Cache Valley Magazine

December 2011

$2.95

www.CacheValleyMagazine.com

GOBBLING IT UP AT ANGIE'S

How the citizens of Preston banded together to preserve the Festival of Lights

SAVINGCHRISTMAS

Ready to give: Our annual holiday gift guide Feeding the hungry at the Cache Food Pantry

2 December 2011

3December 2011Buy Local First

4 December 2011

86 Editor’s Note

8 In the Valley

12 Utah State Update

15 Calendar of Events

16 Cache Cuisine

46 Cache Back

Departments

18 Preston Festival of Lights

24 The Gift Guide

30 Angie's: Where the Locals Eat

35 Logan Freemasons

41 The Food Pantry

Features

18

35

5December 2011

35

Buy Local First

&THE

Spirit Goat

180 W. 1200 S. (South of the new Walmart)

Logan • 753-4514Open 10-6 Mon-Sat

Goat's Milk Soaps and Lotions

6 December 2011

As a writer and a pho-

tographer, I spend a lot

of my time observing

other people do things.

Sometimes that's

great because they

might be involved

doing something I

wouldn't really care

to do, like gut a deer

with a pocketknife

or clean out a horse

stall. Or, you know, just engage in

manual labor.

But then, a lot of times the indi-

viduals I take photos of are having

a lot of fun with an activity, such as

playing beach volleyball or eating

a gourmet meal, and I wish I could

be a participant rather than just an

observer.

On the first Saturday of November,

though, what I mostly felt was guilt.

I had the opportunity to drive up to

Preston to witness Idahoans gather-

ing together along State Street and

put up Christmas lights in anticipation

of the 2011 Festival of Lights — a hol-

iday tradition that very nearly came to

an abrupt end this year. The subject

of this issue's lead feature story, the

Festival of Lights, will continue thanks

to the efforts of Kris Beckstead and

the rest of the committee that put

together a plan of action with just six

weeks to go until the main event on

Thanksgiving weekend.

Ever since my family drove down

from Idaho Falls to see the lights in

Preston one year when I was a kid,

I've been a big fan of the Festival of

Lights, and that made me

feel like I should have been string-

ing lights up myself rather than

just taking photos and conducting

interviews.

I've always thought that if Preston

native Jared Hess ever decided to

write and direct a sequel to "Napoleon

Dynamite" that his best bet would be

set the story in the winter and use the

Festival of Lights as a backdrop. A

good Christmas movie takes on a kind

of immortality as it's rolled out every

holiday season, and it's something

that you might see when you're a

child, enjoy as a teenager, and even-

tually share with your own children or

grandchildren.

Fortunately, there are some deter-

mined people in Preston making sure

that the Festival of Lights stays alive

in real life and that Cache Valley's

best holiday tradition continues.

Jeff Hunter

[email protected]

November 19, 2011

Publisher Mike Starn

Editor Jeff Hunter

Advertising Director Kyle Ashby

Sales Manager Cheneil Leavitt

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 Ten

Cover Photo by Jeff Hunter:In danger of not being held this year, the Idaho Festival of Lights in Preston will kick off Thanksgiving weekend thanks to the efforts of local volunteers.

Editor’sNote

7December 2011Buy Local First

Buy Photo Reprints

They Make Great Gifts

Visit our website for information

8 December 2011

InTheValley

The "Al" in Al's Sporting Goods, Alvin Moroni Larsen

was born in 1897 in Colonia Diaz, one of several

small colonies founded in Mexico in the late 1800s

by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

seeking to escape prosecution for polygamy. But as the Mexican

Revolution heated up and Pancho Villa gained power, it quickly

became necessary for the Mormons to return to the United

States for their own safety, and in 1912, young Alvin and his fam-

ily relocated to Cache Valley.

"They had relatives up here," his grandson Kris Larsen says.

"He said at the time his dad came into the valley, all they had

was a towel, a bar of soap and the clothes on their backs."

As a teenager, Alvin discovered a talent for working with his

hands, and in 1921 he decided to open his own repair shop and

sporting goods store. He approached Alma Sonne, the president

of the First National Bank and a future General Authority in the

LDS Church, and requested a $500 loan.

With only a small Mexican gold piece for collateral, Sonne

granted Larsen the money.

"He told us all he had when he started was a cash register

and a showcase," Kris Larsen recalls. "But he got into a store,

bought some products and started going."

Ninety years later, Al's Sporting Goods is thriving more than

ever.

After being housed in four different locations along the 100

North block of downtown Logan (one of which is the current

home of Al's Trophies and Frames, which was started by Kris'

uncle Darwin), Al Larsen, who was also a renowned locksmith,

moved his business into a building at the corner of 100 West and

Center Street in 1969. Now the home of Stork Landing, Al's left

that location in 1997 following the completion of a much larger

building on North Main Street.

In the meantime, the day-to-day operation of the sporting

goods store was passed down from Al Larsen to his son, Robert,

and then on to Kris in the early ’80s. Al died in 1990, while Bob

Larsen passed away suddenly in 1996 at the age of 69.

"He was a great guy, everybody loved him," Kris says of his

father. "They called him 'Big Bob.' He died the year before we

90 years later...Al's still delivering the goods

9December 2011

moved out here, which was kind of sad because he was very

excited about it.

"He was a great retailer. A great merchant."

Kris Larsen says they loved their downtown location, but even

after moving into the auto parts store next door, there simply

wasn't enough room for Al's to house all the products they

wanted to carry. A lack of parking was also a big issue, so they

soon started looking for a place to build a new facility.

"At the time, there wasn't a whole lot out here; it was really

undeveloped," he says. "But when Walmart bought that property

right across the street, I was like, 'Man, if it's good enough for

Walmart, it's gonna be good enough for us.' So, we bought the

land and started construction."

Although Al's jumped from just 14,000 square feet of retail

space to more than 30,000 with the move, Larsen insists, "We

didn't build our building big enough."

"It was a little nerve racking and scary at the time, but it's been

really, really good for us," he says. "I just wish we had about

50,000 feet to work with."

Although they already had a 10,000 square-foot warehouse

near the Deseret Industries, Larsen says Al's recently purchased

a larger building in North Logan to accommodate all of their extra

merchandise. Part of the reason for that is Al's Sporting Goods'

recent success with online retail sales. Larsen's son, Jason, has

overseen the creation of a new Web site that they anticipate will

outsell the physical store within the next year or two.

"Jason's the next generation, and we've been selling a lot of

stuff with that awesome Web site," Kris Larsen says. "It's mostly

because of the internet that our warehouse needs have just

grown and grown and grown."

Larsen says Al's is also looking into opening a new, "high-

end" bicycle shop towards the south end of the Logan, and that

there's also been talk of expansion into other markets. Although

the economic slowdown has cooled those plans somewhat,

Larsen has looked into opening new Al's locations in the Ogden

area and Southeastern Idaho.

"Most successful, independent sporting goods stores of any

substance have been gobbled up," Larsen points out. "We've

had some inquiries and stuff, but we really don't have any desire

to sell out to the big guys.

"It's actually pretty rare these days to find a full-line sporting

goods store, but that's what we are. It's like our little jingle says:

Facing page, Al (far left) and Bob Larsen (second from right) celebrate a successful goose hunt with some friends. Left and below, in the early days of Al's Sporting Goods, Al Larsen had a shop in four different locations on 100 North. Below left, the Larsens moved their business to the corner of 100 West and Center Street in 1969.

Photos courtesy of Kris Larsen

10 December 2011

'What a sporting goods store used to be.'"

While many stores are becoming more specific to hunting and

fishing, skiing or bicycling, Kris Larsen points out that Al's car-

ries all those items, along with a large variety of shoes, clothing

and athletic equipment, while also outfitting many of the valley's

youth soccer and baseball teams.

Al's Sporting Goods, which employs more than 70 people, is

also known for its huge sales like Midnight Madness and Black

Friday. As a member of the Nation's Best Sports buying group,

Larsen says they have access to some "great deals," and while

they would have taken say, six items, a couple of decades ago,

they're now more likely to gobble up 600.

"When we get a deal, we'll say, 'OK, let's do it. But we want to

buy a lot and we want it at this price,'" Larsen explains. "We'll go

get a great deal from a manufacturer and then pass it onto the

consumer. And when we have a sale, people know it."

That's certainly a far cry from Al's early days.

"They just had a humble little shop back during the Depres-

sion, and I don't know if they ever almost went out of business;

somehow they got by," Larsen says. "My grandfather told me

that one day back then he took in only 37 cents all day long. He

said that was pretty depressing."

For now, the future for Al's Sporting Goods looks far brighter

than that, just a decade away from having its doors open for a

full century.

"We definitely love Cache Valley; it's a great place to have a

business," Kris Larsen declares. "The people here are great. We

know a lot of them by name. And they people here are honest.

When they say something, you can usually rely on it, and we

hope we're the same."

Jeff Hunter

The current owner of Al's Sporting Goods, Kris Larsen (left) worked for his father in his younger

days, just like his son, Jason, is doing now.

Pho

to b

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11December 2011

Will you be doing anything different at this

year’s holiday dinner?

>> We're going to be doing it the third

Saturday of December instead of on

Christmas day to keep with the Loaves

and Fishes schedule. (The food) will be

something similar to last year like roast or

potatoes and gravy and lots of yummy stuff.

Who will be donating to the event?

>> For the Loaves and Fishes the Food

Pantry always does and the LDS Bishops'

storehouse.Did you get a good response last year?

>> Really good. We had probably close

to 200 volunteers, I would say, and then

lots of businesses that donated. From

there, it was such a good, positive experi-

ence for everyone — for the people and

volunteers — that we combined with First

Presbyterian Church and Cache Commu-

nity Connections and the Food Pantry and

the LDS Bishops' Storehouse to provide it

once a month.How many people usually come to the

monthly dinners?

>> We've been getting close to 40 to 45,

and we take other to-go meals. With the

volunteers we serve probably between 50

and 60 for now. It's been steadily rising

each month. As the word gets out more

and more we hope it will be over 100.Can you tell me about serving in the shelter

in Salt Lake?

>> I went with my husband and we went

to a shelter in Salt Lake and just from

how happy that I saw everyone was there

— the people who were serving and the

people who were being served — I just

had this big desire to do something like

that closer to home. When I was looking

around to find volunteer work at Christmas,

there was nothing quite like that. I know

there are lots of volunteer opportunities in

Cache Valley; our valley is so giving. But,

I wanted to do (a dinner) for a few years

and so last year we went for it and now it's

going once a month and I'm so happy. The

people who come are so happy and it just

provides such a great atmosphere and a

place for people to gather and have food

and meet new friends. It’s the best. Did you and Adam plan any Global Neighbor projects this year?

>> We went to Guatemala in the

summer again, partnering with another

organization called Singular Humanitar-

ian and CHOICE Humanitarian. We're still

looking into the possibility of (serving at)

an orphanage in Guatemala. And then we

also want to look into doing more outreach

in Cache Valley with hunger issues. Is everyone invited to the Loaves and Fishes meals?

>> We want people to know that it’s non-

denominational and that it’s for everyone. What is your favorite part about planning and

serving the meals?

>> My favorite part is meeting new people

and just making connections with people

in our community who I didn't know before

and seeing how happy everyone is when

you come together in love and service. The

givers and the receivers and everyone is

united and bonded together and everyone is

so happy. It just gives you the best feeling. It

makes you want to keep doing it.

How can people get involved in volunteering?

>> They can email me at rachel@global-

neighbor.org.

CacheProfile

RACHEL VONNIEDERHAUSERNInterview by Manette Newbold

Photo Courtesy of Rachel

A few years ago Rachel von Niederhausern volunteered in Salt Lake City at a homeless shelter serving Christmas meals to the less fortunate. She says it brought happiness to both the lives of the receivers and volunteers and she longed for a similar opportu-nity in Cache Valley. Last fall she teamed up with Cache Community Connections and several local businesses and volunteers, and planned an afternoon meal for Christmas day. The event was such a success that several organiza-tions began to serve a non-denom-inational community meal entitled Loaves and Fishes every third Saturday of the month. The next meal will be Dec. 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Presby-terian Church (178 W. Center St.), and will be much the same as last year’s Christmas meal with food, gifts and entertainment.

12 December 2011

U P D A T E

Cue the Indiana Jones theme song and give the man a

fedora and a whip.

During a preseason interview, Utah State head men's

basketball coach Stew Morrill admitted that the upcoming

season does have "a sense of adventure" to it, and it's easy

to see why the winningest coach

in USU history is preparing

himself for a wild ride.

Although the Aggies

are coming off a fourth

straight regular-season

WAC title and a 30-4

season that ended with

a loss to Kansas State

in the NCAA Tournament,

USU lost four starters and

their third leading scorer from

the 2010-11 campaign.

Replacing WAC Player of the

Year Tai Wesley (14.8 ppg,

8.0 rpg) alone would be a

huge challenge, but Morrill

will also be without guards

Tyler Newbold (6.8 ppg),

Pooh Williams (8.6 ppg),

Brian Green (10.5 ppg,

team-high 76 3-pointers)

and forward Nate Bendall

(6.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg) this

season. Reserves Matt

Formisano, James Walker

and Brad Brown are also

gone, leaving senior point

guard Brockeith Pane, junior

guard E.J. Farris and senior for-

wards Brady Jardine and Morgan

Grim as the only returning players

from last year.

Pane, the lone starter back, ended up as an all-

conference, first-team selection and MVP of the WAC

Tournament in Las Vegas after averaging 11.8 points, 3.1

rebounds and 3.4 assists during his first season at Utah

State. Named the WAC Preseason Player of the Year,

Pane will need to improve his perimeter shooting (16-of-76

from 3-point range in 2010-11) in order to live up to that

honor, but no one in the league is better at getting to

the basket (and then the free-throw line) than the

6-foot-1, 195-pound guard from Texas.

"Everybody in the league knows that he's

a power guard and that he gets to the line

and that he gets into the lane and

makes plays, and we certainly

need that and expect that,"

Morrill says. "But we

also need him to be

a more consis-

tent shooter

and to be a bet-

ter defender."

Pane will

share senior

leader duties

this season with

Jardine, the only

current Aggie to

play more than one

season in USU's program.

The 6-foot-7 forward has

come off of the bench

most of his career, but

Jardine did start the first

seven games of last season

while Bendall was hurt and

averaged 10.4 points, 8.9

rebounds and was named

the WAC Player of the Week

C

13December 2011

after putting up back-to-back double-doubles in wins

over Utah and Northeastern. Hard-working and extremely

athletic, Jardine finished his junior season averaging 7.5

points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

"Brady is a very valuable guy in terms of character and

effort, so his senior season should be really special,"

Morrill says.

A transfer from Utah, Grim averaged eight minutes a

game off the bench last season, while Farris got into 21

games as one of Pane's backups at the point. The only

other Aggie to log minutes under Morrill is sophomore

Preston Medlin, who redshirted last season after playing

in 22 games as a freshman. A heralded shooter out of

Texas, Medlin will also see time at point guard this year.

Morrill played all of his "veterans" in USU's two exhibition

games, along with a mix of seven newcomers. Sophomore

Mitch Bruneel, a transfer from the College of Southern

Idaho, and freshman Steve Thornton, a very athletic swing-

man out of California, each started a game at the small

forward position, while Medlin look-a-like Adam Thoseby, a

freshman from England, saw time at shooting guard.

The Aggies had hoped to have the services of guard Anto-

nio Bumpus, who redshirted last season after a stellar junior

college career (18.3 ppg, 79 3-pointers as a sophomore) at

Harcum College in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, Bumpus

broke his right foot last season during practice, then re-injured

it during a preseason scrimmage. He decided to leave the

program in early November to try and recover and find a

place to play closer to a sick relative.

Adding depth in the frontcourt this season for Utah

State should be 6-7 freshman forward Ben Clifford, who

redshirted last year; 6-6 junior college transfer Kyisean

Reed; 6-8 Croatian junior Igor Premasunac; and for-

mer Sky View standout Jordan Stone. Just entering his

freshman season after serving an LDS mission, Stone is

a chiseled 6-foot-10 lefthander who has Morrill excited

about his future.

"He's a big-body guy," Morrill says of Stone, who aver-

aged 18 points and 11 rebounds during his senior year with

the Bobcats. "We've got to get him more skilled, and he's

After losing four starters from last year's 30-4 team, Utah State head coach Stew Morrill (above) will rely heavily on seniors Brady Jardine (facing page) and Brockeith Pane (right) this season.

Pho

tos

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14 December 2011

got to get more experience and just slow down a little bit.

"... I thought early on that it might be possibility (Stone

would redshirt), but we're just so unsettled at so many

spots. We need him to play. He gives us some size."

Despite losing so much talent off a team that was

ranked No. 25 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll,

because of their legacy of 12 straight seasons of 20-plus

victories, the Aggies still enter the 2011-12 season with

rather lofty expectations. In the media's preseason poll,

Utah State ended up slated to finish first in front of Nevada

and New Mexico State, while the coaches went with the

Wolf Pack as the favorites, followed by NMSU and USU.

"Both polls reflect our past success rather than our

current situation," Morrill says. "The coaches considered

that we lost the Most Valuable Player, four starters and

six seniors. The media did not. We appreciate the respect

given to our program, and yet understand that preseason

polls mean nothing other than getting people excited for

the upcoming season."

Now in his 14th season as head coach at USU, Mor-

rill has often said that his favorite part of coaching is

the practices, and this season will certainly give him an

opportunity to do as much teaching as he's ever done.

Talented but raw, the Aggies are sure to experience

plenty of ups and downs, particularly early in the year as

the newcomers either buy into Morrill's system and his

emphasis on defense, rebounding and good shot selec-

tion, or they struggle to catch the vision and grasp the

program's complex offense.

But chances are, Morrill and his staff will have the Ag-

gies ready to compete for another WAC title by the time

conference play begins.

"I know there's a lot of talk about Utah State and the

newness of the program, but I would hate to come play

them in January, I can tell you that," UC San Diego head

coach Chris Carlson declared after losing to the Aggies

74-42 during an exhibition game on Oct. 28.

"They are a well-coached group, and they're going to be

fine. Logan, Utah, doesn't need to worry about the Aggies."

Jeff Hunter

15December 2011

Athletes in Action Classic

ToDoin Cache Valley

11/2

5-26

11/2

5-26

, 28

11/2

6

12/2

-3

12/9

-10

A holiday tradition since 1984, the Novemberfest Arts and Crafts Fair runs over two days at the Logan Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $1 per person; children under 5 are free. Call 512-9745 or visit loganutahno-vemberfest.com.

The Nutcracker

Aggie FootballUtah State hosts its final home game of the season against longtime conference rival Nevada. Kickoff at Romney Stadium is slated for noon. Call 797-0305 or visit utahstateag-gies.com.

The Cache Valley Civic Ballet presents "The Nutcracker" at the Ellen Eccles Theatre. Per-formances begin each evening at 7:30 p.m., with a special matinee on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 to $18. The Sugar Plum Fairy Tea will be held Saturday at 11 a.m.; tickets are available at the door for $3. Call 752-0026 or visit www.centerforthearts.us.

Old Barn TheatreIrving Berlin's "White Christ-mas" takes the stage this holiday season at the Old Barn Theatre in Collinston. Evening shows on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays begin at 7:30

The American West Heritage Center in Wellsville celebrates the holidays with a live nativity, a 1917 Christmas on the farm, chocolate Christmas, wagon rides and other activities. Admission is $6 for visitors 3 years and older from 5-9 p.m. on Friday and noon-9 p.m. on Saturday. The annual Christ-mas Feast Saturday at 6 p.m. includes a wagon ride, dinner and "A Wild West Christmas Carol." Tickets are $24.50 for adults; $19.50 for kids 3-11. Call 245-6050 or visit www.awhc.org.

Dr. Craig Jessop and the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra deliver three Christ-mas concerts over two days at the Ellen Eccles Theatre. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. with an afternoon show on Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 to $18. Call 752-0026 or visit www.centerforthearts.us.

p.m., with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Saturdays. The fund-raising Christmas Gala on Dec. 1 in-cludes dinner and a rehearsal preview. Call (435) 458-2276 or visit oldbarn.org.

12/2

-17

American Festival Chorus

12/2

0-22

The Utah State men's basket-ball team and Gossner Foods plays host to Saint Peter's, Kent State and Texas-Arlington for it's annual holiday hoops classic. Early games begin at 5:30 p.m., with the Aggies taking the Spectrum court each night at 8:05 p.m. Call 797-0305 or visit utahstateag-gies.com.

Novemberfest

12/1

7

The annual Hardware Ranch Elk Festival moves from Octo-ber to December this year with a variety of free activities for both adults and children from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sleigh rides are $5 for adults, $3 for kids and free for children three and younger. Call 753-6206 or visit wildlife.utah.gov/hardware-ranch.

Elk Festival

11/2

9-30

A story about the true meaning of Christmas, Michael McLean presents "The Forgotten Carols" over two nights at the Kent Concert Hall. Tickets are $12.50 to $28.50. Performanc-es begin each evening at 7:30 p.m. Visit forgottencarols.com.

The Forgotten Carols

Frontier Christmas Festival

16 December 2011

FIREHOUSE PIZZERIA

Owning and operating your

own restaurant normally

means working a lot of very

long, hard days. But for Greg Cham-

bers, a former dairy farmer from Lewis-

ton, it doesn't seem so bad.

"I miss some parts of dairy farming,"

he admits, "but I sure don't miss the

cold weather or the early mornings. I

used to get up at 4 or 4:30. Now I usu-

ally get up at 7."

With the price of milk going up and

down — "And it always seemed like

they were more down than up," Cham-

ber says — he decided to give the

restaurant business a try. He soon en-

listed the help of his brother, Neal, and

decided that a pizza place was the way

to go. After attending a large pizza expo

in Las Vegas, the brothers decided to

build an establishment around the use

of a gas, stone-fired oven, and they

opened the first Firehouse Pizzeria at

the south end of Logan in March 2001.

"As long as the pizza is cooked on

the stone, it has that nice crispy flavor,"

Chambers says. "And the ambiance

with the flames is nice. We really like

that."

People in Cache Valley clearly feel

the same way. Firehouse quickly be-

came so successful that the Chambers

opened two more locations in Smithfield

and Centerville, which they have since

sold as models for a potential franchise.

"We wanted to put something to-

gether that would be great for college

and high school students, as well as for

17December 2011

families," Chambers explains. "No mat-

ter what age group you are, we want

you to feel comfortable here."

Firehouse offers 14 varieties of

unique speciality pizzas and calzones,

including cordon bleu, artichoke

chicken, Texas barbeque chicken and

the Firehouse combo, which includes

pepperoni, sausage and Canadian ba-

con. They also have five types of Italian

thin-crust pizzas, as well their popular

oven-baked pastas and sandwiches.

The cordon bleu pasta was voted

Cache Valley's favorite entrée in a 2007

poll in The Herald Journal, while the

cordon bleu is also the most popular of

the nine sandwiches, which are baked

on cedar planks. Firehouse is also well

known for its salads, foccaccia bread

with homemade alfredo dipping sauce,

and the FH'zookie — a gourmet cookie

baked in a cast-iron skillet and topped

with ice cream, chocolate and caramel.

"There's a few other restaurants

around that have since started doing

pizza like us, baking their pastas and

copying our FH'zookie," Chamber says.

"It must mean we're doing something

right."

Firehouse Pizzeria is located at

880 S. Main St. in Logan. Closed on

Sundays, Firehouse is open Monday

through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10

p.m., and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on

Friday and Saturday. Their phone num-

ber is 787-4222.

Jeff Hunter

Cache Cuisine

18 December 2011

ON

Blessed with a name like Joy Christensen, it seems

only natural that the Banida resident would have a

genuine passion for the Christmas season.

But this woman is really into her work. Literally.

In an effort to string lights along State Street in Preston,

Christensen is smack dab in the middle of a tree, helping her

husband, Bill, who is doing his best to aid the cause from the

outside where he is standing relatively comfortably — and

safely — on the sidewalk.

"We forgot to bring our step ladder this morning," Joy ex-

plains after being helped out of the tree by Bill.

At the moment, the Christensens are one of several small

groups of people who are braving the cold on a Saturday morn-

ing in early November to help keep the tradition of the area's

Idaho Festival of Lights alive. Due to a number of unfortunate

circumstances, including a lack of money, electricity and a

Chamber of Commerce, the city of Preston decided it would

be best if this year's festival, which dates back to 1977, was

cancelled for at least the 2011 holiday season.

That declaration didn't sit well with many Southeastern Idaho

residents, and within days a new Festival of Lights committee

was born with the realization that money and most of the man-

power would have to come from the private sector.

"I have a friend in the Kiwanis Club, and she said that they

were volunteering," Joy Christensen explains. "And that got me

thinking, It's all community volunteers this year, so if you don't

want it to die, you better come out and do it.

"So, we came out, brought our teenage son along, and

thought we'd help out and see if we could help to still make it

happen."

The Christensens, who live about 10 miles north of Preston,

are three of about two-dozen volunteers who were undeterred

— or perhaps inspired by — a snowstorm the night before. Un-

der the direction of committee members, they are supplied with

lights and (normally) aided by ladders and/or a reach forklift

as they hang lights on the trees that grace the sidewalks along

Preston's main thoroughfare.

"We've lived here about 20 years, and I just love the lights

that are up the whole Christmas season and the music playing

when you come into town to shop," Joy Christensen says. "It

just kind of adds to the whole flavor of Christmas."

When asked if he was concerned that this year's Festival of

Lights wouldn't happen, Bill Christensen replies: "Yes and no."

"It didn't really make me that nervous," he explains, "be-

cause I figured someone would jump in and take care of

things."

The first person to take that jump was Kris Beckstead.

A Preston native who has sold real estate in her hometown

Community bands together to save annual holiday festival

Story & photographs by Jeff Hunter

19December 2011

for the past 18 years, Beckstead says "the final nail" for her

was an editorial in The Herald Journal that stated it was

"sad" that the Festival of Lights likely wouldn't happen this

year, but that it "has had a good run" and was "probably for

the best."

"I was kind of like, 'Wait a second. We're not gonna do

that,'" Beckstead recalls. "That's when I rather innocently

wrote a letter to the editor with the thinking that I could stir

someone up who would step forward."

Fortunately, her letter inspired two prominent someones.

Ron Smellie of the Webb Funeral Home and Kelly Spack-

man, who owns a string of convenience stores between

Preston and Logan, called Beckstead up and said: "We

saw your letter. Let's have a meeting."

A member of the That Famous Preston Night Rodeo

committee for the past eight years, Beckstead is familiar

with the process of putting on a major event. She had

also served on the Idaho Festival of Lights committee in

the past, so between her, Smellie and Spackman, things

started to come together quickly. With only about six

weeks to go before the Festival of Lights' main events on

the weekend following Thanksgiving, the trio put up some

"seed money" to get things started and quickly added

sponsors and volunteers.

One of the most vital was Derek Hobbs. Despite only

living in Preston the past five years, Hobbs took on the for-

midable task of going through all the strands of lights left

at the committee's disposal and seeing what worked and

what didn't. Set up in a small garage by the city of Preston,

Hobbs spent "hours and hours and hours" checking lights

and working on many of the lighted structures used in the

past.

"Derek's just a young kid who loves Christmas, and he's

been great," Beckstead declares. "He's inventoried and

checked everything; fixed lots of stuff and thrown away stuff

that can't be fixed. He went over every bulb."

A native of the Pocatello area, Hobbs says, "I've been

doing Christmas lights since I was 8, so it's just my nature."

"Growing up, my parents always had a competition with

our next-door neighbors," he adds. "So, we ended up

putting on about 100,000 lights every year. I just love it.

It's fun. So when I saw an ad in the paper for volunteers, I

jumped right on it so could get this thing going."

While Hobbs is over the lights committee, Beckstead's >>

20 December 2011

son, Bailey, is in charge of advertising,

and Tiffany Jeppsen is overseeing the

events committee. All of the Festival of

Lights' traditional events, like the light

parade, kids' parade, fireworks and

the International Bed Races are being

continued, and they'll also be a craft

fair and "Christmas Land" will take

over the City Park during the holidays.

"We've never had that before,"

Beckstead says of Christmas Land.

"We'll be putting up figures and Christ-

mas things. We've got tons of stuff

that people have donated, and you'll

be able to walk around and see them

all set up, so that's a good addition."

Parade chairman Brad Wall expects

25-30 entries (and, of course, Santa

Claus) in the light parade, which will

be held on the Friday and Saturday

nights following Thanksgiving, and

Beckstead says Cache Valley Bank is

putting up the money for the fire-

works display. The annual Candlelight

Banquet, slated to be held on Nov. 19,

quickly sold out both of its sittings — a

total of 300 seats — and that money

will be used to help fund the Festival

of Lights both now and in the future.

In the past, businesses along

State Street have been provided free

electricity by Rocky Mountain Power.

Part of the reason for this year's near

cancellation of the festival is that the

power line that all the buildings used

to tap into is no longer operational, but

Beckstead still received a substantial

donation from the power company,

and in the future, Rocky Mountain

plans to help the city re-establish

non-electric wires across the street

that lights can be put on during the

holidays.

The new committee is also bringing

back the home and business lighting

contest, with the winners receiving

shopping sprees from Stokes Market-

place. Jeff Hollingsworth, a longtime

legend in the area for his amazing

light displays at his home just north of

Preston, is even donating $100 of his

own money to help reward the owner

of the best lit home.

"Jeff's obviously not in the running or

no one else would be in there; he just

wants people to get excited about >>

FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 24All day Christmas Village in the City Park

Noon-7:30 p.m. Craft fair and holiday entertainment at Bosen Building

6:30 p.m. Light parade down State Street followed by a fireworks display and Santa Claus at the Bosen Building

8 p.m.-midnight Holiday Ball at old Preston High gymnasium (tickets at the door)

Preston High School student Corrin Keller (above) and Banida residents Bill and Joy Christensen (above right) help hang Christmas lights along State Street on Nov. 5. Right, vol-unteer Derek Hobbs tested and organized all of Preston's available lights in a small garage in an effort to help keep the Festival of Lights alive.

SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 25All day Christmas Village in the City Park

1 p.m. International Bed Races on State Street

2 p.m. Kids parade down State Street

3 p.m. Free movie at the Worm Creek Opera House

6:30 p.m. Light parade down State Street followed by a fireworks display and Santa Claus at the Bosen Building

2011 Idaho Festival of Lights Schedule

21December 2011

22 December 2011

doing it," Beckstead says. "People will be able to

come into town like they used to, pick up a map at

a convenience store, and then go around and visit

the houses that are all lit up and then come back

into town to visit Christmas Land."

Although Beckstead admits that the Festival of

Lights "doesn't exactly ring up the tills" in Preston

because most of the businesses are closed when

people come to look at the lights, she says "that's

not the point."

"The point is to have that feeling about our

town," she explains. "It puts Preston on the map.

It makes people think of Preston and say, 'Hey,

they've got that great rodeo and that great light

festival.'

"I love this community," Beckstead adds. "And

I'm doing what I'm doing with the Festival of Lights

in particular because I don't want this to be just

another small town. I want it to be a community

with some great traditions."

23December 2011

Far left, local real-tor Kris Beckstead helped kickstart the volunteer effort to put on the Idaho Festival of Lights this Christ-mas season. Festival of Lights' traditions like the International Bed Race (top left) and light parades (bottom left) will con-tinue on Thanksgiving weekend in Preston.

24 December 2011

BELLADANTE Dedicated to enhancing your natural beauty and preserving youthful vitality, Belladante Medical Institute combines artistic

vision with meticulous attention to detail and the latest medical knowl-edge. We offer SmartLipo, medical weight loss, skin rejuvenation and laser hair removal. Say goodbye to wrinkles, sun damage, acne scar-ring, spider and varicose veins, and cellulite with minimal down time.

Give us five to 10 days, and we’ll take off five to 10 years! As our holiday gift to you, call for free laser hair removal! (Address: 1451 N. 200 East,

Suite 240, Logan; Phone: 753-2791; Web: belladantemedical.com)

TRICHOLOGY SALON This year give her the gift of feeling and looking beautiful. Buy her a gift certificate to be pampered, or

purchase some award-winning beauty products and tools. Trichology Salon is a full-service salon located in the center of Logan. It is a cozy

and trendy salon with stylists and technicians that are experienced and educated in the latest beauty trends. We offer full hair services,

as well as manicures and pedicures, waxing, and eyelash extensions. Open by appointment, Monday through Saturday.

(Address: 1115 N. 200 East, Logan; Phone: 770-3448)

SPIRIT GOAT Goat's milk soaps, lotions and other body products can be purchased locally at the Browse Around Antique Shop, Mon-day through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Spirit Goat offers pampering treats for everyone; teachers, neighbors, co-workers, that hard-to-buy-for relative and a special-someone. Stop in to see their soap kitchen located in the back of the shop. Custom gift baskets and African Bolga baskets are available. Be sure to check them out

on Facebook. (Address: Browse Around Antique Shop at 180 W. 1200 South, Logan; Phone: 512-9040; Web: spiritgoat.com)

NEEDHAMS The holidays are a perfect time to ask her to join you on life's journey or to add a little sparkle to her Christmas with the gift of diamond ear-rings. Prices starting at $149. Also take advantage of our stud diamond earring trade-up program. You may trade-up diamond earrings from our store and receive 100 percent of the value towards new diamond ear-

rings of greater value. (Address: 141 N. Main St., Logan; Phone: 752-7149; Web: seneedham.com)

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25December 2011

NORDA'S Norda's has been servicing and tuning skis since 1993. We were first in Cache Valley to offer Stone Grinding and complete hand finished tunes. Let us enhance your skiing and boarding experience with our quality workmanship. We offer custom bevel tuning to ensure a sharp edge and flat base for the ultimate on snow experience. Over-night service available for no extra charge. Give a tune-up gift this holiday season and we will give you a gift. For every custom gift ski or

board tune purchased we will give you a free hot wax. (Address: 77 N. Main St., Logan; Phone: 752-2934; Web: nordas.com)

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DIRECTIVE Directive is Cache Valley's only skateboard and snowboard specialty shop where you can find anything

for the snow and skate lovers in your life. Shopping online could destroy the local economy causing a downward spiral

effect, eliminating all life as we know it ... where is your heart? We are locally owned and operated since birth! Enjoy the holiday season. You know we will. Open Monday through

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Address: 1484 N. Main St., Logan; Phone: 752-0155; Web: directiveshreds.com)

BEAVER MOUNTAIN Give the gift of skiing this holi-day season. Stop by the Beaver Mountain office in Logan

or visit our on-line store to get great Christmas ideas for all your winter lovers. T-shirts, stickers, ski movies, hoodies, beanies and all Beaver apparel are available for stocking

stuffers. Ski passes are the best Christmas gift. If you just can't decide, pick up the Beaver Bucks gift cards for what-

ever amount you choose. (Address: 1351 E. 700 North, Logan; Phone: 753-0921; Web: skithebeav.com)

SPORTSMAN Clothing of impeccable taste and quality for more than 64 years, Thomas Dean sportswear is available exclusively at The Sportsman in downtown Logan. The Sports-man is open Monday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday though Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours may vary on some holi-

days. (Address: 129 N. Main St., Logan; Phone: 752-0211; Web: thesportsmanltd.com)

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26 December 2011

GLOBAL VILLAGE Shop fair. Give fair. Shop at Global Village Gifts. This store sells only fairly traded handicrafts

made by artisans in 35 countries. There is a selection of interesting accessories, décor, jewelry, musical instruments,

nativities, ornaments, toys, games, children’s books, chocolate Advent calendars and Divine Chocolate bars. Global Village Gifts is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation and is staffed entirely by volunteers. (Address: 146 N. 100 East,

Logan; Phone: 713-4347)

STORK LANDING Come see our educational and inspira-tional toys at Stork Landing — Cache Valley’s favorite baby and

children’s specialty store for nearly a decade. Our knowledgeable staff will help you with information and products from preemie to

preschool. We have everything for your parenting needs from bibs to cribs, strollers, baby carriers, toys, books and more. Find us on Facebook or visit our blog at stork-landing.blogspot.com for

updates on classes and story times. (Address: 99 W. Center St.; Phone: 792-4102; Web: shopstorklanding.com)

MAGICAL MOON TOYS Magical Moon Toys is filled with kid-powered, imagination-generated toys, games and hobbies for children of all ages. Come on in and find great savings throughout the holiday

season. Save 30 to 50 percent off every item in the store (exclud-ing candy). (Address: 1940 N. Main St., North Logan; Phone: 752-8697)

BABY HEIRLOOM PRESS Make this holiday season the one to re-member those little hands and feet. Baby Heirloom Press offers specialty ceramic products made using your child’s imprints. Created using our Old World Charm finish and personalized for your baby, our keepsakes

make the perfect gift. Call us today to book your private appoint-ment; kindly plan ahead for the holiday rush. (Phone: 787-4243)

PEEWEE'S SWEETS Peewee's Sweets has been selling handmade sweet treats made from scratch in their candy kitchen since it's incep-tion in 2008. Come on in and see us making our own salt water taffy,

fresh fudge, brittles, popcorns and more. There's also plenty of taste testing. (Address: 1 N. Main St., Logan; Phone: 753-8343)

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27December 2011

ALVEY’S CANDIES Alvey’s Candies was founded in Richmond in 1980 by Shari and Cless Alvey. Shari learned to make candies from her

Grandma Winget, learning old family recipes and techniques. Initially, Shari made candy only for family and friends, but soon others were asking to pur-

chase her candy. Janette and Brent Kelly bought Alvey’s Candies in 2006 and continue to carry on the old fashioned, hand-made way of creating

premium chocolates. Alvey’s Candies are still made in Richmond but are sold in the Alvey’s candy store in the Cache Valley Mall. (Address: 63 E. 300 S., Richmond & Cache Valley Mall, Logan; Phone: 258-5442 or 753-8888)

CAFFE IBIS COFFEE Visit Caffe Ibis in historic downtown Logan. Scrumptious fair-trade and organic chocolates, teas, candy, and our certified

coffees from 26 countries of origin. Triple-certified, organic, fair-trade and Smithsonian "bird-friendly" coffee represent the gold standard for social eq-

uity, environmental stewardship and quality in the cup. They ship worldwide, and carry a large assortment of hot cocoas, coffee mugs, espresso makers

and coffee accessories. Let them customize a holiday gift bag for a friend, teacher, co-worker or special person in your life. Open 7 days a week.

(Address: 52 Federal Ave., Logan; Phone: 753-4777; www.caffeibis.com)

COX HONEYLAND A tradition for more than 7 decades, Cox Honey comes in a variety of gift packages, many of which include other local products such as Gossner Foods Cheese, Cache Valley Cheese, Pepperidge Farm cookies and Bluebird Candy.

Cox Honeyland Gift Shop also has a full line of unique gifts, clocks, dolls and more. (Address: 1780 S. Hwy. 91, Logan; Phone: 752-3234; Web: www.coxhoney.com)

BLUEBIRD CANDY Bluebird Candy has been a sweet treat in Cache Val-ley for many years. They’re still making candy using the original recipes and methods and hand-dipping them in chocolate. You’ll find Bluebird hand-dipped chocolates, along with candy bars, chocolate-covered popcorn and roasted

nuts at their factory in downtown Logan. (Address: 75 W. Center St. and 470 N. Main St., Logan; Phone: 753-3670)

DOROTHY POLLARD'S CHOCOLATES Dorothy Pollard's Choco-lates — candy of distinction — have been a Cache Valley favorite for over 60 years. Handmade and hand-dipped, these chocolates are available in

16 flavors, in both light and dark chocolate. (Address: 630 N. 200 East, Logan; Phone: 753-1783)

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28 December 2011

USU BOOKSTORE Come to the Utah State University Bookstore

on Dec. 1, for their Second Annual Holiday Event. Get all your winter Aggie Gear from nice sweatshirts, to bean-

ies, scarves, and sweatpants. There will also be a silent wreath auction with all proceeds going to the Cache

Community Food Pantry. Shoppers receive validated parking for Big Blue Terrace with purchase. (Phone:

797-3950; Web: bookstore.usu.edu)

AGGIE ICE CREAM What could be better than a delicious True Blue Ag-gie Cheese gift box for friends, family, clients or staff? They come in several different varieties and you're sure to find something everyone will love for the holiday season or anytime of the year. Included are a variety of hand-crafted cheeses, named to recognize the heritage and scenic beauty of Cache Valley. Proceeds from the sales of gift boxes support hands-on learning for stu-dents in USU’s Food Science program. Store hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Address: 750 N. 1200 East, Logan;

Phone: 797-2112 or 1-888-586-2375; Web: www.aggieicecream.com)

AGGIE ATHLETICS Basketball season is here! What better way to

experience Utah State University than at an Aggie basket-ball game? Mini-ticket plans and single-game tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets or for more information call the Utah State Ticket Office, find them online or visit

the box office at the Spectrum. (Phone: 797-0305 or 1-888-UState-1; Web: utahstateaggies.com)

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30 December 2011

Every Wednesday around 2 p.m.,

Earl Rouse and Gary Neuen

schwander go to Angie’s Restau-

rant for lunch. Wednesday is the oven-

roasted turkey special and they are always

there to enjoy it. If it’s getting late and they

aren’t there yet, the staff starts to worry.

“Everyone knows us, it’s just a big fam-

ily,” Rouse says. “The food is better than

what my mom used to try to make.”

Neuenschwander says it’s a fairly

simple concept. “It’s great service and

great food.”

These two aren’t the only ones like this.

Angie’s, advertised as “Where the locals

eat,” is just that. It is a local establishment

where after you’ve eaten there once,

you tend to go back. For many people, it

becomes a weekly or even daily stop on

their to-do list.

"It’s not long before you get to know

people by name,” says Derrick Dickey,

one of the four full-time managers at

Angie’s. “Ninety percent of the time it’s a

manager greeting everyone as they walk

in the door. We love that chance to talk to

someone every time they come in.”

Dickey has been at Angie’s for 17 years.

He started working there when he was 16

years old. The time he has spent in the

restaurant has given him the opportunity

to watch members of the community grow

and develop. “When I started here, people

would say they’d watched someone grow

up through their years of coming in to eat,

and now I’m saying the same thing,” he

says.

A few months before Angie’s opened on

the corner of Main Street and 700 North,

a new show debuted on television. The

show, set in Boston, was about a small

bar named Cheers. Locals went there

to eat, relax and have a good time. The

show’s theme song was simple, but wildly

Wh er e t h e Loc a l s Eat!Story by Megan Allen • Photographs by Jeff Hunter

31December 2011

popular: “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows

your name, and they’re always glad you came. You want to be

where you can see our troubles are all the same. You want to be

where everybody knows your name.”

Angie’s is often referred to as the Cheers of Cache Valley. The

same people come in constantly. Dickey says the staff knows

every regular customer by name. The managers make it a goal to

get to know someone once they come in for the second time. The

personal touch of the restaurant plays a huge part in its charm.

“People set their calendars by us,” Dickey says. “If one of us

works a day we don’t usually work, or we take a day off, it throws

them off.”

Like so many of the consistent customers who have come to

Angie’s for years, it isn’t uncommon to find an employee who has

been there for at least 10 years. However, new people join the

Angie’s family on a regular basis.

Saboor Sahely, the owner of Angie’s puts a lot of effort into tak-

ing care of his employees. The restaurant’s staff is like a family.

"He takes really good care of us. He helps out with days off;

he’s not strict about scheduling,” Dickey says. “He pays very well.

If anyone ever comes and offers anyone more money, he tells us

to not even go there and says he’ll take care of it.”

Morgan Barfuss has been working at Angie’s for only three

months, but she already loves it and feels like she’s part of the

group. “It’s a really great place to work. The atmosphere is so fun.

It’s been here for so long that you have the regulars who love it,”

she says. “It’s got the local, small business feel, it’s not a huge

franchise, which makes it great.”

In 1978, Sahely left his home in Afghanistan to attend Utah

State University. He fell in love with Logan and stayed. Sahely

worked his way through college at Sambo’s, the restaurant that

previously occupied the building Angie’s is in.

“My goal was to get a college education and then move on,”

Sahely says. “I never thought I would spend the rest of my life in

a restaurant.”

In 1983, he and his wife, Kristine took out a small loan to open

Angie’s, naming the restaurant after their daughter. He has been

going non-stop ever since.

"We’re finally getting him to slow down a bit,” Dickey says of

his longtime boss. “He’s still here four days a week, but we’re

convincing him that we can handle the big stuff like food orders

and payroll.”

Even on the rare occasion the managers can convince Sahely

to take a day off or sleep in one morning, he'll return to work the

next day and jump right back into the action, trying to make up for

the time he missed.

Just as the community supports the establishment, Sahely is

constantly reciprocating the support.

When a regular customer, or even a family member of a

customer, passes away, Sahely is at the funeral expressing his

condolences, Dickey says. Sahely also regularly visits Sunshine

Terrace, one of the assisted living homes in Logan, with a pot

of homemade soup. If someone doesn’t come in at their regular

time, he makes whatever calls are necessary to track them down

and make sure everything is all right.

During Sahely’s first year in Logan, he was invited to a friend’s

home to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was his first time experiencing

the holiday and he realized he was just one of many who could

not afford to go home and had nowhere to go for the break.

“When I was in a position to give something back to the com-

munity with something I had started with just the shirt on my

back, that’s what we wanted to do,” Sahely says. “It was time. >>

The Angie's Breakfast Special (facing page) is one of the most popular items available at Angie's Restaurant on Main Street (above).

32 December 2011

I thought it was appropriate to say thank you to the community.”

For more than 20 years, Sahely has hosted a free Thanksgiv-

ing dinner at the restaurant. Turkey, mashed potatoes, pies — all

the Thanksgiving staples are served. Dickey says the Thanksgiv-

ing meal brings in around 800 guests over a three-hour period.

Sahely refuses to let Thanksgiving guests pay for their meals.

Without fail, some people try to pay, but Sahely asks that they

donate to a charity instead. Every year, the staff selects a local

group they raise money for. This year, donations will be given to

the Child and Family Support Center.

The event costs a lot of money to sponsor, and all of it comes

out of Sahely’s pocket. He saves all year to be able to provide the

service to the community. The restaurant’s distributors will often

offer a discount or donate napkins, ketchup or some other small

thing to help offset the cost of the food.

"People don’t come because they can’t afford to make their

own dinners,” Dickey said. “They come to have a place to go and

support the community.”

On a Thanksgiving when his family was out of town, Rouse

went to Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant. “It was just nice to

have some friends to enjoy the day with,” he says.

This year will be no different. On Nov. 24, Sahely said the

employees of Angie’s will be ready and excited to greet the 800

guests with a hot meal and good conversation. “We hope to have

another successful celebration,” he declares.

"I believe strongly in supporting the local businesses,” Rouse

says. “Saboor does a lot to support the community and I like

to support him. People sometimes get excited when a chain

restaurant comes to town, and I think to myself, Why is that good

news? I’d rather see a local restaurant do well, rather than some

chain from out of town.”

Angie’s is very much a local tradition. Being in a college town, it

draws in huge business from the students. The restaurant offers

a discount for customers with student ID cards, and after sporting

events, the restaurant is packed with Aggie fans and, more often

than not, members of the USU football and basketball teams stop

by for a post-game meal.

Aubrey Keisel grew up in Logan but recently moved to Denver

with her husband for graduate school. “My family’s tradition is to

go to breakfast at Angie’s and then watch the Utah State Home-

coming parade on the sidewalk outside. In high school, we would

go after every football game,” she says. “It’s just a restaurant that

has lasted through the years.”

Of the traditions represented by Angie’s, the “Kitchen Sink” is

by far the most popular, Dickey says. Groups come in to attempt

to conquer the creation — a sink full of ice cream, piled high

with fruit, candy and whipped cream. They leave full, happy and

closer to their friends. Upon completion, diners receive a bumper

sticker that simply proclaims: “I cleaned the sink at Angie’s.”

"You aren't a true Logan Aggie until you've cleaned the sink

with your roommates,” says Ryan Snow, a senior at Utah State.

“Those bumper stickers are a rite of passage.”

The tradition of Angie’s makes it a very popular establishment.

The restaurant is always busy and is very relaxed. Add in popular

Saboor Sahely (above left) has owned Angies since 1983. After 17 years, manager Derrick Dickey (above right) knows all of the regulars.

33December 2011

homestyle meals like the pot roast that is

cooked all day, the soups with fresh-cut po-

tatoes and vegetables, and the homemade

pies, and Angie’s is a warm, comfortable

environment.

Lance Brown is another Cache Valley

local who recently left town. He and his

wife Heather, grew up outside Logan

and attended Utah State. Last year,

they moved to Cleveland, and Angie’s is

definitely a huge part of what they miss

from home. “I feel like I can go in there in

my pajamas and not feel underdressed or

that anyone cares,” Brown says. “It doesn’t

matter that I look like I just rolled out of

bed at noon.”

Dickey says, “It’s a family restaurant, but

the food isn’t served in a brown paper bag

like it may be at some chain places. The

environment is a huge part of this place.

You feel like you’re at home.”

Tradition, home and quality are the

words that describe Angie’s. Sahely and

his family of employees continue to do

everything they can to live up to that.

Sean O’Sullivan, a USU student and a

Logan transplant via Saratoga, Calif., and

Twin Falls, Idaho, says it plainly: “I’m a lo-

cal, and Angie’s is where the locals eat.”

Tha n k s g i vi n g at

Angie's annual Thanksgiving dinner will

be available — free of charge — from 11

a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 24. The traditional

meal will include oven-roasted turkey, all

the trimmings, dinner roll, pumpkin pie

and a drink. Those with a desire to pay

are asked to make a donation to the Child

& Family Support Center, a local non-

profit organization that helps take care of

children who have been sexually, physi-

cally or emotionally abused or neglected.

34 December 2011

35December 2011

Despite the ranting of Holly-

wood screen-writers and inter-

net conspiracy theorists, local

Masons say no dark plots are

being hatched at the Harmony

Lodge #21 of Free & Accepted

Masons here in Logan.

“Masons don’t secretly run

the federal government,” says

George F. Winters of River

Heights, “not now and not

anytime in the past. That just

isn’t so.”

Winters should know; he’s

the current secretary and

former grand master of the

Masonic lodge here. Winters

also serves as historian of the

Grand Lodge of Utah.

“Masons also don’t control

the world banks,” he adds

with a laugh. “If they did

control the banks, we wouldn’t be having fundraisers every year

to fix the roof on this lodge and to make other repairs.

We’re not the hidden power behind anything and Masons

are not out to dominate the world,” Winters explains. “Our goal

is to individually make ourselves better men by helping other

people.”

Unlike the imposing Grand Lodge of Utah on South Temple

Street in Salt Lake City, the Masonic Lodge here in Logan

is a modest structure. Although bigger than it looks from the

outside, the one-story brick building houses only a small office

space, some kitchen facilities

and an ornate – but not lav-

ish – meeting hall. Given its

undistinguished appearance,

the lodge building could eas-

ily be overlooked by motorists

and even pedestrians pass-

ing by on 100 North Street.

This lodge was actually

dedicated in 1950,” explains

LeRoy B. Beasley, who is

also a member of the Logan

lodge. “But it was only 10 or

15 years ago that we put the

blue sign up that says ‘Logan

Masonic Center.’ Up until that

time, you probably wouldn’t

have known this building’s

function unless you recog-

nized the square and com-

pass design engraved above

the entranceway, although

that’s admittedly far from being a flashing neon light.”

That design is a diamond shape formed by architect’s tools:

a pair of compasses superimposed over a carpenter’s square.

The letter “G” is shown in the center of that diamond. Masons

are taught that the image of the square is to remind them to “be

square (honest) in their dealings with all men,” while the com-

passes are intended as a reminder to “circumscribe their pas-

sions” and be temperate in their thoughts, speech and actions.

The letter “G” is said to stand for “God” or “Geometry,” indicating

that all Masons must respect a higher power in their lives. >>

Story by Charlie Schill Photographs by Jeff Hunter

A Bible adorned with a square and compass sits in the center of the meeting room at the Logan Masonic Center.

Logan Masons dispel myths surrounding their society

36 December 2011

Beasley doubts that the compass and square design over the

door of the Logan Masonic Center is the only one of its kind in

Cache County. He explains that members of his fraternity, many

of them recent immigrants from Europe, were heavily involved

in major construction projects during the original settlement of

Cache Valley in the latter half of the 19th Century. Given that

Masons traditionally mark their efforts with the compass and

square design, it seems likely that symbol is concealed within

the foundations and stonework of at least some local buildings.

Despite the nondescript character of their Logan lodge, local

Masons say their fraternity isn’t secretive. Its members are just

inclined to be circumspect about their status as Masons.

One of the reasons that some people still think that Masons

are reclusive,” Winters explains, “is that … we simply don’t

recruit new members. That ethic is so strong that it even trumps

family ties. As a child growing up on Long Island, I never knew

that my favorite uncle was a Mason until I was an adult and

became personally interested in the Masons. But even then he

never really encouraged me to join the brotherhood. We don’t

ask people to join our lodge. The Masons have never recruited

new members and it’s been that way ever since Masonry first

reached the shores of North America in the Colonial Era.”

That prohibition on recruiting was even more stringent in the

past than it is now,” Beasley says. “For example, the late Jack

Laub (the president and CEO of Cache Valley Electric from

1959 to ’82) was a Mason. In fact, he was a past master of the

Logan lodge. His grandson is now a Mason in our lodge and

we’ve talked to Jack’s son as well. They both report that Jack

not only wouldn’t talk about Masonry but also told his children

that they ‘weren’t supposed to get interested in the group.’ That

doesn’t sound right to me, but they insist that Jack Laub not

only wouldn’t pressure anyone to become a Mason, he wouldn’t

even talk to his own kids about Masonry.

“Nowadays, if a friend shows an interest in Masonry, we’re

certainly free to help him along with the process of joining,”

Beasley adds. “But we can’t just walk up to a likely candidate

and say: ‘Have you ever thought about becoming a Mason’?”

Surprisingly, the Masons’ prohibition on active recruiting

doesn’t seem to adversely affect the size of the fraternity’s

membership. There are about 2 million Masons in the United

States and the Grand Lodge of Utah claims about 2,000 mem-

bers statewide belonging to 30 local lodges in 14 counties.

37December 2011

Right now, the Logan lodge has 52 members, plus eight

young men who are in the process of obtaining their degrees,”

Winters says. “Because we have such a large population of

Utah State University students in Cache Valley, the membership

in our lodge tends to fluctuate. Whenever a class graduates

at USU, we usually have members who will move out of state

for employment reasons. Eventually, those Masons find other

lodges to join …. There are also always a significant number

of Masons serving in the U.S. military. Just from this lodge, we

have five members in the military and three of them are actually

deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan right now.”

The local Masons readily admit that their reluctance to make

public proclamations about their membership in the fraternity

makes them prime targets for rumor-mongers and conspiracy

theorists. Many myths about Freemasonry have been spread

by crackpot internet websites and by Hollywood through recent

feature films like “National Treasure” in 2004 and “The Da Vinci

Code” in 2006. Those far-fetched insinuations include that Ma-

sonry traces its lineage to the ancient order of the Knights Tem-

plar; that they are among the guardians of the Holy Grail; that

they are minions of the sinister Illuminati and/or the infamous

“New World Order;” and that Masonry is a pseudo-religion that

includes devil-worship.

The reality is far more prosaic, according to Winters.

The roots of the Masonic lodges of today can be found in

guilds of stone masons who were involved in the construction of

cathedrals, castles and bridges throughout Europe in the Middle

Ages. In the centuries that followed, those organizations gradu-

ally evolved into social fraternities and by the early 1700s it was

common for aristocrats and members of the middle class to join

Masonic lodges.

English settlers brought Freemasonry with them to the New

World and by the 1770s that fraternity’s influence was so strong

that many of America’s founding fathers were members of

Masonic lodges. Those Masons included President George

Washington, Benjamin Franklin and 13 of the 39 visionaries

who helped to draft the U.S. Constitution. Especially in the new

nation’s early decades, it was taken for granted that the United

States and Freemasonry shared many ideals, including honor-

able civic-mindedness, tolerance for all forms of religion and a

high regard for learning and progress.

Since then, an additional 13 U.S. presidents have been >>

38 December 2011

Masons, including James Monroe,

Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James

Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, James

Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore

Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Warren

Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S.

Truman and Gerald R. Ford. Abraham

Lincoln applied for membership in a

masonic lodge in Illinois in 1860 and his

biographers agree that he would likely

have completed that process if he had

survived his second term as president.

Lyndon B. Johnson likewise joined a

lodge in 1937, but the pressure of political

duties kept the future president from ever

pursuing his Masonic degrees. Although

Ronald Reagan never formally earned his

degrees as a Freemason, he was made

an honorary Scottish Rite Mason and a

Shriner during his presidency.

Local Masons also dispute the com-

mon accusation that their fraternity is a

secret society because allegedly only

elite members of society are invited to

join that brotherhood.

Anyone can become a Mason,” Beas-

ley emphasizes.

Like the U.S. Marine Corps,” Winters

says, “we’re always looking for a few

good men …. We require that men who

petition to join our fraternity are people

of good moral character. They also must

have a belief in a supreme being. We

never question a man’s faith; that’s not an

issue. We have men of every faith within

the Masons; that’s true right here in this

lodge. On a worldwide basis, we have

members from every faith and from every

nation, with the exception of those few

countries that actually ban Masonry.”

To join the fraternity, an applicant must

be at least 18 years of age and financially

able to participate the brotherhood’s

charitable efforts. A Master Mason must

also vouch for the applicant, after know-

ing him for at least six months.

That last requirement sounds more

difficult than it really is,” Winters explains.

“Most applicants are surprised to dis-

cover that they do know a Master Mason

without being aware of it …. For those

rare applicants who don’t know a Master

Mason, we have what we call ‘meet-up

groups.’ They meet every Saturday.

We also meet once a month at Angie’s

Restaurant for lunch. We even have open

houses here at the lodge to provide an

opportunity for prospective applicants to

meet our members and get to know them.

There are some expenses associated

with being a Mason,” Winters admits. “In

our lodge, for example, there a $150 fee

for applicants to obtain their degrees ….

That fee is to cover the time and effort

involved in an applicant receiving all three

degrees (that is, achieving the status of

Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and

Master Mason). That process can take

from six months to two years, depending

on how fastidious the applicant is about

studying. Earning your degrees involves

some memory work and then taking a

proficiency test on each degree before

you can proceed to the next level. Basi-

cally, you’re just demonstrating that you

understand what you’ve done at each

degree level. A lot of members obtain

their degrees in just six months, while

others take the full two years to complete

the process. But it’s not really a difficult

process. After all, we’ve all done it.”

Becoming a Mason is often the first

step on the path to joining one or more of

what are known as the fraternity’s appen-

Above, the square and compass symbol is found on the exterior of the Logan Ma-sonic Center on 100 North. Right, Robert J. Hunt is the current master of Harmony Lodge #21.

39December 2011

dant groups. Those include the Ancient

and Accepted Scottish Rite, from which a

Master Mason may receive further teach-

ings and up to 30 additional degrees; the

York Rite, another source of additional

Masonic instruction; the Ancient Arabic

Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,

which is renowned for its charitable sup-

port of children’s hospitals; the Order of

the Eastern Star, which is open to men

and women related to Master Masons;

the Daughters of the Nile, a social and

charitable organization that supports

Shriners hospitals; DeMolay, an organi-

zation dedicated to preparing young men

ages 12 to 21 to lead successful, happy

and productive lives; Job’s Daughters In-

ternational, a Masonic-sponsored young

organization for girls and young women

ages 10 to 20; and the National Sojourn-

ers, an association for Masons serving in

the military.

Back 100 years ago, Masonry was

very popular throughout the United

States,” Beasley says, explaining the

evolution of the fraternity’s appendant

groups. “In places like Omaha or New

York City, there were lodges with huge

memberships of influential men. But

there were still only five elected officers

leading each of those lodges. Given

those circumstances, you might have to

wait in line for 20 years to get the chance

to fill one of those leadership positions.

So I think that Masons starting getting

together to form these social organiza-

tions within the fraternity in order to

create more leadership opportunities for

themselves.”

Typically, those Masons have directed

their leadership skills toward the achieve-

ment of charitable goals, Winters says.

Their success is demonstrated by the

fact that Masons worldwide contribute

an average $1 million a day to various

charities.

The best-known of those charities are

probably the famous Shriners hospitals,”

Winters observes, “because a child who

is admitted to one of those facilities never

has to pay for treatment …. And, if that

child’s family has to travel elsewhere to

receive treatment, Masons or Shriners will

usually pick up those costs as well. We’ve

sponsored more than 100 children from

Cache Valley that way over the years.

We also do a myriad of good works

locally,” he adds. “We’ve hosted blood

drives in the past. We support Sub for

Santa at Christmas time. We participate

in road clean-up efforts in the valley. We

also initiated child identification programs

here. Basically, we Masons do anything

that we can think of to benefit the Cache

Valley community as a whole.”

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41December 2011

Thanksgiving turkeys are going on sale. Grocery store

checkout lines are getting crowded. And the dairy aisle is

welcoming eggnog back to its ranks. The holiday season

must be here.

Along with the flashing Christmas lights, family ski nights,

and Mother's famous pecan pie, the holiday season brings

families and communities together in the spirit of giving.

This spirit emanates year after year as Cache Valley

community members anticipate that familiar knock on the

door, with smiling Boy Scouts holding grocery bags of

canned food on the door step asking for donations. The an-

nual holiday food drive is a major contribution to the Cache

Community Food Pantry, which feeds hundreds of local

families during the holiday season and year-round.

According to the 2010 Annual Report on the State of

Poverty in Utah, over 13,000 people live in poverty in Cache

County. Of that number, nearly 4,000 children are being

raised in poverty-stricken households. Currently, the food

pantry feeds an average of 140 families a week. They work

to serve families struggling with unemployment, economic

hardships, fixed incomes, large working families, single-

parent families, foster families and senior citizens.

The CCFP's mission statement focuses on a commu-

nity partnership working to ensure “no individual in Cache

County goes to bed hungry.” With a strong commitment to

the process of “emergency assistance today to self-suffi-

ciency tomorrow,” food pantry director Matt Whitaker holds

an expectation for the service people receive.

“We hope to relieve our client's food budget temporarily

so the money they would normally spend on groceries can

go toward a debt, or additional education, helping them on

the road to self-sufficiency in the future,” Whitaker says.

The food pantry has been actively serving the community

since 1970, originally feeding just 25 families a week. As

the decades passed and local need grew, the food pantry

facility has struggled to keep up with the demand.

“Our biggest problem right now is that we don't have

shelving," Whitaker says. "All the food is stacked on >>

Story by Erica Colvin • Photographs by Jeff Hunter

FEEDING THOSE IN LINE

42 December 2011

pallets, which are then stacked on

top of each other. So if a client needs

something on the bottom of the pile

it will take time to move everything

around to access it. With the busy holi-

days ahead, we have pallets stacked

to the rafters. We try our best to orga-

nize, but with the existing facility it is a

difficult process."

While the pantry's No.1 priority is to

keep people fed, “Our goal to achiev-

ing this more efficiently is a new build-

ing," Whitaker adds.

"We've been working toward this

goal for four years now. The ball is

finally rolling and starting to pick up

momentum. Our plan is to knock down

the existing building and to rebuild on

site. The new building is specifically

designed for food distribution and stor-

age, unlike the current facility.”

Today, the food pantry resides at 359

S. Main St., where it has been operating

since 1994. However, the present build-

ing was built in 1952 and used by sev-

eral businesses over the years. Sadly, it

simply cannot expedite the demands of

Cache Valley's growing needs. With just

4,500 square feet of space available,

insufficient heating, crowded distribution

area, and inadequate freezer space, the

new building would offer a much more

efficient process.

Plans for the new building reveal

9,000 square feet of usable space.

The new building's design will allow

for ease of storage, better lighting and

ventilation, pallet racking and a cleaner

environment. A handicapped accessible

public facility will also be added, as

well as a staging area designed to ac-

cept donations in a separate area than

distribution. (To view these plans and

additional information, visit www.cache-

foodpantry.com to download a PDF).

The total cost for the project is

pricey. “We have several foundations

willing to step in and help us raise

the building, but we have to prove we

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43December 2011

are supported locally before that can

happen," Whitaker explains. "In order

to do that, we need to raise $375,000

first. Most people assume that the food

pantry is state funded. That is simply

not true. Every donation is received

locally. This puts us in a tough spot as

a non-profit.

"As a food pantry, most patrons

donate canned goods. But until Logan

City lets me pay in cans, I need cash

donations as well as food items,”

Whitaker says with a laugh.

But that is the beauty of a small

community. When people and busi-

nesses discover this need, donations

come rolling in. In the last fiscal year,

more than 85 local businesses made

both food and monetary donations to

the food pantry, assisting in both feed-

ing those in need and helping raise the

new roof in the future.

“The food pantry's reach spreads

throughout the valley, helping so

many," says Ed Fisher, owner of Fisher

Home Furnishings. "We like to give to

the food pantry because we know 100

percent of our donation, whether it be

food or money, goes directly to the

people of Cache Valley. Matt Whitaker

does such a great job, we appreciate

what he does for the community.”

Dolores Wheeler, president and

CEO of Gossner Foods, also feels the

need to assist.

“It is one place where you can really

help people in need," she says. "We've

worked with the food pantry over the

years and they do a good job and are

very responsible. The food pantry helps

people in need over the short-term by

giving them much-needed food. What is

more important than food?”

Kelly Daniels, who owns Kelly

Electronics, not only supports the food

pantry with donations, but has also >>

Longtime Cache Community Food Pantry director Matt Whitaker checks out a food donation.

44 December 2011

given his time to the cause.

“I drive by the food pantry everyday

and see the lines of people in need,"

Daniels says. "It is a very visual need

and a worthy cause. We all know peo-

ple in Africa are starving, but it is also

important to help our own, locally.”

Daniels worked as a committee

member to help the Cache Community

Food Pantry establish a cash-donation

system. This group, spearheaded by

Smithfield resident Paul Sorenson,

wanted to provide a means for people

to donate in small increments of cash,

not just in the form of food donations.

“The pantry constantly needs food

items that are not donated regularly.

These cash donations help them

purchase these items,” Daniels says.

“As an individual I make a monthly

donation; as a business I do an an-

nual donation. That is what's so great

about this system: everyone can make

a difference.”

For Sorenson, the food pantry lines

also inspired action.

“I saw the line and felt the need to

do something, so I acted,” Sorenson

says. “I wanted to work with the food

pantry and create a way for 100 per-

cent of donations to go to the cause,

instead of the typical two-to-three

percent going to merchant accounts.”

Sorenson and his committee worked

with local printers, Square One Print-

ing and Sprint Print, who donated

materials for donation forms.

With that success, Sorenson's

group decided to “do it one better,” So-

renson continued.

“We contacted Lee Badger of Lee's

Marketplace to request a special

discount on food purchased for the

CCFP. He was so accommodating and

granted a substantial discount. We

can now boast that 100-plus percent

of donations go toward the food pan-

try. It is a very exciting thing.”

As the weather gets colder and

the holidays creep closer, commu-

nity members seeking a rewarding

service-oriented experience have an

opportunity to get involved. This can

mean digging through pantries and

cupboards for food items to donate,

or it can mean giving a cash donation

to help fellow community members in

need this holiday season.

“The best part is that people

can now make a recurring donation

monthly, bi-annually, or annually what-

ever works," Sorenson says. "A lot of

people would like to donate, but don't

know how. Here is your chance. For

some, a $5 or $10 monthly donation is

45December 2011

what they can afford to give. For

others, businesses included, a

bigger donation is possible. One

person giving $5 a month won't

change a family's grocery budget

by much. But when you get 1,000

people donating $5 a month, sud-

denly more families are being fed."

To make your donation, visit

www.cachefoodpantry.com and

click the “Donations” tab. Instruc-

tions are available for check or

money orders that can be mailed

directly to the CCFP. If a card

payment is more convenient, a

secure PayPal donation can be

set up. To arrange for donations

of materials (including hygiene

products), contact Matt Whitaker

at 753-7140. Donation slips are

also available at Kelly Electron-

ics and Lee's Marketplace. The

Cache Food Pantry has 501(c)(3)

status, so your contribution is fully

tax-deductible.

If a donation of time is more

attractive, the Cache Commu-

nity Food Pantry welcomes local

volunteers.

“We live off volunteers," Whita-

ker proclaims. "We never know

how much manpower we'll need

everyday. It is all reliant on what

donations come in."

For any readers interested

in applying for aid through the

Cache Community Food Pan-

try, please visit their Web site to

download an application. Bring

the application as well as a pay

stub and proof of address to begin

receiving assistance.

46 December 2011

CacheBack

Photo by Jeff Hunter

Utah State tight end D.J. Tiala-vea loses his helmet but not the ball after getting hit by a pair of

Louisiana Tech defenders following a reception in the first

half of the Aggies' loss at Romney Stadium on Oct. 22.

47December 2011Buy Local First

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