Sun Valley Magazine | Summer 2021

OWLS | SAWTOOTH STEWARDSHIP | CAMPING | RIVER FLOATS | PICKLEBALL | BACK YARD BBQS

Summer

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2021

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contents // features PROFILES Williams & Hemingway: Pursuit of a Long Happy Life

BY JAKE MOE

Benji Hill: Hunter & Survival Guide

BY KITT DOUCETTE

Stacia Morfin: Nez Perce Heritage

78

84

Are we loving our mountains to death?

An ancient bird still a mystery to humans

BY SARAH LINVILLE

BY L AURIE SAMMIS

SAVING THE SAWTOOTHS

THE SECRET LIFE OF OWLS

ON THE COVER Mariel Hemingway at peace in Idaho, walking a path along Warm Springs Ranch in Ketchum.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE HANSEN

BY JULIA DUIN

Alan Jacoby: Spreading the Stoke

BY DICK DORWORTH

Mariel Hemingway soars— her commitment to a healthy, happy and vibrant life!

MARK SQUIRES

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contents // departments

Paddle On

36 localbuzz

92 inthearts

SEARCHING FOR KETCHUM

of Ketchum’s namesake

IDAHO: ONE HOT POTATO!

HAPPY CAMPER

All the dirt on camping in the state of Idaho

WARM SPRINGS RANCH

New development gets the green light

SUN VALLEY’S BEAUTY SECRET Mountain Overlay Ordinance keeps mountains pristine

46 nexgen SUMMER THRILLS A Sun Valley bucket list for kids of all ages

50 body&soul GET SOME Zs! Why sleep is Mother Nature’s best effort at immortality

60 getoutthere

PADDLE ON

Day trips that will float your boat

WHAT’S ALL THE RACQUET Pickleball volleys its way into the Valley

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96

Making Sense

returns in person

DOING JUSTICE TO RUTH Sun Valley Film Festival film honors

Greater Idaho movement threatens to broaden state borders

A SEASON TO CELEBRATE

Sun Valley Music Festival

the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg

MAKING SENSE An Idaho film brings disability to the forefront

SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT Sun Valley Writers’ Conference is online and in person this summer

108 food&drink BACKYARD BBQs

Wedding Details

Dazzle dinner guests with these recipes from top chefs

120 weddings

also in this issue

30 FROM THE PUBLISHER

ALEXIS AND BERGEN

A surprise ceremony leads to an intimate

reception along Trail Creek

32 CONTRIBUTORS

EMILY AND DOUGLAS

54 FAVORITE FINDS

Sun Valley nuptials and a memorable day of love and family

124 weddingsdetails WHEN SMALL IS BIG Every little thing needed to create a special day is available here in the Valley

102 ART BUZZ/EVENTS 114 DINING LISTINGS 134 WEDDING RESOURCES 136 WHY WE LIVE HERE

134

TOP LEF T, CLOCK WISE: Z ACH MAHONE; COURTESY MAKING SENSE FILM, T WO BIRD STUDIO

The legacy and lore

60

ULLA JOHNSON DIANE VON FURSTENBERG NILI LOTAN BRUNELLO CUCINELLI ALC MAX MARA SALONI VERONICA BEARD PESERICO PIAZZA SEMPIONE FABIANA FILIPPI SARA ROKA RAQUEL ALLEGRA JAMES PERSE FRANK & EILEEN CITIZENS OF HUMANITY MOTHER RE / DONE ATM MOUSSY AUTUMN CASHMERE PEDRO GARCIA HENRY BEGUELIN CALLEEN CORDERO GOLDEN GOOSE BEEK

PANACHE SUN VALLEY Sun Valley Village + PARK CITY Lower Main Street panachesunvalley.com

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fromthepublisher // insight

permanently were the people we met during our adventures—the characters and stories that make up this unique and tight-knit community of the Wood River Valley.

I encourage us to not forget those reasons and to welcome these newcomers with that same sense of community— reminding them gently of where they have landed and how we do things here.

Complaining won’t stem the tide and the world is changed by our example, not by our opinions. So let’s set a good example and say “WELCOME” with a few reminders about life in Idaho. Here is a local primer for all the newcomers to help ease the transition: • Don’t rush about. Remember why you were drawn here and

adjust your “big city” pace to our small mountain town.

• Don’t assume you’re more important than the next guy in

line—because the person standing in line next to you could be Warren Buffet or Mark Zuckerberg (truly, it could happen!).

The beauty of true community is that we all care equally about our incredible resources—whether mountains and rivers or neighbors and friends.

• Don’t honk or yell (it’s a dead giveaway you are not from Idaho

… and you may find yourself at a BBQ with the object of your fury later in the week).

• Learn basic trail and river etiquette, as well as camping and

wilderness rules and regulations (see “Happy Camper: All the dirt on camping in the state of Idaho” on page 40 or “Saving the Sawtooths” on page 78).

• Smile at people you meet on the street (it just may be the

person who rescues you with a spare tube for your mountain bike 10 miles from the trailhead the next day).

• Get involved with your new community. Almost all locals have

volunteered their time, resources or talent at a local non-profit, picked up trash alongside our roads or helped somebody fix a flat (see “Local Non Profits” on page 69 for some ideas).

And whatever you do, don’t try to change us or think you can do it better. We are open to your ideas and opinions, but work in community with us, not over us. Idahoans are tough, fiercely independent and self-sufficient characters—why else would we choose to live in state that has been confused with Iowa for the past five decades!

publisher

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sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

Laurie Sammis / editor-in-chief

PHOTO: FIVEB STUDIOS

A

s we were putting the finishing touches on this issue of Sun Valley Magazine and I was contemplating how to encapsulate the stories and themes inside this issue, local high school graduation weekend was in full swing.

Change was in the air as new graduates launched out into the world, which seems to be the theme of the day.

All Idahoans are experiencing a time of great change as well. Our beautiful state (so often confused with Iowa in the past that it has become a local joke), has suddenly been discovered in a way that feels perhaps a bit like the gold rush of the 1860s. Suddenly, our trailhead parking lots are full, land prices are soaring, and every business seems to be short staffed as symptoms of the large numbers of new residents and visitors coming to our state.

And truly, who can blame them. Idaho is blessed with beautiful scenery, great outdoor adventure and abundant public land—with more designated roadless wilderness area than any other state in the contiguous U.S. To top it off, the pandemic short listed many bucket-list plans to retire to the mountains, even as thousands of office workers realized that they could work from home in their pajamas and hike or ride the trails outside their back door during their lunch break—for some, the silver lining in a year of restrictions and adjustments. But these changes have led to many locals complaining that fishermen are now out standing in our streams, hikers are on our trails, and paddlers are on our lakes and rivers. And, can you believe it, all these people came from California, Washington or even, Arkansas and Texas—and we thought all Texans went to Aspen, Colorado!

And while perhaps not the most popular sentiment, it might be worth remembering that almost all of us originally moved here from somewhere else—whether 10 years ago or 50. All of us also moved for a common reason. Perhaps it was the view of the jagged crags of the Pioneers or the sound of fishing line singing across a clear alpine stream that drew us here. Perhaps it was the perfect arc of a snow turn carving down Baldy, or the rush of a paddle breaking the deep green of a wave curling across the Salmon River or Redfish Lake, polished like glass and reflecting the blue of an early summer morning, that enticed us to stay. I don’t know the reason each of us was drawn to this tiny slice of Idaho paradise, but I do know that what led almost all of us to put down roots and stay

featuredcontributors // writers & photographers

MARK SQUIRES

JULIA DUIN

AMANDA RENÉ NAGY

REID ARTHUR

NYC-born and raised, Mark

Seattle-based journalist Julia

Self-professed camera nerd

Reid Arthur grew up in southern

Squires is now a bicoastal

Duin has worked as a full-

Amanda René Nagy is a Nashville

Oregon before playing collegiate

photographer specializing in

time reporter or editor for

native with a BFA in Photography

tennis for Gonzaga University

shooting “people of interest.” He

five newspapers, including

from Watkins College of Art at

in Spokane, Washington. Since

has been published in a large

the Houston Chronicle and

Belmont University. She is of

2010, The Valley Club racquets

number of prominent magazines

the Washington Times. She

French and Hungarian descent,

program has been under his

such as Elle, V Magazine,

has also taught journalism

which has inspired a love of

direction. During his tenure, the

Interview, Exit, Harper’s Bazaar,

at the University of Alaska.

traveling, and eating. When not

facility has grown from a four-

W Magazine, Wonderland,

She specializes in profiles of

behind the camera, her passions

court, seasonal operation to one

Rolling Stone, SCMP Style, UK

interesting women—especially

include hiking the Sawtooths,

of the most complete complexes

Sunday Times Style, Vogue UK,

in the world of religion—and

snowboarding and spending time

in the region, boasting seven

Russian Vogue and L’Uomo

covers travel in the Pacific

with her dogs. Nagy says she is

tennis courts (four indoor and

Vogue. Squires’ passion is in

Northwest and the Arctic regions

not a trendy photographer. “Color

two clay), eight pickleball courts

pushing the boundaries of his

for multiple publications. Her

is the absolute beauty about an

(four indoor) and one year-round

trade, challenging himself and

latest book (of six), which is on

image,” she says. “Real color in

platform tennis court. Last year,

exploring how photography

the social media habits of young

a photograph makes an image

The Valley Club purchased more

can function to capture and

Pentecostal serpent handlers,

timeless!” Nagy has called Hailey

land for future expansion of the

illuminate the beauty in the

required she spend two years

home for about 10 years.

racquets campus.

world around us. He values each

attending Appalachian church

and every opportunity to create

services. Duin is currently

“Favorite Finds,” page 54

“What’s All the Racquet?” page 62

unique and beautiful images

working on a biography of an

that will have an impact on the

evangelical female Mongolian

viewer. In his free time, Squires

evangelist. She visited Sun

enjoys relaxing with his family

Valley in early 2020 to research

and surfing.

stargazing in the Central Idaho

“Contents Features,” page 24 and “Profiles: Williams & Hemingway,”

Dark Sky Reserve.

“Profiles: Stacia Morfin,” page 76

page 72

also in this issue writers Caroline Albro, Karen Bossick, Lori Eggers Currie, Dick Dorworth, Kitt Doucette, Kate Hull Heidenreich, Pamela Kleibrink Thompson, Brent Lawson, Sarah Linville, Jake Moe, Margot Ramsay, Laurie Sammis, Hayden Seder, Kira Tenney.

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sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

photographers Cheatwood Photography, Jiyang Chen, Ray J. Gadd, Gary Gadwa, Steve Halama, HalcyonToast, Christine Hansen, Dev Khalsa, Phillip Knott, Kurt Lindsay, Sarah Linville, Rebecca Noble, Vidar Nordli-Mathisen, Hillary Maybery, Allison Michael Orenstein, M. K. Sadler, Bass Sears, Kirsten Shultz, Boone Speed, Mark Squires, Angela Sterling, Two Bird Studio.

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Sun Valley Magazine Online: sunvalleymag.com email: info@sunvalleymag.com Sun Valley Magazine Awards 2018 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Feature Article - “Primal Necessity” 2017 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Feature Article - “The Long Journey Back” Finalist, Best Profile - “A Life in the Sky” 2016 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Feature Article - “The Great Migration” 2015 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Annuals & One-Time Custom Publication/Consumer Finalist, Best Cover/Consumer 2014 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Annuals & One-Time Custom Publication/Consumer 2013 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Semi-Annual & Three-Time/Trade & Consumer Finalist, Best Special Theme Issue/Consumer 2012 MAGGIE AWARDS Winner, Best Semi-Annual & Three-Time/Trade & Consumer 2011 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Semi-Annual & Three-Time/Trade & Consumer Finalist, Best Special Theme Issue/Consumer 2010 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Semi-Annual & Three-Time/Trade & Consumer Finalist, Best Special Theme Issue/Consumer 2010 OZZIE AWARDS Gold Winner, publication fewer than 6 times per year 2010 EDDIE AWARDS Gold Winner, publication fewer than 6 times per year 2010 IDAHO PRESS CLUB Best Magazine Serious Feature & Best Blog 2010 MAGGIE AWARDS Finalist, Best Semi-Annual & Three-Time/Trade & Consumer 2009 MAGGIE AWARDS Winner, Best Semi-Annual & Three-Time/Trade & Consumer Sun Valley Magazine® (BIPAD # 074470772330) is published three times a year by Mandala Media LLC. Editorial, advertising and administrative offices are located at 313 N. Main St., Hailey, Idaho 83333.

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mile-high wine c down-to-earth people

premier

localbuzz Searching for Ketchum The legacy and lore of Ketchum’s namesake B Y K AT E H U L L

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David’s arrival marked the beginning of the Wood River Valley as a Boomtown, led by prosperous mines unearthing valuable silver. During those early years, the region had two banks, two hotels, six livery stables, a newspaper, and ample saloons, according to the Idaho Historical Society. The Union Pacific Railroad also came to town, making Ketchum its northern terminal, and early tourism was an anchoring part of the community during this period as well.

But the young town needed an official name.

The story goes that the first settlers were already calling the region Leadville, but nothing was official just yet. They submitted an application for a post office bearing the new name, but it was promptly rejected. Leadville, Colorado, had already been founded a few years prior. An application was resubmitted, according to the Association of Idaho Cities, but this time with the name Ketchum, honoring the town’s first settler. It became official, and Ketchum was born.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE COMMUNIT Y LIBRARY JE ANNE RODGER L ANE CENTER FOR REGIONAL HISTORY

K

etchum’s early boomtown days are a colorful period of growth and progress. Yet amidst these early stories, the history of the town’s namesake, trapper and mountain man David Ketchum, still remains a bit muddled. A letter from 1927 sent to E. N. Ebbe of Ketchum’s Kamp Hotel from James L. Richardson—whose time in the area overlapped with David’s—referenced his legacy. “[David] was spoken of as one of the outstanding characters of the country on account of his personality,” James wrote. “ … My impression of him is that of being a tall, slim, wiry man, with long whiskers, as was the style among most of the men there, of a kindle genial disposition, but withal one not to take liberties with.”

Nearly a century later, a plaque at the Overlook on Bald Mountain with a quote from David dated “circa 1890” reveals a look into the Ketchum he once knew.

“They want’d t’ call th’ town Leadville, but th’ govrn’mnt said there was too many already. So they settled for Ketchum and I’m right proud they did. After all, I built th’ first cabin here back in ’79 … Course th’ way th’ silver’s runnin’ out, might not matter what th’ town’s name is anyhow. …”

This dim outlook on his namesake home might take you by surprise.

But at the end of the 19th century, the Wood River Valley was transitioning from a time of vibrant development and exciting growth to the threat of becoming yet another ghost town.

According to the Idaho Historical Society, 1879 marked the end of the Bannock Indian War that forced American Indians to relocate and leave the Wood River Valley. The conclusion of the conflict opened up the opportunity for hopeful early settlers to explore the surrounding terrain.

Miners and mountain men hurried to the site by the thousands to stake claim, driven by promises of prospecting silver and lead.

After locating a silver lode near the junction of the Big Wood River at Warm Springs Creek and some lead ore elsewhere, reportedly near Galena, David built a modest cabin near a hot springs to store supplies for the winter of 1879. According to some, the site was the Guyer Hot Springs about three miles west of Ketchum along Warm Springs Creek. There, he settled in for a snowbound winter.

CLIPPINGS: COURTESY CHRONICLING AMERICA , NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES AND THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Early Ketchum resident and businessman, Horace C. Lewis (below), founded the Ketchum Fast Freight Line in the early 1880s. Along with packmen like David Ketchum, they hauled supplies for mining camps and newly established settlements into the Sawtooth region and hauled ore back to Ketchum on their return trips over Trail Creek Summit.

The boom continued on, and life in Ketchum was thriving for the next decade. Once silver began to decline in value, however, the growth halted.

The smelter closed, and the outlook was looking grim.

As noted in the second half of his quote, David could see the writing on the wall: “Folks is already headin’ for th’ new boomtowns. Heck, we got more dogs than people now’days... Wonder what’ll happen t’ ol’ Ketchum. Prob’ly dry up an’ blow away…”

But thankfully, David’s predictions were wrong. Two other predominant industries, tourism and agriculture, kept the town afloat. But it seems David didn’t stick around long enough to see it continue.

Ketchum native Mary Jane Griffith Conger, author of “The Chronicles of Ed Price,” told the Idaho Mountain Express that David up and left town during the mining decline, contrary to town rumors. “We heard he had been killed in a bar brawl, but it turned out he went back to Missouri and made a fortune selling Indian medicines,” she said in the 2011 article.

Originally from Missouri, David had made his way west around 1870.

A census taken in July 1870 from Bozeman, Montana, contained a David Ketchum, 29 years old, from Missouri, who was listed as a woodcutter.

While the great Silver Rush lured him south to Idaho nine years later, David had also been known to travel farther west during this period of time. An article from the Idaho Semi-Weekly World, dated January 7, 1881, stated David was in the butcher business with Brown & Hull in San Francisco. According to the article, Ketchum, “now one of the bonanza kings of the Wood River, is spending the winter at The Bay.” Wherever life eventually led him, David’s mark on the Wood River Valley was made. In his letter, James L. Richardson called David a pioneer “whose contribution towards the development of the country will, in history, go down unsung.”

Many questions about David remain, but one thing is for certain: his legacy is deeply seated in Ketchum’s history. ï SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

37

localbuzz // greater idaho

IDAHO: One Hot Potato!

Greater Idaho movement threatens to broaden state borders

BY BRENT L AWSON

162

years ago—President James Buchanan was president, the Civil War had not commenced, and Oregon recently was granted statehood—the Oregon/Idaho border was drawn.

Over a century and a half later, the same lines drawn by politicians in remote East Coast offices remain. Oregonians are now raising their pencils (and flags) in a momentous effort to redraw the Oregon border.

Tired of living in a predominantly blue state, eastern Oregonians are creating legislation to join Idaho. This is driven by primarily agricultural communities desiring to maintain their rural values. The predominantly Republican counties are tired of being held captive in the blue state.

The movement, spearheaded by “Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho,” is gaining traction. Two counties voted in favor of the idea in November 2020, and five additional counties joined them in a May 2021 vote.

“This election proves that rural Oregon wants out of Oregon,” said Mike McCarter, president of Move Oregon’s Border. “Oregon is a powder keg because counties that belong in a red state like Idaho are ruled by Portlanders…. Divisions in Oregon are getting dangerous, so we see the relocation of the border as a way to keep the peace. It’s not divisive.” He calls the movement “a peaceful revolution.”

The signature-gathering effort “to gain political refuge from blue states” was hampered last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s 38

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now picking up some momentum. At the time this issue went to press, eight counties were still collecting petitions seeking a vote, and several prominent elected officials in Idaho, including Governor Brad Little, have expressed support for the movement.

But regardless of this momentum, moving Oregon counties into Idaho remains a long shot. No matter how many Oregon counties say they want to be part of Idaho, the two state legislatures — and ultimately the U.S. Congress — would have to give their approval.

Historically, borderline adjustments are not unprecedented. The most famous instance of states altering borders occurred in 1998 when the U.S. Supreme Court established that much of Ellis Island belonged to New Jersey, although the “tourist-y” part remained in New York State. The Oregon/Washington border was updated in 1958. The Oregon/Idaho border was not. West Virginia was admitted to the Union in June 1863, and the Virginia/West Virigina border was changed twice thereafter (Berkeley and Jefferson counties). However, a border adjustment of this magnitude would be a new feat.

Whether the legislation is voted in or the borders remain, the movement embodies the growing unrest stimulated by cultural and political polarization in America. ï You can learn more about the Movement at: www.greateridaho.org

DATA: COURTESY USELECTIONATL AS .ORG

The Greater Idaho Movement would grow Idaho’s population by 50% and expand its border to the Pacific Ocean, making it the nation’s third-largest state in terms of area. The plan would incorporate 19 full counties and several partial counties in Oregon.

A small section of northern California is included in the plan as well as a sliver of southeastern Washington.

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trailingofthesheep.org

Happy Camper All the dirt on camping in the Wood River Valley

BY CAROLINE ALBRO

F

rom lakeside beaches to uninhabited desert expanses, Idaho has a plethora of camping options. But before pitching your tent, you’re going to need to know the basics of camping in Idaho and how to stay safe while getting the most out of your camping experience.

Traditional campground camping involves your typical, run-of-the-mill camping on an established campsite. Some of our favorite Sawtooth National Forest campground spots sur40

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rounding the Wood River Valley include Baker Creek, Easley Campground, North Fork Campground and Murdock Campground. These sites are great when you’re looking for a well-established recreational area close to other campers and regulated by the U.S. Forest Service.

But when you’re looking to move off the beaten path, dispersed camping is a great option. Dispersed campers choose to camp outside of a designated campground, often to avoid some of the crowds and fees that come

with Forest Service-regulated campgrounds.

You’re not going to enjoy any of the amenities that come with designated campgrounds, like water hookups, but you’ll likely benefit from the solitude, accessibility and low cost of dispersed camping. And since it doesn’t require reservations, you can just plop down your tent when you’re ready to camp, instead of planning your camping trip days or weeks in advance.

While dispersed camping permits much more flexibility than traditional camping, it doesn’t mean you can spend the night wherever you want. You should always consult a map or contact the Forest Service to figure out where you can legally set up camp. The Ketchum Forest Service has identified designated dispersed camping areas, typically marked by a brown sign alongside a road.

Zach Poff of the Ketchum Ranger District explained Ketchum’s policy for dispersed camping, saying, “We have so many people that come up here to utilize the forest, which is great, but we’ve identified the areas where they can actually camp, and by doing so, we’re trying to limit the impact to those areas.”

From May through Labor Day, campers are limited to 10-day stretches at each campsite over the course of a 30-day period.

Additionally, some dispersed camping areas require sign-ins or prohibit fires during the dry summer season, so you should be aware of any specific rules and regulations before you go. The Forest Service recommends camping in spots where others have previously camped, which are typically marked by a fire pit. In the Wood River Valley area, many successful dispersed camping spots lie along the edges of Forest Service roads, where you can simply pull your car over to a wide spot on the side of the road and set up camp. Poff shared some dispersed camping spots within the immediate Ketchum region: “A lot of Trail Creek, Corral Creek, Warm Springs, Baker Creek—they all have designated dispersed areas. So there’s still no fee to camp there, but we ask that people stay in those areas.” If you’re unsure about your chosen campground, you can also use digital camping resources like The Dyrt (thedyrt.com), reference a Sawtooth National Forest map, or just call a ranger station.

Nothing can match the peace and tranquility that comes from camping in the great outdoors under a blanket of stars. With a little planning, your next camping trip in the Wood River Valley will be your most memorable yet. Adventure awaits! ï

STEVE HAL AMA/UNSPL ASH

localbuzz // camping

GET ON THE MAP

CAMPING 411 From stargazing to s’mores, here are four things to know before you go …

STARGAZING

CAMPING WITH DOGS

Your eyes and the night sky are all that’s needed to enjoy Central Idaho’s Dark Sky Reserve. To increase your chances of viewing bright constellations, be sure to camp away from any bright lights. Turn off your phone, find a quiet area with a clear view and take some time to soak in the night sky—you can see around 3,000 stars with the naked eye. If you’re looking for more detail than that, grab a pair of binoculars or download a stargazing app like Night Sky to get an in-depth chart and analysis of the stars above. Just point your phone upwards to see an overlaid map of the constellations right above you.

Different campsites have different rules for dogs, but most public land managed by the Forest Service requires dogs to be leashed in designated campgrounds. On dayuse trails in the Wood River Valley, be sure to keep your dog leashed for the first 200 yards of the trail to avoid unsafe situations with other hikers and their dogs. If you’re ever uncertain about the rules for your dog, call the Forest Service and ask for specific information regarding dogs at your campground. Pick up and dispose of your dog’s waste, once again following the “Leave No Trace” rule. Above all, keep your dog close to you at all times to avoid your pup encountering a dangerous animal.

EATING WELL When it comes to cooking and camping, it can be challenging to cook delicious but easy meals. It’s tempting to pack a PB&J and call it a day, but cooking around a campfire is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the camping experience. You can totally eat nutritiously and deliciously while camping, as long as you pack the right foods and plan in advance. Before you head out …

• D raft a menu for yourself, including breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.

• Don’t go overboard with kitchen gear; identify the items you absolutely need for the meals on your menu.

• If you’re driving your car directly to your campsite, it’s never a bad idea to bring a cooler to pack perishable items like fruits, vegetables and drinks. Some of our favorite simple but delicious meal ideas include oatmeal with fruit and nut butter, hummus and veggie wraps and tacos.

• And of course, follow the “Leave No Trace” rule to clean up after any food preparation.

WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS You never know what you might run into while camping, but it’s better to be prepared if you encounter a dangerous animal. In Idaho, you’re most likely to find yourself camping in bear country. Black bears tend to shy away from humans, but some are conditioned to approach campsites if they smell food. Always store your food and other smelly items in your car or in a bear-resistant container; never leave these items in your tent or on your picnic table. Clean your dishes and campsite thoroughly. If a bear does approach your campsite, stay calm and make as much noise as possible to scare the bear away. Other potentially dangerous critters out there include moose, rattlesnakes (south of the Wood River Valley) and bugs. Remember, always back slowly away from danger and avoid sudden movements.

There are many maps available that show designated campsites as well as dispersed camping areas in the Wood River Valley. The key above highlights the campsites in five different wilderness areas in the Valley. It shows the number of campsites in each area as well as the amenities available at each. To view a full map of these areas, scan this QR code: For those interested in dispersed camping, the Motor Vehicle Use Map shows National Forest System routes or areas that are open to motorized travel.

If you look at the map, the orange dots on the side of the roads indicate “Dispersed Camping Both Sides.” To view the Motor Vehicle Use Map, scan this QR code: Wherever your travel takes you this summer, please remember to recreate responsibly.

It’s always a good idea to consult with your local Ranger District to avoid any surprises when you reach your destination. You can reach the Ketchum Ranger District at 208-622-0090 and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Headquarters at 208-727-5000.

SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

41

localbuzz // development update

Warm Springs Ranch New development gets the green light

BY KAREN BOSSICK

M

arsha Ingham has long cherished the rolling wooded stretch of land known as Warm Springs Ranch or, simply, the dog park, that sits across Warm Springs Creek from her home.

She watched golfers play nine holes from her living room window and took an occasional whack at a tennis ball when the Warm Springs Tennis Club opened on the property in 1973.

She compared the sleigh rides to a scene out of Currier and Ives and enjoyed gourmet dinners at a yurt that popped up there during winter months. She watched elk munching on big bales of hay placed outside the golf course pro shop, and she walked her 16-pound poodle terrier Jasper around the grounds every day.

So, Ingham was delighted when the Ketchum City Council expressed interest in an option to buy a majority of the 78-acre site to set aside as a public park after approving a 35-lot subdivision on 14 acres.

“When we lived in Seattle, we’d drive all day to Sun Valley, and the first thing we would do is go to dinner at the Warm Springs Ranch Inn. It was like a rustic cabin in the woods with a big rock fireplace and scones dripping with honey butter—so, old Sun Valley,” she recounted.

“Even today, it’s a great place that’s close to town for friends to gather, walk together and exercise their dogs.”

Since 2001, Ingham has worked on several coalitions through multiple developers to 42

sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

save Warm Springs Ranch as open space. This time, she has her fingers crossed that it’s a done deal.

The man behind the latest proposal is Bob Brennan, who came to the Wood River Valley 41 years ago and has developed numerous pieces of property in the Sun Valley area, including the Hyndman Peak subdivision, Pioneer Mountain Ranch and the Cottonwood Creek and Starweather subdivisions in mid-Valley. He tried and failed to buy the 78 acres that hug the bottom of Bald Mountain 25 years ago but succeeded in buying it in April 2020 as the Valley fell into the grips of the coronavirus pandemic.

While others have proposed such developments as a 122-room hotel, Brennan simply wanted to build 35 single-family residences where the tennis court and restaurant used to be. He’s already started building an access road to 24 parking spaces encircled by trees and berms for those accessing the 64 acres that he wants to remain public.

The road leading to the public portion of the preserve is being named Lopey Lane Road after Brennan’s engineer’s dog. The road beyond is named Sunrise, something Brennan’s wife came up with because the area is the first to catch a sunray in the morning.

Brennan does not plan on building homes himself. Instead, he is selling lots. And he says he’s already seen a lot of interest in the quarteracre lots in the interior of the subdivision and

The site of the current Warm Springs Ranch project totals 78 acres, 64 of which will remain open space and 14 of which will be developed into 35 single-family homes.

the third-acre lots near the creek.

Escrow will probably close towards the end of 2021, he says, with construction beginning in spring 2022. “It’s an iconic piece of property, a valuable asset for the community. So, of course, you’re going to see a lot of interest,” he said.

The ranch is the largest piece of undeveloped land in Ketchum—one that the Wood River Land Trust’s (WRLT) executive director Scott Boettger has identified as necessary to preserve to maintain the character of the Wood River Valley for generations to come.

The WRLT tried to reach a deal with Brennan last year, but Brennan didn’t buy into Boettger’s vision of using the property for fundraisers and weddings to help pay for the upkeep.

“I want to keep it passive to make sure access is preserved for the public,” Brennan said.

The city has until October 2021 to raise $9 million to purchase the remaining 64 acres of open space. It hopes to raise the money through private donors and nonprofit organizations, such as the Spur Community Foundation, which has already offered to help.

Ingham remains hopeful. “It’s just a wonderful treasure for the community—so loved and well used,” she said. ï

Combat Drought Maximize Water Savings

HISTORY OF WARM SPRINGS RANCH

COURTESY OF THE COMMUNIT Y LIBRARY JE ANNE RODGER L ANE CENTER FOR REGIONAL HISTORY

It was not a ranch but rather a farm in the late 1800s and early 1900s, according to Ketchum historian and author John Lundin.

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Sawtooth Club owner Owen Simpson might be considered the first would-be developer of the land. He envisioned building a Las Vegas-style casino and development in Warm Springs Canyon after Warm Springs Ranch Rodeo, circa 1953 World War II. He and a group of Ketchum and New York investors formed the Sun Valley Realty Corporation and purchased the Farnlund and Weatherhead farms that lay between the confluence of Warm Springs Creek and the Big Wood River to what is now Huffman Drive.

After winning $12,000 from a New York gambler in a poker game, Simpson used that as his investment in Sun Valley Realty. The group began building the 50-room Devil’s Bedstead there in 1946. But when one of the partners died, the company went bankrupt, and the land was divided between the remaining owners.

Simpson got the property between Warm Springs Road and Warm Springs Creek.

And he got the unfinished Devil’s Bedstead building, which he eventually moved onto Ketchum’s Main Street where it operated as a restaurant and office complex until it was torn down in 2004.

Conserving Water One Sprinkler System at a Time

In the early 1950s, Simpson subdivided his land in Warm Springs, selling lots for $400. That might sound like a steal at today’s prices, but then, people thought he was crazy for asking so much since the land was so far from town.

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In 1951, Simpson built an L-shaped log restaurant with fish ponds surrounding its deck on part of the property. He developed a nine-hole golf course in 1960 to get a liquor license. And he put in a rodeo ground with chutes and gates from Sun Valley Resort’s abandoned rodeo grounds in 1952. Simpson’s son Jack Simpson, whose rodeo moniker was the Sun Valley Cowboy, kept some of his horses there, along with a landing strip that he used for his outfitting and guide business. The rodeos brought crowds from all over for several Warm Springs Ranch Inn restaurant, circa 1956 years, but the rodeo ground was eventually transformed into the tennis club.

Warm Springs Golf Course, circa 2005

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Owen and his wife Josephine operated the restaurant for several years and then handed it off to Jack and his wife Mary Lou, who operated it until 2004.

Eventually, the golf course became a game reserve and elk feeding station. And the Simpson Family Trust sold the ranch in 2000.

SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

43

localbuzz // mountain overlay

YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS...

WE TAKE CARE OF YOUR CARS.

Sun Valley’s Beauty Secret Mountain Overlay Ordinance keeps mountains pristine

BY KAREN BOSSICK

Dusk view of Hailey up to Ketchum and Sun Valley, from Della Mountain

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hose new to the Wood River Valley are quick to note that the hillsides are not littered with homes as they are in so many mountain towns.

The Mountain Overlay Ordinance that has kept our hillsides free of development was done for safety and aesthetics. But many Valley residents were not so appreciative when members of Blaine County Planning and Zoning began formulating the Hillside Ordinance in 1974.

Tom Blanchard was county commissioner at the time. “We knew development was eminent on hillsides, and the general conversation running through the Valley was that we didn’t want to become Aspen where they’d carved up the hillside with roads running all over and houses everywhere,” he said. “I was a house contractor for Sun Valley Resort owner Bill Janss at the time, and even though he wasn’t 44

sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

the originator of the idea, he was very supportive of it.”

As the commission prepared to declare a moratorium on hillside development to allow time to create an ordinance, developers rushed to build on Owl Rock Road just south of Ketchum and in Water Gulch east of Hailey, hoping to grandfather in their development rights.

“Both of these parties started road construction Friday night,” Blanchard recalled.

“We passed a moratorium Monday morning, allowing us time to work on the ordinance.”

The ordinance was further refined in 1987.

“The problem with the original ordinance was that so much of the county was below 25 percent, and it was still extremely visible,” said Len Harlig, who was tasked with updating the county’s comprehensive plan in 1987 as a member of the county’s planning and zoning

BASS SE ARS

commission. “So we put into the new comprehensive plan further limitations and restrictions concerning development on the hillside, particularly in the scenic corridor.”

Not only was development an aesthetic issue, but it involved health, safety and welfare issues, Harlig said. “I’d seen how homes built on hillsides in my home state of California were continually destroyed by wildfires, landslides after heavy rainstorms and other weather-related events that were very destructive. We wanted to make sure we didn’t have people high on hills that we couldn’t get to with fire trucks or ambulances, particularly during winter and spring when roads might be impassable,” he said.

As planning and zoning commissioners began updating the plan, a few property owners started to build roads on hillsides, hopeful they could grandfather in development. Harlig was among those who received threats.

“We know you’re a runner, and we know where you run,” one wrote him. “It’s surprising how much like a deer you look like during hunting season.”

“Stop this business,” another wrote. “If you don’t, you’d better start checking your car before you turn it on in the morning.”

“Despite the threats, the environmental and planning communities were behind it,” said Harlig, who went on to become Blaine County Commissioner in 1993.

Harlig said the decision to protect the hillsides has prevented erosion from development that would have ended up in the Big Wood River.

“In our community, the Big Wood River is the most important waterway in the community. So by keeping development off hillsides, we’re protecting the people who live on flatlands and the water quality,” Harlig said.

“Hillside development also prevents the natural migration patterns of many wildlife species.

So we accomplished three big things with one ordinance: we protected wildlife, waterways and the safety of people.”

Ketchum and Sun Valley have since adopted ordinances limiting hillside development, and other communities around the country have asked for copies of the county’s ordinance.

“One of the first things people ask when they visit the county for the first time is: How have you kept your mountainsides in a natural state?” Harlig said. “I think the community has a better chance of surviving disasters and weather events because the hillsides are not developed.” ï SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

45

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A Sun Valley bucket list for kids of all ages B Y M A R G O T R A M S AY

Spencer Ferries gets some air at the new Quigley Pump Track in Hailey.

46

sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

W

hether you are a longtime Sun Valley local or a recent transplant aiming to escape the big-city rigors, there are scores of activities within the Wood River Valley for kids and parents alike. While Sun Valley is most famous as a winter resort and the birthplace of the first ski lift, there are, in fact, a diverse range of fun and unique activities in the summer months.

Locals have a saying that summarizes it: “It’s the winter that brings you here, but the summers that keep you.” If you are looking for a great spot for stargazing, a scenic hike or tasty ice cream cone, Sun Valley’s summers have you covered.

ReseRve YouRs TodaY

BALD MOUNTAIN TRAIL

The most successful family activities typically involve a combination of unrestrained exercise and ample kid-friendly food. Hiking to the lookout on Bald Mountain is a three-and-a-half-mile hike from the base of Baldy that is perfect for older kids and parents, or with a small “freeloader” in a backpack for an added workout. The Bald Mountain Trail begins at the River Run base and is a single-track trail that climbs along the Big Wood River, traverses a steep, forested slope and crosses an open, south-facing slope before reaching the lookout platform, which offers views of town and the surrounding mountains and a little history of Ketchum (see page 36 for more on David Ketchum, the town’s namesake).

The Bald Mountain Trail is a popular route that hikers can make into an out-andback hike, or continue on to treat themselves at Sun Valley’s Roundhouse and take the gondola down (to save knees or shorten the hike for tired little legs). The historic Roundhouse, perched atop a ridge on Baldy, has been serving up memorable meals with stunning views since 1939 that make any occasion feel special. While you may miss out on their famous fondue in the summer, you can enjoy a great burger or salad before taking the gondola down.

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SUN VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL

Another locale that combines food and ample room to run is the Sun Valley Summer Music Festival (see page 92 for more on the Festival) at the Sun Valley Pavilion. From July through August, you will find admission-free performances by world-class musicians at the SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

47

4th & Washington Ketchum

208-726-5966

The Village Shops Sun Valley

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208-622-5966

nexgen // summer thrills

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Best Fishing Shop

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Trail Creek: Teepee fun (left) and river discoveries

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Sawtooth Botanical Garden

symphony. Perhaps one of the best parts of the experience is that kids can roam (quietly, at the back of the lawn) while their parents picnic and enjoy a glass of wine in the sun.

REDFISH LAKE

371 N Main St, Ketchum, ID 83340 208-726-1706 lostriveroutfitters.com Open 7 am - 10 pm

If you want to play at the base of the towering Sawtooth mountain range, then head to Redfish Lake for an afternoon of standup paddleboarding, ice cream on the beach and a boat ride across the stunning glacier-carved lake. At the dock, there are 48

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boat rentals ranging from pedal boats to pontoons, and The Lakeside Grill at Redfish Lake Lodge offers burgers, fish tacos, salads and their famous “living the dream” soft-serve ice cream. There is also an indoor dining experience, The Rustic Lounge, for those who work up an appetite after a day on the lake.

TRAIL CREEK

If you are looking for a closer “out-oftown” experience, Trail Creek Road has winding trails that are low-key and suitable for younger hikers. There are a number of trails with safe river access for kids to wade and skip rocks or build teepees, as well as a few picnic tables to set up shop with easily-packed sandwiches or wraps from Bigwood Bakery or Wrapcity. The bike path also runs along the

road, and you will find kids on scooters and bikes, as well as more experienced riders clad in spandex, headed over Trail Creek Summit.

BALD MOUNTAIN TRAIL: COURTESY OF SUN VALLE Y RESORT

QUIGLEY PUMP PARK

Biking adventures abound throughout the Valley. The bike park at Quigley is a great spot in the Valley for kids of all ages to enjoy some heartpumping mountain biking. Created and maintained by the Blaine County Recreation District (BCRD), the park features a pump track suitable for younger (or newer) bikers, as well as jump lines, flow lines and a skills area for more experienced riders. Morgan Buckert, associate director of the BCRD, says, “The pump track is great to build skills for even strider riders, and the flow trails and jump lines are rated green, blue and black to grow your mountain biking skills and get some big air. The multiuse Quigley Loop Trail is perfect for a family ride.” This facility is free and open during daylight hours.

HOP PORTER PARK

While you are in Hailey, check out Hop Porter Park for a more low-key activity with family. Ideal for younger children, the vast wooden castle structure boasts bridges, tunnels and slides, as well as age-appropriate obstaclecourse activities. There are also swings, a mechanical zipline and a covered pavilion, which is a perfect shaded spot for lunch.

SAWTOOTH BOTANICAL GARDEN

A great mid-Valley spot to check out is the Sawtooth Botanical Garden, which offers a variety of family-friendly events like the Bug Zoo, garden tours, a wildflower walk and classes for both children and adults.

Rachael Arndt, the community outreach coordinator, said, “This summer, we’ll be offering weekly yoga classes and fun activities like soap making.” So, if you are looking to

kill some time during those endlesss summer afternoons, take your kids over to the Garden to play in their huge sandbox, and they can sharpen their water-bug-catching skills in the creek that runs through the property.

Whatever you’re looking for this summer, Sun Valley has it! ï

Bald Mountain Trail

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Redfish Lake

BEST ICE CREAM LeRoy’s Ice Cream (north) Yellow Belly Ice Cream (south)

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BEST PLACES TO RENT BIKES PK’s Bike Shop (Ketchum), Pete Lane’s (Sun Valley), Sturtevants (Ketchum) BEST PLACE TO SWIM Swimming hole by the Church of the Big Wood in Ketchum

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SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

-sv.co m

downtown ketchum

340 N. Main Street 208.726.4501 49

Guided trips operate under special use permits issued by the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

body&soul Get Some Zs! Why sleep is Mother Nature’s best effort at immortality

BY LORI EGGERS CURRIE

I

hope this article puts you to sleep.

In millions of households around the world, specifically those in industrialized nations, two-thirds of adults fail to obtain the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep. If you are one of those individuals for whom a good night’s sleep remains elusive, you know first-hand the deleterious result of a night spent tossing and turning: decreased energy, productivity and concentration, compounded by increased irritability and anxiety.

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our health. A balanced diet and exercise are of vital importance, yes. But we now see sleep as the preeminent force in this health trinity. The physical and mental impairments caused by one night of bad sleep dwarf those 50

sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

caused by an equivalent absence of food or exercise. Every major disease in the developed world—Alzheimer’s, cancer, obesity, diabetes, depression—has strong links to deficient sleep.

Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it serves, or why its absence is so damaging to our health. Compared to the other basic drives in life—eating, drinking and reproducing— the purpose of sleep remained elusive.

Until now. Neuroscientist and sleep researcher Matthew Walker has devoted more than 20 years to sleep research. “No matter the ailment, it’s more than likely that sleep will see you well. Sleep is the elixir of life. It is the Swiss Army knife of health.” Walker is a professor of neuroscience and psychology

at UC Berkeley, the founder-director of its Center for Human Sleep Science and a former professor of psychiatry at Harvard University. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, Nova, BBC News, and NPR’s Science Friday.

In his international bestseller Why We Sleep, he seeks to reunite humanity with Mother Nature’s best effort yet at immortality: sleep.

“Human beings are the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep on a regular basis,” says Walker. “However, the number of people who can survive on six hours of sleep a night without consequence is zero.”

Walker asserts that the reduced sleeping we’re now suffering is a consequence of our lifestyle, not a consequence of evolutionary

habituation. “Back in the 1940s, people were sleeping on average just a little bit over eight hours a night, and now, in the modern age, we’re down to around 6.7 hours a night.”

The insatiable late-night and early-morning demands of a post-industrial way of life denies us the sleep we vitally need.

But as with any poor lifestyle habit, we have the power to change. After two decades of research and clinical practice, combined with thousands of studies from laboratories around the world, Walker has begun to crack the code of sleep. Read on for some eyeopening sleep stats:

CHECKLIST FOR IMPROVING SLEEP We’ve all been there: It’s 3 a.m. and your over-active mind won’t be stilled. What to do? Here, sleep expert Dr. Walker offers his tips to help you get (and stay) soundly asleep.

 Don’t nap after 3 p.m.; that makes it harder to sleep at night.

 Don’t rely on sleeping pills—these are usually just sedatives that put you more in a sedation state than sleep. Also, avoid medications that disrupt sleep.

 Set a sleep schedule: sleep and wake up at the same time every day.

SLEEP DIVORCE

Approximately 30-40% of people will admit to not sleeping in the same bed as their partner. Males are far more likely to snore, and females have higher rates of insomnia, which means no one is sleeping. “The stigma is if you’re not sleeping together, you’re not ‘sleeping together,’” says Walker. “But the truth is, if you’re sleeping well in separate bedrooms, your intimacy will increase.”

QUALIT Y VS. QUANTIT Y

What’s more important: the quality or the quantity of sleep? Quantity is important, but quality is absolutely critical. Walker recommends giving yourself a non-negotiable, eight-hour opportunity to sleep every night.

And if you have trouble falling asleep after 20 minutes, get up and go to another dim room, but don’t stay in bed awake. “Your brain is a remarkably associative device, and it will quickly learn that the bed is about being awake,” says Walker. Instead, read a book or listen to music (no screens!). And only when you’re sleepy, return to bed.

 Don’t use alarms if you can help it. Alarms cause a huge stress reaction on waking. And pressing the snooze button causes repeated stress traumas.  Wake up with the sun or use very bright lights. This sets your circadian rhythm.  Avoid all caffeine and nicotine, if possible. But if you must have caffeine, avoid it in the afternoon, since it takes over 10 hours to wear off fully.

SLEEP AND CREATIVIT Y

How are sleep and creativity connected?

Sleep gathers in all the information you’ve been learning throughout the day and amalgamates it. Problems that seemed difficult to solve during the day become three times more likely to be solved after a good night’s sleep. In fact, some parts of your brain are 30% more active when you go into deep REM sleep than they are when you’re awake.

So the old adage “Sleep it Off ” actually works: We are better at solving problems after a good night of sleep. ï

 Exercise regularly but not within three hours of sleep.

ebb and flow of daily temperature, triggering the hypothalamus to release melatonin. Other tricks: expose your palms and feet while sleeping, or take a hot bath before sleeping.

 Don’t drink alcohol unless it is completely metabolized by sleep time.  Avoid large meals and drinks late at night.

Large meals can cause indigestion; too many fluids cause frequent urination.  Reduce light before sleep. A pitch-black bedroom sends a powerful cue to your body that it’s time to get some rest.

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 Don’t lie in bed trying to fall asleep for more than 20 minutes. Get up and do something until feeling sleepy. Deep breathing (slowly, from the belly), meditation and light yoga can get you back in the mood for sleep. Or do some journaling—studies have found it can help reduce nighttime worrying.

 Lower the room temperature. The ideal sleeping temperature is 65 degrees. A cool bedroom simulates the

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body&soul // wellness festival

Vin Gupta Matthew Walker (see page 50)

James Nestor

World-class speakers converge for Sun Valley Wellness Festival

BY LORI EGGERS CURRIE

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sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

W

ellness, as a lifestyle, has reached new importance due to the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic this past year. The Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference (SVWFC), widely recognized as the longestrunning wellness festival in the world, has been on the forefront of the wellness movement for decades and continues to offer a wide range of innovative wellness programs through its four pillars of focus—Mind, Body, Spirit and Environment—during its 24th annual event, June 25-28, in Ketchum, Idaho.

According to Andria Friesen, Sun Valley Wellness board president, “Our 2021 roster hosts exceptional speakers and highly relevant content, that will be offered both locally and globally. Attendees can participate in the physical SVWFC or view our presentations from the comfort of their homes.” Last year, when the conference pivoted to a fully “Virtual Experience” due to the pandemic, it attracted attendees from 35 states and 15 countries, including Australia, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, and Monaco.

Here are just some of the topics that will be presented at this year’s event:

BREATH: THE NEW SCIENCE OF A LOST ART

No matter what you eat or how much you exercise, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly. Research shows us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma and autoimmune disease, and more. Science journalist and author James Nestor tests long-held beliefs about our most basic biological function.

COVID: FACTS AND FICTION

Dr. Vin Gupta has become one of the most visible medical commentators on COVID-19, along with CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta (no relation). In this presentation, he will share the latest information about the COVID19 vaccines, their effectiveness and what we can do to help bring an end to the pandemic in our own communities. Dr. Gupta will help dispel myths, provide facts and address concerns.

SPIRITUALIT Y AND FAITH

Honesty and human connection are the key to creating and sustaining community.

So says Nadia Boltz-Weber, New York Times

PHOTOS COURTESY SUN VALLE Y WELLNESS FESTIVAL / JAMES NESTOR: JULIE FLOERSCH

Boost Your Body, Soothe Your Soul

Milagros Phillips

Sun Valley Ketamine Clinic

Nadia Boltz-Weber

best-selling author and Lutheran minister. A “pastor for America’s outsiders” (BBC), the community of faith she founded in Denver, Colorado—House for All Sinners and Saints—is a haven for a diverse community seeking affirmation and acceptance.

PHOTOS COURTESY SUN VALLE Y WELLNESS FESTIVAL

HEALING RACISM

“Healing is a doorway to wholeness, and we all need healing from racism,” says author Milagros Phillips. Phillips specializes in transforming relationships between people of different backgrounds and creating a safe space to engage in difficult conversations on race and racial conditioning. Her powerful approach leaves participants empowered, inspired and hopeful.

YOGA AND RECOVERY

Yoga movement has helped countless individuals find relief from their attachments to substances across the board: alcohol, drugs, pot, coffee, gambling, sex, caffeine, cigarettes, hoarding and beyond. Author Tommy Rosen has spent the last two decades immersed in yoga, recovery and wellness and teaches people how to embrace the wisdom of numerous modalities (from psychology to philosophy) to overcome vices.

PLANT MEDICINE: ANCIENT WISDOM, MODERN PRACTICES

Delve into the healing potential of altered states with panelists: Austin Perlmutter M.D., co-author of New York Times bestseller Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and

Tommy Rosen

Lasting Happiness; Shawn Wells, an expert in the fields of performance nutrition and longevity; Kole Whitty, co-founder of the Psychedelic Space Program; Kyle Kingsbury, retired UFC fighter and director of Human Optimization at Onnit; Pamela Hadfield, founder of HelloMD; and Colin Wells, founder of Veterans Walk and Talk, a veteran peer-support group.

COOK FOR YOUR LIFE: TEACHING HEALTHY EATING

Packing meals with a variety of colorful cancer-fighting fruits and veggies—peels and all—is the best way to add vitamins, minerals, fiber and important phytonutrients for keeping the immune system strong.

Speakers include: Corry Hart Clayville, media executive and director of partnerships for Cook for Your Life; bilingual presentation and cooking demonstration

by Liza Schattenkerk, founding member of Food.com; and Hispanic liaison Herbert Romeo, local activist committed to Hispanic initiatives and community programs.

Beyond the speakers, there will be live workshops, movement and meditation sessions, vendors, music, food and more.

Events will be split between the Argyros Performing Arts Center, the Limelight Hotel, the Sun Valley Culinary Institute, and Forest Service Park. For details, visit sunvalleywellness.org. ï

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BREAKTHROUGH TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

SVKetamine.com

SU N VA LLE Y MAG A Z I N E ’S

favorite finds …

As celebrated French designer Hubert de Givenchy famously stated, “Luxury is in each detail.” Enjoy the stylish accents and one-of-a-kind treasures gathered on these pages—all our favorite things found locally!

Coveting the perfect pair of Golden Goose sneakers to complement your look—Panache has a wide range of styles and colors.

Panache | 208.622.4228

Add pieces, layer, or mix it up with Erica Molinari double-sided keepsake charms in 14 karat gold, oxidized sterling silver or 18 karat gold.

Panache | 208.622.4228

Express your personal style with hand-beaded hat bands in an array of colors and designs.

Panache | 208.622.4228

Custom made hats from Crown & Brim, Jackson Hole, pair beautifully with hand-beaded hat bands.

Panache | 208.622.4228

Protect your peeps with stylish matte silver-tone titanium shield-shaped Wonder Boy sunglasses from Balmain Paris.

Armstrong-Root Opticians | 208.726.4250

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This Barry Peterson Original 18 karat white gold Idaho State Pendant features a 0.26CT ruby heart strategically placed where Ketchum, ID, is located.

The ruby is surrounded by 2.06ctw white diamonds.

Barry Peterson Jewelers 208.726.5202

These 14 karat white gold earrings feature handcuffs fashioned on each end of the earring, which acts as a traditional huggie linked together by one cable chain. Great for those with earlobes that have two piercings. Each handcuff is accented with white diamonds totaling .49ctw. Created by luvente.

Barry Peterson Jewelers | 208.726.5202

This 18 karat white gold pave diamond gun pendant is adjustable from 16-18″ and features diamonds at .10ctw. Perfect for any gun lover! Made by Lisa Nik. Barry Peterson Jewelers | 208.726.5202

This Black Leather Bolo Tie features handmade silver bullet tips and a sterling silver “Dark Side Of The Moon” Pendant featuring a hand-cut triangle of black obsidian. Created in-house at Barry Peterson Jewelers.

Barry Peterson Jewelers | 208.726.5202

Wrap yourself in luxury—this stunning and meticulously hand-embroidered cashmere scarf is one-of-a-kind.

Sister | 208.726.5160

A stylish and functional cowhide tote—and, oh so Idaho!

The Wildflower | 208.928.4700 SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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SU N VA LLE Y MAG A Z I N E ’S

lovely things …

Arrive with the perfect host or hostess gift ... or just add color, texture and style to your own closet, table, garden or home!

Our local boutiques and shops offer curated selections for every style and budget!

Colorful canvas bags from Rock Flower Paper make a perfect tote or flower display.

Sun Valley Garden Center | 208.788.3533 The perfect pair— On Running sneakers and MZ Wallace Downtwon Crosby Bag. Silver Creek Outfitters 208.726.5282 These Johnnie-O three-button polo shirts complete the classic “mountain casual” attire for any ocassion. And a pair of Dapper Classic socks make a great gift for your favorite fisherman.

Silver Creek Outfitters | 208.726.5282

Look like a local in a Silver Creek Outfitters ball cap!

Silver Creek Outfitters | 208.726.5282

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Beautiful floral-themed, printed table runners, a decorative potted plant, or a woven seagrass basket make the perfect hostess gift for any ocassion!

Sun Valley Garden Center | 208.788.3533

A cast iron hopping bunny makes a unique hostess gift or a beautiful table decoration.

Sun Valley Garden Center 208.788.3533

Bright, colorful and stylish, these indoor-outdoor pillows are handwoven of recycled materials—making plastic green and comfortable!

Sun Valley Garden Center 208.788.3533

Inoui Editions features fresh patterns and colors like this colorful canvas tote or elegant and chic silk scarf.

Silver Creek Outfitters 208.726.5282

Brighten up your day in a sunny and cozy, bandana sweatshirt from Not Shy. Silver Creek Outfitters | 208.726.5282 SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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SU N VA LLE Y MAG A Z I N E ’S

New this year, bucket hats from Silver Creek Outfitters offer sun protection and pack down easily for transport.

Silver Creek Outfitters | 208.726.5282

gearing up …

Whether headed out on the trail, pedaling single track, or paddling the lakes or rivers of Idaho, you want gear that keeps you at the top of your game. Browse this round-up of the best gear, curated by the experts at our local outfitting stores, and be prepared for your next adventure!

Hands-free hydration packs from CamelBak are a must in our high alpine desert.

Backwoods Mountain Sports 208.726.8818

Tough and functional, the Mendenhall Duffel from Parajumpers has a separate wet stash zippered pocket and is the perfect weekender bag.

Silver Creek Outfitters | 208.726.5282

Dream big and pack small with Jet Boil’s Stash Cooking System—their lightest and most compact stove system ever!

Backwoods Mountain Sports 208.726.8818

Waterproof quick reference guides make bird and wildlife i.d. a snap when out on the trail.

Sun Valley Garden Center | 208.788.3533

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sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

The Kokatat HustleR is the go-to vest for whitewater paddling—low profile, with a quick-release chest harness, and all the safety features veteran paddlers and guides demand.

Backwoods Mountain Sports 208.726.8818

Colorful and ultra light day hiking packs from Deuter are packed with features—front and side pockets for stashing supplies and their Aircomfort back system for maximum ventilation and comfort.

Backwoods Mountain Sports 208.726.8818

Manufactured here in the USA, Aqua-Bound paddles are some of the most durable and lightweight available today—grab yours and explore the lakes and rivers of Idaho!

Backwoods Mountain Sports 208.726.8818

Add personal style to your bike with colorful grips from Diety—featuring functional details like TRC rubber blend for remarkable grip and durability, and ergo design to eliminate hots spots on long rides!

Backwoods Mountain Sports 208.726.8818

The Yeti Hopper M30 Soft Cooler is a carry-the-day, tough-as-nails workhorse that now comes in a range of fun colors—king crab orange, aquifer blue, navy and charcoal.

And the top magnetic closure with quick-release buckles is a technological wonder.

Backwoods Mountain Sports | 208.726.8818

SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

59

etoutthere

Paddle On! Day trips that will float your boat

N

othing says summer quite like floating down a river. And when the weather is hot and the days are long, the best way to get out there is to go with the flow and sink into “river time.”

There are no shortages of destination day trips around the Wood River Valley. From the Salmon River outside of Stanley, to the Snake River near Hagerman, to the Payette River north of Boise, options are extensive.

There is a range from relaxing floats to action-packed whitewater and everything in between.

Lila Fenn and her siblings Sam and Benjamin have become accustomed to summers on the river. Daughter of Nancy and Doug Fenn, owners of White Otter Outdoor Adventures, 18-year-old Lila describes, “The river is our happy place. You feel totally free in the water, and it’s always a place of play for us.” When asked why he enjoys the river, Lila’s younger brother Benjamin summed it up pretty well: “Duh, it’s just fun.”

Rivers are rated on a scale of Class I to Class V, with Class I being a flat current and Class V being highly risky with any combination of violent holes, waves and drops. On easier sections, many enjoy tubing and standup paddleboarding, and on all sections, you can pick your relaxation or adrenaline fix in a raft or inflatable or hardshell kayak.

Standup paddleboarding (SUP-ing) below the Perrine Bridge near Centennial Park (top) in Twin Falls, and beneath Shoshone Falls (right)

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PHOTOS COURTESY IDAHO TOURISM

BY KIRA TENNEY

COURTESY WHITE OT TER OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

SALMON RIVER

Many different outfitters operate guided trips on the “day stretch” of the Salmon and on the weeklong “Main Salmon” stretch or remote Middle Fork of the Salmon River wilderness.

The day stretch is about 10 miles of Class II and Class III whitewater, popular for family rafting trips.

Rivers throughout the region are rich in history. The Salmon River, also known as the “River of No Return,” is one of the largest rivers in the United States that flows unobstructed by dams on its course from the headwaters near Galena Summit to the confluence with the Snake River over 400 miles downstream. The Salmon River got its daunting nickname from early pioneers in the area trying their luck for gold mining.

While they were able to navigate downstream on large sweep boats, they could find no easy way back up—thus, the “River of No Return” nomiker. Before being forced out by settlers, the Nez Perce tribe called the Salmon River, or “Tamánma,” home, and relied heavily on the abundant salmon runs that once flooded the river annually in the time before the dams were constructed on the Snake and Columbia rivers.

SNAKE RIVER

For those looking for some good, relaxed paddling, the Hagerman stretch of the Snake River outside of Twin Falls offers a scenic paradise. At Backwoods Mountain Sports in Ketchum, you can rent SUPs and inflatable kayaks to paddle around Ritter Island or down Billingsley Creek at Thousand Springs State Park. A second section provides a fantastic summer cool-off option on the Snake, which is to paddle from Centennial Park upstream to Pillar Falls, a two-mile journey that takes about three hours round trip.

If you reach Pillar Falls and are up for an extra adventure, you can continue heading another 1.5 miles upstream to the iconic Shoshone Falls. At 212 feet, the falls are considered the “Niagara of the West.” They offer the perfect backdrop to stop, enjoy a welldeserved snack and snap some photos before making the four-mile trek back downstream.

Please keep in mind that, while spectacular, you should view this geological wonder from a safe distance due to the turbulence of the water and the strong hydraulics beneath the falls. If you are on a paddleboard, the currents from the river and crashing falls get more intense, so kneel or sit down as necessary.

Day stretch of the Salmon River

BIG WOOD RIVER

Annie DeAngelo, a budding pioneer of standup paddleboarding adventures in Idaho, says, “Getting into SUP-ing is so fun. It’s perfect for our area because every class of water gets bumped up a class or two when you are on a SUP.” In the Wood River Valley, standup paddleboarding in the Hulen Meadows pond is a great place to start. Annie, an adrenaline seeker, can often be found on micro-stretches of the Big Wood River. Make sure you “know before you go.” The Big Wood, or “B Dub” as it is known to the locals, usually holds true to its name and is riddled with wood accumulation throughout and after spring runoff, which can be dangerous to paddlers.

Wood is one of the many hazards to be cautious of when navigating rivers. Logs and other obstructions that may let water, but not a swimmer, through, are known as “strainers’’ and should be avoided. River recreators also stay cautious of foot entrapment by avoiding standing up in river current unless the water is below your knees. Knowing how to “read” water and pick out holes, waves, eddies and safe lines of navigation through rapids is crucial. If you are new to rivers, taking a Swiftwater Rescue Course is highly recommended to familiarize yourself with the basics of river safety.

MORE OPTIONS

The list is endless for floats to enjoy and safely explore this summer. Boise River from Barber Park and Ann Morrison Park is a popular stretch for tubers, and the lakes north of Galena Summit also offer a pleasant cruise

on a hot July day. Remember to always be courteous and respectful of fishermen or other boaters or tubers. Getting out on the water anywhere this summer is a great way to plug into the innate joy of being together. Doug Fenn, Lila’s dad, noted, “The river keeps our community together. What the river gives us is this opportunity to connect no matter what.

That’s the power of the river.” ï

GEAR CHECKLIST Before you head out on your next paddling adventure, make sure you pack the following:

 LIFE VEST  FIRST-AID KIT  WATER BOTTLE  SUNGLASSES  HAT  SUNSCREEN  WATERPROOF CASE FOR PHONE  DRY BAG  WATER SHOES/SANDALS  SWIMSUIT  RAIN JACKET  TOWEL  DRY CLOTHES IN VEHICLE  MAPPING APP  WEATHER APP

SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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getoutthere // pickleball

Pickleball volleys its way into the Valley

BY REID ARTHUR

Director of Racquets and Fitness at The Valley Club

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I

n a world where sports have been dominated by familiar terms such as “touchdown” and “buzzer-beaters,” one sport has taken the nation by storm, and the jargon is anything but recognizable to the mainstream sporting world.

If you go by a park these days, you are more apt to hear players congratulating each other for a successful “dink” or “third shot drop” rather than a powerful ace on a nearby tennis court. Simply put, pickleball is more accessible, and just more fun, for most people than other racquet sports.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not inferring that pickleball is the better sport. In fact, I would argue that tennis is the better

game when played at the highest level. The reality is, most people will never get anywhere near that enjoyment without dedicating enormous amounts of practice time and resources towards improvement, something many may not have the ability to do.

The unexpected growth of pickleball over the past decade has been nearly as perplexing as the scoring system. When, and how, did this—if you will—0-0 start?

The slow decline in the popularity of tennis from the peak of the sport in the 1980s may Above: Pickleball courts are almost half the size of tennis courts, seen here (bottom, right) at The Valley Club in Hailey. Opposite page: Players at The Valley Club

COURTS: COURTESY THE VALLE Y CLUB

What’s All the Racquet?

PL AYERS: COURTESY THE VALLE Y CLUB / RAY J. GADD

have created the foundation for pickleball’s growth. Sprawling tennis complexes built decades ago are now being retrofitted into pickleball courts, much to the displeasure of tennis purists. While some tennis players were slow to adapt, many who begrudgingly tried pickleball have fallen in love with the game.

Others are not quite sold that both sports can coexist harmoniously.

“Of course, both sports can coexist, and I think we are starting to see more tennis players who were skeptical of pickleball invading their space now understanding that it is a game that is fun to play and very social,” said Fred Hartzman, current Head Pickleball Professional at The Valley Club in Hailey, Idaho. “There is no reason why players can’t switch between all racquet sports.”

It is probably worth listening to Hartzman, who recently moved to the Sun Valley region from Indian Wells, California, where he directed the largest pickleball tournament in the world over the past several years. During his tenure as the Director of Racquets at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, he watched the event he helped create, known to all enthusiasts simply as “The Nationals,”

“

The serve in pickleball is not a weapon, which equals the playing field for players of all levels.

The game is easy to play, but hard to master.

Because of that, the rallies are long, frequent and dynamic.”

— FRED HART ZMAN, HE AD PICKLEBALL PROFESSIONAL AT THE VALLE Y CLUB

grow exponentially from season to season, with thousands of pickleball players and coaches converging from around the world to what is now becoming one of the most notable spectacles in racquet sports.

Hartzman started avidly playing pickleball five years ago and now enjoys coaching

and playing tennis, as well as pickleball and platform tennis, and finds that the variety of playing the different sports makes him better at all three.

So why has pickleball taken off so much over the last decade when it has been around for over 50 years?

One potential clue might be to look at a major barrier that keeps people from playing tennis socially: the tennis serve. Serving is difficult, and the spotlight is on you, and you solely, for an entire game of back-and-forth points; whereas in pickleball, the serve is constantly rotating between players.

Anyone who has been in a slow tennis match knows the pain of playing with a player who cannot get their serve in, or on the other end of the spectrum, the anguish of playing against someone who has such a dominant serve that the points don’t even get started to begin with.

Conversely, pickleball gives players the chance to hit serves underhanded into a target only 22 feet away from them, 17 feet shorter than a tennis serve. Similarly, the return of serve is significantly easier than it is in tennis, and due to the rules, you do not have to worry

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63

getoutthere // pickleball

PICKLEBALL COURT Net height=36” (34” at center)

Non-volley line Sideline

line

20 10 f ft. t.

Ba se

about a net player poaching your return of serve.

This means that in an average pickleball game, the point is starting almost every single time; therefore, players spend more time rallying, playing points and enjoying getting exercise while socializing.

“The serve in pickleball is not a weapon, which equals the playing field for players of all levels,” said Hartzman. “The game is easy to play but hard to master. Because of that, the rallies are long, frequent and dynamic.”

This is a common theme you hear when people talk about pickleball. Experienced players can wear down more athletic adversaries by mastering the “soft” game, while those with little experience can still compete at any age.

So why do some tennis players get offended that so many people around the country are falling in love with the “platypus” of the racquet sport world that includes elements of badminton, tennis and ping-pong?

For one, pickleball courts began to take over dedicated tennis courts, which got things off to a bad start as the sport began to surge. Admittedly, as a former college tennis

Non-volley zone (kitchen)

Centerline

15 ft.

Right service area Left service area

7 ft.

44 ft.

player myself, I strongly disliked seeing my favorite sport losing ground—literally. And, as tennis players tried to blow out the flame of pickleball by not adapting to change, they saw court after court get converted around the country.

More and more complexes in Blaine County are adding dedicated and multi-lined courts, and I see players going between both sports constantly, sometimes even in the same day.

So to those who are slow to adapt or think that the game is not for them, it might be worth trying. Tennis players, please embrace the pickleball community with open

arms. In reality, they are directly responsible for significant investments in our parks and rec facilities, and the sooner we can all get along, the better it will be for all racquet sports.

Here in the Wood River Valley, I have watched our racquet community adopt pickleball with open arms, which is uniquely 5B and perhaps a reflection of the deep tradition of athletes who cross-train in our community. Personally, I feel extremely fortunate to have yet another fun racquet sport to play and share with our community —but don’t even get me started about badminton and ping-pong! ï

PICKLEBALL LINGO

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Whether you’re scoring aces or getting pickled, playing pickleball is guaranteed to be a good time. Here is a glossary of common pickleball terms to help you talk the talk:

KITCHEN This seven-foot section of court

ACE A serve that is so epic, the opponent cannot return it, and a point is won.

all the other players know they are about to serve.

DILLBALL A shot that is inbounds and has

PICKLED When a team scores zero points

bounced once: a live ball.

in a whole game, you’ve been pickled.

DINK SHOT A soft shot that falls into

PICKLER A pickleball addict. Can’t stop

your competitor’s kitchen. (Find out what the kitchen is below.)

talking about the sport? Are you dreaming of pickleball? You’re probably a pickler.

FALAFEL A shot that falls short due to

POACH When you cross over into your

hitting the pickleball ball without any power.

Also known as a “dead paddle.”

partner’s side of the court to hit a shot.

FLABJACK A shot that must bounce once

head. Also known as an overhead shot.

before it can be hit. This occurs during the first two shots of any point. (After the third shot, no bounce is necessary).

VOLLEY LLAMA An illegal move, or fault,

sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

is on either side of the net, and players are not allowed to volley the ball in this zone.

PICKLE! A server shouts “Pickle!” to let

SMASH A shot that is hit above the hitter’s

where a player hits a shot in the kitchen.

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getoutthere // calendar

2021 SUMMER EVENTS After a hiatus last year, many of the Valley’s beloved events will be back in full swing this summer. From art to sports and everything in between, there’s something for everyone in Sun Valley.

Ballet Sun Valley

KETCHUM FARMERS’ MARKET

July 2-6, 2021

Every Tuesday, Valley vendors offer seasonally available and locally grown and raised fruits, vegetables, eggs, sheep, goat, and cow cheeses, organic cuts of beef, chicken and lamb, fresh herbs, plant starts for your garden, and prepared foods. This year the market is being held at the base of River Run, Bald Mountain.

Tues., 2 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. wrfarmersmarket.org.

June 12 – Sept. 25, 2021

HAILEY FARMERS’ MARKET Every Saturday, vendors offer a great variety of fresh produce, prepared foods and crafts.

Producers offer fruits, vegetables and flowers seasonally available, honey, cheese, eggs, meats, baked goods, artisan breads, and other desserts.

This year, the market will be held at Roberta McKercher Park (Main Street & 3rd Ave.), Hailey.

Sat., 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. wrfarmersmarket.org.

HAILEY DAYS OF THE OLD WEST The Hailey Days of the Old West celebration offers up a fun and unique parade with colorful entries, plenty of horses and a Road Apple Roulette, antique market, pancake breakfast, live music and a spectacular fireworks display. There is plenty to do and authentic entertainment for all ages throughout the Wood River Valley during this holiday celebration. haileyidaho.com

July 3 – Sept. 4, 2021

SUN VALLEY ON ICE

June 22 – Aug. 31, 2021

The Sun Valley Resort brings world-champion and Olympic-medalist ice skaters to the Sun Valley Ice Rink every Saturday night from July 3rd until Labor Day weekend. Sun Valley on Ice delivers an exciting season of new stars, impressive athletic routines and fresh sounds. visitsunvalley.com/to-do/sun-valley-ice-shows

KETCH’EM ALIVE

July 9-11, 2021 and Aug. 22-23, 2021

The local’s favorite concert series, “Ketch’em Alive,” is every Tuesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at Forest Service Park in downtown Ketchum.

There will be dancing, music, and a fun-filled community party. Picnics are encouraged; food and drink will be sold in the park as well.

BALLET SUN VALLEY Ballet Sun Valley will bring dancers from multiple prestigious U.S. companies to the Sun Valley Pavilion for two distinct and widely anticipated festivals. balletsunvalley.com

June 25-28, 2021

July 9-11, 2021

SUN VALLEY WELLNESS FESTIVAL

KETCHUM ARTS FESTIVAL

This event has become a beloved annual community tradition that attracts attendees from around the world. This year’s speakers include Dr. Vin Gupta, James Nestor, Dr. Matthew Walker, Nadia Boltz-Weber, and Tommy Rosen, among others. sunvalleywellness.org

The Ketchum Arts Festival brings together over 100 artists from Idaho to display their wares at the lovely Festival Meadows along Sun Valley Road. The three-day event offers a wide variety of arts and crafts styles, food, music, and a children’s activity tent. ketchumartsfestival.com

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Hailey Farmers’ Market

July 11, 2021

YOGA ON THE MOUNTAIN Get your zen on at 9,150 feet during our mountaintop gentle flow yoga classes at Lookout Lodge on Bald Mountain. From 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., bring your mat and practice mindfulness. All levels welcome. sunvalley.com/things-to-do

July 17-20, 2021

SUN VALLEY WRITERS’ CONFERENCE This four-day literary event offers keynote speakers, intimate breakout sessions, and plenty of relaxed gathering time to share ideas and experiences. Expected to attend this year are Isabel Allende, Noah Feldman, John Lithgow, Delia Owens, and Tobias Wolff, among others. svwc.com

July 21-23, 2021

SUN VALLEY WINE AUCTION With its Annual Wine Auction, the Sun Valley Museum of Art celebrates wine while raising money to support the arts and arts education.

The three-day event includes the Vintner Dinners, the Wine Auction Gala, and the very popular Vine and Dine lawn party. Some of the best wines in the world will be available at auction. This year marks the auction’s 40th anniversary. sunvalleywineauction.org

BALLET DANCERS: COURTESY BALLET SUN VALLE Y / ANGEL A STERLING

June 8 – Sept. 28, 2021

Sawtooth Valley Gathering

July 25 – Aug. 19, 2021 Sun Valley Tour de Force

July 22-24, 2021

CONCERT: COURTESY SAW TOOTH VALLE Y GATHERING / JARRED MEDIA

SUN VALLEY TOUR DE FORCE The Sun Valley Tour de Force features some of the world’s fastest cars and drivers as they attempt to reach speeds of 200 mph or higher on Phantom Hill, north of Ketchum. Additional events include the scenic Huckleberry Drive, a hosted lunch and technical inspection, the Tour de Force car show in downtown Ketchum, and the Cars and Comedy fundraiser. sunvalleytourdeforce.com

July 24, 2021

SBG GARDEN TOUR The Sawtooth Botanical Garden will host its 26th Annual Garden Tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The tour will include private gardens located in Old Hailey. sbgarden.org

July 24, 2021

STANDHOPE ULTRA CHALLENGE This ultra race challenges runners to 30 or 60 kilometers in the Pioneer Mountains outside Sun Valley. Runners reach 11,000 feet and pass alongside Goat Lake, the highest lake in Idaho. This year’s goal is to raise $3,000 for the ARPKD/CHF Alliance. standhopeultrachallenge.com

July 24, 2021

GALENA GRINDER Join this sometimes grueling but always-fun mountain bike race held at Galena Lodge.

Expect a lot of flow and single-track trails, with some stout climbing and great views. There is a marathon event, as well as a cross-country race. galenagrinder.athlete360.com

SUN VALLEY SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL The Sun Valley Summer Music Festival provides world-class symphonic music in the stunning Sun Valley Pavilion and adjoining lawns. This year’s series is titled a “Season to Celebrate.” svmusicfestival.org

Aug. 5-8, 2021

SAWTOOTH VALLEY GATHERING The 6th annual Sawtooth Valley Gathering will feature 40+ live performances from national, regional, and local acts at Sawtooth Valley Pioneer Park in Stanley. Live music will also be produced at Mountain Village Resort’s Velvet Falls Dance Hall. Come enjoy music, food and drink, arts and craft vendors, workshops, and more. sawtoothvalleygathering.com

Aug. 13-15, 2021

SUN VALLEY ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL The Sun Valley Arts & Crafts Festival draws top artists from around the country for three days of open-air exhibitions.

In addition to the art, there will be food, music, and artist demonstrations. sunvalleyartsandcraftsfestival.com

Aug. 18-21, 2021

Gear Clothing Cl and rentals for living life outdoors

KILLEBREW-THOMPSON MEMORIAL For four decades, the Killebrew-Thompson Memorial has gathered hundreds of likeminded individuals, including celebrities, members of Congress, professional athletes, corporate sponsors, and participants with one goal in mind: find a cure for cancer.

Participants enjoy a two-day golf tournament, an auction gala dinner, and a benefit concert. killebrewthompsonmemorial.com SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

backwoodsmountainsports.com (208)726-8818 Rental Reservations https://backwoods.rentals 67

T uscany on Tenth

getoutthere // calendar

A FUNDRAISER BENEFITING

Boulder Mountain Clayworks

Aug. 21-22, 2021

WOOD RIVER VALLEY STUDIO TOUR The 9th annual studio tour celebrates art and artists at work with tours of local studios, lectures, and workshops. The event is free of charge. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. wrvstudiotour.org

Aug. 22, 2021

FORKS ‘N SPURS – A WESTERN CULINARY FESTIVAL Join us for a gourmet BBQ prepared by local chefs and Sun Valley Culinary Institute staff.

Pie-baking competition, silent auction, live music, line dancing, equine events, local vendors and more. Taking place at River Sage Studios in Bellevue. sunvalleyculinary.org

Aug. 27-28, 2021

SUMMER’S END – THE DRAPER RENDEZVOUS The 2nd annual Summer’s End ~ The Draper Rendezvous will take place at the majestic Lions Park and Draper Preserve in Hailey.

Two days of national, regional, and local musical acts plus food and art vendors. summersenddraperrendezvous.com

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 6:00 to 9:00pm Join us at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden 11 Gimlet Road, Ketchum, ID 83340

Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at bouldermtnclay.org or by calling 208. 726.4484.

Please RSVP by July 20th.

Included, complimentary wine cups, beverages & great food from Ketchum Grill Pizza Truck. There will be Raffle Prizes, a Silent Auction: Studio Potters’ incredible creations, and a Live Auction: Studio Potters’ Alice in Wonderland Totem, and Tea Set.

Sept. 2-5, 2021

REBECCA’S PRIVATE IDAHO Started by professional athlete Rebecca Rusch to connect people, ride with purpose, and celebrate beautiful places, Rebecca’s Private Idaho is one of the world’s largest gravel cycling races. From the smashing climbs for experienced riders in the four-day Queen’s Stage Race to the introduction to gravel riding in the Tater Tot 20 miler, RPI Sun Valley has something for every level. rebeccasprivateidaho.com

Wagon Days parade

Sept. 17-18, 2021

OKTOBERFEST Get your German on at Sawtooth Brewery’s 9th annual Ketchum Oktoberfest. Held in Sun Valley’s Festival Meadows and featuring beer garden games, beer Olympics, live music and great food, and more. ketchumoktoberfest.com

Sept. 19, 2021

SUN VALLEY MARATHON Course starts at the YMCA, heads south on the bike path, turns left into Elkhorn, climbs over Elkhorn and back down to Sun Valley Road.

Then it takes a right turn onto the bike path toward Trail Creek and does an out-and-back before heading back into Ketchum and finishing at Town Square. woodriverymca.org

Oct. 6-10, 2021

TRAILING OF THE SHEEP FESTIVAL The Trailing of the Sheep Festival preserves the stories and colorful history of sheep ranchers and herders. Come celebrate all aspects of these rich cultures, including sheepdog trials, sheep shearing demonstrations, a crafts fair, and culinary events. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the festival. trailingofthesheep.org

Oct. 13-17, 2021

WAGON DAYS

SUN VALLEY JAZZ AND MUSIC FESTIVAL

Considered by many to be the biggest nonmotorized parade in the country, the Wagon Days parade and celebration in Ketchum honors the culture and lifestyle in the Wood River Valley before the advent of automobiles and railroads.

Enjoy the parade, boutiques, arts and crafts, and a pancake breakfast. wagondays.net

There are few places in the world where jazz lovers would rather be than Sun Valley in October. Each year 40 bands and over 200 musicians descend on the Valley for five days of nonstop jazz. With venues all over town, the event draws music fans from all over the country. sunvalleyjazz.com

Sept. 2-6, 2021

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LEF T TO RIGHT: COURTESY THE ARGYROS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER / KEVIN SYMS, COURTESY IDAHO CONSERVATION LE AGUE, COURTESY ST. LUKE' S WOOD RIVER FOUNDATION

getoutthere // philanthropy today

PROMOTING THE WELFARE OF OTHERS Even during challenging times—or especially during tough times—Idahoans step up in service to others. Idaho ranks 5th in the nation for volunteer spirit, with 34% of Idahoans volunteering their time for a cause. So whether a longtime local or new to the Gem State, here is a sampling of a handful of the over 75 nonprofits operating in the Wood River Valley.

inspire social change, and nurture community development. Flourish Foundation works to inspire systematic change through the cultivations of healthy habits of mind that promote personal well-being, benevolent social action , and environmental stewardship through year-round youth and adult programming. flourishfoundation.org.

GIRLS ON THE RUN The mission of Girls on the Run of Souther Idaho is to inspire girls to be healthy, joyful and confident by using a fun experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running. gotrsouthernidaho.org HIGHER GROUND Since 1999, Higher Ground has been using recreation therapy to help people with all types of physical and cognitive disabilities to achieve a higher quality of life. With recreation, therapy, and continuing support, they bridge the gap between disability and belonging. highergroundusa.org

Newly built, Argyros Performing Arts Center.

THE ARGYROS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER This brand new, high-tech performance and event facility is designed to inspire and enrich artists, residents and visitors from around the world. From music and dance to live theater and film, speakers and educational workshops, The Argyros offers a diverse selection of multidisciplinary top-quality performances for the community. theargyros.com BALLET SUN VALLEY Ballet Sun Valley's mission is to bring the world's most renowned ballet companies and dancers to Sun Valley. They also support dance students and adaptive dance students through education programs featuring professional instructors from internationally recognized ballet schools. balletsunvalley.com CAMP RAINBOW GOLD An independent, nonprofit organization serving Idaho's children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Camp Rainbow Gold offers youth and teen oncology camps, a sibling camp, family retreats, family events, college scholarships, and a year-round teen support group, entirely free of charge to all children and families. camprainbowgold.org FLOURISH FOUNDATION A values-driven organization fueled by the passion to ignite personal transformation,

THE PEREGRINE FUND Celebrating 50 years, the mission of The Peregrine Fund is to conserve birds of prey worldwide, ensuring the raptor populations and their ecosystems thrive and that human communities are enriched by their work and raptors are valued by all humans. peregrinefund.org

IDAHO BASECAMP Idaho BaseCamp is a leading resource for outdoor adventure education, committed to cultivating leaders, individual and community development, and serving the environment. idahobasecamp.org

Volunteers with the Idaho Conservation League providing wilderness stewardship.

IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE The ICL's goal is to create an informed and engaged conservation community in Idaho. By building a robust conservation community, ICL works to protect the air you breath, the water you drink and the land you love, ensuring adequate protections for healthy families and Idaho's unique way of life. idahoconservation.org NAMI NAMI works to break down the barriers of stigma relating to mental health conditions.

NAMI empowers individuals and their families living with a mental health challenge to learn about recovery, based on a peer-led model. nami-wrv.org

St. Luke's, helping those in need through donations.

ST. LUKE'S WOOD RIVER FOUNDATION The mission of St. Luke's Wood River Foundation is to accelerate the advancement of innovative programs and services that fundamentally improve healthcare experiences in our community. slwrf.org SUN VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL The Sun Valley Music Festival's goal is to instill a lifelong love of music in our community through exceptional, free classical music concerts and education programs. They bring the joy admission-free, live classical music into the lives of thousands of residents and visitors and serve students through their summer programs and year-round programs in conjunction with the Blaine County School District. svmusicfestival.org SUN VALLEY INSTITUTE Sun Valley Institute, a Center for Resilience, acts as a catalyst for lasting quality of place by advancing economic, ecological, and social resilience, pioneering transformative solutions, driving awareness and convening leaders and innovators for global and local impact. sunvalleyinstitute.org SWIFTSURE RANCH Swiftsure Ranch Therapeutic Equestrian Center's mission is to encourage the physical, cognitive , and emotional well-being of adults and children with disabilities through equine-assisted activities and therapies. swiftsureranch.org THE HUNGER COALITION The Hunger Coalition builds a healthy community through access to good food and addresses the root causes of food insecurity in collaboration with key partners. thehungercoalition.org SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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WILLIAMS & HEMINGWAY: PURSUIT OF A LONG HAPPY LIFE “Mariel, Bobby…how long are you two going to live?”

“Forever!” says Bobby. “Excuse me!” I retort.

“That’s right. We are on a trajectory to either live forever or live dynamically until the end…whenever that is,” they both chime in.

T

he passion and dedication Mariel Hemingway and Bobby Williams devote toward their health and wellness is beyond belief.

From sunup to sundown, they continually focus on what makes them the best that they can be—physically, mentally and emotionally.

Just one small example of that dedication is their morning routine.

Before their feet hit the floor, a 10-minute stretching/breathing routine is conducted. Every part of their bodies is gradually awakened, stretched and warmed up. Then, they meditate to clear their minds for the day and center their souls.

After meditation, Bobby mixes a special water concoction that involves drinking a quart of oxygenated water mixed with vitalizer plus a dash of pure salt, 10 grams of perfect amino acids and a splash of cod liver oil.

Next comes 90 minutes of exercise, considered play for the two of them—either brisk hiking, cycling or rock climbing, yoga, paddle surfing or training on a playground they created at home. Their outdoor gym consists of a trampoline, rope ladders, archery range, large tires, Kettlebells, a Schwinn Airdyne bike, a SkiErg Rower, gymnastics equipment, a climbing wall and a tumbling mat.

The pair also set aside an hour in the afternoon for more movement— yoga for Mariel and grappling and MMA against local fighters for Bobby.

This active lifestyle requires a diet up to the task. On the go, they make their own green drinks and smoothies, but on most days, the breakfast menu is best described as BIG: coconut cream yogurt, various organic fruits and berries, eggs, chicken apple sausages or smoked salmon.

For special breakfasts, Mariel’s famous probiotic waffles— gluten-free, protein-rich and Paleo—draw rave reviews from all of their visitors.

Lunch generally consists of salmon salad or rare-to-raw buffalo meat, green beans, probiotic shakes and more fruit. For dinner, a wide array of menu options is considered including baked chicken, sweet potatoes and “lots and lots of salads.”

The philosophy of an active, fulfilled life for Mariel and Bobby involves recognizing and interacting with what they call the “Seven Doctors of Existence”—Doctor Sun, Doctor Air, Doctor Water, Doctor Earth, Doctor Exercise, Doctor Nutrition and Doctor Rest.

Mariel and Bobby also utilize the latest advancements in technology in their quest for vibrant living. These include frequency therapy (lighting sound vibration magnets), infrared saunas, ice baths, hypobaric chambers, 70

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hyperbaric chambers, cryotherapy, deep tissue massage, acupuncture, Bee Beds, sensory deprivation float tanks and river and ocean plunges.

Where did this extreme obsession toward wellness come from? For Mariel, the examples of body abuse go back to her great-grandfather and then to grandfather Papa Hemingway. The latter’s tales of drinking and excess are legendary. For Bobby, the examples are a history of athletic achievement. His grandfather, a football player and wrestler, boxed with Joe Louis and Billy Conn in the ring, and his father built and raced cars and motorcycles on the East Coast in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. Bobby has continued that strive for excellence in his profession, first as a U.S. Olympic Trials wrestler and then during his years as a stuntman in a score of Hollywood films and TV commercials.

Mariel and Bobby have been channeling their obsession and passion for healthy living into their new health and wellness brand, Williams & Hemingway, the mission of which is to help people of all ages to live long, happy and healthy lives.

For the last seven years, Mariel and Bobby have been working with the Mayo Clinic in the development of the Stratosphere ATC Chamber.

The Stratosphere has the ability to take clients above the elevation of Mt. Everest in a matter of minutes and then “bring them back to earth.”

Dr. Bruce Johnson of the Mayo Clinic has conducted expansive studies at Mt. Everest and Kilimanjaro in the benefits of elevation in regenerative health from cardio and pulmonary studies and stem cell and immune function. The research has looked closely at the Sherpas in Nepal as clear examples of what living and training at altitude does for restoring health and creating wellness.

Now that the research has neared completion, the first Stratosphere is in operation at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. And the list of interested parties having access to a Stratosphere Chamber is very impressive, from Naval and Air Force pilots to professional athletes.

Mariel and Bobby have a much wider focus, however. Due to the many health benefits of the Stratosphere, they are interested in bringing this technology to the general public, most notably to the Wood River Valley, in the near future.

Mariel and Bobby have adopted vibrant habits that place the highest value on wellness, positivity, thankfulness and fun. With these attributes, the chances of a long life are practically guaranteed. ï

MARK SQUIRES

BY JAKE MOE

SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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BENJI HILL Hunter and survival guide finds freedom in letting go

BY KITT DOUCETTE

COURTESY BENJI HILL

O

n November 29th, 2003, an unknown powerlifter from Sun Valley, Idaho, named Benji Hill, walked into the Weightlifting World Championships in Calgary, Alberta.

It was his golden birthday, and from the moment he woke up that morning, things felt right. For one, he wasn’t nervous at all.

His body felt good. Strong and confident, he was totally at peace.

Nobody expected him to even make it to the world championships.

He had nothing to prove. There was no pressure. “It was just me versus me,” Hill says, “and that’s exactly the way I like it.”

Picking up the morning newspaper, he checked his horoscope.

“All the stars are aligned in your favor,” it told him. “Today, you can do no wrong.” He believed it, and on weightlifting’s biggest stage, he absolutely sent it—winning the competition, stunning his competitors, and becoming a world champion in the 225-pound weight class. “I hit every lift I tried,” he says, still shaking his head in a certain amount of wonder about how it all went down that fateful day. “I also set my personal records for deadlift—705 lbs.; squat— 766 lbs.; and bench—501 lbs., on the same day.” For those who know, this type of performance is damn near impossible. Especially for a “scrawny kid from Idaho who played soccer in high school and everyone told didn’t have the right body type and wasn’t built for powerlifting,” says Hill with a laugh.

After his legendary victory, Hill walked away from weight lifting competition. “That was my last day competing,” he says. “I was tired of all the training and eating and gym time. I wanted to get back to my roots and my love of the outdoors.”

While he might have stopped competing, Hill never stopped learning and pushing himself in every aspect of life. “I’m not comfortable with being comfortable,” he says matter-of-factly. Over the next 15 years, Hill worked as a ski coach and various other part-time jobs as he established himself as one of the premiere personal trainers in the Sun Valley area and beyond. He also started spending a lot of time exploring the mountains and wilderness areas surrounding his hometown. “The more I worked with people in the gym and spent time in the wilderness,” Hill explains, “the more I became interested in the idea of minimalism. Society on a whole is so focused on maximalism, and I want to be the opposite. There’s so much freedom involved in letting useless stuff go.”

Benji being Benji, he’s taken this minimalist philosophy and pushed it to the limit. “With every layer of complication I eliminate from my life, the happier I get,” he says with a smile. “It’s an ongoing challenge that I practice every day, and I’m so much mellower and happier because of it.”

The practice of minimalism influences everything he does. He trains outside at his farm without any machines. Instead, he uses homemade and natural equipment like logs, rocks, sandbags and sledgehammers. “It’s all about function,” he says about his training regimen, “boosting confidence and getting stronger.”

He became a survivalist, studying the ancient techniques of building shelters and creating fire. He hunts with bows and arrows he makes himself, and he uses pack goats to help him explore those deep untouched wilderness areas that he’s most interested in.

“Goats are minimalist pack animals,” explains Hill. “They eat weeds and bark and other stuff nothing else eats. They barely drink any water, especially compared to horses or pack mules, and most importantly, they don’t need trails, because where I like to go, there are no trails.”

Never one to seek the spotlight, Hill has little interest in public recognition. He gets more than a little uncomfortable when asked why so many people want to hunt with him, train with him, send their kids to camp with him and go into the backcountry with him. “I’m not really sure why,” he says with a nervous chuckle. “I think people romanticize it all a bit, but I have learned a lot through the different paths that I’ve taken. I’ve tried and tested and lived through a lot, and I never recommend anything that I haven’t tried or done myself…so I guess I do have a few things that I’ve learned along the way and can share with others.”

Besides, pushing himself beyond his comfort zone is one of the things that makes Hill feel most alive. So that’s why he finds himself saying yes to things like interviews and podcasts, magazine profiles and video shorts about him. For no other reason than they make him uncomfortable, and he likes that.

Hill shared one piece of advice that he wanted to make sure people take away from any interview with him. “It’s an old idea,” Hill says, “but I think it’s the most important thing we can teach our kids and keep one another accountable about,” he pauses for a beat before continuing. “Take less than you give,” he says, and his bright blue eyes shine with intensity. “We can all do this in so many different ways, not just with money or resources, but with our time, knowledge and understanding. We can do so much with so little.”

Hill credits his family, wife Erin, daughter Zoe Hawk, parents Jim and Margie, sister Darcie and brother Aaron for “making me earn who I am today.” And he’s also thankful to his friend Clay Hayes, “for laughing at my inability to change, which eventually helped me change.” ï

SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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STACIA MORFIN Nez Perce heritage brings entrepreneur from prison to prosperity

D

uring her darkest days, the undulating melodic quality of her grandfather’s songs were what inspired Stacia Morfin the most.

Morfin, whose Indian name is One Who Takes Care of Water, was serving a three-year stint at a federal prison in Victorville, California, when the words to the Nez Perce flag song came to mind.

“Those were the songs my ancestors hung onto, and they secretly shared them with friends,” she says. “When I was down there, I started remembering those songs again. The fight song, the honor song—they started to come back to me. I’d call my father and sing them over the phone, and he would identify which ones they were.”

Her father was Nez Perce (also known as the Nimiipuu), with her grandfather’s side coming from the Red Bird band and her grandmother from the Pile of Clouds band.

It’s only been six years since Morfin, 36, completed her sentence for drug dealing. She finished college, then jumped into marketing for an ad agency.

Two years later, an odd restlessness took hold of her. Together with her husband and two-year-old daughter, they set out for one of the tribe’s sacred sites on a mountain.

“I told Creator God I need direction,” she remembers. “I felt there was something more I could do.” She had barely begun singing a Nez Perce song when she had a vision of an elder in ceremonial dress. She says he told her she’d start a tourism business designed to preserve— and showcase—Nimiipuu culture. And that it would be connected with a body of water.

Morfin was taken aback. “I was thinking: me in cultural preservation? I never thought of myself as a hardcore traditional native. My first thought was that I was not adequate to do something like this.”

The next day she showed up at a small business center in Lewiston, Idaho, to research who was visiting the Nez Perce homeland, which at one time comprised 17 million acres in four states but is now down to 765,000 acres in north-central Idaho. It was then that she realized a lot of tourists were looking for some connection to the land’s original inhabitants. But none of the Snake and Columbia River excursions, Hells Canyon tours, gift shops or hotels in the region’s $4 million river boat industry was Native-owned.

“I realized that we have a huge market for river cruise boats,” she says. “Some 25,000 people come to the region from March through November for the cruises in Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in

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North America. There was no tribal member taking advantage of that.”

Moreover, she had the contacts with elder tribal members who were willing to share their stories.

On March 29, 2019, she founded Nez Perce Tourism in Lewiston, and her star has risen ever since. She began hiring fellow Nimiipuu to lead boat and ancestral homeland tours that connect people to the Nez Perce Nimiipuu culture through song, drum, dance and interactive storytelling in place.

That December, she took first place in the small business division of Lewis-Clark College’s annual Entrepreneur Challenge, walking away with $2,000. When the river boat tour business dried up in the spring of 2020 during COVID-19, Morfin pivoted to retail. Her Nez Perce Traditions gift shop, which opened in Lewiston a few months later, has done a brisk business. (“It’s in our DNA to trade and barter,” she says). Last December, she spoke at an indigenous speakers series sponsored by the University of Washington.

This spring, with tourism picking up again, she hired an extra nine to staff the store and “Hear the Echoes of Our Ancestors” boat tours. They also take tourists whitewater rafting and on Appaloosa horse rides, dinner tours and powwows. In 2019, she’d coaxed 55 drummers, singers, historians, dancers, presenters, storytellers and artists to work for her. More joined her this year.

“A lot of the tribe is not for tourism because of past relationships with colonial brothers and sisters who continue to exploit what we’ve shown them,” she says, “and because of past broken promises with the government. Getting your community involved is one of the first things you have to do when things are so sensitive.”

“Our values are completely backward from Western thinking. You take away the homeland, food, resources and clothing from people— this is hundreds of years of historical trauma—and you can easily lose your way, and that’s what happened to me,” says Morfin, referring to her time in prison. “I looked in the mirror and realized I didn’t love myself and didn’t know who I am. That really bothered me.”

That was about the time that Morfin started recalling the songs.

She formed a drumming group. She started going to the prison sweat lodge. She realized she belonged to something greater than herself.

“Now I tell people where I come from, who my father and mother were, and their ancestors,” she says. “I am not a fancy CEO; I am who I come from. I am the one who takes care of water and knows where water comes from.” ï

REBECCA NOBLE

BY JULIA DUIN

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ALAN JACOBY Spreading the Stoke Through Backpacking How one man and his bike are impacting the bikepacking world through their altruistic efforts

BY DICK DORWORTH

COURTESY AL AN JACOBY

I

n 2010, Alan Jacoby was at Singlespeed USA in Boulder, Colorado, when he first heard about the Tour Divide, this “crazy ride down the spine of the continent.” Jacoby, intrigued, did some research and found the movie “Ride the Divide,” a documentary that opened his eyes to the Tour Divide race and bikepacking in general. “I was grabbed by the solitude bikepacking offers,” says Jacoby, “and the ability to cover a lot of ground while still feeling engulfed by your surroundings.” Suffice it to say, he was hooked.

Jacoby describes bikepacking as “basically backpacking on a bike or a combo platter of camping and cycling. You carry your own food, shelter, clothing, repair gear, first-aid kit, etc., in an effort to travel selfsufficiently and to take care of yourself in remote areas. It’s all about adventure and getting out into nature.”

There are grassroots bikepacking “races” that have a grand depart (a recommended day and time for individuals to begin the route at a designated location) as well as ITTs (individual time trials), which people can do anytime they wish. Finishing times are usually recorded for bragging rights, and these days, many of the faster folks go as sleepdeprived as possible and carry as light a load as they can. Some have aspirations of beating the FKT (fastest known time). Most people carry tracking devices, and you can watch races unfold at Trackleaders.com.

Each particular race has its own rules, but they all follow the honor system and the ethos of leave-no-trace. They advocate being a positive ambassador and self-reliant with no outside support other than commercial sources available to all. These are based on the rules of the big daddy of all bikepacking races, the Tour Divide—2,745 miles and 200,000 vertical feet of climbing that runs down the continental divide from Banff, Alberta, to the Antelope Wells border station in New Mexico. (Jacoby did the Grand Depart and successfully completed the Tour Divide in 2018.)

In 2015, Jacoby was living in Mammoth Lakes, California, and running The Maven Bike Shop when he created a 500-mile bikepacking route/race around the Eastern Sierra called the Caldera 500—480 miles and 65,000 feet of climbing, including lots of HAB (hike-a-bike), on mostly Forest Service double-track, gravel roads and single-track trails. “It’s one of the most grueling routes of its kind,” says Jacoby. “I wanted to create and share a route that encompasses the majesty of the Eastern Sierra that others could ride in its entirety or bite off a piece at a time, without worrying about invading private land or going into wilderness areas.”

Offered in three lengths ranging from 150 to 500 miles, the Caldera covers five different mountain ranges (Sierra Nevada, White Mountains, Inyo Mountains, Sweetwater Mountains, and Glass Mountains), and three distinct biomes (Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert).

“The course is a bit masochistic,” Jacoby explains. “It’s 480 miles and 65 kilometers of oftentimes brutal, sandy, steep, hike-a-bike climbing.” Out of 17 riders to attempt the Caldera, only four have finished.

Closer to home, the best-known bikepacking race in Idaho is the Smoke N Fire 400 (400 miles and 41,000 feet of climbing), which starts and ends in Hype Park in Boise and runs through Prairie, Pine and Featherville before going up and over Dollarhide Summit into Ketchum. You then climb over Galena Summit via the Harriman Trail and Titus Lake Trail to Fisher Creek, Redfish Lake and Stanley then onto Deadwood Reservoir, Garden Valley and Placerville before returning to Hype Park via single track at Bogus Basin.

Jacoby had been visiting the Wood River Valley for years to bike and ski but also for cinematography work. And it was after one of his shoots in 2007, when he filmed Sun Valley’s maven of ultra-endurance mountain bike torture fests, seven-time world champion Rebecca Rusch, that the 5B effect took hold of Jacoby. Years later, Alan and his wife were visiting Sun Valley on a much-appreciated break from the demands of The Maven Bike Shop, and they celebrated their wedding anniversary at Michel’s Christiania in Ketchum. Over dinner, they determined that it was time to leave California. They returned to Mammoth, sold their home and business, and in June 2019, they moved with their two daughters to the Wood River Valley.

Jacoby started a blog, dirtyteeth.wordpress.com, to share bikepacking tips and hacks, ride and race reports, and a prep series for those considering the Tour Divide. Today, the blog has more than 5,000 subscribers and its subtitle is Ride Bikes. Give back. Pay it forward. He writes, “I blog for fun, and that spawned a YouTube channel to alleviate boredom during COVID.” The YouTube channel has turned into profitable fun for Jacoby, and he pays the profits forward through his Trail Magic Monday campaign of randomly bestowing gifts on unsuspecting people, many of whom are nominated by patrons of his channel.

“Mountain biking has changed my life, and I love spreading the stoke any way I can,” says Alan. “I love snowboarding, skiing and everything outdoors—but my number one passion will always be riding bikes.” ï

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SAVING THE S WORDS BY SAR AH LINVILLE

I

t was obvious that things were different in Stanley, Idaho, and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) last summer.

Campsites were full, hotels often had no vacancies, trailheads were packed, every spot that could fit a tent was occupied, and there’s no wonder why ...

The COVID-19 pandemic defined and dictated our lives last year. Summer travel plans were canceled, quarantine fatigue set in, and then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the likelihood of exposure to the virus was less out-of-doors, even without the use of masks, as long as social distancing was maintained.

Outdoor recreation: hiking, backpacking, camping, biking and fishing

Mount Heyburn, at 10,229 feet, is one of the many 10,000-foot peaks in the Sawtooth Range of central Idaho.

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are already social distancing at its finest. Still, workers in the outdoor industries and tourism expected a slow and uncertain season. Instead, what they got was close to chaos.

“We were in no way prepared [for the increase in visitors],” says Susan James, recreation programs manager for the Sawtooth NRA. “We were caught off guard. We thought people would be staying at home, not traveling.”

While the pandemic may have encouraged a larger-than-normal influx of people to the Sawtooth Mountains and Stanley Basin, the growth of Idaho, especially in the major cities, has dramatically increased. Idaho was the fastest growing state in the nation in 2019,

VIDAR NORDLI-MATHISEN/ UNSPL ASH.COM

SAWTOOTHS according to the 2020 census data, and Boise was the fastest growing city in the nation in 2018.

“The growth of Idaho and interest in outdoor recreation has exploded,” says Gary Gadwa, a full-time Stanley resident who has, among other notable career achievements, served as commander of Sawtooth Search and Rescue for the last 40 years. “Add the pandemic on to that and people’s desire to get out of the city, and they naturally flock to the Sawtooths, an Idaho gem.”

Indeed, it is not difficult to understand what is alluring about this part of the world. The SNRA exists within the Sawtooth National Forest. Included in its 756,000 acres are the Sawtooth, Hemingway-

Boulders and Cecil D. Andrus-White Cloud wilderness areas. The headwaters to four major Idaho river systems are anchored in these mountains, along with hundreds of glacial alpine lakes, over 700 miles of trail, elusive wildlife, which combine to create the truly spectacular and seemingly endless sceneries and vistas. There is still a sense of wildness and Western, untouched freedom in this place. Who can be blamed for wanting to experience it? Unfortunately, the development to support the many people that arrived did not exist.

“The amount of people camping in undeveloped areas was unprecedented,” remembers Jeff Clegg, the general manager of Redfish Lake Lodge, an historic establishment in central Idaho. The Lodge, which

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SAWTOOTH STEWARDSHIP

SARAH LINVILLE

This page: The crowds on top of Borah Peak in the Salmon-Challis National Forest. Opposite, clockwise from left to right: Full parking lot at Redfish Lake Trailhead; Thompson Peak Fire Rescue escorts an unprepared hiker down; unattended bear attractants left out at a campsite; unattended active fire; and overflowing trash cans at Redfish Lake Lodge.

is in its ninth decade of operation, sits on the banks of the expansive Redfish Lake. It has acted as a gateway into the Sawtooth Wilderness.

Trailheads and developed campgrounds flank the Lodge, and just a short boat ride across the lake delivers one into the heart of some of Idaho’s most iconic backcountry. Redfish has always been a natural starting point for vacationers, and last summer was no exception.

“Several areas near Redfish had people tucked in the trees, places I didn’t know were even a possibility,” recalls Clegg. “Concern for fire danger was high with so much use and so many novice campers. I do think the use is exceeding the developments and the Forest Service’s ability to manage. I don’t have the answers, and I know the Forest Service is doing all they can with the personnel they have, but it is a complex and large challenge.”

The seasonal staff within the Forest Service recreation program varies from year to year depending on funds, but it usually includes four or five trail workers, two to four people on a recreational crew and four wilderness rangers. When asked if she would like to have a larger staff, James laughs at the ridiculousness of the question. “Of course I would love that!”

The hurdle to hiring more staff, in the Forest Service in general, is not having a consistent budget that can be reliable. There is a lot of risk in trying to plan ahead. The budget changes every year based on the amount of money that was used in the previous year. Another source of monetary assistance come from grants that can be applied to specific projects.

The Sawtooth Range, a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in central Idaho, reaches a maximum elevation of 10,751 feet at the summit of Thompson Peak. It encompasses an area of 678 square miles spanning parts of Custer, Boise, Blaine, and Elmore counties, and is bordered to the east by the Sawtooth Valley. Much of the mountain range is within the Sawtooth Wilderness, part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Sawtooth National Forest.

Williams Peak 10,636 ft

Thompson Peak 10,751 ft

Mickey’s Spire Mount Heyburn

Grand Mogul

10,069 ft

Vienna Peak 10,223 ft

Braxon Peak

10,705 ft

McDonald Peak Imogene Peak 10,125 ft

10,328 ft

10,226 ft

Decker Peak

9,734 ft

10,679 ft

Mount Iowa

10,354 ft

Horstmann Peak 10,469 ft

Mount Carter 10,591 ft

COURTESY OF SAW TOOTH NATIONAL RECRE ATION ARE A , GARY GADWA/SAW TOOTH SE ARCH AND RESCUE

“Approximately 30 percent of our annual recreation operations comes from outside sources,” James explains. “In a perfect world, these funds would be supplemental to a sufficient and stable budget that would cover our baseline operations including staff and maintenance.”

To supplement manpower for maintenance, special projects and public education, the Forest Service partners with a list of local and interested groups and volunteers. They’re invaluable and necessary just as much as people who make maintaining these mountain resources their jobs.

Lara Antonello is the bear education outreach coordinator, or selfproclaimed Bear Lady. She is the first and only person to hold this job title for the SNRA. Her job was created as part of the new Bear Food Storage Order. The order requires food, garbage or any bear-attracting

Merritt Peak 10,312 ft

smelly things to be stored in a bear-resistant container, closed car or, if you’re in the backcountry, 10 feet off the ground away from campsites.

The purpose of the new order is to reduce interactions between bears and humans. Properly storing bear attractants protects these creatures.

As the adage goes, “A fed bear is a dead bear.” A bear that finds human food in tents or in open cars is likely to continue to enter tents and cars. This behavior puts people in danger, and as a result, these bears are often euthanized.

Miraculously, no bears were euthanized last summer in the SNRA, although there were many bear/human interactions. This success was part management and part luck, since there was a lot of foraging available, so human food was not as tempting. Lara feels it was also a result of tirelessly educating campers.

McGown Peak

Alpine Peak

Moolack Mountain

9,725 ft

9,862 ft

10,331 ft

Mount Regan 10,190 ft

Mystery Mountain Observation Peak 9,150 ft

9,820 ft

Elk Mountain 7,937 ft

Redfish Lake is located in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains, south of Stanley, Idaho.

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Access to these rules is available, if they are sought out. Making conscientious recreating mainstream is one of those challenges that the Forest Service is facing, as is safety in our national forests and public lands. Walking into the backcountry with little or no experience can not only be damaging to the area, but it can also be very dangerous for the people themselves.

“

As hard as it is to see increased use, I was so happy to see people of all social and economic backgrounds enjoying the outdoors. In the long term, more good than bad can come from that if we educate. Education is going to change everything.”

— L ARA ANTONELLO, Bear Education Outreach Coordinator

“Some people are ill-prepared or totally unprepared,” says Gary Gadwa, who spends more and more of his time, and the time of the Sawtooth Search and Rescue volunteers, responding to minor

HALCYONTOAST/WIKIMEDIA .ORG

“The way I spoke to people was ‘Did you know…’ instead of reprimanding them,” explains Antonello. “Who am I to tell people that they can’t be here. Most people want to follow the rules and be safe and not get tickets.”

Antonello felt her messaging was positively received by most people, who had no idea that their actions could negatively affect the wildlife.

On average, they wanted to know more, and this encouraged her.

“As hard as it is to see increased use,” Antonello said, “I was so happy to see people of all social and economic backgrounds enjoying the outdoors. In the long term, more good than bad can come from that if we educate. Education is going to change everything.”

Education about how to exist in wilderness as polite guests includes cleaning up after ourselves and not setting the whole place on fire.

James recalls a day she spent out with one of the wilderness rangers last summer. “He told me he had buried more human poop and cleaned up more used toilet paper than he ever had before. I watched him give the ‘poop’ talk maybe a hundred times that one day I was with him.”

If a wilderness ranger isn’t burying other people’s poop, they’re probably putting out fires. There were 342 unattended fires last year, according to James. There are many places in the Sawtooths where fires aren’t even allowed, let alone lit on bare ground without a fire pan or blanket. Although a camping trip may not feel complete without a fire, the best that can be said is; get over it. Thirty-four percent of wildfires that have happened in the SNRA in the last 10 years were due to human-made campfires.

injuries or easily lost hikers. “People have unrealistic confidence in their physical abilities and find they have no trail-finding or navigational skills.”

Gadwa feels the increase in cellphone coverage in the mountains has in some ways become a burden and thinks people rely too heavily on them and other GPS and messaging tools. According to Gadwa, about one-third of the calls that the Sawtooth SAR were dispatched to were not necessary and used up their limited time, energy and resources.

“Some people come so unprepared, they really shouldn’t even be leaving the highway,” laments Gadwa.

Still, people will continue to visit and recreate armed with only granola bars, plastic ponchos and their cellphones. And the services that will help them when they get into trouble are made mostly of volunteers.

Hannah Baybutt, a volunteer emergency response technician (EMT) for Stanley Ambulance, would like to see something more permanent.

“It’s hard for volunteers to work jobs that keep them living in Stanley and still be able to respond to calls,” says Babyutt. “It is possible for a call to go unresponded.”

Baybutt is working toward implementing a seasonal full-time staff for the ambulance that can create consistency and stability for the busiest time of the year in Stanley. Most people the ambulance responds to in the summertime are visitors, and Baybutt thinks

there should be a way for them to pay for the services they receive while visiting.

“I want visitors, and also people who buy houses and property in Stanley, to commit to the community,” says Baybutt. “I want people who love this place to invest in it so it can change for the better.”

Stanley and the SNRA are incredibly special places, and they will continue to be. Growing pains are never comfortable, but perhaps a comforting thought is that these enchanting mountain landscapes will continue to be here long after humans have gone. However, the efforts to protect the wildlife, the trails, the waters and the experiences that they provide are for us to determine. Large, challenging and complex problems that more visitors create can be seen as opportunities to create solutions. Perhaps someday limited-access permits will be imposed on certain high-use areas. What is known is that more accessible education outreach expressing the need for people to be prepared, self-reliant and respectful is needed, as well as more advocates, comprised of locals, volunteers and visitors, who understand that beauty and ecological health are necessary and that some mountain towns deserve to keep their rustic charms. As Baybutt expressed, “When something is special, you want to hold on to it, you don’t want it to change.”

Change is inevitable. How we respond to that change is what will matter. ï

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Snowy Owl / photo Kurt Lindsay

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T H E M Y ST E RY OF I DA HO’S

OWLS WORDS BY L AURIE SAMMIS

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Great Gray Owl, with a vole / photo Kurt Lindsay

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Dark, mysterious and noble creatures, owls have been both revered and feared throughout history dating as far back as the earliest civilizations. The ancient Egyptian name for owl translates to ‘the one who laments’, which evokes sadness and death. And yet, in ancient Egypt, owls were given the hieroglyphic symbol for the letter “M” and were honored through sculpture and mummification. Owls are an ancient bird, showing up in the fossil record more than 40 million years ago, which has given humans plenty of time to contemplate their presence.

The Romans feared owls, believing that they were harbingers of death, while

and admired in myth and legend

are constructing barn owl boxes

fringe on the outer edges of their

in cultures around the world.

to help eradicate rodents and

forward wing feathers (called

pests—studies have shown that

fimbriae), which help soften the

Silent on the wing, gliding

the Greeks saw them as great

like ghosts through the forest or

an average Barn Owl family eats

flow of air as it moves over the

protectors, with the owl depicted

flying low over the ground, owls

1,300 rats per year and 3,000

wing. Their flight feathers are also

as the sacred mascot of Athena,

are deadly accurate hunters with

rodents during breeding season.

dense and velvety soft, absorbing

the Greek goddess of wisdom, war

unique adaptations that allow

and the arts. In Japan, pictures and figures of owls were used to ward

One of the reasons owls are

almost all noise and dampening

them to function as top predators.

such effective predators is because

any sound of air turbulence over

Owls are such accurate and

they are nearly silent fliers. Owls

the wing. This allows owls to fly

off famine, and, in some parts of

efficient hunters that homeowners

have both a soft hairline fringe

almost soundlessly through the

Northern England, the image of

in some parts of the country

along their rear wings and a stiff

air—at speeds up to 40 miles per

the wise old owl dates back to the time of King Arthur and the Welsh prophet and sorcerer, Merlin, who

A parliament of Burrowing Owls

was always depicted with an owl on his shoulder.

Perhaps no other bird inspires as much fascination, awe, and fear. Owls are different than other birds of prey (raptors). Like all raptors, they have sharp talons and hooked beaks. But owls also have large heads, with a more round facial disc and eyes that face forward, like humans do, with an unblinking stare that both mesmerizes and appears allseeing. And while not all owls are nocturnal, owls are seen as birds of the night, operating in realms that most humans find dangerous and threatening. Perhaps this is why owls have been both feared

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87

during dawn and dusk, such as the Great Grey Owl).

Many owls vocalize at a distinctively low frequency, which allows their songs to travel long distances without being absorbed by vegetation, and not all owls hoot (only the Great Horned Owl makes that distinctive “hoo hoo” sound). In fact, owls can make a wide range of other sounds, such as screeches, whistles, chirps, shrieks, rattles, hisses, barks, growls, and warbles.

Owls tend to form strong bonded pairs and are generally

Barn Owl

monogamous; and several species, such as the elusive Barn

hour, as in the case of the Great

typically only seen in arboreal

Owls can be found on every

Owl, mate for life. Many species

Horned Owl.

species that climb tree trunks,

continent except Antarctica. There

also use a special type of call or

such as woodpeckers, cuckoos

are about 250 species of owls in

hoot to communicate between

owls is another unique adaptation

and parrots). However, owls

the world and 14 species can be

mated pairs and owl pairs will

particular to owls. It funnels

have a unique adaptation that

found in Idaho.

often perform duets together to

sound to the ears, magnifying it as

allows them to pivot one of their

much as 10 times that of normal

back toes forward, giving them

(active at night). Some are either

pretty romantic gesture for a bird

sound, which allows owls like the

a powerful and crushing grip

diurnal (active during the day,

that has been both feared and

Great Gray Owl to hear a mouse

that enables them to be highly

such as the Northern Pygmy Owl)

worshipped as a fearsome symbol

squeaking at a distance of half a

effective predators.

or crepuscular (hunting primarily

of the night. ï

The flattened facial disc of

Not all owls are nocturnal

reaffirm their bond—which is a

mile away or up to 18 inches under the snow. Many owl species also have asymmetrical ears that are at different heights on their heads (and often different sizes), allowing

[ AUDUBON 

binocular vision which fully focuses on their prey and





toes pointing backward (a trait

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Owls can rotate their necks 270 degrees (this

Chronicles of Narnia. 

Many owls have feathered legs and feet for warmth.



The “ear tufts” visible on some owl species are not ears at all, but display feathers used in defensive postures. Owl ears are actually located on the side of the head, behind the eyes, and are covered

A group of owls is called a parliament. This originates from C.S. Lewis’ description of a meeting of owls in The

missed by the sharp talons and

toes pointing forward and two



their heads all the way around, it just looks that way!)

of catching mice by hearing alone.

have zygodactyl feet with two

Great Gray Owl, which is up to 32 inches tall.

compensates for having fixed eyes—they can’t really turn

have shown that they are capable

unique, flexible feet of owls. Owls

The tiniest owl in the world is the Elf Owl, which is 5-6 inches tall and weighs about 1.5 ounces. The

boosts depth perception.

the ear. In fact, studies with barn

Once located, prey are rarely



The eyes of an owl are not true “eyeballs.” Their tube-shaped eyes are completely immobile, providing

in time when the sound reaches

owls conducted in total darkness

]

largest North American owl, in appearance, is the

them to detect the exact location of prey due to a small difference

OWL FACTS

by the feathers of the facial disc. 

Owls are farsighted, which means that they can’t see things close to their eyes clearly. Up close,

Owls are opportunistic nesters—they don’t build nests

everything is blurry in the sight of owls, and they

and often take over the abandoned nests, hollows or

depend on small, hair-like feathers on their beaks

crags of other birds or animals.

and feet to feel their food.

Great Horned Owl with owlets in an abandoned tree cavity

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I DA HO’ S OW L SPECI E S

Barn Owl

Burrowing Owl

Great Gray Owl

Tyto alba

Athene cunicularia

Strix nebulosa

A medium-sized white to light brown owl with heart-shaped face, long ivory to pinkish colored beak, and relatively small (compared to other owls), dark eyes

A small, long-legged owl with bright yellow eyes and a broad, white eyebrow.

The head, back, and chest are brown with white spotting

SIZE 14 to 20 inches

SIZE 7-1/2 to 10 inches

Very large grayish-brown owl with a big, round head and distinctly broad, flat, and very defined facial disc. Light gray face with several dark rings on the facial discs; bright yellow eyes and beak

WINGSPAN 3-1/2 feet

WINGSPAN 21 to 24 inches

SIZE 2 feet

SIZE 18-25 inches

WEIGHT 8 to 21 ounces

WEIGHT 4.5 to 9 ounces

WINGSPAN 4-1/2 to 5 feet

WINGSPAN Up to 5 feet

HABITAT Diverse habitats; prefers open land with some trees, roosts and nests in barns, buildings, cliffs, and trees

HABITAT Dry, open areas: grasslands, savannas, deserts, farmland; even golf courses, cemeteries, vacant lots, and other flat, open grounds

WEIGHT 2 to 4 pounds

WEIGHT 1.5 to 5.5 pounds

HABITAT Dense boreal and coniferous forests, often adjoining open areas like bogs, muskegs, or meadows

DIET Arthropods like beetles, crickets, and scorpions; small mammals such as voles; sometimes reptiles and amphibians

DIET Small mammals such as voles and mice; shrews; sometimes snowshoe hares, rarely birds

HABITAT Highly adaptable; can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including both coniferous and deciduous forests, swamp forests, mangroves, farmland, deserts, and even city parks

DIET Almost exclusively small mammals like voles, mice, and rodents NESTING Usually a cavity nester; also nests in cliffs, banks, caves, buildings, nestboxes, or abandoned nests of other birds HUNTING HABITS Usually nocturnal (hunting at night), but often emerge at dusk to begin scouting for prey FACTS Known by many different names, including Cave Owl, Ghost Owl, Night Owl, Screech Owl, Death Owl, Silver Owl, and White Owl, Barn Owls are the most widely distributed owl in the world, occurring on every continent except Antartica. Fossil records indicate Barn Owls are the oldest group of living owls.

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NESTING Burrow underground; burrows are usually made by mammals like ground squirrels, prairie dogs, or badgers, and are “renovated” by the owl HUNTING HABITS Usually crepuscular (dawn and dusk), but can be found hunting anytime of day or night; walks, hops, or runs on the ground after prey; also hunts from perch; sometimes caches prey in or around burrow FACTS Known by many other names, including Ground Owl, Prairie Dog Owl, Gopher Owl, Cuckoo Owl. When disturbed in its burrow, the tiny owl lets out an alarm call sounding very much like the shake of a rattlesnake’s rattle to scare off any would-be predators!

NESTING Abandoned nests of other raptors, broken tops of snags, or artificial nest platforms HUNTING HABITS Usually hunts from a perch where it attentively listens and watches for prey tunneling beneath deep snow. Leaves the perch in one fast swoop, diving down through even the heaviest of snow. Hunts larger prey FACTS The largest owl in North America, this owl is coverd in many dense layers of long feathers that make them appear to be much bulkier than they are (like wearing all your winter coats at once). Known by other names, including Dark Wood Owl, Lapland Owl, and Striped Owl. Great Gray Owls also have one of the largest faical discs among owls, giving them incredible hearing that allows them to detect prey over 325 feet away through snow as deep as 18 inches.

Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus A large, bulky owl with prominent ear tufts, white throat, black-gray beak, and bright yellow eyes

DIET Mostly small mammals such as hares, ground squirrels, and voles; also preys on birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects, and even smaller owls NESTING Most commonly abandoned nests of Red-tailed Hawk and other birds or squirrels, but also tree cavities, cactus, haylofts, cliffs, and caves HUNTING HABITS Opportunistic but primarily a nocturnal perch hunter.

Often hunts along forest edges and meadows FACTS Known as the “Tiger of the Sky” because of its keen hunting skills and ability to capture prey sometimes larger or heavier than the owl itself.

Noticeable tall feather tufts—which look like horns or ears—angled on the top of their head (owl ears are actually on the side of the head). Distinctive, deep, booming hoots are one of the most recognizable owl calls.

Northern Pygmy Owl

Northern Saw-Whet Owl

Glaucidium gnoma

Aegolius acadicus

A plump little owl with short wings and long tail; yellow eyes, yellowish-white beak, and grayish-brown feathers with fine white spotting, dark, white-ringed “false eyes” on back of head

A small reddish-brown owl with a large, round head, yellow eyes, black beak, and feathered feet. Warm brown body feathers with white spots on nape; belly is white with reddish streaks

SIZE 6 to 7 inches

SIZE 6 to 8-1/2 inches

WEIGHT 1-1/2 to 6-1/2 pounds

WINGSPAN 15 inches

WINGSPAN 18 to 22 inches

WEIGHT 2 to 2.5 ounces

WEIGHT 2.5 to 3.5 ounces

HABITAT Mostly coniferous and deciduous forest edges

HABITAT Mostly coniferous forests; sometimes wooded riparian areas, swamps, and bogs

HABITAT Tundra, meadows, marshes, dunes; during nesting season, lives on tundra

DIET Main foods include small to medium sized birds, such as waxwings and chickadees; mice, voles, shrews; sometimes insects, reptiles and amphibians NESTING Cavity nester; nests in holes made by woodpeckers HUNTING HABITS Diurnal (hunts during daylight) but also crepuscular (dawn and dusk). Primarily a perch and pounce hunter but known to raid nests FACTS This tiny owl is one of the smallest in North America, but is a fierce little predator that frequently preys on birds and mammals larger than itself.

Pygmy Owls literally have “eyes on the back of their heads”, or so it seems—the backs of their heads are feathered with a pair of quite convincing “eye spots” that are just variations in feather coloring.

Researchers believe that they confuse both predators and songbirds that might mob them.

DIET Mostly deer mice and voles: sometimes small birds and insects NESTING Cavity nester; nests in holes made by woodpeckers or nest boxes FACTS In 2020, a Northern SawWhet Owl was found at the base of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Named “Rocky” the Owl, she was later transported back to upstate New York to better habitat. It is still not known if this charming female saw-whet was hiding in the tree during the entire transport or if she was migrating above New York City and took shelter in the dense foliage later.

[ THE

Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus Large, white owl with bright yellow eyes, a dark beak, and thickly feathered feet.

Adult males are pure white and females are white with dark bars or spots SIZE 21 to 28 inches WINGSPAN 4/12 feet

Western Screech Owl Megascops kennicotti A small, grayish owl with yellow eyes, dark beak, and small ear tufts, with white wing bars and white shoulder streaks SIZE 8 to 9 inches WINGSPAN 20 inches WEIGHT 4 to 9 ounces HABITAT Mostly riparian areas; also forests and deserts

DIET Mostly lemmings, voles, and other rodents; often birds, sometimes rabbits and other small mammals

DIET Variety of small animals including: insects, reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, small mammals, small birds

NESTING On the ground, atop low mounds in the Arctic tundra

NESTING Cavity nester, often in holes made by Flickers; will use nest boxes

HUNTING HABITS Mostly diurnal, but will hunt any time of day in the constant daylight of Arctic summer

HUNTING HABITS Nocturnal, begins shortly after sunset; sits and waits for prey, will also forage on the ground

FACTS One of the few species of owl that builds its own nest. It takes several years for males to turn totally white. Hedwig, Harry Potter’s friend, companion, letter carrier and protector, was a Snowy Owl. Considered nomadic, these hardy hunters travel many miles in search of their favorite foods.

FACTS Screech Owls are among the most common owls in the United States, but you might not see them—their graybrown coloration and wide streaking allows them to blend in perfectly with the bark of trees.

PEREGRINE FUND GETS UP-CLOSE WITH OWLS

]

Be on the lookout next year for a way to get up close and personal with owls at The Peregrine Fund World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise. Three new exhibits are planned. The first will feature a dual Barn Owl and Screech Owl exhibit that emulates a human environment—with the Barn Owl living inside a “barn-like” exhibit and the Screech Owl living just outside the “barn.” A forest exhibit will feature the Great Horned Owl and Barred Owl, and a Burrowing Owl and American Kestrel exhibit is designed to allow visitors to “go inside” a burrow and view Burrowing Owls underground. 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, 208.362.8687.

Peregrine fund box ??

SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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inthearts

A Season to Celebrate Sun Valley Music Festival returns in person B Y H AY D E N S E D E R

A

Joshua Bell

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fter last summer’s hiatus, the Sun Valley Music Festival will return, in person, for its 37th summer season at the Sun Valley Pavilion. The largest admission-free classical music festival in the U.S., the Sun Valley Music Festival features over a dozen concerts as well as outreach and educational events during its summer season, this year taking place from July 26 to August 19.

Alisa Weilerstein “It’s just about the best feeling in the world,” says Festival Music Director Alasdair Neale of preparing for the in-person upcoming season. “No matter what happens, just gathering together and making live music in Sun Valley is an incredibly joyful thing to imagine.”

One highlight of this season is the world premiere of American composer Jessie Montgomery’s “Freedom Songs,” a commission by the Sun Valley Music Festival that will be led by Neale and the Festival Orchestra.

Above: Award-wining composer Jessie Montgomery.

Alasdair Neale, with Julia Bullock and the Festival Orchestra, will perform the premiere of her work, “Freedom Songs.”

PHOTOS COURTESY SUN VALLE Y MUSIC FESTIVAL­ JESSIE MONTGOMERY: JIYANG CHEN JOSHUA BELL: PHILLIP KNOT T JULIA BULLOK : ALLISON MICHAEL ORENSTEIN

Other festival highlights include a Tribute to Frontline Workers on August 2, a Latininspired pop night with the Villalobos Brothers followed by a lawn party and other fun guest artists including Vadim Gluzman, Julia Bullock, Joyce Yang, and cellist and MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow Alisa Weilerstein. Renowned violinist Joshua Bell returns to the Pavilion to headline the Gala fundraising concert on August 4. “These are all just part of the world-class artists we’re able to attract as part of our repertoire,” says Neale.

As part of their education initiative, the Sun Valley Music Festival Music Institute provides summer programs for grades 2 to 12 to study orchestral instruments, voice and piano as well as an Advanced Chamber Program for college undergraduates and exceptional high school students to study piano, strings and voice. ï

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Joyce Yang

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Julia Bullock

MARIEL HEMINGWAY Secrets to a Life Well Lived

BY, FOR and ABOUT people who love SUN VALLEY

For more details on this upcoming Festival season, visit svmusicfestival.org.

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Often-used meme of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Doing Justice to Ruth Sun Valley Film Festival film honors the late RBG

BY PA M EL A K L EIB R IN K T H O M PSO N

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Director Freida Lee Mock

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hen producers Regina Scully and Geralyn Dreyfous approached Academy Award® and Emmy Award winning filmmaker Freida Lee Mock about doing a documentary on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she leaped at the chance but wondered how she could create something unique and capture the Notorious one’s essence as well as tell her unique story.

In Ruth–Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words, Mock mixed archival footage of the supreme justice in action with contemporary interviews and even animation to illustrate RBG’s legacy.

Ruth–Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Word was one of the highlights of the 2021 Sun Valley Film Festival. Mock, who has been visiting Sun Valley for over 30 years, has profiled many prominent people but creating Ruth took on special meaning for her as she studied history and law at UC Berkeley. She noted that Ginsburg, “profoundly believed in equal justice for all.”

In her film, a young boy posits a question to Ginsburg: “Was it hard to become a Supreme

Court justice because you are a woman?”

Though Ginsburg did very well in law school (she tied first in her graduating class and made Law Review at both Harvard and Columbia Law Schools), not a single law firm in the whole city of New York invited her to interview for a job. “I suspected that the door was closed because of my sex,” states Ginsburg in the film. “So, the barriers were there. In those days, I had three strikes against me. One is I was Jewish. Another I was a woman. And then one Movie poster that I think really did me in was I had a fouryear-old daughter.” But these three strikes did not keep her down and out, as the resilient, indomitable Ginsburg broke down barriers for herself and all Americans, becoming a lifelong advocate for gender equality and women’s rights.

Mock observed that Ginsburg often spoke about unconscious bias. “It was the last frontier for her,” said Mock. “We don’t even know that we are still discriminating.” Mock discovered that Ginsburg consistently used her platform to talk about unconscious (and to Ginsburg unconscionable) bias.

“My approach was shaped by the idea of having Justice Ginsburg tell her own story as much as possible and shaping it around her first-person account so that you feel you have an intimate relationship with her,” said Mock.

Mock is an expert in creating dynamic profiles including the Academy Award® winning best documentary feature Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision, which is a portrait of the artist/architect who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and its impact on the American people. Besides the Academy Award®, Mock has also received five Academy Award® nominations, two prime-time Emmy Awards and three prime-time Emmy nominations.

Mock hopes that her film will illuminate “how much the rulings of the Supreme Court impact our daily lives—whether wages, health care, marriage, gun rights, military service, right to speak, etc.—and that we will be active, alert and interested about our government and know that each of us can make a difference, by the examples of the stories in my RGB film.” ï

PHOTOS COURTESY RUTH—JUSTICE GINSBURG IN HER OWN WORDS­ MEME: JULIANA JIMENE Z JARAMI

inthearts // ruth bader ginsburg film

inthearts // idaho film

Gregory Bayne directs the crew in McCall, Idaho

Making Sense An Idaho film brings disability to the forefront B Y H AY D E N S E D E R

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new film written and directed by and starring Idahoans recently debuted at the Boston SciFi Film Festival (a competitive festival that showed the first screening of Star Wars in 1979).

Making Sense is an independent feature based on the science of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself to compensate for a missing or diminished sense. Written and executive produced by Doug Cole and directed by Gregory Bayne, Making Sense was scheduled to air at the 2020 Sun Valley Film Festival but was cancelled due to COVID. After its positive reception in Boston (4.5 stars, tied for the highest rating at the Boston SciFi Film Festival), the film is now showing on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube and video on demand.

The film follows an aging neuroscientist who teams up with a group of young graduate students to prove his hypothesis that individuals with disabilities hold the key to unlocking a sixth sense. People with 96

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disabilities representing the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell) play roles with their respective diminished senses. Writer Doug Cole, who has lived in Idaho for 25 years, first became interested in the subject of neuroplasticity when several instances of disability affected him personally—his best friend Tom becoming paralyzed and paraplegic overnight, his nephew Noah being diagnosed with spina bifida and his best friend’s son being diagnosed with Down’s syndrome.

“Tom said, ‘I used to be the guy who looked at someone in a wheelchair with pity and averted my eyes, and now I’m the person who people can’t look at. I feel less than human.’ I thought, what if we could change that? What if we could put together the extraordinary things that people with disabilities can do and have that represented by the five senses? If you brought five people together with opposite senses, you’d have modern day X-Men in real life,” says Cole.

Actor Ahniah Selene and Doug Cole

With this idea in mind, Cole began working on the script in his free time and doing research, particularly on Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita, one of the early pioneers of neuroplasticity whom the doctor in the film is loosely based on. Bach-y-Rita developed the concept of sensory substitution in the 1960s to treat patients with disabilities.

As the script progressed, Cole enlisted the help of the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind, the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and others to ensure the script was plausible and represented people with disabilities in an authentic way.

Once Cole set his mind to turning his script into a film, he had three goals: keep the film in Idaho to the extent possible

CELEBRATING 45 YEARS

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inthearts // idaho film

and hire Idaho filmmakers and talent, have people with disabilities in the script actually played by people with those disabilities, and to pay it forward.

“It was important to keep it Idahofocused because creativity is universal; it cuts across disability, race, all of that. Yet it seems almost impossible sometimes to get a feature film produced unless you’ve got connections to LA. The people are already here—they’ve either migrated here or learned their craft elsewhere and moved here,” says Cole. Cole knew there was talent right in Idaho and he found that in Director Gregory Bayne, a director with two documentaries and a feature already under his belt and from Nampa to boot. Through word-of-mouth and an open casting call, Cole and Bayne found their actors with the represented disabilities and then filmed the entire movie between Boise and McCall.

In terms of paying it forward, Cole provided mentorship opportunities to Boise State film students looking to advance their careers. Cole also has a charity, IncludeAbility Inc., that he started before the film that raises money to promote inclusion of all abilities through youth sports, arts and other activities. ï

OF SUN VALLEY

The Valley’s premier dining & menu guide

Mike Barnett as “Toby”

Taylor Gonzalez as “Dana”

Makenzie Ellsworth as “Sam”

DISABILITY REPRESENTATION IN ENTERTAINMENT Approximately 20% of Americans have

a visible or invisible disability.

Only 2.7% of characters in the 100

Miguel Ayala as “Max”

highest-earning movies of 2016 were depicted with a disability.

Among regular characters on primetime

TV in the 2018-2019 season, only 2.1% had disabilities.

Among disabled characters in the top

10 TV shows of March 2016, only 4.8% were played by actors who had that disability in real life.

In the history of the Academy Awards,

among the 61 Oscar nominees and 27 winners playing characters with a disability, only two were authentically portrayed by an actor with disability.

Pick up a copy on stands throughout the Wood River Valley, or read the digital edition at sunvalleymag.com/dining.

95% of top show characters with

disabilities on TV are played by actors without disabilities.

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Nyk Fry as “Stevie”

John Moyers

“Sacred Journey”

40” high X 40” wide

oil on gesso board

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inthearts // sun valley writers’ conference

Something to write home About

SVWC is online and in person this summer!

BY CAROLINE ALBRO

W

hen one of Sun Valley’s most beloved events was forced to cancel last year, they bounced right back to find new ways to share valuable stories with the community. Organizers and speakers at the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference (SVWC), which is entering its 27th year this summer, pivoted to digital opportunities like podcast episodes, blog posts and video content as COVID-19 halted in-person gatherings. While the conference succeeded in creating digital content for a wide audience, partnering with writers all over the world, they nevertheless missed the one-of-a-kind experience of summers in Sun Valley. This year, however, the Writers’ Conference is back for four days of face-to-face gatherings at the Sun Valley Pavilion.

For this upcoming summer, the Writers’ Conference has been divided into two sessions, one on July 17 and one on July 19. While talks will be held in the Sun Valley Pavilion, they will also be broadcasted to the Pavilion lawn, where attendees can listen for free (with advance registration and assigned seating).

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For anyone more comfortable watching from home, they can also tune in to the Writers’ Conference website for streamed talks.

This year’s Conference presenters include esteemed authors, journalists and poets like Isabel Allende, George Packer, Delia Owens, John Lithgow and Tayari Jones, among others. Some of these writers have already been featured on the SVWC podcast, “Beyond the Page: The Best of the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference.” Narrated

by SVWC Literary Director John Burnham Schwartz and in partnership with LitHub, the podcast delves into past conference talks and interviews speaker alumni, connecting a broader community with the knowledge and inspiration of SVWC presenters.

Over the past year, this theme of accessibility has permeated the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference goals and hopes for the future. Beyond expanding summer talks to the Pavilion lawn for free and broadcasting the talks online, SVWC is also partnering with The Community Library to launch the Summer Speaker Series, which will offer

four free writer talks to the community in July. Carrie Lightner, Associate Director of Operations for the Conference, said, “Our summer event in Sun Valley is the pinnacle and is our identity, but we’ve really gotten excited about expanding our social media, our website and our digital offerings so that we can stay in people’s rotation throughout the year.”

Lightner also acknowledges the unique experience that the in-person Conference offers to both writers and attendees. “The place of Sun Valley is so important to our event and our identity that it’s hard to just be online,” she said. Lightner and the rest of the SVWC team are making it work, implementing COVID-19 safety protocol and even exceeding local, state and federal compliance guidelines. For Lightner and many others, a summer conference in Sun Valley is totally worth it. “[There’s] something about being in this setting in July at the stunning Pavilion with Baldy in the background.

[We’re] drinking in these inspiring ideas and listening to all the writers talk about their process[...] We’re so lucky to be surrounded by all of the physical, literal beauty in the nature of Sun Valley but also in the creative beauty of the presenters.”

With so much to absorb over the course of the four days at the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference, organizers and speakers hope you will tune in—whether it be in-person at the Pavilion, on the lawn or from your home.

With expansive outreach to new and engaged attendees, both virtually and physically, SVWC is poised to have another amazing Sun Valley summer. ï

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inthearts // gallery buzz

SUMMERTIME GALLERY BUZZ The Sun Valley area boasts a diverse and cosmopolitan art community.

Here is a sampling of what’s in store at galleries this summer.

GAIL SEVERN GALLERY May – June 30 Gail Severn Gallery is pleased to host part of the Sun Valley Museum of Art’s 50th anniversary exhibition—“Inspiration Realized: Sun Valley Center Ceramics Alumni Exhibition.” The exhibition features work by many of the artists who taught at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in the 1970s and 1980s. The exhibition is curated by Jim Romberg, Sun Valley Center for the Arts’ Director of Ceramics from 1973 to 1986.

The exhibition reflects on the role the Sun Valley Center played in the lives of many artists and traces the history of the organization from teaching institution to the museum it is today.

GILMAN CONTEMPORARY June – July PHOTOGRAPHER STEVE WRUBEL

“Mountain Glow”

by Mark Gibson at Kneeland Gallery, oil on canvas, 24 in. X 24 in.

JUNE EXHIBITIONS

GILMAN CONTEMPORARY June – July KELLY ORDING SOLO EXHIBIT “A BRIGHT SIDE” From muted tones to vibrant colors, pen and ink drawings to paintings, Kelly Ording intentionally pushes the limits of minimalism and representation.

She separates her paintings between abstracted landscapes and geometric abstractions, the former being intuitive and the latter being more intentional. The landscapes pull their palettes from the natural world, while

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the geometric pieces give Kelly the freedom to use bright and exuberant tones.

Each piece begins with a dyeing process, setting up a composition based on the natural result of this process. Some papers or canvases are dyed by hand with large watercolor brushes and others are dip-dyed. Kelly’s process mimics natural occurrences, like the tides and the unstoppable passing of time which she constantly contemplates.

“The past year has undoubtedly challenged our understanding of the passing of time. My paintings explore the marking of time and question how one is able to register time in a visual way,” said Ording.

sunvalleymag.com | SUMMER 2021

California raised and Texas tuned, photographer Steve Wrubel turned his lens toward the power, leather, dirt, and sweat of the American rodeo. Moved by stories from his family’s past in the Mojave Desert, “Rodeo” takes us to a place of light, motion, space, energy, and detail that begs us to question what it is to be alive. By taking away visually distracting backgrounds, Wrubel’s work invites the viewer to focus clearly on the finer and often unseen details of his subjects, offering a deeper story of what is going on in the split second that his images were created.

SUN VALLEY MUSEUM OF ART (SVMOA) June – July 31 CLAY, SILVER, INK: SUN VALLEY CENTER AT 50 Guest-curated by artists Peter de Lory and Jim Romberg, Clay, Silver, Ink takes a look back at the Sun Valley Center’s early years

through artwork made by some of the many artists who taught here in the 1970s and 1980s. When the Sun Valley Center for the Arts launched in 1971, it started as a place for classes taught by nationally and internationally known instructors across a range of artistic disciplines, with a focus on ceramics, photography, and printmaking. The exhibition reflects on the role the Sun Valley Center played in the lives of dozens of artists and traces the history of the organization, from a teaching institution to an accredited museum. The Museum is open Mon–Fri, 10am–5pm, and Sats in July & August, 11am–5pm

OCHI June 12 – Aug. 7 AN IMPRINT OF THE SMALLEST GESTURE Ochi Gallery is pleased to present “An Imprint of the Smallest Gesture,” a group exhibition featuring works by Kim Fisher, Caitlin Lonegan, Carmen Neely and Brian Wills. The exhibition includes four artists who engage with the history of abstraction while continuing to explore and expand upon nuanced aspects of mark making, materiality, light, color, and movement, through specifically developed practices.

WOOD RIVER FINE ARTS June – September ONLINE EXHIBITIONS Wood River Fine Arts greets the summer season with a broad offering of new works at our online gallery, woodriverfinearts. com. You can browse the gallery any time of day or night as we continue to represent the finest contemporary representational artists working today including John Moyer, Grant Redden, Skip Whitcomb, and many others.

Private appointments are available for local collectors and owners, Tom Bassett and Sandy Gregorak, also specialize in site-specific sculpture projects.

JULY EXHIBITIONS

GILMAN CONTEMPORARY July – August PAINTER ALEX COUWENBERG Southern California artist Alex Couwenberg’s abstract paintings teeter between hard edges and gestural, textural brushwork.

Couwenberg’s paintings are reflective of both environmental and social influences. Harnessing hard-edge abstraction, surf and skate culture as well as popular design and modernist aesthetics, Couwenberg’s paintings show a deep understanding of composition and process.

KNEELAND GALLERY July GROUP SHOWING FEATURING ANDRZEJ SKORUT, NEAL PHILPOTT, PETE ZALUZEC Realist painter Neal Philpott seeks to capture the ephemeral nature of the Northwest, seeing himself as a record keeper of a specific place and time. His paintings might feature a meandering

road, a distant fence line or a farmhouse nestled in trees. Light play animates his work, creating the lines, forms and structure that give his interesting compositions their charge. The juxtaposition of shadow and areas of illumination characterizes these transient moments.

Andrzej Skorut was born and spent his early years in Krakow, Poland, before immigrating to the U.S. in 1987. At first glance his paintings appear to be simple landscapes but further study reveals that they are as abstract as they are representational. He reveals concealed depths within his surfaces through layers of paint and glaze, which he then partially removes with rags, sticks and other objects.

Pete Zaluzec’s unique photographs of American wildlife are printed onto two sheets of Japanese rice paper, known as Gampi. The translucent paper allows you in some degree to see through one image to the other, giving an incredible sense of depth and detail. His most popular images include wolves, bison, and coyotes in their natural habitat.

“Untitled”

by LoopmasterM at Aurobora, acrylic on paper, 62 in. X 49 in.

“Cheyenne”

by Steve Wrubel at Gilman Contemporary, archival pigment photograph, 30 in. X 30 in. or 40 in. X 40 in.

GILMAN CONTEMPORARY July – August GREG MILLER “LOOK CLOSER” As a child growing up in California of the ’50s and ’60s, Greg Miller’s visual memory was formed by the billboards, advertisements, and pulp fiction covers that saturated popular culture. In his mixedmedia paintings Miller draws on the graphics and context of the landscape of his youth to create contemporary works of Americana. Through layers of paint, paper, and fragmented images, Miller creates work that excavates and expands upon popular culture. Considered a “neo-pop” painter, Miller’s work builds upon the often-iconic nature of advertisement of the past.

AUROBORA July – August SUMMER 2021 EXHIBITION A revolving group show of artists of regional, national, and international reputations that have

worked at the Aurobora studio over the past 30 years. Artists include Monique Van Genderen, John Zurier, Steve Roden, Fraser Taylor, Sabina Ott, Gustavo Ramis Rivera, Wesley Kimler, William T Wiley, Willy Heeks, LoopmasterM, Flavio Garciandia, Lisa Williamson, Dana Frankfort, Wes Mills, Clem Crosby, Joanne Greenbaum, Pat Lipsky, Claire Sherman, Stephen Westfall.

OCHI July 24 – Jan. 29, 2022 BEN SANDERS SOLO EXHIBIT An immersive installation that will include hosted events through the summer and fall! Watch for details online at ochigallery.com.

HARVEY ART PROJECTS July – August THE BARN PROJECT A collaborative project that aims to broaden the dialogue between traditional and contemporary art cultures. Invited artists exhibit alongside indigenous artists.

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inthearts // gallery buzz

Hannah Knight Leighton in her studio; solo exhibit at Ochi starting in August

AUGUST EXHIBITIONS

KNEELAND GALLERY August 30th ANNUAL PLEIN AIR EXHIBITION Artists’ Reception: Friday August 7th, 5-8pm Each summer, Kneeland Gallery invites its own group of plein air painters to participate in an artistic celebration featuring gatherings and events throughout the week. Participating this year are Steven Lee Adams, Ovanes

Berberian, Jack Braman, John Horejs, Shanna Kunz, Lori McNee, Robert Moore, Silas Thompson and Bart Walker. The schedule is as follows: Monday August 2nd and Tuesday August 3rd Silas Thompson offers a Plein Air painting workshop in the scenic Wood River Valley. Interested parties can sign up by contacting the gallery and space is limited.

August 4th the public is invited to watch the 10 artists paint at the Sawtooth Botanical Gardens. August 5th the group will all paint at Trail Creek Cabin. The final day, August 6th, the gallery will offer a free painting demonstration followed by a reception for the artists.

“St. Mary Lake - Fall Afternoon” by Skip Whitcomb at Wood River Fine Arts, pastel, 32 in. X 35 in.

Ceramic artists—Gail Severn Gallery and Sun Valley Museum of Art 50th Anniversary exhibition

GILMAN CONTEMPORARY

SEPTEMBER EXHIBITIONS

August – Sept.

“ARE WE THERE YET?”

KNEELAND GALLERY

Group photography exhibition

September

SUN VALLEY MUSEUM OF ART (SVMOA) Aug. 6 – Oct. 22 “UNTRAMMELED: AT WILDERNESS’ EDGE” Featuring artwork by four nationally known artists including two new commissioned projects, Untrammeled considers the way our understanding of the idea of wilderness has evolved since the 1964 Wilderness Act. Working in photography, painting, installation and sculpture, Mark Klett, James Lavadour, Laura McPhee and Marie Watt respond to different aspects of the human relationship to the wild, including the human-wildland interface, wildlife, wildfire, and the human experience of wilderness. Can we continue to protect wilderness while still enjoying it as a resource that is both recreational and spiritual? The Museum, Ketchum, Mon–Fri, 10am–5pm, Sats in July & August, 11am–5pm.

OCHI Aug. 14 – Oct. 9 A SOLO EXHIBIT FOR HANNAH KNIGHT LEIGHTON Explore the bright canvases of fiber artist Hannah Knight Leighton.

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JEAN RICHARDSON, MARK GIBSON When asked about her fascination with the horse as subject matter, Jean Richardson often describes how, on many levels, the image is ideal for her true subjects, namely motion and energy. Her large-scale acrylic-on-canvas paintings take the image of a horse and use it as metaphor for the human spirit as she sees it—unbridled, striving, restless and sometimes heroic. Her use of paint reflects this spiritual connection with her subject through movement, form and vivid color.

Born and raised in Montana, Mark Gibson originally trained in architecture. This formal training had a direct effect on the architectural forms of the teepees that characterize his work. Gibson has been pushing himself to focus on purity of color and masterful composition, working to move the viewer’s eye around the entire piece. Most recently he has been working on increasing the scale of his works, which has contributed to his achievement of creating a powerful mood and atmosphere in each painting.

MAP TO THE GALLERIES 1) Aurobora 415.546.7880

6) Friesen Gallery 208.726.4174

2) Boulder Mountain Clay and Art Gallery 208.726.0773

7) Gail Severn Gallery 208.726.5079

12) Sun Valley Center for the Arts 208.726.9491 13) Wood River Fine Arts 208.928.7728

8) Gilman Contemporary 208.726.7585

3) Broschofsky Galleries 208.726.4950

9) Harvey Art Projects USA 208.309.8676

4) Davies-Reid 208.726.3453

GALLERY WALK DATES 2021/22

10) Kneeland Gallery 208.726.5512

5) Frederic Boloix Fine Arts 208.726.8810

11) OCHI Gallery 208.726.8746

Enjoy free evenings of art viewing and conversation at the Sun Valley Gallery Association’s “Gallery Walks.” Galleries are open from 5-7:30 p.m. with artists often in attendance.

Fri., August 6, 2021

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inthearts // gallery buzz

GAIL SEVERN GALLERY CELEBRATES 45 YEARS

I

n honor of 45 years of relationships with the talented artists, staff, clients and the greater Ketchum / Sun Valley community, Gail Severn Gallery will present a series of anniversary exhibitions throughout the next twelve months called “The 45th.” Since opening, the gallery has hosted over 1,445 public exhibitions featuring more than 200 artists. “We look forward to presenting a year full of exhibitions to highlight artists who have been with us for 40-plus years and artists who have joined us more recently,” said owner Gail Severn. The Gallery opened its door in June 1976 in Vargold Lane, where the Galleria is now, then moved to the Walnut Avenue Mall for ten years before eventually moving into their own building, and present location, almost 30 years ago at the corner of 1st and 4th Avenue in downtown Ketchum.

“We are so grateful, for all of you who have supported us during our formative years,” Severn said. “We are excited for the next phase and look forward to continuing our work with collectors, curators, designers, and consultants, with more participation in art fairs “Diamond Back, 2020” by Jane Rosen, hand blown when they resume.” pigmented glass and limestone, 18 in. x 13 in. x 7 in.

Clockwise from top left: “Untitled, Dango, 2017” by Jun Kaneko, hand built and glazed ceramics, 108” in. tall x 56” in. wide x 32.75” in. diameter; “Water Catcher with Dragonflies, 2021” by Hung Liu, mixed media on panel, 41 in. x 41 in.; “Picnic” by Linda Christensen, oil on canvas, 60 in. x 60 in.; “Untitled #500” by Kathy Moss, oil on linen, 72 in. x 48 in

To recognize both longevity and creativity The 45th highlights the work of over 68 artists who remain vital to the Gallery today, including:

Solo exhibitions this summer include:

Group exhibitions this summer include:

Victoria Adams

Rod Kagan

Robert Polidori

Jun Kaneko

Nicolas Africano

Jun Kaneko

Rana Rochat

Pegan Brooke

Margaret Keelan

Alexander Rohrig

Theodore Waddell, David Wharton and Sheila Gardener

Divit Cardoza

Judith Kindler

Jim Romberg

Squeak Carnwath

Gary Komarin

Jane Rosen

Nicole Charbonnet

Lisa Kokin

Brad Rude

Linda Christensen

Hung Liu

David Secrest

James Cook

Lynda Lowe

Anne Siems

Pamela DeTuncq

Laura McPhee

Kiki Smith

David deVillier

Cole Morgan

Mary Snowden

Bean Finneran

Kenna Moser

Julie Speidel

Tony Foster

Kathy Moss

Therman Statom

events and to wander

Sheila Gardner

Ed Musante

Theodore Waddell

the exhibition spaces

Raphaelle Goethals

Gwynn Murrill

Allison Stewart

and the sculpture garden.

April Gornik

Marcia Myers

Inez Storer

Morris Graves

Don Nice

David Wharton

Gail Severn Gallery

Michael Gregory

Carolyn Olbum

Laura Wilson

Diane Andrews Hall

Deborah Oropallo

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Marcia Myers Morris Graves

Gary Komarin, Linda Christensen, Cole Morgan and Rana Rochat Celebratory exhibitions continue for the next 12 months. For more information, visit gailseverngallery.com, or stop by the gallery to hear about special

400 First Avenue North Ketchum, ID 83340

Kiki Smith, Jane Rosen, Ed Musante, Anne Siems, Margaret Keelan and Diane Andrews Hall Robb Putman, Gwynn Murrill, Chris Maynard, Don Nice and Robert McCauley Michael Gregory, James Cook, Jack Spencer and Victoria Adams David deVillier, Judith Kindler, Anne Siems, Hung Liu and Linda Christensen

620 Sun Valley Road | Unit D101 A | Ketchum, ID 83340 stejerstudio.com | @jstejer.encaustic | 509.993.1213

Stejer Studio_half pg hort_SVM_S21.indd 1

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CA L E B M E Y E R

“Vast”, oil on canvas, 40” x 80”

K N E E L A N D

G A L L E R Y

271 First Avenue N, Ketchum, ID 83340 www.kneelandgallery.com • 208.726.5512

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food&drink

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Backyard

BBQs

Dazzle dinner guests with these recipes from top chefs B Y H AY D E N S E D E R

C

ooking meat over an open flame has a long and vast history, dating back to the origins of mankind, all across the world. The word “barbeque” as used in the American lexicon is thought to originate from Spanish explorers who found Caribbean Indian peoples grilling on a wooden grate and called this method “barbacoa.” (Other theories credit French explorers with its founding, while remains of barbequing have been found as far away as Stonehenge.) As the explorers made their way north, they brought this cooking style with them, instilling an institution in the culture of America.

The first mention of the word “barbeque” in American history was found in 1733 in the diary of a Massachusetts man. Since then, barbeque has evolved to hold meaning for so many different groups: it’s a Fourth of July tradition, a reason to gather with friends on the patio during summer, and in many southern states, it’s a competitive event. This summer, gather your friends and family while enjoying these go-to recipes from some of Ketchum’s chefs.

Traditional smoked barbecue Wagyu beef brisket—great with Louisiana sauce, onion rings and spicy grilled peppers.

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Brisket from Joshua Jones, chef/owner at Smoke Over Baldy food truck Jones learned this simple recipe from celebrity chef Myron Mixon, who also happens to be a regular on the competitive BBQ circuit. After sampling this cooking method and getting positive feedback from his customers at the truck, Jones made this his go-to for serving food in Idaho, which he calls “a huge brisket crowd.” Jones adds, “If you want a juicy brisket, make sure you have a pan of water when smoking it and also braise it for another 6-10 hours, depending on the size.”

Spice Mixture:

Olive oil or vegetable oil

Salt and pepper Granulated garlic Onion powder Chili powder

1. Make the Spice Mixture by mixing equal parts of all ingredients (salt and pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder and chili powder).

2. Rub meat down with a little bit of olive oil and then rub with Spice Mixture until thoroughly coated.

3. Let meat sit for 30 minutes.

4. Smoke for 8 to 12 hours at 225-250°, depending on the size of the brisket.

5. Put in the oven at 250° for 12 hours (optional).

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Common BBQ Mistakes Not cleaning or oiling your grill …

Before lighting up the grill, make sure it has been cleaned. Ideally, clean it after each use— after it’s cool, of course. Oil that bad boy up so that non-meat items like fish and vegetables don’t stick.

Not fueling up …

If using a gas grill, make sure you have enough propane. You don’t want to have to make a lastminute trip when guests are waiting and hungry.

Not preheating the grill …

OPEN DAILY AT 5:00PM

Whether using a gas or charcoal grill, always preheat, getting the grill to the highest temperature possible before putting food on.

Takeout and Distanced In-House Dining

Using too much heat …

While you want parts of the grill to be as hot as possible, you’ll also want a cooler area to put those foods that are ready to eat but not yet ready to leave the grill.

520 East Avenue North • Ketchum, Idaho 208.726.4660 • ketchumgrill.com

Mistreating your meat …

Fresh-from-the-fridge meat takes longer to cook so take it out at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. On the other end, meat also needs to rest after coming off the grill. Just five minutes should do the trick.

5:00pm for Takeout and Distanced In-House Dining 360 East Avenue North • Ketchum, Idaho 208.726.6969 • ketchumtavern.com

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food&drink // bbq

Vegan Tempeh Ribs & Pomegranate BBQ Sauce from Sydney Liepshutz, chef at Glow Juice Bar & Café

Idaho BEERs

This recipe from Liepshutz’s personal collection is a delicious, meaty alternative to enjoy while barbequing. She recommends pairing it with cilantro lime coleslaw and creamy potato salad if you’re barbequing, or rutabaga puree and sauteed collard greens if enjoying as a summer family dinner.

1-2 p ackages organic tempeh

Spices:

Marinade:

1 tsp mustard powder

Smoked shiitake mushrooms or substitute regular dried shiitakes and a few drops liquid smoke

1 tbsp garlic powder

1c up tamari (or substitute soy sauce)

1-2 tbsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 c up coconut sugar (or substitute brown sugar)

1 tbsp black pepper

1/4 c up apple cider vinegar 1-2 t sp chipotle chili powder Sauce: 2 qts pomegranate juice 2 cups organic ketchup 2 cups coconut sugar

1 tbsp onion powder 2 tbsp paprika 2 tsp cumin pinch ground cloves pinch allspice 2 cups onion, finely diced 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire (optional) Salt to taste 3/4 cup reserved marinade

1. Mix together marinade ingredients and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 days, then 1-2 days refrigerated. Strain out mushrooms and submerge tempeh in marinade for 8-24 hours. Save the marinade for the next step.

2. In a saucepan, sweat onion in olive oil with salt and pepper, then add garlic and spices.

Once fragrant, add pomegranate juice, ketchup, coconut sugar, reserved marinade and Worcestershire. On low to medium heat, reduce this mixture by half or until desired thickness. Blend in high-speed blender until smooth, pour back into saucepan, and adjust seasoning (salt/sugar/vinegar/spice) to taste.

3. Cut tempeh in half or triangles to handle easier on the grill. Oil grill and rotate once to get grill marks, flip and do the same on the opposite side. Cut into ribs and skewer bamboo into each strip for the “bones.” Slather on sauce after they’re off the grill.

You can’t have an Idaho BBQ without a few Idaho beers. Here are a few of our favorites and how to pair them.

Idahome IPA, Sawtooth Brewing, Hailey This West Coast-style IPA is made using local Idaho barley, hops and water. The bitterness of IPAs can have a cooling effect, making this great to pair with something spicy like a burger with BBQ sauce.

Sockeye BarrelAged Seven Devils Imperial Stout, Sockeye Brewing, Boise Part of the brewery’s “Soaked in Oak” selection, this stout has tastes of chocolate, wood and salt and would pair well with BBQed ribs or smoked brisket.

Grand Teton Double Vision Doppelbock, Grand Teton Brewing Co., Victor At 8% alcohol by volume, this beer might actually cause some double vision. Enjoy its burnt caramel flavor and malt sweetness with sweet sausages or BBQed root vegetables.

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NEWLY BUILT

711 North Main Street Hailey, Idaho 83333

(208) 788-8500

WHERE

RECIPE PHOTOS: KIRSTEN SHULT Z

DREAM Grandma’s “Portobello Burger” from Jay Veregge, chef at Warfield This recipe is one that Veregge uses quite often in his personal life and that originates with his Italian-born grandmother. Described by him as always being of healthy thought and mind, even in her cooking, his grandmother attended a BBQ with the family where hotdogs and hamburgers were cooking. Undeterred, she brought out portobello mushrooms and some Italian lettuce called escarole. She threw the mushrooms, escarole, and some red onions on the grill, made up a little marinade, toasted some buns, and added aioli. It was something Veregge never forgot and surely everyone else at the BBQ, all of whom abandoned their hamburgers and hotdogs for grandma’s “burgers,” didn’t either. Recipe serves 4.

8 l arge portobello mushrooms, cleaned and finned 1h ead Italian escarole lettuce (can substitute radicchio or romaine), split and quartered

VACATION S

1 medium sweet red onion, sliced Ciabatta rolls or hamburger buns (wheat is preferable) 1/2 cup garlic aioli 1/4 cup balsamic marinade

1. Make the garlic aioli by mixing 1 tbsp of fine, chopped garlic into 1/2 cup mayonnaise with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice.

2. Make the balsamic marinade by whisking 1/2 tbsp garlic with 1/8 cup oil and 1/8 cup vinegar.

3. On a searing hot barbecue, place portobello mushrooms over direct heat and allow them to brown evenly on both sides, about four minutes.

4. As the mushrooms are grilling, add to the indirect heat side of your barbecue or grill the split, quartered escarole lettuce. Add sliced red onion and let these become dark and soft to release sugars.

5. As the mushrooms begin to wilt, along with the lettuce and onions, take a small brush of balsamic vinaigrette and brush evenly across lettuce, mushrooms and onion, also adding salt and pepper to taste.

6. Grill your buns crispy on the barbecue as you remove your mushrooms, lettuce, and onion and set aside on a serving plate.

7. Apply the aioli to both sides of bun, roughly chop escarole lettuce and onion, and place portobello on the bottom bun with lettuce and onion mixture on top.

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BEGIN

food&drink // dining guide S P E C I A L

PROMOTIONAL SECTION

DINING AROUND TOWN A fast guide to the Valley’s best eateries

Warfield Distillery & Brewery, start with the Ploughman’s Board laoaded with daily meats, cheeses & rillettes.

BREAKFAST & CAFES

BIG BELLY DELI

Homemade soups, salads, and a variety of great sandwiches. Serving the Valley for over 15 years and rated #1 Best Sandwich Deli. Let us prove it, and your belly will thank you.

171 N. Main St., Hailey. 208.788.2411.

BIGWOOD BREAD

Visit us at one of our spectacular locations, both featuring beautiful outdoor views, fantastic food and outstanding service. Fresh and homemade is how we do it!

271 Northwood Way, Ketchum. 208.726.2035.

BLACK OWL CAFÉ

Locally roasted, custom blended coffee brewed to perfection. Large selection of loose-leaf tea. Home-baked scones, muffins and breads.

Breakfast and lunch.

208 N. River St., Hailey. 208.928.6200.

CAFÉ DELLA

Café, bakery, and market located in the heart of Hailey. Our market offers prepared dinners to-go, housemade provisions, grocery essentials, local produce, dairy, meats, fish, beer and wine. Stop in to shop our daily “Dinner Tonight” offerings and more, or order 114

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from our weekly dinner and grocery menu online for Friday pickup or FREE delivery.

103 S. Main St., Hailey. 208.913.0263.

GALENA LODGE

The perfect place for a winter or summer outing. During the winter months Galena is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch served daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

15187 State Hwy. 75, Ketchum. 208.726.4010.

GLOW LIVE FOOD CAFÉ

Glow is a plant-based and organic café and health food store. Glow specializes in delicious, plant-based foods, emphasizing locally grown produce.

380 Washington Ave. #105, Ketchum.

208.725.0314.

GRETCHEN’S

Adjacent to the Sun Valley Lodge lobby, Gretchen’s Restaurant welcomes you with a relaxing indoor/outdoor feel with easy access for Terrace dining all day long. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner and full bar service.

Sun Valley Lodge. 208.622.2144.

HAILEY COFFEE COMPANY

Our café serves delicious gourmet espresso drinks and fresh-baked goods from our on-site

bakery. All of our coffees are fresh roasted in Hailey and our baked goods are served fresh from the oven.

219 S. Main St., Hailey. 208.788.8482.

HANK & SYLVIE’S

We are a bakery, floral design and gift shop offering fresh-baked sweets, custom cakes, flower arrangements, and a large array of party goods and gifts. Specialty coffee drinks available and a selection of fresh-baked goods handmade from scratch daily.

471 N. Leadville, Ketchum, 208.726.0115; and 91 E. Croy St., Hailey, 208.928.4088.

INTERNATIONAL COWBOY COCINA

International Cowboy Cocina is a cornerstone in the Hailey community and has been recognized for its outstanding American cuisine, excellent service and friendly staff.

111 N. 1st Ave., Suite 1C, Hailey. 208.928.7009.

JAVA COFFEE AND CAFÉ

Truly a great coffeehouse! Baking from scratch daily. Serving the finest Fair Trade and organic coffees. Sound like a local and order the “Dirty Hippie Burrito” and a “Bowl of Soul.”

191 4th St. W., Ketchum, 208.726.2882; 111 N. 1st Ave., Hailey, 208.788.2297.

JERSEY GIRL

Best sandwiches in town! Jersey Girl is home of Trenton, New Jersey-famous porkroll, egg and cheese sandwich, the locals favorite “Bacado” (house roasted turkey, bacon, Swiss, avocado), a bangin’ lineup of homemade soups and a mean biscuits and gravy. Now with two locations—Hailey and a new spot on the north end of Ketchum’s Main Street!

640 North Main St., Ketchum 14 E. Croy St., Hailey. 208.788.8844.

KONDITOREI

Lunch dishes range from pumpkin spaetzle with sausage and apples to roasted chicken crepes with spinach and spicy Liptauer cheese. The café offers a full complement of artisanal coffee and hot chocolate drinks, plus house-baked European pastries.

Sun Valley Resort, 208.622.2235.

PERRY’S

Voted “Best of the Valley” by the Idaho Mountain Express readers numerous times for breakfast, lunch, and sandwiches, Perry’s Restaurant has been a Ketchum fixture for 34 years.

131 West 4th St., Ketchum. 208.726.7703.

MAUDE’S COFFEE & CLOTHES

Maude’s is a coffee shop and a clothing store that serves traditional espresso, small eats, and is a purveyor of unique vintage contemporary clothing for women and men.

The husband and wife team, Jacob & Tara, who started Maude’s, believe in products made with integrity and intention.

391 Walnut Ave., Ketchum. 208.726.6413.

Nourish Me, carrying everything from organic seasonal produce to locally made and grown foods.

NOURISHME

Julie Johnson opened NourishMe in June 2010 in order to bring her love of nutrition and local food to the community in which she lived. This light-filled store on Main Street in Ketchum features everything from seasonal produce and bulk seeds, nuts and fruits, to a wide variety of supplements, homemade sandwiches, salads and soups, wellness products, gluten-free foods and organic cosmetics.

151 Main St., Ketchum. 208.928.7604.

RASBERRYS

Callie and Maeme Rasberry believe all the senses must be involved in meal preparation; therefore, the menu is eclectic, just like the chefs, with dishes prepared with fresh local ingredients when available and their own take on comfort and ethnic food.

411 Building, 5th St., Ketchum. 208.726.0606.

SMILEY CREEK LODGE.

Under new ownership, Smiley Creek Lodge is located near the headwaters of the Salmon River at the top of the Sawtooth Valley, 37 miles north of Ketchum/Sun Valley.

A full restaurant serves delicious homestyle food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a newly renovated market features fresh and wholesome take-away meals and provisions. The connecting retail store is small, but well-stocked with provisions and gear for all your outdoor adventures.

16546 N. Hwy. 75, Sawtooth City (over Galena Summit). smileycreeklodge.com.

STANLEY BAKING CO.

Maude’s, shopping while enoying artisan coffee.

Set amidst Idaho’s majestic Sawtooth mountains and the mighty Salmon River lies the sublime mountain town of Stanley … And

in the heart of Stanley lies a bakery where homemade meals are served, the baked goods are legendary, and the atmosphere is humming. Open seasonally for breakfast and lunch from mid-May through October.

250 Wall St., Stanley (over Galena Summit). stanleybakingco.com.

THE HAVEN

Specializing in catering, take-out and delivery, with spaced dine-in options, Kellee Havens is always thinking about food—beautiful and delicious. The Haven’s savory, filling and scrumptious delectables are always appealing to her Ketchum and Wood River Valley followers. The Haven now offers free delivery (with purchase of bottle of wine). Deliveries to both Ketchum and Hailey between 2-5pm.

220 East Ave. North, Ketchum. 208.928.4291.

THE KNEADERY

The Kneadery combines wholesome fresh food with a rustic Idaho atmosphere. All meals start with the freshest ingredients: locally baked organic breads, farm-fresh, cage-free eggs, seasonal fruit and top-quality meats.

260 Leadville Ave. North, Ketchum.

208.726.9462.

DELIS

ATKINSONS’ MARKETS

Atkinsons’ Markets, serving you and your family at our three locations in the Wood River Valley with deli sandwiches made to order, hot soups, grab-and-go meals and desserts, and a full deli case of freshly made main dishes and sides.

451 E. 4th St., Ketchum, 208.726.2681; 93 E. Croy St., Hailey, 208.788.2294; 757 N. Main St., Bellevue, 208.788.7788.

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PROMOTIONAL SECTION

7 FUEGO

7 Fuego is a family-owned and operated Bajastyle BBQ grill located in the “historic” bank building in Bellevue. We specialize in slowcooked tri-tip steak and various seafood items.

200 S. Main St., Bellevue. 208.788.1034.

SAWTOOTH BREWERY

25 taps with beer, wine, cider, and kombucha on tap! Join us for the game on one of our big-screen TV’s. We fill growlers, crowlers, and have kegs, bottles, and cans to go! Two locations—Hailey and Ketchum—with seasonal outdoor seating at both spots.

110 N. River St., Hailey; 631 Warm Springs Rd., Ketchum. 208.726.6803.

Johnny G’s Sub Shack’s popular specialty sub “Delbello,“ with ham, pastrami, salami, provolone, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onions, oil & vinegar, salt & pepper, and oregano.

JOHNNY G’S SUB SHACK

Serving the best subs in the Great State of Idaho! Family owned and operated since 1998, and serving up hot subs like the popular “5B” (turkey, bacon, cream cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato) or the “Mama Sass’s Meatball” (Italian meatballs, marinara, parmesan). Homemade soups, salads, smoothies and build-your-own round out a solid menu of delicious sandwiches.

371 Washington Ave., Ketchum. 208.725.7827.

WRAPCITY

Wrapcity serves up creative wraps and salads, homemade soups, and unique quesadillas.

Wrapcity also serves breakfast wraps all day with special breakfast creations on Saturdays and Sundays.

180 Main St., S., Ketchum. 208.727.6766.

PUBS, GRILLS, & LOUNGES

APPLE’S BAR & GRILL

For 33 years, Apple’s Bar & Grill has been a popular spot for lunch and aprés-ski and it is still the best spot to fuel your body after a long day ripping turns on Baldy! At the base of Baldy near Warm Springs Lodge, the restaurant is decorated with local ski memorabilia and is known for mouthwatering grub and as the locals’ #1 post-ski destination.

Only open in the winter months, available for private events in the off season.

205 Picabo St., Ketchum. 208.726.7067.

BIGWOOD BAR & GRILL

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inspiration. Situated on the Bigwood Golf Course and overlooking Bald Mountain, Bigwood’s iconic surf ‘n turf menu believes in offering sea-to-plate fare while supporting sustainability and our local hard-working fishermen, farmers and local purveyors. And the outdoor deck and views of Baldy are spectacular!

115 Thunder Trail, Ketchum. 208.726.7067.

GRUMPY’S

Grumpy’s is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. We are a little hard to find, but not hard to find out about.

THE CELLAR PUB

From traditional pub fare such as buffalo burgers or fish & chips to original dishes such as our flat-iron steak salad, we have something for everyone in your party. We have a full bar and feature a great selection of draft beer and fine wines.

400 Sun Valley Rd., Ketchum. 208.622.3832.

THE SMOKEY BONE

Featuring award-winning, authentic barbecue right here in Idaho. Featuring Texas-style brisket cooked with applewood smoke, ribs, pulled pork, turkey, chicken, sausage and a selection of mouthwatering sides to fill up any plate.

315 S. Main St., Hailey. 208.788.0772

860 Warm Springs Rd., Ketchum. No phone.

210 2nd Ave. S., Twin Falls. 208.733.3885

LEFTY’S BAR & GRILL

LIMELIGHT LOUNGE

Lefty’s has a great casual dining menu, including killer burgers served on fresh-baked bread, monster hot sandwiches, wings, salads and the house specialty, fresh-cut French fries.

And the outdoor deck can’t be beat in the summer!

231 6th St. East, Ketchum. 208.726.2744.

MAHONEY’S BAR & GRILL

Mahoney’s offers a full bar, a terrific patio that’s just a short stroll from Bellevue’s Howard Preserve and a tasty menu featuring their famous “Juicy Lucy” cheese-filled, grilledonion-topped hamburger.

104 S. Main St., Bellevue. 208.788.4449.

POWER HOUSE

Serving locally-raised Wagyu beef burgers, blackened Ahi sandwiches and tacos, handcut fries, and organic salads with a wealth of beers on tap.

502 N. Main St., Hailey. 208.788.9184.

When late afternoon hits, we swing our doors wide open for guests and locals to dig into our friendly après food and drink specials. Our full dinner menu is available evenings in the Lounge, for in-room dining, or take-out.

151 South Main St., Ketchum. 208.726.0888.

THE RED SHOE

Enjoy the neighborhood-tavern feel of The Red Shoe while dining on local favorites that include a meatloaf sandwich, wild Alaskan sockeye salmon and braised pork ribs.

107 Hwy. 75, Hailey. 208.788.5048.

VILLAGE STATION

Enjoy a wide selection of cocktails and craft beer on tap, as well as a crowd-pleasing menu of classic American favorites: hearty cheeseburgers, chicken wings, pizza and family-style salads.

Sun Valley Village, Sun Valley. 208.622.2143.

WARFIELD DISTILLERY & BREWERY

The ever-changing menu brings you the best provisions from across the Northwest in our comfortable neighborhood pub setting. The best summer deck in town with fire pits and rocking chairs for comfort and conversation.

280 N. Main St., Ketchum. 208.726.2739.

MEXICAN

4:30pm to 8pm for Takeout 5:00pm for Distanced In-House Dining 300 North Main Street • Ketchum, Idaho • 208.928.6280 • ketchum-enoteca.com Barrio75 Taco Lounge & Tequila Bar, pulled pork, duck fat, pico de gallo, salsa verde.

Wake up and Live

BARRIO75 TACO LOUNGE & TEQUILA BAR Tucked into the edge of downtown Ketchum with patio views of Mount Baldy, Barrio75 offers a lively and decorative take on a beloved culinary duo … tacos and tequila. Every day, they grind organic heirloom corn, crafting housemade tortillas—the base of everything they do—while paying homage to the traditional street tacos of Mexico and South America. And don’t miss the list of over 40 tequilas, draft beers and wines, and a cocktail menu designed to accentuate the bold and bright flavors of each dish.

211 4th St. E, Ketchum. 208.726.3068.

CHAPALITAS GRILL

A family Mexican restaurant serving authentic dishes, including specialties such as pollo a la chapala, chicken carnitas, and huevos con chorizo.

200 S. Main St., Hailey. 208.928.7306.

two convenient valley locations

DESPO’S

Despo’s is committed to authentic, delicious Mexican dishes that respect your desire for a healthy meal without compromising flavor.

211 4th St. E., Ketchum. 208.726.3068.

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Home of the Bowl of Soul

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JAVA HAILEY

JAVA ON FOURTH KETCHUM

111 1st avenue north 208.788.2399

191 4th street west 208.726.2882

KB’S

This cheerful, laid-back burrito joint serves delicious fish tacos and offers a make-yourown burrito, with a choice of 27 fillings.

260 N. Main St., Ketchum. 208.928.6955; 121 N. Main St., Hailey. 208.788.7217.

LA CABANITA

Only one way to put it…best authentic Mexican food in town. The town’s hidden gem that is truly a favorite.

160 W. 5th St., Ketchum. 208.725.5001; 745 N. Main St., Bellevue. 208.928.7550.

LAGO AZUL

Enjoy true Mexican food in downtown Hailey.

Pollo rancherito, carne asada saran and “Sandy” tacos are house specialties not to be missed.

14 W. Croy St., Hailey. 208.578.1700.

ITALIAN & PIZZA

Rickshaw, a neighborhood restaurant serving creative, small plates inspired by the flavors of Southeast Asia and beyond.

DIVINE FOOD & WINE

ROMINNA’S

Voted the best wine bar in the Wood River Valley for the last three years, diVine offers wines by the glass, soups, salads, panini and gourmet pizzas. And don’t miss the delicious fondue or gluten-free options.

Since 2013, we have been offering contemporary Italian cuisine prepared to the highest standards. Our premium wine selection includes more than 150 wines to pair with any course.

111 N. 1st Ave., Hailey. 208.788.4422.

580 Washington St., Ketchum.

208.726.6961.

ENOTECA

Ketchum’s newest gastronomic addition, with its upscale pizzeria and wine bar. Enoteca has a plethora of small plates to choose from.

300 N. Main St., Ketchum. 208.928.6280.

IL NASO

Il Naso is special whether you drop by to have a burger and beer at the wine bar, or to relax in the candlelit dining room. The extensive wine list and knowledgeable staff will help you choose just the right bottle to enhance your dining experience.

480 Washington Ave., Ketchum. 208.726.7776.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN PIZZERIA & GRILL

Our fresh, handcrafted food is what brings people in, and our service is what keeps them coming back for more. We pride ourselves on creating a “nourishing and memorable neighborhood experience that people love!”

200 Sun Valley Rd., Ketchum. 208.622.5625.

WISEGUY PIZZA PIE

Serving New York-style, hand-tossed pizzas topped with whole-milk mozzarella, and baked to perfection in our stone deck ovens.

Large selection of local and regional bottled and draft beer.

460 Sun Valley Rd., Ketchum, 208.726.0737; and 411 N. Main St., Hailey, 208.788.8688.

ASIAN/SUSHI

DANG’S THAI CUISINE

Il Naso, charred garlic lime squid and spicy marinara.

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Dang’s offers a wide selection of popular dishes ranging from sushi, green papaya salad, pad thai, and their famous green curry with chicken!

Highly recommended as an affordable, flavorful and fun experience in Hailey!

310 N. Main St., Hailey. 208.928.7111.

RICKSHAW Serving “ethnic street foods,” inspired by the flavors and foods in locales such as Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia.

460 N. Washington Ave., Ketchum.

208.726.8481.

SUSHI ON SECOND

Sushi on Second is the Valley’s oldest sushi restaurant. But don’t let age fool you. Head sushi chef John Rust is at the center of a talented crew of sushi chefs that delight in creating dishes that are as appetizing to look at as they are to eat.

260 Second St., Ketchum. 208.726.5181.

ZOU 75

Zou 75 is your destination for more than great Asian fusion, sushi and seafood selections. With fresh fish flown in several times a week straight from Honolulu, Hawaii, you can always count on the best in quality and freshness. Zou 75 is the perfect choice for your next dining event.

416 N. Main St., Hailey. 208.788.3310.

MEDITERRANEAN

TOWN SQUARE TAVERN

Town Square Tavern is a gathering place in the center of Ketchum, serving fresh and inspired world cuisine. With flavors inspired by the Mediterranean regions stretching from the Middle East, to North Africa, to Spain, Italy and France, there is something sure to please everyone’s palate.

360 East Ave. N., Ketchum. 208.726.6969.

REGIONAL NORTHWEST

COOKBOOK

This cozy place was built in 1932 as a church and then later on was an architect’s office, daycare, butcher shop, BBQ restaurant and bakery. Vita and Burke Smith fell in love with this cute building and decided to give it a new life.

271 7th St. East, Ketchum. 208.720.3260.

DUCHIN LOUNGE

All new and inviting, this legendary lounge serves up cocktails, imported beer and an extensive wine list. Now you can also duck in for a quick bite from our lounge menu.

Sun Valley Lodge. 208.622.2145.

GRILL AT KNOB HILL

The environment at the Knob Hill Inn is casual and comfortable, yet sophisticated, with distinctively Northwest cuisine, and a variety of American and European classics.

A top local favorite!

960 N. Main St., Ketchum. 208.726.8004.

REDFISH LAKE LODGE

Taste a true Idaho mountain brand of comfort food—cuisine that will pleasantly surprise you in the shadow of the Sawtooths. Starting with local, Idaho-grown ingredients and adding in their own blend of flavors from the Northwest’s wild resources, the dining room at Redfish Lake Lodge specializes in salmon, trout, wild game and other regional favorites, alongside wines from acclaimed local, domestic and internationl producers. Serving dinner nightly and hearty, traditional breakfasts daily.

401 Redfish Lodge Road, Stanley (over Galena Summit), 208.774.3536.

ROUNDHOUSE

Perched midway up Bald Mountain on the River Run side, the Roundhouse is a culinary destination not to be missed. Serviced by the Roundhouse Gondola, the restaurant offers spectacular views of the Valley.

Bald Mountain, Ketchum. 208.622.2012.

SUN VALLEY CLUB

Among the most popular places in Sun Valley to eat, drink and relax, the wraparound terrace at Sun Valley Club offers stunning views of Bald Mountain, Dollar Mountain and the 18-hole Sawtooth Putting Course. The Sun Valley Club brings exciting, contemporary dishes that are focused on local ingredients and big flavors.

1 Trail Creek Rd., Sun Valley. 208.622.2919.

THE COVEY Offering an intimate ambiance with an always-evolving menu. The relaxed atmosphere is a place to enjoy good friends, fine wine, and delicious meals.

520 Washington Ave., Ketchum. 208.726.3663.

THE PIONEER SALOON

The Pioneer Saloon, renowned for perfectly aged, tender and flavorful beef, is typical of an earlier Idaho where ore wagons rattled down Main Street and business was done with a handshake and a drink. Natural woods, mounted game, and period firearms help recreate an authentic saloon atmosphere.

The Grill at Knob Hill is the place to be for distinctively Northwest cuisine, with a variety of American and European classics.

320 N. Main St., Ketchum. 208.726.3139.

THE RAM

For nearly 28 years, Ketchum Grill has brought your dining experience to the highest gastronomical level, and the best Idaho has to offer.

Sun Valley’s original restaurant, The Ram has been warming and welcoming diners since 1937. Travel back in time with the nightly “Heritage Menu”—a series of historic dishes such as pork tenderloin schnitzel, Hungarian goulash, and the famous Ram fondue.

520 East Ave., Ketchum. 208.726.4660.

Located in the Sun Valley Inn. 208.622.2225.

KETCHUM GRILL

Pick up a copy of TASTE of Sun Valley for menus and more!

TASTE of Sun Valley - Dining & Menu Guide showcases feature articles on the latest in food and drink, chef and restaurateur profiles, restaurant TO GO menus from the area’s best eateries, and tantalizing recipes.

THE SAWTOOTH CLUB

Always busy with a great mix of locals and visitors, The Sawtooth Club offers a unique blend of American steakhouse classics, fresh seafood, wild game, unique pasta dishes and much more. Many entrées are cooked over the live, mesquite-wood fire, and all are prepared with a singular creative flair. The awardwinning wine list offers a diverse selection of reasonably priced wines to compliment any of the delicious menu offerings.

231 North Main St., Ketchum. 208.726.5233.

TRAIL CREEK CABIN

Trail Creek Cabin is Sun Valley’s destination for romantic dining in a rustic, early-Western atmosphere. Accessible by sleigh or car, Trail Creek Cabin is the perfect winter backdrop for a delicious seasonal menu, which includes Hagerman Valley Idaho ruby red trout, buffalo tenderloin and Trail Creek New York strip.

300 Trail Creek Rd., Sun Valley. 208.622.2019.

VINTAGE

A favorite of the locals, chef Rodrigo Herrera is tuned into the best of the season’s offerings.

With a lovely ambiance, both inside and seasonally outside, Vintage offers a dining experience like one would have in France: leisurely, lively, and without pretension.

231 Leadville Ave., Ketchum. 208.726.9595.

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weddin stories Alexis + Bergen

A surprise ceremony leads to an intimate reception at Trail Creek B Y K AT E H U L L PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEV KHALSA

W

hen ongoing pandemic concerns continued to alter their wedding plans, Alexis Naylor and Bergen Palmer decided to throw out the playbook. The result: An unforgettable August day as perfect as Plan A. Originally from Salt Lake City, Alexis met Bergen, a Ketchum native, on a camping trip to Bloods Lake in Utah.

During one of their many weekend trips to her parents’ cabin in Heber, Bergen popped the question at sunset after an ATV ride to take in the fresh air.

When it came time to plan their big day, Alexis and Bergen originally wanted a 200-person spring wedding at River Run Lodge, envisioning a big, traditional celebration. They postponed in hopes the pandemic would settle down, but soon realized they couldn’t postpone any longer.

“Bergen’s mother had a life threatening type of brain cancer, and we weren’t sure how long she would be with us,” Alexis said. A new wedding vision took hold.

With just 14 immediate family members, the couple planned an intimate weekend at Palmer’s family home—with a surprise in store.

Alexis and Bergen led their family on a mid-morning hike to the Big Wood River; unbeknownst to the rest of the hikers, the real destination was a riverfront wedding.

“We told them we were getting married, not tonight, but right now,” Alexis said.

Alexis changed into a blush pink dress and Birkenstocks and wore a flower crown, and Bergen wore a linen shirt with a bolo tie, slacks and flip flops.

While their chocolate Lab Siggi took a dip in the river, the couple said, “I do,” followed by a champagne toast and lunch by the river catered by The Haven. After the ceremony, the celebration continued with a reception at the Palmers’ home along East Fork. Wedding planner Amanda Seward created a lovely tablescape with yellow and orange flowers and colorful accents. The families enjoyed yard games, danced the night away, and ended the evening with s’mores by the campfire. ï Venue – Lake Creek Trail + East Fork private home Catering – The Haven Planner – Amanda Seward Florist – Tara Bella Flowers Hair – Ali Sherbine / The Feathered Flip Ceremony Music – “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles + “Everlasting Love” by Natalie Cole Furniture Rentals – That’s Entertainment + Tara Bella Flowers SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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weddingstories // emily + douglas

Emily + Douglas Sun Valley nuptials and a memorable day of love and family W O R D S B Y K AT E H U L L P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y H E AT H E R N A N

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E

mily and Douglas Manchester said “I do” on a picture-perfect summer day at Trail Creek Cabin, an intimate affair shared with their family and closest friends.

The pair first met at Whiskey Jacques’ more than a decade ago before reconnecting later down the road and beginning a romance. Originally from La Jolla, California, Douglas proposed to Emily, a Mercer Island, Washington, native, on a sunset hike in their Park City, Utah, home in December 2019. But their nuptials would be held in their favorite place: Sun Valley.

Emily and Doug began their next chapter together during an outdoor affair planned by Utah-based Silver Summit Events, made all the lovelier by stunning florals and greenery and elegant décor.

Artisan Bloom created the whimsical floral arrangements with pops of ivory, peach and blue and a mix of greenery that complimented the scenic landscape at Trail Creek. “I wanted the flowers to enhance the natural beauty of the setting and look like wildflowers, and they did just that!”

Emily says.

Adding their own personal touches, the ceremony included their two Labradors, Luna and Hutch, and Emily walked down the aisle in her striking Anne Barge gown to “Main Title Theme (Billy)” by Bob Dylan. Douglas’ wedding ring also featured

the coordinates of where they first fell in love engraved inside, one of Emily’s favorite details.

After the ceremony, guests dined on food from Sun Valley Company, while Ryan Innes performed during dinner.

Emily and Douglas said what made their day memorable was being with family in their favorite place, made even more special by the attendance of Emily’s sister Kelley, who passed away in early 2021.

“We are so grateful to have celebrated our love with our family and closest friends, especially my beautiful sister Kelley, who is now looking over us from heaven,” says Emily. ï Venue and Catering – Sun Valley Resort Planner – Silver Summit Events Florist – Artisan Bloom Makeup – Ash Hurley Hair – Danielle Anspach Dress – Anne Barge Shoes – Valentino Entertainment – Ryan Innes Furniture Rentals – That’s Entertainment SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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weddin details

In Idaho, dogs are part of almost every big day.

When Small is BIG Every little thing W needed to create a special day is available here in the Valley

BY LORI EGGERS CURRIE

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ith wide blue skies and sweeping views of majestic mountains in the distance, Sun Valley provides the perfect backdrop to declare your lifelong love to that special someone. But before you say, “I do,” it helps to commit to a variety of vendors who specialize in making your wedding day dreams a reality. From choosing the perfect venue to finding a fantastic photographer and florist, there are a million details to consider when planning your wedding, and luckily for you, the Wood River Valley has dozens of professionals

Wedding – Crystal + Colby Stoecklein Photographer – Two Bird Studio

that will assist in all the small things that go into planning a mountain wedding and making your big day something you will never forget.

From rustic to luxe, from intimate dinners to large-scale affairs, Sun Valley’s four-season setting offers spectacular indoor and outdoor wedding venues for gatherings of all sizes and styles.

We have created a showcase of special wedding details, with a listing of our favorite local vendors on pages 134-135, to provide inspiration and help you kick off your happily ever after. A lifetime of memories begins right here. ï

JUDITH M cQ U E E N

love thy guest

ENTERTAINING

Moscow Mule cups as wedding favors.

Wedding – Lauren + Darren Venue – Trail Creek Cabin Photographer – Dev Khalsa Welcome Tote, with resources for guests.

Planner – Heather Minor Events

CATERING WEDDING & EVENT PLANNING STAFFING

Sharing a favorite cocktail recipe.

Wedding – Alex + James Hooper Planner – Amanda Seaward’s Absolute Weddings Photographer – Kirsten Shultz

www.JudithMcQueen.com

Blankets for warmth.

Wedding – Emily + Douglas Manchester Planner – Silver Summit Events

(208) 720-2657

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PHOTOS Thia Konig

weddingdetails // table settings

setting the stage

Custom walkway (above) and custom baby’s breath archway (right) for a stunning backyard ceremony.

Planner – Heather Minor Events Florist – Tara Bella Flowers Photographer – M. K. Sadler

Memorable table settings featuring photography from the late David Stoecklein (father of the groom) and seating cards with personal written notes to each guest.

Wedding – Crystal + Colby Stoecklein Planner – Taylor of Londyn & Grey Events Florist – Tara Bella Flowers Photographer – Two Bird Studio

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ARRANGING BLOOMS SINCE 2002

Tara Bella Flowers

Romantic tables (above).

Wedding – Jessica + Adam Ingram Planner – Heather Minor Events Florist – Tara Bella Flowers Photographer – Hillary Maybery Venue – Trail Creek Cabin

SUN VALLEY, ID AND BEYOND

Elegant tables (below).

tarabellaflowers.com

Wedding – Alex + James Hooper Planner – Amanda Seaward ‘s Absolute Weddings Florist – Tara Bella Flowers Photographer – Kristen Shultz Venue – Trail Creek Cabin

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weddingdetails // catering

love at first bite Rustic Elegance Wedding & Reception Catering Rehearsal Dinner Brunch Private Getaway Entertainment Corporate Parties

Unique mountain setting, incredible hand-crafted food Years of experience creating unforgettable events

www.galenalodge.com • 208.726.4010

Looking for something different? Try an Italian wedding cake.

This impressive crostata di frutta adds a splash of summer berries to any backyard wedding that is both colorful and delicious.

Catering – Cristina’s of Sun Valley Planner – Heather Minor Events Photographer – M. K. Sadler

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weddingdetails // dresses PHOTOS: LEXI HATCH

dress in style

There’s a new shop in town.

The Manor House is a bridal boutique with gowns from both emerging designers and couture lines.

Westfield A Justin Alexander Signature beaded fit and flare dress with a scalloped cutout train.

AMANDA SEAWARD’S ABSOLUTE WEDDINGS

WEDDING AND EVENT COORDINATOR 208.720.4713 amandaseaward.com | amanda@amandaseaward.com

Beacon Justin Alexander Signature elegant and modern stretch Mikado wedding gown.

The straight neckline features asymmetric pleating that extends onto the back. The skirt is complemented with pockets and box pleats for the perfect amount of volume.

Finished with a slit that reveals a mini skirt underneath.

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weddingdetails // flowers + dresses

fresh romance

The perfect bouquet and a fine getaway.

Wedding – Crystal + Colby Stoecklein Florist – Tara Bella Flowers Photographer – Two Bird Studio

Bold is the new wedding trend.

Opt for quality over quantity.

Florist – Artisan Bloom Planner – Silver Summit Events Photographer – Pepper Nix

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520 E. 4th Street • Suite 101 • Ketchum, Idaho Appointments preferred 208.309.3962 themanorhousesv@gmail.com themanorhousesv.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE DONDERO

Bridal Boutique

weddingdetails // local resources

sun valley wedding guide Her relentless pursuit of marrying food and beauty is both her calling and her passion. Judith’s current endeavor, the catering and entertainment company she founded in 1998, Judith McQueen Entertaining, is the culmination of her thirty-three years as a professional chef, six years in corporate food service, and nearly two decades of events, party planning, and corporate functions. Judith McQueen Entertaining delivers unparalleled service, tailormade cuisine, and pitch-perfect atmosphere every time. Your affair—whether a wedding, a shower, or an intimate dinner with your closest friends—will be a memorable one!

208.720.2657 | judithmcqueen.com

SHORE LODGE

Wedding – Alli + Gardie Ashforth (2018) Venue – Bald Mountain/River Run Photographer – Cheatwood Photography

BEAUTY

CATERING & EVENT LOCATIONS

PURE MEDICAL SPA

IDAHO ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANCH

Idaho’s secret for more youthful looking skin, PURE Medical Spa offers dermaplaning, HydrafacialTM MD, LED Therapy, Forever Young BBL, Halo Laser, Injectibles, Fillers, Cool Sculpting, Laser Peels, Collagen Induction Therapy, and a selection of medical grade and dermatologist recommended skin care.

208.788.4747 | puremedicalspaidaho.com

ZENERGY DAY SPA Zenergy is the Valley’s premier health club and spa. This 48,000-square-foot facility features a world-class spa with nine treatment rooms, a variety of massage modalities, acupuncture, reflexology, a nail salon, Greg Hinshaw’s hair studio, and tanning services. The health club includes indoor and outdoor saline pools, tennis courts, cardiovascular and weight training gym, squash court, Pilates, group fitness, indoor cycling, and yoga studios—but that’s just the beginning of all that Zenergy has to offer.

208.725.0595 | zenergyts.com

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Nestled among hillside pines and aspen, the 900-acre Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch offers the perfect base to explore the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Pry yourself away from your beautifully appointed cabin to revel in activities showcasing the Sawtooth Valley’s best. Enjoy everything from hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding on scenic trails to climbing pristine peaks, fishing trout-filled waters, swimming, and rafting the clear lakes and rivers. Relax and take in the gorgeous Sawtooth Mountains from front-porch rocking chairs, read by the fire, or stargaze from the natural hot springs pool.

At the Lodge, enjoy Chef Victor Kendlehart’s bountiful breakfasts, perfect picnic lunches, and delectable dinners.

208.725.3000 | idahorocky.com

JUDITH MCQUEEN ENTERTAINING It’s no understatement to call Judith McQueen a legendary Sun Valley chef…ask around, it’s true.

With a spectacular lakeside setting, generous accommodations and well-equipped facilities, Shore Lodge is the perfect place for your special day in McCall, Idaho. Our experienced on-site event planning and catering staff is available to assist with all aspects of your wedding to ensure a worryfree and memorable experience. Our combination of rustic elegance and natural beauty provides a backdrop for weddings like no other. No matter the season, weddings are always magical here.

800.657.6464 | shorelodge.com

SUN VALLEY RESORT A lifetime of memories begins right here. With sweeping views of the majestic Pioneer Mountains and the warmth and charm of a historic ski town, Sun Valley Resort is an idyllic destination to kick off your happily ever after. Our four-season setting offers spectacular indoor and outdoor mountain wedding venues for gatherings of all sizes, including the Trail Creek Pavilion, Trail Creek Cabin, River Run Lodge, Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge or the Duck Pond Lawn. As a full-service resort, all of our facilities fall under one umbrella, simplifying the planning of everything from horseback rides to cocktail hour.

208.622.2101 | sunvalley.com EVENT/WEDDING PLANNERS

ABSOLUTE WEDDINGS Absolute Weddings is a full-service wedding and event planning business that has been operating and making dreams come true in the Valley for over 10 years. We will help you with all details, from invitations and save-the-dates, to appointments, vendor selection and budgeting. Absolute Weddings’ hands-on approach allows you to relax

ARRANGING BLOOMS SINCE 2002

Tara Bella Flowers SUN VALLEY, ID AND BEYOND tarabellaflowers.com

H E AT H E R M I N O R E V E N T S

WEDDING EVENT PLANNING & DESIGN S U N VA L L E Y, I DA H O 208-30 9 -10 14 W W W. H E AT H E R M I N O R E V E N T S . C O M

Heather Minor Events_halfhort_SVM S21.indd 1

Heather Minor

SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com 133 6/14/21 7:38 PM

weddingdetails // local resources and enjoy this special time with friends and family.

We will take over all details to make your event, day and experience stress-free.

208.720.4713 | amandaseaward.com

HEATHER MINOR EVENTS Heather Minor Events offers creative wedding planning and event planning services that will help you create an event that reflects your own personality and style. We are here to make your magical day a reality from start to finish. Our proven approach ensures that your event will be meticulously planned and perfectly executed so you can sit back and enjoy. We look forward to working, with your help, to plan your big day or next event.

THE WILDFLOWER The Wildflower is an eclectic clothing boutique located in the heart of Hailey, Idaho. This unique shop was created to fill a clothing, jewelry and gift idea niche that was missing in the town of Hailey— a place where locals could shop for interesting, thoughtful clothing, jewelry and gift ideas with the goal of helping each customer feel their very best.

The Wildflower offers an array of women’s and men’s clothing, accessories, shoes, and personal essentials. From silk to cashmere, a trip to this distinctive store is an opportunity to sample from fashion’s latest trends. Stop by this beautiful store to find the perfect piece to wear or gift to give.

208.788.2425 | thewildfloweridaho.com

208.309.1014 | heatherminorevents.com

FLORISTS

FASHION/WEDDING ATTIRE

PRIMAVERA PLANTS & FLOWERS

ELLE ROSE Luxury fashion designers in world-famous Sun Valley ski resort, featuring two locations—the contemporary store and the designer store.

Shop luxury fashions, accessories and jewelry designs from top brands including Alexander McQueen, Balmain, Botegga Veneta, Chloé, Dolce & Gabbana, Dorthee Schumacher, Ermanno Scervino, FRAME Denim, Hermés, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, Missoni, Loro Piana, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Stella McCartney, Valentino, Versace, Victoria Beckham, Ipploita, Pasquale Bruni, Armenta, and many more.

208.726.8871, 208.726.8873 | ellerosesv.com

THE MANOR HOUSE – BRIDAL BOUTIQUE The Manor House is a unique bridal boutique featuring bridal gowns from both emerging designers and couture lines, as well as an array of headpieces, bridal veils, hair pins and jewelry.

Molly and Bronwyn are a mother-daughter duo taking great care in hand-selecting bridal gowns for your special day in an intimate and private setting. Offering VIP service to all their brides, The Manor House pride themselves on all the finer details, carrying their brides through until they say “I do” by steaming their gown onsite and helping them with any last-minute details before they take those important steps down the aisle.

208.309.3962 | themanorhousesv.com

PANACHE Panache is a clothing boutique located on the mall in Sun Valley. We carry exclusive and unique brands that are hard to find anywhere else— fantastic pieces that will make you stand out in a crowd.

208.622.4228 | panachesunvalley.com

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Primavera Plants and Flowers is Sun Valley’s premier florist specializing in weddings, parties and home décor. Orchid plants, blooming and foliage plants, baskets, candles, pottery and planters. Gourmet gift baskets, fresh, silk and dried flower arrangements. We deliver and wire flowers anywhere.

208.726.7788 | primaverasunvalley.com

TARA BELLA FLOWERS Tara Bella specializes in beautiful destination weddings and eye-popping special events.

Celebrated for her unique style and meticulous attention to detail, Tara Ooms and her talented staff tailor custom elegant floral designs for every occasion. Ooms’ passion for flowers shines through with the grace and hospitality that only a true Southern belle could possess.

Wedding – Jessica + Adam Ingram (2018) Florist – Tara Bella Flowers Planner – Heather Minor Events Photographer – Hillary Maybery Venue – Trail Creek Cabin

208.788.4046 | tarabellaflowers.com

carry hand-selected items of the finest quality that will take you for a day on the river to an evening on the town. Offering the finest selection of ladies and mens clothing and accessories. Here, the best in mountain fashion mingles seamlessly with must-have gear from top brands in outdoor wear, offering guests a beautiful collection of everything they need to look like a local.

208.726.5282, 800.732.5687 | silver-creek.com

GIFTS + GEAR

JEWELRY

BACKWOODS MOUNTAIN SPORTS Backwoods Mountain Sports is an outdoor shop run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. The best way to enjoy the mountains is with the best gear. Visit the local experts at Backwoods to get outfitted and learn where to go—everyone at Backwoods loves to get out and play, and we’re happy to share (most) of our favorite spots with you! So come on in, ask a few questions, pick up a few last-minute things and GET OUT THERE! 208.726.8818 | backwoodsmountainsports.com

SILVER CREEK OUTFITTERS Silver Creek Outfitters, simply put, defines the Sun Valley lifestyle. From cashmere to caddis flies, we

BARRY PETERSON JEWELERS Since 1971, Barry Peterson has been matching the elegant beauty and sophisticated elegance of Sun Valley with his stunning jewelry designs. Along with the iconic “Sun Valley Sun” design, which was done at the request of former Sun Valley Company owner Bill Janss, Barry Peterson is well known and highly respected for his work with diamonds and precious stones, as well as his designer and unique collection of custom-made jewelry and wearable art. Come fine your special jewelry for your big day or custom-design gifts for your bridal party or groomsman.

208.726.5202 | barrypeterson.com

FROM PRACTICAL TO PAMPERED.

CHRISTOPHER & CO. Providing a traditional jewelry store experience and offering custom designs, a full repair shop with hand engraving and diamond or stone cutting, Christopher and Co. is a full-service jewelry store that caters to its clients personally.

Now featuring its Boulder Mountain Collections with 18K, 14K sterling silver and diamond ring and earrings.

208.788.1123 | christopherandcojewelry.com PHOTOGRAPHERS

DEV KHALSA PHOTOGRAPHY I am a documentary photographer at heart, but, to me, photographing weddings is more than simply capturing the moments before me. Providing truly great images goes beyond technical expertise. It requires insight, intuition and the ability to connect on an emotional level.

Success, for me, is measured by the amount of laughter and tears my images provoke. My goal is to create images that are bold, authentic and enduring. As a wedding photographer, I am devoted not only to creating spectacular images, but also to ensuring a wonderful experience for my clients.

208.788.2849 | devkhalsaphotography.com

KIRSTEN SHULTZ PHOTOGRAPHY An award-winning editorial and wedding lifestyle photographer, unobtrusively documenting the beauty of the day as it unfolds. Recently featured in “Martha Stewart Weddings.” Available in Sun Valley and worldwide.

208.481.0138 | ksweddings.com TRANSPORTATION

MOUNTAIN RESORT SERVICES Mountain Resort Services offers chauffeured transportation using professional local drivers with over 75 years of combined experience in local knowledge. Their fleet of luxury 4x4 SUVs, luxury high-top vans, grand motor coaches and mini coaches, ensures that your group can travel to and from your event with the utmost in service and luxury. From wedding-day transportation and rehearsal dinners to pre- and post-wedding group tours, we’ll implement the perfect transportation and tour plans for your group.

Make it a vacation —leave the details to us.

PROFESSIONAL LO CAL DRIVERS FOR ALL O CCASIONS.

From small, intimate groups to large corporate or community events, the local team at Mountain Resort Chauffeured Transportation can take you there.

Whether it’s a few hours, or a few days, our fleet of luxury SUVs, full sized vans and coaches offer exceptional transportation, comfort and safety.

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Weddings & Rehearsals Executive Airport Transportation Events & Corporate Meetings Nonprofit & Community Events

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208.726.9351 | mountain-resort-services.com

208-726-9351 • info@mtnrct.com • mtnrct.com SUMMER 2021 | sunvalleymag.com

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“When the Lights Go Out” PH OTO G R A PH B Y T R AV I S A M I C K

Local photographer Travis Amick captured this remarkable image of downtown Ketchum in October 2020. “For years, I have wanted to capture the Milky Way along Ketchum’s Main Street, but even the little amount of light our small town puts out makes it impossible,” he said. “So when I heard the power was going to be off, I knew this was my only chance.”

Taken with a Sony A7Riv camera and Sony lens 20mm f/1.8. It was a vertical panorama—three photos from the road up to the sky. Each shot was at 10 second exposure, ISO 8000, f/1.8.

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RECREATE RESPONSIBLY

DEDICATED TO MOUNTAIN SAFETY, EDUCATION AND ADVENTURE

401 Lewis Street Ketchum, Idaho 83340 (208) 721-0290 info@svguides.com

Mtn Ops and Wildflowers and Wine headline our summer programs, blending custom adventures with lessons on Leave No Trace, map reading, digital navigation, wilderness survival, flora and fauna ID, and more.

Looking for adventure with a purpose? Learn how to Ketchum!

Peregrine Ranch 11949 State Highway 75 | Hailey, ID An extraordinary, large development parcel, in the heart of the Wood River Valley. 158 acres available between Hailey and Ketchum near the world renowned Sun Valley Resort and Ski Area.

View more property information at peregrineland.com John Starr 208 472 2836 john.starr@colliers.com

Jimmy Roumanis 208 472 2840 jimmy.roumanis@colliers.com