The name Janss may have only a vague familiarity to thousands of newcomers and visitors who have enjoyed the valley's bouquet of year-round cultural activities.
But the name is inseparable from the valley's two most important iconic activities, recreation and arts. The late Bill Janss was a former owner of the Sun Valley Resort, and his widow, Glenn Janss, is the acknowledged lightning bolt that ignited the arts and culture boom in the Wood River Valley.
This still-energetic 70ish Glenn Janss will be honored Labor Day weekend as grand marshal of the Wagon Days Parade, a tribute bestowed on fewer than 50 others in the history of this popular Western regional event.
Her petite size is deceiving. Glenn Janss is regarded as a giant among benefactors who have transformed the valley from a one-industry community—skiing—into a respected new arts and culture center with a growing national reputation.
In a vivid confirmation of the aphorism "Tall oaks from little acorns grow," the Janss culture phenomenon began with small ceramics and photography classes more than 35 years ago. They stirred dormant community energies to create an important cultural center in the valley with the founding of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts.
Glenn Janss' brick-by-brick work for more than three decades has resulted in plans for a spectacular new 42,000-square-foot arts center in Ketchum.
Rare, indeed, is another of Glenn Janss' achievements: She's a true pioneer whose amazing contributions have been certified and firmly recorded in valley history during her lifetime.
