Beyond The Rails

In this episode I sit down with Sheldon Cheshire, a 10 year plus veteran of announcing Ogden's Holiday Electric Light Parade that kicks off the Christmas festivities for Ogden City and culminates with Santa Clause as the final entry of the parade and the lighting of Christmas Village.  In 1962 Jerry Green of the Ogden Chamber of Commerce hatched the plan to build Christmas Village. A heroic effort to raise funds by area merchants helped make Christmas Village a reality.  Nearly 59 years later, Christmas Village continues to attract hundreds of thousands of vistors of all ages to experience the magic of Christmas

In this special episode of the podcast, we get to hear from Scott Crabtree in his own words take you on an audio walking tour of Rocky Point. Let him tell you about his sculptures and what he draws inspiration from for his art. We also explore a little deeper into his upbringing and background, and the circumstances that shaped him into the person he became...the man who built Rocky Point...twice.

In the Northern Utah, fewer places have as much lore and mystery attached to them as Rocky Point. Originally built by the Scott Crabtree and his family, it opened in 1964 as a fine dining restaurant and operated for 3 years before a fire ended operations in 1967. Rocky Point Restaurant's fine cuisine, opulent setting, and unique location, brought visitors from far and wide. It hosted local celebrities and even the birthday party of the Governor of Utah at the time, Calvin L. Rampton. Cydney Neil, the youngest daughter of Scott Crabtree joins the podcast and shares her memories of the construction, the restaurant, what started the fire, and the senseless vandalism that ultimately ended the dream of rebuilding.

I sit down with R. Brandon Long, General Manager of Gear:30 in Ogden, UT and host of the Ogden Outdoor Adventure Podcast. We discuss Becker Hill a ski jumping hill that was built at the onset of the great depression that hosted professional ski jumping competitions and was part of a larger Ogden Winter Sports Festival that also included dog sled races. The ski jumping and dog sled races were part of a series that was sponsored by the cities of Ogden, Truckee/Tahoe, California and Ashton, Idaho to promote winter sports in the region. We discuss the key players in making the event happen, and an influential figure who left a lasting impact on the residents of the city.

A quick glimpse into the history of Ogden Utah that we'll be covering on Beyond The Rails