STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sun Valley Resort will open Dollar Mountain for the season today—Friday, Dec. 13.

The treeless mountain, which really should have been named Bald Mountain, was the place where celebrities ranging from Lucille Ball to Groucho Marx skied  in Sun Valley early years before Sun Valley Resort added Bald Mountain to the mix.

Dollar Mountain features five lifts, 16 trails and 628 feet of vertical with everything from very easy beginning territory to challenging terrain, along with plenty of terrain park features.

Many consider it to be one of the best mountains for beginners, as it’s wide open and easy to keep an eye on youngsters.

The opening of Dollar Mountain kicks off a weekend full of holiday activities:

Stand-up comic John Ziegler, recently named the Funniest Comic on the East Coast by Moheegan Sun Casino, will present his take on everything from dating as a never-married adult to workplace dynamics at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at the Sun Valley Opera House. For tickets, visit https://www.sunvalley.com/events/stand-up-comedy-series-john-ziegler/

The Caritas Chorale will spread “Tidings of Comfort & Joy” when it holds its free Christmas Concert and Carol Sing-A-Long Saturday and Sunday.

The Chorale will present familiar and new songs at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 201 Sun Valley Road. Admission is free but donations on Sunday will be given to The Hunger Coalition.

John and Leslie Mauldin will present a Jingle Bell Rock! concert for a festive family Christmas celebration hosted by Sun Valley Opera and Broadway from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at The Argyros.

Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, for a pre-concert party with carolers and Santa. There will be an Ugly Sweater Parade and Contest, and complimentary holiday cookies, cocoa, wine and other snacks in the event. The Village Market is donating the food and beverages.

The formal concert will begin promptly at 4 p.m. and run an hour, ending at 5 to let people attend Sun Valley Resort’s Christmas Tree Lighting, which begins with caroling at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets to Saturday’s holiday concert are available at https://www.sunvalleyopera.com/. Or, call 818-577-7811.

Footlight Dance and Sun Valley Music Festival Music Institute students will do their part to spread holiday cheer with a free performance at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater at Hailey’s Community Campus on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Twelve Footlight Dance and Music Institute students will perform together in Saturday’s performance, which starts at 7 p.m.

Allison Paige Interior Design, artist Bex Wilkinson and photographer Kirsten Shultz are holding a Holiday Open House at their studios in Bellevue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, complete with gifts. treats and cheer. The building is located at 117 S. Main St.

Allison Connolly says visitors to her studio can expect to find gifts and antique treasures collected from all over the world, including furniture, pillows and Christmas décor. Kirsten Shultz will be serving hot wassail downstairs with gift certificate portrait options for locals for the 2025 season.

Sun Valley Resort Village will be the setting for a European-style Holiday Market next to the Sun Valley Inn Duck Pond on Saturday and Sunday Dec. 14-15. There’ll be artisan goods such as bug bowls, classic advents, blankets, jewelry, vintage woolens, holiday wreaths, treats, Idaho-inspired T-shirts and more Find your gift from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Colla Voce will be caroling from noon to 3 pm. On Saturday, Dec. 14. Be sure to check out the Gingerbread House contest in The Boiler Room while there.

Sun Valley Resort’s Tree Lighting Ceremony, complete with complimentary cookies and cocoa, will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. Carolers will warm the night with holiday favorites beginning at 5:30 p.m.—as always, ending with “It Happened in Sun Valley.” And Santa is expected to make an appearance at 6 p.m. as Sun Valley Village lights up.

The Wood River Orchestra presents its annual Holiday Concert and Fundraiser at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. Doors will open at 3 p.m. for complimentary Christmas cookies baked by orchestra members. Concertgoers will also have the chance to view and bid on a variety of unique arts and crafts, with sales going to help fund the orchestra’s season.

Admission to the concert is free, but concertgoers are asked to make reservations at https://www.theargyros.org/calendar/wood-river-orchestra-winter-concert