Hooked on the holiday
Memorial Day weekend encompasses lots of meanings and traditions to lots of people. It’s a federal holiday falling on the last Monday in May to remember soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. It’s also the unofficial kick-start of summer and a long weekend to camp, fish, attend festivals and spend some quality time with family. Clockwise from top: The Hanson, Triplett, Hambacker, Tittsworth, Wankes, Matson and Strickland families from Boise have created a tradition of camping somewhere close to home over the holiday weekend. They like the Wood River Campground, 10 miles north of Ketchum, and came back again this year. Ketchum policemen Nate Taylor, left, and Skip Liddle help 8-year-old Madilyn Whitesell get over a ramp safely at the Ketchum Police Bike Rodeo held at the YMCA parking lot Saturday, in collaboration with Higher Ground Sun Valley. Approximately 50 kids participated in the event. The Police Department’s bike safety officer, Sgt. Dave Kassner, is passionate about youth bike safety. “It’s really important that the kids know how to safely handle their bikes in traffic,” he said. “We’ve given helmets away for the past five years and that’s a big deal, to get helmets on as many kids as possible.” The Sun Valley Wellness Festival’s keynote speaker Diana Nyad chats with festival board Chairman Nick Maricich before her speech Friday at Sun Valley Resort. After almost making the U.S. Olympic team as a swimmer, Nyad earned fame as perhaps the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world. She stopped swimming at age 30 and became a prominent sports broadcaster. Friend Christopher Reeve challenged her at age 60 by asking her if she was living her life as she preached to others by chasing dreams and executing daily functions to the absolute best of her abilities. She started swimming again to chase her lifetime dream of swimming 110 miles from Cuba to the United States. After failing four times, she finally attained her goal last September. The 2014 fishing season officially started in streams and rivers Saturday, as an angler successfully demonstrates at Silver Creek.
Express photo by Willy Cook |
