BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL
While the first bomb threat in the history of Blaine County is still under investigation, the new marketing and communications manager at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum gives a bird’s-eye view of what went down on that fateful night, Nov. 19, 2024.
Meet Natalie
Natalie Postles has only been in Sun Valley for about a month and already she’s seen, firsthand, the power of community in Blaine County. We’ve all heard by now of the Limelight bomb scare which, thankfully, turned out to be a nothing burger, but Postles was there to see and help the locals and visitors overcome a moment of chaos.
Postles moved to the Wood River Valley from Klamath Falls, Oregon. She was the marketing director at the Ross Ragland Theater, a performing arts theater that sat around 800. New to Ketchum, Postles is adjusting but loving the vibe. “I worked there for about three years and just decided that it was kind of time to take the next step in my career. I wanted to continue working in a small town theater and got very lucky and feel very blessed that I found this opportunity with The Argyros. I’m still kind of getting situated, but already this is such an incredible community.”
Limelight Night
Postles was one of the key members of The Argyros helping the frightened, displaced guests from the Limelight Hotel find refuge and comfort.
“So, there were a few of us that had kind of stayed late and decided to just grab a bite to eat together. And the next thing you know, our director of facilities, Remington Novak, was getting a call from the city and the sheriff’s department asking if we could bring some of the patrons from the Limelight Hotel over and just let them hang out in the lobby so they didn’t have to wait in the cold, but we didn’t just make everyone wait in the lobby. There were somewhere between 70 to 100 guests and all the Limelight staff as well and we decided to open up the theater and let whoever wanted to come in. We had quite a few patrons that went up to the Bailey Studio and just kind of watched the Limelight and had drinks while they hung out and just tried to be as accommodating as possible.
“The [responders] had the street shut off out front. They came in and checked in on us on more than one occasion. And, we’re very grateful, you know, we were just happy to keep everyone entertained. We thought they were doing the hard job but then they turned to us and were, like, ‘keeping 100 people entertained is much harder.’ Postles laughs.
Generosity and Service to Others
“We were just happy to be here and happy that we could open up our doors and keep everyone warm. The Village Market was wonderful, they were still open and so we got a few charcuterie platters for everyone. So everyone had some snacks and drinks. We had about five staff members here in total. Nick Harmon, our patron service director, was behind the bar serving juice, water, sodas, beer and wine.
“So we came down and opened up the theater and let them come hang out in the space. We were happy to be able to open our doors and extend that hospitality. We worked with the Limelight to make sure that everyone could hang out and relax themselves. It was good, we turned on our projector and played Back to the Future for everyone, and it really helped. I think we were here for probably about two or three hours, tops.”
Postles speaks in a thoughtful, passionate and strong meter. A performance art enthusiast to the core, she has a bright future here and has already played an unprecedented role in the tight-knit community of the Valley.
“I’m excited to take The Argyros kind of to the next step with the marketing and focus not just on our local community here, but on the people that travel from all around the world to Sun Valley and making sure we’re getting them in the theater.”
We look forward to what The Argyros has to offer. Always a top-notch experience, you can find their upcoming bill on their website https://www.theargyros.org.
