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Dec 01
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Utah Family Business: Electric Slide

By City Watch

Jeff Young, Paul Young, Tom Young Jr. and Mike Young on the shop floor at YESCO.

A figurine of a goose, her gosling and some golden eggs sits on the small conference table in Michael T. Young’s Salt Lake City office. It’s there as a reminder to Young, CEO of the Young Electric Sign Co., and his brothers of the Aesop fable The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs.

“We never want to forget what our father and his father before him taught us—that you take nothing for granted, that business is to be respected, that we are stewards rather than owners,” says Young, who with his brothers make up YESCO’s third-generation leadership team. “We’ve been blessed with a great legacy, and we all appreciate the lesson in that fable—that those who are greedy end up with nothing.”

Stewardship is a word the family uses often in describing the leadership principle that has driven the 92-year-old company. Michael Young says the concept of stewardship was instilled in them from day one by their grandfather, company founder Thomas Young Sr., and their father, Thomas Young Jr. Young and brothers Jeffrey S. Young (SVP and chief marketing officer) and Paul C. Young (EVP) oversee operations with 1,500 employees, 43 offices in 11 states and four manufacturing plants.

Oct 27
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Q&A: The Vampire Diaries Creator L.J. Smith on Writing and Losing the Series

By Arts & Culture
As promised in our October feature story, Your Mom’s a Twihard, here are the highlights from our big interview with L.J. Smith.

Before there was Twilight, there was The Vampire Diaries.

L.J. (Lisa Jane) Smith’s first teen vampire romance novel came out more than 20 years ago. She wrote four books for the series by 1992, before calling it quits for nearly a decade to help take care of family business.

When Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight hit the shelves, Smith got a call that The Vampire Diaries books were mysteriously back on the bestseller list. So, she wrote three more books for the series and was set to write another trilogy when Alloy Entertainment Inc. and HarperTeen hired a ghost writer to finish the series with shorter books that fit the new The Vampire Diaries TV series better.The Secret Circle, another series by Smith, was also passed to a new author for the same reason.

Now, Smith warns aspiring writers to be wary of the words “work for hire,” which she says helped “mutilate her child limb by limb and destroy it.” Salt Lake magazine sat down with Smith, who has 20 plus books published, to get her thoughts on losing the series, her thoughts on the fans and what she’s doing right now.

Let’s start with the origin of The Vampire Diaries.

“I’m no longer writing them, but when I originally signed the contract, I had written two hardback books, which came out to good reviews and no sales because they had the ugliest covers of any book I’ve seen in my life. I was teaching public school, a kindergarten class with a lot of special ed kids, and I had these two books behind me when I got a phone call from a book packager. I didn’t know what a book packager was, but they asked if I would like to write a vampire trilogy, and that became The Vampire Diaries. I guess one of their editors had read one of the books I had written, which were slightly scary, and thought I could do a trilogy for them with romance, supernatural elements and maybe even a little humor in it.”

But you’re not writing them anymore, why not?

“When they sent the contract, it said it was a work for hire. What it meant was I was giving up basically all the rights I’d have as a normal writer, including the right to continue writing my books. And Alloy Entertainment decided they wanted shorter books that were promoting the television series, and they simply informed me, even though I had already written a book called Phantomfor them and given them all the information for that book and the next book,Moonsong, that my services were no longer required.”

Today the shelves are filled with supernatural romance. Was it like that back when The Vampire Diaries started?

“When I wrote my books, back in the ’90s, supernatural was in, but not supernatural romance. It was primarily frightening stories, and I was always a bit frustrated because even though my books were always bestsellers, they were always number two. Ahead of them were books by Christopher Pike, who wrote straight up supernatural stories for boys and girls, so he had double the audience I had, which was mostly girls.”

Second or not, you obviously rubbed off on today’s YA authors.

“There are a lot of parallels pointed out by fans between the Twilight books andThe Vampire Diaries. I haven’t read those books, but I’ve been told the love triangle aspect is similar and the idea of what I call the soulmate principle. It’s imprinting in those books.”

That’s right, Jacob the werewolf imprints on Bella’s baby in the last book.

“That can happen with the soulmate principle, too! You can meet your soulmate at any age.”

You mentioned that you haven’t read Twilight, but are there any YA books you do read?

“I read the YA books that I enjoyed when I was younger—classic books likeDavid Copperfield, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. But honestly, I don’t read a lot of fiction. I read a lot of non-fiction to do research for my own books and that takes up a lot of time. And I have a huge interest in science, so I read a lot of science. I don’t even read my own books after I’ve written them.”

But some fans have read them over and over and over. Do fans sometimes know the story better than you?

“Oh yes. They say things like ‘In this book, the librarian is this person, and then you said it was this person.’ I could have a whole encyclopedia of disconsistencies that fans have pointed out.”

You must have a lot of grown-up fans now. How many of your fans would you say are older than 25?

“I’d say 25 percent of the fans I interact with. Since a lot of my books came out in the 1990s, that means I have fans from then, who either pick up the books for their kids or just remember the books from when they were young and read them again. It’s nice to hear people say ‘Now I can share it with my daughter.’”

Ever been surprised to find out someone was your fan?

“I’ve been surprised to actually find men over 30, really business-type men, who read the books. It always comes as a shock, because my dad worked as an engineer, and now he’s an entrepreneur, and he’s never read one of my books.”

With a quarter of your fans adult, why not get into adult fiction?

“That’s what I’m hoping for with a book I just finished writing called The Last Lullaby. Even though it’s about younger people, it’s a very serious book. So I’m not sure if it will be packaged as YA or adult, but I would prefer adult.”

The Last Lullaby? Tell us about it.

“It’s not about vampires or witches or anything like that. It’s a stand alone book, and the working title is The Last Lullaby. It is much more serious and it doesn’t have romance in it—it’s just a good post-apocalyptic book about two girls of very different backgrounds who end up leading a revolution against the evil masters of the world, who happen to be dragons at the time. I’m actually feeling really good, because I never would have been able to do that book if I had gone on just doing vampire books.”

You’re moving with the market. Post-apocalyptic is in now.

“I didn’t know that at all when I did this, because it began as part of the one book that I promised forever to my fans but still have not finished—the last book of the Nightworld series, Strange Fate. The Last Lullaby started out part of that. It started off as dreams the main character would have about what would happen if she failed her mission, but it took up so much space in my head that it became its own book.”

I read online that you listen to music when you write.

“I really fell in love with the music by Avril Lavigne in the Alice in Wonderlandmovie. That would be an example of something I would listen to very loudly. And that also includes all the music of John Williams. I’m sort of a fanatic over him, so I might be listening to The Empire Strikes Back or Jaws when I’m writing. I also love plays, so the other day I was listening to Into the Woods, and I also love new age music and I listen to very quiet mantra music. So it’s all kinds. I love Unwritten by Natasha Beddingfield.”

Any messages for the fans?

“I adore them and thank them so much for their support, especially during the travails of The Secret Circle and The Vampire Diaries series being taken from me. I really appreciate the support of the fans, because that’s my goal, to get through to them and it seems that if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be writing and wouldn’t have anyone to write for.”

Click here for our story about Utah’s abundance of overage YA fans.

Aug 01
Love0

Standup Paddle Boarding in Utah

By Outdoors
It all began, the story goes, in the waters off the islands in Hawaii half a century ago. It took about that long to reach the waters here in Utah.

They call it “standup paddle boarding’’ and it is said to be the fastest growing water sport in the country.

It started as standup paddle surfing. Surfers, on calm days, stood on their boards and paddled, “just to stay in shape,’’ as the story goes. Standup paddle boarding is similar in that participants stand, or sit, on look-alike surf boards and paddle, but do it on lakes or rivers, away from the oceans.

It’s relatively easy. The main issue is balance. Standing on a board, even a stable board that’s 12 feet long and 31 inches wide, can be a bit challenging on the water.

New students, says Alisha Niswander, owner/guide of Mountain Vista Touring in Park City, who also offers boarding instruction at Jordanelle, usually begin with a brief introduction on land showing foot placement, how to stand and paddling techniques.

“On the water we take baby steps, starting with students sitting on the back of their heels, then moving from there to kneeling and then standing.

People like (standup boarding) because it’s such a nice change to get off land and on the water, with all the open views. It’s just a really peaceful sport,’’ she adds.

One of the most popular paddling waters is Jordanelle Reservoir. It’s scenic, accessible and offers good water, especially in the early morning and late afternoon when breezes calm down.
Paddle boarding is a sport even the younger ones can pick up.

The boards used are similar to the long surf boards used back in the 1950s and 1960s, but very different from the new high-performance surf boards used today. The cost of good boards is around $1,500.

Jordanelle Rentals and Marina have boards to rent.

It helps that the marina is somewhat protected from the wind, and boats around the marina are required to drive at wakeless speeds, so waters are typically smoother. Rentals start at $20 for one hour and go to $35 for two hours and $55 for four hours.

“Most rentals are for an hour. An hour is about all most people can do. It’s  a physically challenging sport,’’ notes Brinton Passey.

The concessionaire started offering boards two years ago. This year it added to its stock of boards simply because “it’s becoming very popular,’’ he says. Rentals come with board, life vest and paddle.

Proof of the growth can be seen in the Outdoor Retailers’ report that in 2005 there was but one standup board company registered and in 2012 there were more than 35 makers of standup products.

Lincoln Clark, assistant manager at REI, says, “Without a doubt, for us, this is the number one popular growth sport. This is the first big surge in a sport we’ve seen in years.’’

REI not only sells boards, but offers daily rentals at $35 a day, “and where most of our rentals go out on weekend, all of our boards are going out almost daily,’’ he says.

There are three levels of boards — beginner, intermediate and advanced. Beginner boards are longer, wider and more stable; intermediate boards are a little longer and easier to maneuver; and advanced boards are fiberglass, longer and not as stable, but very maneuverable.

As for when to board, Niswander says, “The best suggestion I can give anyone is to (paddle board) in the early morning or late afternoon, when the water is calm. Afternoon winds can be a challenge.’’

For information visit www,parkcityhiking.com, rei.com, jordanellerentals.comand colesport.com.
Facts:
Choosing a board is based on skill level. Beginner boards are wider, flatter and more stable. More experienced boarders can choose narrower, longer and less stable boards.

Paddles have a small bend in the shaft for more efficiency.

Personal flotation devices (life vests) are required onboard.

Feet should be parallel and about hip-width apart, with knees bent and back straight.

Keep eyes looking forward and not down at the board.

As forward momentum increases, stability increases.

Plant the paddle blade completely under the surface. then pull back even with the body and then pull the blade out and plant it forward.

Start with short, smooth paddle strokes.

Paddle boarding is physically challenging, so pace yourself.

Always wear sun protection.

May 16
Love0

All About Go-Kart Racing in Utah

By Adventures
As race tracks go, it’s not particularly long—roughly 2,000 feet from starting point, around to where the checkered flag will fall. Within that distance, however, there are 14 turns, a 300-foot straight, allowing speeds up to 35 miles per hour and always competition for the lead or just one spot ahead of a friend.

Back in 1999, Joe Miller opened the first FastKart Speedway in Spokane, Wash., and a second opened in 2000 in Salt Lake City. In 2004, he moved it to the current Salt Lake indoor facility at 3969 S. 500 West. And it is there he designed a track configuration that can be either two short tracks—1,000 feet each—on busy days or one long track—2,000 feet.

It is, as he points out, “An opportunity for people to race, and to decide if they want to go on and do more racing.’’

Available to customers are about 30 specialty go-karts. The frames have been modified to endure the bumps and grinds of racing competition. The karts are powered by a 6.5-horsepower Honda engine with speed controls removed. There is no transmission, simply a centrifugal clutch that engages when the gas pedal is pushed.

Top speed is actually around 44 or 45 miles per hour. The 300-foot straight however limits speed to around 35, which to the novice racer is plenty fast.

At race time Miller limits eight karts when the shorter tracks are used and 14 on the larger track.

Story has it that go-kart racing was founded by a hot rodder in California around 1956. Since, it has grown into a all-out sport, complete with racing circuits and a full range of karts, custom racing suits and digital temperature gauges.

As with everything, the karts evolved from a simple frame and engine to a highly-sophisticated vehicle capable, on some tracks, of 135 mph.

The high-speed karts, however, are quite different from the family-friendly ones used at recreation centers. For example, the recreation engines are typically your standard four-stroke—in the case of FastKart, 6.5 horsepower. The more competitive engines can produce upwards of 90 horsepower for twin 250 cc. The most popular engines, however, are the single ones turning out 125cc.

And therein rest the speeds today’s karters reach, which is well over 100 mph.

Miller says he spent a lot of time racing around the country in the 1980s and 1990s, “and I spent a lot of time go-kart racing.’’ So it seemed only natural he would venture into the go-kart business.

“It’s a venue where people can come and check out their skills. It’s a great racing environment where people can actually race without having to spend a lot of money and have a good time.’’ he says.

He is currently in the process of moving a track from Layton into Ogden.

Kart racing is, in fact, recognized as the most economic form of motorsport racing. And, it is a sport that can be enjoyed by almost anyone in their free time.

Miller’s two Utah tracks are open daily with different opening and closing times (see FastKartSpeedWay.com).

He offers two programs. The first is “Arrive and Drive’’ and the second is “Arrive and Race.’’

Under the “Arrive and Drive’’ karters simply show up and drive 10 minutes and 18 to 22 laps for $20 or 15 minutes (30 to 35 laps) for $25.

The “Arrive and Race” are, in fact, races—40, 60 or 100 laps. Prices are $30, $40 and $60, respectively. The race starts with each driver taking a 5-lap qualifier. From those times the lineup is established and racing is on—from the green flag to the checkered.

These, of course, are not the only tracks in Utah. Miller Motorsports Park north of Tooele has a large outdoor track with cars capable of 40 mph. There are several more tracks, some intended for young children, such as the Boondocks Fun Center and others intended to test race-driving skills.

Miller Motorsports Park—Tooele

Rocky Mountain Raceways—West Valley

Desert Thunder Raceway—Price

FastKart Indoor—Salt Lake City

Trafalga Fun Center—Orem & Lehi

Boondocks Fun Center—Kaysville & Draper

Fiesta Family Fun Center—St. George

Dec 21
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Ambrosia: A Southern Staple

By Eat & Drink

I was born in Georgia and raised in, Texas but I never tasted Ambrosia until I was over 40. It was a staple on all my friends’ feast tables, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and guests often generously brought it to our house, but I wouldn’t touch it. A food snob from conception, I guess.

I’m assuming you know what Ambrosia is: a mixture of fruit and coconut and pecans, served in the South as a salad on Special Occasions.

My parents, neither of them born in the Deep South, eschewed it, although we never had roast turkey without oyster gravy and sauerkraut, so we did have our own idiosyncrasies. But really, in the sixties, Ambrosia was usually made with canned Mandarin oranges, sweetened coconut, cherries from a jar…what was to like? Many recipes call for heavy cream and mini marshmallows. (Of course, Food Network’s Alton Brown’s recipe calls for homemade mini marshmallows.

But when I was old, and worked at Central Market in Texas, I discovered what Ambrosia could be. That’s where this recipe was dreamed up, I think. Not bad. I’m still not a fan of sweet salads, or even fruit salads, usually, but this recipe would be good served between courses, like a sorbet, or as a dessert with a tuile-like cookie. In Utah, where folks think salad is a first-course dessert, this might be really popular. And of course there may be a Utah version I’m unaware of. Chances are, though, that the Utah version would NOT have a shot of brandy in it and I’m the first to admit that the brandy may be just the ingredient that disperses my ambrosial skepticism.

AMBROSIA

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 ripe pineapple

3 medium blood oranges

4 clementines

2 Ruby Red grapefruit

2 cups freshly grated coconut

½ cup chopped, toasted pecans

½ cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup brandy or fruit flavored brandy (optional)

 

Instructions

1. Toast the coconut in a 350 degree oven until it is a light, golden brown.

2. Peel and core the pineapple. Slice into thin rings, reserving the juice.

3. Peel and section the blood oranges, clementines and Ruby Red grapefruit Be sure to remove all of the white pith and reserve the juice. Keep each fruit in a separate bowl.

4. Toss each fruit with some of the sherry or brandy (if you are using the optional liquors).

5. In a clear glass, straight sided bowl, layer the pineapple slices, the blood oranges, the clementines, and the grapefruit, lightly dusting each layer with sifted powdered sugar.

6. Combine any remaining fruit juice and liquor and pour evenly over the layered fruit. The recipe can be made to this point and refrigerated for several hours until you are ready to serve.

7. Top the fruit with the toasted coconut and sprinkle the coconut layer with toasted pecans.

Jan 31
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Utah’s Famous Breakfast Stops

By Eat & Drink
Salt Lake magazine editor Jeremy Pugh and ABC-4’s Brian Carlson have teamed up to bring you on a tour through Utah’s famous breakfast stops. Check back to catch the latest foods being served up for breakfast throughout Utah. Stops along the tour include Salt Lake magazine Dining Award Winners, restaurants Food Network has named Best Breakfast in Utah and others we’ve listed as Utah’s Best Diners.

Featured tour stops: