The Salt Lake ValleyHerriman Howl is free tonight, Branford Marsalis plays Kingsbury Hall Wednesday, and four I-215 ramps close Tuesday
Plus brisket by the pound in South Jordan, a Riverton pumpkin patch with no admission, and two bagel chains headed for Holladay and Midvale.
Good morning, Salt Lake Valley.
Herriman throws its free Halloween party tonight at J. Lynn Crane Park, with a dinosaur slide, a train ride, and trick-or-treating at the business booths. If you live on the west side of the valley, it's the easy answer to what the kids are doing after school.
The forecast is sunny with highs in the low 80s through Thursday, so nothing this week needs a rain plan. The thing to plan around is the west-side freeway: four ramps around I-215 and Redwood Road close at 4am Tuesday and stay closed for about 20 days.
📍 30 seconds in the valley⏱️ 9 min read
- 🎃Take the kids to Herriman Howl tonight
- 🎷Hear Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves play Coltrane
- 🍖Order brisket by the pound in South Jordan
⭐ The Big One
Best free night of the week for kids
Take the kids to Herriman Howl tonight
Herriman's city Halloween party takes over J. Lynn Crane Park and its plaza tonight, and admission and the activities are free. Kids come in costume and trick-or-treat at booths run by local businesses.
This year's lineup has a Jurassic Junction with a T-Rex slide and a dino dig, live reptiles from Scales and Tails, a Monsters & Minions train ride, a Zoltar fortune-telling booth, stiltwalkers, a snake charmer, and a DJ dance party. There's also a dog costume contest, a vendor market, and food trucks for dinner.
Our take
Go at 5 and do the pumpkin decorating first, because the city says it only lasts while supplies do. If you can get there an hour earlier, HawkWatch International brings live raptors to the Herriman Library, also on Herriman Main Street, from 4pm to 5pm. That's free too, with no tickets or sign-up.⚠️ Heads up: The city's event page says the Howl ends at 8:30pm, and its calendar says 8pm. Don't save the train ride for the last half hour.
free familiesfreeHerriman
📰 Around the Valley
Four ramps around I-215 and Redwood Road close Tuesday for about 20 days
Starting at 4am Tuesday, crews close four freeway ramps on the west side of Salt Lake City for bridge work, and each one stays closed for about 20 days. The closed ramps are eastbound I-80 to Redwood Road, northbound I-215 to Redwood Road, westbound SR-201 to northbound I-215, and Redwood Road to northbound I-215. If you take any of them to work or to the airport, UDOT says to follow the posted detours or use I-15.
Convergence Point breaks ground at The Point in Draper
Crews broke ground Thursday on Convergence Point, a research and startup building at The Point, the 600-acre redevelopment of the old state prison site in Draper. It will be the headquarters of the Nucleus Institute, which connects Utah's 16 public colleges and universities with companies that want to turn campus research into products. The building is scheduled to open in summer 2029 after about three years of construction.
📅 This Week
Worth it if you like your jazz with a singer
Hear Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves play Coltrane at Kingsbury Hall
Saxophonist Branford Marsalis brings his quartet and singer Dianne Reeves to the U for one night of John Coltrane, built around the 1963 album Coltrane made with vocalist Johnny Hartman.
Our take
Both of them hold the NEA Jazz Master title, the top honor the country gives a jazz musician, and Reeves was the first singer to win a Grammy for three albums in a row. The Hartman record is all ballads, so expect a slow, quiet night more than a blowing session.⚠️ Heads up: UtahPresents says its prices go up during the week of the show, so buy today instead of at the door Wednesday. Everyone needs a ticket, and no lap sitting is allowed.
$$ jazzdate nightUniversity of Utah
Worth it, and the money goes to Burn Camp
Taste firefighter chili at America First Field
More than 20 teams of firefighters and other first responders cook chili against each other in the 14th Utah Firefighter Chili Cookoff. Getting in is free, and you buy tickets at the event to taste the chili or get a beer.
Our take
Be there right at 11, when the Emerald Society Pipes and Drums open the day. A University of Utah AirMed helicopter lands during the event, and kids get games, crafts, and fire trucks to look over between bowls. Every dollar from the chili and beer tickets goes to the University of Utah Health Burn Camp programs.⚠️ Heads up: The organizers don't post what a tasting ticket costs, so bring a card and some cash.
free chilifamiliesSandy
Worth it for a group in costume
Follow the Millfreaks map across Millcreek
Millfreaks is a Halloween scavenger hunt that sends you across Millcreek with a map. You stop for live music, street performers, games, and contests along the way, and everybody ends up at Millcreek Common.
Our take
You go at your own pace, so a family with small kids can hit three stops and head for the finale while a group of adults does the whole map. Pick your starting point by where you live: Springbar is the west-side start, a few blocks off I-15, and Olympus Hills is the east bench start.⚠️ Heads up: The two starting points are about five miles apart, so agree on one with your group before anyone leaves the house.
$ HalloweengroupsMillcreek
Worth it for a kid's first orchestra concert
Hear The Planets at the West Jordan Symphony
The West Jordan Symphony plays a space program twice on Saturday: three movements of Holst's The Planets, then the scores from E.T., Interstellar, Star Trek, and Star Wars, with projected visuals and lighting.
Our take
Each show is listed at an hour, which is about as long as a seven-year-old will sit for an orchestra. We'd take the 5pm show with kids and still be home for dinner. From The Planets you get Mars, Venus, and Jupiter.⚠️ Heads up: The free passes come through a program called Musicians in Harmony, where the players sponsor seats. You have to ask for them ahead of time through West Jordan Arts.
$ orchestrakidsWest Jordan
Skip it unless you already have tickets
Skip the drive to the aquarium's $2 day
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is charging $2 admission today to thank the public for the county's Zoo, Arts and Parks funding. Every ticket is gone.
Our take
Tickets were sold online in advance only, and the aquarium's page now says the day is sold out. It also says this is its only $2 day of the year, so there's no second chance next Monday.⚠️ Heads up: If you did get tickets, they're timed. Show up within 30 minutes of your entry time, leave the stroller in the stroller parking before the exhibit halls, and eat before you come, since outside food isn't allowed inside.
$ aquariumticket holdersDraper
🏟️ The Scoreboard
The Mammoth start 2-0 and outscore their first two opponents 10-1
Utah's hockey team beat Chicago 6-0 in Thursday's home opener, then won 4-1 at Columbus on Saturday. Nick Schmaltz scored twice in Columbus, and Dylan Guenther has a power-play goal in both games. The team is on a five-game road trip through Columbus, New York, New Jersey, Boston, and Buffalo, and played the Rangers on Sunday afternoon.
Utah volleyball bounces back with a sweep at Kansas State
Two nights after getting swept at No. 19 Kansas, the No. 23 Utes beat Kansas State in three sets on Saturday in Manhattan. Utah hit .412, and a 15-0 run with Kamryn Gibadlo serving decided the second set. It was their 10th sweep of the season, and Thursday they're back at the Huntsman Center.
🍴 Eat & Drink
Worth the drive to The District
Order brisket by the pound at Kenny J's BBQ
Kenny J's smokes Texas-style barbecue at The District in South Jordan: brisket, ribs, pulled pork, sausage, turkey breast, and chicken thighs. Kenny and his wife, Mary, own it.
Our take
Get brisket by the pound for the table and add the funeral potatoes, the most Utah side on the menu. Finish with the banana pudding, which comes with a Biscoff cookie.⚠️ Heads up: Brisket can run out. The online ordering menu shows what's out of stock, so look at it before you drive down for a late dinner.
$$ barbecuebrisketSouth Jordan
👨👩👧 Family & Free
Worth it for toddlers through grade schoolers
Pick a pumpkin at The Kinlands without paying to get in
The Kinlands is a farm on 4000 West in Riverton with a pumpkin patch that charges no admission. Kids can visit the horses, goats, turkeys, chickens, and emus, and play on the swings, the slides, and in the bean pool.
Our take
Nothing costs money until you take something home or get on the wagon. Carving pumpkins are sold by weight at 65 cents a pound, and minis are $1.25 each, so a kid can leave with a pumpkin for pocket change. Bring a wagon if you're buying more than one big one.⚠️ Heads up: On weekdays the wagon rides don't start until 5pm, and they stop at dusk. If the ride is the reason you're going, go after school or on a weekend, when rides start at 10am.
free pumpkinstoddlersRiverton
🎟️ Also Happening
Eat at Sandy's second-to-last food truck night
Food trucks park at Sandy Amphitheater Park Monday from 5pm to 8pm in Sandy, and the season's last night is Oct 12.
Wear the costume early at the Holladay Halloween Bash
The Holladay Library has games, crafts, treats, and a costume parade Thursday from 4pm to 6pm in Holladay, free with no sign-up.
Watch Utah host Kansas under the lights
The unbeaten Utes play Kansas Saturday at 8:15pm at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, and the game is on ESPN.
📰 Valley News
Herriman opens two roads to Mountain View Corridor on Tuesday
Real Vista Drive and Juniper Crest Road open Tuesday in Herriman, giving the neighborhoods and shops around Academy Village, near Lee's Marketplace, another way on and off Mountain View Corridor. A traffic signal goes in where the connection meets the corridor. The city also said a signal at Dragonfly Lane and Towne Commons Drive would be working by Oct 1. That one is in The Commons at Herriman Towne Center, where Trader Joe's opens Friday.
Two bagel chains pick Holladay and Midvale for their first Utah shops
PopUp Bagels, which started in Connecticut, is taking a space at 4835 S Highland Drive in Holladay, next to Magnolia Bakery. Jeff's Bagel Run, from Florida, is going into the View 72 center at 744 W Blue Vista Lane in Midvale and expects to open by the end of the year. PopUp sells its bagels whole with tubs of spread for dipping and doesn't make sandwiches.
West Jordan finishes the 7800 South and 5600 West intersection
The rebuilt intersection at 7800 South and 5600 West is fully open, with two left-turn lanes in every direction and protected left-turn arrows in place of the flashing yellow ones. Crews are still finishing the striping, and the county is adjusting the signal timing. Nearby, the sign is up on West Jordan's Trader Joe's and work is going on inside and out, though the store hasn't given an opening date.
The Debate
💙 Good Neighbor
Nominate the person who helped this week
If a neighbor did something specific that made your week easier, reply with their name, city, and what they did. We may feature them in a future issue.
Nominate a neighbor →Tonight is Herriman. Wednesday is jazz on the U campus. Saturday you pick between firefighter chili in Sandy at lunch and a scavenger hunt across Millcreek at dinner, and you can do both if you pace yourself on the chili.
Reply with the neighborhood event, restaurant, or trail we should check next.
— The Salt Lake Valley crew
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Read past issues · Refer a neighbor · Advertise with us