Thursday October 20
Main Street Celebration
Noon / Town Square / Ketchum
The City of Ketchum will celebrate the designation of Main Street as one of five “Great Streets” in America at festivities on Thursday, Oct. 20, at noon in Town Square. Banners recognizing the award will be placed at six locations on Main Street.
“Nowhere is the quirky spirit of the Mountain West stronger than on Main Street in Ketchum, Idaho,” the American Planning Association said in making the award.
Speakers will include Mayor Nina Jonas, state Sen. Michelle Stennett and Idaho American Planning Association President Daren Fluke. Vendors from downtown businesses will have booths at the celebration. Cajun and zydeco band Tom Rigney & Flambeau, here to perform for the Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival, will start playing at 12:30 p.m.
“This year’s designees highlight the power of a single, well-planned street to stimulate economic activity and energize an entire community,” said Carol Rhea, president of American Planning Association. “The main thoroughfare of this tiny Idaho town hosts unique festivals that are only enhanced by a pedestrian-focused design.”
All of the shops and restaurants on Main Street are locally owned, a distinction that sets Ketchum apart from other communities. While a few now have additional locations in Idaho, all started in Ketchum. Buildings on Main Street range in age from the Limelight Hotel, now under construction, to the 1887 Mercantile Building that is still in use with Enoteca restaurant on the ground floor and offices on the upper floors. Two other historic buildings are also still in use: the 1884 Lewis/Lemon General Store is now The Cornerstone Bar & Grill, and the 1925 Ketchum Kamp Hotel has been the Casino Club since the days when it was frequented by Ernest Hemingway.
Festivals frequently occur on Main Street. Wagon Days’ centerpiece, the Big Hitch Parade, one of the largest non-motorized parades in the country, brings a procession of carriages, wagons, horses and occasional camels each Labor Day weekend. The grand finale, as always, is the “Big Hitch,” historic Lewis ore wagons pulled by a 20-mule team from Bishop, Calif., on a jerkline.
“Ketchum’s Main Street is more than a century old, displaying its character with architecture from then and now,” Mayor Nina Jonas said. “I have much appreciation for all those who have worked to build and preserve Ketchum’s pedestrian-oriented and charming Main Street. Community values and a strong sense of place have become priorities in the global economy. Ketchum is a lively destination whose citizens honor what a special place it is and focus on maintaining its authenticity.”
October 19
Brown Bag Health Talk
12:15-1:15PM / St. Luke’s Clinic / Hailey
St. Luke’s Center for Community Health will present a Brown Bag Health Talk titled “Breakthroughs in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.” Tom Crais, M.D., plastic surgeon, will explain some of the newest technologies available in the industry. Learn about body contouring with fat melting, noninvasive liposculpting, the use of fat injection for stem-cell stimulation in facial and breast rejuvenation, and topical stem-cell applications for skin rejuvenation and possible hair growth stimulation.
This talk will take place at St. Luke’s Hailey Clinic in the Carbonate Rooms. All Brown Bag lectures are free and no preregistration is required. Call St. Luke’s Center for Community Health for information on this or other educational programs at (208) 727-8733.
Thursday October 20
Wood River Business Expo
4-8PM / Atlantic Aviation / Hailey
The Chamber invites the community to participate in this year’s Wood River Business Expo. Enjoy an evening of networking and relationship building, consumer education and exposure of products and services to a diverse group of Wood River Valley residents, business owners and managers. Atlantic Aviation is located at 2230 Aviation Drive, Hailey.
Thursday October 20
Artist Talk: Scott Fife
5:30PM / The Center / Ketchum
In one of the first events associated with its new “Idaho Stories” BIG IDEA project, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts will host a free artist talk with Seattle-based artist Scott Fife at The Center in Ketchum on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m. The Center’s “Idaho Stories” BIG IDEA project (opening Oct. 21) explores Idaho’s ties to the history of American literature and considers Idaho as a place that has long generated all kinds of stories. The visual arts exhibition associated with “Idaho Stories” features several works by Scott Fife, an artist well known for his drawings and realistic sculptures made from archival cardboard.
In 2014, Fife spent a month living at The Center’s residence in Hailey, which is also the birthplace of the controversial poet Ezra Pound. Fife had come to Hailey to work on wash paintings and cardboard sculptures of Pound and Ernest Hemingway, and he was struck by the curious fact that these two leading figures of American modernist literature began and ended their lives, respectively, in the same small Idaho valley. Pound’s birth in Hailey and Hemingway’s death in Ketchum frame the work Fife produced for The Center’s new “Idaho Stories” exhibition, which also considers the relationship between the writers.
In his free artist talk at The Center, Fife will share stories of the process and inspiration behind his works. From sculptures of Ernest Hemingway and Ezra Pound camping together in sleeping bags to the Tacoma Art Museum’s beloved “Leroy,” a nearly 10-foot-tall sculpture of one of Fife’s dogs, each of his projects has its own unique story.
“During Scott’s 2014 residency in Hailey, he gave an incredibly informative talk about his work and his process that was also highly entertaining,” said Dr. Courtney Gilbert, curator of visual arts at The Center. “Since that time, he’s worked on several large, cast-bronze pieces at a major foundry, and I can only imagine that his stories of that experience will be fascinating.”
For more information about this free event, visit sunvalleycenter.org, call (208) 726-9491 or visit The Center’s box office at 191 Fifth Street East in Ketchum.
Thursday October 20
‘Hermitage Revealed’ – Film
7PM / Magic Lantern Cinemas / Ketchum
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts is excited to kick off its film series for 2016–2017 with the screening of “Hermitage Revealed: 250 Years in the Making,” a documentary film by award-winning filmmaker Margy Kinmonth that celebrates the human stories behind one of the world’s greatest art collections. The screening will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20, at the Magic Lantern Cinemas in Ketchum.
“As with many things Russian, the Hermitage is massive, hugely historic, and tough to wrap your head around!” said Kristine Bretall, director of performing arts at The Center. “With this film, we’ll bring the experience of the Hermitage to the Wood River Valley and get us up close to the artwork and into areas that even if you went to St. Petersburg, you wouldn’t be able to see.”
Released to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, “Hermitage Revealed” takes audiences on a journey through the museum’s tumultuous history from imperial palace to state museum. One of the largest, oldest and most visited museums in the world, the Hermitage holds over 3 million treasures and employs more curators that any other art institution. The film offers viewers unprecedented access to special collections and behind-the-scenes areas that remain hidden from the public eye. The film tells the fascinating stories behind some of Russia’s oldest, rarest, and most treasured works of art, and is a must-see for all fans of art, architecture and the cultural history of Russia.
Tickets for “Hermitage Revealed” are $10 for members, $12 for nonmembers and may be purchased in advance through The Center’s box office or website. For more information, visit sunvalleycenter.org, call (208) 726-9491 or visit The Center’s box office at 191 Fifth Street East in Ketchum.
Saturday October 22
Talk & Book Signing: Rinpoche
5PM / Light on the Mountains / Ketchum
With widespread awareness of “mindfulness,” many ask what the next step is beyond the peace and tranquility that mindfulness practices bring. During his talk, Rinpoche will guide participants to explore how to distinguish between ordinary mind, with its thoughts, feelings and mental events, and Pristine Mind, a deep inner refuge that is accessible at any time.
In this special session, Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche will present teachings from his new book, “Our Pristine Mind: A Practical Guide to Unconditional Happiness,” to take attendees on a journey beyond mindfulness into a natural state of mind. Rinpoche will introduce a style of meditation relatively unknown in the Western world called Pristine Mind meditation – a unique type of meditation practice that reveals the true mind in its innate perfection, offering an experience so profound that it has the ability to transform. Rinpoche will provide precise, experiential instructions drawn from the Dzogchen mind-class teachings, making this life-transforming realization attainable for all.
Orgyen Chowang is a meditation master in the Nyingma lineage of the Buddhist tradition. He studied for nine years at Larung Gar, in Serta, eastern Tibet, with his teacher, Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest Dzogchen meditation masters of the 20th century. Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is the founder and spiritual director of Pristine Mind Foundation.
There is a suggested donation of $15-$35 at the door. For more information visit pristinemind.org.
Sunday October 23
District 26 Meet & Greet
5-7PM / Gail Severn Gallery / Ketchum
Join the community for a meet and greet with District 26 Senator Michelle Stennett and District 26 legislative candidates Kathleen Eder and Sally Toone. All three are up for election Nov. 8. Come enjoy appetizers and drinks, and join the conversation. RSVP by email to bmurphysv@aol.com or by calling (208) 726-6423. Campaign contributions are appreciated.
Tuesday October 25
Animal Shelter Volunteer Orientation
11AM / Animal Shelter / Hailey
Join the staff of the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley for a volunteer orientation. Learn about the many opportunities available, including everything from special events to fostering. This is a great chance for students to receive community service hours (children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent to orientation/volunteering; ages 16-18 need a parent waiver signed). Contact Jenny@animalshelterwrv.org for more information.
Tuesday October 25
‘The Designated Mourner’ – Play Reading
6:30PM / nexStage Theatre / Ketchum
nexStage Theatre is excited to announce another reading in their ongoing play-reading series. “The Designated Mourner,” by Wallace Shawn, will be presented on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. and features Aly Wepplo, David Janeski and Jonathan Kane. Kane will also direct the reading. The reading will be free and complimentary wine and cookies will be served.
“The Designated Mourner” tells the story of three people: Howard, Judy and Jack. Howard is a poet, essayist and intellectual who comes from a privileged background but who nonetheless has been at odds for many decades with the right-wing regime that rules his country. Judy is his daughter, a subtle, witty, deep-thinking intellectual who reveres her father. Jack is Judy’s husband, who at one time also revered Howard but then changed his mind.
Judy was drawn to Jack in the first place because he’s an amusing person who perhaps offered a refuge from the high standards inexorably imposed by her father, but his disarming light-mindedness turns out to have some unpleasant disadvantages. As the political situation becomes more tense, and the regime becomes more and more likely to crack down on relatively quiet dissenters like Howard and Judy, the issue of what sort of books people like to read and how they choose to amuse themselves becomes both grimly personal and unexpectedly entangled with questions of survival.
Tuesday October 25
Philippine Eagle Lecture
6PM / Community Library / Ketchum
Join the Environmental Resource Center (ERC) on Tuesday for a special presentation on Philippine eagles at The Community Library in Ketchum. Cordi and Joe Atkinson of the nonprofit “Philippine Eagle Forest Watchers” will introduce participants to these magnificent birds through photos and short videos and will discuss the incredible threats they currently face.
Cordi and Joe have been involved with golden eagles for more than 30 years. They have rehabilitated young eagles by training them in the sport of falconry, teaching them the skills needed to survive so that, ultimately, they can be released back into the wild. Over the years, this work has led to opportunities such as working on films produced by National Geographic, Nature and, most recently, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
For more information on this event, call (208) 726-4333, emailhadley@ercsv.org or visit ercsv.org.