Labor Day weekend often marks the end of summer. Here at Sun Valley, that’s something to reflect on and celebrate, because here there’s something to do in every season, and the closing of one opens doors for another… might be the time to start thinking about a ski tune.

Friday

8:50pm: Sun Valley on Ice. Featuring 2x United States Gold Medalist, World Bronze Medalist and Olympic Team Member, Alysa Liu and United States Gold Medalist and Olympic Bronze Medalist, Jason Brown. Grandstand and Terrace seating are still available so be sure to buy your tickets while they last!

Saturday

9am: Yoga at River Run. Classes are free and open to all skill levels. Participants are asked to bring their own mat, sunscreen, water bottle and sunglasses.

11am-6pm: Silver Car Auction. Classic vintage cars including sports, exotics, luxury, and muscle cars will all be on display for auction. You won’t want to miss it!

4pm-7pm : Sip ’n Shop. Browse through Pete Lanes, Brass Ranch, Panache, Signatures Gift Shop and more while sipping on complimentary beverages from each village location and listening to live music.

7pm: Movie on the Pavilion Lawn. Grab the family for a screening of “The Goonies” on the Pavilion lawn. Admission is free, but be sure to bring your own chairs, blankets and movie snacks!

Sunday

Pickleball Tournament. Open to all ages and skill levels, this is the perfect activity for the whole family to enjoy.

11am-6pm: Silver Car Auction. Classic vintage cars including sports, exotics, luxury, and muscle cars will all be on display for auction. You won’t want to miss it!

5:30pm: Marshall Tucker Band. See The Marshall Tucker Band with special guest Jeremy McComb performing live at the Sun Valley Pavilion. Jam out to country rock n’ roll and blues to celebrate the holiday weekend with friends and family.

Monday

Relax and recharge from the busy weekend with a scenic ride on the gondola or a spa day at Sun Valley Spa.

Since 1977, the Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands has stewarded the iconic open space.

It’s hard to imagine a gift of land that might be more meaningful and significant in Ketchum/Sun Valley, Idaho. The iconic Reinheimer Ranch, with more than 110 acres of open space and pasture lands, greets visitors as they approach Ketchum on both sides of state Highway 75. The pastures are often occupied by draft horses and wildlife—foxes, coyotes and elk in particular.

The late Eleanor Reinheimer gifted the property to the Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands in 1977. Eleanor and her husband, Howard, who hailed from New York, began visiting the Wood River Valley in the late 1930s, when Union Pacific Railroad and its Chairman Averell Harriman were just beginning to promote the area to Hollywood celebrities and New Yorkers.

The Reinheimers purchased the ranch in 1941; they often spent the entire summers in the quiet haven, especially after World War II, says Doug Bradshaw, the trustee designated by the Reinheimer Family to oversee the original 6-acre ranch house and barn property.

“They loved the Western culture,” Bradshaw says. “It became a unique and wonderful experience for them.” When Eleanor Reinheimer donated the property to the Foundation following her death in 1976, she specified in her will that she wanted the 110-acre property to be maintained in the same “natural state” that her family had enjoyed. The Foundation made sure that her wishes were fulfilled.

The scenic, pastoral property lies adjacent to the Big Wood River and the Wood River Trail, a paved bike path. The open space area owned by the Sun Valley Company on the River Run side of Bald Mountain adds to the natural setting as people drive into town.

Full Article Here

Nonprofit serves 39 countries

Hailey-based POWER Engineers has entered into a formal partnership with Engineers Without Borders, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides pro-bono engineering services to underserved communities in 39 countries around the world, including in the United States.

The partnership ensures that POWER Engineers will dedicate $25,000 per year in support and serve on the EWB corporate advisory board and work to help Power employees find volunteer opportunities in the U.S. and around the world.

“This is an incredible opportunity to use our skills for good,” said Nathan Bingham, who is POWER’s director of strategy and technology as well as Engineers Without Borders’ mountain region steering committee president. “And it’s more than our engineers—EWB is looking for a wide range of skill sets from project management to event coordination and fundraising. It’s a chance for all of our employees to help communities build success.”

Several POWER Engineers employees have volunteered for both domestic and international projects with EWB, and the POWER Engineers Foundation has previously provided funding to various university EWB chapters. Bingham said he expects both of those efforts will expand thanks to the formal partnership.

Plan calls for ARCH Community Housing Trust to Build Homes in Southern County

Blaine County commissioners have approved three resolutions to potentially provide affordable-housing units in conjunction with the Blaine County Housing Authority and ARCH Community Housing Trust.

ARCH’s plans call for building a total of six three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath homes with two-car garages. ARCH already owns three parcels of land—one that was purchased using private donations and two in Bellevue that were donated by the city—and will add the three parcels being conveyed by the county.

The federal funds will be matched by an anonymous donor at 50% and ARCH plans to secure the balance of the funding needed through donations. The homes would be rented to qualifying households at no more than 30% of adjusted gross income.

Full Story Here

Plan calls for ARCH Community Housing Trust to Build Homes in Southern County

Blaine County commissioners have approved three resolutions to potentially provide affordable-housing units in conjunction with the Blaine County Housing Authority and ARCH Community Housing Trust.

ARCH’s plans call for building a total of six three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath homes with two-car garages. ARCH already owns three parcels of land—one that was purchased using private donations and two in Bellevue that were donated by the city—and will add the three parcels being conveyed by the county.

The federal funds will be matched by an anonymous donor at 50% and ARCH plans to secure the balance of the funding needed through donations. The homes would be rented to qualifying households at no more than 30% of adjusted gross income.

Full Story Here

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Sun Valley

Fireworks and torchlit parade will ignite the sky on Christmas Eve

Sun Valley is transforming into a Winter Wonderland before our very eyes. Magical lights twinkle throughout the village. The sound of jingle bells and the smell of gingerbread float through the air.

Sun Valley spokeswoman Jenna Vagias says their series of events will fill even the biggest Scrooge with holiday cheer.

“Our family of employees at Sun Valley Resort are woven into the fabric of our community, and family-friendly events bring generations together for memory-making,” Vagias said.

The festivities continue at 7 p.m. on Dec. 17-18 at the Opera House with the Classic Christmas Concert. Tickets cost $25 and are available at the Guest Center in the Sun Valley Village, or at sunvalley.com.

“Nothing evokes the spirit of the holidays like music,” Vagias said. “Where better than the historic Sun Valley Opera House to enjoy a wonderful evening of carols old and new, storytelling, and more?”

Performers include Aly Wepplo, Andrew Alburger, Andrew Garratt, Teddy Cunningham, John Mauldin, Melodie Taylor-Mauldin, with special guests The Beverly Lovers and Colla Voce. Taylor-Mauldin directs, with R.L. Rowsey taking on the music.

Full Story Here

This 12-Acre Sun Valley Estate Starred in a Marilyn Monroe Film. Now It Can Be Yours for $16 Million.

The guest house on the property is better known as Grace’s Diner on the silver screen.

While many of the private homes that have appeared in feature films and TV shows are located in Los Angeles (obviously), that’s not always the case, as shoots often head out on location to get some authentic flavor. For the classic Marilyn Monroe movie Bus Stop, for instance, the crew shot scenes in an old general store in Idaho. That shop has since been repurposed into a guest home and is now part of a larger, contemporary estate that’s just hit the market for $16 million.

The residence is better known by Monroe fans as Grace’s Diner. In the movie, it’s where characters Beauregard Decker (played by Don Murray) and Virgil Blessing (played by Arthur O’Connell) make a pit stop on their way down to Phoenix. Since they’re taking a bus to get there, in many ways the now guest home was the titular bus stop. The duo return to the diner on their way back to Montana after meeting Monroe, who plays Cherie, a singer.

Full Article Here

Did your favorite make the list?

It’s that time of the year again, when SKI releases the results of our annual Reader Resort Survey ranking the top ski resorts in North America. And after the pandemic season we all made it through, it was anyone’s guess which resorts were going to come out on top. In the West, where travel was less restricted, many of you said that you made most, if not all, of your typical ski trips—aside from Canada, as borders were closed. That said, we did see a bump in responses for smaller, independent resorts, and more appreciative comments about them, as well.

Not surprisingly, the West’s biggest resorts bore the brunt of the frustration from readers, with comments about interminably long lift lines and packed slopes dominating the responses this year. Readers both lamented the loss of skiing’s softer side—limited access to the dining and après facilities, less camaraderie after a day on the slopes—and celebrated just skiing without all the bells and whistles. While we anticipate a return to normalcy at ski areas this winter, we acknowledge that the pandemic changed how we ski at the resorts—and that some of us are opting not to, with a newfound love of backcountry skiing.

Whatever the coming season will look like for you, we hope you can use these rankings to inform your vacation choices. As one wise reader wrote, “There is no one resort that ‘has it all’. People need to decide what’s important to them.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

1. Sun Valley Resort, Idaho

Overall Score: 8.91
Strengths: Grooming, Service
Weaknesses: Access, Snow

What Readers Say

“Sun Valley is just magical. The village and the Lodge can’t be topped. The mountain is perfectly maintained and has perfect pitch on every run. The history makes it fun to be a part of. The Holding family are supreme stewards of this jewel. “