Everett Ruess Celebrations Honor Lost Adventurer

DATE 09/23/2005 9:12 AMFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89.

Everett Ruess Celebrations Honor Lost Adventurer

The towns of Boulder and Escalante are holding their second “Everett Ruess Days” celebrations Oct. 6 to 8. The now annual event is in honor of the 20-year-old adventurer who disappeared in the rugged canyons near Escalante in 1934. His fate has remained a mystery. Ruess set out alone several times to experience the beauty and fury of nature in the American West, particularly Utah’s “Red Rock” country. During the 1930s, he met and discussed art with painter Maynard Dixon, and with well-known photographers Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Dorothea Lange.

The festival that carries his name includes events that represent things he loved: fine art, crafts, music and folk dancing.

Events begin Thursday, Oct. 6, in Boulder featuring Western arts and crafts on display at the Anasazi State Park and a series of speakers and lectures who will discuss Ruess’ life and projects. A plaque will be dedicated to Everett Ruess at the Burr Trail Grill at 5 p.m. and there will be music and dancing that night at the Mountain Lodge.

Events in Escalante will be on Friday, Oct. 7, and Saturday, Oct. 8, at the City Hall and Community Hall. They include an arts and crafts exhibit and sale, films, ethnic dance groups, walking tours of nearby historical buildings, art workshops, public lectures, a Dutch oven cook off, performances by cowboy poets and musicians. The band “Blue Sage” will perform at Escalante High School at 8 p.m., sponsored by the Utah Arts Council.

Saturday, there will be an art exhibit, cowboy poetry starting at 11 a.m., painting classes, dance and music performances, a silent action and art awards. Local residents will reenact the trials of their ancestors in the play “Last Wagon” and the Hole in the Rock Expedition, which tells the story of the wagon train that came though Escalante 125 years ago. The play will be performed at the Escalante High School Auditorium at 8 p.m. All events are free to the public.

For a complete schedule, visit the website http://www.everettruessdays.org/ .
For information, call (435) 826-4810.

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For more information Contact:

Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

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