Heber Valley Life

Tag: community

  • Embrace Your Inner Cactus

    Embrace Your Inner Cactus

    Despite the fact that we have a large sign and an attention-grabbing red and white awning in the core of downtown on Heber City Main Street, the majority of people I introduce myself to are unfamiliar with the offices of Ignition Creative Group by name. I have learned to ask, “Have you seen the building with the LED grow lights and the cactus garden in the front window?” Most, at that point, agree they know where the building is. My cactus garden, however, has symbolism beyond a placement marketing gimmick.

    Reflecting on my life from a newfound perspective on the other side of the hill, I can see that I have been literally encompassed by hard-charging, A-type, ambitious personalities since childhood. My formative education was at a New England style, all boys, college preparatory school, where very high expectations in academics, sports, and extracurricular activities were set. I tried to roll that intensity back a touch in my college years, but the daily grind of creatives and fine arts education knows no professional time boundaries. I tried to roll that fervor back again by working as a ski instructor and fly-fishing guide, only to meet some of the highest-functioning people on the planet and, by necessity, adapt to their pace to keep the day positive and remain employed. Albeit unwillingly, this background set me up well for an entrepreneurial mindset and has helped me professionally, but man, some folks, particularly in Utah and the Wasatch Back, just need to practice what they preach and chill out!

    Cacti get it. These guys are nature’s tribute to toughness and longevity. Once established, most can endure heat, cold, wet, or dry conditions. They are covered with passive self-defense mechanisms. Most cacti grow very slowly: they pace, they rest, they replenish. They will store water and spend it responsibly during periods of scarcity. Ironically, if a cactus takes in more water than it can absorb, the plant body often ruptures from the swelling, causing permanent injury or death. Once established, the balanced practice of growth, rest, and replenishment strategically allows cacti to endure most any hardship. I can think of no other plant or animal that is better suited to the various harshness of Earth’s reality.

    The ‘hard charger’ persona might look at a cactus, compile a surface observation in the less than three seconds allotted to such minutiae as a ‘highly effective person,’ and think about being a prick. If one pauses for a genuine moment of thoughtful reflection, cacti employ a slow, adaptable, and intentional method that leads to better long-term outcomes and ultimately to survival in a harsh, ever evolving ecosystem. This is one of my many fascinations with cactI, and the primary attribute I like to remind myself to emulate while tending to my garden.

    Soil conditions are critically important to the success of any plant. Different soils suit different needs, but a common thread is that all soil eventually needs replenishing. Natural replenishment happens with nutrients and rest. Composting and ‘resting’ soils in the winter season creates a beneficial soil biome and leads to far more productive growth and yields. While it is true that an artificial injection of chemical fertilizer will boost outcomes for a season, those crops do not thrive perennially. Chemical fertilizer sparks a spike in growth, but it is a short lived and poorly visioned strategy. The natural soil biome eventually disintegrates amidst the salinity, and all life becomes dependent on the next injection.

    Organic winter gardens teach us that rest is not necessarily laziness—it’s preparation. Henry Miller, a somewhat controversial American writer of philosophical fiction and social criticism in the Second World War era, stated:

    To be silent the whole day, see no newspaper, hear no radio, listen to no gossip, be thoroughly and completely lazy, thoroughly and completely indifferent to the fate of the world, is the finest medicine a man can give himself.

    In the ancient B.C.E. period of my life (Before Children Enveloped), I was pretty good at the concept of rest and replenishment. I loved afternoons spent in leaf diffused light scattered across my Peruvian blanket style hammock, reading paperback editions of dystopian science fiction I acquired at the local thrift store. I became a very proficient fly fisherman, which in my reality was a lot more based in ‘Norman Maclean’ or ‘John Gierach’ romanticism than the Zoomer, catch-at-all-costs, ‘bro’ edition, fly-guy released in the mid 2000’s. I would travel to remote places and immerse myself in full-day explorations, sometimes longer, without any interaction beyond entomological curiosities, piscatorial presentations, and canine companionship. I trained myself as a fine artist to have a studio ‘sanctuary.’ An artist’s studio is like the mainstream concept of a “man-cave” or “she-shed,” except it is designed as an intellectual oasis for reflection and pondering. I would read, eat, nap, and bring ideas to life in my studio. Outside of the dog, I almost never let others into that personal, introspective space.

    But alas, middle-aged life goals wiggled free and emerged like a spring Blue Winged Olive nymph from under a cold water stream’s tumbled rock bed, and the self-containment and self-mastery life model and all of its color-chromatically organized precision was traded in for the wonderful and fulfilling chaos of family life. Further goals included self-employment, then staff, and long term investment strategy. One day, not long ago, I woke up, looked at myself, and realized I had become “the man” to at least two generations below me and a handful of my peers. What a surreal epiphany for a guy who once lived in a backpacking tent for three months!

    Amidst the chaos of whatever tier of life you find yourself, and enduring our ‘oh-so-connected’ modern society, we must periodically detach from the very thing that provides our daily bread if we want a healthy, naturally grounded, metamorphic headspace that has generationally connected our species to our planet. Most of our homes require dual incomes to sustain in our region. As a consequence, our children are being raised by the state, and the ‘connection’ being taught is to Wi-Fi networks, not to the naturally stabilizing tactics of rest and replenishment. We throw in hurry-up-and-relax yoga classes on a timer, talking points about self-care from entities that care only about profit margins, and government-stamped rack cards promoting mental health. Such efforts are considerate and well-intentioned, but the one thing that truly heals does not fall within the allowable constraints of a corporate benefits package or of the internet backed precision timepiece that monitors your personal production on the company hamster wheel.

    It is a backwards reality, and I do not have a magic equation to change society’s priorities, the methodology of our governmental institutions, or the Western banking system. My best poke at building a healthier community is to promote awareness and lead by example, hoping that some will change their outlook enough to unplug from the Matrix. Yet behold! Some insist “ignorance is bliss” and just want steak, whatever the cost.

    Life can be easier if you simply let the channel current guide your thoughts and actions. Many choose to submit to the current and get sucked downstream in that particular river crossing, but not me. I will choose a calculated course, with the current at my back and my posterity in the eddy I create, to overcome the channel and reach the other bank intact and with dry waders.

    Most of us chose the Heber Valley to ‘reconnect’ with nature, but our hometown is becoming a downtown, and access to traditional charging outlets has changed with that growth. Utah’s popularity will not change in the foreseeable future, and our community will continue to evolve with that demand. What we have in greater abundance than most is proximity. Hot pots, solitary river walks on the Middle Provo, horseback rides on the benches, shooting cans in the canyons, or a Heber Valley deer hunt may be outside of reality at this point—but all is not lost, and many similar opportunities exist minutes away.

    Be creative this spring. Embrace rebirth. Be adventurous. Get outside, rest, and replenish. Ponder. Be still. Learn to be comfortable within your own headspace. Life.. is a road, no simple highway, between the dawn and the dark of night. And when you go, no one may follow. That path is for your steps alone.1 Strive to make your path memorable and noteworthy. Digital accomplishments are false victories subject to purge on the next software update. Real accomplishments happen in the real world. Choose to spend your time wisely and create higher level, sustainable personal yields.

    1Ripple, Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter, 1970.

  • Lifting Up One of Our Own: Support for the Dettman Family

    Lifting Up One of Our Own: Support for the Dettman Family

    Our community is at its best when we lift and hold each other, and right now, one of our own needs us.
    Many of us have been lucky enough to know Pat Dettman—his quick humor, his huge heart, and the way he shows up for everyone around him. Pat, his wife Lorraine, and their amazing kids—Bailey, Megan, Allison, and Brock—have touched countless lives here in the Heber Valley.
    This year, Pat was diagnosed with ALS, and the symptoms are progressing far too quickly. As you can imagine, this has brought overwhelming challenges to their doorstep—medical bills, equipment, home modifications, and the day-to-day realities of navigating a heartbreaking diagnosis.
    If you’re looking for a meaningful way to give this Christmas, please consider supporting the Dettman family. This is a chance to help a neighbor, a friend, and a man who has poured so much into his service to his church, his neighbors, and youth athletes through his coaching with the Wasatch High School Football team. Pat has been the kind of person who lights up a room; now it’s our turn to bring some light to his family. Every bit counts!
    Let’s wrap this family in the same love and strength Pat has given our community for years. ❤️
  • Springer Historical Home

    Springer Historical Home

    Springers and Nokes

    In January 2021, David and Kayla Springer unexpectedly met Travis and Lisa Nokes while on a retreat in Mexico. They soon discovered they both had connections to Midway, Utah. The Nokes lived and worked there, and David’s great-great-great grandfather, Jeremiah Robey Springer, was one of the original settlers. David has always dreamed of living in Midway, and after speaking with the Nokes, he began the process of purchasing the Springer Farms. Since Travis and Lisa own businesses in real estate, architectural design, and construction, it was a perfect fit for the Springer’s to enlist their help. As they worked together on potential ideas for the land, a strong friendship was formed between the four of them. There was a shared ideal among them to turn this land into something special that honored David’s ancestors and the beautiful rural community of Midway in a way that reverenced the past as it moves into the future.

    The Old Farm House

    After bringing in another general contractor, building inspector, and structural engineer, it was clear that saving the original Farmhouse wasn’t feasible. The wood framing was so deteriorated it no longer touched the old, crumbling pot rock foundation on one side of the home. After much deliberation, the decision was made to take the home down and replace it with a replica, reusing the original materials.

    Over four weeks, they carefully took the old windows, doors, brick, and siding from the home. They discovered that the back and side walls of the home were built of stacked, hand-hewn timbers. They were told by some local historians that these timbers were likely from Fort Midway, the very first structure built in the area. When Fort Midway was pulled down in the 1890’s, many local families took the timbers and used them to expand their homes. After removing much of the building materials by hand, the Springer’s prepared to remove the rest with the assistance of heavy machinery, a job that would typically take only a few hours to complete, but with consideration of the old timbers, it took a couple of days. Each timber was carefully and individually removed and set aside where they waited to become part of the new building. As the day approached for the backhoe to take the home down, Travis was surprised by the unusual level of emotional difficulty he was facing at this point in the process. On March 29, 2022, he wrote this journal entry:

    “For the past 20+ years, I have been helping customers design and build homes, buy and sell homes, and update and renovate homes. I’m now doing something that I’ve never done before. We are taking this old home down. This home was built in the 1890’s by the Springer family. Today will be the day that this tired old home finishes its work on earth. I woke up very early this morning […] much more emotional than expected, thinking about this home and the process of today.

    […] I’ve been so focused on the logistical process of taking the home down, that I hadn’t given myself a chance to think about the emotional process or implications. I thought of the excitement for the family as the home was first built and the preparations that were made to move into it when it was finally finished. The family probably envisioned all the wonderful things that would happen in the home. They probably worried about how they would pay for it. I thought about the safety and “cover from the storm” that this home has provided. The Christmas mornings, the sound of little feet coming up and down the front steps to and from school. The 4th of July celebrations, and all of the dishes done and problems solved at the kitchen sink. All the nights parents stared at the bedroom ceiling, worried and wondering about their kids. […] I am very grateful to it for the service it has provided and the memories that still will live on in the kids, grandkids, and great grandkids in the Springer family.”

    The New Farmhouse and Springer Farms

    The new Farmhouse’s footprint and basic structure are as close to the original Farmhouse as possible. The old timbers that first stood as part of Fort Midway, and then used to give structure to the Springer home, now stand in a place of Prominence supporting the front patio. Some of the original windows are inside the main floor of the Farmhouse, and the soffit of the front porch is constructed from the old wood siding. The overall goal of this project was to create a building that looks like it has stood, belonging in downtown Midway, for 100+ years. The main floor of the Farmhouse will house a home decor store: Haven Haus Co., owned by local residents Jack and Diane Nelson. The top floor will serve as a two-bedroom nightly rental, hopefully as an extension of Midway homes when more room is needed for guests and family. The vision at Springer Farms is to provide space for businesses and services needed by the people of Midway. To meet these needs, the Nokes and Springer’s plan to build three additional buildings over the next three years, adding nine retail units and 17 nightly rentals. Locally owned businesses projected to join Springer Farms in 2024 are Folk and Fable Books and a nail salon, Lueur Salon.

    Springer Farms’ goal is to preserve the charm of Midway as they create a space for this close-knit, supportive community to gather and strengthen bonds with friends and family. They are excited about the future of Springer Farms and what it will offer the Midway community over the next 120 years.

    65 N 200 W, Midway
    springerfarmsmidway.com

  • Ladies Night out at Heber Valley Hospital

    Ladies Night out at Heber Valley Hospital

    Dear Friends,

    It’s back! After stepping away from Ladies Night Out for the last few years during the hospital’s construction and then COVID, we’re excited to welcome you back for Ladies Night Out 2023: Happy. Healthy. You. With special guest, Ann Romney. Heber Valley is where Ann rediscovered her love of horses and she wants to give back to our community and the women who call it home.

    Ann will speak from 6 to 6:45 p.m. She’ll reflect on her health challenges with multiple sclerosis, early-stage breast cancer, how health challenges affect mental health and how women can take charge of their own wellbeing. After Ann’s fireside chat, you can mingle with local providers, gather health information, and enjoy delicious, healthy food.

    The event will be held just outside the hospital on 1500 South. Seating capacity is 500.
    Wednesday, October 11, 2023
    6 – 8 pm
    Heber Valley Hospital

    Sure hope to see you! 

    Fireside Chat with Ann Romney

    Ann Romney is the two-time best-selling author of “The Romney Family Table” and “In This Together” and Global Ambassador for the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Mrs. Romney also sits on the Board of Directors of CharityVision, which focuses on empowering local physicians in the developing world to bring sight to those most in need. In 1998, Mrs. Romney was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She has volunteered much of her time to raise awareness of the disease. By raising the profile of MS, as well as raising funds for advocacy and research, she is determined to make a difference in the lives of people who suffer from the disease.
    The Romneys have been married for 54 years. They have five sons, 25 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

  • We Grow Together

    We Grow Together

    “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” Margaret J. Wheatley

    Right now, it’s still just a wild field with two signs on opposite ends advertising a vision of what this land will become. The goal: to build a second high school alongside a technical college that will not only create exciting new learning and employment opportunities, but also accommodate the growing population of our beautiful valley. When ground was broken at the site on May 23 of this year, those involved in the project at every level—from builders to families to the board of education— expressed their desire for the new high school and technical college to be celebrated; something the community can unite over. From what I’ve witnessed, the project is already succeeding in that goal.

    Change is always hard but is eased by sound planning and cooperative efforts. The population most affected by the change is, of course, the students. Children who will be entering Grade 6 in the coming 2023-2024 school year can expect to be the first freshmen class, and subsequently first graduates, of the new high school. This comes as welcome news to these younger students, as the current students at Wasatch High School are getting lost in the large class sizes. Wasatch High School presently accommodates almost 2,600 students in grades 9-12. According to the School District website, that number is expected to swell to roughly 3,231 students by the fall of 2026, when the new school is projected to open its doors.

    Dividing the student population of the current high school in two will be an ongoing process, as even after the new school is completed, some students may prefer to stay and graduate from Wasatch High School. That school pride and loyalty is something the District hopes to foster. Each high school will have their own colors, mascot, and school culture in order to “help the students and staff build pride and an affinity for their individual school,” according to Kirsta Albert, the Public Information Officer at the Wasatch County School District.

    Current plans for the nearly $170 million project have already been drawn up, and 3-D renderings drafted, all of which can be found on the Wasatch County School District’s website. The designs have literally taken shape for a group of students at the Wasatch Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program here in Heber. Under the direction of Gary Roberts, the engineering students are building scale models of the approved plans for the Mountainland Technical College and High School that will soon occupy the campus.

    Mr. Roberts, who’s been teaching for nearly 30 years, was kind enough to show me around their creative classrooms and give me a unique glance into the students’ process back in April. When asked about his involvement, Roberts shakes his head and minimizes his role, telling me instead how “impressed” he is with these students. He jokes that people think a teacher is usually considered “the master of his domain,” but in this setting, he’s “more of an observer”. We discuss the students’ vision and what they believe will be the wonderful aspects of the new school site—the learning opportunities and jobs it will bring to this valley—as well as some of the downsides. Strains on building resources, as well as an increase in the recent housing shortage are thing the students discuss as part of their planning.

    As with any large-scale project of this nature, there are many hundreds of hands working on it at any given time. More hands mean more opinions, which also means more debate and back-and-forth about design, infrastructure, etc. The CAPS students are taking it all in stride and are primarily focused on their model; basing it off the most complete information they can get their hands on. The architects send them design renderings as they complete them, and the students adjust the model, or plug the blueprint specifications into a 3D-printer for a more precise physical copy of each part of the buildings.

    With the recent surge of demand on building materials and labor, the deadline for the school’s estimated finish time is at least three years out. Luckily, the demand on craft and modeling supplies isn’t as high. What is now glue, mat board, and foam will soon be concrete, brick, and mortar. Even on a tiny scale, where one inch equals 45 feet, the campus is impressive. The sports complex alone is a feat of design. Two new football fields, baseball and softball diamonds, and soccer fields mirror each other in both turf and grass. A separate sports facility, detached from the high school, will house wrestling, basketball, and volleyball courts, as well as provide space for other recreational activities.

    The landscaping and design of the sport fields and facilities has fallen under the direction of Berg Landscape Architects, located in Midway. It is being directed by Carl Berg, a Heber City native, in partnership with Matthew Zierenberg, an agriculture teacher at Wasatch High whose students have been working on site to learn about preserving the creek bed and native flora. Both Berg and Ziereneberg have emphasized their desire to leave as much of the natural landscape as possible, and it’s clearly visible on the model and renderings.

    A seamless transition from virgin land to educational campus is an admirable goal, and the district aims to make the transition to a new school equally seamless for both students and teachers. That includes having familiar faces at both high schools. The district plans to hire a combination of current teachers from Wasatch High, along with a number of additional teachers, to staff the new high school. Mountainland Technical College will hire their own qualified staff. The exact number of new hires will greatly depend on how many students opt to stay at Wasatch High School through graduation.

    New jobs are wonderful for the economic growth of our valley, but also present a concern over where the new hires will live. Many will continue to commute, but others are hoping to buy homes in Heber Valley. When asked about current plans, Kirsta Albert said the School District is “actively working on solutions to help our teachers live and work in our community.” These programs include the “Grow Your Own” Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline, which helps identify local individuals who already work for the district in some capacity and can help them become certified as teachers or school counselors.

    Housing has always been a part of the Wasatch CAPS program, and a separate group from those building the model are working in partnership with their peers taking the construction class at Wasatch High. The construction class offers students real world, hands-on building experience, and the CAPS students render the home’s blueprint designs. The construction class students build a house every year in the Heber Valley, and the CAPS students design it.

    This type of ongoing inter-disciplinary, and inter-school, cooperation is what affords the students in our valley such a wonderful education. Having adult role models to mentor them on real-world projects, and watching the adults cooperate efficiently is a priceless experience. It fosters respect and healthy competition. It is indeed a wonderful thing to have an additional high school (as well as a technical college) that students from both high schools will have the opportunity to attend. Adult students in our community will also be able to further their own professional and educational goals through the Mountainland Technical College. These students will not only be prepared for higher education and professions, they will be prepared for life.

    For further information on the new campus, refer to the School District’s website. Information on the Wasatch CAPS program can be found on their website. Interested in participating in the CAPS program? You’ll need to take Mr. Robert’s engineering class at Wasatch High as a prerequisite.

  • Daniel Tiger’s Shopping Cart

    Daniel Tiger’s Shopping Cart

    Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood never connected with me when I was a boy. As a child born in the mid to late 1970s, I saw plenty of opportunity, as the show was regularly broadcast and Public Television was still a thing. I endured many an episode, quite simply, because it was what was on the airwaves at that moment (streaming on demand was still a couple of decades out — hard to imagine, I know). It has taken me well into the middle-aged milestone of my journey and Fred Rogers’ passing to appreciate how inspiring and visionary he was.

    Fred Rogers’ hometown of Pittsburgh and the United States went through significant growing pains between the 1960s and the 1990s. The fabric behind the nation’s social and economic status quo was being stretched to its tearing point. Local industries were changing focus, and the residents’ livelihoods were consequently placed in tenuous situations. The kind of stress this type of pressure creates generally brings out behaviors that are not characteristic of our best selves. Poor behavior on a systemic level can slingshot a community, or nation for that matter, into a downward spiral of anger, pain, negativity, and increased poor behavior compounded over and over again upon itself.

    Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a manifesto disguised as children’s programming with low-budget hand puppets, crafty set props, and live improvisational piano work. Fred Rogers created a counter-movement to the media-incensed ugliness and divisiveness that was becoming a common tactic to increase engagement for advertising dollars. He sought to rebuild broken communities by teaching universal love, respect, and self-value — not the ‘my way, right away’ or ‘I deserve this’ kind of self-value, but the concept that every soul is unique, inherently precious, and should be treated as such. The topics the show addressed were complex, timely, and relevant. Skills traditionally taught in the home were made accessible through this television program to youth that may not have had a traditional home to call home. A generation of children learned how to be better people and more socially adjusted human beings by watching the programming Fred Rogers created.

    An interesting observation I have found with age and experience is that human nature remains constant over time. Material conveniences evolve, but our natural impulses do not. I would wager that any history student enjoys connecting past events with the present and speculating about the future based on past occurrences. Is Fred Rogers’ mission as relevant today as it was four decades ago?

    Several months ago, I came across a reboot of the ‘Trolley Problem’ or the ‘Bystander at the Switch’ dilemma originally explored in a 1967 philosophy paper by Philippa Foot. An anonymous Reddit user posted a philosophical litmus test in 2020 (a test that uses a single indicator to prompt a decision) called the ‘Shopping Cart Theory.’ The post reads as follows:

    The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing. To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. To return the shopping cart is objectively right. There are no situations other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart. Therefore, the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it. No one will punish you for not returning the shopping cart, no one will fine you or kill you for not returning the shopping cart, you gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart out of the goodness of your own heart. You must return the shopping cart because it is the right thing to do. Because it is correct. A person who is unable to do this is no better than an animal, an absolute savage who can only be made to do what is right by threatening them with law and the force that stands behind it. The Shopping Cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society.

    Mr. Rogers once stated, “The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.” Honesty, much like the Shopping Cart Theory scenario, is a choice. The liberty to choose what is best for oneself is a fundamental right. Mr. Rogers also stated, “There’s a world of difference between insisting on someone’s doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.” A citizen’s ability to self-govern (without compulsion or force) is necessary for a free society and one of the noblest goals an individual can achieve. A well-adjusted adult understands that you are ultimately accountable for yourself and your decisions alone. In other words — you have the innate freedom to choose and accept the natural consequence of your choices. If honest reflections about your ‘shopping cart decisions’ make you uncomfortable, a new opportunity is presented.

    Sometimes behavior patterns become sticky. Repetitive behaviors create plastic neural pathways (or habits), which form ways that ultimately manifest as addiction. You have options if you are ready to acknowledge a problem and want to make a change. More wisdom from Fred Rogers suggests, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” Don’t be afraid of change — embrace it — so long as it leads to a more upright version of ‘you.’ Depending on your obstacles, various local resources and individuals can help you achieve your goal of a better self.

    The rewards are abundant to you and those around you if you can:

    1) Validate that you are precious and unique.

    2) Strive to be honest with your true self and those around you.

    3) Make good choices.

    “If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is some of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”  
    – Fred Rogers

    When you go about your days voluntarily doing good — you will discover your genuine value and enrich the lives of those around you.

    What determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society?

    “It’s not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It’s the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff.”   – Fred Rogers

    Ugga Mugga
    Fred Rogers with Daniel Tiger

    The downward spiral of negative thought and action can be reversed. All things have their opposite. Perhaps that downward spiral could be better described as a spiraling staircase that can be traveled in both directions. Daily gratitude, empathy, compassion, and patience could be likened to climbing the staircase. Choose wisely if you want to experience joy and make your community or home life a more “beautiful day in the neighborhood.”

    “Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered,
    as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person.”      – Fred Rogers

    I am no ‘Fred Rogers,’ but I like who the guy was and what he represented to the society of my youth. Our problems today are eerily similar to many of the issues of the recent past. Real change begins at the local, even the home level. If we, as individuals, can embrace a more loving and positive outlook on everyone and everything, we can create the idyllic community that we all want Heber Valley to become.

    Thank you for your ongoing support of Heber Valley Life magazine. I hope you find the stories to follow uplifting and that they help you visualize our community in the best way possible.

  • Where There is Love There is Life: Michael & Fern Spanos

    Where There is Love There is Life: Michael & Fern Spanos

    Michael and Fern Spanos took a little drive from their home in Bountiful to Heber and fell in love with a home on 5th East, as Fern describes, “We looked at it and said, hey let’s move!”

    Michael grew up in Park City, so Heber wasn’t far from home. But Heber is where he chose to put some roots down and pour out his heart and soul. Over the years, they raised eight children, six from Fern’s first marriage and two more together, and welcomed eight foster children into their home. As Michael and Fern speak of their past, love of humanity fills their stories. I went into this interview knowing only I was about to talk with a county sheriff and two judges, yes, they both served as judges. The initial “power couple” story I had expected to find, became much more. The kind of power this remarkable couple wields is not only success in the realm of law and justice, but in love — lot’s of love. And love is powerful.

    While the Spanos’ tried their best to assure me they are boring and have lived a quiet life of more than 50 years together, I chuckle and shake my head as they spin tales from Saskatchewan, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, and Heber City in the 1970s. Boring? I should think not. In fact, as they describe the Heber of the 70s I’m shocked! Heber Valley had no local dispatch! My jaw drops in disbelief as Michael tells how, “There was no number anyone in this county could call and get fire, ambulance, or police.” I can’t fathom having to call Coalville, who dispatched to the weigh station south of Heber, who then passed word along to someone in the valley for help. The jail was in the basement of the old county building on Main. The janitors served as the night jailers!

    Michael served in the Air Force and obtained his first degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, and Child Welfare from the University of Utah. He received his second degree in Law Enforcement and Corrections from Weber State University. Michael’s past experience and education served him and Heber Valley well throughout his 20 years as county sheriff and one year as a county judge. Michael shared, “I used my education. I didn’t have any real experience, but I saw things needed to change.” He ran for sheriff and was sworn in, January of 1979 and served two terms consecutively. He lost a third election, but ran again the next term and served another 12 years before retiring in September 2002.

    Michael tells of times when they housed 20 prisoners in the 8 bed, basement prison. They purchased mattresses to lay on the floor. Heber needed a new facility to house prisoners and run the department. Michael began as sheriff with just three deputies. Where there’s a will, there’s a way; and Michael could plainly see Heber was in need of a new building and a dispatch. It was all a work in progress. Quaint as Heber City was, improvements were necessary. Michael began to spearhead the new building. He requested a build with 100 beds and a kitchen. It was an uphill battle. As an officer in the Utah Sheriff’s Association he made agreements and contracts with the United States Marshall Service and the Utah State Prison. He was able to arrange contracts, taking the first group of women out of State Prison and bringing them to Heber’s new jail, housing them for pay. The prisoners did all the cooking and cleaning. They began housing a number of detainees from both the Utah State prison and the Marshall’s Service. Michael also put together contracts with Midway and the Forest Service to patrol their areas to earn extra money adding revenue to his budget.

    Other projects he took on in his time as sheriff included bringing Wasatch Search and Rescue up to speed with new equipment and beefing up their budget. Sheriff Spanos had Search and Rescue work the demolition derby to make a profit. He also initiated a fingerprinting safety campaign for children, along with programs like D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), and Stranger Danger within the elementary schools, in addition to implementing the McGruff Neighborhood Watch Program.

    While Michael was working to improve the police department, Fern was not sitting idly by. Fern Spanos earned her Master’s degree in Psychiatric Social Work and spent time working in the University of Utah department of psychiatry. Fern also worked as a social worker/consultant for the government; she checked in on hospitals’ care for their long term patients. Additionally, she spent many years home with her children raising her family. As her children began school and leaving home she went to work teaching 8th grade here at Wasatch. During that time she began working part time as a city justice court judge.

    Fern shared, “I would work at the schools and then run down to the court and work until I was through.” She worked as a teacher and a judge for 11 years. Eventually, she began longing for more flexibility. She stopped teaching and focused on her judgeship for the remaining 11 ½ years until she and Michael retired together. Fern speaks fondly about her time as a judge, “It was fun to help people. I was a social worker by training, and that helped me a lot more as a judge than the law did.”

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    In 2002 both Fern and Michael retired. They didn’t sit still long. The couple served several missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; starting in Saskatchewan, Canada. They worked primarily with the First Nations people. A highlight of Fern’s experience was writing the histories of some of the older women. Once she had completed her written work it was bound and gifted to the people. Their second mission was to Durbin, South Africa. They worked in the townships in the bush of Africa. The conditions were deplorable. Michael was emotional when he shared, “The worst thing about Africa was that the people were so hungry.” Fern expressed how hard it was to see them stark naked and hungry, especially the children. “Those children are so beautiful, and loving and well behaved.” She tenderly shared how the children would sit with her, rubbing her arms and face, fascinated by the feel and color of her skin. She would regularly get impetigo and have to stay away until her skin cleared up, but then she’d hurry back to be with the children again. Fern and Michael shared how the children were drawn to where there was food and the women would walk such far distances for water. They had to work so hard just to eat. Michael worked with the church leadership in Africa to support families in finding ways to encourage and help them. The couple discovered that the women had a difficult time relating to men, so Fern, with her social work background, would spend time with the women and families establishing their needs; then Michael would step in to facilitate the assistance and support.

    Upon return to the states Michael had to have heart surgery along with other various medical procedures. Once he healed, a job as a county judge became available. He served for almost one year before they were called on another mission. This time it was Argentina. The call didn’t last long before they were reassigned to a Singapore mission instead. Again, they found themselves working with the native people. Regulations and restrictions were very strict in what they could and could not do through their church. They rolled up their sleeves and got to work loving the people. Michael laughs about the boats used to get from one location to another, “packed so full of chickens and people and stuff that we thought we were going to sink.” Fern giggles relaying the hardest part for her was walking the plank to get off the boat to shore. They would teach, sitting on the floors and using a translator to communicate the concepts of the gospel they traveled to share. Fern recalled, “They were such humble people.”

    Returning home from Singapore they were asked to serve in Heber as employment missionaries. After traveling the world touching lives and working for the greater good they were happy to be back home in Heber Valley. Michael and Fern laugh quietly as they claim they’re “put out to pasture now.” I disagree, now they travel the world digitally, tracking down ancestors, working on genealogy, and indexing documents for others to access. I certainly did track down a “power couple” of Heber City. The Spanos’ powerful hearts know no bounds — they are overflowing with service and love for their worldwide community.

  • Within You Without You

    Within You Without You

    With that clarity, it is possible to see your scenario through different eyes, as if a divine shroud, or “wall of illusion,” temporarily thins. I have had several such instances in my life, and I always take notice as I perceive these glimpses as a gift. The whole performance makes sense — just for that moment.

    While I was recently sitting in the construction traffic, southbound on the 40 from Park City, I had one of these moments. A cover of George Harrison’s masterwork, Within You Without You [from the Beatles’ 1967 release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band] by Big Head Todd and The Monsters came on the radio via the satellite airwaves. Within You Without You is a tune I have known since adolescence as the original recording. George has always been my favorite Beatle. I have come to appreciate his secular observations and criticisms as I have grown in age, experience, and (dare I say it) maturity. Hearing the song as a cover was a different experience. As I listened to a composition that I could lyrically recite from memory for the first time, in a glimpse of a moment, the words meant something different from what I had previously known them to be.

    George spent the fall of 1966 hanging out in India with master sitarist Ravi Shankar. His original intent was to become more familiar with the instrument and reassess the international fame the Beatles had encountered after their third US tour. However, during his stay, George became entranced by ancient Hindu philosophy and the teachings of the Vidas. Leading up to this visit, George openly struggled with Western secularism and the relentless pursuit of status and material acquisitions. While he became more skilled with the sitar over the endurance of his stay, his more meaningful takeaway was a spiritual awakening.

    Upon George’s return to England, he embraced this change of heart and actively adopted a lifestyle aligned with many Hindu teachings. Within You Without You became a personal declaration of his change in philosophy and his music began to reflect this ideology from that point forward.

    Within You Without You introduces a Western audience to the concept that enlightenment innately exists within the individual. George encourages humankind to look within ‘the self’ [within you] while simultaneously removing the self-perception of ego identity [without you]. The obstacle is that we are conditioned from birth to accept secular programming, which, by in large, blinds us from the fact that we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience.

    “Try to realize it’s all within yourself; no one else can make you change

    And to see you’re really only very small

    And life flows on within you and without you.”

    One builds ego by stacking earthly gains and labels, then wrapping those assets with a coat of self-interest. The soul, or true self, is generally at peace and stable, while the ego is subject to constant fluctuation as the winds of the world shift. Constructing an ego as an identity is the way of the world. Others will judge you based on your productivity as measured by material wealth and success. However, constructing an identity on a fluctuating ego is like building a home on a foundation of sand. The true self will never be at peace with this strategy. Once construction becomes complete, it is horrifying for most to tear a home down to its foundation, relocate, and rebuild.

    “We were talking

    About the love that’s gone so cold

    And the people

    Who gain the world and lose their soul.

    They don’t know, they can’t see.”

    It is evident how small we are when an individual can suppress their ego. In the grand scheme, most of us retain little to no influence. Secularism is a hollow pursuit as there is ‘always a bigger fish.’ Hence, one can “gain the world and lose their soul,” chasing all desirable things as prescribed by the world.

    A constant in our Earthly existence is that one can only be accountable for the actions of their self. One individual imposing their belief system on another is an act of aggression. One cannot be aggressive and at peace simultaneously as one action contradicts the other. The contemporary Indian Sage Papaji stated:

    “If there is peace in your mind you will find peace with everybody. If your mind is agitated you will find agitation everywhere. So first find peace within and you will see this inner peace reflected everywhere else. You are this peace. You are happiness, find out. Where else will you find peace if not within you?”

    Every one of us is born with a unique ‘true self.’ Within each individual is the capacity to live a joyous life and find enlightenment within our unique ability to comprehend such a status. Young children are delightful because they live authentically before being imbued with secular philosophy. The soul recognizes authenticity — but is often unable to consciously place the ‘why’ because of the “space between us all” and the “love that’s gone so cold.” When struggling with a person’s behavior, I often try to imagine them as their ‘kindergarten self.’ This tactic allows me to observe them and their actions more patiently by removing their self-constructed identity and trying to see them as their true selves. Try it — it works!

    “When you’ve seen beyond yourself then you may find

    Peace of mind is waiting there

    And the time will come when you see we’re all one

    And life flows on within you and without you.”

    Worldly mindsets seek endless busyness, distraction, and futility that rift the gateway to the true spiritual self. If left unchecked, the material world will consume all of your energy and provide sufficient distractions to eliminate one’s ability to commune with your inner self. One must forsake, or at the very least, compartmentalize the requirement to be in the world if the goal is to unlock what is “within you.”

    Western mindfulness practices introduce meditation as a non-spiritual approach to emotional management, stress reduction, and mental focus. The goal of Hindu mindfulness is to use focus and meditation to attain a mystical state — the mind’s total absorption on the inner self. Asceticism, or restraint in consumption and simplicity in living, mediates the ego, while spiritually targeted mindfulness creates a path to understanding and accepting your true identity. A Hindu follower seeks Moksha (spiritual liberation) and self-realization through Karma Yoga (the path of action and good deeds), Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion to God), and Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge and wisdom) and, in some teachings Raja Yoga (mental discipline and meditation). The Katha Upanishad states:

    When the five senses and the mind are still, and the reasoning intellect rests in silence, then begins the highest path.

    Acknowledging a higher power is critical when exploring a life “without you.” What could be more ego-driven than the thought that there is nothing more extraordinary in the world than my self-construct? In nearly every global denomination, love is Godliness. Love cannot exist without humility.

    “We were talking

    About the love we all could share

    When we find it

    To try our best to hold it there.”

    I recognize that for a community magazine in a small Utah town — this may be a ‘far out’ stream of thought as one sits listening to the radio in road construction traffic. Our editorial voice aims to promote positivity and preserve the historical identity of the Heber Valley. The founders of this community were religious people. Studying world religions will find many common threads in thought, principle, and action. Many of these concepts made me who I am today. If I am perfectly candid: I was once a wounded soul and occasionally I feel obligated to share the secret to my recovery.

    I can break this all down to contemporary language and standards. Simply put, make the Heber Valley a better place in 2023 by embracing these five principles: 1) You are responsible for your happiness, 2) You are not that cool, 3) Unplug, 4) Chill out, and last — but not least, 5) Avoid selfishness.

    Have a wonderful Holiday Season and start to 2023!

    I humbly bow
    to the divine
    in you.

    Thank you for
    supporting Heber Vally Life magazine and our Positive Community Voice.

  • Molding a Midway Masterpiece

    Molding a Midway Masterpiece

    Midway is in the process of making a masterpiece out of a little mountain town. There is a lot to do, but the elected officials and residents are ready for it. This crucial creation begins with Midway’s general plan, which is being rewritten to ready it for the influx of people finding their way to this beautiful, once-hidden location.

    By carefully crafting its general plan, the city is attempting to protect its lifestyle and rural feel, while still providing refuge for weary travelers searching for a new home.

    Midway’s mayor Celeste Johnson explained, “The general plan is something that guides all of the decisions we make, and the state requires that we revisit it every five years. Midway’s very proactive on their general plan, and this every five year process has been pretty intense every time.”

    For this most recent review, Midway was granted a six-month moratorium on new projects, in an attempt to get in front of the exploding growth. “A moratorium is a double-edged sword,” Mayor Johnson said. “As soon as a developer finds out you’re going to do a moratorium, they’ll do everything in their power to vest before that moratorium happens. And so what you end up with is this huge workload …  and it takes months and months to get through that, and now the moratorium is over … That backlog is the other side of that double-edged sword.”

    The city dealt with the backlog when the moratorium was over, except for a continuation on what’s called a notice of pending ordinance. This means that the city has six months to complete work on about six codes. Development projects needing these codes can be approved conditionally, but must wait for the ordinances to be finalized with the city. The building is mostly on again. But that short, six-month break provided a huge opportunity for the city to gather information and organize strategies.

    General plan meetings were held in December and January; an all-inclusive survey was administered for public input; and an open house was held in March. There are ten chapters in the plan, and a committee was set up for each chapter.

    “For some of these committees, the chapter is pretty good already and they’re only going to tweak it and they’ll be done. Some of these chapters are going to need major overhauls,” explained Mayor Johnson. “Our affordable housing chapter is going to need a major overhaul. Our open space chapter was just written 2 years ago, so it’s going to need just a little bit of tweaking.”

    All of this public interest has provided Midway’s government with a clear picture of residents’ priorities for their city. “The beauty of Midway tends to just be that we want more of what we just had. Hands down, every survey, everything we’ve ever done, trails is the number one priority in this community. So we know that we’ll continue to connect our trail system and improve our trail system,” Mayor Johnson said.

    Also, some people would like to see different kinds of activities in the different parks. So, Mayor Johnson suggested that maybe instead of fixing antiquated playground equipment, the city could take that out and put some more creative options in those playgrounds, such as zip lines, and ADA-compatible options.

    Open space is another huge priority in Midway. A five-million dollar bond was passed recently, and the city has been making the most of it. They still have 1.5 million left for preserving space, after already saving almost 300 acres from development! Mayor Johnson explained, “When we use that money, we try to get matching funds and really stretch that out as much as we can.”

    Midway has been doing an amazing job making those funds last. The Kohler Dairy project cost seven-million dollars, but Midway only had to use one-million. Wasatch County and Utah Open Land provided money to complete the purchase, by gathering federal money and other grants. Landowners have been stepping in to help too. For example, Kem Gardner of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute owns property in Midway. When he found out the bond had passed, he approached Midway about preserving his land. One-million dollars was approved to save some of his property for open space. But after it had all been approved, Gardner offered to give the one-million back on the condition that it be used to improve the land with trails and other options for public use. “Those are the kinds of beautiful things that happen when people understand that this is a priority,” said the mayor.

    Growth is also a major issue facing the city and their crafting of the general plan. The city has about 6,000 residents now and could possibly have as many as 12,000-15,000 in the near future. But Mayor Johnson and the city council are prepared. They’ve done several innovative things to get in front of the growth and preserve Midway. Some examples are increasing setbacks to protect view corridors and putting options in place, such as rural preservation subdivisions, to encourage developers not to build out to full density. Midway’s officials have also declined the push to change the 35 foot height restriction everywhere except for the resort zones.

    Affordable housing is another issue. “That is the million dollar question,” said Mayor Johnson. “That is a national crisis … Midway specifically is looking at two things right now. One, called a fee in leu, would mean that if a developer is doing a project, they would pay a certain amount on each lot to be used somewhere in the county to create affordable housing. Another option would be selling deed-restricted property to developers.”

    Even tiny homes could play a part. “There would be some charming ways to create tiny home, European-looking villages, that would totally fit Midway,” Mayor Johnson stated. “So we would absolutely take a look at that. But we would have to adjust our code to make it work. And we’re willing to do that.” She continued, “We hope to start getting some solutions. We’re way behind the 8-ball up here on that. The growth hit us all off guard … We have elected officials who weren’t prepared, myself included, for what that means.”

    Midway has already been coming up with some ingenious ideas to protect its culture. One of the most impressive ways was how the resort tax stayed in place. The clock was ticking, and Midway didn’t have enough nightly rentals to continue as a resort town. But then, at the very last hour, a resident came up with a plan — annex the Wasatch campground into the city of Midway. The city jumped on this brilliant idea, and the resort designation survived. In the future, Mountain Spa will offer some additional nightly rentals, along with a hybrid open space conservation project — forty acres around Mountain Spa have been preserved in perpetuity for agricultural use. These lots will be sold as deed-restricted agricultural lots, again keeping Midway’s open space open.

    “We’ve done everything we can to create some boundaries that will make our growth smart and protect our view corridors … protect the feel that we believe Midway is, which is somewhat eclectic, somewhat resort, somewhat rural, somewhat agricultural, and it’s also, well, the victorian houses on main street, there’s nothing Swiss about those; that’s British. But we like that eclectic feel,” Mayor Johnson laughed. The city even created code language specifically to protect those British historic homes. If they become commercial, some requirements would be waived in an effort to discourage developers from tearing them down.

    With all of the changes taking place, Mayor Johnson had plenty of praise for the residents of Midway. “I’m very proud of how engaged Midway is as a community and how willing they are to come together and discuss options and alternatives; how willing they are to learn the facts and to find out what the limitations are that we have to work within; and that guiding volunteerism that we have here — I love that they’re willing to come forward and help with solutions.”

    This new general plan, with all of its built-in encouragement to maintain Midway as a little piece of heaven, might be just enough to create a living work of art in the Heber Valley.

  • Two Roads and a Rocking Chair

    Two Roads and a Rocking Chair

    There has been far more change going around the Heber Valley than the weather over the past few months. The Heber Valley has an identity of being a quiet, pastoral community. While our natural resources are undeniably our most glaringly apparent assets, the citizens define the true essence of this community. Frequently in the advertising world, we talk about ‘market differentiators.’ The root of a successful launch or campaign will characteristically involve identifying what makes your product different from the rest of the competition and promoting that virtue.

    Have any of you ever considered why the Heber Valley is such a special place on a level that is a higher elevation from the talking points of ‘distance to a chairlift,’ ‘proximity to a major metropolitan market,’ or ‘the majestic views?’ If you have: you are searching for the ‘soul’ of the Heber Valley. Many places in the American West offer recreational opportunities and great views. Nearly every community in the West has a history of mining or cattlemen. Most of the West, Utah in particular, can claim a heritage of the sacrifice and bravery of early settlers. None of these are unique variables defining a modern small town in the Western United States.

    I took the opportunity in my youth to travel and fly fish. I have driven across and overnighted in 42 of the 50 states; and brought a fly-caught gamefish to hand in the majority therein. My travels became more enlightening as I fixated less on the monuments, trophies, or destinations within the locale, and more on the citizens of the place I was trying to fish. There were times when I would pick the seediest dive I could find in Rural America, plop myself down on a stool and try to break the social barriers that the locals would put up to defend their way of life from outsiders (Clyde’s Billiards, the OE and Timp Tavern were not exempt from this excercise). As it turns out, many people like to catch fish, and I could always find a talker in the group regarding fishing stratagem. These experiences taught me quite a bit about respect, judgment, and earning diverse friendships. After all those travels, I landed and set root in the Heber Valley. While the Middle Provo River can produce some great trout, there is far more behind this outcome than the fishing.

    The Heber Valley is remarkable because our residents still possess a GENUINE quality. Our citizenry’s down-to-earth attributes have survived the plasticine projections of consumerism, commodification, entitlement, and the corporate value structure that has assembly-line-packaged and shrink-wrapped this Nation over the past 40 years — making the Heber Valley a non-fictional, modern-day Shangri-La. We are an honest and hard-working population that has historically earned our daily bread by the sweat of our brows. The people that we see at work are the people we see at our grocery stores, softball games, and civic events. We keep our heads up in our struggles, look each other in the eye, and offer a helping hand when we see others in need. While we may not get along all the time, we each understand that we live in the same small pond and have a unifying love of where we live. I have been amazed for nearly 20 years by the caliber of individuals I have discovered within the confines of this Mountain Valley. Many long-standing residents have chosen this life while professionally qualified to engage the rat race head-on in larger markets. If you think that the Heber Valley is nothing more than a misfit bunch of Utah hillbillies — you have sorely misread the reality of where you stand.

    The change that immediately concerns me in the Heber Valley is not what you might suspect. I am not afraid of growth or new people moving to the HV. I welcome those who wish to become invested citizens in our community. I believe this is a natural and necessary process that is healthy. A few antonyms of growth would be stagnation and decay. Life marches forward. Given a complete understanding of the implications: I think we would all prefer increase over decline. However, change without an intentional direction tends to invite chaos. The identity of the Heber Valley, unless referencing weather patterns, has nothing to do with chaotic living.

    Most of my work commute is the distance between Heber City’s Mill Road and Center to Main and Center. After 20 years of running this ‘commute,’ I encountered a first that I need to share — as an example of new attitudes in conflict with what has made the Heber Valley the desirable location it is today. There was an instance where the 25 MPH speed limit in the residential zone of Center Street was agitating the driver behind me. They elected to pass by in the center turn lane and issued a tall-fingered salute they drove past. Without any change in my speed or intensity, we caught up with each other at the stop light at Center and Main, where I politely smiled and waved back. My gesture of friendliness incensed the driver further — they peeled out and went North to whatever invented crisis their end destination entailed. Entitled aggression is not our identity in the Heber Valley. If you moved here to get away from that sort of thing, leave it where it belongs — in the past. Adopt the culture that long-standing residents have embraced for generations and perpetuate the vibe you moved here to enjoy.

    The pace of the world has been gaining intensity over the past several years. Professional and social stresses have followed the rising intensity levels. With the cooling temperatures of Autumn, I extend an invitation to cool our emotional states correspondingly. The rapid-fire assault of information, misinformation, and unveiled self-serving agendas at high levels has created systemic anger, breach of trust, indifference, and shortened attention spans at a National level. To make the case even more tenuous, it appears that there is another storm brewing on the horizon. Assume that we are humble and in tune enough to validate that this trend is accurate and that it may be affecting our general emotional condition. How do we course correct our emotional pathways?

    We all have choices. There will come a moment when we each have to decide to take the Blue Pill or the Red. I find myself reflecting on the oft-quoted passages of naturalist and celebrated American poet Robert Lee Frost found in the poem “The Road Not Taken.”

    Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

    And sorry I could not travel both

    And be one traveler, long I stood

    And looked down one as far as I could

    To where it bent in the undergrowth;

     

    Then took the other, as just as fair,

    And having perhaps the better claim,

    Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

    Though as for that the passing there

    Had worn them really about the same,

     

    And both that morning equally lay

    In leaves no step had trodden black.

    Oh, I kept the first for another day!

    Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

    I doubted if I should ever come back.

     

    I shall be telling this with a sigh

    Somewhere ages and ages hence:

    Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

    I took the one less traveled by,

    And that has made all the difference.

    Outside of the autumnal reference and natural allegory, I love this journey of thought because of the conceptual exploration that we all are accountable for our decision-making. None of us is unwillingly coerced towards a fate beyond our choosing. There will always be a choice and a corresponding consequence. Before you can change a core behavioral pattern, you have to validate that there is a problem and that you have the power to change.

    Suppose you choose the Red Pill and want to explore the relationship between manipulated emotion and rational thought. In that case, I have three waypoints for your consideration that you may find helpful on your journey.

    1. The inventory of time is a construct of humankind. This construct is the heartbeat and lifeblood of the industrial complex of which you are a cog in the machine. If you want to forsake the machine creating your perceived stress, unplug it. Reconnect with the planet and the natural pace of celestial motion, tides, seasons, and storms. Abandon your devices; sever the digital umbilical cord to the machine; and explore the Heber Valley this fall. Take your shoes off and feel the Earth. Schedule an afternoon to sit under an aged tree (without a book or any other distraction). Watch the shadows, track the clouds, feel the breeze and listen to the leaves as it passes through them. Catalog the sounds of the creatures of the Earth and learn their meanings. When the sun sets, make it a priority to lie down flat on your back and stargaze. Educate yourself about our neighboring planets and constellations to appreciate our dark skies, and ponder size, scope, and futility. The pace you will find in exercises such as this is the rhythm of creation — of which you are a part. It will ground you to what is truly important, and you will find more patience and compassion for others through that change.
    1. An old-timey quote by the Internationally recognized New Zealander Cricket batsman, Glenn Turner, has been heavy on my mind as of late. He stated, “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.” Don’t waste your precious time on this Earth fussing over variables outside your control. It is insane or illogical at best to give that thing, individual, or circumstance power over your overall emotional well-being if you cannot do anything about it.
    1.  The external circumstances around you are not causing your anxiety or frustration. Emotion generates within the self. None other than yourself is responsible for inventorying your feelings, and you can choose how you react to any situation. Let’s momentarily revisit my Center Street reckless driving encounter. I had a choice to allow the actions of the offending driver to wreck my emotional state that day. The best revenge in many cases is not to allow the offender to affect your mood and correspondingly become like them. Letting the event pass without escalating your emotional state is the road “less traveled by.” It is the high road and the path of leadership. Nobody can make you feel upset, angry, or inferior when you understand the simple truth that you have a choice. We must willfully comply with an external event for it to modify our internal condition. Dare to be non-compliant with the external stresses of your life.

    I share these thoughts out of love for my fellow citizens and the Heber Valley. If you managed to read this far, you have a choice to make. Marcus Aurelius declared, “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” Please accept my thoughts in the spirit that they are delivered — as it is not my intent to preach, but to provide a helping hand and a positive path to pursue. We can individually protect ourselves, our hometown, and our civic identity by embracing attitudes of tolerance, positivity, and respect. In a world where outside messengers persuade us to believe we have no choice or influence, these are actions we can take as a collective to create the future we all want to see in the Heber Valley.

    Thank you for supporting our positively focused, solution-based media voice in the Heber Valley. I hope you enjoy our 21st edition of Heber Valley Life.

  • 9/11 National Day of Service

    9/11 National Day of Service

    In conjunction with the National Day of Service; local civic groups, faith organizations, the forest service, school councils, senior centers, the Wasatch Parent Network, the Wasatch Community Foundation, and others within our community have organized Heber Valley’s 9/11 Day of Service.

    On Saturday, September 10th, there will be 15 different service projects taking place throughout our valley for individuals and families to participate in. Please scan the QR code or visit http://hebervalleyserves.org  for a list of projects and additional information on volunteer opportunities and ways you can give back to our community.

    After all that hard work you can relax and enjoy some local entertainment at the Southfield Park. Bring a picnic and set up your camp chairs or blankets by 5:00 pm.

    We thank you in advance for providing service in honor of those who served, and those who lost their lives, that day. We thank you for the positive impact your service continues to have in making our Heber Valley the beautiful place it is today, tomorrow, and for future generations.

    Use the following hashtags when sharing pictures and stories about your experiences on social media: #911day and #911utahdayofservice

  • Community Health and Wellness

    Community Health and Wellness

    Join us Thursday, June 30th from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Community Health and Wellness Center located at 345 West 600 South #401 in Heber City and get to know your local providers.

     

    Ron Dummar, DC MOAM

    Kirsten Nelson, NP

    Kristi Mackie, Brain Body Soul Alignment Coach

    Jamime Bringhurst, LCSW

  • Pickleball

    Pickleball

    Pickleball: the cross-generational game that is, with no exaggeration, sweeping the nation; and it’s sweeping tennis courts, gyms, and driveways across Heber Valley too.

    For those of you who don’t know, pickleball is something like a friendly game of miniature tennis played with oversized ping-pong paddles and a fist-sized whiffle ball, all on a court size roughly akin to that of badminton. And people are loving it!

    Things started getting serious in the valley when a group of about 20 friends, mostly an outdoorsy crew who were involved with the Wasatch Mountain State Park, tried to get the game going in Heber. They’d heard of its growing popularity in St. George and wanted to do their part to transplant the enthusiasm up north. Cary Hobbs, from Midway, was part of that original group. “[We] gathered at Valais, on the tennis courts,” Hobbs recounted, “and we had an instructor who came up and showed us what the game is about and brought some paddles and balls, so we could sort of try them out.” Since then, that initial crew has sprouted into the fully fledged Heber Valley Pickleball Club, with around 250 members and counting.

    While preparing to write this article — I realized that I’ve never played pickleball. I had first heard about pickleball through the grapevine of University students, and I had driven past others playing it around Utah Valley. What’s funny is that I, as an especially young looking 25-year-old, thought pickleball was the next new fad that young people, my age, were doing. On the contrary, and oddly enough, most of the ‘Senior Citizens’ I talked to were under the impression that other people considered pickleball to be an “old people” sport. The truth? Well, the reality is that it’s a game enjoyed by all ages.

    That being said, my main contacts with pickleballers were within the senior community, among whom the game has especially gained traction in the valley. Despite a sprained hand and ankle from a Kung Fu class the night before, I payed a visit to the Wasatch County Recreation Center one Friday morning to get my hands on a paddle and see what all the excitement was about. There, I met up with Carey Hobbs and other local pickleball enthusiasts.

    So there I was, playing pickleball with the local seniors. And I have to tell you, they were fun, and so enthusiastic, especially considering that I kept them running after the stray balls I kept hitting! My sprained ankle paled in comparison to stories of knee, hip, and disk replacements, from these seasoned pickleball practitioners. For my initiation into the game, we started “dinking” the ball back and forth to get a feel for the weight and paddles. For the rest of the morning, we played multiple games of doubles (in teams of two) which is how the vast majority of players prefer to play. It’s a very social game. What really struck me is how everyone just shows up! Whether outdoors or indoors, people come to the courts and they have no trouble finding others to play with. There’s no logistical inconvenience of finding a court and shuffling schedules to get players together, and generous individuals have spare paddles and balls available for newcomers. That morning all eight indoor courts at the Rec. Center were completely filled up, with others rotating in from the sidelines, which, I learned, is typical on weekday mornings, between about 8:30 and 11:30.

    Connie Green, the current president of the Heber Valley Pickleball Club, explained, “I mean, it’s really addicting. I probably play five to six days a week,” Connie said she used to ski five days a week. Only to have that hobby swallowed up by her enthusiasm for pickleball. Another individual shared that he used to be the same way with golf; “I really got into this [pickleball], and now I just don’t have time for golf.” The game is an excellent means of exercise, especially for those who appreciate and need something easy on the joints that doesn’t require extreme exertion. Green shared that, “Most of us are retired, in here. We’ve got guys who are 80…and I mean, look at him,” Green pointed to the court, “he still plays well!”

    My weekday morning snapshot of the typical club members only tells half the pickleball story. Younger players and families tend to play at different hours. Carrie Hobbs shared, “If you go out to the courts in the evenings during the summer, they’re full. You’ll find families and individuals that work during the day. You’ll have people who come down to our pickleball courts that I’ve seen having a family reunion; they’ll have the grandmother on one side and they’ll have a five or six-year-old on the other side, and all the people in between, and everybody can enjoy it!”

    Pickleball requires courts. While the Recreation Center has happily allowed players to commandeer the indoor space, many prefer to play outside on a proper court. Allan Bell, who was kind enough to be my doubles partner most of the day, explained that, “outdoor courts are a lot better to play on because they’re a dark surface, so you see the ball better, and it doesn’t slide as much.” Hobbs added that, “…through the winter, when nobody’s playing outside, there’ll be as many as sixty people here [Wasatch County Recreational Center] in the morning.” As you can see there is definitely a need for both indoor and outdoor courts for these enthusiasts to get their pickleball on!

    To address the growing popularity of the sport, Green explained that the, “club [is] in the process of getting six additional courts,” on a portion of county land across the street from the existing nine courts at Southfield Park. “It’s kind of a conglomerate thing between all the governmental entities and the Heber Valley Pickleball Club,” she continued. The new courts are expensive and through their own efforts the club is doing its part to raise $80,000 to contribute to the project.

    Club fees are a modest $25 per year. “With that, we do four in-house tournaments, for members only, and then we also do a summer barbecue and a Christmas gig of some type. So it’s fun! We’re real social,” Green explained. The club also offers beginner and intermediate clinics on Friday mornings included in the membership.

    It’s symbolic that a game that was pieced together from bits of other sports should also build a human bridge across diverse age groups and walks of life. In a world of digital dialogue, dating apps, and general disconnection, pickleball is an analog and natural way to meet new people. So, if you want to get involved in the pickleball community, or increase your physical activity, swing by the outdoor pickleball courts or the County Recreation Center, and give the game a try — who knows maybe you’ll discover your next new passion — at the very least you’ll have a ‘Ball’!

    To learn more about the Heber Valley Pickleball Club or to join visit: heberpickleball.com

  • Prioritizing Well-Being at The Sundance Art Studio

    Prioritizing Well-Being at The Sundance Art Studio

    “The purpose of the Sundance Art Studio & Gallery is to promote creativity and connection with nature,” says the passionate Sundance Art Studio and Gallery Manager, Bre Elzey. The Art Studio is an integrated part of the Sundance Mountain Resort, located in Sundance, Utah.

    With unique art classes year-round as well as an ever-changing art gallery, the Sundance Art Studio has been enriching the Utah community for close to 20 years. Elzey shared that the Studio began with globally renowned artist, Jann Haworth. In its beginnings, the Studio was Haworth’s personal studio, where she spent time creating her own art as well as teaching children. From the start, the Sundance Art Studio was deeply connected to, and inspired by, nature and has continued to hold this value dear. Over time, more varied art mediums have become available at the Art Studio.

    The classes currently offered at the Sundance Art Studio cover a wide range of artistic mediums. Available classes include: Pottery, Silversmithing, Acrylic, Watercolor, Encaustic (hot wax painting), Drawing, Leather Journal Burning & Bookbinding, Soapmaking, and Printmaking. Elzey personally enjoys the chemistry involved in the Soapmaking class where students pick their scents, colors, and exfoliants to create a personalized two-pound batch of soap. The most popular classes at the studio are the hands-on Silversmithing and Pottery classes. The Studio also offers “Make & Take” projects where guests can stop in for a quick project to take home, such as candle-making or beading.

    Trying a new art form can be intimidating; the welcoming environment at the Sundance Art Studio is a wonderful place to start. All skill levels are encouraged to attend Sundance Art Studio’s classes, “from absolute beginners to experts,” says Elzey, “our instructors cater to all skill levels.” The instructors at the Studio are experts in their fields who are passionate about sharing the gift of creativity with their students.

    The Sundance Art Studio not only supports the creative growth of community members trying something new, but through their Visiting Artist program, provides a platform for local professional artists to create and promote their artwork. Throughout the year, The Gallery features local artists for four-week shows. These artists do not arrive with finished works to show, but “are encouraged to be inspired by the nature at Sundance and to have a relaxing experience creating,” says Elzey. On the first day of their show, the artists demonstrate a creation process in action, connecting gallery guests to the creative experience of the visiting artist. It can be challenging for growing artists to find opportunities to create and share their art with their community. The Visiting Artist program gives emerging local artists a platform to do so, ultimately enriching the Utah art community at large.

    In addition to their year-round classes and Visiting Artist program, the Sundance Art Studio brings in master glassblowers from Guadalajara, Mexico to create recycled glass products. According to Elzey, most glassblowers do not know how to work with recycled glass due to the higher heat necessary and quicker cooling rate than non-recycled glass. The glass recycling program at Sundance is important and unique. The Sundance Resort recycles all the glass on property, giving it to the master glassblowers to create new glassware with. This reduces the waste production of the resort as a whole in a beautiful, creative way. The recycled glass pieces are used around the resort and sold at the Art Studio & Gallery. The glass kiln is located right next to the Art Studio, giving guests the opportunity to witness the exciting and inspiring process of glassblowing.

    Elzey shares that the core values at the Studio are: Art, Nature, and Community. Students and visiting artists at the Sundance Art Studio are encouraged to create through the inspiring lens of the nature that surrounds them. “The Art Studio and Gallery staff has a wide range of skills and backgrounds, but we all can agree that Art heals and creates connection,” says Elzey. The Sundance Art Studio team believes that individuals’ untapped creative potential can be accessed by trying the new and unique mediums offered. They see the inner artist within all individuals and consider creativity to be vital to finding the joy in life.

    Visit sundanceresort.com/art-studio

    Come and let nature inspire.

  • Putting Growth and Education to the Test

    Putting Growth and Education to the Test

    Wasatch County residents have earned what seems like a doctorate in dealing with growth, but channeling change is a never-ending process that seems to be as challenging as the teenage years. Just like that awkward, formative, and stressful stage of life, Wasatch County has a lot of current issues: traffic, taxes, affordable housing, water, air quality, the airport, public safety, and on and on and on. (Take a deep breath — it’s going to be okay.) With growth being the proverbial issue on every local campaign, and education always being a high priority to the community, the Wasatch County School District School Board has set out to develop a 10-20 year master plan while pursuing citizen involvement. This planning process has been named “Future Schools Project” (FSP). In 2021 WCSD held a multi-step interview process in hopes of hiring a consultant team. With an impressive presentation and an exceptional resume of projects and values, GSBS Architects, in Salt Lake, was selected to direct this process of determining educational goals, assessing the facilities, and recommending future options.

    Last fall, 489 registered voters responded to a community survey issued by Y2 Analytics. All results can be found on the FSP website (futureschoolsproject.com). The question is not if we will need more schools, but why, where, when, and most importantly how. One key finding from the survey showed that Wasatch County residents find fiscal responsibility (91%) and transparency (87%) “very important”.

    According to the FSP website, “The Wasatch School District administration and Board of Education are committed to a master planning process that prioritizes listening to parents, students, and community members. Our Master Planning Goals are: Be innovative and forward-thinking as we plan for growth, Ensure that students reach their personal goals and become productive contributing members of society, and create solutions that are efficient and financially responsible.”

    The FSP is a simple concept yet has detailed steps and multi-involved phases that have been taking place since September 2021. Phases include: gathering information, generating options, reviewing with the public, and finally the master plan draft presentation at the school board meeting on April 21, 2022. As part of community engagement, three committees were formed to help consult, frame, and direct this process; an educators committee (teachers and administrators), an advisory committee (elected officials of local jurisdictions and leaders of community organizations), and a steering committee (constituents selected by school board and district administrators). The FSP team has tried to give the community as many opportunities as possible to voice opinions, share ideas, and ask questions. There have been surveys, neighborhood meetings, and a special website with a place to “join the conversation”. It is always possible to email or call board members and district personnel. Contact information can be found at wasatch.edu.

    Part of the process also included an assessment, completed in December-January, of current school buildings and facilities. The project team analyzed safety and maintenance issues; and explored whether or not buildings were meeting the education visions gathered from the prior input of the committees.

    Building “Bridges” to Future Schools

    This project comes on the heels of the 2019 bond failure.  It was an emotional campaign with frustration and passion from both proponents and objectors. The final outcome showed 57% voting against and 42% in favor.

    Superintendent Paul Sweat explains, “The Future Schools Project is the Board of Education’s response to the community asking to be more involved in the planning process, as well as to the rapid growth that we are experiencing in Wasatch County and within the District. Based on continual updates from District Staff, they know our buildings are at — or over — capacity, and we are in need of a long-range plan to address the growth, which shows no signs of slowing down, based on data from local agencies gathered by our demographers, Davis Demographics.”

    Findings from the community survey referenced above, show how growth and education are perceived in the valley. 67% believe that the county is growing “much too quickly” along with 82% agreeing that public education is “very important to the health of a community”. Community involvement is also “very important” to 67% of those who participated in the survey.

    Sweat reflects, “It’s been eye-opening to see the engagement and enthusiasm for the process from within our District and throughout the community. We’ve long heard that our constituents want to become involved in our District; now they are actively participating in the process through committees and community meetings. Our visits to school staff meetings were very productive in gathering information for us to share with our consultant team, GSBS Architects, and allowed teachers and staff to candidly share their thoughts and concerns.”

    April: Enroll in Civil Engagement 101

    Although much has happened in the past six months, the next two months are even more crucial and exciting. All the effort and hard work will culminate at a public open house on April 7th. A final master plan draft will be shared at the school board meeting on April 21st. Look for details to be announced soon on the district website (wasatch.edu) or the Wasatch County School District’s Facebook page.

    “The Open House on April 7th will provide the public with an opportunity to view the recommendations from GSBS, which will incorporate the information they’ve gathered during their months-long process. It will be a chance for folks to weigh in on the possible next steps in addressing growth within our District,” says Sweat.

    Lindsey Ferrari, the public outreach consultant for GSBS Architects, explains, “This master planning process is designed to identify the public’s vision and values for education through a set of guiding principles; assess how the district’s facilities and buildings are performing now and how they will perform with future growth projections; then give the public some options for addressing growth based on the public’s vision.  Those options will be presented to the public for feedback at the open house in April and through other various methods such as the District website and smaller group meetings.  It’s important for residents to get involved in April and let the school board and consultant team know which options they want to accept as a community.” Ferrari continued by stating, “I’d also like to add that the master plan will not dictate where and what a new school or expansion might look like, but rather when the board should consider taking action based on pre-determined milestones regarding growth or building condition. So the public should be on the same page as to when and how the District will address growth.”

    Just like a high school graduate that made it through those tough and fun teenage years, the future holds many possibilities and educational options for Wasatch County. Now is the time to take the opportunity to be a part of the vision and decision-making process for future schools. The next few weeks will advance the goal of addressing and managing growth and education in positive and intentional ways.

    Sweat concluded by stating, “It’s crucial for our community to know we are working diligently to ensure our learning environments will provide the best possible achievement outcomes for the students of Wasatch County. Whether that takes the form of updated or new buildings will be determined by the FSP process and our much-anticipated Facilities Master Plan.”

    Learn more and get involved FUTURESCHOOLSPROJECT.ORG

  • Calling All Artists!

    Calling All Artists!

    With all of the talented artists we have here in our valley it should come as no surprise that, collectiviely, their art work can be seen from Wasatch County to all across the globe. This spring and summer there is an opportunity for our amazing artists to share their gift(s) with Summit County by creating a Historical Mural in Hoytsville, Utah.  

    “The SCPAAB is seeking qualified artists to create a two-dimensional mural celebrating and honoring the history, heritage, and culture of Hoytsville and Summit County. The mural will be installed on the exterior of the Public Works Building in Hoytsville and should be approximately 121’X11’, with some flexibility based on design concept and development. There are plans to also include a “listening tour” with interviews from Hoytsville residents, local historians, and Indigenous Tribal members.”

    The project will have a budget of $10,000; deadline for RFQ submissions is February 20, 2022 by 5:00 pm (MST). To learn more please visit: www.summitcounty.org

    According to the SCPAAB’s website the following requirements are needed for application submission:

    Letter of Interest – This letter should be no more than one page and should explain the Artist’s interest in the project.

    Current Resume – If submitting as a team, a current resume for each team member [should] be provided.

    Visual Support Materials – Submit 10 digital images of your professional work. Images must be submitted in the following format:

    • File Type: JPEGs
    • Image Size: Images to be no more than 1920 pix on the longest side saved at 72 dpi.
    • File Labeling: Files must be titled with a number indicating the viewing order, followed by the artist’s last name. The numbers must correspond to the accompanying Image List.

    Use “0” in front of single digit numbers. Do not use more than 30 characters, and use only letters, numbers and underscores, example: 01_Smith.jpg

    Annotated image list – The image list must include the artist’s name and a brief description of the image stating its title, date, medium, size, location and if a commissioned project, the commission budget.

    Community Engagement: 2-3 Examples of community engagement projects or workshops that were coordinated with past public art projects.

    References – A list of at least three professional references that have an intimate

    knowledge of artist’s work and working methods. The list must include complete emails and telephone numbers.

    Contract – The individual(s) selected shall be required to enter into a professional services agreement with the County on a form to be drafted and approved by the Summit County Attorney’s Office. Applicants must read the County’s standard professional services agreement (posted at http://summitcounty.org/249/Public-Art), which includes the artist’s mandatory insurance requirements. Contracted Artist(s) may be subject to additional requirements in the contract related specifically to the project.

    Materials (including links to file sharing services) should be emailed to: [email protected] with the subject line: RFQ Submission – Hoytsville Historical Mural.

    All submissions must be received by 5:00pm MST on February 20, 2022. Submission of digital materials is required. Digital format responses will be accepted via email (Attn: Thea Henney, Summit County Public Art Advisory Board Administrator at [email protected]).

    Read More

    Questions

    Summit County Public Art

    Attn: Thea Henney

    Summit County Public Art Advisory Board Administrator

    PO Box 4455

    Park City, UT 84060

    [email protected]

    http://summitcounty.org/249/Public-Art

  • Heber Valley Heritage Initiative

    Heber Valley Heritage Initiative

    How fortunate we are to live in this valley of breathtaking beauty and wonderful people, both present and past. The history of the greater Heber valley is rich and varied, including individuals and families who have exhibited qualities of courage, faith and determination.

    An organization has been formed called the “Heber Valley Heritage Foundation”, led by Michael Moulton along with a team committed to the preservation of the history and stories of the great people who settled here. Current technology is making this dream more achievable than in years past.

    We are pleased to announce work is well underway to digitize the significant heroic opus of work by Dr. Raymond R. Green, complied over 40 years. This collection of documents, photos, articles, certificates, personal and family histories, and stories will now be available for all to reference. It is a treasure for all to enjoy.

    “The Dr. Raymond R. Green Community Digitization Center” has been established and will offer free digitalization of documents, photos, and other memorabilia to our community. It will be walk-in center. Look for more information in the coming weeks.

    The center will operate entirely with volunteer help. Resources are needed in terms of volunteer hours and funding, to preserve the historical documents and stories that are being assembled, but it will be a wonderful opportunity to serve the community. We encourage those who are willing to help this work in any way, to contact Michael Moulton at [email protected]

    It has been said that we must make it possible to easily seek counsel from past generations. We feel this project will preserve treasured information and history to both current and future residents of this very special and beautiful place.

  • Wasatch Community Foundation

    Wasatch Community Foundation

    In recent years Wasatch County has undergone a tremendous amount of change. As the people who live in this beautiful valley we’ve had to take a deeper look at what we, the community, care about. American author, and huge proponent for community, Margaret J. Wheatley once said, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” I believe, during this ever-changing process of discovery, one thing has remained consistent; we care about each other. We care about community. Because we know what we care about — we, the community of Wasatch County, are capable of great change! We are capable of lifting others up regardless of our differences. We are capable of building a community that is better each day than it was the day before. We are capable of being the good we want to see in the world.

    Our community has always strived to serve, so — it’s no wonder that for years Wasatch County had numerous organizations trying to fill the needs of our residents. It’s also no surprise that so many would want to volunteer; donating their time, services, goods, and money; but to which organization? And how did one make sure that their donations were going to help those within Wasatch County? What if you wanted your donations to go towards supporting a specific group or project? And, what if you were the one that needed assistance — which organization did you go to for help? The process seemed overwhelming for many donors and confusing for recipients. In 2005 a group of dedicated volunteers set out to create an easier path, forming the Wasatch Community Foundation. The foundation’s goal is to connect residents who want to donate, to residents in need — from the community, for the community.

    According to their website, “Wasatch Community Foundation is . . . the largest all-volunteer, non-profit organization in Heber Valley.” Cassandra Smith, Director of Marketing, shared, “This is an all volunteer organization. We all live in Heber Valley; we all handpicked Wasatch County as our destination for living, we are all very committed to keeping our community as a place where people feel welcomed and can enjoy and feel safe and happy, and that goes for everyone that lives here.” Cassandra’s voice is full of emotion as she expresses the passion board members share for those living in Wasatch County, “We know that healthy families make happy communities and we want . . . the people in our community to feel welcome, and heard, and lifted, and loved . . . this foundation is a way for us to help, a way for us to give back.”

    The mission of Wasatch Community Foundation is to advance the well-being of Wasatch County residents by uniting community resources and programs through the following pillars: Human Services, Health, Education, Recreation, and Arts. According to Tom Fowler, Board Chair and Health Pillar Chair, “There is a chair for each one of those pillars. They each have their own committee that has established their own vision and mission statement to establish their objectives.” Over the last fifteen years WCF has grown and changed to better serve the community’s needs. One of those changes is the implementation of the five pillars. Cassandra explained that, “These pillars were not decided on a whim. We spent a lot of time discussing and researching, and made our decision very carefully. [Using the philosophy of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs] we started at the very bottom; everyone needs food and shelter; moving up you need an education and a job, and we have those things covered in our education and human resources pillars; then continuing to entertainment [the Recreation and Art pillars], which actually helps to self actualize people as they move up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We use the pillars to match each of those stages as your developing into a self actualized individual and a happy healthy family.”

    If you visit the Wasatch Community Foundation’s website (ourwcf.org) the first thing that greets you are the words; “Happy, Healthy Families Make Extraordinary Communities” written in bold letters and scrolled across a photo of two smiling faces. This simple sentence conveys the ethos of the foundation and everything WCF strives to do. In their earlier years, Jim Richie (one of WCF’s founders) and the foundation were instrumental in spearheading the UVU satellite campus, and helping to fund the Heber Valley Dialysis Center, and the Recreation Center. Through the years the foundation has also played an integral part ensuring that everyone who lives in Wasatch County has the basic necessities to be healthy. WCF partners with groups like Friends for Sight, Community in Action, CCPC, CCPC Heber Valley, St. Mary’s of the Assumption, St. Lawrence Church, Wasatch County School District, and others to provide dental, vision, hearing, and wellness exams and follow-ups to children who are returning to school without health insurance, food services to community members, students and their families, and cold-weather clothing to those in need. Recently the foundation brought together three of five different Christmas gift programs and created one program. Marilyn Fowler, Director and Admin, shared; “What it did was stop redundancy and competition for funds, allowing those events and programs to be more successful and more unified.”

    Unification is the goal and perhaps one of the best examples of this is Wasatch Community Foundation’s Thanksgiving Dinner. This annual event strives to bring everyone in the community together — and they mean every one! From the Mayor to the current Rodeo Queen, to the police and banjo strumming cowboy bands, to senior citizens and your neighbor, your next-of-kin, and you! WCF works together with the hospital, health clinic, and high school to provide a free hot meal and fun-filled evening to anyone in the community who wants to join in. The dinner is held in the high school auditorium and the amazing high school chefs cook all the food. The foundation takes care of all expenses involved so that there is no cost to the high school. Tom gives the run-down; “We have the police there, giving away stuffed animals so that the kids become familiar with them. We have a photo booth to take pictures. The hospital provides shots, blood pressure testing, and other tests. We have a coat and glove drive for people to bring in coats, pants, gloves, hats, and it’s all separated by size. People can come in and get supplies for their kids. It’s a huge success. We have one or two of the Cowboy Poetry bands come and play the whole time, people get up and dance and have a lot of fun.” At first, the idea was to provide a meal for residents unable to enjoy a family Thanksgiving dinner but as plans progressed the foundation decided they wanted it to be “a celebration so that people from all walks of life would come.” A celebration where anyone, regardless of their situation, could feel welcomed, heard, lifted, and loved.

    Ending on that note would be lovely; but much like the Grinch in the children’s story by Dr. Seuss who took, “. . . the Who’s feast . . . pudding . . . roast beast . . . cleaned out the ice box as quick as a flash [and] even took their last can of Who hash.” COVID crept into our community and quick as a flash our lives changed. Many of our residents lost jobs or had to close their businesses, our children could no longer attend school, we were told to stay away from our elderly, and eventually each other. The necessities of life were suddenly in short supply; many questioned how they were going to pay their mortgage or rent, how were they going to purchase food. While the run on toilet paper may have provided comic relief to some — the reality was — most were nervous about what this pandemic meant and what the future would hold. Everyone in our community suddenly became in need of something. Along with other organizations and individuals, Wasatch Community Foundation did what they do best — they went to work making connections with those in the community who could give and those in our community who needed to receive. The foundation partnered with CCPC and St. Mary’s to raise over $130,000 for Wasatch County residents needing help to pay rent, mortgages, utilities, etc. Marilyn had a huge impact on the program as she worked tirelessly finding families (through the school district and other sources) and helping connect them with St. Mary’s. Families were vetted, and lenders were asked to reduce payments, a one-time payment of $500 was then sent directly to the business. Over 200 families in Wasatch County were served through this collaboration. As COVID continued into the summer months the schools were concerned about the logistics of getting lunches to those students, using the school lunch program, who lived far away. The foundation stepped in and as Marilyn described, “We said, ‘Okay — we’re going to take care of that!’ [With the help of many volunteers] we distributed over 2,200 lunches to students that couldn’t make it to the schools. Our [local] restaurants got involved too. John Platt owner of Midway Mercantile Restaurant and our Human Services Chair, Renee [Burkley] worked together; John called the restaurants and every week one or two restaurants would provide hot meals for fifty families! Each of these restaurants would make the food and deliver it to the food pantry, families had to have a card, and they would pick up their food. This program was a great help to our valley.”

    Helping our valley is what Wasatch Community Foundation is all about and although some events, like the Thanksgiving dinner, have gone the way of the ‘Who hash’ for a season; they will return. This year the foundation will be collaborating with CCPC to provide turkeys and a bag of additional Thanksgiving dinner items to families in our valley. Moving forward the foundation has great things planned. Tom stated, “The foundation can do big things for this valley and I think that we have the right board and structure to allow us to focus on projects, programs, and events in specific areas in this valley.” Projects like developing new trail systems, building an art center and an ice-rink, programs like developing a Trade School opportunity for High School students in collaboration with UVU, or a yearly community meet-and-greet event for businesses, non-profits, and community members, are just a few of the ideas residents have shared they’d like to see within our valley. Wasatch Community Foundation’s goal is to bring the people and organizations needed to make these desires a reality together. Tom explains, “The foundation helps with unifying groups and helping in whatever capacity is needed. We support all of Wasatch County — we have a broad approach as to how we meet our mission through our pillars.”

    Wasatch Community Foundation’s motto says it best; “Happy, healthy families create extraordinary communities.” Wasatch County is extraordinary because as a community we know what we care about — we care about each other.

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