Christie Porter, Author at Salt Lake Magazine • Page 21 of 23

Jun 01

Your Guide to Pride Week

By Christie Porter Community

The Utah Pride Center’s Pride Week (June 1-7) is here. We’ve never had a Pride like this before and probably never will again. While we’ll miss the raucous celebration of summer loving that takes over downtown with its parade and festival, this year’s events provide an opportunity to reflect on and explore LGBTQ+ stories and identity.

Pride Story Garden

The Story Garden, a maze-like art experience at Washington Square, is wholly unique to this year’s Pride. Artist Caitlyn Barhorst is making one of the sculpture’s for the Story Garden. The statue is of a butterfly, about four or five feet wide, made of reclaimed wood, with a bench at its base. “Someone can sit on the bench in front of it to take a picture with the wings behind them,” says Barhorst.

Artist Caitlyn Barhorst builds sculpture for Utah Pride Week's Story Garden (photo credit: Hanna Walter) — *_{Artist Caitlyn Barhorst builds sculpture for Utah Pride Week’s Story Garden (photo credit: Hanna Walter)}*

Butterflies have long had symbolic meaning for those who have come out as LGBTQ+, and Barhorst hopes their choice of materials helps translate that meaning. “This lumber that was otherwise at the end of its life has found a new function in a sculptural piece,” they say. Reclaimed wood features heavily in Barhorst’s other work as well, influenced by their master’s degree in historic preservation. “I just relate to it a lot better—of having that sort of story. The pieces have this history. You might not actually know where these things have been and what might have happened in their life.”

It doesn’t hurt that recycling materials is also a little more eco-friendly.

For Barhorst, an introvert, the Story Garden offers an opportunity to participate in Pride in a way that is more their speed than a big parade might be. “I think making this garden piece is more along my personal interest in what I enjoy doing,” they say. And, with a Pride Week unlike any other, more people are finding new ways to take part. “It’s an opportunity to have community, connection and understanding. It’s a time to be a part of the places we live and share stories with people who might not live it day to day,” says Barhorst.

The Story Garden will provide the opportunity to tell those stories in a new way. “I’m excited to see what it is going to be like,” says Barhorst. “I think it will bring a calming kind of joy. Sculptural gardens are intended to be a reflective type experience.”

Barhorst’s work is on Instagram @alabasterandstone, and they have a pop up event at the Madewell in City Creek on June 15. You can also see them at Craft Lake City in August.

The Story Garden opens Thursday, June 3 and runs through Monday, June 7 at Washington Square.

The 200 ft. rainbow Pride flag held by the crowd during previous Utah Pride Parades — *_{The 200-foot rainbow Pride flag held by the crowd during previous Utah Pride Parades}*

Back to Roots

In a year with an onslaught of legislation targeting LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender members of the community, Pride is returning to its protest roots this year. The Rainbow March and Rally will be one of the focal points of Pride Week. The rally will begin at the Utah State Capitol on Sunday, June 6 at 10 a.m. The march will take place after the rally, carrying the 200-foot rainbow flag down State Street through rainbow colored balloon arches, which will join together to create a massive balloon arch with over 1000 balloons. The march will take a turn heading East on 9th Street and end at Liberty Park.

Utah Pride Week 2021 Rainbow March and Rally Map — *_{Utah Pride Week 2021 Rainbow March and Rally map}*

A staple from previous years as well, the Pride Interfaith Service is a virtual event where many faiths and traditions come together to celebrate and unite for a service of song, prayer and inspiration. It starts at 7 a.m. on June 2, with special guest speaker Angie Rice. You’ll need to register to receive access to the Zoom event.

Keep the Party Going

There won’t be any food vendors at this year’s Pride events, so, instead, brunch or lunch at one of restaurants supporting Pride this year by offering discounts to Story Garden attendees. While downtown, you can check out Handle Salt Lake or Green Pig Pub for a meal and get dessert at Doki Doki. Or, skip down to the lower 9th neighborhood for lunch at Laziz Kitchen or Proper Burger.

If you don’t want the party to stop, keep it going with a beer or cocktail and dancing at one of Salt Lake City’s gay bars. Starting the weekend of June 6, Sun Trapp is holding a Wet & Wild Party every Friday and Saturday. Club Try-Angles has Pride-centered events happening all week.

Maybe a drag show is more your thing. If so, you can usually catch your fill of fabulous at venues like The Urban Lounge, which is hosting a Pride Party on June 3, or Metro Music Hall, with its parade of drag shows. The Loading Dock is also hosting a Pride Kick-Off party on June 3, so partying all night is definitely still an option, whether there is a festival this year or not.

Tickets for the Story Garden can be purchased online at utahpridecenter.org along with more information on official Pride Week events.

May 28

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Street Performers Tumble into SLC for Busker Fest

By Christie Porter Arts & Culture

A festival is happening in Salt Lake City this weekend, one that honors the ancient and noble art of street performing. The third annual Busker Fest will feature a number of performers—we’re talking musicians, dancers, jugglers, acrobats and comedians—to the delight of crowds throughout the evening.

slc busker fest performer — *_{Street performers in Downtown Salt Lake City at Busker Fest; See a full list of this year’s featured performers}*

Busking itself has been around a while. People have been performing in public spaces for the donations and adoration of a crowd since we had public spaces to do it in. For those who do it, busking has a certain mystique, that…je ne sais quoi.

Marcus Wilson is a local stunt performer and comedian performing at the festival who has been busking on and off for years. “There’s something about it that I really like,” he says. “That you can go out onto the street and, at first, people are like ‘what’s wrong with this guy,’ but, by the end of it, there’s a few hundred people cheering.”

marcus wilson busker fest street performer jugglers while balancing on a platform — *_{Marcus Wilso}*_n,*_{a funny man who does tricks}*

In addition to busking, Wilson engages in other forms of performance, but busking is his favorite. And it’s quite unlike any other kind of performing. “When you’re at a comedy club or venue, the audience has paid to be there, so they will sit in the chair and watch you no matter what,” he says. “If you’re on the street, you have to do something entertaining enough to make people stop. You have to build the crowd up.”

The art of building a crowd is often what separates a novice busker from a master. Wilson’s first foray into busking came when he was hired to perform at an event in Detroit. He went first of the street performers, going through the motions of his juggling routine. “I had a crowd of 10 or 15.,” remembers Wilson. “Not that exciting.” Then the next performer came out. He started doing his act and apparently knew how to gather a crowd. Before he was done, he’d attracted a crowd of a few hundred people. “That’s where I got my education,” Wilson says. “I learned there was more to it than just the performing.”

“It’s not something that everyone can do. There’s a formula,” Wilson says. “Building the crowd and passing the hat—it’s a different skill set. There are a lot of good performers that nevertheless could not succeed on the street.”

*_{Marcus Wilson performs for a crowd in downtown Salt Lake City}*

Wilson himself started in the party racket. He used to dress up as a Power Ranger and perform at birthday parties, during which time he started to nail down his “comedy juggling stunt show.” He also practiced in comedy clubs, eventually honing a show that features jokes, feats of balance and the juggling of knives, bowling balls and other potentially lethal objects.

When he made it to the street, Wilson traveled all over to busk, doing circle shows along the California coast from Venice Beach and San Diego to Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, there are not many opportunities to practice the art here at home. Salt Lake City is lacking the two main ingredients for regular, successful busking: “room and people,” Wilson says. “There isn’t really a spot on public property with room and crowds of people coming through on an everyday basis.”

SLC Busker Fest map — *_{Map of Busker Fest performance locations during Open Streets}*

That is where Busker Fest comes in. It helps provide the space—by shutting down streets to traffic—and drawing the crowds with partnerships like the one with Open Streets SLC.

Through May 29, Main Street will be open only to foot traffic for Busker Fest and Open Streets (with pop-up busker events continuing throughout June). The event is free to members of the public of all ages, but you should bring cash to show your appreciation and support for the performers. “If you watched the show and you enjoyed it, the performer has provided a service to you. They’re not doing nothing. They’ve put a lot of time and effort into it,” Wilson says.

We have your guide to summer nights downtown in our story on Salt Lake City Open Streets. For more art & entertainment stories, subscribe to Salt Lake magazine’s print issue.

May 25

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Where to Get Allergy-Friendly Takeout in Utah

By Christie Porter Eat & Drink

I am an “allergic person.” My world of food possibilities narrowed instantly when an immunologist informed me of that blunt fact and the accompanying litany of food allergies. Luckily, there is a dizzying number of culinary options out there for people who have dietary restrictions or are vegan or vegetarian. But, when you have to eat in the safety and comfort of your own home, you don’t always know what you’re getting in your meal.

The lack of ingredient transparency on food takeout and delivery apps has burned me before, but, through months of trial and error, I’ve found a few gems that I can safely rely on to be up-front and knowledgeable about the content of their cuisine.

Strawberry shortcake poptart from Passion Flour, a spot for allergy-friendly takeout in Utah — *_{Strawberry shortcake poptart from Passion Flour}*

Passion Flour is a patisserie and cafe located in an up-and-coming neighborhood if you have a chance to explore while picking up your takeout. They have a solid selection of coffee and tea lattes (I’m partial to the London Fog). My go-to grab-and-go breakfast is the Savory Croissant. The crust is flakey and buttery (despite the lack of butter) and it’s stuffed with potatoes, grilled onions, beyond meat sausage and a house-made cashew cheese.

(Order on DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates and Uber Eats)

Ian Mackaye Burger with mac and cheese and vertical sauce from Verical Diner — Ian Mackaye Burger from Verical Diner

Vertical Diner has an all plant-based menu with some traditional and very non-traditional diner fare. Some of the most popular items, like their Dude Cakes (vegan savory pancakes stuffed with grilled onions and mushrooms, smothered in gravy and french fries) do not travel particularly well, but their Macaroni and Cheese tastes great anywhere in just about any state. Vertical Diner makes their own cheese sauce that is nut-free as well, unlike a good amount of available dairy-free cheese alternatives.

(Order on DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates and Uber Eats)

Oh Mai Sandwich Kitchen offers both vegan and veggie-friendly Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) and noodles, featuring a deceptively exciting Lemongrass Tofu, but, for the ultimate at-home comfort food, I order up a container of their Vegan Pho (pronounced “fuh”). It’s a restorative noodle soup traditionally made with beef bone broth, but you won’t miss out on any of the flavor with the vegetable-based broth option. If you’re new to Pho, some assembly is required.

(Order on DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates and Uber Eats)

Vegan, thin-crust pizza from Este Pizza, a spot for allergy-friendly takeout in Utah — *_{Vegan pizza from Este Pizza}*

Este Pizzeria, a long-time Sugar House staple, has three specialty vegan pizza options, complete with the paper-thin crust you’d expect from a New York-style slice. What keeps me coming back, however, is the guilty pleasure that is their homemade—and vegan—Garlic Knots. They’re golden brown on the outside, covered in garlic, oregano and olive oil, and served with marinara sauce.

(Order on GrubHub)

Protein bowl with corn, avocado and beans from Zest Kitchen & Bar — *_{Protein bowl from Zest Kitchen & Bar}*

We can’t go without mentioning Zest Kitchen & Bar. The widely vegan establishment has a clear menu, detailing all of the major ingredients, and extremely knowledgeable staff. It’s hard to pick just one thing, but Zest’s specialty beverages are some of the best. You can’t get any of their signature cocktails to-go (an absolute shame), but their non-alcoholic and tart Berry Lavender Lemonade is refreshing. Or, skip right to dessert and take home the Chocolate Beet Torte.

(Order on GrubHub)

Get more dining recommendations here.

May 21

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Spending Summer Days (And Summer Nights) Downtown at SLC Open Streets

By Christie Porter Community

Summer sun, something’s begun / But, oh, oh, the summer nights.”
With John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as your personal soundtrack, here is a quick guide to SLC Open Streets, what is happening in downtown Salt Lake City this summer, and how you can make the most of it.

Summer Days

Once again, the city is blocking off downtown Main Street to traffic to host SLC Open Streets, back for 2021. Promenade with your pod Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to close this summer, starting the last week of May. Restaurants, bars and shops will extend their service onto the sidewalks between 400 South and South Temple on Main Street and Regent Street.

The Downtown Alliance says 150 businesses will participate in Open Streets this year. Along the Main Street Corridor, you’ll find some perfect places to take lunch al fresco. Eva’s Bakery offers a light fare of salads, flatbreads, sandwiches and soups. Or, if you’re in the mood for something a bit heartier, try some solid German cuisine at Siegfried’s Deli.

Not that you need more reason to attend, but the SLC Open Streets inaugural event last year helped keep downtown businesses afloat in the pandemic. Several of those businesses experienced a 30% increase in sales as a result of the efforts. So shop it up! You can find high-quality second-hand clothes at Uptown Cheapskate, vinyl records at the Heavy Metal Shop, reggae-themed gifts at Twisted Roots and souvenirs at Salt Lake Souvenir & Gift.

Pedestrians on Main Street enjoying SLC Open Streets. — *_{Downtown Main Street closed to cars for SLC Open Streets}*

Downtown Alliance’s website as a full list of businesses participating in Open Streets. And, remember, even though the CDC says we may not have to wear masks outside anymore, some bars, restaurants and retailers might still require them, so don’t leave your mask at home!

If you’re looking for more to do downtown during SLC Open Streets, you can check out the Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays all summer. For a bit of culture, the Gateway Art Stroll is happening on the third Friday of every month from 6-9 p.m. The Living Traditions Festival will have live, traditional, culturally diverse performances by dancers and musicians going on all day at Washington Square on June 26. And Pride Week is happening June 1-7 with events at the Utah State Capitol Building and Washington Square.

Summer Nights

The show really begins with live performers taking to the streets from Gallivan Center and Exchange Place to City Creek Center between 6 p.m and 10 p.m. It’s part of a partnership with the Salt Lake City Arts Council’s Busker Fest (May 27-29 downtown with more events around Salt Lake City throughout June). A busker is a performer who typically entertains in a public space for donations, so make sure to bring cash to tip the buskers for a job well done!

When you’re ready for dinner, London Belle Supper Club is right there on the Main Street drag, offering small plates to share and sporting one of the best namesakes of any Salt Lake establishment. Who doesn’t want to eat at a place named for a notorious madam? While not named for a madam, Eva has some of the most satisfying small plates around. Enjoy a few of those with a friend, along with a glass of wine or two, on their patio.

Afterward, you can make your own fun by challenging your friends to some old-school arcade games at Quarters Arcade Bar. Loser buys the next round of cocktails.

For more to do downtown, check out our story on mainstay summer events returning to Salt Lake City and these day trips guaranteed to cure your cabin fever. While you’re here, you can also check out the latest issue of Salt Lake magazine.

May 18

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Taking the Main Stage: The Twilight Concert Series Returns

By Christie Porter Music

The Twilight Concert Series was one of many event casualties that fell to the pandemic in 2020. Now that about 29% of eligible Utahns are fully vaccinated for COVID, more mainstay summer events are sidestepping the uncertainty of early 2021 and staging their comeback tours.

Kicking off Aug. 19 at the Gallivan Center—with performances by Big Boi of Outkast fame, local outfit Laserfang and the ambitiously named Portland indie rock group STRFKR—this year’s Twilight Concert Series is taking the stage a little deeper into summer than previous years, with some dates edging into fall. The delay is likely just one of the precautions to ensure the event isn’t an encore of the pandemic at its height. Organizers promise to “maintain health and safety protocols related to COVID-19 and carefully monitor CDC guidelines throughout the course of the program”—whatever those recommendations may look like come mid-August.

Other summer event staples, such as the Utah Arts Festival, have made similar moves, pointing to its support of community, local artists and musicians as justification for its necessity. We’ve written before about how the absence of such events heightened feelings of isolation throughout this past year, and their return could provide the opportunity to reforge the connections to the community we lost (see our Cabin Fever Cures in the May/June 2021 issue of Salt Lake magazine). “The Twilight Concert Series has been a staple in our community for the past 30+ years. We strive to produce a diverse and positive series. In a year of tumultuous events, the Twilight Concert Series allows our community to finally come together again,” says Will Sartain of S&S Presents, who is partnering with Salt Lake City Arts Council to put on the concert series.

The Twilight Concert Series also promises to continue its support of local musicians while contributing to the economic recovery of other downtown businesses, such as restaurants and venues, that were impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. So, there will be food available from an assortment of local eateries and food trucks at the event. (Even when the show could not go on in 2020, the Twilight Concert Series created the emergency relief fund Light Up Locals, which gave $500 to musicians in Salt Lake City who lost performance opportunities.)

This year, organizers are hyping a line-up that “reflects the values of the Salt Lake City Arts Council and greatly contributes to the Downtown core of Salt Lake City as a vibrant place to live, work, and play,” says Felicia Baca, the Executive Director for the Salt Lake City Arts Council.

The lineup for the 2021 Salt Lake City Twilight Concert Series. — _{2021 lineup and sponsor DOMO announced.}

Here is the complete Salt Lake City Twilight Concert Series 2021 Lineup:

Aug. 19: Big Boi, Strfkr, and Laserfang
Aug. 26: Thundercat, Remi Wolf, and Giraffula
Sept. 2: Neon Trees, Peach Tree Rascals, and The Rubies
Sept. 18: St. Vincent
Sept. 24: Lake Street Dive and Pixie & The Partygrass Boys

Season tickets for the 2021 Twilight Concert Series are one sale now, individual tickets go on sale Thursday, May 20 at 10 a.m. The Ogden Twilight Concert Series has announced its 2021 line-up as well, featuring Death Cab For Cutie and the Flaming Lips.

May 18

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Life Finds A Way From The Great Salt Lake to Mars

By Christie Porter Adventures, City Watch, Outdoors

Jurassic Park’s fictional scientists reconstituted dinosaurs from T-rex DNA preserved in amber. We watched as a thin needle bored into the amber’s smooth surface, accessing the precious biological matter stored inside. While we haven’t (yet) reconstructed the DNA of dinosaurs to breed them back into existence, the idea is based on real science. It’s markedly similar to how the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover could find signs of life on Mars, and it connects to the study of ancient microbial organisms at The Great Salt Lake. Yes. The one here. In Utah.

Great Salt Lake Institute, Mars, microbial organisms, The Great Salt Lake, Utah — Photo by the Great Salt Lake Institute

The historic landing of Perseverance represents one more small step in the lengthy journey to put human boots on the red planet. The rover is conducting trials of instruments that future explorers will use to traverse the Martian terrain. Perseverance does this while carrying out its primary mission: seek signs of ancient life.

Perseverance rover, 2020, NASA — Photo by NASA

Dr. Bonnie Baxter is a professor of biology at Westminster College in Salt Lake City and Director of Westminster’s Great Salt Lake Institute. She has studied microbes encased in minerals at the lake for more than a decade. “When minerals form, they have these little fluid pockets inside,” she says, demonstrating with a coin-sized salt crystal. When she tilts the crystal, a bubble slides beneath the transparent surface. “All of the microbes living in the water at the time can be trapped inside these salt crystals.”

These microbes can be hundreds of millions of years old, left behind in salt beds as the lake dries up. “What we’re finding is these salty microbes can survive all that time,” says Baxter. “They go into some kind of sleep, like a Rip Van Winkle phase.”

The Great Salt Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats have served as a stand-in for alien landscapes in film and TV, and now, in another example of art imitating real science, it’s served as the proving ground for the real thing. “Jezero Crater, where Perseverance landed, is an ancient lake,” explains Baxter. “As water disappeared on the surface of Mars about 3.5 billion years ago, life was erupting on Earth in the form of microbes in bodies of water. Mars would have looked very similar to Earth at that time—with oceans, seas and lakes.”

What happened to Jezero Crater billions of years ago could mirror the same thing that happened to Lake Bonneville as it evaporated to form The Great Salt Lake, which is essentially “a puddle left behind at the bottom of the bathtub,” Baxter says.

Baxter’s work with the Great Salt Lake Institute garnered the attention of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. She says, “Because we’d been doing this work, and the Lake Bonneville to Great Salt Lake transition is such a wonderful analogy for what happened at Jezero Crater, JPL asked me if they could use the Great Salt Lake to test samples and do some experiments on what kind of signatures of biology are leftover in the salt.”

Great Salt Lake Institute hosted and aided JPL scientists in the fieldwork that allowed them to develop special equipment for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover—ultimately, providing invaluable support to the rover’s mission of seeking out ancient life and collecting samples for a possible return to Earth. Great Salt Lake Institute also collaborated with JPL on three publications surrounding their work.

Baxter’s hypothesis: If there was life on Mars in a lake at Jezero Crater, then those microbes became salt-tolerant microbes (adapting to the water’s increasing salinity as it evaporated). When the water was gone, it would have left behind a salt flat at the bottom of the basin with the microbes trapped in the minerals, just like the ones at The Great Salt Lake. “And I’d like to look inside those fluid pockets,” she adds.

The microbes on Mars in this hypothesis would be billions of years old by now, not a measly 250 million years old like the still-living microbes found at The Great Salt Lake. “Billions of years is a big ask to find existing life,” she says. But, as we all learned from Jurassic Park, life often finds a way.

“There might still be signs of that life. It probably left some biological molecules behind.” That’s what Perseverance is looking for, “life signatures” like DNA. “If we find those signatures,” says Baxter, “we would know that biology had been there.”

More Mars On Utah

Orem company Moxtek developed one of the instruments on the Perseverance Rover that will help search for signs of life. It’s called the PIXL, an instrument on the end of the Perseverance rover’s arm that will search for chemical fingerprints left by ancient microbes.

We’ve been told that Mars is the planet most like Earth. And Utah is the place on Earth most like Mars. (Just look at all that red rock.) So it seems appropriate that the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is located just outside Hanksville, Utah, near the San Rafael Swell. The “astronauts” never leave the Earth; their job is to simulate what life could be like if/when humans ever get to Mars.

To explore more alien landscapes here in Utah, click here.

May 18

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From The Great Salt Lake to Mars

By Christie Porter Adventures

Microbial organisms in Utah connect to the study for life on Mars — *_{Courtesy Great Salt Lake Institute}*

The historic landing of Perseverance on Mars’s beautiful Jezero Crater represents one more small step in the lengthy journey to put human boots on the red planet. The rover is conducting trials of instruments that future explorers will use to traverse the Martian terrain. Perseverance does this while carrying out its primary mission: seek signs of ancient life.

Mars 2020 Perseverance rover — _{Few events unite the country like a successful venture into space. Millions watched on Feb. 18, 2021, as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover safely reached its destination, plunging through the Martian atmosphere at 12,000+ mph, after a seven-month journey through space. Courtesy NASA}

More Mars on Utah

*_{The Great Salt Lake from space; Courtesy NASA}*

Mars tours poster from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory — *_{Courtesy NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory}*

While you’re here, check out our latest print issue.

May 13

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For Bar Band Outside Infinity, The Show Goes On

By Christie Porter Arts & Culture, Music

Outside Infinity holds a band meeting every week at a studio they built in Taylorsville. I called them in the middle of one, the movement of a drum set clanging in the background. Bassist Gary Galvan has a newfound appreciation for these get togethers since the pandemic. “I get to hang out with my friends. Play some music. Get loud. It’s been nice,” he says.

_{The members of Outside Infinity have played the local scene in various metal and rock outfits for 30 years. They’re frank about who they are: family men with “a very time consuming, expensive hobby” and in it for the love of the music. Lead vocalist Strong lists a spectrum of influences from ’90s grunge to country and funk. Just about the only genre he eschews is pop. “We have always appreciated music where somebody’s talking about something real.” They released their album, Full Bloom, early in the pandemic. (Available on Amazon, Apple Music and Spotify)}

“Everything just kind of stopped for a lot of musicians,” says lead guitarist Paul Christensen. “It’s not their fault because a lot of clubs stopped booking, but we had some music that we wanted people to hear, so we kept going.”

Outside Infinity has had a steady stream of shows, playing a gig about once a month in 2020. Rhythm guitarist Derek Walker started to notice a tonal shift in some of the local clubs. “I don’t think they realized how important a local band is to them, you know what I mean? Until now.”

A symbiotic relationship exists between venue and band. Each needs the other to survive. Pre-pandemic, clubs would bring in local bands to open for a touring headliner. Now, clubs must rely solely on those local acts to entice patrons.

“We’re trying our best whenever we have the opportunity,” says Galvan. “If these clubs go out of business—if they don’t make it because of the pandemic—it takes the local scene out from underneath us.” COVID-era restrictions have meant smaller crowds without packed-in bodies pressed against the stage, but performing through one of the worst crises in modern history requires a sense of duty. “Especially at a time like this, you want to give people something,” says lead vocalist Hyrum Strong. “You can listen to music online all you want. There’s something about a live show that touches you.”

Looking for events, news and reviews? Check out our arts & culture page.

May 04

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More Art in the Wild at South Salt Lake’s Mural Fest

By Christie Porter Arts & Culture

South Salt Lake’s blocks of plain warehouses embodied little more than unrealized potential a few years ago, but some discovered inspiration in those big, blank walls. Today, the area has found a niche as a zone for creative industries and a beautiful solution to those big, blank walls: Mural Fest.

Mural Fest, Alex Johntrone, Level Crossing Brewing Co, SLC, Utah — *_{Alex Johntrone’s mural at Level Crossing Brewing Co. Photo courtesy Mural Fest.}*

“The city had some underutilized warehouse space that started attracting creative businesses, entrepreneurs, distilleries and breweries,” says Lesly Allen of the South Salt Lake Arts Council. “So, it was a really great time to create this amazing outdoor gallery.”

Mural Fest, Chris Peterson, Cordin Company, SLC, Utah — *_{Chris Peterson’s mural at Cordin Company. Photo courtesy Mural Fest.}*

With the buildings as canvases, all they needed were the right artists for the job. In 2018, the event’s first year, Mural Fest received 23 submissions. In 2021, 158 artists answered the open call from all over the world. A jury selects 10 of the artists, then organizers have the considerable task of pairing artists with the right location.

Mural Fest,Evan Jed Memmott & Isaac Hastings, Clever Octopus Creative Reuse Center, SLC, Utah — *_{Evan Jed Memmott & Isaac Hastings’ mural at Clever Octopus Creative Reuse Center. Photo courtesy Mural Fest.}*

“It’s actually kind of tricky finding buildings,” says Allen. “It’s like a puzzle. It depends on the wall’s surface and size and the artist’s experience and style.” It also depends on the property owners. “Once they’re paired with the artist, then they work together to come up with the design of the mural.”

Mural Fest, Michael Kirby, Firestation 41, SLC, Utah — *_{Michael Kirby’s mural at SSL Fire Station 41. Photo courtesy Mural Fest}*

Recruiting willing businesses to participate can be a bit of a challenge. Mural Fest asks that business owners pitch in about 25% of the cost of the mural, but, Allen says, it’s still a lot less than what they would pay to commission the same mural artists directly. They make up the difference with funding from ZAP and city, county and state governments.

Traci O'Very Covey, Mountainland Design, SLC, Utah — *_{Traci O’Very Covey’s mural at Mountainland Design.} _{Photo courtesy Mural Fest}*

Artists have the first few weeks of May to paint the murals, but otherwise, it’s up to them how much time they want to take. The mural on the south side of Level Crossing Brewing Company apparently took Connecticut-based artist ARCY two days to paint. “The entire thing is spray paint. The detail is amazing,” adds Allen. During that time, she encourages people to come out and “watch the art come to life.”

Josh Scheuerman, Sugarpost Metal, SLC, Utah — *_{Josh Scheuerman’s mural at Sugarpost Metal.Photo courtesy Mural Fest}*

To see them for yourself, most of the murals are clustered around West Temple between 2100 South and the water tower (about 2500 South). See them as soon as you can, because, the reality is, the murals might not be there forever. Between buildings changing owners and damage from weather or vandalism, there’s no way to guarantee the longevity of every mural. But, Allen says, “the goal is to leave them all up for as long as we can. As long as we can keep finding walls.”

This year’s Mural Fest artists will begin painting today, May 4. An artist meet-and-greet and walking tour of the completed murals will be held on May 15. For more exciting summer activities, click here.

Apr 22

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Earth Day: Where Utah Stands on Wildfires, Air Quality and Drought

By Christie Porter Adventures, Outdoors

Our climate is changing. We can keep arguing about what’s causing it or whose fault it is (or isn’t) and what we should be doing about it, but the reality is our Earth is a different place than it was one million years ago, 100 years ago and even one year ago.

Since last Earth Day, the severity of wildfires has continued to escalate—which, along with other factors, has contributed to our worsening air quality—and current drought conditions have warranted a state of emergency in Utah, threatening not only our water but our precious snow and ski season.

Climate change and its effects have fallen off our radar during the COVID-19 pandemic, but as we all adapt to the “new normal,” the challenges of the old normal have not simply evaporated. And many of the climate-related challenges we’re facing feed into each other, amplifying the severity across the board when one or the other goes unchecked. Here’s where we stand (and how you can get involved) this Earth Day.

Utah Wildfire Season

Utah has already seen an increase in human-caused wildfires early this year, according to the BLM. By mid-February, there were 13 wildfires in northern Utah and all of them were started by human activity.

Earth Day: The state of wildfires in Utah (photo courtesy Utah Fire Info via Facebook) — *_{Photo courtesy Utah Fire Info (via Facebook @UtahWildfire)}*

By mid-April, Utah Fire Info reported 126 wildfires across Utah so far this year, burning more than 9.5 square miles. Fire managers say that this is well above the 5-year average for this time of year (46 starts and 189 acres). The overwhelming majority of the wildfires have been human-caused.

Last year, people were responsible for starting 154 of the 170 wildfires in northern Utah—“a grim statistic that we do not want to repeat,” said Brett Ostler, Fire Management Officer of the Utah Division of Fire, Forestry & State Lands.

The increased fire danger is fueled by a lack of precipitation, increased public use and unburned fuel from last year. Climate change is also considered a key factor in multiplying those dangerous conditions, doubling the number of large fires between 1984 and 2015 in the western United States.

Utah Air Quality

Multiple counties in Utah received failing grades for their air quality in the American Lung Association’s recent State of the Air Report, with Salt Lake County seeing an increase in the number of days with unhealthy ozone levels compared to last year.

The Salt Lake/Provo/Orem metropolitan area is one of the most polluted cities, according to the report, ranking 8th for the number of high ozone days.

The report found more than 40% of Americans—about 135 million people—are living in places with unhealthy levels of ozone or pollution (high concentrations of the infamous particulate matter, PM 2.5). The report also found that climate change is making air quality worse, and the authors urged policymakers to take action by shifting away from our reliance on fossil fuels.

The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute prepared the Utah Roadmap in 2020 to assist policymakers in improving air quality and address the causes and impacts of a changing climate. The Roadmap recommended the State of Utah reduce carbon dioxide emissions statewide, 25% below 2005 levels by 2025, 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.

We’ve yet to see a policy adopting the recommendations, but this past legislative session, Utah lawmakers did pass a few piecemeal air quality-related measures.

A tax credit for alternative fuel heavy-duty vehicles (vehicles that use natural gas, electricity or hydrogen as their fuel)
Workforce Solutions for Air Quality Amendments required the Department of Human Resources to create teleworking options for workers on bad air quality days
Air Quality Policy Advisory Board Amendments added three air quality experts to the Air Quality Policy Advisory Board and extended the sunset date for the board
Emissions Testing Amendments made a pilot emissions inspection program permanent

Utah Drought

In March of this year, Gov. Spencer J. Cox issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency due to drought conditions. In effect, the drought declaration activates the Drought Response Committee, tasked with responding to the disaster.

By mid-March, 90% of the state was experiencing extreme drought and the snowpack was at about 70% of the average for the year. Utah DNR reported mid-April that recent storms were not enough to pull the state out of drought. The snowpack peaked 10 days early at 81% of average. Peaking early means the runoff will be less effective at getting water where it needs to go.

Governor Cox also called on Utahns to do their part, “I ask Utahns to evaluate their water use and find ways to save not only because of current drought conditions but also because we live in one of the driest states in the nation.” The Governor’s order directed Utahns to more water-conserving tips.

Utah Earth Day 2021

While the above information can feel overwhelming, Earth Day, and the surrounding weeks, offer a number of opportunities to get involved with climate action, activism and clean-up and conservation efforts on the local level.

Salt Lake City Public Lands Volunteer Events: The Salt Lake City Public Lands Division hosts stewardship events throughout the year at parks and natural lands that need community member volunteers.

Earth Day at the Utah State Capitol (April 22, 2–5 p.m.): Fridays for Future Utah, Sunrise SLC, the Granite School District for Clean Energy and youth organizers and adult allies planned this event at the State Capitol.

Youth Climate Revolution Now! Reclaiming the Climate Change Narrative Through Community Power (April 22, 6–7 p.m. via Zoom): the Sierra Club Utah Chapter hosts a conversation about Earth Day and community-driven climate action. Be sure to register in advance.

Earth Day at the Aquarium (April 22, 10 a.m.): The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is hosting an Earth Day event for the whole family, including take-home seeds to plant.

Party for the Planet at Tracy Aviary (April 22–24): The Tracy Aviary holds a range of activities from scavenger hunts to Aviary keeper talks, virtual nature journaling and birding walks.

Salt Lake Film Society Earth Day film screenings "A Climate Change Film Tour: Inspire, Empower, Action." — *_{Salt Lake Film Society Earth Day film screenings}*

A Climate Change Film Tour (April 22–29): The Salt Lake City Film Society’s Climate Change Film Tour celebrates Earth Day, launching “Inspire. Empower. Action.”

Earth Day River Clean-Up (April 23, 3–5 p.m.): HEAL Utah and the Jordan River Commission invite volunteers to the Jordan River for a socially distant trail and canoe clean-up in South Salt Lake.

Earth Day River Clean-Up (April 24, 10 a.m.): Saving Oceans hosts an event to pick up trash at the Jordan River in James Madison Park to help protect the river ecosystem.

Earth Day Placemaking Event (April 24,10 a.m.–2 p.m.): Westside Studio, University of Utah and the SLC Public Lands Division host event for tree planting, sidewalk painting, litter pick up, etc. at Poplar Grove Park & 9th South River Park.

Clean Air & Stewardship Town Hall (April 26, 2-2:45 p.m.): A town hall with Blake Moore, the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and the American Conservation Coalition. Be sure to register in advance.

Arbor Day Celebration at Red Butte Gardens (April 30): Technically an Arbor Day event, pre-registration opens on Monday, April 26 at 9 a.m. Space is limited.

While you’re here, check out our latest print issue of Salt Lake magazine and some of the big outdoor events returning this summer.

Christie Porter

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Utah Wildfire Season

Utah Air Quality

Utah Drought

Utah Earth Day 2021

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