The Courier
NEWS
Lost n Lava Cowboy Gathering September 16 & 17
The annual Lost N Lava Cowboy Gathering in Shoshone will be held next weekend - September 16th & 17th. Our heritage of ranching in the rural West is celebrated through poetry, music, stories and more. At Lost N Lava Cowboy Gathering, you can discover cowboy cultures from around the world, learn a traditional skill, dance the two-step, plan for the West's future with ranchers, meet new friends, listen to tall tales, dispel myths, build bridges, and be inspired. This year's headline entertainers are Brenn Hill (Friday) and Colt Angell (Saturday). Brenn Hill (above) learned to wield a pen and guitar pick long before learning to handle a razor blade. For the last two decades, he has been writing and perfoming songs (mostly his own) and earned a reputation as one of the premier musical chroniclers of cowboy life. Over the course of a dozen albums, Brenn’s songwriting has matured. Brenn lives with his wife and three children in Hooper, Utah, where he performs a complicated balancing act between keeping the home fires burning, cheering from sporting field sidelines, and negotiating a busy performance and travel schedule and working in the recording studio. Colt Angell (left) started playing music at 5 years old, learning songs to the record player. His first instrument was a diatonic push button accordion given to him by his great grandmother. Next he moved to piano and the obsession of playing music turned into playing everything he could get his hands on - guitar, fiddle, and upright bass. At 14 years old he met a group by the name of Riders in the Sky and was mentored by the King of the Cowboy Fiddlers, Woody Paul. Colt has been a member of Cowboy Poets of Idaho since 1986, when he was just 6 years old (the youngest member of Cowboy Poets). Lost N Lava shows begin at noon each day with free performances until 5:00 p.m. Vendors include Y Knot Gallery, Made Just 4 You, Shaine's Sewing, Dusti Rhoads, Catchall Western Creations, Rawhide & Leather, and Forest Bear Lapidary. Food Vendors include Vero's Tacos, Rufina Navajo Frybead, and The Frozen Chozen. And don't forget the Saturday Morning community breakfast at 9:30 a.m. and Cowboy Church with Poppa Mac at 10:30 a.m. Tickets for the evening concerts are $20 or $35 for both (available at the door, online at lostnlavacowboypoetryinc.smashpass, or at 2nd Time Around Antique Mall in Shoshone, Idaho). Evening concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. with a pre-show at 6:15 p.m.
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
September 7, 2022
Vol 46 Num 36
Wildhorse Fire
On Sunday, firefighters responded to a new incident north of U.S. Highway 20, between Forest Highway 61 and NFS road 168. The fast-moving grass fire closed a portion of U.S. Highway 20 overnight, and the fire is burning on both sides of the highway. As of Tuesday morning, the highway was open, but motorists are encouraged to check road conditions before utilizing Highway 20. The Wildhorse is currently 9,000 acres and 0% contained. Multiple engines, water tenders, dozers, hand crews, Law Enforcement, and aircraft responded to the new start as a united effort between the Bureau of Land Management, U.S Forest Service, and Elmore County. Additionally, the Ruby Fire (7 miles southeast of Anderson Ranch Reservoir) sent a task force of engines, water tenders, and a dozer to assist. Throughout the afternoon and into the night fire resources worked to construct line around the fire and were aided by aircraft providing retardant drops as well as helicopter bucket drops. Around 80 people are currently working the Wildhorse fire. The Ross Fork Fire is just over 25,000 acres and continues to move west towards the North fork of Ross Creek. The main fire has crossed over into the Smiley Creek drainage due to high winds. The fire continued down the Beaver Creek drainage towards Alturas Lake in a North East direction. The fire is threatening the community of Smiley prompting a mandatory evacuation of Smiley Creek and Alturas Lake. The fire spreading to the East throughout the Frenchman Creek drainage, currently threatening the Salmon River headwaters and may reach the Galena Overlook. Early assessments indicate that no homes have been lost. State Hwy 75 is open north and south of Smiley Creek, but check Idaho 511 for updates. DO NOT call 911 for highway information. Residents and visiting public should keep informed of fire progress in Smiley Creek, Alturas Lake, and adjacent areas.