Mel Sundquist’s portfolio

‘Backyard to bedroom’ trend finds root

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 22, 2008.

Media Credit: Trent Bates

Manager and Lab Technician Katrina Mumson handles the larger of the animals at the resort in the outdoor play area.

resort and adventure center opened in Orem this year with outdoor pool and grass area, planned trips to nearby sightseeing hotspots, 24-hour a day staff and medical care, and top-of-the-line meals. To spend time at the resort, potential roomers have to pass physical and psychological tests. Simply, it’s the best in its class around here.

But it’s only for dogs.

Rock’n Dogs Resort is the only local animal boarding center that is owned and operated by veterinarians. The dogs are only kenneled during meals, “nap time,” and at night, and are under constant supervision by a trained staff.

Some of the features of the resort seem ridiculous to the untrained eye; an in-ground swimming pool, field trips to local canyons and rivers, and food with ingredients graded by the FDA for human consumption may be more than a dog could ask for.

However, the animals at the resort during the Review‘s interview were obviously euphorically happy.

Each animal must be spayed or neutered and current on all vaccinations to stay at the resort. According to owner J. Callas, the dogs also must pass a “socialization interview,” during which they are introduced to different types of other dogs, varying in size and demeanor, to determine whether they’re eligible to board there.

Naturally, service like this isn’t cheap. Boarding is $25-$35 per day depending on the size of the animal, and daycare is $20 per day or $6 per hour. That can add up quickly, but if Fido’s the only think keeping you from a weekend vacation, it may well be worth it.

The center’s employees keep meticulous track of the behavior and health of the animal while it is at the resort, using charts on clipboards reminiscent of records at hospitals.

The target audience of the center is the baby boomer, who is now typically sending their youngest child off to college. This demographic typically fills their empty nest with an animal, and is willing to spoil it rotten. However, for an extra fifty dollars or so, UVU students and faculty can give their dog the best weekend of their life. Think of it as a thank-you gift to your most loyal furry friend.

More information:

To learn more about the Resort or to sign your dog up for boarding, call (801) 623-6666, e-mail rockndogsresort@gmail.com or visit their Web site at RockNDogsResort.com

Scera unleashes new lobby

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 8, 2008.

In celebration of its 75th anniversary and recent remodel, the Scera Center for the Arts held a ribbon cutting on Sept. 4.

The event included a dance performance and short speeches by Xango higher-ups, long-time fans of the Scera, and Orem City mayor pro tem Carl Hernandez.

The ribbon was cut by Miss Orem, Krystal Millard, and the newly revamped lobby was revealed. Walls were painted, new furniture was installed, and new art and framed mirrors freckled the walls. A new stained glass window (designed by Tom Holdman) has been installed, and another is soon to come.

The largest change was found in the concession area — they tore down the old candy booth, and centralized all concessions into a “Scoops” stand at the front of the lobby. The building was also brought up to code, with new fire safety and electrical systems.

How will this affect you? Well, it just might not.

Something people under 30 may take for granted is the Scera‘s heritage. It was opened in 1933, during the Great Depression, when a local leader in the LDS church decided that the community needed some way of keeping families together. They started showing eight-millimeter films weekly in a local high school’s auditorium. The building we now know as the Scera Center was built in 1941. During that time, Geneva Steel was also being built, but if men in the community had any extra time to work, they would spend it helping out with this new theater.

A few years ago, the Scera was in financial trouble. The introduction of several new high-tech movie theaters like the Cinemark in Provo Towne Center and the Megaplex 8 at Thanksgiving Point were drawing crowds away from the now-aging theaters in Scera. Members of the community who remembered what Scera did for them when they were younger rallied together and donated what they could to keep the center alive. Then, the Scera entered into a five-year commitment with juice-producers Xango. The Xango Grand theater was installed about a year-and-a-half ago, and the center started seeing their audience come back.

The redecorated lobby is almost acting as a sign to the community, saying that the Scera theaters, Scera Shell, and Scera pool are still up and running, and still a place for families to be entertained together.

NEA promotes upcoming Big Read in Orem

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 1, 2008.

Thanks to a recent grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Orem will join over 200 other cities in celebrating Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The program, which includes discussions and presentations, is free even if you don’t live in Orem.

The events will kick off on Sept. 9 at 2:30 p.m. in the Orem Public Library’s storytelling wing. According to OremBigRead.org, nationally renowned storyteller Dr. Rex Ellis will present “historical documents and songs that provide context for understanding the novel.”

Events will continue almost daily in the storytelling wing until the finale on Oct. 17.

There will be film screenings of Robert Mulligan’s adaptation of the novel and “Fearful Symmetry,” a making-of featurette. UVU is one of the leading contributors to Orem’s Big Read, and if you can’t make it to the kickoff on Sept. 8, the event will repeat the next day at UVU’s Library Lecture hall at 2:30.

According to www.neaBigRead.com, over $2 million was given by the National Endowment for the Arts to communities nationwide for the Big Read. Events will be taking place not only in libraries, but also at “municipalities, arts, culture, and science organizations, and a zoo.” The Orem Public Library received $10,000 for the event, and is the only city in Utah participating in the Big Read.

Orem is one of thirty communities that chose TO To Kill a Mockingbird for the Big Read. Orem’s Big Read Web site calls the novel “the touching homegrown story from a small town America (that) is accessible to readers of many ages and every walk of life.” Other events during the program include a lecture about the life of Harper Lee (on Sept. 9), a discussion on racial relations in the historic South (on Sept. 16), and puppet shows (on Sept. 22 and 23).

Utahan educators can also earn one continuing education credit by attending ten events and writing an essay for each of them. To earn the credit, show up on Sept. 9 and identify yourself as an educator to one of the people in charge.

For more information: To read more about The Big Read and for a complete list of events, visit www.OremBigRead.org

But it won’t empty your gas tank

Originally published in the UVU Review on August 11, 2008.

Media Credit: Courtesy of the SCERA Shell

The Utah Symphony has performed several times outdoors this summer. So far, all of the the performances have been at Deer Valley Resort in Park City — a good 45 minutes away from campus.

On Aug. 18, the symphony will descend into Utah Valley and perform at the SCERA Shell.

“Utah is privileged to have such an acclaimed symphony, and in the summer there’s nothing quite like the Utah Symphony’s instrumental genius under the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains,” said SCERA President and CEO Adam J. Robertson.

Tickets for students are $8, compared to the $12 required to see the same performance at Deer Valley. As usual at the Shell, audience members are encouraged to bring blankets or can rent chairs for $1 apiece.

According to the symphony’s press release, the performance will include Americana fanfares, marches, and big band music. Composers range from Aaron Copeland to George Gershwin.

The decorated conductor David In-Jae Cho will conduct. Cho is in his second year as assistant conductor with the symphony. Before relocating to Utah, he worked for the San Antonio symphony for three years.

The symphony was started in 1940, and since has become an important American orchestra. They have performed internationally and have an extensive recording history. According to the symphony’s press release, “For more than three decades, from 1947 to 1979, maestro Maurice Abravanel guided the symphony to its international reputation and is the artist after whom the Utah Symphony’s performance hall is named.” For more information on this and other performances, go to www.utahsymphony.org

Showtime Utah gets comfortable in Pleasant Grove

Originally published in the UVU Review on August 11, 2008.

Media Credit: Trent Bates

This summer, The Grove Theater resurfaced as Showtime Utah. Attempts at success in the venue, which is in historic downtown Pleasant Grove, have been abysmal for as long as most UVU students have been alive. Because of this, many locals shrugged off the Grove Theater’s latest owner, Joan Peterson, as a force that would eventually phase out just like her predecessors.

However, it’s three months in and the theater is doing better than anyone expected.

The Grove Theater was originally a silent movie house. It then transitioned into talkies, and ever since, has been used for live theater. “Because it used to be just a screen up there, there are no side wings for the theater. There’s no backstage! So people tried to do the theater thing … but there really is no way to work it,” Joan said.

But now it seems that the perfect person has come to the perfect venue with the perfect idea. Joan is one of those high-on-life types, and it’s obvious that her energy and penchant for fun spill over onto the stage.

Showtime Utah has three types of shows. On Thursday and Friday nights, a Western band plays while the audience is served a homegrown American dinner from the kitchen behind the stage. Currently, these shows rotate between three different performers or bands. Mama’s Boys is a father and sons group which mixes classic country with re-mixed surprises, like a Doobie Brothers cover. Boots Robinson plays classic country aimed at the Baby Boomer generation with some cowboy poetry tossed in for good measure. Their newest act, Sizzling Strings, is a family of musicians, the youngest of which is three years old.

Each of these shows is centered on a western theme, which matches the decor. And be warned: There are also typical western characters such as the drunken prospector and Black Bart running about in the audience.

While many other theaters have an almost stuffy atmosphere, “You can’t be [uptight] here. We don’t give you that option. You got a crazy sheriff running around. You got a saloon madam running around. … They’re coming to your table, hiding from each other — they’re shooting each other. … You can’t help but lighten up.”

At 10 o’clock when these acts have ended, the theater fuses karaoke with comedy. The audience is invited to sing on stage, while interacting with house comedians. This will go on until everyone has left, usually winding down after midnight. While they try to keep this show rated G, it is not recommended to bring children under the age of six to the late-night performances.

On Monday nights, Showtime Utah presents a genuine variety show. Anyone in the community is welcome to audition for this, and they have booked an impressive array of performers. The acts range from hula hooping to saw playing.

The theater is also available for events. “I really wanted this to be a community theater where the community could use it for what they needed, so we’re pretty adaptable,” Joan said. They’ve already hosted a birthday party, and if you’re into the country-western vibe, it would be perfect for a family reunion or wedding.

It seems that the ultimate motivation behind Showtime Utah is one beneficial to the community: to generate fun. “That’s what the word is. This is about having fun.”

Tickets for the Late Night and Monday Night shows are $5, and tickets to the dinner shows are $20 for adults, $10 for children. For more information, go to showtimeutah.com