STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

There was no birthday cake. But the mention of St. Luke’s Wood River’s 25th birthday got warm applause from about 75 people attending Visit Sun Valley’s bi-yearly update this past week at Whiskey’s.

“It’s been 25 years since we opened our doors, and all of us come to work every day with a passion…with a genuine heart for this community,” said St. Luke’s Chief Operating Officer/CNO Almita Nunnelee.

The hospital, she added has been recognized as one of the finest rural community hospitals in the country, growing alongside the community.

Almita Nunnelee was flanked by several St. Luke’s co-workers.

Since opening its doors in 2000, St. Luke’s Wood River has marked countless milestones from welcoming new life into the world to providing life-changing joint replacements, preventative care, time-sensitive emergency treatment and specialty services. It recently added robotic surgery and the addition of a permanent home for Air St. Luke’s helicopter transport services.

St. Luke’s will host a Community Forum about its services and plans for the future on Feb. 3, 2026.

Ray Gadd, the executive director of Visit Sun Valley told those in attendance that, highway road construction aside, it was a good summer.

“We didn’t have smoke…people were smiling, and we had the best air service to date,” he said.

Ray Gadd said lodging bookings this winter ultimately depend on the snowfall.

There was something going on every day from outdoor recreation to performances by the Canadian National Ballet, he said. And, even though most of the Labor Day Wagon Days events fell in August, September saw an 8 percent growth in hotel bookings over the previous September, in part due to Governor’s Cup golf tournament.

December bookings are up 22 percent over last year, largely due to the Sun Valley Film Festival moving its dates from March to December to take advantage of a slower time in the valley and to be more of a factor in Oscar nominations.

Bookings are down the rest of winter as skiers and boarders wait to see where and when the snow will fly. And March 2026 does not have the draw last Marchdid when Sun Valley Resort hosted the Audi FIS World Cup Finals.

That said, Sun Valley scored a couple new flights this winter, including a direct flight between Phoenix and Friedman Memorial Airport. There are also direct flights to and from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Denver and Chicago.

Attendees were treated to pizza, salad, brownies and beverages.

The Fly Sun Valley Ski for Air Business Passes are available for any Wood River Valley or Idaho business or organization:

7-day Transferrable Pass | no blackouts | $4,800

(2) Long Weekend Pass | 2 employee skiing Fri-Sun | $4,800

Company Ski Day | up to 50 guests on a select day | $1,700

Learn more at https://flysunvalleyalliance.com/business-ski-passes/.