IdaHome--March/April

ON THE COVER

MARCH/APRIL 2023

publisher

KAREN DAY

karen@idahorem.com

editor

HEATHER HAMILTONPOST heather@idahorem.com

art and design

JSNGRAFIX

KALEY WRIGHT design@idahorem.com

director of operations and sales manager

MARIELLE WESTPHAL admin@idahorem.com

staff photographer

KAREN DAY

cover photograph

COUTESY OF PARAMOUNT+

social media

APRIL NEALE

april@idahorem.com

marketing, sales, and distribution karen@idahorem.com

IdaHome Magazine, LLC

P.O. Box 116 Boise, Idaho 83701

208.481.0693

© 2023 IdaHome Magazine. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by the authors and contributors to IdaHome Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor and publisher.

Community + Culture + Recreation + Real Estate

Paramount+’s 1923, a prequel to the wildly popular Yellowstone, stars Darren Mann as Jack Dutton and Michelle Randolph as Elizebeth, his fiancée. While the show explores larger issues like westward expansion, Indian schools, and range wars, Mann and Randolph’s young lovers and an allstar cast that includes Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren offer romantic respite amidst the turmoil of western life.

CONTRIBUTORS

Micah Drew is a writer currently based in northwest Montana. A multiple Montana Newspaper Association award-winning journalist covering politics, sports, and the outdoors, he has written for Edible Idaho, Boise Weekly, and High Country News . When not in the newsroom, he can be found trail running throughout the West.

Chris Langrill has worked at various writing and editing jobs around the Treasure Valley for years, including more than two decades at the Idaho Statesman. In addition to freelance writing, he manages copy for a national sports website. He enjoys daily walks with his dog, Murphy, and travel adventures with his wife, Chereen. Otherwise, look for him at a local golf course, loud concert, or craft brewhouse.

Tim Atwell is a lifelong Idahoan who enjoys writing about the fastgrowing food and drink scene in Boise. He works full time as a tech writer, but you can find him on nights and weekends exploring Boise and the surrounding area. In addition to writing for IdaHome, he has contributed to other publications including IdaHome Flavor, Edible Idaho, and The Blue Review. Outside of writing, he loves to barbecue, roast coffee, and try new recipes.

Cherie Buckner-Webb is a former Idaho State Senator, executive coach, speaker, business consultant, strategist, and fifth-generation Idahoan. In addition to her work in corporate and nonprofit environments, she assists institutions of higher education in the development of diversity curriculum and training and sits on a variety of local and national boards.

Arianna Creteau is a freelance writer based in Northern Idaho. A dessert enthusiast, avid hiker and amateur runner, Arianna spends her weekdays working a desk job and weekends chasing adventure. Her previous work has been published in Boise Weekly.

April Thomas Whitney’s career path has taken her on many professional adventures. After spending a decade as an awardwinning journalist and newsroom manager in Portland, OR, she spent 17 years managing communications at Brundage Mountain before striking out on her current adventure as a freelance journalist, copywriter, and PR contractor.

Mike McKenna is an award-winning author and journalist from Hailey. Mike’s writing has appeared widely, from Forbes, People, and Trout to numerous regional newspapers. He has served as the editor of The Sheet and Sun Valley Magazine and is the author of two prizewinning guidebooks, including Angling Around Sun Valley

April Neale is an entertainment features writer and has read her work on NPR and Spoken Interludes and writes for various industry trades and entertainment websites. Neale is a member of the Critics Choice Association, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Hollywood Critics Association, Television Critics Association, and other professional entertainment organizations.

Heather Hamilton-Post is a writer and editor in Caldwell. She holds degrees in both agriculture and creative writing and is herself surprised by that. When she’s not writing, catch her at a sociallydistanced baseball game with her husband and young sons. Find her work across the web and buried in the lit journals you didn’t know you had.

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PERFECTION AT EVERY TURN

With over 320” of average annual snowfall, 18,000 acres of backcountry terrain, cat skiing, and guided snowmobile excursions, Brundage is adventure at its peak.

Brundage.com | Best Snow in Idaho™

Dear Reader,

Three years ago, I waited outside Dunlap Hatchery to purchase chicks, which you can read about if you dig through older issues of IdaHome. Now, I hear it is again difficult to purchase chickens. The cost of eggs is rising, and folks are scrambling to buy up the babies, which will someday begin to lay eggs like my happy hens, who are coming out of their winter slumber to again begin producing. This is a sure sign of spring, even if there is snow on the ground.

Spring is slow to come in Idaho, which is why we’re still bringing you winter content—sled dogs and alpine races, which, while chilly, will warm your heart. Boise hosts Treefort Music Festival this month, which is always a gamble—sometimes the weather cooperates, but there have been years where attendees danced in the rain.

Editor in Chief

No matter, though—westerners are built for it, and we always have been. You can read more about the western life with IdaHome Flavor Editor April Neale, who brings us an in depth look at Yellowstone prequel 1923, a show that explores the dark and light of life on the range. We’ve also got some modern pioneers in this issue—young women exploring the country by bus after finding out they were dating the same man.

Spring is about new life and creative expression, so we bring you an update on the talented folks at LED, who are committed to bringing you creative, accessible art experiences, and a roundup of cool barber shops throughout the Treasure Valley who are creating art of their own.

It’s a season of growth too, which is why writer Chris Langrill catches up with PetIQ CEO Cord Christensen, whose innovative approach to pet health is now at $1 billion in revenue. Micah Drew also writes about Hempitecture, a new manufacturer and distributor of green building materials for construction, which is just the start of a conversation about sustainability that IdaHome is tackling in a coming issue.

So, amidst the chicks chirping, bunnies hopping, and yes, snow falling, we’re welcoming spring with open arms and a lot of layers, as is the Idaho way. If you’re one of the folks waiting for chicks outside a local hatchery, I want to warn you that, no matter the cost of eggs, they’re probably cheaper than chickens, at least for the tenderhearted—I’ve taken at least two to the veterinarian, which would have paid for dozens of eggs. Sigh. That’s what love does, I guess.

We hope you’ll join us as we explore this changing season in our IdaHome. See you out there.

Until next time, Heather

HEATHER HAMILTON-POST

All About the Dogs

McCall musher Kevin Daugherty, winner of 2023 Warm Lake Stage Race.

PHOTO BY MELISSA SHELBY PHOTOGRAPHY.

BY APRIL THOMAS WHITNEY

When the aluminum runners of his sled cut across the finish line at the end of a two-day, 52-mile race, Kevin Daugherty was not thinking about his physical discomfort, the challenges of the snowy course, or trophies and personal accolades. He was thinking about his dogs.

The 33-year-old McCall local took first place in the 2023 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s Warm Lake Stage Race by a margin of more than ten minutes. It was his first victory in a dog sledding event, but Daugherty said that to get a true measure of his success, he had to take a close look at each member of his eight-dog team.

“To me, a happy dog looks like they want to run some more. Tails wagging, you can see smiles on their faces,” said Daugherty. “Winning is just a byproduct of how you train. If you talk to any dog musher, they’re more excited about how their dogs are finishing, if they’re happy, and winning is just a bonus.”

Daugherty runs a comparatively small kennel—just ten dogs total—and they do an average of four training sessions per week in the West Central Mountains. Those four-hour training runs typically take place in the dark, after snowmobilers have left the trails, and Daugherty said it’s those solitary moments—alone in the darkness with only his thoughts and his dogs—that got him hooked on the sport of dog sledding.

“There’s just something about feeling like you’re away from everything but also feeling like you’re in it,” he said. “It somehow makes everything else make sense, makes your problems seem smaller. Reminds you what’s important.”

What’s most important to Daugherty at this point in his five-year-old dog sledding career is to figure out how he can best treat his dogs so they can reach the next level. At some point, he’d love to compete in a big race like the Iditarod, but he and his team have a lot to learn and a long way to go before he would consider competing at that elite level.

When it comes to caring for his dogs, Daugherty has already learned that nutrition is #1. Training the dogs for the specific type of work they’ll do in a competition is also key, whether that involves hill training or speed training, or in Daugherty’s case, nurturing a close bond with his small team. “Without your team wanting to work for you, you just don’t have a team,” he said.

While it can be a solitary sport, teamwork among humans is crucial when it’s time for competition; from the local volunteers who fan out across impossibly long racecourses, to the community of mushers who travel to far-flung mountain communities to compete. “They’re the most caring people you could ever imagine,” Daugherty said. “People who spend a lot of time in the woods have a different perspective on what life’s about; they don’t sweat the small things.”

The five-year-old Idaho Sled Dog Challenge features three different races— the 52-mile Warm Lake Stage Race, a 100-mile race, and the premiere event—a 300-mile race. It also features world-class mushers. That’s because the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is the only 300-mile Yukon Quest qualifier in the lower 48 and one of only three such events for the Iditarod.

“Tome,ahappy doglooks liketheywant to run some more. Tails wagging,you can see smiles on theirfaces.”

“Mushers will tell you this is a very, very atypical race,” said event co-founder and trail coordinator, Dave Looney. “Our elevation change is 39,000 feet, which is greater than the Iditarod. They call it a 500-mile race packed into 300 miles.”

That means dog care, pacing, and attention to the terrain are critical to success in this event. So is trail maintenance. The trails used for the ISDC are part of a 500-mile network of snowmobile trails groomed by Valley County during the winter months.

This year’s roster boasted Iditarod and Yukon Quest veterans, including two-time ISDC 300-mile champion Jessie Royer. Born in Idaho and raised on a Montana cattle ranch, Royer is considered one of the mushing world’s top contenders, placing third in the 2019 and 2020 Iditarod competitions and in the event’s Top 10 for the last eight years running.

Royer won the inaugural 237-mile ISDC race in 2018 and the 300-mile race in 2020. She also came out on top this year, continuing a rich tradition of female ISDC champions, including Josi Thyr from Montana, Canadian musher Jennifer Campeau, and Council, Idaho’s Laurie Warren.

“The women that are racing right now are very, very good dog runners,” said Daugherty. “I look at them, and I’m like, ‘What can I learn from how they run their teams and incorporate it into my team?’”

Daugherty said it will be some time before he’s ready to compete in a longer race like the ISDC 300. He’s tackling a 150-mile race this spring and plans to work his way up from there. Still, the appeal of competing for Daugherty isn’t about glory and achievement. “I don’t run dogs to win trophies,” he said. “It’s about being out with animals you love and being out in the woods.”

The sixth annual Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is set for January 24 through February 1, 2024. www.idahosleddogchallenge.com

Top: Sled dogs at race finish in 2022.

Above Left: McCall musher Kevin Daugherty, winner of the 2023 Warm Lake Stage Race.

Above Right: Jessie Royer crosses the finish line in 2020.

Left: Nicole Lombardi embraces one of her dogs after winning the 2022 100-mile continuous format race.

Bottom: Musher Josi Thyr passes through Smith’s Ferry on her way to victory in the 2022 300-mile continuous format race.

PHOTOS BY MELISSA SHELBY PHOTOGRAPHY.

The ROMANCE and RUTHLESSNESS of the AMERICAN WEST

1923 stars Darren Mann and Michelle Randolph’s lovers ignite this period drama.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT+

BY APRIL NEALE

Destiny, luck, and constant change dominate the storytelling of American actor, screenwriter, and director Taylor Sheridan, a modern-day Hollywood bard of epic dramas that immerse the viewer inside American worlds past and present. Known for, most recently, Yellowstone and Yellowstone prequels 1883 and 1923, Sheridan’s visionary casting decisions, historical accuracy, and Shakespearian touches dominate the Dutton family origin stories.

Paramount+’s 1923, which will have a season two, unites stars Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford as Cara and Jacob Dutton, paralleling their story alongside Spencer (Brandon Sklenar), Alexandra

(Julia Schlaepfer), and IdaHome spring cover lovers Jack (Darren Mann) and Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph).

There’s certainly chemistry between the youngest couple, and perhaps it is because this isn’t the first time Randolph and Mann have played love interests. Paired together years ago, Randolph said that she felt an emotional pull to Mann’s Jack. “It’s their first love, and they’re navigating their future. Liz is at a

significant crossroads in her life. She’s a city girl who went to school on the East Coast and was exposed to a completely different way of life than Jack. Even though her family owned the neighboring Strafford Ranch, she only spent a little time there. She chose to stay at Yellowstone and become a Dutton, learning directly from Cara about the dangers in nature and that there were also dangerous men,” said Randolph.

Top: Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford play Cara Dutton and Jacob Dutton, the matriarch and patriarch of Taylor Sheridan’s period drama, 1923 for Paramount+.

Above left: Darren Mann plays Jack Dutton on Paramount+ drama 1923.

Above right: Michelle Randolph plays Elizabeth “Liz” Strafford in 1923.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT+

Above right: Cara Dutton (Mirren) has looked after Jack Dutton (Mann) from early childhood at the Yellowstone Ranch.

Left: Darren Mann as Jack Dutton surveys the Ranch.

As Liz is learning from Cara, so is Jack from Jacob, who delivers the brutal truth about their futures in a pivotal campfire scene. “Jack is living an interesting, fun time because he’s one of the only guys in the Dutton clan still figuring his way out and finding his path, who he is, and what he stands for. So a lot of this is still a big learning curve for him. Jack wears his heart on his sleeves. He does it all for the family, whatever he has to do to preserve their way of life, being a cowboy,” said Mann, who is himself learning from those who have come before. He recalled that scene beside the campfire as one of the first times he heard Harrison give a great monologue. “It was fun to be part of it and live through it with him,” Mann said.

Randolph noted Sheridan’s devotion to telling unvarnished truths of this

period—truths that played a large role in shaping the west. The show’s romance happens against a backdrop of darker storylines that explore the unseeable limits of human cruelty—deadly range wars over grazing rights, an odious Scotsman and sheep rancher Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) hellbent on taking down the Duttons, the chaos of Teonna Rainwater’s (Aminah Nieves) escape from Montana’s Indian schools, and the horrific atrocities unleashed on Indigenous American youth by the Catholic Church. While 1923 is set amidst Montana mountains, in Idaho, things weren’t much different. Ranchers fought over where and how their sheep and cattle would graze, waging war with each other and the Indigenous people who occupied the land.

And, as the Yellowstone Ranch is ablaze with activity, Jack’s intrepid Uncle Spencer and his English aristocratic bride Alex have yet to reach Yellowstone—and America—by the end of season one, which puts all eyes on the future of the family as Jack and Liz steadfastly help Cara and Jacob hold the line against one of the most vicious Western villains to date, played by Timothy Dalton. Mann, who plays Jack with a youthful earnestness, was nearly cast as Spencer before settling into his eventual role. “I had read for Spencer six times. I always saw myself as Jack from the beginning and saw myself more when I read the scripts as that character. So when they called me and offered me the role of Jack right after the test with Taylor, I knew the part well from reading the episodes. I was

Above left: Cara Dutton (Mirren) takes Liz Strafford under her wing on the Yellowstone Ranch.

thrilled to play such a fun, volatile, tough young cowboy with many layers and different things to do,” Mann said.

Such richly experienced characters don’t come easily—Randolph and Mann honed their wrangling and roping skills under the direction of real cowboys at their Butte, Montana Cowboy Camp, where Mann noted that, in addition to giving them a taste of real-life cowboying, the cast bonded over the immersive experience, which sometimes involved riding for eight or nine hours a day and taking turns doing ice baths. “I’ve spent time around horses and taken lessons off and on throughout my life. I was beginner-level when I showed up and didn’t know what to expect except to learn how to be a better cowboy,” Mann said. “We all showed up and clicked immediately,

which is a huge part of Taylor Sheridan’s mastermind work. He puts time into his casting. I know it was a long process for me [to break into Sheridan’s casting for an audition], but it’s a brilliant process.”

Randolph, who rode as often as possible in Butte, praised Sheridan’s astute eye for detail, which positions women in powerful roles within the Yellowstone universe. “The women are just as essential to the ranch’s functioning as the men are. The men realize that when they leave, their women stay home and keep it working. So there are a lot of chores— Elizabeth looks up to Cara so much because she is the ultimate rancher’s wife who holds it together,” she said.

“The 1920s were such a time of change, post-WWI and the infrastructure and transportation technology growing, and

people dealing with change. I admire Sheridan’s writing because he gives his female characters such strength; as we saw in 1883, no female characters are submissive to men. They demand just as much respect and have just as much pull in the household as the men. That’s Taylor’s writing. From that perspective, it’s empowering as a young woman to feel like we’re being heard in life and as characters set in the 1920s. It’s not common,” Randolph said.

But powerful though she may be, Liz is a bride without a wedding, and audiences want to know if it will ever come. “We’ll have to wait and see. At this point, Elizabeth has sacrificed so much, giving up her city life. She lost her parents, and yes, I think she’s ready to be a Dutton,” Randolph said.

Above left: Liz (Randolph) and Jack hit an underground speakeasy in Bozeman, Montana.

Above right: Cara Dutton (Mirren) and Jacob Dutton (Ford) know trouble and danger are upon them at Yellowstone Ranch.

Right: Liz Strafford (Randolph) awaits Jack Dutton’s return from the ride with Jacob Dutton (Ford).

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT+

PHOTO BY KAREN DAY

BY TIM ATWELL

There’s no shortage of barbers in the Boise metro area, but once you start calling around, you might find that if you want to schedule an appointment with one of the best barbers, you’ll need to make a reservation far in advance. The top barbers are in hot demand, and the next open appointment might be weeks away.

What you need to understand is that these barbers have spent many years developing relationships with their clientele. Their schedules are full of long-term clients, friends, and family members. A day in the office for these people is a day of catching up with friends, joking around, reminiscing…and oh yeah, cutting hair.

“After so long, my customers become an extended friend group, family. I mean, I see a lot of my customers on a more regular basis than my close friends and family,” said Ryan Salamon, owner of Belmont Barbershop in downtown Boise. “Guy comes in every three weeks to get his haircut, and we just keep up with each other’s lives.”

The Belmont brings plenty of cool and haircuts to the historic Hannifin’s Cigar Shop that closed after 111 years in downtown Boise.

For newcomers, the appeal of the oldschool barbershop is easy to see. Maybe you’re waiting for your first haircut at Caleb’s Chopshop in Meridian, sitting on the bench by the door and admiring the vintage gumball machines, when another client steps inside. He’s fresh off the Harley parked outside, a slick leather jacket over his shoulders and a well-trimmed white beard on his chin, and he starts giving fist-bumps and hugs to all the other people in the shop. He sits down in one of the swivel chairs and the barber asks him, “How was the four-wheeling trip, man?”

If you’re new to the shop, you might be sitting there by the gumball machine thinking, how cool would it be to be that guy?

“You know when you go into a small town, you’re driving through rural Idaho, and there’s some freaking 80-year-old dude standing behind a chair, cutting hair?” Salamon asked. “Those are the shops where that guy’s been there since the beginning of time. There’s just this undeniable coolness about that old dude, you know? I’m trying to pay tribute to those old dudes,” he said.

Old dudes aren’t the only ones emanating that undeniable coolness, though. Next time you’re in Caldwell, follow the vibrations to Firme Cuts in Indian Creek Plaza. Poke your head inside the shop and you’ll see the vibrations are coming from the speakers— hip hop with a mix of English and Spanish lyrics, loud enough to make the sidewalk shake.

“It’s loud. There’s a lot of people talking. Sometimes, we let people connect to the music. We’ve been in situations where they have played some pretty bad music, and that would put a bad rep on us,” said Saul Padilla, owner of Firme Cuts. “But we’re genuinely, all of us, very nice people. Once you’re settled in as a client, people are going to greet you when you come in, they’re going to greet you like friends.”

At Firme Cuts, it’s all about the fade: blended lines, tapers, and even detailed hair etching designs. Mix the fades, the music, the young clientele, and you get… well, undeniable coolness.

Depending on the style you’re looking for, it might be worth checking out a few different shops in the area to find a barber who can match your aesthetic. At The Beardsmith in Garden City, for example,

Once you’re se led in as a client, people are going to greet you when you come in, they’re going to greet you like friends.”

Above: It’s all about the fade at Firme Cuts in Caldwell. Below left: Take a chance at the pool table while you wait. Below right: Guy Hallam gets the hot towel treatment at The Belmont from master barber, David Johnson.

you’ll find fewer hair etching designs than Firme Cuts, but more facial hair. Step into the shop on any given Saturday, and chances are you’ll find a lineup of beards of all shapes and sizes, each ready for a trim and a dab of beard grease. And grab a drink while you’re there—the building’s liquor license extends into the barbershop too.

We’ve made it this far into an article about barbershops, and this is the first mention of hairstyle (or beard style). There’s a reason for that.

The truth is, most people aren’t going to an old-school barbershop simply because they want shorter hair. That would be like going to see Elton John simply because you want to hear someone play the piano. It’s about the person you’re going to see, the experience, and connecting with the other people in the crowd.

This isn’t meant to understate the importance of a great haircut, but old-school

barbershops often accomplish more by taking on the role of a neighborhood melting pot. Salamon, Padilla, and many others are doing more than just cutting hair; they’re cultivating communities.

“Our style would definitely be the old school classic tradition, as opposed to the new age barber,” said Salamon. “It’s like a big club, where you just come in and you’re cracking jokes and razzing each other. That’s what barbershops have always been about.”

Between the jokes, the razzing, and the music, the old-school barbershop is a unique environment for people to meet up, hang out, and clean up their hairstyle. The coolness is undeniable, the communities are thriving, and the haircuts are fresh. You might have to schedule a few weeks in advance to get an appointment, but if you can find the right barber to match your style, it is well worth the wait.

“It’s like a big club, where you just come in and you’re cracking jokes and razzing each other. That’s what barbershops have always been about.”

Right: The Chop Shop distinguishes itself with hub caps, Cadillac car parts and the sharpest cuts in Meridian. It’s pure dudeland. A barber is like a best friend you can trust with a straight razor. Tattoos, beard grease, Harley’s, pool and beer can make a guy forget he came in for a trim.

LED DANCE CLASSES FOR ALL

More Info + Sign Up at ledboise.com/classes

©Steve Smith Photography

LED BOISE: Taking the stage by storm

BY ARIANNA CRETEAU

Thinking instinctually and creating art that reflects the times we’re living in allows LED Boise to be nimble and unique. For Lauren Edson, co-founder and artistic director, and Andrew Stensaas, co-founder and creative director, it’s exciting to see audiences enjoy the end product.

“We take on creative projects that are of interest to us and that we’re excited about. We then bring on many different artists, whether they’re musicians, dancers, filmmakers, or designers per project to help carry out our vision,” said Edson.

Taking on creative challenges on a project basis allows for carefully tailored iterations of dance, music, and film. In the past, LED Boise has performed at the Morrison Center, Treefort, in small spaces, large spaces and even their own studio, located in Boise’s Linen District.

In November of 2022, LED Boise premiered Kid Lightning at the Morrison Center. While there were only two show dates, due to its success, there are already plans in the works for a potential revival

and tour next year. “We’re thrilled that we have presenters in the Northwest interested in bringing Kid Lightning to other cities,” said Edson.

Colleen Loverde, a professional dancer, took part in Kid Lightning as the rehearsal director and a dancer. “Kid Lightning was good, challenging, and beautiful. I have been drawn to Lauren and Andrew’s work in the past for similar reasons,” said Loverde.

Edson and Stensaas are passionate creatives whose taste for the arts have transformed the Boise scene. The duo conceptualize, create stories, write music and choreograph from scratch. “That’s one thing that is fun for us as creators. We can put all three components together: film, original music, live music, and dance or you can strip it away, to have things exist on their own,” said Edson.

Since moving into their studio in 2019, the COVID pandemic prevented them from constructing their dream space. “There were many many months that we weren’t able to fully utilize the space,” said Edson. “We’re now just getting our feet

underneath us again.” After renovations begin this spring at the LED studio, they envision a space that better incorporates projects. This summer, they plan on having the first of many projects in the new space that has dance and a live band.

“One component of really settling into our space is being able to be a cultural hub and creative center,” said Edson. As a malleable space, they foresee shows, classes, and even other nonprofits using the space.

“It’s tough to pin down some artists because they are in demand, have other gigs and things, but we make sure to pay our artists a competitive wage. The culture of Boise musically is growing exponentially so there’s plenty of people to choose from,” said Stensaas.

Approaching fast this time of year is one of Boise’s most popular events, Treefort Music Festival. LED Boise is part of this year’s Treefort, once again, and they’ll be bringing back together their talented band to perform. Stensaas said it’s a time for the band to “let their hair down and have more fun.”

Photo: Kid Lightning at the Morrison Center. PHOTO BY OTTO KITSINGER.

Local musician John Fricke has been a part of the LED band for about eight years and is looking forward to Treefort. Although he never knows what type of project he’ll be a part of with LED, it’s the constant change and creative control with the band that he enjoys and looks forward to. “I’ve played with a lot of groups in the past 20-some years, but this group still makes the hairs on my arms stand up performing,” Fricke said.

Recently, LED Boise and Open Space named themselves sister studios. Open Space is a contemporary dance studio based out of Portland, Oregon. As sister studios, the two can collaborate and share performances with a broader audience. This August, LED Boise and Open Space will showcase Summer Soup, a show that Edson describes as a fun and vibrant party.

In 2020, Dance Magazine featured LED Boise in their “25 to watch”. “We had a big year going into the pandemic

where we couldn’t really show anybody what we were doing,” said Stensaas. LED found that while the pandemic was hard and affected them in big ways, being a non-traditional company and being artists first allowed them to come out the tail end feeling confident in their ability to grow.

With that growth, LED’s Board of Directors has developed a strategic plan and identified three areas to improve the nonprofit. Rich Raimondi, President of LED Boise’s Board of Directors, said they will be adding board members to fill in talent gaps, developing the LED studio space, and increasing online engagement. “They built their brand during a time when a lot of people were struggling but they were very innovative in how they’ve done things,” he said. “We’re certainly in a different place than we were two years ago.”

LED Boise evolves fast and in style. To keep up with their upcoming projects, visit their website, follow on social media, or dance your way into 1420 W Grove St, Boise, ID 83702.

Clockwise from top: Andrew Stensaas jams out at Fresh Cuts in 2022. PHOTO BY WILLIAM BOWERS

Co-founders of LED Boise, Lauren Edson and Andrew Stensaas. PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH Tony Carnell and Brett Perry perform at LED’s studio for Treefort Music Festival.

PHOTO BY DANIEL OLSON.

Idaho Business Tackles the Greenification of Building

Ketchum-based Hempitecture prepares to open a new facility in Jerome to manufacture HempWool, a green alternative to insulation for residential and commercial buildings.

BY MICAH DREW

One of the most popular hiking spots outside of Sun Valley, made even more popular by its Instagram-ability, is the Pioneer Cabin, a ski hut built by the Union Paci c Railroad in 1937 perched at 9,400 feet emblazoned with its iconic rooftop message “THE HIGHER YOU GET, THE HIGHER YOU GET.” What isn’t seen on social media posts, however, is tucked just inside the cabin’s frame: a series of insulation panels made from hemp, courtesy of Ketchum-based startup Hempitecture.

e insulation isn’t the traditionally seen bright pink- berglass that requires gloves and a mask to handle. Instead, the insulation for the cabin is mottled brown—the color of dried plant bers… which is exactly what it is.

Hempitecture’s partnership with community members working to restore the Forest Service building in 2020 was a small, but meaningful demonstration of the use of hemp-based insulation, dubbed HempWool, which Hempitecture manufactures in Canada and distributes in the U.S. HempWool is the latest in a series of green, carbon-neutral building products that have grown in popularity over the years.

ree years after hiking insulation up to that tiny cabin, the company is set

to begin manufacturing HempWool stateside in a new 33,000 square foot facility outside Jerome, the rst hemp-insulation facility in the U.S., which started production in February.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this monumental milestone that symbolizes the immense amount of work put into the brand’s facility from concept to completion,” said Hempitecture Founder and CEO Mattie Mead in a press release about the facility’s ribbon cutting. “ is truly marks the beginning of a new chapter for the industrial hemp industry—not just in Idaho, but in the United States as a whole, given this new outlet for using industrial help and raw materials for high-performance, sustainable product alternatives. We are also just so proud to be a contributor to the agricultural growth here in Idaho and the West Rocky Mountains.”

Hempitecture operates in a growing sector focused on the greeni cation of the building industry. Speci cally, the company works on the development, manufacturing, and distribution of non-woven materials, speci cally hemp-based building materials, from building blocks known as hempcrete, thermal insulation (HempWool), and acoustic insulation (AcoustiBatts).

“ e idea of why you would want hemp-based building products is the much better environmental footprint these

products have than their conventional substitutes,” Hempitecture Co-Founder Tommy Gibbons said. “When you look at products like insulation, like vinyl siding or ooring, sheet rock, a lot of these are either petroleum or mineral based products that were designed and commercialized without any regard to their environmental impact. Now that we’ve had this big green awakening it’s time to redesign the building industry and rebuild it with products that consider their environmental impact.”

Hemp plants capture and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and then sequesters the CO2 in the hemp bers. at CO2 is then locked in when the hemp is turned into a variety of building material, counteracting the carbon footprint of traditional products like concrete, which accounts for roughly 8% of CO2 emissions annually.

e rst product Hempitecture focused on was “hempcrete,” a composite of hemp ber and limestone used as building blocks in construction. One of the rst projects Meade and Gibbons worked on together was the Highland Hemp House, a renovation project in Bellingham, Washington, that utilized hempcrete and provided a learning environment for the edgling company while demonstrating that hemp-based construction is possible on a large scale.

“Even though we wanted to create a company around these building products, we actually had to build standing testaments to this material to this industry,” Gibbons said.

While Hempitecture still produces hempcrete, the company has pivoted its focus to HempWool, where they are on the leading edge of the domestic market. Across the board however, Gibbons said that the U.S. market for hemp-based building lags behind other nations.

“We were very much pioneers in the U.S. and people thought we were crazy,” Gibbons said. “But America really has this problem with embodied carbon and I saw what was going on with the need to greenify across the industries.”

Part of the reason behind the lag is the strict regulation of hemp products in America over the years. Until 2018, hemp and hemp seeds were on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s schedule of controlled substances, due to the plant

also being cultivated for CBD and THC. It was only in 2021 that Idaho legalized the production and cultivation of hemp through H.B. 126, the last state in the U.S. to do so. Following the signing of the bill by Governor Brad Little in April of 2021, Hempitecture received the state’s rst industrial hemp license.

at paved the way for Hempitecture to begin planning to produce its signature HempWool in Idaho.

HempWool is a direct one-to-one substitute for traditional insulation products but has the bene ts of being non-toxic, a carbon sink, and 90% bio-based (the other 10% is a binding agent). It’s particularly attractive as an alternative to berglass insulation, which presents a danger to exposed skin, the eyes, and lungs. Insulation for homes and commercial buildings is a nearly $12 billion market in the U.S. alone, giving HempWool a lot of room to grow.

e interest in greener building products has provided Hempitecture with a lot of funding and attention in recent months. Gibbons was awarded an Innovation Crossroads fellowship through the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Research Integration Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee to study the decarbonization potential of hemp-

based building products. In addition, the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission awarded Hempitecture and the University of Idaho a $200,000 grant for research and development on HempWool. It also wasn’t long ago that Forbes named Meade and Gibbons to their 2020 30 Under 30 list for young entrepreneurs to watch.

To help bring the new facility to Jerome, Hempitecture launched an investment round last summer that Gibbons said “took o like a rocket.” e company pulled in nearly $4.7 million in a single funding round last spring, which directly went towards bringing the manufacturing facility online.

Over the summer, production equipment arrived from Italy and with the assembly plant online, the company will begin putting its extensive research to use with some changes to products’ formulation and plans to roll out new products, including re-resistant insulation.

“We’ve got our supply chain partners lined up, we’ve got distribution partners lined up, so we’re ready to get this material into more projects across the United States,” Gibbons said. “We’re really at an in ux point with our company, this manufacturing plant is only the rst step toward our future.”

“We’re really at an in ux point with our company, this manufacturing plant is only the rst step toward our future.”

BY MIKE MCKENNA

There’s nothing quite like the excitement of alpine skiing at its highest level. The speed, the power, the skill, the après ski parties…nothing else really compares.

That’s why Sun Valley is stoked to be hosting the U.S. Alpine Nationals this spring. Baldy will be the epicenter of the American ski scene from April 2-5. The top male and female skiers in the country will compete to see who’s the best in the big mountain events of Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Super G.

The fastest racers in the Super G could hit speeds well over 80 miles per hour. Such speeds will cause the skiers to pull about 3.5 on the g-force, or gravitational, scale, which puts as much pressure on them as if they nearly tripled their body weight or just took off in a space shuttle.

USA Today declared the downhill to be one of the “Ten Hardest Things to Do in Sports”. The concept behind the Super G, Slalom, and Overall Combined titles is simple: fastest one to the bottom wins. No wonder alpine ski racing can be so much fun to watch.

The field will include local Sun Valley-based skiers Ryder Sarchett, Jack Smith, and Dasha Romanov as well as fellow Idahoan Breezy Johnson from Victor.

The races will be held on the Warm Springs side of Baldy. The Super G starts

on Challenger, hits Warm Springs, and then bombs down Greyhawk. About two-thirds of the Super G course can be seen from the slopes and there is a spectator area at the bottom of the course. There is no charge to view the racing and most of Bald Mountain will remain open to the public for skiing and boarding during the races.

NBC Sports announcers for the Super G in 2016 called the course “challenging,” “relentless,” and “intimidating.” The Slalom carves its way down Hemingway.

“The course in Sun Valley has a storied history of alpine racing, having tested hundreds of local and visiting athletes with its technical and challenging terrain over the years,” Sun Valley Resort’s Director of Marketing Bridgett Higgins said. “The award-winning grooming, and continuous steeps, contribute to the long

list of merits that makes Sun Valley the perfect choice for this event.”

Sun Valley also hosted Nationals in 2016 and 2018, but the last time before that was in 1951. After that 65-year hiatus, Sun Valley has turned out to be an excellent host. The U.S. Ski Team has already announced the Alpine Nationals will return to Idaho’s highest ski area again next year. Sun Valley also offers the most vertical feet in Idaho, at 3,450.

The world-class terrain on Baldy is just one of the reasons why Sun Valley is such a good fit for the biggest ski races in America each year.

Sun Valley is as steeped in ski history as cinnamon sticks are in a good hot toddy. The first ski resort in the country was built on old ranchlands in the Wood River Valley of Idaho in 1936.

Super-G racers often exceed speeds of over 80 miles per hour on the course. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUN VALLEY RESORT

The Sun Valley Lodge and its Austrian-inspired village are still there and haven’t changed much—at least on the exterior. The Lodge and Inn have both had recent major remodels, but the exteriors look the same as they did when Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Ernest Hemingway strolled past them lifetimes ago.

Sun Valley hosted the first-ever international alpine ski race in America, the Harriman Cup, back in 1937 and also hosted the FIS World Cup in 1977.

Over 50 former Olympians have come from Sun Valley, including the first American to ever win an Olympic Gold Medal in skiing, Gretchen Fraser in 1948.

Between the Sun Valley Lodge and the slopes of Baldy sits the town of Ketchum, which is loaded with tasty places to après ski. Imbibing after a day of mountain adventures has always been part of the Sun Valley scene. From its star-studded opening weekend in December of 1936 to just last weekend, the après party scene in Sun Valley has always been legendary.

That’s just another reason why Sun Valley has claimed three straight titles as the “Best Overall Resort in the West” by the annual Ski Magazine Readers Poll. People tend to have a great time when they come to carve turns in Sun Valley, on and off the slopes.

Alpine ski racing is all about balance, control, focus and speed. It’s like a snow-covered drag race, which is why it’s so fun to watch. Everything happens in a split second, which is usually the difference between becoming a national champ and being just being another happy skier going to enjoy an après party.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Men’s and Women’s Super G races will begin the week of events, on Saturday, April 1, with practice opportunities for racers as well as a sponsor village and live après music in Warm Springs Plaza. Sunday, April 2, the racing kicks off with Men’s and Women’s Super G, followed by the Clicquot in the Snow Party at Warm Springs and the Opening Ceremony at Town Square in Ketchum, featuring a Parade of Athletes and a free concert by the Lowdown Brass Band. Men’s and Women’s Slalom will run on Monday, April 3; Women’s Giant Slalom on Tuesday, April 4; and Men’s Giant Slalom on Wednesday, April 5; each day’s races will be followed by awards and live music in the Warm Springs Plaza. Find out more at SunValley.com.

The vertical drop for a Super-G course must be between 1,150–2,130 ft for men, 1,150–1,970 ft for women, and 820–1,480 ft for children. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUN VALLEY RESORT

Fine Crew Still CRUISING the Countryside

Three

women went viral a few weeks into a 2021 road trip in a converted school bus. Two years later, they’re still fast friends and two of them are continuing their nomadic lifestyle.

BY MICAH DREW

It took a single headline from the Washington Post to turn a road trip among new friends into a national story, sending three young women from the West viral for their adventures.

“Three Women Discovered They Were Dating The Same Man. They Dumped Him and Went on a Months-Long Road Trip Together,” read the title of Cathy Free’s 2021 article. The origin story of the BAM Bus, named for Bekah King, Abi Roberts, and Morgan Tabor and their converted green school bus, was the hook that captured the nation, but the story that continues to define them is one of adventure and friendship

Instead of harboring ill will towards each other following their dramatic discovery, Roberts, of Salt Lake City, and King and Tabor, of Boise, bought a school bus, turned it into a cool bus, and set off on a trajectory that continues two years later.

The road trip wasn’t intended to make headlines or be broadcast to an audience.

“We were warned by the Washington Post writer that we might receive some emails and notoriety, and we thought she was lying,” Tabor said. “Lo and behold, we woke up and realized something was happening. A lot of the DMs were

from people who had similar stories—it was beautiful to see, but it was overwhelming. It was a lot to sift through.”

A desire to genuinely respond to messages and answer interview requests meant the trio spent some of the early weeks of their road trip inside their bus glued to their phones.

“Our intention for the road trip was to get away, and it was kind of impossible in the early days,” King said. “But we found our balance that summer and it’s not as overwhelming anymore.”

Their initial trip, documented through social media, was a best of the west journey—waking up to the backdrop of the Sawtooths and the Tetons, sunset hikes in Glacier National Park, and seascape walks on the Olympic Peninsula. It was the kind of whirlwind adventure where waking up in the same place twice was a rarity.

Of course, many of the most iconic parts of the trip were less picturesque, stored only in memories and the pages of the official bus journal—panic attacks, raccoon attacks, doing laundry in a creek, or getting the bus stuck in a sand dune.

“I think that first summer we just attracted a lot of chaos,” Tabor said.

ACT TWO

That’s right, there was a first summer in the bus. And then a second. And soon to be a third. What was initially just a road trip turned into a lifestyle for the “Fine Crew,” a name that appears on the bus, which originally appeared as “Fire Crew” because of its origins.

At the end of 2021, the trio returned to Boise to save up some money and make renovations to the bus. That stint of stability brought its own challenges.

“Having a shower and consistent place to use the bathroom is great, but it was tricky going from nomadic, independent lifestyle to being back with my parents,” King said.

“The pacing was hard. Living on the road, time runs very differently,” added Tabor. “The couple months we’d been on out really felt like years. Being stagnant was weird.”

After five months, broken up by a trip to Costa Rica for Tabor and Roberts, the Fine Crew hit the road again.

Learning from their experiences, they moved a little slower, chasing good weather around the West (the bus doesn’t have AC or a heater) and responding to high diesel prices that made staying put for days or weeks on end an attractive option.

“We’re notoriously terrible at planning basically anything,” King said. “But I think we more consciously thought about what we wanted to see, and what we could do on the way there.”

Bekah King, Abi Roberts, and Morgan Tabor found out they were dating the same man and instead of getting mad, hit the road together.

PHOTOS BY MORGAN TABOR

WHERE TO NEXT?

Roberts is currently finishing up her degree, so only King and Tabor are still living in their “metal tube,” most recently waking up in the Southwest.

“We have some favorite spots in terms of landscape and beauty, and we have our favorite spots because of the people we’ve met,” Tabor said. “We’ve been some places that we would say are just ugly, but the connections and friendships we made there were beautiful.

One of the latter was a tiny town in Arizona that the duo visited in February for Skooliepalooza, an “ungathering” of like-minded nomadic spirits with similar converted school buses.

“We didn’t know that place existed until a month ago, but we walked out of that little desert area with lifelong friends,” Tabor said. “Probably by no one’s standards would you call that place beautiful though.”

The goal for 2023 is to continue traveling, but with an emphasis on relationships and building community.

“It’s something we’ve missed—I mean, we’re living with

friends in a bus, which is fun, but at the end of the day, I want to see my hometown friends and other people I care about,” King said. “We’re going to take more time to intentionally reconnect with people this year.”

Also in the works this year is a recently announced “BAM Bus” film project with New Line and Jonathan Glickman’s Panoramic Media. Glickman was among the flurry of initial messages the trio received following the Post piece, and the trio took their time ensuring it was the right fit.

“Ultimately, if people hear our name and have seen a film, that’s what they’ll know about us,” Tabor said. “We wanted to make sure our story will be told in a way that’s true to us.”

The project is still in its early stages of bringing a team and writers together, but there’s one thing Tabor and King are certain about—they won’t be playing themselves on screen.

“The Rotten Tomatoes score would be atrocious,” Tabor said with a laugh.

To keep up with the Fine Crew on their 2023 adventures, follow @fine_crew on Instagram.

The converted school bus is a work in progress, made possible through the hard work of family, friends, and the young women who call it home.

PHOTOS BY MORGAN TABOR

PetIQ CEO Keeps Eagle-Based Company Growing—and Innovating

BY CHRIS LANGRILL

Sometimes starting a business comes down to a simple formula: find a need, and fill that need.

In 2010, Cord Christensen established his small business using that formula.

“I rented a single room in Eagle, and I didn’t have a lot of money, I was just starting from scratch,” Christensen said. “It was just me and a card table, putting together a strategy, talking to customers.”

But it turns out Christensen’s business, PetIQ, was on to something.

“Here we are today, with $1 billion in revenue,” he said.

Back in 2010, Christensen came to a realization.

“People were buying all their pets’ healthcare needs through veterinary offices,” he said. “I just thought, ‘Holy cow! There has to be a better process.’ What I found was…vets were expensive for stuff, and Walmart, Costco, and other retailers didn’t carry any veterinarian-grade pet products.”

So, PetIQ set out to change that model.

“We decided we were going to test a few of the best-selling items in the veterinarian industry in Costco, in Walmart, and see how they did,” Christensen said. “The reality was that customers were saving 30 to 40% on the same items. The success was immediate, velocity, sales, just immediate.”

“So, that’s really what started the company, just the desire to create some balance in an industry that was extremely big,” he said.

And an industry that hits close to home for so many families, including Christensen’s.

“We’re a dog family, and we have a mini goldendoodle (Milo), and he sleeps in my bed every night, which is a point of contention sometimes,” Christensen said. “But we are absolutely dog people, my wife and I, and we love pets. My wife would tell you that she’d take the dog over me, if she had to pick one of the two.”

“…we are absolutely dog people, my wife and I, and we love pets. My wife would tell you that she’d take the dog over me.”

PHOTO BY JOHN WEBSTER

PHOTO COURTESY OF PET IQ

Christensen’s personal story is one that so many pet lovers can relate to: people want the best for their pets. And as Christensen found out, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if people could provide the best for their pets at a reduced cost.

“There are a lot of things that have happened that have made the company what it is today,” Christensen said. “But today, we are a manufacturer of generic

and different healthcare products for pets. We make over 1,000 items in three different factories, which makes us the largest producer of over-the-counter medications for pets–dogs and cats–in the country. We’re the back end for Chewy, Amazon, Walmart, Costco, you name it.”

And while PetIQ’s footprint has expanded into 41 states, the company’s headquarters have remained in Eagle.

“I was raised in Boise my whole life, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, worked at Albertsons,” Christensen said. “So, I was about as local as you could get…and as we built the company, I was very adamant about not only keeping it in the Boise area but even in the Eagle area because of my background there.”

In 2017, Christensen took the company public on NASDAQ. Since then, the company has turned some of its focus to pet-care clinics.

“We provide walk-in, no-appointment-needed, minor-emergency pet care,” he said. “And our clinics pride themselves on our average ticket, which is only about $100.”

Christensen said he is especially proud of a clinic that might be familiar to many Treasure Valley residents.

“One of our most exciting locations… is located at Eagle and Fairview, inside the Walmart,” he said. “Our typical clinic, they’ll do anything from vaccines to flea

and tick medicines, those types of things. But we’ve recently added a concept around hygiene services. So, we do light grooming, dental, ears, eyes, all the things you really should be doing on a monthly basis. We do it very affordably…and that location is one of our first hygiene centers.”

R. Michael Herrman isn’t surprised that Christensen and PetIQ continue to break new ground. Herrman, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at PetIQ, joined the company in 2019.

“He’s dynamic, and he’s changing the healthcare industry space,” Herrman said of Christensen. “That’s a reflection of his personality. He’s really positioned to quickly respond to changes in the needs for pet owners and retailers.”

“Cord’s leadership has a huge gravitational force, and you feel it in every corner of this company. It permeates and inspires everybody, and it inspired me the moment I met him,” he said.

Herrman said that inspiration brings out the best in those that work at PetIQ.

“There are just some leaders that you just don’t want to let down,” Herrman said. “It’s not like, ‘Uh-oh, I’m going to get in trouble with my boss.’ No, I just never want to let Cord down. It’s OK to make mistakes in our organization and people learn from them…Cord just drives the business with results, and he cares fiercely about his people.”

“It’s pretty inspiring to work with him,” he said.

“We make over 1,000 items in three different factories, which makes us the largest producer of over-the-counter medications for pets...”

WELCOME BACK TREEFORT

Rock on at Boise’s own Treefort Music Festival, which kicks off March 22-26 with over 500 bands spread throughout downtown Boise. Whether you skate, bike, walk, shuttle, or even drive, this year’s festival promises days that are long in the best ways with bands you’ve been eyeing for awhile and plenty that are gearing up to be your new favorite. With a variety of forts to satisfy everyone, festival goers can practice yoga, bask in literature, or even play with the kids.

PHOTO BY AARON RODRIGUEZ

PHOTO BY AARON RODRIGUEZ

PHOTO BY AARON RODRIGUEZ

PHOTO BY AARON RODRIGUEZ

PHOTO BY CONNER SCHUMACHER

PHOTO BY MATTHEW WORDELL

PHOTO BY MATTHEW WORDELL

PHOTO BY MATTHEW WORDELL

PHOTO BY MAGGIE GRACE

Celebrating the Woman Named Idaho

As a Black youngster, the name Idaho Perce mesmerized me—a woman named in honor of her older sister, Ida, who died at the family’s former home in Arimo, Idaho 17 years before her birth. Idaho Thompson Purce was born in Pocatello, the daughter of professional rodeo circuit champion, homesteader, and railroad employee Tracy Thompson and his wife, Birdie.

March is Women’s History Month and the perfect time to honor an Idaho treasure and, indeed, a “phenomenal woman.” I have been inspired by this powerful, African American woman—born and raised in IDAHO—for decades.

The first time I met her, I was simply in awe. That powerful woman I’d heard so much about was warm, engaging, and open; a lovely woman who wields great power and exudes great humanity.

Mrs. Purce (in my cultural context, we DO NOT refer to our elders by their first name—it is about respect) has an approach personified in the family credo, explained Kelly Purce Braseth, Mrs. Purce’s daughter. “Ride out to meet what’s coming,” a philosophy that was visible as Mrs. Purce and her husband intricately engaged in the fight to eradicate the Aryan Nations Compound in North Idaho. From 1986 until 1998, Mrs.

Purce was part of a group of citizens from five states formed to participate in the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment. Mrs. Purce was tireless, and very public, in the fight against hate across the region, which was an inspiration to me.

Ultimately, the dissolution of the compound occurred following a successful lawsuit. The Kootenai County Task Force was awarded $6.3 million from the Aryan Nation for negligence in the supervision of guards following shots they fired after mistaking a backfire from the car as a gunshot. The judgment was in favor of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Richard Butler was forced to declare bankruptcy and sell the compound property.

Mrs. Purce is a woman of legendary accomplishments. She is a tireless, committed individual who carries forth the legacy of her mother. Birdie was a teacher who received her college education at an historically black college and charged her children to live up to their responsibility to help others who had experienced a history of denial reach their potential. Smart, strategic, well read, and personable—Idaho Purce is a woman to be reckoned with. Among other things, she is:

A wife and mother of five highly accomplished children, foster parent, tireless human rights advocate, supervisor at the Department of Employment in Pocatello, and community leader.

Member of the NAACP, AIDS Foundation, Idaho Black History Museum, Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, Kootenai County Human

BY CHERIE BUCKNER-WEBB

Rights Task Force, and Idaho Human Rights Commission.

A published author, Mrs. Perce wrote “The Triangle—A Slice of America” with Mary Sanders Watkins and Kevin R. Miles, a book that candidly identifies and details the culture and composition of a specific area of Pocatello from an earlier era (implicitly designated for occupancy by multi-ethnic communities, and immigrants—no redlining in Idaho, per se— but segregation was alive and visible).

When I first ran for the legislature, she encouraged me, gave me sage counsel, and then celebrated “our” success, reminding me of the importance to represent not only my constituents, but also our (the African American) community. I treasure every interaction.

Today, at age 96, Mrs. Purce continues to epitomize a life of purpose. Without hesitation, she confidently speaks truth to power. She is zealot for justice, an advocate for equity, a voice for civility, the epitome of integrity, and a champion for the people. To borrow from Psalm 1:3, today, she stands, “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in its season; whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever she does shall prosper.”

How, exactly? Following the end of the aforementioned court case, when the sale of the Aryan Nations North Idaho compound was complete and the former occupants vanquished, Mrs. Purce, Tony Stewart, Marilyn Schuler, and Bill Wassmuth walked the compound to survey a final time. Idaho Purce looked over the land. “I must wash the dirt from my shoes so as not to take the dirt from this place with me,” she said.

Above: Idaho Purce pictured on her way to President Obama’s second inauguration. “She had a great time,” said daughter Kellie Braseth.

Right: Idaho Purce was part of a group of citizens from five states that fought against the Aryan Nations Compound in North Idaho.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KELLIE BRASETH