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Local Band, Stonewheat Reunites for Short Tour Page 3
Sun Valley Figure Skating Club Hosts 46th Annual Summer Skating Championships read about it on PaGe 16
Win Concert Tickets and See The Valley’s Comprehensive Calendar Page 13
Relay for Life - Blaine County is This Weekend Page 10
J u l y 2 5 , 2 0 1 2 • V o l . 5 • N o . 3 0 • w w w .T h e W e e k l y S u n . c o m
Start ‘Em Up! • Road Rally to Push Speeds of 200MPH •
courtesy pHOTO
Geena Davis to Celebrate Anniversary in Sun Valley BY KAREN BOSSICK
A
ctress Geena Davis says she had the good fortune to land several iconic female roles in “Thelma and Louise” and other films. But not enough women have had such opportunities, she says. That’s why she will toast the 20th anniversary of her hit film, “A League of Their Own,” right here in Sun Valley—to call attention to the dearth of female roles in Hollywood media. Davis will introduce a free showing of the film organized by Zions Bank at 8:45 p.m. Thursday at the Sun Valley Pavilion. Davis will introduce the film, which will be accompanied by complimentary popcorn and drinks. Former Sun Valley ski racer Muffy Davis gets to throw out the first pitch by introducing the actress Davis. Muffy Davis, who won a handful of medals ski racing in the Paralympics in Salt Lake City and Nagano, Japan, was recently named to the 2012 Paralympics team. She hopes to win a few more medals competing in hand cycling events Aug. 29 through Sept. 9 in London. She has already won three World Cup gold medals using a recumbent bike. “A League of Their Own” is the tale of two sisters who join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it survive. It is based on the real women of the AllAmerican Girls Professional Baseball League of the 1940s and 1950s. The film also starred Sun Valley homeowner Tom Hanks, along with Lori Petty, Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell. Thursday’s showing is designed to call attention to Davis’ efforts to bolster the number of girls and women in Hollywood. “I’m very excited about the event,” Davis said. “The movie has stood the test of time. It speaks to people as much today as it did 20 years ago. And this is a fun way to celebrate its 20th anniversary.” Davis said she was struck by the dearth of female characters on screen while watching children’s TV and videos with her young daughter several years ago. In response, she created the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and its programming arm, See Jane, to increase the percentages
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COURTESY PhotoS: MARK STONE
BY KAREN BOSSICK
D
ave Stone used to take his VW Rabbit out to Phantom Hill to see how fast he could push it. Now he gets to push his pedal to the metal legally — and a lot more safely. The owner of Sun Valley Auto Club will get a wink and a thumbs-up from police officers on Saturday as he speeds past their radar gun. Highway 75 will become a “No Speed Limit” zone for the fourth year in a row as those with a need for speed push it to their limits in the Sun Valley Road Rally. And the cops will be cheering the faster drivers go. “It’s a rush. You’re going three times the speed limit, seeing that white line blurring by like a double line at that speed,” said Stone, who started the Road Rally with former Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling as a fundraiser for the Blaine County Community Drug Coalition. “We’re the only place in the country where you can do this, so we get people from everywhere — California, England, New Zealand. I even had ESPN interview me last year.” Last year race car driver Johnny Unser, who lives in Sun Valley, pushed his Porsche Panamera Turbo to 173 miles per hour as he sped down Phantom Hill nine miles north of Ketchum under a hot baking sun. But it wasn’t enough to catch Twin Falls driver Bob Shillington. Shillington set a new Rally record during the third Annual Sun Valley Road Rally last year, as he reached 198 miles per hour in his black 2008 Porsche GT2 down a 3.2-mile section of downhill near Cathedral of the Pine. “We anticipate someone breaking last year’s record,” said Andrea Walton, development coordinator for the Road Rally.
“With every year, the competition gets stiffer.” Bleachers will be set up at Phantom Hill for those who board a shuttle bus to the site. And those who want to feel the rush for themselves can vie for an opportunity to ride with Unser through a $25 raffle. “It’s fun to watch,” said Stone. “It’s unbelievable the sound of these cars when they’re pushing air at 199 miles per hour. You see a car coming and you don’t hear the engine — all you hear is the air they’re pushing.” Among those who will put down anywhere from $1,500 for one run to $3,500 for three runs is Steve Giacobbi. He’s the proud admirer of mid-50s Ferraris, which, he says, are “truly works of an artist.” “They have tremendous craftsmanship. The B12 engine is a magnificent piece of machinery,” he said. Giacobbi has raced his Ferraris at a racetrack in Salt Lake City. Here he has been able to push them to 150 miles per hour. “My interest is not in winning but enjoying a historic car and supporting the Drug Coalition. My primary focus in focusing on the car engine and keeping control. I don’t take running at speed lightly,” he said. Blaine County Community Drug Coalition Director Terry Basolo says he had a blast driving in the Road Rally the first year, even though he was only going 140 miles per hour. “I have to apologize I was going so slow,” he quipped. “But it’s such a spectacular setting. You have a corner right at the beginning which is a challenge. You climb a hill as you approach the curve. Then you can let it go as you get to the straight-away.” Basolo says the road rally has made a
“It’s a rush. You’re going three times the speed limit, seeing that white line blurring by like a double line at that speed. We’re the only place in the country where you can do this, so we get people from everywhere.” –Dave stonE $100,000 profit for the Drug Coalition. “It’s a really exciting fundraising event. It’s a joy to do something so different from the typical fundraiser,” he added. Basolo says he is awaiting data to determine the success of the four-year-old program. The program supports Idaho Drug Free Youth, which a hundred local middle and high school youth are enrolled
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