The mountains around Logan blaze with fall color as bigtooth maples turn bright pink.
When backcountry adventures go
Medical’s helicopter crews swoop in to help.
Shakespeare and sheep are both celebrated as
Andy the Andean Condor and his feathered friends find a home in Salt Lake’s Liberty Park.
Allie Wisniewski
Maple Season, p 14
Kitchens, p 32
Provo p
Salt Lake City p
Tibble Fork Reservoir p
Moab p 22
Green River p 56 Bears Ears National Monument p 9
Vernal p 10 Logan p 14
Snowbird p 58
Brigham City p 57
A magazine for all seasons
THE RED ROCKS of southern Utah are red year-round. I find it comforting to know that, whenever I take a notion to visit somewhere like Bryce Canyon or Arches national parks, I am guaranteed to see geology that is staggeringly beautiful and vividly red. The rocks are like old, dependable friends.
But there are parts of Utah where the reds are just as beautiful but much more fleeting. I am thinking of the bigtooth maple trees in and around Cache Valley, which blaze into stunning tapestries of crimson and pink for just a few weeks at the end of September and beginning of October. You can see the maples in their full autumnal glory in photographer Scott T. Smith’s photo essay in this issue.
The transitory nature of fall foliage brings its own special set of emotions. There’s the excited anticipation that simmers in the background as the last days of summer wind down and a briskness comes to the evening air. When the colors finally change, you feel a sense of wonder at witnessing a mountainside glowing with Technicolor splendor. And yet it also feels poignant and bittersweet to know that splendor will be but a memory by month’s end.
Still, we know the autumn show will return next year. The changing seasons are a perpetually renewing cycle, and we can look forward to the annual traditions that await us in every season.
Colorful maples aren’t the only gift nature gives us as September rolls around. In Brigham City, this time of year means peaches from the area’s celebrated orchards. The city celebrates during Brigham City Peach Days with peachy treats like cobbler, fritters, pies, ice cream and even peach funnel cakes.
Peach Days is a tradition that dates back to 1904. Over in Green River, the town has its massive Melon Days celebration, which has been a tradition since 1907. The sandy soil, hot days and cool nights make Green River melons some of the best-tasting there are. You can read more about both Peach Days and Melon Days in this issue’s “Explore Utah” department.
Each season in Utah has its own special feeling and character. That sense of seasonality is something we’re very mindful of as we put together each issue of Utah Life. For instance, this issue’s story on Cedar City isn’t merely a story about the city – it is a story about the city as it exists during the fall. That’s the time of year when the sheep that graze on Cedar Mountain all summer finally come down to their winter pastures. In the story, you can find the incredible photo our own Joshua Hardin captured of the wooly animals marching down from the mountain on Main Street in Cedar City’s annual Sheep Parade.
At Utah Life, we celebrate every season and its attendant traditions. That includes the holiday season – which, believe it or not, isn’t all that far away. If giving thoughtful gifts is one of your holiday traditions, you might consider giving friends and loved ones gift subscriptions to Utah Life
If you’d like to give a gift subscription, just give us a call at (801) 921-4585, or visit us online at utahlifemag.com. And because issues will arrive every two months, it is a gift that extends beyond the holidays into all seasons of life in Utah.
c/o Subscriptions Dept PO Box 270130 Fort Collins, CO 80527 (801) 921-4585
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DELIVERIES FROM OUR READERS
Bears Ears amazes
I loved your July/August 2022 issue. The Days of ’47 article about the Mormon pioneers was very well truthful and factual (“This Is the Place”). The Bears Ears article reminded us of the many times we have visited the area (“Bears Ears Adventures”), though we have not been to many of the places you show in the article. It truly is a sacred place, as the last time we encountered some Native American hikers who had been there to feel the spirit of the area. We also loved the beautiful wildflower pictures (“Wasatch Wildflowers”).
Wildflower watchers
Ross Capes West
Valley
We have enjoyed Utah Life for nearly five years now, having originally randomly discovered it in a waiting area during a chiropractic visit. I gave a subscription as a surprise to my husband that first year, and we have eagerly anticipated every issue since then. While we are not Utahns by birth, we have grown to love the state and have raised a family and grown and finished careers here. Now that we have more time to enjoy its many wonders, Utah Life gives us great ideas for traveling throughout the state.
Thank you for highlighting “Wasatch Wildflowers” in the July/August 2022 issue. I had just hiked Albion Basin from the base up and around Cecret Lake and back down. I loved seeing the cover photo of the arnica and lupine framed by the rugged mountains and the “is-itreal?” blue sky. What a remarkable place Utah is to live. Thank you for your vision and commitment to all things Utahn. And thank you for Kerry Soper’s always slightly tilted commentaries on Utah life that remind us to smile at our sometimes curious selves!
Kathie Debenham Orem
What’s so funny?
I need to comment on Kerry Soper’s “Last Laugh” (“Utah Needs a New State Song,” July/August 2022). I don’t see anything
funny about this article. I see only continuous slander against the state of Utah. Utah already has a state song. The 2003 Utah State Legislature voted to change the state song from “Utah, We Love Thee” to “Utah, This Is the Place.” The song encompasses everything that Utah is and a universal appeal to all Utahns. Perhaps if Mr. Soper doesn’t think the state song is catchy enough, then he could change the tune, but use the same lyrics. Who cares if Utah doesn’t have a popular song about it, but let’s not try to solve the dilemma by going into a political tirade. Are we too boring? Speak for yourself.
Cathy O’Bryant Santaquin
Editor’s reply: While we concede that reasonable people may disagree on what constitutes humor, we assure you that Kerry writes his columns in a spirit of abiding love for Utah.
Heavenly
vistas
I often think of the British, Scandinavian and Swiss immigrants who answered the call to move on into the Great Basin, the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave Desert to live and survive. Surely these unforgiving lands were something they could never have imagined. But they were here, and it was a commitment. I hope there were evenings and mornings when their eyes could lift from the thirsty ground to
behold the kinds of heavenly vistas shared in the Guy Tal photography featured in your May/June 2022 issue (“Stories Told in Rocks”). Thank you to Utah Life, Matt Masich and Guy Tal.
Susan Savage Leeds
Don’t forget the pies
As a longtime visitor to and huge fan of southern Utah and its stunningly gorgeous scenery, it was a special treat to see Guy Tal’s photos of Capitol Reef National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in the May/June 2022 issue. The unique and peaceful beauty of this area is not to be missed. Don’t forget to check out the tasty pies made from orchard fruit offered in the gift shop at Capitol Reef.
Laurie Ball Denver, Colorado
Should we save them all?
As an animal lover, I feel conflicted about the mission of Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab (“Kanab’s Best Friends on a mission to save every pet in the nation,” May/June 2022). On one hand, I know and understand the love that CEO Julie Castle feels in her heart for homeless dogs and cats. I have three rescue dogs and three rescue cats, and I’ve fostered and cared for animals my entire life.
But during this time, I’ve also met many dogs who were so deeply damaged
by humans that I believe the most ethical solution is to euthanize those dogs. While some mistreated dogs may recover (as, allegedly, Michael Vick’s dogs did –though that evidence is anecdotal at best), many will have dog reactivity or human reactivity for the rest of their lives, experience constant stress and triggers, and pose threats to other animals and even people.
The training and work required to even begin undoing the damage caused may or may not pay out – and is an immensely costly expenditure. I have known several people who have spent thousands of dollars to rehabilitate dog-aggressive dogs. Despite huge investments of time and money, these dogs were never successfully able to live life in public or even enjoy a fenced backyard without a muzzle.
There are also already scores of dogs living their entire lives in no-kill shelters, with no possibility for adoption. Is this really a life? Why not focus resources on those that have the best chance of recovery? In addition, there are more cats in the United States than we can ever hope to adopt out – and they pose a threat to many of our native bird species that are essential to our ecosystems.
Euthanasia is a quick and pain-free death. I sometimes wonder if our inability to let animals go doesn’t have more to do with our own fear of death rather than our consideration of what is merciful for the animal.
Katherine Burns Park City
Repeat readers
We love Utah and Utah Life Magazine. Our family waits eagerly for each new issue to see the delightful stories and spectacular photos. We have explored many areas in central, southern and western Utah, camping, fishing and riding ATVs. We would love to see more stories about northern Utah, also Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, etc. Thanks for the great magazine. We save and re-read them all.
Carolyn and Sydney James Orem
Great gift giver
I love this magazine so much, I ordered it for my brother, who is quite the adventurer. We are both in our 70s. The photography is outstanding. I thought I was pretty familiar with Utah until I got this magazine.
Sandra Andersen Farmington
Editor’s reply: Thank you, Sandra, for giving Utah Life. The magazine is growing because of your thoughtfulness. We invite everyone to give gift subscriptions to family and friends this year. Simply call us at (800) 777-6159 or go online to utahlifemag.com.
SEND YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Thank you for reading and writing! We enjoy hearing from our subscribers around Utah and the world and hope this issue of the magazine inspires you to grace us with your words.
The deadline to send letters for the next issue of Utah Life is Oct. 1. One lucky letter writer will be selected at random to win a free subscription renewal. This issue’s winner is Kathie Debenham of Orem. Congrats! Send your “Letter to the Editor” by emailing us at editor@utahlifemag.com or pen us a letter and mail it to the address at the front of this magazine.
THE BUZZ AROUND UTAH
Provo brothers’ weatherproof guitars aren’t afraid to go camping
by RACHEL FIXSEN
Camping is a way of life in Utah, and for many, that life just isn’t complete without an acoustic guitar to play beside the campfire. But while Utahns might love the outdoors, their guitars most certainly do not – fluctuations in temperature and moisture can wreck the delicate wooden instruments.
But what if there were a guitar without wooden components? That’s the premise behind KLOS Guitars, made in Provo by brothers Adam and Ian Klosowiak and their team of luthiers.
KLOS Guitars
Adam observed the fragility of a wooden guitar firsthand in college when he accidentally left his dorm room window open over winter break and returned to find the cold, dry air had cracked his instrument. Adam’s cracked guitar inspired Ian to build a composite guitar as a project for a materials course at Brigham Young University, where he was studying mechanical engineering.
“Ian went, like, 100 times overboard in making a guitar,” Adam said, explaining that other students made simpler objects such as mugs.
Ian’s class project laid the groundwork for what would become KLOS Guitars, a Provo-based company run by Adam and Ian that produces carbon-fiber instruments that can withstand weather and travel. The concept combines several of the brothers’ interests: in addition to being amateur musicians, they’re both engineers, and they both love the outdoors.
Changes in temperature and moisture, which can wreak havoc on wooden guitars, don’t affect the carbon-fiber instruments made by Provo’s KLOS Guitars.
Growing up in Chicago, the Klosowiak family often traveled to the West to spend time camping and hiking together. Later Adam got interested in slacklining, road biking and mountain biking as well. When Adam joined Ian in Utah in 2017, the spectacular scenery and terrain encouraged those hobbies even more.
“I was outdoorsy before then, but now I’m kind of obsessed with the outdoors,” Adam said. “Every free moment that I have, I try to be outside.”
Soon after Adam graduated, he and Ian launched KLOS Guitars with an initial batch of 70 durable carbon fiber-bodied instruments with wooden necks and bridges. Since then, they’ve redesigned their instruments to be all carbon fiber. Along with standard acoustic guitars, they have expanded their lineup to make carbon-fiber electric guitars, basses and ukuleles, and they are currently working on a carbon-fiber mandolin. Eventually, they’d like to make carbon-fiber classical instruments such as violins and cellos.
Instruments are assembled in the company’s Provo factory, where visitors are welcome. A firsthand look at the assembly of these Utah-made instruments might appeal to Utahns who, like the Klosowi-
ak brothers, love both music and the outdoors.
“When you are outside, there should be no reason you can’t bring your hobbies with you,” Adam said.
Bears Ears book goes beyond the controversy
by LISA TRUESDALE
It’s enough to make anyone dizzy. In 2016, just before leaving office, President Barack Obama designated 1.3 million acres for Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. A year later, the next president reduced it by a whopping 85 percent. Four years later, the next president reinstated the national monument’s protections. The five native tribes that consider the area sacred rejoiced. Leading Utah elected officials did not; for a number of reasons, they don’t believe the land should be federally owned.
In his new book, Bears Ears: Landscape of Refuge and Resistance, historian
Andrew Gulliford addresses the ongoing controversy, of course, because such a highly charged issue simply can’t be ignored. Yet he doesn’t let that overtake the story he really wants to tell about his deep passion for the place.
Gulliford has been researching and writing about Bears Ears for decades; some of the book’s content was previously published in his columns in Utah and Colorado newspapers. The chronological history he shares goes back 11,000 years, but he includes plenty of present-day observations, too, about what he calls the “harsh, dry, beautiful land” where he has spent countless hours “hiking cliff ledges, watching the full moon rise over canyon rims, and learning
patterns and styles of ancient Indian rock art.”
Although it’s not a traditional guidebook, it’s an invitation for readers to explore the land Gulliford has come to know and love so well.
“Welcome to Bears Ears,” he writes, “where an ancient landscape, rich in botany, geology, and paleontology, also represents thousands of years of human history and some of the most remote and spectacular archaeological sites and ongoing native sacred places in the nation.”
Bears Ears: Landscape of Refuge and Resistance
By Andrew Gulliford
University of Utah Press 512 pp, paperback, $30
Immune to the elements, KLOS instruments can go camping and hiking. Ian Klosowiak made his first carbon-fiber guitar as a class project at Brigham Young University.
Bettina Suedmeyer/KLOS Guitars
Mighty arch spans 85 feet in northeast Utah
Natural arches famously abound in Utah’s southern canyon country. In the state’s northeast corner? Not so much – though they do exist. One such arch attracting enthusiasts to the Flaming Gorge region is no less spectacular than its southerly counterparts.
Moonshine Arch, 8 miles north of Vernal near Steinaker State Park, spans a length of 85 feet at a height of 40 feet. The arch is tucked into a Weber sandstone formation at the base of Red Mountain. At the trailhead, those with ATVs or high clearance vehicles can proceed further to the arch, while most visitors prefer to hike an easy 1.4-mile out-and-back trail with 252 feet of elevation gain from here. The arch is impressive on its own, while other miniature arches and caves carved into the ridge behind it offer added opportunities for exploration.
Desert landscape inspires new Utah folk music
by MATT MASICH
For musician Hal Cannon, the desert isn’t just where he lives – it is the musical genre in which he works.
Residing just outside of Zion National Park in the town of Virgin, Cannon makes what he calls “American Desert Music,” whether it’s with his band, 3hattrio, or solo, as on his new album Nothin’ Lastin’. Sometimes, the songs are explicitly about the desert, as with “Tarantula March,” which humorously portrays male tarantulas wandering the hostile landscape in search of love. But more often, the connection to place is more in the feeling of the music.
“It’s a very spacious sound, full of mirages and cliffs and echoes,” Cannon said. The album’s acoustic instrumentation, with Cannon’s banjo featured prominently, creates a sparse yet vivid atmosphere.
The desert, with its wide-open terrain and seemingly endless vistas, also shapes
Carol Dalrymple
Joshua Hardin
the way Cannon approaches writing lyrics. “There’s something about the long view in the desert that’s with you all the time,” he said. “It’s hard not to take the long view when I write songs.”
Whether writing his own songs or singing 19th century Utah folk tunes, Cannon has spent his musical career taking the long view, looking beyond the passing fads of the present.
He has been devoted to traditional music since he was a teenager in Salt Lake City, where he founded East High School’s Folk Music Club, inspired by local folk singers Rosalie Sorrels and Utah Phillips. He later became fascinated by the archival recordings of old songs sung by Utah pioneers like his ancestors – he is a greatgreat-grandson of Brigham Young. Most of the recordings were scratchy and sung without accompaniment. Cannon formed the Deseret String Band to set those early songs to traditional instruments on the 1973 album Utah Trail.
In 1976, Cannon became Utah’s first official state folklorist, a role in which he put on exhibits and collected traditional arts of the state. He later founded the Western Folklife Center, now located in Elko, Nevada, which hosts the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Watching the cowboy poets perform inspired Cannon to start writing his own songs.
“These cowboys weren’t afraid of the wildest bronc, but their knees would start shaking when they got on stage,” he said. “There was something about the bravery of these people who would get up and bare their souls that made me say, ‘I want to do that,’ but with music, not poetry.”
The transitory solace Cannon finds in making music is much like that which he finds in the desert.
“Walking in nature can overwhelm you with how meaningful and powerful it is, yet you get in your car, and it’s gone,” he said. “It’s that way with music. Every note decays, yet there’s no power like being in the middle of a song that’s stirring, that’s built with intention and skill.”
Hal Cannon lives just outside of Zion National Park in Virgin, where he uses traditional acoustic instruments to make what he calls “American Desert Music.”
Sketches by the expedition’s topographer and modern photographs trace the route of the Gunnison Expedition
A selection of the best writing about Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole
COMING SOON! Bears Ears Landscape of Refuge and Resistance
RETREAT TO A vacation oasis
NATIONAL MONUMENTS
by BRIAN WANGSGARD
1 Utah is home to nine national monuments, as well as what national historic park situated about 25 miles west of Corinne?
2 What smallest national monument in Utah, covering just 160 acres, is also perhaps the most difficult monument in the state to visit, as it is accessible only by a Lake Powell boat ride or a hike of more than 30 miles roundtrip?
3 Bears Ears National Monument is managed by a coalition of five Native American tribes, the Bureau of Land Management and by what other government agency where Smokey Bear works?
4 Which national monument in American Fork Canyon doesn’t open for visitors until one of the rangers hikes a mile and a half each day to unlock the door?
5 At least 46 individual specimens of what predatory dinosaur species, resembling a smaller version of Tyrannosaurus, have been unearthed at Jurassic National Monument, which earned its status as Utah’s ninth and newest national monument in 2019?
Ratandeep Saha/Visit Utah
6
The massive, 4,000-pound Great Heart stalactite in Timpanogos Cave National Monument has given rise to more than 10 recorded versions of “The Legend of Timpanogos.”
7
More than 150 million years ago, ancient mammals lived alongside the namesake creatures that inhabited Dinosaur National Monument.
8 At 1.87 million acres, Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument is the largest national monument in the contiguous United States.
9 Rainbow Bridge – one of the world’s largest natural bridges, with a height of 290 feet and span of 275 feet – derives its name from the colors of the rainbow seen in its Navajo sandstone.
10 Natural Bridges National Monument is the only one of Utah’s national monuments that has gained official recognition as an International Dark Sky Park.
11
Visitors to Natural Bridges National Monument may hike among a total of how many sandstone bridges?
a. 3
b. 8
c. 13
12
Two competing railroads met in 1869 to complete the transcontinental route and drive a commemorative golden spike at Promontory Summit. Which of these was not one of them?
a. Southern Pacific
b. Union Pacific
c. Central Pacific
13
Cajon Trail in which national monument provides hikers with spectacular views of wellknown landscape features in four states?
a. Bears Ears
b. Grand Staircase-Escalante
c. Hovenweep
14
Some visitors may experience symptoms of hypoxia while viewing which monument that is more than 10,000 feet above sea level?
a. Dinosaur
b. Timpanogos Cave
c. Cedar Breaks
15
Early pioneers enlarged a crevice in a 1,000-foot cliff and lowered their wagons through this “Hole-in-the-Rock” in what is now Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in order to cross what river?
a. Escalante
b. Colorado
c. San Juan
Maple Season
The mountains around Logan blaze with fall color
photographs by SCOTT T. SMITH
story by MATT MASICH
A light dusting of autumn snow graces the Wellsville Mountains, while bigtooth maples in vibrant fall foliage cover the foothills.
ATRAVELING MUSICIAN
performing in Cache Valley in early October had a question for photographer Scott T. Smith: “Why are your foothills pink?”
Smith’s reply: the bigtooth maple. Closely related to New England’s sugar maple, the bigtooth maple is native to Utah. And like its East Coast cousin, its eye-popping fall foliage inspires people to embark on leaf-peeping road trips.
While the bigtooth maple grows all over Utah, it is often interspersed with scrub oak and other vegetation. However, in and around Cache Valley, the oak brush disappears, leaving pure stands of maple. Groves cover the foothills of the Wellsville and Bear River mountains, and they line Logan and Blacksmith Fork canyons, particularly on south-facing slopes.
The timing of the color transition varies and depends on weather conditions, but the maples usually begin to turn in late
On previous page, scarlet leaves bedeck a grove in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. At top, maples grow along aptly named Maple Creek on the Utah-Idaho border. Below, a leaf is caught in grass near Logan.
September, with peak color happening around the first week of October. In some places, the maples are joined by aspens, whose leaves turn colors a few weeks later, making for some overlap in October.
The drive up Logan Canyon on Highway 89 from Cache Valley to Bear Lake is one of the best ways to take in the maples’ fall display. It is not unheard of for people to take their convertibles with the top down, bundling up in winter coats against the autumn chill, to get a better look at the trees, said Patrick Kelly, director of education at the Stokes Nature Center.
“In leaf season, the amount of folks driving up and down Logan Canyon is incredible,” Kelly said. “Sometimes it’s a little frustrating, because people are driving so slowly looking at the leaves. Other times, you’re the one people are frustrated by because you’re driving slowly.”
At the Stokes Nature Center, the official education permittee of the Uinta-
At top, maples begin to turn in the Wellsville Mountains near Mendon. Below, a grove in the Left Fork of Blacksmith Fork Canyon glows with color. At right, the maple leaf’s shape is instantly recognizable.
Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Kelly and his team lead guided hikes to fall foliage locations in Logan Canyon. One of the best-loved hikes is the Crimson Trail, which goes along the China Wall – a geological formation in the canyon resembling the Great Wall of China. The trail begins at the Spring Hollow Campground.
Another popular Logan Canyon destination for viewing autumn color is the Wind Caves Trail. The prominent feature on the trail isn’t actually a cave but a unique triple arch.
The bigtooth maple’s similarities to the sugar maple go beyond their dramatic foliage. Like the maples of Vermont, Utah’s maples can be tapped to make maple syrup. However, trees should be about 14 inches in diameter at chest height before they can be safely tapped, and few bigtooth maples grow that large; most are shrubby with multiple smaller trunks rather than one large one.
But bigtooth maples aren’t the only kind of maple native to Utah. Often found nearby are box elder trees, which are a species of maple. Box elders often do grow big enough to tap. This is usually done in late winter, when the sap flows most freely. A lot of sap is needed: It takes 70 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
The Stokes Nature Center offers classes to teach people how to tap maples and provides the equipment needed to do it. Utah maple syrup has hints of cherry or plum, Kelly said – not quite the pure sugar flavor of East Coast maple syrup, but delicious in its own right.
Researchers at Utah State University are currently studying ways to tap smaller bigtooth maples to make syrup. They expect to have their findings in a few years. In the meantime, Utah’s bigtooth maples remain a feast for the eyes.
On previous page, leaves adorn a moss-covered rock in a Logan Canyon stream. At top, maples in Green Canyon turn red and gold. Below, crimson maples punctuate conifers and aspen in Ricks Canyon.
Deliverance from Above
Moab choppers race to the rescue when backcountry adventures go bad
by RACHEL FIXSEN
AROUND MIDNIGHT ONE late fall night, helicopter pilot Kody Henderson was toggling between night vision goggles and his natural vision as he orbited in toward his landing site: the top of Castleton Tower, a 400 foot sandstone pinnacle famous for its iconic silhouette and, for rock-climbers, unique summit.
That night, two climbers were stranded after they used the wrong anchors to try to rappel from the top, leaving them shy of the next set of rappel anchors. One climber had called for help from the summit, where he had cell service; the other was dangling part-way down the tower from his too-short rope.
While the night vision goggles made it easy for Henderson to see the terrain, they also distorted his depth perception. He had to keep peeking out under the goggles as he approached, waiting for his eyes to perceive the helicopter’s spotlights against the tower.
“Finally, when you get close enough, your naked eye starts to pick up this really creepy, cool, iceberg image of where you’re going to land,” Henderson said.
Henderson is a pilot for Classic Air Medical, an emergency air transport operation with bases in six states in the Intermountain West and Southwest. Crews often fly patients with urgent needs from one hospital to another with more advanced capabilities; other times they move critically injured patients from the scenes of accidents to medical facilities. They also assist in search and rescues and backcountry accidents – especially the crew in Moab. A world-renowned destination for outdoor adventure sports, Moab also sees its share of outdoor mishaps. Moab’s rugged terrain and unique scenery is popular with mountain bikers, hikers, paddlers, BASE jumpers and skydivers – as well as rock climbers.
A Classic Air Medical helicopter from the Moab base speeds through the skies over Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Dan Megna/Classic Air Medical
WHEN GRAND COUNTY Search and Rescue and Emergency Medical Service staff got the call about the stranded party on Castleton Tower, they evaluated their options. The dangling climber needed help soon: The night was cold, and medical personnel knew hypothermia was a risk. There’s also what’s known as “suspension syndrome,” a potentially life-threatening condition that can develop when a person hangs motionless in a harness for too long.
Approaching and climbing the tower would take hours and be risky for everyone involved – maybe even too risky to undertake in the dark. First responders asked Classic Air Medical if they would assist.
Henderson remembers being on the way back from an interfacility transfer when the crew heard the radio traffic about the stranded climbers. Henderson and the two crewmembers on board had thought they were on their way home to
get some rest, but they quickly pivoted back into mission mode.
Together, all the first responder organizations made a plan: The helicopter would shuttle search-and-rescue personnel to the top of the tower, where they would rig a rappel system to bring the dangling climber to the saddle below.
A helicopter can shortcut the complex terrain that makes ground travel, both by foot and on wheels, so difficult, circuitous and time-consuming.
“Instead of taking four to six hours, we can get the helicopter involved and be there in 10 minutes after we take off,” Henderson said.
While it’s a useful and effective tool, using a helicopter in the backcountry isn’t easy. Factors like wind, visibility, elevation, temperature and load constantly affect the machine’s capabilities. And in the backcountry, there are no landing pads. On the top of Castleton Tower, there
Eli Maloy lands a helicopter in Moab. Jake Blackwelder and Corby Shaw carry bags of medical equipment at Pritchett Arch.
Joshua Hardin
Joshua Hardin
was just enough room to get a helicopter touchdown on a relatively flat spot. “It’s pretty chunky up there,” Henderson said. The operation went smoothly. Henderson dropped off personnel and picked up the climber who was waiting on top of the tower. Search-and-rescue members rigged ropes and descended to the dangling climber and helped him rappel to the saddle, where the helicopter returned to pick them up. Henderson said the two climbers were thankful, but drained. “You could tell they had just been totally mentally and physically exhausted,” he said.
TIMING IS OFTEN critical in situations that call for a helicopter. Moab base manager and flight nurse Corby Shaw said the crew is prepared to take off within 10 minutes of accepting a mission. Once they arrive on scene, they aim to conduct any necessary medical procedures, load the patient and be on the way to a medical fa-
cility within 20 minutes.
Flights typically have three people: a highly experienced pilot, critical care flight nurse and paramedic. Just to join the medical crew, candidates must have medical training and years of experience in the field, working in a hospital or with an ambulance crew with a high call volume. Then they have to train and test on the flying part of the job.
Sometimes, the crew hears back from patients after they’ve made a full recovery. Henderson remembered a mountain biker the helicopter crew rescued from the Shafer Trail, a steep four-wheel-drive road that winds through Canyonlands National Park. He’d had a bad fall, sustaining head injuries, and was unresponsive. Reaching him on the ground and transporting him to the hospital would have taken hours – too long to hope for recovery.
The helicopter could reach him much faster, and the crew could begin treat-
A helicopter takes off from a remote stretch of Glen Canyon. A medical crew conducts a training exercise in Arches National Park.
Classic Air Medical
Dan Megna/Classic Air Medical
A helicopter perches at the Top of the World overlook in Moab. A crew loads a patient onto a helicopter prior to evacuation.
ment on the way to the hospital. The helicopter cabin is like a miniature intensive care unit, equipped with tools to stabilize, monitor, and treat patients: There’s an ultrasound, a ventilator, an IV pump and a video-assisted laryngoscope, which can be used for inserting endotracheal tubes.
No room is wasted. Items are stowed against the back wall, on seat backs, and in ceiling compartments, as well as in a cargo space near the tail. The front seat, next to the pilot’s seat, folds down to a medical gurney for patients to lie down. Next to the patient area, seats for a flight nurse and a paramedic face each other, one looking toward the front of the helicopter and the other looking toward the tail. The occupants share knee space.
The crew weren’t sure how the injured mountain biker would fare, but later they received a long letter of thanks – he’d made a full recovery and was so grateful he’d lived to see his wife and kids again.
Moab resident Ryan Katchmar is also thankful for the Classic Air Medical crew. He’s a passionate BASE jumper, and he’s become very familiar with Moab’s terrain through visiting remote and obscure jump points. He supports the BASE-jumping community by helping the local search and rescue team respond to jump-related calls, sharing his local knowledge and technical skills. A few years ago, Katchmar needed a rescue himself.
“The worst thing that can happen when you BASE jump is that the parachute opens facing the cliff and then you run into it,” Katchmar explained. “That’s how people get hurt, and that’s how accidents happen.”
Katchmar’s parachute opened the wrong way when he was jumping in the area of Wall Street, a cliff close to town that’s usually busy with rock climbers and other recreators. Katchmar tried to turn his parachute around as he descended, which, he said, is standard procedure in
Classic Air Medical
that situation, but it wasn’t working. He landed on a ledge in the middle of the cliff – luckily very gently.
“My feet hit, and then I plopped down onto my butt,” Katchmar said. His lightweight parachute draped down the cliff in front of him; he reeled it in as he contemplated how extremely fortunate he was to have not a scratch on him.
Though unscathed, he was stranded 300 feet off the ground on a ledge he described as the size of an office chair. He was able to yell down to the ground to his companions but couldn’t do much else. Search and rescue was dispatched; the road was temporarily closed; responders made a plan to ferry rescuers to the top of the cliff and set up a rappel, first to Katchmar’s ledge, then to the ground.
It was the first warm day of spring, Katchmar remembered – the first day of the year he’d left the house without a jacket. He didn’t know he’d be stranded on a ledge for three or four hours.
“I was freezing up there,” he said, with a rueful laugh.
In an operation similar to the Castleton rescue, the helicopter shuttled rescue personnel to the top of the cliff where they rigged the rappel that brought Katchmar safely to the ground.
THE HELICOPTER CAN’T always reach a patient directly. The Moab Valley is a high desert with an elevation of about 4,200 feet above sea level. The Colorado River slices through canyons and buttes that form broken rims above the valley; higher still, the La Sal Mountains top out at close to 13,000 feet.
In addition to creating world-class outdoor recreation opportunities and breathtaking contrast in any vista in the Moab area, that complexity of terrain turbo-charges the constant calculations a helicopter pilot has to make in flight: How is the machine’s power affected by the elevation, the heat, the winds and the load?
Classic Air Medical helicopters coordinate with first responders on the ground. Medical personnel work in a mountain meadow.
Classic Air Medical
Jack Montou/Classic Air Medical
Pilot Eli Maloy examines a tail rotor. Corby Shaw, Dwight Brooks, Kody Henderson, Eli Maloy and Jake Blackwelder pose in front of Bell 407 Medevac helicopter at Grand County Emergency Operations Center. On next page, a helicopter flies over Lake Powell.
The Moab terrain is incredibly unique, helicopter pilot Eli Maloy said.
“I’ve seen so much – I’ve flown a helicopter all over the western United States, British Columbia, Alaska – this is something special,” Maloy said. “Geographically, I think it’s the most variable area I’ve ever seen, ever.”
He described how the crew might be flying over a desert slot canyon in the valley and, a few minutes later, be looking for a landing spot in 8 feet of snow in the mountains.
And, he added, “There are so many places to get lost, get stuck, get hurt, that are so hard to get to.”
Henderson remembers a call to another BASE-jumping accident, this time where someone was hurt. It was close to sunset when a BASE jumper named Ammon McNeely leaped from a cliff at a spot called “French Kiss,” ready to deploy his parachute – but it opened incorrectly and sent him against the rock face.
“He went back into the wall and down into the talus,” Henderson said. “He pulverized both ankles.” Local Moab newspaper The Times Independent reported that McNeely had multiple fractures in his left leg, a fractured clavicle and a fractured wrist. His right leg was “hanging on by just skin.”
Ground crews dispatched, and first responders started hiking in to McNeely. The Classic helicopter responded as well, but there was nowhere to land near the patient – he was too close to the cliff face, and the boulders were too large. Henderson dropped off the medical crew as near as he could, and they hiked in and helped with treatment, while rescuers considered high-angle rope-rescue options.
Responders decided to call a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter with “short-haul” capabilities, meaning they can lift a patient from a location by attaching the person to a rope, rather than loading them inside the helicopter. That ship
wouldn’t be able to conduct the extraction until daylight, however.
Classic medical staff, along with other first responders, stayed with the patient through the night, providing constant treatment and making sure he was warm, nourished and appropriately medicated to manage the pain of such severe injuries. Henderson shuttled supplies to the group on the talus slope periodically until dawn came and the state helicopter was able to successfully carry McNeely out.
McNeely’s right leg was amputated, and he now wears a prosthetic. He told the Times Independent that it took some training, but he recovered and was back to outdoor pursuits: long hikes, climbing and skydiving. “I can’t even express my gratitude for those guys,” McNeely told the paper, speaking of all the rescue personnel. “I owe them my life.”
Henderson said it’s a privilege to work with the organizations that often partner with Classic in conducting rescues –Grand County Search and Rescue, Grand County Emergency Medical Services and the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.
While the Classic Air Medical pilots and medical crew clearly relish the excitement, challenge and gravity of their work, they acknowledge it can be exhausting at times. And some incidents are hard to absorb – fatalities or severe injuries, especially if they involve pediatric patients, or incidents in which the patient’s family or friends witnessed something traumatic. Classic Air Medical provides resources to help employees evaluate their own stress and fatigue levels, recuperate and process.
“The challenge of dealing with trauma is a big reason crew members are required to have such depth of experience,” Shaw explained. Facing adversity and problem-solving together forms a strong bond between colleagues. They all said their crew members feel like family.
“We really care about each other,” Shaw said.
“It’s intense and sobering,” Henderson said, “but it’s super exhilarating and rewarding; I couldn’t really see myself doing anything else.”
Joshua Hardin (both)
Dan Megna/Classic Air Medical
UTAH MUSEUMS
Italian INSPIRED
Creative takes on pasta and pizza
recipes and photographs by
DANELLE McCOLLUM
MODERN AMERICAN FARE owes a debt to Italian cuisine, with pizza and pasta becoming ubiquitous fixtures on the dinner table. These recipes take some of those familiar flavors to create novel dishes sure to please the pickiest palates. The Three Cheese Stuffed Shells are a fun change of pace for pasta lovers tired of spaghetti; the Best Pasta Fagioli Soup combines pasta and beans in a hearty soup; and the Easy Skillet Pizza Dip gives all the flavors of a pizza minus the crust.
Best Pasta Fagioli Soup
With a tomato-based broth, lean ground beef, ditalini pasta, beans and plenty of herbs and spices, this hearty, flavorful soup is the epitome of comfort food. If ditalini pasta can’t be found, other small pastas like elbow macaroni or tiny shell pasta can be substituted. The recipe makes a lot of soup, but it is great as leftovers and freezes well.
In large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook beef until no longer pink. Drain and set beef aside. In same pot, heat olive oil. Add onion, celery and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir in beef broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir in Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
Stir in cooked ground beef, along with pasta. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Add beans and cook until heated through. Serve hot topped with fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese and drizzle of olive oil.
3 lbs lean ground beef
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cups diced celer y
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
12 cups beef broth
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups uncooked ditalini or other small pasta
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Ser ves 16-20
Easy Skillet Pizza Dip
Seasoned tomato sauce is combined with two kinds of cheese and diced pepperoni, baked until golden and bubbly, then served with baguette slices or breadsticks. It’s essentially a crustless version of a pepperoni pizza – instead of baking the toppings on the crust, you dip the crust into the toppings. The recipe calls for diced pepperoni, but home cooks can just as readily chop up sliced pepperoni, or swap in any other favored pizza toppings.
Heat oven to 350°. Add tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic to small, ovenproof skillet and stir to combine. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and dollop ricotta over sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and pepperoni on top. Transfer skillet to oven and bake 1015 minutes, or until cheese is melted. If desired, broil pizza dip for an additional 2-3 minutes until cheese is golden. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and sprigs of fresh basil. Serve with breadsticks, baguette slices, pita chips, etc.
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup diced mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup diced or chopped pepperoni
Olive oil, for garnish
Fresh basil, for garnish
Breadsticks or baguette slices
Ser ves 8
Three Cheese Stuffed Shells
Jumbo pasta shells are stuffed with three cheeses and seasonings, then baked in your favorite marinara sauce. The addition of a bit of sour cream and some seasoned breadcrumbs gives a perfect consistency to the cheesy filling. Using a marinara sauce with meat can make an even heartier meal. The dish is a good way to serve a crowd and freezes well when prepared in advance.
Heat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, then rinse with cold water to cool so you can handle pasta while stuffing. In large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, Monterey jack cheese, sour cream, bread crumbs, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Spray 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and cover bottom of dish with thin layer of marinara sauce. Fill shells with cheese mixture and place in dish; cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top of sauce. Bake, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce starts bubbling. Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.
1 16 oz package jumbo shell pasta
1 16 oz container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
3 Tbsp sour cream
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups marinara sauce
Ser ves 8
What’s in Your Recipe Box?
The editors are interested in featuring your favorite family recipes. Send your recipes (and memories inspired by your recipes) to editor@utahlifemag.com.
WHEN LIFE COMPELS us to roam, there’s no feeling quite like coming home to Utah. Our poets explore ideas of home, from the welcoming landscape to the loved ones who make this place special.
To Return?
Lorraine Jeffery, Orem
Big belt-buckle Texas, I love your swagger, chocolate bayous, warm southern nights, Spanish moss dripping languidness into shallow lakes, horizon stretching into hopes of heaven. But Mother’s lungs huff in the humidity, and her psyche drowns outright in hurricanes.
She mourns Utah’s battlement mountains holding up sky, capturing snow on turreted peaks. Fortresses kept by drawn bridges, let down in spring when arrow-slit creeks gush down stone walls into moated lakes, promising life. Could I keep her longer, by returning to crisp air, and unbreachable bulwarks, where she could nestle in the keep of deep-valley courtyards?
Coming Home to South Central Utah Jim Garman, Richfield
Fish Lake, awesome, total majesty Big Rock Candy Mountain, legendary Nearby you can visit Capitol Reef, and Goblin Valley, beyond belief.
Ghost towns near, don’t visit after dark, amazing history at Fremont Indian Park. Magnificent climb to Monroe Mountain peak, hiking to the top isn’t quite for the weak.
Relax from stress, go hunt or even fish, so much to see, fulfill your every wish. Really don’t need to take off and roam, Richfield, Utah, now my retirement home.
The perfect place to let time go by, besides, gas prices are way too high. Long distance trips, I will readily let them pass, not about to sell my home to buy a tank of gas.
Utah, We Love Thee (Just as Thou Art)
Jerry Johnston, Brigham City
As I steal home, the hard rain on the windshield makes me hungry. It sounds like bacon on a griddle.
Beyond the tinted glass, clumps of sage –like drunks on a bender –still look thirsty after a day of drinking.
Brigham Young told Wallace Stegner: Someday this desert will blossom as a rose. He replied: Why would any desert want to be a rose?
The sun sets on False Kiva at Canyonlands National Park. Autumn leaves appear on trees outside Utah Valley townhomes.
A Dream of Home
David
Rosier, Spring City
I can’t go home. Those who live there now don’t know it ever was my home. No doubt they’ve made their own home there.
My memory can fly through years and land at that white house, revive the wire fence with white wood frame, the heavy, windowless door, the rooms and all their furnishings –colors, sounds, smells.
But memory falls mostly on people and our doings –our work, our summer games, our holidays, our joys and disappointments, our being in one place at one time, all of us alive.
That must suffice for going home.
Homing
Susan Roche, Castle Valley
Even this early, even under gray-green shade, my boots slip on the humid trail.
This short walk brines my scalp, stings my eyes, so my lips find bitter drink.
Sweat empties me like water draining from a cracked carafe, little left inside.
I wish I could press through saturated air, but my limbs feel too loose, unhinged.
I wish for desert mornings, when salt scrubs me smooth, sheathes my skin, and holds me in. I wish for red-sand trails through fields of sage, where I can hold
my sweat-dried arms, their sagey smudge like smelling salts. Like rescue. Like embrace.
WE INVITE YOU to submit poems inspired by Utah for future issues of Utah Life. The November/December 2022 issue’s theme is “Frost,” with a deadline of Sept. 15; March/ April 2023’s theme is “Renewal,” with a deadline of Jan. 1, 2023. Visit utahlifemag.com/poetry-submission to submit your poems, or email to poetry@utahlifemag.com.
Jason Finn / Alamy Stock Photo
After returning from summer pastures, sheep from LX Livestock march down Main Street in the Sheep Parade, part of Cedar City’s Livestock & Heritage Festival.
Shakespeare and sheep drive Utah’s Festival City
story
by
MATT MASICH photographs by JOSHUA HARDIN
SHEEP HAVE THE right of way in Cedar City. Most of the major thoroughfares in this southwest Utah community are designated livestock trails.
Though it’s not an everyday occurrence, people are guaranteed to see sheep take the place of cars on Main Street one day each year during the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival. The highlight of this citywide celebration in late October is the Sheep Parade, during which 1,000 or more of the woolly animals march through Cedar City as they come down from their summer pasture on Cedar Mountain, east of town, to their winter pasture in the desert to the west.
While agriculture is a big part of life in Cedar City, it vies with the arts and the outdoors as the major focuses of this community of 33,000 residents. The city is known as a major gateway to Zion National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument, as well as skiing at Brian Head Resort.
As the largest city in Iron County, Cedar City was a major hub for iron mining as far back as 1851, when Latter-day Saint settlers were sent here to build an iron works. Iron has been produced only sporadically in the past four decades. During that time, Cedar City gained a new claim to fame as the self-proclaimed “Festival City.” There are many festivals here, but when people in town refer to “the festival,” they’re almost always talking about the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
Spectators outside the old Cedar Theatre building show up early to nab seats from which to watch the Sheep Parade in downtown Cedar City. Posters promote the nearby national parks and other attractions.
ON EVENINGS IN the summer and early fall, crowds swirl around the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts on the campus of Southern Utah University before performances of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021. This year, eight plays are being staged at the center’s three theaters.
Despite the festival’s name, most of the plays produced each season are not by Shakespeare. Actor Aaron Galligan-Stierle was taken aback when, after auditioning with two Shakespeare monologues along with a brief song, he was cast in two musicals his first season.
Galligan-Stierle is now acting at the festival in his ninth season in the past 18 years, playing the butler Wadsworth in Clue, based on the board game, and Adolfo Pirelli in the musical Sweeney Todd:
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Returning season after season is the norm for actors at the festival. In Clue, eight of his 10 castmates are people he has worked with before.
“That is unheard of in the rest of the theater community,” Galligan-Stierle said. He has acted on Broadway and major theaters across the country. Usually, the actors meet each other for the first time at the start of the play, then never work together again.
“It’s really hard to create depth of relationship on stage when you don’t have depth of relationship in real life,” he said. That’s not an issue at the festival. “We can read each other’s body language and thought processes much quicker and easier.”
Though Cedar City isn’t his full-time hometown, Galligan-Stierle said it has become his “artistic and spiritual home.”
Residents are deeply invested in the theater and its actors; wherever he goes in town, he gets stopped by people who recognize him from past performances, all the way back to his first role.
At most regional theaters, traveling actors might be given one bedroom in a house shared with other actors. But when Galligan-Stierle, who lives in Pennsylvania most of the year, comes to Cedar City, the festival provides a house not just for him but for his wife, Shannon, and their children, Devin, 10, and Zoe, 8.
The city has become a place of cherished family memories, starting back before the kids came along, when he and Shannon purchased their wedding rings from Clark & Linford Jewelers on Main Street. And last year, the entire family, including the kids, took the stage together as cast members in the musical Ragtime.
THE TWO BLOCKS of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center are an artistic focal point of Cedar City. The performing arts are represented by the three theaters, and the visual arts got in on the act with the 2016 debut of the Southern Utah Museum of Art, or SUMA.
SUMA began with a gift of paintings from Jimmie Jones, a Cedar City native who had gained renown as a painter of landscapes from Zion National Park and other regional locales. Though some of Jones’ work will be on display going forward, the museum has established itself as a place for modern and contemporary art. Earlier this year, SUMA put on an exhibit of 14 Andy Warhol screen prints from the groundbreaking pop artist’s “Cowboys and Indians” series.
Cedar City’s dedication to the arts has been a constant from the community’s earliest days, said Sara Nelson Penny, a longtime Cedar City violin teacher. Penny plays in and is past president of the Orchestra of Southern Utah, which dates back to Southern Utah University’s
founding in 1897. Every public school in Cedar City has an orchestra of its own, she said, “and we probably have more pianos per capita than almost any small town.”
Penny is also involved in the Cedar City Arts Council, which hosts art walks on the final Friday of the month from June through September. Live music and artists’ displays fill Center Street from Artisans Gallery to SUMA. The nonprofit Artisans Gallery showcases the work of 60 artists, nearly all from Iron County. Most are not full-time artists but rather locals who draw inspiration from the surrounding red rock scenery.
Like many artistic people in the community, Penny’s roots are in agriculture. For more than a dozen years, members of her extended Nelson family provided the sheep for the annual Sheep Parade.
In decades past, sheep walking down the city streets was a regular occurrence not just reserved for the parade. Ranchers still move their sheep up to Cedar Mountain to graze in the summertime and back down in the fall. However, since
The Korean War Memorial in Veterans Park is one of several monuments honoring local veterans. College students walk outside the Sharwan Smith Student Center at Southern Utah University.
the start of the 21st century, when a WalMart and surrounding Providence Center shopping area were built where the trail from the mountain meets the town, most ranchers truck their sheep up and down the mountain.
Around the time the Wal-Mart was built, a group of locals founded the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival to make sure the sheep tradition remained a visible part of the community. Lori Nelson Rowley would ride an ATV in each year’s Sheep Parade, as she and her many relatives sought to keep her family’s sheep from running loose as they marched through town.
Rowley grew up around the cycles of sheep ranching: Shearing the animals in March, lambing in April, moving the sheep to the mountain in June, returning in October, then wintering in desert pastures before starting the process anew the next year.
Every year, Rowley looked forward to spending time on Cedar Mountain, when the whole family would reunite while taking turns looking after the sheep. While the kids slept in tents, grownups would stay in the sheep wagon, which looks like a covered wagon with a tin roof but functions as a primitive RV for sheep herders to stay in – someone must stay with the herd 24/7 to ward off mountain lions and other predators.
The family would spend days playing in the nearby pond and stream, and cooked supper in a Dutch oven. The time on the mountain was blissful if uneventful, but some episodes live on in family lore. One such incident happened in 1967, before Rowley was born, when her dad’s mother left the sheep wagon in the middle of the night to answer nature’s call. The moment Grandma opened the door, she was face to face with a bear, perhaps no more than 10 feet away.
The bear quickly scampered off. The next morning, Rowley’s grandparents contacted the county tracker. They tracked down the bear, which was a danger to the herd, and shot it. The meat didn’t go to waste. As it happened, Rowley’s mother was to meet her father’s family for the first time shortly thereafter. And on the menu for that first meet-the-parents moment?
Porter Killpack serves a dolce diavola pizza at Centro Woodfired Pizza, just down Center Street from the Utah Shakespeare Festival theaters. Cedar City hosts a range of restaurants from many culinary traditions.
Bear. Her mother, who had grown up as a city girl in Midvale, graciously ate the meal provided by her soon-to-be in-laws. It tasted like pork.
THE SHEEP PARADE goes down Main Street, past the blocks near City Hall that form the heart of Cedar City’s historic downtown. For generations, one of the anchor businesses here has been Bulloch Drug. The drugstore has been in business since 1955, but the building it occupies is much older, and the stone archway over the door reading “Cedar Sheep Association” still names its original occupant.
Evan Vickers, who currently serves as majority leader in the Utah State Senate, purchased Bulloch Drug in 1996. Around that time, he decided to add an old-fashioned soda fountain like the ones that were ubiquitous in drugstores in the ’40s and ’50s. He tracked down a 1942 stainless steel Bastian-Blessing soda fountain
Dressed as Luigi for Halloween, Morgan Snow bags candy for customers at Bulloch Drug. Owner Lisa Cretsinger cleans used vinyl to sell at Groovacious Records, a vital hub for Cedar City’s music scene.
and hired a local cabinet maker to build the wood around it. As the finishing touch, he received a gift from Utah Shakespeare Festival founder Fred Adams: tile panels taken from his own father’s bygone soda fountain. Adams even taught Bulloch Drug employees in the ways of the soda jerk.
Today, people can buy a Fred Adams Chocolate Coke, or any number of other soda and ice cream combinations. The soda fountain also has a prodigious assortment of candy, including rare treats like Pez sold in bulk by the pound.
The city is working to get this part of Main Street designated as a national historic district. It is part of an overall historic preservation effort backed by many in town. The issue of preserving Cedar City’s past feels urgent, because the city is growing – quickly.
From July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021, Iron County was the fastest growing county in Utah, with a population growing 6.2 percent in just one year. Cedar City is expanding in all directions except east, where Cedar Mountain blocks development. Places like the Cedar Livestock Market, which once were beyond the outskirts of town, are now right in the middle of it.
Ranchers and longtime residents often attribute the recent traffic and development to “move-ins” – outsiders who have settled in Cedar City. There can be tension between newcomers and old-timers, but the two sides can sometimes find common ground.
Sara Patterson can attest to the help she has received from the local “good old boys” since moving here from California with her parents in 2005 at age 10. The family settled on a rural acre, where, at just 14 years old, Patterson founded her own organic farm.
“Some days, it’s just crazy to think that I started the farm when I was 14,” she said, “but our community has been there for me since the beginning.”
Red Acre Farm is nothing like the traditional farming done in the Cedar Valley, where vast fields of alfalfa and pastures of sheep and cattle are the norm. Patterson’s farm, on the other hand, is the only one in the county devoted to vegetable production as a sole source of income. Also
A sculpture of William Shakespeare by Stanley J. Watts appears in the Pederson Shakespeare Character Garden, part of the Beverley Taylor Sorensen Center for the Arts on the Southern Utah University campus.
Homes and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple are visible from Cedar Highlands Drive. A mountain biker rides the Three Peaks Mountain Bike Trail System northwest of Cedar City.
different from the rest, Red Acre Farm sells its harvest by subscription as community-supported agriculture, or at its farmstand on the farm grounds, which are free for the public to visit every day but Sunday.
Though the old-timers didn’t quite get what it was Patterson was trying to do, they didn’t hesitate to help her. Patterson didn’t have any heavy farm equipment, so Dave Staheli, then-manager of Brent Hunter Farms, the area’s largest hay grower, brought a tractor to till Red Acre Farm’s fields. The late sheep rancher John Pace donated manure to fertilize the crops.
With help, Red Acre Farm has grown from a young girl’s dream to an established part of the community. And with everyone pitching in, Cedar City seeks to achieve the delicate balance of growing bigger while maintaining its strong roots.
SO MANY NEW houses have been built in recent years that Cedar City is gradually becoming contiguous with Enoch, the city to the north. Despite the influx of new people, the sense of community remains intact. This fact was underscored last year when a catastrophic flood hit Enoch.
On Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, what can only be described as a megastorm erupted over Enoch, unleashing a credulity-straining 6 inches of rain in just 45 minutes. It was more than the city’s drainage system could handle, and flood water poured into 300 of Enoch’s 2,300 homes.
As soon as the rain stopped, a second flood began – a flood of people coming in from Cedar City to help. It was a completely spontaneous effort, Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson said. “It was people walking up and down the streets, stopping
and saying, ‘I’m here to help. What can I do?’ ” Dotson said.
Businesses in Cedar City closed and had all their staff come to Enoch to remove damaged housewares, repair drywall and haul out debris from flooded homes. Restaurants handed out free food to volunteers. Cedar City’s Canyon View High School football team skipped practice to come help.
On Tuesday, two days after the flood, a national disaster relief organization approached Dotson to let him know they could be in town on Saturday to lend aid. Dotson told them there was no need – by that time, the cleanup would be complete. Sure enough, by Saturday, the all-out community cleanup effort was finished, having hauled out a thousand tons of debris.
“In a time of crisis, we’re all one big family, and people’s hearts will lead them to go where help is needed,” Dotson said. “If we can continue to serve each other, then this place we live will become a home. It’s not just a house, a piece of property we own –it’s home, where we can actually become a family.”
A youngster competes in the Livestock & Heritage Festival’s Children’s Tractor Pull.
Main Street is decked out for the Livestock & Heritage Festival. As it grows, Cedar City remains connected to its agricultural roots.
Your Gateway to the National Parks
Visit the World’s Best Backyard
Nestled among the red rocks of Cedar City, Southern Utah University is less than 3 hours from the Wasatch Front with plenty to do on and around campus!
Southern Utah Museum of Art
The Southern Utah Museum of Art is the sculpture housing an art museum you don’t want to miss.
Utah Shakespeare Festival
Tony Award-winning productions are a must-see at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
Athletics
Cheer for the red and white of our fighting SUU at one of 15 athletic team events.
National Parks
SUU is within a five-hour drive of more than 20 national parks and monuments, so explore the world at the University of the Parks®️.
Beautiful 125-Year-Old Campus
From events and concerts to art strolls and local festivals, there is always something to do in Cedar City.
Rare Birds Rule the Roost
Rare Birds Rule the Roost
Salt Lake’s Tracy Aviary gives a glimpse into the world of birds
by ALLIE WISNIEWSKI
ACACOPHONOUS SYMPHONY of squawks, chirps and tweets erupts from the southwest corner of Liberty Park on a sunny afternoon in Salt Lake City.
Inside the grounds of Tracy Aviary, the oldest free-standing aviary in the United States, visitors ooh and ahh at a colorful cast of feathered characters: the southern ground hornbill with its guttural screech and long eyelashes, cooing kookaburras perched in bare branches, showy peacocks lounging in the shade of sprawling shrubbery. Three bright pink spoonbills soar overhead with legs outstretched, and snow-white swans paddle gracefully about a pond.
Even amongst all the exotic stimuli, the real head-turner remains Andy N. Condor the Andean condor, who can regularly be spotted strolling sidewalks alongside aviary pedestrians.
A truly prehistoric-looking creature, Andy pads along with his wrinkled head and massive talons like a tiny dinosaur, though by bird standards, he’s anything but tiny. He stands taller than the average toddler, but when visiting with children as he often does, he’s met with delight rather than horror. Where else can one find a real-life dinosaur, just looking to say a casual hello?
A local zoo turned private collection turned full-blown aviary, Tracy is known for its immersive ability to facilitate up close and personal interactions with birds – a sector of the animal kingdom with which most folks aren’t exactly accustomed to coming nose to beak.
A human family meets a colorful crew of sun conures at the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park.
Andy has found a longtime friend in Helen Dishaw, Tracy Aviary’s curator of bird programs, who has been working with him for the past 11 years. It was Dishaw who suggested Andy be given the opportunity to break from his confines – which are rather luxurious for a condor – to mingle with crowds, recognizing almost immediately his easy-going, amiable demeanor.
“Within just a few weeks of working here and seeing how the other keepers could work around him, I was like, ‘Boy, he’s a laid-back dude,’ ” Dishaw said. “He’s just naturally very genial and kind of chill.”
Curator of Bird Programs Helen
Dishaw pals around with feathered friend Andy N. Condor, the aviary’s famous Andean condor.
One might wonder how on earth it could be possible to train a full-grown condor to socialize with toddlers. According to Dishaw, who has been studying behavioral science and working with animals for most of her life, the journey from feral to friendly has a lot to do with building trust and understanding the ways birds have evolved to communicate.
“Once you learn to read the birds’ body language, you can have a two-way conversation,” she said. “I mean, I’m not talking to them, I’m not Doctor Dolittle, but you do have a conversation with them.”
Dishaw refers to herself as an “animal teacher” rather than trainer. She describes the relationship as circular: The animals teach her as much as she teaches them.
Andy is an “ambassador bird” at Tracy Aviary, representing his species with the hope of generating genuine interest in conserving condors in the wild. She explains with palpable passion that conservation is, indeed, the name of the game, calling Andy the “king of the ambassadors.” Condors are a type of vulture, an animal many people respond to with visceral revulsion. When Dishaw hears people report that Andy’s affable personality has changed their minds about vultures, it is music to her ears.
CONSERVATION IS ONE of Tracy Aviary’s driving missions – preserving the natural habitats of the birds whose unique aesthetic and behavioral displays are relished every day by visitors from around the world. The aviary’s Director of Conservation Cooper Farr notes that while the impacts of their work are felt globally, a large portion of their efforts go toward conserving living ecosystems right here in Utah.
The aviary develops both local and regional projects focused on important habitats or specific conservation issues like urban development or water rerouting. Farr and her colleagues gather local volunteers who are interested in birds and train them to conduct scientific surveys. The resulting information is then provided to partners like The Nature Conser-
vancy and city nonprofits, which use the community-supplied data to carry out the grassroots work necessary to make tangible changes.
Farr can think of multiple occasions on which the information volunteers collected made a real difference for threatened bird populations. She recalls one particular project along the Jordan River – an important habitat for birds, as it is a key migration path that provides water, vegetation and food sources. At one site, an
infrastructure project proposed the addition of a pond, changing how water flowed into the river. Tracy Aviary’s conservation team had been monitoring the area, and their survey data provided proof of nesting swallows at the intended site. The project was pushed to the following year after the birds had safely migrated home, effectively rescuing an entire avian community.
Another notable conservation project the aviary works on is the Lights Out Salt
Tracy Aviary
Lake initiative, which encourages local homes and commercial buildings to turn off their lights and draw their blinds between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., March through May.
Much like moths to a porch light, birds that migrate at night are drawn to areas with dense light pollution, causing disorientation. Birds can’t perceive glass, which makes them ill-suited for a nighttime jaunt through the streets of downtown Salt Lake City. Up to a billion birds die in the United States each year from collisions with windows, with many of these incidents occurring during migration season. Farr reports that more than 750 people have committed to joining the program, and they’re just getting warmed up.
Tracy Aviary’s mission is so entwined with protection and restoration efforts that $1 from every admission ticket sold goes toward its conservation projects.
“Often you’ll hear of zoos with ‘quar-
A king vulture performs in a bird show. A boy meets a greenwinged macaw. A scarlet ibis shows off its vibrant plumage.
ters for conservation’ programs – these giant zoos with way bigger budgets than the aviary,” Farr said. “We do a dollar. We’re really putting our money where our mouth is.”
MONEY CERTAINLY ISN’T a given
in the business of birds. Tracy Aviary has always strived to provide its residents with the highest quality digs, but funds haven’t always been plentiful. However, with his background in the nonprofit sector, it was nothing President and CEO Tim Brown couldn’t handle when he signed on to the Tracy team in 2004.
At the time, the aviary was hurting. Just over a year after Brown started, the aviary got denied accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for having facilities that just didn’t meet modern zoological standards.
“Can you imagine owning a house for 30 years and not investing in upkeep? It
would fall apart,” Brown said. “As a community, we turned our back on the facility. We had not been investing in it.” Losing accreditation was the best thing that could have happened, he said, because it put a spotlight on the problems that needed to be addressed.
After securing community support for a bond that would fund a complete renovation worth tens of millions of dollars, the facility visitors see today is virtually a brand new aviary. How, though, did Tracy Aviary end up in such a state of disrepair in the first place?
The story begins in 1911, when Salt Lake City’s first zoo was built where the aviary now stands in Liberty Park. In 1932, the zoo relocated to its current location near Emigration Canyon, leaving a nearly empty plot of land in its stead. At that time, banker Russell Lord Tracy was amassing quite the personal bird collection, finally donating it to the city in 1938. His birds found convenient housing in some of the old zoo’s leftover cages, and Tracy Aviary was born. Tracy helped kickstart the new Liberty Park staple by providing funding and hiring its first superintendent. As time went on, however, the quality of the aviary’s facilities began to decline as money ran out.
“Our entrance used to be … well, there’s some discussion about whether it was a garage or a barn,” Brown said. The aviary converted it into a gift shop. There were no administrative offices, save for the one office next to the sewer pipes that blew out once in a while. “The rest of us had our offices in a dilapidated trailer. Sixteen of us were in there. It was horrible. We had no money.”
TRACY AVIARY IS a tale of transformation. These days, its enclosures are pristine; its structures are chic; its landscaping is indescribably lush. Walking through the aviary’s current Treasures of the Rainforest exhibit, guests are swept away to a humid paradise teeming with tropical life: creeping philodendrons, rare Guam kingfishers and a dazzling array of
Brian Smyer/Visit Salt Lake
Tracy Aviary
Joshua Hardin
other winged creatures that are so elaborately colored, they hardly seem real.
The aviary has a knack for exciting the senses, whether the environment be a curated simulation or real, in-the-flesh Utah. A back-to-nature philosophy drives the aviary’s landscape-focused layout, which doubles as a botanical garden. One of the more popular areas among children is called Fallen Logs, and it offers just that: big logs on their sides where kids can climb and jump.
Tracy Aviary is hoping to complement its existing passion for natural Utah environments with its new Jordan River Nature Center, located in South Salt Lake. It doesn’t boast an extensive bird collection, focusing instead on providing landscapes and opportunities for play in nature. Its vegetation is largely drought tolerant, native and ideal for attracting birds and pollinators. One of its more unique, kid-friendly features is a “mud kitchen” play area.
When asked if the new facility will attempt to mimic the ecology of the Jordan River, Brown brings up a complicated truth. The existing Jordan ecosystem is entirely different than it was 100 years ago, largely due to development, climate change and other human-induced factors. Where there used to be meandering streams, creeks that flooded in the spring and beaver dams, there is now a canal. Former animal residents of the area are not necessarily suited to live there now.
With all this in mind, the ultimate goal of the Jordan River Nature Center is to bring as much unfettered wilderness to Salt Lake City as is presently possible. By the end of 2023, it is projected to cover 12 acres, though the nature center itself already opened to the public as a work in progress in 2020.
Brown discusses his hopes and dreams for this new project with the wide-eyed spirit of a real steward of the land. It’s clear he loves the work he does at the aviary, despite the sometimes dramatic ups and downs the facility has weathered. Even the lowest lows are never completely without humor. He reminisces on calls from neighbors reporting peacocks on their roofs, and the incident of the escaped blue-crowned motmot. With in-
With lush vegetation, Tracy Aviary doubles as a botanical garden. Children at a school-break camp learn about different species’ eggs.
Julie Whittrock/Tracy Aviary (top)/Visit Salt Lake (bottom)
spectors crawling the grounds during their post-renovation reaccreditation, the staff scrambled to locate their escapee, careful not to incite panic or indicate that anything had gone awry.
Rogue birds aside, it all worked out, as it always does when you’re wielding the tried-and-true ingredients of success: a mission that matters and a group of passionate people committed to fulfilling it. Through its interactive bird shows, conservation projects, nature play exhibits and more, Tracy Aviary is determined to bring its community closer to nature. And with an Andean condor walking around, one might argue there’s no such thing as too close.
A peacock is one of the more familiar birds at an aviary filled with exotic species originating in locales all across the globe.
Green River has been hosting Melon Days for 116 years, and it’s not because their melons are average. Local farmers invite the world to help them celebrate what many consider the best melons on the planet – melons thrive in sandy soil and desert climates, and Green River has both in abundance.
People can enjoy live music by rising country artist Levi Blom, enter the watermelon carving contest, visit the concession stand and vending booths, watch the parade and go Wild West dancing. And it goes without saying, the giant watermelon on wheels is not to be missed.
Farmers slice fruit all day long for visitors to sample, and first-time guests may re-
CULTURE. ADVENTURE. HISTORY.
by ALLIE WISNIEWSKI
ceive the honor of participating in a Green River tradition: munching the prized heart of the melon. Tell a farmer you’ve never had a Green River melon, and they might just smash one on the ground. It’s not anger – it’s a celebrated ritual, and the guest is then encouraged to eat the notably sweet and flavorful center of the melon.
Robin Hunt, Green River’s event coordinator, has been attending Melon Days since she was a kid, so this explosive display is hardly shocking.
“The people who grew up here like me – this is when they come back,” Hunt said. “All of our high school reunions take place during Melon Days. It’s a big part of our community’s culture.”
Green River’s sandy soil and desert climate are the perfect combination to grow sweet, juicy melons.
WHERE TO EAT TAMARISK RESTAURANT
There’s no such thing as too much variety on this hip spot’s menu –Tamarisk is prepared to satisfy any craving, whether it’s penne alfredo, coconut-crusted tilapia or the famous giant cinnamon roll known as the T Roll.
The salad bar, friendly staff, beautiful contemporary interior and gorgeous river views make it a must-stop. 1710 E. Main St. (435) 564-8109.
WHERE TO STAY RIVER TERRACE
Conveniently located on Main Street, right in the heart of the Melon Days action, River Terrace is an ideal choice for guests looking for comfortable, affordable lodging close by. With hot breakfast, a pool and unmatched views of the Green River, this cozy hotel checks all the boxes. 1740 E. Main St. (435) 564-3401.
Green River Melon Days
ADVENTURE
BRIGHAM CITY PEACH DAYS
SEPT. 9-10 • BRIGHAM CITY
Peach Days is more than an event for the residents of Brigham City – this heritage extravaganza is treated more like a holiday. Monica Holdaway, executive director of the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce, grew up going to Peach Days, and the way she talks about the festival, it doesn’t appear to have lost its magic for her.
“It’s really a celebration of Brigham City itself,” Holdaway said. “Everyone will walk up and down the street, and I hear people say ‘Happy Peach Days’ to me. It makes me giggle inside. There’s definitely an excitement in the air the week of Peach Days.”
And for good reason. Peach Days consistently draws more than 35,000 visitors, traveling from all over Utah and surrounding states in honor of the self-proclaimed “best peaches in Utah.” It originated in 1904 as a day off from harvest dedicated to being thankful for such stonefruit abundance. More than 100 years later, a simple rest day has evolved into a full-blown carnival, featuring a car show, 10k race, the “Peach Queen” pageant, a custom bike show, free concerts and a Saturday parade.
Many people’s favorite aspect of the festival? The food. As one might imagine, there’s plenty of peach-focused grub to go around, including peach funnel cakes, cobbler, fritters, pies and, of course, peach ice cream. There’s also some great non-peach carnival fare, from gyros to Navajo tacos.
Though the event officially kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 7, Friday and Saturday are the best days for visitors to show up for the full Peach Days experience. For guests’ parking convenience, a UTA shuttle is provided throughout the day on Saturday. (435) 723-3931.
WHERE TO EAT IDLE ISLE CAFE
For 101 years, Idle Isle has been serving a diverse selection of homestyle American cuisine in the heart of historic downtown Brigham City. Decked out in its original 1920s decor, this cafe is a welcoming experience sure to satisfy anyone’s aesthetic, cultural and culinary curiosity. The homemade rolls and apricot jam are especially beloved. 24 S. Main St. (435) 734-2468.
WHERE TO STAY HAMPTON INN
Just down Main Street from Idle Isle, Hampton Inn is right in the thick of the Peach Days celebration and located near many shops and restaurants. The Brigham City Museum of Art and History and the Box Elder Museum of Natural History are within walking distance. 40 N. Main St. (435) 538-7080.
SEPTEMBER Other events you may enjoy
Utah Shakespeare Festival
Through Oct. 8 • Cedar City
One of the longest running Shakespeare festivals in North America, this celebration of the Bard also showcases plays by other renowned playwrights from all eras. Shakespeare plays include The Tempest, joined by classic musical The Sound of Music and the mystery-comedy Clue, among others. All plays run at the three theaters of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts. (435) 586-7878.
Utah State Fair
Sept. 8-18 • Salt Lake City
Established in 1856, the State Fair has been a staple of Utah culture for longer than any of us have been alive. Attractions include arts and crafts showcases, animals on display, food vendors, an ice cream festival, concerts and an unforgettable cow sculpture molded from 800 pounds of butter. (801) 538-8400.
SLC Veg Fest
Sept. 10 • Salt Lake City
Healthy vegan food has never been more fun. Attendees at this Library Square event taste all kinds of animal-free grub from local restaurants, bakeries and food trucks, shop merch from local vendors, relax with a brew in the beer garden, and enjoy live music, noon-8 p.m. It’s earth-conscious fun for everyone – there’s even a special kids’ area for the little ones. (385) 401-4301.
Pumpkin Days at Wheeler Historic Farm
Sept. 23-Oct. 31 • Murray
Wheeler Farm is an urban oasis in the Salt Lake area, and its annual Pumpkin Days is the go-to event for picking out a pumpkin, cultivating some family-friendly Halloween spirit, and reveling in those fleeting fall colors. Attendees traverse the hay maze, take a wagon ride and let the kids try wading through the corn pit. (385) 468-1755.
Monica Holdaway
Oktoberfest serves more than 50 different beers, along with bratwurst, pretzels and strudel.
FAMILY
SNOWBIRD OKTOBERFEST
THROUGH OCT. 16 • SNOWBIRD
Oktoberfest is deeply entwined with Snowbird Ski Resort’s history, with this year marking the event’s 50th anniversary; Snowbird has hosted the quintessential fall event annually since 1972 – just a year after the resort first opened. Tucked high into the mountains of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Oktoberfest provides the unique opportunity to celebrate a classic Bavarian holiday in an idyllic, natural setting, surrounded by tall pines, sweeping views and no shortage of seasonal revelry.
The biergarten overflows with more than 50 varieties of beer, both traditional German styles and local Utah brews. Guests can stuff themselves full of classic German favorites like bratwurst, apple strudel, spatzel, pretzels, weisswurt – the options for culturally specific culinary fulfillment truly appear endless.
One needn’t stop at food and beer,
though – there are authentic heritage musical performances, vendors and family-friendly activities. Kelsey Johnson, Snowbird’s creative marketing manager, was attending the event with her kids long before she worked for the resort.
“There’s face painting, there’s games – all of our summer activities are open,” Johnson said. “The kids love all the waffles and fries and pretzels. While they’re walking around, it’s really nice to just lay back on Chickadee and listen to live music.”
Oktoberfest is the ideal occasion for non-skiers to come up and experience the resort’s alpine beauty, devoted community and, of course, the 10-week event it has been hosting for half a century. This year, don’t forget to grab a 50th edition commemorative stein – Johnson’s sure they’ll sell out faster than you can say “sauerkraut.” (801) 933-2222.
Jay Dash
WHERE TO EAT THE AERIE
Oktoberfest visitors looking to take a break from German libations should book a table at The Aerie, one of Snowbird’s multiple fine dining restaurants. Located at the Cliff Lodge, this restaurant features “distractingly beautiful” mountain views, plus a focus on seasonal, local and organic ingredients.
9320 Cliff Lodge Drive #88. (801) 933-2222.
WHERE TO STAY THE CLIFF LODGE
This iconic ski lodge features views from each room that either face Snowbird’s famed slopes or peer down into the glacially carved canyons. Situated a short walk – just 175 feet –from the pedestrian village, the Cliff Lodge’s amenities include room service, concierge and a state-licensed daycare facility. (801) 933-2222.
Thriller by Odyssey Dance Theatre Sept. 23-Oct. 29 • Park City, Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Ivins
This touring favorite celebrates the spooky season through the art of dance. Odyssey Dance Theatre’s annual Thriller performances are a well-loved Halloween tradition that travels around Utah each autumn. It’s silly, it’s scary, it’s sure to captivate any audience that dares brave the spectacle. Fair warning – this show is not for young children or the faint of heart. (801) 495-3262.
Scots on the Rocks: Moab Celtic Festival Oct. 14-16 • Moab
There’s nothing quite like a weekend of bagpipe-soundtracked merriment set against a backdrop of southeast Utah’s stunning red rocks. Showcasing the cultures of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, this celebration is an authentic experience featuring Celtic bands, dancers, merchants, eateries, Highland athletics, heritage informational booths
Horrorfest International Oct. 19-22 • St. George Horrorfest is scarier than ever in its 20th year. In addition to live screenings of horror films from around the world, guests enjoy filmmaker panels, a costume competition and more spine-tingling surprises. (435) 229-8720.
TRIVIA ANSWERS
Page 12 Rainbow Bridge is named for its shape. Page 13 Jurassic is Utah’s newest national monument; Hovenweep National Monument includes six prehistoric villages.
EDITORS’ CHOICE
PHOTOGRAPH BY
KEVIN MIKKELSEN
THE LEAVES, THE water and even the air itself seem to have turned gold on this stunning stretch of the American Fork River just below Tibble Fork Reservoir.
Photographer Kevin Mikkelsen and his wife were nearing the end of a two-week fall foliage expedition when they spotted this scene while driving on Highway 144. They quickly turned around and parked, then Mikkelsen hopped out and hiked a half mile up the road to a bridge. He crossed to the other side of the river to get this shot with the waterfall and rock features in the foreground.
Mikkelsen took this photo in the early afternoon, when the light is typically less than ideal. “Sunlight and waterfalls really don’t go together,” he said. “The water gets blown out too easily.” However, in this case, a mostly overcast sky diffused the light into a soft glow, while a patch of breakthrough sunlight illuminated the far background.
IN EACH ISSUE , Monumental Exposure features a reader’s photograph of Utah – landscapes, architecture, attractions, events, people or wildlife.
Submit your best photographs for the chance to be published in Utah Life . Send digital images with detailed photo descriptions and your contact information to photos@utahlifemag.com or visit utahlifemag.com/contribute.
This photo was created with a Nikon D850 camera with a Nikkor 28-70mm 2.8 lens, exposed at ISO 100, f/16 for 1/5 seconds.
story by KERRY SOPER illustration by JOSH TALBOT
Utah’s Strange High School Mascots
MAYBE YOU’VE NOTICED
that we have a widespread problem with strange and outdated high school mascots in our state? Consider the Davis Darts, making a poor fellow run up and down the sidelines dressed as a cross between a deranged bumble bee and a floppy hypodermic needle; the Jordan Beetdiggers, using a logo that looks like a sad and skinny farmer in overalls; the American Fork Cavemen, borrowing a stereotype out of Saturday morning cartoons from the 1970s; the Spanish Fork Dons, identifying with a bunch of fancy guys from Spain; and the Springville Red Devils, getting revved up by one of Satan’s spawn who, for some reason, seems to be highly invested in helping this particular football team from Utah Valley make it to state each year.
And what about the Friendly Fighting Scots of Ben Lomond High? I guess they’re the worst kind of fighting Scots –so passive aggressive.
In the hopes of solving this problem, I’ve been brainstorming some alternatives that might help our state’s high schools catch up to the 21st century.
For starters, maybe we could introduce some mascots that reflect how Utah teens actually spend the bulk of their free time these days. For example, we could switch to the Jordan Minecrafters, the Monroe Mario Bros., or the Copper Hills Animal Crossers. Students in west Salt Lake could add just one word to their existing mascot, becoming the Bingham High Bitcoin Miners.
True, this plan could risk encouraging young people to spend even more time in the digital realm, but consider the financial savings high schools will enjoy by shifting money from expensive, outdoor sports like football to cheap virtual contests like Call of Duty or Fortnite. And imagine the huge number of sedentary kids in your state who will get a chance to earn varsity letters if traditional state rivalries like the Mountain View World of Warcrafters vs. the Orem High Legends of Zelda are now played out in the online world.
I do feel a little emotional just thinking about it. Or maybe I’m just on the verge of having a bright light- and motion-induced seizure?
Given that teenage Utahns are also hopelessly addicted to their smartphones, perhaps we could propose social media themed mascots like the East High Instagram Influencers, the Taylorsville TikTokkers, the Springville Snapchatters and the Farmington Facebookers.
I know, you’re right – that Facebook idea would probably embarrass most 15-year-olds, since that site is only used by Utahns over the age of 40 these days. But I don’t think these choices can be entrusted to smart-alecky teenagers; look what happened when administrators at Farmington High allowed the student body to choose their own mascot a couple of years ago: The students opted for the Farts or the Fascists, and when those cheeky proposals were rejected, they settled for the
Phoenixes. Or is it Phoenices? Either way, something sounds a bit off.
I’ll admit that I’m also a little queasy about the idea of our mascots promoting powerful tech companies, but what if those arrangements came with lucrative endorsement deals? That could be the answer to our state’s chronic funding problems. In fact, let’s just invite some local industries to sponsor high school mascots, like they sometimes do with college stadiums.
For example, we could have the Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burritos of Bountiful High, the Adobe Apps of American Fork or the Dixie High Dirty Soda Swiggers –though I’m not so sure about that last one, connotations-wise. What if the Corner Canyon Chargers in Draper negotiated a catch-all endorsement by changing their identity to the Silicon Slopers? If that feels a bit much, maybe they could ease into the tech world by first becoming the Cellphone Chargers.
The lowest hanging corporate fruit, of course, is doing some kind of profitable collaboration with local MLM companies. Consider these possibilities: the Northridge High NuSkinners; the Uintah High USANAs – “we give our football players mildly dangerous herbal supplements rather than definitely dangerous steroids”; the Delta High DōTERRAs – “lavender diffusers in all the locker rooms!”; and the Lehigh High LuLaRoers
That last one’s a mouthful, but imagine Lehigh’s new basketball team, all clad in inappropriately colorful and confusing leggings as they run up and down the court, effectively disorienting the competition? I smell state championship. I guess the only serious risk with these MLMthemed mascots is that they might eventually alienate their own friends, families – and the entire student body – as they try to manipulate everyone to become a member of the downline.
Finally, maybe we should take advantage of the passionate political partisanship of typical Utahns. Imagine the exciting rivalries that might flare up if we pitted the Doomsday Preppers of Provo High against the Layton High Illuminati? Or the Timpview High Truthers vs. the Snowflakes of Snow Canyon High? Or even the Conspiracy Theorists of Cottonwood High vs. the Woke Social Justice Warriors of West High?
Oof, on second and third thought, I’m not really excited about any of these ideas. You know what – forget I even brought all this up; let’s just stick with the endearing awkwardness of the Jordan Beetdiggers vs. the Davis Darts. When it comes down to it, I’d rather see a nerdy guy dressed as a farmer fighting off a floppy bumble bee than get into any kind of MLM weirdness or add a new battleground to the culture wars. Long live goofy, inconsequential – and even “friendly fighting” – mascots.
