In a near-unanimous show of support, voters in Ketchum and Sun Valley overwhelmingly said yes to a local option tax on liquor-by-the-drink, and on hotel-motel accommodations. Between the two cities, the vote was 349 in favor, 39 opposed. Sun Valley gave the tax proposal a 96% majority.

The first stage of a landscaping project at Ketchum’s Atkinson Park was completed with the planting of six mountain ash and six crabapple trees behind the center field fence of the park’s softball field. A $1,900 donation from Don and Stan Atkinson started the project. Those who helped included Art Hall and Ed Sinnott of Clearwater Landscaping, who donated their equipment and labor to plant the trees; Jerry Hoadley, who donated his backhoe to dig the holes for the trees; and Ron Adams, who staked out the tree locations.

Continuing for yet another week was the Ketchum Drug & Gift Center Emergency Price Busting, Inventory Adjustment, All-Out Disposal Sale.

About 80 tennis players turned out for the second annual Triple "P" mixed doubles tournament at The Ranch courts. Triple "P" stands for Pudge, Pear and Priday, the nicknames for organizers Doug Brown, Kevin Laird and Cloe Priday. Earning the non-participant prizes for "Worst Players" were Robin Bosworth and Phil Hoene. "Most Generous" was Joe Benz. "Best Dressed" were Doctor Cha Cha and Jane Lightbody.

The Idaho Board of Highway Commissioners approved the design of a replacement for the 20-foot-wide, 44-year-old steel bridge spanning the Big Wood River just south of Ketchum. Most of the right-of-way for the new 40-foot-wide bridge would be purchased from Helen Fassett. Construction was due to begin in the summer of 1979.

Those runners who completed their third consecutive Ketchum Ten Mile Run Oct. 7 were Bob Rosso, winner Monte Brothwell, Floyd Town, Jim Speck, Bob Shay Sr., Alan Pennay, Malcolm Graham, Craig Sorenson, Amos Galpin, Steve Cook, Gary Steinbach, Bob Shay Jr., David Lister, Peter Allen, Richard Anderson, Dick Kolbrener, Tom Pomeroy, Candace Kane and Phil Puchner.

The Sun Valley Junior Hockey program entered its second year of operation when coaches Alex Orb and Phil Hoene met with about 30 youngsters at Ketchum’s Atkinson Park. At a recent parent meeting, the program’s organizers said registration fees would increase from $75 per player to $120 per player. The increase was necessary in part because ice time expenses at the Sun Valley rink had increased from $30 per hour to $35 per hour. The $7,494 budget for the inaugural season of 1977-78 had been comprised mostly of ice time expenses, a total $6,525. A total 65 kids had participated in the first year.

Investors and their agents gathered on an Elkhorn hillside on a Saturday morning to participate in the first real estate "lottery" ever held in Idaho. The lottery was used as a method to sell 14 Meadowbridge Subdivision lots. All were sold to the first 14 names drawn from the pot by Ketchum accountant Edgar Newstadt. In the final draw, half the lots went to Californians and four went to Blaine County residents. It appeared all the lots had been bought for speculative purposes.

The top-ranked Buhl Indians (7-0) extended their football winning streak to 29 games over three seasons with a 62-0 thrashing of the Wood River High School Wolverines, at Buhl’s Bowers Field. Leading Buhl’s single-wing offense was junior running back Maark Schaal, who ran for four touchdowns covering 106 yards.

Playing at Sun Valley Opera House: "Semi-Tough" starring Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson; playing at Magic Lantern Cinema was "Saturday Night Fever"; on the Liberty Theater screen was "Grease."

Jess Groves, developer of the proposed Northridge housing project just north of Hailey, launched an attempt to develop 393 units on 100 acres of land. He requested that the city of Hailey annex the project, which caused the city council to authorize a comprehensive survey of Hailey’s water supply capacity. Groves’ Northridge was one of several subdivisions putting serious development pressures on sleepy Hailey.

In the rehearsal stage was Laughing Stock Theater Company’s production of "The Sunshine Boys," slated for performance Nov. 3-4 at Sun Valley Opera House. Directed by Kathy Wygle, the ode to vaudeville comedy starred Rick Kessler, John Pisano and Rick Hill.

The Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities relinquished its lease on the Sun Valley Opera House—citing financial losses sustained by the Center in its three-year operation of the Opera House. According to Center director Dave Griffith, the Center had hoped that receipts from the commercial movie operation at the Opera House would subsidize the deficits normally experienced in performing arts presentations. However, the Center experienced a $20,000 loss each year on the movie theater’s operation in addition to losses of $8,000 to $14,000 each year on live performances. The upshot: Sun Valley Co. agreed informally to allow the Center free use of the Opera House for about 15 to 20 nights during the winter and summer seasons.

Running for the District 21 State Senate two-year seat were Democratic incumbent John "Jock" Bell and, in his first bid for state office, Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Maurice Ellsworth. A native of Blaine County, reared in Muldoon, Bell was a farmer and ex-food processor in Rupert. His accomplishments included spearheading the Senate drive to get the local option tax bill onto the floor. Ellsworth, a native of Arizona who moved to Idaho with his family in 1962, attended high school in Hailey and went to Arizona State University for his bachelor and law degrees. Ellsworth said he was confident of the Republican party’s efforts to achieve tax reform in 1979, and he said he believed that the size of state government should be reduced.