Celebrate International Dark Sky Week with Star Party and Dark Sky Monitoring Event on Apr. 15

Christensen is retiring following a thirtyyear career as a registered nurse, working previously for many years at Sevier Valley Hospital as Quality Risk Manager. He accepted the director’s job at WCHC in 2018, replacing then-outgoing direc-

“Over my years here we have built a team of providers second to none. Coming from a health care background, I’ve worked with a lot of providers and ours are as good as any, anywhere in Utah.”

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You are invited to join in celebrating International Dark Sky Week by attending a star party and dark sky monitoring event on April 15th from 9:00 - 10:30 p.m. in Teasdale, Utah at 200 E. Rustler Street.

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TEASDALE - April 15th marks the beginning of this year’s International Dark Sky Week. During this annual, weeklong event, people are encouraged to discover the beauty and value of the night.

The use of artificial light at night is increasing at a global average of 2.2% each year. It can block out our view of the universe, impact human health, waste money and energy, and threaten wildlife and ecosystems. Although we require Dark Sky Week Cont'd on A6

BLM Announces Final Work from the 2022 Canyon Country District AiR, Begins Accepting Apps. for Fall 2023

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The Bureau of Land Management is pleased to share the work produced by the first Canyon Country District Artist in Residence, H. Walck, and announces the availability of applications for a residency in the fall of 2023.

“Canyon Country is an inspiring and magical place,” said District Manager Nicollee Gaddis-Wyatt. “As a result of this residency program, the public can experience these areas through an artist’s eyes. We are thrilled with last year’s artist in residency program and look forward to hosting another artist in the fall.”

Walck completed their three-week residency in October 2022. During the residency, they explored public lands in the Moab area, visited with BLM subject matter experts, and sought inspiration for new work. Walck’s piece—developed during the residency—will be on display at a later date. The location and date of availability will be announced on the BLM Moab and

Canyon Country Facebook page.

“It was our pleasure to be involved with the first Canyon Country District Artist in Residence program,” said Canyonlands Natural History Association Operations Manager Sam Wainer. “Walck’s body of work presents a unique perspective to the landscape and wildlife of the Moab area. The Canyonlands Natural History Association is excited to support the 2023 program and is seeking ways to help the BLM grow this residency.”

The 2023 BLM Canyon Country Artist in Residence will be hosted by the Monticello Field Office in Bears Ears National Monument. This residency, open to writers and visual artists, will last two to four weeks between Sept. 10 and Oct. 21. To apply, artists should submit samples of their work along with a project proposal, resume, and answers to additional questions, as outlined on the application form. Artists will be provided lodging at the remote Kane Gulch Rang-

New CEO: It is with great honor and humility that I have taken the position as CEO of Wayne Community Health Center. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to work side by side with all of you.

—Donavan Smith, new Wayne Community Health Center CEO

New CEO Cont'd from A1 ing at Albertson’s in retail pharmacy, and then took the job as Director of Pharmacy for Gunnison Valley Hospital and Central Valley Hospital, concurrently. He returned to Albertson’s pharmacy for a couple of years, and after that started at WCHC in 2006, which he describes as his “work home,” and has been the Director of Pharmacy ever er Station or may choose the opportunity to explore primitive camping options. As official BLM volunteers, artists will present one creative project to the local community at a workshop, demonstration, or lecture, etc. and take part in at least one scheduled field outing to greet the public, working a minimum of 32 hours per week on their art.

Christensen said the clinic setting was somewhat new to him when he started at WCHC, and he was impressed with how much WCHC did in health care. “I thought it was just a small little clinic, but we do so much in so many areas in treating patients. I’ve enjoyed my time here, it’s an amazing place to work,” he said.

Wayne Community Health Center was started in 1978. The original building was an old home that was converted to a medical clinic. Over time the current clinic building grew around the old building. “We remodeled our nurse’s station last year and you can still see some of the original brick on the walls,” noted Christensen.

A stipend of approximately $125 per week will be provided and is funded by the Canyonlands Natural History Association. Applications are being accepted from now through May 27, 2023. For detailed information about the residency, please visit the BLM Canyon Country

District Artist in Residence webpage. The BLM would like to thank the Canyonlands Natural History Association for their continued support of this program.

Photos of Walck and related work can be found on the BLM Utah Flickr website. Walck delves into connections rooted within objects discovered in the natural world. Focused on wildlife, bones, soil, and plants encountered in the places they dwell, Walck’s illustrations are a personal reflection of their experiences and relationships with the sacredness of the natural spaces encountered.

—Bureau of Land Management

Letters to the Editor

Thank You to the UDOT Crew

Wayne Community Health Center Evan Christiansen is retiring as CEO of Wayne Community Health Center after serving for six years. Donavan Smith transitioned into the position on April 10, 2023.

In addition to structural changes over the years, “Probably the biggest change we’ve seen is going from just providing basic health care, to emergency services, also doing specialty care, physical therapy, optometry, dental, pain management, ob-gyn services and podiatry,” said Christensen.

Regarding the transition to Smith’s leadership, Christiansen said, “Donavan, he’ll do a wonderful job, he’s got the energy and knowledge and he’ll do a fabulous job.”

Donavan Smith grew up in the Sevier County area where he attended South Sevier High School, then Snow College Ephraim, followed by the University of Utah where he graduated in 1995 with a pharmacy degree. He started work- since. Smith acknowledged Evans’ leadership and said the insight that he has brought to the Wayne Community Health Centers will be missed. “He has successfully seen us through one of the most difficult times in healthcare [the COVID-19 pandemic] that the world has ever seen,” said Smith in his memo to fellow staff members.

“We have a good direction for the Wayne Community Health Centers and will continue to be forward thinking. Thanks goes out to all of you for all the work you do and dedication you bring to the job. I would like to wish Evan nothing but success and smooth sailing with all of his up-and-coming endeavors,” said Smith.

I just wanted to express my "thank you" as winter is starting to wain down. I have been so impressed, especially this year, by the snow removal crew on our highways. The UDOT crews have been extraordinaire this year, as we have been blessed with a record winter. Maybe because I am getting older, but I think this winter, the winds have caused more havoc, and these dedicated workers have stayed on top of it to ensure our safety. I have heard from several of my associates and friends that they also have the same sentiments. Thanks, [UDOT workers], I know you have missed family functions and events so that you can do the job. This winter has not come to a close yet, and I know they will be there for us just as diligently as they were in November! As we pass these orange trucks, give them a wide berth and flash your lights or give them a friendly wave for a job well done!

Don Bone, Loa

Publisher: Erica Walz

Layout & Graphic Design: Emily Leach

Reporter: Tessa Barkan

Reporter: Amiee Maxwell Reporter: Kadi Franson

Reporter: Lisa Jeppson

Reporter: Ian Marynowski

Payroll: Trudy Stowe

Magnolia's: I’ve always really loved anywhere I could go that feels like a community space. I want this to be like that, a place where locals can go, along with the tourists.—Haylee Apperson, business owner of Magnolia's Street Food, the Loubird Inn, and now Magnolia's Kitchen

Garin Apperson looks out from behind the counter at Magnolia’s Street Food in Boulder, UT. The blue bus has served a variety of hand-held foods since its inception in 2014. “We identified the types of food we thought people would enjoy, as well as stuff that we loved to cook,” said Garin. “That is also going to be the aim with our new restaurant, to do some experimenting and just figure out what people like. Especially with a bigger local population in Escalante, we don’t want people to get bored, we want to give them some variety.”

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Cafe Diablo in Torrey in 2004. He also worked a previous stint in the small Garfield County town in 2010. Haylee relocated to the area to be more in control of where and how she sourced her food. After meeting, their relationship quickly progressed, and by mid 2014, they welcomed their first child, Magnolia.

“With the pregnancy we were in Boulder for the winter and had to decide if we wanted to move and raise our kid somewhere else or stick around. If not for getting pregnant we might have ended up somewhere else—we were both kind of vagabonds at the time—but we decided that we wanted our kid to grow up here.” said Haylee, with Garin adding that “The idea of raising a family was the impetus for staying a part of the community, we both thought it would be a great place to have a family.”

And with this decision to stay in rural, southern Utah also came the idea to start Magnolia’s Street Food. “Magnolia’s sprang out of this because we really wouldn’t have been able to establish ourselves on solid ground working in the restaurant industry for other people, so we figured we should start something,” said Garin. “We saw the need for casual food, in Boulder specifically, so we took a dive right in.”

After purchasing a 14 foot, double axle trailer, the couple parked it in front of the museum and began serving food to locals in the winter of 2014. Originally serving latin inspired food, over the years they branched out to include more diverse items such as a kimchi hot dog, and fries with a variety of toppings. Garin explained that “being in a place like this, with a lot of people coming through from all over the place, offers you the chance to try different things. You have such a wide audience and so many different tastes.”

They eventually outgrew the trailer and, in 2017, upgraded to the school bus which still resides under the cottonwood trees in front of the Anasazi State Park Museum. A year earlier, they had welcomed their second daughter, Emmylou. Their growing family meant that they also needed to grow their business and find a little more permanence than a food truck and a rental home provided.

Food trucks often have tight quarters, and while the Magnolia’s bus offers quite a bit of room compared to other options, it is limited beyond just space. The business often suffers late opening dates from having to manage freezing outside temperatures. A brick and mortar restaurant will not only allow them to stay open for more of the year, but also offer locals a place to gather and relax.

“When we were in Boulder we were always kind of thinking about what’s next. We have had Magnolia’s street food for a while and we knew there must be something else out there. We never owned property in Boulder, we never were really able to,” said Haylee. Their break came when Haylee, the entrepreneur of the bunch, was able to leverage their current business and get a loan to buy the Canyons Bed and Breakfast on Main Street in Escalante.

The change from living on a dirt road to being on Main Street has been noticeable, with Magnolia lamenting the fact that all of the plants “had been planted” and that it was not as wild. The pavement, sidewalks and close proximity to other people have, however, brought them a tighter sense of community that they are excited to keep exploring with their new business endeavors.

The Appersons rebranded the Canyons Bed and Breakfast, naming it The Loubird Inn. The name was inspired by their second daughter, just as Magnolia’s Street Food was inspired by their first. They now live on-site in the historic 1905 home, as well as offering four separate rooms for visitors to rent. Not wanting to cook their guests breakfast everyday in their own kitchen, the couple began exploring different options for bringing food to their property.

After considering moving their food "bus" down from Boulder, building a new food truck or even converting their garage into a commercial kitchen, they were serendipitously approached by Susanne Stadler with an offer to move into the building where Stadler and partner Ted Levine had been running, the Ranch Dog Kitchen.

“Brick and Mortar has always been an exciting thing for us, but it was never something we saw happening in Boulder. There just wasn’t much opportunity for it,” said Haylee. “Susanne just texted me and asked if we had ever thought about bringing Magnolias to Escalante. This was just one of those opportunities that seemed to line up, it would have been silly to not say yes. It literally came out of nowhere, fell out of the sky, and here we are opening our restaurant in Escalante.” The Appersons had become familiar faces at the Ranch Dog and Stadler saw the opportunity to pass along the business she and Levine had started and to be able to enjoy it for themselves. “I mean, our food is good but I am tired of it. I am looking forward to having something new,” she said. “They bring such a quality of food, if they don’t eat it themselves they won’t serve it. Garin also likes the music thing and I think they will be having music events starting with the Potato Festival.”

Stadler continued to say that “they kept coming in with their family and bringing their friends in to eat. I knew that they already had a wonderful restaurant and they just seemed to fit in so well. We really weren’t looking, we weren’t advertising the space, but we just want to do other things. So it was really a no-brainer.” She feels that her business has created a strong foundation and is excited to see where it will go under the new direction of Magnolia’s Kitchen.

Magnolia’s Kitchen will mainly be open for breakfast and lunch, but will occasionally be offering dinner, during special events such as the Escalante Wild Potato Days, where Mary Kaye Knaphus will be performing live music at the restaurant to kick off the festival on May 26.

“I’ve always really loved anywhere I could go that feels like a community space. I want this to be like that, a place where locals can go, along with the tourists,” said Haylee. Garin adds that “Through Magnolia’s Street Food, I got to know the whole community of Boulder. I am hoping that will be the case here too in Escalante. I love the idea of locals coming here to just hang out and sip on coffee.”

In addition to being a place for people to congregate, they strive to have the Loubird Inn and Magnolia’s Kitchen continue their tradition of sourcing locally raised meat, eggs and produce whenever possible. “A big part of our business is supporting other local businesses. Our beef comes from Boulder and so does our sausage. Any time we can, we get locally grown veggies and try our best to get our eggs locally as well. Now we are going to see what we can do here at Magnolia’s Kitchen to source our food from Escalante, as well as Boulder, and continue to support our communities in that way,” said Haylee.

The Appersons aim to open their new restaurant by the start of May and will be offering a rotating menu with a variety of omelets, sandwiches, salads, soups and waffles.