Directed by Dr. William Wharton, professor emeritus of music at the University of Idaho, the concert program included “Overture XXVI,” by George Friedric Handel; “PE Loc,” by Bela Bartok with soloist Dalene Bingaman playing Irish flute; and “Konzert,” by Joseph Haydn, featuring solo cellist Linda Wharton, who is the principal cellist with the Washington-Idaho Symphony and cellist with the Walla Walla Symphony.

The program also included “Ave Verum Corpus” for chorus and strings by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; “Mass No. 2 in G Major, D167,” by Franz Peter Schubert; and “Das Leiben Bringt Gros Freud,” a German folk song arranged by Gregg Smith.

Chorale rehearsals were conducted by Barbara Nokes Kwader of McCall, with piano accompaniment by Lavona Woodward of Cascade.

McCall Chorale with Director Tyler Vance

The Music society offers Second Sunday Sounds @6 at the McCall Community Congregational Church.  Free to the public, the society encourages donations.  The next program will be held May 13th and features Sean Rogers of Caldwell, Idaho on the organ and piano.  Entitled “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue,” the program will include pieces by Vierne, Bach, Liszt, Gershwin and others.

This year’s annual event was a promotion for a teen center in McCall which took in $153.03 from donations enclosed with the ballots cast at various businesses around McCall.

According to The Star News, “The April 23 landing date is within the “prime time” of dates of the ice break-up on Payette Lake that have been recorded since 1909.”  April 29th has seen the lake break nine times in the past 100 years, the most for any date.

The break-up dates for 2010 and 2011 were the same, May 9th, which is later than the 63 times breaking between April 21st and May 8th in the last century.

The latest the lake has broken was May 20, 1912 and the earliest break-up date was March 21, 1992.  1933-34 never saw Payette Lake freeze at all.

The project began as a romantic adventure and became something much greater for the couple.  It is a tale of hope and celebration for every life trying to make it in the wilderness.  In an interview with Idaho Public Television, the Babcock’s said “River of No Return” was something they wanted to do for a long time.  Isaac had worked seasonally for about 14 years  for the Nez Perce Tribe as a wildlife biologist on wolf recovery and as a freelance filmmaker.  Bjornen, after having grown up in Delaware, had spent a summer working as a fire lookout in the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness.   Isaac had a simplistic view of the wilderness and, as he spent more time there, he began to realize how unique and special The Frank Church Wilderness was from any other wilderness he had been in.

According to the Idaho Public Televisionpress release, in June 2009, the Babcock’s, as newlyweds, began their adventure of a lifetime, living in the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness of central Idaho.  For the next 13 months, they videotaped their experience, documenting not only what it was like to trek through the largest roadless area in the lower 48 states, but also capturing stunning footage of the wildlife along the Middle fork of the Salmon River, including wolves, deer, elk, otters and migrating salmon.  Ending their adventure after 13 months, they had enough footage to intrigue the producers of NATURE.

Working with NATURE allowed them to produce an exceptional account of their adventure.  However, it took a lot of time and effort on the couple’s part to gain a commitment from PBS, having begun pitching the idea of a film as far back as 2006.  According to the Idaho Public Television press release, the Babcock’s now they say they can’t imagine working with any other TV entity on a project as personal as this one.

It was pretty special for McCall residents to see the movie prior to its first showing on Idaho Public Television.  Isaac and Bjornen, who live in a yurt just 7 miles outside of McCall, were present to witness the filled-to-capacity showing and mentioned that they were completely overwhelmed by the attendance.  They were gracious enough to answer many questions from the audience after the film.

Watch the full episode here.

Live music began in newly expanded Smoky’s Bar & Grill at 4:30 with The Sloppy Hogg Trio playing prior to the 5:30 free Fireworks show.  Smoky’s Bar & Grill served pulled pork sandwiches, house-made soup and chili  along with burgers and brats on the grill outside.

Each food or drink purchase made in Smoky’s earned the purchaser a ticket for fun give-away drawings.  The items given away included hats, shirts, caps and other fun stuff Brundage-related things.

A sit-down dinner was hosted on the third floor of the lodge which featured a lasagna feast put together by by the new chef!  Dinner included Smokey’s signature salad with their house-made balsamic vinaigrette, garlic bread and choise of either meat or vegetarian lasagna.  They were both amazing!!  Jeff Crosby was the featured musician for the dinner which was sold out in advance.

The lack of snowfall had Brundage ready to take drastic measures.  They hosted a Pray for Snow Bonfire in the parking lot, along with a beer garden, starting at 5:00 pm.  The public was invited to bring their own contribution to the fiery pyre which included a number of stripped Christmas trees.

Brundage’s 50th anniversary celebration was topped off by the announcement that the mountain will open for skiing on Friday, December 29th!  This is the second latest opening in 50 years and McCall residents and our visitors are ready to start skiing!  Congratulations Brundage!!

Also available for a short time are Brundage Mountain Resort’s Select Cards.  For as little as $34 per day, the Select Card is good for 3, 4 or 5 days of skiing during the 2011/2012 season.   Select Cards can be redeemed for one ticket per day – no black out dates and bonus weekends are incuded.  The cards are also transferable.  You’ll have to hurry to take advantage of this amazing offer as they are only availble until December 15th.

Brundage has some great deals!  Check out their website and get ready to ski!

Coach Greg Pittenger, who was the assistant coach during the 2001, 2002 and 2006 championships, had no doubt about this team’s talent to win another state championship.  He mentioned that when the team lost the district championship game to Weiser a few weeks ago, they learned a lot about themselves and played better because of that.

The Vandals fought back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to tie the game up with 7 minutes left in regulation play.  Taylor Howell assisted in the score with a perfectly placed corner kick which allowed Rachel Hall to place a header goal right into the back corner of the net.

As the whistle blew signaling the end of the game and a victory for McCall-Donnelly, head coach Pittenger mentioned to a Star News reporter about having a surreal feeling as family and friends ran onto the field to celebrate.  He also mentioned how hard the girls had worked and that not one of them had ever previously been to state.

CONGRATULATIONS GIRLS!!

The most noticeable change is in the main lodge where a major remodel will add 100 seats to the resort’s second-floor bar, Smokey’s Pub.  The pub’s kitchen is also being expanded, allowing it to offer a fresh new menu.

Brundage Mountain has also invested in two new, state-of-the-art, grooming machines which will allow the resort to maintain its top-notch grooming.

Beyond the slopes and lodge, Brundage is offering new, affordable ski and snowboard packages.  They want to make it as easy and affordable as possible for everyone to help celebrate the 50th anniversary season.  The “Best of Brundage” promotion features six different products, most with short availability.

Friday, November 4th, is the date of the first promotion which will be available to the first 50 buyers.  The package features an unlimited 2011-12 adult season pass, a full-day back-country Sno-Cat adventure, a two-hour private lesson and a full-day high performance rental package.

Another promotion limited to the first 50 sold will be the “Legacy of Learning.”  The package includes an unlimited 2011-12 adult season pass and three visits to the Brundage Bears children’s program.

You can learn about the resorts other promotions by visiting their website at www.Brundage.com.  Resort officials hope to open for full operations no later than Friday, Dec. 9th.

Chefs from McCall area restaurants, along with local caterers, will serve tastes of their summer selections–all paired with fine wines, premium microbrews and great music. This lovely afternoon will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 on the grouinds around the River Ranch clubhouse.  Along with the great food and drink, numerous silent auction items will be on display and a live auction will round out the afternoon.

Tickets are available through The McCall-Donnelly Education Foundation and at these locations:
Krahn’s Home Furnishings
Hotel McCall
Shore Lodge
Monkey Business

Save the date on your calendar and plan to be in McCall to celebrate the city’s 100th birthday.

The McCall Centennial Committee has been formed and exists to organize a meaningful and enjoyable celebration of McsCall’s 100th birthday that appeals to all ages of people with ties to McCall, and to honor McCall’s diverse heritage, present community and promising future.

To that end, a myriad of fun events have been planned.  A street Fair begins on 1st and Park Street from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.  Depot Park will host food and drink activities, local music and ice cream and cake from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.  Other planned activities include ‘dunk-a-punk’, face painting and golf putt-in-a-hole.

The celebration organizers are requesting anyone interested in participating to think of something to do based around the number “100.”   So…..grab 9 of your friends and walk, run or bike 10 miles each, or challenge 19 friends to lose 5 pounds each, row 100 miles around Payette Lake……..the possibilities are endless!

Plan your visit now!  InIdaho.com can help you with lodging reservations as well as planning your recreational activities.

Mother Nature cooperated and provided a gorgeous morning for the McCall Community Tennis Association’s (MCTA)tennis carnival for kids ages 5 – 12.  Held at the public tennis courts near the McCall-Donnelly High School, the carnival was attended by approximately 20 kids – most of whom had never previously tried the sport.

A number of the club’s members volunteered to assist with the event.  Smaller racquets and low-compression balls were supplied for the kids to use and each of them took home a toy of their choice as a prize for their participation.  A number of parents even joined in and helped retrieve balls so the instructors could concentrate on keeping the kids playing as much tennis as possible.

Kids learn control as they bounce a tennis ball on their racquet

The kids had a great time and learned that tennis is a life-long sport that can be played almost anywhere at any time.

MCTA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote tennis in the area by providing courts, providing opportunities for regular play and encouraging new players and increasing participation by youth and adults.