It’s no secret that real estate sales have been slow nation-wide. That’s been true here in Island Park as well. When the sale of primary residences drops off, you can imagine what happens to the sale of secondary (vacation) homes. Couple that with the fact that much of the construction in the Island Park area was investors building “spec” homes, and you have the recipe for great bargains.
Many investors were caught with no place to sit last year when the music stopped. So for the last 8 – 12 months they have been making payments on high-interest construction loans for a place that there’s no potential buyer for. While the asking prices haven’t dropped all that much, with the slow-down selling prices have come down significantly.
If you’ve been thinking about a new home in the Island Park area, now’s the time to buy. There is a fantastic selection of properties from mild to wild and they are selling for a fraction of what they did last year at this time. There will never be a better time to buy here in Island Park (at least in terms of pricing, selection and availability,) so call your favorite realtor today and see what’s available. You’ll be glad you did.
Organizers for the Sawtelle Fun Run, coming up on the 4th of July, have decided to waive the $10 late fee for this year. They have indicated that this is a way to help those affected by the sagging economy. Although that means that you can register all the way up to the day of the race with no penalty, organizers request that you register as early as possible to reduce the chaos on race day.
If you come to Island Park this time of year, you’re going to get a bite or two. You can slather on all the DEET-containing products you want. Somewhere out there waiting for you is a valiant soul willing to give her life (it’s only the females that bite, remember) for a drink of your blood.
Rain has continued in Island Park at a rate residents cannot believe. In fact, there has been talk around Macks Inn of beginning construction on an ark. We’ll keep you updated on that. But even with unprecedented rain, fishing is good.
This weekend (tonight and tomorrow night, the 19 – 20 of June) kicks off what will hopefully be the first of many free concerts here in Island Park. “Just Warmin’ Up,” a bluegrass band from Utah will take the stage tonight on the deck at the Landing restaurant (across the river from Macks Inn.)
For the last 40 plus years I have been a dedicated mushroom hunter. I suppose there may be better places to look for mushrooms than Island Park, but I don’t know of them. This is where I’ve lived and this is where I go hunting.
I just returned from a week in New York City. I enjoyed myself immensely among the culture and the diversity but found significant truth in the statement, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.”
If you’re tired of paying the exorbitant fees to get into Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, you’re in luck. The park service has announced they will be waiving the entry fee on one weekend each month this summer. During those weekends, visitors will enter for free!
If you are a runner who frequents the Island Park area, chances are you already know about the “fun run” on Sawtelle Peak. The event is organized to have something for everyone. There is a half marathon (13.2 miles) a 10K, a 5K and 1K for kids (I hope it’s kids of all ages, because 1K might be all I could manage.)
In a frenzied effort to follow the federal government’s example in taking away the freedom of the people, Fremont county is trying (in true Obama-fashion) to ramrod through a new ordinance forbidding residents from owning pit bulls (and other similar dog breeds, however that might be defined,) and requiring dog owners to keep their dogs in a “substantial” enclosure (as opposed to running loose.)
Normally you wouldn’t think we’d like to see snow in June (especially after 6 months of deep winter. But the skiff we got yesterday morning was welcome. You see, the mosquito season was just beginning. The snow killed the mosquitoes and we now have another week or two mosquito-free. Then we’ll need to pray for snow again. Hopefully that cycle will continue until the sap starts running in earnest in the pines and the pollen settles on the ground (and everything else.) Only then can we bid goodbye to the mosquito season for yet another spring. 
The water conservancy folks in our area are talking once again about rebuilding the Teton Dam. The dam, built in the early ’70′s failed catastrophically in June of 1976 wiping out a significant portion of the farms, homes and businesses in Southeastern Idaho. While cleanup was swift and effective, the scars from that tragedy run deep around here.
If you’re always wanted to live in paradise, there are still a few summer jobs available here in Island Park. Of course most are in the hospitality industry, but there are others as well. The great thing about jobs in the hospitality industry is they often come with some sort of housing. If you’ve been thinking about spending the summer up here, check now. Positions are limited and they fill quickly. The chamber of commerce can give you a list of people to contact if you don’t know anyone yourself.
You know it’s really summer (in spite of what it looks like outside today) when the Macks Inn Summer Dinner Theater opens its doors. Well, the dinner theater opened Memorial Day weekend and continues operating Friday and Saturday nights only until June 19th when they ramp up to six days per week.
Fishing was absolutely fabulous for some and just okay for others. Henry’s has been very hot since the opener, but Island Park reservoir has been a little slower (not super slow, just not as good as Henry’s.) There has been a ton of water coming down the Henry’s Fork, with water cascading over the spillway at Island Park Reservoir, but there has still been some good fishing. There is a salmon fly hatch coming up the river from the valley, and things are hot where the hatch is occurring. As of this past weekend it was hot from Sheep Falls up to about Hatchery Ford.
