Planet Jackson Hole March 15, 2018

JACKSON HOLE’S ALTERNATIVE VOICE | PLANETJH.COM | MARCH 14-20, 2018

WELL, SHOOT.

How are students and educators in a gun-toting town reacting to the nation’s school shootings?

And is it enough?

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2 | MARCH 14, 2018

JACKSON HOLE'S ALTERNATIVE VOICE

VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 9 | MARCH 14-20, 2018

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8 COVER STORY

WELL, SHOOT. How are students and educators in a gun-toting town reacting to the nation’s school shootings?

And is it enough?

Cover illustration by Brie Spielmann

4 THE NEW WEST

14 LOCAL SYNDROME

6 THE BUZZ

16 HEARD & SCENE

12 DON’T MISS

18 CREATIVE PEAKS

13 CULTURE KLASH

20 WATERIN’ HOLE

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JH ALMANAC HIGHS

MARCH 14-20, 2018

BY METEOROLOGIST JIM WOODMENCEY

Usually by the time we get into the month of March, you should expect that the coldest days of the winter are behind us. The coldest temperature we had in Jackson this winter was 16-degrees below zero on December 24th, 2017. The second coldest temperature we had this winter came last week, when the morning low got down to 13-degrees below zero at the Jackson Climate Station. Cold, but not quite as cold as other March temperatures. Read on…

The average low temperature this week is right around 15-degrees. Last week, it wasn’t even close to that! The coldest temperature I could dig up from the record books for this week is 49-degrees below zero. That happened on St. Patrick’s Day, way back in 1906. The records that far back are somewhat questionable. The next coldest temperature ever recorded in Jackson during this week is 25-degrees below zero. That occurred on March 16th, 1955. That reading is reliable.

LOWS

The average high temperature this week is 41-degrees. With longer days and the sun creeping higher in the sky, we can be assured that spring is not too far off. The record high temperature this week is 66-degrees, which happened on March 16th, 1994. The warmest St. Patrick’s Day ever was in 2007, when the thermometer in town hit 64-degrees. That would be 113 degrees warmer than the low temperature was on St. Patty’s Day morning in 1906.

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THIS WEEK

NORMAL HIGH NORMAL LOW RECORD HIGH IN 1994 RECORD LOW IN 1955

41 15 66 -25

THIS MONTH AVERAGE PRECIPITATION: 1.23 inches RECORD PRECIPITATION: 4.2 inches (1995) AVERAGE SNOWFALL: 11 inches RECORD SNOWFALL: 26.5 inches (1985)

Jim has been forecasting the weather here for more than 20 years. You can find more Jackson Hole Weather information at www.mountainweather.com

JH SNOWPACK

BY LISA VAN SCIVER

O

SPONSORED BY HEADWALL RECYCLE SPORTS

n March 20, the vernal equinox will mark the first day of spring as the sun crosses over the equator causing both day and night to be roughly equal in length.

The change of season arrived in the last week of winter with warm temperatures and sunny skies. Now as the days grow longer, we leave behind another winter season.

This winter, steady snowfall through most of February helped bury problem layers and reach the desired 100-inch base at both Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Grand Targhee Resort. Due to the persistent, weak layers of crusts and facets, there were continuous significant avalanche cycles resulting in large slides (destructive size 3 and 4) throughout most of the winter.

The snowpack has finally turned the corner, where it has begun a

melt-freeze process and problem layers have gained strength or become so deep they are unlikely to trigger.

As the snow’s surface melts, the avalanche problem becomes wet loose slides. Then on cold days, new snow has the potential to catch backcountry travelers by surprise with dry snow avalanches.

Watch the snow’s surfaces and monitor its changes with the new season. Note where surface hoar or faceted grains may have been recently buried. As the snowpack stabilizes, it is important to remember even when the hazard is low, avalanches are not impossible. Rapid changes of added loads like rain or hot solar radiation could quickly turn a stable snowpack unstable. With a spring snowpack timing is key for good turns and making sure there are flat surfaces to ski another day.

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THE NEW WEST PET SPACE Pet Space is sponsored

by Alpenhof Photo by Karissa Akin with Apres Events

Lost Communication Write a letter from here, create an ancient artifact

BY TODD WILKINSON |

HARPER

Hello world! My name is Harper and I am a 3.5 year old, female, Domestic Short Hair. I am one of the longest standing residents of Kitty City currently. I have been here since June 2017 and am ready for my forever home. I know it isn’t something that I can force but I keep seeing other kitties leave before me and it saddens me. I have the cutest, fluffy face and just want to curl up on your lap for some pets. My coloring is unique and my personality is one of a kind.

To meet Harper and learn how to adopt her, contact Animal Adoption Center at 739-1881 or stop by 270 E BroadwayCanyon Dr

The Alpenhof Lodge dogs remind you that pets are not your whole life, but they make your life whole.

Teton Village, WY | 733-3242 ALPENHOFLODGE.COM

F

anned out across the floor before me now are colored Yellowstone postcards created by F. Jay and Jack Ellis Haynes. They hold handwritten notes composed decades ago by tourist authors whom none of us know and each one is addressed to a dear acquaintance.

I bought them in an antique store on the other side the country and they provide contrast to the digital greeting cards dispatched by friends via the internet.

Those salutations from the early 20th century speak to the wonder of being alive, of passing through our part of the world and proclaiming it as an exotic faraway destination.

Most importantly, the notes, unintended perhaps, are part of a historical record of culture, even literacy, preserved through pen, ink and distinctive longhand. Need I mention that they are also fun to read?

Honeymooners and travelers of all ages wrote them at a time when average life spans were a dozen years less than today—sons and daughters confirming their arrival in a place that loomed large when the world seemed bigger and more difficult to encircle.

The writers’ personalities flow in their cursive styles and grammar that comes replete without the aid of spell-check.

One of my favorites was sent in 1928, (the year before the start of the Great Depression), from the Canyon Hotel, built by famed architect Robert Reamer, that is no more; another scene features a jalopy motoring beneath the Roosevelt Archway at Gardiner; still another portrays a cavalcade of park visitors, dressed in suit jackets, gowns and hats, riding at the edge

@BigArtNature

of Sylvan Lake, which, in recent years, has shrunk back from a changing climate.

The accompanying narratives, frozen in time, are so unlike the superficiality of emails and text messages.

Yes, we live in an age of unprecedented power when our words can reach millions of readers almost instantly. The poorest person on Earth can be the creator and harnesser of his or her own media network featuring streaming video. And yet this transition to the future will be remembered as the one when meaningful hand-written human communication seemed to stop.

I love email and yet regard it as a plague. I loathe social media, the promise of it democratizing society and making it more civil exposed to be a grand delusion.

Easy to send, yes, convenient, inexpensive, prolific, immediately gratifying, treeless and addicting as I imagine sucking on a opium pipe might be, it also is coldly impersonal, dangerously impetuous and as tangibly lasting as disappearing ink.

One crash of a computer hard drive and your entire record of sharing a thought with other human beings is wiped out, unless, of course, it’s stored in the Cloud.

Someday, historians and our kinfolk are going to look back and believe all writing stopped with the new millennium.

Here are a few facts worth contemplating: Last year, billions of emails were sent every day at the rate of millions every second. According to trackers, almost three quarters took the form of spam or viruses.

In recent years the U.S. Postal Service processed and delivered a quarter trillion pieces of physical mail; about 703 million every day; 29 million per hour; 488,000

per minute; 8,000 per second.

Despite rising population, the amount of letters being written is in a downward spiral. In some schools, cursive isn’t even taught anymore. It’s a worldwide phenomenon.

The late Pinedale, Wyoming, cowboy and internet libertarian John Perry Barlow, the bard of cyberspace, touted the virtue of digital communication and the way it democratizes self-expression.

But what it lacks, he came to admit, is a personal human touch. It cannot replicate the putting of ink to paper, the imprint of a person’s DNA on a real page.

One power surge that fries the hard drive, one crash of the Cloud and poof, and the digital diary is gone.

So what is my humble, modest message? To all you young people, pen a letter home to mom and dad or your best friend on a postcard. Go to the post office and purchase something primitive and interesting called a stamp.

As for the rest of you fogeys, drop a note to the kids and grandkids, describing what it is like to be alive in 2018. You’re not only offering them a personal window into your soon to be prosaic world; you are bequeathing them an artifact. You can feel the crevice of the pencil or pen being imprinted on a page, evidence you once existed. PJH

Todd Wilkinson, founder of Mountain Journal (mountainjournal.org), is author of Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek, about famous Greater Yellowstone grizzly bear 399 featuring 150 photographs by Tom Mangelsen, available only at mangelsen. com/grizzly.

D

DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS

‘Black bloc’ protesters and journalists covering them have become the target of federal investigators.

The Luxury of Namelessness Federal prosecutors seek anonymity for expert on ‘black bloc’ Washington and the MPD fought to protect the identity not only of their undercover officers, but also of the far-right slimeball Project Veritas operative who infiltrated an alleged planning meeting.

Meanwhile, a list of the names of everyone arrested during the J20 protest was leaked to far-right site Got News from the official police computer of Metropolitan Police Department Employee Rachel Schaerr, according to the metadata on the spreadsheet. The names are still on the site which calls them “LEFT-WING ANARCHISTS AND ANTIFA TERRORISTS.” This is part of a trend where law enforcement want ever greater access to information about individual citizens, while seeking to further shield themselves. Maryland judiciary recently removed the names of police officers from its public database. If I am arrested and cleared of all charges, my name and address and birthdate remain public unless I make the effort to expunge it.

But the officer who arrested me remains unknown to the public.

The move stoked a serious uproar that caused the court to reverse its decision.

“It’s disgusting and it’s dishonorable,” David Simon, creator of The Wire, said of the attempt to hide police officers names in Maryland. “And generations of police officers that were capable of standing by their police work, publicly standing by their use of force, their use of lethal force, and their powers of arrest, those generations are ashamed right now because this present one is pretending they are incapable of that level of responsibility.” PJH

MARCH 14, 2018 | 5

trials, people identified him. That’s not the fault of the press or the public. Don’t call an undercover officer if you don’t want to blow their cover. Or should they get to testify wearing black masks?

“Further, when the MPD officer stepped outside of the courthouse during his testimony, his photograph was taken and was disseminated on multiple social media accounts and in various media outlets,” the motion reads.

When he is outside of the courthouse, it is neither illegal nor illegitimate to take his photograph. Kerkhoff complains again that “as the prosecutors and lead detective left the courthouse, their photograph was taken and published in media outlets.”

So, the black bloc is bad for not wanting to be surveilled and identified—not to mention tear-gassed and chemical grenaded—by the state, but the agents of the state deserve anonymity, even in what used to be called “open court.”

The government also went to great lengths to prohibit the public from seeing police body cam footage—while Det. Gregg Pemberton spent a year combing through all of the personal data on the cellphones of those who were arrested.

He has personally told me that he saw me all over the videos he had scoured and that he was looking for evidence of an illegal action. He is armed. And he is afraid of a photograph?

The department, however, denied a Freedom of Information Act request filed

by Unicorn Riot to see his overtime slips during that period, despite allegations that he had falsely charged the city overtime while defending himself against a DUI charge in a previous case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

Kerkhoff is gearing up to try the remaining 58 defendants. She found an undercover agent who has been infiltrating “the anarchist extremist movement” to testify as an expert witness on the “black bloc” technique—wearing black clothes, covering up identifying features, and moving as a “bloc.”

The government is charging numerous people who—even prosecutors admit—did not physically break any of the windows that were smashed during the inauguration and who engaged in no other violence. But if they covered their faces or wore black clothes, they abetted the anonymity of those who did, and are therefore guilty of the crimes.

But the government doesn’t want to reveal the name of its witness who is allegedly an expert on these same techniques which are intended to protect privacy. Kerkhoff moved that she be called by a pseudonym “Julie McMahon”—with a possible nod to the McMahons of professional wrestling fame, or maybe to a tabloid divorcee who allegedly pursued Bill Clinton and was named “The Energizer” by the Secret Service. However they came up with the name, the government argues that she won’t be able to continue her undercover activity if her identity is known.

“Given the repeated efforts to publicly disseminate identifying information about the prosecutor and law enforcement officers involved in this case (to include an MPD officer who acted in an undercover capacity), the government submits there is a reason to believe that the expert will be targeted in the same manner,” Kerkhoff said.

Kerkhoff argued that when an undercover police officer testified in the first

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onald Trump and Stormy Daniels used pseudonyms in the non-disclosure agreement worked out by the now-president’s seemingly suicidal lawyer Michael Cohen. They called themselves David Denison and Peggy Peterson—but Trump still didn’t sign it, which has gotten him into a fresh pile of shit. Stormy Daniels is already a nomde-porn, but even people like Trump and Daniels whose livelihoods require an extreme level of visibility crave privacy almost as much as they demand a spotlight.

But privacy is contradictory in our half-online lives. We can post without anyone knowing who we are but we also broadcast the details of our lives on numerous platforms and essentially carry tracking devices in our pockets. Our emails damn us, even in their absence—just ask Hillary—and our texts can be turned against us—as FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page can surely attest to, as theirs were blasted around the world. And our facebook posts and tweets follow us as we try to move into more respectable environs. (See whatever Nazi-sympathizer the NYT op-ed page hired and fired this week.)

In this context, law enforcement officers are demanding a kind of privacy not afforded ordinary citizens. This is particularly clear in a recent filing in the case against protesters and bystanders caught up in the Disrupt J20 protests during Trump’s inauguration.

After losing the first trial against six defendants late last year and dropping charges against more than 100 others, who needlessly spent months fighting against what were ultimately unsustainable charges, prosecutor Jennifer

BY BAYNARD WOODS

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6 | MARCH 14, 2018

THE BUZZ

A screenshot (left) of Melvin Brewing’s website. The company removed the message last week.

Tensions Brew After Harassment Allegations Incidents at Wyoming-based Melvin Brewing have spurred public outcry and company policy changes

W

hen you shake a beer, it’s likely to explode and the suds are flying at Melvin Brewing where an employee was accused of sexual harassment near its Bellingham, Washington, location. Sexual language on its website has also sparked public outrage.

Planet Jackson Hole obtained an internal memo issued by Melvin to employees dated January 11 that appears to describe the Bellingham incident. According to the memo, a Melvin brewer from Wyoming visiting Menace Brewing, a brewpub a mere block from Melvin’s Bellingham location, inappropriately touched a female Menace employee on November 20, 2017.

“The employee of Menace Brewing stated that while addressing guests at [the Melvin employee’s] table, [he] put his hand around her waist, then moved his hand lower and touched her butt

BY ERIKA DAHLBY

and upper thigh area,” the memo read.

To amplify things, for more than a year, the “contact” button on Melvin Brewing’s website said “Touch Us.” Until last week the contact page read: “Show us on the doll where Melvin touched you.” Children who have been sexually abused are shown dolls and asked to do this when they have trouble articulating a traumatic experience.

On Friday, after hundreds of negative comments flooded its Bellingham Facebook page, the Alpine-based brewery with Jackson roots via its Thai Me Up brewpub, cleaned up its website.

It issued multiple public apologies, fired the website subcontractor who the brewery claims is responsible and released a seven-step harassment policy overhaul.

Eric Henderson, owner of Meteorite Public Relations, spoke on behalf of Melvin and co-owner Jeremy Tofte. He said the wording on the website had

@errrkad

been there for a year and up until last week had never received a complaint.

That doesn’t diminish the severity of the oversight though, Henderson said. “[Tofte] feels sickened by not seeing that earlier,” he said.

While most companies look over and approve work completed by a subcontractor, Henderson said Tofte had not read over all of the website’s content and “feels awful” about the messaging.

“We’re all moving so fast and there’s so much more that we do,” he said.

While the website wording was problematic, it also deepened tensions in Bellingham, which has shown little tolerance for this behavior.

Melvin’s public apologies label the accused person “a Melvin employee.”

Henderson, though, said he was a contractor. The memo clearly states otherwise. Henderson said he could not comment on the employee’s equity in the company, but said he “is an integral

part of the family and instrumental in the recipes and creation of the beers.”

He also said the alleged sexual harassment came as “a surprise to everyone.”

Social media commenters weren’t having it. Commenters faulted Melvin for taking five months to come forward.

But Henderson said no charges were filed and the victim and her employer asked Melvin to not bring the issue into the public sphere. “Ultimately it was respecting their wishes,” Henderson said.

According to the January 11 memo, Melvin Brewing management wasn’t notified of the incident until late December. However, employees from Melvin’s Bellingham brewpub launched an investigation soon after the incident.

“Melvin Brewing takes any accusation of misconduct seriously and investigated accordingly,” the memo reads. “Melvin representatives from Bellingham reached out to Menace

Washingtonians Cry Out

Changing Policies

The company has also updated its policies for when an employee is outside of work with a “code of conduct” that each employee and contractor must sign. The internal memo says the new policy was set to be released to employees by the end of January.

Henderson said that ultimately employees have to be aware that what they do outside of work still reflects the company. “If you’re a face of the brand and a known entity you represent the company at large,” he said. “If you work for them it still falls back on the company itself.”

He also pointed to Melvin’s explosive growth in recent years. The “company itself is experiencing some growing pains,” he said. “With those growing pains it allows us to reflect on what we need to abide by and how we need to grow appropriately.”

#MeToo and Melvin The Melvin allegations have surfaced amid a massive sexual harassment reckoning known as the #MeToo movement.

It has encouraged women to speak out and show how prevalent sexual harassment is. A study published by Stop Street Harassment in February reported that out of 1,000 female respondents, 51 percent had experienced unwelcome sexual touching.

The #MeToo movement began shortly after Harvey Weinstein, former film producer and co-founder of Miramax, was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 80 women. The movement emboldened thousands of women to tell their stories through social media.

One after another, men in power were forced to step down after women spoke up. Journalists and entertainers Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose were fired from long-standing programs.

Senator Al Franken stepped down from Congress after being accused of forcibly kissing and groping a woman in 2006.

Louis C.K.’s specials and programs were pulled and he was dropped by his publicist and network.

As for Melvin, when it first opened its Bellingham location in June 2017, Ashley said he was excited to share a little bit of his hometown with Bellingham. But now he feels like Melvin “screams the Jackson privilege” he moved away from.

“The only things people know Wyoming for are Matthew Shepard and Melvin,” Ashley said. “We don’t have an awesome track record at the moment.”

PJH

MARCH 14, 2018 | 7

A task force created by the EEOC investigated harassment in the workplace and found that leadership and accountability are critical to a healthy work environment.

“Workplace culture has the greatest impact on allowing harassment to flourish, or conversely, in preventing harassment,” the study reads. “The importance of leadership cannot be

overstated— effective harassment prevention efforts, and workplace culture in which harassment is not tolerated, must start with and involve the highest level of management of the company.”

Change starts from the top, and in the generally male-dominated beer industry, the biggest players are leading by example. To win at the top beer competitions breweries can no longer have sexual in nature names or demeaning language—think Midnight Sun’s Panty Peeler.

In 2017, the Brewers Association, which hosts the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, created a diversity committee and updated its advertising and marketing code to better “represent the values, ideals, and integrity of a diverse culture.” The updated code applies to winners of the association’s competitions and focuses on beer and brand names that are inappropriate.

“Language has been added to address beer marketing with sexually explicit, lewd, or demeaning brand names, language, text, graphics, photos, video, or other images,” Brewers Association craft beer program director Julia Herz wrote in 2017.

The change in policy stemmed from conversations between beer industry members, media outlets and beer drinkers over the previous few years.

“The [Brewers Association] is taking meaningful, purposeful action on a topic that has permeated many industries in our culture, including beer,” Herz wrote.

Melvin, which won small brewpub and brewer of the year at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival, is committed to following through with policy change, Henderson said.

An employee handbook with a harassment clause was already in place when the November harassment occurred, but since the incident Melvin has mandated training and counseling to its roughly 100 employees. A more comprehensive sexual and other harassment policy was rolled out immediately and an outside training company was contacted to provide prevention training over the coming months.

The company vowed to “continue to support and donate resources to Our Treehouse Organization,” Henderson said. Our Treehouse is a Bellingham nonprofit aimed at helping families grieve and heal from trauma.

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

A Facebook post with a screenshot of Melvin’s contact page was shared by Cat Carnell early morning March 6. By the end of the day the post had been shared more than 70 times and comments and reviews lit up the Melvin Brewing Bellingham Facebook page.

Melvin released its first statement and apology by 6 p.m. the same day.

“Over [a] year ago, we made a poor decision on our website in regard to contacting Melvin Brewing,” it read.

“The Touch Us header was meant to be a silly joke but in hindsight it was inappropriate, and we want to extend a heartfelt apology. Please know that we may be irreverent and like to have a good time but in this case, we crossed the line.”

The second apology was released on Facebook on Friday morning, which references the November incident.

“To clear the air, in November one of our Wyoming based employees went to one of our neighboring establishments and acted inappropriately,” the post said. “This has been dealt with internally with our employees and an official apology was issued to the individual involved.”

Both posts racked up hundreds of comments, overwhelmingly negative. People started to leave negative reviews on the Bellingham brewpub’s Facebook page and the Melvin Brewing page. Commenters called for a boycott of the brewery, some Bellingham local business owners vowed not to carry Melvin beers anymore and others want the brewery to leave town. Some Bellingham-based Melvin employees reported on social media that they were getting hate messages.

Owen Ashley, a Bellingham resident and Jackson native, said he had heard about the Melvin accusations over the past few months. Ashley said it’s hard to pick apart what’s real and what’s not when it comes to the November accusation. But when the Facebook post of Melvin’s website with distasteful messaging surfaced last week it was the last straw. “I don’t think I’ll be going back to Melvin,” he said.

Ashley said the company’s response to the viral post and social media storm seemed disingenuous. “It’s kind of an unwillingness to take responsibility,” he said. “No one is invincible and you have to be aware of that. You’re going to have to be responsible for yourself at some point.”

There are mixed feelings in the Bellingham community, Ashley said, and he’s not sure what the proper recourse should be. There’s part of him that thinks the accused employee should lose their job, though he admits it’s harsh.

But “that would seem appropriate,” he said. “That would seem like there’s a proactive culture, and at this point it seems like heavy damage control.”

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Brewing in the days and weeks following the incident, both to get additional details regarding the employee’s report and to take appropriate corrective action.”

Henderson said as soon as a complaint was filed, the company tackled the issue internally; there was no legal action and the employee was enrolled in a “rehab facility for 30 days for personal conduct” and banned from all public events.

“This is not the culture or environment Melvin Brewing is building,” the memo reads. “Based on our investigation of the events, immediate corrective actions are being taken, as well as discussion of proactive actions to ensure similar incidents won’t happen in the future.”

Henderson did not comment on whether Melvin executives discussed the dismissal of the employee, instead he reiterated it was the employee’s first offense and the company’s first complaint in a decade of business.

In 2017, 13 cases of workplace sexual harassment were reported in the state of Wyoming to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEOC. The number comprised 43.3 percent of total state charges. But overall, the number of reports is down from previous years.

In 2012, the total number of charges peaked at 95, with 36 of them reflecting sexual harassment. The number of sexual harassment charges in Wyoming makes up .1 percent of total U.S. sex charges.

8 | MARCH 14, 2018

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

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WELL, SHOOT.

How are students and educators in a gun-toting town reacting to the nation’s school shootings?

By Shannon Sollitt @ShannonSollitt

And is it enough?

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

MARCH 14, 2018 | 9

But Parkland wasn’t the only gun-related scare the organization’s endorsement in 2016, she said in on February 14. Teton High School senior Rosemary a Facebook post.

Gun culture in Western states is not likely to Joseph stayed home from her Driggs, Idaho, school on February 15 after a classmate threatened to change any time soon. But for Harrison, and Trauner, and now Joseph, growing up in gun-toting states bring a gun to school the previous night.

Joseph saw the threat posted on Snapchat. A creates a feeling of immunity from gun violence. boy she had grown up with posted a video with a And it’s true that Wyoming, the least populous state semi-automatic weapon, detailing his plans to bring in the country, has the lowest rate of school shootings since 2013: zero. it to school.

Idaho has only had two.

Then less “But … it’s not like we’re than a month And it’s true that Wyoming, the least later, on March populous state in the country, has the invincible,” Joseph said.

In late-February, 2, it happened lowest rate of school shootings since just weeks after the again.

This 2013: zero. Idaho has only had two. Parkland shooting, the time, someone Wyoming Senate sent posted a threat bills to Governor to Facebook, “But … it’s not like we’re invincible,” two Matt Mead’s desk that and Joseph was in school. “There were police officers every- would allow teachers to carry firearms in school where. It was super weird and uncomfortable.” and citizens to carry them in public buildings.

And yet, in the wake of two threats in as many months and a national tragedy, Joseph said her Drills vs. Reality school has been largely silent. “People just aren’t “It’s really unimaginable in so many ways,” talking about it,” she said. She took the initiative to Reynolds said of the Parkland shooting. She said meet with her principal, and a possible assembly/ the school district tries to learn from these unimaggun safety training is in the works, but otherwise, inable moments. “As tragic as they are, we try to people seem unfazed. make sure that we understand the events, what “I think it’s being normalized,” she said. took place, what worked well and whether things As routine as bomb threats were during fell short.”

Harrison’s middle school years, so too are gun A meeting at the Jackson Hole Middle School on threats at Joseph’s high school. Joseph suspects March 7 tackled just that. Assistant Superintendent gun culture is a factor in her community’s indiffer- Jeff Daugherty began by addressing parents’ fears— ence—Teton Valley has a large hunting community, only eight parents attended, but he has spent at and owning guns is common. Idaho and Wyoming least 20 hours a week on the phone with concerned mirror each other in this way. parents since Valentine’s Day, he said.

But Wyoming’s gun culture isn’t as deep-rootThe meeting was as informative as it was assured as many would believe. In fact, according to ing. Daugherty coached parents on how to respond a WyoFile essay by Phil Roberts, carrying a fire- in the event of a school threat. Basically, don’t follow arm within city limits was largely outlawed in the your instincts, he said, don’t go to school to look for 1800s and early 1900s. Historic Wyoming wasn’t the your child and congest roads. Don’t call the school outlaw-filled, gun-slinging Wild West as it is now and distract people on the scene. Information offiromanticized. cers like Reynolds, he said, would keep communiToday, Cody houses two gun museums, one in the cation channels open and parents informed.

Buffalo Bill Center of the West, named for “Buffalo In addition to routine drills, Daugherty said the Bill Cody.” Cody was, of course, a gun-slinging leg- district is tightening access into school buildings. end. Still, he wouldn’t have been allowed to carry TCSD practices mandated monthly drills to train his gun into city limits during his lifetime. students and teachers for different scenarios: earthIt’s hard to pinpoint when this cultural shift quakes, general evacuation, active intruders, active happened on a state level. Nationally, the Second shooters. Some of the drills still resemble the realAmendment, as it relates to an individual’s right to life “active shooter” scenario of 2011. There are bear arms, wasn’t even an afterthought in national drills for every level of perceived threat, Reynolds public dialogue until the 60s and 70s. Until then, explained: a lock-down is different than a lock-in, the NRA was a non-political entity, only interested for example. The latter is more casual—doors to in improving marksmanship. the building are locked, but students can still move Today Wyoming is one of the gun-friendliest freely around campus. The former is what forced states in the country. It has the highest num- Harrison to pee into a water bottle—classroom ber of registered guns per capita of any state. doors are locked, kids are instructed to stay put, Congresswoman Liz Cheney happens to be a life- against walls. time member of the NRA and was proud to accept

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It was a spring school day in 2011, sixth period.

Thomas Harrison was a senior at Jackson Hole High School in AP Spanish class. Suddenly, he and his classmates were told to sit against the walls of the classroom—there was an active shooter in Cottonwood, they learned, and he could be heading for school. Harrison and his classmates were instructed to stay put, against the walls. Their teacher locked the classroom door. No one knew exactly what was going on, or for how long they would be there.

Most of what Harrison remembers feeling that day was not fear. Instead, what stands out for him was an urgent need to pee. It’s what most of his peers remember of that day: Harrison, in his desperation, peed into a water bottle. The water bottle wasn’t big enough.

“When you gotta go, you gotta go,” Harrison said in his defense. “I had no idea how long we were going to be locked in that classroom, and I really had to go.”

It was a colossal joke at the time—still is. Thanks to social media, that moment will live forever on the internet. And any fear his classmates may have felt that day has since been forgotten in the shadow of those few, ridiculous seconds. But Harrison was all too familiar with lockdown drills and evacuations at that point. His middle school years were peppered with bomb threats, almost one a semester.

In the face of a potential active shooter on school grounds, he didn’t really think he had anything to fear.

“At first it was a little jarring, but after the initial shock I wasn’t worried,” Harrison said. “With the multiple bomb threats, I feel like most of us were desensitized to events like that.”

His classmate Ben Trauner agreed: “I didn’t take it very seriously. I remember feeling like it was just an excuse not to be doing school work.” A shallow reaction, Trauner admitted, but what else could be expected from a bunch of teenagers?

“It’s not like we’re sitting there thinking about life and death; we’re not really ready to have those thoughts, and no one wanted us to have them.”

But much has changed in the seven years since Harrison peed in a bottle. Harrison was quick to contextualize his reaction in light of current events, most recently a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 students and educators. He might have reacted differently, he said, in today’s climate. Might have been more afraid.

Indeed, in the wake of one of the deadliest school shootings in American history, educators across the country are reflecting on measures they take to protect students. Once again, the Parkland shooting has forced parents and educators to think the “unthinkable,” Charlotte Reynolds, Teton County School District information coordinator, said.

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| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

10 | MARCH 14, 2018

Then there are active shooter drills. Daugherty said they try to keep the details of such drills “close to the vest” because perpetrators of violence often study previous shootings, and study drills. At Marjory Stoneman High School, for example, the shooter had participated in previous drills—and knew how to work around them. A Daily Beast report speculated Nikolas Cruz, the shooter, pulled the fire alarm before shooting to counter any “active shooter” response.

TCSD doesn’t officially subscribe to ALICE, a protocol and acronym for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate,” but several school resource officers have ALICE training. Some drills resemble ALICE protocol, even if they don’t strictly adhere.

It’s the “Counter” that has generated some debate over the effectiveness and psychological impacts of such a protocol. Such drills force kids to imagine, and even pretend to react, to an imaginary active shooter. Some interpretations of ALICE ask students to prepare a defense and block a shooter using whatever means available: throw books, barricade the door. In 2015, an Alabama middle school garnered national headlines and sparked public outcry after the principal encouraged students to keep canned food in their desks—as ammunition.

The problem with these types of drills, some argue, is a lack of concrete evidence that they actually work. Their effectiveness is almost impossible to measure, even on a case-by-case basis. Students in Parkland had just practiced an active shooter drill a month prior, The Atlantic reported.

Such drills have psychological impacts, as well.

A report from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) suggested that schools should, in fact, “plan for the rare possibility of an armed assailant as part of a comprehensive crisis/emergency preparedness effort.” Poorly executed drills, however, risk “physical and psychological harm to students, staff, and the overall learning environment.”

In TCSD, drills change depending on age. In elementary school, for example, intruder drills are called “listening drills,” because the biggest goal is getting kids to quiet down, said Libby Cruise Wood, a fifth grade dual immersion teacher at Colter Elementary School. The really intense drills happen when the kids are safe at home—but teachers aren’t immune to their effects.

Wood recalled a particularly intense drill in which law enforcement officers went into detail about all they could do to keep an intruder out. Over the PA system, a woman’s voice announced what hall the “shooter” was in. All she and her colleague could do “was stand there, and look at each other and cry.”

Teton High School doesn’t perform active shooter drills—though in the wake of the last two

threats, Joseph would like to see that change. But you put them in a position of some control, where a real threat is taxing, too. Joseph remembers the they know they have to go [out the window] one at a day after the March 2 threat as “super weird and time and help one another … they know they can do uncomfortable.” it.” Even if a real crisis situation doesn’t look nearly “It gives me a lot of anxiety,” she said. “To have as controlled, pieces of that training are going to be the threat, it’s just scary. And then you’re supposed applicable, Wood said. to focus, but police officers are walking up and Daugherty, too, is confident drills make an down the hallways.” impact. Just recently, he said, the middle school Teenagers are anxious enough, Joseph said, with- conducted a “passing period” drill, the goal of out having to worry so intensely about their safety. which is to get students out of the hallways and into “School is a place where you have the right to feel a safe place as quickly as possible. Even with 700 safe.” students in the middle school, the drill was over in Colleen Derkatch, an associate professor at 40 seconds.

Ryerson University in Toronto, studies perceptions of risk and health. “The more prepared we are, the Teachers in Arms more heightened our sense of risk,” Derkatch told In the weeks following the Parkland shooting, The Atlantic. Certain drills, she said, “really expand President Trump has offered numerous policy sugthe ways in which we feel increasingly under siege.” gestions—in one instance, he advocated for strictEspecially for students who have already experi- er background checks and raising the minimum enced violence, feeling constantly under attack can gun-buying age. Meanwhile, he also suggested be re-traumatizing. arming schoolteachers and ending gun-free zones In other words, such drills create a feeling of in schools. danger that is disproportional to the actual threat— “We have to have offensive capability to take school-related homicides account for less than one these people out rapidly before they can do that percent of all homicides among kids in school, kind of damage,” Trump told reporters shortly after according to the NASP/NASRO report. the shooting.

Still, there have already been 12 school shootings But for that to work, Wood said, teachers would in the U.S. this year. Fires and earthquakes are rare, need to know how to wield a gun in the first place. too, but that doesn’t stop schools from performing And again, despite a childhood of hunting with her drills. dad, Wood doesn’t feel confident in her gun-sling“It’s important our students know what to do,” ing abilities. In fact, she’s terrified of guns.

Reynolds said. “A big part of it is students knowing “I think it’s a reasonable thing to expect of somewhat to expect, having practiced and understand- one who has been hired to do that job,” Wood said— ing taking teachers’ direction and all of that.” like a school resource officer, or a cop. But that’s not Despite her emotional reaction to one intense what teachers are hired to do. drill, Wood sees merit in training teachers and “I live and breathe literacy. I don’t spend all of students for any and every possible scenario. In my time at a shooting range. That’s what it would fact, she learned a lot that day. Though she grew up require of me.” hunting with her dad, she hadn’t heard a gunshot She has logistical concerns, too. Where could since she was a girl. she safely keep a Without that drill, gun in a classroom “I think it’s a reasonable thing to she might not even full of children? know what to listen expect of someone who has been hired to do that job”—like a school for.

Teachers across “I really believe resource officer, or a cop. But that’s the country were that we as teach- not what teachers are hired to do. quick to respond ers need to know to Trump’s call to everything we can “I live and breathe literacy. I don’t arms. Many took to possibly k now. spend all of my time at a shooting social media and Right down to those range. That’s what it would require used the hashtag sounds, to how to of me.” #ArmMeWith to work the intercom illustrate what they system. We have to said they need more know everything than guns: books that we can know because we have so little control and school supplies, the resources to offer emoover any of it.” tional support to students in distress, mental health Wood also thinks the kids do in fact get some- services. thing out of their training. They like the precision of it, she said, and feeling like they have a job. “When

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

MARCH 14, 2018 | 11

moment of silence.

The “moment” was fleeting. Aside from a letter sent to parents and the March 7 meeting, conversations about what happened at Stoneman Douglas High School have stayed largely out of the halls and classrooms. The district did ensure and communicate that counselors were available to talk to students “who may be feeling anxious or have questions or concerns,” Reynolds said. As far as she knows, counselors weren’t any busier in the days after Parkland than any other day.

Nationwide, three separate events have gained traction to protest gun violence in schools. A national school walkout is planned for Wednesday, March 14. Another “March for Our Lives” will take place across the country and world March 24. Jackson, though, is not listed as a participating city. Students will also march on April 20. So far, no one in Jackson has confirmed participation in any event, but Jackson Hole High School is prepared for a possible walk out Wednesday.

Wood knows of the events, and is weighing “age appropriate” ways to participate and engage. As a

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from the bottom of my heart, ask for help,” she told PJH. “That’s all it was.”

She has yet to receive an answer.

Still, not everyone believes guns are to blame.

Bob Culver of the Jackson Hole Tea Party sat in during the March 7 school meeting and suggested that instead of “child-proofing your guns,” gun owners should “gun-proof your child.” In other words, teach them about responsible gun ownership. If guns were less mystifying, Culver said, they might also be less dangerous.

Others defer to mental health as the primary culprit in school shootings, not guns. In an op-ed in USA Today, Wyoming Senate hopeful Foster Friess posited that legislation change is not enough to curtail gun violence in schools. The problem, he said, is not the weapon, but the lack of support and mentorship available to perpetrators of violence.

Friess painted a picture of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz as “fatherless or a victim of divorce, bullied, suicidal, disconnected from his peers and seemingly in desperate need of a mentor.”

“The difference of a kid who makes it and one who doesn’t is simply one caring adult,” Friess wrote.

Friess has pledged to match up to $2.5 million in donations made to the “Return to Civility” fund at the National Christian Foundation before March 24.

Trauner, meanwhile, is a gun owner, a Wyoming kid. He remembered buying his first gun, how he walked into Sports Authority, how the staff helped him with the background check. He spent $200 and left with a gun. But gun ownership comes with responsibility, he said. It should at least require a little education. The active shooter in 2011 was a false alarm—a man had in fact shot himself and Weapon of Choice After Parkland, Wood wrote Congresswoman called the police to report an “active shooter.” He Cheney a letter asking her to “find the courage to made up a vague description, a faceless man in a stand up against the gun lobby and work to create black hoodie, and sent law enforcement on a goose bipartisan legislation that will protect the people of chase for a suspect that didn’t exist.

Still, for several hours that day, hundreds of our country and at the same time respect and uphold students, parents, teachers and administrators the Second Amendment of the Constitution.”

The letter wasn’t political, Wood said. It was per- believed there was a man with a gun heading toward the schools. sonal. Mother-to-mother, teacher-to-mother.

In hindsight, Trauner, like “The issue Harrison, might have been of gun legis- “The intention of my letter was more concerned about an active lation should truly and honestly to reach shooter today.

He’s noticed a come from trend in the way the conversasomeone who does have power, the values we tion forms around gun violence share, Liz: and to, from the bottom of my and school shootings: people our children, heart, ask for help. That’s all it like to fall back on how few inditheir educawas.” viduals and schools are actually tion, and our affected—less than one percent. home,” Wood “And yet,” he said, “here we are, in our little town wrote. in Wyoming that should be a safe place, and we had “The intention of my letter was truly and honestto deal with an active shooter situation. I think it ly to reach someone who does have power, and to, affects more people than we take into account.” PJH

In Wyoming it’s already legal for teachers to teacher, an elementary school teacher at that, she carry guns with a few caveats. In 2017, the Wyoming has to be careful to maintain a firm line between Legislature passed a law that allows local school her personal feelings and her professional life, she boards to implement policies allowing staff to carry said. Of course, gun violence affects her personally concealed firearms. TCSD’s school board decided and professionally, so the line is less clear. last spring not to implement such a policy, Reynolds Personally, Wood “processed it very deeply”— said, so firearms are still illegal on school campus- she buried herself in media, reading article after es. The same board meets again on March 14, but as think piece. So she was surprised when, at school far as Reynolds knows, there’s no interest in revisit- the following Monday, “not a soul, not a single one ing that conversation. of my students hinted at anything.” She has 37 TCSD board member Janine Teske echoed students.

Reynolds. “Last spring our board agreed that the Of course, her students are young, 11 years old best school security options for our schools is to at most. It’s possible they were sheltered from the have a strong law enforcement presence through news. But Wood found herself in a bit of a dilemma: school resource officers, as well as implementing does she bring it up, in case students need to proinfrastructure solutions to control access to our cess? Or would talking about it be an unnecessary schools,” she said. “I would prefer our teachers burden on her young students?

“Should we use spend their time focused it as a teachable on professional develop- If they had come to her with ment to support teach- concerns, it would have been her moment or should ing our students and we reassure that leave firearms training duty to address them. But they today is our day to in a school setting to the didn’t. learn? We’re here, professional law enforcewe’re strong, we’re “Maybe it’s just too much. ment personnel.” together. Period.”

Since Trump’s sug- They didn’t want anymore.”

She chose the latgestion to arm teachers, ter approach. “You Florida legislators passed a bill that would allow have to do everything for them. That is the very some teachers to carry firearms. Ten days prior, a best you can do,” Wood said. “And a lot of that judgGeorgia teacher was arrested after firing a gun in a ment comes from what they’re bringing into the classroom every day. classroom and barricading himself inside.

If they had come to her with concerns, it would have been her duty to address them, she said. But Discourse or Dismissal they didn’t.

“Maybe it’s just too much. They didn’t Immediately after the Parkland shooting, stuwant any more.” dents at Jackson Hole High School participated in a

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| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

12 | MARCH 14, 2018

DON’T MISS This Week at The Wort DIRTBAG: THE LEGEND OF FRED BECKEY

THURSDAY, MARCH 15 THE COPPER CHILDREN FRIDAY, MARCH 16 THE CRAIC SATURDAY, MARCH 17 ST. PATRICKS DAY PARTY WITH SLIP ‘N THE JIGS SUNDAY, MARCH 18 FEW MILES SOUTH TUESDAY, MARCH 20 ONE TON PIG Full music schedule at worthotel.com 50 N. Glenwood St. • 307-732-3939

Nomad of the mountains Fred Beckey.

Alpine State of Mind The legacy of Fred Beckey ascends to the big screen

BY KELSEY DAYTON |

F

red Beckey’s influence is everywhere in the mountains, including the Tetons and the Wind River Ranges.

“You can’t climb around North America without coming across a Fred Beckey route,” said Todd Offenbacher, a friend of the climber. “The plum lines, the most beautiful, most aesthetic lines—he would come in and get those beautiful gems that were unclimbed.”

Beckey, who died in October, had a prolific climbing career, which began when he was a teenager and continued into his 90s. He is the subject of the documentary Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey.

Offenbacher is an assistant producer on the film and bringing it to Jackson. “I think what really resonates with people with this documentary is Fred’s passion and commitment ... to the mountains,” he said.

The 93-minute documentary follows Beckey from when he began climbing in the Cascades in the 1930s. By 1942, Beckey had made a name for himself in the alpine world when he and his brother survived a second ascent of Mount Waddington, considered the most difficult climb in North America at the time.

That began a career marked by significant climbs and first ascents around the world. He pioneered routes people thought impossible and eschewed sponsorships and fame. “He did it because he loved it,” Offenbacher said.

He became known as a dirtbag climber, which the film defines as “one who forgoes material comforts and

@kelsey_dayton

defies societal norms in pursuit of a nomadic mountaineering lifestyle.”

It was his individualism and his drive to focus solely on the sport that might have cost him a spot on the first American climbing team formed to summit Mount Everest in 1963. When he didn’t earn a spot on the expedition he headed to Alaska where he made multiple major first ascents that summer.

“It’s was unprecedented, especially for the time,” Offenbacher said.

The documentary weaves in and out of Beckey’s life until he was 94 and still going into the mountains. It’s one of the things Offenbacher admires most about his mentor and friend. Even as an old man, he went into the mountains and climbed. “It’s what he knew, it’s what he did,” Offenbacher said.

Director Dave O’Leske spent the past decade filming Beckey. Beckey kept meticulous journals throughout his life documenting his wild adventures, romantic dalliances and the sunrises he saw in places no one else had set foot. Animations from the journals, as well as photographs and archival footage help tell the story of his life.

There are also more than 30 interviews with some of the world’s most famous climbers, including Yvon Chouinard, Conrad Anker and Reinhold Messner, who speak to Beckey’s impact on the climbing world and conservation.

“It really does document a huge span of American climbing history,” Offenbacher said. “No one will come close to the amount of climbs that he

did.”

But the film also explores Beckey’s personal life. He never married or had children. Since he was 15 years old, his life was about climbing, Offfenbacher said. And Beckey did have some regrets about what he gave up to pursue his passion.

“For me, the most powerful part of the film is that it does address these parts of Fred’s life,” Offenbacher said.

It’s a story that will resonate with people even if they don’t know anything about climbing. Beckey is such an interesting character he draws viewers into the film, Offenbacher said.

“It’s not about climbing mountains, but being in the mountains,” Offenbacher said. “Anyone that appreciates the mountains and the beauty of the mountains can relate to this documentary.”

Beckey, at 94 years old, was able to see the film before he died Oct. 30, 2017.

The documentary screened at more than 25 film festivals in 2017 and won 13 awards.

Those that attend should stay to the very end, Offenbacher said. There are several mini stories told during the credits. PJH

The film screens in Jackson on Tuesday at the Pink Garter Theatre.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the film starts at 7. Tickets are $15. There will be a raffle featuring Mammut gear prizes.

Money raised from the raffle will go the Doug Coombs Foundation.

KALI COLLADO

Asymbol co-founder Travis Rice at the gallery’s closing party.

Art Anomaly

Asymbol shut its doors, but the appetite for its art continues to grow for his painting and grew into an integral part of the gallery.

“A piece of his narrative is in the core body of everything we do,” Rice said of Iguchi.

In 2016 the gallery moved again, this time to Scott Lane. Community and artist outreach coordinator Josi Stephens said it was to refocus the gallery, bringing the printing equipment and studio space back to the forefront. The gallery stuck to its unconventional roots and showed art in a way unlike anywhere else in Jackson.

“Travis and Mike put together this thing to create a bridge between [the audience] and the art and the artist,” Stephens said. “What a magical endeavor and what an amazing, amazing idea.”

The town and artists were open to new ventures and people like Travis Rice who put themselves out there helped nourish the alternative art scene.

“This is crazy, nobody thought it would last, even a little bit,” Stephens said at Friday’s event.

In its closing, the gallery has received an outpouring of support. When word spread about the final night, online orders soared. Now Asymbol is sitting on more than 1,000 orders, Ashley said.

There’s been such a strong appetite, she said, locals who didn’t get everything pre-closing can still “pop your head in” through the end of March and pick up a piece of framed work or whatever is in stock. “We’re closing, but the dream and the art and what we represent is not done.

We love this thing so much and it’s such a pure and honest endeavor.”

“The Final Chapter” are the words embossened on the window of Asymbol during its last month. Each employee is on to new projects and new endeavors and Rice hinted that with the closing of Asymbol means bigger and better things.

“Sometimes you have to prune the tree to keep it healthy,” he said. “I’m just pleased that there’s no downbeat with where we’re going.”

Rice said he hopes the artists and community that have come together and been a part of Asymbol will continue to create and keep the momentum going.

“I’m really looking forward to where the baton ends up,” he said Although the gallery is closing, it doesn’t mean everything it fostered and created goes away, Ashley said. “We are still going to help [the artists] get their work to people, just not in the same hub.

They’re still doing what they’re doing.”

From the start, Asymbol was a family-run small business. That never changed. “We kept this dream alive because we appreciated and accepted every customer,” Ashley said. “If you love something you have to support it.”

Asymbol was always about the artists. At its very core and name, Asymbol assembled a family of artists and highlighted their most symbolic pieces. The sentiment was ever-present on Friday as the family came together one last time.

“It’s been a decade and as we put on the window it’s the final chapter,” Rice said. “It’s definitely, certainly not over.

This will not be the last time we speak.”

PJH

MARCH 14, 2018 | 13

culture to life.

In its infancy the artists that made up Asymbol would host pop-ups in Teton Artlab and collaborate with other local galleries. For the first run of prints, Asymbol worked closely with a printmaking studio in San Diego, said Ashley Rice, CEO and creative director. All the genesis pieces were printed there and the artists even flew to California to sign the original runs.

“We weren’t quite sure we wanted to be a production house or not,” she said.

But in 2011 Asymbol moved from the digital realm to the physical and opened a printing studio on Deer Drive after an “amazing first strong collection.” Rice and crew bought their own printmaking equipment and did everything in-house from then on out.

“We wanted more control, freedom and creativity,” Ashley said.

By 2014 the gallery outgrew its Deer Drive space and moved to the Pink Garter Plaza on Town Square. The printing press found a home in the downstairs of the building and the gallery added a retail component in a shared space with Jackson Treehouse.

Asymbol’s rank of artists grew. By closing time, the gallery had a roster of more than 30 artists. Photographers including Lindsey Ross and Jimmy Chin were regulars. James Johnson shared his Native American heritage with the world through the lens of snowboarding. Jamie Lynn showed his work on canvases, not just snowboard topsheets. Snowboard pioneer Bryan Iguchi was given an outlet

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

fter almost 10 years of adventure-inspired art, Asymbol has pulled the plug. But first, owner Travis Rice and company threw a going away party that underscored the interest and following Asymbol amassed over a decade. The Scott Lane gallery was packed with people, craft cocktails, a rainbow spread of chromatic food, music, discounted art and the overwhelming sense that an era was ending.

Snowboarders and artists from across the West traveled to the gallery to pay homage and celebrate new beginnings.

“This thing started 10 years ago as an idea of being able to tell the stories we thought were culturally relevant to the place we came from,” Rice said to the 100-person crowd. Indeed, among Jackson Hole’s Western galleries and pricey contemporary art houses, Asymbol was an anomaly. Loose and adventurous, it was rooted in the snowboard lifestyle and mountain culture.

Asymbol gave burgeoning and established artists a local and global platform to share their work with a snow sports audience. Rice said it was the artists who helped “fuel the flame of Asymbol.”

“The authenticity of trying to share the talents of people that do put themselves out there through the arts kind of seeped into the rest of the relationships we created over the past 10 years,” he said.

Opening its doors in 2009 as an online showroom, Asymbol offered art created for and by snowboarders, skateboarders and surfers. Rice teamed up with artist Mike Parillo to bring the vision and

BY ERIKA DAHLBY

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A

CULTURE KLASH

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| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

14 | MARCH 14, 2018

NONA YEHIA

LOCAL SYNDROME

Kelly Kouloir (right) made her debut at the Intergalactic Ball. She’s not so sure about another JH appearance.

Butch Queen Realness A local’s drag debut ignites an introspective, Wyoming crisis

BY ANDREW MUNZ |

T

he Teton Theater was humming with electronic bass. A smattering of neon strobe lights cascaded across the dance floor. Most everyone was costumed. The dancers around me were cosmonauts, unicorns, and various iterations of David Bowie. I, however, was debuting an oft-concealed part of myself. That meant dancing around with my massive feet squashed into a pair of size 14 stilettos with five-inch heels. Just five minutes into the ruckus festivities of the Intergalactic Ball and my feet were already killing me.

Saturday’s costume party presented the chance for everyone to be someone else. Luke Zender and I discussed going in drag and we decided the Intergalactic Ball would be the perfect opportunity to debut our drag characters. I donned the persona “Kelly Kouloir” (a sultry Jacksonite) and Luke developed “Ranch” (“Everyone’s favorite condiment!”).

Kelly’s evening aesthetic was more in line with a traditional drag queen: big pink lips, fake breasts, hips made of memory foam, bitchiness, etc., while Ranch glowed with the aesthetic of a towering, glitter-soaked, avant-garde trash fire.

We looked incredible.

Being a fan of the hit TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race, I thought becoming a drag queen would be a logical step for me. I am no stranger to performance, doing improv comedy, or embodying odd characters, so surely I would have Kelly Kouloir in the bag. This would be my night to prove to the community that I could embody confidence and vulnerability simultaneously.

@andrewmunz

Reality set in soon afterwards.

Luke as Ranch was working the room with an envious level of unapologetic authority. I, on the other hand, was dying. I’d lost all feeling in my feet, my fake nails were sore, my wig kept getting caught in my hoop earrings. Even after the stilettos came off and I reverted to sneakers, I felt off-balance. I didn’t feel like a drag queen.

It’s important I mention that gay men love RuPaul’s Drag Race in the way that black audiences love Black Panther. This is a show that celebrates gay men not as accessories or AIDS victims, but as glamorous heroes, rewarding the most unique and eccentric of the bunch with the ultimate prize: the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.

I thought spending a night as Kelly Kouloir would help me further embrace my identity as a young gay man in Wyoming. Maybe this could be my thing, and one day I too could be good enough to compete on Drag Race.

However, being among Jackson partygoers, my deep-rooted fears of rejection replaced any notions of joy and fun.

I was supposed to be exuding confident Kelly Kouloir, but instead I felt like Andrew Munz in a dress, and I didn’t know how to shake it.

If I didn’t know who I was, how would I know who Kelly was?

Phantom hands kept groping me in the crowd. That was to be expected, I guess, but it made me feel like I was vulnerable to more than a playful grope.

Kelly Kouloir was no longer a shield from my insecurities, but rather a target for them. And that jolted me.

I can only wonder at how much my encounters with homophobia impacted that feeling. I’ve been called some form of “fag” more times than I care to remember.

And I know others who can relate. Despite being out of the closet, any LGBT Jackson local will tell you this is a tough place for us to exist—in the state where, 20 years ago, Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered for being gay. Yes, there is a lingering haze of fear and uncertainty among the LGBTQ community.

Upon leaving the Intergalactic Ball, I was compelled to walk into the Cowboy Bar or up to the Rose and continue my night, but that ingrained fear held me back. When donned in a flannel shirt and facial hair, my identity as a gay man is not so obvious. But despite concealing myself under a dress, a wig, and copious amounts of makeup, I felt more exposed than ever.

I do not regret dragging it up for the night. After all, small-town artists have to test their limits; we don’t have an endless variety of artistic opportunities, so we must take risks and create them for ourselves. Donning the guise of Kelly Kouloir for a single party has not discouraged my attempts, but it has brought me closer to understanding myself. Perhaps my admiration for the female form and feminine beauty is one of the spectator rather than the participant. I still have a lot to learn about my own LGBT identity and where my personal comfort lies. And, admittedly, all of that is thanks to Kelly.

Kelly Kouloir may still resurface one day. But if she comes back, I guarantee she’ll at least trade her stilettos for some comfy wedges. PJH

ANNOUNCING!

March 14-26, 2018

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14

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| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

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BOX OFFICE: 307.733.4900 JHCENTERFORTHEARTS.ORG

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n Foreign Policy Lunchtime: South Africa’s Fragile Democracy - Auditorium B 12 p.m. Teton County Library, n Maker 3 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Town Council Workshop 3 p.m. n Montucky Mondays in March!

3 p.m. The Trap Bar & Grill, n Movie Monday - Youth Auditorium 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, n Movie Monday 3:30 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Movie Monday-Driggs 3:30 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Town Council Evening Meeting 6 p.m. n Foreign Policy Discussion Series 6 p.m. Teton County Library, n Foreign Policy: South Africa’s Fragile Democracy 6 p.m. Teton County Library, n Steele River 9 p.m. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, Free, 307-733-2207

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MONDAY, MARCH 19

| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |

10 Y A TS E M E K L 4 TIC SA H 1 ON ARC PM M 12 AT

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n Useful Jenkins at Grand Targhee Resort 3 p.m. Grand Targhee Resort, n Jewish and Muslim Women Films: Arranged (U.S.) 4 p.m. Jackson Hole Jewish Community, Free, n Few Miles South 7 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939

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n SheJumps Get the Girls Out at Grand Targhee Resort 9 a.m. Grand Targhee Resort, n Library Saturdays - Youth Auditorium 10:15 a.m. Teton County Library, n St. Patrick’s Day Party 11 a.m. Silver Dollar Showroom,

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SEE CALENDAR PAGE 17

SATURDAY, MARCH 17

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n CWC Beginner Social Media Circle Sessions!

9 a.m. Center for the Arts, $75.00, 3077337425 n Third Thursday Book Sale 9:30 a.m. Teton County Library, n Books & Babies Story Time 10 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Storytime - Youth Auditorium 10:30 a.m. Teton County Library, n Story Time, Victor 10:30 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n After School at the Library 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, Free, n Open Build 5:30 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library,

n All Ages Story Time 11 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Open Hockey - Weekend Mornings 11:30 a.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $10.00, (307) 201-1633 n Fun Friday - Youth Auditorium 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, n Film Friday Victor 3:30 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Game Night 4 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Rendezvous Concert on Town Square 5:30 p.m. n FREE Public Stargazing 7:30 p.m. Center for the Arts, n The Craic 7:30 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939 n Speakeasy at the JHPH 8 p.m. Jackson Hole Playhouse,

3 BONUS SHOWS

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THURSDAY, MARCH 15

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

Free, 307-732-3939 n Winter Wonderland Ice Skating on the Town Square 12 p.m. n Monat Super Saturday 1 p.m. Snow King Resort, n Chanman - SOLO 4 p.m. Teton Mountain Lodge, Free, 307 201 6066 n Jewish and Muslim Women Films: Sabah (Canada) 4 p.m. Jackson Hole Jewish Community, Free, n Jewish and Muslim Women filmmakers: Bar Bahar / In Between 6:30 p.m. Jackson Hole Jewish Community, Free, n Hell’s Belles 9:30 p.m. Mangy Moose,

T UE O LIQ DJ GÉ KI AN

n Toddler Gym 10 a.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Story Time 10 a.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Baby Time - Youth Auditorium 10:05 a.m. Teton County Library, n Open Hockey - Weekday Morning 10:15 a.m. Snow King Sports & Event Center, $10.00, (307) 201-1633 n Read to Rover 3 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n VITA 2018 Free Tax Prep 3 p.m. Teton County Library, n After School at the Library 3:30 p.m. Teton County Library, Free, n Beginning Pilates Reformer Workshop 3:30 p.m. Dancers’ Workshop, $100.00, 307-733-6398 n Design Review Committee Meeting 5 p.m. n Great Reads for Girls 6 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Youth Mental Health First Aid 6 p.m. EIRMC Cancer Center, n Stoneflies: The Overlooked Order 6:30 p.m. JD High Country Outfitters, n Acoustic Music Wednesdays 7 p.m. WarBirds Cafe, Free, n Recycle Driggs!

Valley of the Tetons Library,

n Friends and Family Mental Health Support Group 6 p.m. Eagle Classroom of St. John’s Medical Center, Free, 307-733-2046 n Papa Chan and Johnny C Note 6 p.m. Teton Pines Country Club, Free, 307 733 1005 n How to Conquer Allergies and Asthma Without Medications, Shots or Sprays 6 p.m. Arugula Deli, n Open Gym - Adult Soccer 6:30 p.m. Teton Recreation Center, n Idaho Falls Real Estate Investors 6:30 p.m. Century 21 office, n The Copper Children 7:30 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939 n Salsa Night 9:30 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, Free, n Brown Bag Fly Tying 11:30 p.m. JD High Country Outfitters,

| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

16 | MARCH 14, 2018

Come celebrate everything that makes Jackson Hole so good, it’s...

OF THIS

HEARD & SCENE

Get your tickets now! annual BOJH party

Thursday, April 5 7-10 p.m. at Lotus Cafe get your tickets at bestof jh.com

LINDLEY RUST

T H E M E T ROP OL ITAN OP ERA : LI V E I N H D

Canyon Kids at music under the tram in March.

Let Us Rendezvous The massive spring fest happens this weekend

GIACOMO PUCCINI

Wednesday, March 21 at 7PM | Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole Puccini’s La Bohème returns in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production with Sonya Yoncheva singing the role of the fragile Mimì and Michael Fabiano as the poet Rodolfo. Marco Armiliato conducts. La Bohème, the timeless and indelible story of love among young artists in Paris, has a marvelous ability to make a powerful first impression and to reveal unsuspected treasures after dozens of hearings. At first glance, La Bohème is the definitive depiction of the joys and sorrows of love and loss; on closer inspection, it reveals the deep emotional significance hidden in the trivial things that make up our everyday lives.

PRESENTED BY THE

GRAND TETON M U SIC F EST IVAL & CENT E R OF WON D E R

M

BY MATT DONOVAN

arch in Jackson Hole has become synonymous with a full-blown musical extravaganza hosted by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Massive 4JH subsidies provided an unprecedented boost to the entertainment starting in 2015 with the 50th anniversary event. Rebranded as Rendezvous Fest a year earlier, the event grew to new heights when Zac Brown Band drew record crowds two years in a row. But the second installment brought JHMR financial losses and locals were irked by the paid admission, so this year resort officials restructured Rendezvous Fest. All shows are free and a fresh high-powered headlining band takes the stage Saturday eve.

Last weekend, JHMR’s programming focused primarily on younger demographics, dubbed “College Rendezvous,” to garner the attention of college spring-breakers. Jackson Hole has been on the leaderboard for snowpack this winter, and the icing on the spring break cake was national talent under the tram for an all-time series of apres ski sets. Live acts ran the gamut from the electronic funk of Washington State’s Yak Attack, the

soulful Ayron Jones, jam-funk crew The Main Squeeze, and the feel-good vibes of Bay Area’s Midnight North.

This upcoming weekend of Rendezvous Fest will see free performances Thursday through Sunday.

The weekend is bookended with performances under the tram at 3 p.m.

Thursday includes a Southern-fried legacy pairing of Devon Allman Band with Duane Betts. It is indeed quite the combination—the children of longtime bandmates-turned-adversaries Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts. Hometown reggae outfit Chanman Roots Band will draw the curtain on 2018’s event with a special set on Sunday.

Friday of Rendezvous weekend spreads the love past the economic fences of Teton Village to downtown Jackson, where the festival stage will sit at the southeast corner of Town Square.

The evening opens with a set by Frankie Ballard. While Ballard’s physical appearance suggests he’s a stunt-double for The Fonz, he has a modern, radio-friendly approach to music.

The singer-songwriter has had three No.1 country hits to date and boasts Spotify streams in excess of 2.2 million.

WEDNESDAY

Daily Roots

Daily Roots’ Open Kitchen Daily Roots

THURSDAY

Salsa Night Pink Garter Theatre

FRIDAY

Rendezvous Concert Town Square

Rendezvous Fest

SATURDAY

SheJumps Get the Girls Out Grand Targhee Resort

SUNDAY

Few Miles South Silver Dollar Showroom Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey

MONDAY

Montucky Mondays in March!

The Trap Bar & Grill

TUESDAY

Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey Pink Garter Theatre

Portugal. The Man headlines Rendezvous Fest Saturday at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

FOR COMPLETE EVENT DETAILS VISIT PJHCALENDAR.COM

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

n Business Tax Changes 12 p.m. Stockman’s Restaurant, n Free Tax Assistance 12:30 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Community Night National Museum of Wildlife Art 5 p.m. Hand Fire Pizza, n DIRTBAG: THE LEGEND OF FRED BECKEY - Documentary Screening in Jackson Hole 7 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre, $15.00,

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

n Andy Frasco & the U.N. 3 p.m. The Trap Bar & Grill, n WEALTH BUILDING THROUGH REAL ESTATE #1 Idaho Falls,ID 7 p.m. n Pat Chadwick Trio 7:30 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939

FRIDAY, MARCH 23

n Spring Intensive Healing Retreat 7 a.m. Medicine Wheel Wellness, n American Dream Investing Experience 9 a.m. Stevens-Henager College, n Dirt Road Band 7:30 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939 n Kitchen Dwellers + Rumpke Mountain Boys 8 p.m. Mangy Moose,

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

n 43rd Annual Karen Oatey Pole Pedal Paddle 7 a.m. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to Astoria Hot Springs, $65.00 - $100.00, 3077336433 n The People’s Market, A Winter Farmers Market 2 p.m. Teton County Fairgrounds Building, Free, 206-715-9039

SUNDAY, MARCH 25

n Jazz Foundation of Jackson Hole 7 p.m. Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939

MONDAY, MARCH 26

n Foreign Policy Lunchtime: Global Health: Progress and Challenges - Auditorium B 12 p.m. Teton County Library, n Foreign Policy: Global Health: Progress and Challenges 6 p.m. Teton County Library,

MARCH 14, 2018 | 17

n Special JIM - Housing Rules Discussion 2 p.m. n Great Reads for Girls Victor 6 p.m. Valley of the Tetons Library, n Ruff Readers 6 p.m. Teton County Library, n Turkuaz at Pink Garter Theatre 9 p.m. Pink Garter Theatre,

n Galactic Knotty Pine,

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

for restoring our climate’ or ‘I vote for education’ or ‘I vote for peace,’ whatever it is people feel passionate about.”

In contrast, when headliner Portugal.

The Man recently took home a Grammy for Best Group Performance for the single “Feel it Still,” the Alaska rock band used its acceptance speech to pretend to wipe their bums with the trophy and transmit a worldwide message of “Hail Satan!” The band might not write songs about sunshine, beach hangs or speak about climate change, but perhaps those too are reasons to make their set Saturday at JHMR. Yes, this is an act atypical of the headliners of the past. Portugal. The Man describes its show as “a fluid performance, without computers but with live instruments that borrows from a diverse musical palette.”

The venue opens at 5 p.m. on Saturday with fireworks after the headlining performance.

Avoid the traffic and ride START Bus, bike or carpool. PJH

| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |

Headliners are The Mavericks, founded more than 25 years ago as a standout alternative band in a Miami rock scene dominated by hair metal and punk.

Over the decades, The Mavericks have undergone stylistic as well as personnel changes, but one constant is a high-energy show. Public entry starts at 5 p.m.

Holding the record for most performances by any single band on the Teton Village stage, Michael Franti & Spearhead is no stranger to this event.

If you haven’t had the good fortune to catch his high-energy hybrid of pop melodies and reggae grooves brought to life by a much-needed message of world peace and positivity, consider arriving early to JHMR on Saturday. Yes, some people have Franti fatigue as he has become emblematic of Rendezvous Fest in his many appearances there.

But unlike many artists that visit the valley, Franti uses his celebrity status as a platform for social activism. Before the 2016 presidential election, Franti told the Pittsburgh Gazette: “I never endorse political candidates, but I do endorse ideas. I just want as many people as possible to participate in this election and send the message ‘I vote

PLANET PICKS

What to do, where to go

| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

18 | MARCH 14, 2018

CREATIVE PEAKS

For all MEETING AGENDAS AND MINUTES WEEKLY CALENDAR JOB OPENINGS SOLICITATIONS FOR BIDS PUBLIC NOTICES AND OTHER VALUABLE INFORMATION

Visit out our website website Visit

tetoncountywy.gov TetonWyo.org The public meeting agendas and minutes for the Board of County Commissioners and Planning Commission can also be found in the Public Notices section of the JH News and Guide.

HALF OFF BLAST OFF! JOIN LOCAL MERCHANTS IN PLANET JACKSON HOLE’S ADVERTISING TRADE PROGRAM,

HALFOFFJH.COM

Works by Kathleen Herlihy-Paoli lend a dramtic, 90s coffee shop vibe.

Curtain Call Intimate, vibrant art with theatrical underpinnings debuts at the Center

BY KELSEY DAYTON |

A

couple years ago, Kathleen Herlihy-Paoli was in a second-hand shop sifting through bins of junk when she came across a strange metal tool. She had no idea what it was or what it was meant to do, but it looked like a figure to her and she wanted to paint it.

She isn’t sure why she placed it on a stage but she did, and she liked it. That painting began a series of surreal works Herlihy-Paoli created by putting objects like a feather on a curtain stage.

“I guess I sort of felt that if I put something on stage it made it more important,” she said. “Even if it’s just a simple glass of water, it sort of elevates it a bit.”

The Montana artist will show a series of 16 of these paintings in a show called “Act Three” at the Theater Gallery in the Center for the Arts.

Herlihy-Paoli began the series several years ago after a stretch of several difficult years in her life. While she didn’t want to share specifics, she did note many of the paintings were about water and fire. “That’s what we lived through those last few years,” she said.

Herlihy-Paoli grew up in Connecticut. Her father was a mathematician, but she and her two sisters became artists and her brother became a chef. “We all ran from math,” she said.

Instead theater inspired HerlihyPaoli. The family often went into New

@kelsey_dayton

York City to see dance and plays. Her mother would sing a show tune and quiz the kids to name the production it was from.

“The theater reflects truths about our culture and lives and has always held up a mirror, allowing us to see ourselves and society more clearly,” she said in her artist statement.

The works in her new exhibition are oil on canvas. Many have beads or buttons sewed into the canvas, a nod to her grandmother, a seamstress who raised four children on her own and sent them all to college. She was a woman who would buy fabric by the bolt to make her 18 grandchildren matching outfits. But it was her grandmother’s fortitude and tenacity that Herlihy-Paoli admired the most.

The paintings are a departure from her previous work, starting with the bright colors. Herlihy-Paoli uses an actual object as a model for her paintings, but the stage and the curtains come from her imagination.

“Because they are made up there doesn’t have to be any color reference,” she said. “They can be whatever I want them to be.”

Herlihy-Paoli sews the buttons and beads onto the paintings after the paint has dried and she’s sealed the work. She creates the paintings with the finishing touches in mind and often knows where they will go.

The show’s title, “Act Three,” reflects an obvious theater theme, with the curtains and stages. But it is also a reference to where Herlihy-Paoli is in her life. At 61, she sees it as entering her third act.

Herlihy-Paoli’s exhibit is the first show of the year in the Theater Gallery.

She is one of six artists a jury selected for the space, said Carrie Richer, creative initiatives coordinator at the Center for the Arts.

“I think what was really impactful about Kathleen’s submission was it really related to the unique aspect of the space so well,” Richer said. “[It] highlights the other programs that are happening here. There’s not a lot of art that can stand on its own and reference the other cool things that happen here, too.”

The work saturates the hallway with color. It is obviously personal to HerlihyPaoli, which adds depth to her work and to the experience of those who view it, Richer said. It will make her artist talk especially interesting, she added.

“It’s a cool way to experience someone’s work through their eyes” she said.

PJH

Act Three opens Thursday and hangs through April 16 at Center for the Arts.

Herlihy-Paoli will give an artist talk from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday; the gallery will host a reception at 5:30 p.m.

Featuring dining destinations from breweries to bakeries, and continental fare to foreign flavor, this is a sampling of our dining critic’s local favorites.

ASIAN

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. Located at 7432 Granite Loop Road in Teton Village, (307) 733-0022 and in Driggs, (208) 787-8424, tetonthai.com.

THAI ME 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. View our tap list at thaijh.com/brews. Open daily for dinner at 5 p.m. Located downtown at 75 East Pearl Street, (307) 733-0005, melvinbrewing.com.

CONTINENTAL 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 7:30 a.m.-10 a.m. Coffee & pastry 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Lunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Aprés 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Dinner 6 p.m.-9 p.m. For reservations at the Bistro or Alpenrose, call (307) 733-3242.

THE BLUE LION A Jackson Hole favorite for 39 years. Join us in the charming atmosphere of a historic home. Serving fresh fish, elk, poultry, steaks, and vegetarian entrées. Ask a local about our rack of lamb. Live acoustic guitar music most nights. Open nightly at 5:30 p.m. Reservations recommended, walk-ins welcome. 160 N. Millward, (307) 733-3912, bluelionrestaurant.com Our mission is simple: offer good food, made fresh, all day, every day. We know everyone’s busy, so we cater to on-the-go lifestyles with quick, tasty options for breakfast and lunch, including pastries and treats from our sister restaurant Persephone. Also offering coffee and espresso drinks plus wine and cocktails. Open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on weekends. Located at 1110 Maple Way in West Jackson, (307) 264-2956, picnicjh.com

ELEANOR’S

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. Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner starting at 8am daily. Located at 140 N. Cache, (307) 734-0882, theorganiclotus.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.

MOE’S BBQ Opened in Jackson Hole by Tom Fay and David Fogg, Moe’s Original Bar B Que features a Southern Soul Food Revival through its award-winning Alabama-style pulled pork, ribs, wings, turkey and chicken smoked over hardwood served with two unique sauces in addition to Catfish and a Shrimp MoeBoy sandwich. A daily rotation of traditional Southern sides and tasty desserts are served fresh daily. Moe’s BBQ stays open late and features a menu for any budget. While the setting is family-friendly, a full premium bar offers a lively scene with HDTVs for sports fans, music, shuffle board and other games upstairs. Large party takeout orders and full service catering with delivery is also available.

VIRGINIAN SALOON

Come down to the historic Virginian Saloon and check out our grill menu! Everything from 1/2 pound burgers to wings at a great price! The grill is open in the Saloon from 4 p.m.-10p.m. daily. Located at 750 West Broadway, (307) 739-9891.

MARCH 14, 2018 | 19

Enjoy all the perks of fine dining, minus the dress code at Eleanor’s, serving rich, saucy dishes in a warm and friendly setting. 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.

LOTUS ORGANIC RESTAURANT

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

PICNIC

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 seasonallyinspired food. We offer an extensive wine list and an abundance of locally-sourced 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 MonSat 11:30am. Dinner Nightly 5:30pm. 55 North Cache, (307) 201-1717, localjh.com.

| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |

ALPENHOF

LOCAL

FAVORITE PIZZA 2012-2016 •••••••••

$7

$5 Shot & Tall Boy

LUNCH

SPECIAL Slice, salad & soda

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••

TV Sports Packages and 7 Screens

| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |

HELEN GOELET

Under the Pink Garter Theatre (307) 734-PINK • www.pinkygs.com

Pink but potent: ‘the jasmine.’

Unleashing the Tiger An eclectic Asian eatery has happy hour dialed and the cuisine to match

BY HELEN GOELET

I

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

20 | MARCH 14, 2018

WATERIN’ HOLE

THE LOCALS

LOCAL & DOMESTIC STEAKS SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK @ 5:30 TILL 10 JHCOWBOYSTEAKHOUSE.COM 307-733-4790

t’s 6 p.m. on Thursday and the glow of Teton Tiger beckons me inside.

The marble bar basks in a red hue reminiscent of a speakeasy a continent away. But a patron donned in ski gear and a beanie reminds me I’m indeed in Jackson Hole.

Skiers, professionals, visitors—the bar is full of drinkers and diners. Yes, word has gotten out of this Asian eatery’s wallet-friendly and worldly happy hour.

From 5 to 6:30 p.m., the Tiger offers half-off specialty cocktails, beers and wine. Like its food, the restaurant’s cocktails combine flavors from all over Asia, spicing up classic combinations with cardamom, coconut milk and lots of ginger. A rare occurrence in most restaurants around town, drink and dinner specials are on tap every day.

When I ask bartender Kara Munsey about the evening’s drink special, she cocks her head and rolls her eyes up in thought. “It’s called ‘the jasmine,’” she says. “It’s got gin, Campari, lemon and

St. Germain. It’s floral with a touch of bitterness from the Campari.”

The drink arrives pink, mirroring the lighting, with a twist of lemon.

Munsey was right—floral with just the right amount of bitterness and not sweet at all.

The cocktails, she says, are dreamt up by the Tiger’s team of inspired drink-slingers. “It’s nice, we all get to have a hand and be creative.”

A unique atmosphere probably fuels the staff’s creative drink and food recipes. The dark wood floors and British Raj deco create a vibe unlike anywhere else in town.

Aside from the cocktails, the bar menu boasts a variety of beers and sakes that you won’t find anywhere else in the valley. Kingfisher, an Indian lager with a bitter undertone, pairs well with spicy dishes. Never had Funaguchi?

Order this sake in a can. It’s cheaper than buying a bottle, but doesn’t taste it—it’s not sweet or syrupy.

When it comes to food, follow TT’s Instagram for the day’s ‘gram special.

The restaurant offers deals on dishes for followers. Pro-tip: If no special is available, go for the green curry.

While perusing the menu, I noticed a new addition: a gaeng tay-po. A Bangkok hot and sour red curry with salmon and Chinese cabbage, the dish is a nice balance of flavors and textures. The acidity of the cabbage cuts through the fat of the salmon and coconut milk. But for $26, it is the Tiger’s most expensive dish. Order the street noodles if your tastebuds are bigger than your wallet.

If you can’t make happy hour, Teton Tiger serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I stopped in one afternoon for a quick tandoori tikka burrito, filled with a combination of tandoori and tikka masala chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes and cilantro. The cucumber raita and mint chutney give that extra zing to bring out some of the best flavors of India right here in Jackson Hole.

PJH

SNAKE RIVER BREWERY & RESTAURANT

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

HAPPY HOUR Daily 4-6:00pm

307.201.1717 | LOCALJH.COM ON THE TOWN SQUARE

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 runs from 4 - 6 p.m., including tasty hot wings. The freshest beer in the valley, right from the source! Free WiFi. Open 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Loacted at 265 S. Millward. (307) 7392337, snakeriverbrewing.com.

ITALIAN

ELY UNIQUPEAN EURO

F O H ‘ E H T

INNERGE D I UNCHETON VILLA L I T IN T FAS BREAKE ALPENHOF AT TH

AT THE

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. Located at 2560 Moose Wilson Rd., (307) 733-2460.

307.733.3242

MEXICAN

EL ABUELITO

FAMILY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT HOUSEMADE BREAD & DESSERTS FRESH, LOCALLY SOURCED OFFERINGS TAKE OUT AVAILABLE 1110 MAPLE WAY JACKSON, WY 307.264.2956 picnicjh.com

Dining room and bar open nightly at 5:00pm (307) 733-2460 • 2560 Moose Wilson Road • Wilson, WY

Free Coffee with Pastry Purchase Every Day from 3 to 5pm

A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965

Open nightly 5:30pm

733-3912 160 N. Millward • Reservations recommended Reserve online at bluelionrestaurant.com

PIZZA

DOMINO’S PIZZA

Hot and delicious delivered to your door.

Hand-tossed, 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

Reservations at (307) 733-4913 3295 Village Drive • Teton Village, WY

www.mangymoose.com

Medium Pizza (1 topping) Stuffed Cheesy Bread

$ 13 99

for an extra $5.99/each

(307) 733-0330 520 S. Hwy. 89 • Jackson, WY

MARCH 14, 2018 | 21

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.

Large Specialty Pizza ADD: Wings (8 pc)

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

The locals favorite! Voted Best Pizza in Jackson Hole 2012-2016. Seek out this hidden gem under the Pink Garter Theatre for NY pizza by the slice, salads, strombolis, 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. - 2 a.m. Located at 50 W. Broadway, (307) 734-PINK.

| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |

PIZZAS, PASTAS & MORE

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.

Located at 385 W. Broadway, (307) 733-1207.

| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

22 | MARCH 14, 2018

EARLY RISER? Planet Jackson Hole is looking for a Wednesday morning delivery driver to start immediately.

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.

CONTACT PETE@PLANETJH.COM | (801) 413-0936

L.A.TIMES “PT EXERCISE” By MATT McKINLEY

SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2018

ACROSS

1 Peaks 6 Two-letter pop group 10 Prepares potatoes, in a way 15 Card in a wallet 19 Zagreb native 20 Vanishing sound 21 Seating option 22 It gives you the big picture 23 Most highly regarded seasoning?

26 Side 27 Call for icing, maybe 28 Author Binchy 29 Limo amenity 31 Literally, “shady side” 32 Like two Beethoven piano sonatas 33 Groom on a 1952 Life cover 34 B, in a sandwich 37 Bridget Riley’s “Movement in Squares,” e.g.

40 23rd of 24 41 Gets more friendly, with “up” 45 __ collar 46 Brusque orchestral violinists?

49 Alley in comics 50 Soft shoe 51 Portends 52 Bush boss 53 Singer DiFranco 54 Card game shout 55 “Trinity” novelist 56 “__ Not There”: Zombies hit 58 Child with a sponsor, maybe 60 Homer’s “Northeaster,” for one 62 Wall covers 65 Quick quality 66 Italian noble family 67 Actress Helen with her personal programmer?

70 One of a program dozen 73 Big-eyed bird 75 “Tristram Shandy” author 76 Bag by the barbecue

78 Lit 81 Honey beverage 82 “Hamilton” award 83 97-Across output 84 Holiday drink 85 Knockoff hr.

88 Glittery rock 89 Logician’s letters 90 Granite St. campus 91 Kids responsible for breakfast bread?

94 Town 95 Low choristers 97 See 83-Across 98 Golf bag set 99 “Not a chance!”

100 Pie nut 102 Kiss at the mall, briefly 103 Security briefing org.

104 Lunch with fish 107 Large crosses 109 Head honcho, e.g.

113 Finished 114 Well-ventilated chef’s hat?

117 It’s often stained 118 Language that gives us “kayak” 119 “The Clan of the Cave Bear” author 120 Old Eurasian rulers 121 Wine adjective 122 Ideal areas 123 Letters before Q? 124 Limited-choice, as a question

DOWN

1 John follower 2 Sticking point?

3 Extra 4 Near the start 5 Yalta Conference notable 6 Informal pricing words 7 __ vivant 8 High time 9 __ de coeur: amorous rela-

tionship 10 Forgo 11 Put on 12 Musician’s suffix 13 Pipes and such 14 Welcome 15 Former “Today” co-host 16 Source of film trivia 17 Complex story 18 Lumberyard supplier 24 Staple __ 25 Doesn’t hold back 30 Ski resort refreshment?

33 It borders three oceans 34 Mystify 35 Does penance (for) 36 Chocolate-loving gang?

37 Rex in the classics 38 It may be given with a bow 39 Saddlebag carrier 40 Radio tuning shortcut 42 Measurement for meat rotating on a spit?

43 Like many Bing Crosby records 44 Slant 46 Sacred scroll 47 Got hot online 48 Joke 51 Florida NFLer 56 Words often about details 57 Yogi Bear co-creator 59 CD part 61 Bastes, say 63 Talking point?

64 Educates 68 Lures 69 Straights and flushes 71 Place to grab a bite 72 Promise 74 Randy Johnson and Aroldis Chapman 77 Deli choice

78 Oscar __ 79 O’Neill’s daughter 80 Giuseppe’s god 86 Wanderer 87 80%-Disney-owned channel 88 Nats pitcher González 92 Done with 93 Slow and steady 94 Just barely, at the track 96 Animated 99 Powerful 101 Adorable one 102 “Dead __ Society”: 1989 film 103 Half-__: coffee order 104 Stink 105 Middle eye layer 106 Part of the woods?

107 Really mess up 108 Hit hard 109 Shed 110 Start of a sad tale 111 Bird related to the noddy 112 Brand that’s a homophone of its company’s initials 115 N.Y. neighbor 116 Where some pounds are spent: Abbr.

WELLNESS COMMUNITY

Your one-stop resource for access to Jackson Hole’s premier health and wellness providers.

DEEP TISSUE • SPORTS MASSAGE • THAI MASSAGE MYOFASCIAL RELEASE CUPPING Professional and Individualized Treatments • Sports/Ortho Rehab • Neck and Back Rehab • Dizziness • Jaw Pain • Incontinence Training • Pelvic Pain Rehab

Oliver Tripp, NCTM MASSAGE THERAPIST NATIONALLY CERTIFIED

253-381-2838

180 N Center St, Unit 8 abhyasamassage.com

2 Jackson Locations • 1090 S Hwy 89 and Legacy Lodge of JH • 3000 W Big Trail Rd 307-733-5577 Alpine Location • 46 Iron Horse Rd 307-654-5577 No physician referral required.

www.fourpinespt.com

| WELLNESS | DINING | A & E | NEWS | OPINION |

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

MARCH 14, 2018 | 23

To join Planet Jackson Hole’s Wellness Community as an advertiser, contact 307-732-0299 or sales@planetjh.com

OF THIS

24 | MARCH 14, 2018

| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |

| OPINION | NEWS | A & E | DINING | WELLNESS |

Come celebrate everything that makes Jackson Hole so good, it’s...

BEST

you

annual BOJH party

BE PARTYIN’!

Thursday, April 5

7-10 p.m. at Lotus Cafe get your tickets at bestof jh.com