Community

It seemed strange in the 1970s that, at the height of his success as possibly the most famous actor in the world, Robert Redford decided to make rural Utah his home.

He’d discovered Utah while driving from his parents’ home in California to college in Colorado, and built a cabin here in the early 1960s, long before his career took off. With success, he went all in, buying a faltering old ski resort on the backside of Mt Timpanogos and rechristening it Sundance. You’d see him around like any neighbor, getting an ice cream shake at Granny’s in Heber City, shopping at a hardware store in Provo. My cousin once helped him change a flat tire on the side of the highway. He was at the post office one day and at the Oscars the next.

His commitment to his adopted home was real—you don’t go from starring in The Candidate to running for the Provo Canyon sewage board on a lark. At a time when environmentalist was a dirty word in the mountain West, Redford insisted that we native Utahns treat our extraordinary home as he did, with the fervent love of a convert. Some folks would insult him for it—he was a commie, a Hollywood elitist, even, worst of all, a Californian. But what he was was right, over and over again. He helped kill a coal plant in what is now a national monument. He stopped the construction of a six-lane freeway through his beloved Provo Canyon. He established his own nature preserve that will remain unspoiled in perpetuity. He wholly loved the land so many of us take for granted.

Other famous people have moved to Utah, but they came because Redford came first. As he turned a podunk local film festival into the most prominent celebration of cinema on the planet, he introduced our state to movers and shakers who also fell in love. Yet he hated the hoopla and overdevelopment that sprang up as a result—you felt that if he could have frozen Utah in 1980, he would have. It’s hard not to feel the same way sometimes. 

Here at Salt Lake magazine, we wrote about Redford, our most famous living resident, many times. We interviewed him. We wrote about his movies. We talked about Redford the activist and local businessman. We covered him as someone whom we knew folks always wanted to hear about. In all that coverage, we never saw anyone but a great neighbor we were lucky to know. An oversized photo of one of our early covers hangs in the entrance hall of our offices, summing up who he was. Citizen Redford.

At the end of one of his famous roles, playing the Sundance Kid next to Paul Newman’s Butch Cassidy, there is one of the most celebrated frames in cinema. Our two heroes are surrounded by the Bolivian army, about to be gunned down. It’s the last stand of the Old West outlaw—the rapidly advancing world no longer has a place for these kinds of men. You can’t help but wonder if we have a place for stars like Redford anymore, unproblematic men who settled into a home they loved and committed to it, using the luck life doled out to them to help others, and delighting us with their casual charm and charisma for decades. 

Robert Redford went by Bob to his friends. As he aged and his face became as craggy as the Utah desert, he became part of the landscape, another visual icon in a place chock full of them. He fell in love with our mountains. Many of us who live here loved him back for it. 

He became, above all, a Utahn.

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Burt Brothers Motorpark Launch Party

April 22, 202 • Burt Brothers Motorpark, Grantsville  |  Photos courtesy Red Head Marketing and PR

Utah Motorsports Campus has been officially renamed and rebranded as Burt Brothers Motorpark. The new partnership between Burt Brothers Tire and Service and one of the premier motorsports venues in the U.S. is designed to elevate the experience for fans, participants, and partners alike.

A celebration took place on April 22 that included remarks by Grantsville Mayor Neil Critchlow, Burt Brothers CEO Brian Maciak, and Garett Potter (director of the Motorpark). Social media influencers and media had the opportunity to race in exotic cars, experience the thrill of drifting, and cruise around the track in go-karts.

Burt Brothers’ partnership with the Motorpark extends meaningfully beyond naming rights. Both brands will have the opportunity for greater exposure, to leverage consumers and strengthen relationships with industry professionals and fans. Those visiting the Motorpark will receive giveaways, special promotions, interactive experiences with Burt Brothers, and special offers for tire service and automobile repairs.

Fans and drivers can anticipate Burt Brothers-branded events, including tire safety clinics, performance driving workshops, and sponsorship opportunities for race teams, further solidifying Burt Brothers’ position as a leader in both the automotive and motorsports industries.

The two organizations will collaborate on educational programs, products, and community initiatives designed to expand interest in motorsports and cultivate the next generation of automotive enthusiasts.

Utah Bride & Groom White Party

June 9, 2025 • Red Butte Garden Arboretum

Photos by Morgan Leigh Photography and Katinov Photography

Utah Bride & Groom magazine’s annual White Party brings together the biggest talents within the state’s bustling wedding industry for an evening presented by Sysco International and Black Desert Resort.

With a vibrant palette and lively florals imagined by Tonya Hoopes of Hoopes Events and executed by Sweet Afton Floral and Decoration, Inc., this year’s event helped to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Red Butte Garden, bringing the venue’s Orangerie to life in zesty fashion. Striking orange linens, glittering flatware from Indigo Utah and an artist’s take on a vintage VW bus from Diamond Event & Tent centered the main event area, setting the stage for delicious bites from Cuisine Unlimited catering, Cache Toffee and Sheer Ambrosia Bakery. 

Out on the patio, DJ Russ Powell kept the beats bumping and the party alive throughout the evening, including an energetic flash mob performance that featured Joslyn Poole of Metro Music Club and a variety of surprisingly musical wedding industry professionals planted throughout the crowd. Throughout the evening, guests raised glasses filled with curated creations from Mecca Bar Co. and Vine Lore Utah in celebration of a brand new wedding season.  

Westminster University’s Sesquicentennial Gala

June 5, 2025 • Westminster University campus, SLC  |  Photos by Misty-Jade Carlson and Hannah Bettis

Westminster University presented its Sesquicentennial Gala Celebration at its Sugar House campus in Salt Lake City on June 5, 2025. The black tie fundraiser was held in honor of the university’s 150th anniversary as a leader in higher education. More than 200 guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in the garden surrounding historic Converse Hall, with an oyster and caviar bar, specialty cocktails, and a silent auction, serenaded by a student-led jazz trio. At dinner, held outdoors under the stars at the heart of campus, guests dined on locally-inspired dishes like alpine beef tenderloin and summer salads. Guests bid at a live auction on items including an art and science tour of the Great Salt Lake with a luxury picnic and an all-inclusive week in the Cayman Islands. More than $1.3 million was raised throughout the evening to support student scholarships. More at westminsteru.edu.

Taste of Black Rock Desert Tour

June 5, 2025  • Black Rock Desert Resort, Ivins  |  Photos courtesy Black Rock Desert Resort, J/PR

On Thursday, June 5, 2025, Black Rock Desert Resort invited media and local guests to an event to showcase the diverse food and beverage venues offered at the resort. Guests had bites and tours of Flo Bar & Lounge, The 20th Hole Sports Bar, Latitude Restaurant, and Basalt, the resort’s signature fine-dining steakhouse. Guests had the opportunity to meet the resort’s culinary team, Executive Chef Matthew Krueger, Food & Beverage Director Ryker Brown and Pastry Chef Michelle Taylor.

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With the 2034 Winter Olympics still years away, Utah donors have committed to giving $200 million for the event with the largest philanthropic campaign ever to support the Olympic and Paralympic games.

Organizers launched Podium34, a fundraising initiative connecting some of the most prominent philanthropists in the state to support the 2034 events and other athletic causes.

Currently, 22 donors have made contributions to the effort, with nine of them making the most substantial donations or pledges — $20 million each — allowing them to bear the title of “founding captains” and appearing on snowboards with crystals, resembling disco balls.

“With today’s milestone, we accomplished two things. First, we laid the financial foundation to host great games in 2034. This is essential,” said Fraser Bullock, executive chair and president of the 2034 Olympic Organizing Committee. “Second, we opened the door to be able to execute the first pillar of our vision, which is to elevate our communities.”

The list of organizations donating $20 million include the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Foundation, Huntsman Family Foundation, Maverik, Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, Ryan and Ashley Smith Foundation, The Daniels Fund, John and Marcia Price Family Foundation and Matthew and Tatiana Prince.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also made commitments to support the 2034 games, Bullock added during his remarks. Its contributions will be made public in the coming weeks.

Representatives from the contributing organizations attended the launch party on Monday sporting matching blue Olympic-themed jackets. State lawmakers, Gov. Spencer Cox and first lady Abby Cox also joined the event.

The current donations and pledges are part of a goal to raise $300 million through the initiative. With the committee’s total budget being about $4 billion to organize the games, that target sets a “fantastic foundation” for their objectives, Bullock said after the event. 

The money will help funding the games, he added. But also, because it comes early, the organizers are planning to use it for community initiatives starting in 2026, like youth sports and education programs.

A program of this magnitude is a first in the history of the Olympics, Cox said on Monday.

“This has never been done. We’ve gone all the way back to ancient Greece. We’ve done it. We’ve looked. Never happened before,” he said.

The fundraising feat may show enthusiasm for the economic prospects and infrastructure projects the games may bring to the state, but mostly, Cox said, it will be a time of unity. 

“The Olympics is an opportunity to share with the world who we are and what we believe in. And who we are, are people that serve and give back, that give charitably, that care more about our neighbors than we care about ourselves,” Cox said.

Referring to the founding donors of Podium34, the governor added, “You represent the very best of our state, but not just the very best of our state, the very best, of humanity, of who we are, or at least who we should be, who we’re aspiring to be. And we’re so grateful to have you in this cause.” 

The new International Olympic Committee president, Kirsty Coventry, also praised the initiative in a video message, describing Utahns as “longstanding friends of the Olympic movement,” and encouraging organizers to use this momentum to nurture youth and further develop winter sport in the state.  

“Since 2002 your state has grown in diversity, vibrance and global relevance,” Coventry said. “In 2034 you will build on that foundation with unmatched community pride, passion and purpose.”

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This article was originally published by Utah News Dispatch

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About the Author

Alixel Cabrera covers the status of diverse Utah communities, growth, infrastructure and education for Utah News Dispatch.

A few years ago, Tonga Kofe was a walk-on. A former football player working construction, he joined a clinic that Utah’s professional rugby team, the Utah Warriors, held to find local talent. They saw his potential. After two standout years at the Warriors, he started playing for the USA Eagles, America’s national team.

127.7 million people watched the Super Bowl this year, but compare that to the World Rugby Cup final, held every four years. In 2023, 800 million people tuned in to watch South Africa defeat New Zealand by a single point in a packed stadium in Paris. Rugby is a global giant compared to the lightweight runner-up of football. So why isn’t it more popular in America? 

One place where it is: Utah. Rugby is huge in the Pacific Island nations, and Utah’s large population of Pacific Islanders has made the sport a thriving alternative to football. With the Pacific Nations Cup set to be played at America First Field on September 21st, top-level international rugby once again returns to the Beehive State. 

Tonga is moving on from the Warriors to play for the top-rated Leicester Tigers in England this season, but he has something to say about the state of American rugby and its future in Utah. 

Q: How did you end up playing rugby in Utah? 

I played football in Portland, OR, but I moved to Utah to work in construction. Then I decided to play rugby. I did the Warriors Crossroads Cup, a competition they do to find local talent. I was blessed enough to be one of those guys they picked up from the side of the road, and joined them for the 2024 campaign. 

Q: Why is rugby uniquely popular here?

Utah fans, they’re real supportive of their local teams. They love the Jazz, they love their new hockey team. They find out that they have a professional rugby team… Utah people will always try something new. When they come to a game, they love it. They love the physicality of it. They love football–they love BYU, they love the University of Utah, so I don’t get why they wouldn’t love rugby, and they do.

With the Polynesian community, I feel like they are all looking for an outlet, so they join their local club to let off some steam, let off some stress. Then when they see someone they know on the warriors, they are able to come out for a game and celebrate with them as well. Whenever Samoa or Tonga come here, the stands should be filled with Polynesians.

Q: You played football. Why should someone play or watch rugby instead?

Rugby because players don’t just have to do one job or one position. In football, the coach tells you, you do this and don’t think about anything else. In rugby, after you make a tackle, you have to get up and you might have to make another tackle. You have to be aware of where the ball is. You can take an interception, or someone might take an interception and you have to get back on offence and get ready to attack. It’s very interesting, it’s never boring, you don’t have to stop every couple of plays. If you like the flow of soccer and the physicality of football, it’s the sport for you to watch. 

Q: There’s a lot of concern about the injuries with American football, especially with kids. Do you think rugby is a safer sport than football?

For sure. Rugby’s a safer sport because… I mean football has started to do it, but they teach you how to tackle better. What side your head should be on, how to tackle with form. Football triggers something in your mind that, just because you have a helmet and pads, you just go out there and throw your body out there, with no thought about how you end up or how the other guy ends up. Psychologically, that’s where they are at with football players, but in rugby, there’s technique to it. They actually teach you how to tackle, they teach you how to land. As the ball carrier, they teach you how to fall on the ground and turn, so you’re not just throwing your body out there.

Q: What’s going to get rugby to take off in the US?

It’s just going to have to be advertising. Some people still don’t know that there’s major rugby in the US. Every time we go through the airport, a lot of people are asking which team we are. We have to sit there and explain to them who we are and what it is. They know what rugby is, but they don’t know that there’s a professional team in America.

Q: The Warriors went to the final this year and are one of the best teams in professional rugby. Why are they so good?

What set us apart from other years was the leadership on the team. You had guys come in with a lot of experience, our captain Gavin Thornbury, him coming in, taking the reins and leading us in the right direction. Then you have guys like Liam Coltman, former All Black, coming in as hooker, and Aki Seiuli, from Samoa, coming in as the loosehead, with their experience, we dominated in scrums through the season. Having guys like that on the team, being able to lead with the experience they have, being able to trust what they said and being able to believe it. When they tell us they can go out there and win, us 15 on the field believe that. 

Q: You’re off to play in England next season. Are you going to miss playing in Utah?

I love Warriors home games because we’re able to fill out the stands. It’s loud, supportive, the crowd gives you a burst of energy. You don’t really feel that game-day atmosphere in other places. 

That’s why I love playing in Utah.

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After a fire gutted four thriving restaurants on Salt Lake’s main street, the community stepped up to close the gap for employees. The Main Street Fire Fund was set up by the Downtown Alliance in the immediate aftermath of the blaze, raising an incredible $494,000 in days. 100% of the proceeds have been distributed to displaced workers pay their bills in that critical first month while they scrambled to find new work or qualify for unemployment. The Alliance, with the Utah Restaurant Association, even organized a resource fair for those who lost their work.

“Salt Lakers show up for each other, and this response has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Downtown Alliance Executive Director Dee Brewer. “From five-dollar QR code donations at the Farmers Market to major philanthropic gifts, this campaign provided workers who woke up unemployed August 12, a bridge to their next opportunity.”

The campaign gained national attention when actor, Utah resident and downtown restaurant owner Ty Burrell, released out a heartfelt video with Mayor Erin Mendenhall calling on the community for help.

The Downtown Alliance picked up all the costs associated with raising and disbursing the money, allowing for 100% of the money raised to go straight into the pockets of employees. 

“This tragedy underscored the resilience and generosity of Salt Lake City,” said Brewer. “Neighbors supported neighbors and turned heartbreak into hope. While the fund has now closed, our work isn’t done — we remain committed to helping property owners and business owners rebuild this block and restore its vibrancy.”

There’s a long way to go to get these beloved Salt Lake businesses back on their feet, but it’s great to see the community stepping up to help those who were most immediately harmed by the fire. Let’s all hope that we’ll be back on Main Street soon, sitting at the outdoor tables, enjoying a good meal or a tasty cocktail. 

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The name Peach Days implies that it’s purely Brigham City’s celebration of peaches. But the annual free event actually celebrates the city itself, as the community comes together for, yes, peaches, along with a parade, a car show, concerts and more. “It’s the largest festival in Brigham City,” said Monica Holdaway, CEO of the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce, which organizes Peach Days. “It is what Brigham City is known for and famous for.”

Experience it yourself on Sept. 5 and 6 in Brigham City.

A Little Background

Legend says early settler William Wrighton kicked off the area’s peach industry when he followed Brigham Young’s advice to grow fruit there and bought 100 peach pits for $1. About half a century later, in 1904, the Box Elder Commercial Club started Peach Days to bring the community together for the harvest season and to help promote the juicy, yellow and red Early Elberta variety. Today, it’s a lot like a holiday for many locals. Don’t be surprised if someone wishes you “Happy Peach Days.”

Early Holiday Shopping

Peach Days features more than 200 vendors selling crafts, foods and more. Holdaway recommends shoppers go on Friday morning or afternoon, before the city is packed with families for the evening parade and carnival.

Take the Shuttle

Speaking of crowds, you’ll have a hard time driving through downtown on Saturday. Instead, pick up a shuttle that will take you either downtown or directly to the car show. Visit boxelderchamber.com/peach-days for stops.

Listen to the Music

On Friday night, Peach Days will feature The Saltairs, a popular alt-rock band from nearby Tremonton. On Saturday night, it’s ’80s-style rockers Paradise City, covering songs from Van Halen, Madonna and more. 

Saturday’s Parade

The biggest draw is the parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Locals usually begin setting up chairs on Thursday afternoon. If you get there around 8 a.m., Holdaway says you’ll likely find a spot for yourself. Wave to the Peach Queen, winner of an annual scholarship pageant, as she goes by.

The Food

If you’re straight-up going for peaches, Holdaway says to head to the top of Forest Street or Main Street for Tagge’s Famous Fruit and Veggie Farms, offering peaches, jams and more. Peach Days has two food courts and food trucks for all things made with peaches, from ice cream to deep-fried. 

You can also find non-peach fare like burgers, Korean food and Navajo tacos.

The Car Show

Saturday’s car show is always a big draw and features a wide variety of classic automobiles. “We don’t charge the cars to come, nor do we charge the spectators to come and look at the cars,” Holdaway says.  

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For us old Salt Lakers, the dizzying array of changes to Salt Lake City can be disorienting. I’m not talking about the actual map; the grid system still abides, as is written. No, I’m talking about the shifts to the cultural map, the ideas and concepts that orient us. The places and spaces that make any city a city have been changing, shifting around and evolving. 

Every city has a Restaurant Row, that part of town, often an actual street, that occupies the collective mental map as the place to go to answer the eternal question, “where shall we eat?” In Salt Lake, this has been and continues to be downtown, but new possibilities have emerged in parts of town that weren’t previously places to
be considered. 

Our writer, Lydia Martinez, recently pointed this out. Nine-hundred South, specifically the intersection of 900 East and 900 South (9th and 9th), has long been a spot, a thing. A place we all regard as “cool.” And now the whale! But slowly, in fits and starts, the avenue of 900 South, AKA Harvey Milk Boulevard, has turned into what could be described as a Restaurant Row, albeit a very long one. We have big blocks in SLC. Hotspots dot the path west, drawing us beyond 9th and 9th proper. 

To the West is Central 9th, anchored by its initial pioneers, the cocktail wizards at Water Witch, but from the rubble, a new place for your mental maps now exists. The Pearl, Bar Nohm, Central Ninth Market and Scion Cider Bar make this place a place.

It was the in-between, however, that Lydia noted. Fine-dining stalwarts like Veneto and Manoli’s have been there, of course, but now there is more there, there. While we complained about orange traffic barrels and fledgling businesses struggled uphill, little by little, cohesion and a new bike and walking route (The Nine Line) connected the dots. Lake Sears is still a blight, but enough dots have filled in that we can proclaim that 900 South is a Restaurant Row. We point the way on in our feature “The New Foodie Hotspot.”

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On the eve of another summer weekend, many of us are wracking our brains for new date night ideas. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with dinner and a movie. But the Beehive State is brimming with ways to impress your hinge date, surprise your SO, or tickle the fancy of your platonic Saturday-night companion. Here to offer their own date night itineraries, Salt Lake magazine staff dishes on new restaurants, hidden gems, live music venues and more. 

Jeremy Pugh—Salt Lake magazine Editor-in-Chief

Where We Go
Dinner and a show at The State Room.

What We Do
As summer wanes, and along with it the many accompanying outdoor activities, especially concerts, our thoughts turn toward our “winter activities.” High on the list is taking in a show at the State Room. We have a group of concert friends (that often includes one of Salt Lake magazine’s music writers, John Nelson), and we all generally meet for dinner at the Bayou, mainly because it is right across the street from the music hall. RIP Purgatory. 

Why We Love It
Although we enjoy the Commonwealth Room, a larger hall that attracts bigger names, The State Room is THE place to see music in Salt Lake. Why? So many reasons. It is small, with great sound. There’s raised seating in the back (and this is key); the bar area is acoustically segregated from the performance space. If you feel like chit-chatting, you can do it out in the bar/lobby. (Bonus: the drinks are reasonably priced compared to other wallet-gouging venues) Inside, the evening is all about the music and there isn’t a bad spot in the house. The bands that play are generally on the rise and we’ve seen artists who now play larger shows like Red Butte (Con Brio) and even, in some cases, arenas—for example, Brandi Carlile, no joke. Other upsells, the ticket prices are usually reasonable “in the current climate,” and the shows start and end on time. 

Spencer Windes—Salt Lake magazine Managing Editor

Where We Go: 
Dinner and a show

What We Do:  
Start off your night with a big ol’ tower. Namely, the Seafood Tower at Rouser at the Asher Adams. A healthy serving of oysters and other mollusks and crustaceans will set the mood under the gorgeous ceiling of the former Union Pacific depot. A glass of Bordeaux blanc from from Chateâux Recougne will make it all go down smoother than your signature moves. Get a cocktail at the bar. Pretend you are a fancy adult.

After dinner, mosey on over to the Suntrapp for Thirsty Thursday drag night. Drink a few pints—the night is young and you might get lucky, so don’t get sloppy on margaritas. Shows start at 10:00 PM or 11:00 PM. If you strike out: The Pie Hole is open until 3:00 AM if you need to console your broken heart with a hot slice of potato bacon. Sadness is always better with carbs.

Avrey Evans—Salt Lake magazine Digital Editor

Where We Go:
Canyon drives and Midway bites 

What We Do:
I love a swanky dinner downtown as much as the next gal, but sometimes my boyfriend and I just want to escape the noise and opt for a classic Utah pastime—a canyon drive. We begin our ascent into Big Cottonwood Canyon, following the paved road to the top and then peeling off into Guardsman’s Pass for stunning top-of-the-world views. If we’re up for it, we’ll make a pit stop at Bloods Lake. The hour-ish hike meanders between swaying aspens and towering pines before spitting you out at a cute little lake. 

After stretching our legs, we continue our mini road trip through the Wasatch Range and into Midway. The town is dotted with boutiques and specialty shops; it’s definitely worth parking the car and exploring Main Street before settling in for lunch. Midway Mercantile is our tried-and-true for a late lunch or early dinner. Their back patio is ideal for summertime feasting, and the specials menu always showcases seasonal produce from local purveyors. 

If we don’t feel like making the trek back into the city, we love spending the night at the historic Heber Senator B&B. Built in 1902, the three-story home has been carefully preserved and adorned with eclectic decor—an original rotary phone and pioneer-era knick-knacks included. It’s just the right amount of charming and bizarre for us, not to mention the complimentary made-to-order crepes that refuel us the next morning.

Why We Love It:
Salt Lake seems to be stepping into a new era of mid-city maturity. And while I’m excited about the opportunities that come with that growth, there’s something comforting about returning to the spots that still capture the quirky, wonderful soul of Utah.

Megan Bartholomew—Utah Style & Design and Utah Bride & Groom Executive Editor

Where We Go
Silver Fork Lodge

What We Do
We usually go not for date night, but for “date Saturday morning.” It starts with breakfast at the lodge—on the patio in the summer, inside by the fire in the winter— followed by a walk around Silver Lake to enjoy those iconic mountain views. 

Why I Love It
As born-and-bred mountain lovers, canyon drives are the way to each of our hearts. Our trips to Silver Fork started as a weekend-drive tradition when we were first dating, and have turned into a Saturday-morning staple that has continued through our marriage and parenthood. We fell in love there; we got engaged there; it’s where we shared our last dinner ‘out’ together before the arrival of our first child. And I already know we’ll use this tradition to instill that ‘Wasatch Love’ in our children.

Jaime Winston—Salt Lake magazine contributor

Where We Go
Ogden’s George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park

What We Do
Walk, talk and take selfies with the dinos.

Why I Love It
The park’s walking trail is relatively flat and surrounded by more than 100 dinosaur sculptures, giving you the chance for a fun leisurely stroll and photos with all the dinos. If the relationship goes somewhere, you’ll have pics with triceratops and allosaurus to look back on. The park also hosts unique events throughout the year, next week is their Dinah ‘soar’ Days Hot Air Balloon Festival. Visit from Aug. 22–24 to witness hundreds of colorful hot air balloons take off into the sky, stay for the evening festival featuring chalk art, food vendors, a car show, and a fun Dino Dash race down Main Street.

Melissa Fields—Salt Lake magazine Contributor

Where We Go: 
Wherever the trail takes us

What We Do: 
There are a couple of things my hubby and I like to do for date nights in the summer. One of our go-tos when we feel like pushing ourselves is renting e-mountain bikes and riding single track from the mouth of Parleys Canyon to City Creek Canyon (via the various sections of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and Dry Creek) and then have lunch out on the covered patio at Avenues Proper. It’s a 30ish-mile ride, but on the e-bike, it is totally pleasurable with no suffering. And we need some post-trail R&R, we spend a few hours hot and cold plunging at Glow Bathouse, followed by dinner at Forty Three Bakery. 

Darby Doyle—Salt Lake magazine Contributor

Where We Go
Deer Valley Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater 

What We Do
Enjoy the last gasps of summer in the mountains catching a concert on the lawn. 

Why I Love It
What’s not to love about a Deer Valley concert at dusk? DV has the most grab-bag of concert lineups every year and we love them for it. Even though patrons can no longer bring in their own booze (sound on: British Parliament “boo, boooooo”) we appreciate that it’s still a remarkably easy and free parking situation, there are well-organized and quick ID check/drinks lines for grabbing that overpriced beer, and we reliably run into lots of fun local friends in the crowd to share snacks. Win-win. 

Luis Henriques—Salt Lake magazine Production Manager

Where We Go
All the SLC Hits

What We Do
A great date day usually starts with a honey cinnamon latte and a snack at Canyons Coffee, where I catch up with their friendly staff, scroll through texts, and actually “wake up.” After that, we drive up to Salt Lake for a small hike up Ensign Peak, taking in the city views and point out planes flying into the airport. From there, we go for a healthy downtown stroll before ending up at Pie Hole for a couple of slices (or three). On the way out of the city, we have to swing by RubySnap to chat with the staff, and snag a Suzie cookie, and many others.

On the drive home, we’ll stop by Prohibition for drinks and snacks, feeling fancy in their speakeasy vibes. Later, we’ll walk around our neighborhood, chat about our next outing, and wrap up with a cozy movie at home.

Why I Love It
I love date days like these because they remind me of my “rookie season” in Utah, where everything is what I did when I first moved here to get familiar with the area!

Michaelis Lyons—Utah Style & Design and Utah Bride & Groom magazine Digital Editor

Where We Go
The Melting Pot

What We Do
When I was younger, my family had a yearly tradition of dining at The Melting Pot every Christmas Eve. Now, it is where my husband and I go to celebrate our anniversary. The Melting Pot offers a four-course dinner for two, perfect for an elevated romantic night out that doesn’t break the bank.  

Why I Love It
On top of their spectacular specialty cocktails—I can never resist their Love Martini—The Melting Pot offers a gluten-free dining experience, making it one of the few restaurants that we can still enjoy as a couple.

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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. 

“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. 

“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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