The Sawtooth Brewery presents the annual Oktoberfest celebration in the Ketchum Town Square every September.
2020 Sun Valley Summer & Fall Events
Events have been an infusion of liveliness to the summer & fall culture in Sun Valley. As with the vast majority of the word we’re living in, these happenings have had to adapt to current state of affairs. In many cases, the ability to host a safe event has not been possible. For others, they have found a way to modify their offerings in ways that range from limited capacities to virtual experiences. While the experiences may not be the same, we’re grateful to still have semblance of their presence. We’ve compiled a list of the 2020 Sun Valley summer & fall events and experiences that are still happening for you to enjoy. Signature Events Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference | August 22-23 Attend the annual Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference, virtually this year: It is as important as ever to keep well-being top of mind, no matter where you are. This August 22 & 23rd, Sun Valley’s Wellness event is on with a creative adaptation to the virtual realm. Twenty plus groundbreaking presentations by renowned wellness thought leaders will be streamed during the conference. This is your chance to experience a taste of Sun Valley Wellness from the comfort of your home …
Sun Valley vs. Ketchum… What is the difference?
If you are just beginning your research about the area or maybe you’ve even visited a few times you might be wondering, “What is the difference between Sun Valley and Ketchum?” The short answer to that question is not a whole lot, but there is way more to the story and history of how these two came to be. Ketchum Lets start with Ketchum since it came first in history. Trappers were the first to venture here in 1824. But it wasn’t until the 1870s when prospectors begin to populate the valley in search of fortune. By the early 1880s, Ketchum was not only a booming mining town, but it also was famous for its healing hot springs. The Guyer Hot Springs Resort, located on Warm Springs Road, was popular with people from around the country for its mineral waters, croquet, tennis, and fun. By the end of 1884, Ketchum boasted 13 saloons, four restaurants, two hotels, and all types of businesses necessary for a thriving town. Originally named Leadville the town was renamed after David Ketchum, a trapper, guide, and one of the first permeant residents to set up near what is now modern day Giacobbi Square. The area …
Sun Valley Music Festival Winter Series
The Sun Valley Music Festival Winter Series has become a must-see winter event in the Wood River Valley. You’ll find a reinvented classical music experience through the use of eclectic musical selections, unconventional seating, unique staging, atmospheric lighting, and an ever-shifting soundscape. Sun Valley Music Festival The Sun Valley Music Festival and its previous identity as the Sun Valley Symphony, has been around for 36 years and is the largest privately supported, free-admission orchestra in the United States. Led by Music Director Alasdaire Neale, over 100 world-class musicians from North America’s most distinguished orchestras help comprise the Festival Orchestra which performs both in the summer season concerts in July and August and for the February Winter Season. Beyond these concerts, the Sun Valley Music Festival also offers education programs and an annual gala. Winter Concerts This is the second year for the annual Winter Season concert series, held in February. This year’s series will take place over three nights of concerts from February 27-29 at The Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum. Each free concert begins at 6:30pm and features three acts of around 30 minutes each as well as two 20-minute intermissions. The Sun Valley Music Festival relies on …
What We’re Made Of: Art Connoisseur – Meredith Skillman
It’s no secret that the art and culture scene in Ketchum is akin to big cities like New York City. There are numerous concerts like the acclaimed Sun Valley Music Festival symphony performances and big names in indie, rock, jazz and more from the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. There are plays put on by the Company of Fools and the Spot and annual cultural events like the Wood River Studio Tour. But in terms of everyday art in Ketchum, nothing represents the scene better than Ketchum’s numerous art galleries. Displaying mediums from photography to sculpture and more, there’s a little something for everyone and it all caters to a sophisticated demographic. It was for this cultural scene that Meredith Skillman, the Gallery Registrar at Gail Severn Gallery, decided to call Ketchum, Idaho her home. “There aren’t many places in the U.S. where you can get the small-town experience and also work in art galleries,” said the North Carolina native who moved to the Valley seven years ago. Skillman had originally intended to be a musician like both her parents, even majoring in vocal performance at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but switched to art history after …
The Community Library’s “Hemingway in Idaho’s High Desert” Audio Walking Tour
The presence of author Ernest Hemingway can be felt all through the Sun Valley area. During his time here, he was a regular at many of Ketchum’s dining and drinking institutions, penned novels and short stories in its hotels, and enjoyed visiting many places that are still in existence today, albeit as new businesses. To emphasize just how much Hemingway was a part of so many places in this town, The Community Library is now offering a free 12-stop Hemingway audio walking tour through Ketchum and Sun Valley, Idaho
Idaho BaseCamp: An Outdoor-Oriented Learning Oasis
Located halfway between Ketchum and Mackay up Trail Creek is Idaho BaseCamp, an oasis for both children and adults to explore the outdoors through education, workshops, and experiences, all while staying in one of the camp’s funky yurts or camped out in the maze that winds through the riverfront property. Founded in 1998 by Mathew Gershater, Idaho BaseCamp is an educational non-profit specializing in the building of one’s knowledge of environment, community and individual impact upon nature. In our modern world, connecting to nature has become even more of a priority, something that Gershater and Idaho BaseCamp recognize and seek to remedy through group and individual experiential and academic study. 5thGrade Outdoor Adventure Program While Idaho BaseCamp is a resource for people of all ages, the camp is particularly dedicated to educating our youth. Their 5th grade outdoor adventure program is free to every 5th grader in the Blaine & Cuter County School to make sure that youth in the area can have a chance to create a connection to Idaho’s wilderness and work on BaseCamp’s core values: personal responsibility, courage, and respect for all. Students spend three days and two nights at BaseCamp, starting the day with morning mindfulness in …
Grab a Seat: Where to Catch a Show in Sun Valley
Over the past few years, the Sun Valley area has burst to life with new and remodeled locations to experience one of the most vibrant cultural calendars in the West.
Here are just a few of the spots to catch your next show or performance in Sun Valley.
Oh, Kale Yeah! It’s Time for the Wood River Farmers Markets
Life rolls at a more relaxed pace in the mountains, and those minutes between when an event is supposed to start, and when it actually starts, is what we like to call “Ketchum-time.” There’s always some wiggle room…which means a little extra time on the trail, or for a lingering lunch with friends. Or, at least, so I thought. Turns out that “Ketchum-time” doesn’t apply at the Wood River Farmers Markets. “You should have been here earlier,” one farmer told me when I looked sadly at an empty bin labeled ‘broccoli.’ “Those sold within the first thirty minutes.” When it comes to supporting local producers—and eating the freshest, tastiest fruits, meats, and vegetables—the people of this Valley don’t mess around. It’s ‘be there or be square,’ and I’ve learned my lesson. Ketchum Farmers Market The Wood River Farmers Markets hold two markets each week through the summer. The first, on Tuesdays from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, is hosted at the River Run Parking Lot on Serenade Lane in Ketchum. Dozens of local vendors set up for four hours and offer locals and visitors the change to purchase locally-grown produce, meats, and dairy products alongside artisan crafts and flowers. Food …
What We’re Made Of: Company of Fools
The Company of Fools (CoF) theater group has been putting on world-class stage productions in the Wood River Valley since the group relocated to Hailey in 1996. Founded in Rusty Wilson’s unheated garage in Richmond, Virginia in May 1992, Wilson and original CoF members Vicki Bodin, John Glenn, Denise Simone, Robert Throckmorton and Joel Vilinsky took inspiration for their name from an essay by visual artist Cecil Collins, “The Vision of the Fool”. Collins describes the fool as embodying truth, joy, creativity and a childlike wonder of all that is magical and mysterious. The CoF went on to launch three productions in their four years in the garage before Wilson and Simone relocated to Hailey to continue their work on the stage of Hailey’s Liberty Theatre, the Fools’ home. In November 2012, the CoF merged with the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, becoming part of what is now the largest arts institution in the state of Idaho. And now, over 20 years later, the CoF is recognized for its award-winning theatre and arts education programming it has brought to the community. The group and the individuals who make it up have been consistently recognized for their contributions to the arts; …
