The long thin Wood River Valley is made up five distinct towns: Carey, Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley. And throughout, there reside some exceptionally interesting people. There are hard working folks who live paycheck to paycheck alongside those who retired early. We have athletes, booksellers, filmmakers, shoe-fetishists and eccentrics. You can find artists and musicians, farmers and anglers. Through slack, I’ll be talking to some of these people to give you a glimpse into those who populate this unique and stunning spot on the globe.
For my first, I talked to Kathy Wygle:
LB: Where did you come from?
KW: I came from Bellevue, Washington in 1968. I was still in college. My three sisters (Jan, Gail and Patsy) followed over the next forty years. The last one, Patsy, came for good in June 2006.
LB: What do you do nowadays?
KW: I manage the nexStage Theatre on Main Street in Ketchum. It’s a flexible space that can be used for theatre, music, dance, meetings and films by us, the nexStage Acting Company and others in the community. We’re non-profit, by the way, which is very different from a regular for-profit business like I was before, like restaurants.
LB: What can we expect in the near future?
KW: At the theatre, we’re presenting the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Halloween (9 p.m. $5). We’ll have all the props. The nexStage “Chairity” will be held during the opening of “A Christmas Carol: the Musical” (Dec. 18-24). And in February we’ll have “Divas & Deserts” on Valentine’s Day.
LB: What makes you happiest?
KW: Skiing and hiking. Those are still the reasons I came here are still the reasons I am here. I love my work but skiing with my husband, Barry Irwin, and hiking with my dog, Kippa, is nirvana.
