Snow Adventure Day readied at the SNRA
Two days of free activities for the whole family including free snowshoe tours at North Fork (snow permitting) will be offered at the Sawtooth National Recreation Headquarters visitor center north of Ketchum on Saturday, March 24, and Tuesday, March 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Learn about winter ecology, perform snow science experiments, watch a winter wildlife puppet show, join a scavenger hunt, learn tracking skills, make crafts, hike and drink hot chocolate.
Snowshoe hikes will be held at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. both days. All ages are invited. Registration required for snowshoe hikes only.
Call 727-5000 for more information.
Enjoy free play reading at nexStage
An outstanding cast is set to read "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," a dark and comic play by the writer of "In Bruges" on Tuesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. at the nexStage Theatre on Main Street in Ketchum.
On a lonely road on the island of Inishmore, Ireland, someone killed an Irish Liberation Army enforcer's cat. He'll want to know who when he gets back from a stint of torture and chip shop bombing in Northern Ireland. He loves his cat more than life itself, and someone is going to pay.
Martin McDonagh is considered Ireland's preeminent playwright and is best known for his play "The Pillowman" and as the writer and director of the film "In Bruges."
The cast for the nextStage production includes Scott Creighton, Will Hemmings, Charlotte Hemmings, Dawson Howard, Andrew Alburger, Steve d'Smith and Ben Flandro under the direction of Jon Kane.
Complimentary refreshments will be served in the lobby before the show.
Catch 'Phantom of the Opera' at the library
The Sun Valley Opera will host a showing of "Phantom of the Opera" at the Community Library in Ketchum on Wednesday, March 28, at 6 p.m.
The film is of the Royal Albert Hall 25th anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.
Opening at Her Majesty's Theatre in London on Sept. 27, 1987, followed by its opening at the Majestic Theatre in New York on Jan. 9, 1988, the musical became Broadway's longest-running show ever when it overtook the record, set by "Cats," with its 7,486th performance on Jan. 6, 2006. It is estimated that "Phantom" has been seen by more than 100 million people worldwide and played in no fewer than 14 languages.
The event at the Community Library is free to the public.
Artful diversion for spring breakers
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts is offering a week of artful fun at the Spring Break Color Explosion Art Camp in Hailey.
Students will learn about the color wheel, tints and shades and color symbolism. With color as the focus, kids will try a different medium every day, from paint and pastels to glue, wire and modeling clay.
Spring Break Color Explosion Art Camp is taught by Danica Mattias and features separate three-hour sessions for first through third grades and for fourth and fifth grades, so there's still time each day for outdoor fun and play dates with friends.
Camps meet Monday through Friday, March 26--30 at The Center in Hailey. Class meets from 9 a.m. to noon for first through third grades and from 2-5 p.m. for fourth and fifth grades.
Cost is $50 members/$65 nonmembers. Register at www.sunvalleycenter.org or call 726-9491, ext. 10.
Idaho historical photos on display in Hailey
Also at The Center's Hailey site is "Wide Open Spaces: Panoramic Photos of Idaho, 1900--1940," an exhibition featuring 28 rare panoramic photographs from two distinct historical collections. Images of Boise, Nampa, Twin Falls, Hailey and other Idaho locales such as Shoshone Falls and the Black Canyon Dam give viewers a sense of the way these places have grown and changed over the last century.
"Wide Open Spaces" is part of a larger multidisciplinary project called "Urban Lifecycles," which explores the lifecycles of cities through visual arts exhibitions in Ketchum and Hailey.
For details on all "Urban Lifecycles" events, visit www.sunvalleycenter.org or call 726.9491 ext. 10.
The Center in Hailey is at 314 S. Second Ave., at the corner of Pine and Second. Hours are Wednesday through Friday from 2--6 p.m. Admission is free.
Apply now for Spanish Institute scholarships
The application deadline for scholarships for the 2012 Sun Valley Summer Spanish Institute as well as registration is April 2.
The College of Southern Idaho's institute is a week-long language-immersion program for adults. This year it convenes June 11-15 at the Community Campus in Hailey.
The course includes intensive morning academic classes in levels appropriate for rank beginners to more advanced students. Each afternoon consists of cultural workshops on a wide range of topics, including the Mexican quinceañera tradition, the history of Spain, Latin American literature and the cultural history of tequila.
More information about the institute, including scholarship application and registration information, is available online at www.csi.edu/blaine or by calling the CSI Blaine County Campus at 788-2033.
Ketchum photographer honored
A photograph by Ketchum photographer Marybeth Flower received a merit award in the April issue of B&W + Color Magazine. The image was shot last October at Caspian Lake near Greensboro,Vt., taken just before sunrise.
"I think of my work as painting with my camera," Flower said. "The more painterly my work looks, the happier I am. I take thousands of photos before I print one. I often print my photographs on watercolor paper. I like the way the watercolor paper absorbs the pigment."
Flower, along with husband Joe Bauwens, is the author and photographer of the award-winning book, "Piazza: Italy's Heart & Soul," which in 2007 was judged the Best Coffee Table Book of the Year by the Independent Publishers group.