Magic Valley Community Mural

As a member of the Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce, every new business gets to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony. Although Stone by Stone Enterprises is not so "new" anymore, we held a brief event at the Magic Valley Airport in Twin Falls to "re-introduce" Gary Stone's History of Idaho Aviation and Community Murals to the public to remind them of these very interesting and historical aspects of our area.

Membership Chairman Bobbi Pyle helped to coordinate the activity and was wearing her "split allegiances" shirt in honor of the cross town football rivalry between Twin Falls High and two year old Canyon Ridge High, and cheerleaders from both teams were there to support our efforts.

Dan Olmstead from Idaho Power gave a nice testimony of Gary's efforts on both murals as he pointed out that his company was well represented, as was his family farm. He stated that Gary took a lot of time interviewing him and his family members to assure that their family history was acurately portrayed.

In addition, Bobbi gave away a prize to the first person who could identify which of the planes in the Aviation history mural was from Dans family....which was easily concluded since the plane has the Olmstead family name written on it, albeit in small print.

We at Stone by Stone Enterprises wish to thank all of the Chamber ambassadors and friends who came out in support of our endeavors, and also welcome Kyle, the newest member of the Chamber team to Twin Falls.

Fright Night Tours

We held our final Fright Night tour of Old Town Twin Falls tonight until October, when we plan to return with more ghostly tales and stops in some more haunted places in Downtown Twin.

Here Emma Jean and daughter Jaykel (looking frightened!) pose in the Dry Cellar at Stricker Ranch, where we caught some Orbs on camera, especially when Crystal was around! We decided to call her "orb girl" since she seemed to attract more than her share on her camera.

Over the past few months we hosted a couple of hundred guests on our tours, and everyone had a great time learning more about the history of the Oregon Trail, Stricker Ranch, and the haunted spots around town.

Thanks to everyone who came along on this summer's Fright Night Tours, and join us in October for more spooky fun!

Gary Stone Creates Woodcut for Glanbia Foods

On Monday Augus 16th, Gary Stone presented a special Woodcut piece he created for Glanbia Foods during their annual Golf Outing at Blue Lakes CC, to celebrate their reaching ONE MILLION DOLLARS in Charitable donations.

Pictured here is Gary with just 2 of the 3 panels, which features the Blue Lakes Country Club, host of the annual Glanbia golf outing, with 2 Glanbia trucks crossing the Perrine bridge, and "Thanks a Million" written in the mountain tops of panel one.

Gary's tradition of "hiding" names was put to the test, as he hid within the painting over 50 names of Charitable organizations that have benefited from the generosity of Glanbia over the 17 years of their event.

He also included another unique feature of his paintings, adding a recorded message with sounds of the canyon and a message from Glanbia thanking their supporters.

Pictures do not do justice of Garys intricate Woodcut art style, as he painstakingly carves images into the Cedar wood and creates masterpieces to be cherished. Once you have seen a "Gary Stone creation" you recognize his style and immediately begin looking at the minute detail to find "hidden" objects within each of his artistic treasures.

Gary is currently working on a "surprise" Life History woodcut for a family in Twin Falls, which is destined to become an heirloom for that lucky spouse.

Apple Pie at the STricker Ranch

On Saturday, historian Bev Stone and I visited the Stricker Ranch and met with caretaker Gary Guy and my friends Glen Thorne and Aureila Galvin. We enjoyed hearing stories from both Bev & Gary about the history of the Oregon TRail Pioneers, and got a sneak preview of the new Interpretive Center soon to open there.

Mark Baltes and wife Julie were there to work on the project, which has some great old time photos and stories of the critical role that the Rock Creek Station and STricker Ranch played in

the history of the Magic Valley.

Glen baked one of his famous apple pies and shared it with us on the front lawn of the Ranch, which is a beautiful place for picnics, and of course, one of our stops on the Fright Night Tours.

Funny that Glen should choose Apple Pie, as one of the stories on the tour features Lady Bluebeard, who poisoned her husbands with her "secret ingredients" baked into her Apple pies! Gladly, Glen left that out of his pie, and we thoroughly enjoyed it, with no after affects!

Garys Art wins Blue Ribbons at Jerome County Fair

One of Gary Stone's latest Woodcut art creations titled Rustic Barn by the Stream, took home Best of Show honors from the Jerome County Fair. Two of his Wild Horses themed Sawblade paintings were also awarded blue Ribbons, as was his wooden sculpture of "De Bull".

The Barn Painting is on display at the Days Inn in Jerome, along with 2 of the Sawblades, and more of Gary's prints.

The Jerome County Fair was lots of fun, with a great Rodeo, including a milking contest that had everyone in stitches. Coming up soon is the Twin Falls County Fair at the end of August, which is always a very popular event.

The Beautiful & Scary places of Idaho

Here is a photo of me at Lake Cleveland, which is
on the seasonal road beyond the Pomerelle Ski Resort, located just south of Albion.

The drive up to the Lake is breathtaking, as the horizon stretches endlessly, showcasing the farms and communities in the valley below, and the mountains on the far horizon to the north.

Earlier in the day, we met with Heather Mortenson of Campus Grove in Albion, to discuss the SE ID Paranormal group visiting there in August to do an "investigation" of at least 2 of their buildings, which are featured on their spooky tours offered during the Halloween season.

Our Fright Night tours of Old Town Twin continue to be a hit each Friday and Saturday nights, beginning at Pandoras Restaurant. We share historical stories and tales of ghosts that haunt many of the old buildings in the Historic district, and at Stricker Ranch... and some people have actually seen apparitions, and many have captured Orbs in their photos.

Fright Night Tours getting scarier!

With Ghost Tours being the latest rage, with all kinds of TV shows about Paranormal activity, we have put together "Fright Nights in Old Town Twin" tours, beginning Memorial Day weekend.

The first tour will be for VIP's from the Twin Falls Chamber on Thursday May 27th, following their monthly Business After Hours event at KMVT-TV studios. Stops will be made throughout the downtown area, with spooky stories along the way, then on to Stricker Ranch, where we will watch a video made by the SEIPO (SE Idaho Paranormal Organization) of an investigation they made there.

There is also another Paranormal investigation group (IPRG) here in Twin who have made interesting discoveries and are available to check out "haunted" spots and help people deal with the things that "go bump in the night".

So if you suspect your house or office building might be inhabited by "spirits", either good or bad, let us know, and we can help you deal with them, or just add them to our tour. Its all in fun, and we hope you will enjoy the journey!

Call 208-481-0312 or email bknopp1@yahoo.com to reserve your spot today!