HAILEY
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KETCHUM
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SUN VALLEY
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BELLEVUE
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CAREY
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S TA N L E Y • FA I R F I E L D • S H O S H O N E • P I C A B O
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
LEARN MORE ABOUT CRAIG ABERBACH, HAILEY FIRE CHIEF, PAGE 13
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THE NIGHT ALIVE PAGE 8
HABITAT FOR NON-HUMANITY PAGE 9
M a y 7 , 2 0 1 4 • V o l . 7 • N o . 2 1 • w w w .T h e W e e k l y S u n . c o m
Getting The Scoop On Yellow Belly Ice Cream
Building With Hemp Photos from Gershater and McNees show yurts on the property and part of the cordage project the mountain school kids helped with). BY KAREN BOSSICK
The hemp revolution is coming to Trail Creek Summit, if a small group of entrepreneurs have anything to say about it. Idaho Basecamp is trying to raise $150,000 to build what founder Mat Gershater describes as the first non-residential hemp building in the United States. The 600-square-foot building, along Trail Creek Road 26 miles from the Ketchum Visitor Center, would serve as a movement studio at the eco-retreat center, which offers yoga retreats, environmental camps, artist residencies and retreats for family reunions and other gatherings. “It would be considered the Holy Grail of building products because it’s extremely sustainable,” said Gershater, who runs the non-profit Idaho Basecamp and Mountain Adventure Tours children’s “environtainment camp.” Two intern architects who are fresh out of college are driving across the United States from New York City to spend the summer working with Ketchum architect Dale Bates on the project. They’ve already put together a Hempitecture Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the building. Hempitecture, created as a research project at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., recently took first place in the Energy and Sustainability division of the New York State Business Plan Competition. The two interns expect to be joined by 8-10 interns from across the United States who want to learn about the use of hemp as a building material and about passive solar design. Gershater says the interns hope to get accreditation for the time, which will include workshops with Bates and other professionals. “This has not been done before so we’re working with scientists and builders,” Gershater said. “Craig Maxwell, our structural engineer, for instance, is determining how we can make sure it withstands seismic activity. And Billy Mann, founder of Sagebrush Solar, is studying how we can generate renewable energy so it stays 50 degrees, even when it’s 25 below.”
Laci Hernandez says she gives back by donating between 25 percent and 35: percent of the proceeds of sales at special events for non-profits like Hailey Ice. “You can blow through a lot of ice cream real quick,” she said. STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
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ne of Laci Hernandez’s fondest memories is that of cranking on the homemade ice cream freezer on the porch of her grandparents’ farmhouse near Murtaugh, a black Lab sitting at her side patiently waiting his scoop. Today, Hernandez is still “cranking” ice cream, only via a commercial Emery Thompson ice cream maker made by one of the first ice cream maker manufacturers in the United States.
Yellow Belly Ice Cream Sandwiches are made with Lindee’s Cookies.
And her flavors have expanded from vanilla to salted caramel, espresso, lemon-blueberry yogurt and a Sun Valley Burn ice cream that infuses cinnamon and cayenne into its creamy goodness.
She named her sideline Yellow Belly One of the true “girls of summer,” after the first lake she hiked into in the Hernandez is owner of Yellow Belly Ice Sawtooths. She chose the Western meadCream, an all-natural artisan ice cream. owlark as a logo to signify her affection And, in a unique twist, she just moved for nature. her homegrown business into the old Hernandez took a break to spend Baskin-Robbins chain store on Myrtle and several months in France but returned Main streets in Hailey. with a new vigor after touring a master The ice cream shop, open from noon to gelato maker’s factory 9:30 p.m. daily, there. is celebrating its “I feel very fortunate to She envisions grand opening have such a supportive comshe and her mother Kim through Sunday munity. I really enjoy makLoseke will churn out a with 99-cent ing ice cream and knowing hundred gallons a week singles and $1.99 there is a demand—though, this summer—a far cry scoops to move out from the 15 she used to the best reward is hearing the Baskin-Robdo—to keep her store, bins ice cream. all the “thank-you” comlocal farmers’ markets, “Baskin-Robments and kind words from bins closed over everyone who comes through Atkinsons’ Markets and a couple of local restauthe Christmas rants supplied. holidays—the The anatomy of an artisan ice cream woman who had owned it was ready to It starts at the stove as Hernandez stirs retire. Everybody was saying, ‘We need gluten-free tapioca into milk from Cloverice cream,’ so I’m trying it out here to see Leaf Creamery and cream from Idaho’s how it goes,” said Hernandez. Meadow Gold. Hernandez began making ice cream “It’s very fascinating to a lot of people for sale as a side business a few years ago while working at the Ketchum Grill. Anne as they can’t imagine cooking ice cream,” said Hernandez, who grew up in Twin Mason, who makes the Grill’s ice cream, Falls and Salmon. “The Department of gave her some pointers and soon she was Agriculture teases me, asking: Do you serving up samples at farmers’ markets want to make money, because you put so and events for non-profit organizations, much cream in! But the cream is what such as the Idaho Conservation League and Sun Valley Center for the Arts.
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Connecting children and their loved ones to art is as important as breathing. In celebrating Mother’s Day, Lipton Fine Arts gallery presents its “First Free Mother’s Day Photo Show” on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
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