Private pilots, many in classic aircraft, will be flocking into Bryce Airport this weekend, Aug, 26-27, for the annual fly-in and car show.
The remote airstrip is tucked into the spectacular scenery of Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 20 miles west of Panguich in Garfield County.
Spectators can book scenic flights and tour the aircraft and car show, beginning at 10 a.m.
For more information: 435-834-5239 or online here.
For once, fans will have a chance to be more than spectators in Utah’s notorious “Holy War” between BYU and UofU.
Salt Lake Running Company is going to take the schism to the streets with a 5K alleged “fun” run. U hooligans and Y zealots are invited to prove their loyalty with their feet.
“We’re having a little fun with rivalry week,” says Running Company owner Guy Perry, who apparently has little idea of the mayhem he may be unleashing. “We’re expecting hundreds of loyal Utes and BYU fans to go head-to-head in this fun run.”
The details: Register in advance for $25 (regular price is $40) until Sunday, Aug. 28. Register at Holywar5K.com. For more information call Salt Lake Running Company at 801-484-9144 or email info@saltlakerunningco.com.
May your Heavenly Father/Mother/In-laws have mercy on your soul.
On July 24, 1847, a determined company of Mormon pioneers realized their dreams upon entering the Great Salt Lake Valley. Pulling handcarts and driving wagons with oxen, they slowly trudged across the plains to a vast desert landscape. After exiting Emigration Canyon and cresting a small hill, the group’s leader, Brigham Young, looked out on the valley, took a deep breath, and told his followers:
“This is the pla—“
“YO! ON YOUR LEFT!”
The interruption took Young and the pioneers by surprise. Hundreds of people, clad in neon-colored spandex (and one in a Spiderman suit), trampled over the canyon in pursuit of a sub-three hour marathon.
“You guys better hurry,” one runner said to Young, gesturing in the direction of the finish line, “or they’ll be out of pie and beer by the time you get there.”
Wait, you say that’s not how it happened? Oh. Heh. Well, then.
Depending on who you ask, Pioneer Day is either a state holiday to celebrate the Mormon pioneers or a gentile’s day off work to eat pie and beer. But for a small subset of the population, it’s also a day to pursue land speed records at the Deseret News Classic.
Established in 1970, the Deseret News Classic is the oldest road race in Utah and the 4th oldest marathon west of the continental divide. In addition to the 26.2 mile distance, the event also offers half marathon, 10K, and 5K races. In honor of Pioneer Day, the races follow the path the Utah pioneers traveled when they first entered the valley. The marathon, for example, starts above Emigration Canyon and traverses through the area now occupied by the University of Utah and downtown before coming to a finish at Liberty Park; shorter races begin along the same route, closer to the finish line.
A July marathon is a rare thing in the United States, as most runners prefer to race long distances in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. But most runners also prefer to race fast courses, and the Deseret News Marathon is fast, thanks to a 3,200 drop in elevation from start to finish. To address concerns about high temperatures, the starting gun fires at 5:30 A.M., allowing runners to avoid the heat of the day.
The crowd support also provides a rocket boost to many runners. Finishing along the Days of 47 Parade route, where many have camped out overnight for a primo viewing spot, provides a built-in cheering section for the race. Most of them really wish the runners would hurry up and finish so the parade can get started, but they still clap and offer polite cheers.
Though many runners stuck around Liberty Park post-race to watch the parade, quite a few darted off in search of pie and beer (likely at KRCL’s annual party at Beer Bar). Runners do have to replace those carbs, after all.
RESULTS:
31 year-old Jonathan Kotter of Salt Lake City, a former BYU runner, broke the finish-line tape of the marathon with a time of 2:25:01. Julie Jorgenson, 29, ran a 3:23:43 to take the top podium step for the women.
In the half marathon, former Weber State runner Brett Hales won the men’s race for the fourth consecutive year, sprinting across the finish in 1:04:19.1, while women’s winner Jasmine Sessions clocked in at 1:16:33.
In the 10K, Sandy’s Jason Lynch, a former UVU runner, won the men’s race handily in 29:15; Rena Chesser’s 32:57cinched the women’s race.
Thomas Merrill (19:41.8) and former Weber State runner Janae Richardson (20:30.1) won the men’s and women’s 5K races.
The Inter Milan vs. Real Salt Lake match Tuesday was more than simply an exhibition between two gifted soccer teams, it was a chance to see what RSL could do against the best Europe has to offer.
And in that, the game was a disappointment.
Inter Milan is a bona fide giant of world soccer, but they didn’t outclass Real Salt Lake at the Rio Tinto. In fact, just moments after the 8 p.m. kick off, it became apparent that class was in short supply for both teams.
At first glance it would seem like a coup by the RSL management to attract such legendary opposition to Utah, as Inter became the first European side to be welcomed to the Rio Tinto.
Inter Milan is in the United States to take part in the International Champions Cup. Somewhat disingenuously, this is marketed to the American audience as a competitive tournament—a unique opportunity to see the megastars of the European game up close and in the flesh in various U.S. cities.
But for the European giants that jump the pond, this competition amounts to nothing more than a friendly pre-season tournament and an opportunity to market their brand in the American market.
At the Rio Tinto on Tuesday, the game for Inter Milan was a pre pre-season warm-up game before going to Chicago to meet FC Bayern Munich. And for RSL this exhibition game was sandwiched between two competitive MLS games.
The match’s lack of significance showed: Neither team fielded a strong lineup, there were many substitutions (including both goalkeepers). As a result, the pace of the game was mostly slow.
As the game progressed it became apparent why the 14,266 in attendance had been gathered, as promotion after promotion for both teams were flashed on the electronic-advertising boards.
There were fleeting glimpses of real quality. In the 74th minute, Stevan Jovetić lobbed the RSL keeper and several defenders with an exquisite chipped shot, only to see his effort rebound back off the post. But mostly this game served up dull, soporific fodder. It ended 2-1 to Inter Milan, with Jovetić scoring a late winner for Inter with a cheeky backheeled strike in the dying moments of the game.
All three goals in the game resulted from simply awful defensive play.
All in all, this was a most uninspiring game and, most disappointingly, tells us little about where the MLS stands relative to its European counterparts.
Hopefully, in the not too distant future, we’ll get a chance to find out and a meaningful, competitive tournament between U.S. and the best that Europe has to offer will be developed. Until then I suspect we’ll continue to get marketing and production over substance where soccer is concerned, and that’s a shame.
A new book, Red Rock Testimony: Three Generations of Writers Speak on Behalf of Utah’s Public Lands, hopes to influence the Obama administration and Congress as they make decisions about southern Utah’s public lands. Copies of the book have been delivered to the Obama administration, every member of Congress, and public lands managers at the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and the United States Forest Service.
This issue was brought to the national spotlight in October 2015 when five southwestern Native nations proposed the creation of Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah. In May of this year, Native American tribes and their supporters rallied to oppose the Utah legislature’s move to denounce President Obama’s designation of the national monument. Public land arguments have been in the news since the Bundys’ takeover in Oregon and Representative Jason Chaffetz’s Public Land Initiative.
The book’s 34 contributors are writers from different backgrounds, races and generations who all agree on the spiritual, cultural and scientific importance of protecting the proposed Bears Ears National Monument. The book’s contributors include: Charles Wilkinson, the preeminent scholar of public lands and Indian law, Navajo Poet Laureate Luci Tapahonso, Utah’s first poet laureate David Lee, MacArthur Fellow Gary Paul Nabhan, writer-philosopher Kathleen Dean Moore, former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, former Utah state archaeologist Kevin Jones, millennial essayists Anne Terashima and Brooke Larsen, Ute Mountain Ute tribal councilwoman Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, former members of Congress Mark Udall and Karen Shepherd, bestselling essayists David Gessner and Lauret Savoy and recent Utah Bureau of Land Management Director Juan Palma
A website called redrockstories.org was also created as part of this project. The site encourages interactive submissions celebrating redrock country and promoting protection of public lands.
This is not the first time a testimonial work of literature has attempted to influence government decisions. In 1995, a work titled Testimony: Writers of the West Speak on Behalf of Utah Wilderness influenced President Bill Clinton’s decision to proclaim Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument the following year.
A press release for the book stated, “These redrock writers have created a community chorus, a montage of hearfelt words that includes Native and Hispanic voices, warnings from elders and challenges from millenials, personal emotional journeys and lyrical nature writing. These pieces address historical context, natural history and archaeology, energy threats, faith, and politics. Together, they offer a remarkable case for restraint and respect in the incomparable redrock landscape of southern Utah.”
The National Ability Center is hosting its annual Summit Challenge on Saturday, August 27 in Park City. The Summit Challenge offers three different bicycle road courses for cyclists of all abilities. All Summit Challenge riders with a disability, which is typically one in every five riders, register and ride for free.
“Featuring typical stand-up road bikes and adaptive hand bikes, the Summit Challenge brings friends and families from all over the nation together to experience the resilience and power of the human spirit through each rotation of the bikes’ tires,” said Gail Loveland, National Ability Center’s executive director. “With support vehicles and variety of routes including our three-mile “Discovery Loop”, this exciting event promises to serve up a challenge for a wide range of cycling levels, ages and abilities.”
Every rider receives a gift bag, plus free bike tunings by White Pine Touring and Cole Sports beginning at 6 am, breakfast from Wasatch Bagel, lunch and beverages from Uinta Brewing and live entertainment at the Summit Challenge Event Village throughout the day. The 102-mile ride begins at 7 am, the 52-mile ride at 9 am and the 16-mile ride at 10:30 am. Rider entry is limited to 800 people and is likely to sell out. Registration for the event is available online at summitchallenge100.org with early bird pricing available through July 1.
Proceeds from the Summit Challenge benefit the National Ability Center, a Park City chapter of Disabled Sports USA and a US Paralympic Sports Club.
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