jackson was conceived almost three years ago by owner Jessica MacGregor. At home one frigid January day with her three small children bouncing off the walls, MacGregor told
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
grew up hanging out in a bowling alley in upstate New York, owned by my dad’s best friend, Benny Calabro, and his wife Melina, my godmother. It was a SicilianAmerican joint that served thick crust pizza with extra hot peppers on the side, real Buffalo wings, and draft beers for 50 cents. My dad, the only surgeon for miles around, had saved Mr. Calabro’s life after his gall bladder ruptured at work. For that, and because they were on the same bowling team, I was treated to free pizza and Cokes for all of my high school years. When I finally made my way into Hole Bowl, the new boutique bowling alley in the Powderhorn Mall, most of my friends had already discovered it. For months I’d been hearing talk of strikes and spares, a tasty flatbread pizza with artichokes and olives, and putting together a bowling league. Having not stepped into a bowling alley since my teens, I had to wonder: How could Hole Bowl measure up to Central Lanes, my hometown hangout, where I was always greeted by the owners with a huge bear hug and a slice of pizza? Hole Bowl on a Friday night in the off-season is a bustling place. The lanes are packed with locals hurling bowling balls like their lives depended on it. Within sight of the bowling parents, little girls lounge in a pile on sofas, watching a movie in the arcade/living room atmosphere. A pack of 11-year-old boys fills the private two-lane party room, celebrating a birthday while their parents relax over drinks and pizza. I couldn’t help but regret there hadn’t been a Hole Bowl in town when my kids were young— all those years when going out to dinner was painfully expensive and not at all relaxing.
ANNIE FENN, MD
THE FOODIE FILES
Featuring dining destinations from buffets and rooms with a view to mom and pop joints, chic cuisine and some of our dining critic’s faves!
PIZZAS, PASTAS & MORE HOUSEMADE BREAD & DESSERTS
ASIAN & CHINESE TETON THAI Serving the world’s most exciting cuisine. Teton Thai offers a splendid array of flavors: sweet, hot, sour, salt and bitter. All balanced and blended perfectly, satisfying the most discriminating palate. Open daily. 7432 Granite Loop Road in Teton Village, (307) 7330022 and in Driggs, (208) 787-8424, tetonthai. com.
FRESH, LOCALLY SOURCED OFFERINGS TAKE OUT AVAILABLE Dining room and bar open nightly at 5:00pm (307) 733-2460 • 2560 Moose Wilson Road • Wilson, WY
A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965
THAI ME UP
cool ways
to PERK
UP
Home of Melvin Brewing Co. Freshly remodeled offering modern Thai cuisine in a relaxed setting. New tap system with 20 craft beers. New $8 wine list and extensive bottled beer menu. Open daily for dinner at 5pm. Downtown at 75 East Pearl Street. View our tap list at thaijh.com/brews. 307-733-0005.
CONTINENTAL ALPENHOF Serving authentic Swiss cuisine, the Alpenhof features European style breakfast entrées and alpine lunch fare. Dine in the Bistro for a casual meal or join us in the Alpenrose dining room for a relaxed dinner experience. Breakfast 7:30am-10am. Coffee & pastry 10am-11:30am. Lunch 11:30am-3pm. Aprés 3pm-5:30pm. Dinner 6pm-9pm. For reservations at the Bistro or Alpenrose, call 307-733-3242.
THE BLUE LION A Jackson Hole favorite for 38 years. Join us in the charming atmosphere of a historic home. Ask a local about our rack of lamb. Serving fresh fish, elk, poultry, steaks, and vegetarian entrées. Live acoustic guitar music most nights. Early Bird Special: 20% off entire bill between 5:30-6:0pm, Open nightly at 5:30 p.m. Closed Tuesdays until ski season. Reservations recommended, walk-ins welcome. 160 N. Millward, (307) 733-3912, bluelionrestaurant.com.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
24 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
FAMILY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT
CAFE GENEVIEVE
®
Large Specialty Pizza ADD: Wings (8 pc)
Medium Pizza (1 topping) Stuffed Cheesy Bread
$ 13 99
for an extra $5.99/each
(307) 733-0330 520 S. Hwy. 89 • Jackson, WY
Napolitana-style Pizza, panini, pasta, salad, beer wine. Order online at PizzeriaCaldera.com
11am - 9:30pm daily 20 W. Broadway 307.201.1472
Serving inspired home cooked classics in a historic log cabin. Enjoy brunch daily at 8 a.m., dinner nightly at 5 p.m., and happy hour daily 3-5:30 p.m. featuring $5 glasses of wine, $5 specialty drinks, $3 bottled beer. 135 E. Broadway, (307) 732-1910, genevievejh.com.
ELEANOR’S
1110 W. Broadway • Jackson, WY Open daily 5:00am to midnight • Free Wi-Fi
Enjoy all the perks of fine dining, minus the dress code at Eleanor’s, serving rich, saucy dishes in a warm and friendly setting. Eleanor’s is a primo brunch spot on Sunday afternoons. Its bar alone is an attraction, thanks to reasonably priced drinks and a loyal crowd. Come get a belly-full of our two-time gold medal wings. Open at 11 a.m. daily. 832 W. Broadway, (307) 733-7901.
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
20%OFF ENTIRE BILL
Good between 5:30-6pm • Open nightly at 5:30pm Closed Tuesdays until ski season
733-3912 160 N. Millward
Make your reservation online at bluelionrestaurant.com
Local is a modern American steakhouse and bar located on Jackson’s historic town square. Serving locally raised beef and, regional game, fresh seafood and seasonally inspired food, Local offers the perfect setting for lunch, drinks or dinner.
Lunch 11:30am Monday-Saturday Dinner 5:30pm Nightly
Dinner Nightly at 5:30pm
HAPPY HOUR Daily 4-6:00pm
45 S. Glenwood
307.201.1717 | LOCALJH.COM ON THE TOWN SQUARE
Available for private events & catering For reservations please call 734-8038
Food,
glorious food!
Yes,we Planetoids live to eat. Look for our next foodie issue coming December 21st.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Are you a discerning drinker who knows her scotch from her whiskey? When you’re talking bouquets, are flowers the last thing on your mind? Then we want YOU. The Planet is looking for a drink columnist who likes to imbibe and write about it with authority.
Trio is located just off the town square in downtown Jackson, and is owned & operated by local chefs with a passion for good food. Our menu features contemporary American dishes inspired by classic bistro cuisine. Daily specials feature wild game, fish and meats. Enjoy a glass of wine at the bar in front of the wood-burning oven and watch the chefs perform in the open kitchen.
Book now
EMAIL WRITING SAMPLES TO EDITOR@PLANETJH.COM.
Deadline: November 25 th To advertise, contact Jen or Caroline at 307-732-0299 or email sales@planetjh.com.
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 25
for Early Bird discount rates of 40% off!
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
26 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
FULL STEAM SUBS The deli that’ll rock your belly. Jackson’s newest sub shop serves steamed subs, reubens, gyros, delicious all beef hot dogs, soups and salads. We offer Chicago style hot dogs done just the way they do in the windy city. Open daily11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Located just a short block north of the Town Square at 180 N. Center Street, (307) 733-3448.
LOCAL
THE LOCALS
FAVORITE PIZZA 2012, 2013 & 2014 •••••••••
$7
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner ••••••••• Open daily at 8am serving breakfast, lunch & dinner.
$4 Well Drink Specials
LUNCH
SPECIAL Slice, salad & soda
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••
BYOB
TV Sports Packages and 7 Screens
WWW.TETONLOTUSCAFE.COM
Under the Pink Garter Theatre (307) 734-PINK • www.pinkygs.com
145 N. Glenwood • (307) 734-0882
Local, a modern American steakhouse and bar, is located on Jackson’s historic town square. Our menu features both classic and specialty cuts of locally-ranched meats and wild game alongside fresh seafood, shellfish, house-ground burgers, and seasonally-inspired food. We offer an extensive wine list and an abundance of locallysourced products. Offering a casual and vibrant bar atmosphere with 12 beers on tap as well as a relaxed dining room, Local is the perfect spot to grab a burger for lunch or to have drinks and dinner with friends. Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30am. Dinner Nightly 5:30pm. 55 North Cache, (307) 201-1717, localjh.com.
LOTUS CAFE Serving organic, freshly-made world cuisine while catering to all eating styles. Endless organic and natural meat, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices. Offering super smoothies, fresh extracted juices, espresso and tea. Full bar and house-infused botanical spirits. Open daily 8am for breakfast lunch and dinner. 145 N. Glenwood St., (307) 734-0882, tetonlotuscafe. com.
MANGY MOOSE Mangy Moose Restaurant, with locally sourced, seasonally fresh food at reasonable prices, is a always a fun place to go with family or friends for a unique dining experience. The personable staff will make you feel right at home and the funky western decor will keep you entertained throughout your entire visit. Teton Village, (307) 733-4913, mangymoose.com.
Mangy Moose Restaurant, with locally sourced, seasonally FRESH FOOD at reasonable prices, is a always a FUN PLACE to go with family or friends for a unique dining experience. The personable staff will make you feel RIGHT AT HOME and the funky western decor will keep you entertained throughout your entire visit.
SNAKE RIVER BREWERY & RESTAURANT America’s most award-winning microbrewery is serving lunch and dinner. Take in the atmosphere while enjoying wood-fired pizzas, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts. $9 lunch menu. Happy hour 4 to 6 p.m., including tasty hot wings. The freshest beer in the valley, right from the source! Free WiFi. Open 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 265 S. Millward. (307) 739-2337, snakeriverbrewing.com.
Reservations at (307) 733-4913 3295 Village Drive • Teton Village, WY
www.mangymoose.com
European Dining
in Teton Village
BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER 7:30-9PM 307.733.3242 TETON VILLAGE
TRIO SCOOP UP THESE SAVINGS
1/16TH COLOR AD CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE TODAY TO LEARN MORE
SALES@PLANETJH.COM OR 307.732.0299
Owned and operated by Chefs with a passion for good food, Trio is located right off the Town square in downtown Jackson. Featuring a variety of cuisines in a relaxed atmosphere, Trio is famous for its wood-oven pizzas, specialty cocktails and waffle fries with bleu cheese fondue. Dinner nightly at 5:30 p.m. Reservations. (307) 734-8038 or bistrotrio.com.
ITALIAN CALICO A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965, the Calico continues to be one of the most popular restaurants in the Valley. The Calico offers the
right combination of really good food, (much of which is grown in our own gardens in the summer), friendly staff; a reasonably priced menu and a large selection of wine. Our bar scene is eclectic with a welcoming vibe. Open nightly at 5 p.m. 2560 Moose Wilson Rd., (307) 733-2460.
MEXICAN EL ABUELITO Serving authentic Mexican cuisine and appetizers in a unique Mexican atmosphere. Home of the original Jumbo Margarita. Featuring a full bar with a large selection of authentic Mexican beers. Lunch served weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nightly dinner specials. Open seven days, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 385 W. Broadway, (307) 733-1207.
PIZZA DOMINO’S PIZZA Hot and delicious delivered to your door. Handtossed, deep dish, crunchy thin, Brooklyn style and artisan pizzas; bread bowl pastas, and oven baked sandwiches; chicken wings, cheesy breads and desserts. Delivery. 520 S. Hwy. 89 in Kmart Plaza, (307) 733-0330.
PINKY G’S The locals favorite! Voted Best Pizza in Jackson Hole 2012, 2013 and 2014. Seek out this hidden gem under the Pink Garter Theatre for NY pizza by the slice, salads, stromboli’s, calzones and many appetizers to choose from. Try the $7 ‘Triple S’ lunch special.Happy hours 10 p.m. - 12 a.m. Sun.- Thu. Text PINK to 71441 for discounts. Delivery and take-out. Open daily 11a.m. to 2 a.m. 50 W. Broadway, (307) 734-PINK.
PIZZERIA CALDERA Jackson Hole’s only dedicated stone-hearth oven pizzeria, serving Napolitana-style pies using the freshest ingredients in traditional and creative combinations. Five local micro-brews on tap, a great selection of red and white wines by the glass and bottle, and one of the best views of the Town Square from our upstairs deck. Daily lunch special includes slice, salad or soup, any two for $8. Happy hour: half off drinks by the glass from 4 - 6 daily. Dine in or carry out. Or order online at PizzeriaCaldera.com, or download our app for iOS or Android. Open from 11am - 9:30pm daily at 20 West Broadway. 307-201-1472.
SWEETS MEETEETSE CHOCOLATIER Meeteetse Chocolatier brings their unique blend of European style chocolates paired with “Wyomingesque” flavors. Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit, Sage, Huckleberry and Sarsaparilla lead off a decadent collection of truffles, Belgian chocolates and hand made caramel. Sample Single Origin and Organic chocolates at our Tasting Station. Open Weekends, 265 W. Broadway. 307-413-8296. meeteetsechocolatier. com
SUDOKU
Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.
L.A.TIMES “BIG TIME” By Matt Skoczen
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2016
ACROSS 1 9 14 20 21
81 Work for 83 Court tie 84 Trypanosome transmitter 88 M, on many forms 90 Energy output 92 Concepts 94 2001 boxing biopic 95 Stab 98 Richie’s dad, to the Fonz 99 F1 neighbor on PCs 100 U. of Maryland player 101 “No problem” 102 Sandra Denton, in a hip-hop trio 103 “No problem” 105 Rapper __ Shakur 108 Kitchen gadget 110 Louisiana cuisine 111 1949 Crosby film set in Ireland 114 Set 115 Stirred 116 Scolds severely 117 Newspaper ad, commonly 118 Baltimore’s __ Harbor 119 Least seasoned
alien 80 “Dilbert” intern 82 Heated 85 Facebook feature 86 Medusa’s hair, after Athena got done with it 87 Dish requiring special utensils 88 Questel who voiced Betty Boop 89 Loser 91 Data-uploading letters 92 6-pt. scores 93 Loft filler 95 Salon appliance 96 Winter warmer 97 Apiece 102 Secure, on a farm 104 Portend 105 College __ 106 Conversant with 107 Nose (around) 108 Vitalian, for one 109 Gaelic tongue 110 See 111-Down 111 With 110-Down, Eastern discipline 112 Bit of work 113 Fallen space station
OCTOBER 5, 2016 | 27
ly Band heads Jr. and sr. “Symphony in Black” artist Sturgeon delicacy Reveal in a poem? Taproom quencher Letters in the sand? Easter decorating supply Opera that premiered in Cairo in 1871 37 Characterized by 38 Impulse 39 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee the same year as Clapton and Taylor 40 Wall recess 43 Word from Tonto 45 Big name in sporting goods 47 Rap sheet routines: Abbr. 48 Turn gray, maybe 50 Rap (with) 52 Rap’s Dr. __ 53 Shock source 54 Tedium DOWN 56 Hawaiian coffee district 1 “__ baby ... ” 57 U.S. Army E-6 2 Adds value to 58 Spellbound 3 Most skeptical 59 Swear to be true 4 Mimes 60 Ones not at home 5 Italian coastal city on the range 6 Understands 63 Hymnal that’s often 7 Friendly front? richly illustrated 8 JFK, e.g. 65 Rating unit 9 Sign up 67 Massachusetts 10 Many a senior cape 11 They may be tipped 70 On the safer side 12 “The Simpsons” bus driver 72 “Ditto!” 13 Byron’s “__ Walks in Beauty” 73 Back on the ocean 14 Mount named for a friend of 74 Champagne word George Vancouver 75 “Odds __ ... ” 15 Not quite a ringer 76 Still-life subject 16 Wagering places: Abbr. 78 Sooner than 17 Fan of Pat and Vanna, familiar- 79 Sluglike “Star Wars” 18 19 24 28 30 31 32 34 36
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Suffered a setback Shared spirit Bit by bit Swimwear option “High waving heather __ stormy blasts bending”: Emily Brontë 22 Tie up 23 Breakfast order 25 Writ word 26 NFL lineman-turned-actor Alex 27 Powder first marketed as Hudson’s Soap 28 Burned in a thurible 29 Spanish liqueur 30 Rolled __ 32 Garage event 33 Directed 35 Abbr. for old dates 36 Fruity pastry shop purchase 41 Twistedly funny 42 “Absolutely!” 44 __ bread 45 Still-life subject 46 Tabasco, por ejemplo 47 Illusions in an act 49 Foppish neckwear 51 Unite 55 Yokels 58 Drag, e.g. 61 Delete 62 What X may mean 63 Pity-evoking quality 64 Bird: Pref. 65 Bernadette et al.: Abbr. 66 Tammany Hall Tiger artist 68 U.K. country 69 Kugel ingredient 71 Middle of Christmas? 74 Spa feature 76 Part of Q.E.D. 77 First name in dance 78 Wedding acquisition, perhaps?
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
28 | OCTOBER 5, 2016
the latest happenings in jackson hole
Be Evolutionary How improving other people’s lives helps to improve your own wellbeing.
pjhcalendar.com
C
oming from a loving state of being can evolve our world as powerfully as the discovery of fire once did. The energy we put out as individuals and together as a human race directly affects what kinds of events and circumstances enter our experience. Simply stated, this is how it works: Our thoughts, beliefs and actions are part of a continuous feedback loop to the Universe. The Universe delivers into our experience what the energy frequencies of our consciousness indicate we are interested in.
Evolutionary people enjoy many benefits
SAVE UP TO 50% OFF CALICO RESTAURANT & BAR $25 VOUCHER FOR $12.50
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LOTUS CAFE
$20 VOUCHER FOR $10
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REDEEM THESE OFFERS AT HALFOFFJH.COM
Science has proven that loving feelings (kindness, compassion, acceptance, caring, forgiveness, collaboration) provide us with the biochemistry of physical, mental and emotional well-being. This translates to physical health, emotional calmness and mental clarity, all of which make it possible to thrive. These benefits create such an upgrade for us, and there is more. Feelings which are derivatives of love also allow for us to receive guidance from the evolved wisdom, unconditional love and higher intelligence of our souls/ the Cosmos/Source. A loving state of being is what will allow us to partner with each other and with the Universe in new, infinite creative and positive ways. It is how we can directly evolve the state of the world right now and leave behind endless repeating patterns born of fear, separation and trauma drama. That old way of living is only about surviving; it never gets better, and it has run its course.
Staying in the driver’s seat We are in control of choosing to come from love or fear. Therefore, every person is capable of contributing to evolving the state of the world. Even in dire circumstances we have in our power the choice to take the emotional high road or not. I’ve had the honor of knowing many people who survived the concentration camps of the Holocaust in WWII. They are and were living testaments to the loving essence of
the human spirit and the always present choice to come from love. Having endured the dehumanizing atrocities of concentration camps, and bearing witness to the murder of 6 million innocent people, they miraculously did not carry hatred. Those survivors whom I knew went on to live happy, loving and contributory lives.
Good news The good news, according to many knowledgeable sources, is that we only have to come from a loving state of being 51 percent of the time to make a shift for ourselves and collectively for our planet. This does not mean being hateful the rest of the time; it means that being an evolutionary does not require a state of perfection. The 51 percent number signals to the Universe we are more interested in a loving state of being, than other options. And the Universe will take note and respond.
Two ways to start right now Researchers have estimated that 80 percent of our thoughts each day are negative. A simple, life-changing strategy is to be mindful of what you say and think. Reroute your thoughts to the glass is halffull approach. Make the decision to focus on limiting the negative and expanding the positive. This is not an invitation to have your head in the sand or to pretend everything is great. It might be more like being on a “thought diet;” skip the toxic negative ones. Practicing random acts of kindness is another simple way to get to 51 percent or more. Open the door for people, help someone carry a heavy grocery bag, give a person the change she needs in the supermarket checkout line, smile, pick up trash on the trail, make dinner for your partner, walk a dog at the Animal Adoption Center, drive a friend home if they are drinking. There are so many opportunities that present themselves every day. Again, science has proven that acts of kindness (when not expecting anything in return) bring equal benefits of well-being to the giver and to the recipient.
Practice works Embodying a loving state of being is evolutionary. This is a free, peaceful, 24/7 opportunity to upgrade your life and the world. The timing is now. Commit to practicing every day and soon it will become a go-to way of being. Remember this quote from the Dali Lama: “Whenever possible, be kind. It is always possible.” PJH
Carol Mann is a longtime Jackson resident, radio personality, former Grand Targhee Resort owner, author, and clairvoyant. Got a Cosmic Question? Email carol@yourcosmiccafe.com
WELLNESS COMMUNITY
These businesses provide health or wellness services for the Jackson Hole community and its visitors.
DEEP TISSUE • SPORTS MASSAGE • THAI MASSAGE MYOFASCIAL RELEASE CUPPING
Oliver Tripp, NCTM MASSAGE THERAPIST NATIONALLY CERTIFIED
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REDNECK PERSPECTIVE SATIRE
Strange Things Done in the Midnight Sun… A poem by Clyde Thornhill.
T
here are strange things done In the land of fun By those who make the scene.
The baristas in the latté stores Wear black, silky drawers And is a snowboarder’s dream. The gallery walks have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night we hiked blocks on the art walk and scored a Westbanker named Valery. Now Sam Wieland was from Hog Island, with singlewides parked in rolls. Why he left his home to roam with cool people, God only knows. He felt out of place, but the land of lace seemed to hold him hard like a spell. And he’d often say in his homely way, “I like that French Roast coffee smell.” On a Palates and Palettes stroll we’d had a pinch of Skoal at Trio gallery. We saw some hot chicks, and though we are hicks, learned one was named Valery. If our eyes we’d closed, and we began to doze and daydreams oh so grand. It was a lot of fun, but the only one to approach her was Sam Wieland. And that very night, as we were packed tight around cool folks looking smart. And the people were fed goat cheese and bread while they looked at art. He turned to me, and “Cap,” says he, “I’ll score that chick I hope, And if I do, I’m asking that you won’t act like a Hog Island dope.” A pal’s strong need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail; And he started on like a fish to spawn; a
redneck hunting tail. He spoke quite loud, and very proud of his bogus home in Teton Pines. He mentioned a maid, diamonds and jade and a cellar full of fine wines. Then he turned to her, like an art connoisseur, and he says with a classy tone. “Turner’s flair is bold, a mix of light and gold that chills clean to the bone. It’s a unique style it’s really quite guile, perhaps you will agree. And I swear that, foul or fair I’ll get you some more Chablis. There wasn’t a breath on the sidewalk of death as we both waited, the words she would speak, happy or bleak could make him sad or elated. “If you would,” she said, “more wine is good,” she held out her empty glass. Her pants were tight, made a pleasant site and I noticed she had a nice… belt. They spoke of art and he acted his part, a poser from the Westbank. She was impressed, did not know that he jests, and thought him really quite swank. She invited him home, no more to roam, to her house at Teton Village. He agreed at once, he was no dunce, and her virtue he did pillage. Strange things are done by those with trust-fund who are out to get their kicks. The art trails have their secret tales About classy girls who go for hicks. The Jackson lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night by Trio when Sam was a beau Of a Westbank girl named Valery. PJH
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
BY ROB BREZSNY
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) “It isn’t normal to know what we want,” said psychologist Abraham Maslow. “It is a rare and difficult psychological achievement.” He wasn’t referring to the question of what you want for dinner or the new shoes you plan to buy. He was talking about big, long-term yearnings: what you hope to be when you grow up, the qualities you look for in your best allies, the feelings you’d love to feel in abundance every day of your life. Now here’s the good news, Libra: The next ten months should bring you the best chance ever to figure out exactly what you want the most. And it all starts now. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Practitioners of the Ayurvedic medical tradition tout the healing power of regular self-massage. Creativity expert Julia Cameron recommends that you periodically go out on dates with yourself. Taoist author Mantak Chia advises you to visualize sending smiles and good wishes to your kidneys, lungs, liver, heart and other organs. He says that these acts of kindness bolster your vigor. The coming weeks will be an especially favorable time to attend to measures like these, Scorpio. I hope you will also be imaginative as you give yourself extra gifts and compliments and praise. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) The coming weeks will be one of the best times ever for wrestling with God or tussling with fate or grappling with karma. Why do I say that? Because you’re likely to emerge triumphant! That’s right, you lucky, plucky contender. More than I’ve seen in a long time, you have the potential to draw on the crafty power and unruly wisdom and resilient compassion you would need to be an unambiguous winner. A winner of what? You tell me. What dilemma would you most like to resolve? What test would you most like to ace? At what game would you most like to be victorious? Now is the time. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Are you grunting and sweating as you struggle to preserve and maintain the gains of the past? Or are you smooth and cagey as you maneuver your way toward the rewards of the future? I’m rooting for you to put the emphasis on the second option. Paradoxically, that will be the best way to accomplish the first option. It will also ensure that your motivations are primarily rooted in love and enthusiasm rather than worry and stress. And that will enable you to succeed at the second option.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) In one of your nightly dreams, Robin Hood might team up with Peter Pan to steal unused treasure from a greedy monster—and then turn the booty over to you. Or maybe you’ll meet a talking hedgehog and singing fox who will cast a spell to heal and revive one of your wounded fantasies. It’s also conceivable that you will recover a magic seed that had been lost or forgotten, and attract the help of a fairy godmother or godfather to help you ripen it.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Many of my readers regard me as being exceptionally creative. Over the years, they have sent countless emails praising me for my original approach to problem-solving and art-making. But I suspect that I wasn’t born with a greater talent for creativity than anyone else. I’ve simply placed a high value on developing it, and have worked harder to access it than most people. With that in mind, I invite you to tap more deeply into your own mother lode of innovative, imaginative energy. The cosmic trends favor it. Your hormones are nudging you in that direction. What projects could use a jolt of primal brilliance? What areas of your life need a boost of ingenuity? CANCER (June 21-July 22) Love wants more of you. Love longs for you to give everything you have and receive everything you need. Love is conspiring to bring you beautiful truths and poignant teases, sweet dispensations and confounding mysteries, exacting blessings and riddles that will take your entire life to solve. But here are some crucial questions: Are you truly ready for such intense engagement? Are you willing to do what’s necessary to live at a higher and deeper level? Would you know how to work with such extravagant treasure and wild responsibility? The coming weeks will be prime time to explore the answers to these questions. I’m not sure what your answers will be. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Each of us contains a multiplicity of selves. You might often feel like there’s just one of you rumbling around inside your psyche, but it’s closer to the truth to say that you’re a community of various characters whose agendas sometimes overlap and sometimes conflict. For example, the needy part of you that craves love isn’t always on the same wavelength as the ambitious part of you that seeks power. That’s why it’s a good idea to periodically organize summit meetings where all of your selves can gather and negotiate. Now is one of those times: a favorable moment to foster harmony among your inner voices and to mobilize them to work together in service of common goals. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Pike’s Peak is a 14,115-foot mountain in Colorado. It’s not a simple task to trek to the top. Unless you’re well-trained, you might experience altitude sickness. Wicked thunderstorms are a regular occurrence during the summer. Snow falls year-round. But back in 1929, an adventurer named Bill Williams decided the task of hiking to the summit wasn’t tough enough. He sought a more demanding challenge. Wearing kneepads, he spent 21 days crawling along as he used his nose to push a peanut all the way up. I advise you to avoid making him your role model in the coming weeks, Virgo. Just climb the mountain. Don’t try to push a peanut up there with your nose, too.
Go to RealAstrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.
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ARIES (March 21-April 19) At a recent party, a guy I hardly know questioned my authenticity. “You seem to have had an easy life,” he jabbed. “I bet you haven’t suffered enough to be a truly passionate person.” I didn’t choose to engage him, but mused to myself, “Not enough suffering? What about the time I got shot? My divorce? My five-year-long illness? The
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) It’s the Frank and Focused Feedback Phase, Taurus—prime time to solicit insight about how you’re doing. Here are four suggestions to get you started. 1. Ask a person who loves and respects you to speak the compassionate truth about what’s most important for you to learn. 2. Consult a trustworthy advisor who can help motivate you to do the crucial thing you’ve been postponing. 3. Have an imaginary conversation with the person you were a year ago. Encourage the Old You to be honest about how the New You could summon more excellence in pursuing your essential goals. 4. Say this prayer to your favorite tree or animal or meadow: “Show me what I need to do in order to feel more joy.”
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Do you believe that you are mostly just a product of social conditioning and your genetic make-up? Or are you willing to entertain a different hypothesis: that you are a primal force of nature on an unpredictable journey? That you are capable of rising above your apparent limitations and expressing aspects of yourself that might have been unimaginable when you were younger? I believe the coming weeks will be a favorable time to play around with this vision. Your knack for transcendence is peaking. So are your powers to escape the past and exceed limited expectations.
manager of my rock band getting killed in a helicopter crash?” But after that initial reaction, my thoughts turned to the adventures that have stoked my passion without causing pain, like the birth of my daughter, getting remarried to the woman I divorced and performing my music for excited audiences. I bring this up, Aries, because I suspect that you, too, will soon have experiences that refine and deepen your passion through pleasure rather than hardship.
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