musical
Through the past few years, certain parts of Idaho have seen large influxes of people from California, some of them seeking more bucolic lifestyles, others heading into retirement and still others looking for places where taxes are lower than they are in the Golden State. As it turns out, these folks have been transplanting more than just their personal hopes and dreams, with pieces of California culture following them wherever they go. They're arriving in cities like Boise with preferences in mind as well as the resources required to make
The first time I visited my friends in Branson, Mo., it was a town in the midst of an identity crisis: It had built its brand as a place for mature folks to go hear popular music offered by performers cherished by their generation, from Andy Williams and Lawrence Welk to Roy Clark and Glen Campbell. The acts were still great, but they had largely become
It began as the playful vision of Bob and Kat Tudor, husband-and-wife philanthropists and founders of The Smokebrush Theatre in Colorado Springs, Colo., who decided one day to donate a unique fountain to the children of their city. Now that vision, fully realized, belongs to the citizens of this sprawling town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in the form of a dazzling water display and a folksy character named Uncle Wilber. Multi-talented artists in their own rights, the Tudors developed the aesthetic and creative concepts but knew from the start that they would need to enlist advanced technical expertise to
