Scott Hirschfield, Head of School at Jackson Hole Community School, said he wished to clear up some misinformation regarding the eligibility of students who do not attend the public high school to take part in its programs.

“I have been receiving a number of inquiries lately regarding the opportunity for our students to participate in athletics, activities, and electives at Jackson Hole High,” he wrote. “[T]o clarify: All students from all schools, including the Community School, Journeys School, and all home-schooled students, can participate in all Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA) activities offered by Jackson Hole High School. This is state law. It includes sports, speech and debate, and more. For example, if your child plays soccer, he or she can participate on the JHHS soccer team.”

Hirschfield added that JHHS recently implemented new policy regarding non-enrolled students who wish to take electives or audit specific classes at the high school. The change could affect home-schooled or independently-schooled kids from participating in band or orchestra. The Community School will now offer zero hour band class and a zero hour orchestra classes next year to compensate those students.

For further information, contact Hirschfield by phone (733-5427) or email (shirschfield@jhcommunityschool.org).

Twelve-piece alt-rock and folk ensemble Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros sold out the Pink Garter in a matter of minutes.

JACKSON HOLE, WYO - I was somewhat bewildered that an individual like Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros’ frontman and creator, Alex Ebert–who developed and adopted the Sharpe alter ego in rehab after he “lost his identity” – would expose some of his deepest personal secrets in a candid interview. But first, a bit of back history.

After dropping out of college because it “moved too slow” for him, Ebert wrote a screenplay and directed a short film before getting a beat machine to accompany his hobby of rapping and beat boxing. After a short stint with a band called The Lucky 13’s, Ebert fronted indie dance/pop-punk band Ima Robot that formed in 1997 and gained traction in the early ’00s. In Ziggy Stardust fashion, Ebert and Ima Robot played on the 2006 Warped Tour and released an album as recent as 2010, Another Man’s Treasure. For reference, check Ima Robot’s frantic video of “Dynomite.” It will leave an impression.

“I started doing a lot of drugs [as a teenager]. In college, it was a lot of ecstasy, and it fucked up my body, but I was constantly looking for the heroin in ecstasy,” Ebert told Face Culture. “But then I was looking for opium because it was sort of romantic and poetic. My buddy said he could get some and he did, but it ended up being heroin and I said to myself, ‘this is what I was looking for.’”

It’s unclear whether Ebert’s openness to discuss his dark past – and his youthful pursuit of wanting to be a derelict and fabricate hardship because of his upper-middle class upbringing – is in or out of character. After all, Edward Sharpe is supposed to be a messianic figure. But it doesn’t really matter. Where all of this comes into play is onstage and on record. The incredibly popular Up From Below (2009) that included the hit single “Home” and was pieced together from demos, put the gypsy-esque twelve-piece Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros on the map.

The Zeros’ folky, psychedelic charm was followed up with last year’s low-key and casual LP, Here, which was more of a collaborative project that included all of the band members rather than just demos from Ebert. The album was met with mediocrity in the press. Considering the amount of people on stage and in the studio, the Zeros maintain an around-the-kitchen-table, day-dreamy ambience with its music that stands out amongst the fray. Live and in-person the band is said to be ultra positive, sprawled across stage like a hippy commune and instigating a happy free-for-all of song and dance.

“The experience of linking up with the ideal version of myself, [Edward Sharpe], is really interesting because what happens is I disappear,” Ebert explained. “There is no ideal self. It’s just compete presence, and it’ll happen during shows where its like I’m not really even witnessing what’s happening. There’s no processing. That is a very powerful mode of existence, and whether that’s possible all of the time I don’t know.”

The Portland, Oregon-based entourage will roll into Jackson after performing at Sasquatch Music Festival. Their forthcoming self-titled album is what Ebert calls, “the rawest, most liberated, most rambunctious stuff we’ve done.”

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, 9 p.m. Wednesday May 29 at the Pink Garter Theatre. Sold Out. PinkGarterTheatre.com. 

This is how my love affair with the library began. I confess, our relationship has not yet become an intimate one, but we are actively dating … and I am fairly smitten.

My interest in the library began in the fashion of so many common love stories: I loathed the thought of her. I could not for the life of me think of any good reason why a sane person would want to go to a library or spend any amount of time there. Maybe if one was trapped there by a global climate shift that plunged the world into an overnight Ice Age and you had an Emmy Rossum or Jake Gyllenhaal to hang out with and a ready supply of fat, boring textbooks to burn for heat. Maybe.

My arguments against libraries were sound. I can afford a newspaper. I don’t need to wrestle with some giant broadsword of a security stick to see which Yankee went oh-for-four with three strikeouts a week ago. It’s like toting around that boat anchor on a keychain gas stations give you so you won’t walk off with their only key to the ladies room.

And books? Once Amazon.com launched and offered the world’s library at my doorstep in three business days, my library card got shuffled down to the last slot in my wallet behind the credit cards, Albies Preferred Card, and a handy 2009 calendar card I got from the bank that I still keep for the cool wildlife portrait on the back.

My few experiences with public libraries had been arduous at best. For those under 30, our Google of the day was the Dewey Decimal System – a mind-numbing array of numbers and dots invented by a guy named Melvil and designed to make damn sure Americans fell woefully behind other advanced nations in nearly every educational discipline.

It had one thing in common with today’s handy Internet research tool: meandering focus. You began your search for information with a narrow scope like “engineering methods of the cantilever bridge” and before long you had no reasonable explanation for why you were reading a biography of Dr. Seuss.

And don’t even get me started on the microfilm reader. This museum relic looks like it belongs in NASA’s space center in Houston circa 1962 with buzz cut geeks in Buddy Holly glasses all huddled in front of it monitoring John Glenn’s vital signs.

And the library was for losers and loners, in my mind. Just try going with a friend and see how long before you’re “shushed” by a staid maid of a librarian whose claim to fame is she can knock out 110 words-a-minute on a Selectric.

No, my case was airtight.

Rediscovery: the 21st century library

A few months ago I was invited to get together with a friend. We had been working on a project. He suggested one of the meeting spaces at the library. I winced. But I went.

I was astounded. The newly reconstructed library was nothing like I remembered public libraries. I was greeted by a massive piece of artwork, “Filament Mind,” stretched across a roomy foyer. People lounged casually at various tables – reading, chatting, and sipping coffee outside a micro-bookstore called the Book Nook that rang up another two-dollar sale every so often. It was Starbucks-meets-Borders without the whole depressing market volatility thing.

Two dozen kids pushed past me on their way to the new teen and children’s wing. It seemed like they couldn’t wait to get in there. They plopped down in chairs or on the floor and emptied their school backpacks of books, crayons, toys, and iPods.

All around me I could feel vibrancy, a palpable cloudsource of intellectual energy waiting to be tapped into.

On my way to the meeting room, I had a strong sensation I was still outdoors. Natural light poured in from ample windows along every wall. Trees, where drab construction pillars should be, shot up out of the floor and disappeared into the high ceiling. Homey-looking hanging lanterns replaced the institutionalized fluorescent lighting common to so many municipal buildings. Comfy couches framed a fireplace in one corner and art deco colors burst forth from everywhere. This was SoHo with books.

And all of it was by design.

“When we started the design process for the expanded library, we held a series of community forums to ask for input about what people wanted in their library,” library director Deb Adams says. “Almost everyone mentioned that they wanted more light and connection to the outdoors.

“In the main wing, we intentionally put all the active functions, like the front desk and busy computer center, near the door. Then as you head towards the back of the library, there are more quiet spaces for study tables and the fabulous reading room with its cozy fireplace and couches. We also intentionally moved all the shelving for the books away from the windows and added windows so that the overall effect is to have more spaces where people can pull a chair up to a window and experience natural light.”

Adams and staff realize today’s library has to remain relevant in a shifting culture. Study spaces and meeting places are continually in demand and treasured by the Jackson Hole community. The new Teton County Library is equipped with several multimedia-enhanced meeting rooms and an all-new expanded auditorium.

“We heard from the public that more meeting spaces were wanted,” Adams says. “And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our incredible new Ordway Auditorium. We can now comfortably seat 125 people for programs. And I do mean comfortably. (We finally got better chairs!) The space has a state-of-the-art AV system thanks to generous funding from the Foundation.”

Huff Memorial: Same as it ever was

What the Teton County Library has done to keep up with the times is rewind time. Libraries were once the Internet incarnate, a place where fine minds went to be enlightened and informed. Before cyberspace, the body had to be included physically in any travel of the mind and a living being often ended up inside a brick-and-mortar space known as a public library. In the before time, these libraries were little more than communal living rooms with a bitchin’ book collection.

The Teton County Library began this way – a need realized into a place. That place was originally a room in the St. John’s House (the current site of St. John’s Episcopal Church). It opened to the public in May 1915, the year the town was incorporated. In 1938, the official county library, known as the Huff Memorial Library, opened its doors in the north room of the American Legion Hall, making this year the library’s 75th anniversary.

The first volumes were donated by various dude ranches like the White Grass Ranch and Three Rivers Ranch, as well as from wealthy residents like Elizabeth Hayden and Elena B. Hunt. Juliane Tanner, a former South Park teacher and one-time county clerk, was hired as the first librarian.

What the early county library provided for the community then is exactly what Adams envisions the modern day library can and should be for Jackson Hole today. And the need is as present as it ever was.

“What we see every day is that people value the library as a gathering place, a community center to connect to other people and to ideas,” Adams says. “They see it as a place to improve their lives, through classes or study or literacy or cultural programs. In a world where we are increasingly isolated by technology, people value the places where they have human contact and interaction. They see us as their living room, their home away from home, whether it’s an escape from work or a place to do work. And for kids, it’s a place to be after school or a place to do school.”

Pièce de résistance

The county library operates on an allotted portion of taxpayer money called a mill levy. Basic core needs like materials collection, staff salaries and maintenance are made possible by this funding source. Volunteers also are crucial to the local library. Numbering in the hundreds, the volunteer staff is referred to as Friends of the Library. President John Hebberger directs members’ efforts in a wide range of duties including staffing the Book Nook, restocking bookshelves and assisting at various library events.

What makes Teton County Library truly extraordinary is icing-on-the-cake programs, resources and services funded by the Library Foundation, a nonprofit extension organization of the library established in 1982.

“If the county supports the library, the Foundation brings the ‘margin of excellence,’” the Foundation’s associate director Pauline Towers-Dykeman says. “It’s a big part of the Library Foundation’s job to help people realize that, yes, thanks to tax dollars and the vision of our county commissioners, we have a great cake; but it’s only because of donations small and large from everyone who understands what the library would be like without author visits and summer reading and public access computers and book clubs and much more that we have the beautifully frosted, ideal kind of cake nearly all of us crave.”

Towers-Dykeman added that the Foundation’s support is also at the heart of the library’s ability to remain nimble in adapting to changing technologies and societal demand. The successful Page-to-the-Podium series, computer center, Latino outreach programs, and recent Mountain Story Festival are examples of the extracurricular efforts that “help make our library world-class,” according to Towers-Dykeman.

Value-added features of the library include the Book Nook. Ten years ago, heck, ten minutes ago for some libraries, the thought of selling the inventory was unheard of. With many public libraries faced with the prospect of costly storage of underutilized volumes, some, like the Teton County Library see no reason why they shouldn’t share their collection with the community and generate a little revenue at the same time.

“We are excited about the new Book Nook,” Debbie Webb says. She runs the store with John Held. “Now folks can grab a cup of coffee and shop for books year-round. Our volunteers sort through approximately 50,000 books each year, returning almost 20,000 titles to the community at bargain prices.”

Webb said she was aware of the popularity of the semi-annual sale, and the library will hold another one the weekend of August 17.

TLC at TCL

At the essence of any library is its collection, and the polestar of the building is the librarian – an “au courant” curator of information skilled at navigating a library’s holdings with discretionary verism. The Teton County Library employs five of these information interface superheroes.

“These folks are true experts when it comes to figuring out how to find good answers to questions. They are experienced at research and helping patrons navigate the vast world of resources out there,” Adams says. “Anyone can search. Librarians can help you find answers from reputable sources. And good research skills transcend the medium, whether it’s print or database or the Internet.”

Christy Shannon Smirl manages the library’s collection. What the library puts on the shelves and takes off the shelves is her call, with some help. “There are 10 well-trained staff members who select books, audio-visual materials and digital media for various subject areas and age levels in the library. The aim is to reflect the needs and interests of our diverse community,” she says.

While “Fahrenheit 451” scenarios are largely in the past, censorship issues still dog public libraries. Smirl said the library prefers the high road on touchy matters.

“The charge of providing a balance of materials for the entire community does mean the inclusion of perspectives and subject matter that not everyone expects, or wants, to see on the library shelves,” Smirl says. “It is our role to provide and protect access to whatever information anyone in the community is seeking. We stay away from the role of judging what someone should or should not be reading or looking at.”

The county library has kept pace with the growing demand for digital selections. The library began offering eBooks in September 2011 and eAudiobooks in August 2012. The publishing industry continues to be in flux over exactly how to offer digital material to libraries and still make a profit and pay authors. For the Teton County Library, like many public libraries slowly learning the ropes in this market, it’s baby steps with eBook offerings at this point.

The library also has recently hired a communications manager. The newly created position went to Julia Hysell, a four-year veteran of the library. She expects to be heavily involved in the strategic planning of activities in the yearlong celebration of the library’s 75th anniversary. She will also take over all social media outreach and marketing efforts.

Forward thinking

With voter-approved 2010 SPET money, the library doubled its size and made major strides toward LEED certification of their entire facility. The additional space has increased payroll and maintenance costs significantly but Adams is confident the ever-increasing usage will justify the community’s investment. Adams says overall usage has been steadily increasing over the past decade with average daily attendance hovering at around 1,000 patrons, and the number of items checked out monthly is about 30,000 and climbing.

“We do constantly think about what services we would add or improve when we have a little more room in our budget,” Adams says. “One of the most consistent requests we get from patrons is for more open hours for the library. We would love to be able to be open on Friday evenings till 8 like our other weekdays. More hours on Sundays would be a close second since it is one of our highest per-hour traffic days of the week.”

Daft Punk meets Soul Train

Disco ain’t daft, punk   PROP

Everything else has lost meaning. Time stands still. Whether hikers can no longer access the summit of High School Butte or if a bridge will ever be completed in this county or who the mystery graffiti artist of Jackson Hole is – none of it matters. All life’s distractions melt away with one listen to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.”

Go listen. Now. Spotify it, Pandora it, buy it. Give it a listen immediately. If you never come back to finish this column, I’ll understand.

It’s obvious that Americans never departed from the disco era on good terms. The death knell rang early that night in Comiskey Park (July 12, 1979) after yet another drubbing of the hometown White Sox (4-1). Platform shoes may have gone out of style but disco, that “diabolical thump-and-shriek” novelty so named by Time Magazine was not ready to go gently into that good Chicago night.

In the wake of disco’s premature death, new wave stepped in to fill the void. If Zeppelin fans thought disco was heartless techno music, well, next to Devo, Donna Summer looked like the London Philharmonic.

Dust off your mirrored ball, shake out your afro and get lucky. Disco’s back, baby, and a little Daft Punk just might wash the aftertaste of Psy and Macklemore out of your ears. P.S. Wanna fresh tip? Check out George Barnett’s cover on YouTube.

All the Hole’s a stage   PROP

Jackson is a great place to see quality theater. This past few weeks featured two outstanding productions that could not have been more different.

The town is still buzzing about the high school’s production of “West Side Story.” Everyone I know went to see it, including most of my softball team, who were mostly dragged there begrudgingly by their better half.

Vicki Garnick directed the beloved 50-year-old play, and the kids knocked it out of the park, beginning with Garnick’s son, Golden. Garnick handled the male lead chores with aplomb. Growing up at the Jackson Hole Playhouse, Vicki’s youngest son takes to the boards like pomade to a pompadour.

Taralee Larsen also killed it as Maria, though she didn’t have the theatrical family background to draw from. Her dad says it was like pulling teeth to get her to sing in public. (Little joke there, Doc.) Taralee’s father is dentist Scott Larsen.

Across town, Off Square Theatre Company tackled the weighty work of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. “Crime and Punishment” doesn’t exactly spring to mind as entertaining subject matter for live performance but when the Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus adaptation of the literary masterpiece took to the stage in New York City in 2007, it elicited resoundingly positive reviews.

“Who would have thought that the novel no high school student has ever finished reading would make such engrossing theater?” wrote the New York Times.

John J. Hanlon, who is known for translating Maksym Kurochin’s Russian works, directed. He helped the actors with the finer points of the Russian language and culture. Brian Landis Folkins was fantastic in the lead role of the tortured Raskolnikov. Local Jamie Reilly also delivers, juggling three parts including the suspicious inspector Porfiry.

The show wrapped May 18 after a two-week run underwritten by the Russian Club of Jackson Hole.

Later this summer: Jackson Hole Playhouse intends to stage “Footloose” for the first time. And watch for the debut of “South Pass,” the musical, running July 5-26 at Center for the Arts. The production, written by River Crossing executive director Mike Atkins, highlights the life of Jedediah Smith, the legendary explorer of the Mountain West.

Hell hath no fury like Lummis   PROP

Cynthia Lummis is never going to apologize for being a Republican. The Congresswoman is all up in Obama’s grill again. The bandwagon has sagging leaf springs these days with the current administration fending off a three-pronged attack that includes Benghazi, IRS targeting, and the McCarthyesque AP witch hunt.

Lummis knocked out a letter to her Wyoming constituents entitled, “The IRS: Taxing Your Patience and Patriotism Since 2011.” Beautiful. Lummis slammed the Internal Revenue Service for their selective audits on any filing organization that appeared to slant their politics to the right, calling the department a new playground bully.

While IRS higher-up Lois Lerner stammered denials, Inspector General Russell George uncovered an internal memo dubbed “Be on the Look-Out” (BOLO). It was a directive from somewhere or someone up above instructing IRS agents to target filers that used terms like “patriot” or “tea party” in their return. These flagged organizations were then forced to turn over names of their donors, the amount they gave, and even their political positions on important issues. Is this still America?

Lummis wants Lerner’s head, and she probably won’t stop there. God save Obama if she gets a whiff of improprieties tying the White House to the IRS scandal.

Pot test on sale at the Dollar Tree in Jackson.

Weed whacker

Suspicious parents now have a quick and easy alternative to rummaging through their kid’s sock drawer. Spotted at the Dollar Tree: An at-home marijuana drug test kit. Mom and dad can be 98 percent certain whether you are tokin’, and in just five easy minutes. Five of the longest minutes of some teen’s life.

Cool runner Eric Orton

Cool runnings

Jackson’s Eric Orton is an elite mountain runner and coach. He also authored a new book titled, “The Cool Impossible.” It’s available in hardcopy, paperback and deluxe eBook version complete with instructional training videos.

Christopher McDougall, New York Times bestselling author of “Born to Run,” said, “This guy is a miracle worker.”

We were awed by the promotional video that was loaded with Orton sweating through some glamorous shots of the Jackson Hole area to Imagine Dragon’s “Radioactive.” Orton’s wife is Jackson Hole Middle School instructional facilitator Michelle Rooks.

We were tipped off to Orton’s book release by a Facebook post from Keith Gingery, Orton’s neighbor, who acknowledged seeing the iron man head out for one of his endless runs the other day.

Today in Yellowstone

The “Today” show’s plan to have all five anchors visit five different U.S. destinations, including Yellowstone, in one week was preempted by NBC’s decision to cover tornado-ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, on Tuesday. The West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce put out the word late Monday.

The “Great American Adventure” was to include broadcasts from Hawaii, Chicago, Orlando, Fla., and the New Jersey shore. A live broadcast from Old Faithful was scheduled for Tuesday. The network expected around five-million viewers to tune in. A crew of approximately 70 people with equipment everywhere was setting up Monday before the plug was pulled.

Weatherman Al Roker said he has never been to Yellowstone and was looking forward to the trip even though his forecast for the nation’s first national park called for chilly overnight lows around 27

“It’s going to be, obviously, chilly in Yellowstone, but it’s going to be fun,” Roker said. “It’s going to be brisk.”

Roker and co-anchor Willie Geist took a five-question quiz on Yellowstone. Judging from the results, they both have a lot to learn on their field trip to Wyoming.

Jax footballer gets Gatorade nod

Jackson Bronc soccer standout Will Horstmann won the Wyoming Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year last week, just before the state tourney. The nimble No. 11 was chosen as the top soccer player in the state among all divisions by Gatorade. Jackson was ranked 13th best in the country before their disappointing loss in the second round of the state championship.

Bryan Pedersen (Alan Rogers, Star-Tribune)

From lawmaker to haymaker

State legislator Bryan Pedersen is getting some national recognition (we saw a story on Yahoo Sports) for his work to legalize Mixed Martial Arts fighting in Wyoming. Now, the 38-year-old is ready to “prove up” on his bill by getting into the cage for a fight at the Colosseum Fight Series; the first fights in Cheyenne since the bill passed.

Pedersen said he’s been training for MMA for the past four years as a way to stay in shape. When he was asked to take on an opponent, he couldn’t refuse.

“This is not something I normally do,” he originally told the Casper Star-Tribune. “But I really believe in the sport.”

Pedersen is now retired from a life of politics after six years in the Wyoming Legislature. He said this will be both his debut bout and official retirement from MMA fighting. At least Pedersen will feel at home for the weigh-in. It’s scheduled to take place on the steps of the State Capitol Building.

I had heard of book clubs and was excited by the opportunity to attend. Rumor had it that women go to book clubs to discuss novels they’ve read and ask questions like, “Did you feel the book fulfilled your expectations? Were you disappointed? What did you think the book was about? How did the book compare to other books by the author (or other books in the same genre)? Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not? What about the plot?”

Are you kidding me? While women are predisposed to illogical behavior and irrational thought processes, do they actually think men are so lame as to believe that talking about books is what goes on at book clubs? I mean, c’mon, what really happens at books clubs? I had my suspicions and they involved the pursuit of hedonistic sensual pleasure in the Babylonian style. Count me in, Mary.

The book club was held in the living room of a local intellectual, and as the participants arrived I became more excited. Eight women total, all clearly bored, lonely and looking to spice up their life.

“Today we are discussing Barbara Kingsolver’s novel ‘Animal Dreams,’ and I took the questions off Kingsolver’s website,” the group leader said. I chuckled. Yeah, right.

“Why are Hallie and Codi different? What happened that caused them to take such different life paths? How and why does Codi change? Why does she become more engaged with the world?”

A pensive mood settled in. “Clyde would you like to lead off?”

“Sure,” I said, wondering when the pretending would end, and we could get down to business. I hadn’t read the book of course, but it was an easy question. “Hallie and Codi are only different on the outside,” I said. “On the inside they seek the same things we all seek.” Duh, all women want the same thing; they’re simple creatures really.

“Very insightful Clyde,” said the group leader, clearly impressed. The other women nodded their heads in sync, their interest in me increasing.

“One theme of the novel is the relationship between humans and the natural world,” she continued. “What does the novel have to say about the difference between Native American and Anglo American culture in relation to nature? How do creation stories, such as the Pueblo creation legend and the Garden of Eden story, continue to influence culture and behaviour?”

One of the women stammered trying to answer the question. I came to her rescue and said, “While Pueblo creation legends and the Garden of Eden story influence society, we tend to forget that in ancient creation legends everyone was naked. I think clothing is preventing us from grasping the book’s deeper connection to the natural world. It’s a tragedy really.”

It was, after all, time to get with the program. There was a brief moment of hesitation before we all agreed. Things progressed smoothly from there. The only reference to literature the rest of the evening was a comment on the “Kama Sutra.”

Vanessa Flaherty in the murder scene of ‘Crime and Punishment.’ (Jamie Reilly)

While I could write profusely about the captivating performances by leads Jamie Reilly and Brian Landis Folkins, I would rather focus on a singular visual element and choice made by director John Hanlon. For those unfamiliar with the plot of “Crime and Punishment,” here is a brief synopsis:

The main character, Raskolnikov (Folkins), a poor, emotionally afflicted, educated and intellectual man, is being interrogated concerning the murders of two women in his community, Alyona and Lizaveta. Alyona has held power over the neighbor men by loaning money and charging outrageous interest against their personal treasures. The play is told using three sets: the interrogation room at the police station; Raskolnikov’s tiny, dilapidated apartment; and the doorstep of the victims.

Throughout the play the audience is led into the conflicted and pained psyche of the protagonist. While I spent the first half of the play empathizing with this character, it was the murder scene and explicit treatment of the crime that clouded my quasi Robin-Hood romantic lens. Hanlon and fight-choreographer Marius Hanford IV decided to simulate real blood using a visceral-liquid concoction held inside the actors’ costumes and punctured upon contact with Raskolnikov’s axe.

“Marius suggested a variety of options for the murder scene, like a red scarf or lighting. Having something as literal as we did brought the impact of the crime into play and made it less abstract. To have [blood] on the stage for the last third of the play, there is no uncertainty of [Raskolnikov’s] guilt, and it’s also what’s in his head. This remaining smear is what he needs to be clean from,” Reilly said.

The red stain is smeared across the set as Raskolnikov drags the body of Alyona back into her apartment. This vibrant spot remains throughout the play. The unfading, boldness of the blood keeps the murder fresh, becoming a metaphor for the main character, whose life is permanently soiled by his actions.

Given the predisposition to highlighting violence in our media, I think it was very important that the murder in this play was treated with a graphic dose of reality. Because the emotion portrayed by Folkins is so potent and believable, initially I wanted to side with him and hoped he would get away with the murder. Avoiding any sense of poetry or metaphor in the murder scene made it possible to empathize with the feeling of desperation, but impossible to further empathize with the lead character.

On a larger level, the humanity of the lead character is what made the blood more real. Unlike many of the fractured and sensationalized images of violence we see everyday in our news, this play brought me so much closer to a dialogue about humanity and justice. While part of me wished for more blood, the subtlety was enough to make it apparent without becoming an exhibition of gore.

Tired pup rests near the sign marking the ‘crossroads.’

JACKSON HOLE, WYO - The first time I hiked Game Creek through to Leeks Canyon I wasn’t intending to. I had started up Game Creek for the millionth time, hit the Cache Creek connector split and felt pretty fresh. That was three miles in after negligible elevation gain.

“What the heck,” I thought. “Let’s keep going ’til we pop out somewhere.”

The dog looked less than thrilled. With no map or solid recollection of where the trail would lead to I forged on. I was confident it would have to eventually top out in the vicinity of Snow King and likely offer several ways of getting down and out. I was right, but the realization came after second-guessing myself a few times somewhere around the five-mile mark.

This hike covers nine total miles. Elevation gain is 1,300 feet at a gradual clip. In fact, the steepest section is the final two-mile drop into Leeks Canyon. Mountain bikers enjoy these trails as they are not too gnarly with harsh drops or numerous rocks.

This time of year it is possible to see almost anything in the way of wildlife back here. Mountain lions enjoy the backside of Snow King. Black bears also are known to frequent the upper Cache area. Elk and mule deer will be among your most likely sightings, however.

View from the top of the ridge looking down on Leeks Canyon.

Step by step

Start at Game Creek. At 1.6 miles, you’ll notice a little box canyon on your left. I once saw a monster mule deer buck up in there standing on the ridge. At three miles in, it starts getting boggy. A tighter box canyon on your left leads up to a lame sort of hunt camp. The trail splits here – left to Leeks, right to Cache Creek. Straight ahead is a massive wall that shields the Cache Creek drainage from view. It is the very ridge firefighters made their last stand on to keep the Horsethief Canyon Fire from dropping into Cache and heading to town. After hanging a “Louie” you’ll lose most of the oncoming mountain bike traffic.

The trail continues fairly marshy for another mile. Soon, though, you’ll climb out of the bottomland and by 7,000 feet it is smooth sailing. About five miles in is your best chance to see wildlife. This is as isolated from most casual users as you will get. At 5.5 miles you will top out at 7,500 feet – the highest you’ll get on this hike. Snowpack up here is minimal after this warm spring.

At the six mile mark, you’ll drop into a saddle of sorts before another rise to 7,500 feet. There is a sign in this area – I think it reads: West Game Creek/Game Creek Trail. I have no idea what the Forest Service thinks West Game Creek is. There is a crossroads at this point. One trail heads north, taking you to Ferrin’s Trail and into the Cache-Snow King area. Another trail leads south into Wilson Canyon.

I’ve never taken this one so I can’t say for sure how good the trail is in the middle stretch before popping out. I once went up Adams Canyon behind the Animal Shelter and came back out Wilson and there wasn’t much of a trail beyond the first mile or so from the Little Horsethief subdivision.

You’re home free at 6.6 miles; standing atop a crest where you can see the radio towers on Snow King and Leeks Canyon stretched out before you. The descent could be tough on the knees for some folks. Later in the season, hikers may encounter cows grazing in Leeks Canyon. Technically, I suppose it is closed to the public so be warned. I go anyway.

Leeks Canyon is named for Stephen Leek, a fine Canadian, who homesteaded in South Park in 1891.

When I was born I didn’t have an understanding of “freedom” but I have learned under the guidance and modeling of my parents just as they learned from their parents what their parents had learned and on and on through the generations. Realizing this led me to reflect on my family history, and it is there that I found the answer to how the U.S. Constitution affects my life.

Seeking opportunity and freedom, my ancestors immigrated to America to pursue their dreams. With little more than faith and the protections guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution they settled in rural America where generation after generation worked the land surviving the wrath of Mother Nature and the volatility of commodity markets. They raised their families passing down through the generations the values of hard work, tenacity and independence, and with each generation their appreciation for freedom and the protections of the U.S. Constitution deepened.

This is the reason I chose rural America as the backdrop for my photo essay. I placed an American flag in each image because to me there is no greater symbol of America and the freedom I have as an American.

My image of a cross represents the faith I have that is spiritual as well as the faith I have that I am free and protected. I chose to photograph a house because behind the door is the kitchen table where the family gathers to eat together and to pray together. I chose a barn to represent the lifestyle that helped define my values and my principles. I photographed the wagon and an old pickup to represent progression. I used both images to reflect that even though change is inevitable the “new” never replaces the “old.”

Now as a young adult I am poised to begin my own chapter in our family history. I have spent my lifetime preparing for this moment and now armed with my history, my faith, my freedom and a deep appreciation for the protections shared by many but also unique to me I am ready to take the first step knowing that passing it forward will someday be my responsibility.

– McKenna M. Brinton

Thursday 5.23

Dancing on film

Carrie Richer, Kate W. Kosharek and Natalia Duncan are proud to present the film “Wyoming, Born & Raised – Wild and Full of Grit,” featuring dancers from Contemporary Dance Wyoming. The film was shot on location by Derek DiLuzio at the Triangle X Ranch.

Hole Dance Film Premiere, 7 p.m., Thursday, at the JH Historical Society & Museum. Free. 733-2413; jacksonholehistory.org.

Buffalo mixer

The White Buffalo Club is opening their doors from the basement all the way up to the roof for this week’s chamber mixer. Enjoy appetizers and refreshment while mingling with area professionals.

Chamber Mixer, 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday at White Buffalo Club. Free. 733-3316; jacksonholechamber.com.

Pathway to citizenship

Learn how to become a U.S. citizen. Elisabeth Trefonas, Trefonas Law, P.C., will be providing free information on eligibility, procedures, preparation and possibilities of citizenship.

Pathway to Citizenship, 6 p.m., Thursday, at Teton County Library. Free. 733-2164; tclib.org.

Perfect you gardening

The days are warming and it is time to get the garden planted. Join certified nursery professional Al Young for tips on how to plant and grow a better garden this summer.

Tips for Gardeners, 6 p.m., Thursday, at Teton County Rec Center. $12. 739-9025; tetonparksandrec.org.

Best with the lens

The Art Association of JH is pleased to present the second annual JH Photography Competition. Join them for the opening reception featuring this year’s new and exciting photography.

JH Photo Competition opening reception, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, at Art Association Gallery. Free. 733-6397; artassociation.org.

Friday 5.24

Migration made easier

The Teton Regional Land Trust has a dilapidated fence in need of removal along both Teton Creek and Teton River. Removal of this fence will allow wildlife to more easily navigate their habitat.

Fence removal, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, meet at the Teton Regional Land Trust office in Driggs. Free. 354-8939; tetonlandtrust.org.

Wine and win

This year’s Rotary Wine Fest will feature more than 400 wines, $5,000 in cash prizes, cases of wine to be raffled off and a great silent auction. All proceeds go to a local scholarship fund for students and teachers.

Rotary WineFest, 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, at the Snow King Sports & Events Center. $30 advance, $40 door. 739-2246; rotarywinefest.org.

Saturday 5. 26

Trash to treasure

The annual garage sale at the Senior Center is coming up and they are gladly accepting donations to be dropped off at the center. Proceeds benefit senior center programs.

Senior Center Garage Sale, 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, at Senior Center of JH. Free. 733-7300; seniorcenterjh.org.

Tuesday 5.28

World of wildflowers

Feast your eyes on wildflowers found in the Maritime Alps along the French-Italian border. Alison Jones and her husband, Dick, spent a week in Mercantour National Park traversing this scenic and steeply mountainous region.

Spring Wildflowers of the Maritime Alps, 6 p.m., Tuesday, at Teton County Library. Free. 733-2164; tclib.org.

OLD WEST DAYS

From the parade to the wind and beer fest, Old West Days is filled with non-stop activities to get summer kicked-off in Jackson.

Friday

• 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fairgrounds: Mountain Man Rendezvous and Trader’s Row.

• 7 p.m. at the Bar J: Old West Days Kickoff.

• 5 to 8 p.m. at Snow King: Jackson Hole Rotary Wine Fest

Saturday

• 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fairgrounds: Mountain Man Rendezvous and Trader’s Row.

• 10 a.m. on the Town Square: 32nd annual Old West Days Parade.

• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Town Square: Old Town Entertainment

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Town Square: Old West Brewfest

• 6 to 8 p.m. in front of the JH Playhouse: Old West Days street dance.

• 8 p.m. at the Fairgrounds: The Jackson Hole Rodeo.

Sunday

• 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fairgrounds: Mountain Man Rendezvous and Trader’s Row.

• 10 a.m. on the Town Square: Wyoming Cowboy Church.

• Noon at the JH Historical Society & Museum: Historic downtown walking tour.

Monday

•  9 a.m. at the fairgrounds: Mountain Man Memerial Day Ceremony

• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fairgrounds: Mountain Man Rendezvous and Trader’s Row.

• 10 a.m. on the Town Square: American Legion Memorial Service.