Salt Lake Speaks

Ghost Tours Unearth Haunted Utah

You already learned about Utah’s sordid and wild past, but that kind of rough and tumble history is bound to leave some scars. We tend to associated hauntings with the East Coast and the South—they’re seemingly older and much more steeped in superstition than the young West. However, just because we’re younger doesn’t mean we’re any less prone to paranormal activity—or, at least, that’s what Kristen Clay believes. Salt Lake Speaks invited Clay, founder and director of Story Tours, to discuss some of the Wasatch’s spookiest stories and legends, and to tell you how you could possibly encounter your very first ghost.

A Navajo Quilter's Art and a Bernina Sewing Celeb

Navajo artist Susan Hudson is a member of the Towering House Clan of the Navajo Nation and an award-winning quilter. Most of us think of native American art forms as pottery and weaving. Hudson’s chosen medium, quiltmaking, is an art form spread by Christian missionaries and taught in the Indian schools where the goal was to assimilate Indians into white culture. The federal government began sending American Indians to off-reservation boarding schools in the 1870s, when the United States was still at war with Indians. Hudson has turned an art form of the oppressor into a commentary on being oppressed. 

As a fellow seamstress, I had to ask Hudson what kind of sewing machine she used. Of course, a Bernina, she told me.

For anyone who sews, this is a Big Deal. Bernina is the premier manufacturer of precision, sewing, embroidery and quilting machines, ne plus ultra of sewing machines since 1893. Because of Utah’s strong pioneer heritage, quilting and home sewing is alive and well here and Dave’s Bernina (locations in Salt Lake and St. George) is the number one dealer in the country.

On this week's podcast, Hudson discuss her quilt art, how she came to it and the meaning behind her work.

Haunted Houses: The Art of Scaring in the 21st Century

Any time of year, be it day—or especially night, Utahns can venture through ghost towns, creep through haunted houses or explore the paranormal. But during the peak month of October, you’ll experience the $3 million local All Hallow’s Eve industry that rivals Utah’s ever-lucrative wedding industry. Commercial haunted houses may have their roots in Madam Tussauds, Chamber of Horrors, and, yes, even Disney’s Haunted Mansion, but the art of evoking screams has come a long way from stationary wax decapitated French men and ghosts floating in mirrors. Salt Lake Speaks sat down with Nightmare on 13th‘s Casting and Art Director Jimmy Dilley and Marketing Director Travis Hahn to find out what goes into creating a cutting-edge Haunted House and why it’s getting harder to scare the pants off people.

Utah's Wild, Wild West Days

When Ogden was chosen as a connecting city for the transcontinental railroad, the Wasatch become a hub of activity—both legal and illegal. While it might seem difficult to believe looking around our state now, Utah used to be a rough and tumble part of the wild west that housed criminals, mobsters, speakeasies and houses of ill-repute. In fact, the Madams who ran brothels were some the wealthiest residents of Northern Utah and owned quite a bit of property for women in the 19th- and early 20th-centuries. Salt Lake Speaks invited Sarah Singh, Curator of Special Collections at Weber State University Stewart Library to discuss how Utah’s wild history allowed women to engage in power politics, property ownership and, yes, prostitution.

Is the iPhone X worth $999?

Apple’s recent announcement of their upcoming iPhone X (pronounced iPhone 10) meant to showcase the company’s 10th anniversary of their juggernaut iPhone product. While the internet will often go all abuzz at any Apple announcement, changes coming along with the iPhone X didn’t have universally positive reactions. The removal of the home button in lieu of Face ID technology and the decision to fully encase the phone in glass to create an “edge to edge” screen have even ardent Apple fans feeling a bit apprehensive. And all this without even mentioning the whopping $999 price tag. Salt Lake Speaks sat down with Todd Cohen, a tech industry veteran, to discuss whether or not Apple’s newest toy will break sales records or cause some to convert to the iPhone’s archnemesis, the Android.

Walking the Wild Side with Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams

County Mayor Ben McAdams wants to restart his community’s compassion for the homeless. Last spring, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams was groping to understand Salt Lake’s homelessness crisis. He had all the statistics to make a controversial decision on a new homeless shelter—but something was missing. McAdams put on a jeans and a hoodie, left his ID and money behind and walked into the Rio Grande district to get a more intimate idea of it meant to be homeless. He would be scared, cold and witness drug use. But McAdams returned convinced that a long-term solution to homelessness—beyond law-enforcement sweeps—has to be found.

Utah's Medical Cannabis Debate

While several states have already voted to legalize recreational marijuana, the conversation in Utah is in a much different place. Christine Stenquist, director of Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education (TRUCE) Utah, is bringing this conversation to the forefront of Utah’s political stage.

Axe Throwing Sets Up Shop in Utah

The relatively unknown sport of axe throwing is starting to sweep the US with over 20 locations nationwide. But how did this Viking pastime infiltrate the mainstream? You can thank Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa.

Utah Mommy Blogging: Ali Hynek of Nena & Co

Ali Hynek found her way into Mommy blogging, or ‘influencing’ as she prefers, after her triplets were born two years ago. Hynek had already developed a face and following through her fashion company, Nena & Co., so the transition into mommy specific blogging was easy. For Hynek, the instagram account began as a digital scrapbook for keeping pictures of her sweet PEAs, (Penelope, Ethan & Alejandra), but eventually it has grown to be one of Utah’s top mommy influencing accounts. Hynek discusses how she grew her company and her personal account, how she manages products and branding and how to balance what is seen on social media and the reality of motherhood. 

Utah's fascination with Romance Novels

Utah's fascination with pure romance. Most people have an idea of what a romance novel is: raunchy, lowbrow and made for lonely women. But the numbers paint quite a different picture. New York Times Bestselling author and local Utahn, RaeAnne Thayne, joins Salt Lake Speaks to discuss the subject.