In Idaho, Fifth And Sixth Graders Can Ski Free
A perk of being a fifth or sixth grader is the chance to try out skiing for free in Idaho, and then have access to a reduced-price season pass, thanks to the Idaho Ski Areas Association, a.k.a. Ski Idaho.
The program allows fifth graders to ride three days for free at all 18 Gem State ski resorts and offers sixth graders two days free at 17 mountains. The Idaho Peak Season Passport lets fifth and sixth graders ski or board 18 mountains for only $18. The program is open to any child from any state or country, not just Idaho kids.
Participating resorts include: Bald Mountain, Bogus Basin, Brundage, Cottonwood Butte, Grand Targhee, Kelly Canyon, Little Ski Hill, Lookout Pass, Lost Trail, Magic Mountain, Pebble Creek, Pomerelle (fifth grade only), Schweitzer, Silver Mountain, Snowhaven, Soldier Mountain, Sun Valley and Tamarack.
Visit skiidaho.us/blackout-dates for a list of scheduled blackout dates, and check with your ski hill for full details.
Ketchum Seeks Artists To Apply For City Work
The City of Ketchum invites artists to apply for an interactive, sculptural installation on the city’s Fourth Street Heritage Corridor. A press release from the city stated that the selected artwork will provide viewers with an interactive experience that reflects the historic character of the city. It will become a permanent part of the city’s art collection.
Artists may submit up to 10 images of existing artwork. Three artists or artist teams will be selected through a jury process by the Ketchum Arts Commission, and asked to submit proposals. Each artist or team will receive a stipend of $500.
The finalist will be selected on March 5, 2019. Artists will receive $25,000 to complete the project, which will include artist fee, design, materials, fabrication, shipping and installation. The interactive piece will be displayed beginning in the summer of 2019.
Ketchum’s Heritage Corridor spans four blocks, which have been improved with wider sidewalks, benches, street trees, chess tables, bike racks and rotating art installations. Art on Fourth, a popular exhibition that runs from June through October, just finished its 11th year. The new art piece will provide interactive art year-round to the community and its visitors.
The call is open to all artists and has a submittal deadline of 5 p.m., Monday, Dec. 3.
Detailed information on the goals and submission process can be found at ketchumidaho.org/arts.
Our Lady Of The Snows Donates Turkeys To Souper Supper
Our Lady of the Snows Foundation proudly donated 40 turkeys to families who receive assistance from the Souper Supper.
“This is the second year that our foundation has helped to bring the joy of Thanksgiving to the guests of the Souper Supper,” said Claire Goodyear, vice chair of the foundation. “Funds for the turkeys came from the generous donations made to the Our Lady of the Snows Foundation.”
Souper Supper has served more than 75,000 meals for the past 21 years. While not directly affiliated with the Catholic Church, the Souper Supper organization counts among its founders and steering committee members of Our Lady of the Snows parish.
Citizens Give Back To Old Cutters Field
Hollie Smart, coach of the 2009 girls Sun Valley Soccer Club (SVSC) team, took it upon herself last Wednesday to improve a field that she and her team love to play on.
From afar, Old Cutters field in Hailey looked pristine in its idyllic mountain setting, but from a player’s perspective it was bumpy and uneven. After a massive truckload of donated soil from Winn’s Compost, a large donation of grass seed and expert tractor skills from Stephanie Cook (City of Hailey), and volunteer work from Smart, Winn Weaver, Brighten Franz and Dan and Linsey Nelson, Old Cutters field is poised to become one of the club’s preferred training and game venues in the Valley.
Smart said the field improvements will also benefit many in its neighborhood, and the adjacent picnic tables, standing BBQs and playground make it an ideal spot not only for a fun soccer day, but many other outdoor events and/or someone looking for some quality outdoor time on a nice field in a beautiful setting.
The Spot Will Present ‘A Behanding In Spokane’
A press release from The Spot announced the second production of its fourth season, “A Behanding in Spokane,” by Martin McDonagh. This is a limited engagement running Dec. 4-8 with showings at 7:30 p.m. each day as well as a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m., Dec. 8. Tickets are $25 each or $13 for those under 30.
Acclaimed playwright McDonagh is known for his work in film with “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Seven Psychopaths” and “In Bruges.”
Spot founding member and creative director of finance Brett Moellenberg presents McDonagh’s first and only play to take place in the United States. Set in Spokane, Wash., the main character of the play, Carmichael, is a grizzled man with only one hand. He has been searching for his missing hand for decades and may have finally tracked it down in a small hotel room in small-town America. This play is for 17+ due to language and adult content.
Burglary Arrest At Valley Club
Home security cameras led Blaine County Sheriff’s deputies to arrest a 23-year-old man they believe broke a window at a Valley Club home and stole a bottle of vodka and a camera.
At 7:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 12, sheriff’s deputies responded to a burglary-in-progress report on Valley Club Drive in Hailey, according to a press release from the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office.
When deputies arrived, the suspect had fled the scene, but the victim had a camera system, which helped identify the suspect. After a thorough investigation, James Spencer Scott, age 23, of Ketchum, was arrested and charged with one felony count of burglary, Idaho Code 18-1401, and one misdemeanor count of malicious injury to property, Idaho Code 18-7001.
Scott was released from the Blaine County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.
DUI-Related Two-Vehicle Crash
An accident on State Highway 75 and Buttercup Road north of Hailey, Sunday, Nov. 18, was blamed on an impaired driver, though, fortunately, no one was injured.
According to a Blaine County Sheriff’s Office press release, at approximately 6:27 p.m. a grey 2010 Chevrolet Suburban traveling southbound (driven by a minor) was struck by a red 1999 Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by Alfonso Contreras-Esparza, 51, of Ketchum. Contreras-Esparza was arrested and charged with DUI, and later released on a $1,000 bond.
NAMI-WRV Announces New Board Members & Leadership Positions
A press release from NAMI-WRV announced that, as part of their annual meeting and open house, voting members of the Wood River Valley chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-WRV) have elected an expanded board of directors for 2018-2019. The board also announced the appointment of new board officers for the upcoming year. The newly appointed leadership joins executive director Christina Cernansky, and assumes responsibilities effective immediately.
Members of the board include Jason Barbee, mental health therapist; Daniel Hansen, marketing coordinator, Sun Valley Summer Symphony; Kathleen Hansen, OR Health Unit coordinator, St. Luke’s Wood River; Gary Hoffman, pediatrician; Page Klune, small-business owner; Chris Koch, teacher at Silvercreek High School; Elaine Niedrich, small-business owner; Neil Morrow, attorney (retired); and Alyson Witmer, family therapist and small-business owner.
Daniel Hansen will serve as board president, Hoffman as vice-president, Kathleen Hansen as secretary, and Niedrich as treasurer.
Sun Valley Center For The Arts Welcomes New Producing Director Of Company Of Fools
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts announced that Scott Palmer has been hired as the new producing artistic director of Company of Fools. A press release from The Center stated that in his new role, Palmer will lead the artistic direction of the Hailey-based professional theatre company and serve on The Center’s executive leadership team, reporting to executive director Christine Davis-Jeffers.
Palmer will work part time for several months as he fulfills his commitments in Oregon and will begin working full time with Company of Fools in early March 2019. In the near term, he will collaborate with COF’s season producer, R.L. Rowsey, production manager K.O. Ogilvie and Company manager Kris Olenick to develop the Company’s 24th theatre season.
Palmer replaces Kent Thompson, who has served in an interim producing Director capacity at COF since the June 2017 death of founding Company artist John Glenn. In addition to shepherding the Company’s 23rd season, Kent was instrumental in helping The Center identify the kind of leadership role that would be best for Company of Fools’ future; he also helped define the job description at the heart of the candidate search that led to Palmer.
Multi-County High Speed Pursuit Starts In Ketchum
A Challis woman with a child in her car led authorities on a multi-county high speed pursuit in the early morning hours on Saturday, with speeds climbing to 125 miles per hour.
According to press releases from the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office—where the driver was first seen—and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office—where the chase ended in Jerome—a deputy from the Ketchum Police Department saw a 2003 Hyundai Elantra traveling south at a high rate of speed around 1 a.m. on Main Street.
The driver, later identified as Mary C. North, 32, would not stop and drove recklessly reaching speeds of 110 mph on Highway 75 between Ketchum and Hailey. Deputies terminated the pursuit at the Hailey city line for public safety and notified authorities to the south.
Lincoln County Sheriff Rene Rodriguez said his deputies spotted North and tracked her as she drove through Shoshone and south into Jerome County at speeds exceeding 125 miles per hour. The Idaho State Police assisted by deploying spike strips, and North was finally stopped on Highway 93 at milepost 61 in Jerome County after hitting a Jerome County Sheriff’s vehicle.
No one was injured in the incident. The child, 8, was taken into protective custody, Rodriguez said Tuesday.
North was taken into custody by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office without further incident on charges of eluding law enforcement officers and injury to a child, both felonies.
Officers from the Shoshone Police Department and Gooding County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the arrest.
Eastbound Jerome Rest Area Permanently Closed
A press release from the Idaho Transportation Department announced that the Jerome Rest Area off eastbound Interstate 84 permanently closed on Wednesday, Nov. 14. To provide services to travelers, the Idaho Transportation Department has entered into Interstate Oasis agreements with business facilities at Exit 165, 173 and 182.
With Interstate Oasis partnerships, nearby businesses afford travelers the same conveniences rest areas do—ample parking and use of restroom amenities, free of charge. ITD has installed signage along the interstate directing travelers to Interstate Oasis locations. The Jerome Rest Area will be demolished within the coming months.
The Interstate Oasis program offers a solution for areas within the state where an ITD-maintained rest area is not feasible. The Jerome Rest Area was built in the 1970s when few businesses existed nearby to provide alternatives, but major repairs would be necessary to bring the facility up to current standards because of its age.
Sun Valley Center For The Arts Welcomes New Board Members
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts announced in a press release that it has seven new members on its board of directors. Joining the board in 2018 are Kelly Corroon, Adam Elias, Caroline Hobbs, Andrea Laporte, Barbara Lehman, Linda Nicholson and Russell Notides. In addition, longtime board member Katherine Rixon is succeeding Tim Wolff as board president.
Rixon has worked as a real estate broker in Sun Valley since 2000 and is currently part owner of the Keller Williams Sun Valley/Southern Idaho office.
Sheep Killed in Single-Vehicle Collision
Blaine County Sheriff’s deputies received a report at 11:47 a.m., Nov. 14, of a single-vehicle collision with a small group of sheep on Highway 20 at milepost 174 near Stanton Crossing, according to a press release from the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office.
Shannon Ferguson, 45, of Fairfield, was eastbound on Highway 20 when her car hit the sheep. Seven sheep, strays ahead of a flock traveling toward the sheep bridge crossing, were killed.
Ferguson was not injured in the accident, but her vehicle was towed from the scene. Idaho State Police will be conducting an investigation.
Idaho Power Campgrounds Still Open, With Lower Rates For Winter
Idaho Power announced that its campgrounds remain open, and winter rates are now in effect for campers looking for a late-season getaway.
A press release from the utility said winter camping rates are typically half of the summer rates for Idaho Power’s campgrounds in Hells Canyon and at C.J. Strike Reservoir. Camping at Swan Falls and Moonshine Mine (near Richland, Ore.) are free year-round.
Water has been shut off at the Hells Canyon and C.J. Strike campgrounds, so campers should bring their own. Campsites are subject to closure due to winter weather.
Idaho Power offers reduced camping fees to service-disabled veterans and campers over the age of 60. For veterans with any level of service-related disability, overnight camping fees are lowered by 50 percent. Seniors receive $2 off summer rates and $1 off winter rates. Discounts cannot be combined.
Guests can reserve campsites up to nine months in advance either online at idahopower.com/recreation or by calling their toll-free number at 1-844-472-7275.
Idaho Transportation Department Earns North American Excellence Nod
The Idaho Transportation Department recently earned a North American Excellence award for its Historical Photo Library archive, which has so far taken 50,000 citizens on a unique customer journey through the past, according to a press release from the Idaho Transportation Department.
The awards are part of a global implementation of Excellence Awards, also rolled out in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Europe. The award will be presented Dec. 6 in Dublin, Ireland.
Knowing that a people’s history is vitally important, and should be available without charge, ITD set about digitizing tens of thousands of historical photos in 2016. The free photo-retrieval service launched in May 2018.
ITD’s free photo collection is available at itd.idaho.gov/photohistory.
28th Annual Papoose Club Holiday Bazaar Coming In December
The Papoose Club celebrates its 28th Holiday Bazaar at Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. Sunday features a visit with Santa for photos from 1-2:30 p.m.
The Holiday Bazaar is a juried art show that features various hand-crafted goods from more than 70 vendors from across the Intermountain West. The bazaar will have a soup café as well with Starbucks Coffee and choices of chicken tortilla soup, seafood chowder or vegan chili from Perry’s restaurant.
The annual Papoose Club Holiday Raffle will have over 40 items and business services to choose from. Raffle tickets can be purchased in advance from Papoose Club members or during the bazaar.
Visit papooseclub.org for more information or for raffle tickets.
Hailey Public Library Hosts Weekly Writing Workshop
Join local creative writer Emilee Mae Struss at a weekly “Hailey Nite Write” at the Hailey Public Library from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursdays through November.
Sun Valley Summer Symphony To Host Friends and Family Night Of The Winter Festival
Mark your calendars for a friends and family night of the Winter Festival of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019.
A concert will take place at the Argyros Performing Arts Center at 6:30 p.m.; music to be announced.