Sun Valley Blog

The Sun Valley Race Department put on another great season of racing for this year’s Town Series. Seven weeks of racing finished up yesterday, with a festive and green finale on Lower Cozy and a St. Patty’s Day after-party that any Irishman would be proud of. Teams came out in costumes, like SVSEF’s green maiden dresses, Team Lip Service’s one-piece ski suits and Mardi Gras boas, the Flat Out Ridiculous Team’s neon green wigs, the Blog Chicks’ matching socks, shorts, and shamrock headbands, and Wood River Masonry even lit rockets on the back of their skis.

Robin Sarchett was the overall winner yet again, beating second and third placed Carlo Rixon and Nate Schwing by seven tenths of a second. The top female was speedy Erika Hogan, who finished seventh overall, beating the second placed woman, Sarah Mazzola, by half a second. The rabbits this week were Chris Key (in one of his best finishes of the season) and Chris Campbell. The fifth placed male and female, and winners of a fifth of tequila, were Wes Powell and Toby Arnett.

The season’s top team, Scott USA, celebrated in style, breaking out the champagne on Apple’s sunny deck. Congrats to John Reagle, Toby Arnett, John Zuck, and Jeff Page. The four teams who rounded out the top five, and had their names in the drawing for three season-passes from Sun Valley Resort, were Casino Dancing Bears, Wood River Masonry, the Drunken Blumkens, and the Rainbow Warriors.The celebrating continued throughout the beautiful St. Patrick’s Day afternoon on Apple’s Bar and Grill’s packed patio with delicious corned beef and hash and tons of green beer.

Congrats to all the racers on another great season of World Cup Wednesdays! A big thanks goes out to Mike Wrobel and the rest of the Sun Valley Race Department. Another thanks goes out to the Valley bars and restaurants who sponsored the 2010 Town Series parties!

See some of the action below and check back later for the full results.

Lizzy Brown, Team Lip Service, sets up for a run.

Mollie Parker and Abby Seibert show how cool science really is!

Janet Appleton rocks the one-piece and the boa.

The blog.sunvalley.com Blog Chicks get ready to race.

Ash Higgins, Tine Cordeau, Pete Stevenson and other racers show their Irish spirit at the race start.

A dapper Billy Cook suits up for the after-party.

The crowd peers over the balcony at Apple's to check out all the Award's Ceremony action.

The Town Series continued this week on Lower Cozy with some gray and cloudy skies but the local racers turned out fast and strong for yesterday’s races. The action continued Wednesday night as Bellevue’s Mahoney’s hosted the after party. See the Team Results below and check back later for the full results.

With the community already dancing under a nine-inch blanket of fresh white snow, be prepared to keep your dancing shoes on  the first-ever WinterSol Festival comes to Ketchum.  The Sol Fest will bring concerts, parties, and a little action to downtown Ketchum starting Friday night. The lineup includes reggae legends The Wailers with Steve Fulton Music, as well as Vancouver’s Swollen Members, Passafire and Beats Antique. There will be street parties both Friday and Saturday nights as well, which will include a beer garden, spinning by local djs DJ Lenny and DJ Gerry, fire pits, a Red Bull drink station, and food concessions. The street parties will light up downtown on First Street between Main and Leadville, both nights from 8 pm- 12 am.

The musical lineup begins on Friday, March 5th,  with The Wailers at 7 pm in the nexStage Theater on Main Street in Ketchum. (Tickets are only $27 and doors open at 6:30). Later than night Swollen Members will rock the nexStage beginning at 10 pm (all ages, $25) and  Passafire will be performing beginning at 10pm at the Roosevelt (Tickets are $10, 21 and over only). The SolFest continues Saturday night with Swollen Members performing the nexStage again at 10 pm on Saturday, March 6th and Beats Antique at the Roosevelt (10pm, $10). With a plethora of musical choices these weekend, there is sure to be some grooving and powder-celebrating around town!

Founded in 1988 by Beverly Hay DeChevrieux and sponsored by Thomas Weisel Partners, the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Fundraiser, the Janss Pro-Am is back this weekend! An all-weekend event with 22 registered teams, The Janss mixes a “Pro Racer” with four amateur racers, skiers or snowboarders. The teams then compete for racing titles and costume prizes throughout the weekend of parties and on-snow races. Rumors of costume themes from some of this year’s teams include Mardi Gras, School Spirit and White Trash Wedding. Last year’s champion team, the Community School, is back to defend their title. As is last year’s costume winner, Koth Sports. There has even been sightings of “Bad Cops” and “Indian Princesses”, so keep an eye out on the slopes this weekend for troublemakers in costumes zooming around Lower Warm Springs and around town!

2010 Janss Pro-Am events include tonight’s opening celebration Pro Party at Michel’s Christiana, Friday’s Apres-Ski party at Whiskey Jacques, and Saturday’s Award Banquet and Dinner at the Sun Valley Inn’s Limelight Room.  Benefiting the SVSEF’s Nordic, Alpine, Freestyle and Snowboard teams, this weekend’s event is one of the Foundation’s biggest fundraisers of the year. Big thanks to all that participate and sponsor the fun!

Drawing heavily from the sunny So-Cal sound of acts like Jack Johnson and G-Love, and the roots, rock sound of Tom Petty, Ben Harper and others, the Matt Lewis Band has a full, relaxed sound. Their self-titled 2004 debut is marked by the easy grooves and rhymes of tracks like “Killing Time” and “Gravity,” the punk-pop crossover of “Away From Myself,” and the dorm room sound of “In For a Ride” and “River.”

The Matt Lewis Band will play apres ski from 2-5pm at Warm Springs March 14-18 and apres ski at River Run March 19 & 20. You can also see them live in the Boiler Room on Friday & Saturday night, March 19 & 20. Doors open at 9pm after the comedy series. First 10 people at the door get in free. Comedy patrons stay for free. $10 cover charge.

Lip Service Band is performing apres ski from 2-5pm at Warm Springs Feb 27 – March 11. They will perform apres ski at River Run Lodge on Friday & Saturday, March 12 & 13. On Saturday, March 13, special local guests, The Disciples of Rock will perform with Lip Service.

You can also catch Lip Service in the Sun Valley Boiler Room Friday & Saturday, March 5 & 6 and on Friday, March 12. Doors open at 9pm after the comedy series. Comedy patrons stay for free, the first 10 people at the door get in free. Cover is $10. 622-2148

Award-winning singer/songwriter EMIKO and her band the GeminiStation Project will play the Sun Valley Boiler Room, Friday & Saturday February 26 & 27. Doors open at 9pm, Cover $10. First 10 people at the door get in Free!
Emiko and GeminiStation Project will also perform apres ski from 2-5pm at Warm Springs Lodge Feb 21 – 27. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see EMIKO and her band live in concert in the Boiler Room.

Dollar’s SPT-designed Terrain Park has been packed all season. Brian Callahan and the rest of the boys have been keeping it in top shape and rebuilding it throughout the season, adding new and fresh hits and features. Now, Sun Valley Resort wants to show off the region’s best new park with the Lunar Eclipse Rail Jam Series.

With bright spot lights, the Smith Limo, PBR, brats, discounted hamburgers, a DJ, nighttime tubing (Dollar’s Tubing Park will be open as well) and a name like Lunar Eclipse Rail Jam Series, this is sure to be an event not to be missed. Huge lights will light up the area as athletes can practice from 5-6 pm, and the contest runs from 6-9 pm. The overall winner from the three Saturday night competition will get an all-expense paid trip to Windell’s Camp. The action starts this Saturday, February 20th at Dollar Mountain. All lots will be open for parking as well as a parking shuttle that will run from the Ice Rink to Dollar Lodge.

In 2009 Mountain Niceness Productions brought a grass roots music festival to Idaho to celebrate Bob Marley’s birthday. Marley in the Mountains was born as celebrations were a tremendous success and thousands of people enjoyed a live reggae performance by Don Carlos and lectures by historian, Roger Steffens. Marley in the Mountains returns to Sun Valley February 26-27 this year. In the true spirit of Bob Marley, everyone is positively welcome.

This festival’s lineup is sure to keep bodies moving, the atmosphere positive and the mountains moving. The 2010 lineup includes historian Roger Steffens, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band, Grammy-winner Michael Rose, Dancehall with Jamacian Vetern Ken Serious, Lions Den Sounds Unlimited, DJ Vision, African Abstract Sound System and tons of surprises.

For more information about the concerts and events including schedules, lineups, costs and more check out www.marleyinthemountains.com.

Make sure to get some raffle rickets while you are at it! Proceeds of raffle ticket sales is going to the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center (which promotes safety and educates backcountry enthusiasts throughout the region, go to (www.sawtoothavalanche.com). The prizes include a season pass from Sun Valley Resort, plane tickets from Horizon Air, a Heli-Ski Trip, Mammut Gear, K2 skis and tons more.

For raffle tickets, a complete list of prizes and information about the special “Friends of Reggae” Package go to www.marleyinthemountains.com or head to one of these local vendors to purchase your tickets:

-Wiseguy’s Pizza

-The Subshack

-Lefty’s

-Sturtevant’s (Main Street and Greyhawk locations)

-Paul Kenny’s

-Rickshaw

-Ketchum/Sun Valley Chamber and Visitor Center

-Zenergy

-The Brickhouse

-Mahoney’s

The Jeremiah James Gang, Idaho’s top-selling honky tonk, outlaw country band returns to the Sun Valley Resort Boiler Room Friday and Saturday, February 12 & 13. Doors open at 9pm after the comedy series. Cover charge is $7. First 10 people at the door get in free!

The Jeremiah James Gang will also kick-off the Apres Ski live music at Warm Springs Lodge from 2-5pm beginning Sunday, February 14 through Saturday, February 20.

Based in Boise, Idaho, Jeremiah James performs frequently in Idaho and surrounding states. Solo or with his Gang, he has opened for and/or shared the stage with Robert Earl Keen, The Gourds, Dale Watson, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Reckless Kelly, Micky and the Motorcars and many others.
Jeremiahʼs second album, “Idaho Cowboy,” was the No. 1 local release of 2008 at the Record Exchange, Idahoʼs largest independent record store, and finished among the storeʼs Top 10 overall sellers for the year. His fans include alt-country hipsters, ten-gallon old-timers, mainstream country listeners and music lovers who otherwise pay no
attention to country and roots music.