Nominations open for Brightest Stars
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and First Lady Lori Otter are seeking nominations for the governor's Brightest Star Awards program, which recognizes active civic engagement by individuals, students, organizations, schools, small businesses and corporations. The awards program is administered by Serve Idaho, a division of the Idaho Department of Labor.
To nominate outstanding volunteers in the six categories, forms are available online at the Serve Idaho Web site at www.serveidaho.org. Deadline is Oct. 5. Panels of Idaho citizens will review the nominations, and the governor and Mrs. Otter will select a grand prize winner in each category. An awards ceremony is set for Nov. 10 at Boise State University.
For more information, call Kelly Houston Staskey at (208) 332-3578 or (800) 588-3334 within Idaho.
Shape up before the snow flies
People can sign up now for Nordic dryland training sponsored by the Blaine County Recreation District. Instructors Tessa Westbrook and EJ Harpham will help participants develop techniques, muscles and knowledge specific to the Nordic skier.
Classes are offered Tuesdays, Oct. 6 through Nov. 17, from 5:15-6:15 p.m. or Thursdays, Oct. 8 through Nov. 19, from noon to 1 p.m.
Classes meet at the Community Campus South Fields in Hailey. Seven classes are $65 or $10 per class.
Each student will get a chance to win a BCRD Nordic Trails season pass.
Register at the rec district office at the Community Campus. Call 788-2117 for more information or go to bcrd.org to download a registration form.
Autocross at the airport
An autocross competition will be held at Freidman Memorial Airport on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The course will be set with traffic cones on the asphalt where airplanes are parked and tied down. All that is needed is a car and a driver's license. Anyone under 18 years old will need both legal parents to sign a release at the event.
Course walking will begin at 7 a.m. Sign-up will begin at 8 a.m. and close at 9 a.m. A drivers' meeting will be held about 9:30 a.m. The first car will start about 10:30 a.m.
Everyone will get four morning runs followed by a lunch break. After lunch everything is repeated with four more runs for each driver. Only each competitor's fastest run counts.
The competition is sponsored by Atlantic Aviation, the Hailey Chamber of Commerce and the Snake River Sports Car Club of America.
For information, contact Chuck Christopher at 788-1414 or chuckinketchum@aol.com
Digital mammography lecture set
People can learn about the new Women's Imaging Center at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center on Thursday, Oct. 1, from 12:15-1:15 p.m.
Radiologist Dr. Michael Citrone will explain the advantages to patients of digital technology and will take participants on a tour of the facility on the second floor of St. Luke's Physicians' Office Annex.
The center was funded by donations from the community.
For more information, call 727-8733.
Depression screenings offered
St. Luke's Center for Community Health is offering free one-hour screenings for anyone who thinks they may be suffering from depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety or posttraumatic stress.
The screenings are part of the National Depression Screening program.
They will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Call 727-8733 for an appointment.
Fire season isn't over yet
Two recent fires serve as a reminder that hunters, hikers and campers still need to be vigilant when using fire outdoors. The fires, one out Eagle Creek on Sept. 24 and the other near the Yankee Fork on Sept. 27 were both human-caused but accidental.
"We are looking at some of the driest conditions of the year," said Ketchum District Ranger Kurt Nelson.
The Forest Serve reported that the Eagle Creek fire burned one-eighth to one-quarter of an acre and was quickly brought under control. No structures were damaged and no one was injured.
The Yankee Fork fire is believed to have been caused by a failure in a power line.
Nelson said he expects fire conditions to improve as temperatures drop and humidity increases this week.
Carey leads 'Bike to School' event
Carey School led other schools in Blaine County with 39 percent participation in last week's "Walk or Bike to School Day."
Mountain Rides Transportation Authority reported that more than 350 students participated in the event. Woodside Elementary had 21 percent participation, Hailey Elementary 19 percent, Bellevue and Hemingway elementary schools 13 percent each and Wood River Middle School 11 percent.
BLM plans controlled burn
If favorable weather conditions prevail, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will conduct a prescribed fire over 300 acres of timber in the Martin Canyon area east of Bellevue sometime this month.
"The main purpose is to reduce the risk of large catastrophic wildfire in the Martin/Muldoon Canyon area," said Brandon Brown, Twin Falls District fire use specialist. "The burn will clean up timber stands of Douglas fir and aspen that were previously logged. This will help enhance wildlife habitat, promote aspen regeneration and improve watershed conditions."
The prescribed fire is expected to take two to three days, with an additional two to three days for monitoring and patrolling the area after the fire has taken place. During the burning period, there may be residual smoke settling in the Wood River Valley before the smoke lifts and moves to the east.
For more information, contact Brandon Brown or Michael Aoi of the Twin Falls District at (208) 732-7200.
Dinner to benefit Historical Society
The Ketchum-Sun Valley Historical Society will conduct a raffle drawing for a "sheep wagon dinner" on Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Ketchum Historical Society Heritage & Ski Museum.
A dinner for two will be hosted by Forrest Hymas and served in a restored sheep wagon.
All proceeds will benefit the society and museum. Participants do not have to be present to win.
Tickets are $10 and six for $50. Visit the museum to buy tickets or call 726-8118.
St. Luke's Yak! to lead workshop
St. Luke's Yak! "Be the Change" Diversity Dramatist Troupe will travel to "The Changing Faces of Idaho" Diversity and Inclusion Symposium in Boise to perform two workshops on local diversity issues on Thursday, Oct. 1.
The conference will be presented by the Idaho Inclusiveness Coalition and will provide information on how schools, businesses and communities benefit from understanding diversity.
Center announces winter series
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts will sell bundled and individual tickets for its winter performance series beginning Thursday, Oct. 1, at 9 a.m.
The series will include hip-hop musician Christylez Bacon on Saturday, Nov. 7, followed by dynamic gospel music from The Campbell Brothers on Saturday, Dec. 12. Modern Indian dance by Ragamala Dance will take place in Hailey on Friday, Jan. 15. On Saturday, Jan. 23, the Hot Club of San Francisco will perform swing. The series will wrap up on Friday, March 26, with Sweet Plantain, a Latin-influenced string quartet.
In addition, "A Mid-winter Cabaret" with jazz and blues singer Catherine Russell will take place on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the NexStage Theatre.
For details, call 726-9491 or visit sunvalleycenter.org.
Shelter holds feline adoption special
The Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley will give a 50 percent discount on cat adoptions through November. Felines for adoption can be viewed online at animalshelterwrv.org or in person at the shelter, located on 100 Croy Creek Road, west of Hailey.
The shelter is open Tuesdays through Sundays.
For details, call 788-4351.
Y offers family membership discount
The Wood River Community YMCA in Ketchum will offer a special family membership for a youth membership rate starting Thursday, Oct. 1, through the end of December.
A family with one child will pay $21 a month and a family with two children will pay $42 a month. To take advantage of the rate, families need to set up a membership between Oct. 1 and Nov. 7.
For details, call 727-9622 or visit WoodRiverYMCA.org.
Boise event to support Expedition Inspiration
The Ketchum-based Expedition Inspiration Fund For Breast Cancer Research will sponsor an event called "Be Inspired To Find a Cure for Breast Cancer" on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Riverside Hotel in Boise.
The event will honor Boise physician Dr. Brenda Williams and will raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.
The event is free to breast cancer survivors who register and $30 to the general public. Funds raised will support the 2010 Laura Evans Breast Cancer Symposium in Sun Valley.
For details, call (866) 319-6456 or e-mail ei@expeditioninspiration.org.
