By Mike McKenna
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” –Willie Nelson
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, there is much to be thankful for here in the Wood River Valley.
Winters are an especially great time of year around here. Ski season kicks off and soon we’ll enjoy endless downhill and Nordic terrain right at our ski tips. Baldy is still expanding, adding 380 new acres in Cold Springs. Dollar will once again be home to a world-class terrain park. And the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation team has been doing impressive upgrades at Rotarun.
We also really love hockey around here and the Sun Valley Suns are kicking off the season by hosting the Bozeman Stingers this weekend at Campion Ice House in Hailey.
We are also blessed with lots of delicious places to dine, friendly places to shop, and lots of great live entertainment, from plays to bands, all season long.
The staff and board of The Chamber would like wish you well as Thanksgiving and another winter season arrive. We hope you have plenty of blessings to count.
Upcoming Chamber Events
The 16th Annual Turkey Trot has become a big part of the Thanksgiving tradition for many local families. While some run, most folks walk the 5k with family, friends and leashed pets as the course winds through the Wood River Land Trust’s Draper Wood River Preserve and the streets of west Hailey. Schwag-bag pick-up for the first 500 folks to sign up is Wednesday, Nov. 27 at The Chamber Welcome Center next to Campion Ice House. Day-of-race registration happens in front of Sturtevants in Hailey.
The Hailey Holiday Tree Lighting will take place on Friday, Dec. 6 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Blaine County Courthouse. The Chamber and City of Hailey invite the public to come and meet Santa, enjoy some cookies and cocoa, and kick off the holiday season in style by lighting the city’s Christmas tree.
The Blaine County Historical Museum will be celebrating the season by opening for two special holiday weekends. The small but impressive museum on Main Street in Hailey will show a film about dogsledding in Hailey in the 1930s on Saturday, Dec. 7. On Sunday, Dec. 8, Mike White will be performing Christmas music on the piano while they serve free hot chocolate and cookies. Dec. 14 will feature a Kids Scavenger Hunt, and Santa will visit the museum on Sunday, Dec. 15. For more information, go to BCHistoricalMuseum.org or call (208) 788-1801.
Jane’s Holiday House will host our December Business After Hours on Thursday, Dec. 19, from 5-7 p.m. at 14 East Bullion Street in Hailey. This BAH will be a fun and festive occasion, and with less than a week to go to Christmas, it will be the perfect time to pick up any last-minute gifts while enjoying food, drinks and catching up with local people and happenings.
To find out more about any of these events, please go to ValleyChamber.org, follow the Discover Wood River Valley Facebook page, or call (208) 788-3484.