Ketchum’s only movie theater, Merlin’s Magic Lantern, has been a presence in this town for fifty years, seeing countless movies appear on its screens and just as many patrons, both local and out-of-towners, come through its doors. New owner Bob Peterson has taken over the historic theater, breathing new life into the business born of former owner Rick Kessler’s passion for movies. The History It’s hard to believe there was a time in Ketchum’s history when the Magic Lantern wasn’t in operation, but until owner Rick Kessler moved here in 1972 and opened the theater three years later, in 1975, that was indeed the case. The theater, named for the 17th-century image projector, originally opened in the Odd Fellows Hall, on Washington Avenue, until the size of the growing community demanded a bigger space, and Kessler moved into the theater’s current space across the street, on Second Street. Just 25 years old when he opened the Magic Lantern, Kessler envisioned providing something he saw as essential to a community: not just a space to see movies, but a place to meet friends, a place for kids to go on a summer afternoon, a place for tourists to go in the …
How to Skin Up Baldy & Dollar
If you’re someone who likes to earn their turns (or just doesn’t want to pay to ski or ride), skinning up Baldy or Dollar is the move, garnering you plenty of runs for the cost of free-ninety-nine. But as both mountains are operated by the Sun Valley Resort, there are a couple rules to follow to ensure a safe and fun skin, as well as a few guidelines on what gear you’ll need. The Rules All of Sun Valley’s rules and guidelines for skiing Baldy and Dollar can be found on their website (or app) under “After-Hours Access.” This page is full of all sorts of information, including the mountain report, which will tell you the temperature (at both base and top); runs that are open and/or groomed; how much it has snowed this season, in the last week, in the last 24 hours, and overnight; how fast winds are blowing; and a small blurb giving any pertinent announcements/updates, weather forecast, webcams for various spots on both mountains. You can also sign up for email and/or text alerts for uphill access, which will let you know about closures, conditions, and more that might affect skinning. Baldy: The rules for each …
What We’re Made Of: 4 Roots
Located on Sun Valley Road is a small business that packs a big punch: 4 Roots, a breakfast andlunch café that serves up food for any and all dietary restrictions, from gluten-free to paleo andvegan and everything in between. What started for owners Beth Sluder and Chris Steen as ahealth journey through diet for their daughter with an autoimmune disease became an endeavorinto providing healthy, sustainable dining options for patrons—an embodiment of the café’sslogan “We have your health in mind.” How it Started Twin Falls locals, Beth and Chris began eating at 4 Roots in Twin after their now seventeen-year-old daughter began getting sick starting at the age of two. After learning that their daughter’snutrition may affect her symptoms, they became obsessed with cleaning up her diet, which ledthem to the café they would eventually buy years later. At the time, 4 Roots was a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant, with a small menu, lawn furniture for seating, and a kitchen set up for basichome cooking. But the family of three loved eating there, to the point that the owner eventuallyoffered to sell them 4 Roots in 2017.Thought it wasn’t what either Beth or Chris were involved with at the time the …
24 Hours with a Local: Monarch’s Blair Brown
January is a time of resolutions and new beginnings, when the promise of a new year drives us all to do better—especially for our minds and bodies. Blair Brown is no stranger to incorporating wellness for mind, body, and soul into her daily life. In 2023, Blair founded Monarch in Ketchum, a full-body wellness center with a variety of practitioners, devices, and treatments (like cold plunge, infrared sauna, lymphatic massage, etc.). After moving to Ketchum from Alaska when she was 11, Blair grew up skiing and playing in the mountains, instilling in her a lifelong love of both nature and this town. Before moving back to the Valley part time in 2016 (and full time in 2019), she lived in New York, working in the wellness space, with a particular focus on artisan cannabis and CBD apothecary products (her company Verté Essentials was featured in Forbes), even writing two books on CBD and hemp-derived wellness. The birth of her son, Rhodes, in 2019 spurred her move back to Ketchum full time, where she channeled her expertise in the intersection of wellness, beauty, and sustainability into creating Monarch. She and her five-year-old Rhodes live in Elkhorn with their dog Biggie and …
Rotarun Ski Area
Located 12 miles south of Ketchum, the home of Bald Mountain, is the town of Hailey and the home of the area’s lesser known ski mountain: Rotarun. Known as “the little mountain with a big heart”, this 475-foot ski hill located three miles east of Hailey out Croy Canyon has been a draw to the local community since it opened in 1948. With free night skiing, new snow making capabilities and terrain for Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) programs, this mountain is still making a big impact, showing how small ski hills like these are truly the soul of winter towns. Rotarun a ski hill where the essence of the sport is alive and well thanks to minimal barriers to entry and a welcoming demeanor. We highly recommend checking it out for yourself. History This small mountain has a storied history over the more than 70 years it’s been in existence. Starting after World War II, locals would boot pack up and ski down; shortly thereafter in 1948, Olympian Ann Winn started using the small mountain to teach kids how to ski, the first of many people to do so over the years. The mountain received its first “lift” in …
24hrs with a Local: SVSEF Gold Member Peter Wolter
A lifelong local (seriously, he was born in the old Sun Valley hospital), cross-country skier Peter Wolter has made his hometown his full-time base again as he competes with SVSEF’s XC Gold Team, racing nationally and internationally throughout the year. After graduating from Community School, Peter attended Middlebury College, where he was a two-time All American and Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association’s Rookie of the Year. He graduated Middlebury in 2022 and moved back to the Wood River Valley, joining the SVSEF XC Gold Team, for which he trains about 600–750 hours throughout the year, doing all manner of activities, from cross-country skiing to running, biking, roller skiing in the gym, and bagging peaks. Though he also works part time for Decked, doing digital marketing, Peter still spends about half the year travelling outside the Valley and competing; last year he raced in Minnesota, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Utah. In his two post-collegiate years, Peter has accumulated numerous accolades, including placing third overall in the SuperTour 2022–2023 season, fourth place at the US Nationals Classic 20k, and twelve World Cup starts. Though Peter admits that he doesn’t have a ton of free time, he is passionate about automotive …
What We’re Made of: Party Animal Vodka
Perhaps you’ve spied the bottle on the shelf at the local liquor store or bar—a clear glass bottle with a label featuring a wolf peering out of pine trees (an updated version of what used to be a jaguar peering out of the jungle, which they changed to showcase their Idaho roots)—and were intrigued enough to order a drink made with this award-winning, craft vodka made in Idaho from locally sourced russet potatoes. This is Party Animal, a cause-based vodka produced right in the Wood River Valley that not only tastes exceptional but also gives back to the many animal organizations in the area. After six years in business, Party Animal is going strong and has no plans of stopping. How It Started While Party Animal Vodka would get its official start in the Wood River Valley, the brand’s origins trace back to a Friday night in college, when founder Kate Cullen was pondering her weekend plans which, like that of many other college students, included drinking. It was 2011, and Kate felt unsatisfied by the vodkas on the market. She wanted something that related to her and her lifestyle, from having friends over to the dorms to attending a …
24 Hours with a Local: Higher Ground’s Kate Dobbie
Higher Ground’s Kate Dobbie has been with the organization for sixteen years, starting from when she came on as their four full-time employee in a Volunteer Coordinator Position to serving as Executive Director for twelve years, to her current role as Chief Development Officer. The Florida native originally moved to the Wood River Valley with five friends after college, intending, as so many do, to stay for just one or two years before moving on. But after waiting tables and nannying, she landed a job at Hemingway Elementary that would change her life forever. Working as a paraprofessional for a Kindergartener named Ruby (who, in a full-circle moment, is now working for Higher Ground as well), Kate worked one-on-one with Ruby for a whole year, taking her swimming and doing other activities. She got her first exposure to Higher Ground (then called Sun Valley Adaptive Sports)—a nonprofit that provides therapeutic recreation and education to children and adults with developmental, cognitive, or physical disabilities—when Ruby went on a ski outing. When a job came up at the organization, Kate jumped at the chance, rising through the organization over the years and taking it from an organization with a handful of full-time …
24 Hours with a Local: The Wylde Beet’s Sloan Storey
Growing up in Sun Valley instilled both a love of the outdoors and a love for plant-based foods in Sloan Storey, both of which she incorporates into her life on a daily basis as the owner of The Wylde Beet café in Hailey. After leaving the Valley to get degrees in health education and community, Sloan worked on multiple farms and moved back to the area in 2017, eventually working for the Hunger Coalition and cementing her passion for providing local, sustainable food to her community. She channeled that passion into opening her own food truck in 2023, The Wylde Beet, serving up affordable, plant-based food using as sustainable and local ingredients as possible. In early 2024, she and her team opened a brick-and-mortar Wylde Beet on Main Street in Hailey, where it continues to serve affordable, plant-based food and serve as a space for fun events, local merchandise, and great eats. Sloan and her boyfriend, Sage, live in Hailey with their two dogs, Raglin and Bruneau. When she’s not working at the café, she’s hiking with her dogs, Nordic or backcountry skiing, mountain biking, or doing anything outside with friends or her three nephews. We caught up with Sloan …
What We’re Made of: Sonic Boom
While many businesses over the years have sold a smattering of records (and back in the day, shops like Twist n Trout and Big Bad Bills sold CDs), the Wood River Valley has never had a dedicated record store selling vinyl (at least not in my lifetime). But Mike Pitts, owner of Sonic Boom in Seattle and now Sun Valley, has opened the doors to Ketchum’s newest record store, peddling new and used vinyl, as well as tapes and CDs, to all manner of music lover in the area. The History It was a bit of a journey for Mike to make his way to the music industry. While he had been buying records from Sonic Boom since he was a teenager, Mike had been operating a real estate company with his brother-in-law for ten years when Sonic Boom was listed for sale, in 2016. Luckily, his supportive wife, who knew how miserable Mike was in the real estate game, called and told him he was quitting his job and figuring out how to purchase Sonic Boom and make it work. So he did, and soon he was the owner of an establishment that had been an integral part of …
