PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Hailey Public Library will celebrate Earth Day early with a free talk by historian Tom Blanchard at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at Hailey Town Center West.
Blanchard will discuss the establishment of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
He will include a discussion of the Ketchum Sawtooth Preservation Council, which championed the designation, and the artistry of Ketchum artist Don “Bemco” Bennett, whose painting of the area’s beauties helped persuade people that it is a special place.
“The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is the reason many of us moved here and why many others visited and then chose to stay,” said the library’s programs and engagement manager Kristin Fletcher. “It is one of our area’s crown jewels, and it almost didn’t happen. Tom will take us back to those early conversations by a group of local activists and the unexpected impact of a painting by Ketchum artist Don Bennett.”
Blanchard received his graduate MA degree in history from San Francisco State University before moving with his wife, Florence, and family to Bellevue, Idaho, in 1977. He served three terms as a Blaine County Commissioner and later was Bellevue City Administrator. He has served on numerous civic boards, including the board of the Idaho Humanities Council and two terms on the Idaho State Historical Society where he was chairman for eight years.