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October 2011
$2.95
www.CacheValleyMagazine.com
VALLEY MOMS GET
ULTRA FIT
Ghostly encounters with the Cache Paranormal Research Society
WHO YOUGONNA CALL?
ULTRA FIT
Peachy keen produce on Fruit Way Here's mud in your eye – and everywhere else
2 October 2011
Lad
ies N
ight
3October 2011
4 October 2011
5October 2011
6 October 2011
348 Editor’s Note
10 In the Valley
14 Utah State Update
17 Calendar of Events
18 Cache Cuisine
46 Cache Back
Departments
20 Cache Paranormal Society
26 Ultra Fit Moms
34 Photo Gallery
40 Utah's Fruit Way
Features
26
20
7October 2011
20
8 October 2011
October 8, 2011
Publisher Mike Starn
Editor Jeff Hunter
Advertising Director Kyle Ashby
Sales Manager Debbie Andrew
DesignerAshley Carley
Finance Director Chris Jensen
Cache Valley Magazine is published 10 times annually by Cache Valley Publishing LLC and inserted in The Herald Journal newspaper. Subscriptions are available for $12. Please write to:
Cache Valley magazine P.O. Box 487Logan, UT 84321-0487
or e-mail Jeff Hunter at [email protected] advertise, please call Debbie Andrew at (435) 792-7296 or email [email protected]. For photo reprints, visit us on the Web at www.cachevalley-magazine.com.All rights reserved. Reproduction of Cache Valley magazine in whole or part is strictly prohibited without consent of the editor or publisher.
Volume Eight, Number Nine
Cover Photo by Jeff Hunter:A fisherman enjoys a beautiful autumn day at Newton Reservoir.
Editor’sNote
I was already starting
to feel a little regret over
summer opportunities lost
when I got the e-mail in late
September.
Mindy Thornley, a Logan
native who ran track at
Utah State in the early
2000s, wrote that after
reading "Jump into Sum-
mer" in the June 2011
issue of Cache Valley Magazine, she
decided to spend a good portion of her
summer participating in all 20 activities
suggested in my cover story. And while
I didn't know it until she had completed
what she called "Summer Challenge
2011," Mindy also documented every-
thing online through her personal blog.
"I have completed every task on your
list!" she declared. "I am also writing to
let you know that by doing so it led to
one of the best summers I have had in
a long, long time!"
Mindy kicked things off with the
Beach Boys concert at the Cache Val-
ley Cruise-In on June 30, something
she was actually far from thrilled about
("I can only handle hearing songs about
surfin' so many times before I reach
my limit. And it seems that I reach that
limit within 17 seconds of any Beach
Boys song," she admitted). However,
one of things Mindy wasn't excited
about — spending time with some of
the summer citizens — ended up being
one of her favorite activities ("It ended
up being so wonderful just to chat with
them and hear their stories").
Although she added three things to
my original list (having a barbecue and
attending a wedding and the county
fair), and tweaked a couple of others
(rather than attend a baseball game,
Mindy started up a co-ed softball team
at the Cache Employment & Training
Center, where she serves as a behav-
iorist), I was thrilled to learn that the
story served as a blueprint for a fun
summer.
"While my challenge was to com-
plete the 20 items on the list, I think the
biggest challenge for a lot of people
(myself included) is to actually get out
and do!" Mindy said. "There are so
many things to be experienced — to
be enjoyed! We sometimes just have
to step out of our comfort zones to find
them."
To check out Mindy's recap of her
summer adventures in and around
Cache Valley with her friends and
roommates, click on the "Summer
Challenge 2011" link on her blog at
www.nikerunner.blogspot.com.
Jeff [email protected]
9October 2011
10 October 2011
InTheValley
C.J. Mayne was minding his own business on the
campus of Utah State University when he was all
but drafted into the epic battle of Man vs. Mud. But
despite being a member of the Utah National Guard, the USU
student from Monticello elected to forgo traditional army fa-
tigues for a homemade Roman soldier uniform comprised of
cardboard, duct tape and the business end of a small broom.
And he couldn't have been happier after completing the five-
kilometer-long course despite carrying an extra 10 pounds of mud
on his costume.
"It was awesome!" Mayne proclaimed after his having a formal
photograph taken at the end of the run.
"It was just a spur-of-the-moment idea I thought of this morn-
ing. ... Basically I was trying to be as obnoxious as possible and
attract as much attention as possible, and I think I succeeded. I'm
Sir ... Sir ... what is it I named myself this morning? Ohhhh ... Sir
Slips-A-Lot."
Inasmuch as Mayne lost a shoe early in the run — he wasn't
even sure in which obstacle — and probably jogged/walked more
than two miles wearing just one shoe, "Sir Slips-A-Lot" seems like
an appropriate moniker.
"I didn't have any idea it was gone," Mayne admitted. "I just
looked down and said, 'Hey, wait a minute.' But it was alright."
A veteran of a 15K run in the military, Mayne, who armed him-
self with a pair of plastic, toy swords, says he liked this race much
better.
"I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty exciting just to goof off with the
swords," he said. "They're better than an M-16 in all that mud."
"But," Mayne added, "I'm probably gonna have to throw the
armor away, because as cool as it is ..."
With the mud caking his entire body rapidly drying in the late
afternoon sun, Mayne didn't take time to finish his comment, but
rather started to head up the hill to the clean-up area before he
became a Roman statue. His race started at 1 p.m., one of the
final heats of the day at the inaugural Man vs. Mud run that saw
nearly 2,200 people pay up to $50 for the privilege of getting down
and dirty at the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville.
"We've received a ton of feedback from people, and everyone
Man Mud
11October 2011
seemed to have a great time," race co-founder Mike Schaefer
declared. "We've had a lot of comments from people saying that
they can't wait until next year."
The course Schaefer and David Knight laid out included 24
different obstacles, including three slides off of the bluff west of
the AWHC, a mud crawl, a river crossing, a deep trench filled with
dark, thick mud, and the big finale: a dirty pond at the end of the
final slide. The event also included a kids' course called the Boggy
Bayou for children under 12.
"I think it's honestly the best course possible for a mud run in
Utah," Schaefer said. "There are so many natural obstacles that
we can use here. It worked perfectly. It was a beautiful course and
the people at the American West Heritage Center were great to
work with."
Despite all the potential for injury, Schaefer and Knight said they
only knew of a wasp sting (it should be noted that insects are not
an official obstacle), two sprained ankles and the most serious
injury — a broken ankle suffered by a woman on the final slide
into the mud pit.
"We feel bad," Knight said, "and we wish we could have
prevented it and not had any injuries, but that's not too bad if that
was the worse we had for as many people as we sent down the
course."
"And," Knight added, "despite her ankle, she still gave us five-
out-of-five stars on the survey we handed out and said it was one
of the funnest days she had ever had."
As did another lady, who might have been willing to trade a bro-
ken ankle for a diamond. She lost her wedding ring somewhere in
the infamous mud trench, then e-mailed Knight and Schaefer the
next day to ask if she could come out and look for it with a metal
detector.
"And she said in spite of losing her wedding ring, it was the 'fun-
Facing page, the mud trench was
the most beloved (and despised) ob-
stacle at the inaugural Man vs. Mud
run on Sept. 3. Far left, participants
slid down the hillside and into a
mud pit at the end of a race. Left, a
runner dressed as a pirate finds that
she put her patch over the wrong
eye as she tries to exit the mud pit.
Below, everyone was all smiles as
they slid down the slip-and-slide at
the beginning of the run. (To view or
purchase additional photos, please
visit cachevalleymagazine.com).
Ph
oto
s by
Jef
f H
un
ter
12 October 2011
nest day' of her life' and thanked us for 'an amazing day,'" Knight
said. "I hope she found it."
She might want to talk to another lady who ended up with a
diamond ring at the end of the race after accepting a marriage
proposal just outside of the mud pit, but one has to assume her
fiance started the race with that ring. However, like Mayne's left
shoe, there was a lot of footwear lost in the trench throughout
the day, while numerous pairs of sunglasses went missing after
participants slid down the hillside and into the mud pit.
"But that's what dollar-store shades are for," noted Hope
Hansen of Hyrum, who completed the run with her friend, Jennie
VanDam, but without her glasses. "But these shoes ... I should
have worn tennis shoes. These tended to get stuck in the mud,
and I had to stop more than once and unbury them."
Hansen sported sandal-like water shoes for the event, and
VanDam, who is shorter, said they almost did both of them in dur-
ing their slow slog through the trench.
"That was the scariest part because I didn't want to drown!"
VanDam said with a laugh. "There were some deep holes in there
when you less expect it, and she almost lost her shoe — and her
whole leg — in there. But we got through it."
While people in the early heats, which kicked off at 9 a.m., had
to deal with colder water in the trench, those who battled their way
through it the afternoon didn't care a lot for the smell as tempera-
tures heated up. Teenagers far too young to remember the fall
of Saigon compared it to being in the Vietnam War, while others
joked that they were worried they'd get malaria and said the mud
was more like Jell-O.
"The deep stuff was just about over her head, so dad stayed
very close," said David Butterfield, who completed the course with
his 11-year-old daughter, Adrian, and her soccer team. "That was
the hardest part for her. The hardest part for dad was the endur-
ance. I couldn't keep up with her.
"But sliding down the hill was good. A little gravity works in your
favor when you're as old as I am," added the 41-year-old state
representative.
However, many participants declared that the slip-and-slides
created "the worst wedgie of all time," and they were certainly
guilty of also inspiring the most expletives of anywhere on the
course. But the smart people kept their mouths (and their eyes)
closed as they skidded down the hill and into the final mud pit,
where exiting often led to the-blind-leading-the-blind and some
very gritty teeth.
"You get a little beat up, but the slip-and-slides were the best,"
said Samantha Sondrup, a USU student from Idaho Falls. "I
ended up going in backwards on the last one. You're not sup-
posed to, but I ended up flipping around on the way down."
All in all, Knight and Schaefer said they were excited by the
turnout and extremely grateful for the help of more than 40 volun-
teers who made it all possible.
"We learned some things from this year," Knight noted. "And
now we'll be able to implement those next year and make things
even better."
Hansen and VanDam said they — and probably their fami-
lies, who watched and laughed from afar this year as the duo
completed the course — will be back for another run on Sept. 1,
2012, the date already scheduled by Schaefer and Knight for the
second running of Man vs. Mud.
"It was pretty intense, but very cool," Hansen said of her first
mud run. "It makes you feel young again."
Jeff Hunter
Right, a young
participant may
or may not have
developed a taste
for mud during the
event. Far right,
cold water made
getting cleaned
off after the run a
chilly experience.
13October 2011
14 October 2011
U P D A T E
When hordes of costumed youngsters hit the streets of
Cache County later this month to celebrate Halloween, the
members of the Pagan Alliance at Utah State University
won’t be with them.
It’s not that pagans don’t approve of Halloween,” says
Kassie Cressall, the founder of the USU Pagan Alliance
(USUPA) and an ordained minister of the Universal Life
Church. “In fact, we’re happy that Americans have em-
braced Halloween so strongly in recent years. We’re also
very much in favor of getting candy and treats from our
neighbors and we love dressing up in costumes. It’s just that
we’ll be too busy celebrating Samhain that week-
end.”
Cressall explains that nearly all human
cultures have some religious observance
that marks the end of the summer
harvest season and the beginning of
autumn, many of which fall on the
modern calendar around Oct. 31.
Samhain is a fire festival that was
originally practiced by the Celtic
people of Ireland and Western Eu-
rope dating as far back as the Iron
Age and Roman Era that followed
it. Modern pagans like Cressall and
other members of the USUPA cel-
ebrate Samhain as the Celtic New
Year and a “Festival of the Dead.”
“The night we commemorate as
Halloween and all of the first week
of November once blazed with
ritual fires,” Cressall says, “upon
which the early Celts symbolically
burned all their frustrations and
anxieties of the preceding year.”
The local Samhain ritual will be held
at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 596 East, 900 North
in Logan from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30. A holiday
potluck dinner will follow that ceremony.
“Our Samhain observance is open to anyone,” Cressall
emphasizes. “We hosted this ceremony in 2010 only four
months after the USU Pagan Alliance was organized. Al-
though our actual membership was very small then, we had
more than 50 people attend that Samhain. So we’re hoping
to have a similar turnout on this Halloween.”
Cressall recommends that anyone wanting to actually
participate in the upcoming Samhain ritual should bring a
“framed, stand-alone photo of a de-
ceased loved one, friend or rela-
tive in a silver-style frame, if
possible.” If a photo is not
available, she says
that any item with
W
Isaac Furniss lights a candle at
the ceremony on Old Main Hill.
(Photos by Jeff Hunter)
15October 2011
a connection to the individual to be remembered could also
be used for the ceremony.
The 30 or so members of the USUPA who will host the
Samhain ritual are by no means alone in their unconven-
tional beliefs. More than a half-dozen similar groups exist
statewide, including the Utah Alternative Spirituality, the
Ogden Pagan Community Builders, the Wasatch Valley
Goddess Devotees, The Church of the Sacred Circle, the
Utah Black Hat Society and the Sunstave group. A 2001
study by the City University of New York found only about
300,000 Americans who professed belief in some form of
paganism. By 2008, however, a survey by the Pew Forum
on Religion and Public Life indicated that number of pagan
believers in the United States had jumped to 1.2 million.
Recent studies have also put the worldwide population of
pagans at approximately 3 million.
Despite urban legends to the contrary, Cressall says that
modern paganism is an earth-centered spiritual perspective
that borrows symbolism and beliefs from both pre-Christian
theologies and contemporary religions. Some pagans prac-
tice forms of spirituality that are entirely modern in origin
while others attempt to accurately revive indigenous or
ethnic religions from surviving records or folklore. But most
practitioners of these faiths generally have a humanistic
outlook that reveres nature, rationality and individuality.
Given that definition, it is not surprising that modern
paganism is an umbrella term encompassing as wide a
variety of faiths as those listed under the general categories
of Christianity or Protestantism. While the largest contem-
porary pagan religion is thought to be Wicca (a modern faith
based primarily on the witchcraft traditions of medieval Eu-
rope), other significant pagan movements include neo-Dru-
idism, Celtic reconstructionism, Germanic neo-paganism
and Slavic neo-paganism. One of the few commonalities of
all these faiths is their lack of iron-clad dogmas.
“That’s one of the things that attracted me to paganism,”
says Ana Gibbons, the USUPA vice president and a self-
styled Wiccan. “Traditional religions offer a single spiritual
path that they want you to follow. Paganism offers many
paths to personal fulfillment and lets you find the one that
suits you best.”
“I believe in science, so it was
the rationality of paganism that
appealed to me,” says Isaac
Furniss, a native of Idaho who is
now serving as acting president
of the USUPA. “Most religions tend
to focus on punishment. They say: ‘Do
this or you’ll go to hell.’ But paganism is
rewards-based. It suggests perceptions and lifestyles that
reward you by making you a better person.”
One of Furniss’ roles in the USU Pagan Alliance is to
offer introductory lectures about the various forms of earth-
centered spirituality to other university students. Those dis-
cussions touch on some of the diverse beliefs associated
with modern paganism, including polytheism, animism and
pantheism.
Polytheism is the veneration of more than one god or
goddess. Although polytheism is particularly strong among
Wiccans, who revere a dual male and female deity, some
pagans follow Norse, Hellenistic and even Egyptian tradi-
tions which also include a pantheon of gods or goddesses.
But Furniss adds that many modern pagans consider
mythological deities to be just archetypes that symbolically
represent parts of the human psyche.
Animism is the belief that all things in nature, including
plants and animals, are imbued with the same spiritual
vitality as human beings. Animism was a concept common
to many pre-Christian religions and is the basis for modern
pagans’ strong sense of kinship to all living things.
Pantheism is the belief that divinity is inseparable from
nature and that spiritual power is present in the physi-
cal world. This is a pivotal belief in most forms of modern
paganism and a concept that mirrors theories about the
duality of matter and energy now being explored by quan-
tum physicists.
Like many students in the USUPA, Cressall spent her
childhood as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. She was raised on a family farm in North
Carolina, where she developed an affinity for the surround-
ing natural world that seemed stronger than any belief
in organized religion. After moving to Colorado, Cressall
16 October 2011
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joined a circle of friends who practiced a form of paganism
called Celtic reconstructionism.
I found that group provided a very welcoming atmo-
sphere,” she explains, “because they shared my love of
nature and my interest in Irish legends and folklore.”
After moving to Cache Valley, Cressall founded the USU
Pagan Alliance in 2010 in the hope of offering her fellow
students an opportunity to participate in a similar commu-
nity where they were free to question their own identities,
beliefs and the nature of the world around them.
Members of the USUPA say one of their goals is to dis-
pel the many myths about their beliefs, including the mis-
conceptions that paganism is associated with Satanism,
black magic and animal sacrifices. In reality, most modern
pagans don’t even believe in the devil or the powers of hell.
Instead, Cressall says, paganism offers “a different way” for
people to look at themselves and their role in the world.
"We are an open-minded, relaxed group of people who
love to share,” Cressall explains. “In our meetings, we dis-
cuss a wide range of pagan topic, including environmental
issues, divination, religious paths and occult philosophy …
There is always a place among us for newcomers, whether
you are a seasoned practitioner or just curious.”
In addition to accommodating its own members, the
USUPA also supports other campus organizations and
provides service to the local community.
The upcoming Samhain observance is just of one of nu-
merous seasonal rituals hosted by the USUPA throughout
the year. Most recently, the group conducted a ceremony
welcoming the harvest full moon at the USU Amphitheater
on Sept. 12.
Cressall says that participants in the Samhain ritual who
are not members of the USUPA will be asked to make a $5
donation to help defray the expense of the dinner that will
follow the ceremony.
Anyone wishing to participate in the Samhain ritual can
review an outline of that ceremony on the USU Pagan Alli-
ance website at www.USUPA.org.
Charlie Schill
17October 2011
USU Men's Basketball
ToDoin Cache Valley
10/8
10/2
0-25
10/1
5
11/1
1-12
11/5
The Wyoming Cowboys travel from Laramie to Logan to take on the Aggies at Romney Sta-dium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. For tickets, call 797-0305 or visit www.utahstateaggies.com.
Pumpkin Walk
Moondog BallThe 11th Annual Moondog Ball will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Logan Golf & Country Club. A fundraiser for Four Paws Rescue, one of the state's largest non-profit animal rescue organizations, the event includes a silent auction, food and live music. The $55 tickets are available at Caffè Ibis, Cache Valley Gardeners' Market, Citrus and Sage, Fuhriman's Framing and Fine Art and The Italian Place. Call 881-1063 or visit
The highly popular Pumpkin Walk will run the week before Halloween at Elk Ridge Park (1100 E. 2500 North) in North Logan. Access to view the dozens of carved pumpkin dis-plays is free, and a bus-shuttle service is available from Green-ville Elementary School or the Cache Valley Specialty Hospital. Visit www.pumpkinwalk.com.
Harvest FestivalThe American West Heritage Center in Wellsville presents its old-fashioned Fall Harvest Fes-tival each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults; $5 for students, military, seniors and children 3-11, and includes access to the corn maze. The
Runners can take on either a 5K or a 10K during the First Dam Run. Starting time is 10 a.m. Call 755-9543.
The American Festival Chorus will present a special Veterans Day concert on Friday at 10:45 a.m. at the Ellen Eccles Theatre, followed by a performance of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Call 752-0026.
members.petfinder.org/~UT11/moondog.html.
Barnyard Boo and Bewitching Tea Party will be held on Friday, while Fall Harvest Days will run through Oct. 29, with a corn maze, straw-bale maze and hay forts. Call 245-6050 or visit awhc.org.
10/2
1-22
American Festival Chorus
11/1
1
Now Jimmer-free, in-state rival Brigham Young visits the Spectrum to clash with the Aggies in the season opener for the defending WAC champions. Tip-off is at 7:05 p.m. For tickets, call 797-0305 or visit www.utahstateaggies.com.
USU Football
First Dam Run
11/1
9
Smithfield plays hosts to the an-nual Turkey Trot 1-mile, 5K and 10K runs beginning at 10 a.m. Call 563-0048.
Turkey Trot
18 October 2011
THE COPPER MILLCurrently celebrating its 25th an-
niversary, The Copper Mill has
now been serving up consis-
tently excellent meals in downtown Logan
for more than a quarter of a century.
And even though the original founders,
John Booth and Shirl "Mac" McKay have
technically retired, the quality of the res-
taurant's signature entrees and desserts
hasn't changed.
All the steaks and prime rib served
at the Copper Mill are graded upper-
end USDA Choice or higher, and the
beef is aged in-house and hand cut into
steaks each day. There's a fresh salad
bar, soups are made from scratch, all
the prawns are breaded by hand, the
desserts are prepared each day by the
restaurant's pastry chefs and the famous
raspberry jam is homemade.
The extensive menu at the Copper
Mill boasts 10 appetizer options, includ-
ing a shrimp bowl, a warm spinach-and-
artichoke dip with asiago cheese and a
ciabatta flatbread pizza. Among the seven,
large salad choices are seafood, chicken
tenderloin and the unique "fish taco"
salad, while pasta dishes include shrimp
scampi, chicken-and-mushroom lin-
guini and the popular Logan River (diced
chicken tenderloin sauteed with bacon, to-
matoes, green and white onions on a bed
linguini and topped with alfredo sauce).
Steak options include three sizes of
tenderloin, two different New York cuts
and T-bone, porterhouse and ribeyes.
The Copper Mill is also renowned for its
seafood (fresh halibut, salmon and hand-
breaded shrimp), and chicken entrees,
particularly the Chicken Louie (a skinless
and boneless breast topped with crab,
avocado and mozzarella cheese).
19October 2011
In order to maintain consistency, the
Copper Mill offers beverages in the bottle
(including both Coca-Cola and Pepsi
products), parents love that there are
eight different items to select from on the
children's menu, and the restaurant also
serves up one of Cache Valley's best
known and loved desserts. Turtle cake
(pictured) is made up of creamy caramel,
roasted almonds and chocolate chips
layered beneath rich chocolate cake
and topped with the Copper Mill's own
whipped cream, while cheesecake, apple
crisp, crème brûlée and banana cream
pie are also on the dessert menu.
The Copper Mill offers intimate dining
with one of the best views in the valley
for those fortunate enough to get a table
overlooking Main Street and the Logan
Tabernacle, but the establishment is
also one of the most popular spots for
banquets, buffets, weddings and holiday
parties (the restaurant has almost 30,000
square feet of available space and can
serve up to 1,000 people at a time).
The big brother of Elements restaurant,
which opened in 2009, the Copper Mill is
still operated by the families of Booth and
McKay, who partnered up in the mid-
1980s to creating one of the area's most
successful and enduring independent
restaurants in the building that formerly
housed the JCPenney store.
The Copper Mill is located on the third
floor of the Emporium at 55 N. Main
Street. Open Monday through Thursday,
11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Satur-
day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., the restau-
rant is closed on Sundays. Call 752-0647
for reservations.
Jeff Hunter
Cache Cuisine
20 October 2011 Photo Illustration by Ashley Carley
RESEARCH SOCIETYPARANORMAL
21October 2011Photo Illustration by Ashley Carley
Kevin Erickson’s fascination with the para-
normal all began with a pair of pliers.
At age 16, while working in a century-old
barn on his parents’ farm, Erickson says some pliers
flew off a dresser across the room as if someone had
pushed them off with an arm. Needless to say, Erickson
says he ran out of the building as fast as he could and
has been wondering what happened ever since.
Now at age 35, the Logan resident spends his
weekends sitting in old, dark, creaky buildings with a
team of investigators bent on figuring out what’s going
on when the lights are off and something seems to be
lurking around them. As the director of Cache Paranor-
mal Research Society (CPRS), Erickson says they can’t
necessarily prove the unexplainable voices, footsteps,
bangs and shadows come from ghosts or spirits, but the
group has had enough experiences to make them ques-
tion – and often disbelieve – they are alone.
“Is anyone with us tonight?” asks Josh Bryant as he
sits in the basement of the Ogden Exchange Building
with his friend and fellow investigator Bryan Barney.
“Do you want to talk to us?”
Bryant and Barney have turned on digital voice
recorders and shut off their flashlights hoping for a
response from a spectral cowboy, whose shadow often
appears on the wall and whose footsteps have been
heard rushing up behind them. Or maybe they will hear
from 8-year-old Rebecca, whose laughter and sing-
ing often echoes through the halls of the building. It’s
around 9:30 p.m. and the night has just begun. Erickson
is upstairs with investigator Amber Mandic, while fellow
CPRS investigators Annetta Bunce and Tara Gibbons
explore the “Drowning Room” on the main floor.
The Ogden Exchange Building is a hot spot for
paranormal researchers and comes with an unpleas-
ant history of a triple homicide, one suicide and one
natural death. The building originally housed offices
for Ogden's livestock auction, then was later used as a
mental-healthy facility, as well as a morgue. It’s said that
cowboys used to gamble in the basement, and eventu-
ally routine, shock and hydrotherapy took place there for
people suffering from mental illnesses. In more recent
years, the building was used as a haunted house called
Lazarus Maze during the Halloween season.
Bryant and Barney are sitting on old couches in the
room which used to be the morgue. Props from the
haunted house clutter the environment, possibly making
it a little creepier. They both say they’ve had experiences
in that room, including seeing unexplainable shadows
and hearing footsteps. Across the hall is the haunted
house make-up room, where a door slammed – seem-
ingly on its own – another night.
Bryant says he and Barney have been interested in
the paranormal the majority of their lives. They grew up
as friends in a West Valley neighborhood rich in mysteri-
ous activity, and were determined to find answers.
“We want to connect the dots,” says Bryant, who
currently lives in Murray. “We grew up around ghosts.
We had personal stuff happen. I’ve been curious about
where they are and why they’re here and how they play
into the scheme of things.”
In 2007, Bryant and Barney formed Utah Paranormal
Research and Study, which recently combined with
CPRS. According to Erickson, both groups have the
same goals in research and do things in a similar way.
The same goes for K2RIP, a group Mandic came from
which also recently joined with CPRS.
How CPRS works
The group is a state and federally registered non-profit
organization dedicated to paranormal research. They are
willing to investigate buildings and residences free-of-
charge with equipment and resources all funded out-of-
pocket (mostly by Erickson). They use a variety of digital
recorders, cameras, camcorders, electro-magnetic field
meters, motion detectors and digital thermometers. All
evidence must be documented and reviewed in a slow,
timely process. And a four- to five- hour investigation
may take up to 60 hours to review.
All residential cases are kept confidential, Erickson
says, while others are listed on the society’s website >>
Story by Manette Newbold • Photos by Jeff Hunter
22 October 2011
at www.cacheparanormal.com. Locally,
CPRS has investigated the Lyric Theatre
in Logan, the Main Theater in Smithfield,
the Cinefour Theater in North Logan and
the Wellsville Tabernacle.
“We’ve been in (the Lyric Theatre) a
couple times,” Erickson says. “The first
time we went in there we have (film of)
something sitting in a seat and we don’t
know what it is. We pan around and
there’s something sitting there.”
Erickson says it looked like a man, and
when the group tried to replicate the film,
they couldn’t.
“There’s something sitting there,” he
says.
In the Main Theater, Erickson says they
heard voices in the basement and have
recordings they weren’t able to figure out.
“(A couple of our) people had personal
experiences the first time we were there,”
Erickson adds. “The left side of the curtain
(in one of the rooms) was open and they
were sitting back in the building. And the
curtain actually lifted about 18 inches
and dropped. You hear the bang (on the
recording). And they have no clue what
happened. They saw it. They saw it lift
and drop.”
The Cinefour Theater and Wellsville
Tabernacle both generated little informa-
tion other than echoing and hissing that
was caught on tape at the theater, and a
couple of notes playing on the piano at the
tabernacle. Erickson says they are kind of
skeptical about what caused the piano to
play, so he doesn’t consider it evidence.
In the future Erickson hopes to investigate
St. Anne’s Retreat in Logan Canyon, Le
Nonne and The Bluebird restaurants, and
the Utah Theatre in downtown Logan.
The Big Cowboy
Erickson admits he’s always a little
skeptical though, and wants people in
CPRS to have a sort of middle ground
attitude when it comes to investigating. He
never wants them to go into a situation try-
ing to prove or disprove something, rather
he likes to take one experience at a time
and try and figure out all the possibilities.
“I’m a very analytical person,” he says.
“I’m a very real-based person. Even with
some of the experiences that I’ve had, I’m
still not a believer. It’s weird because I’ve
had some pretty crazy stuff happen, but
I’m still not a believer.”
One of Erickson’s most vivid experi-
Kevin Erickson
(far right) is the
founder of the
Cache Paranor-
mal Research
Society, which
frequents sites
like the Ogden
Exchange Build-
ing (right).
23October 2011
ences took place a few months ago at the
Ogden Exchange Building when he came
face to face with the estimated 7-foot cow-
boy standing in the doorway of one of the
rooms. Erickson says he could see all the
characteristics of his face and build. He
could see his jaw line and the distinction
of where his eyes were. He was wearing a
white button-up shirt, light grey pants and
a duster.
“I was coming down the hall in the base-
ment and … there he was,” he says. “I
froze — then said some things I shouldn’t
have. I could see him clear as day. There
he was; we were three to four feet apart.
We just stood there staring at each other
(for five to 10 seconds) and then he faded.
I’m still trying to figure that one out. Was it
in my mind? Was it stress-induced?”
Erickson says he’s also seen the
Rebecca and adds she likes to sing the
old version of “Ring Around the Rosies,”
which ends with “we all fall dead.”
“I’ve seen her, the owner has seen her,
and others that have been in the build-
ing,” he says. “She’s not negative by any
means. The owner of the building came
face-to-face with her on a Saturday after-
noon. She’s solid. She thought she was a
lost girl. She asked her if she was OK and
she disappeared in front of her.”
The Fear Factor
Bryant says the “Drowning Room”
earned its nickname after the group got
a 10-second recording of woman asking
a child if he is OK, and the child respond-
ing with “I drowned.” Before Bryant and
Barney entered the room, Bunce and Gib-
bons reported hearing whispering in the
area which made them a little nervous.
But for Bryant and Barney, the room,
decorated with fake blackbirds in the
windows and a few streamers in the
doorway, is silent. They set up flashlights
that can turn on and off with a twist, which
garnered results by an unknown force in
the morgue area. Then they begin asking
more questions.
“If I knock on something, will you knock
back?” Bryant asks. “You’ve been really
quiet lately. Why are you so quiet?”
Bryant explains that the body is usually
a good indicator of something happening.
Earlier in the evening he got chills and
the hair on his legs began to stand up.
Erickson says people often feel sick in
the building and have to leave when it be-
comes too much. Members of the group
report being pushed and scratched by the
unknown on different occasions. >>
EMF Meters One theory in
paranormal research is activity can be
linked to variations in electromagnetic fields. Using these
instruments, CPRS can detect if there are
changes in various rooms or hallways.
Video DVRCPRS has an eight-camera DVR system that allows them to be in several places at one time. They are also able to monitor the building from their tech base using the cameras.
Digital Voice RecordersThis is one of the most basic items used by CPRS. A digital voice recorder can be set on a surface in any room to catch unexplainable voices or sounds. Sometimes the easiest way to in-vestigate is by using a digital voice recorder and flashlight.
Digital Thermometer
Another theory in paranormal research is activity can cause changes in tempera-
ture, possibly making the environment
cooler. Often the body is the best detector of changes in activity; a
person may get chills, shiver or become
nauseous.
Full Spectrum Camcorder
This is a high-quality camcorder that re-cords video in full
spectrum light, from ultraviolet to infrared.
24 October 2011
“Some of the environments you go
into, and some of these buildings, can
be less welcoming than others,” Erick-
son says. “Some are less inviting. You
can get into those environments and
it’s not comfortable to be there. It can
be thick. I’ve been scared on more than
one occasion.”
Mandic, who’d been doing research
outside much of the night, says after a
while you learn not to be afraid of the
paranormal. She has been investigating
for about seven years.
“It’s a good way to face your fear if you’re afraid of the un-
known,” says Mandic, who lives in Clearfield. “You learn really
fast not to be afraid of it.”
CPRS visits the Ogden Exchange Building two weekends a
month, and perhaps what keeps them coming is the fear and
excitement of the whole thing. The group usually arrives around
8 p.m. to set everything up and then walks the building until 1
or 2 a.m. Around midnight, after Bunce and Gibbons had been
in the room where the triple homicide took place, “Rebecca’s
room” which is filled with old toys, and a lounge where a
woman ghost was reportedly seen, the two of them return to
the main lobby where Gibbons, of Logan, says she feels like
the ghosts are picking on her.
For everyone else, it seems like a night of bad fishing.
Erickson says there are nights when you can wait all night and
nothing happens, but for the most part on other nights they’ve
had a lot of experiences in the Ogden Exchange Building.
Barney says the reason he continues to return is because
“when you feel something touch you or grab you and you’re
looking forward and there’s nothing there, I want to know what
the hell that is. And that’s what drives me. I’m utterly obsessed
with it. When you have something like that happen, it will either
freak you out and you’ll never speak of it again, or you’ll be like
me, and you’ll want to know what that is. The majority of people
will never speak of it again.”
What’s next?
If CPRS goes into a private residence and can’t disprove
something supernatural is happening, the group will work with
the owners and contact appropriate clergy If the family would
like that kind of help.
Erickson says since CPRS combined with Utah Paranormal
Research and Study, K2RIP and SPARK, another Utah-based
paranormal research group, they plan to do some rebranding in
the near future.
He says instead of the society being regionally based, they
are hoping to take it more to a state level with other groups
interested in investigating the way they do. It will be set up in
more of a corporate style, and they will be able to investigate
more buildings and residences than before.
CPRS also will offer paranormal research classes at the Uni-
versity of Utah which will be open to anyone through the Lifelong
Learning continuing education program. The classes will include
about 16 to 20 hours of class time and two clinicals where they
will go into actual buildings and record their findings.
According to Bunce, it’s just addicting to be a part of it all.
“Just to be in places and buildings that people don’t get to go
through is really neat,” she says.
A few definitions:EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon): Any noise with vocal qualities caught on a recording, but not with the human ear. These come in three classes, A, B and C. Class A recordings are clear and audible. Class B recordings are audible, but generally need to be amplified. Class C recordings have vocal qualities, but are not inaudible.
DVP (Disembodied Voice Phenomenon): A voice heard by the human ear, and may or may not be recorded.
AEP (Abnormal Environmental Phenomenon): Any sound that does not have vocal qualities, such as footsteps, banging or knocking.
Current members of the Cache Paranormal Research Society include (clockwise from lower left): Tara
Gibbons, Annetta Bunce, Kevin Erickson, Amber Mandic, Bryan Barney and Josh Bryant.
25October 2011
26 October 2011
Soccer mom.
The term is normally reserved for a woman who spends a good
portion of her week delivering her children — ideally via minivan — to
sporting events and then plopping down in a lawn chair along the sideline to
cheer little he or she on.
But a soccer mom might just be a mother who actually plays soccer.
Perhaps she's a former high school or college athlete who still likes to get
together with some friends and go out and try to bend it like Beckham, even
though she might be … well … older than Beckham.
But where there's a soccer mom, there might just be a basketball mom. Or
volleyball mom. Or marathon mom. Or LOTOJA mom. Or even dead-lift mom.
With the addition of so many races and competitions and gymnasiums in
Cache Valley over the past decade or so, more and more mothers are finding
the time — normally very early in the morning — to fit in extensive workouts to
not only try and stay in shape, but get into the best shape of their lives.
Balancing family time with workout time isn't easy. Neither is getting kids
interested in exercise and nutrition, but setting a proper example certainly
helps.
Here are a half-dozen Cache Valley mothers — with a total of 17 children —
who are always on the run. Or on the bike. Or in the pool.
MOMSUltra Fit
Jere
mi B
road
hu
rst
Amy Zollinger
Sh
ann
on
Bu
rnh
am
27October 2011
Story and photos by Jeff Hunter
BRYNNE DAVIES
A mother of three from Providence, the former Brynne Stiefel was 197
miles into the 206-mile-long LOTOJA Classic road race when it hit her:
"I'm gonna make it."
"I got really emotional because up until then, I guess it was questionable in my
mind," says Davies, who undertook the challenging ride between Logan and Jackson
Hole, Wyo., on Sept. 10. "But by then, I knew I could do it. And when I crossed the
finish line, it was so awesome. It was the most emotional finish of any event that I've
done, I think just because of the exhaustion factor and being out there for 12 hours is
a long time. So, it felt pretty awesome to be done."
A star prep athlete growing up in Vancouver, Wash., Davies played volleyball at
Clark College in her hometown and continued to stay active by playing a variety of
sports after marrying her husband, Bryan. The addition of Spencer, 11; Ivey, 10; and
Livey, 6, certainly brought about a change in her lifestyle in the following years, but
after completing the Top of Utah Half Marathon in 2008, Davies decided to take her
fitness level up a few notches.
"I borrowed a friend's road bike and went down to Vegas to go to an all girls' triath-
lon, and I ended up doing really well on the bike portion — I was like 12th out of 500
— so I bought my own bike and did a lot more tris in 2009 and 2010," Davies says.
Davies finished the Half Ironman in Boise last year before setting her sights on
LOTOJA this year. She originally hoped to take on a full Ironman next summer and a
marathon the following year, but after seeing how much time it took to train for LOTO-
JA, she's backed off of that plan and is looking at other athletic options that won't take
her away from her family quite as much.
"It can get pretty tricky sometimes," Davies admits. "That's why I'm usually going at
5:30 in the morning."
An advisor for Utah State University, Davies works primarily out of her home, but
she feels it's important to have her work and her workouts wrapped up by the time her
children come home from school. However, she likes the fact that her children have
been able to see her (and Bryan, a captain for the Logan City Fire Department who is
now doing triathlons, as well) take on big athletic challenges and meet her goals. >>
MOMSUltra Fit
Suzanne Busenbark
28 October 2011
"With all the media influence and social
pressure — especially on females — with
regards to their bodies, I like my kids to
see me focus on how amazing our bodies
are because of what we can get them to
do — not what they look like or how small
of jeans they can fit in," Davies explains.
"If I can get my kids to focus on that, I will
consider it a success. No need for plastic
surgery to make them beautiful.
"Athletes come in all shapes and
sizes, and with discipline, heart and hard
work, they can do hard things — and so
can my kids. That's what I would hope
for them to get out of my training and
racing. And to see that women can be
strong, tough and independent as well
as loving, soft, and nurturing."
HOLLY HAGUEWOOD
Although she finished 14th overall
among women at this year's Top of Utah
Marathon, Holly Haguewood's time of
3:18 was about three minutes off her
personal-best time. But when you con-
sider that less than nine months before
Haguewood didn't even know if she'd ever
be able to run again, the term "personal-
best" takes on a whole knew meaning.
"I had no feeling in my hands and my
feet, and it really got into my legs; when I
would run, I just had no control in my legs.
It got really scary," says Haguewood, a
mother of four from Smithfield. "I honestly
thought I was done working out. I didn't
think I would be able to keep running
because I didn't know what it was."
Finally diagnosed with celiac neuropa-
thy in January, Haguewood started a
gluten-free diet the following month and
started to gain some control over her ill-
ness, which attacks the digestive system
and can leave a person malnourished and
weak, as well as with reduced sensation
in the face and body.
"This has been a 'whatever happens,
happens' kind of a year because I haven't
had the kind of base that I've had in the
past for training," says Haguewood, who
resumed running in April. "Someday I
want to run a fast marathon. I was hoping
it would be this year — that was my goal
— but I just didn't have it this year."
After competing in volleyball, basket-
ball, track and rodeo at Bear River High
School, the former Holly Gibbons earned
a track scholarship to BYU. Originally slat-
ed to compete in the heptathlon, a back
injury ended up steering her towards the
400-meter hurdles and the 800-meter run.
While in Provo, she also met and married
Ty Haguewood, a first baseman on the
Cougars' baseball team from Oregon, and
the couple now have two girls (Brooke, 8;
Kylie, 6) and two boys (Jace, 4; Boston,
15 months).
29October 2011
Although the Haguewoods live just a
9-iron shot away from Birch Creek Golf
Course, Holly says she leaves the golf to
her husband. Meanwhile, she's usually
up at 5 a.m., either running or biking out-
side, swimming at the Sports Academy
or working out at the CrossFit UAC gym
in Logan.
"That gives me about two or three
hours in the morning to do stuff,"
Haguewood says. "I used to be home
by 8, but now with two kids in school,
I try and be home by 7:30. Once in a
while I'll get a bike ride or something in
during the evening, but it's hard to do
that. You can't really leave your family to
go and work out.
"I think as soon as working out starting
cutting into family, then that will obviously
be the first thing that goes. And I can
already start to see it. I used to have more
time with my kids, but now that they're in
school, I think it's important to try and be
home when they are."
In addition to completing six marathons
(including A Top of Utah three months af-
ter Boston was born), Haguewood started
to do triathlons three years ago, and she
quickly progressed from Sprint and Olym-
pic distances to a Half Ironman in Boise
in the span of one season. Ultimately,
Haguewood says she hopes to run the
Boston Marathon, as well as complete a
full Ironman race.
"I really want to do an Ironman, but I
just don't know because of all the time it
would take," she admits. "There's one I
want to do in California next year, but I just
don't know. I mean, if it wasn't for having
to leave the family so much, I would do it
for sure."
But Haguewood believes her diet and
athletic pursuits are rubbing off on her
kids, who she insists likes to eat their
vegetables and are now competing in
volleyball, gymnastics and soccer. They
also love to show up along marathon
and triathlon routes to cheer on their
mother.
"Oh my gosh, I love that!" Haguewood
says of her young fans. "That's the best
part."
SUZANNE BUSENBARK
The daughter of a fitness-instructor
mother and a personal-trainer father,
staying in shape has never really been
an issue for the former Suzanne Har-
rison. She started dancing when she was
just three years old, went to her mom's
aerobics classes beginning in third grade
and competed in track at Bear River High
School in Garland.
But since she and her husband, Ryan,
opened the CrossFit UAC gym near the
Logan-Cache Airport 18 months ago, >>
30 October 2011
the mother of three has taken her fitness
to a whole new level.
"I was fit before, and I was lean be-
fore," Busenbark says. "But I wasn't near
as strong or as lean as I am now."
Part of one of the country's largest fit-
ness crazes, the CrossFit workouts are
based on the type of strength-and-con-
ditioning programs used by the military
and police and fire agencies. Usually
short but intense, the workouts combine
a broad spectrum of both cardiovascular
and strength exercises into the same
session.
"It's tough, but fun," Busenbark says.
"And it's become a word-of-mouth type of
thing. Like one girl who was working out
here started to lose all this weight, which
got everyone at church asking what she
was doing. Soon she basically got her
whole ward in here doing CrossFit."
Now that she works at a gym, Busen-
bark admits that getting her daily workout
in is a little bit easier. She used to have to
wake up at 5 a.m. in order to get it done
before work and getting her daughter
(Tyra, 13) and two sons (Payton, 9; and
Parks, 5) ready for the day.
"I've just always made staying in
shape a priority," Busenbark says. "It
helps me get through my day. It's kind of
my release.
"It gets all my frustrations out, and
then I'm a better mom," she adds with
a laugh.
Busenbark's currently thinking about
getting into triathlons — "I really suck at
swimming," she admits — but finished
second in her first 5K run this summer.
"Being in shape makes you feel good
and look good," the 33-year-old Busen-
bark says. "It helps you stay young and
look young. It's been my fountain of
youth, that's for sure. I don't feel a day
older than 19."
SHANNON BURNHAM
The mother of two boys (Christopher,
10; Connor, 8) and a little girl (Kaitle,
5), Shannon Burnham says after each
child's birth she would work hard to get
off the weight she put on while pregnant,
only to soon end up pregnant again.
"Finally, I was like 'Screw that. I'm not
going to try and lose it again until I'm
done having kids,'" she admits. "Gain-
ing it and then trying to lose it again and
again sucks."
"Then I won a contest," Burnham
adds.
Inspired by a brother, the former Shan-
non Belliston was set up with a trainer
about two years ago and entered a con-
test through ICON Fitness. After losing
80 pounds in less than six months, she
not only won a treadmill, but was flown to
Florida and featured on the Home Shop-
ping Network.
"I was done having children, so I just
kind of decided it was my time and the
kids took a back seat for a little while
so mom could work on herself for six
months," Burnham explains.
Thanks to support from her kids and
her husband, Tyson, Burnham was able
to meet and surpass her fitness goals
despite also working full-time at the
Space Dynamics Laboratory.
"My husband picked up a lot of slack,"
says Burnham, who played volleyball
and participated in track and field at
Logan High School before throwing the
javelin for a year at Utah State. "And now
he's doing a lot of the same workouts
as me, it's just that we usually trade off:
when he's at the gym, I'm home. And
when I'm there, he's at home. We've
Holly Haguewood of Smithfield has two girls
(Brooke, 8; Kylie, 6) and two boys (Jace, 4;
Boston, 15 months, pictured), but the former
BYU track star still finds the time to complete
triathlons and marathons. Despite battling ce-
liac neuropathy this year, Haguewood still fin-
ished 14th at this year's Top of Utah Marathon.
Ph
oto
by
Jen
nif
er M
eyer
s
31October 2011
just made fitness a priority and scheduled it into our
schedules."
Burnham, who lives in North Logan, currently plays
volleyball, futsol and ice hockey, depending on the
time of year, while also cycling, mountain biking and
cross-country skiing. She's ran a few 5K races and just
completed her first triathlon — a women's only event in
Herriman entitled the TriathaMOM.
"It's just fun being able to do all this stuff, and I've
increased my number of friends because we all want
to help motivate each other to keep going," says
Burnham, who now works out and even trains others
at CrossFit UAC.
"And my kids also like me better. My husband's
noticed that I'm in a much better mood when I work
out than when I don't, so if I don't do it, then I'm Cranky
Mom. Or Eating-a-Lot-of-Treats Mom, and that makes
me cranky."
AMY ZOLLINGER
A decade or so ago, the former Amy Gustaveson
was regarded as one of the best female soccer players
in Cache Valley. A star at Mountain Crest High School,
where she also played basketball and softball, she went
on to play soccer at Dixie State College in St. George.
Now Amy's a world champion ... in snowmobile
hillclimbing.
Having married into the Zollinger clan, she could
only go up (and up and up) as a member of the most
successful family competing in the Rocky Mountain
Snowmobile Hillclimbing Association. Following the lead
of father-in-law, Sid, her husband, Nick, and his brothers
and cousins, Amy Zollinger, swept all three women's
classes (stock, improved stock and modified) during
the 2011 season and notched another title at the World
Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb in Jackson, Wyo.
"It was one of the toughest hills I've ever ridden on
the whole time I've been doing it, but I went over the
top — only the third girl ever and the only one this
year — so that was a huge accomplishment for me,"
Zollinger says.
But Zollinger hardly needs to rely on a combustion
engine to get where she wants to go. The 30-year-old
mother of two (Sydnee, 6; Jaxon, 3) still goes all >>
32 October 2011
out on the soccer field (she's played for
a WPSL team in Salt Lake City), the
basketball court, or more recently, the
bicycle and the swimming pool. Zollinger's
already done several local triathlons and
century rides, and she hopes to soon
complete a Half Ironman and the LOTOJA
Classic road race — which would be a
entirely new way for her to get to Jackson
Hole.
"LOTOJA's probably a couple of years
down the road," she says. "After the kids
get a little older and I can spend more
time riding."
Zollinger says she works out a lot at
home, where she has a treadmill, elliptical
and stationary bike, but she's also taken
swim classes at the Sports Academy
and is thinking about starting a CrossFit
program to give her more strength for
hillclimbing.
The Providence resident says she man-
aged to stay in shape through both her
pregnancies by staying "pretty active" and
continuing to run, bike, play soccer and
race snowmobiles.
"That's just me," she says. "Growing
up I used to hate to watch TV. I always
wanted to be outside doing something. ...
That's why I'll probably keep hillclimbing
as long as the boys do. I'm not one to
sit out and watch. I'd rather go out and
do what they do.
"And besides," Zollinger adds with
a grin, "we've got brand-new sleds this
year."
JEREMI BROADHURST
Count Jeremi Broadhurst as another
CrossFit believer. After starting the pro-
gram in May 2010, the former standout
athlete at Logan High School quickly
progressed to a class instructor in less
than a year.
"I come here and work out four or
five times a week, but the thing with
CrossFit is, my workouts average only
about 15 or 20 minutes," says the
34-year-old mother of two who teaches
adult classes at CrossFit UAC as well
as one for kids and teenagers.
"It's made me a lot stronger, and also
a lot more confident — not just in ath-
letic things, but life in general. It's been
good for my body and my mind."
The former Jeremi Covington
competed in basketball, volleyball and
softball and ran track for the Grizzlies,
then ended up with a scholarship to
Sheridan Junior College in Wyoming.
She played basketball there for two years
before returning to Cache Valley and play-
ing for Utah State's club team in the days
prior to the reinstatement of the Aggie
women's program.
Marriage to her husband, Preston, and
the arrival of her daughters (Drew, 10;
Laikyn, 8) slowed her down a little bit, but
Broadhurst says she "never really got out
of shape."
"But," she adds, "the demand of hav-
ing babies and chasing toddlers was a
change. Then we lived in Florida a couple
of different times where I didn't know
anybody, and I'm much more motivated to
go work out with friends."
Broadhurst currently plays regular
pick-up basketball games, but she has
also embraced soccer — something she
didn't play in her younger days — and has
recently picked up mountain biking, cross-
country skiing and running. Although
she hasn't ran many races competitively
— "I'm still trying to wrap my brain around
whether I love to run or not," she admits
— this summer she tore up the course at
a 5K fundraiser.
"I didn't even know how to pace myself,
so I just sat right on the heels of this guy
from CrossFit and went with him," Broad-
hurst recalls. "Then when they were hand-
ing out medals, they said I got first place,
and I was like 'Really?' I had no idea."
Both of her daughters are now play-
ing on competitive soccer teams, while
Broadhurst coaches them in "her sport"
— basketball.
"My kids are total gym rats," she says
with pride. "I'd bring them with me when
they were little and I'd play basketball,
and when I was playing soccer, they'd be
playing on the side. And now they come to
CrossFit classes. They've grown up in that
kind of an environment, and I love that."
Brynne Davies of Providence is the mother of
three children (Spencer, 11; Ivey, 10; and Livey,
6), who helped serve as her support crew while
completing the LOTOJA Classic Road Race this
year (above).
33October 2011
34 October 2011
Scenic ImpressionsAbove, lightning strikes the Provi-
dence area during an intense late
summer storm. Right, mamma-
tus clouds linger over the China
Wall rock formation on a stormy
evening in Logan Canyon. Facing
page, the sun sets behind the new
LDS temple under construction in
Brigham City. The temple is slated
to be completed in late 2012.
Photos by Jeff Hunter
35October 2011
36 October 2011
37October 2011
Top, the setting sun colors the sky above a
farm in Southeastern Idaho. Above, trees sur-
rounding Newton Reservoir explode with color
on a clear autumn day. Left, the sun breaks
through the clouds on a rainy day and bright-
ens a field near the Logan-Cache Airport. Fac-
ing page, the mountainside above Third Dam
in Logan Canyon starts to change color in late
September.
38 October 2011
Top, storm clouds
hang over Gunsight
Peak on a rainy
summer night near
Benson. Right,
lightning hits the
Wellsville Moun-
tain Range in the
distance behind the
Logan LDS Temple.
39October 2011
Top left, Tony Grove Lake sits
motionless on an unseasonably
warm morning in late Septem-
ber. Top right, the sun filters
through a dead dandelion in
Nibley. Above, a full moon sits
in the sky beyond the steeple
on top of the Alpine Chris-
tian Church in Logan. Left,
a rainbow brightens the late
evening sky between Millville
and Hyrum.
40 October 2011
Story by Erica Colvin • Photographs by Jeff Hunter
41October 2011
Peaches. A focused mother cans them in a steam-filled kitchen. A gig-
gling toddler drips them on his chin, then shirt, then elbow. A
nonplussed grandmother slurps them at a family picnic. A U.S.
Senator praises them in the Congressional Record.
Yes, peaches.
But every produce vendor on the I-15 corridor knows why they
seem to be the center of each late summertime gathering.
According to Dave Nielson of Nielson's Fruit and Produce
in Perry, a sign advertising Utah peaches will bring customers
swarming like ants to a picnic.
“They taste the best,” Nielson reports.
Heavy-laden orchards line the hillsides and foothills along the
two-mile stretch of abundance, from south of Willard to Brigham
City known as the Fruit Way. Along historic U.S. Highway 89,
hungry customers pass more than 10 family-owned fruit stands
busting with famous Utah peaches.
An ideal climate, low evening temperatures and excellent
drainage all play a part in making Fruit Way produce a harvest
favorite, Nielson explains. But even with these advantages, the
weather has the final say on a crop's success or failure.
“That is the gamble you have with farming – you could get a
frost or large wind and then your crop is done. A late rain or cold
morning makes it or breaks it for a farmer,” says Ted Davis of
Pettingill's Fruit and Produce. “With our wet spring, our peaches
are three weeks late and we're bringing in just 40 percent of
normal. We only harvested about 5,000 pounds of cherries in
July — just two percent of normal. But we have an unexpected
bumper crop of apricots. It's a very weird year.”
Davis explains that “Forty years ago, peach season was about
two weeks long. They only had four varieties. As technology and
horticulture improved, they developed varieties that ripen from
mid-July to mid-October. Today, we have over 50 varieties of
peaches. They ripen at different times, extending the >>
42 October 2011
season,” Davis continues.
“September peaches are the sweetest, typically. They stay on
the tree longer, which gives them more sugar."
When It All Began
With Brigham City's famous Peach Days, celebrated the sec-
ond Saturday in September, thousands of bushels of peaches
are sold and enjoyed over the busy weekend. This community
tradition brings approximately 75,000 spectators to the area
each year.
In preparation, most family farms dedicate the majority of their
acreage to peaches. Nielson says that of their 240 acres farmed,
200 acres are dedicated solely to peaches.
The Peach Days festival, founded in 1904, has continuously
put Northern Utah on the map for over a century. So, it is no sur-
prise that many produce businesses along the Fruit Way have
been sharing their rich harvests for 50-plus years.
“My grandpa, Gay Pettingill, has been in business for 60
years. Each year gets bigger as the drive to support local ven-
dors grows. We offer a better variety than grocery stores, and
the flavor is better. Everything is better,” Davis shares.
Paul's Patch, run by 80-year-old Paul Valcarce, has been sell-
ing an “A-Z” variety of fruits and vegetables for 50 years, while
Tagge's Famous Fruit, a chain of 16 stands across Utah, has
been operated by Thayne Tagge since 1997.
For Nielson: “My father-in-law ran the place for 25 years. His
father, a local school teacher, started farming the land in the
1930s to gain extra income,” he says. “I've been helping for two
years. But when my father-in-law passed away earlier this year, I
stepped in to try and keep it going.”
Truly, the produce industry of Northern Utah has cultivated
strong roots, nourished through the decades and family
generations.
Peaches, Pears, and Plums, Oh My!
While peaches continue to gain fame, today's bustling stands
entice thousands of daily customers to peruse crates of apples,
apricots, cherries, pears, plums, pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes,
corn, cucumbers, squash, and more — all locally grown.
“The largest percentage of our market is peaches," Davis
says. "But we do go through a lot of tomatoes as well. With six
acres of tomatoes, we still manage to sell out daily. People love
them for fresh salsa and spaghetti sauce."
For LaMar and Denice, regular Paul's Patch customers from
Nevada, the sweet corn is a favorite. “But we love it all!” they
declare.
43October 2011
Thousands of boxes of fresh, tasty pro-
duce harvested along these foothills are
also peddled throughout high-elevation
states like Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho
where produce of this quality simply can't
grow, Nielson says.
Coming from a high-elevation town of
6,000 feet, Les, a repeat customer from
Montpelier, Idaho, describes the tomatoes
and summer squash as “fantastic.”
“I've had peddlers come from all over,
our stuff is just so good they have to
get it here. We've got great prices, too,”
Nielson says.
That may be how Utah's brand recogni-
tion spread, but ask any vendor and you'll
quickly learn that some customers travel
across county, state, and even national
borders to support the area's top-quality
produce.
Did you say Maine?
“I helped a lady today who flew all the
way from Chicago just to buy and can our
peaches for her daughter going to school
in Provo,” one Fruit Way vendor declares.
For Nielson, most customers are
locals. But he meets people from Ari-
zona, Nevada, and even North Dakota
on a regular basis. “I've got a guy who
travels from Colorado every week to
buy my produce.”
“We had people from Nebraska,
Canada, and even San Diego coming
year after year. I could name them, that
is how well we know them,” Davis says
with a laugh.
Tagge's Famous Fruit welcomed a
customer all the way from France >>
Highway 89 between the south end of
Brigham City and the I-15 interchange is
home to Utah's Fruit Way, a collection of
produce stands renowned for their peaches,
cherries, corn, apples and pumpkins.
44 October 2011
earlier this year, as well as a man who rode his bike across
the country from Maine.
Even Senator Orrin Hatch had something to say about the
famous Fruit Way. On June 30, 2011, Perry's 100th anniversary,
Hatch paid tribute to the “beautiful city” with a statement entered
in the Congressional Record in Washington D.C.
Calling it the “apple of many a person's eye,” he claimed to
never have found fruit so sweet anywhere else in his travels.
A Community-focused Tradition
“I would definitely say most people buy our peaches for can-
ning and food storage for the winter," Pettingill's Ted Davis says.
"It takes more time to do it on your own instead of just buying it
from the store. But overall, it is more economical —and it tastes
so much better.”
Locals like Kim from Perry, visit the Fruit Way weekly
or even bi-weekly, shopping for prime baking and cooking
produce. Kim's young daughter excitedly collects a handful of
pumpkins to start painting for Halloween while shopping on a
Monday evening.
Chantel Hockstein, from Smithfield, used to shop the fruit
stands with her mom and dad. Now, as a young parent, “I take
my kids to get peaches and pears to put up for the winter,”
Hockstein says. “It is a fun family outing. We love to go through
Sardine Canyon when the leaves are changing.”
A serious supporter of local farmers, Hockstein believes, “It's
good to show my kids where food comes from and to meet the
Paul's Patch in
Perry is one of the
closest produce
vendors for people
driving over from
Cache Valley.
45October 2011
people who grow it. My shopping trip
turns into a valuable learning activity that
teaches them how to support a sustain-
able lifestyle.”
In that same spirit, many farmers now
offer organic or “no-spray” produce and
some have even converted to drip sys-
tems to conserve water. “With our all-drip
irrigation, we use one-fourth to one-third
the water we previously consumed,” says
Ivan Golegos of Tagge's Famous Fruit.
Some vendors serve local patrons by
offering a Community Share Agreement,
which provides a weekly delivery of fresh
fruit and vegetables throughout the harvest
season. “It's similar to 'Bountiful Baskets.'
We deliver from Logan to Provo, July
through September,” Golegos explains.
Most produce vendors along Fruit Way
are open for business anywhere from 8
a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday,
although some vendors are open Sun-
days, as well.
Davis offers one piece of advice for
first-time customers: “We push about
1,000 customers on Saturdays and are
extremely busy. For those of you who
drive from Cache Valley or farther, I rec-
ommend visiting on a weekday. We work
strictly on a first-come-first-serve basis
and can't take orders. We want to give
people a quality product at a fair value. If
it is something we wouldn't buy ourselves,
we won't sell it. That's our promise.”
Understanding this unique industry,
Utah's Fruit Way becomes more than a
row of fruit stands. These vendors repre-
sent a strong and fruitful — pun intended
— family heritage that is a lesson on hard
work, determination, and economy. Come
join the family and slurp your way through
a ripe Elberta peach while you're at it.
46 October 2011
CacheBack
Photo by Jeff Hunter
Kathleen Collette, a freshman
from Idaho Falls, nearly manages
to sack the quarterback despite
eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich
during her team's powder-puff
football game on the Quad at
Utah State University on Sept. 22.
47October 2011
730 S. Main Logan • 752-1678 • Open Mon-Sat 10-6
• Jewelry• Art• Quilts • Books • Pottery • Dolls
• Glassware • Furniture• Books • Primitives • Collectibles• Decorations
Country Village
48 October 2011
