The Salt Lake ValleyNative artists sell at the Natural History Museum this weekend, Zorro opens at the Capitol Theatre, and giant pumpkins weigh in at the Gateway
Plus chili momo in Sandy, Herriman's Trader Joe's opening this morning, and $4.25 haunted trail tickets in Draper.
Good morning, Salt Lake Valley.
More than 40 Native artists set up inside the Natural History Museum of Utah on Saturday and Sunday, and every dollar you spend at their tables goes to the artist. It's the best indoor plan for a weekend that's about to turn wet.
Friday is sunny with a high near 84. Saturday starts with rain showers likely before 9am and turns to showers and thunderstorms after that, with a high near 77. The storms hang around through Monday. Sunday tops out around 67 and Monday around 65, so do your outdoor stuff today.
📍 30 seconds in the valley⏱️ 9 min read
- 🪶Shop the Indigenous Art Market at NHMU
- 🎭See Zorro open Utah Opera's season
- 🥟Order chili momo at Bhutan House
⭐ The Big One
Worth the museum ticket
Buy straight from Native artists at the Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum of Utah holds its Indigenous Art Market & Festival this Saturday and Sunday. More than 40 artists from over 25 tribes bring jewelry, beadwork, pottery, paintings, and sculpture, and the museum says 100 percent of what they sell goes to the artist.
It's more than a sale. The weekend includes Native music and dance performances and artist demonstrations, and museum anthropologists and Native knowledge keepers talk through objects from the museum's collection. The market and festival come with regular museum admission, so you can wander the galleries on the same ticket.
Our take
Museum members get in at 9am for an hour of shopping before the doors open to everyone else, so if you're after one artist's work, that hour is your shot. The whole thing is indoors, so Saturday's rain doesn't matter here. Plan on the galleries upstairs once you've made a lap of the tables.⚠️ Heads up: The museum's last entry is 4:30pm. Admission is the same price on market days, so a family of four with two grade-schoolers runs about $92 before anyone buys anything.
$$ artgiftsrainy day
📰 Around the Valley
Herriman's Trader Joe's opens at 9 this morning
The Trader Joe's at The Commons at Herriman Towne Center opens Friday at 9am. It's the first Trader Joe's on Salt Lake County's west side, after nearly a year of waiting since the company confirmed the location. Until now, the closest stores for Herriman, Riverton, and South Jordan were in Draper and Cottonwood Heights.
Flu season started early in Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County has counted 10 flu hospitalizations over the past two weeks. That's well above the usual pace for early October, which is about one a week, and a county epidemiologist said they're seeing more than they'd expect for this time of year. COVID is also up locally, with six hospitalizations last week.
📅 This Week
Best night out of the week
See Zorro open Utah Opera's season at the Capitol Theatre
Utah Opera opens its 49th season Saturday with the Utah premiere of Héctor Armienta's Zorro. Tenor César Delgado sings Diego de la Vega with an all-Latino principal cast, and the score pulls in corridos, boleros, and flamenco.
Our take
It's sung in English and Spanish with supertitles in both languages, so it's an easy first opera for anyone who's been nervous to try one. Utah choreographer Katie Sheen-Abbott staged the flamenco, and Chris DuVal staged the sword fights. If you're under 30, the half-price seats make this cheaper than most concerts this weekend.⚠️ Heads up: Opening night lands on the stormiest stretch of the forecast. Coming from the south valley, ride TRAX to Main Street and walk a block instead of hunting for a garage in the rain.
$$ operadate nightdowntown
Worth it for a country Friday
Hear Jon Pardi at the Maverik Center tonight
Jon Pardi brings his Gamblin' Man Tour to West Valley City on Friday night, with Alexandra Kay and Sadie Bass opening.
Our take
There are two openers ahead of Pardi, so there's time for dinner on 3500 South before his set. Tonight is the last dry evening of the week, with a low around 62.⚠️ Heads up: Leave the bag in the car unless it meets the arena's bag policy, which is posted on the Maverik Center site.
$$ countryFriday nightWest Valley City
Skip unless you have a project lined up
Walk the Salt Lake Fall Home Show in Sandy
More than 300 exhibitor booths fill the Mountain America Expo Center Friday through Sunday, covering remodeling, landscaping, interior design, and gardening.
Our take
If you're about to redo a kitchen or a yard, it's a cheap way to meet a dozen contractors in an afternoon. If you're not, it's a lot of sales pitches. The guys from Maine Cabin Masters are on the Design Stage Friday at 5pm and Saturday at 2pm.⚠️ Heads up: Teachers, veterans, active and retired military, and frontline workers get in free with ID. Buy online for the $10 price, and know the ticket is good for one day only.
$ homeownersrainy daySandy
Worth it for grade-schoolers
Book the Draper Haunted Trail for next Thursday through Saturday
Draper runs its Haunted Trail Oct. 15 to 17 at Ballard Arena, a third-of-a-mile walk down a wooded dirt trail with fog, strobes, and costumed creatures, built for kids 15 and under.
Our take
Tickets are sold online only, by time slot, with limited room in each one, and there are no sales at the gate. Grab them on the city's site this weekend so you get the slot you want. The 4:30 slot is still in daylight, which suits a nervous kindergartner.⚠️ Heads up: Adults can't go alone, only with a kid 15 or under. Strollers aren't allowed on the uneven dirt, so wear closed-toe shoes.
$ kidsHalloweenDraper
🏟️ The Scoreboard
The Mammoth beat New Jersey and head to Buffalo Saturday
Utah beat New Jersey 5-3 on Tuesday, and Nick Schmaltz's goal was his fifth of the season, the most in the NHL at the time. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev left that game after a puck hit him on the back of the helmet. The Mammoth played at Boston Thursday night, finish the road trip in Buffalo Saturday, and are home Tuesday.
The Royals are in fourth with three games left
Brecken Mozingo's stoppage-time goal earned a 1-1 draw at Racing Louisville on Oct. 3. The Royals have two weeks off before they host Kansas City, the team two points behind them in the standings.
🍴 Eat & Drink
Worth the drive for a rainy-night dinner
Order the chili momo at Bhutan House
Bhutan House is a family-owned Himalayan restaurant on 8600 South in Sandy that's been cooking Bhutanese, Nepalese, and Indian food since 2017. It's known for its momo dumplings and ema datshi, the Bhutanese stew of chilies and cheese.
Our take
The chili momo comes tossed in a red chili sauce with green peppers and onions, and you pick your heat on a scale of 1 to 8, with chicken or vegetable filling. Start at a 3 if you've never been. Add the ema datshi for the table and you've got the full Bhutanese order.⚠️ Heads up: The menu also has Indian curries and tandoori, so the kid who won't touch chili can get the chicken korma.
$$ dumplingsspicy foodSandy
👨👩👧 Family & Free
Worth it for kids who'll wear a costume
Watch the giant pumpkins weigh in at the Gateway
The Gateway's Giant Pumpkinpalooza and Zombie Walk takes over Olympic Plaza on Saturday. Utah's giant pumpkin growers compete for the orange jacket that goes to the heaviest pumpkin, and there's a zombie walk, a costume contest, pie-eating and soda-chugging contests, dance-offs, and pumpkin bowling.
Our take
This is the one Saturday to put the kids in their Halloween costumes early, since the zombie walk and costume contest are open to anyone. The pumpkins are the real show. The winner here two years ago weighed nearly 2,000 pounds.⚠️ Heads up: Showers and thunderstorms are likely Saturday afternoon, and Olympic Plaza is open to the sky. Pack a rain shell, and plan to go early in the afternoon.
free kidsfreeHalloween
🎟️ Also Happening
See Garth Brooks this weekend
Garth Brooks plays the Delta Center Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm in Salt Lake City, with every seat priced the same.
Watch Utah football open Big 12 home play
The 4-0 Utes host Kansas at Rice-Eccles Stadium Saturday at 8:15pm in Salt Lake City, with storms in the forecast.
Bring a costume to Hocus Pocus night in Daybreak
The Hocus Pocus Spooktacular is at The Ballpark at America First Square Wednesday, Oct 14, at 6pm in South Jordan.
📰 Valley News
Downtown gets ready for 22,000 temple visitors a day
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expects about 22,000 people a day during the Salt Lake Temple open house, which runs from April to October 2027, and downtown businesses are planning for it now. Caputo's Market and Deli is running sandwich-making time trials with staff, using general conference weekend as the model. City Creek Center is adding stores ahead of the crowds, and business leaders see the open house as a chance to fill empty storefronts.
Nearly 10,000 acre-feet of Pineview water is going to the Great Salt Lake
Pineview Reservoir is being drained so crews can replace a pipeline, and nearly 10,000 acre-feet of that water, about 3.26 billion gallons, is being sent through Willard Bay to the Great Salt Lake and its wetlands. The release lines up with the fall bird migration, when shorebirds and waterfowl stop at the lake on their way south. State officials say it helps but won't fix the lake's decline on its own.
Salt Lake City keeps adding student housing while small apartments sit empty
Salt Lake City has more studios and one-bedrooms than renters right now, but student housing projects keep going up. Developers rent student units by the bed instead of by the apartment, which earns more per square foot, and a Cushman & Wakefield broker said that's one of the few kinds of apartment building that pencils out right now. Chapter SLC, a 252-unit, roughly 700-bed building on 400 South near a TRAX station, is due in June 2028.
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 →If you only do one thing, go to the art market Saturday morning while it rains, then catch Zorro that night downtown. Sunday is a good day for momo in Sandy and staying dry.
Reply and tell us what you bought at the market, or which artist we should write about next.
— The Salt Lake Valley crew
Got a tip, a new opening, or an event? Just reply, we read everything.
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Read past issues · Refer a neighbor · Advertise with us