The Voice of a City A good newspaper is the voice of a city talking to itself. The new publisher of the Moab Sun News , Heila Ershadi wants that conversation to be informed and robust. Originally from Tennessee, Heila Ershadi made Moab her home 11 years ago and began freelance writing for the Moab Sun News and other publications. In November of last year, when owner Andrew … [Read more...]
Karen Whipple: Peace Tree Juice Cafe
If you’ve ever walked by Peace Tree Juice Cafe in Moab, you are probably familiar with the colorful logo featuring a tree with peace symbols in place of leaves. Karen Whipple, 58, started her original business, Peace Tree Juice Café, 21 years ago in Moab. As of 2004, she also operates a second Peace Tree in her hometown of Monticello. Childhood influences helped her make … [Read more...]
Utah Mountains Receive Record Snow Fall
Record Snow Fall Over 100 inches of snow fall in February. March is also proving to be very vet month. How is this impacting Moab small businesses? Several Moab business owners including Karen Whipple say February proved to be extremely slow, especially compared to last year in Moab. This was due to the cold and the snow which was on the ground longer than residents had … [Read more...]
Moab Proud, Moab Made
Moab Made describes itself as “a shop dedicated to the local artisan community.” I would add that the Main Street store is hand-crafted for the individual who appreciates singular items. Moab Made’s wares have soul and personality. Moab Made was founded by Rebecca McAllister in 2016. “It was created out of a personal desire to do something that I knew I would feel really … [Read more...]
Moab’s Desert Sun Ceramics
Walk through the door of Desert Sun Ceramics in Moab and you will see “Gregoire Pottery”—bowls, mugs, pitchers and other ceramic items created by owner Barb Gregoire. But the studio is more than a venue for only one woman. Desert Sun Ceramics is open to novices and experts alike. The mission is “to provide a creative, inspirational learning environment where everyone can … [Read more...]
Moab Root Cellar Project: History is ‘Preserved’ For the Future
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” —William Faulkner “We don’t really think of ourselves and our lives as history,” said Christy Williams Dunton, the Development Director for the Museum of Moab. “But we are. We are living histories.” As one may carefully preserve the harvest in mason jars, Dunton makes “jars of memory jam,”—her term for the digital recordings … [Read more...]
Moab Road Trip
Local Moab resident, Heila Ershadi, gives the insider take on where to go and what to see in Moab. A trip to Moab can mean mean many things, such as appreciating the landscape’s astounding beauty, experiencing the charm of a unique desert town, enjoying world-class outdoor recreation, and even reconnecting with the wild magic found in nature and your own soul. It can also … [Read more...]
Skydiving Moab: Find Space and Views
Here on earth, space is at a premium. City dwellers feel crowded, which is why we come to places like Moab, where the scenic vistas are vast. But even in Moab, traffic gets congested. In seeking more space, what could possibly be less claustrophobic than skydiving? But even the word “skydive” has connotations that have prevented me from considering it in the past, because … [Read more...]
Redtail Air: Fly Like a Hawk over Utah’s Stunning Scenery
The pilots of Redtail Air have one of the the most exhilarating professions in the southwestern United States: flying over the breathtaking terrain of southeast Utah and sharing their vast knowledge of the region with awestruck passengers. Senior pilot Larry Van Slyke says “My favorite flight is Green River to Sand Wash early in the morning. It's stunning to fly over a … [Read more...]
CommuniTea Garden: Moab Man Embraces the Grace of Open Space
One afternoon in early spring, I met Jay Nethercott on a lot in downtown Moab that he estimates could have made him hundreds of thousands of dollars. But instead, he joined forces with local nonprofit Resiliency Hub to create a space where nature meets community. It’s called the CommuniTea Garden, a name inspired by the “Tea and a Topic” open forums that Resiliency Hub hosts in … [Read more...]