Summer Fool’s Festival: “Violet”

Who doesn’t love a good musical?  Last week I met with a couple of the core artists at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey, RL Rowsey and Denise Simone, to discuss the upcoming Summer Fools Festival.  Although we are still 10 weeks away from the opening, I can feel the excitement in the air… most likely carried by the sounds of saws and hammers as the set builders in the background were at work creating yet another masterpiece.   

The musical for this year’s festival is “Violet”, written by Brian Crawley and Jeanine Tesori.  Following is the description taken from the Company of Fools website:

“Set in 1964 in the Deep South during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, Violet follows the growth and enlightenment of a young woman accidentally scarred by her father. In hopes that a TV evangelist can cure her, she embarks on a journey by bus from her sleepy North Carolina town to Oklahoma. Along the way, she meets a young black soldier who teaches her about beauty, love, courage and what it means to be an outsider. One of the most acclaimed off-Broadway shows of the ’90s, Violet astounded critics and audiences with its powerful story and its energetic, toe-tapping Gospel, Rock, Country, and Rhythm and Blues score.” Featuring Andrew Alburger, Jana Arnold, Michelle Carter, Scott Creighton, Keith Moore, Cheryl Morrel, Cliff Todd, Kevin Wade and Debra Wagoner.

A genuine sincerity and sweetness that can pierce through one’s skepticism… blessed with some lovely indigenous music… a smart amalgam of country, church and blues.
- Seattle Times.

While I enjoy all of the productions by Company of Fools, I personally think that the musical is a style at which they absolutely excel.  John Glenn, another core company artist, will be the director for this play.  Like everyone involved with the Summer Fools Festival, John is another incredible individual with over 30 years of varied experience in the world of professional theatre.  Musical direction for this play will come from the VERY talented RL Rowsey, and the only thing I can tell prospective viewers of this performance is that everything will be top notch! 

For more information on the Summer Fools Festival, visit the Company of Fools website and for discounted theatre/lodging packages you can visit The Inn at Ellsworth Estate website.

Ivan Neville Rocked the House Ya’ll!

Last night’s performance at The Mint by Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk was a huge success.  The ringing in my ears that will continue for the next couple of days is a small price to pay and a nice reminder of the amount of fun I had at the concert.  I especially liked the cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and another song called “Put it in the Dumpster”. 

Hailey’s finest turned out for the event, and I was happy to see that the place was absolutely packed.  Since we are dipping into our slack season, I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough locals interested in spending their Thursday evening out on the town; sometimes it’s great to be wrong!  Although I was at work and didn’t make it for Lura’s performance at The Liberty Theatre, I did see her enjoying Neville and Dumpstaphunk’s performance later on in the evening.  This post is a little short because I am quite tired today.  More this weekend on Company of Fools!

‘Company of Fools’ Announces New Season

I consider the Wood River Valley to be the last “civilized” area before entering into the great wild wilderness of central Idaho.  Just beyond our northern borders lie rugged mountains, open valleys, a few roads, and even fewer people.  As such, we do our best to fit this oh-so-vague and somewhat arbitrary definition of civilized.  One of those things that actually lends credence to the title “civilized” is the small but professional theatre group based out of the Liberty Theatre in Hailey called the Company of Fools. 

Before I had crossed the threshold of the Liberty, it was already my (second) favorite building in town!  (The Inn of course is #1)  The art-deco facade out front stands out brilliantly on Main Street and lends an exciting quality to the town.  I had always wondered what curious denizens occupied this space and when I attended the Christmas performance of “Fools Holiday Songbook” in the winter of 2004 I was not disappointed.  The performance itself was delightful, and the theatre, while absolutely historic, has incredible equipment, great views, and the most comfortable seats I have ever been in!  I’ve come a long ways since this first quick glimpse into the world of the theatre and now we work with the Fools on a regular basis to kick around different ideas, provide theatre/lodging packages, etc.

The reason I am mentioning them in today’s blog is that they just released the new season for 2008-2009, and I am very excited to see what’s coming up.  The next production is the Summer Fool’s Festival, taking place from July 1 2008 to August 3 2008.  This is composed of three plays performed on a rotating basis at the Liberty.  I don’t have specific dates for each play in the  Summer Fool’s Festival, but as soon as I have this information I will post it.  I also realized that to go into detail on all the plays in one blog would be a little excessive, so I have decided to focus on one play per blog, give a little background, and make a few comments.  Today is just the intro:)  I’ll list the plays below. 

Summer Fool’s Festival:  July 1-Aug. 3 2008
Violet
Collected Stories
Noises Off

Jack & the Beanstalk  Oct. 8-26 2008

It’s A Wonderful Life: Live Radio Play  Dec. 17 2008 - Jan. 4 2009

The House of Blue Leaves  Feb 18 2009- March 9 2008

 

Thursday April 10: It’s Happenin’ in Hailey!

Two world-class musicians will grace downtown Hailey with their presence next week.  Lura, a Cape Verde native, will be performing at The Liberty Theatre at 730pm.  My first question was “Where the heck is Cape Verde?”  Turns out this is a small island chain off the western coast of Africa.  It was uninhabited originally but colonized by the Portugese in the 1500’s.  I checked her out on YouTube, just like the ad in the paper asked, and was immediately taken in!  If I had to describe her voice I would say “raw honey”; it’s definitely worth hearing!  Please follow the link above to check it out.  If you’d like tickets, please call 208.726.9491

The second musician comes from New Orleans, LA, and goes by the name of Ivan Neville.  He’s the son of famed musician Aaron Neville.  I am originally from Baton Rouge, so the chance to see another Louisiana native here in Hailey is all the reason I need to go!  Ivan and his band, Dumpstaphunk, perform, if you haven’t already guessed, blues and funk.  Feel free to check them out on YouTube  I was very excited to see that The Mint will be offering half-price tickets ($12.50) if you present your ticket from Lura.  The Show will start at 10pm and the ticket does include a free drink.  See you at the show!  208..788.MINT for tickets.

New Recipe

A friend of mine who was recently in New York was telling me about her journey.  We share a common love of good food (not unusual) and in every one of our conversations this topic inevitably arises.  She was telling me about a restaurant that served, and I quote, “Poached Egg on Polenta with a Stilton Foam”.  Now the only time I’ve seen a foam actually used is on Iron Chef, and finding a foam recipe on the internet was more challenging than I anticipated.  In other words, I couldn’t go straight to Epicurious and type it in.  From what I gather, all you need is cream, required flavor, and a whipped cream canister.  Check on all three counts.  I realize this recipe might be a little bold for my average guest, but I plan on experimenting tomorrow.  I’ve never cooked polenta or made a foam, but I have plenty of experience with poached eggs.  Wish me luck!

 On another note: I also modified the recipe for Bananas Foster Bread Pudding.  You’ll have to go to The Inn’s website to view it, but I think it’s a change for the better.

So That’s Why It’s Called “SUN” Valley!

I just spent 4 of the last seven days (not including today) on the slopes of Bald Mountain.  Although I am incredibly sore and a little bruised (thanks to a runaway ski) I must say that I had the time of my life!  Most days started out cloudy and a little cold, but before noon the sun had burned through give us that perfect spring skiing weather.  The mountain will be opened until April 15 this year, although the word is that a few lifts will close before this date, depending on snow conditions.  So if you haven’t managed to dust off the skis for a run down the mountain this winter, you still have time!

This Weekend In Sun Valley!!!

Calling all winter sports enthusiasts: this weekend is the real deal!  The much anticipated 48Straight lands in the valley bringing world class athletes and musicians to match.  My gut instinct tells me that there will also be a few world-class partiers; what we have here is a recipe for fun!  Qualifiers have already begun for events such as the skier cross (finals on Saturday at Dollar Mountain) with more to come tomorrow, Friday. 

My hope is to try and attend the snowboard cross tomorrow during the day, make it back to The Inn by 3pm to check guests in, then head out for a little evening entertainment.  Friday and Saturday night brings great performers such as Slightly Stooped and Michael Frante.  On another not, the Wood River Journal had an article encouraging people to be safe on the roads at night.  Deer and other wildlife are all over the highways this time of year, so please keep this in mind.  Also, Mountain Rides will be offering a shuttle from Bellevue/Hailey to Ketchum on both Friday and Saturday nights so feel free to take advantage of this great service.
See you on the mountain!

Finally Figured Out My Skis!

This is my second season on my skis, which are Rossignol Zenith Z1’s.  I purchased them new at a ski swap in Hailey in the fall of 2006.  Since the snow this year has been so darn good, last week was only the third time this season that I have used them; normally I’m on a snowboard.  However, once the time in between winter storms changes from every few days to every couple of weeks, skis are a better option for me!  It isn’t that the snowboarding is no good, but that I’ve only been on a board for 2 years and I still fall at least once per run! 

Anyways, I was skiing up at Sun Valley with a few friends of mine.  One of the guys and I decided that rather than attempt any sort of technical precision, we would simply race as fast as we could from point to point.  Four inches of new snow from the previous evening helped quite a bit with the conditions, but it had also piled up to form moguls in the groomed runs that could send you soaring if hit at full speed.  The skis are still a little new to me so it’s tough to know when I’m in control and when I’m not!  As I hit high speed I was amazed at how responsive the skis were; they turned so quickly that you really had to be careful not to over extend.   Verdict:  It’s easier to go fast than slow. 

48 Straight…. Can You Handle It?

48Straight, billed as the”The loudest show on snow” by to tour promoters, is celebrating the end of  it’s first year run here in Sun Valley March 12-14.  It is named so because it is a 48 hour party rotating from the ski slopes to the bars to concerts and back to the slopes.  It was known formerly as The Ski Tour until its merger with Jeep King of the Mountain Tour earlier in 2007.  Previous tour stops for the 2007-2008 winter season include Telluride, CO., Park City, UT., and Squaw Valley, Calif.  Featured events are the snowboard halfpipe, the snowboard cross, the skier halfpipe, and skier cross for both men and women. 

Last year I was fortunate enough to attend a decent amount of the events, including the Hinder/Three Days Grace concert, as well as the Skier Halfpipe (Snowboarding events are new this year).  It was an amazing experience to stand a few feet from world-class twisting and twirling on the pipe, something I will never forget.  The energy level for the whole weekend was at a high and downtown Ketchum was packed, despite sub-zero temperatures.  If you are a fan of the mountain lifestyle, this is an opportunity you will not want to miss!For the 2008 season, the show is destined to be bigger & better with the addition of more on and off mountain events.   For a complete lineup, please visit 48Straight.com  and click on the big guitar.  Oh yeah and bring your party hat!

DiVine Restaurant Review

I’ve been the innkeeper at this incredible bed and breakfast for three and a half years now.  I’ve made it a point to try to get out into Hailey and the surrounding area and experience as much as I possible could, at least within the limits of my wallet!  I’ve been skiing at Sun Valley, attended countless concerts and music festivals, hit the Trailing of the Sheep, Jazz Festival, rafted in Stanley… the list could go on for days! 

In spite of all this, I managed to overlook a tiny little wine bar located just down the street from The Inn called DiVine.    Finally, on Sunday night, the inspiration hit me to leave my nest here at The Inn and 1) Find Friends  2) Go to DiVine and 3) Eat, Drink, and be Merry.  Mission Accomplished!  My friend Rick joined my father Bill and I for the adventure.

 The restaurant is a small old-world-meets-new-world affair located right off Main Street in Hailey (400 South Main St. Hailey ph. 208.788.4422) Tall wine racks loaded with a fantastic selection of wines line most of the walls.  The rest are taken up by floor to ceiling windows that let you peer out into the surrounding neighborhood.  The wines sell for about the same price you would pay in a store.  Our wine was a 2005 Layer Cake Shiraz, a great choice.  A five dollar corking fee is required to drink the wine there, which is a small price to pay to enjoy the atmosphere and food.   

Speaking of food!   We already had plans for dinner, so the three of us split a half-pot of  Gruryere and Swiss cheese fondue.  To dip we had toasted bread, apple sausage, and fruit.  Mama Mia!  Delicioso!  The also have paninis, pizzas, and salads on the menu.  I would recommend this restuarant for couples in search of the romantic and small groups of friends.  The atmosphere is casual and reservations are accepted but not necessary.   Buon Appetito!