A Salt Lake native, Heather Hayes is a journalist with over 20 years of experience. She loves a good yarn, no matter the angle. From seatmates on ski lifts to line-dwellers in a grocery store, no one is safe as she chats up strangers for story ideas. When she’s not badgering her teenagers to pick up their dirty socks or spending quality time with her laptop, you can find Heather worshiping the Wasatch range on her bike, skis or in a pair of running shoes.
Pioneer Theatre Company’s (PTC) Artistic Director, Karen Azenberg, says Dear Evan Hansen feels even more relevant today than when the musical first premiered on Broadway in 2016—and she’s not wrong. Back then, the idea that social media could be toxic for teens was only starting to sink in, chipping away at real connection during the years when it matters most.
Pioneer Theatre’s premiere of Dear Evan Hansen over the weekend at Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre (running through November 8) marks an accomplished and thoughtful regional introduction for Utah audiences, who may have caught a Broadway tour at the Eccles Theatre in years past, but never a production by a Utah company.
With the emotional impact of a heart-tugging story combined with a knockout score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (the songwriting duo behind La La Land and The Greatest Showman), it’s easy to see why the musical swept up six Tony Awards and even made its way to the big screen. So when a company gets its hands on a gem like Dear Evan Hansen, the question isn’t if the material will deliver—it’s whether the production can rise to the occasion and let the show’s heart beat just as loudly.
PTC proved itself more than capable. Much lies in the hands of the main character, Evan, brought to life by PTC newcomer Kyle Dalsimer. Besides possessing musical chops, Dalsimer successfully created a portrait of adolescent isolation as a socially anxious teenager, evoking the narrow space between discomfort and compassion from his audience. We felt the uneasiness over his fabricated friendship with a classmate who had recently taken his own life, but also emotionally connected with him over his struggle against loneliness, isolation and a desperate need to belong.
A true bonus of a regional production (especially from a company in residence at the University of Utah) can be seen in its community outreach. Because of the sensitive nature of Dear Evan Hansen as it pertains to isolation, connection, mental health and suicide, PTC has partnered with the University of Utah School Mental Health Collaborative. On November 8, the production will culminate with a special free-to-the-public community conversation titled “Strength in Connection: A Conversation About Mental Health in a Hyperconnected World.” The event will include a panel of experts in psychology and mental and behavioral health.
If you go…
What: Dear Evan Hansen When: Oct 24 through Nov. 8, 2025
Monday through Thursday, 7 PM
Friday and Saturday, 7:30 PM
Saturday, 2:00 PM
Where: Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre | 300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City Cost: $57 – $83 Students K – 12 or ages 5-18 are half-price Monday – Thursday
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So, are there ghosts in Utah’s abandoned ballrooms? Sure feels like it. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, Utah is a hotbed of supernatural stories surrounding shuttered ballrooms once teeming with life, laughter and big-band music. Like a sinister movie set (and, in some cases, the actual site of a sinister movie set), these glamorous Utah halls now sit in echoing stillness, bedecked with peeling, hand-painted millworker, crumbling plater columns, toppling finials and threadbare flounces. Does “Saltair Sally” really wander the corridors? Do the windows at the Old Mill light up at night? Even if some of these relics of bygone eras don’t host a chilling urban legend, what is it about derelict-but-once decadent dance halls that makes our spines tingle?
The Berthana Ballroom
A grand ballroom built as the second story of a retail development on Odgen’s 24th Street, this establishment aimed to indulge hundreds of young people and their love for dancing. Opening night festivities in 1915 included a speech by the governor declaring the Berthana as the “most beautiful ballroom in the west.”
The Berthana celebrating its public opening on May 26, 1915. Photo courtesy of Special Collections/ UofU J. Willard Marriott Library.
The site of love and heartbreak, weddings and beauty pageants, even suffrage meetings and boxing matches, donors Bertha Eccles and Anna Dee (there combined name: ‘Berthana’) spared no expense in creating a glittering and sumptuous art deco-style haunt for Ogden during the heyday of big band dancing.
Ogden’s grand Berthana takes its name from two visionary women, one being Mrs. Berthana Eccles. Photo courtesy of Ogden Standard Examiner.
Like nearly every ballroom in the country, the Berthana’s popularity declined when big band-style dancing fell out of favor. The floor was inverted into a giant roller rink in the late 1940s as teen socializing shifted from jitterbugs to jam skating, before shuttering in the 1980s.
“I’ve been up several times, and it really is a beautiful place,” says first-floor tenant and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt owner Rory Rich.
A basement bar with ever-changing ownership was the only fixture on the property until a recent renovation of the ground floor and exterior. For years, bartenders have entertained patrons with tales of the creepy ballroom two floors up, Piano keys pounded by an unknown ghost and a hair-raising tale of murder were always sure to scare up another round.
An on-record death in the 1970s involving a young man being pushed on roller-skates into a chair that impaled him has also created fodder for tales of otherworldly haunts. With once-shimmering paint now peeling, murals in despair, and boxes of old roller skates and other garbage littering the grand floor, the once-opulent Berthana Ballroom remains a vestige of an earlier time, with a few resident ghosts on hand.
Old Mill
The Deseret News’ first paper mill near Big Cottonwood Canyon received an extreme makeover in 1927, after a fire ruined it decades earlier. From its ghostly frame grew a glamorous resort clubhouse and Prohibition-era speakeasy named the Old Mill Club, rivaling the Salt Lake Country Club.
“The Old Mill Club is open now and the moon is already there, waiting tote danced under,” reads an archived advertisement from the era. As if in reply, couples took to the open-air dance floor every night of the week but Sunday, and bougie activities like trapshooting at its gun club and horseback trips up the canyon matched the stone structure’s old-world charm. Orchestras and laughter filled the beautiful halls, but advertised plans for an 18-hole golf course, banquet rooms to be run by a chef of “interesting fame,” a swimming pool and a toboggan slide never came to fruition. Instead, World War II broke out, and the laughter and dancing ceased.
The former grandeur of the ballroom, cir. 1967. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress. Locals enjoy a night of dancing. Photo taken June 8, 1949. Photo courtesy of Special Collections/ UofU J. Willard Marriott Library. Granite Paper Mill opened in 1880 and supplied the Desert News for 10 years before a fire broke out. The mill was partially rebuilt as a dance hall known as the Old Mill Club in 1927. It operated into the 1940s. In the 1970s and ’80s it was used as a haunted house. Photo courtesy of Special Collections/ UofU J. Willard Marriott Library.
Still under the same ownership, the mill was leased and reinvented into a popular discotheque that brought star power within the stone walls. A venue for pop and rock music in the 1970s, its stage welcomed artists like Alice Cooper and the Steve Miller Ban before again closing its doors late in the decade.
Because of its many iterations over the past 150 years, the site oozes creepy vibes. Even its earliest days, with lengthy spans of disuse, urban legends abounded: caretaker suicides and satanic rituals, doors opening and closing on their own, a strange woman’s voice, the electricity-less building lighting up or the feeling of eerie cold spots.
The Walker family, property owners since its country club days, seized the opportunity to put those legends, combined with the mill’s crumbling facade and punched-out windows, to good use, selling tickets as the concept of haunted houses became popular in the 1980s. While that, too, lasted for a time, the building was ultimately condemned in 2005 and enclosed in barbed wire. Now, under layers of pigeon poop and spray paint (plus remnants ranging from old glass beer bottles circa 1970 to tinsel-lined spider webs), the mill tops the list on Preservation Utah’s 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places; the organization argues in the face of proposed plans for demolition to make way for townhomes and condos that the Old Mill Club is a rare piece of working history.
Van’s Hall: Delta, Utah
In Utah’s west desert, the humble farming community of Deltagathered at a secret watering hole. Sitting atop an unassuming storefront on Main Street, a flight of stairs led folks into a grand and otherworldly shimmering temple of dance known as Van’s Hall.
Billy Van de Vanter, or ‘Billy Van’ as he was known, was an eccentric jack-of-all-trades (inventor, mechanic, wild animal-keeper, builder) who created the 1923 dance hall as his pièce de résistance: a dance hall/house of mirrors in all its wacky, slightly garish glory. The spacious hall, built above his auto garage, still sparkles with thousands of mirrored glass tiles arranged in stunning decorative designs. The shimmering mosaics bounce reflectively off a 500-pound glitterball suspended over the dance floor.
Van’s dancehall opened in 1926 and featured a floor made of melted down shellac records. It remained open as a dancehall until the mid-1970s and has since been closed to the public. Photo courtesy of Special Collections/ UofU J. Willard Marriott Library.
Competing with church dances in the area, Van’s Hall became known as a livelier, edgier hot spot than the cookies-and-punch parties put on by the Mormons, although church members, he often said, were his best customers. They, like everyone else, loved to swing to the catchy rhythms and lively melodies played by the best musicians in the area. Billy Van even used his jackknife to carve an impressive small-scale version of the Salt Lake Temple and placed it atop the glitterball just a few yards away from the smoking room. Other sculptures, glass stars, glittering lights and banners (like the one that reads: “We Dance Next Sat.”) were touches that made the hidden-away hall feel like a secret sanctuary for the hardy and industrious young people of Delta, who spent most of their waking hours in school and harvesting alfalfa near the Sevier River. (Later, the town would become infamous for housing a Japanese incarceration camp during WWII).
The hall attracted young people for more than three decades, but its popularity, like most dance halls, declined in the 1950s and ’60s. Failing to meet safety codes, a Christmas party was its last recorded event in 1975, and the hall, which remains in all its plasterwork and mirrored glory, seems suspended in time. While there’s an effort to restore and bring the hall up to code, it’s slow going. Under lock and key atop Delta’s quiet Main Street, only the older locals seem to remember the hall even exists and only a lucky few get to enter.
Skougaard’s Tavern: Fish Lake Resort
Part spooky, part rustic charm,old-timers remember when the ballroom at Fish Lake Lodge (named Skougard’s) shone as the hotspot for young people living in Central Utah towns like Richfield, Salina, Loa and Fremont. Built in 1933 of native spruce logs, the now eerily quiet, slumping structure stands as a sentinel along the glittering, aspen-draped alpine lake.
Big bands assembled to play “In the Mood” and “King Porter Stomp” to the hops and triple steps of hundreds of slick-haired boys and girls with victory roll hairdos who descended on the tiny lakeside town during warm weekend nights. The scene, according to locals, became livelier post-war, as curfews lengthened and skirt hems shortened. Teens, driving everything from farm trucks to muscle cars, packed a case of beer and wound their way up Seven Mile-Gooseberry Road to Fish Lake National Forest to check out the nightlife at the timber-framed ballroom, which spilled out into an Adirondack-style patio built to admire sparkling lake views.
The original hotel at Fish Lake Resort was built in 1911 and featured eight bedrooms with a dining hall that could fit up to 16 people, an open air dance pavilion, and a bait and tackle store. Photo courtesy of Special Collections/ UofU J. Willard Marriott Library.
The sagging roof, creaking floors and locked-away ballroom tell a far different tale today. The lodge’s main area is still open every summer, selling T-shirts, knick-knacks, and a few groceries to campers and cabin renters. But the shuttered grand ballroom sits empty 51 weeks of the year, with sheets of plastic draped over stacks of chairs visible through the windows. As if being raised from the dead, it comes to life when square dancers gather for the Fish Lake Frolic on one weekend each July.
“It really is a heritage,” says caller and Frolic board member Kathy Beans, speaking of the more than 60-year-old annual event. She says her fellow square dancers, who still know what it means to ‘take yer partner’ onto the dance floor, dance every evening while taking in the natural beauty by day. Fish Lake is, after all, home to Pando, a colony of 47,000 genetically identical quaking aspens with a massive interconnected root system. It was designated as a national forest in 1907. “It’s a special building in a special place.”
Saltair
Dubbed the “Coney Island of the West” during the early 1900s for its cafes, bathhouses, rollercoaster, swimming pier, silent movie theater and a hippodrome for visiting spectacles (like boxing matches and “flying ballerinas”), Saltair’s greatest attraction was its nonstop dance pavilion. Twenty-eight-piece orchestras placed at both ends ensured there was never a lull in the music as thousands of pleasure seekers crowded the dance floor each evening from Memorial Day to Labor Day. On Sundays, when dancing was illegal (really), people packed picnic lunches to enjoy concerts instead, traveling first by steam train, then by electric cable cars and finally, in their automobiles, to the Great Salt Lake attraction.
The interior of Saltair’s original dancehall cir. 1900. Photo courtesy of Special Collections/ UofU J. Willard Marriott Library.
At its height in the Roaring ’20s, the resort’s fame attracted celebrity entertainers and U.S. presidents. But all that changed in 1925 when a fire tore through the resort, turning nearly everything to ash. Although a rebuild (Saltair II, designed after the original structure) ensued, the resort never again achieved its earlier status. A series of floods, fires, windstorms and a receding lake caused its closure in 1958, making its eerie emptiness the subject of ghost stories and fodder for horror movies like Carnival of Souls. Even that didn’t dissuade attempts to breathe new life into the resort until a final fire (suspected arson) destroyed it in 1970.
Nothing but a few wooden pilings remain on the site where once the Glenn Miller Band and Nat King Cole performed at the largest unobstructed dance hall in the U.S. Not a single rail remains from the Giant Racer rollercoaster that whizzed folks through the sky, nor a brick from the bathhouses that spat recreation seekers into the salty warm water—undeterred despite their heavy wool swimming costumes as they frolicked in the July heat. No planks remain as an emblem to lovers who embraced on the massive dance floor by the thousands, or strolled along the pier.
Today, Saltair III stands a fair distance from the original site. Built in 1981 from an airplane hangar near the Interstate to resemble the other Saltairs, the current structure exists as a successful concert venue for big names like Ed Sheeran, Playboi Carti, Billie Eilish and Post Malone—but that doesn’t shield it from constant rumors of paranormal activity. Some say any iteration of Saltair is cursed. The body of a woman found on the property in 2000 has fueled decades of horror stories about “Saltair Sally,” whom the paranormal reality show Ghost Adventures chased in its episode entitled “The Great Saltair Curse.”
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On an unseasonably warm April morning this past spring, 32,000 Boston Marathon runners lined up to race one of the most difficult courses in the world. While I wasn’t one of the Utahns invited to the elite starting gate, nor did I finish in the overall top ten (but can you believe it? A whopping three from Utah did. See sidebar), I was proud to be one of 377 runners representing the Beehive State.
‘Run the first 10 miles with your brain, the next 10 with your training and the last 10 with your heart,’ chimes a popular mantra for marathoners, but one that’s particularly hard to execute on the Boston course. That’s because during the six initial miles of downhill, adjusting to the roaring crowds and the field of fast-moving (and pumped with adrenaline) fellow runners, slowing the motor is a mind game. Regret comes soon enough for the false-starters around mile seven, when the gentle descent abruptly ends and 10 miles of rolling hills begin, but full-blown penitence kicks in during the tough uphill sections on miles 16-21 (the steepest section is nicknamed “Heartbreak Hill” at mile 21).
Not my first rodeo, and my hypervigilance and overplanning put me in good shape as I angled against the pitfalls—that, plus I believe in miracles. So, as the spectators swelled with each passing stride toward the famous finishing stretch on Boylston Street, the faster my legs carried me. It was time to let loose and capture those negative splits I was aiming for during the final 10k.
For us mountain folk who train at 4,200 feet, it’s striking to run at sea level and drink in that luxuriant, salty sea air. And, didn’t I mention—I believe in miracles? The balmy weather on race day was a praise-God-worthy rarity (case in point: my 2015 Boston monsoon experience). But hands-down, the frenetic crowd energy was the real oxygen to my lungs (can I just say that Bostonians are amazing?) The magic I’d envisioned when I dropped two grand on hotels and flights to make it to the Boston Marathon became a reality when, despite leaden legs, I ran on air—Hallelujah!— through the finish line.
Boston, Boston, Boston…
OK, it was a lot of money to spend on a race. So what is it with the Boston Marathon and why do so many Utahns put it on the bucket list? To help you understand, let me give you a little background.
Any marathon runner will tell you that waiting around for the starting gun feels longer than the race itself. First, there’s the school-bus shuttle to the starting line, usually at an ungodly hour like 4 a.m. Then there’s the compulsory “party” at the start line, complete with music, emcee, fire pits and rows of caffeine-pumped runners stretching in endless lines waiting for the porta potties. There’s no enjoying the downtime, but we make the best of it, sitting on the hard ground wrapped in blankets around the fire pits, forcing ourselves to make small talk if we can get our teeth to stop chattering.
Since I can never get my teeth to stop chattering (I blame the caffeine and nerves as much as the cold), I like to play a little game to pass the time. Closing my eyes and taking in the slivers of conversation swirling around me, I expect to hear a word on repeat, a drum beat in the cacophony.
Wait for it…
“The first time I did Boston…” blah blah blah “Is that a Boston qualifier…?” blah blah blah “My injury right before Boston…” blah blah.
Why Boston? Well, there’s clout, of course. While your friends’ eyes instantly glaze over when you talk about your training schedule or your hamstring flare-up, when you casually bring up, I dunno…that time you ran Boston, people eye you with a new level of respect. You’ve had an instant glow-up.
Yes, the Boston Marathon is one of six “majors” and the world’s oldest annual marathon, but the real reason it ranks as one of the most prestigious road racing events is simply because of the tough qualifying times–not so with other biggies that use a lottery system like New York City and Chicago.
And while there are qualifying standards for each age group, more than 12,000 folks who hit the standard still didn’t get the green light this year. With more runners than slots, accepted racers in 2025 averaged seven minutes faster than the standard qualifying time. Ouch.
Then there’s the mystique. Held each year on Patriots’ Day (the third Monday in April), the storied marathon features a celebrated course; huge, high-energy crowds from start to finish; and the iconic blue-and-yellow unicorn finisher’s medal. Plus, it’s inspiring to see the marathon’s charity arm at work. Running alongside angels donning shirts representing the organization they’ve raised a chunk of change for—cancer foundations, military moms, the fight against domestic violence—is downright beautiful.
On a more personal note, running Boston gives me a sense of pride. Just qualifying is an accomplishment, and I rely on that grit and mental toughness when life gets messy. Plus, whenever I wonder if I’m getting old and/or weak, I remind myself that I ran Boston, the same way my husband reminds himself that Tom Brady is a year older than he is.
The bottom line: if you’re aiming to qualify and run the Boston Marathon, I highly recommend it. If you’re wondering how to qualify as a runner in the Beehive State, read on.
Best Qualifying Races
Not every marathon is a Boston qualifier, but some distinctly tailor their course for it. “You will finally hit that Boston qualifying time as it is the fastest marathon in the state of Utah” reads the REVEL Big Cottonwood marathon homepage, touting their stats and promising runners a fast, downhill course. That race takes place on September 13, 2025–THE very last day to qualify for Boston 2026.
The St. George Marathon is another popular qualifier. Dropping 2,600 feet in elevation, this race grants personal bests and plenty of qualifiers. But such dramatic downhill running poses rigors on your quads and knees–I’ve had more friends get injured in that race than any other.
My recommendation: the Ogden Marathon, held each May. With a much more reasonable descent of 1,277 feet through the Wasatch Range, the gentle downhill slope gives runners a breathtaking tour along the Ogden River, around Pineview Reservoir, down Ogden Canyon and onto Historic 25th Street. I’ve seen rain and I’ve seen snow, but often runners get that perfect 50-60 degree range.
The author’s Boston Marathon 2025 medal. Photo courtesy of Boston Marathon/Facebook.Author Heather Hayes after competing in 2025’s Boston Marathon. Photo by Heather Hayes.
The qualifying window for the 2026 Boston Marathon opened on September 1, 2024, and will run through (usually) a set date in September. The Boston Athletic Association is the best resource, baa.org
BYU FTW
Because we live at high altitude, pro runners love training here. But that doesn’t fully explain why BYU has supplanted Oregon as the distance-running leader among universities. Take a look at the Men’s top seven finishers in the 2025 Boston Marathon:
John Korir (Kiramwok, Bomet, Kenya) 2:04:45
Alphonce Felix Simbu (Singida, Tanzania) 2:05:0
CyBrian Kotut (Nandi Hills, Kenya) 2:05:04
*Conner Mantz (Smithfield, Utah) 2:05:08
Muktar Edris (Silt’e Zone, Ethiopia) 2:05:59
*Rory Linkletter (Herriman, Utah) 2:07:02
*Clayton Young (Am. Fork, Utah) 2:07:04 *Ran for BYU
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Park City, the town, is like that girl who hands out swag bags at her own birthday party. While the rest of us throw together trunk-or-treats in the school parking lot after a Costco costume-and-candy haul, the charming resort town just up yonder curates delightful small-town fetes with folks donning prize-winning costumes or handcrafting scarecrows for a good cause. Be jealous, or pose as a Parkite and join the fun!
Fun on the farm
Kicking off hair-raising holiday revelries with its annual Scarecrow Festival, community members gather under a brilliant backdrop of mountains enrobed in gold, crimson and burnt sienna at McPolin Farm, the hard-to-miss icon often dubbed the “big white barn” roadside between Kimball Junction and Old Town Park City.
But barn magic doesn’t happen by accident, and keeping that paint in gleaming white condition or maintaining the stunning orchard takes time–and fundraising. Each year, the city, which owns the historic farmstead, along with Friends of the Farm, which takes care of the property, brings Parkites together to create a walking trail filled with dazzling and delightful scarecrows.
The McPolin Barn’s annual Scarecrow Festival. Photo courtesy of Park City Municipal Corp
“The city provides a limited number of packets with straw for stuffing, a framework for your scarecrow and a name tag for your creation,” says McPolin Farm Manager, Paige Galvin, of the event in early October. She says locals get first dibs on tickets, which usually sell out. “Folks are encouraged to bring their own items to build and decorate their scarecrows, and believe me, they do.”
Those who know the ropes take scarecrow-making seriously; it’s not uncommon to see ticketholders show up with props, accessories, handmade heads, shoes or fully-made costumes to dress their creations. A full Darth Vader scarecrow spooked visitors (and crows) from his perch last year. A Barbie, a Harry Potter and a skeleton bride also proved crowd favorites.
Scarecrow-makers jockey for ‘prime’ display spots along the nearby McPolin trail before joining in fall festivities at the farm. “We have pumpkin painting, face painting, cookies and cider,” says Galvin of the afternoon festival. “We also have live music fro the Iron Canyons Echoes Band.”
A perfect way to bring the community together (and a few wannabes), the Scarecrow Festival takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4. If you are not lucky (or local) enough to score tickets, you can walk the spooky scarecrow trail until just before Halloween.
Enclosing Main Street in spooky fun for foot (and paw) traffic only, Park City’s Howl-O-Ween event takes place from 3 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 31. Along with munchkins dressed as ghouls, mermaids or Marvel characters, check out the costume-clad canines that put the “howl” in the howl-o-ween festivities– donning equally spine-tingling or downright hilarious costumes, who can resist an English bulldog dressed in a Swan Lake tutu and headpiece? Or a springer spaniel dressed as an ear of corn? Especially when her humans are other members of the vegetable patch, including an adorable toddler peas-in-a-pod? C’mon!
“Everyone from kids to dogs to retirees comes to the event,” says Chris Phinney with the Historic Park City Alliance. Folks can trick-or-treat at storefronts up and down Main Street, gathering special goodies, showing off their creations, perhaps even stopping in for a quick bite. “All the merchants on Main Street, from bars and restaurants to clothing stores and art galleries, pass out candy. Some decorate their storefronts, and sometimes they do giveaways or whip up fun treats like cotton candy or popcorn.”
A miniature horse is living her best Waste Management life while cleaning up Park City’s Main Street. Photo courtesy of Park City Municipal Corp
But it’s the costumes, Phinney says, that are unrivaled. “The community gets really into it and goes all out,” he says. “I’m always laughing and in awe.”
If you forget your costume, though, don’t worry; there’s no contest. There’s also no emcee, no program, no food carts or stage. Instead, Phinney says, pop-up performances on the street are the norm. “We may get a dance team that shows up to perform their routine, maybe some string musicians” he says, adding, “Mostly, though, people like to chat and walk, see their friends and show off their creations.”
Note: Well-behaved dogs are welcome but must be on a leash
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In Utah, sparkling fall weekends are the prize at the bottom of the cereal box, the last parking spot, the rare record hiding in a dusty thrift shop—fleeting and absolutely worth the chase. Early September still scorches, late October flirts with snow, and in between sits a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it season that begs to be devoured. Forget the inbox. Burn a sick day. Bomb a trail on your mountain bike, get lost in a canyon, or round up your people for a fall-fueled escape to Utah’s very own storybook village: Midway.
The Town that Gives Swiss Vibes
Often called the state’s own slice of the Alps, Midway’s heritage and architecture nod to its 1800’s Swiss immigrant settlers. And with perfect fall temps and a color-bursting Timpanogus backdrop, it will get you in the mood for sweater weather.
Our full-day in Midway
Stop 1: Cascade springs We started the day off with an ode-to-nature, exploring the one-mile boardwalk past flowing springs, a cascading waterfall and a postcard-worthy pond, all to a chorus of gold and crimson mountain foliage. Within the Uinta Wasatch-Cache National Forest, the total loop felt manageable, and the drive around Deer Creek Reservoir to the entrance is a nature trail within itself. You’ll be writing poetry.
Stop 2: Midway Bakery Everyone in town says the cinnamon rolls are a ‘must,’ so we obeyed. Gooey, moist and mounded with frosting: they were on point and…perfection. Glad we started the day with some exercise.
Stop 3 Ballerina Farm: We had some followers and fans of influencer Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm, so we had to stop at her new storefront just off Midway’s Main Street. When a ballerina marries a handsome airline heir, then pulls up stakes in the big city for romantic-looking farmlife in Kamas, Utah, (with gorgeous kids, house and harvest in tow), who can resist? Not us. Her store did not disappoint. Fresh and adorably-packaged produce, meat, soaps, flowers all harvested from their nearby farm as well as sourced products from around the world kept the cash register dinging.
Photo courtesy of Folklore Bookshop
Stop 4: Books, Home Decor and Gift Stores, Oh my! At the foot of the great Mount Timpanogous and backing the Wasatch range, Midway’s chalet-style homes, pitched roofs, flower boxes and alpine details keep things lively long after its annual Swiss Days festival each Labor Day. New shops along main street give European vibes, with the adorable Folklore Bookshop, The Flower Bar Co., Haven Haus Co., Fernweh, The Dainty Pear Co. and Beljar Home are all within walking distance. Plan on a couple hours of mid-morning shopping before heading to one of many lunch spots nearby.
Stop 5: Utah Crater This 10,000 year old geothermal hot spring hidden inside a natural limestone dome is a warm 95 degrees year round. It’s one of Utah’s most amazing natural wonders—which is saying a lot for a state that hosts five national parks. The crystal blue mineral water exudes cathedral-like quietude, and at 65 feet deep, it’s scuba paradise. I’ve never entertained scuba certification before, but the thought of training in a natural hot tub gave me pause. For this visit however, we snorkeled, paddleboarded, and zenned in the mineral waters, with intermittent lounging on the decks.
Photo courtesy of Go Heber Valley
Stop 6: Tour Ritual Chocolate Factory OK, it’s not in Midway, it’s just down the road in Charleston, UT, but the two tiny towns share the Heber Valley, and let’s face it—they had us at ‘chocolate factory’. While we love a good Willy Wonka story, this isn’t quite a tour into the dark underbelly of candy creation. In fact, Ritual Chocolate’s bean-to-bar process is not only on the up-and-up, it’s the source of celebration. The guide walked us through the process from harvesting cacao beans to the creation of single-origin dark chocolate bars and drinking chocolates (think Madagascar, Ecuador, Peru), helping us identify fruity, nutty or woody tasting notes. If you’re short on time, skip the tour and order the taste flight drinking chocolate at the cafe.
A Day on the Farm
For a family-themed daytrip, sub the Ritual Chocolate Tour for a daily farm tour with a hayride to the milking barn at Heber Valley Milk & Artisan Cheese. If shopping along Main Street isn’t your family’s jam, take a ride on the ‘Heber Creeper,’ (Heber Valley Railroad), offering scenic canyon and lake tours as well as themed trips for different holidays, seasons and events.
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In the vibrant backdrop of the 1960s, sparks of experimentation and exploration ignited to form Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, a Utah institution that helped redefine the contemporary dance landscape. Today, the rep company finds itself in post-pandemic flux, grappling to unearth its next evolutionary stage. While looking for a fresh artistic current, it is, like many performing arts organizations, seeking new ways to bring audiences into theater seats.
Leslie Kraus, Ririe-Woodbury’s new artistic director, thinks she may have the answer, but it has less to do with “seats” and more to do with reimagined “spaces.”
Fausto Rivera and Sasha Rydlizky, Photo by Marissa Mooney
“I feel so honored to step into this legacy company,” says Kraus, best known for her starring role dancing as Lady Macbeth (2012-2015, again in 2024) in the off-Broadway smash hit, Sleep No More. Moving to Utah this past summer with her family (her husband, Salt Lake native Brandin Steffensen, is a former dancer with the company), she hit the ground running to fill the vacancy left by former director Daniel Charon. “It’s a dream come true for me, and I’m excited to curate seasons that bring in many voices and a wide range of life experiences, which I hope Salt Lake will be excited about.”
She spent her early career dancing and then assistant-directing for the award-winning Kate Weare Company in Brooklyn, NY. She also worked as a faculty member at University of Oklahoma’s dance department and coordinated the Five Moons Dance Festival. But her pièce de résistance is immersive dance, a genre that dissolves the boundary between spectator and performer, sometimes employing unconventional dance settings to engage audiences more deeply in the creative process.
“How does a 61-year-old dance institution pull itself off the traditional stage and put itself back in the hands of the community? While other candidates talked about immersive dance and theater, Leslie is that. She has the lineage and the actual chops to explore it with us,” explained Ririe-Woodbury Executive Director Thom Dancy.
Innovation and Imagination
So, should Salt Lake buckle up for immersive walks in the park alongside dancers or programs where we inhabit a dancer’s digital avatar?
Dancer Leslie Kraus, seen in the film Is This The Water, directed by Leslie Kraus.
“No good work comes out of coming in and flipping the table,” Leslie says, noting that she is intent on building trust through listening. “I want to enhance the company’s image as an experimental dance hub, introducing new and interesting ways to think about dance. But I also want to take the time to learn what the community and dancers respond to and find that sweet spot.”
While her experience dancing in Sleep No More is no doubt a trendy asset, she reminds us that innovation is still happening on the proscenium stage in dynamic and exciting ways, too. Leslie says she opts for a more tempered, balanced approach, especially when considering Ririe-Woodbury’s storied history and reputation for dance quality.
Still, who can blame us for getting a bit starstruck? Sleep No More, with a cult-like following over its 14-year run, was one of the unlikeliest, hottest tickets in New York. Audiences, wearing signature company masks, moved through different floors of the swanky McKittrick Hotel to an assemblage of artistic mediums-film, contemporary dance, theater, music, literature-in a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. After performing in the production for two years, Leslie signed on with the same UK-based immersive theater company, Punchdrunk, for another lead role in The Drowned Man.
“Immersive is a sexy word that people throw around, but really, it just explores something already inherent in dance performance: the partnership between the dancer and the audience member,” says Kraus, who describes taking audiences to the next level by allowing them into the dancer’s space sans barriers. “Audiences feel like they’ve just been dropped into the center of a movie, so it’s deeply thrilling for them.”
Ririe-Woodbury 2025/26 Season
REVERBERATION | September 25-27, 2025
Featuring a world premiere by incoming Artistic Director Leslie Kraus, as well as a new creation by famed choreographic duo Florian Lochner and Alice Klock of Flockworks.
TRAVERSE | January 15-17, 2026
Choreography and art in motion, this concert features the work of the company’s 2026 Choreographic Canvas Selected Artist, a nationally recognized artist residency initiative.
SPRING FORWARD Annual Benefit Party | April 16, 2026
Spring forward with the Artists of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in an evening of frivolity, fashion, and florals. VIP showing of Vantage Point, as well as craft cocktails and light bites.
VANTAGE POINT | April 17-18, 2026
From her vantage point, featuring an evening of works by female choreographers Tzveta Kassabova and Princess Grace Award winner, Keerati Jinakunwhipat (in an encore performance of The Opposite of Killing).
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Seems like it’s getting harder and harder to just go—no plans, no apps, no three-month-in-advance reservations. These days, even snagging a simple night under the stars can feel like coordinating a moon landing.
Fortunately, tucked along the Wasatch Front are a handful of overnight backpacking trips that don’t require hours of driving, no spreadsheets or permits required—just a free evening, a bit of gear and a hankering for starry skies. So, for those times you just want to shoulder a pack and disappear into the mountains, we’ve got you covered.
From trailheads you can reach after work to alpine lakes and quiet ridgelines that still feel wild, these close-to-home backpacking adventures offer a much-needed escape. Below, we’ll cover five solid overnight routes perfect for a quick getaway, along with a checklist of essential gear to ensure your night in the mountains is safe, warm and comfortable.
This gorgeous trail brings you to an Alpine lake with stunning views of Sundial Peak. It gets crowded in the summer and early fall, but you’ll still find plenty of space to spread out. Amongst granite peaks, you’ll experience wildflowers and wildlife. It’s the quintessential overnight trip, but you’ll have neighbors. It’s very popular—but there’s plenty of room to have space to yourself.
2. Lone Peak
Distance: 11–15 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 5,600 feet
Difficulty: Challenging
Why we love it:
Rising sharply above the Salt Lake valley, Lone Peak is one of our greatest mountain monuments. Its isolated single granite summit juts in a dramatic point with sheer cliffs and white granite wildness on every side. There are five different routes to the top. Jacob’s Ladder, while the shortest, is also the steepest. The route from Bell’s Canyon is longer, but passes waterfalls and unmatched scenery. No matter what you choose, you’ll face challenging terrain that buys you a calorie-fest at Crown Burger when you finish. There are campsites in the upper cirque area, where we suggest you regain your strength before ascending the peak. You’ll want to ditch the backpack for that anyway.
3. Red Pine & Upper Red Pine Lake (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
Distance: 7 miles round trip to Red Pine; 10 to Upper Red Pine
Elevation Gain: 2,000–2,500 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Why we Love it
Tucked away high in the Wasatch, the climb is steady without being excruciatingly steep. Winding through pines and aspens, the lake sits at a cirque basin surrounded by rugged granite ridges, offering plenty of spots among the trees and boulders. We suggest camping on the slabs to get a clearer view of the brilliant stars each night, reflected back in the clear alpine lake. It’s a great jumping off point for the Pfeifferhorn summit, just a couple miles beyond the lake.
4. Desolation Lake via Mill D North Fork and Desolation Trail
Distance: 7.4 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 2,000 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Why we Love it
Another serene lake tucked deep in the high Wasatch wilderness, the hike will enchant you with wildflowers while keeping you well-shaded with aspen groves and brilliant conifers. Unlike the lakes we’ve mentioned above, this one feels more meadowy and open, as if Maria from TheSound of Music might come spinning down the grassy slopes while bursting into song. You can spread out and find a quiet spot, and the mileage is manageable.
5. Mount Timpanogos via Timpooneke Trail
Distance: 14 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 4,400 feet
Difficulty: Challenging
Why we Love it
Considered THE MOST iconic peak in the Wasatch, the Timp trek passes Alpine meadows, waterfalls, glaciers and goats. Seriously—you’re almost guaranteed to see a mountain goat or two. The views are spectacular, the scenery is breathtaking and you’re bound to feel like a world-conqueror at the top. As with every major peak in Utah, you’ll encounter many who hike this all in one day rather than stopping for the night (and more than a few who run this in space of a morning—the maniacs). If you want to camp (which we highly recommend), sheltered spots are at the ready along the trail, with the most coveted near Emerald Lake.
Honorable Mentions:
White Pine Lake (Little Cottonwood Canyon) – quieter than Red Pine
Cecret Lake and Catherine Pass area – great for base-camping with several lake hikes nearby
Uinta Highline Trail: A more strenuous, multi-day trek through the Uinta Mountains, offering a true wilderness experience.
South Willow Lake Trail: Located in the Stansbury Mountains, this trail offers stunning views and is a good option for families.
Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip:
Check trail conditions, elevation and water sources
Leave no trace: Pack out everything you pack in, and minimize your impact on the environment.
Open Fires: Are prohibited in most areas.
Add rain/warm gear: Mountain weather can change quickly, so be prepared for all types of conditions.
Share your plans with someone: Let a friend or family member know your itinerary and expected return time.
Plastic Bag for picking up all trash: Leave no trace
Food: (Dehydrated meals packs, sandwich and oatmeal packs, granola bars
Water Bottle (with filter)
Insulating Layer: The mountains are cold at night, even in the summer. Bring something warm, light, and easy to pack (a puffy in a stuff sack, for instance)
Extra pair of socks
Flash light/Head lamp
First-aid supplies (inlcuding moleskin for blisters)
Hiking shoes and socks
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Staging chamber concerts in nature to celebrate outdoor acoustics is just one element of the celebrated Moab Music Festival. Of course, the main event is the composition itself and the skill and dexterity of the musicians. But the fantastical settings are close rivals.
Take, for instance, a red rock grotto on the banks of the Colorado River accessible only by jet boat, where a Steinway grand piano sits in stark contrast to its desert stage. Or a secluded canyon, scored at the top of a bright morning hike where a couple dozen audience members take in a string arrangement of Bach’s Partita No. 3. Picture red mesas towering over a riverboat, fitted with a woodwind ensemble on the foredeck in a floating Mozart serenade. Or foamy whitewater crests, snaking along crimson towers, where adventurous music-lovers battle waves with raft-mates (a handful of whom might feel more at home in Carnegie Hall than in this heart-pumping Cataract Canyon). Later at camp, a cello will wail in concert with distant coyotes.
Festival-goers, tucked into a red rock grotto, are treated to a violin concerto. Photo Courtesy of Moab Music Festival Photo Courtesy of Moab Music Festival
“The Moab Music Festival brings world-class musicians into pristine, intimate settings where they perform in concert with the landscape,” says Festival organizer Tara Baker, who describes it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for audiences, but also for performers. “It’s often a favorite stage for them—playing in these natural amphitheaters and red rock concert halls. So we draw some of the most recognized musicians in the world.”
In a town known for fueling adrenaline junkies on Slickrock Trail and Hell’s Revenge, the classical music palette might seem like a mismatch. Instead, consider the Moab Music Festival a soft landing place for those who don’t regularly patronize the Royal Albert Hall. A writer from the Wall Street Journal once admitted she didn’t know Tchaikovsky from Brahms, but the beauty of the festival was, she didn’t have to.
“The music seems to articulate something in our souls when we’re in nature,” describes Elizabeth Dworkin, a representative for the event, adding that there is no need to be well-versed in the classical genre in order to enjoy. “People come to this festival to feel something. And then they keep coming back because of what they feel, not what they know.”
Audience members also love the intimacy with the musicians. Sitting in the grotto, one can nearly reach out and touch cellist Jay Campbell’s nimble fingers dancing the length of his fingerboard from neck to bass bar. Or, after a day battling whitewater, one could easily strike up a conversation with Grammy-nominated violinist Tessa Lark, who also happens to be the festival’s new Artistic Director.
During a float tour down the Colorado, audiences pause for a musician playing riverside. Photo Courtesy of Moab Music Festival
“I take genuine pleasure in personally connecting with folks from all backgrounds,” Lark says of the intimate vibe. “What makes the Festival extraordinary is relishing nature and music all at once, and being able to share that heaven-on-earth with others.”
As you can imagine, the more intimate and remote the setting, the higher the price tag. The 4-day, 3-night Cataract Canyon Musical Raft experience, complete with victuals by celebrated chef Kenji Lopez-Alt, who will “explore the parallels between food and music through curated meals and demonstrations,” comes in at over $5K a pop.
But not all of the performances over the two-week festival (20 concerts in total) is aimed at the deep-pocketed. Many of the acoustically perfect “stages,” surrounded by buttes, mesas and endless sky, happen at other locales in Moab.
“Making the music festival accessible to the community is extremely important to us,” says Baker. More modestly-priced offerings take place at a historic hall, a local resort, a café—even a working farm. There’s also a free community Labor Day concert in the park.
Like the venues, programming is decisively varied, a reflection of Lark’s forward-thinking vision, with new faces like Latin-fusion band People of Earth, bluegrass mandolinist Sierra Hull and singer-guitarist Lau Noah.
Call it a bucket list item or a religious experience, just make the Moab Music Festival part of your Labor Day plans.
Photo Courtesy of Moab Music Festival
The 33rd Moab Music Festival: From low $ to high $$$
Dipping a Toe $35-90
Opening Night Program:At historic Star Hall, the program features a night of duos and Schubert’s Trout Quintet. (Wednesday, Aug. 27)
Music Hikes Program:A chamber orchestra awaits trekkers in a secluded canyon. (Saturday, Aug. 30; Sunday, Aug. 31; Saturday, Sept. 6)
Sorrel River Ranch Program: Grammy-nominated mandolinist Sierra Hull graces audiences with her 5-piece band. (Saturday, Sept. 6)
Diving In $100-250
Floating Concerts Program: Explore the Colorado River by morning on a riverboat while taking in an ensemble of woodwinds or strings. (Friday, Aug. 29 or Sunday, Sept. 7)
Kin Program:Collaborators Andy Akiho (steel pan) and Ian Rosenbaum (marimba) perform in a glass-walled, open-air venue. (Wednesday, Sept. 3)
Ranch Benefit Concert: Edgar Meyer—Then & Now Program: Set at a private ranch, famed double bassist Edgar Meyer dazzles guests with a Bach Sonata and hand-picked trios. (Friday, Sept. 5)
Cannon-balling $500 +
Grotto Concerts Program: Delight in the rhythm of a guitar or the tremor of a Steinway grand piano with cozy ensembles in a secret grotto. (Thursday, Aug. 28, Thursday, Sept. 4, Tuesday, Sept. 9)
Cataract Canyon Musical Raft Trip with Chef Kenji López-Alt Program: Float with artists and an an award-winning chef for a 3-day, 4-night star-studded musical and culinary experience in Cataract Canyon. (Tuesday – Friday, Sept. 9-12)
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Maybe it was Wonder Woman who lit a fire under a young Jacki Zehner. Kicking butt and taking names, it was she—(not a he)—wielding her truth-extracting magic lasso, those bullet-deflecting bracelets and rocking the tall red boots on the airwaves in Jacki’s hometown of Kelowna, B.C. Canada.
Or maybe it happened years later, when Jacki met trailblazing social activist Gloria Steinem. “Use your corporate role to create more opportunities for women,” Steinem told the finance whiz, who had just become the youngest female partner at Goldman Sachs.
Whatever set her course toward serving and championing women on the financial frontier, Jacki has spent nearly three decades leveraging her wealth, shrewdness and social capital, investing in female-owned businesses and funds, empowering women around money and inspiring financial power.
“Women simply haven’t been socialized to embrace money as a ‘power to’ tool—to our detriment. A ‘power to’ serve our families, have a positive social impact, help fund wealth creation for others,” she says. “Normalizing conversations and stories around money is a pathway to getting better with money.”
A Park City resident, Jacki says Utah’s high rankings for doing business, livability and quality of life can’t offset a glaring problem. “When it comes to women’s social and economic well-being and equality, we rank at the very bottom,” she says. “We can’t proudly tout favorable rankings while ignoring the unfavorable ones.”
Wonder Woman
Jacki studied finance at the University of British Columbia before joining Goldman Sachs as a trader in the late ’80s. Driven and fearless, she made partner in 1996 at just 32 years old. When Goldman Sachs went public three years later, Jacki experienced a significant windfall, and suddenly, she wasn’t just managing wealth for others—she was navigating her own.
Jacki (an avid collector) shares actress Linda Carter’s costume pieces from the original DC Comics Wonder Woman TV series. Photo by Adam Finkle
“After 14 years at Goldman, I was itching to leave and, believe it or not, write a Wonder Woman screenplay,” she says, reflecting on her lifelong love of the iconic character, and her newfound love of film.
Beloved by women the world over, Wonder Woman championed love, equality and sisterhood. Yet somehow, even by the early 2000s, the red-booted Amazonian princess didn’t have her own movie, her time on the airwaves had passed, and the newest generation of girls didn’t know her. Jacki was determined to change that.
At a dinner party, she found herself once again face to face with Gloria Steinem. Also a mega-fan, Gloria regularly peppered her speeches with allusions to the superhero and was known to have DC Comics on speed dial in the ’70s whenever the character edged more toward car-hop than superhero. Wonder Woman even graced the very first issue of Gloria’s Ms. magazine.
So, was it a coincidence that Jacki was seated next to one of the foremost experts on Wonder Woman?
“It was a sign,” she says, adding, “The next day I turned in my resignation at Goldman Sachs to chase the screenplay.” Jacki and Gloria have been friends ever since.
It was Warner Brothers that finally produced its own Wonder Woman movie in 2017 (try as she might, she could never secure the rights). But for Jacki, it was just the beginning. Still inspired and free from the hamster wheel, Jacki redirected her energy into helping women—and the world—in a different way: wielding her financial wizardry as her very own superpower.
Women Moving Millions and She Money/ShePlace
“Because women get less than 2% of venture capital,” Jacki explains when asked what motivated her next move.
She became the first president and CEO of Women Moving Millions (WMM), the only women-funding-women community of its caliber, having given over $1 billion towards the betterment of women and women-founded businesses. Additionally, her Foundation has invested in 25 women-owned companies and more than a dozen funds focused on female advancement.
Ever interested in film, she’s promoted and funded female documentary-makers and filmmakers interested in telling women’s stories as a Sundance Institute board member.
Now she’s taking to task Utah women’s upward mobility limitations, working with global thought leader Dr. Susan Madsen (Utah State University) on her state and privately-funded initiative, A Bolder Way Forward.
Once the youngest female partner at Goldman Sachs, Jacki’s SheMoney and ShePlace empower women around money. Photo by Adam Finkle
“Looking at the metrics with Susan and other state leaders,” says Jacki, “what I heard was: we need to get women talking about money.”
Jacki’s wildly popular monthly newsletter on LinkedIn (currently at just under 170k subscribers) became the impetus for a more robust platform. She founded ShePlace, an online and in-person network for women to grow their social capital, and, soon after, SheMoney, a consultancy and content platform to champion financial engagement for women.
So while Jacki could be spending her 60s sailing around the world attending Wonder Woman Comic-cons, she’s leading affordable summits, hosting workshops, creating podcasts and educating women’s organizations about the power of their money and how to use it better.
Jacki seems to have her own magic lasso for truth-telling. She’s encouraging women to share their ‘money stories’ and teaching them how to access capital. While the topic is weighty, somehow she manages to lighten the mood by infusing her other loves into the discussion: Beyoncé, cowboy culture and line dancing (or a combination of all three).
“I want to live in literally the best place in the country for everyone, including women,” Jacki says. “It’s not a zero-sum game. When we help women, we help children…we help everybody.”
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These charming small businessesdotting rural Utah have gained unprecedented fame thanks to big followings on social media. To thousands of followers, these niche shops and boutiques are often considered as much of a destination as the sparkling lakes, powdery chutes and red rock monoliths that hover nearby.
Beljar Home
Furnishings and fashion
Following a handsome, well-established couple as they hunt antiques in chocolate-box villages amongst honey-hued cottage shops? Yes, please. Joining said couple online as they choose cabinetry, fixtures and furnishings for new building projects in picturesque Heber Valley? We’re liking and subscribing.
With a storefront in Midway, the owners of Beljar Home take their online followers on sourcing journeys through Provence and the Cotswolds, advise DIY home decorators on layering old and new items, showcase just-arrived merchandise and take us along for a peek into their building projects, throwing words like “moody,” “old-world” and “antiquey” around more often than candy at a parade.
Exterior of Beljar Home. Photo courtesy of Beljar. Owners Desiree and James Bastian take followers along on their sourcing journeys. hoto courtesy of Beljar.
“You can come into the store and outfit an entire home, custom-order a sofa or find those perfect vintage light fixtures,” says co-owner Desiree Bastian of Beljar Home. “But we love visitors who come to just look around or pick up a little something to take home. Collecting things over time helps people tell their stories: an heirloom pillow, a unique salt and pepper shaker set, a hand-painted bowl, a cozy throw.”
James Bastian, the other half of the quintessential husband-wife duo, agrees. “We love it when our friends stop by. Some live around the corner, some live out of the country and stop in to meet us,” he says. “They pick up a cinnamon roll at Midway Bakery, come into the store, and then…on with their day. We love being part of the itinerary.”
Make a Day of It: Visit Deer Creek Reservoir, Homestead Crater, Soldier Hollow
Followers: 83.4k
Emie James
Home decor and gifts
Comprising Eden, Huntsville and Liberty,the 7,500 people who make up Ogden Valley cherish its small-town charm and tight-knit community. Amid sparkling Pineview Reservoir and nestled between the Wasatch and Monte Cristo Mountain Ranges, the valley hosts only a few storefronts and gas stations, a handful of restaurants, a market, a church, an elementary school, a hardware store and a library. The old monastery is gone now.
Peaceful, yes. Quaint, for sure. A little too quiet? Sometimes. Lifelong resident Lisa Pack and her daughter Marne Grange say they wanted to create a fun community hub not just for lifers like themselves, but for new residents and even visitors eager to make new friends.
Mother and daughter duo Lisa Pack (right) and Marne Grange (left), create a community space in Eden at Emie James. Photo courtesy of @emie_james
“There really wasn’t a place to hang out and see your girlfriends, to meet new people, to buy a little gift for a shower, to grab a little treat and say hello,” says Lisa, adding that the valley has deep roots going back generations but it’s sometimes hard to connect—especially for newcomers. “It occurred to us that some people feel like, ‘If I don’t have family from here, I don’t belong.’ We want people to feel connected in this community.”
Teaming up with her daughter, Marne Grange, the two, (who consider themselves “besties”), answered the call, opening a charming little home decor, gift and treat shop in Eden called Emie James.
Marne believes their online presence far outweighs store traffic because, while merchandise is trendy and up-to-the-minute, followers also get a glimpse of small-town life. It’s what compels folks to trek from Kaysville or Kentucky to meet the uber-friendly staff and bring home a whimsical, mounted metal moose sporting spectacles, a trendy kitchen towel or an oversized “Apres Ski” sweatshirt. Some visitors even stick around long enough to sign up for Emie James’ flower arranging, sushi-making or sourdough-baking workshops.
Owners: mother-daughter duo Lisa Pack and Marne Grange
Make a Day of It: Splash in Pineview or Causey Reservoir, hike the Brim Trail, mountain bike Ben Lomond or ski at Snow Basin or Powder Mountain.
Followers: 24.6k
The Creamery
Quick-stop dairy shop and full-service eatery
Many a childhood was spent gnawing on squeaky cheese curds in the back of the family station wagon after an I-15 pit stop at the dairy plant in Beaver, Utah.
“Those cheese curds are what got us here today,” says Matt Robinson, director of The Creamery. Matt also happens to be Beaver City’s mayor.
Still housed right off the freeway directly between Salt Lake and Las Vegas, the storefront experienced an extreme makeover as The Creamery, a stunning dairy dream house drawing in not just I-15 travelers, but–more than ever–those making a special trip.
The Creamery has long been a must-stop for I-15 travelers coming north to Salt Lake City or south to Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of The Creamery.
Formed by a dairy farmer co-op, the store makes it a point to share farming families’ stories via social media and posts every scrumptious dairy iteration sold in the store (think wrapped mango fire cheddar wedges and blueberry shortbread cookie mix). The quick-serve restaurant is a foodstagrammer’s dream: creamy strawberry ice cream, jalapeno mac and cheese, braised short rib grilled cheese sandwiches…you get the picture.
“Our guests come for amazing and unique dairy products and that’s a credit to the farmers, producers and folks in the kitchen,” says Mayor Matt. “Unmistakably, without a doubt, though, what people come to consume most at The Creamery is that small-town connection, that farm-to-table experience. They want to drink milk that comes from the Roberts’ dairy just 12 miles to the west, or those cheese curds made at 4 a.m. this morning.”
Make a Day of It: Birthplace of the famous outlaw, Butch Cassidy, visitors can check out the new Eagle Point ski and summer resort, hike, fish, snowmobile, or horseback ride through Fishlake National Forest in the Tushar Mountain Range, or check out the famous Crusher in the Tushars bike race.
Followers: 7.8k
Cosy House
Home and lifestyle shop
OK, OK, St. George is not exactly a small town,but it ain’t big either. And despite big-box stores anchoring strip malls among its red rock vistas, the southern Utah hotspot is not known as a shopping destination. (Just try to pry visitors away from their bikes or golf clubs!)
When Nancy Van Matre moved back to Utah from Southern California, she says she loved hopping on her bike and hitting the trails from her front door. “What’s not to love?” she asks, “Everything was right at my fingertips.”
Everything, the former homestore owner adds, except a beautiful place to shop. “I’d ask friends, ‘Where’s a place to buy a lovely little gift or something pretty for my home?’” she says. “The answer was always the same: TJ Maxx or Target.”
Nancy says she was anxious to recreate the quintessential cool home store, gift go-to and “shop around the corner.” Now, her Cosy House hosts a loyal following of local and social media friends who celebrate her effortless, laid-back aesthetic. The store features mounds of books, cozy furniture, ridiculously un-faux-looking faux foliage (because of all the second-home owners in St. George), sleek lamps, precious oil paintings, modern rugs, marble cake stands, delicate soap dishes and yummy smelling candles.
Now Nancy, her neighbors, and her followers who venture a visit really do have it all: their bikes, their golf clubs and their little shop around the corner.
Make a Day of It: Enjoy Snow Canyon, Zion National Park or Sand Hollow State Park. Try your mountain biking skills at Bearclaw Poppy or tee off at one of seven public golf courses in the area.
Followers: 18.2k
Snuck Farms
Modern farm and storefront featuring produce, gifts and a to-go menu
When Page Westover and her husbandBrian obtained her Grandpa “Snuck’s” Pleasant Grove property, cradled between Mt. Timpanogos and Mt. Nebo, the land had been reduced to just over three acres, surrounded by the type of residential developments that tip small towns into suburb status. But Pleasant Grove, which touts itself as an agricultural community, resists suburbia. Silicon Slopes may be a stone’s throw away, but rituals like June’s Strawberry Days—with its charming parade and rodeo—push back against encroaching sprawl.
Page dreamt of preserving her family’s land and its heritage. She also longed for a simple, small-town life for her family. By ‘simple’ she didn’t mean easy—but a back-to-the-land existence where the trained nutritionist could enjoy growing fresh food while working side by side with her kids.
“I’m driven to nourish people in that way,” says Page. “We need more spaces like this where people can be connected to their food.” A pipe dream for most, Page set about farming her small plot by utilizing hydroponics: a method of growing greens sans soil, which sprout side-by-side in an extended system of PVC pipes fed by recirculated water.
Photo courtesy of Snuck Farms Snuck Farm’s market is stocked with locally made foods, gifts and more. Photo courtesy of Snuck Farms
The result is fresh greens all year long. Documenting her labors with picturesque images of her modern barn, her maturing leafy lettuces in vivid greens and purples, and massive bundles of cut flowers from the extensive cutting gardens, her followers soak in the wonderment of romantic rural life. To get a closer look, folks can visit the farm store, where pressed juices, bags of fresh greens, cut flowers and products from other local farmers and artisans await purchase. The kitchen to-go items like wraps, salads and granola.
Page says her farm life attracts followers because farming is in our DNA—an intrinsic connection between humans and land. “People comment: ‘You’re living my dream, I wanna do this,” she says with a laugh. “And I think, ‘No you don’t.’ It’s nonstop, 24-seven, 365 days a year. There’s a reason people sell their farms.”
Truthfully, though, Page says she understands the draw—of course she does. “We don’t get access to this anymore, there’s very little greenspace,” she says. “There’s something innate and familiar, we don’t want to let go of this tie we feel with land and food.”
Make a Day of It: Explore Timpanogos Caves, hike to Battle Creek Waterfall, bike, walk or rollerblade along Murdock Canal trail, or hit the Strawberry Days parade and rodeo every June.
Followers: 16.2k
Bolt Ranch Store
Western lifestyle, clothing, home and gifts
Instead of buzzing through Kamas on your way to Mirror Lake, Jenny and Abby Watts recommend stopping to smell the flowers—or the fresh hay—and then coming by Bolt Ranch Store.
“The calving season in April and May is worth the drive up,” says Jenny. “Just cruise by all the beautiful fields and you’ll see them.”
Abby often answers questions about the famous nearby Oakley Rodeo in July, which Bolt Ranch Store sponsors, but she also reminds customers about Kamas’ Demolition Derby in May, Fiesta Days rodeo in late July, Frontier Days Rodeo over Labor Day weekend in Francis and Peoa’s Ranch Rodeo Shoot in June.
Jenny and Abby Watts, co-owners of Bolt Ranch House. Photo courtesy of Bolt Ranch House.
But you’ll need a great pair of boots to fit in—and if you’re in the market for a Stetson, the in-house hat shaper stands at the ready. If you decide to stay in Kamas and buy the whole ranch, Bolt House will stock you with enough horse tack, saddles, bridles and cowhide to last you until you remember you’re actually a city slicker.
“But we don’t just sell cowboy stuff,” says Abby, who owns the store with her mom, likening their partnership to a constant girls trip—shopping included. “We have all kinds of stuff, like Free People, Mother Denim, Goorin Bros. Hats, turquoise jewelry, local artwork and gifts. We’re like a mini department store.”
Yes, shoutouts and tags from Food Nanny and Ballerina Farm have helped put Bolt Ranch Store on the social media map, but it’s their gorgeous ranching photos mixed in with modeled merch that keeps followers coming back for more.
“At our ranch, we run 150 cow-calf pairs, (300 total), and we own eight Highland cows, four donkeys (which we plan to breed), ten horses, three Kunekune pigs, two barn cats and Walter, our Bernese Mt. Dog,” says Jenny. “You’ll meet Walter if you come in, he’s the official shop dog.”
Make a Day of It: Drive mirror Lake Scenic Byway, visit Provo River Falls and Notch Pub.
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