2023 Summer Guide Arts & Cultural Festivals Calendar 

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• Courtesy Photo
• Indian Food Fair

Eat and Be Merry
Catch these farmers markets and food festivals, and help sustain local ag producers.
By Erin Moore

Whether you get your kicks browsing vegetable stalls and betting your friends who can eat from the most food trucks in one afternoon, or whether you're just trying to get a taste of SLC's diverse cultural scene, our city's food markets and festivals have you covered. Not only are those listed below a good time, but you can leave with a full belly and maybe bags filled with locally grown produce.

Downtown Farmers Market
The Downtown Farmers Market is kicking off its 32nd year helping to strengthen and support local farms and culinary operations. On Saturdays in summer and early fall months, you can find fresh local fruits and veggies, grass-fed meat, eggs, dairy, honey, spreads and sauces, baked goods and more. After shopping's done, mosey on over to the center of the market to grab a food-truck breakfast or lunch to eat on the grass.
June 3–Oct. 21, Saturdays, 8 a.m.– 2 p.m., Pioneer Park, 350 S. 300 West, SLC,
slcfarmersmarket.org

West Valley City Farmers Market
A newbie on the scene, the WVC Farmers Market is bringing fresh, locally grown food, products and handmade goods to the west side of the valley, plus a youth program called Power of Produce angled towards helping kids learn about food and give them agency to make their own choices at the market.
June 22–Oct. 5, Thursday nights, Centennial Park, 5405 W. 3100 South, West Valley City,
wvc-ut.gov/1700/Farmers-Market

Utah Farm Bureau Farmers Markets
Utah Farm Bureau owns and operates two farmers markets in Murray Park and South Jordan that sell food only (with select artisans at the South Jordan market only). This means you won't find any craft vendors or musicians at these events—only fresh Utah produce available in season.
Murray: July 28-Oct. 28, Fridays & Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 296 E. Murray Park Way; South Jordan: Aug. 5-Oct. 14, Saturdays only, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., 1600 Towne Center Drive;
utahfarmbureau.org/Food/Farm-Bureau-Farmers-Markets

International Market
Debuting this summer in some of the old barn spaces at the Utah State Fairpark, this market has been pegged as a way to combat food insecurity in west side neighborhoods, which lack nearby food access. While the first season featured dozens of food vendor stalls, there are hopes to add fresh meat and vegetables, farmers-market style, to the mix.
First Saturdays of the month, Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1500 West, SLC,
utahstatefair.com/p/international-market

Indian Food Fair
For its fourth year, this family-friendly outdoor fest brings food trucks and restaurant vendors to one place. It's a great place to sample both traditional Indian cuisine and some fusion inventions, too—like dosas from Desilicious, where the classic Indian street food melds with both Szechuan flavor and cheesy delight. While browsing the stalls, local folk and Bollywood performances fill the air from the stage.
Aug. 5, Liberty Park, 600 E. 900 South, SLC,
indianfoodfairs.com

Utah Tacofest
Indulge in all the tacos you could ever want while vendors vie for winning best taco, in several different categories. Past vendors at this cultural celebration include Wimpy & Fritz, Tandoor Tacos, Smoke-A-Billy, Santo Taco, Cluck Truck, Los Molcajetes and so many more.
Aug. 5–6, Utah State Fairpark, 155 S. 1000 West,
utahtacofest.com

SLC VegFest
Fall in love with plant-based cuisine at this annual festival—sample goods from restaurants and makers like Vegan Daddy Meats, Namash Swahili Cuisine, Prime Corn, Old Cuss, Yumz, Sushi Squad, Trolley Wing Co. and so many more. While noshing, browse vegan-friendly prepared goods, apparel and arts 'n' crafts.
Sept. 9, Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, SLC,
slcveg.com

• Austen Diamond Photography
• Eat Drink SLC

Eat Drink SLC
Eat Drink SLC celebrates our region's local foods and libations, lifting up local restaurateurs, distilleries, breweries and other makers who make our city a special place to eat and drink. Proceeds from their events benefit local nonprofits like Tracy Aviary, SB Dance and Women of the World. If you want to get to know our culinary landscape, add their next fest to your calendar.
Sept. 13-14, various locations,
eatdrinkslc.com

• Mattcrawley
• Snowbird Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest
Once you've filled your mug to the brim with frothy beer at Snowbird's annual Oktoberfest, get in line inside the big tent to collect a heaping plate of bratwurst, weisswurst, spaetzle, kraut and schnitzel. And don't forget the strudel!
Weekends mid-August to mid-October,
snowbird.com/oktoberfest

Discover Food Festival
A project of the Spice Kitchen Incubator, which helps immigrants start restaurants and other food-centric businesses, Discover Food Festival is a great place to get acquainted with up-and-coming businesses and diverse cuisines in SLC.
Sept. TBD, spicekitchenincubator.org

• Visit ogden
• Causey Reservoir

Radius of Recreation
Where to enjoy Utah's great outdoors when the "getaway" impulse strikes.
By Pete Saltas

In 2020, with a sudden opening in our schedules, our little pod of former jet-setters found ourselves seeking adventure by car.

With no concerts, community events or friends' weddings to attend, it was much easier to plan on-the-fly weekend getaways, one-nighters and quick there-and-back-again trips.

So, we decided to check out our own backyard. Why not? People come from all over to visit Utah, so we might as well remind ourselves what we love about the place.

And even now, post-COVID, with our more robust social and event calendars, our core group still shoots out texts to our "adventure crew" to see who can get away on a whim.

I don't feel like I've even scratched the surface of what Utah has to offer, but here are some of our group's favorite last-minute getaways in what I call the "Radius of Recreation," for those times you can sneak away from your workplace or home desk early on a Friday.

1 to 2 hours away: For a nearby chance for paddle-boarding and overnight camping, take your crew north to Causey Reservoir and Ogden Canyon. With a restriction on motor vehicles, this is a great spot to relax on the water with your paddle buddies. Like most camping locations over the past few years, Ogden Canyon books up quickly, so if you plan on staying overnight, make sure to plan in advance. Drive a little further north for Utah's best beach experience at Bear Lake. I'm mad at myself for waiting until I "couldn't" do anything else to finally see Bear Lake as an adult.

Must Do: While up that way, a stop at the Shooting Star Saloon (7350 E. 200 South, Huntsville, 801-745-2002, shooting-star-saloon.business.site) is a must.

2-3 hours away: In the peak of summer, when you need to get out of the Salt Lake heat—like in 2022, with 15+ days over 100 degrees in July alone—the best bet is to head east to the Uintas. As much as I want to keep our favorite camping area a secret, I feel like the Ashley National Forest should be shared with as many good folks as possible. For a closer retreat, head up Mirror Lake Highway for first-come, first-served camping. 

Must Do: Grab a cold one at Defa's Dude Ranch Saloon (16350 N. Country Road 7, Hanna, 435-848-5590).

3-5 hours away: This requires a little more advance planning, as we generally like to check out some of the area's national parks (which have seen record tourist visits), and we'd rather not have to turn around to come back home. I also don't just mean Utah's "Mighty 5," but the other proximal national parks that might as well belong to Utah.

First, closest to Salt Lake City, we have Great Basin National Park in Baker, Nevada. With some first-come, first-served camping and reserved spots available, you'll want to make sure to get on the reservation to make sure you don't have to spend the night in Baker. 

• Wikicommons
• Lehman Caves

Must See: A glacier in Nevada, some of the region's oldest bristlecone pines, and a ranger-led tour of Lehman Caves (5500 NV-488, Baker, 775-234-7331, nps.gov).

Second, if you've experienced Arches and Canyonlands national parks, consider a Four Corners trip by traveling beyond Moab to the dispersed camping near Hovenweep National Monument. With an extended stay, you can also explore the greater Bears Ears region—which our City Weekly writers have written about of late (see QR code)—and you can cross over to the Colorado side of the border to visit Mesa Verde National Park.

For bonus points, take the long way home through Grand Junction to check out Colorado's Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Must Stop: Ray's Tavern (35 S. Broadway, Green River, 435-564-3511). City Weekly's Best of Utah awarded this watering hole the "Best Rural Bar."

• Travel USA
• Goblin Valley

Third, with a nod to Utah's state parks, we were able to snag a last-minute reserved spot at Goblin Valley State Park. This was a great one-night camping trip.

Ticking off the obvious box of trekking around Goblin Valley 1 (closest to the parking lot), spend some time exploring Valleys 2 and 3—away from the screaming kids. Also, check out the Goblin's Lair trail. We may or may not have hot-boxed a cave (hot-caved?) there with some local, green medicinal products. 

Must Do: Check out Goblin Valley's newest extension of the Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon. For our group, it was our first experience in a slot canyon, and not an overly stressful one, either.

For more of my personal favorite places to explore, reach out to pete@cityweekly.et.

• Wikicommons
• The porcini, Utah’s state mushroom

Soak Up the Summer Fun(gi)
Tips for mushroom foraging that will make your experience safe, fun and tasty.
By Erin Moore

If you already love hiking, biking and going out camping in Utah's outdoors, and want a new way to engage with nature this summer, may we recommend you look into a rapidly growing movement in Utah—what foraging enthusiasts call the fungal awakening. Yes, mushroom foraging is a thing in Utah, despite how dry our climate is. The selection of wild, prized, edible mushrooms in Utah isn't as abundant as in wetter states better known for their foraging communities, but you can find treasures if you put in some time and research. Here are some tips on finding more than just views when you head outside this summer.

What, When, Where, How: What kinds of mushrooms can one even expect to find if you start looking in Utah? Well, Utah is home to many prized edibles, including morels, chanterelles, oysters and porcini—the latter of which was just made our official state mushroom in the last legislative session. They all grow at different times and places in any given location in the world where they grow, so don't immediately jump on Google with a "how to find morels"—because you might actually get advice on how to find them in, say, Minnesota.

• Courtesy Photo

Mushrooms, the fruiting body of fungi, have differing relationships to water, trees, plantlife and wildlife around them; even elevation may impact where and when they fruit. For example, some types of Utah morels fruit in the early spring from May to April, near streams on dappled slopes full of pine duff. Chanterelles favor disused trails or forest maintenance trails that are rocky and populated by lodgepole pines; oysters grow on cottonwoods or elms, and especially so if the tree is dying or recently dead.

Mushrooms also grow at different elevations, so if you favor high mountain camping in the high summer, certain mushrooms will await you. If you'd rather stay close to your favorite bench trails or parks, though, look when temps are milder in the early spring and late fall. Each of those seasons, too, have their own offerings.

And remember to keep moisture and temperature in mind—after it rains, mushrooms are abundant, but as it gets hotter, the higher up you'll need to go to find mushrooms in greater quantities.

Get Yourself a Guide: While it can be tempting to look online, fungi are one of the least studied kingdoms of life on earth, and their growing patterns and specificities change according to where you are. That's why it's good to buy a field guide—like Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountains and Rocky Mountain Mushrooms by Habitat—which you can take with you on a foray to help identify what you find. This is especially important if you plan to eat any fungi. The internet has many answers, and websites like mushroomexpert.com are very informative and expansive in their offerings, but if you really want to know what you're looking for in our region, it's best to buy a locally specific guide.

• Courtesy Photo
• The Mushroom Society of Utah gather for the Fall Foray event

Find a Good Society: Once you have all that down, you could consider joining a group like the Mushroom Society of Utah, where you'll meet like-minded folks who want to satiate their curiosity not only out in the wild, but at the educational talks and potlucks they host for members. It's a great place to meet people more experienced than yourself, as well as fellow newbies. They also host forays throughout the warm season, where knowledgeable guides make themselves (and their mushroom spots) available to you for questions and tips.

Migrate to the Mushrooms of Utah Facebook Page: This community page is aimed at helping mushroom enthusiasts identify mushrooms and share exciting finds, but I can only recommend it if you follow some rules. Do: Post pictures of the side of a mushroom you find, of the top and the bottom, and maybe even the mushroom cut in half. Don't: Post a blurry photo of the top of the mushroom you found in your yard and ask what it could be; you will get scolded by the group. This page is also a very fun and useful place to check in on if you want to see if other people are finding mushrooms in your area, or where the elusive fungi are if your favorite local trail isn't turning anything up.

Rules for Safety: If you buy any of the books mentioned above, or simply do enough research online, you will quickly come to realize that the prized edibles in Utah are hard to mistake for other mushrooms that you shouldn't eat. That being said, if you want to be safe, you have to do your reading.

Buy a field guide and study it every time you find a mushroom, and you'll soon learn why many of the the mushrooms that may be growing on an old tree stump in plump, flat layers (like oysters do) are absolutely safe (and delicious) to eat.

And while many may think the most important safety advice about foraging for mushrooms would involve the mushrooms themselves, you should also just carry your wilderness smarts with you when foraging. Carry bear or pepper spray if you're foraging in the high Uintas and going anywhere off-trail. Go with a group and, again, if you're somewhere very wild, it's not just smart but can be fun to carry walkie-talkies with you to check in with the locations (and the finds) of your groupmates.

With all of these tools and pieces of advice under your belt, you should be set to set out into the Utah wilds to seek out some mushrooms. Good luck, forager!