City Weekly May 18, 2023

CITY WEEKLY

WET HOT

S AP

BOX

Rocky’s Bold Leadership

Last month, the North Dakota Senate narrowly failed to override Gov. Doug Burgum’s veto of House Bill 1273, passed by the Republican-dominated state Legislature to prohibit municipalities from utilizing approval voting—a method wherein voters are permitted to vote for all candidates they approve of. The ban was specifically targeted at the city of Fargo, an island of highly competitive politics amid the otherwise ruby-red state.

The residents of Sarasota, Florida, were not so lucky last year, when Gov. Ron De-

Santis signed into law an act prohibiting the city’s usage of ranked choice voting, a measure previously approved by 77% of Sarasota residents. In an act of defiance, Newberry, Florida, Mayor Jordan Marlowe announced his switch to Andrew Yang’s electoral reform-based Forward Party last week.

Here in Salt Lake, voters may recognize ranked choice voting as the method agreed to by the city council for the upcoming citywide mayoral election and a concomitant handful of down ballot city council elections. Though the Utah Legislature has, as of yet, been supportive of localities piloting electoral reform measures, Salt Lake residents might rightfully look upon the assaults on municipal autonomy in Florida and North Dakota with worry.

As recent debates over the rights of transgender athletes and educational funding have illustrated, the cavern between our city and the rest of the state cuts across fundamental, moral fault lines as much as political and religious ones.

As much as any of the direct issues of the campaign, the mayoral race poses a fundamental reckoning on how Salt Lake City shall project itself to the world. While I acknowledge Mayor Mendenhall and the city council’s credit for strides in electoral reform, candidate and former Mayor Rocky Anderson’s record speaks to his ability to elevate the voices of the downtrodden, as ranked-choice and approval voting measures strive to. His willingness as mayor to challenge ostensibly insuperable power structures made Salt Lake an international model for human rights and mitigation of the climate crisis.

Rocky Anderson has, time after time, demonstrated an ability to represent Salt Lake City, boldly, as a champion of sustainable development and democracy, whether against the Legislature or, famously, against former U.S. presidents Bush and Trump.

Yet, as most advocates of ranked choice voting and other electoral reforms would admire, Anderson has demonstrated an

oft overlooked willingness to bring people together, as seen in his lead role in encouraging the bridging of religious divides during the latter part of his mayoralty. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously described states as “laboratories of democracy,” a principle that necessarily begins at the local level. If Salt Lake City’s experiment in electoral reform is to avoid the fate of Sarasota and other municipalities that have fallen prey to overbearing legislatures in an age of threats to the ideals of American democracy, it must have a leader with a proven record of holding the line.

Rocky Anderson, perhaps more than any other politician in Utah history, has demonstrated that ability.

SHIV PARIHAR Salt Lake City

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THE WATER COOLER

What fun summer activities do you have planned

Pete Saltas

Slick Rock Beer Festival in Moab, May 20. City Weekly Pride Pageant, June 1. Utah Cann, July 15. Utah Beer Festival, August 19 & 20

Wes Long

Some camping, some hikes, and there has been talk of a road trip out of state at some point.

Scott Renshaw

After this winter, if it allows me to be outside in the sun, I’m doing it. I might even have to take up golf just to spite Mother Nature.

Katharine Biele

Activists rarely have “fun,” but I am planning a trip to Vegas for the League of Women Voters—and possibly D.C.—to rally with them for social justice and the preservation on the Voting Rights Act.

Kelly Boyce

Not being cold and having to wear clothes. Being in all the water. May go to a few concerts.

Eleni Saltas

I’ll be in Greece as much as possible and then helping with City Weekly events all summer long.

Eric Granato

A whole lot of camping, RC crawling and hopefully a few road trips.

BY JOHN RASMUSON

My Life Since Highland

Oh, well, a touch of grey/ Kind of suits you anyway.

—Grateful Dead

The subject of the incoming email was “Ram Book Project.” The email was not unexpected. The graying Highland High School Class of 1963 is gearing up to celebrate its diamond anniversary, and the planning generates emails from a group of alumni who have tended the flame of Ram school spirit for 60 years.

What was unexpected was the book project and its ambitious goal of collecting a one-page autobiography from the surviving members of a cohort once 611 strong.

Although the working title of the autobiography—“My Life Since Highland”—evoked an assignment in a Continuing Education class, it did strike a responsive chord: I had been thinking about my alma mater since the announcement that Highland High School might be razed and rebuilt. I even acted on a nostalgic impulse last summer and slipped into the red brick building through an unlocked door.

I walked the empty halls, reviewing the past, trying to discover how my years at Highland shaped my life. Would it have played out differently had I been a West High Panther or a Granite High Farmer instead of a Highland Ram? Ask a similar question of a winemaker, and the answer is yes. Terroir—the French noun for a particular locale’s soil and microclimate—makes a difference in the flavor of the grape.

To kickstart the Ram Book Project, the reunion planners suggested eight categories to winnow for material: education, family, career, church, community service, military and travel. The list ended with “What I do now to fill my days” (which struck me as being unintentionally wistful).

Having been a scribbler, I know that writing thoughtful paragraphs would not only fill many days, the effort would yield a surprising number of pages. To distill 60 years’ experience into 600 words is like skating backwards: It is harder than it looks.

As Mark Twain observed, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one.”

I have the time needed to write a retrospective as short as an obituary. Self-interest spurs me on. I know I will discover something about myself in the process. Writing is, by its nature, exploratory. What was overlooked in last summer’s walkabout in Highland High’s dark hallways may come to light in writing the right words for the Ram book.

I also feel a nudge of obligation. Joining this anniversary waltz supports the reunion planners and conveys gratitude for their work.

By writing, I also acknowledge that who I am—perhaps why I am—has been partly determined by the terroir of time and place. The shared experience of our class of 600-plus innocents ended in 1963 just months before President John Kennedy was killed. Diploma in hand, we moved on to college classrooms, Latter-day Saint missions, full-time jobs, the military. Some just disappeared.

I have read that every generation is affected by an overriding event. For the Greatest Generation, it was the Depression. Millennials watched passenger jets bring down the World Trade Center on 9/11. The COVID-19 pandemic upended the lives of Gen Z. The misbegotten war in Vietnam killed 58,220 Baby Boomers.

Vietnam was a defining event for me and my male classmates. We had been involuntarily introduced to soldiering in our sophomore year as cadets in the National Defense Corps. We wore wool uniforms to school. We learned to march, shoot and salute in Highland’s basement rooms. We took it all in stride, never admitting to ourselves that there was worse to come.

The wartime draft eventually uprooted me from Utah. I

was sent to basic combat training at Fort Dix. There, recruits were schooled in marksmanship, first aid and land navigation. Map-reading classes honed my sense of direction. However, I soon learned that without the Wasatch Mountains visible on the horizon, my orienteering was unreliable. My Army compass seemed fixed on an azimuth that led into waist-deep swamps. Such a touch tends to be self-effacing while giving weight to consequential events.

I hope to find it in the Ram book. Among my 600-plus classmates in 1963, there must have been some goof-offs who caught the digital wave early and rode it to riches. And there were probably some honor graduates who lost money when the dot-com bubble burst in the 1990s.

Irony aside, I have been thinking that Highland’s colors could be useful in writing an autobiography. The school colors are black and white, a bifurcation as stark as Republican and Democrat, happy and sad. Between the poles, the blacks and whites merge in shades of gray. There, novelist John Updike found a space “where ambiguity restlessly rules.” I may lack a sense of direction, but I am comfortable with ambiguity and the wiggle room it affords. My days at Highland High were certainly restless. Each of them was subject to churning oscillation. A “D” on a test ruined a good day, as did a scolding from a teacher. A bad day was redeemed by a note from a particular girl or a lunchtime seat among those with high social status.

In Chinese astrology, the rabbit is the symbol of both 2023 and 1963. Thus, the two are considered auspicious years, well suited for “strengthening relationships and pursuing personal growth.” A short autobiography could do both.

For a title, I’ll pass on “My Life Since Highland.” Of more interest to a graybeard like me is an exploration of “My Life Because of Highland.” If that founders, there’s always the Grateful Dead: “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” CW

Private Eye is off this week. Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net

HITS & MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele

MISS: Clutching Pearls

“Don’t dream little. Dream big.” That was the message author Sandra Cisneros took to Mountain View Elementary in 2017. But the author of best-selling The House on Mango Street suddenly finds herself in the crosshairs of State School Board member Natalie Cline, who has long espoused far-right rhetoric that schoolchildren should not be exposed to difficult topics. “The House on Mango Street is a disgusting book that no kid should be required to read and discuss,” Cline said in a recent post. The book’s themes of racism, sexuality and poverty are difficult, but it points to problems in a patriarchal society and exemplifies a will to overcome hardship. While it was banned in Arizona in 2010, the author was highlighted by the Deseret News when she visited in 2017. Cline’s penchant toward erasing truth in education may be more disgusting than any book.

HIT: Well-oiled Machines

Just as the Texas Legislature tries to revive a failing fossil fuel industry, Utah is grappling with how to handle renewable energy. That’s not to say that Utah doesn’t love fossil fuels, but rather that opportunities are sprouting in compatible areas, with the help of federal agencies. A South Korean group is eyeing land in Beaver County for a massive solar development, although plans are not without pushback, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Farmers worry that solar will displace valuable grazing land and won’t provide local revenue. And the area is outside designated solar enterprise zones, so will require a variance after environmental analysis. The New York Times posits that Texas’ war on renewables will trickle down to the rest of the country and make decarbonizing the economy impossible. Utah at least has a chance to get in the game while our health and ecosystem can still benefit.

MISS: Fiscal Responsibility

Utah’s attorney general has again hit a low mark that Utah voters appear to be aiming for. ProPublica recently uncovered an uncomfortable truth—that Sean Reyes’ much-touted child protection kits might not actually protect kids and likely are costing Utah funds it didn’t have to fork out. The Tribune’s Robert Gehrke could find no plan to distribute the kits, now some 700,000 of them. And he calls it “classic Reyes, who seemingly can’t resist the allure of a junket, a degree of quasi-celebrity and some pics for social media.” If you don’t remember, Reyes has been caught stumping for dubious causes before and yet, like a certain former president, seems to avoid repercussions. Texas put out $5.7 million for kits that might cost nothing. ProPublica calls it “crime control theater,” and Utah is spending more than $1.8 million. Draper Republican Sen. Kirk Cullimore has $140,000-per-year lined up for them. “They’re promoted as preventative measures, but they’re not preventative at all,” one child safety consultant said. It just shows how easily we can be conned by a lovable con man, or con men.

Sign Here

Location signs are rather abundant around Salt Lake, announcing everything from the “Welcome to Utah, Life Elevated” slogan that greets hundreds of thousands of travelers driving into town from the airport, all the way down to the historical markers of individual homes that you might see on your neighborhood walks.

Cities and suburbs have them too, of course. The most recent one I’ve noticed is a scaled model of a water wheel that Millcreek just installed on Highland Drive near 3010 South, at the boundary between it and Salt Lake City.

But it’s neighborhood signs that give me the greatest pleasure. Most opt for metallic lettering to announce a guest’s arrival into their area. Sugar House has several types, which embrace the ambiguity of its spelling (Is it one word or two? Editor’s note: It’s two) and 9th & 9th signs have a unique, oxidized green coloring.

But my favorite has to be the signs for Rose Park (photo above)—one of which can be found at the entrance to Riverside Park on 700 North near 1500 West. Not only does the sign contain the neighborhood’s namesake in the large lettering, but it also shows fine detail by having it stamped into the concrete of the pedestal as well.

Even neighborhoods without official signage find a way to proudly identify the area. Glendale and Guadalupe both have brightly painted murals by local artists Bill Louis and Valarie Williams, respectively (below photo)—the first of which can be found at Glendale Middle School on Andrew Avenue and Navajo Street whereas the second is located on the backside of Project Open at 500 West and 400 North

This is why it is more surprising to see some well-known neighborhoods go without. Unless I’m mistaken, both The Avenues and Liberty Wells are currently sign-less, but that’s not to say it can’t change quickly, though. With the help of recent Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funding from the city, Yalecrest is the latest neighborhood to put up welcome signs this past winter.

The next round of CIP requests— which any SLC resident can apply for—opens up this August, so for those wanting to show a little more neighborhood spirit but don’t have the funds to do so, get after it! CW

Decorative signs welcome residents and visitors to the west side neighborhood of Rose Park.

Artists Bill Louis and Valarie Williams produced these murals for the Glendale and Guadalupe neighborhoods, respectively.

Lake Effects

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

When an event is called the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, it’s impossible to ignore the Great Salt Lake itself. And making it clear how important the health of the lake is to the local avian ecosystem is definitely a key part of that event.

“Right now, we’ve had a great spring, and there’s more water in the lake than there’s been in a long time,” says Melissa Halvorsen, education & outreach coordinator for Hawkwatch and a presenter at this year’s Great Salt Lake Bird Festival. “The temptation is going to be to look out there and say, ‘We did it, we’re fine.’ But we’ve had drought for years, and one year isn’t going to make up for it.”

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival annually attracts birders from around the country and around the world, at a time of year when the area is teeming with migrating birds. “We’re a site of hemispheric importance for birds,” Halvorsen notes—and as such, it’s crucial to preserve it, and to take the opportunity to teach visitors about what is needed.

The festival features several outings and field trips that sell out due to their popularity, but there are always opportunities for visitors of all ages—and all degrees of experience with birding—to learn and have a unique nature experience. Many of these experiences are free, notably on Saturday, May 20th’s “Family Day,” allowing for dropins and more casual visitors to enjoy the event.

It’s important for the festival to provide that kind of positive experience, even as there’s a tricky balance involved in also educating guests about challenges without being too much of a “downer.” According to Max Malmquist, a member of the Bird Festival committee and engagement manager for the National Audubon Society’s Saline Lakes Program, “[The festival] provides an opportunity to have kind of a balance, to celebrate the birds and this wet water year, but at the same time ensure that we’re talking about the concerns and issues surrounding the lake.”

Those issues include a variety of impacts resulting from the lake’s shrinking size. Concentrating salinity levels affect the brine shrimp and brine flies that make up a huge

A&E

part of the food chain for migratory birds. Additionally, heavy metals from the lakebed can be exposed, making their way into the food chain. And a reduced habitat size even exacerbates the “bird flu” that has devastated species of all kinds over the past two years.

“When you have a lake that’s smaller, it concentrates those species closer together, which may help spread communicable diseases,” Halvorsen says. “You’re potentially pooling that vector for disease in smaller areas.”

As the shrinking of the lake became local and indeed national news over the past year, legislative action accompanied the heavy snowpack, leading to some cause for optimism. “This really wet winter, how we’ve been framing it is, it’s been a little breath of fresh air, giving us 18 months to two years to address declining lake levels,” Malmquist says. “It gives us a little time to implement those tools, but we want to make sure we keep our feet on the pedal.”

Those involved with the festival acknowledge that folks interested in coming out to a bird festival are likely already a choir that’s being preached to about environmental awareness, yet there’s still important information to communicate, even to those who already have a baseline concern for the health of ecosystems. “I’ve been doing informal education in this realm for 20 years, and the biggest shift I’ve seen is more knowledge in young people about the macro issues, and less knowledge of the local issues,” Halvorsen said. “They’re more aware of those things that are impacting the world, but less about the

things in their own yards and communities. The way you start to help with that is to start at the micro level.”

“The key to get people caring about something is giving them opportunities to go out and experience it,” Malmquist adds. “You can’t care about something until you experience it.”

That experience can be a fascinating one for those who may be inexperienced with birding, as the various events and locations of the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, according to Malmquist, can include as many as 250 bird species. On the most basic level, it’s a chance to see something beautiful. And it’s a chance to get information that makes it clear what still needs to be done to preserve that experience for future generations.

“The most unique thing about humans is, we make a lot of mistakes, but we’re the only species in the world that tries to fix our mistakes—to go back in one generation, in our lifetime, to fix what we’ve broken,” Halvorsen says. “As humans we have the capacity to choose compassion, not just for each other, but for other organisms. We can choose to care about something outside our own species. That local ecosystem is where we start.” CW

GREAT SALT LAKE BIRD FESTIVAL

May 18 – 21

Eccles Wildlife Education Center 1157 S. Waterfowl Way, Farmington daviscountyutah.gov/greatsaltlakebirdfest

The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival showcases the beauty in this habitat—and how to preserve it.

Allison Hong Merrill: NinetyNine Fire Hoops

“Stranger than fiction” is a common descriptor for some true stories, and it might be tempting to apply that idea to the life of Utah-based author Allison Hong Merrill. But while the details of her life story—as captured in her 2021 memoir Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops—are indeed unique and almost unbelievable, this is a tale not so much about the strange twists and turns of that life, but how she responded to and recovered from them.

It’s a story that begins with Allison Hong as a teenager raised in Taiwan in a traditional Chinese Buddhist household, who challenges those traditions when she converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After serving a church mission and subsequently being disowned by her father, Hong marries an American man and moves to Texas. Instead of being the start of a perfect new life, however, things take a dark turn: She returns to their shared apartment one day to find that her husband has moved out, taken all of their money and filed for a divorce. What ensues is a tale of a woman forced multiple times to create her own path and her own identity as an immigrant, and as a woman.

Allison Hong Merrill visits the King’s English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East) for an in-person author event on Thursday, May 18 at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but places in the signing line are reserved for those who purchase a copy of Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops from The King’s English. Visit kingsenglish.com to order books, and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

SHE WRITES PRESS

Local Voices: Equality Utah’s Gorgeous Planet

The roadside “billboards” that make up the Temporary Museum of Permanent Change in downtown Salt Lake City regularly showcase images that challenge presumptions, and focus on the idea of Utah being the most inclusive place possible. That tradition continues with the latest installation, presented by Craft Lake City, which highlights the work of Equality Utah and its goal for more than 20 years of making a welcoming home in this state for its LGBTQIA+ citizens.

Local Voices: Equality Utah’s Gorgeous Planet presents 14 panels along 300 South, emphasizing courage and curiosity over fear and exclusion. The photographs represent events sponsored by Equality Utah throughout the year, including the Allies Gala (most recently with headliner Eddie Izzard, and their work at the Utah State Legislature. “Queer Utahns are a gift to the planet. We are here to create beauty, art, laughter and joy. We are also voices that challenge the status quo, call for justice and seek equality for those who have historically been excluded,” says Troy Williams, executive director for Equality Utah. “We are gorgeous, darling. We’re here on this planet to shine.”

Local Voices: Equality Utah’s Gorgeous Planet will be on display on 300 South between Main Street and 200 West through the end of June. It is open and available to the public 24 hours a day; QR codes on the displayed pieces allow visitors to learn more about the mission of Equality Utah. Visit craftlakecity.com/ local-voices for additional information. (SR)

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Art Access: 300 Plates

Heading into its 40th year, Art Access has pursued a mission of insuring that the ability to create art is accessible to all, regardless of the artists’ ability status and physical, psychological or other difference. And while there have been changes along the way—including the closing of the physical Art Access Gallery in 2020—the commitment remains to supporting programs that provide such access.

Among the organization’s most crucial annual fundraisers is the 300 Plates auction, which dates back to 2003—making this its 20th anniversary—and the intriguing fulfillment of a concept that began with former Art Access board member Joe Ostraff receiving images of King Rama V while visiting Thailand, and receiving a blessing of good fortune from a Buddhist monk should those images be incorporated into his art. Ostraff subsequently did exactly that, turning those images into pieces created for a fund-raising auction. Over the years, the fund-raiser has become a showcase for works created on 10” x 11” plates, created by more than 200 established and emerging Utah artists, all available for purchase by those who attend the auction. Previous years’ participating artists have included John Bell, Hadley Rampton, Shilo Jackson, Stephanie Swift and many more, practically a who’s-who of the Utah art world.

The 2023 300 Plates Auction takes place at Venue 6Six9 (669 S. West Temple) on Thursday, May 18, including live entertainment to be announced. All proceeds go to supporting programs for artists with disabilities. Visit accessart.org for additional event information. (SR)

WET HOT Summer Guide

The past couple of relatively mild spring weeks, arriving after the endless winter of 20222023, have felt almost like a cruel tease. We all kept waiting for yet another blizzard, no matter how improbable it was as the calendar crept into May; being paralyzed by meteorological mayhem had just become par for the course.

Ah, but now it finally feels safe to acknowledge: Summer is here. All those things we dreamed of doing while shoveling driveways, or stuck in crawling traffic, or cleaning our salty undercarriages? They’re now available to us. And we should appreciate the chance to do every last one of them.

City Weekly’s annual Summer Guide offers you a chance to plan your seasonal calendar of outings and entertainments. Which arts and cultural festivals will you experience? Do you have a favorite band coming

Summer Arts & Cultural Festivals Calendar

Plan your summer weekends with a full list of food, art, entertainment and education.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW & ERIN MOORE comments@cityweekly.net

MAY

Living Traditions Festival: In addition to the annual excitement of food, dancing and music that Living Traditions Festival offers to Utahns, this year, attendees can explore panels and workshops to learn more about how to actively engage with the diversity in our state. Learn—for one example—about the importance of passing down tradition, then head to a lesson on making Mexican paper flowers. May 19-21, Washington Square & Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, SLC, saltlakearts.org/ livingtraditionspresents/festival

Festival of the Americas: Learn more about and engage with Native American culture, music, art and dancing, plus much more at this festival that also raises money for Native American scholarships in Utah. At this Southwestern fest in the St. George area, you’ll not only get acquainted with Paiute royalty, but with youth performances on flute and drums, plus jazz from the D’DAT Jazz Trio. May 19-21, Kayenta Art Village & Center for the Arts, 881 Coyote Gulch Court, Ivins, kayentaarts.com

Queer Spectra Arts Festival: Learn more about what forms queer artistic expression can take in an arts-focused space that highlights creators from different backgrounds and cultures within the queer realm. May 20-21, Publik Space, 975 S. West Temple, SLC, queerspectra.com

Orem Chinese Food & Cultural Fair: Treat yourself to a day of all-you-can-eat foods from the vastness that is Chinese culture, plus entertainment and activities that also plug into Chinese traditions. And don’t forget to stick around for an iconic dragon dance!

May 27, City Center Park, 300 E. Center St., Orem, eventbrite.com/e/orem-chinese-foodcultural-fair-tickets-546985477287

JUNE

Utah Pride Festival: This year’s theme of “Unapologetic” feels particularly fitting in Utah's climate of legislative and individual actions meant to make LGBTQIA+ people feel denigrated and less-than. Events for the four-day Utah “Pr!de“ festival begin Thursday, June 1, with the Utah Pr!de Live party at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, followed by the Friday, June

2, March & Rally to the State Capitol and opening concert including Icona Pop, Trixie Mattel and Anabel Englund. Festival events on June 3-4 take place at the City & County Building, 450 S. 300 East, SLC, with the traditional parade on Sunday morning June 4 at 10 a.m. Visit the website for tickets and information. June 1-4, various SLC locations, utahpride.org

Utah Asian Festival: The 46th annual installment of an event that traditionally hosts around 20,000 visitors returns to the Utah State Fairpark for a celebration of all the diverse cultures that make up Utah’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Events include music and dance, martial arts exhibitions, and a wide range of food options, plus vendors selling traditional crafts and merchandise. Download a free festival ticket that includes Trax transportation to and from the event. June 3, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1000 West, SLC, utahasianfestival.org

Ogden Arts Festival: Ogden’s own wonderful regional event showcases visual artists, plus plenty of live music performances, festival buskers and other entertainment. You can even sign up for the Plein Air Quick Draw competition taking place on the first day of the festival. June 10-11, Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave., Ogden, ogdenartsfestival.com

Utah Shakespeare Festival: For more than 50 years, Cedar City has hosted a summer season of Shakespeare, other classic plays and new works. Headlining the season are Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Timon of Athens , plus A Raisin in the Sun, Jane Austen’s Emma: The Musical and The Play That Goes Wrong. Play seminars and orientations help supplement the shows themselves, creating a full theatrical experience. June 21 – Oct. 7, various Cedar City venues, bard.org

Utah Arts Festival: After many years as a four-day event, the state’s biggest showcase of local, regional and national artists has consolidated into three packed days. In addition to the festival marketplace of visual artist booths, UAF features music headliners, dance and other performing arts, spoken word, the Fear No Film short film festival and plenty of food from some of the state’s most popular vendors. June 23-25, Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, SLC, uaf.org

Also in June: Holi Festival of Colors (June 3, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Krishna Temple, 965 E. 3370 South, SLC, festivalofcolorsusa.com); Utah Scottish Festival & Highland Games (June 1618, Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1000 West, SLC, utahscots.org); Juneteenth Freedom Day (June 17-18, Ogden Amphitheater, 343 E. 25th St., Ogden, facebook.com/juneteenthutah)

Continued on page 24

Utah Asian Festival

Utah Shakespeare Festival

COURTESY PHOTO

COURTESY PHOTO COURTESY PHOTO

JULY

Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre: There are plenty of good reasons to spend a summer weekend hanging around in Logan, but one of the best is the annual showcase of some of the theater world’s greatest combinations of song and story. The 2023 season—again under the leadership of founder/frequent leading man Michael Ballam—includes Oliver!, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Wagner’s Lohengrin , plus the unique combo of the Aida interpretations from both Verdi and Tim Rice & Elton John. Plus special one-night-only events, including the annual vocal competition. July 5–Aug. 5, various venues, Logan, utahfestival.org

Utah Foster Care Chalk Art Festival: After a long tradition of showcasing amazing chalk artists to support the work of Utah Foster Care, this event makes a move to Thanksgiving Point’s Electric Park. Work on the original pieces begins Friday, with judging and awards ceremony on Saturday. Visitors can also get a chance to learn a little about the process with beginner and amateur chalk-art classes. July 20–22, Thanksgiving Point Electric Park, 3003 N. Thanksgiving Way, Lehi, utahfostercare.org

Native American Celebration in the Park: As an annual counterpoint to the festivities celebrating white settlers arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, this celebration of local and regional First Nations culture offers a great opportunity to experience traditional dance and music, with Farmington, New Mexico-based Blue Medicine Well as 2023’s official host drum group. Authentic food and other entertainment is usually on the docket as well, along with a closing fireworks show.

July 24, Liberty Park, 600 E. 1100 South, SLC, facebook.com/nacippowwow

Also in July: Days of ’47 (July 14–24, various venues, SLC, daysof47.com); MegaPeruvian Festival (July 28–29, Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, SLC, facebook.com/fiestas. delperu)

AUGUST

Springville World Folkfest: There’s no excuse to not make it to this family friendly, five-night extravaganza of folk dance. Get on your feet for the Aug. 1 all-ages community street dance at the Springville Museum of Art (126 E. 400 South, Springville). Or, soak up folk arts from 10 countries on Aug. 2-5—whether you're there for the dancing, the music, digging into foreign foods or just wandering among novelty booths. Aug. 1-5, Arts Park, 700 S. 1300 East, Springville, worldfolkfest.org

Park City Kimball Arts Festival: Venture up to Main Street in Park City the first weekend in August to peruse/purchase the work of more than 200 juror-selected artists from 28 states and three countries. Kids can enjoy art, too, at a creation station just for them. Plus, hear music curated by Mountain Town Music and indulge in snacks and beverages to keep you cool. Aug. 4-6, Historic Main Street, Park City, kimballartsfestival.org

Ogden Pride: Utah Pride parties aren’t only in SLC, and they aren’t just in June. Head to Ogden for a weekend of late summer, inclusive Pride celebrations, first by way of a youth talent show and dance, then with a fundraiser featuring local musicians, all rounded out by a big festival on the final day. Aug. 4-6, Ogden Amphitheater, 343 E. 25th Street, Ogden, ogdenpride.org

Indian Utah Food Fair: This fair in the heart of Liberty Park in Salt Lake is more than just a food fair, it’s a full-blown taste of Indian culture at-large. Come for the fragrant smells (and corresponding flavors) from the dozens of Indian food trucks and stands, stay for a lovely afternoon or early evening on the lawn watching dancers, singers and other performances. Aug. 5, Liberty Park, 600 E. 900 South, SLC, indianfoodfairs.com

SEPTEMBER

Timpanogos Storytelling Festival: Among the oldest of human creative forms, the art of storytelling gets its 34th annual showcase, with a lineup of more than a dozen gifted raconteurs from around the country making the trip to Utah, including Alton Chung’s tales of Hawai’i and Adam Booth’s narratives of Appalachia. For those unable to attend in person, an online component will be available beginning in mid-October. Sept. 7–9, Thanksgiving Point Ashton Gardens and Show Barn, 3900 Garden Drive, Lehi, timpfest.org

Salt Lake City Greek Festival: The largest Greek festival west of the Mississippi celebrates its 47th year with a well-loved lineup of traditional dance groups, musical entertainment and plenty of delicious food, plus guided tours of the cathedral and Greek Cultural Museum. Sept. 8–10, Holy Trinity Cathedral, 279 S. 300 West, SLC, saltlakecitygreekfestival.com

FanX Salt Lake Comic & Pop Culture Convention: One of the state’s biggest annual events, this celebration of popular culture— comic books, movies, TV, games and more— showcases a variety of panel discussions in addition to its lineup of celebrity guests. The 2023 talent roster so far includes Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark , Lord of the Rings), and reunions of cast members from Back to the Future (Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd and Thomas Wilson) and Scream (Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy). Sept. 21–23, Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 S. West Temple, SLC, fanxsaltlake.com

Also in September: Midway Swiss Days (Sept. 1-2, various locations, Midway, midwayswissdays.org); Brazilian Festival (Sept. 9, University Place, 575 E. University Parkway, Orem, utahbrazilianfestival.com) CW

Springville World Folkfest

Salt Lake City Greek Festival

COURTESY PHOTO

Party with City Weekly

A list of our own special summer events

BY SCOTT RENSHAW

We don’t just report on summer festivals—we host them, too. Join us for some of our own special events, every month of the summer.

Moab Slick Rock Beer Festival

May 20, 11-8 p.m.

Proper Brewing (1393 N. Hwy 191, Moab, cwstore.cityweekly.net/EventMicroSite/12240)

Fifteen local, regional and national breweries join us for this inaugural event. Popular Moab-based band Stonefed joins as the music headliners. Similar to our Utah Beer Festival format, beers can be sampled in 5-ounce souvenir mugs.

12th annual City Weekly Pride Pageant

June 1, 8 p.m.

Metro Music Hall (615 W. 100 South, SLC, cwstore.cityweekly.net/EventMicroSite/12279)

Queens, kings and all drag things. The Pride Pageant returns to its home venue at Metro Music Hall, produced by JRC events and hosted by the fabulous Sequoia. This year will feature a record eight contestants, five judges from the local queer scene and post-show entertainment.

4th annual Utah Cann

Summer happenings in Draper

MAY 26, 27, AND 29

JUNE 2, 3, 5, 9, AND 10 2023

@ the Draper City Amphitheater. www.DraperAmphitheater.com

The classic musical story comes alive on the stage! in concert AUGUST 25

7:00pm DOORS

8:00pm SHOW STARTS

@ the Draper Amphitheater For tickets and more info: www.DraperAmphitheater.com

CORNER CANYON

HALF MARATHON 10K, AND 5K

SEPTEMBER 23, 2023. Includes race performance shirts, awards and marathon finisher medal

Run through beautiful Corner Canyon in the fall in this unique and fun race.

www.draperutah.gov/half

July 15, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Dreamscapes, The Shops at South Town (10450 S. State, No. 2200, Sandy, utahcann.com)

Our revamped one-day Utah Cann event where art, music and cannabis culture collide. As Utah’s medical market starts to mature in its fourth year, Utah Cann has been there all along the way helping to bring education and social acceptance to the community.

13th annual Utah Beer Festival

Aug. 19–20, 2- 8 p.m.

Granary Live (742 S. 500 West, SLC, utahbeerfestival.com)

Our showcase for Utah’s beer-loving community finds a new home in the heart of the Granary District. With an expanded footprint while still within the Salt Lake City core, you can expect more beers and more entertainment from this year’s festival.

Songs of the Summer

Big names at big venues highlight a summer of terrific concert options.

BY SOPHIE CALIGURI & LEE ZIMMERMAN comments@cityweekly.net

Come one, come all, and gather round in anticipation: the City Weekly music staff have lassoed and rounded up our top 13 large-scale music shows to watch this summer. From electronic dance to heavy metal to In Da Club, we guarantee that there is something to be found for every Utah music fan in our sprawling, multifarious, hard rocking and hotter-than-July list. Dip your toes in or take the plunge; say goodbye to your pre-imagined and socalled “dog days of summer” and instead say hello to the merriest of musical months.

JUNE

The Cure @ Vivint Arena

One of the most influential British bands of the early 1980s, The Cure successfully fused the sound of pop and punk with a dark demeanor that helped galvanize the popularity of Goth early on. Founder and frontman Robert Smith remains the only constant from the early incarnation, but the vision remains intact courtesy of Smith’s iconic look and stand-out songs like “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Friday I’m In Love,” “Lovesong” and “Pictures of You.” Consider it either a retro revival or nuanced nostalgia. June 4, 8 p.m., tickets start at $40, 301 S. Temple, SLC, vivintarena.com

Garbage & Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds @ Usana Amphitheatre

It’s always been hard to put an exact label on Garbage. Alternately described as postgrunge, trip-hop, alt-rock and electro pop, the band takes its cue from the image and intrigue of front woman Shirley Manson, an iconoclast all on her own. Likewise, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are defined by the man at its helm, best known as one of the two prickly individuals who helped Oasis establish their dedicated devotion to the ongoing influence of classic British rock. Paired together, this ought to be a stand-out show. June 13, 7 p.m., $49.50-$249, 5150 Upper Ridge Road, West Valley City, concerts.livenation.com

Get Funky Festival @ The Great Saltair

Just this once, we’re willing to risk the tired cliche of “the name says it all!” for the Get Funky Festival, Salt Lake City’s premier summer destination for house and EDM aficionados. With a lineup featuring lionized headlining DJs such as Chris Lake, Dom Dolla, Walker & Royce and Sidepiece, it would be in your best interest to A. purchase tickets immediately and B. express ship a few pairs of Dr. Scholl’s orthopedic inserts and a CamelBak in preparation for these two impending boogie nights.

June 23-24, 18+, $50-150, 12408 W. Saltair Drive, Magna, getfunkyfestival.com

JULY

Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Too $hort, & More @ Usana Amphitheatre

Rap giants Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Too $hort and more have joined forces to embark on their High School Reunion tour. Finally, it’s

safe to say this is one reunion you will ecstatically want to show up for; it’s completely free of linoleum gymnasiums and excruciating small talk. Instead, prepare yourself to relish three acts, back-to-back, that brought us such masterpieces, innuendos and puns as Doggystyle, Rolling Papers and Life Is…, respectively. And, who knows—now that at least one of them is friends with Martha Stewart, they might have gotten crafty and cooked up something brand-new to delight old fans. Tuesday, July 11, 6 p.m. , all ages, $35-249, 5150 Upper Ridge Road, West Valley City, livenation.com

Utah Blues Festival @ Gallivan Center

How better to escape the blues than by embracing those of a musical variety? The seventh annual Utah Blues Festival, taking place over two days in the heart of our city, brings out the best of that time-honored tradition courtesy of performances by such esteemed artists as Mitch Woods, Ruthie Foster, Danielle

Nicole, and Sugaray Rayford, with free workshops and various vendors to boot. July 16, 5-10 p.m., and June 17, noon-10 p.m., weekend passes start at $100, single-day tickets start at $50 and $60, 239 S. Main, SLC, utahbluesfest.org

50 Cent @ The Maverik Center

Go shawty, aka Interscope Records studio album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ ! It’s your birthday! To commemorate 20 years of his magnum opus, 50 Cent will be partying like it’s his birthday, rolling out a slew of dates for his Final Lap tour with opener Busta Rhymes—and the kick-off date location is none other than our very own Salt Lake City. With time-honored tracks such as “In Da Club,” “P.I.M.P.,” “Candy Shop,” and “U Not Like Me,” under his belt and the ability to do bar-hanging sit-ups, this promises to be an illustrious evening. July 21, 7 p.m., all ages, $39.50-$249.50, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City, maverikcenter.com

Snoop Dogg

GUN PRESS KEVIN

C. COX

Smashing Pumpkins & Stone Temple Pilots @ Usana Amphitheatre

Nostalgia buffs ought to delight in this double bill that finds two of the 1990s’ most adventurous ensembles sharing the stage. The loss of Scott Weiland notwithstanding, the Pilots still soar high, courtesy of their self-titled 2018 comeback album and their recent effort, Perdida. For their part, Smashing Pumpkins have also managed to persevere thanks to their current opus Atum , a three-part effort that brings their ambitions back to the fore. Pumpkins personnel include erstwhile leader Billy Corgan, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and guitarist James Iha, ensuring complete credibility. Aug. 1, 6:30 p.m., $39.50-$659.50, 5150 Upper Ridge Road, West Valley City, livenation.com

Foo Fighters @ Usana Amphitheatre

Despite any curiosity regarding Foo Fighters’ ability to carry on in the wake of drummer Taylor Hawkins’ unexpected passing, the band’s ability to rock relentlessly is clearly not in question. Remaining members—singer/guitarist Dan Grohl, guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shift, bassist Nate Mendel and keyboardist and former Wallflower Rami Jaffee—have a new album readied for release, aptly titled But Here We Are, further proof they’re prone to persevere. Expect the Foo Fighters to come out swinging. Aug. 8, 7:30 p.m., $139-$140, 5150 Upper Ridge Road, West Valley City, livenation.com

The Australian Pink Floyd Show Darkside 50 Tour @ Sandy Amphitheatre

Given the antagonism that exists between Roger Waters and David Gilmour—as well as the premature passing of keyboardist Richard Wright and the band’s founder Syd Barrettt— any opportunity to witness the real deal has long since passed. That said, the Australian Pink Floyd Show is widely accredited as the next best thing, a faithful reproduction of Floyd’s remarkable flights of fantasy given the added benefit of a brilliant light show and, of course, a spectacular sound system. Aug. 9, 7 p.m., $49-$79, 1300 E. 9400 South, Sandy, sandyamp.com

Boz Scaggs @ Red Butte Garden

Originally a member of Steve Miller’s nascent blues band, Boz Scaggs went on to enjoy a brilliant solo career, one that marked him as a

classic crooner capable of turning out radio hits that appealed to both young and old. Even now, songs such as “Lowdown,” “Lido Shuffle: and “Look What You’ve Done To Me” remain indelibly impressed in the annals of popular music. Scaggs is still brilliant, and this upcoming performance will inevitably evoke a load of musical memories. Aug. 15, 7:30 p.m., garden members: $55/public: $60, 300 Wakara Way, SLC, redbuttegarden. org/concerts

Mind the Gap Fest @ The Gateway

In its first rendition this year, the Mind the Gap Fest aims to showcase both local and national acts, elevate conversations surrounding the stark gender inequities unique to Utah and (in partnership with SLCC) raise money for a scholarship fund directed toward underrepresented individuals who are pursuing a career in the music industry and/or entertain -

ment industry. With pastel popstar Beach Bunny headlining and joined by punk outfit Destroy Boys, R&B artist Orion Sun, and indie duo Sales among many more (!), promoting a good cause never felt so damned cool. Aug. 26, 11 a.m., $59.50-$150, all ages, 400 W. 200 South, SLC, mindthegapfest.com

Pantera @ Usana Amphitheatre

Texas-based ’90s heavy metal band Pantera— known widely and affectionately as “Cowboys

From Hell” after their 1990 release of the same name—are bringing their hell-bent, deeply dark vocals, weighted bass, propulsive drum lines and so-famous-as-to-be-almostfictional guitar solos (best demonstrated on the imitable although frequently imitated track “Floods”) to Utah during the late summer haze of sultry August. This tour marks the debut of the impatiently awaited and hallowed lineup featuring founders Philip

Anselmo and Rex Brown, along with Charlie Benae (Anthrax), and Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society). Aug. 29, 7 p.m., $29-199, all ages, 5150 Upper Ridge Road, West Valley City, livenation.com

Twilight concerts @ Gallivan Center and Ogden Amphitheater

With such a seductive lineup at SLC’s Gallivan Center and the Ogden Amphitheater, this summer’s Twilight shows will sell out quickly. It would be in your best interest to not “sleep on” (as the kids say) such artists as Trampled by Turtles, Soccer Mommy, Rina Sawayama, Sylvan Esso, The Flaming Lips, Phantogram, Noah Cyrus and Royksopp—all of which (as of press time) have some tickets available. For dates and prices, visit 24tix.com. Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main, SLC, saltlakearts.org/twilightconcertseries; Ogden Amphitheater, 343 E. 25th St., Ogden, ogden twilight.com CW

Smashing Pumpkins

Beach Bunny @ Mind the Gap Fest

Pantera

ELIZABETH WEINBERG

Eat and Be Merry

Catch these farmers markets and food festivals, and help sustain local ag producers.

BY ERIN MOORE comments@cityweekly.net

Whether you get your kicks browsing vegetable stalls and betting your friends who can eat from the most food trucks in one afternoon, or whether you’re just trying to get a taste of SLC’s diverse cultural scene, our city’s food markets and festivals have you covered. Not only are those listed below a good time, but you can leave with a full belly and maybe bags filled with locally grown produce.

Downtown Farmers Market

The Downtown Farmers Market is kicking off its 32nd year helping to strengthen and support local farms and culinary operations. On Saturdays in summer and early fall months, you can find fresh local fruits and veggies, grass-fed meat, eggs, dairy, honey, spreads and sauces, baked goods and more. After shopping’s done, mosey on over to the center of the market to grab a food-truck breakfast or lunch to eat on the grass. June 3–Oct. 21, Saturdays, 8 a.m.– 2 p.m., Pioneer Park, 350 S. 300 West, SLC, slcfarmersmarket.org

West Valley City Farmers Market

A newbie on the scene, the WVC Farmers Market is bringing fresh, locally grown food, products and handmade goods to the west side of the valley, plus a youth program called Power of Produce angled towards helping kids learn about food and give them agency to make their own choices at the market. June 22–Oct. 5, Thursday nights, Centennial Park, 5405 W. 3100 South, West Valley City, wvc-ut. gov/1700/Farmers-Market

Utah Farm Bureau Farmers Markets

Utah Farm Bureau owns and operates two farmers markets in Murray Park and South Jordan that sell food only (with select artisans at the South Jordan market only). This means you won’t find any craft vendors or musicians at these events—only fresh Utah produce available in season. Murray: July 28-Oct. 28, Fridays & Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 296 E. Murray Park Way; South Jordan: Aug. 5-Oct. 14, Saturdays only, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., 1600 Towne Center Drive; utahfarmbureau.org/Food/ Farm-Bureau-Farmers-Markets

International Market

Debuting this summer in some of the old barn spaces at the Utah State Fairpark, this market has been pegged as a way to combat food insecurity in west side neighborhoods, which lack nearby food access. While the first season featured dozens of food vendor stalls, there are hopes to add fresh meat and vegetables, farmers-market style, to the mix. First Saturdays of the month, Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1500 West, SLC, utahstatefair.com/p/international-market

Indian Food Fair

For its fourth year, this family-friendly outdoor fest brings food trucks and restaurant vendors to one place. It’s a great place to sample both traditional Indian cuisine and some fusion inventions, too—like dosas from Desilicious, where the classic Indian street food melds with both Szechuan flavor and cheesy delight. While browsing the stalls, local folk and Bollywood performances fill the air from the stage. Aug. 5, Liberty Park, 600 E. 900 South, SLC, indianfoodfairs.com

Utah Tacofest

Indulge in all the tacos you could ever want while vendors vie for winning best taco, in several different categories. Past vendors at this cultural celebration include Wimpy & Fritz, Tandoor Tacos, Smoke-A-Billy, Santo Taco, Cluck Truck, Los Molcajetes and so many more. Aug. 5–6, Utah State Fairpark, 155 S. 1000 West, utahtacofest.com

SLC VegFest

Fall in love with plant-based cuisine at this annual festival—sample goods from restaurants and makers like Vegan Daddy Meats, Namash Swahili Cuisine, Prime Corn, Old Cuss, Yumz, Sushi Squad, Trolley Wing Co. and so many more. While noshing, browse vegan-friendly prepared goods, apparel and arts ‘n’ crafts. Sept. 9, Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, SLC, slcveg.com

Eat Drink SLC

Eat Drink SLC celebrates our region’s local foods and libations, lifting up local restaurateurs, distilleries, breweries and other mak-

ers who make our city a special place to eat and drink. Proceeds from their events benefit local nonprofits like Tracy Aviary, SB Dance and Women of the World. If you want to get to know our culinary landscape, add their next fest to your calendar. Sept. 13-14, various locations, eatdrinkslc.com

Oktoberfest

Once you’ve filled your mug to the brim with frothy beer at Snowbird’s annual Oktoberfest, get in line inside the big tent to collect a heaping plate of bratwurst, weisswurst, spaetzle, kraut and schnitzel. And don’t forget the strudel! Weekends mid-August to mid-October, snowbird.com/oktoberfest

Discover Food Festival

A project of the Spice Kitchen Incubator, which helps immigrants start restaurants and other food-centric businesses, Discover Food Festival is a great place to get acquainted with up-and-coming businesses and diverse cuisines in SLC. Sept. TBD, spicekitchenincubator.org CW

Snowbird Oktoberfest

Radius of Recreation

Where to enjoy Utah’s great outdoors when the “getaway” impulse strikes.

BY PETE SALTAS pete@cityweekly.net

In 2020, with a sudden opening in our schedules, our little pod of former jetsetters found ourselves seeking adventure by car.

With no concerts, community events or friends’ weddings to attend, it was much easier to plan on-the-fly weekend getaways, one-nighters and quick there-and-back-again trips.

So, we decided to check out our own backyard. Why not? People come from all over to visit Utah, so we might as well remind ourselves what we love about the place.

And even now, post-COVID, with our more robust social and event calendars, our core group still shoots out texts to our “adventure crew” to see who can get away on a whim.

I don’t feel like I’ve even scratched the surface of what Utah has to offer, but here are some of our group’s favorite last-minute getaways in what I call the “Radius of Recreation,” for those times you can sneak away from your workplace or home desk early on a Friday.

1 to 2 hours away: For a nearby chance for paddle-boarding and overnight camping, take your crew north to Causey Reservoir and Ogden Canyon. With a restriction on motor vehicles, this is a great spot to relax on the water with your paddle buddies. Like most camping locations over the past few years, Ogden Canyon books up quickly, so if you plan on staying overnight, make sure to plan in advance. Drive

a little further north for Utah’s best beach experience at Bear Lake. I'm mad at myself for waiting until I “couldn’t” do anything else to finally see Bear Lake as an adult.

Must Do: While up that way, a stop at the Shooting Star Saloon (7350 E. 200 South, Huntsville, 801-745-2002, shooting-starsaloon.business.site) is a must.

2-3 hours away: In the peak of summer, when you need to get out of the Salt Lake heat—like in 2022, with 15+ days over 100 degrees in July alone—the best bet is to head east to the Uintas. As much as I want to keep our favorite camping area a secret, I feel like the Ashley National Forest should be shared with as many good folks as possible. For a closer retreat, head up Mirror Lake Highway for first-come, first-served camping.

Must Do: Grab a cold one at Defa’s Dude Ranch Saloon (16350 N. Country Road 7, Hanna, 435-848-5590).

3-5 hours away: This requires a little more advance planning, as we generally like to check out some of the area’s national parks (which have seen record tourist visits), and we’d

rather not have to turn around to come back home. I also don’t just mean Utah’s “Mighty 5,” but the other proximal national parks that might as well belong to Utah.

First, closest to Salt Lake City, we have Great Basin National Park in Baker, Nevada. With some first-come, first-served camping and reserved spots available, you’ll want to make sure to get on the reservation to make sure you don’t have to spend the night in Baker.

Must See: A glacier in Nevada, some of the region’s oldest bristlecone pines, and a rangerled tour of Lehman Caves (5500 NV-488, Baker, 775-234-7331, nps.gov).

Second, if you’ve experienced Arches and Canyonlands national parks, consider a Four Corners trip by traveling beyond Moab to the dispersed camping near Hovenweep National Monument . With an extended stay, you can also explore the greater Bears Ears region— which our City Weekly writers have written about of late (see QR code) —and you can cross over to the Colorado side of the border to visit Mesa Verde National Park.

For bonus points, take the long way home through Grand Junction to check out Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park .

Must Stop: Ray’s Tavern (35 S. Broadway, Green River, 435-564-3511). City Weekly’s Best of Utah awarded this watering hole the “Best Rural Bar.”

Third, with a nod to Utah’s state parks, we were able to snag a last-minute reserved spot at Goblin Valley State Park This was a great one-night camping trip. Ticking off the obvious box of trekking around Goblin Valley 1 (closest to the parking lot), spend some time exploring Valleys 2 and 3—away from the screaming kids. Also, check out the Goblin’s Lair trail. We may or may not have hot-boxed a cave (hot-caved?) there with some local, green medicinal products.

Must Do: Check out Goblin Valley’s newest extension of the Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon . For our group, it was our first experience in a slot canyon, and not an overly stressful one, either.

For more of my personal favorite places to explore, reach out to pete@cityweekly.et. CW

Lehman Caves

Goblin Valley

Soak Up the Summer Fun(gi)

Tips for mushroom foraging that will make your experience safe, fun and tasty.

BY ERIN MOORE comments@cityweekly.net

If you already love hiking, biking and going out camping in Utah’s outdoors, and want a new way to engage with nature this summer, may we recommend you look into a rapidly growing movement in Utah—what foraging enthusiasts call the fungal awakening. Yes, mushroom foraging is a thing in Utah, despite how dry our climate is. The selection of wild, prized, edible mushrooms in Utah isn’t as abundant as in wetter states better known for their foraging communities, but you can find treasures if you put in some time and research. Here are some tips on finding more than just views when you head outside this summer.

What, When, Where, How: What kinds of mushrooms can one even expect to find if you start looking in Utah? Well, Utah is home to many prized edibles, including morels, chanterelles, oysters and porcini—the latter of which was just made our official state mushroom in the last legislative session. They all grow at different times and places in any given location in the world where they grow, so don’t immediately jump on Google with a “how to find morels”—because you might actually get advice on how to find them in, say, Minnesota.

Mushrooms, the fruiting body of fungi, have differing relationships to water, trees, plantlife and wildlife around them; even elevation may impact where and when they fruit. For example, some types of Utah morels fruit in the early spring from May to April, near streams on dappled slopes full of pine duff. Chanterelles favor disused trails or forest maintenance trails that are rocky and populated by lodgepole pines; oysters grow on cottonwoods or elms, and especially so if the tree is dying or recently dead.

Mushrooms also grow at different elevations, so if you favor high mountain camping in the high summer, certain mushrooms will await you. If you’d rather stay close to your favorite bench trails or parks, though, look when temps are milder in the early spring and late fall. Each of those seasons, too, have their own offerings.

And remember to keep moisture and temperature in mind—after it rains, mushrooms are abundant, but as it gets hotter, the higher up you’ll need to go to find mushrooms in greater quantities.

Get Yourself a Guide: While it can be tempting to look online, fungi are one of the least studied kingdoms of life on earth, and their growing patterns and specificities change according to where you are. That’s why it’s good to buy a field guide—like Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountains and Rocky Mountain Mushrooms by Habitat—which you can take with you on a foray to help identify what you find. This is especially important if you plan to eat any fungi. The internet has many answers, and websites like mushroomexpert.com are very informative and expansive in their offerings, but if you really want to know what you’re looking for in our region, it’s best to buy a locally specific guide.

Find a Good Society: Once you have all that down, you could consider joining a group like the Mushroom Society of Utah, where you’ll meet like-minded folks who want to satiate their curiosity not only out in the wild, but at the educational talks and potlucks they host for members. It’s a great place to meet people more experienced than yourself, as well as fellow newbies. They also host forays throughout the warm season, where knowledgeable guides make themselves (and their mushroom spots) available to you for questions and tips.

Migrate to the Mushrooms of Utah Facebook Page: This community page is aimed at helping mushroom enthusiasts identify mushrooms and share exciting finds, but I can only recommend it if you follow some rules. Do: Post pictures of the side of a mushroom you find, of the top and the bottom, and maybe even the mushroom cut in half. Don’t: Post a blurry photo of the top of the mushroom you found in your yard and ask what it could be; you will get scolded by the group. This page is also a very fun and useful place to check in on if you want to see if other people are finding mushrooms in your area, or where the elusive fungi are if your favorite local trail isn’t turning anything up.

Rules for Safety:

If you buy any of the books mentioned above, or simply do enough research online, you will quickly come to realize that the prized edibles in Utah are hard to mistake for other mushrooms that you shouldn’t eat. That being said, if you want to be safe, you have to do your reading.

Buy a field guide and study it every time you find a mushroom, and you’ll soon learn why many of the the mushrooms that may be growing on an old tree stump in plump, flat layers (like oysters do) are absolutely safe (and delicious) to eat.

And while many may think the most important safety advice about foraging for mushrooms would involve the mushrooms themselves, you should also just carry your wilderness smarts with you when foraging. Carry bear or pepper spray if you’re foraging in the high Uintas and going anywhere off-trail. Go with a group and, again, if you’re somewhere very wild, it’s not just smart but can be fun to carry walkie-talkies with you to check in with the locations (and the finds) of your groupmates.

With all of these tools and pieces of advice under your belt, you should be set to set out into the Utah wilds to seek out some mushrooms. Good luck, forager! CW

The porcini, Utah’s state mushroom

WIKICOMMONS

PHOTO

PARKS

Utah has five national parks and more than a dozen national monuments, historic sites and recreation areas, all within a day’s drive of Salt Lake City.

Arches National Park

5 miles north of Moab, US-191, 435-719-2299

The collection of eroded sandstone formations here is the largest of its kind in the United States. A road winds past many of the arches and many others can be found hiking.

Bryce Canyon National Park

270 miles south of SLC, off Utah SR-12, 435-834-5322

The landscape of Bryce Canyon ranges from fantastical to eerie. Unique geology conditions result in columns and spires that must be seen.

Canyonlands National Park

20 miles south of Moab, SR-313, 435-719-2313

Chopped into three distinct sections by the Colorado and Green rivers, Canyonlands is best experienced off-road or on the rivers. Island in the Sky offers amazing vistas. Only sturdy hikers and bikers should try The Maze.

Capitol Reef National Park

230 miles south of SLC, SR-24, 435-425-3791

Named for the white sandstone that resembles the buildings in Washington D.C., Capitol Reef is dominated by colorful formations and cliffs.

Zion National Park

325 miles south of SLC, Springdale, SR-9, 435-772-3256

From the wide-mouth canyon near Springdale to the clifflined, bottleneck canyons of the Narrows, Zion impresses from start to finish, offering visible evidence of six distinct geological epochs.

Bears Ears National Monument

356 miles from SLC; highways 191, 211, 95, 261 and 163 all provide access; 435-587-1500

Utah’s youngest national monument gets its name from two buttes that rise from the horizon. Located in San Juan County, visitors can see Native American ruins and cave drawings and enjoy hiking, river rafting and rock climbing.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

25 miles east of Cedar City, SR-14 to SR-148, 435-986-7120

Cedar Breaks is home to “painted cliffs” and colorful spires with nearby forests that are home to some of the world’s only Bristlecone pine trees, the oldest living things.

Dinosaur National Monument

20 miles east of Vernal, US-40 to SR-149, 435-781-7700

In addition to the world’s largest quarry of Jurassic fossils anywhere, Dinosaur offers fantastic rafting on the Green and Yampa rivers.

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area

45 miles north of Vernal, off US-191 or via SR-43, 435-784-3445

The park, known for some of the best trout fishing in the state, extends into Wyoming and covers over 200,000 acres.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Via US-89, dam 2 miles north of Page, Arizona, 928-608-6200 Situated on the Utah-Arizona border, Lake Powell is a favorite vacation spot for myriad water sports.

Golden Spike National Monument

32 miles west of Brigham City via SR-13 & SR-83, 435-471-2209 Commemorated here is the historic occasion of May 10, 1869, when the eastern and western rail lines met and the country was connected coast-to-coast.

Grand Staircase-Escalante

National Monument

300 miles south of Salt Lake via I-15, SR-24 & SR-12, 435-644-1200 Grand Staircase is more than 1.8 million acres of fabulous desert topography and geology.

Hovenweep National Monument

Around 40 miles from either Blanding or Bluff, Utah, 970-562-4282

Located in the heart of the Four Corners, here you’ll find dwellings of ancestral Puebloans, including multistory towers perched on canyon rims.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

380 miles south of SLC via US-163, 435-727-5870

To capture iconic views of the American West, you can drive the 17-mile Tribal Park Loop, hike the Wildcat Trail and visit Forrest Gump Point. Or, book a tour to see more of Monument Valley.

Natural Bridges National Monument

East of Lake Powell, US-191, SR-95 to SR-275, 435-692-1234

Centered around three natural bridges cut by Colorado River tributaries, Natural Bridges offers great hiking and camping.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Northeast of Page, Arizona, via Lake Powell, 928-608-6200

Most accessible by boat from Lake Powell, Rainbow Bridge boasts the world’s highest free-standing natural bridge.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument

American Fork Canyon via I-15 exit 284, SR-92, 801-756-5239 In close proximity to Salt Lake City, the cave is reached via a 1.5 mile hike and includes three separate limestone caverns.

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest

801-999-2103, fs.usda.gov/uwcnf

For information regarding fishing, camping, hiking or picnicking in the mountains surrounding Salt Lake City, contact the National Forest Service. CW

Summer Events in Torrey, Utah

Salt Lake City is surrounded by state parks in all directions, and a few of the more popular are shown below. For camping reservations, visit utahstateparks. reserveamerica.com.

Saturday

July 8, 6 - 10 pm

J-Rad Cooley Band | Eric Heideman Band

Tickets $25 at www.entradainstitute.org

July 21 & 22

The Entrada Institute presents

BIFF 2023

Cowb oys! Dino s aurs! The Go od, The Bad, The Worst!! ys! o au s od T e Ba , Th o s !

Tickets $15 at www.entradainstitute.org

Drawings for prizes worth hundreds…of cents.

Sponsored by Etta Place Cidery, The Old House at Center and Main, Richards Brandt Miller Nelson

STATE PARKS

Antelope Island State Park

4528 W. 1700 South, Syracuse, 801-773-2941

The largest island in the Great Salt Lake can be accessed via a seven-mile causeway from the town of Syracuse, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake. Home to a variety of wildlife, including free-roaming bison, the Island features sandy beaches and a boat marina.

East Canyon State Park

5535 S. SR-66, Morgan, 801-829-6866

About 28 miles northeast of Salt Lake City is a 608-acre reservoir and forest area, rich in pioneer history. A popular spot for boating, fishing and camping.

Great Salt Lake State Park

From SLC via I-80 West exit 104, 801-828-0787

Don’t let the smell or the bugs stop you from visiting this must-see salt water lake. The Great Salt Lake extends over 2,000 square miles and is saltier than the ocean. The park features a marina and picnic areas.

Jordanelle State Park

From SLC via I-80 East to US-40, 435-649-9540

Located near Heber City just 40 miles from Salt Lake City,

nestled among mountains, is the Jordanelle Reservoir providing fishing, boating, water skiing, swimming and paddle-boarding. There are also hiking trails and campgrounds for RVs and tent camping.

This Is the Place Heritage Park

2601 Sunnyside Ave., SLC, 801-582-1847

Site of the Mormon pioneers’ entry into the Salt Lake Valley, the park features Old Deseret Village, a recreation of pioneer settlements, as well as the This Is the Place monument, the Brigham Young Forest Farmhouse and picnic areas.

Utah Lake State Park

Exit 265B from I-15 to 4400 W. Center St. Provo, 801-375-0731

The Provo River empties into Utah Lake, which is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the West. Only 50 miles from SLC, this park offers a campground, boat ramps, marina , modern restrooms plus disc golf and year-round fishing.

Wasatch Mountain State Park

1281 Warm Springs Road, Midway, 435-654-1791

Enjoy camping in the Pine Creek Campground, or choose to play one of four 18-hole golf courses. Explore mountain trails by foot, on bikes or ride ATVs or on horseback. CW

Antelope

Indoor Pools

Cottonwood Heights Rec Ctr

7500 S. 2700 East, Cottonwood Heights, 801-943-3190

Draper Rec Center

657 E. Vestry Road, Draper, 385-468-1995

Fairmont Aquatic Center

1044 E. Sugarmont Drive, SLC, 385-468-1540

Dimple Dell

10670 South 1000 East, Sandy, 385-468-3355

Gene Fullmer Rec Center

8015 S. 2200 West, West Jordan, 385-468-1951

Holladay Lions Rec Center

1661 East Murray-Holladay Road (4800 South), Holladay, 385-468-1700

Kearns Oquirrh Park

5624 S. Cougar Lane, Kearns, 801-966-5555

The Park Center

202 E. Murray Park Ave., Murray, 801-284-4200

POOLS

Northwest Rec Center

1255 W. Clark Ave., SLC, 385-468-1305

J.L. Sorenson Rec Center 5350 W. Herriman Main St., Herriman, 385-468-1340

South Jordan Aquatic Ctr

10866 S. Redwood Road, South Jordan, 385-468-1603

SLC Sports Complex

645 S. Guardsmen Way, SLC, 385468-1925

Steiner Aquatic Ctr West

855 W. California Ave., SLC, 385-468-1300

Outdoor Pools

Cottonwood Heights Rec Ctr 7500 S. 2700 East, Cottonwood Heights, 801-943-3190

Crestwood Swimming Pool

1700 E. Siesta Drive, Cottonwood Heights, 385-468-1683

Draper Outdoor Pool

657 E. Vestry Road, Draper, 385-468-1995

Kearns Oquirrh Park 5624 S. Cougar Lane, Kearns, 801-966-5555

Liberty Park Pool 650 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-468-1564

Magna Outdoor Pool 3270 S. 8400 West, Magna, 385-468-1826

Murray Aquatic Center 5109 S. Murray Park Ave., Murray, 801-290-4190

Redwood Outdoor Pool 3100 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City, 385-468-1870

SLC Sports Complex

645 S. Guardsmen Way, SLC, 385-468-1925

South County Pool

12765 S. 1125 West, Riverton, 385-468-1362

Taylorsville Outdoor Pool 4915 S. 2700 West, Taylorsville, 385-468-1740

West Jordan Outdoor Pool 8125 S. 2200 West, West Jordan, 385-468-1941 CW

Cottonwood Heights Rec Center

DAILY FOOD SPECIALS

@paxton_pub | 365 W Paxton Ave. SLC UT

SKI TRUCKS IS OPEN

INFLATABLE PADDLE BOARD RENTALS & SALES, AS WELL AS OTHER GREAT PRICED SUMMER GEAR. OR SET UP YOUR OFF SEASON SKI OR SNOWBOARD OUTFITTING APPOINTMENT.

Salt Lake City is a golf adventure in the making. With numerous private and municipal courses located in the city and nearby (see listings below), you’ll find just the terrain and links you’re looking for.

Bonneville Golf Course

954 Connor, SLC, 801-583-9513

Eaglewood Golf Course

1110 E. Eaglewood Drive, North Salt Lake, 801-299-0088

Fore Lakes Golf Course

1285 W. 4700 South, Taylorsville, 801-266-8621

Forest Dale Golf Course

2375 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-483-5420

Glendale Golf Course

1630 W. 2100 South, SLC, 801-974-2403

Glenmoor Golf Course

9800 S. 4800 West, South Jordan, 801-280-1742

Lakeside Golf Course

1201 N. 1100 West, West Bountiful, 801-295-1019

GOLF

Meadowbrook Golf Course

4197 S. 1300 West, Taylorsville, 385-468-1500

Mick Riley Golf Course 421 S. Vine, Murray, 385-468-1400

Mountain Dell Golf Course

Parleys Canyon, I-80 Exit 134, SLC, 801-582-3812

Mountain View Golf Course 2400 W. 8660 South, West Jordan, 385-468-1414

Mulligans Golf & Games 692 W. 10600 South, South Jordan, 801-254-3377

Murray Parkway Golf Course 6345 S. Murray Parkway Ave., Murray, 801-262-4653

Nibley Park Golf Course 2780 S. 700 East, SLC, 801-483-5418

Old Mill Golf Course 6080 S. Wasatch Blvd., Holladay, 385-468-1440

Riverbend Golf Course 1040 W. 12800 South, Riverton, 385-468-1460

Rose Park Golf Course 1386 N. Redwood Road, SLC, 801-596-5030

South Mountain Golf Course 1247 E. Mike Weir Drive, Draper, 385-468-1480

The Ridge Golf Club 5055 Westridge Blvd., West Valley City, 801-966-4653

Thanksgiving Point Golf Club 3300 Club House Drive, Lehi, 801-768-7400

Forest Dale Golf Course

Killer Grill

West Valley’s Burgertory puts the gore in gourmet.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

If you’ve been following my gastronomic jaunts around town for a bit of time now, you’ve likely caught on to the fact that I’m a huge dork about horror movies. Yes, as far as entertainment goes, there are few things I like more than consuming junk food as I dig myself deeper into whatever unholy portal my Shudder subscription has opened up for me.

That said, you can imagine my excitement when I heard about Burgertory (3197 S. Redwood Road, Ste. 9, Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. & 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m, burgertoryslc.com) opening up in West Valley. Ever since I wrote about it in the Back Burner, I have been dying to sink my teeth into one of their self-proclaimed “gore-met” burgers. I finally got the chance to check out this horror-themed burger joint and it absolutely melted my cold, dead heart. Read on—if you dare.

Before we get to the good stuff, let’s exorcize some of my own personal demons when it comes to places with a theme/ vibe/concept/whatever. I’ve been around the block enough times to see my fair share of gimmicks that want you to pay for the “experience” instead of the food. I’m not necessarily against such practices, but when I’m footing the bill, I like my food to be the star of the show. The early hype about Burgertory led me to believe this place made a legitimately good burger, but

being the stalwart food journalist I am, I had to check it out for myself.

The exterior of the restaurant is plastered with horror-movie posters, which evokes a welcome dose of nostalgia for those of us who liked to haunt videorental stores of the bygone ’80s and ’90s. Inside, the lights are appropriately dim, and hang from knotted ropes which work well with the exposed brick walls; it feels vaguely Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but in a welcoming kind of way. The walls themselves continue the movie-poster motif, and all your favorite celluloid nightmares are represented therein. Even if you’re not a weirdo like me who feels a strange sense of relaxation when dining in the presence of cinematic monsters, you’re going to find the place cozy.

Now, on to the burgers. The menu itself has a solid stable of options—everything from bacon cheeseburgers to veggie burgers are here to play. The kicker is that they’ve fully embraced the Burgertory vibe, and each of them has a name pulled from horror history. Instead of onion rings, you get Omen Rings ($7); instead of a garlic burger, you get a Van Helsing ($12.99)—you get the picture. As much as I found myself cackling at reading names like Last House Salad on the Left ($7.99), I was dying to see if these burgers were indeed hauntingly delicious.

My wife and I visited for lunch, and it’s clear that the Burgertory buzz is working, since there was a decent lunchtime crowd onsite. I ordered the Hellraiser ($13.99), their riff on a spicy jalapeño burger, and my wife got the Exorswiss and Mushrooms ($12.99). For sides, I went with the Dracula’s Casserole, and my wife tried the fries, or Stake Frights, if you’re sticking with the lingo. The food does take a bit of time to get to the table, which doesn’t

really bother me all that much.

When the burgers come out, you see where all that time went—these suckers are primo. The patty is enormous, and it’s grilled to juicy perfection. It does what all burger patties should do and carries the burger itself. I appreciated this because no matter what variation of burger you get, you’re always getting that dynamite foundation.

The Hellraiser was appropriately spicy, with its grilled jalapeños, a habanero aioli and some pepper jack cheese. When I hit the halfway point, I was definitely after a drink refill, but the flavorful burn thankfully abated by the time I turned my attention to the Dracula’s Casserole. This side dish is an interpretation of macaroni & cheese, but it’s topped with this sweet Sriracha bacon that sends the dish into the stratosphere. After finishing off my Hellraiser, this didn’t seem overly spicy, but I’d still recommend it primarily for those who don’t mind a bit of heat with their cheesy noodles.

My wife’s Exorswiss and Mushroom burger was also excellent: good cheese ratio, but I think that big ol’ patty could have shouldered a few more ’shrooms. The Stake Frights are cut thick and come with Burgertory’s special take on fry sauce. Both of us agreed that these burgers were definitely worthy of the “gore-met” moniker; all that blood and guts on the walls just makes the place more charming. Whether you’re a lifelong horror fan or more of a romantic-comedy kind of movie buff, Burgertory isn’t messing around when it comes to a thick, juicy burger. It’s been some time since I’ve had a restaurant burger that has impressed me as much as those that Burgertory is grilling up, and I’m excited to see this place continue to thrive. CW

ALEX SPRINGER

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC

On Tap: Gluten Reduced Kolsch

Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com

On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Chappell Brewing 2285 S Main Street Salt Lake City, UT 84115

On Tap: Sploosh - Blackberry

Craft by Proper 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC

On Tap: That’s a Knife - Australian Cold IPA

Desert Edge Brewery

273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com

On Tap: Tropical Fruit Storm Pale Ale

Epic Brewing Co.

825 S. State, SLC

EpicBrewing.com

On Tap: Chasing Ghosts Double Hazy IPA

Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC

FisherBeer.com

On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers!

Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com

On Tap: Extra Pale Ale

Helper Beer 159 N Main Street Helper, UT 84526 helperbeer.com/

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: Pico Rico

Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, S. Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Philly Sour Fruit Bat

Bingo ($1,000 jackpot): Wednesdays at 7pm

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab

TheMoabBrewery.com

On Tap: Golden Sproket Wit

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com

On Tap: Pomme Paloma

Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/

On Tap: DOPO IPA

Ogden Beer Company 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com

On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan Prodigy-brewing.com

On Tap: It’s Complicated Sour

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Cloud Chaser - Kölsch with Strawberry and Watermelon

Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191 Moab, Utah 84532

On Tap: Angus McCloud- Scottish Ale

Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com

On Tap: Gypsy Scratch

Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com

On Tap: Munich Dunkel

Red Rock Kimball Junction

Redrockbrewing.com

1640 Redstone Center

On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com

On Tap: Flash Flood Belgian Pale Ale

Brewers Select: Strength in Numbers Wheat Wine

Roosters Brewing

Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Identity Crisis Session West Coast Hazy Cold IPA – the name says it all!

SaltFire Brewing

2199 S. West Temple, S. Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com

On Tap: Deep Dive SeriesSteam Beer

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: Save the Lake Pilsner - 5% of sales donated to local non-profits to support preserving our Great Salt Lake

Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com

On Tap: Scion / Etta Place

Azacca Hopped 6.8% ABV

Shades Brewing

154 W. Utopia Ave, S. Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer

On Tap: Mango IPA

Live Music: Thursdays

Shades On State

366 S. State Street SLC Shadesonstate.com

On Tap: Mexican Lager

Karaoke: Wednesdays

Silver Reef

4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co.

147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ squatters

On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Kreator Kolsch

Squatters and Wasatch Brewery

1763 So 300 West, SLC UT 84115 Utahbeers.com

On Tap: Squatters & Pink Boots Collab Healthy Boundaries Black IPA, 5%

Strap Tank Brewery

Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com

Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout

Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter

Stratford Proper 1588 Stratford Ave., SLC stratfordproper.com

On Tap: Yacht Rock Juice Box - Juicy IPA

TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com

On Tap: Edel Pils

Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com

On Tap: King Slayer- Pilsner

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com

On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com

On Tap: Love Punch for us –Tropical Hefeweizen-5% ABV. Pride beer! A portion of proceeds are donated to Project Rainbow

Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Wasatch 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ wasatch

On Tap: Wasatch Salt Lime Cerveza (SLC)

Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week

Attention Grabbers

From nuanced flavors to familiar packaging, these two beers might turn heads.

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Offset - India Pale Ale: This IPA features NZ Southern Cross, Centennial Incognito, Citra, Columbus and Waimea Sub Zero Hop Kief. Do I have your attention? It pours a near-opaque light orange with soft bronze hues, topped with multiple fingers of dense, creamy white head; excellent head retention fades slowly to a slim, craggy cap, an expansive, frothy collar and a multitude of chunky, soapy rings of lacing rounding the glass.

The aroma bursts with a steady array of juicy tangerine and passionfruit, backed with grassy tones and flaky malts as layers of orange complexity develop throughout the bouquet. Subtle lemon flows effortlessly beneath a perfectly nuanced tropical profile, as ripe guava, mango pith, peach chutney and fresh grapefruit all develop in harmony over time.

The taste opens with silky peach and more pronounced guava, with wisps of creamy orange lurking beneath; passionfruit and grapefruit peel develop a citric twang to the profile over the mid-palate while herbal lemon zest and a fluffy malt base fades with the finish/swallow. The mouthfeel offers a 6.5 percent medium body synchronized with a delicate and fluffy moderate carbonation, plush along the palate with an impressive consistency and steadily building grit. Juicy textures present subtly past the mid-palate, peaking with a fading hop acidity into a dry finish with a mild, zesty bitterness lingering.

Verdict: This marks a stunningly nuanced approach to an IPA, almost decep-

tively balanced between an exceptionally refined flavor and unfaltering overall structure. This ale boasts significant focus, depth and, ultimately, a level of simplicity which ties it all together as the world-class beer it is. There may be others with more a bombastic profile, but this remains unwavering and unassuming in its brilliance.

Bewilder - Cerveza De Mayo: Pours a clear medium-yellow in color, with moderate amounts of active visible carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass. The beer has a three-finger tall dense, sudsy, foamy bright-white head that reduces to a handful of small patches. Moderate aromas of very lightly toasted cereal grain malts accompany just-shy-of-moderate levels of grainy sweetness, as well as light corn adjuncts. You also get some light grassy scent, plus floral hops and a faint aroma of lager yeast.

Up front, there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of lightly-toasted cereal grain malts, with the same grainy sweetness and corn adjuncts noticeable in the smell, followed by those light flavors of lager yeast. Finally, there are light notes of grassy floral hops, which impart a light amount of bitterness that fades away quickly, leaving some light lingering sweet, grainy malt flavors. It’s just shy of medium-bodied, with moderate amounts of carbonation—crisp and slightly dry, with a relatively clean finish.

Verdict: It’s easy to drink, with wellhidden 5.0 percent alcohol and decent mouthfeel, though a touch sweeter than expected for the style and not quite crisp and clean enough. Enjoyable enough, and I think it would pair well with some spicy street tacos or poke-style dishes.

I’m happy to see that Offset’s stuff is finding its way into more and more pubs and restaurants. I truly believe these are some of the better beers made in the state, and they should get a wider audience. Look for their 16-ounce cans in spots like The Bayou, Beerhive and Slackwater. Cerveza De Mayo’s Corona-style packaging may have you doing a double-take, but the contents are noticeably different. You can find it on draft as well at Bewilder’s brewpub. As always, cheers! CW

MIKE RIEDEL

MIKE RIEDEL

BACK BURNER

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

Living Traditions Festival

The 2023 Living Traditions Festival is once more upon us—hooray for international eats! This annual celebration of Utah’s myriad cultures is a great way to see all of the local color that our state has to offer. The festival features plenty of local art, crafts, music and live entertainment, but I always like to check in to see what new and exciting dishes are available. I know I’m not the only one who can credit this event for exposing them to traditional dishes from all over the world; it’s where I first developed my affection for Tibetan momos, after all. The festival will take place at Library Square (200 E. 400 South) from May 19 - 21. You can find more info at saltlakearts.org.

Slick Rock Beer Festival

Salt Lake City Weekly is bringing its appreciation of local craft breweries to Moab with the inaugural Slick Rock Beer Festival. The event happens to coincide with the opening of the Moab location of Proper Brewing (1393 N., Highway 191), who will be providing the venue for these boozy festivities. In addition to some craft beer from Proper, the festival will welcome over a dozen local breweries that will be on tap for attendees to enjoy. As our friends at Proper Brewing are no strangers to good eats, food from Proper Burger will also be available. The Slick Rock Beer Fest takes place on May 20 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Mo’ Bettahs Welcomes Pro Golf Sponsor

The team at Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food (mobettahs.com) recently announced a sponsorship deal with six-time PGA Tour winner and Netflix docuseries star Tony Finau. The professional golfer has been a longtime fan of Mo’ Bettahs, and this collaboration between the two will help this Utah-based powerhouse reach new heights of popularity. Mo’ Bettahs also announced that it will be partnering with the Tony Finau Foundation which champions youth initiatives and building communities. I remember when you had to drive to Bountiful if you wanted a taste of Mo’ Bettahs kahlua pork and mac salad, and it’s great to see this locally-owned business succeed.

Quote of the Week: “The people who give you their food give you their hear.” –Cesar Chavez

Once Around the Block(busters)

A preview of what to expect from the summer 2023 movie season.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

Feels like old times, with plenty of remakes, sequels and familiar faces filling theaters for the summer season. Here’s a look at what to expect (with the caveat that all release dates are subject to change) over the next few months.

May 19

The Headliner: Fast X. Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and company return for the latest car-iffic installment of the action franchise, which I’m still mad at for not picking the obvious title Fast 10 Your Seatbelts. Also: Joel Edgerton plays a horticulturist for a wealthy dowager’s estate, dealing with dark secrets, in Paul Schrader’s Master Gardner

May 26

The Headliner: The Little Mermaid. Disney’s latest remake of a classic animated feature has been the target of stupid criticism for casting a Black actor (Halle Bailey) as Ariel, and justifiable criticism for creepy CGI characters and dimly-lit trailer scenes.

Also: comedian Sebastian Maniscalo plays a man whose old-school immigrant dad (Robert DeNiro) clashes with his girlfriend’s upscale family in About My Father.

June 2

The Headliner: Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse. The Oscar-winning (and Utah Film Critics Best Picture-winning) 2018 animated feature gets a sequel following the latest adventure of web-slinger Miles Morales. Also: Stephen King’s 1973 short story The Boogeyman becomes the latest adaptation of the horror master’s work.

June 9

The Headliner: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. No more Michael Bay to kick around, as the franchise shifts to focus on the 1990s Beast Wars spinoff series.

June 16

The Headliner: The Flash. Will this latest DC comic-book adventure overcome production delays and controversies surrounding star Ezra Miller? Warner Bros. hopes the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman provides the necessary hook. Also: The latest Pixar animated feature visits a world of anthropomorphic earth, air, fire and water in Elemental; writer-director Wes Anderson brings an all-star cast to his latest comedy Asteroid City; The Blackening satirically explores tropes of Black people in horror movies, with seven friends facing a serial killer in the woods.

June 23

The Headliner: No Hard Feelings. A cashstrapped woman (Jennifer Lawrence) agrees to get paid by a couple to date their awkward teenage son, in a story destined to bring out the Problematic Police.

June 30

The Headliner: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. I don’t care how old Harrison Ford is, he’s still a bigger badass than you, and when John Williams’ fanfare plays, I will be cheering along. Also: A teenager deals with the realization that she’s descended from sea monsters in the animated feature Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

July 7

The Headliner: Insidious: The Red Door. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne return, and the kid from the original movie is now headed to college. Ah, horror franchises grow up so fast! Also: An Asian-American adoptee and her best friends go on a search for her birth mother in Joy Ride.

July 12-14

The Headliner: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1. We’re all just waiting to see what kind of “no stunt doubles for me” craziness Tom Cruise will get up to as he begins the end of the Ethan Hunt saga.

July 21

The Headliner: Barbie. It’s already been hyped and memed to death, so let’s hope Greta Gerwig’s movie about the classic doll

(Margot Robbie) and her smooth-boy Ken (Ryan Gosling) can live up to it. Also: Cillian Murphy stars in Christopher Nolan’s birth-of-the-A-bomb biopic Oppenheimer.

July 28

The Headliner: Haunted Mansion. No relation to the 2003 Eddie Murphy movie, but once again Disney tries to give another themepark-to-movie adaptation the franchise power they found in Pirates of the Caribbean

Aug. 4

The Headliner: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The comic-book quartet goes fully animated, from cowriter/co-director Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines). Also: Jason Statham returns for more super-shark carnage in The Meg 2: The Trench

Aug. 11

The Headliner: Gran Turismo. Director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) turns the video game into a feature about a teen videogame player who parlays his expertise into a chance to race real-world cars.

Aug. 18

The Headliner: Blue Beetle. Iron Man worked for Marvel, so DC tries turning its own lesser-known armored superhero— Mexican teenager Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña)—into an A-list star. Also: Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx lead the voice cast in the R-rated animated comedy Strays CW

Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse

The Flash Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS DJ FRESH(NESS)

SATURDAYS POKER @ 2PM DJ DELMAGGIO

SHARK SUNDAYS POOL TOURNEY HOSTED BY JARED AND TANNER

MONDAYS REGGAE MONDAY WITH DJ NAPO

WEDNESDAYS KARAOKE

TUESDAYS

Find Your Voice

Cherry Thomas on her journey as a musician

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl

Finding yourself as a musician can take a lot of work. There’s so much trial and error in the discovery process, until you find your voice and style. Ogden native Cherry Thomas spent years posting covers on SoundCloud, until she was able to find her sound and gain confidence in herself as a songwriter.

Thomas is a staple in the O-Town music scene, but often performs in SLC and everywhere in between. Like many artists, Thomas started out covering the greats like The Beatles and Elvis, and as she worked on her versions of her favorite songs, she realized what she could do with her voice. “I used to hold myself back a lot,” she said. “Doing covers helped me realize that I’m capable of more than I thought vocally.”

As Thomas began to build her skill as a musician, she realized how soulful her voice could be. Influenced by the likes of Amy Winehouse, Mariah Carey and Destiny’s Child, she began to replicate an R&B/ pop sound. “That’s my safe space, [in] soul and R&B music,” she said.

Finding a sound is one thing, but writing lyrics to go with that sound is certainly another. Thomas struggled to write for a long time—but that was before some good, old-fashioned heartbreak. “I needed to just not be afraid to face what I’ve been through, and use that in a therapeutic way,” she said. “With the things that I went through when I was a child, music was really the thing that pulled me back in

and helped me find myself again.”

Once you’ve got the sound and you’ve got the inspiration, all that’s left is to release the music. Easy, right? However, sometimes pushing that publish button is the hardest step.

“I still deal with this in a very literal way,” Thomas explained. “The hardest thing I’m so worried about is what people are going to think about it. It’s the only reason why I have [just] two songs out, because I focus hard and I make them as perfect as I possibly want them to be. But eventually you just have to be like, ‘Okay, fuck it. Just go and release the song. It’s okay.’”

“BARBEDWIRE” is a song we can be thankful Thomas finally said “fuck it” about. It’s an incredible amalgamation of her love of early ’00s pop/R&B and sheer talent. Her voice is made to sing soulful lyrics, with beautiful and dynamic vocals. Fans of Britney, Mariah and Beyoncé will be transported back in time, the song reminiscent of these great artists, while

still feeling fresh for the modern day.

The same can be said for her other singles—“blue hour” and “Black Panther”— and hopefully more to come from Thomas. “At the end of the day, I’m doing this for me, no one else,” she said. “I want people to like it, but it’s who I am.”

While writing music can be difficult, producing it is a whole other beast. Thomas said that she’s very hands-on with the production of her music, and it’s been hard in the past to find a producer she meshes well with. “I just found myself working with male producers that kind of just walked all over me in the artistic process of it,” she said. “I feel like that’s something that needs to be talked about more with women that are female producers, female engineers and female artists. It’s a struggle sometimes to be a woman in the music business. It’s really hard. And finding people that understand your creativity and understand your vision musically.”

Luckily, Thomas has found producers

that she meshes well with, so hopefully that means new music in the near future. “They know me as a person and know me as an artist, we just vibe off of each other in the best way. And they listen to my ideas, which I love.”

Another reason Thomas has few releases to date is how much time she spends gigging; it doesn’t allow much time for studio sessions, being out so many nights.

“I love gigging so much. I love performing so much, but this year my goal has been to be in the studio a lot more so that I can create some magic and release it for people, because I’ve been holding myself back way too much,” she said.

The future is looking bright for Thomas, as she sets out to put out more music and continue to play shows. The plan is that she’ll give listeners an EP this year that they can dive into and enjoy. “I’m in the studio working, and they will probably be hearing from me soon,” she said. CW

Cherry Thomas CHERRY THOMAS

MUSIC PICKS

By Emilee Atkinson

Rico Nasty @ Soundwell 5/19

Her name is Nasty because her bars are filthy— which is a compliment, I’ll have you know. At just 26 years old, Rico Nasty flaunts an impressive discography, complete with singles, EPs and albums aplenty. And she’s not just any old runof-the-mill musician—oh no. Rico Nasty is at long last triumphantly bridging the divide between rap and punk rock. Impossible, you say? Well, you’d be wrong. Parading a peerless personal style complete with tall liberty spikes enhanced by the sharp lines of her splashy, graphic eye makeup, Rico Nasty looks and plays the part of a poppunk princess. Her music complements this aesthetic in many ways, featuring hard lines mixed with just enough weight to be heavy. Rapping in a way that also pays tribute to punk queens of the past, she serves up lines accented with guttural annunciation and delivered with enough assertiveness to make any ear within a stone’s throw perk up dutifully. However, she brings in a rap-star twist with the skilled and nonstop thrum of a kick-beat bouncing at the forefront of each of her tracks, as well as the rapid—yet always witty—delivery of lyrics. Her artistic versatility is nuanced further by the storied group of artists she has pumped out tracks with, including Kali Uchis, Flo Milli, Denzel Curry, Charli XCX, slowthai, EARTHGANG, and Kenny Beats. This tour follows the release of her most recent album, Las Ruinas, and promises a downright dirty evening at the Soundwell. Tickets for the all-ages show range from $42-128 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. (Sophie Caligiuri)

Protect Your Loved Ones

Live Music

Rico Nasty MARCO ALEXANDER

MUSIC PICK S

By Emilee Atkinson

First Aid Kit @ Union Event Center 5/20

First Aid Kit have been successfully winning over audiences for years. In 2022, the Söderberg siblings dropped their fifth LP, Palomino, and since their debut The Big Black and the Blue (circa 2010), they have grown with each new release. “We didn’t feel like we had any limitations when we were making this record.” Klara Söderberg told Paste Magazine “On a lot of our previous records, we had a very clear idea of what we wanted to do, and also what we didn’t want to do. And with this one, I feel like we knew ourselves so well, and what we like and don’t like, that we kind of could try anything.” If you have spent any time at all with their catalog, the album Ruins is exceptional and gets better on every listen. The instrumentation may be Americana, but the songs, the strings and the blood-twisting harmonies are so lock-tight and perfect that it screams mid ’70s album-oriented radio. These singer-songwriters sweep all comers aside, making me wonder how the Swedes manage to nail the pop genre so effectively. And for those out there who think they’re just a nicey-nicey countryfolk duo, check out their cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” These artists are at the height of their powers, and I’m not surprised that music of this quality is finding a wider audience. Hurray For The Riff Raff open. Catch these acts at The Union Events Center on Saturday, May 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $37.50 and can be found at ticketmaster. com (Mark Dago)

Fruit Bats @ The Commonwealth Room 5/20

To put it bluntly, the Fruit Bats may be the least likely band to have escaped any sort of wider recognition. Despite a collective career that spans 25 years, that status seems strangely suspect. After all, they take a power-pop approach that’s not only effusive and engaging, but also incorporates an articulate, intelligent and sublime yet sophisticated sound. That certainly applies to the Fruit Bats’ new album, A River Running to Your Heart, which, by any measure deserves to be hailed as a masterpiece. Credit the band’s founder and steadfast leader, Eric Johnson, for maintaining their singular standard, while also ensuring the band’s sound remains fresh and flawless. A classic-rock enthusiast, Johnson lists the Beatles, the Velvet Underground, Big Star, Uncle Tupelo, Joni Mitchell, the Grateful Dead and Prince among his most indelible influences. Yet even though the Fruit Bats sometimes seem to echo the sound and styles of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, there’s nothing precious or predictable about the music they make. Indeed, while their songs are capable of ensuring an immediate embrace, certain offerings also share words of wisdom. “Well, we all want a home—metaphorical or real,” Johnson insists on “Waking Up In Los Angeles,” one of the new album’s especially telling tunes. That’s a truth to which we can all relate. The Fruit Bats play The Commonwealth Room at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 20. Tickets for this 21+ show cost $31 - $45 at tix.axs.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

The Interrupters, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Bedouin Soundclash @ The Complex 5/23

Music from The Interrupters can fit into so many categories. From SoCal punk rock, to next wave ska, the quartet has put a spin all their own on their addicting and exciting music. After a difficult time during the pandemic, their latest album In the Wild came with an ease and comfort to the band. “I feel like a burden has been lifted by making this record,” said vocalist Aimee Allen on the band’s website bio. “A huge weight is gone. If you ever want to know me, you can listen to this record, and I can die knowing it tells my story. While we were recording, I felt like I was healing and closing those chapters

in my life. For years I tried to, but I never could. I wasn’t ready, or I was too traumatized. Now I feel strong enough, I’ve finally said what I’d been keeping inside for so long. And, it feels so good.” The band feels like a family (which makes sense, since three-quarters of the group are brothers), and that feeling shines through on this latest work. It just has an overwhelming sense of ease about it; it feels like the band are at their best in this album, like they’re having fun and doing what they love. It’s effortless to press play on the first track, and let it play out without skipping. Check out The Interrupters joined by Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls on Tuesday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $39.50 with VIP packages at $149. Snag tix at thecomplexslc.com.

(Emilee Atkinson)

Shania Twain @ USANA Amphitheater 5/24

Let’s go, girls! If you hear that phrase and immediately hear a catchy guitar riff in your head after it, chances are you’re a Shania Twain fan. Or at least a person who has been alive and on earth since the late ’90s. If you’re the former, good news! The country star is stopping by SLC this week at the spacious USANA Amphitheater. The country singer-songwriter has been dominating charts for decades, selling over 100 million records, making her one of the best selling artists of all time—not to mention the best-selling female country music artist in history. Twain built her empire on a strong yet playful voice, coupled with addicting and catchy musical phrases. She appeals to those who love country music, but blurs lines a bit with heavier guitar riffs that help bridge the gap into rock territory. Many who don’t like country music might enjoy Twain’s lively and slightly rock-y twist on the genre. Twain hasn’t slowed down over the years, she has a pretty constant stream of new tunes, including several releases for 2023 alone. So far the country star is bringing an epic fusion of her greatest hits with her new songs on her worldwide tour. Come out and catch Twain perform some of her best-known tracks on Wednesday, May 24, but only if you’ve got some extra coin. Tickets for the all-ages event are $158-225, and if you’re Oprah rich, VIP packages are $675. Grab tickets at livenation.com. (EA)

Fruit Bats

The Interrupters

free will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Aries dramatist Samuel Beckett, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, wrote 22 plays. The shortest was Breath . It has no dialogue or actors and lasts less than a minute. It begins and ends with a recording of the cry of a newborn baby. In between there are the sounds of someone breathing and variations in the lighting. I recommend you draw inspiration from Breath in the coming weeks, Aries. Be succinct and pithy. Call on the powers of graceful efficiency and no-nonsense effectiveness. Relish the joys of shrewd simplicity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

In the coming weeks, you Bulls must brook no bullies or bullying. Likewise, you should tolerate no bullshit from the people who are trying to manipulate or fool you. Be a bulwark of integrity as you refuse to lower your high standards. Bulk up the self-protective part of your psyche so you will be invincibly immune to the careless and insensitive spoilers around you. Your word of power is build You will align yourself with cosmic rhythms as you work to create situations that will keep you strong and stable during the next 12 months.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

How much do you believe in your power to become the person you want to be? Ninety percent? Fifty-five? Twenty?

Whatever it is, you can increase it in the coming weeks. Life will conspire with you to raise your confidence as you seek new ways to fulfill your soul’s purpose. Surges of grace will come your way as you strive with intense focus to live your most meaningful destiny. To take maximum advantage of this opportunity, I suggest you enjoy extra amounts of quiet, meditative time. Request help from the deepest core of your intelligence.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

Early in the 19th century, cultural researchers Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm gathered an array of old folk stories and published a collection of what we now call fairy tales. Because the two brothers wanted to earn money, they edited out some graphic elements of the original narratives. For example, in the Grimms’ revised version, we don’t get the juicy details of the princess fornicating with the frog prince once he has reverted to his handsome human form. In the earlier but not published stories of Rumpelstiltskin, the imp gets so frustrated when he’s tricked by the queen that he rips himself apart. I hope you will do the opposite of the Brothers Grimm in the coming weeks, Cancerian. It’s crucial that you reveal and expose and celebrate raw, unvarnished truths.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Is there a job that you would love to have as your primary passion, but it’s different from the job that you’re currently doing? Is there a calling you would delight in embracing, but you’re too consumed by the daily routine? Do you have a hobby you’d like to turn into a professional pursuit? If you said even a partial yes to my questions, Leo, here’s good news: In the coming months, you will have an enhanced ability to make these things happen. And now is an excellent time to get underway.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Virgo-born Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) was a versatile virtuoso. He excelled as an essayist, biographer, playwright, editor, poet and lexicographer. How did he get so much done? Here’s one clue. He took his own advice, summed up in the following quote: “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Present opportunities are neglected and attainable good is slighted by minds busied in extensive ranges and intent upon future advantages.” Johnson’s counsel is perfect for you right now, Virgo. Forget about the future and be focused on the present. Dive into the interesting work and play that’s right in front of you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

I would love for you to search for treasure, and I hope you launch your quest soon. I will be cheering you on. Before you embark, though, I want to make sure you are clear about the nature of the treasure you will be looking for. Please envision it in glorious detail. Write down a description of it and keep it with you for the next seven weeks. I also suggest you carry out a fun ritual to formally mark your entry into the treasure-hunting chapter of your life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

In the coming weeks, you’ll be guided by your deep intelligence as you explore and converse with the darkness. You will derive key revelations and helpful signs as you wander around inside the mysteries. Be poised and lucid, dear Scorpio. Trust your ability to sense what’s important and what’s not. Be confident that you can thrive amidst uncertainty as you remain loyal to your core truths. No matter how murky this challenge may seem, it will ultimately be a blessing. You will emerge both smarter and wiser.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

If you take the Bible’s teachings seriously, you give generously to the poor and you welcome immigrants. You regard the suffering of others as being worthy of your compassionate attention, and you express love not just for people who agree with you and share your cultural traditions, but for everyone. Numerous biblical verses, including many attributed to Jesus Christ, make it clear that living according to these principles is essential to being a good human. Even if you are not Jewish or Christian, Sagittarius, I recommend this approach to you. Now is an excellent time to hone your generosity of spirit and expand your urge to care for others.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

In 1982, Capricorn actor Ben Kingsley won an Oscar for his role in the film Gandhi Then his career declined. In an animated movie in 1992, he voiced the role of an immortal frog named F.R.O.7. who worked as a James Bond-like secret agent. It was a critical and financial disaster. But Kingsley’s fortunes rebounded, and he was nominated for Academy Awards in 2002 and 2003. Then his trajectory dipped again. He was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for four separate films between 2005 and 2008. Now, at age 79, he’s rich and famous and mostly remembered for the great things he has done. I suggest we make him your role model for the coming months. May he inspire you to emphasize your hits and downplay your misses.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

I’m devoted to cultivating the art of relaxation. But I live in a world dominated by stress addicts and frenzied overachievers. Here’s another problem: I aspire to be curious, innocent and open-minded, but the civilization I’m embedded in highly values know-it-all experts who are very sure they are in command of life’s secrets. One further snag: I’m an ultra-sensitive creator who is nourished by original thinking and original feeling. And yet, I constantly encounter formulaic literalists who thrive on clichés. Now here’s the good news: I am a successful person! I do what I love and enjoy an interesting life. Here’s even more good news, Aquarius: In the next 12 months, you will have a knack for creating rhythms that bring you closer than ever before to doing what you love and enjoying an interesting life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

Most of us suffer from at least one irrational fear. I have a fear of heights, even when I’m perfectly safe, and a manic fear of mosquitoes dive-bombing me as I sleep, which has only happened four times in my life. My anxiety about running out of money is more rational, as is my dread of getting sick. Those motivate me to work hard and take care of my health. What about you? Do you know which of your fears are preposterous and which make some sense? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to get a handle on this question: “Which of my fears are misdirected or exaggerated, and which are realistic and worthy of my attention?”

Pamper Yourself

BOTOX Jeuveau and Xeomin $8 a unit

A NEW DAY SPA

4970 SOUTH 900 EAST #J MURRAY UT 84117

801-272-3900

WWW.ANEWDAYSPA.COM

Castell, LLC. seeks a Data ManagerStaff in Salt Lake City, Utah. Position may also telecommute from any location in the United States. To apply go to, https://imh.wd5.myworkdayjobs. com/IntermountainCareers and reference the above job title above or search for Job Number R70220 or email resume to Mary Hansen at mary.hansen@imail.org. Applicants who fail to provide a resume and pre-screening question responses will not be considered. This position is for permanent direct hire only; applications for contract labor will not be considered.

IHC Health Services, Inc. DBA

Intermountain Healthcare seeks an Interface Database Administrator and a Software Engineer Integration – Tech Lead in West Valley City, Utah. Positions may also telecommute from any location in the United States. To apply, go to https://imh.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/ IntermountainCareers and search for the job titles or search for Job Numbers R69930 & R70111 or email resume to Mary Hansen at mary.hansen@imail.org and reference the job title. Applicants who fail to provide a resume and prescreening question responses will not be considered. This position is for permanent direct hire only; applications for contract labor will not be considered.

ACROSS

1. Rome’s Fontana di ____

6. Apple computer since 1998

10. Born in

14. Like wicker baskets

15. Jedi foe

16. New Rochelle university

17. Word with space or soap

18. 2005 Gwen Stefani hit

20. Chide

22. “You’ve got mail” co.

23. Ruby of Hollywood

24. Shed tears

25. 2008 Katy Perry hit

29. “The Answer Is ...” memoirist Alex

31. Garden spot

35. Architect Mies van der ____

37. You’d probably RSVP to it online

40. Grand Canyon animal

41. Tel ____, Israel

42. Put in a new carton

43. “Please, don’t rub ____!”

44. Done, in Dijon

45. Tiling job supply 46. Sicilian peak

9. “Nomadland” Oscar winner Zhao

10. Minor untruth

11. Fork locale

12. Formerly

13. Produce

19. Actor who read a scene of “M*A*S*H” in 2023 that was written by ChatGPT

21. Anita of “La Dolce Vita”

26. “When will ____ learn?”

27. Item of winter gear with multiple straps

28. General assemblies?

30. Go over again, as notes

32. See 3-Down

33. Lena of “Chocolat”

34. “General Hospital” Emmy winner Sofer

35. Actor Spall

“Life

Property Taxes

Afew weeks ago, I shared the median price of homes for sale in our surrounding states. What I didn’t mention was the huge range in property tax assessments in this country. In the U.S. overall, the average jump in taxes on homes, condos, duplexes, etc., was 3% in 2022 over the previous year, or roughly $3,901 annually.

Where do property taxes go? There are several types of taxes collected in our state: income tax; sales tax; property tax; excise taxes on tobacco sales and alcohol; gas (auto) tax; and taxes on oil, gas and mining. They are collected by the county where you live and mainly go to support public and higher education and to support individuals with a disability.

55. Slack-jawed

56. U.S. president who had 15 children

57. Bus driver on “The Simpsons”

58. Question of time

59. Gave temporarily

62. National ____ American Heritage Month (April celebration)

64. O.J. trial judge Lance

65. Trail mix morsel

66. Above-the-street trains

Last week’s answers

1. Year in Augustus Caesar’s reign

2. “Three’s Company” landlord

3. With 32-Down, British duo with the 1994 hit “Missing” (and how to solve 18-, 25-, 51and 63-Across)

4. Aloe ____

5. How World Cup Final matches never end

6. “Kinda sorta”

7. “Ay, dios ____!”

8. Country album?

SelectHealth, Inc. seeks a Business Systems Analyst - Senior in Murray, Utah. Position may also telecommute from any location in the United States. To apply, go to https://imh.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/ IntermountainCareers and search for the job title or search for Job Number R69356 or email resume to Mary Hansen at mary.hansen@imail. org. Applicants who fail to provide a resume and pre-screening question responses will not be considered. This position is for permanent direct hire only; applications for contract labor will not be considered.

What is not taxed are properties owned by the feds, the state and churches. Also, you don’t get taxed on what’s inside your home (furniture), your business inventory or farm machinery and equipment. What I’m talking about here is property tax, which is based on an assessed value of all tangible property someone owns, including land and structures. Each county in the state may have a different tax rate that is passed on to property owners.

Any “taxing entity” that wants to increase rates over the previous year must, by law, give specific public notice and hold public hearings before increasing taxes. The county assessor in the area where you live appraises the value of residential and commercial properties, and Utah’s average effective property tax rate is .52%, which is one of the lowest in the country.

The tax law states that you get a 45% property tax exemption on most homes in Utah, meaning you only pay property taxes on 55% of your home’s fair market value, as determined by the assessor and computer programs. That exemption was set in 1995 and has stayed the same for decades.

1 to

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers

No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

If you are building a home, you can qualify for a primary residence exemption before it’s completed if you apply to the county assessor. Some folks who like to avoid taxes for nefarious reasons will state that they are building a home and never ever complete it, even though they may still be living in it.

To avoid capital gains when selling a residence, know that you have to live in the property for two out of the past five years. If you’re single, you can deduct a $250,000 gain (profit) before you must claim capital gains, or $500,000 if you’re married. Married couples living apart can’t claim two exemptions unless they are legally separated.

New Yorkers pay the highest property taxes (roughly $9,000 per year), followed by homeowners in San Jose and San Francisco. Alabamans pay the least—a median of $995 annually— followed by New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee. Most homeowners opt to have property taxes paid with their monthly mortgage and are due in full by Nov. 30 of each year and cannot be paid during the month of December. n

WITH BABS DELAY Broker, Urban Utah Homes & Estates, urbanutah.com

NEWS of the WEIRD

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

Bright Idea

Eco-activist Rob Greenfield has stopped using toilet paper, and he wants you to, too. People reported on May 4 that Greenfield is touring the country as part of his Grow Your Own Toilet Paper Initiative, introducing people to the blue spur flower plant. The leaves are “soft as can be,” he said. “They’re durable. I call them the ‘Charmin of the garden.’” Greenfield sets up a compost toilet in a busy area and gives his spiel: “Hey, did you know you can grow your own toilet paper? I want to show people that another way is possible. We just buy (toilet paper) at the store, and we never think twice about it.” Each leaf is about the size of a piece of toilet paper, and the plant supplies an abundance of them. They can’t be flushed, but they can be thrown in the trash or buried in the yard. Passersby who get sucked in will also hear Greenfield’s views on composting human waste rather than using flush toilets.

Field Report

Nina Jochnowitz was alerted on April 26 by a fellow citizen in Old Bridge, New Jersey, about an odd deposit near a stream, NJ.com reported. When Jochnowitz investigated, she found 500 pounds of cooked pasta—spaghetti, ziti and elbow macaroni—dumped along a 25-foot-wide area. She posted photos on Facebook and alerted the town administrator and public works department and two days later, the carb-y mess had been cleaned up. Jochnowitz pointedly remarked that Old Bridge is the only town in the county without bulk garbage pickup. Days later, the mystery of the pasta’s origin was solved: A man moving out of his mother’s home after her death discovered a stockpile of dry noodles and allegedly dumped them there. A weekend’s worth of heavy rains softened the pasta, making it look as if it had been cooked. Old Bridge’s mayor declared no harm, no foul, and the few stray noodles left on the ground are the only sign of the great pasta caper.

Fine Points of the Law

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on May 3 that a man who was serving eight to 12 years in prison did not, after all, commit a burglary. In September 2020, Donald Bertram approached the home of Timothy Huff as Huff was working in his yard, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Bertram walked into Huff’s open garage, picked up a $500 leaf blower, got in his car and drove away. But the court said that because Bertram committed the act without “force, stealth or deception,” it wasn’t a burglary. Instead, justices told Scioto County Common Pleas Court that he could be charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing. Sentences for misdemeanors typically result in less than a year in jail.

Awesome!

From the too-good-to-pass-up file: Photographer Ken Pretty of Dildo, Newfoundland, had the extraordinary luck on April 27 to capture a 30-foot-tall iceberg floating

in Conception Bay. (Nearby towns include Spread Eagle and Placentia.) Live Science reported that the berg, “a column with a domed head protruding up from two oval rafts of ice,” resembled a phallus. “I knew I’d get a lot of comments,” Pretty said, “but I didn’t expect this much.” Sadly, the “dickie berg,” as locals named it, didn’t last: It collapsed the next day.

News That Sounds Like a Joke

Akron (Ohio) Municipal Court Judge Ron Cable made a couple’s dreams come true on May 4 as he officiated a “Star Wars”-themed wedding, the Associated Press reported. Julia and Robert Jones said when they heard about the special ceremonies, “There was no other right decision. That was it.” They joined six other couples in 15-minute wedding ceremonies at the Highland Universal Gathering Spot in Akron. Julia and Robert took the theme to the next level, wearing Sith and Jedi robes and carrying lightsabers. “By the joining of the lightsabers,” Cable intoned, “and by the giving and receiving of rings,” he pronounced them husband and wife. “May the Force be with you.”

Recurring Theme

It’s happened again. Minnesota state Sen. Calvin Bahr of East Bethel garnered some unwanted attention on May 1 after he cast a vote via Zoom—camera on, lying shirtless in bed with, inexplicably, an “I’m Just a Bill” character from “Schoolhouse Rock!” on the wall behind him. The Associated Press reported that immediately after casting his vote, Bahr switched off his camera.

Suspicions Confirmed

On April 29 in Groningen, the Netherlands, police pulled over a driver who mowed down a post on a sidewalk, Oddity Central reported. The unnamed 35-year-old man refused a breath test, but he did produce a Ukrainian driver’s license with a familiar name and photo: Boris Johnson, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom. The license had Johnson’s correct date of birth but had an expiration date of 3000. Apparently, such fake licenses are popular at Ukrainian souvenir shops.

Unclear on the Concept

Jerry Martin had what he thought was a winning idea: The Drug Store, where people could buy cocaine, heroin, meth and MDMA pre-tested for fentanyl. Vice reported that Martin’s mobile shop, in Vancouver, Canada, was open less than 24 hours when he was arrested for drug trafficking. The store, housed in a mobile trailer that Martin parked next to a police van, featured bright yellow boards with prices listed for all the drugs. Martin wore a stab-proof vest as he sold the items from behind a plexiglass window. According to him, his plan included getting arrested so that he could challenge “laws that prevent a safe supply and result in death by poisoning” in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Send news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com