The Positive Choice for the Wood River Valley & Beyond WILDERNESS ACT TURNS 50
BATTLE OF THE BLADES PAGE 4
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FIREFIGHTERS TEST THEIR SKILLS PAGE 5
LIBRARY CELEBRATES ‘PAPA’ IN CUBA PAGE 3
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Spot On
Harvest Fest To Serve Up Fresh Events
New Performing Arts Conservatory “The Spot” Opens Its Doors
New ‘Swine, Wine and Dine’ Will Cater To Families STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
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all him a clever cleaver. Joel Cox is an artisan butcher who has gained rock-star status behind the meat counter at Aspens Market in Jackson, Wyo. He slices flesh, muscles and tendons like they were butter.
Pat Davies dressed up in her finest Western garb for last year’s Sun Valley Harvest Festival as she bellied up for a taste of ribs. “The restaurant owners always say the restaurant walk is a fun thing for them to do because it gives them a way to connect directly with people. And it’s good for the people, as well. They forget that Rickshaw exists, that the Ketchum Grill is there…” said Heidi Ottley.
He wastes nothing, using organ meats for pates and pork fat for cracklings that can be sprinkled on salad. And next week Cox—who can just as easily serve up elegant dishes like scallops on celeriac puree with apple/celery leaf salad—will take his show on the road. Mr. Pig Wizard will go whole hog as he carves up a pig from Blackfoot’s Desert Winds Farm during the Sun Valley Harvest Festival’s new “Swine, Wine and Dine” event in Hailey on Friday, Sept. 19. It’s one of several new events on the Harvest Festival’s menu. Fourteen Hailey restaurants will offer small dishes utilizing pork. And the hog Cox carves during his demonstration will be auctioned off to benefit Swiftsure Ranch Therapeutic Equestrian Center south of Bellevue. “We’re trying to bring Hailey into the festival and it doesn’t work for the Hailey restaurants to come to Ketchum. We need to go to them,” said festival
The Spot boys bring their professional training to Sun Valley in hopes of molding local youth. From left to right, Peter Burke, Kevin Wade and Brett Moellenberg. BY MARYLAND DOLL
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alking into The Spot—Ketchum’s newest conservatory aimed at training Sun Valley youth in acting, voice and dance lessons—feels a lot like stepping onto a blank canvas. Surrounded on all sides by freshly painted white walls, it soon becomes clear that you, yourself, are the art. The space becomes inspirational rather than instructional, making it ideal for creative exploration. Three of the founders—Peter Burke, Brett Moellenberg and Yanna Lantz—took a short break from getting their new studio ready for its upcoming Septem-
ber 6th open house to sit down for an interview with The Weekly Sun. “We wanted the space to be fully convertible,” explains Moellenberg of the open, clean layout. “That’s why everything we have in here is removable: table, walls—everything.” Another positive aspect of having the space the way it is: “In terms of the community, it can function as a space for people to rent out as a performance venue or for a gallery show,” says Burke. The conservatory will focus primarily on three main theatrical components—acting, voice and dance— offering private and group lessons to both youth and young adults, primarily ages 6 to 19. “I would definitely say private lessons are my strong suit,” says Lantz. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
FALL 2014 NexStage Theater, September 11, 18 & 25 at 7:30 pm
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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