Live music abounds in Sun Valley in the summer, from big-ticket shows at River Run to smaller ticketed shows at the Liberty Theater and Whiskeys to the lengthy slate of free weekly music, like Wicked Wednesdays at the Wicked Spud, Ketch’em Alive at Forest Service Park, and Hailey Rocks at Hop Porter Park. This summer is no different, with an excellent lineup of concerts from the Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMOA), the Arygros, Sun Valley, and more. To give you the inside scoop, Visit Sun Valley chatted with some radio DJs from local station KDPI—trust us, these guys know music. Joining us were Sheila Moriarty, Brett Macubre, and Logan Frederickson from Mountain Music Menagerie (a weekly themed show curated by a group of friends on Thursdays from 7–9pm) and Caleb Horowitz (aka DJ Klondike) of The Good Show, described as “good music for good and bad people” (Wednesdays from 8–10pm). Sun Valley Museum of Art: Old Crow Medicine Show and Lake Street Dive The SVMOA summer concert series is always a season highlight, with past performances by artists like Wilco, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and more. Playing at the Sun Valley Pavilion on June 19 is folk band Old …
24 hrs with a Local: Professional Paraglider Gavin McClurg
If you’re like me and know nothing of the world of professional paragliding, you may ask yourself why a paraglider with accolades like being National Geographic’s 2015 “Adventurer of the Year” and who’s sponsored by Patagonia, Garmin, Smith Optics, and more would live in Sun Valley, Idaho. As it turns out, Sun Valley is world famous for its paragliding, with all the nation’s paragliding records set here. Gavin moved to Sun Valley in 2012, after spending fifteen years sailing around the world, and promptly set the record for longest flight in the US from a mountain in 2013 by flying from the top of Baldy to Canyon Ferry Lake in Montana. A lifelong adventurer, Gavin has been featured in films like Red Bull’s The Rockies Traverse, TGR’s LOCALS, and many more; operated a net-zero carbon offshore sailing/kitesurfing expedition for many years; and has had several first descents in kayaking in Central America. Gavin still loves to adventure, whether that’s flying or backcountry skiing (he’s been skiing since growing up ski racing in Lake Tahoe), but he’s also a family man now, with he, his wife Mattie Mulick (a trainer at the YMCA), daughter Fallon (age 7) and their rescue dog …
What We’re Made of: Alternative Education
Despite the relatively small size of the Wood River Valley, educational institutions abound, with sizes and styles for every type of learner. In addition to the eight public schools in the area (Hailey Elementary, Hemingway STEAM School, Wood River Middle School, Wood River High School, Alturas Elementary, Bellevue Elementary, Carey Public School, Silver Creek High School), there are also five schools providing what might be called “alternative education”: Sun Valley Community School, the Sage School, Syringa Mountain School, Pioneer Montessori School, and Trinity School. Read on to learn about each of their unique curriculums, founding, and the benefits of such educational models. Sun Valley Community School The only independent school in the Wood River Valley educating pre-K through 12th grade, the Sun Valley Community School was founded in 1973 and serves roughly 435 students. While small class sizes, excellent teachers, and robust academics contribute to the esteemed reputation of the school, it’s some of Community School’s unique programming, like their Outdoor Program, the Academies, and Boarding Program that make it so unique. The Outdoor Program has been a key component of the school since its founding over 50 years ago and is an integral part of every student’s experience throughout …
24hrs with a Local : Spur Community Foundation Executive Director Sally Gillespie
Before eventually moving to the Sun Valley area in 1997, Spur Community Foundation Executive Director Sally Gillespie was living in Philadelphia, only dreaming of living out West on the many vacations she would take to this side of the country. But she eventually made her way to Idaho, working at the Nature Conservancy, Sun Valley Center for the Arts (now the Sun Valley Museum of Art), and consulting in the nonprofit world before starting the Spur Community Foundation. Founded in 2016, Spur Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire impactful philanthropy in the Wood River Valley by helping people give purposefully and helping local nonprofits achieve maximum impact. It is through this work that the organization helps maintain the culture and spirit of this community. Sally lives in Elkhorn and in her free time enjoys walking the local trails, Nordic skiing, and outdoor socializing with her friends or her children, ages 22 and 20, when they are home. Read on to learn more about her perfect August day in Sun Valley. How does your morning begin? Sally: I’m out the door for some kind of walk or activity as the sun’s still low in the sky and it’s nice and cool. …
Oktoberfest in Sun Valley: Raising a Stein in Honor of History
The Sawtooth Brewery presents the annual Oktoberfest celebration in the Ketchum Town Square every September.
Labor Day Weekend in Sun Valley, Idaho
The long Labor Day weekend has become a bit of a big deal here in Sun Valley, Idaho over the years. It’s a last summer hoorah as the kids begin to head back to school and the crisp temperatures of fall start to nip at our heels. With spirits running high and festivities plentiful, this is one long weekend that you won’t want to miss. To make the most out of the Labor Day weekend we’ve put together a list of all the best happenings. Wagon Days Rebecca’s Private Idaho Gallery Walk Sun Valley On Ice Lukas Nelson Find your next favorite Sun Valley Labor Day tradition this year! For the full line-up, head over to our events calendar. Events Calendar
What Not to Miss at the 28th Annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival
Aside from the brilliant transitioning leaves, The Trailing of the Sheep Festival is the highlight of Sun Valley’s fall season. Celebrating sheep and sheep herding traditions, Trailing of the Sheep offers a unique glimpse in to a part of Idaho’s past. Five days of dancing, music, wool classes, lamb dinners, sheep dog trials, and the famous Big Sheep Parade will tantalize the spectrum of senses.
24 Hours with a Local: Fit Me SV’s Kathryn Caminiti
A Ketchum local, Kathryn Caminiti (aka Kat) moved back to the Valley three years ago from Newport Beach, California, looking to get back to her small-town roots in the town she grew up in and where her parents and many of her friends still live. She began dabbling in pilates, eventually becoming certified and teaching classes at Zenergy before opening her own pilates studio, Fit Me SV, in March 2024. Kat envisioned not only having a dedicated pilates studio in Sun Valley, but one that taught classes that blended all the elements of her favorite workout classes into one: pilates, yoga, barre, spin, and Lagree. Already, in the short time the studio has been open, it’s been a hit, with her hiring on new instructors and herself teaching fifteen classes a week. Kathryn, who lives in west Ketchum with her boyfriend, Griffin, is just as active in her free time, spending it hiking, playing tennis, riding her bike, and rock climbing. Of course, she enjoys her downtime as well, whether that’s going to the symphony and dining on a charcuterie board, laying by the river or pool, or just chilling with friends. Check out Kat’s perfect July day in Sun …
What We’re Made Of: Sun Valley Pride
For several years now, Sun Valley Pride has joined the ranks of other meaningful Sun Valley events produced by and for locals, all in the name of providing community. In this case, that community is the LGBTQIA+ community, for which Sun Valley Pride provides a multi-day event full of performers, music, and fun. From what was once a modest singular event to now a full week of both paid and free activities, Sun Valley Pride draws attendees and performers from across the nation. How It Started What is now an entire week of Pride events started as just one: Pride in the Garden, at the nonprofit Sawtooth Botanical Garden (SBG). Executive Director Jen Smith had only been in her role for a few years when she suggested the Garden do a Pride event as a way to raise funds. As she says, they didn’t need to do another golf tournament or poker run like other organizations in the area had done as fundraisers. The board went wild, and the first Pride in the Garden event was held in 2021, which Jen describes as “a social justice event trying to bring awareness to the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies and to …
Local KDPI DJs Weigh In on Sun Valley’s Summer Music Lineup
Live music abounds in Sun Valley in the summer, from big-ticket shows at River Run to smaller ticketed shows at the Liberty Theater and Whiskeys to the lengthy slate of free weekly music, like Wicked Wednesdays at the Wicked Spud, Ketch’em Alive at Forest Service Park, and Hailey Rocks at Hop Porter Park. This summer is no different, with an excellent lineup of concerts from the Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMOA), the Arygros, Sun Valley, and more. To give you the inside scoop, Visit Sun Valley chatted with some radio DJs from local station KDPI—trust us, these guys know music. Joining us were Sheila Moriarty, Brett Macubre, and Logan Frederickson from Mountain Music Menagerie (a weekly themed show curated by a group of friends on Thursdays from 7–9pm) and Caleb Horowitz (aka DJ Klondike) of The Good Show, described as “good music for good and bad people” (Wednesdays from 8–10pm). Sun Valley Museum of Art: Old Crow Medicine Show and Lake Street Dive The SVMOA summer concert series is always a season highlight, with past performances by artists like Wilco, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and more. Playing at the Sun Valley Pavilion on June 19 is folk band Old …
24 hours with a Local: Powder Magazine Founder Jake Moe
The skiing in Sun Valley has been influential on many people and brands over the years, including Jake Moe, who was working as a Sun Valley ski patroller in 1968 when he came up with the idea for Powder magazine. At just 20 years old, Jake Moe lived like so many ski bums still do in Sun Valley: balancing his love of riding fresh pow with working an assortment of jobs, from dishwasher, waiter, and cook to roof shoveler, cannery worker, and painter. In 1972, the first issue of Powder came out, and Jake continued producing the magazine from Sun Valley until 1975, when he opened the magazine’s office in Boulder. Over the years, Jake has been in and out of Sun Valley, but it was when he finally retired seven years ago that he and his wife, Susan, decided to leave Seattle and come back to the town where they met 50 years ago (Susan worked for Sun Valley back in the ’70s as well). Now living in Warm Springs, Jake maintains a busy life for someone who’s “retired”: coaching tennis three days a week, volunteering, mountain biking, golfing, fly fishing, hiking, catching summer concerts, traveling in his van, …