Ketchum ranks high for art
ArtPlace, a grant-awarding collaboration of foundations and banks, has ranked Ketchum among the most arts-centric small towns in the U.S.
A recent ArtPlace news release lists Ketchum, along with 11 other towns with a population of 100,000 or less, as those with the highest per-capita numbers of arts-related nonprofits, arts-related businesses and people working in creative occupations.
“The city of Ketchum’s commitment to art and creativity is demonstrated in the receipt of this prestigious recognition by ArtPlace, an award that is the result of hard work by many, including the Gallery Association and Ketchum Arts Commission,” Mayor Randy Hall said. “We’re proud to be listed among the 12 communities and will continue to celebrate the rich culture that makes Ketchum unique.”
The release also states that the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Ketchum is a “hub of arts activity,” with its five contemporary arts exhibitions per year, wide range of multidisciplinary projects and popular arts and crafts festival in August.
Other cities selected include Crested Butte, Colo., Eureka Springs, Ark., Marfa, Texas, and Taos, N.M.
St. Luke’s foundation gets grant
The St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation has been awarded a grant from the Idaho affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure for its project to provide breast cancer screening for uninsured and underinsured women 25 and older.
In August 2009, community generosity built and equipped a state-of-the-art Women’s Imaging Center, which comprehensively addresses breast care and women’s health. Since the center opened, 299 women have received free breast care services through previous grants from Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
For more information on the program, call 208-381-2095 or 800-720-1478. To schedule a mammography appointment at St. Luke’s Wood River, call 727-8238.
Mayor congratulates athletes
Sun Valley Mayor Dewayne Briscoe has commended two young athletes from the town for impressive results in recent high-level competitions.
At a City Council meeting on Thursday, April 4, he congratulated hockey player Hilary Knight, 23, and freestyle skier Sophia Schwartz, 22, for “bringing international recognition to Sun Valley.”
Knight, who plays for the Boston Blades in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, was named the league’s Most Valuable Player on March 20. She’s the first American-born MVP in the league’s six seasons. The Blades won the Clarkson Cup on March 23 in Markham, Ontario, to become the league’s champion.
Schwartz, who skis for Steamboat Springs (Colo.) Winter Sports Club, won her first-ever U.S. Championship title—in women’s dual moguls—on March 30 in Heavenly, Calif. The former Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Freestyle Team skier did a back full on the top jump and a back lay on the bottom to win the gold.
“I think that means she spent most of her time upside down,” Briscoe said at the meeting.
Valley student wins writing award
Hemingway Elementary School student Emma Madsen won third place in the Youth Division of Idaho magazine’s fiction writer’s contest.
According to a newss release, the story, titled “The Three Girls of the Lost Keys,” used Bald Mountain and Hemingway Elementary School as settings. It was written when Emma was 10. The first-place award went to a 17-year-old and the second-place award to a ninth-grader.
The press release states that Emma moved to the Wood River Valley last summer from Twin Falls “because of her love for skiing. When she is not skiing she is reading and writing.”
Recycle to help arts in Hailey
Hailey artist Bob Wiederrick is expanding his recycling program to raise money for the Hailey Arts Commission. He has generated more than $1,000 over the past year recycling aluminum cans at his metal working shop at 4051 Glenbrook Dr. in the Woodside light industrial subdivision.
Starting this week he will also take electronic items, including computer towers, servers, printers (without ink cartridges), laptops, cell phones, keyboards and mice, and power cords and connectors.
Items can be dropped off at any time in a marked collection bin outside Wiedderick’s shop. No TVs, microwave ovens or computer monitors will be accepted.
The items will be transported to a recycle center in Twin Falls and sold. Proceeds generated will be passed on to the Hailey Arts Commission for use in creating public art murals and sculptures.
Event to honor Bowe Bergdahl
A Bring Bowe Home event will be held at Hop Porter Park in Hailey on Saturday, June 22, from 1-5 p.m. It will feature live music from Paddy Wagon and Up a Creek, food and beverages from Sun Valley Brewery, ice cream from Toni’s, activities for children, a raffle and a tree dedication ceremony with guest speakers.
“This is wonderful opportunity to show our support for not only Bowe, but the entire Bergdahl family,” said event coordinator Debbie O’Neill.
Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. He is the only known American POW. The Bergdahl family are longtime residents of the Wood River Valley.
Four trees will be planted, one for each year Bowe has been held so far.
O’Neill said she expects between 1,000 and 2,000 people, including many POW/MIA groups, to attend.
Prior to the event will be a 5K run hosted by Boulder Mountain Cross Fit. It will start at 10 a.m. at Hop Porter Park. All levels are welcome.
For more information, contact Debbie O’Neill at (208) 450-9687 or Stefanie O’Neill at 721-8884.
Forest Service permit requested for mountain bike races
The U.S. Forest Service and BLM are proposing to issue a permit to the Sun Valley Marketing Alliance to hold the 2013 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships and portions of the Ride Sun Valley Fat Tire Festival on Bald Mountain and Adams Gulch trails.
Competition would start with the Super Enduro on Saturday, June 29, and Sunday, June 30, on Bald Mountain trails. Competition would be limited to 250 riders.
The USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships and Ride Sun Valley Cross Country Race would be held Saturday, July 6, beginning in downtown Ketchum then using the Adams Gulch, Heidleberg Hill, Shadyside, Eve’s Gulch, and West Fork Warm Springs trails to Warm Springs Road.
The Marathon National Championships would require two laps around Bald Mountain and be limited to 500 riders, while the Ride Sun Valley Cross Country Race would make one lap and be limited to 250 riders.
Up to 2,000 spectators are expected to watch the event. Trails would be closed to public use on race days.
The event’s proposed operating plan, including maps of the race courses, is available at the Ketchum Ranger Station, 206 Sun Valley Road. A 30-day comment period for the proposal ends May 8.
Comments should be sent to Ketchum Ranger District, Box 2356, Ketchum, ID 83340, attn: Joe Miczulski. Comments can also be emailed to HYPERLINK "mailto:comments-intermtn-sawtooth-ketchum@fs.fed.us" comments-intermtn-sawtooth-ketchum@fs.fed.us.
Hospital wins award for diabetes care
St. Luke’s Wood River has received recognition for its diabetes care improvement project from Qualis Health, a Seattle, Wash.,-based national health care consulting and care management firm.
Qualis presented the hospital with an Idaho Award of Excellence in Healthcare Quality at a ceremony in Boise on April 4. Three other Idaho health care organizations received Awards of Excellence at the ceremony.
According to a hospital news release, local providers were not meeting American Diabetes Association standards of care before the hospital “committed to address the problem.” The release states that the hospital partnered with St. Luke’s Family Medicine Clinic in Hailey and St. Luke’s Center for Community Health, located in the Hailey clinic, to do so. Hospital spokeswoman Jenny King said the partners began seeking funding sources in 2010 to tackle the issue.
In 2011, the partners applied for an Idaho Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program grant. FLEX awarded the hospital $23,000 to use in 2012. According to the release, the partners used the money to improve diabetes care, diagnosis and self-management resources in the valley, including better treatment and education for the pediatric population.
Deadline approaches for studded tires
Studded snow tires must be removed on vehicles in Idaho before May 1. A ticket for noncompliance carries a fine of $67.
In Oregon, studies have concluded that studded tires cause at least $40 million damage each year on roads. Washington State DOT estimates the cost at $17.8 million to $27.3 million in wear annually.
Alcohol awareness events planned
Idaho Drug Free Youth, a component of the Blaine County Drug Coalition composed of high school and middle school students, is putting on a “reality party” for adults on Friday, April 19, as part of Alcohol Awareness Month.
Students will lead adults through a party scene that expresses the dangers of drinking. There will also be a panel of community members who will discuss some of the facts of underage drinking.
The half-hour tours will begin at 5 p.m. and the last tour will start at 7:30 p.m. To reserve a tour and get directions to the event, contact Julie Carney at HYPERLINK "mailto:jcarney@blaineschools.org" jcarney@blaineschools.org or 578-5027.
Another event, at Wood River High School on Friday, April 26, will inform students about what they can do should they find themselves in a situation with alcohol and what they can do to help others who are intoxicated.
For more information, contact Chris Koch at 578-5020 or Raul Vandenberg at 578-5030, or go to www.idahodrugfreeyouth.org.
