Open mic planned for Enders

It isn’t set in stone yet, but the Soda Springs Rec Department is working on plans to use the Enders building for a regular or semi-regular open mic night starting sometime next year.  The bimonthly night would be open to the public and free.  

The Enders Hotel is currently owned by the city, having been gifted to it by the Maughan family several years ago.  While “a blessing and a curse” is probably taking it too far, the status of the building has been something of an issue for the city administration as they work at figuring out how to best serve the interests Soda Springs as it is today, as well as the city’s history, of which Enders is an integral part.

The building has been the site of restaurants, a museum, a coffee bar, a gift shop, and other permutations over the years.  Most recently, the building was run as a hotel and event center. 

There are long term plans being evaluated at the state level to make the Enders and the nearby geyser the centerpieces of a state park.  The idea was proposed by mayor-elect Paul Gritton earlier in the year, and has gained the support of members of the current city council, the Caribou County Historical Society, and state Senator Mark Harris, among others.

“One thing I have learned,” Gritton noted during a recent city council meeting, “is that anything that involves that much government is going to take a long time.”  While the city waits to see what the next step for the building is, it has been renting it out for events to the public and local groups.  The Friends of the Library’s Festival of Trees is probably the largest event so far held in the location, along with the SSHS Homecoming dance, and a Turner job fair.  A rental agreement is available at the city office.

The building is a perfect location for all kinds of activities, and it is centrally located.    Rec Director Jessica Thurman and Assistant Rec Director Amber Torgesen have come up with an idea to use the building to fill a role that is mostly missing in Soda Springs—a large venue for music and poetry performances.  

The idea was first officially raised during the most recent city council meeting.  The initial plan, as presented, is to open the building to an open mic session on the  2nd and 4th weeks of the month on a day to be finalized.  

The idea, as presented to the council, is to provide an open venue for those who want to share their talents, but the event will be somewhat organically structured based on the attendees that week.  Thurman and Torgesen will encourage local writers, musicians, poets, and others to come share their talents.   Because the kitchen hood vent in the  building has not been inspected for official use, the kitchen will not be available.  As a result, Thurman stated that they would look at speaking with food trucks about providing quick food outside the venue.

The Rec Department has committed to clean up.  

It was the issue of cleanliness that caught the council’s attention most, although not in the obvious sense.  While the council received the proposal with interest, there was a little trepidation tied to the nature of the event.  Due to the fact that the event would truly be an open mic, members of the council wanted to make sure that the proceedings would be suitable for families with children.  “We want families involved in it,” Councilmember Ryan Carpenter said.  Councilmen Gritton and Worthington echoed the sentiment.  Thurman communicated that one of the Rec Department members would be in attendance during every event, and would make it quite clear through to all participants and attendees that it was intended as a family-friendly experience.    

There is a lot of talent in Caribou County, and this summer’s “Party at the Rock” show at Kelly Park demonstrated that there indeed was an appetite for musical performances in public venues.  Occasional comedy shows, book presentations, poetry readings, and similar events have had some success in the area, though the sporadic nature of them has sometimes made it so that many people were unaware they were happening until after the fact.  Having the open mics take place on a routine schedule—as giving a much larger group of local talents to participate—might alleviate some of those issues.

In any case, as Thurman and Torgesen explained, there won’t be any way of telling how well it might go until they try.  

An opening date has not been announced yet, but the Rec department tentatively plans to kick things off sometime early in the new year.  Stay tuned for more details as they become available.