2024 makes way for the New Year!

2024 was a big year for Caribou County in a lot of ways—from state championship games and amazing seasons in sports, to a new event center and clinic in Grace, an uncertain future for Enders, a seemingly endless election season, a visit from a classic train, and much more.  It was also, of course, a big year for us at the Enterprise.  February 8 will mark the year anniversary of our time in Caribou, and it has been a fantastic learning experience, full of many amazing people and organizations that we’ve had the chance to meet, work with, and cover.

We won’t be able to present a full and thorough recounting of all the events that have taken place over the last year and keep up with unfolding and current news, but we will devote pages to highlighting some of the stories that grabbed us over the year.  

Jody Reeves’ Year in Review of Sports highlights in Caribou County is also included in this edition, and covers some of the many things that have happened this year with local athletes.

A massive thank you to everyone who has subscribed to the paper or shared it with friends and neighbors over our first year.  We plan to keep growing and expanding what we are able to bring to the residents of Caribou county, and hope to be a welcomed presence in your mailboxes and newsstands ver the years to come.  Happy New Year!

Elections

While for the country as a whole the election sucked up most of the oxygen, Caribou County had an easier time of it.  With the exception of some contested primaries and a school bond issue in Soda Springs, the election itself went off smoothly and mostly played to expectations.  In terms of local races, incumbent candidates for the positions won the primaries which had challengers, including County Commission Chair Mark Mathews and Sheriff Adam Mabey.  The local incumbents were elected in the fall contest without facing opposition.

In the state races, incumbents also carried the day, with local candidate Joseph Messerly representing the only sustained challenge to state representative Kevin Andrus, who ultimately carried the majority.  

The bond issue for a new high school in Soda Springs was less of a foregone conclusion, although the final percentage was almost twenty points off what was needed to pass.  Voters cited the pricetag and the adequacy of the existing school as primary reasons for their votes.  The school board and administration made the case that the school itself is already straining at its expected useful life, and has a number of structural issues that represent continual expenses and potential safety concerns.  The bond also included an addition to Thirkill Elementary, which would have allowed the fifth grade to be returned from Tigert, where it is currently housed due to space issues.

Superintendent Scott Muir has promised to run the bond again with whatever changes it takes in order to secure funding for a new building, which he and the board believe is of utmost importance to current and future students in the Soda Springs School District.

The issue of the bond also revived discussion of the potential for a joint or consolidated school district that would include Grace and North Gem, allowing the currently separate entities to pool their resources.  That discussion has been hot and cold for decades, and it remains to be seen whether it will gain any steam moving forward as a result of the failed bond. 

Enders

Speaking of long simmering issues, the saga of the Enders Hotel building dominated most of the year as well.  Ever since the building was gifted to the city by the Maughan family, the city has been faced with the problem of how to best serve the intentions of the family and the needs of the city.  Various businesses have occupied it over that time, most recently Terah Jones who operated it as a hotel, gift shop, and conference/event center.  As a result of the narrow operating margin of the arrangement and a lease rate increase expected at the beginning of the new contract, Jones decided to discontinue leasing the building.  During her tenure, the building was improved and saw a number of quality upgrades, which potentially makes it a more attractive prospect moving forward.

The city has been discussing the next steps for the last several months, and at present has largely settled on the options of either selling the building outright, leasing the building to another party, or leasing parts of the building and moving city offices into the main floor of the building.

Each of these options brings with it its own set of issues.  Selling the building would turn the stewardship of an acknowledged historical landmark and icon of the city over to a party outside the city’s control, it might, however, offset the accumulated costs of the building and create funds to update other city facilities such as the police station.  Under the right circumstances, it might also provide a match or a downpayment for a potential multi-purpose facility that could serve as an event center as well as city offices.

Leasing the building would create a recurring issue of lease contracts being subject to renewal, which might lead to unpredictability in the tenancy of the building.  If, for instance, a lessee was not found to re-occupy the building for extended periods of time the maintenance and upkeep costs would be carried by the city, which is the main complaint against the present situation.  On the other hand, an outside party with access to a lot of resources might be able to dramatically improve and expand the nature of what Enders might offer.

Lastly, moving city offices to the building would be an emotionally satisfying outcome for many, as it would seat the local government in its most striking historical building, but the flip side is the associated cost, which would be considerable.

Main Street

If you were in Soda Springs at all this year and didn’t argue about Main Street with someone at least once, were you even in Soda Springs?  The Main Street project is still not officially entirely completed, but for all intents and purposes the project is done.  Christmas lights were added to the downtown light poles when they were turned on, signaling the long-awaited conclusion.

Over the many months that the construction lasted, parking was one major issue.  Another was the cost to businesses of connecting to the new utility lines.  Efforts were made to minimize the disruption and pain caused by the project, but it was inarguably a long wait, especially for representatives of the city.

The newly redone Main Street is also inarguably a more attractive, better equipped place which should hopefully bring people downtown to shop and spend their time and money.

Chambers Reorganize

As 2025 kicks in, the Grace Chamber of Commerce will see the changing of the guard from Gloria Peck to Daphney Medina.  As recounted in the previous edition of the Enterprise, Medina has plans to expand the operations of the Grace Chamber and continue outreach to surrounding areas.  

Soda Springs began 2024 in a much less clear space, with a Chamber that had been more or less moribund for several years.  With the prompting of several local business leaders including Paul Gritton, as well as the Rotary club and Scott Muir, the Soda Springs Chamber of Commerce came a long way over the course of the year.  

From a few initial meetings to gauge interest and gather ideas, Debbie Dumont marshalled the willing into an incipient shape that has increased momentum as the months have gone on.  By summer, a board had been selected for the Chamber, and several committees established to begin putting together a coherent institution.  The Chamber sponsored a number of booths and events throughout the year, including vendors for the Fourth of July.  The Chamber also hosted several workshops and training sessions for members on issues such as using social media and networking.

By the end of the year, the Chamber was in a good place to expand on its success and start filling in the full calendar of 2025. 

Celebrations

The calendar is full of its requisite celebrations, and this year saw large turnouts for the county’s anticipated events.  Dotted throughout the annual landscape are the events that often provide a consistent fabric by which to measure the passing of time and the predictable rotation of milestones.   From the traditional Soup Luncheon at the Presbyterian church at start of the year to the Christmas and New Year’s events that end it, there is always something going on around the county.

This year’s Easter was cold and snowy, taking place unusually early in the year.  The weather affected conditions at the county’s traditional Easter egg hunts, as well as plans for sunrise services.  The Soda Springs Stake Center hosted a first of its kind in the area non-denominational Easter Walk, featuring rooms depicting parts of the Easter story.

One of the most significant celebrations of the year involves the spring graduations of local students.  After a lot of hard work and dedication, the reward is finally in sight, and Grace, North Gem, and Soda all graduated amazing classes of tomorrow’s leaders. 

The summer is the season of parades!  Between Fourth of July, Pioneer Day, and the Fair July and August saw a lot of miles put on the county parade vehicles and horses.  While the summer wasn’t as hot as it might have been, there was still a high premium on shade for the
peak heat.  

Soda Springs hosted a Fall Festival at the City Park, and the western edge of the valley traded time off school for working the Spud Harvest.

When Harvest comes, Halloween isn’t far behind and there were many events across the county’s schools and businesses, including a Trunk or Treat spectacular at the newly opened Liberty Dodge. 

A solemn Veterans Day across the valley was observed, with presentations and assemblies at the local schools, and many accompanying events to honor the men and women of the armed services.

Thanksgiving is named after its purpose, and this year’s Thanksgiving events coincided fairly closely with the Presbyterian Bazaar.  The Senior Center also hosted a Community Thanksgiving and meal delivery.  

Christmas was busy as always, with the Festival of Trees, Community Theatre production, lighting of Teuscher Square in Bancroft, visits from Santa in many locations including the Grace Fire Station, and community events both large and small.  The year was full of events, and 2025 is full of promise for even better versions of them!

Kirk Hansen and other passings

News that former Soda Springs mayor Kirk Hansen had passed away reached Caribou county on February 3.  Hansen was a much-loved mayor who was first elected in 1985 and served in that position for an amazing 28 years.  In addition to his official role as mayor, Hansen served in many capacities throughout the area and region, and is credited with countless initiatives and efforts to improve not just the city of Soda Springs, but everywhere around him.  Outpourings of affection and love for Kirk and his family were immediate.

There were many other passings in the year that was.  Some of them were expected, and some of them were tragically unexpected.  Obituaries from 2024, as well as those that were not included in the time that the Caribou County Sun ceased publishing until the Enterprise started can by found by the issue on cariboucountynews.com, the Enterprise’s website.  It was my original hope to include a brief recounting of all of them in these pages, but the fact that some people would be left out due to where their obituaries were published, as well as the sheer length that would be required to adequately cover them, caused me to reconsider and direct readers to the website.

Buxton named Music Teacher of the Year

Grace’s director of music programs Beth Buxton was presented with the Music Teacher of the Year 2024 plaque by Foster Garrett, director of the Idaho Music Educators Association.  Buxton was recognized by the organization for her impressive work bringing the music program back to force strength in Grace, and that strength was on display at the spring concert that saw performances from the school’s range of bands, as well as its various choirs.  Wonderfully framed by the Gem Valley Performing Arts Center, the concert featured a great variety of sights and sounds, which charmed the packed seats of the theatre.  The concert was accompanied by Amy McCurdy, whose consistent talent at the piano set the pace of the evening’s high-caliber numbers.

Honors Orchestra 

Tigert Middle School hosted district honors orchestra for the first time, bringing in students from Snake River, Blackfoot, Soda Springs, as well as a number of home schooled students.  In addition to Orchestra Director Debbie Hansen, special guest conductor Teresa Norton was featured leading the group through three pieces at the end of the day, which were performed for students and parents. 

Longtime music teacher Kathleen Campbell was in attendance for the performance, which was conducted by her former student Teresa Norton.  Orchestra in Caribou County has been evolving for a long time, mostly under Campbell’s watchful eye. Campbell, Hansen, and Norton all hope that the program at Tigert continues to expand, and that events such as this district event continue to grow and attract more students in the future.  

CMC 

Caribou Medical Center had a busy and exciting year as it officially welcomed new CEO Kent Loosle.  In addition to changes at the administrative level, the hospital also announced plans to expand its service lines to bring in a wider array of specialists.  The hospital also announced exciting plans to bring a clinic to Grace, where it will be built near the City Park.  After a year of growth and Loosle finding his footing, CMC is ready to take it to the next step as they work to serve the needs of the county.

Drama

Theater was also a part of the fabric of the year, with a number of productions being put on by various groups.  The Soda Springs High School Students staged a performance of “Spamalot,” the Grace High School staged “Lucky Stiff,” the North Gem drama put on “Arsenic and Old Lace,” and the Caribou Community Theater took a turn on Broadway during the course of the year.  There were also visits from the Idaho Shakespeare Company to North Gem, and a number of music and other performances throughout the year.  

Good Work and Causes

The generosity of Caribou County residents is impressive, and this year saw many fundraising and awareness campaigns across the valley.  

Fundraisers to support local students such as Krew Hemmert took place all throughout the year.  Hemmert, from Grace, received widespread attention when his friend Flint Van Buren raised $12,000 at the auction sale of his pig at the county fair and donated the proceeds
to Hemmert.  

The story was just one of the many that filled the year.  Another was the giant fundraiser for Tricia Dockstader, who was injured in a fall vehicle accident in which her husband Darrin was killed.  The fundraiser saw the coming together of a veritable army of hair stylists, estheticians, massage artists, and many other experts who donated their time and services to raising funds for Tricia.  The event was an enormous success, and symbolic of how supportive the community can be.

The Festival of Trees, Toys for Tots drives, American Legion and VFW raffles, Food Pantry donations, and many other similar events equally demonstrated the willingness of Caribou County to give to those in need.

The DYW (Distinguished Young Women) was won by Kate Williams for the upcoming 2025 title.  The event is a great showcase for talent and academics.

Conclusion

As I started putting this together---and THEN realized I had to save room for pictures—it struck me that it’s been a very busy, but very rewarding year.  There are a lot of things and people that I realize I was not able to cover in this wrap up, and I’ll do my best to include them in subsequent editions, perhaps as addenda to the main story this week.  If I missed you or an event that you were involved in, it was only out of an abundance of events to try to cover, and nothing else.  Expect to see some followup galleries in the next few weeks of things that I just can’t let go without one more look!