Hilary Weeks

While Christian singer Hilary Weeks is more likely to appear in Deseret News than City Weekly, that’s not to say Weeks doesn’t deserve our attention. The slender, much-traveled Utah-based singer has penned her own spiritual inspirations for the past 15 years. Her smoky timbre and soulful delivery makes even the most obvious Christian paean that much more palatable. You can’t help but wonder what she would do with a contemporary ballad that wasn’t soaked in Christian good graces, a Billie Holiday standard, for example. She’s certainly a pleasure to listen to, with a natural, disarming manner before the mic that quickly earns your admiration.
HilaryWeeks.com

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Allen Roberts

As The Leonardo struggled in August 2008 to find a way forward, a new management regime led by consultant Peter Giles and local architect Allen Roberts fought valiantly to save the would-be arts and science museum from a final implosion. At that time, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker appeared disinclined to give the science museum further funding. At a city council meeting, architect and Leonardo board member Allen Roberts pinned its problems to the wall with a description of the previous management style as pithy as it was accurate: “the pathologically optimistic failure mode that got us nowhere.” Roberts and Giles finally managed to save The Leonardo from itself by winning Becker’s backing.
TheLeonardo.org

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Michael Dunn, BYU food scientist

Improve upon a tortilla? An ancient time-tested, nutritious food staple that has outlasted entire civilizations? Impossible, you say? Well, BYU food scientist Michael Dunn took up the challenge and not only learned how to make a better tortilla, but created a recipe that small Mexican tortilla mills can re-create cheaply and efficiently. Dunn took the already nutritious staple and examined it for its deficiencies: folic acid and B vitamins. Working closely with owners and workers of Mexican tortilla mills, Dunn and his research team developed a method that can fortify the tortillas with these missing ingredients and without changing the color, texture or taste of the tortilla. The new and improved tortilla is the culmination of four year’s research and development by Dunn and his team who are now seeing to the distribution of the recipe to rural tortilla mills all across Mexico. Felicidades


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Kevin Templin et al, Red Rock Brewing Co.

Utah is perversely blessed with a high concentration of skilled beer makers and Beehive State drinkers have lots of high-quality suds to chose from. But those who appreciate handcrafted brew lovingly tended by the batch turn to Redrock, which consistently pumps out award-winning versions of classic and complex beer styles. This fall, Templin—Great American Beer Festival’s national “brewer of the year” in 2007—was among a handful in the country to get his hands on a shipment of expensive Amarillo Hops, dumping pound after pound into a floral, easy-drinking harvest ale. Any given year, Redrock brewers create 30 different styles of beer ranging from smoky schwarzbier to organic pilsner, to Dunkel, to Belgin white ale. Redrock also puts out very special, special editions. For Christmas ‘08 it was a Belgin trippel aged in oak casks and clocking in at 10.2 percent. Part of this year’s batch will be poured over Utah cherries and re-fermented for one year before the final product hits liquor stores.
254 S. 200 West, Salt Lake City, 801-521-7446; 1640 W. Redstone Center Dr., Park City, 435-575-0295, RedRockBrewing.com

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Trib’s Glen Warchol vs. Rep. Steve Urquhart

Snarky coverage of the Mark Walker bribery debacle by Tribune columnist Rebecca Walsh and blogger Glen Warchol set off Rep. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, who criticized the Trib writers on his blog: “I reviewed the, um, reporting of Glen Warchol and Rebecca Walsh, until I felt I had lost 40 IQ points,” wrote Urquhart, adding, “They lobby hard for their tax-exempt status, because they act (cue “God Bless America”) in the public good.” Warchol fired off his own retort in a July 9, 2008, entry entitled “Hallelujah, I’m Biased!” writing: “First, I am biased. I make that clear every day. Second, I am passionate. Finally, I am a blogger. Yes, I work for korporate media, but I am a creature of the blogosphere just like you.” Warchol ended his rant: “If it seems like I spend more time picking on Republicans, it’s because they are The Power in this state,” and with that cued a video to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power!” Political blog-brawls don’t get much better, yeeaaah boy!
Blogs.sltrib.com/slcrawler SteveU.com/blog

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Seriously, So Blessed!

Finally a blog that captures the satirized soul of the young, Mormon, wanna-be housewife. Seriously So Blessed! chronicles the parodied (right?) trials and tribulations of young Mormon housewife TAMN (Tiffany/Amber/Megan/Nicole) wife and hubby JJWT (Jordan/Jason/Wes/Taylor). TAMN, with a penchant for acronyms and EXCITED capitalization, shares with the blogosphere her adventures in staying peppy and convincing her DTD (Down-There-Doc) that she’s actually “preggers.” “When I called for an appt, I had to spell it out for the poor receptionist who bless her heart was NOT very sharp. I had to keep saying things like “I’m preggers!” and “Preggo my eggo!” and “My oven has a bun in it!” and “I’m nourishing JJWT’s righteous seed in my fertile gardenbed!” The hilarity of her wishful pregnancy and other calamities like having her hair-stylist BFF fix a bad haircut: “We basically made hair-miracle lemonade out of hair heartbreak lemons, so don’t worry, now I’m hot again. SO greatful for product, and prayer,” have made us at the City Weekly truly heart this blog and we’d be so greatful if this BOU made us BFF’s.
SeriouslySoBlessed.blogspot.com


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Ted McDonough, City Weekly

Ted McDonough joined City Weekly in 2004, after a decade at Idaho’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News. His weekly news features and Hits & Misses set the editorial tone for this paper as do his cover features which invariably light a fire under our readers. Competing against reporters at the Trib and Deseret News, McDonough was chosen 2007’s Best Reporter at the Utah Headliners Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists competition. Whether it’s reporting on the demise of Sugar House or an upheaval at KRCL community radio, McDonough’s knack is finding stories that others may not consider significant and then writing the hell out of the stories.
CityWeekly.net

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Anti-gay columns by Orson Scott Card

Long gone are the days when newspapers could afford to allot space to serial fiction—and more’s the pity; it’s how luminaries such as Mark Twain and Armistead Maupin got their starts. But when Mormon Times needed a writer to produce agitprop justifying the LDS Church’s involvement in a last-ditch California ballot measure to prevent gays and lesbians from marrying, it turned to sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card. It was money well spent—who but Card could have come up with such imaginative arguments against equal marriage as the idea that it would mark “the end of democracy in America”? To give his prose something of a steampunk flavor, Card resurrected long-outdated, quasi-scientific theories to explain that the very existence of gays and lesbians is due to “tragic genetic mixups” and “sex-role dysfunctions.” The only thing that detracted from his sweeping, dystopic vision was that the ballot measure failed—which, unfortunately, meant that Card’s paid rants were limp, sellout failures that will haunt him the rest of his life. His fan base was not impressed

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Let’s Go to Utah, Dave Chisholm

Dave Chisholm is a modern day Renaissance man. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist and grad school scholar, he recently revealed another one of his talents with Let’s Go To Utah, a comic book featuring the rather ghoulish adventures of characters based on real-life figures from Chisholm’s world. Besides offering Salt Lake City readers the novelty of seeing familiar people and places in vibrant 2-D, Utah is one hell of an entertaining five-part series. The plot unfolds like a gripping TV series—or, as Chisholm prefers, an epic song. He sets the tone. He controls the pace. Are you ready for the ride?
LetsGoToUtah.com

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John Weston Osburn

City Weekly regularly receives letters from folks in the pokey—generally extremely earnest, sometimes well-written, but invariably far too long for publication. Few incarcerated letter writers, however, display wit and way with words of one John “Weston” Osburn, who wrote in to tell not of “some egregious abuse of power, some travesty of institutional racism or heinous incident of police brutality,” but to complain of a toothache (“My poor old folks paid good money once to straighten out the choppers, and now some sadistic apron-wearing maniac right out of Little Shop of Horrors is going to leave me looking like a meth-ravaged fiend.”). Those of us who can barely function with a loose filling could only marvel at Osburn’s ability to maintain a sense of humor about the whole thing. We hope his teeth found relief.

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Jeff Robinson, KCPW 88.3

After all the upheaval and departures at KCPW, the arrival in August of Morning Edition host and news director Jeff Robinson signaled a new voice on the airwaves. A former TV anchor and reporter from Pocatello, Idaho, Robinson’s youthful features clash with his odd mixture of gravelly yet nasal tones. At the edges of his accent, you can hear so many worlds trying to burst out. A one-time resident of Virginia and California, there’s a definite good ol’ country boy swing to some of his vowels that makes tuning into KCPW sound at times more like an Appalachian hoedown than a news broadcast in the Beehive State.
KCPW.org

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The Blanding Values Committee

Since 1989, a sculpture by artist Joe Pachak representing a Hopi fertility god graced the entrance to Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum—that is, until a plucky group of local busybodies got fed up with the sight of it. The reason? Like every self-respecting fertility god, it has a penis. To be precise, what the abstract carving really has is a knobby protrusion, but the mere suggestion of male genitalia was enough for the Blanding Values Committee, and they demanded the sculpture’s removal. Park management complied by moving the sculpture to a remote location in the park, going to show that Blanding is not just a place—it’s also a process.

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Leland Freeborn

Just before you pass the small, sagebrush town of Parowan on Interstate15, an extraordinary vision of a blossoming radioactive cloud rises before you. Dominating half of a billboard like a flashback to a 1950s Cold War nightmare, it promotes survival plans for the post-atomic bomb era. Those plans are apparently penned by local Leland Freeborn, aka the Parowan Prophet. While others in the prophet business keep to themselves and scorn publicity like the plague, it’s nice to see some folk taking their, shall we say, colorful views on the road—literally. ParowanProphet.com

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BEST ONLINE ART COLLABORATION

In the age of MySpace, local artist Jake Trimble had an idea for something revolutionary, something that was online and collaborative, but that was a little more like “ourspace.” The creation was the Website Its1am.com, a site where people share poems, sketches, photos, even thoughts— mostly random thoughts. Trimble drew the name of the site from a submission he received that read simply: “In a car with two girls, its 1 a.m. And I kinda feel like shit. This is nice; this is summer.” Like all submissions, it is posted without the name of the contributor—a purposeful decision by Trimble, which not only lends the art anonymity but also something universal. Many submissions are photos of scrawls from diaries or notebooks, light sketches or single line poems. The site proves that anonymous Internet commentary can actually be something beautiful, and owned and enjoyed by everybody.
Its1Am.com

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David James, KUTV 2

It seems like James has had a stranglehold on this category for ages, but it wasn’t that long ago that he usurped regular winner Mike Runge. And all he does to keep his edge is to keep working: as a broadcaster for KUTV 2, as host of Jazz flagship radio station KFNZ’s morning show, as host of Jazz pre- and post-game television programs. His quick wit gives him a distinctive flavor in an over-saturated sports-radio market, while his casual charm makes him a natural for TV. Somehow, in a world where sports fandom can often seem obnoxious, he makes it seem OK to be a smart, reasonable lover of the games.

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Fox 13

Many posture that local TV news affiliates are a joke, but while Fox 13’s fun-loving crew often makes us laugh, their antics accentuate rather than detract from the quality of their broadcast. From Big Budah’s jolly approach to monster truck rallies and home gardening expos on Good Day Utah to evening anchors who seem downright approachable, Fox 13 proves that reporters can do serious work without taking themselves too seriously.
Fox13Now.com


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John Hollenhorst, KSL 5

After nearly three decades in the business, you might wonder when KSL 5’s John Hollenhorst might start getting cranky. Or burned out. Neither appears to be the case. Hollenhorst is a true journeyman of the news trade—thorough, balanced, with a keen sense of where he’s going with a story, instead of seeming to make it up as the video rolls. His coverage of last year’s tedious raid on the FLDS compound in Texas was the best on local TV; he remained cool, knew his topic and grabbed a couple of scoops in the process. Hollenhorst can even make a water conservation story sound compelling. Now that’s some skill.

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UtahStories.com

Lord help us ever since our reality was taken over by hostile beings from a strange world called the blogosphere. A strange dimension, which, while providing its share of fun, creative and witty bloggers also opened up a world of “citizen journalists” covering the political beat from their mother’s basement study, dumping their editorial rage and uncorked quiet desperation out into the interweb for all to see and marvel at, and be disgusted by. Thankfully, one site is chucking away with the weblog and running a site aiming for real everyman/woman journalism. Richard Markosian started UtahStories.com after leaving the corporate world to start a documentary filmmaking career. Since creating UtahStories.com, his site’s emphasis has been on local stories by local people. With contributors ranging from pole-dance instructors to Salt Lake City Councilman Soren Simonsen, the site not only embraces citizen journalism, but community journalism. The site editorializes and throws its own opinion around, but the agenda is clearly spelled out. And the format is a nice blend of text and video. Like from another world, this is how citizen journalism was meant to be.
UtahStories.com


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Hope Woodside, Fox 13

Next year, Hope Woodside will have to give points to the other anchors. This marks her 12th successive win. More than a TV anchor, Woodside has become a phenomenon with her own fanbase that carefully tracks her wardrobe night in and out. Those who watch News at Nine with the sound off, however, are missing some good journalism authoritatively delivered. As other TV news stations continue turning the anchor merry-go-round, the friendly Woodside is likely only to cement her position as the trusted face of Utah TV news.
Fox13Now.com


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The Provo Daily Herald

The California Supreme Court’s decision to strike down an anti-marriage law that discriminated against gays and lesbians sent ripples throughout the homophobic community—particularly in Utah. Within hours of the court’s announcement, Utah’s daily newspapers’ message boards filled up with the usual anti-gay/pro-gay babble. (Interestingly, the most horrifying, send-the-queers-to-the-gas-chambers bigoted statements appeared on The Salt Lake Tribune’s site, with the Deseret News’ site apparently frequented only by the somewhat unhinged.) The Herald’s message board, however, included the highest proportion of gay-supportive message of the three dailies. Lest anybody get the idea that an outbreak of sanity had descended on Happy Valley, a Jan. 2 Herald editorial and Web poll showed broad support for Facebook’s decision to remove a photo of Provo mom Heather Farley breast-feeding her child in a flower garden. Pro-equality, but not pro-breast—who says consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds?
HeraldExtra.com


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Mark Koelbel, KUTV

More than just another pretty face, KUTV 2 anchorman Mark Koelbel is not afraid to step out from behind the desk and get his hands dirty—as he did while covering the 2007 Crandall Canyon Mine rescue operation near Huntington. Koelbel has a knack for marshalling the technical aspects of difficult stories that often elude lesser minds, yet brings a human touch to the often robotic world of TV journalism. Plus, he looks very happy to be playing the drums in that YouTube video. Rock on, Mark!
KUTV.com


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Gavin Sheehan, KUTV.com

TV news stations are often out to lunch on the local scene, which is why folks are surprised KUTV 2’s Gavin Sheehan stays up to date on the latest in Salt Lake City arts and entertainment—if they discover him at all. Not sure if his co-workers are jealous much, but the station’s Website doesn’t include Sheehan on its main blog roll, instead burying him in the games section (good luck finding it). Such neglect is a shame, considering the subjects that populate Sheehan’s writing. He ventures off the beaten path to score interviews with, say, the local designer behind “SL,UT,” or a couple of bands whose gear got stolen while they were sleeping. He attends every downtown gallery stroll and tries to feature new artists each month. Bottom line: Sheehan cares. And, unfortunately, these days that’s pretty rare.
KUTV.com

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Radio From Hell, X96

Radio From Hell is a radio-land miracle. Where else can one find so many disparate features like infrequent interviews with hosts Bill and Kerry’s bastard child Kyle or daily boners? Or how about Punk’s Movies, where Punk treats listeners to a sampling of the creme-de-la-dregs of cinema, like the little known indie gem, Ninja Cheerleaders? And, yet what is most miraculous is that such an ecelectic array of RFH features are strung together with all the humor you expect and none of the typical ass-hat, disc jockey sound effects and shenanigans. Credit here is due to the incredible triumvirate of Kerry, Bill and Gina. Whether it’s Kerry explaining how conversations with check-out clerks must go because no one cares that you gave up on carbonated beverages six months ago, or Bill interjecting in a session between a caller and love-psychic Margaret Ruth to bolster the caller’s confidence by getting her to repeat that her ex is a “douche-nozzle,” or Gina’s never ending crusade against being labeled a cougar, the cement that holds the bricks of X96’s Radio From Hell together are the combined forces of KBG.
X96.com/rfh


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The Sugar Bowl

The U’s defeat of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl could not have gone unnoticed by BYU fans. As sweet as the Utes’ victory was, however, it could easily taste bitter in a Cougar’s mouth. A surprising number of Cougs, however, had the class to cheer on their familiar nemesis Jan. 2 rather than succumbing under the Crimson Tide. While such folks—whom KSL 5 reporter Paul Nelson dubbed “BYUtes”—often justified their support as a calculated response to the arcane vagaries of BCS politics regarding the Mountain West Conference, we prefer to see it as good sportsmanship mixed with regional pride—and perhaps even reason to hope for a more congenial future.

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Black Gold Cattle Company Testicle Festival

There are festivals to celebrate every peculiar culinary taste known to man, so why not a celebration of noshing on what once swung proudly beneath a bull? Rocky Mountain Oysters are on the menu every spring in Woodruff, where visitors have a chance to sample deep-fried bull gonads—call it a “sack lunch.” These may not be everyone’s cup of tea(bag), but proceeds go to charity and the event provides countless opportunities for sophomoric punning. What, you thought we’d be above such nonsense? Nuts to that.

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Hill Aerospace Museum

Yearning for the good old days when the commies were the bad guys and we had them in check with nuclear missiles and B-52s? Return to those Cold War days at the Hill Air Force Base Aerospace Museum where you can get up close and personal with a thermonuclear bomb and an ICBM or two, then stroke the bellies of yesterday’s war planes. Load the kids into the car and take Interstate 15 to Roy. The museum is open seven days a week, every day of the year, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s—and it’s free. Afterward, conclude your nostalgia trip with Dr. Strangelove on DVD with a brace of Twinkies and a cream soda.
Hill Air Force Base, Interstate 15, Exit 338, Roy, 801-777-6868, Hill.af.mil/library/museum

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Springville Art Museum

Who knew that nestling in the sleepy heart of Springville is one of the largest collections of Russian art in the good old U.S. of A? Springville Art Museum, run by longtime director and Russian and Utah art specialist Vern Swanson, boasts enormous, sprawling canvases that celebrate social-issue narrative painting at its best. Swanson believes Utah’s artists, who tend to have a more relaxed dedication to landscapes, can only benefit from the Russian masters. While it’s hard to see any cross-fertilization between communist agit-prop and a splendid Timpanogos landscape, it’s fun to imagine.
126 E. 400 South, Springville, 801-489-2727, SMA.nebo.edu



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The Little Red Riding Hood Century Ride

Whether you or the woman in your life are a seasoned cyclist or just beginning to get your feel for two wheels, this all-female “Little Red” is the perfect place to begin. It begins in Cache County’s Wellsville and wends its way through lovely rolling hills and long flats through the verdant Cache Valley. Sponsored by the Bonneville Cycling Club every year on the first Saturday in June, the ride’s ultimate length is a tad more than a true century—104 miles. But there are several distances in between for women of all skill levels, including 35-, 45-, 62- and 80-mile legs. Last year’s ride was cold and wet, but the event is always a blast, and there weren’t many serious complaints. Register on the BBTC Website

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Sorensen Unity Center seed exchange

The more you think local, the more the idea of vegetable gardening makes sense. Those who have embraced this idea are part of a “growing” community. At the end of January, an event sponsored by the People’s Market allows enthusiasts to share their favorite heirloom seeds with other gardeners, and to pick up unique specialty items that aren’t likely to show up in a garden shop or on a supermarket shelf. Not only can you eat locally, you can eat things you’ve never even heard of before.
SLCPeoplesMarket.org

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Salt Lake Art Center & Salt Lake County Jail’s A.C.E Exhibit

From prison walls to gallery walls, inmates at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail are finding an artistic opportunity in, of all places, the lockup. Inmates’ good behavior is rewarded by being able to take part in a special six-week-long art program, thanks to a partnership with the Salt Lake Art Center. The program, started in 2007 by curator Jay Heuman and co-taught by Annie Kennedy and Rick Nast, has given inmates a chance not only to learn the art basics but to receive a background in art history, styles and theories, all culminating in a final project done on a simple theme. The resulting works provide sometimes jarring, yet poignantly simple and beautiful, displays of the artists’ understanding of their own challenging lives.
20 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City, 801-328-4201, SLArtCenter.org


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Pilar Pobil

Every June, Spanish artist Pilar Pobil opens her gorgeous Avenues mansion for a three-day soiree of catered food and guest painters. Although you have to pay $15 to get in—it goes to charity—there’s far more than sipping wine and munching on snacks while you jostle for standing room in her garden. It’s not just the artwork hanging in every conceivable nook and cranny of the garden and outside walls that’s something to behold. It’s the extraordinary way artwork mixes with sprays of flowers and resplendent bushes in the fading summer light to form the perfect balance of art and nature. An art gallery never smelled so sweet.
PilarPobil.com

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Shahravar

In the competitive world of Salt Lake City belly dancing, it’s difficult—and perhaps dangerous—to pick a favorite. Shahravar, however, stands apart. Far from a staunch traditionalist, she never fails to surprise with her selection of unusual songs, props and costuming. It’s this kind of innovation that is turning the dance orientale into a uniquely American art form—and hers is a belly that audiences are always happy to see.

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Alta

Celebrating its 70th season, Alta has modernized with fast lifts and more comfortable lodges. Still, Alta feels like a place people come to ski rather than to model the latest mink-trimmed Bogner. Lift tickets remain inexpensive (relatively speaking) and there are free beginner-skiing afternoons. Alta averages 500 inches each year of dry powder manufactured nowhere else in the world but the Wasatch. (Last year, it totaled 700 inches.) In-bounds experiences include everything from blue groomers to a run called Eddie’s High Nowhere that requires entering an “experts only” gate and traversing an outcropping while clutching a rope before hiking to the top of a steep crevice. Snowboarders, alas will have to take their skiing friends’ word for it. Alta remains skiing only—snowboarders couldn’t handle the chutes.
Little Cottonwood Canyon, 801-359-1078, Alta.com


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Physics Building Observatory, U of U

Boldly go where few have gone before. On Wednesday nights, when the sky is clear, University of Utah physics students open the observatory on the roof of the South Physics Building for stargazing parties. They set up two telescopes so you can view stars and even distant galaxies. Hosts Paul Ricketts and Cierra Blair cheerfully fill the gaps in your astronomical knowledge. Dress for weather conditions. Bring a thermos of coffee on a cold night. The Physics Building is adjacent to Kingsbury Hall on the lower campus, just off 100 South. Take the stairs to the roof.
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 801-587-7223, Utah.edu/astro

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Delta Snow Goose Festival

In the community of Delta, the locals say goodbye to winter by welcoming back thousands of elegant snow geese during the annual Snow Goose Festival. Take a gander at gaggle upon gaggle of these impressive birds as they make their noisy, honking landing in Delta every year near the end of February. The locals plan a variety of events around the homecoming that are worth checking out while you’re in town, but the main attraction is the birds. So, if you’re new to town and not sure of your bearings, don’t worry—it would be pretty hard to miss the thousands of regal (if obnoxious sounding) birds blotting the sky and splashing in Gunnison Bend reservoir and its surrounding lakes, ponds and wetlands.
DeltaGooseFestival.info

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Sil Lum Gung Fu Club

If you celebrate the Chinese New Year, you’ll definitely want to start it off right: with a good lion-head dance to scare off all the bad demons that were holding you back the previous year. Lucky for you, the West Valley Sil Lum Gung Fu (“Kung Fu” to Westerners) Club puts on as many as 60 Lion Head dances, mostly in February. The club takes the rigorous traditional dance to venues throughout the Salt Lake Valley, where the ornamental lion heads dance to a frantic drum-and-gong beat. Check the Website for details—and, if you ever dreamed of being a dancing lion head yourself, you might want to check out joining the Gung Fu Club. That way, you can get your kicks through a time-honored martial art and folk dance.
4690 W. 3500 South, West Valley City, 801-712-2745, SilLumUtah.net


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Steiner Aquatic Center

Man, do we have it easy or what? Even residents of big-name cities like New York City and Portland have a hard time finding a clean, affordable place to swim. Most folks have to settle with the crowded YMCA or shell out serious dough for a fancy gym membership. Not us, though. We have Steiner, an easily accessible public facility equipped with not one but two pristine pools—a 25-yard indoor and 50-yard outdoor water paradise. Everyone’s welcome, from masters sharks to weekend warriors and seniors who say their water-aerobics classes are a great way to feel young again.
645 S. Guardsman Way, Salt Lake City, 801-583-9713, Recreation.slco.org/slcsports


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Outdated City Maps

The “You Are Here”-type signboards went up everywhere before the 2002 Olympics and, no doubt, helped many an out-of-towner find his or her way around. They’ve remained there ever since and now pose a trap for unwary travelers who, following the signs’ suggested “walking tour,” are likely as not to end up wandering around among construction zones and empty lots in search of pleasures and attractions that no longer exist. It’s time either to update the maps or take them down entirely before some tourist falls in a hole.

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Desert Rocks Festival

Moab was made for a jam-band festival; it must be the very spot God was talking about when He looked down from the heavens and said, “Let there be rock!” Oh, sure, the downtown types, with their three-minute songs and permanently harshed mellows might scoff at 12-minute guitar solos—but where else can you camp out in the desert for four days, get growler refills for $6, and trip out on the Mother Hips, ALO and Hot Buttered Rum?
Moab, DesertRocks.org

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Falcon’s Ledge, Altamont

It isn’t easy to become an Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing lodge, but Falcon’s Ledge was named Orvis’ Fly Fishing Lodge of the Year in 2001. That’s why fly-fishing aficionados flock from around the world to Altamont during fly-fishing season: to let the river run through them. From first-time rookies to top-notch pros, the angling instructors at Altamont can teach everyone a thing or two about the intricacies of fly fishing at the private trophy stillwaters of Falcon’s Ledge. Oh, and in season, bird shooting prevails.
SR-87, Altamont, 435-454-3737, FalconsLedge.com

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Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Nothing beats the Mack—that infamous silvery beast skulking in the waters of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir straddling Utah and Wyoming. The Mackinaw, or lake trout, is the fiercest challenge a Utah angler stands to match bait and hook against, and for sheer size, there are no better waters for these incredible sport fish than at Flaming Gorge. At 91 miles long, the reservoir offers a vast habitat full of nutrients for a variety of trophy fish to survive and thrive. The lake trout are the major monsters in these waters, with anglers regularly pulling in 30-pound-plus Macks every year (the Utah record is held by a 50-plus pounder out of Flaming Gorge). Big fish like the Mackinaw and German browns reach such enormous sizes by feasting off the Gorge’s buffet of “smaller” fish, including Kokanee salmon (which still come in at 5 or 6 pounds). Even in winter months, anglers reported pulling out Macks up to 2 feet long. If you’re ready to match rod, reel and willpower against these beasts, then plan your next aquatic safari at the Gorge.
Utah.com/nationalsites/flaming_gorge.htm


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Little Cottonwood Canyon

Everyone calls it granite, but most of it is actually quartz monzonite—the same stuff they used to build the LDS Salt Lake Temple. But, in Little Cottonwood Canyon, it’s still raw. And it’s those rugged outcroppings that climbers cannot wait to get their hands on. Here, they’ll find dozens of buttresses and gullies to be climbed, mostly on the sunnier north side of the canyon, including favorites such as The Fin, Gate Buttress and the Schoolroom. With its multi-pitch traditional routes, shorter sport routes, bouldering and even ice-climbing routes, LCC offers a lifetime of killer climbs ... and it’s right here, as they say, in our own backyard.
2. The Front
3. Momentum

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Body Worlds 3

The bodies, all 200 of them, were dead ... and yet these skinless, naked plastinated specimens seemed eerily alive, illuminated in intimate black-box galleries, about to lunge at you at any moment, eyes bulging, organs protruding, one with a bow and arrow, another about to throw a javelin, while the sound of a heartbeat rhythm pulsed in the background. Even a chicken, a lamb and a camel come at you in various dissected states. What better Halloween setting could there be? Little wonder that, by the end of October 2008, The Leonardo marked its 100,000th visitor during the run of Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ traveling science extravaganza, which continued through January 2009. Beats the hell of a cold, muddy corn maze.
The Leonardo at Library Square, 209 E. 500 South, Salt Lake City, TheLeonardo.org

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Howl-a-Ween

It’s hard to imagine a more fitting Halloween parade for Park City than Howl-a-Ween. Dedicated to the local dog-loving population, the sight of owners and their dressed-up mutts strutting their stuff down a cordoned-off Main Street will bring a smile to the most hardened of cynics. Along with the more obvious witches and princesses, there were mummies, astronauts and some poor dog even had to sport a tutu. The only question is where all the children come from who go trick or treating in the stores on Main Street before the parade. Given the local inhabitants’ obvious overweening passion for our four-footed friends, it’s hard to imagine anyone up there has time or interest for kids in the first place.
Main Street, Park City

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Snowbird

This global warming ain’t all bad. Sure, climate trends eventually mean that the only skiing in Utah will be by helicopter—and the Salt Lake Valley will turn into a dust bowl—but, for now, messed-up weather patterns mean the greatest snow on earth starts before Thanskgiving and keeps going well into summer. It was snowing in the mountains last June, with the tops of Big and Little Cottonwood canyons getting 2 feet in a day. Snowbird was open on Father’s Day. The resort’s late-season skiing is made possible by the tram, which carries skiers directly to the top at nearly 11,000 feet. Skiers were able to take runs all day on the Little Cloud lifts, then ride the tram back down to the bottom. The only problem was that the resort’s traditional summer activities, such as its zip line, had to delay opening because of the snowpack.
Highway 210, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird, 801-933-2222, Snowbird.com


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Brighton

Alta might be for skiers, but Brighton is for snowboarders. Brighton doesn’t release its snowboarder-vs.-skier numbers, but a glance around the lift line confirms snowboarders outnumber skiers. So, if camaraderie is your thing, this is the place to feel at home. Brighton also has four well-maintained and -designed terrain parks, plus a half pipe. Park director Jared Winkler creates some of the best lines and utilizes diverse features such as wall rides, jumps, boxes and even lift-tower jibs. With the parks open until 9 p.m., Brighton provides the opportunity to hone your skills while others are already getting their apres-ski on.
12601 E. Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, Brighton, 801-532-4731, BrightonResort.com
2. Snowbird
3. Solitude


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Red Butte Gardens

Red Butte Garden isn’t just a lovely place to spend a spring day; it’s an educational opportunity, too. Kids visiting the gardens can get a special backpack of goodies to enhance the experience, including fun facts about flora and fauna and a magnifying glass for close-up study. Come for the beauty—the kids will leave without even realizing that you sneaked an educational field trip into their day.
300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, 801-581-4747, RedButteGarden.org

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Bonneville

Even while you’re shanking your ball into the golfer next to you, you can at least enjoy the spectacular scenery surrounding Bonneville. The course on the East Bench offers views of the mountains and the Salt Lake Valley. Actually, you don’t even need to look up to be inspired, particularly when faced with teeing off into a ravine on the hilly course that follows the natural contours of the foothills. Bonneville opened in 1929 and is one of the most mature courses in the valley. At 6,834 yards from the back tees, it’s also very challenging. Just think of it as a nature walk when hunting for a ball in the wooded areas.
954 Connor St., Salt Lake City, 801-583-9513
2. Mountain Dell
3. Old Mill

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BEST SOCCER COACH

Jason Kreis, Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake soccer coach Jason Kreis had the last laugh at the end of the 2008 season when his team made the playoffs. He gutted the roster, imported some South American and European talent and some top-notch U.S. players, and built a team with heart. By the last games of 2008, his boys were playing the European-style soccer he so admires, passing the ball around in midfield, building up attacks and scoring goals. First, Kreis made a believer of his teammates. This season, no doubt, he hopes to do the same with spectators. And he doesn’t take “no” for an answer.
Real.SaltLake.MLSNet.com

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Pegleg Paintball Ogden

For the weekend warrior, nothing helps vent the workweek worries like all-out paintball combat. Thankfully, Utah’s own Pegleg Paintball has created a sprawling outdoor “woodball” field at its Ogden location. Owner Dale Price is the original “Pegleg” and tells his story online. The massive 8-acre field has numerous hills, bunkers and even a forest spreading over half of it for that jungle-warfare feel. The field also has a replica small town so you can experience a CO2-charged re-enactment of the gunfight at the OK Corral if you’re up for it. For the fan of shorter speed games—“hyperball,” as the aficionados call it—the field also boasts two smaller fields with hyper tubes and bunkers set up for intense, high-speed games. The outdoor field (open only on Saturdays) is very accommodating, since it is located right next to the Ogden Pegleg shop, making it easy to rent guns, buy more paint, refill air and even get small technical problems fixed quickly before getting right back into the action.
291 W. 33rd St., Ogden, 801-866-1122, PeglegPaintball.com


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ATK rocket display

Box Elder County is not only the home of the historical event portrayed on our state coin—the driving of the Golden Spike—it’s also where many of America’s rockets are born. Just a few miles from the Golden Spike National Historic Site, ATK (formerly Thiokol) has decorated its front lawn with an array of its most important creations: the reusable fuel boosters for the space-shuttle program as well as Patriot and Minuteman missiles. Whether you’re interested in weaponry or in peaceful exploration, it makes an impressive snapshot backdrop for you, and it’s free to the public.
Route 83, NW of Brigham City, Promontory



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Salt Lake Regional Wild Horse and Burro Center

Did you know that Congress finds wild free-roaming horses and burros to be living symbols of the West, that they enrich the lives of the American people and that, since it was felt they were fast disappearing, it became the Bureau of Land Management’s job to make sure they thrived? That duty has come to mean that the BLM gathers a good many wild horses and burros at various centers nationwide and makes them available for adoption at low cost to people who prove willing and capable to provide for them, and who will hopefully, “gentle” them. The Salt Lake Regional Wild Horse and Burro Center has 70 acres of land near Herriman bucking with equine life. Take your preteen daughters there for a My Friend Flicka good time.
8605 W. 12600 South, Herriman, 801-561-4632, UtahOutdoorActivities.com/SaltLakeWildHorse.html

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Liberty Park

Sprawling over 80 downtown Salt Lake City acres, Liberty Park provides the perfect place for a midday getaway, whatever your circumstance. A romantic twosome can find a place under a huge tree near the picturesque pond. A family with kids can take time after lunch to visit Tracy Aviary. Even kids with special physical needs can enjoy the all-abilities playground. You bring the food, nature provides a lovely day, and Liberty Park has everything else you might require.
700 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City


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Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge Spa

Sometimes city dwellers forget about amenities offered by the ski resorts that bejewel our mountain peaks. Snowbird, in particular, features the Cliff Lodge spa that can provide a year-round reprieve from the daily grind with killer mountain views. If you have the money for a massage, energy treatment, facial or herbal wrap, then by all means, indulge yourself. There’s even a couples’ herbal wrap with two therapists! But for those who just want to avail themselves of the outdoor rooftop pool and hot tub or a eucalyptus steam bath followed by a period of contemplation and relaxation in the solarium, just scrounge up $20 and you’re in for a relaxing day.
Highway 210, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird, 801-933-2225, Snowbird.com


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Erin Geesaman Rabke

Suffer the effects of Earth’s gravity long enough and you, too, will begin to find evidence that your body is trashed. Those random aches and pains will gain the upper hand, and all your glory days as conquering rugby hero or snowboarder dude will seem like a cruel joke. What to do? Find out when and where Erin Geesaman Rabke is holding her next restorative yoga retreat. These workshops are all about finding the most comfortable position imaginable and breathing your way to deep and profound relaxation. The miracle is that you learn what your body feels like when it’s truly relaxed. Highly credentialed and eminently approachable, Geesaman Rabke also offers classes through U of U continuing education.
BodyHappy.com

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Tanner Park

Trail redesigns may change the dynamics of this popular spot for pooches and their humans, but it’s sure to remain a favorite whether the canines are on-leash or off. Enjoy the walking paths of the park itself, or venture into the gully (plastic bag at the ready, naturally) to mix and mingle with the other pets and their owners. Fences keep the nearby freeway from being a risk to pets, while the creek and trails offer plenty of places to explore and play.
2760 S. 2700 East, Salt Lake City


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Scandinavian Heritage Festival

It doesn’t take more than a glance at a Utah phone book—with all its various Jensens, Christensens and Sorensens—to realize that plenty of natives trace their heritage back to Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. Every year, more than 10,000 people come out on Memorial Day weekend (May 21-23, 2009) to celebrate that heritage at Snow College in Ephraim. Attend the Scandinavian Heritage Conference to listen to classic storytelling in the style of Hans Christian Andersen, or enjoy a little Scandinavian supper. In Sanpete County each May, everyone is velkommen.
435-835-4241, ScandinavianHeritageFestival.com


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Lagoon’s OdySea

During all those visits to Disneyland over the years, have you ever stopped and thought, “Wouldn’t this be even more awesome if I was getting sprayed in the face?” Lagoon’s OdySea, which opened in 2008, introduces a water-oriented theme to the classic spin-and-fly ride, as rider-controlled gondolas allow you to cruise above, below or directly into the paths of water jets.
375 N. Lagoon Drive, Farmington, LagoonPark.com

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Old Greektown

Old Greektown
That dimly lit stretch of West 200 South was, for a while, one of the sketchier areas in town, better known for its homeless shelter than for its shopping, restaurants or nightlife. Those few intrepid businesses that did manage to carve out a niche in the urban jungle were done in by TRAX construction (like Orbit Cafe, may it rest in peace), or nearly were (fortunately, Hong Kong Café is doing fine—long may it prosper). When the Old Greektown station went online in 2008, it was like a fresh breeze blowing in—and the area is fast becoming one of Salt Lake City’s funkiest fresh neighborhoods

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Best of Utah 2009: Active Life

Under the direction of Shilo Jackson and Davina Pallone, Kayo has not only maintained founder Kenny Riches’ original vision of a small-town gallery with a big-city feel but also has blossomed into the place to catch emerging talent. Locals exhibit monthly with the occasional out-of-state guest including San Francisco’s Oyster Pirates sharing wall space with Utah artist Sri Whipple. And, when the unknowns become big deals, they return to the place that first gave them complete control of their work and presentation.
177 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City, 801-532-0080, KayoGallery.com


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Best of Utah 2009

They like X96 and the Radio From Hell show, they like Fox 13 News and anchor Hope Woodside, they like Area 51 for dancing, they like Trails for dancers, they like the Blue Plate Diner for breakfast, they like the Red Iguana for Mexican food, they like The Pie for pizza, they like Squatters for beer—these are just a few of our perennial Readers’ Choice winners; you get the idea.

We added around 300 of our own ideas to yours: New places and people, new looks at old favorites, and we still couldn’t quite get to everyone and everything we like about Utah. That old “pretty, great state” chestnut must finally be coming true.

We’d like to think that City Weekly readers deserve as much credit for that as BOU ’09 cover boy Jon Huntsman Jr. (aka Jonny the Private Club Slayer), and the following 116 pages/rounds are on us. iSalud!


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And what about restaurants?

http://www.utah.com/database/restaurants/


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Trip packages Utah

Wanted to find out some good deals on trips?

http://www.utah.com/trip_packages/

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Utah travel store

It's all here:

http://www.utah.com/store/

Utah weddings

Hot deals In Utah

Always been looking for good ones and found some here

http://www.utah.com/database/hot_deals/?id=0


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Looking for Utah Maps?

Take a look here

http://www.utah.com/maps/





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All Utah Events

You can find them all here

http://www.utah.com/database/events/?id=0


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Utah camping

With over 7,000 improved campsites and virtually unlimited primitive camping, few states can compete with the variety of camping opportunities found in Utah. Highlights include alpine camping in the Uinta highlands or one of the many other high mountain ranges; desert camping among the cacti and Manzanita brush of Utah's red rock country; boat camping on Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge, or one of the many other lakes and reservoirs; primitive camping in a wilderness area, or a more civilized put-in at one of the state's national parks, national forests or state parks.

So many choices
With so many camping opportunities available, one of the most difficult aspects of Utah camping can be deciding where to go. The easiest way to narrow your selection is to first determine what you want to do there: fish, hike, mountain bike, boat, raft, etc. Some areas, like the national parks, lend themselves more to hiking than fishing. Other camping areas offer both. Many of the camping areas require that you make a reservation or buy a permit to camp there. Limits on length of stay may vary as well, so make sure you inquire when you look into reservations.

Next, determine what amenities you want in your preferred campsite. Amenities will vary from campground to campground. Do you want an improved campsite with barbecue grills, running water and toilets? Or would you prefer an unimproved campground with only a fire pit. (Beware: Some campgrounds don't allow open pit fires.) Some facilities may even include hot showers and full utility hookups. The Regional Campground Directory later in this book lists the amenities available at each campground
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Utah Nature pictures

Nice recourse click Here

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Photo composition

Photo composition is the foundation upon which we build our photo images by the correct selection, arranging, organizing and combining the visual elements within the picture area to produce a harmonious and pleasing photograph.

The following rules of photo-composition are for guidance only, not for absolute and complete obedience by photographers. No picture was ever made by rules alone, since Photo-Composition involves your personal tastes and preferences. Your natural instincts are worth more in photography than many rigid rules.

However, your must know the rules before you can break them and only break them when you have a good reason for improving the photographic image.

Photo-Composition is based on artistic composition up to a certain point. The artists of old always used composition in all their works and of course broke the rules when they thought it was necessary for the improvement of the painting or drawing.

Artists of course have the advantage over the photographer. They can move objects around in their picture frame to suit their own artistic desires. Thus, if a tree is not in the right place in Nature, the Artist will move it to another place on his canvas to make a better composition. If a fence or house is not situated correctly in the natural scene the Artist moves them around to suit his own artistic needs.

Photographers are limited to the use of objects in the scene before them. But that does not mean they have to photograph them like a tourist, head on, without looking around for the best angle and lighting conditions in which to take the photograph.

A photographer�s job is much harder than that of an artist who can take artistic liberties by moving objects around to suit their needs. The photographer must find a scene that has the best composition by finding the right angle, choosing the right lenses, being there at the right time of day for the best lighting condition and using creative exposures.


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Nikon technology

I really like Nikon's Dust reduction system.
Special should be taken when changing lenses in order to avoid the possibility of dirt or dust entering the camera. Once inside the camera, foreign matter may adhere to the low-pass filter and show up in photographs. To help prevent the appearance of these artifacts in photographs Nikon has created the Comprehensive Dust Reduction System. This system uses a series of high resonance frequencies to vibrate the optical low-pass filter. This dislodges dust on the front of the sensor and reduces dust spots appearing on images. This system combined with the existing Image Dust Off system in Capture NX 2 provides a full dust prevention system for photographers

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Fine Art

Beverly Hills wedding photographer Joe Buissink is my favorite photogrpaher. I learned a lot from his style. You can check his photos on his own web site

www.joebuissink.com


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it's all about experience

How client should be treated? What photogrpaher should and should not do during the photo session.

Experience Utah photography

D3S?

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the introduction of its newest FX-format digital SLR flagship for fast response and high light sensitivity: the Nikon D3S.

Standing on the shoulders of the world-renowned D3, the D3S takes the potential of Nikon's proprietary FX format to incredible new levels designed to meet or exceed a professional's high standards. The D3S delivers ISO 200 to ISO 12800 as standard, with the excellent noise control and wide dynamic range that the D3 is famous for. This provides photographers of any discipline with additional latitude to achieve quality images in most lighting situations. When needed, ISO sensitivity can be expanded from Lo 1 (ISO 100 equivalent) up to Hi 3 (ISO 102400 equivalent), making a significant difference in extremely low-lit shooting scenarios and other situations where faster shutter speeds or more depth of field is required.
.In a first for an FX-format flagship, the D3S incorporates the HD-quality D-Movie function, letting users take full advantage of the wide dynamic range and high ISO performance, including the breakthrough High-Sensitivity Movie mode. The D3S's D-Movie also offers compatibility with an external stereo recording microphone, as well as convenient in-camera editing functions such as the ability to select the starting or ending points in order to trim D-Movie footage, as well as the option to save selected movie frames as JPEGs. The D3S shoots approximately 9-frames-per-second high-speed continuous shooting in FX format and 11 fps in DX format, with a buffer twice the size of the D3's. These features, along with a 0.04-second* shutter release time lag and improved AF accuracy work seamlessly for lightning-fast responses. Various improvements in ergonomics, operation, and reliability, such as image sensor cleaning, will help photographers focus on shooting under any conditions. When combined with state-of-the-art NIKKOR lenses and the Nikon Total Imaging System, which includes Nikon Speedlights, wireless transmitters and various software, the D3S delivers exceptional quality and versatility for an unprecedented variety of professional and personal assignments.


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Getting cold

No more fall leaves, it's al about snow now. I hope the models won't get frozen when shooting outside. There are some great locations to shoot with mountains becoming white. Some of them are in the Little Cottonwood Canyon, some are in American Fork Canyon

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Nikon D90

Amazing camera, but it's not for shooting video, even though it has HD video mode to shoot in HD. Sound is very bad if you don't have external mic for this camera.



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Utah Wedding Photographer

There are so many photogrpahers in Utah. One of them is Alesandro Shavit. Please learn more about his photogrpahy at http://www.utah-weddingphoto.com