IdaHome--September/October

Magazine WonderWomen THE ISSUE

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Dana DuGan is an award-winning writer who has held staff positions at various newspapers, magazines, and online media sources over the course of more than 20 years. Originally from the tristate area of New York City, she now lives in Hailey, Idaho. She likes few things better than a classy hotel cocktail bar.

CONTRIBUTORS

April Neale is an entertainment features writer and has read her work on NPR and Spoken Interludes and writes for various industry trades and entertainment websites. Neale is a member of the Critics Choice Association, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Hollywood Critics Association, Television Critics Association, and other professional entertainment organizations.

Mike McKenna is an award-winning author and journalist from Hailey. Mike’s writing has appeared widely, from Forbes, People, and Trout to numerous regional newspapers. He has served as the editor of The Sheet and Sun Valley Magazine and is the author of two prizewinning guidebooks, including Angling Around Sun Valley

After graduating from the University of Iowa with a master’s degree in journalism, Harrison Berry returned to Boise, where he spent eight years working for Boise Weekly, rising to the position of managing editor. His work has appeared in publications from Business Insider to American Theatre. He currently works for Boise State University.

Arianna Creteau is a freelance writer based in Northern Idaho. A dessert enthusiast, avid hiker and amateur runner, Arianna spends her weekdays working a desk job and weekends chasing adventure. Her previous work has been published in Boise Weekly

ON THE COVER

Micah Drew is a writer currently based in northwest Montana. A multiple Montana Newspaper Association award-winning journalist covering politics, sports, and the outdoors, he has written for Edible Idaho, Boise Weekly, and High Country News . When not in the newsroom, he can be found trail running throughout the West.

KARENpublisher karen@idahorem.comMarketing,april@idahorem.comAPRILsocialHILLARYcoverKARENstaffadmin@idahorem.comsalesdirectordesign@idahorem.comKALEYJSNGRAFIXartheather@idahorem.comfeatureskaren@idahorem.comDAYeditorHEATHERHAMILTON-POSTanddesignWRIGHTofoperationsandmanagerMARIELLEWESTPHALphotographerDAYphotographMAYBERYmediaNEALESalesandDistribution OCTOBERSEPTEMBER/2022 IdaHome Magazine, LLC P.O. Box 116 Boise, Idaho 208.481.069383701 © 2022 IdaHome Magazine. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by the authors and contributors to IdaHome Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor and publisher. Community + Culture + Recreation + Real Estate

Cherie Buckner-Webb is a former Idaho State Senator, executive coach, speaker, business consultant, strategist, and fifth-generation Idahoan. In addition to her work in corporate and nonprofit environments, she assists institutions of higher education in the development of diversity curriculum and training and sits on a variety of local and national boards.

At home in Sun Valley, Idaho, Hillary Mayberry is passionate about taking photographs of people at their peak stoke levels! She keeps her shoots fun, open and always moving—like Kari Castle, this issue's cover girl, roping a goat at the family ranch in Carey, Idaho.

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Forgive us, but you’re about to see the F-word quite a few times in print and inferred. Feminist. To some, it’s a dirty word or an insult, but to others, it’s a compliment. But what does it mean? The people in this issue, some of which happen to be female, live the definition. Marlene Tromp, President of Boise State University, leads with compassion spurred by respect for the equal humanity of women and men. Emily Baker, a Boisean who has worked with U.S. presidents, gives aspiring students an equal leg-up in the scholarship race. For more than 30 years, Esther Simplot has quietly built the Idaho performing arts into an enduring cultural legacy for future generations. And Harrison Berry, who writes about the personal impact of the Dobbs vs Jackson ruling from a male perspective, demonstrates how empathy supplants gender and politics.

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Dear Reader,

I am a woman of dangerous enthusiasm, a blessing and a curse when working in war zones and magazine publishing— neither being an easy way to make a living. Still, I’ve learned that there are benefits in risking failure, and even death, if the work serves a purpose beyond my own burning little desires and opinions. In fact, there is actual joy in doing work that teaches me something relevant or humbling or just makes me crazy enough to stop complaining about partisan politics and produce a quality magazine that attempts to fuel understanding with mutual respect. Every month, I sweat and swear the newest issue is the best we’ve ever printed—and it’s true, especially this month with our annual WONDER WOMEN issue.

There’s a reason a life-sized cardboard Wonder Woman stands in our IdaHome offices. The DC Superhero, aka Princess Diana of Themyscira, is the original feminist, fighting for peace in a man’s world. She symbolizes truth, justice, and equality to people everywhere. Gal Gadot aside, Wonder Woman is a cartoon. The people featured in this issue do not have superhuman powers. They’re living, working human beings just like all of us. We choose to feature these humans simply because they demonstrate purpose and results beyond their “own burning little desires and opinions.” They are superheroes to us simply because they’re contributing to the world in positive ways; large and small, by example and often, anonymously and against the odds. My hope is that as you read this issue of IdaHome, it will become apparent that we all can be Wonder Women.

Enjoy! Karen Day STAND WITH UKRAINE

CONTENTS 7COMMUNITYHonoring Idaho Women Past, Present, and Future 9 Emily Baker An Influencer from Idaho to D.C. 12 Take Heart 14 Taking the Trail Less Traveled 36 5 Ways to Own Your Story 38 Men in the Conversation Partnership, Politics, and Pregnancy 41 The Woman Under Your House 43 Mary Johnson The Bookkeeper Who Became a Builder of Dreams 48 Women on Fire FOOD, ARTS, AND CULTURE 21 One Tough Cookie Girl Scouts and Thin Mints Forever 24 Ether Simplot Idaho's Lady of the Arts 27 The DebbyHuntressDunn 28 Mary Hallock Foote A Cultural Icon in Boise, Idaho 31 From Banking to Beer Boise Beer Buddies' Stacy Connelly 44 Revering Women and Their Theatrics 47 Listen Up Blue Rider Music— Idaho Grown ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 2 Contributors 4 Publisher's Letter

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It is also interesting to note that Deely modeled the figure’s hair after the woman featured in Idaho’s state seal design, who had a classic Grecian style. These subtle nods to Idaho’s women in history and purposeful details make this project a per fect symbol of women’s history in our state for posterity.TheIdaho Women’s Suffrage Commemora tive Sculpture will be cast in bronze using the traditional lost-wax method. This method dates back almost 6,500 years and is an intricate process with several steps, willtimessculptureThethetheinvolvesmetal-chasing,model-makingfromtowhichremovingallimperfectionsfromcastingprocess.heroicscalewillbe1¼lifescale,whichundoubtedlyhave

The Idaho Capitol Commission approved the sculpture place ment on May 8, 2020 and the sculpture is currently in the final stages of development. This fall, the Idaho State Historical Society will proudly unveil the Idaho Women’s Suffrage Commemorative Sculpture that will celebrate the story of Idaho women past, present, and future and their impacts in Idaho. This new symbol of the strength and significance of Idaho women will be the only female figure featured on the exterior capitol grounds.

Each historical pair of shoes is showcased on individual stone pedestals that ascend to the apex, where the seven-foot statue stands to hand off the next shoe to future generations of women. Furthermore, the shoes featured were all scanned in 3D and cast from those in the Idaho State Museum’s permanent collection.

a commanding presence at the Idaho State Capitol.

Through the 2020 partnership between Idaho Women in Leadership and the Idaho State Historical Society, the Ida ho Women 100 Campaign commemorated the 100th anni versary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted national suf frage to 26 million American women on August 18, 1920.

IDAHOHONORINGWOMEN Past, Present, and Future

Learn more about this legacy piece and donate at wea.afrogs.org.

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The Idaho State Historical Society and the Foundation for Idaho History are currently working to privately fundraise for a legacy piece that was inspired by this year-long commemoration. The Idaho State Historical Society commissioned local sculptor Irene Deely to develop the Idaho Women’s Suffrage Commemorative Sculpture, which embodies the spirit and legacy of the women’s suf frage movement and universally represents Idaho women through time. Inspired in part by the Idaho State Seal, the only known state seal in America to be designed by a woman, this nameless woman walks metaphorically in the footsteps of those who came before her and then hands off her shoe to those in the future. The sculpture’s placement on the grounds of the People’s House is a statement of the importance of women to our state.

During the Idaho Women 100 Initiative, organizations around the state collectively recognized and celebrated the influence of women in Idaho over the past 100 years and their contributions to political, cultural, economic, academic, social, and civic fields. Idaho can be proud that its courageous past made it the 4th state in our country to give most women in our state the right to vote. By a vote of nearly two-to-one in favor, Idaho granted women’s suffrage on November 3, 1896 via Senate Joint Resolution 2.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF IDAHO STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

BY JANET GALLIMORE, Executive Director of the Idaho State Historical Society

As Deely noted, “the classical Greek style will inform the dynamic movement of a graceful, strong feminine spirit as she moves through Idaho’s historical women since time immemorial. 14 unique styles of shoes spanning ten decades represent women through history, with a single shoe being handed off for subsequent generations to fill.”

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Emily R. Baker is a fifth-generation Idahoan, as comfortable in the halls of Congress as she is baling hay on her grandparent’s farm, who now calls Boise home. Introduced to her husband by former Governor of Mississippi and GOP power-broker, Haley Barbour, and appointed by President George W. Bush to the Senior Executive Service at 28 years old, Baker is a pretty im portant woman anywhere. And as founder of Portman Square Group, not only does her impressive C.V. give pause, but her latest accomplishment of giving first-generation kids a leg-up in the scholarship race makes her a true Wonder Woman here in Idaho andEmilybeyond.ispassionate about her work, but her foundation’s scholarship recipients—Thalya and Halima—fire her up. “For me, education creates generational change. I grew up in a house where it was rarely discussed, so my path to college was a fairly solitary journey I stumbled through without much guidance,” she said. “I set out to not only help first-generation students but to assist

EMILY BAKER

Baker’s tenacity propelled her early after graduating from Nam pa High School, attending the University of Idaho and Boise State University. Beginning with an internship with Idaho Gover nor Phil Batt, this rocketed her to a successful career in Washing ton D.C.. She said: “I found that working during university was one of the best things I could do because I was learning first-hand

BY APRIL NEALE

those with lower GPAs, specifically a 3.6 GPA or lower. I wanted to acknowledge the additional pressures a first-gen student faces. Many have no one to help them with their studies at home. They may hold down jobs to help support themselves and their families, and they can lack tutoring and test prep help, or just not have people around them that value education and their success. If you grow up and no one tells you that working just a bit harder to get A’s as a first- or second-year student can impact thousands of dollars of financial aid or that taking the ACTs or SATs one more time can change what schools will accept you or pay for you to attend, how would you know? Some find these things out later and by then, it’s often too late.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMILY BAKER, PORTMAN SQUARE GROUP

All of these well-placed internships paid off. President George W. Bush appointed Baker as the administrator for the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Northeast and Caribbean re gion, managing a nearly $2B annual budget, major federal construction projects, and government procurements. Before that, Baker served in the Administration as Deputy Director of Congres sional and Intergovernmental Affairs with the U.S. Depart ment of Commerce. It was Barbour who not only hired her for her first job in D.C., but introduced Baker to her future husband, Mike, who Emily insists is the far cooler one of their duo. Now Baker is the founder of a strategic com munications firm that works with Fortune 500, government, and nonprofit organizations.

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the very things I was hoping to learn in my studies. This also gave me that entry into this world and fantastic on-the-job learning with a group of people that have remained friends to this day. And in a place like Idaho and actually politics in general - if you work hard you tend to get drafted into new opportunities.”

And with all of her experience in national and statewide political campaigns and international travel, the current state of the GOP still occupies her mind. “Back when I was in D.C., it was collegial; Dem ocrats and Republicans could have policy differences but could agree on principles. An unwillingness to compromise is one of our biggest failings,” she said. “Special interest groups go after lawmakers purely because they’re willing to talk to the other side or look at new ideas that aren’t just holding the party line. Idahoans are powerfully independent, so that feels com pletely un-Idahoan, to allow a special interest group to tell our lawmakers how they should vote, instead of listening to their constituents and serving Idaho.”

“Back when I was in D.C., it was collegial; Democrats and Republicans could have policy differences but could agree on principles. An unwillingness to compromise is one of our biggest failings.”

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I have witnessed it my whole life in higher education. I have seen faculty generously restore hope to students who failed a required class. I have seen peers spend late nights helping one another master calculus. I have seen staff address food insecurity and comfort a student who has experienced a grave personal loss. I have watched these students go on to remarkable things.

PHOTO

BY MARLENE TROMP

When you see how love in the work of a university can help people thrive ac ademically and personally, it makes you a believer. You understand how a young university, like Boise State, founded during the hardship of the Great De pression, can grow into a nationally-rec ognized innovation model in higher education.Sometimes giving love feels easy, nat ural. When I brought my sweet, 94-yearold mother to a home football game, helped her out of a wheelchair and onto the platform where Buster Bronco fires up the student-section, the brimming stadium received her with a gigantic, staggering, roar. She told me she felt Take Heart

BY KAREN DAY 12 www.idahomemagazine.com

As a person who has spent much of her life studying violence against women, I have seen many approaches to women’s leadership, particularly in a time of pow erful convictions and sometimes virulent attacks. I choose commitment, compas sion, education, and—the one that most often surprises people—love. Using the word “love” can seem jarring from an executive leader in any industry, and ap proaching antagonism or challenges with love can appear weak. I would argue, instead, that it is a space of courage and transformational growth.

evaluations about the power that process held for them, praising the class and one another. Ted wrote that I could have shamed him and made him an enemy of those with opposing ideas, but instead, I helped him to learn, to feel safe asking difficult questions, to be open, and to grow. Together, we all did.

who hold opinions with which we agree. As a class, we put down the assigned read ings to talk through this question in depth over the next two class sessions. We didn’t walk away from what was most difficult about it. We moved through disagreement and conflict, anger and anguish, curiosity and grief. We walked through it together. Many students spoke in their final

Shame, as bell hooks advises, is one of the most powerful tools of oppression. It can produce bitter, uncompromising enemies and sow unrepentant division. A woman student in that class wrote me many years later to explain how our discussions had helped her free herself from suffering and shame after her sexual assault. She said it brought her hope and peace in her most difficult period. It helped her put her life back together.

This meaningful and deep change lives beyond the classroom. I have seen it turn antagonists into advocates in many land scapes. To lead with a vision of “beloved community” can be powerfully transfor mative. It proposes that, together, we can find meaningful solutions to our challeng es. Together, we can make a better world. That is the power of love. Take heart.

Many students in the class were visibly upset and angry. It was painful, especially for people who had been raped or knew someone who had. I had to make a deci sion about how to respond.

An experience from the classroom suggests why. Years ago, in an introduction to Women’s Studies class, a student (we’ll call him “Ted”) raised his hand and asked a shocking question. “Dr. Tromp, don’t some women just deserve to get raped?”

so much love that it was one of the best nights of her long life.

happenacts“Extraordinaryofserviceonourcampuseverysingleday.”

PHOTO COURTESY BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY

Faculty are called to teach all students, not just a portion of them or only those

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A commitment to both education and love, however, is even more profound in this politically fractious moment, when it can be easy to forget the transformative power of both, when we are faced with pro foundly unloving or even hate-filled acts.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in a sermon whose central con cepts later appeared in his book Strength to Love: “Returning hate for hate only multiplies hate, adding a deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Dark ness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that…. So when Jesus says, ‘Love your enemies,’ he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescap able admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies?” (46-47).

PHOTO BY CODY LIND

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Three Idaho women smashing records and taking outdoor recreation to a new level.

TAKING THE TRAIL LESS TRAVELED

High pointing is a tracked moun taineering goal, or series of goals. The most common form of high pointing is state high pointing, where hikers and mountaineers tag the tallest peak

Idaho’s 44 counties were quickly checked off her list too.

One of the main websites that tracks high pointing is Peakbagger. com, allowing climbers to log every mountain they visit. If you enter a summit, the site will tell you what kind of lists that mountain appears on—and they get very, very specific.

“I love going places I’ve never been, I love seeing things the average person has never seen.”

BY MICAH DREW

Terri Rowe has a thing for lists. More accurately, she has a thing for checking off lists. Not just any lists though—she prefers very niche lists of tall Rowe,mountains.60,isahigh pointer, someone whose proclivity toward recreation and the outdoors is driven by seeking out the highest points of land around her. “I was at a point in my life trying to figure out my midlife crisis since my daughters were growing up,” Rowe said. “I was trying to find my way, and I guess I came across high pointing and thought ‘perfect, this is what I want to do.’”

Mt. Borah, for example, is on several dozen lists—U.S. peaks with 6,000

Terri Rowe flexing on top of Thompson Peak, the high point of the Sawtooth Ranch and Sawtooth Wilderness. Left: Rowe hiking up to Thompson Peak in the Sawtooths.

PHOTOS BY PAUL JURCZAK

“I needed to limit myself to just Idaho after traveling around the country twice,” she said. “I figured if each state has a high point, then each county must too.”

Rowe knocked off the contig uous state high points relatively quickly. Then she did them all again with her daughter, the first mother-daughter team to finish it.

Rowe first saw the phrase in a logbook on top of a mountain she had hiked. Not within her lexicon, she Googled the phrase and entered the world of the mildly obsessed.

in each of the 50 states, or at least the lower 48. Some, like Denali or Mt. Rainier, are daunting. Others, like Florida’s Britton Hill are the equivalent of strolling across an interstate overpass.

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“There’s 16 peaks on the isolation list and I realized I’d already done 14 of them, so then I just looked up which ones I had left,” Rowe said. “Then I needed to go.”

Since 2014, professional trail runner Brittany Peterson has only finished out side the top six in a competition twice. In 2021, the Nike-sponsored athlete finished

There’s an active list of people who have summited all of the 12ers—276 as of this publication—but rarely does anyone string them together in one push.

That’s not going to slow Rowe down in the slightest, though.

THE ULTIMATE LINK UP

Brittany Peterson works her way up another of the Idaho 12ers.

In 2016, Peterson did just that with her partner Cody Lind, also a professional trail runner, and Nate Bender of Missoula.

While racing is a big part of being a competitive ultra-runner, it’s not everything. Having world class mountain fitness unlocks the ability to do things in the backcountry that even seasoned recreationists can only dream of—like linking together Idaho’s highest peaks in just over a day’s time.

The final wilderness high point to check off was Big Cinder Butte in Craters of the Moon. In August, Rowe became the first person to finish that list. Now, she’s chiseling away at a few other lists—the highest point in each of Idaho’s roughly 60 mountain ranges, the most prominent point in each county, and all of Idaho’s mountains over 11,000 feet. “There’s over 100 of those, and I am certainly getting older,” Rowe said. “Some might be out of my league already.”

feet of prominence, peaks with at least 5,000 feet of vertical gain, Idaho peaks with 25 miles of isolation, etc.

PHOTO BY CODY LIND

Rowe readily admits that peakbagging is quite competitive. Even among her main hiking companions, there’s competition depending on who’s working on which lists, but Rowe can normally rest easily—no one else in Idaho is close to herRecently,accomplishments.Rowepursued the high points in each of Idaho’s 14 wilderness areas, six of which are in the Owyhee mountains in the southwest corner of the state. “This is what’s so cool about highpointing or peakbagging—it takes you to places you wouldn’t normally go. That’s what I really love about it—I love going places I’ve never been, I love seeing things the average person has never seen,” she said. “When I think of the Owyhees, I think about these deep gorges with rocky cliffs surrounding the sides of the river, well, that’s not high pointing.”

second at the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile run in California, which is widely considered the Super Bowl equiva lent of the endurance sport.

The Idaho 12ers is a collection of the nine tallest summits in the state over 12,000 feet. The list includes Hyndman Peak in the Pioneers, Diamond Peak in the Lemhi Range, and a string of seven peaks in the Lost River Range that can be conquered together with a precise route that can only be unlocked by those who have spent years poking around the gullies and cliff bands guarding the summits.

“There’s still things you can do when you get older. It doesn’t have to be ultra-long, it doesn’t have to be the fastest known time. You can still do these things,” she said. “Usually with big feats like this, there’s a record, and there’s a man involved. I say hey, women can do this too! And even if I’m not breaking records, I love it.”

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“But what better way to go out and appreciate where you live?”

This summer, the motivation showed up. “Being in the mountains was my happy place, so I was ready to pull the trigger and get it done,” she said. “Everything just clicked.”Sandwiched between Western States and the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc—two of the most prestigious, difficult, and competitive ultra distance trail races in the world—Peterson found a free weekend on the“Youcalendar.have to put in the time,” Peterson said, adding that the previous summer she and Lind had spent barely two weeks in their Pocatello home all season, instead staying in Challis where they scouted por tions of the route. “I’m super fortunate to be able to kind of live out there and scout it. There’s a couple’s part of it—where Cody was the only person who’d ever done the route, like going off the backside of Leath erman Peak. I’m now the only female to have soloed the backside of that mountain.” When it came to “go time,” Peterson

With Lind’s father, Paul, helping crew them (driving them between trailheads, helping refuel, and guiding them through some obscure routes from a spotting scope and radio), the trio finished the route in less than 38 hours, with Peterson marking the fastest time recorded by a woman, officially a Fastest Known Time (FKT).

Brittany Peterson navigates a technical cliff band.

est by anyone on the route and the fastest by a woman by two days (not counting her previous record).

The Stanford and Boise State graduate ran track and cross country in college and continued competing after graduation, moving to road races and marathons while simultaneously founding a tech startup, Lumineye. The purple-haired runner saw success on the roads, including qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Trials in the mara thon, but had dreams of finishing higher

planned to go solo as much as possible on the“Iftrek.it’s going to be an FKT, I wanted to know the route; I wanted to be competent on it myself, not just following Cody,” she said. Cody holds the men’s solo FKT effort at just over 20 hours.

“It’s such a huge feat, but there’s defi nitely ten minutes in there somewhere,” Peterson said, admitting she’s spent many moments reflecting on where she may have rested too long.

“It makes you feel human, it makes you feel vulnerable, but it makes you feel on top of world—conqueringthethingsandmovingthroughthemountains.”

While warming up for a 10,000-meter race at a track meet in California, Megan Lacy found herself running easy laps on the infield next to Jakob Ingrebrigtsen, an Olympic gold medalist and World Cham pion track star from Norway. Intimidating? You

Up the final climb to Diamond Peak, Pe terson’s watch read 27:18. Paul Lind relayed that the second fastest time, behind Cody’s, was 28:18. “Cody and I were maybe ¾ of the way up Diamond when we realized how fast I’d been going,” Peterson said. “I don’t know if it’s ironic or funny that I only realized that with an hour to go.”

Though it wasn’t a race-day effort with race-day pressure, Peterson said she red lined a few times, especially racing up Mt. Church worried some inclement weather might chase her off the route. The clouds diverted around the range though, and Peterson made the traverse intact.

Her final time was 28:28, the third fast

The Lost River range forever awaits.

“I’vebet.had this underdog mentality for the last few years, and sometimes it’s easier to approach things from that side,” Lacy said. “But I’ve started to get better at putting myself on the line thinking that I belong there with the best.” Lacy owes that mental shift, in large part, to the last year she’s spent competing as a trail runner.

“I’ll be honest, it freaks me out to be out there. A rock can come loose and fall on you really easily,” Peterson admitted. “That’s the part that’s so awe inspiring, being out there. It makes you feel human, it makes you feel vulnerable, but it makes you feel on top of the world—conquering things and moving through the mountains.”

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But with the Lost River Range as her home training ground, Peterson wanted to go faster. “I wanted my name on the list as the top female, solo, not just with the group,” Peterson said. “The interesting thing is last summer, and the summer before, it was on my radar to check off, but I wasn’t motivated to do it.”

After running Hyndman together in the dark and getting shuttled to the Borah trailhead, Peterson spent nine hours by herself traversing up and over Borah Peak to Leatherman, checking off Mount Idaho along the way.

BALANCING ACT

PHOTO BY CODY LIND

Meagan Lacy is the successful CEO of the tech start-up, LUMINEYE and a member of TEAM USA.

For the ups, she set personal bests at every distance, won back-to-back Race to Robie Creek titles and set the exist ing course record at the fabled Boise race. But for the lows, she dropped out of the Olympic Trials, and last fall, the Chicago Marathon. The latter was mentally crushing after running the first portion of the marathon on pace to break

Foreseeably for the next year, Lacy is adopting a slightly more single-minded approach to running, going all in on the trails, even serving on the Mountain Ultra Trail Council for running’s national governing body.

“I’m at a crossroads where I’m fortunate enough that I can focus on track, road run ning, or trail racing at a pretty high level, higher than I thought possible when I left college running,” said Lacy. “The 2023 World Trail Championships is coming up so soon, so this is my moment to try trail running at a pretty high level. Plus, it still gives me enough time to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon for 2024.”

Neither2:30.result left Lacy down for long—there was always another goal calling to her.

This spring, proudcourses,”facedscaredahugefinishingdistancesheclassishinguphill-onlyVerticalRace,thedaysracingdistances,trailalNumerousraced…everything.shenationchampionshipracesatmyriadsometimesback-to-backinaweekend.AtBrokenArrowSkysheracedtheKilometer(anrace),fin15thinaworldfield.Thenextday,hoppedinthe28kasalongrun,16th.“Thoseraceswereforme,becauseI’mmountainrunnerwho’sofheightsandIthatfearonthoseLacysaid.“I’mofmyselfforeven climbing up a mountain like that.”

PHOTO BY BRODY SMITH

PHOTO BY KYLE MOELLER

It’s worth mentioning that this moun tain runner who is scared of heights usual ly descends from those heights at sub-fiveminute-mile pace on singletrack.

“I think I have a tendency in my life to not focus on one thing, and do a bit of everything at once,” Lacy said. “It’s good, if something’s not going perfectly—my startup, or running—I can pivot and still be enthusiastic.”

“I made one of my lifetime goals right there, making a World Championship team and after so many years of ups and downs, I could hardly believe it was happening,” Lacy said. Her mental fitness had caught up to her physical fitness. It was enough impetus to consider focusing a little more energy on a single discipline in her life.

The mountains are calling. Nuff said.

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“It’s good, if something’s not going perfectly—my startup, or running—I can pivot and still be enthusiastic.”

in the results that were often hampered by injuries. Her competitive career saw its fair share of ups and downs.

One of the most recent pivots has been to veer from the roads to embrace the trail- running scene, where Lacy had previously seen success. In 2021, training for Chicago, Lacy ran the Gnar Gnar trail race at Mount Hood, finish ing fourth in the ridiculously steep race and qualifying her to represent Team USA at the World Mountain Running Championships.Thephotoofher at the finish line, half smiling, half sobbing for joy, is her favorite running picture.

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EveryByForwww.girlscouts-ssc.org/joinGirls.Girls.Girl.Fun with friends. New forGirlMakingadventures.adifference.Scoutsishereeverygirl.

Since being founded by Juliette Gordon Low, the group quickly grew to be one of the most recognizable and credible nonprofit organizations in America. Girl Scouts and their cookies are as iconic as their notable alumni—Taylor Swift, Venus and Serena Williams, Barbara Walters, and KatieThroughoutCouric. its history, the Girl Scouts organization has always responded and evolved to changing times. Members helped with World War I efforts to raise money. In 1970, they participated in the first Earth Day. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, Girl Scouts used technology to connect and keep their community safe.

Honea runs all the pro grams except for the cookies. Before her role as Program Manager, she started as the STEM Specialist, which has become a hyper-focus of the organization.“Wehavedifferent outreach programs that take STEM programming out to rural communities in Idaho and serve girls that otherwise couldn’t come to our events. That’s my personal favorite. It’s really cute and fun,” said Honea. “There are just so many ways to participate.”

These programs also serve those inter ested in becoming a Girl Scout, though participation in these rural events is also open to non-members.

One Tough Cookie

“Girl scouts has been a pretty big thing for me. It’s definitely helped me with leadership, business, and learning,” said Withers.Thetwo girls are in the same troop among many hosted by the Girl Scouts of the Silver Sage. Girl Scouts of the Silver Sage focuses on serving girls in south ern Idaho, northern Nevada, and eastern Oregon. The first troop in the Silver Sage area started exactly 100 years ago and today, there are about 3,100 current Girl Scouts—the largest class of new members sinceWhat2017.began in 1912 with 18 girls in Savannah, Georgia has grown to over 2.5 million active Girl Scouts nationwide.

Every year, new badges are added to the Girl Scouts’ legendary catalog. Colored or styled vests and sashes signify whether girls are a Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette,

“Girl Scouts isn’t just about selling cookies for money. It’s learning about a lot of the basic skills you need for life,” said Susanna Biggs, 13, a veteran of girl scouting. “It’s hard when you’re basically running your own business once a Susanna,year.”and Maya Withers, 14, attest that the skills they’ve developed, the goals they’ve achieved, and the memories they’ve made as Girl Scouts have gone far beyond their expectations.

If there’s one season that everyone can agree to love, it’s Girl Scout cookie season. From Thin Mints to Caramel Delites, millions of Americans look forward to the few weeks a year when we’re all greeted by cheery little girls dressed in patch-filled vests, selling stacks of our personal favorite cookies.Asiconic as they are, however, Girl Scouts deserve to be known for more than just their beloved treats. Revamped and well-rounded, today’s Girl Scouts aren’t the troops you may remember.

“Girl Scouts is a ‘choose your own adventure’,” said Honea. “When I talk to girls who say they want to get involved, it leads to the bigger question of what are they interested in? Girl Scouts is a place where they can learn and discover their passions. But it’s also a place for them to then divulge and really have fun exploring those passions.”

BY ARIANNA CRETEAU

“The mission of Girl Scouts is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character and that looks like something totally differ ent for every girl,” said Honea.

Girl Scouts and Thin Mints Forever

“I was surprised at how much we overcame and adapted during the pandemic so that we could meet up again. We started with Zoom meetings and then later, social distancing with masks on,” saidMattieBiggs.Honea, the Silver Sage Program Manager, worked to reconstruct those programs and staffing models digitally during the pandemic.

www.idahomemagazine.com 21

PHOTO BY JUSTINE O’NEIL

With hundreds of options, newer badges like Coding for Good, Cybersecurity, STEM Career Explorations, Entrepre neurship, and Mechanical Engineering reflect pertinent and engaging 21st century experiences for girls. Don’t worry—camp ing, first aid, and arts and crafts are still an essential part of being a Girl Scout, but the world keeps changing and so does the scouting experience. To promote diversity and inclusion, new badges have been added to teach values.

Scouts was founded, women in the United States did not have the right to vote, but today, scouting offers badges in public policy. The future will surely tell what current Girl Scouts can achieve with the old and new skills acquired by earning their badges. Who knows—maybe Amer ica’s first female president will credit her achievement to the organization.

“I’ve noticed that some of the badges have become a lot more progressive. I per sonally have a patch that says that there’s no racism here in Girl Scouts. And I really appreciate the steps that they’ve taken to move forward,” said Biggs. She’s referring to the Anti-Racism Patch, which is one of the first from a series created to highlight Girl Scout values.

“I have met all types of people while being in Girl Scouts. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter where you come from; everyone is welcome,” said Biggs.

It was amazing,” O’Neil said. “The girls are phenomenal and so are their accom plishments. I had no idea that all of it was possible.”O’Neil has had fun watching her fiveyear-old daughter Taylen join Girl Scouts. “All of her shyness has just melted away,” said O’Neil. “I think the best part was when my husband said that he knows Girl Scouts are amazing, but it didn’t really impact him until watching our daughter do it.”

Badges, programs, meetings, camps, and awards provide girls with opportunities to grow outside of their comfort zone and dis cover who they are. The bronze, silver, and gold awards have very specific requirements that allow girls to showcase how they can uniquely shine. The highest achievement to earn is a gold award.

looking to refine programs and badges.“In the end, we ensure that we are girl-lead and girl-focused more than we’ve ever been,” said Burnette. “We’ve progressed our pro gram to ensure that girls can go and have the option to essentially explore so many different ways. I think we’ve done a great job trying to keep up with what girls need.”

22 www.idahomemagazine.com

“When I started working with Girl Scouts, I saw these girls completing awards and going on these trips to other countries.

“The gold award is kind of similar to an Eagle Scout, except it’s even harder,” said Withers.Thisprestigious award is a community project that has to be sustainable, address community issues, be long-term, creative, and goal fulfilling. The completion of a gold award also comes with scholarships. Projects can vary greatly from educational campaigns, publishing books, and creating databases to changing state laws.

Senior, or Ambassador. Grade levels also decide what type of badges they can earn and what tasks must be completed to earn and wear them proudly.

Taylen O’Neil on the road again with cookies to sell. Camping is still an essential Girl Scout experience.

PHOTOS BY JUSTINE O’NEIL

The cookie program teaches money management, business, communication, and sales to all those persistent little girls in your grocery store parking lot. It’s no wonder that roughly 200 million boxes are sold each cookie season. And while it’s deliciously clear that we can’t escape Girl Scouts and their cookies, remember that each girl is also impacting the world in ways her female predecessors could only dream

Whenof.Girl

In order to earn badges, girls must complete certain activities created with the purpose to teach them how to be leaders, speak up, take action, and employ empathy. As one badge states, the purpose is “to arm them with the courage, confidence, and character they need to make the world a betterCEOplace.”ofGirl Scouts of the Silver Sage, Jason Burnette, notes that they are always

Justine O’Neil is a former Girl Scout, a Girl Scout parent, and an employee of the organization. An obvious enthusiast, O’Neil said that much has changed since she was earning her badges—but in a good way.

Mozart in Motion

Tickets and Subscriptions available

Morrison Center for the Performing Arts

WhartonQuinnPhotographer:

Morrison Center for the Performing Arts December 9-18, 2022

November 4-6, 2022

The Nutcracker

February 9-12, 2023

Swan Lake

Morrison Center for the Performing Arts May 4-7, 2023

at balletidaho.org

2022.23 season

Idaho’s Lady of the Arts

ESTHER SIMPLOT

24 www.idahomemagazine.com

PHOTO BY KAREN DAY

A love of music continued to be Sim plot’s guiding passion when she moved to Boise as a new bride in the 1970s.

“My ingreatestIdahobelievedhusbandwasthestateAmericaandhesharedhisgoodfortunewiththecommunity.”

COURTESY OF BOISE PHILHARMONIC COURTESY OF BALLET IDAHO

performances. And that was in the old Met.” (In 1967, the original Metropolitan Opera House was demolished when the company moved to the Kennedy Center).

OPERA IDAHO

“My husband believed Idaho was the greatest state in America and he shared his good fortune with the community,” she explained. “He donated the first building, and we just kept expanding. Now, the three companies have grown into three buildings.” Again, she showed that smile and it was mischievous. “I say I’ve only had one good idea my whole life. But I couldn’t have made it happen if J.R. hadn’t supported my vision.”

BY KAREN DAY

Esther Simplot’s personal passion for the arts benefits everyone.

www.idahomemagazine.com 25

Clearly, her “one good idea” continues to birth many more. Her generosity and resolve have thrown down the gauntlet for other local donors to support the arts in big ways, including the City of Boise. “Ten years from now, I can see a performing arts center here,” she said.

“My father had perfect pitch,” Simplot said. “Music was just part of my upbring ing. One day, when I was a child, my older sister was cleaning the piano and as she played each key, I sang the note. I remember her saying, ‘Come on, Esther, you only have eight keys left in the entire keyboard!’” She shrugged. “I was like a little bird.” Indeed, a little bird with a beaming smile and big personality that may not have landed her on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera but still attract ed the attention of Idaho’s richest man. “My husband always said he rescued me from starvation,” she said. “And it wasn’t far from the truth. This was the ‘60s and I was so poor I could only pay $2.00 for the cheapest ticket to the opera. I used to run five flights of stairs to stand behind chicken wire and look down on the

“Not a small theater, but a sixty, seventy or one-hundred-million-dollar venue managed by the city but funded by private donations and grants. We’re not there yet, but it will happen.” She smiled, this time enigmatically.

Esther Simplot sits in an Italian garden on Harrison Boulevard surrounded by roses echoing the bright florals of her sweater. A petite woman with a magnan imous smile, she is visiting this historic mansion, yet appears elegantly at home amidst its grandeur. “My voice is simply too small to fill a large stage,” she said, relating her youthful aspirations in New York City as an operatic soprano. It’s a surprising and humbly ironic statement considering the widow of the potato baron, J.R. Simplot, has served as the gov erning voice and philanthropic heart of Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho, and the Boise Philharmonic for more than 30 years.

“I immediately decided I wanted to do something to support the arts,” she said. And there was much to be done. The Boise Philharmonic has been around for more than 100 years, but in a myriad of permutations and locations. Ballet Idaho was rehearsing in a basement, borrowing office space. “I remember Opera Idaho singers rehearsing the Marriage of Figaro in a cold, dark space with a couple of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling,” Simplot said. “So, I started looking for a building.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBBIE BOYD

Beyond the thrill and practicality of bringing home dinner, what are the intrinsic benefits of hunting?

DD: “It was really fun—scary, but fun— to hunt on my own for many years, but now my sons are old enough to join me on scouting missions and hunts. It has made hunting so much more fun. Last October, the boys and I went out on a mule deer hunt and it was an incredible day. It was put together by a higher power. Hunter helped us navigate and Dakar spotted a big buck and we wound up getting it. It’s now mounted and hangs in our home as a reminder of that unforgettable day. To share that experience with my little adventure buddies was really special.”

Why should more women get into hunting?DD:“Being self-sufficient is very important to me. It’s important in this day and age to know how to take care of yourself and know how to live off the land. I love to encourage women to get out there and get out of your comfort zone. Have the courage as a woman and for yourself to go do it. You’ll become a stronger person.”

Any tips for people interested in hunting?DD:“Idaho’s Department of Fish and Game is a wonderful resource. Their You Tube page has lots of how-to videos. But if you’re going to get into hunting, you

The Huntress

When you sit down to share a cup of coffee with Debby Dunn, the conversa tion circles around the stuff moms with young sons usually talk about: school, youth sports, the curse of modern electronics, trying to keep your kids in clean clothes that actually fit, etc. But when the subject turns to hunting, Debby’s piercing, dark eyes really start to sparkle.

What has been your favorite hunt?

Over a cup of coffee recently, I asked Debby about her passion for hunting big game and why she thinks more women should get into the sport.

www.idahomemagazine.com 27

Debby first fell in love with hunting over a decade ago and now enjoys sharing her passion with her sons, Hunter and Dakar. Originally from Twin Falls, Debby is a well-known fishing guide who calls the Wood River Valley home.

DD. “I love to be out in nature. If I harvest or not, hunting is amazing because you’re out there connecting with nature. If nothing else, hunting always leads you into Idaho’s most beautiful places.”

What was your first hunt?

DD: ”My first hunt was for antelope. I was lucky enough to harvest a trophy buck and I have been hooked on hunting ever since. I learned that it’s a big deal to take a life; you definitely want to do it right. I am very grateful whenever I am lucky enough to harvest an animal.”

need to become comfortable with fire arms, find a gun club or a good mentor. I’ve never met a hunter who wasn’t excit ed to talk about hunting and share what they’ve learned. You need to enjoy long walks through the wilderness, including through the dark.”

Debby Dunn

BY MIKE MCKENNA

BY MARY ANN ARNOLD AND DR. JANET E. WORTHINGTON

If you think moving to Boise offers challenges for working women today, imagine moving from the civilized East to the western frontier in1884. When Mary Hallock Foote stepped off a light livery rig in Boise with her two young children, she was already a nationally-known illustrator and a budding author who, once again, was following her husband’s career path.

At an early age, she displayed exceptional talent for art. In 1863, she attended the Poughkeepsie Female Collegiate In stitute where she received her first instruction in drawing. The following year, she enrolled in Cooper Union School of Design for Women in New York City, specializing in illustrations.

After graduating, Mary was commissioned to provide illus trations for famous authors. Her first endeavor proved to be the widely-acclaimed illustrations for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poetical works in 1874. A New York Times reviewer declared her drawings “as full of poetry and feeling as Mr. Longfellow’s lines.”

In 1877, their first son, Arthur Burling Foote, was born In New Almaden, California.

150 years ago, motherhood and career were not often re ferred to in the same sentence, but Mary continued to work on illustrations for a special edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. In 1879, the Footes moved again, to another dusty, frontier town called Leadville, Colorado, where Arthur pursued another mining engineering job. Mary continued illustrating, and now writing. Her husband’s engineering career required a peripatetic life, but Mary continued to transform the challenges into artistic inspiration. An 1881 trip allowed Arthur to investi gate a silver mine and Mary the chance to document her exotic surroundings in sketches and travel pieces.

In 1881, a daughter, Elizabeth Townsend Foote (Betty) was born just as Arthur found a new venture in Boise, Idaho—a vi sionary plan to irrigate the Treasure Valley. By 1883, Arthur had followed the sun west again, intent on turning the arid Idaho plains green while his wife’s first novel, The Led-Horse Claim: A Romance in a Mining Camp came into print. The next year, Mary and her two children stepped off a wagon in a dusty town named

Mary Hallock Foote A Cultural Icon In Boise, Idaho

“The vast wonderful sunsets, the solemn moonlight—and the noise the river makes on dark nights. The waste of water and of land and the immense dignity of it all! Very few things in art hold their own against it.”

in Mary’s Milton home, after which Arthur immediately depart ed for work in California. Mary followed in July. Years later, she wrote in her memoir, A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West: The Reminiscences of Mary Hallock Foote, “No girl ever wanted less to go West with any man, or paid a man a greater compli ment by doing so.”

Mary Hallock (also known as “Molly”) was born into a Quaker family on a farm overlooking the Hudson River in Mil ton, New York, in 1847. Her interests in classic literature and acquaintance with notable house guests like Susan B. Anthony and Frederic Douglas expanded her world beyond family and the educational opportunities for females of the era.

Mary was 26 years old and a rising illustrator when she met Arthur De Wint Foote, a visionary, ambitious young engineer. They were married on February 9, 1876, in a Quaker ceremony

—Excerpt from Mary’s letter to lifelong friend, Helena DeKay Gilder, June 1887

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COURTESY DR. STACEY GUILL

Mary Ann Arnold, Retired Project Controls Engineer, Morri son-Knudsen, Inc., Boise, ID

Mary Hallock Foote saw the west through an artistic lens and passed a lovely glimpse on to future generations. Her illustrations offer a rare, female perspective of a rugged reality and hardships softened with beauty, talent, and resolve. The Coming of Winter, a graphite and ink drawing, is a time capsule of a bygone era that symbolizes a timeless scene between husband and wife: he with his rifle out side a rustic cabin, she in the door with a baby and washboard. Ironically, Mary Hallock Foote’s life still holds both a mirror and a high bar of accomplishment for women in the 21st century.

lumbian Club, which recently celebrated its 130th Anniversary. This women’s group fur nished the Idaho room at the 1893 World’s Fair and later secured a Carnegie Grant to build the public library in Boise.

Pretty Girls of The West, Mary Hallock Foote

A recession forced the family to move upstream on the Boise River, ten miles beyond Boise, to watch over the irriga tion equipment. Winter approached and Arthur designed and built his family the Stone House in the canyon that now leads to Lucky Peak via Highway 21. The $1,500 serialization fee for Mary’s second novel, John Bodewin’s Testimony, funded the project. The Stone House is memorialized in some of Mary’s illustrations, including her famed Pretty Girls in the West.

by a French Tapper who exuberantly exclaimed upon seeing an unlikely proliferation of trees in the desert. “Les Bois! Les Bois!” Boise, Idaho.

Daughter Agnes joined the family in 1886 and Mary kept writing. In 1889, the Foote family moved back to town and built the Mesa House at the site where Hillcrest Country Club stands today. Her artistic flow remained prolific, undaunted by mothering while also serving as first vice president of the Co

The New York Canal project struggled during the recession and Mary’s stories, novels, and illustrations helped support the family throughout. The Chosen Valley (1892) recounts the Foote family’s experiences attempting to build an irrigation system that promised to transform Idaho into the agri cultural state it is today. When the irrigation project failed to be viable, the family moved to Grass Valley, California. Mary went on to write nine more novels and penned her memoir, A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West (published posthumously in 1872). Her legacy includes 22 books and election to the National Academy of Women Painters.

Learn more about Mary Hallock Foote at the Foote Park Interpre tive Center near Lucky Peak Dam.

www.idahomemagazine.com 29

Dr. Janet E. Worthington, Retired Dean and Professor, Plattsburg State University of New York

The Coming of Winter, Mary Hallock Foote

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Beer Buddies Founder, Stacy Connelly traded a desk job for the Idaho hops field.

From BANKING to BEER

BY APRIL NEALE

The ease and responsiveness of the establishment owners fermented in Connelly’s mind. How could she keep it going? And at what point did her day job become irrelevant? She came from a different world—big banking and investment deals. Was this notion just too “small potatoes” for her to walk away from a sure thing?

PHOTOS COURTESY OF STACY CONNELLY

www.idahomemagazine.com 31

Boise Beer Buddies’

Few people with solid corporate exec utive positions replete with benefits jet tison their careers and bet on themselves. But Boise-based Wonder Woman Stacy Connelly did just that by chance. When this former banking executive saw that she had a knack for marketing and pro motion for bringing in folks to buy craft beer at her favorite spots, she brewed an idea—but methodically, by applying all the due diligence and research experi ence gained in her investment banking deals. Boise Beer Buddies started with an observation and a vision to get bar and restaurant owners to buy into a loyalty program like no other.

“I had a couple of people, and I think they felt sorry for [me] and my idea. And they gave me 20 bucks to join the club. I didn’t even have the membership cards yet. Eventually, I got the membership cards, and somewhere over a few beers, we came up with a name, Boise Beer Buddies,” she said. “Trying to establish the name of the business, since they all worked in breweries, my friends came up with the term “buddy hubs,” and then it grew from there in a couple of years. I acquired a few more buddy hubs and many more beer buddy members. And finally, yes, it was at this point when I

Stacy Connelly

Like most businesses, Connelly noted that Boise Beer Buddies started with this fantastic idea that seemed viable, as witnessed by her few clientele who shared her vision. Her friends helped her shape the name and the intentions of this new “beer club” as she worked out the kinks.

Recalling her beginnings, Connelly said, “There’s a beer bar not far from my home, and periodically, they would be doing pint nights and beer events. I would send out invites to my friends, ‘Hey, join me at this event.’ And I realized after several of these that I was bringing these businesses a lot of clien tele. I approached the owner and said, ‘Hey, if I start a club, will you get my people a discount?’ Now keep in mind, I’m still working for corporate America, but he said, ‘Yeah, sure. We’ll give every body 10% off food and drinks.’”

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One new Buddy Hub is Wepa Cafe, serving fresh Puerto Rican food in Garden City. Owner Art Robinson said, “Stacy and Boise Beer Buddies were instrumental in getting Wepa started as a pop-up food truck back in 2019. She introduced me to every brewery. I always told her that as soon as I had a location that served beer, we would immediately become a Buddy Hub because of her contribution to Wepa’s success. As a beer fan and VIP member, I believe her program is equally excel lent for customers and retailers.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF STACY CONNELLY

PHOTO COURTESY OF STACY CONNELLY

Beer Buddies at THE LOCAL

BASECAMP Buddies

Connelly now counts 4,700 active members and she communicates with

The growth in the city has been a boon for Connelly, whose expansion plans are now rooted in her upgrading her tech in the app and extending her reach to members. “The growth and population have benefited my business. Many peo ple who move here learn about Boise Beer Buddies one way or the other,” she said. “Learning about breweries, beer events, and beer festivals—it’s a great resource. So many of my Buddy Hubs have signage posted up in their places of business. And that helps because it gets the customer curious.”

“The growth and population have benefited my business. Many people who move here learn about Boise Beer Buddies one way or the other.”

them weekly in a robust newsletter also shared on her socials. Her reach extends beyond Idaho and counts Oregon, Nevada, and Wyoming as places where members’ cards earn them a percentage discount or another negotiated deal, like a dollar off any beer purchase. Connelly explained how this works. “Yes, the ‘Buddy Hub’ business we partner with will select their discount. So ideally, they do not change

it once set because it will display in two different places, my website and the Boise Beer Buddies app. However, if the bar or restaurant wants to edit the offer down the road, I’ll allow it to be changed.”

decided to quit corporate America after many mergers and acquisitions in the banking world. I had been doing this Boise Beer Buddies on the side, and then it got to where I wasn’t giving either one 100 percent of my effort, and the time felt right with the brewery growth in the Treasure Valley area. So after doing it for two years as a side gig, I jumped in with both feet. And I’ve been doing it now for eight whole years.”

LET US WELCOME YOUwww.ralstongroupproperties.comHOME. LET US WELCOME YOU SUNwww.ralstongroupproperties.comHOME.

Ralston Group Properties is a Boise, Idaho-based residential and commercial real estate firm with offices in downtown Boise and Ketchum.

Ralston Group Properties is a Boise, Idaho-based residential and commercial real estate firm with offices in downtown Boise and Ketchum.

BOI

BOI

BY CAITLIN COPPLE MASINGILL AND HOLLY CONTI

Wait. Do you own a small business that depends on your com munity to know who you are and what you sell? Do you work at a job where promotions and opportunities depend on your bosses and colleagues knowing the progress that you’re making every single day? Do you belong to a church or community organization that could benefit from more people knowing about it?

What’s a personal brand and how to make yours work for you

Standing out from the crowd starts by leaning into your values and your personal experiences, then embracing your authenticity. This is the “secret sauce” that helps you connect to your purpose and start to cast a vision for the changes you seek to make in your personal and professional lives, as well as the greater community. So first, get clear on what your personal or professional values are.

Globally, less than 30% of subject matter experts are female, and most newsrooms are still dominated by white men. It can feel tough to “put yourself out there,” particularly for women or other historically marginalized communities. That’s because we’ve often had our stories or opinions diminished by the dominant cultural narrative that shapes our world. When we take the risk

Holly Conti (left) and Caitlin Copple Masingill (right) are partners at Full Swing PR, a public relations and digital marketing firm that helps historically underrepresented leaders grow their visibility. Caitlin lives in Boise and Holly lives in New York.

Next,Volunteer!whether you’re trying to get a promotion or expand awareness of your small business, start to “own your story.” What does that mean?

Too often, the people we see in the media fail to reflect the diversity of our communities or countries, which is why personal branding is so important. Be the change you want to see.

PHOTO COURTESY FULL SWING PR

Quesuperpower?yourresponse: “But I don’t need public relations.”

Second, you start to align your actions at work and in your community with what you value most. Is it career growth? Put your hat in the mix for opportunities at work. Do you value com munication? Tell your friends and family about the needs of your favorite nonprofit and encourage them to support the organiza tion.

5 Ways to Own Your Story

36 www.idahomemagazine.com

Of course, you’re busy and it might not be a requirement to post on LinkedIn. But if you set an appointment with yourself to write a short article about the work you’ve done, a boss or colleague might read it and be impressed by your initiative. If you’re looking for more career opportunities, recruiters may reach out with job

opportunities because you appear to be an expert in your field.

Public relations isn’t just for the Beyoncés and Obamas of theDidworld.you know that what makes you “you” is your public rela tions

Public relations helps people know who you are and what you’re doing to make an impact. Whether it’s at your job, your business, or the community organizations that you support, utilizing public relations helps you gain more support and recognition.

You may have heard the terms “influencer” or “personal brand ing” in the last few years. For many of us, the idea of crafting an image or promoting oneself feels cringe-worthy. Whether inten tional or not, all of us have a personal brand. Your personal brand is created through interactions with others. Even before social media, each of us existed reputationally, at some level, for better or worse. Today, never posting (or even updating) your LinkedIn profile sends a clear message.

Once you have a strong topic, submit your idea. Many outlets have a story idea submission form, a submission link on the “Contact Us” page, or you can Google the publication name and masthead. An outlet’s masthead often lists editors, reporters, and what topics they cover. The best chance of being published equals emailing the most appropriate contact. For example, if you are in health care, pitch a health care reporter, not a political reporter.

What is the work that I do that feels easiest to me?

Many people advised Caitlin to dial back her LGBTQ expe rience and broaden her voter appeal by taking on multiple issues with which she had less experience. Instead, Caitlin embraced her sexual orientation and openly communicated about her experi ence with helping nonprofits and advocacy organizations, while never downplaying her personal life. In the end, she unseated the anti-gay incumbent and made history as the first openly LGBTQ city councilor in Missoula history.Toown your story, you have to identify and reframe the self-limiting beliefs we have inhaled since childhood. Here are five ways to begin to build a more authentic personal brand in your business, per sonal life, and community.

ending food insecurity, or spurring investment in public edu cation. Whatever ignites your passion, find a way to plug into existing organizations that align with your vision. If they don’t exist, start one. Giving back to the community is an authentic way to build connections and your leadership skills.

and embrace what makes us different, we find – for ourselves and our clients – that our superpower lies in what, at first, can feel uncomfortable sharing.

As you move forward, remember that your personal brand doesn’t have to please everyone. Focus on the audience that is receptive to the real you. And don’t shy away from the “truest” version of yourself. You’ll find your audience and those people will respond to your bravery with a “hell yes” and “fist bump.”

Embrace radical courage. It takes radical courage to believe in yourself and your voice, especially in a world that often tells us we are too fat, too queer, too Black, too feminine, too masculine, or some other version of “too much” to matter in the collective conversations that shape our communities, our country, and our world.

Understand it’s not about being famous. Most people don’t want to be famous for fame’s sake. Stand for something worth while. What big changes do you want to see in your community? In your workplace? How could greater visibility help you achieve those goals?

What is the number one problem my business exists to solve? How would my mom or best friend describe me?

Recognize others and yourself. Idaho is full of award oppor tunities. Not everyone is comfortable nominating themselves, but most of us would love to nominate someone else who is making an impact. Awards like Idaho Women of the Year, CEO of Influence, Accomplished Under 40, as well as indus try-specific awards, help to grow your platform.

Identify what makes you unique. To begin, answer these questions:Whatdo I offer that no one else does?

“To own your story, you have to identify and reframe the self-limiting beliefs we have inhaled since childhood.”

www.idahomemagazine.com 37

Once you’re comfortable owning your story, don’t be afraid to share it. Don’t equate success with the New York Times or Good Morning America. Building your personal brand can happen dramatically, even on smaller platforms.

For example, when Caitlin was 27, she filed to run for city council in the town where she was living – Missoula, Montana. Caitlin was inspired to run because her neighborhood’s represen tative had voted against what became the state’s first LGBTQ-in clusive non-discrimination ordinance. The city law protected people from being fired, denied housing, or given access to public accommodations because of who they were or who they loved.

What values guide my life and are central to who I am?

Sharing your story with friends, family, and coworkers is a great way to gain confidence before entering official PR channels like news outlets and podcasts. If possible, attend local and regional industry events. Meet other profession als. Follow up with them on LinkedIn.Whenyou feel confident telling your story, pursue local news outlets. It’s rare to jump from no PR to national cover age. Major media outlets always vet potential stories before covering them, so showing up on local news increases your chances.Spend time reading your local business journal, listening to public radio, and research ing local magazines like IdaHome. Discover which topics are trending and consider how you can add value to the conversa tion. What is the unique perspective that you have to offer?

Leverage your passion to help a cause. Maybe it’s getting more women elected to public office, ending the wage gap,

Spencer has been open with her husband Riley Youngerman about her health and what it means for them starting a family, but in the conversations following news from the Supreme Court, she relayed some of her friends’ experiences with fertility, abortion, pregnancy, and childbirth.

I bring this up because unlike forms of contraception like IUDs or the “morning-after” pill, “vasectomy” is not mentioned once in Dobbs v. Jackson, the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned women’s right to an abortion. When someone leaked a draft of the opinion a month earlier, my thoughts about vasectomy (and those of many other men) changed.

This procedure fascinates me. If you’re a man in a stable, straight relationship, ask yourself these questions: Is my partner on birth control? If so, what are the risks and side effects? Are they more severe than a minor outpatient procedure and a couple days icing your groin? Since the Dobbs decision, a lot of men are saying yes— at least to the latter question. According to The Atlantic, the number of appointments for vasectomies spiked after the leak and again with the official release of the decision. Speaking to Idaho Matters, Dr. Nicholas Kuntz of the Idaho Urologic Institute said he has seen a 60% increase in the number of men considering scheduling appointments.TheDobbsdecision and Idaho’s “trigger law” that criminalizes nearly all abortions have colored the way many men in relation ships view their responsibility to the women in their lives. With abortions effectively illegal in many parts of the country and repro ductive health under fire, more couples are discussing chasing the old backstop against unwanted pregnancy or creating new ones.

Fifteen years ago, Sara Spencer nearly died from an aneurysm, and doctors told her pregnancy would be risky and potentially life-threatening. When she learned Idaho would be one of the first states to block abortions, she called her doctor to replace her IUD. Her doctor put her on a waiting list because so many other women had the same idea. The experience left her feeling helpless. “Pregnancy terrifies me, just with everything I’ve gone through health-wise,” she said. “It infuriated me, not just for myself, but for my nieces and friends.”

MEN IN THE CONVERSATION Partnership, Politics, and Pregnancy

The recent abortion ruling and Idaho law are changing the ethics of sex

BY HARRISON BERRY

Until recently, I did not take vasectomy seriously.

Youngerman and Spencer are making plans to move. Washing ton, Colorado, or somewhere on the East Coast are all strong possi bilities, with a pie-in-the-sky goal of Europe. I asked Youngerman about whether they’d talked about a vasectomy. “I’d say it’s more likely than it was six months ago,” he said. “It’s a good method that’s reversible. Is that something we need to consider if things go even further?” Spencer asked.

Vasectomy is a low-risk, reversible (especially within a few years), extremely effective contraceptive method and—in contrast to many forms of birth control available to women— comes with no side effects. Despite its many advantages, only 5% of married men have gotten the “little snip.” Just 8% of all vasectomies are performed on unmarried men.

38 www.idahomemagazine.com

“As a man, you have a very black-and-white idea of what abor tion is,” Youngerman said. “Since the Dobbs decision, I’ve realized my own ignorance on the issue. Abortion procedures are used for a lot more than terminating a pregnancy. Miscarriages are far more common than men realize. It’s just really eye-opening.”

Among them are Ellen and Brett Wilson. Brett moved to Boise with his now-ex-wife in 2015 from Austin, Texas. Two years and a divorce later, he met his future wife Ellen, who has a daughter, whom he adopted in 2019. Like Youngerman and Spencer, they are leaving Idaho because of the political climate and received the first offer on their Boise home in mid-August. They said they’d like to resettle in the Northeast. “It would be fun to experience the changes in society and the services,” Brett said. “It’s what we’re looking for: an environment built on that instead of the exclusion of

PHOTO BY KAREN DAY

Alsoothers.”like Spencer and Youngerman, they felt helpless when they learned about the Dobbs ruling. They called it a “disconnect from what everyone wants”—access to healthcare—and there’s some merit to that. Between June 24 and June 28, the polling site FiveThirtyEight tracked seven separate polls on the approval rating of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Across all seven, 31%-42% of respondents approved of the decision, while 47%-60% disapproved. Then, in early August, voters in Kansas, a state with a majority vote for Republican presidential candidates since 1976, re jected a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have allowed lawmakers to continue restricting or outright ban abortion rights in the state by almost 20%.

They can. In May of this year, Idaho Rep. Brent Crane, chairman of the Idaho House State Affairs Committee, said on Idaho Matters that he would consider holding hearings on an effort to ban abor tifacients—medications that result in the termination of a fetus. Though he clarified that the intent is not to ban birth control, his statements have only added to some people’s concerns that Idaho is closing the door on options for women.

It’s unlikely that Idaho voters will be given the same op portunity for direct say on the issue anytime soon. The state’s law is among the tightest in the country. So tight, in fact, that the Department of Justice sued Idaho lawmakers over its trigger law, alleging that its provisions contradict a federal law protecting abortion as a treatment when the life of the mother is in danger. This is the environment the Wilsons are now trying to escape for the sake of their children, whose health, dignity, finances, and legal status could come into question because of the new abortion regime. The negative effects, they said, are both personal and systemic.

“It doesn’t affect me directly, but it affects every woman I know,” Brett said. “It affects my daughters. It affects every woman in your life. If abortion is denied, it affects every person and the legacies of whole families.”

Sara Spencer and Riley Youngerman are making plans to leave Idaho due to the possibility of facing high-risk pregnancy complications and lack of lawful resources

“I wouldn’t subject my children to forced birth,” Ellen add ed. “Fortunately, we don’t have to consider that right now.” It’s too soon to say if Idaho’s stance on abortion will cause many people to leave the state, stockpile Plan B, pursue vasectomies, or take other action at a significant scale. I do wager that the developments of the last few months have shaken the accepted ethics around sex and reproductive issues. Men don’t have abortions. We can’t get pregnant or have babies. We don’t use expensive and potentially danger ous birth control. The Supreme Court and many states just took away a right that Americans abided for two generations, forcing many people to ask themselves how and where they want to live and what the true costs of sex and reproduction are in 2022 and beyond.

www.idahomemagazine.com 39

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WATTSON

real estate prices have brought massive remod els to many ancient North End homes, as well as a plethora of new, modern homes in Meridian- “with no crawl spaces!” said Sawyer, smiling slyly.

Today in the Treasure Valley, Lynette works alongside two other women, a testament to fewer gender-specific job limitations in all careers. Being a service technician, however, is not a glamorous job. In fact, throughout her career, Sawyer may have passed through your home, relatively unnoticed and unknown, but vital in her skill set. The mechanisms of our lives are dependent on anonymous thousands every day, the nobility of their labors often overlooked and our societal debt mostly unacknowledged. Indeed, the world is built by dirty and dangerous jobs that somebody else is doing- like the woman under your house, Lynette Sawyer.

BY ARIANNA CRETEAU

PHOTO BY KAREN DAY

Lynette started her career with Intermountain Gas Company 40 years ago, when the expected roles for working women were limited to receptionist or secretary. However, she quickly recog nized that a desk job was not her calling.“The way I was raised, there were no boys’ jobs or girls’ jobs. If you got a job to do, then I’ll do it,” said Sawyer, beaming a big white smile under her orange hard hat.

www.idahomemagazine.com 41

The HouseYourUnderWoman

Raised as a farm girl from Rigby, Idaho, Lynette Sawyer learned that feeding pigs or shoveling manure were not gen der-specific chores. Sawyer now credits that experience as the source of her success at her current job—which includes squeezing into tight crawl spaces, fixing emergency gas leaks, and avoiding deadly critters. In other words, Sawyer should be featured on the tv show Dirty (and Dangerous) Jobs

She took pride in serving as the office Jack-of-all-trades. “I did all the other jobs when they were on vacation. I was a fill-in when the cashier went to lunch, I did dispatch and answered phones. I would do everything,” she said. “Sitting still was not an option.”From secretary to meter reader to her current role as a service technician, Lynette says that farm life taught her to “just look straight ahead and get the job done.” That kind of mental for titude is required when brushing past black widows toward the smell of gas somewhere in the dark beyond her flashlight beam.

There was once another woman who did this job. “She only lasted for a year,” Sawyer said. Despite the creepy-crawly job requirements, Sawyer doesn’t see herself as a trailblazer in a male-dominated field. “I like what I do,” she said matter-of-fact ly. “It’s helping people.”

The responsibilities of a service technician include responding to gas emergencies, handling outside line breaks, turning gas on and off, meter reading, fulfilling disconnect orders, and more. Pro ficiency with a shovel and wrenches are a must. Neon yellow vests and orange hard hats are the required fashion statement. Sawyer used to spend most of her time responding to work orders located in the North End of Boise. “There was some scary stuff,” she said, shaking her blonde curls.

One example of a 100-year-old house call highlights just how dangerous her job really is. It was the typical unfinished, dirt-floored North End basement which the owners casually mentioned had bare wires hanging a few inches above her head and an infestation of Black Widow spiders—but only after Sawyer completed the job and crawled out from under the house.“Truth is, I’m deathly afraid of spiders,” said Sawyer casually. “But I get tunnel vision. You just can’t think about it. You’ve got to do your job.” Too bad Sawyer is planning to retire in a few years. With that kind of iron will, she could probably qualify as a NavyIdaho’sSEAL.spiking

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If you ask Johnson where she found the confidence to take that plunge,she immediately tears up, describing her father, whose name and portrait are displayed in the Catapult 3 offices. “He was so influential, a good man. That’s why he’s there, to remind me that [my parents] made sure we had what we needed to succeed. I was fortunate as a child; we didn’t have much, but we had no idea of my parents’

Since Johnson became owner and President seven years ago, she has added vehicle graphics, signage, ramped up technology to make lenses and various large format artistic design pieces fabricated in thier expansive, Boise warehouse. “We take on projects from a vision and help people, whether a trade show, a booth exterior sign, or office areas, redesign. Doing the production files and researching how to build things...we put our minds together and figure out the best way to produce the finished product. And it can get complicat ed.” It can also get expensive.

The Bookkeeper Who Became a Builder of Dreams

Mary Johnson

“I learned how to be a good boss by trial and error.”

Johnson just invested in a new, $300,000 state-of-theart large format printer.

Johnsonstruggles.”added,“The thought of failing scares me to death, every day. But every day, I come in and just put one foot in front of the other and get it done.” Johnson is hands-on- whatever- the- job, even helping her male crew wrap city buses if needed. “A long time ago, I realized no one was going to care about Catapult as much as I did. I don’t think it’s micromanaging, but I will help my team if they need it. We are a small company, and you have to do that.”

So how did a down home Idaho mother of two and part-time bookkeeper become the CEO? “ I am a question-asker, which allows me to manage projects and understand how materials work. Then in 2014, the former owner decided to retire…that’s when I closed my eyes and jumped.”

Catapult 3 is the builder of visions. They design, build, pack and ship trade show booths for companies like Micron, as well as design, print and position large artistic installations for the City of Boise, Idaho Power, Boise State, Riverstone International School, and the Capitol Building, where historical displays created by Johnson’s team are displayed. “We can drive around town and see so much of our work on display,” she said, a glimmer of pride sparks in her blue “We’veeyes.been around for 30 years, and our growth has all been word of mouth. First and foremost, we are service oriented and will bend over backward for a client, keeping alive that old Boise way of doing business and maintaining our client relationships. This is my life and I love what I’m doing – growing, innovating, and coming up with new ideas.”

BY APRIL NEALE

PHOTOS BY KAREN DAY

www.idahomemagazine.com 43

If you drive around the Treasure Valley or visit the Capitol Build ing, you have seen Catapult 3’s handiwork. A colorful, passing bus, a giant sign on a downtown building or a sophisticated trade show display — their work is ubiquitous in Ada County. Operating since 1987, the company took a leap forward when Mary Johnson did the same, seven years ago, and went from being a part-time, $8.00 an hour bookkeeper to the boss.

Mary Johnson made a successful leap from part-time employee to owner of Catapult 3

PHOTO BY SEAN MCNEARNEY

PHOTO BY LILA STREICHER

44 www.idahomemagazine.com

“One of my goals as AD is to nour ish and support local actors, directors, and artists,” he said. Starting with the one-woman play The Persistent Guest by Boise actor Jodeen Revere. The season will also stage Nia Vardalos’ Tiny Beau tiful Things, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed about her Dear Sugar advice col umns, and Sweat by Pulitzer Prize-win ning playwright Lynn Nottage.

BY DANA DUGAN Theater, as opposed to Hollywood, is often thought of as a less than masculine pursuit, something quite feminine—with the dressing up, the play acting, and the makeup. Ironically, for centuries, it was male-only amusement. However, early in the 19th century, women became the change the theater needed to spur growth into the powerhouse industry it is today. Women were not only attending plays in record num bers, but were finding positions in chorus lines and as featured actresses, though vastly underpaid and under represented.Focusingon women in theater might be shocking to the ancient Greeks. But that’s just what the Boise world,”“reflectiveingfor—TheatreContemporaryisknownthought-provokseasonsthatareofthelargeraccordingto

PHOTO BY SEAN MCNEARNEY

Jodeen Revere is a one-woman phenomenon in The Persistent Guest, Oct 12th-29th.

Artistic Director Ben Burdick. In that vein, Burdick and the all-female staff at BCT have chosen a female-centric 2022-2023 season.

REVERING WOMEN and Their Theatrics

www.idahomemagazine.com 45

“The silver lining is we had time to develop the script,” Burdick said. “It was worthwhile. It’s a local story from a be loved local actor. Diversity is important to us here at BCT. Women are under represented on stage. First and fore most, we want a great play. Our mission is to inspire our community through

— BCT Artistic Director Ben Burdick

Jodeen Revere’s work is a deeply personal example. A three-time cancer survivor, the Boise native began a blog as she worked through her treatments and recovery. A frequent performer of her own essays at Ming Studios in downtown Boise, she approached Eliza beth McKetta, a Boise writer, editor, and poet. They worked to stitch it all togeth er for a possible book, which turned into a public reading.

PHOTO BY SEAN MCNEARNEY

“It’s very much a love letter to Boise too,” she said. “I love connecting peo ple in situations that are important to me. There’s reference in the play about my being held in so much love by the people in this community. People feed you, bring flowers, bring books, sit on the porch, give a massage. People show up to do good stuff. Look for

“Diversity is important to us here at BCT. Women are foremost,stage.representedunder-onFirstandwewantagreatplay.”

Ben Burdick works with Jodeen Revere in rehearsal for her play, The Persistent Guest

Look for all of BCT’s upcoming premieres at bctheater.org

Though the “guest” in The Persistent Guest is grim, the play has humor and compassion.“Idon’tvibe with the cancer culture,” Revere said. “It’s not like a war monger attitude. It’s a thing that happens. It’s shitty. I keep moving forward, rather than be mired in hate....it kept shifting something in me. I am not afraid of any thingReverenow.”is also deeply connected to her community and friends.

“The primary thread of the season is talking about things you’re not supposed to talk about: cancer, politics, religion, and the senselessness of war,” Burdick said.

“It became very clear it was a one-woman show, not a book,” Revere said. “Ben was there and said, ‘Let’s de velop this as a show.’ We began rehearsals in January 2020, for a reading of the show March 23.” Then the country went into shut-down mode to deal with COVID.

“Anbegun.actor is always telling the truth,” said Revere. “ It’s not about pretending. The oddly schizophrenic thing, yes, this is about me. Everything is true, but I’m a character of myself. Like stand-up comedy is timing. It’s the same with this. It’s heavily rehearsed—other char acters and the time frames. That keeps it interesting.”Throughthe two-year hiatus, Revere persevered. Early in 2021, she pitched the idea of doing a hybrid filmatic/the atrical version of the show. She thought, “I think I’m fine, I feel good, I’m sure eventually I will get to do this on stage, but I’ve also had cancer three times and if I die before I get to do this I will be seriously pissed off! I want this to exist.”

thought-provoking stories of the human experience.”Intheplay, Revere plays herself as well as multiple characters. “I read my stuff out loud a lot. The musicality of language is tremendously important. Fortunately, I lived it and I wrote the words so that makes it a little easier. A little,” Revere said, chuckling.

the helpers. That’s referenced during theToshow.”capture the helpers who came to Revere’s side, Lila Steicher, a Boise photographer, shot black and white portrait photos. Those will be shown in a slide show in the lobby prior to the show, bringing the audience into the experience before the show has even

Remember the song,  “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” by James In gram and Patty Austin?

PHOTOS BY KAREN DAY

contributes to life. Her wealth of knowl edge is evident as offered in free clinics on maintenance, proper assembly, and care of instruments. Her love of music flows in the students she hires to work at Blue Rider. Thanks to the dedicated technicians at Blue Rider, my granddaughter is now busy trying to toot her horn properly. And Robin can still be found in her little Blue Rider Music barn mentor ing students, polishing brass, soldering, dent removing, and doing whatever it takes to keep the music playing in the Treasure Valley.

Blue Rider’s unassuming sign on West Ustick Road.

Well, I now know the answer.  It takes more than great musicians and scores to keep the music playing—it takes impec cable equipment in top condition. You see, my granddaughter recently announced that she wanted to be the third-generation Buckner trumpet player. The horn needed attention! So Boise musician Billy Mitch ell recently introduced me to Robin Boles, owner of Blue Rider Music & Instrument Repair. It seems that every brass and reed player or music teacher in the valley knew about Blue Rider but me. I got schooled.

Robin, born and raised at Lake Low ell, started playing trumpet in 5th grade at Marsing. She continued through her second year of college with the goal to be a band teacher,  but a very direct and honest conversation with her advisor changed that. He expressed concern about how difficult it might be to become certified to teach, as she has dyslexia. Instead of giving up her dream,  Robin made a decision to shiftArmeddirection.with talent, an affinity for working with her hands, and a fierce love

of music, she headed to Allied Corp in Wisconsin, the premier “supplier to pro fessional band instrument repair techni cians.” If she couldn’t be a teacher, Robin decided to use her knowledge to help students in another way.  She was the only woman in the training sessions, but she held on to her dream to open a music and instrument repair service in Idaho. Returning to Idaho, she purchased a property with an old milking barn and got busy. Her vision, friends, family, and tons of labor brought Blue Rider Music to fruition in 1983. Her skill at instru ment repair was rare at the time and she set out across the valley,  introducing her company with a business model that Idahoans understood: personal atten tion, knowledge, and a friendly hand shake. Capitol High School bought the firstRenownedinstrument. jazz musician and Adjunct BSU Faculty Member Chuck Smith said that Robin and Blue Rider Music are making an unsung difference in their 40 years of service to the music community. Robin does more than fix instruments for the community; Blue Rider is a com munity service that values what music

BLUE RIDER MUSIC— IDAHO GROWN

www.idahomemagazine.com 47

BY CHERIE BUCKNER-WEBB

Robin inspects a Boise high school student’s saxophone.

PHOTOS BY KARI GREER 48 www.idahomemagazine.com

WomenonFire

To date, 49,000 wildfires have burned over six million acres across the nation this year. Right now, 14 large fires are burning in Idaho. Allsion Lund has fire in her blood and is fighting flames somewhere in our forests right now. A former Boise Hotshot, she is the daughter of Beth Lund, one the first female hotshots and Type 1 Incident Commanders. Male or female — the work is physically demanding, death-defying and everyone has to have everyone else’s back. Approximately 20% of the U.S. wildland and firefighting force is female, but a gender wage gap still exists with women making 83 cents to every dollar earned by men. The Lunds are the definition of trailblazing.

COLDBREWFREEZE BREVE BRÛLÉE

ALICIA RALSTON 208•850•7638 420 W MAIN STREET • SUITE 102 • BOISE • IDAHO 83702 www.ralstongroupproperties.com REAL ES TATE WITH A OFTRADITIONTRUST