The Positive Choice for the Wood River Valley & Beyond
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D e c e m b e r 2 4 , 2 0 1 4 • V o l . 7 • N o . 5 1 • w w w .T h e W e e k l y S u n . c o m
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Maiden Voyage Christmas tree ornaments are often dearly loved family heirlooms.
Happy
Holidays
From Picabo
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STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN HUBER
oday is a fine Sun Valley day. The snow is falling in bunches, our English setters are curled up in front of the woodstove, Patty Loveless is singing “Bluegrass and White Snow” in the background and I’m in front of the computer and our Christmas tree, content and in the spirit. The tree is fake; there is no getting stabbed in the face by needles while watering it, but there is also no fresh smell of fir. There is very little fire danger, but the lights are just as much a pain in the “cold toes” to figure out and keep lit as those on a real tree. Ours is a fine tree, though, because although the tree is fake, the ornaments that adorn it are real. What is a real ornament? It is the one or several that we are connected to. They have history in our lives and our families. Some we made when we were babes, others were gifts and keepsakes from Christmases past. Magnificent crystal and gold ornaments from across the world hang right next to equally magnificent ornaments made from pipe cleaners and foam balls! The values are in the eye of the beholder, but almost all are priceless. My fiancée and I share our tree. Having lived full and separate lives already, ours is a true meshing of the lives we lived before one other—each of us having ornaments full of meaning contributing to what has turned out to be a beautiful Christmas tree. We can trace the story of our lives through the wonderful plastic needles and sap-free branches. A wooden-figure snowman and porcelain snowflake that she adores from fond Christmas memories hangs adjacent to a bear fly-fishing in a float-tube that my mother gave me recently. A sand dollar found on a beach by her children is adorned with green-and-gold glitter and hangs between classic ball-shaped ornaments with my niece and nephews’ names inscribed. We have snowflakes made of clothespins and more Santa figures driving boats than is normal. It is a fake tree, but it is as real as they come. I like to think of everyone reading this today. I imagine glances toward your own trees
Photo by Kat Smith (www.katsmithphotography.com) The so-called “Art Car” embarks on its maiden voyage up the Sun Valley Co. gondola line on Saturday morning. From left to right: Ralph Harris (who painted the scene displayed on the gondola car), Ketchum Mayor Nina Jonas and Ketchum Arts Commission chairperson Claudia McCain enjoy the inaugural ride. For a story on the Art Car’s launch, see page 4.
String Song
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Artist Series Puts The ‘Class’ In ‘Classical’ BY MARYLAND DOLL
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n the midst of the busiest season of all, music fans may be enticed to take a pause from the holiday madness and enjoy an evening of classical tunes with the Sun Valley Artist Series. In hopes of inspiring and allowing audience members to connect with a more traditional form of music than what might be blaring from their iPods, the Sun Valley Artist Series (SVAS) will be hosting the renowned New
York string quartet “Garrett Fischbach and Friends” on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood, located at 100 Saddle Road in Ketchum. The concert will be completely free, thanks to the generosity of Bex Wilkinson and Caleb Baukol of Big Wood Ski. “It’s very traditional music,” said SVAS spokesperson Susan Gannon in an interview. “It almost transcends Christmas music and becomes less of a holiday theme and more about a beloved traditional repertoire.” Garrett Fischbach, the quartet’s violinist, has been a continued on page 9
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