Year in Review: Fun and Games
Fireman’s Dance has a great first year
First annual Valentine’s Dance.
In what is hoped will become a yearly tradition, the Soda Springs Fire Department sponsored a Valentines Dance for adults at TIgert Middle School. The dance, which was the only public semi-formal Valentines event on the calendar for the county, let couples come out to mingle, dance, catch up with friends, enjoy some dessert, and spend a rare night out away from the hustle and bustle of the week.
The idea came about as a recognition of the need for some sort of community-wide occasion for couples to spend time with each other and other couples in a fun setting. It might be noted that while those do exist, they are often focused on the couples’ kids. After discussions of some kind of event started, the Fire Department was seen as a logical sponsor for the event.
The event was well-attended and a hit with those who were there, so there’s a strong chance it will be returning next year, bigger and better!
Brain Games
The second “Brain Games” night was held early in the year at Tigert Middle School. The event was designed as a way for students to have a chance to compete against one another in events beyond the traditionally athletic. Scrabble, Chess, Checkers, Trivia, Lego building, and other games filled the activity room throughout the evening, as students and adults alike gathered for friendly competition and a chance to win prizes.
Presbyterian Soup Luncheon celebrates tradition of giving
The Luncheon tradition at the Presbyterian Church in Soda Springs is an annual one, with members of the community coming together in the spirit of the season to anticipate the coming of spring and the rebirth of the year.
Over past years, the church, due to its connections with a member from Africa, has donated funds toward various aquaculture and well projects on that continent. Marilyn Kukuchka explained that the money raised “will go toward developing another well in Ghana in the near future.”
Donkey Basketball in North Gem
It hasn’t quite made its way into the Olympics yet, but Donkey Basketball is a
Donkey Basketball in Bancroft.
sport that is certainly entertaining enough for it. As a fundraiser for the senior class at North Gem High School, a four team donkey basketball tournament was put on in the gym, featuring faculty and staff, North Gem alumni, and two student teams. At the end of the night, the students came out on top of the on court action, but no one went home without having been entertained! In addition to the event tickets, funds for seniors were raised through an auction of desserts contributed by members of the community. While three figures for two loaves of bread would be a bit exorbitant under normal circumstances, in this case the generosity of the students’ supporters will go a long way toward their senior trip fund.
Easter Walk returns
The Easter Walk returned.
Stake President Rich Evans of the Soda Springs stake was excited to bring the Easter Walk event back for its second year. The event, which allows visitors to walk through a series of rooms devoted to presenting thoughtful examinations of the days of Easter story, was a big success last year, bringing in visitors from around the area as well as surrounding areas. “We’ve made a few adjustments to smooth the flow out a little bit. We’ve gotten a lot of visitors from all over, whether Bancroft and Grace, or Montpelier area, or even farther out. It’s been really wonderful, and peaceful,” Evans said, summing up the experience of the Easter walk.
Resources for Veterans and First Responders
A Fair to provide information about the various services available to Caribou County’s veterans, as well as the sometimes overlooked first responders, was held at Tigert Middle School over the weekend. Jacob Hirsbrunner, of the VFW Post 9141 in Soda Springs, was one of the organizers of the event. “This is kind of a place where we hope people can come and find out about some of the things they didn’t know about before,” he said.
Little Bang Town rocks the park
As the culmination of months of blood, sweat, and tears, the North Gem music class, in the form of “Little Bang Town,” gave their end of year concert at the bandshell outside the school.
Little Bang Town in Bancroft.
Student members of Little Bag Town include Rusty Hatch, Indyanna Hatch, Kimberlie Jensen, Jack Curtis, Jackson Welker, Kaly Foster, Myken Rindlisbaker, Mercedez Mabey, Daly Frandsen, and Keegin Moreland. Most of the students took turns at the microphone, and while some stayed more or less with one instrument, others switched between several over the course of the afternoon.
Car Show highlights Father’s Day Weekend
The 27th annual Pizza’s Run Car Show filled the City Park in Soda Springs over the warm Father’s Day weekend with hundreds of visitors and seemingly endless rows of vehicles. There are few things dads love more than dragging their kids to car shows, unless it’s telling those kids about how if they would have held onto that car they had in high school it would be worth a fortune now or diving into a detailed explanation of the function of a carburetor. Luckily for the dads and kids in question, there were plenty of other dads on hand to have those conversations with, and plenty of activities to keep the kids busy in the meantime!
The Main Street Cruisers’ annual car show has become one of the premier events of its type in southeast Idaho, with people from all over the region making their way into town to show off their own vehicle projects and check out those of their fellow car enthusiasts.
Bancroft hosts Pioneer Day Fun!
The tradition of Pioneer Day festivities in Bancroft continued as scheduled this year, with a full slate of events including the busy Pioneer Day parade, hometown cooking at the Trading Post, Kids and Family Races at the football field, the iconic Bancroft Rodeo, a street dance featuring the Hatch Band and an impressive collection of line dancers, and nighttime fireworks that ended a great day celebrating the legacy and heritage of the Gem Valley in style.
Just past the halfway point of the year, the City of Bancroft has already been through a lot, with changes on the city council (due to the relocation of Nate Eiman out of the area and Rick Hatch out of the city limits), as well as the fires that dramatically impacted everyone in the Bancroft area, and Caribou County as a whole.
In the same way that agencies, residents, and volunteers from all around the county came together to help in the immediate emergency of the fires, people poured into Bancroft to celebrate the pioneering spirit and grit of the town.
The parade was led by Grand Marshal Kareen Crockett of Chesterfield, and saw an assortment of floats and participants that included county and city officials, local and area businesses, and some entertaining surprises. As always, there was more candy than is probably healthy, although who’s counting sugar calories on a holiday other than dentists?
A fundraiser and sale of donated items took place as well during the afternoon for the Kofoed family. Karen Kofoed’s home—the oldest remaining home in the Bancroft townsite—was badly damaged during the June fires. She is currently living with her family in Lava Hot Springs. Her son Tommy is beginning the daunting work of serving as the general contractor on a restoration/rebuilding project which is in its early stages. The extent to which it might be necessary to completely gut the upper levels of the house are not fully clear yet, but the combination of smoke and fire damage and then countless gallons of water pouring into the attic during fire suppression mean that it is primarily the “bones” of the house that can be saved to restore the house from.
The afternoon saw the action move over to the North Gem field, where first up were the standard kids races, with coin payouts for the winners. Kids of increasingly advanced years crawled, toddled, ran, and then sprinted through increasing lengths of field until the contests turned more…unique. Races of four family members at once, six family members at once, races done backwards, piggyback races, wheelbarrow races, and more kept everyone laughing until right up to the start of the Rodeo.
For many people, the end of the rodeo was the perfect time to head home for a quick nap while the hottest part of the day burned itself out. By the time the street dance got underway at Teuscher Square, the weather was just about perfect. The Hatch band, truly a family endeavor, played a mix of country and rock tunes for those who wanted to dance, or just enjoy a nice sit and visit. It was a nice image to behold as the town came together out in front of the east side buildings that had also been damaged by the fire and danced the evening away. Everyone got in on the act, from 8 months to, well, more than 80 years old, and one of the largest street dance line dances going spontaneously picked up every few songs.
As the sun fell below the mountains to the west, foot traffic headed down the street to the field for an impressive fireworks display that lit up the night sky and brought smiles to the faces of all the kids and kids at heart that made their way down to celebrate Pioneer Day, Bancroft, Caribou County, and living life in the best places to be!
Search and Rescue Salmon Feed
Members of the Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, as well as their supporters held the fort at the City Park in Soda Springs, where they cooked up Alaskan Salmon to raise money for equipment and supplies. Caribou County Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization that helps out with emergencies on a quick-response basis throughout Caribou and surrounding counties. In addition to the wildland search contained in its name, the group can be mobilized to support other agencies in a variety of life-saving efforts.
Some of the equipment that has been purchased in the past as a result of donations and fundraising were on display at the park, including motorcycles, an ATV trailer, mobile radio equipment to increase communication around the valley at remote locations, and more.
Main Street Cruises for a Friend
Sheri Allen Rider is someone many people know by voice, if not in person. If you only know her by voice, then she is someone you have relied upon in your life, just as she is for the hundreds of people who turned out at the Liberty dealership on Saturday to support her battle against cancer. Rider is a dispatcher, and has been at least as long as Dan Squires has been the Chief of Police.
The Main Street Cruisers have been putting on a Cruise for a Cause event annually, to honor one of their own, or one who quickly becomes their own, who is dealing with a serious medical situation.
This is the fourth year that the group has held the event, and each time for those facing cancer. Sheri joins Tyson, Marty, and Krew on the esteemed list. One of the organizers, Ryan Carpenter, explained that the Cruise for a Cause had started pretty organically. “We did it for Ty and we were like ‘Man, that was cool. We need to do it again.’”
Another member of the Main Street Cruisers, Dan Squires, was also involved in making this year’s event for Sheri. “Squires, when he started as the Fire Chief, Sheri was the dispatcher on his very first fire, and they’ve been together ever since. One day he told me that Sheri had cancer, and I asked what we could do. So he said, ‘Cruise?’ and I said ‘Absolutely—why not!’”
Before too long, shy or not, Ryan Carpenter brought Sheri up to the microphone.
Sheri said, “Let me tell you a little story. The day of the Car Show, Dan walked up to my brother and said ‘we need to talk.’ And Mike’s like, ‘oh no, what did the boys do?’ But no, he said ‘about your sister. What can we do to help her?’ And Mike said, ‘don’t ask her what you can do, and don’t piss her off.’ So Dan says, ‘we want to help you because you were my dispatcher when I first joined twenty-five years ago. Dan and I have been together twenty-five years. This is a tough road, and I just want to thank Dan and everyone for all of your support and coming out here tonight.”
“We love to do this for people who don’t want help. Sheri said, just put a gift basket together or something,” Ryan Carpenter said. “But we’re not gift basket people. You’re pretty important to a lot of people here, and some of them don’t even know it yet.”
Project Warmth has a great day on the links
The annual fundraiser for SEICAA’s energy assistance program landed at the Oregon Trail Country Club on Friday.
The annual Project Warmth Classic, a five-person golf scramble tournament held at the Oregon Trail Country Club, is SEICAA’s largest and longest-running effort to build an energy assistance fund and assist impoverished individuals with outstanding heating costs. While the tournament was not held during COVID, it has otherwise been a yearly event since its inception in 1993.
Project Warmth is an initiative that has been a part of the local SEICAA effort for many years, and provides a considerable amount of the funding necessary to maintain the energy assistance program. The program allows those with limited financial means to apply for energy assistance to help with home heating costs, especially during Idaho’s long winters. The program has been enormously successful in the area, and has contributed to the quality of life for many Caribou County residents.
Renae Lynch was hired as the SEICAA director for the Caribou County area in February, and this is her first time with the tournament. “People have been amazing,” Lynch said. “This is a great community for people being involved and helping out.”
Art in the Garden
hopes to start a tradition
Both the Caribou arts community and the Community Garden in Soda Springs love to see things grow, and they are both hopeful that an annual “Art in the Garden” event will do exactly that. Jeannine Robinett has been the heart of the community garden project since it officially launched in 2022. She was on site for the kickoff of the new tradition, along with Naconna Gentry, who took on the leadership position this year.
From its beginning, the Community Garden has been a true community effort. The Presbyterian Church has been host of the garden’s location, and continues to support the project. Grants from Bayer and Nutrien have been critical at getting the garden up and going, and countless hours and immeasurable effort have been spent making building the garden up. “Our first three years we relied almost completely on donations from garden members,” Robinett said. “We have also gotten a lot of donations from seed companies, and donations of plants from the high school greenhouse.” There is not a city or county dimension to funding for the garden at present., and the garden is trying out different ideas like the Art in Garden one. “This is our first time doing anything like Art in the Garden, but we’re hoping to make this an every year fundraiser.”
As the garden grows and the spreads its leaves, it can’t help but to be nourished by the attention of the many who will treasure it.
Phelps and “The Lieutenant” among Soda Springs Homecoming Week highlights
It was a busy Homecoming week for Soda Springs, coming in between Homecoming for North Gem several weeks ago and Grace next week. While the results of the Homecoming Football game against the visiting Malad Dragons didn’t end with the result the team was hoping for, all the other elements of Homecoming provided a great start to the seniors’ last year, and a good atmosphere for the underclassmen.
Beyond the game, the week held all kinds of student-led activities during the week, the traditional Homecoming parade, the naming of the royalty, and a Homecoming dance inside the Enders Hotel.
As to the game itself, while the end result was a loss the team had some bright spots, and was treated to the deployment of the 60’ by 30’ flag, “The Lieutenant,” which was overseen by 101 year old veteran Tom Phelps.
On Monday, SSHS along with the fire department, veterans, and members of the community, gathered at Kelly Park for the traditional bonfire. As reported last week, veterans brought pizza for everyone, including the fire department who was on hand to make sure the fire stayed where it was supposed to. Retired flags were given their last salute, overseen by the veterans.
Immediately before the game, a first of its kind ceremony to “deploy” a 30 foot by 60 foot flag nicknamed “The Lieutenant” was held. Involving dozens of helpers who gathered on the field prior to the game (including community members, students, and even some of the Malad JV team), the flag was displayed on the field under the alert eye of flag captain, Second Class Radio Man Thom Phelps, who turned 101 on September 22.
Harvest Bazaar feeds the hungry
The annual Harvest Bazaar hosted by the Presbyterian church in Soda Springs was held over the weekend on its traditional early November spot on the calendar, with a busy morning and afternoon devoted to providing a full turkey meal for the community. Both the in-person dining as well as the take-out operations at the church saw meal after meal being served up to a group that was hungry for delicious food as well as the company and support offered by those involved.
Dinner itself consisted of turkey, beans, mashed and sweet potatoes, dressing, pumpkin pie, and more. Dinner was served “at-will” and those who donated very generously and those who donated their company all broke the same bread as they sat down to enjoy the convivial meal.
The event has a long history that goes right to the heart of the community, and one that is well-situated in its spot the week before Veterans Day. “This is the 80th year they’ve done it,” Pastor Sobers said. “They started it in ‘45 as a way of giving soldiers going off to war a taste of home before they left. And over the years, it has really become woven into the life and the fabric of the community.” Newspaper articles in the Caribou County Sun dutifully anticipate and then recount the yearly bazaar going back generations, and many of those who help volunteer for the morning also have fond memories of making their way to the church.
Giving Machine Opens in SE Idaho
On Saturday, the ICCU Campus in Chubbuck officially welcomed the Light the World Giving Machine to town. The “Machine” is really a concept, which is why the individual units are not referred to as “giving machines” plural, according to volunteer Kris Mullen.
“Music is about coming together and giving to the world and so this is a perfect opportunity for us to come together as a team and help make someone else’s life more enjoyable,” Soda Springs Performing Arts director Kimberly Mumford said. The SSPA was one of the acts that performed for the crowd on the machine’s very first day—just over an hour after the official opening.
Festival of Trees comes to Enders
After an extremely successful Festival of Trees last year, the Friends of the Soda Springs Library (the Friends, from here on out) decided to expand the event for this year at the Enders Hotel just down the street. With around a year in planning behind the event, and an incalculable amount of effort from countless volunteers, the event was once again exciting and full of holiday spirit.
Friends President Beth Cheirrett said “Last year was great—we just want this year to be even better!” From all outward appearances, the Friends seemed to have more than exceeded that goal.
The event was a massive undertaking in terms of volunteer support and donations. The Presenting Sponsors for the event were Caribou Medical Center, Gritton’s, Soda Smiles, and Lookout Credit Union, who sponsored the “O Holy Night” tree. The remaining entries were each amazing in their own rights, and designed by a fantastic group of volunteers and in many cases the sponsors themselves.
Congratulations to the Friends of the Soda Springs Library and all the other sponsors and volunteers for putting on an event that did the City of Soda Springs proud!
The Music of the Season
On Sunday, the Soda Springs High School Auditorium was host to the 38th annual Caribou Community Choir and Orchestra Candle Light Christmas Concert. The orchestra and choir practiced separately for the most part in the lead up to the performance, other than two weekend rehearsals, so this was their first chance to hear what the combined force of the two parts was.
Following the candlelight processional and a welcome and invocation, the performance began with the full group, and a stirring rendition of “Oh Holy Night.” The Choir then performed “White is the Winter Night.”
It was an amazing concert and the musicians and directors deserve all the credit in the world. They are listed below for that purpose. There was an improv set after the performance as guests left, featuring Morgan Hill, Garrett Hill, Ralph Peterson, Tanner Davis, and Vince Burgoyne.
