Heber Valley Life

Author: Steve Anderson

  • Stepping into Spring Time

    Stepping into Spring Time

    Are you tired of running from your car into your home, then back to your car, then to school, work, or the grocery store for the past few months? Well, guess what? That part of the year is over!

    The time has come to step into spring and rediscover the outdoor world, as our beautiful Heber Valley blossoms all around us. We call it “springtime,” but sometimes it feels more like ‘uncertainty season’ as our weather changes daily from sunshine to snow to rain and back to sun again. It’s a churning, and a season children in the valley look forward to, knowing they can finally start walking to school again wearing t-shirts, a windbreaker, and shorts. (However, you might want to pack them a coat, a hat, and some gloves, just in case. I hear there’s a chance of snow.)

    Yes, it’s springtime folks! A season synonymous with rebirth, love, and feelings of renewal. A time we welcome the beauty of new flora as we anxiously await the arrival of the infamous, “snow-art-horse-head” on our side of Mount Timpanogos so we know when to plant our gardens. (If you’re not familiar with this spectacle, ask a local farmer or google it. It’s cool.) And to celebrate, here’s a few rides we suggest you take now before our summer tourists snag up most of the good reservation times!

    RIDE A ZIP LINE

    If you’re looking for team-building challenges for your gang, then consider Zipline Utah, a high adventure activity located on the shores of Deer Creek Lake. With the longest continuous zip line course in the world; this memorable activity will blow their minds. ziplineutah.com

    RIDE IN A BALLOON

    Skywalker Balloon Company offers daily flights out of Heber Valley Airport. Spectacular views with a vantage point that changes the higher you go! A calming experience that feels like you’re casually walking through the sky. skywalker.at

    RIDE A GOLF CART

    Heber has five beautiful public golf courses to choose from, including two at Soldier Hollow, two at Wasatch Mountain State Park, and one at The Homestead Resort. They’re all amazing and affordable. gohebervalley.com/golfhebervalley

    RIDE YOUR BICYCLE

    With endless trails to explore, and friendly roads to take you there, riding a bike is one of the quickest ways to experience the outdoors. There’s no barrier to entry. Just hop on your bike and start peddling. But please watch out for wet trails. If the mud is deep, turn around and let the trails dry out. And if your gear needs a tune up, visit Slim and Knobby’s. slimandknobbys.com

    RIDE ON A HORSE

    Enjoy riding on the back of a magnificent horse with Rocky Mountain Outfitters. With your personal, knowledgeable, guide leading the way; they’re country trail ready for you, whether you’re a novice (greenhorn) or an experienced cowboy. rockymountainoutfitters.com

    FLY A KITE

    Whether you create a one-of-a-kind pinterest worthy masterpiece, purchase one from your local grocery store, or dust off the one you’ve had stuffed in a bin in your garage for 10 years; Wasatch County is full of open spaces — and spring (usually) offers the perfect weather — so, ‘let’s go fly a kite!’ (100 points to the one who can channel ‘Mary Poppins’ while singing the entire song — by heart.)

    On that note; remember most of these experiences can be enjoyed almost anytime (weather permitting), and some require advanced reservations so be sure to check ‘em out before driving out. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for these fun local spring-only outdoor events.

    ZERMATT RESORT

    This year, over Easter weekend (April 14-16), Zermatt Resort will host their annual “Springtime Extravaganza” with an egg hunt and breakfast with the Easter Bunny! Reservations required. They also host a very popular Mother’s Day Brunch (May 8) inside their Z’s Steak and Chop House. zermattutah.com

    KOHLER FAMILY FARM

    In addition to daily milk barn tours, goat yoga classes (what?), and V.I.P. calf-feeding experiences (what? what!), the Kohler Family Farm will host Baby Animal Days April 22-23. Learn about farm animals, take a hay ride, and munch on some of their incredible homemade artisan cheese. If it rains you can always take it inside and participate in a mozzarella making class. hebervalleyartisancheese.com

    Speaking of inside — here are a few great indoor activities to consider — for when that proverbial ‘spring-time snow storm’ decides to hit. And if it doesn’t come — oh well — do them anyway!

    GO TO THE MOVIES

    Whether in the comfort of your own home or at The Avon; There’s nothing like a good movie, and buttery theatre popcorn, accompanied by an ice-cold carbonated drink to shake you out of the bad-weather blues. hebercitytheatre.com

    ENJOY LIVE THEATRE

    Improv-comedy troupe, The Belvederes, will be performing on the last Saturday of every month, at the newly renovated Timpanogos Valley Theatre. High Valley Arts will be performing “Shrek, Jr” in April and “The Sound of Music” in July, while TVT is doing “Pirates of Penzance” in April. Yo ho, let’s go! timpvalleytheatre.com highvalleyarts.org

    THE UTAH CRATER

    One of Midway’s hidden treasures; this geothermal spring, 10,000 years in the making, stays between 90-96 degrees all year long. Not only is it a relaxing place to get away; it’s also one of the few places in the state where you can snorkel, swim, or dive to depths of 65 feet. People from all over the world come here to get scuba certified. utahcrater.com

    WASATCH COUNTY EVENTS COMPLEX

    There are several equestrian events happening inside our events complex, including the ZD Cattle “Luck of the Irish” roping event March 18-19, a Utah Barrel Racing Association competition April 22-24, and the Utah junior high and high school rodeo finals on select dates May 26- June 11. Spectators are always welcome to this family-friendly event. And don’t worry, cowboy hats and boots are not required. wasatchparksandrec.com/events

    HOLIDAY LANES

    Up for a little friendly competition with family and friends? Bowling is a fantastic mix between mild and fun exercise, amiable competition (well mostly-there’s always one overachiever in the group), conversation, good food, and delicious shakes! All for a reasonable price.

    FIELDCRAFT SURVIVAL

    If you’re not familiar with Fieldcraft Survival, may I suggest you look them up. With everything from survival and family/emergency preparedness online webinars, to in-person workshops, and live training courses — including cool indoor virtual courses for firearm and personal safety training — this is a great place to not only visit but learn something new too. fieldcraftsurvival.com

    WASATCH COUNTY RECREATION CENTER

    You could literally spend all day here! Perfect for self-care days, date night, family night, or a great place to get noisy and hang out with a group of friends — the rec center has a plethora of activities to choose from including: basketball, racquetball, volleyball, tennis, pickle ball or simply running around their endless fields of Astroturf! wasatchparksandrec.com

    So, yes folks, spring is here! And regardless of our ‘uncertain weather’ I highly suggest doing ‘all the things’ whenever you can!

    P.S. Don’t forget your jacket!

  • Santa, Baby!

    Santa, Baby!

    Can you really do Christmas year-round? “Yes. Yes, you can!” says Jenn Mangum-Whaley of Midway. “At Swiss Days, every year I’d have a Christmas booth, and it did so well, I thought, `I’m going to try it!’” So, together with her husband, Jason, they opened Kringles, the only retail store in Heber Valley selling Christmas year-round.

    Jenn, who was an accounting major at BYU, and worked as an interior designer for 15 years in the DC area before moving to Midway five years ago. “I’m kind of a serial entrepreneur. I love business. That’s my background. I love design, but I especially love running the stores.” Jen is also the owner of Spruce Personalized Décor, conveniently located directly across the street from Kringles in downtown Midway.

    “I do very well with Christmas at Spruce. And I thought, ‘Midway could use a year-round Christmas shop.’ I saw a real niche here. A need.” Popular with tourists, Jenn admits, “Half the people who come into my shop are from out of town. During their visits, many customers say things like, ‘This makes me so happy,’ or, ‘I feel like I’m in a Hallmark movie.’ So that’s been really nice. It brings people joy. And that’s fun.”

    Ironically, Hallmark recently chose to film a scene in Kringles for one of their upcoming Holiday movies! And why? It’s quaint. It’s charming. It’s adorbs (as the kids say)! And that’s by design. “I’ve been in other year-round Christmas shops. Some of them feel more like big box stores, and I wanted this to feel more charming, unique.” (Nailed it, Jenn!)

    COME AND SEE Midway’s year-round Christmas and gifts store

    As I walk into the store, I feel like I’ve just arrived back home, and it’s Christmas time. From the music to the aroma to the many insightful displays, I am flooded with memories and reminded of the hope and joy I feel each year during the holiday season.

    No matter what your taste in holiday décor is, Kringles has you covered. “There are trends even in Christmas,” Jenn admits. “[For example, there are] color trends. We have people who like traditional colors, and we have those who want colors that blend in with the décor of their home. So I like to have options. Rustic definitely does better here in Midway, but I try to put out some fun, unique whimsical things too in the store.”

    And this is where the synergy of owning a Christmas retail store and an interior design firm across the street comes into play. “It’s about giving people things that make their home feel happy. I really try to listen and hear what people are asking for.”

    And, what are they asking for right now? “. . . lanterns, advent calendars, snow globes, ornaments, big Santas, and metal bells.” (Thanks Midway Swiss Hand Bell Ringers and Heber Valley Railroad’s Polar Express.)

    But, what if you don’t know what you want yet? Or, you think you own it all already? “I have several designers who work with me. We rotate decorating our trees, for example, each featuring a different style.” So, in theory, shoppers can walk in with no clue what they want, view Kringles’ professionally decorated trees, and then pick one. “I had someone call me the other day and say, ‘I want all the decorations on that tree, and I want that tree. Can I do that?’”

    “Yes!” said Jenn enthusiastically. Kringles also offers a small gift wrapping and baby section, which, if you stop to think about, kind of makes sense in a Christmas store!

    Located in one of Midway’s historic homes built by the Epperson family in 1870, Kringles fits in perfectly. It doesn’t take much to imagine this building begging for years to “Make me a Christmas store!” And now it is. The store sells homemade peppermint ice cream and offers free seasonal visits with Santa Claus aboard his vintage, magic sleigh. Kringles is definitely a one-of-a-kind holiday shopping experience that will warm your heart all year round.

    Santa Claus Visits Kringles!

    6 South 200 West, Midway

    Each Saturday (Nov-Dec)

    12 P.M. To 2:30 P.M.

    Bring Your Camera!

  • WHAM This Guy Can Sing!

    WHAM This Guy Can Sing!

    I recently caught one of Robert’s shows with my wife and kids; we heard audience members exclaim things like, “This takes me back to when I was a teenager!” Let’s face it, most impersonators either look like their hero, or sound like them, but rarely both. But this guy has the look, the voice, and the dance moves to boot!

    Watching him is like taking a totally tubular trip back to the ‘80s and ‘90s, when George Michael ruled the radio with his silky-smooth, reverberating vocals and energetic dance beats. It’s music that transcends time. Case in point: during the concert, I was standing next to some twenty somethings when midway through his set, Robert volunteered a familiar word, “Jitterbug!” The crowd went nuts. But to my suprise, so did my young friends! I asked, “How do you guys know this song?” “From Zoolander [the movie]!” they replied. “Oh,” I said, “I know it from 8th grade.”

    As a teenager, Bartko sang George Michael covers in local talent shows. Then, he began writing and producing his own dance music, opening for popular groups such as the Spice Girls. As his fame grew, he was often told by concert promoters how much he looked and sounded like George Michael. Then, after the passing of Michael in 2015, the casual mentions of his likeness turned into, “Man, if you could put together a tribute show now, I could really book that!” So, he created the “George Michael Reborn” tour, which has an impressive 24 bookings left this year. He even sold out the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA, in one month.

    So, how convincing is George, errr … I mean, Robert, as George? After former “Wham!” bassist, Deon Estes, (Wham! was George Michael’s first chart-topping group) was asked to play a show with Robert, he said, “I felt like I was with George again.” In fact, Deon enjoyed playing the show with Robert so much that he decided to drive five hours the next night to do it again.

    Robert attributes much of his current success to the support of his wife, Sammie, who creates most of Robert’s costumes for the show. “She does lots of research online, and goes out and finds all these trinkets that capture the different eras of George Michael’s music. Then, she ties them all together, adding her artistic touch,” says Robert.

    “I like creating and making things,” says Sammie, who attended art school in Miami, Florida, before admittedly becoming a little disillusioned with art. “As a kid, I sketched all the time. Then, I went to art school. And, it seemed to me like they were trying to take away my creativity by telling me what to do. They were like, ‘It’s got to be like this.’ It really just kind of soured me on art. So, for the longest time, I just kind of put my art away.” Then, one day, things changed. “I discovered face painting, and thought, ‘Wow, that’s really cool.’ So, I decided to buy a kit and give it a shot.” Sammie’s “shot” was more like a cannon blast, with her award-winning face and body artwork soon being featured in magazines and on the main stage at places like the Sundance Film Festival. She even landed a role as a contestant on season two of the TV show, Skin Wars, where she competed in artistic body art challenges. “It was definitely a very unique experience, living in a house with all these artists, each with a totally different personality,” she says.

    How does this Heber Valley power couple balance two demanding entertainment careers while raising their adorable family? “We don’t,” Robert says, jokingly. “Many times, we’re like two ships passing in the night,” Sammie admits. Robert adds “I ask if she’s got the kids, while I run to the airport to get to my next show!”

    This jet-set lifestyle is not surprising, considering how these two first met. They literally met on the freeway between Ft. Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, Florida! Robert explains, “I was going down the freeway. My friend was driving and we were on our way to meet with a record label, when I saw this cute girl driving a beat-up Toyota Tercel next to me on the freeway. I rolled down my window and started a conversation with her … at 70 mph! For 30 minutes, I begged her to give me her phone number, and she kept saying, ‘No.’ Eventually, she reluctantly agreed and three weeks later, she agreed to meet up for our first date.”

    23 years later, these two lovebirds are still continuing their high-speed romance. Sammie recalls the moment in 2006 when they decided to relocate to Heber Valley. “Robert wanted a different change of pace, and he’s like, ‘Let’s go!’ And I’m like, ‘O.K!’ I’ll go anywhere because I’m an adventurer.” For Robert, it was the fulfillment of a dream he’d had since he was a young child. “I remember the first time I saw this beautiful mountain setting. I was eight years old and traveling with my parents from South Florida through Colorado and Utah, and I started crying. The mountains just enveloped my heart like a warm blanket. And ever since then, I’ve always looked for a way to get back to the mountains.”

    We are fortunate to have such talented artists living here in Heber, at least for now. Robert admits his other dream is to have his own Vegas residency. If that happens, I would highly recommend making the trek there to catch their act. But “wake me up before you go-go, cuz I’m not planning on going solo.” Sorry, couldn’t resist.

     

    CURIOUS TO SEE ONE OF BARTKO’S PERFORMANCES?

    CHECK HIM OUT ON YOUTUBE!

     

    SAMMIE BARTKO
    (with husband, Robert Bartko)

    Sammie is an award-winning body and face painting artist who has been featured on tv shows, in magazines, and at the Sundance film festival.

    SammieBartko.com

  • Riveted to the American Dream

    Riveted to the American Dream

    If you’re an adventurer or lover of the open road, you’ll like this story. It’s the story of one man who dared to dream beyond the berm, and then made a brilliant discovery during his journey back home.

    In 2009, Gene Magre (MAH-GREE) was living well, remodeling high-end homes in southern California, when a midnight wildfire swept through his affluent neighborhood and burned his home to the ground. “It was crazy, pretty overwhelming, fighting fifty-foot flames with a hose.   But it worked out good.  I’m here now,” Gene adds with a grin. Back in Utah – a place where Gene’s previous work in real estate and construction somewhat prepared him for his next life-changing event.

    “I was traveling, and I came across a small abandoned trailer on the side of a road behind some bushes. So I called, bought it, and pulled it back home.” It was an Airstream travel trailer. “I knew nothing about Airstreams. So I studied it. I started going through it and learning what Airstreams were about. They’re not steel. They’re not wood.  They’re aluminum!” Like a silver bullet. American-made. Gene was riveted.

    It was winter time, and Gene decided to turn the trailer into an office on the side of his house.  He added electricity and a heater. Then one day, when the temperature was only nine degrees outside, someone knocked on the door and asked, “Is this for sale?” Gene thought, It’s winter. People don’t travel in trailers until summertime. So, why was this person asking now?

    Gene soon realized he had stumbled onto something. The next big thing maybe?  Opportunity had literally knocked on his door.

    AIRSTREAM DREAMS

    Gene and his wife, Jacqueline, were soon enjoying weekend trips chasing down used Airstream trailers around the country. “We found them in the tall brush, under tarps, behind barns, everywhere! Because at that time, everyone was discarding Airstreams!” So, the Magres bought hundreds.

    The next challenge was learning how to bring these trailers back to life. “It starts with safety. Safety is the most important thing I do. I want something that protects the kids who are going to be going down the highway at 70 mph, with mom and dad pulling that trailer that’s been sitting in a field for 60 years!” Gene explains. “So, we take it all apart. We take every rivet out, replace wiring, add new heating components, new everything. We make the tables, cabinetry, redo the floor. Whatever they want, they can have it!”

    The goal is to upgrade the trailers, so they last for another 50 years. “You can’t do that with a Ford pickup truck!” says Gene. Airstream’s really are an amazing creation.

    Wally Byam, who built the world’s first Airstream in 1929, was an aeronautical engineer by trade. His innovative design minimized wind resistance. “I mean, look at the way it’s built! It’s like a rocket ship or an airliner,” Gene proclaims.

    How hard is it to get that 60-year-old aluminum exterior to shine again? According to Gene, it takes about 400 man hours of buffing. That’s fifty Saturdays! (DIYers, beware!)

    “We’re building everything you can think of that can be housed inside a trailer. Some people want to live in them, while others enjoy family travel. Others use them to run businesses,” Gene says. “We can design the trailer with any theme you’d like to see: a beach theme, snow theme, whatever you want.”

    And the demand is not slowing down. “We’re answering hundreds of phone calls every month.  I think people want to be able to get out of their house, get into the mountains, and enjoy this great country,” adds Gene.

    OH, THE PLACES WE’VE BEEN!

    As you tour through Gene’s collection of restored masterpieces, it’s hard not to wonder what stories these trailers would tell if only they could talk. Airstreams have played a huge role in American history.  For example, did you know:

    • NASA often uses Airstreams to transport astronauts to the launch pad.
    • After landing on the moon, the flight crew of Apollo 11 was quarantined for three weeks in a specially-built Airstream, for fear they may have been carrying “lunar pathogens” back to Earth.
    • In 1955, the US military used an Airstream while testing atomic bombs in the Nevada desert.

    Fun fact: Airstreams are so American, their inventor was actually born on the Fourth of July!

    IT’S NOT A FAD. IT’S A LIFESTYLE!

    “People will stop and get out of their vehicles to take pictures of our Airstreams. I thought it was a fad, but it’s really a lifestyle,” says Gene. “Baby boomers are now boondocking with Airstream trailers and bringing mom and dad to see America! It’s a beautiful thing. They just seem to keep getting more and more popular.”

    So, are you ready to be an “Airstreamer?”

    A MOST INTERESTING MAN IN HEBER

    “I am who I am, and I’m OK with that,” admits Gene. “I enjoy helping people. When an eighty-year-young lady says to me, `We’re so glad we found you,’ that’s really what matters. I enjoy my existence, and I try to do the best things in life I can. The journey’s pretty short, and hopefully, we can stay healthy and get through all the tall weeds.”

    Speaking of weeds, Gene has recently purchased an open field next to his historic building located on Heber’s Main Street.  With this additional space, Gene hopes to contribute to Heber’s many tourist attractions. His dream is to provide curious tourists with a beautiful stroll through Airstream’s unique history.

    His passion is contagious. His story remarkable. And he’s quickly becoming a Utah legend. “People come and visit me from all over the world. They come here, and they can’t believe what they’re seeing.” `Airstream Gene’ rebuilt his dream here in the Heber Valley and is now on a mission to rebuild others’ dreams — one Airstream at a time.

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