CW ’s annual guide to LGBTQ festivals, bars, support groups and the outsiders who built SLC counterculture.
By City Weekly Staff
COOK,
DAGO, LANEY HANSEN, ANDREA
G. HARDEMAN, DEREK KITCHEN, BILL KOPP, GRACE X. MAYA, MIKE
RIEDEL, ARICA ROBERTS, ALEX SPRINGER, GENEVIEVE VAHL Graphic
SOFIA CIFUENTES
Bernie Sanders helped Donald Trump win in 2016 by bitterly dividing the Democratic party. Trump then stacked our judiciary with right-wingers. I was not in love with Hillary Clinton, but she would have been a much better president than Trump.
In 2026, Bernie has endorsed untested left-wing candidates including Graham Platner in Maine and Nate Blouin in Utah. Simple vetting would have exposed serious flaws, like a nazi tattoo or past anti-LDS comments.
The Democratic party needs new blood. But it needs to come from winning elections, and not from back-stabbing moderate Democrats.
JOHN ROBANDT Millcreek
My first car was a gas guzzler. My next one was better, but nothing to write home about. But for the past 20-plus years, my cars have been very fuel efficient, with my most recent purchase of a plug-in hybrid allowing me to spend lots of time between trips to the gas station.
I bought these cars for various reasons, but they had one unexpected benefit. I agonize far less than most people when the price of gas soars.
Knowing this doesn’t help you cope right now with gas costing more than $4.50 a gallon. But when you buy your next vehicle, consider buying the most fuel-efficient model that meets your needs; maybe even one that’s partly or all electric. Then, the next time gas prices
skyrocket, you may grumble, but you won’t feel as stressed as you do now.
And we all know that when it comes to high gas prices, there’s always going to be a next time.
STEVE GLASER
Salt Lake City
I am an avid reader, I pick up a copy on my way home from work every week. Last week when I saw the 2026 Summer Guide, I was incredibly disappointed by the use of AI on the cover.
Using AI makes the paper look cheap and low quality. It also calls into question whether the writing in your paper is AI. When I read your paper, I want real Utahns’ stories and opinions, not regurgitated buzzwords from a machine.
I look forward to reading more humanmade material, hopefully from this paper.
WIL NETTESHEIM
Salt Lake City
“UDOT pays $8M for … gondola property …” May 15 Online
Make a tram, not a gondola. Gondola is in your backyard. A tram has to be farther away from property, thus less invasive and provides a scenic ride. How is this a debate? Europe knew this 50 years ago.
BACKYARD_MEDIC Via Instagram
Love it, build the Gondola. So tired of NIMBY BS, like from the current Mayor of Cottonwood Heights.
DOUGWISMER Via Instagram
When are we going to stop making our public officials wealthy off of the backs of taxpayers when they can manipulate the system? This is getting so tiresome.
EVENTSGIRL1 Via Instagram
Care to sound off? Post on our social media or write to comments@cityweekly.net.
What is something you’re really glad you tried when you had the chance?
Katharine Biele
I was very much a homebody when I was young, and shy. My parents gave me the opportunity to move to Hong Kong on my own. Had I not done that, my whole life would have been different and probably much less interesting.
Zach Abend
I’m glad I went back to freelance writing. It’s been fascinating and moving.
Scott Renshaw
I grew up with a pretty basic American suburban diet, then moved to the Bay Area for college and was taken to a sushi restaurant for the first time (very much reluctantly, I must emphasize). It was a glorious discovery.
Carolyn Campbell
I’m glad I tried eating frog legs when I had the chance. I think frogs are safe from me now.
Eric Granato
I set up my cat tent for the kitties to enjoy fresh air. They loved it.
Paula Saltas
Parachuting in my 20s when I was fun and carefree. Now I am the opposite.
LBY JOHN SALTAS
ast year, a Reddit thread circulated asking the question, “Who is the worst Canadian?” To little surprise, Ted Cruz was among those who were named.
You know Ted, right? That unctuous Texas Senator who revels in appearing smart but who gives off spider vibes? His name being on the list was not a surprise.
Neither was Elon Musk who, while not born in Canada, does bear a Canadian passport since his mother was born there. You know, birthright stuff.
At the time, Elon was dismantling much of the United States infrastructure in the name of DOGE. (Did you ever get your $2,000 check? Do we currently miss USAID in the emerging Ebola zones?) It’s little wonder that Elon scored so well on the dishonor list, never mind that he wasn’t even living in Canada during the polling.
Other prominent names included hockey legend Wayne Gretzky (a living example of the motif ETTD—Everything Trump Touches Dies—if there ever was one), politician and philosopher Jordan Peterson, who affirms that masculinity is under assault while he assaults everything, plus Gavin McInnes, a Proud Boys founder who had relocated to the good ole USA.
The list morphed into an NCAA playoff structure, with brackets that culled the field down to a final winner. I’m going to ask the editors at City Weekly to create a similar bracket that our readers can vote in to find this year’s Worst Utahn.
Can you imagine a showdown between Mike Lee and Trevor Lee in the finals? I can. Or maybe it could be 2024 Spencer Cox against 2026 Spencer Cox—one cusping on bad, the other embracing it.
Utah’s new favorite authority, Kevin O’Leary, might also be on the Worst Utahn list, due to his proximity to all things powerful and secret at the state government level. If Kevin gets his way with the proposed giant data center in Box Elder County, he might even be a full-fledged Utah resident by then. That means, woefully, I’ll have to boycott Box Elder County.
I’m no good at boycotts. I’m weak—so yeah, I lied. I’ll still eat the great peaches and I’ll still eat at Maddox Steak House in Perry. But only when Kevin isn’t around.
We’ve been warned, you know. Along with the other worst Canadians on the Canada list was “Mr. Wonderful” himself, Kevin O’Leary. What kind of snipe would embrace calling himself Mr. Wonderful? Especially one as handsome-reverse as Kevin O’Leary? Well, there’s one, and it’s more apropos—the late, great Paul Orndorff of World Wrestling Federation fame. He had a better run at being Mr. Wonderful than O’Leary ever will.
O’Leary didn’t give himself the name. One of his fellow billionaire panelists on Shark Tank provided that moniker after he tried to mind-wrassle an inventor out of a money-making idea. He even trademarked the name. If that sounds Trumpian, it is.
Among the many dubious qualities that are associated with O’Leary is the recurring one that he often emulates president—and fellow self-proclaimed brilliant businessman—Donald Trump. He does sound like him here and there, in both brashness and bullshit.
Utahns don’t need reminding that one day, we were blissfully unaware that anyone was even purchasing land in Box Elder County, only to awaken the next day to find that an O’Leary-led cabal of Utah political sad sacks had quietly compiled a 40,000-acre aggregation destined to become the largest water and land-use boondoggle known to modern man. We Utah historians correctly note that the floods that floated Noah were of grander scale, but this one is right up there.
The hue and cry from all corners were loud and clear: Utah does not welcome the idea of an interloper coming
in with paid-off politicians in arms, selling the prospect of a massive data center and arriving without so much as a local hearing. Utah was blindsided.
When locals protested, O’Leary again donned his Donald Trump costume, marched into the friendly studios of Fox News and spouted off the lies that protesters were bussed in, that we must love our country in this critical time and that China can’t win the data center wars.
The USA has 40% of all data centers worldwide, with more coming. But such information cannot dissuade the average Fox viewer, who is over 65 years old and will be dead when the data center begins siphoning Utah water and cooking the remaining residents of Box Elder County inside their very own Air Fryer.
But O’Leary’s biggest lie was saved for two women— also a Trumpian move. He accused Utah-born Gabi Finlayson and Jackie Morgan (both of Elevate Utah, which is indeed politically aligned toward the Democratic party) as being paid agents of China. Their crime? Exposing O’Leary, Cox and the rest as being as useless as teats on a Box Elder bull.
Finlayson and Morgan took to their own social media, delivering a master class in mockery that accelerated them to social media stardom and exposed O’Leary as a bumbling asshole. Not dissuaded, O’Leary also stupidly punched at Senate candidate Caroline Gleich, who similarly punched back with the reminder that while she has no foreign ties, O’Leary himself is not only Canadian by birth, but is also a citizen of the UAE—who is the foreigner again?
I’m thrilled to no end to see these “masculine” men kneecapped by stronger women.
If they see this, I’ll buy tequila shooters for Gabi, Jackie and Caroline. By the looks of things, all across the entire political spectrum, it will be women who save us from ourselves and from unwelcome political grabs.
We may need data centers. We don’t need Mr. Not-SoWonderful. CW
Send comments to john@cityweekly.net
Wide variety of job opportunities from Logan to Springville
Good pay: every Monday, Wednesday & Friday
Salt Lake City 801.313.1234 Ogden 801.399.1234 apply @alltradestemp.com
BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele BY
Full disclosure—I am an unapologetic supporter of vote-by-mail. But yeah, the president and apparently Utah’s governor think voting should be more difficult to ensure that only the best of the best actually vote. Remember the good ol’ days when women, Blacks and poor people couldn’t vote? And, fun times, when you had to go to a polling place—before 8 p.m.—and stand in line to go into a booth where you first saw the ballot and were surprised about how little you knew? Hey, you can still do that with VBM—you just don’t have to. The American Postal Workers rolled out an ad supporting VBM, which is hitting the states that have used it. Utah’s voter turnout has increased 40% since VBM became a thing in 2013, and Utah voters, almost all of whom use it, like it. Despite the hysterical fear that non-citizens and— gasp—Democrats might vote, the evidence of fraud is lacking and Utah has remained a ruby-red state for decades. How refreshing would it be if public officials trusted their constituents and maybe even listened to them?
Oh no, another data center story! Well, not exactly. Since we’re talking about our representatives and how they don’t exactly represent, the Box Elder data center saga is a case in point. Who knew what was happening, and when, is murky at best, but the public absolutely was broadsided. Still, their county commissioners went right ahead without them. And then came Gov. Spencer Cox, now oddly offering an executive order to protect the lake and the air. Right. To see how inclusive the governor was, here’s who was at his roundtable event, according to The Salt Lake Tribune—“Utah business leaders, state officials and members of the state’s congressional delegation.” Oh and BTW, the event was closed to the media. Cox now famously disdains official processes as way too slow. After all, no one wants to hear from the stupid people.
On a brighter note, the president’s MAHA agenda has hit Utah in its iconic soul. In other words, we’re talking about JELL-O and how it used to be filled with artificial ingredients like Blue 1 and Yellow 5. If you can remember, that combination makes green. Typically, you make Utah’s famous green JELL-O with lime-flavored gelatin, crushed pineapple and a creamy base—and fake dyes. Now, Kraft Heinz has showcased JELL-O Simply, made with real fruit juice and less sugar. The problem for Utah connoisseurs is that Kraft Heinz isn’t offering green JELLO, opting for raspberry, blueberry and orange. And not to worry, there won’t be any crushed bugs for color. Instead, they use turmeric root extract. It’s not entirely a political move—consumers have been asking for more natural ingredients. Now they’ll have it. We’ll see how Utah moms turn it green. CW
Midvale’s historic Main Street is one of those pockets of local culture that always catches me by surprise. It’s not a large avenue, by any stretch. But the amount of local talent that has set up shop here has turned the thoroughfare into a hip and cozy place to grab lunch, catch some live entertainment or get some new ink.
One of the best ways to experience both Midvale’s Main Street vibes and its growing arts scene is to visit Los Muros on Main. Entering its fifth year, Los Muros is a week-long mural festival that invites muralists from all over the country to create large-scale works of art while the community comes out to play.
Los Muros is one of the many events organized by the Midvale Main Arts & Culture District, which has had a strong influence in turning this walkable area of the city into the artistic and cultural hub that it is today. While the main draw of the mural festival is to see the vibrant work of participating muralists come to life, each day will include additional events and experiences for attendees to enjoy.
Starting on June 8, the festival’s talented muralists will spend the week creating more than 50 murals in real time. Previous years’ attendance has surpassed 5,000 people, and a big contributor to the festival’s popularity is getting a chance to see the creative process from start to finish.
By the time the festival wraps up on June 13, Midvale’s entire Main Street area will be a living, breathing art installation.
While the muralists work to bring their visions to life, attendees can enjoy a wide variety of activities on each day of the festival. On June 9, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., food trucks (including Kona Ice, Portena Empanadas and Cutthroat Burgers) will be on site, and Midvale City Hall will host a mural watch party. Craft Lake City will also be hosting a DIY mural workshop from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
On June 11, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Mayor Dustin Gettel will host a mural walk, where visitors can get a closer look at the murals on display. On June 13, the festival will go out swinging with a Main Street community celebration from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The wrap party will include live music, a beer garden, an outdoor market and another round of food truck visits.
On the surface, Los Muros is a great community event and a unique chance to see niche artists do their thing. From a deeper perspective, however, Los Muros is a rare look at the community-based brush strokes that create a thriving arts scene. Watching each mural develop is not only an appreciation of an artist and their craft—it’s an opportunity to associate experiences like a curbside taco or meeting a new friend with the art itself. CW
What sets a good drag performer apart? Not only the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to even grace a stage, but also the quality of live vocals, lip-syncing and storytelling through costume and presence. Sequoia embodies all of this and more with her snatched wigs and sequined bodices that pull you in and wanting more. Follow her on Instagram to keep track of her “Save Her” tour: @theonlysequoia.
STAY TUNED FOR THE 2026 BEST OF UTAH BALLOT THIS AUGUST!
Each week, City Weekly will publish, email to our Best of Utah list and post on our socials an expanded version of our beloved Best of Utah issue. With over 400 categories to choose from, we selected our favorites to post from now til the Best of Utah issue in November. Remember, always support local! CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE! sales@cityweekly.net
The Utah Asian Festival continues strong by mixing received wisdom with new energy.
BY ARICA ROBERTS comments@cityweekly.net
Fifty years ago, the Asian Association of Utah started the Utah Asian Festival to support incoming Southeast Asian refugees from the wars in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. It has since evolved into a large, free, all-volunteer-run celebration of Asian culture, open to everyone. With 20,000 people in attendance, the festival includes dual stages for traditional and modern performances, an expanded marketplace with more than 75 merchants and a curated selection of 35 Asian street food vendors, serving as a critical platform for Asian small businesses, artisans and community groups to gain visibility.
Emilio Manuel Camu, the fourth-time chair of the Utah Asian Festival, explains that its recent rapid growth was a direct result of intentionally expanding its offerings, particularly with a focus on Asian street food and modern performances— like K-pop and rock bands—to appeal to a broader audience. The festival is becoming a regional attraction, drawing visitors from neighboring states like Nevada, Idaho and Colorado, and includes diverse representation among Utah’s more than 80 different Asian ethnic groups. It also draws attention to the long history of Asians in Utah, such as the Chinese workers on the transcontinental railroad and Salt Lake City’s historic Japantown enclave.
“We have 13 cultural booths from the Tibetan Association to the Nepalese to the Chinese, the Taiwanese, the Filipinos,
Cambodians, Indians,” Manu explained. “They talk about their community organizations, how to get involved with the different events they host.”
But the core purpose is to preserve and share the diverse cultures of Utah’s Asian communities, such as the Cambodian classical dance called Apsara, which was threatened to extinction during the Cambodian genocide. “This was an almost lost dance form that has been preserved here in our state,” Camu said.
Camu’s involvement with the festival began in 2012 as a college student, when he volunteered to do face painting for children. As a Filipino folk dancer, he also performed at the event with his group, and was asked to become a co-chair to help bring in a younger generation of volunteers to work alongside the festival’s longstanding elder organizers. The current organizing committee includes five generations of volunteers, from ages 18 to 88. Camu asserts that the festival’s continued success was dependent on the unique and successful intergenerational collaboration between the old and the young, blending the wisdom of elders with the energy of younger members.
One of the artists at Utah Asian Festival, OCELOT (Erica Sun Jursic), says that their cultural heritage and queer identity intersected to influence their art. As a Taiwanese-American raised in Texas by immigrant parents, Jursic has been living in Salt Lake City for nearly a decade, and has been participating in the Utah Asian Festival for six years.
Jursic describes one of their significant pieces as a “gender non-conforming temple,” combining traditional Taiwanese temple imagery with themes of trans identity and resistance. The symbolism of the androgynous being Guanyin, the drag-like appearance of the door gods, and the explicit pro-trans text incorporated, “TRANS JOY IS SACRED.”
“I wanted to make that piece to say that trans people, non-gender-conformed people, have always been here, always
will,” Jursic explained. “And not only are they real and they deserve joy, they’re also so sacred in so many cultures.”
Jursic argues that their queer and gender non-conforming identities are not new, but have historical and sacred roots within cultures like Taiwan, which had been obscured by colonialism. They shared how the president of the Taiwanese Association of Greater Salt Lake praised this piece as an authentic representation of his culture, which served as affirmation of the potential of intergenerational acceptance.
“Sometimes the older generation is softer than you might think. They obviously care about their families,” Jursic said. “And if you can tap into that, then I think you have a thread to go on there.”
The positive intergenerational connec-
tion is not only possible, but is actively being fostered in spaces like the Utah Asian Festival. “They’re not afraid to give us our flowers. We’re not afraid to give them theirs,” Manu agrees. “We told them this is how we were able to get to 20,000 today, because you kept the 5,000 going.”
The 2026 Utah Asian Festival takes place on Saturday, June 6 at the Utah State Fairpark from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Proceeds from the event support the Asian Association of Utah’s Human Trafficking Program. Learn more at utahasianfestival.org.
“We always tell people, come eat food, watch our performances, but also make a friend and learn about and help support our Asian communities in the future, so we can be here for another 49 years,” Camu urges. CW
Among the more intriguing behavioral changes surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic was an increased interest in birding, from more people using outdoor feeders at their homes to actual habitat excursions. While the data suggests much of this behavior was temporary, it indicated the kind of things we can start to value in a time of isolation, including a recognition that we’re not separated from the natural world. That’s the kind of philosophical approach to a cultural trend that writer Robert Macfarlane explored in The Lost Words, which investigated plant and animal names that had been dropped from the Oxford Junior Dictionary due to falling out of use—and it’s one he applied in reteaming with illustrator Jackie Morris for The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss. In discussing the idea that drove him and Morris, Macfarlane told The Guardian earlier this year, “We wondered what a field guide or bird book would look like if it asked not ‘what is that bird?’, but ‘who is that bird?’; if it worked to help readers not only identify birds, but also identify with them. There are 3 billion fewer birds in North America than 50 years ago; 600 million fewer in Europe. … This is a savage loss. We wanted, in paint and word, to pull birds back into focus and splendour—and warn against their vanishing.”
Robert Macfarlane visits Tracy Aviary in conversation with aviary president/CEO Tim Brown on Thursday, June 4 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 at Eventbrite, and include a signed copy of The Book of Birds. Visit kingsenglish.com for ticket link and additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)
The Midvale City Redevelopment Agency is hosting the fifth annual Los Muros on Main Midvale City Mural Festival, running from June 8 - 13. The week-long celebration will transform the local Arts & Culture District of Midvale into a vibrant, living canvas. Unlike traditional public art programs, Los Muros on Main embraces an everevolving backdrop. The festival centers on a dynamic outdoor gallery where selected older murals are replaced to make way for fresh visuals. By the conclusion of this year’s event, Midvale Main Street will showcase 50 unique murals, establishing the neighborhood as a premier art corridor in the Salt Lake Valley. Throughout the week, eight nationally-recognized artists, attending from states including California, Florida and Massachusetts, will paint their large-scale works live on the district’s walls. The community is encouraged to get involved early in the week. On Tuesday, June 9, residents can head to Midvale City Hall for the Tasty Tuesday Food Truck and Mural Watch Party from 5 - 8 p.m. A DIY mural workshop hosted by Craft Lake City will also take place on Tuesday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. Midvale Mayor Dustin Gettel will lead a guided Mural Walk on Thursday, June 11, from 6 - 7:30 p.m., offering attendees a closer look at both the fresh additions and existing neighborhood masterpieces.
The festival culminates on Saturday, June 13, with a free, community-wide street festival from 4 - 9 p.m. Families and art lovers can celebrate the district’s creative energy with live music, a beer garden, local artisan booths and interactive experiences for all ages. (Aimee L. Cook)
Complete listings online at cityweekly.net
JUNE 4-10, 2026
The Musical
Often, when a movie is turned into a stage musical, it’s not an intuitive choice. In the case of Back to the Future, however, it was more a case of “what took them so long.” After all, not only was it one of the most popular box-office hits of the 1980s, but it was a movie that was notable for its music—both the use of 1950s standards like “Johnny B. Goode” and “Earth Angel,” and the original Huey Lewis and the News tunes “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time.”
Still, it wasn’t until a 2004 DeLorean convention that original screenwriter Bob Gale first floated the idea for a stage adaptation, and nearly another decade for some of the key members of the movie’s creative team—including Gale, who wrote the book, and composer Alan Silvestri, who wrote the songs with lyricist Glen Ballard—to come together, plus the usual drawn-out development process to take it from its 2020 London premiere to Broadway in 2023. What followed was a lively reinterpretation of the story of Marty McFly, a 1980s teenager who inadvertently takes a time machine created by Doc Brown 30 years into the past, getting tangled up in the lives of his future mother and father, as well as town bully Biff. Broadway at the Eccles’ presentation of Back to the Future: The Musical comes to the Eccles Theatre (131 S. Main St.) for eight performances only June 9 – 14. Tickets are $76.99 - $190.44; visit broadway-at-the-eccles.com for calendar of performance dates, and saltlakecountyarts.org to purchase tickets. (SR)
BY DEREK KITCHEN 2026 PRIDE ISSUE GUEST EDITOR COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET
Pride in Utah has always been a strange proposition—equal parts defiance and homesickness. The defiance is the part others see: courtroom fights; legislative skirmishes; rainbow flags going up faster than they come down. The homesickness is the quieter half, the personal reasons why a lot of us, who could have left and lived somewhere easier, didn’t.
I want to start with a confession. For a long time, I thought being from Salt Lake City was something I’d have to apologize for. The Mormon thing. The conservative thing. The “you live where?” from people who imagine us as a punchline.
Somewhere along the way—maybe while knocking doors for a City Council run; or maybe while sitting in a federal courtroom, watching a judge dismantle Utah’s marriage ban—I figured out that being from Salt Lake is the whole point. The friction is the point. We built our communities sideways and underground, and that’s what makes them ours.
Salt Lake’s counterculture is not a luxury—it’s a survival strategy: every weird record store on Broadway; every basement concert or Kilby Court show; every late night at the old Club Gossip on 600 West; every gallery opening Afters that turns into a kissing party.
None of that happened because someone handed us a permit. It happened because people de-
cided to live their actual lives, and the city could either catch up or get out of the way.
The Heavy Metal Shop is still open after decades for the same reason that Try-Angles and the SunTrapp are still standing, even while many of our other queer rooms are not.
Outsiders take care of each other and around here, we have practice.
We used to have more rooms. Salt Lake needs to have more rooms again.
People often ask how Utah, of all places, became the epicenter of marriage equality in America. Of course it did.
In 2013, I was 25, working in a kitchen with my then-partner Moudi, and we decided to sue our state because the alternative was waiting for permission that wasn’t coming.
Kitchen v. Herbert wasn’t supposed to win. Lawyers and many of the “professional gays” thought we were reckless.
They weren’t wrong to be skeptical. After all, Utah was one of the most conservative states in America and home to an institution that had spent decades defining marriage against us. Utah was supposed to be the last domino, not the first.
But a federal judge in this state—our state—finally said the quiet part out loud: Two people who love each other have a right to a life together, and a government cannot decide otherwise.
For 17 days during Christmas of 2013, before the U.S. Supreme Court hit pause, couples got married at the County Clerk’s office while volunteers
handed out bouquets (and pizza) in the hallway. We did not wait. We did not ask. We just lined up. I think about those 17 days a lot now. Pride this year lands in a very different America. Companies that spent the 2010s tripping over themselves to fly rainbow flags have quietly tucked them away (see page 16). Meanwhile, lawmakers continue to chip away at the lives and livelihoods of members in our community (see page 38). The fair-weather allies have moved on. Fine. We’ve been here before. We know how to do this.
Here’s what I want my generation of LGBTQ Utahns and everyone younger to remember: Pride exists, because it wasn’t always safe to exist.
In 1975, you could lose your job, your kids, your apartment and your family for being gay in Utah, and the law would shrug. In 1990, you could die of AIDS and your obituary wouldn’t be allowed to even say why.
In 2000, the Utah Legislature was actively writing you out of family law. In 2004, voters wrote you out of the state Constitution.
Pride is not just a parade. Pride is the long, stubborn refusal to disappear when you were supposed to.
While on the Salt Lake City Council, I had the honor of voting to rename 900 South as Harvey Milk Boulevard.
I will tell you that the week we put up those street signs, an older gay man who I had never met before found me at Coffee Garden, right there on the new Boulevard, and started to cry. He said he never thought he’d live to see something like that in SLC. Standing there with him, I felt the weight of the chain—all the people who’d carried it before us so that my generation could carry it a little louder.
A few years later, I was sworn in to the State Senate, where I served as one of a handful of Democrats against a GOP supermajority, and as the only openly gay member of that chamber at the time. I wasn’t the first—others came before me. But today, while there is LGBTQ representation in the Utah House, there isn’t a single openly gay or lesbian senator in our state. That should bother all of us. What we’re protecting is representation itself—the right to be present, to be counted, and to be named in the rooms where it still costs something.
That’s what this issue is for. Inside these pages: writers, organizers and artists celebrate the beautiful weirdos who are doing the work of being visible where it still costs something. Read them. Argue with them. Forward their pieces to your group chat.
Then, go to a drag show. Tip generously. (Bring cash!) And remember: the counterculture isn’t somewhere else. It’s here.
It’s always been here—because Salt Lake, of all places, is the place where it had to be. It’s us. Happy Pride, Salt Lake City. Stay loud. CW
Derek Kitchen, a former member of the Utah State Senate and Salt Lake City Council, was the lead plaintiff in Kitchen v Herbert , which successfully struck down the state’s prior ban on same-sex marriages.
FULL MONTH OF EVENTS,
BY BENJAMIN WOOD bwood@cityweekly.net
On the eve of his third Pride Month as executive director of the Utah Pride Center, Chad Call sounded confident, optimistic and determined. He acknowledged that a lot of uncertainty is being felt by LGBTQ Utahns, and that backward steps have been taken at both the state and national level. But Call added that progress does not move forward without disruptions.
“In the last 10 years, the LGBTQ community has made tremendous strides,” Call said. “Our community is still on a forward path. Our community is still fighting for equality and equal rights.”
The nation’s political headwinds only add to the complexity leading up to Pride Weekend 2026. Call noted the hard work that goes into coordinating a multi-day festival on Washington Square, a massive Sunday Pride Parade (rivaled in size only by the annual
Days of ‘47 Parade) and a constellation of formally and informally affiliated events around town, hosted by UPC’s community partners.
“The Center is in a really good spot,” Call said. “Since 2023, we’ve had two Pride Festivals that have landed in the black. Our board and our committee have been able to stay within budget and turn a little bit of revenue for the Pride Center and the programs that we do year-round.”
At the same time, Call noted how the donor pool from big, corporate entities has evaporated, something City Weekly has heard reiterated over and over in the local nonprofit space.
It wasn’t so long ago that corporate fundraising hauls gave rise to debates over “rainbow-washing” and the over-commercialization of Pride. But compared to that era, Call said corporate sponsorship for Pride Weekend is down roughly two-thirds.
“This is very much a product of the political and social landscape at the moment,” he noted.
Call said his peers around the country are reporting similar conditions as legal crackdowns on diversity and equity initiatives collide with the scarcity of a difficult economy. But he emphasized how grassroots community support had responded to fill that gap and shore up the Center’s work.
“Pride happened before corporate support and it will continue to happen with or without their support,” Call remarked. “We’ve had opposition before, and we know how to fight the fight.”
As of press time for this issue, the 2026 Utah Pride Festival was effectively underway, with a flag-raising ceremony and director’s reception Wednesday evening, followed by the annual interfaith worship service on Thursday and a new Opening Night foam party (21+) to launch the big weekend party at City Hall.
But the month is bookended by SLC Pride on June 27
and 28. When City Weekly caught up with its executive director Bonnie O’Brien, she was still in “permit hell,” dotting the Is and crossings the Ts on her programming applications.
She said SLC Pride is somewhat lucky to be freed from the pursuit of big-name, big-check sponsorship. Its smaller footprint and overhead—compared to larger LGBTQ organizations that fund a yearround slate of community services and the full-time staff that requires—lessens the pressure to recoup costs.
“Everybody knows, yes, it’s a tough economy. But politics is real right now,” O’Brien said. “Everybody is feeling that economic and political shift.”
Now in its third year, SLC Pride is free-to-attend, with a hyperlocal focus and a “for queer people, by queer people” mentality, O’Brien said. Rather than programming a festival, its organizers seek to set up event infrastructure for dozens of community partners to program a festival themselves, an atypical approach that O’Brien said is maturing with each edition of the event.
“I think that we’re finally at a place where community orgs are starting to understand what we had hoped would happen,” O’Brien observed. “The people who are in charge of SLC Pride don’t want to actually plan the festival. They want to build the festival and let the community come in and own it.”
While the first two editions of SLC Pride were held at The Gateway, this year’s event is moving to 400 South and 400 West, stretching along two block faces in the Marmalade neighborhood and incorporating the outdoor spaces at Red Rock Brewing and Mountain West Hard Cider as well as collaborations with the Utah Film Center and Utah Opera.
“We’re putting the fruit back in Marmalade,” O’Brien said. “We kind of feel like Pride in the street makes a lot more sense than Pride at the mall.”
Continued on page 18
THURSDAY JUNE 4 9pm Karaoke w/DJ MCK FRIDAY JUNE 5 9pm Red Shot Pony SATURDAY JUNE 6 9pm DJ Geovante
SUNDAY, JUNE 7 • 11AM TO 9PM ANNUAL GREEN PIG BLOCK PARTY
INSIDE
OUTSIDE 6PM-9PM NOON-3PM YEECIE 3PM-6PM NOON-3PM 3PM-6PM 6PM-9PM
Continued from page 16
At the same time that grassroots contributions are reemerging as a dominant source of financial support, Call noted how a portion of the tickets for this year’s Utah Pride Festival were sold through a revenue-sharing program with local LGBTQ organizations. That meant the event was a fundraiser not just for the Utah Pride Center, but also for its community partners in and around Salt Lake.
“They receive a portion of those proceeds that they sell through their channels,” Call explained.
The festival’s performance schedule prioritizes Utah artists, Call said, to boost the visibility of homegrown talent and maximize the budget.
“We’ll be focusing a lot on the local talent this year, and saving on some national headliner fees,” Call said.
Organizers have also brought back a designated “Youth Zone” for younger attendees, which had been absent from the last two editions of the Pride Festival. The space will have activities geared toward both young children and teenagers.
“Pride, in general, can sometimes cater to the over-21 crowd,” Call said. “This is a good space—it’s gated off, it’s separate. It’s inside the festival grounds but it’s a space and a place for those youth.”
For the Sunday Pride Parade, this year’s route will replicate 2025’s sevenblock span beginning at West Temple and 100 South, turning at 100 South and 400 East, and concluding at 300 South and 400 East.
Call said that route represents a return to normal after the parade was lengthened to 700 South for several years, including in 2024, prompted by the social distancing guidelines related to COVID-19.
“We were able to kind of lessen the impact on traffic and safety by not crossing Trax a second time,” Call said.
For 2026, SLC Pride is leaning hard into its street festival format, with the theme “Pride at the Intersection” and an adults-only alley curated by Pleasure Portals and Sappho SLC.
“We’re talking about intersectionality, of course,” O’Brien explained. “But to actually be on 4th North and 4th West in the Marmalade District— it kind of all comes together in a really fun way.”
It will also coincide with Fafa Fest, a Pride event for the Black, brown and Indigenous community, with special performances and programing inside the SLC Pride footprint.
“This is huge for us because, essentially, they’re going to take over a stage and a space for an entire day at the festival and own it,” O’Brien said.
While the full event schedule was not finalized as of press time, O’Brien said that organizers were exploring ways to incorporate the Utah Film Center and Utah Opera properties for panels, short films and other SLC pride activities. “We understand our audience,” O’Brien said. “It’s an audience that needs a free festival and something that feels more like a family reunion.”
O’Brien said that when push comes to shove, Pride Month is about being together as a community. She said it’s important that people make an effort to participate, but that they can also find the programming that fits best for them, whether that’s a huge downtown party or a small neighborhood event.
“Yes, there’s a month for Pride and there’s a few weekends that are big,” O’Brien explained. “But the entire month, there are activities in churches, nonprofits, book stores, parks. There’s things going on every single night.” CW
THE
BY: ARICA ROBERTS COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET
Ifirst met Adam White when he was a leader of the newly-formed Understanding Same Gender Attraction (USGA), an unofficial LGBTQ+ support group for students at Brigham Young University.
White helped organize a student-led “It Gets Better” video that went viral after it was posted to YouTube in 2012. It depicted young LGBTQ+ adults sharing their stories of coming out, survival and the promise to youth that even if they are bullied for their sexual identity, it will get better.
“The video encapsulates a lot of things about where we were 10 or 15 years ago,” White said. “Because as a 35-year-old now, it’s like, how can children say it gets better?”
Over the past decade, White has witnessed the evolution of both the legislation and support networks aimed at Utah’s LGBTQ+ youth. And while “It Gets Better” was a bold declaration from college-aged young adults, it was also a radical shift in norms that initiated broader conversations within the Latter-day Saint community, both in Utah and for Mormons around the globe.
The simple act of being publicly “out” was a major step at the time.
“That felt like a pretty radical thing to have happened, paired with what happened next,” White recalled, “which was not an immediate shutdown of what these young people were saying.”
After graduating from BYU in 2014, White taught special education in Hawaii and Utah with Teach for America. He later served as a site director for the nonprofit Encircle in Provo, a support group that specializes in LGBTQ+ youth who are navigating the Latter-day Saint cultural context.
He currently works at Spy Hop, a media arts program for youth, and contracts with Equality Utah as a Business Equality Leader trainer, conducting cultural sensitivity and LGBTQ+ educational training for businesses and organizations across the state.
White said his work has seen its own evolution, emphasizing a shift from self-actualization to helping youth build purposeful lives, where in-person, project-based collaboration bridges ideological divides.
For example, Encircle’s specific model uses a familiar, LDS-like home aesthetic to create a space for “radical contact” between conservative parents and LGBTQ+ issues. White’s work in this support group focused on crisis intervention and initial acceptance for LGBTQ+ youth.
“I think Encircle does a really crucial and important job at zero through 10,” White remarked. “And I’m sort of like, okay, but what about 11 through 99?”
This question led White from working in separate, siloed safe spaces toward fostering integration and collaboration between diverse communities, as exemplified by Spy Hop’s model. Spy Hop is a crucial hub that brings together youth from diverse socioeconomic, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity backgrounds to collaborate on shared artistic goals, fostering mutual understanding and respect.
In the integrated space, young hip-hop artists and trans filmmakers work together as sound engineers and directors, building professional and personal relationships that bridge their different social worlds. It’s been a way White can effectively help youth build a future and purpose through creative expression, or steps “11 through 99.”
Equality Utah’s advocacy over the years has resulted in bans on conversion therapy for minors and securing nondiscrimination protections in housing and employment that safeguard LGBTQ families and individuals.
But corporate and organizational programs on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), like those run by Equality Utah, must constantly evolve to navigate the changing political climate and new state laws targeting such efforts.
In 2024, the Utah Legislature passed HB261, which dissolved state-funded DEI offices, banned diversity training and prohibited identity-based hiring preferences in public institutions. State universities (like the University of Utah) were forced to shut down central diversity offices—such as the LGBT Resource Center and the Center for Equity and Student Belonging—vital for creating safe campus climates.
Now, Equality Utah centers its energy on lobbying against policies that restrict free speech and continuing to champion basic civil rights for LGBTQ+ Utahns. They actively host events such as the College Ambassador Program and participate in statehouse lobbying to advocate against legislation perceived as harmful or exclusionary.
White posits that Utah’s unique culture, heavily influenced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ emphasis on service and community, has created a civic environment that, while challenging, has also prevented some of the more extreme anti-LGBTQ+ legislation seen in other conservative states.
“We haven’t experienced laws like Kansas revoking driver’s licenses from all trans people,” he argues. “I will credit the Mormons with a lot of the political sanity that we experienced, to the degree that we have here.”
Looking ahead, White says Equality Utah will emphasize the accessibility of advocacy, collaborating across communities and trying new things to gather in-person and build in-person relationships.
Genuine progress in bridging social and political divides, he argues, comes from “radical contact”—working together on tangible, in-person projects beyond digital discourse. CW
BY CAROLYN CAMPBELL AND CATHERINE H. CHRISTMAN comments@cityweekly.net
When their relationship began 22 years ago, Kimberly Hansen and Kelli Enniss could only dream that same-sex marriage would someday be legal. Still, the couple was determined to publicly commit to one another, even if the government didn’t sanction it.
The result? A small ceremony hosted at a mountain lodge, where Kelli and Kimberly shared their vows in front of the fireplace.
“We picked out rings and even got flowers,” Kimberly recalled. “The ceremony wasn’t legal, but it was real in our heart.”
Afterward, the couple opted to keep their commitment ceremony “on the down low.” Kimberly hadn’t yet come out to all of her co-workers, and the couple’s siblings and children from previous marriages had not attended.
Kimberly’s family had disowned the couple, but she said she wanted to shout their news from the rooftops. A major stumbling block was her dad, who’d been adamant that he didn’t want to even meet Kelli, his future daughter-in-law.
“She had to be the evil seductress,” Kimberly explained, “because it wouldn’t have been their child who was gay.”
Following the commitment ceremony, it took six years for Kimberly’s family to welcome her back. In the interim, the pair had relocated to Oklahoma City, before moving back to Utah.
Upon their return, Kimberly’s family seized upon the opportunity to invite the couple to a family reunion. At one point, Kelli excused herself to use the restroom, and Kimberly realized her parents were starting to be won over.
“We all gathered one night at a restaurant so they could meet Kelli,” Kimberly said. “They said, ‘We really like Kelli. She’s a nice person, and she’s fun.’” That’s when the couple’s kids began to hope the two women could be legally married, and that society would view them as a legitimate family. And that’s exactly what happened.
For their legal wedding on June 4, 2016, the mountain setting they chose hosted 100 of their family members and closest friends. They utilized the same vows and witnesses as the previous commitment ceremony, and changed their surnames to a new, hyphenated Hansen-Enniss.
“After our legal wedding, we fell even more in love,” Kimberly said. “There was something about standing in front of 100 people.”
Every
“It felt like a turning point in history,” Essie Gonzsen, left, said of the legalization of marriage quality in 2013.
Equality Utah director Essie Gonzsen remembers well the feeling that marriage equality just didn’t seem possible. “Then overnight, it all happened,” she said, “and same-sex marriages became legal.”
Gonzsen is quick to note the historical importance of that moment. But it was also personal—she met up with her then-partner on State Street for a hastilyorganized ceremony performed by the father of one of her students.
“The courthouse was flooded with people, and the energy was incredible,” she recounted. “It felt like a turning point in history. There was an exciting sense of urgency, a feeling of ‘We better do it now while we’ve got it.’”
Robert Upwall, owner of the Every Blooming Thing floral shop in Salt Lake City, said his business can be used as a measure of how LGBTQ weddings have changed over the years.
Compared to the small, intimate gatherings of yesteryear, he said today’s ceremonies are often big-budget affairs with all the fixings.
“The dollar figures are higher,” he noted.
In addition to the amount of money that partners are willing to spend on florals, Upwall said he’s also seen a growing freedom in design choices and decorations for weddings. He said that LGBTQ couples often “think outside the box.”
He pointed to one recent wedding where his clients’ preferred a design that featured all greenery—foliage and botanicals with nary a flower in sight—and how the red rock of the canyon surroundings extended to the table centerpieces.
“There’s a broader use of flowers and greenery beyond the typical roses, peonies and dahlias,” he said.
He also noted that over the years, men—whether LGBTQ or not—have become increasingly involved in the looks and vibes of their weddings.
“Grooms have become more a part of the planning process,” he said. “They have more opinions and pay more attention.”
Kimberly Hansen-Enniss said that, in the 22 years she and Kelli have been together as a couple, the world has completely changed.
When they first moved in together, she said they only had gay friends and were “the shame and scandal of the neighborhood.” Now, living in Salt Lake City and even at her corporate job, she rarely is made to feel different.
“I am completely out of the closet. I don’t feel that I have to hide anything,” she said. “We’ve come a long way, baby.”
For her part, Gonzsen said that after being raised in a Latter-day Saint family, coming out was “the hardest thing.” Her parents and her siblings were initially sad, Gonzsen said, and she lost some friends in the process.
A particular stumbling block was the LDS beliefs around eternal families, which are predicated on marriages performed within temples.
“The topic of being together in the afterlife is very personal to me,” she explained. “It wasn’t the fact of my being gay—it was that I was now the empty chair at the table.”
Nonetheless, her parents gradually came around. In fact, Gonzsen said that these days, her folks attend Pride events and allies’ meetings, even as they themselves are practicing Latter-day Saints, serving their third mission for the faith.
As for the future? In her role as an advocate, Gonzsen maintains that at the end of the day, empathy is the key to continued progress in moving toward even greater levels of acceptance.
“I tell queer kids and parents to start to get curious and understanding of each other,” she said. CW
BY ANDREA G. HARDEMAN comments@cityweekly.net
The Utah Pride Center’s theme for 2026 is “Pride Elevated,” and the following individuals embody that in their own way. Their shared message is to uncover the truth of who you truly are, and to wholeheartedly be that person. This is how we light the way for others.
To meet Tosh Swain is to feel the warmth of the sun. Her vivacious energy is contagious, and you’ll likely walk away with an invitation to expand your comfort zone and try something new.
EXPLORINGNOTBORING, a marketplace and community platform, is one of the ways she invites others to re-discover themselves. The goal of the organization is to “create real world connection that is enriching” and positively influences mental health and meaningful social connection.
Swain said she began challenging herself 15 years ago and has become her most authentic self through the process. She said that she’s no longer “trying to be anything.”
Swain has redefined beauty standards for herself wearing bras and shaving her arm pits no longer fit that standard. She is audaciously herself, and her energy gives others the courage to do the same.
Jax Jackman has stood out all their life. “I learned to embrace my weird self and be a beacon of hope for those around me,” Jackman said.
They view visibility as a form of protest, especially in the current U.S. political climate. Growing up without queer Black representation motivates them to be that representation for others. Jackman wants others to know that they, too, can find a sense of belonging. They’ve found belonging in creating third spaces to amplify marginalized voices.
Their goal is to spread joy to others through “centering collaboration and kindness through art and music.” Jackman embodies the adage “come as you are” because in their words, “we deserve it.”
Dr. Cydney Caradonna views queerness as “world making.” She said that when someone “stands in their queerness,” they are creating something different than the mainstream.
Dr. Caradonna boldly stands in her queerness and gender expression in a way that invites others to do the same. It’s in her nature to go against the grain in pursuit of truth—that we all deserve to be seen. You may have experienced this firsthand during one of her spoken word performances. Her dissertation follows suit; she demolished the researchersubject barrier and infused her ancestral lineage into her qualitative research. This is the heart of what it means to “queer” something.
Continued
For En Canada, their view of the world is shaped by their experiences as a queer trans Black person. They’ve alchemized their privilege and pain into community organizing.
“The only way things are going to be different is if we are different,” stated Canada. “[I’m] trying to build something better for my future self and the … future queer and trans people who are going to come up. I want a world where they’re free.”
You may have interacted with them through Burning Sissy Valley (currently on hiatus) or tabling for The Wasatch Assembly. Their message to you is that you have the power to create the world you want to see. It starts with dreaming of what you want, and then “you have to water yourself, baby.”
“[I] treat everyone like my girly pop,” said Gisella Muñoz. Translation for Millennials and older: like a homie you can talk to about any and everything.
Muñoz’s openness toward others creates a sense of safety that helps them to embrace self-acceptance. They know what it’s like to feel “caged” by the expectations of social institutions, and learned how to choose and honor themselves.
“My big why, the reason I do what I do, everything, my ethos is I believe everyone has the right to exist and be loved and that drives literally everything that I do,” Muñoz said. “It is possible to be yourself and have good things happen for you—and it doesn’t matter what you are, who you are.”
Dr. Kathryn Bond Stockton knew they were gender queer since childhood. If you had told them that they would be an out professor living in Utah, it would have been unfathomable.
“I just felt like, they’ll have to put me on a medieval torture rack. I will not confess,” Dr. Stockton recalled believing as a child.
Today, they help others overcome their own limiting beliefs. They achieve this through intentional dialogue with students and providing exposure to an array of perspectives. The goal isn’t to persuade, but rather, to understand one another’s perspective.
Theirs is a ministry of connection, which is fitting given they set out to become an ordained Episcopal priest until realizing being openly gay closed that door.
They create opportunities of expansion inside and outside the classroom. CW
SALT LAKE CITY’S LGBTQ BARS AND CLUBS OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE.
BY BRANDI CHRISTOFFERSEN comments@cityweekly.net
Just as the LGBTQ+ community is diverse and expressive, so is its local bar and club scene. From trendy, energetic nightspots to friendly, comfortable watering holes, each location offers something unique and memorable. The following is a quick guide to help you find the right place for the right time.
102 S. 600 West
Since its founding in 1973, The SunTrapp—originally known as The Sun Tavern—has been a haven for its varied and colorful patrons.
As the oldest gay bar in Utah, The Sun has been a no-judgment zone for anyone that is looking for community and acceptance. The bar has a casual, lively atmosphere with a pool table and outdoor patio.
“Everyone is welcome here,” said Natalie the bartender. “We have the ‘hot’ LGBTQ-plusses—furries, kink groups and allies.”
The Sun is also the unofficial home of the “royal court”—a moniker given to
the regulars that have been patronizing
The Sun for more than 50 years.
“We open at 11 a.m. each day and the royals, who are in their 80s and 90s, come by to meet up for lunch and han out,” Natalie remarked.
Locals Love: Sunday Night Karaoke from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Signature Drink: The Pink Glitteris— Pink Whitney vodka, peach Schnapps, Malibu rum, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, Sprite, edible pink glitter.
When asked to describe Why Kiki, University of Utah student Trevor said, “This is where the young and beautiful come to be seen.”
The vibrant, spirited nightclub boasts a silent disco in the basement, covered lounge in back and a main level that features a tiki-inspired bar and drag show runway. The energy is young and exciting, with bright colors and flashing lights.
“Bachelorette parties, birthdays and celebrations of all kinds are common here,” remarked Mady, one of Why Kiki’s bartenders. “We are fully inclusive, and we welcome everyone.”
Open Thursday through Sunday, Why Kiki is jam-packed most nights. However, Saturday is by far the most popular, when the club’s talented entertainers dazzle the crowd with a drag and dinner show at 8 p.m.
“Order a plate of chicks and dicks (chicken and waffles) and enjoy the queens,” Trevor said.
Locals Love: Sunday Drag Brunch at 11 a.m.
Signature Drink: Any of the specialty cocktails, served in fish bowls and tiki mugs with flashing ice cubes.
Since owner Gene Gieber first opened the doors of Try-Angles in 2002, the bar has been a safe haven for the queer counterculture.
“This place has become my home,” said senior bartender Seth. “Here, everyone is protected and we look out for one another.”
Located on Harvey Milk Boulevard, this quintessential dive bar is all about the local community.
“The regulars run the show at TryAngles,” Seth noted. “Even the tavern’s music is selected through a jukebox.”
During the warmer months, most of the patrons can be found on the back patio, enjoying cold, cheap drafts and friendly conversation.
“If there was a gay Cheers, this would be it,” Seth said.
Locals Love: The numerous events held throughout the month, including Underwear Night, Bear Night, Furry Night and Sunday Drag Bingo.
Signature Drink: Cyber Slut—Malibu Black, peach Schnapps, vanilla rum, raspberry rum and triple sec.
Just down the street from Try-Angles is MILK+. However, despite the close proximity, the two locations couldn’t be more different.
Whereas the former is known for its casual, intimate atmosphere, the latter is modern, large and spirited.
Open Thursday through Sunday, “this nightclub has everything,” said local patron Brian. “There is a huge dance floor, a game room with pool and darts and well-kept restrooms.”
The bar specializes in events and features, including game nights, karaoke, viewing nights, drag shows and live entertainers. MILK+ also offers a latenight food menu that is surprisingly robust and delicious.
Additionally, MILK+ has spacious booths and a large patio perfect for large groups and private celebrations.
“Everyone here is friendly and it’s a very safe environment,” said Brian. “The security here is amazing.”
Locals Love: MILK+ doesn’t cut corners with watered-down cocktails. They stick to Utah’s limits, but make sure patrons get their money’s worth.
Signature Drink: Each bartender has their own; ask what they recommend.
Around SLC there are many establishments that, while not “fully gay” are definitely “gay adjacent,” which offer their own unique vibe and experience.
Places like:
Metro Music Hall, a concert venue near The SunTrapp that hosts a diverse selection of events, including live music, drag shows, dance parties and spoken-word performances.
Bar X first opened at the end of Prohibition, and the revived watering hole maintains some original decor. The speakeasy atmosphere extends to its attitude—everyone is welcome, especially the outsider and nonconformist.
Blue Gene’s is located in downtown SLC and presents live events and drag shows. Plus, every Wednesday at 9 p.m. it features Drag Karaoke hosted by the fabulous (and City Weekly Best of Utahwinning) Sequoia.
The Twilite Lounge is like stepping back in time. This cash-only bar has cheap beers, billiards, arcade games and a jukebox. Its atmosphere is welcoming, unassuming and diverse. CW
AS BOTH A RAVE VENUE AND RECORD STORE, ETA45MINS CENTERED THE QUEER AND NEURODIVERGENT DANCE MUSIC
BY: ARICA ROBERTS comments@cityweekly.net
Tucked away in Salt Lake City’s Ballpark neighborhood, at 1120 S. Richards Street, the dance record store 45 World Records was demolished in April. In its final years, the old space had evolved from a temporary living situation into a venue for the dance music collective known as ETA45MINS, then into a personal studio and, ultimately, a community-focused record shop.
The owner, Kai Barrera, contended that when he entered the existing Salt Lake City dance music scene in 2023, it was homogenous, necessitating the creation of ETA45MINS to introduce harder, faster dance music.
“I just wanted to hear music that I was interested in at the time, which was a lot harder stuff,” Barrera recalled. “I just decided I would start DJing so that I could play that stuff.”
Filling this void meant there were enormous personal and financial sacrifices made to sustain community-oriented projects, such as taking a major pay cut and living in an unheated office. Even at the height of ETA events, Barrera asserts that they were financially unsustainable and carried increasing risks. So transitioning to a more consistent community hub—45 World Records—was a more viable long-term project.
But both the events and the record store have served a niche community focused on harder dance music. “My community is definitely the neurodivergent queer community,” Barrera noted.
As research on queerness and neurodivergency becomes better understood, it’s no surprise that the “hardstyle” dance community acts as a haven for this intersection of identities.
For queer and neurodivergent individuals—or “neuroqueers”—hardstyle is a thriving space where highly structured, repetitive kicks and intense melodies of 150-plus beats per minute offer sensory stimulation, or “ADHD brain overload” that listeners claim helps them focus and self-soothe.
That dopamine release, accompanied with the radical self-expression of dance music culture, offers an environment free from rigid, heteronormative rules where
“I just wanted to hear music that I was interested in at the time, which was a lot harder stuff.”—Kai Barrera
Continued from page 30
“unmasking”—or acting freely without trying to appear neurotypical—is not only accepted but celebrated.
“A rave has a connotation of risk or danger ... there’s something about it that is not like the status quo,” Barrera said. “And so it could be minority groups or marginalized groups that are finding joy in a way that our systems of government or systems of police do not find acceptable.”
Since 2023, ETA has provided Salt Lake City with its first “true” hardcore and DIY rave scene, starting out as “underpass renegades” where events were literally held under the freeway. Heavily influenced by the UK’s historical and political acid house and free party movements, Barrera has held true to the grassroots, passion-driven approach of rave culture.
But he noted the changing, more restrictive attitude of the police and the difficulty of monetizing a “space of social refuge.”
Barrera candidly highlighted the challenges and rewards of building an authentic community space within a rapidly changing city. While there is a profound need for safe spaces for the queer and neurodivergent community, there is not a sustainable market demand for them because the community itself faces significant economic barriers.
For example, ETA would hold “Saturday Morning Cartoons” events, which were socially successful and brought many people to the record store, but resulted in very few sales. Beyond financial unsustainability, Barrera also believes concepts like “harm reduction” and “safety” need to be implemented as core, genuine practices rather than branding optics for local promoters.
The final ETA event at the end of April was marketed on social media as “completely DIY, payment optional, dancing required.” Donations were given to the Utah Immigration Collaborative(UIC)HelpLine,whichisafree,bilingual(English/Spanish)hotlineforundocumented immigrantsthatconnectscommunitymemberstofreelegalrepresentation,casescreening, and social services.
As Barrera looks for a new home to continue selling his vast record collection, he is also supporting other niche communities in the broader dance music scene with his sound system, like Pounce House, a successful furry hardcore event that started in his back room.
“The best nights of DJing I’ve ever had have been in there with my friends,” Barrera affirms. “It just doesn’t get better than that because when you have that true community care aspect, that refuge there, you just can’t go beyond your genuine tribe of people.”
Stay plugged into the future of 45 World Records by following its account on Instagram @eta45.world. CW
We asked the writers of the 2026 Pride Issue to share a favorite memory from Pride Month, or an impactful experience related to the fight for equality.
I was working at the Deseret News in 2013 when the state’s same-sex marriage ban was struck down, legalizing marriage equality in the blink of an eye. It was my day off, but I ran to the County Clerk’s Office, where a huge line for marriage certificates had already formed and couples were exchanging vows on the spot in case the legal window slammed shut.
When I arrived, a father-son pair of Boy Scouts in rainbow neckerchiefs was handing out free pizza to the people in line, so I did what any young reporter would do and snapped a pic for social media. My boss at the DNews was not pleased and pulled me aside for a talking-to the next day, but by then the post had already been picked up by CNN and reshared thousands and thousands of times. To this day, it’s the most “viral” my content has ever been.
My favorite Pride memory was back in 2016, a full decade ago! I was studying for my Master’s degree at the University of Utah after graduating from Brigham Young University. Even though I was technically “out” during my time as a student in Provo, it still felt new to be “out” in the real world, away from BYU’s totalitarian regime.
I was a regular at Club Jam (R.I.P.) since a fellow colleague in my program was a bartender there. We were both navigating Salt Lake City together as young, queer academics who relished just how “gay” the city was becoming.
That year, I got to walk with Club Jam in the Utah Pride Parade. It was my first public event representing my queer identity. Strutting along fabulous drag queens gave me so much confidence and I cherish this experience!
June has been about Juneteenth for me for as long as I can remember. When I came into my queerness later in adulthood, I reexamined my relationship with Pride Month.
“I don’t be out in the streets,” unless it’s for my art or my poetry or a friend
has organized a community event and talked me into going. I appreciate intentional connection and reflection and for me, Juneteenth and Pride are practices of gratitude and connecting with my lineage, people who made the opportunities I have to live my life “freely” possible.
Decades ago, when I first wrote an article on same-sex marriage in Utah, my editor at the time told me, “Carolyn, you have a thing for alternate lifestyles.”
He didn’t know, but at the time I felt like I was living in my own form of an alternate lifestyle. Growing up as an adopted child, my own sense of being different gave me a unique radar and lens to relate to life outside of the norms and behind the scenes. I knew how it felt to feel different and to keep that information to myself.
Today, adoption feels far less shameful, but I remember the old uncertainty I felt when people would ask me about my family history. And as a journalist, I’d remember that feeling when I interviewed LGBTQ people who were sifting through their own perceptions and realizations about their place in the world.
I remember a simple and heartfelt moment the day my niece Dorothy took her two-year-old son to the memorial site of the Pulse Nightclub in Florida, where her high school friend Eddie Sotomayor Jr. had been murdered along with 48 others. As Dorothy spoke softly to her little son, it was the love she focused on. She told him just what Eddie had been like in high school, and how so many people had adored him.
Listening intently, the little boy nodded and then took action. First, he put his favorite toy dog down on the ground, and then— without missing a beat—the littlest mourner stood back and observed a moment of silence.
My first experience with Pride Week was in 2009. I was working at PCTV and we had a float in the parade. I was amazed and thrilled by all the colors, costumes and pageantry surrounding the parade, its participants and spectators. However, it was walking around at the Pride Festival after the parade that was most impactful for me.
I had never felt such warmth, love and acceptance at any function I had ever been to before. Since that time, when I want to feel that kind of unconditional kindness and love from complete strangers, I seek out those within the LGBTQ+ community. CW
Aselection of Pride-adjacent winners from City Weekly’s 2025 Best of Utah awards. Keep an eye out for the 2026 ballot in August, and remember to nominate and vote for your favorite local LGBTQ businesses, artists and performers.
Salt Lake City is known for many things, but over the years Pride Month events have gotten bigger, better and more fun. Geared to the hyperlocal, the SLC Pride organization hosts events throughout the year, with its June festivities being the centerpiece. Their programming is an accessible and stylish way of letting our LGBTQIA+ friends and family know that they are not only welcome, but very much loved. slc-pride.org
2. Utah Pride Festival & Parade
3. Utah Arts Festival
Can you imagine explaining what Why Kiki is to a Utah time-traveler from the distant past? Why Kiki is one of the most fun places to spend a night in the city, especially if there’s a drag show. whykikibar.com
2. The SunTrapp
3. MILK +
This certified silly goose is being recognized for the third consecutive year. Sorensen helms Crowdsourced Comedy, a queer- and Black-owned comedy troupe that performs Sundays and Fridays at Why Kiki. A former language instructor at the Missionary Training Center, Sorensen knows what makes Utahns laugh. He continues to push the boundaries of sass, while also teaching others his ways through Crowdsourced’s improv classes. IG: @kcraigsorensen
2. Mayor Wren
3. Chan B
Lucero Hair and Wellness
What sets a good drag performer apart? Not only the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to even grace a stage, but also the quality of live vocals, lipsyncing and storytelling through costume and presence. Sequoia embodies all of this and more with her snatched wigs and sequined bodices that pull you in and wanting more. Follow her on Instagram to keep track of her “Save Her” tour: @theonlysequoia.
2. Madazon Can-Can
3. Hoe Shi Minh
As Salt Lake City continues to grow, its nightlife only blossoms into ever more unique and interesting forms. If you are looking to dance the night away, look no further than Why Kiki and its Silent Disco events every weekend. The club also boasts a solid lineup of performers through its rotating shows and weekly lip sync battles, where you can always expect great music and great vibes. whykikibar.com
(Dance Club):
2. The SunTrapp
3. MILK+
(Nightclub DJ Line-up):
2. Sky SLC
3. MILK+
It’s not just a barbershop or salon—Lucero Hair and Wellness is where the city comes to feel seen. This gender-neutral, queer- and trans-friendly space guarantees great haircuts every time. With a no-tipping policy and fair wages for staff, Lucero is rooted in equity and care. Every year, they host a back-toschool haircut event, offering free cuts and school supplies to students. They also hold workshops and classes that empower and connect the community. At Lucero, we not only feel seen and respected, we feel celebrated. What can we say? We love them. lucerohairandwellness.com
2. Jed’s Barber Shop
3. The Blade Maiden
Utah prides itself in being familyfriendly, but the options for an excursion can sometimes be difficult to parse through. Many right-wingers will have you believe that LGBTQ+ events by definition are inappropriate for children, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. SLC Pride’s summer festival aims to be inclusive, educational and celebratory for a wide range of ages, going so far as to include a youth zone and allowing free admittance to attendees aged 17 and younger. slc-pride.com
2. Snowbird Oktoberfest
3. Living Traditions Festival
BY GRACE X. MAYA comments@cityweekly.net
The following article was originally published as part of City Weekly’s 2026 City Guide, available online at cityweekly.net and at partner locations in and around Salt Lake City.
The 2026 legislative session passed two more anti-trans bills. Rep. David Shallenberger, R-Orem, amended the Utah Fair Housing Act to allow discrimination on the basis of biological sex, empowering landlords to discriminate against transgender individuals in single-sex housing via HB404 . The bill enhances last year’s anti-trans dormitory bills to allow private landlords to designate units as “all female” based on biological sex. They would be able to terminate leases for individuals found to be transgender within the gender-exclusive units. The law appears in violation of the Federal Fair Housing Act, although legal challenges have yet to be announced.
HB174 prohibits hormone therapy and puberty blockers for transgender youths. The change will go into effect on January 28, 2027 and affect any minors not diagnosed with gender dysphoria prior to January 28, 2023. While minors over the age of 16 will be allowed to continue hormone therapy, younger transgender youths will be forced to cease treatment over the next year.
“Mental health providers’ job is to help people adjust to reality, not avoid it,” said sponsor Rep. Rex Shipp, R-Cedar City. “Instead of encouraging young people to reject their bodies, we need to help them reconcile distressed emotional feelings.”
The law will not affect minors on hormone therapy due to unrelated health issues such as precocious puberty or endometriosis. Hormone therapy is still legal for menopausal women.
Liz Pitts (she/they) serves as the president and CEO of the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce. The organization represents roughly 300 LGBTQ+ and allied businesses across the state, including health organizations such as UAF Legacy Health, which provides HIV support and STI testing alongside hormone therapy. Pitts feared the economic ramifications of both bills.
“The passage of these kinds of bills advances Utah’s reputation as a hate
state,” Pitts said. “As a hate-state, corporations are choosing not to relocate here and create jobs in our state. It’s not bringing new people to spend money, or to rent and buy homes. The general economic impact is real.”
There are legal ramifications as well, particularly surrounding HB404.
“We’re going to have landlords who may not understand they’re breaking federal law because the Utah state legislature said it’s okay to do so,” Pitts said. “They’re exposing themselves to liability lawsuits. Not only will the legislature and state potentially have to spend quite a bit of money defending this illegal action, but the landlords, the business owners themselves may be at risk.”
Similar anti-trans bills, such a bathroom bill passed in North Carolina in 2017, have cost states billions of lost corporate relocation and tourist dollars. “There are people actively leaving our state. Individuals who do not identify as LGBTQ, but their children do,” Pitts said. “They are making decisions based on the health and safety of their family members.” CW
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Young chef Ryan Shane uses the entirety of local, seasonal ingredients to guide his menus.
BY GENEVIEVE VAHL comments@cityweekly.net
Despite a full-time training schedule as a speed skater for the U.S. National Team, Chef Ryan Shane wanted to make sure his culinary skills stayed sharp like the knives in his roll-up sleeve.
“I wanted a chance to express my creative side as a chef, while practicing the skills and techniques needed to be a top level chef. I figured a pop-up would be the best way to achieve all of that,” Shane said. “The pop-up is one of the ways I can take advantage of my free time to still continue to further my career and culinary skills while training full time.”
With a pedigree that includes working as Junior Sous Chef at the James Beard Award-nominated Oquirrh (368 E. 100 South)—I first met him when I worked there as a server—Chef Shane has taken to hosting his pop-up event, Sisu, after the Finnish word for “perseverance.”
Based on the food that Chef Shane presented, you would be hard pressed to guess that he has not yet turned 22 years old. He has trained in kitchens around the country, including the three-Michelinstarred Eleven Madison Park in New York City and Smyth in Chicago, respectively, with additional stints at Chicago’s oneMichelin-starred Boka and the nowclosed Reverie in Washington, D.C. With whatever time Chef Ryan still has, he is completing his degree in Hospitality Management at the University of Utah.
at Picnic Cafe now for two years running and rooted in Nordic and French cuisines, Sisu prioritizes sustainability in its use of fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, while making sure to use the entirety of the ingredient—whether from animal or vegetable. “When we don’t use all the parts of an animal that we killed for food, we essentially are just killing an animal only to throw it away and waste it,” Shane said. “It’s our ethical responsibility not to waste it.”
On this tasting menu, we saw the liver, shoulder, fat, skin, loin, belly, bones and shanks of Red Wattle pork; the breast, thigh, skin, fat and bones of a golden chicken; the head, fat, shells, legs and body meat of the Dungeness crab. Parsnips were made into ice cream, and their skins were caramelized into chips.
“Throughout the seasons, we preserve and ferment produce at its peak, building a larder that we can showcase yearround,” Shane said of his ethos behind the project.
Each table setting included a warm watered towelette, essenced with herbs from Frog Bench Farm that sprung up from a condensed puck, to start the evening. I counted 13 different courses over the three-hour seating, all intricately designed as if by an artist at their easel. The first dish of the evening ended up being one of my favorites: an American wagyu beef tartar and spring onion, served on a soft crumpet and garnished with shaved allium and crowned with flower blossoms. The wagyu was tender, and although raw, it had a smoky grilled flavor that was complemented by the spring freshness of the alliums. It was simple, it was light, it was full-bodied—and I wanted more.
Another dish showcased a slice of sourdough from a 150-year-old starter provided by one of Chef Shane’s sous
chefs. Fried and painted with molasses, the sourdough was rich, caramelized and decadently melt-in-your mouth. The bread was also topped with grated horseradish, porcini mornay sauce and a local, crystallized white cheese aged in porcini powder. The whole masterpiece was then sprayed with horseradish vinegar. This dish recontextualized a familiar and nostalgic flavor like molasses, while offering a fresh bite with the horseradish. The sourdough didn’t cut the roof of my mouth, but rather melted on my tongue, soft and plush. As a Wisconsin German, I could always go for more of that horseradish kick to come through, but perhaps that is not the most palatable for the pungent-averse.
The other major highlight of the evening was a chowder made with Dungeness crab, fermented white asparagus butter and swimming with Japanese sweet potatoes. The chowder was beyond divine, and I could hear the oohs and ahhs across the room as we were all spellbound by its charm. The sweet potatoes added a creaminess and sweetness to the lumps of crab that were soft bite-size maritime surprises. A butter-based cream sauce would seem to trend toward heavy, but Chef Shane made such a gluttonous dreamy broth feel light and springy.
Sisu happens once a year, and Chef Shane hires some of his culinary buddies both locally and from his connections across the country to help fulfill the vision. It is refreshing to see lads no older than myself making something extremely sophisticated happen from start to finish. From the ethics behind his menu curation and creative spins on local, seasonal ingredients, down to the silverware, napkins and dishware used throughout the night, Chef Ryan Shane certainly has a honed vision that is becoming clearer with each experience. CW
2 Row Brewing
73 West 7200 South, Midvale
2RowBrewing.com
On Tap: Elder Berry - Fruited Blonde Ale
Avenues Proper
376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com
On Tap: Drop Top - English summer ale (collab with Salt Flats)
Bewilder Brewing
445 S. 400 West, SLC
BewilderBrewing.com
On Tap: Pink Boots - Pink Pony Pilz
Bohemian Brewery
94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com
NEW Releases: Kölsch, Dusseldorfer “Alt” Bier
Bonneville Brewery
1641 N. Main, Tooele
BonnevilleBrewery.com
On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale
Chappell Brewing
2285 S Main Street, SLC chappell.beer
On Tap: Pie Hole - Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale
Craft by Proper
1053 E. 2100 So., SLC properbrewingco.com
On Tap: El Hefe - Hefeweizen
Desert Edge Brewery
273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com
On Tap: Edge’s Special Bitter ESB
Epic Brewing Co.
825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com
On Tap: A rotation of 8 new draft beers!
Etta Place Cidery
700 W Main St, Torrey EttaPlaceCider.com
On Tap: 435 Hopped Cider, Pineapple-Passion Fruit Session Mead
Fisher Brewing Co.
320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com
On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers!
Grid City Beer Works
333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com
In a Can: Extra Pale Ale
Heber Valley Brewing
501 N. Main Street, Heber City hebervalleybrewing.com Freshly Canned: 435 Pale Ale 6% ABV
Helper Beer
159 N Main Street, Helper helperbeer.com
Hopkins Brewing Co.
1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com
On Tap: Stonewall Sour Saison
Kiitos Brewing
608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com
On Draft: Bliss IPA (Extremely Small Batch)
Kiitos Brewing Sugar House Bar 1533 S. 1100 East, SLC KiitosBrewing.com
On Draft: Bliss IPA (Extremely Small Batch)
Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Nitro Sinday Pale Ale
Level Crossing Brewing, POST 550 South 300 West, Suite 100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Helles Munich Pale Lager
Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com
On Tap: “Big Drop” West Coast Pilsner
Mountain West Cider
425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com
On Tap: Mango Karma (Mango chai hard cider)
Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/ On Tap: DOPO IPA
Ogden Beer Company 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenBeerCompany.com
On Tap: 11 rotating taps as well as high point cans and guest beers
Park City Brewing 1764 Uinta Way C1 ParkCityBrewing.com
On Tap: Hefe Yeah Brother!
Prodigy Brewing
25 W Center St., Logan Prodigy-brewing.com
On Tap: 302 Czech Pilsner
Proper Brewing/Proper Burger 857 & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com On Tap: Concerning Hops - West Coast IPA
A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week
Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Concerning HopsWest Coast IPA
Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com
On Tap: Gypsy Scratch
Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com
On Tap: Grand Bavaria
Red Rock Kimball Junction 1640 Redstone Center Redrockbrewing.com
On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier
RoHa Brewing Project
30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com
On Tap: Bramble Brown
Roosters Brewing
Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com
On Tap: Hibiscus Sour
SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, SLC SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Hard Ginger Beer
Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com
On Tap: OPEN ROAD SERIES #3Barrel Aged Grand Cru
Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com
On Tap: Rosé Ruckus 7.2% ABV
Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek secondsummitcider.com On Tap: Blackberry Lime
Shades Brewing 1388 S. 300 West, SLC ShadesBrewing.beer New Batch: Raspberry Pistachio Sour Ale
Shades On State 366 S. State Street, SLC Shadesonstate.com On Tap: Six Wheat Under Hefeweizen
Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George SGBev.com
Squatters Pub Sugar House 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC squatterspubs.com On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Big U Pilsner
Squatters Brew Pub West Valley 3555 Constitution Blvd, West Valley City squatterspubs.com
On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Acapulco Gold Mexican Lager
Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC squatterspubs.com
On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Emigration Amber Ale
Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi
3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: “Virgil the Guide” (Italian Pilsner); “Smiles und Sunshine” (German Leichtes Weizen)
Strap Tank Brewery, Springville
596 S 1750 W, Springville StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: “Orange Hopsicle” Hazy Pale; “Trouble” American Sour with Mango and Passionfruit
TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com
On Tap: Twelve taps and high point cans available.
Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com
On Tap: Berry Keller (Kellerbier); Save the Fkn Bees (Smoked Honey Kolsch)
Thieves Guild Cidery 117 W. 900 South, SLC thievesguildcidery.com NEW: Seaside CitadelPineapple and passion fruit cider with a hint of sea salt | 6.5%
Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com
On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer
UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com
On Tap: Bar Down IPA
Vernal Brewing
55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com
Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com
Tropical fruit, bright citrus and smooth creamsicle collide in these flavor-packed pours.
BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer
Chappell - Udder Butter: This beer was brewed to mimic the creamsicle flavor experience without leaning on the usual shortcuts. From the first pour, it throws off bright waves of sweet citrus aroma that fondly recall those classic frozen orange treats from childhood. Fresh orange zest, tangerine and soft candied citrus dominate the nose, while a restrained touch of vanilla quietly rounds everything out in the background. The balance here is key. The vanilla never becomes sugary or artificial; it simply softens the edges and lets the citrus glow.
What’s especially impressive is the texture. Somehow, despite the absence of lactose (milk sugars), the beer delivers a remarkably creamy mouthfeel that genuinely mimics melted ice cream. Whether it’s from a specialized yeast character, clever adjunct use or some advanced brewing wizardry, the result works beautifully. The body feels plush and smooth without becoming heavy, allowing the beer to stay dangerously drinkable from start to finish.
Flavor-wise, the citrus character carries beautifully onto the palate. Juicy orange, creamsicle candy and subtle marmalade notes spread across the tongue before that silky vanilla creaminess folds everything together. There’s enough sweetness to evoke dessert, but it never crosses into cloying territory. A light underlying bitterness and clean finish help keep the beer balanced and surprisingly refreshing considering the richness of the profile.
Then there’s the hidden danger: the 9.0 percent ABV. It is astonishingly wellconcealed. There’s barely a trace of heat or booziness, making this one of those beers that can sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention. It drinks smooth, soft and is incredibly approachable for something carrying that much strength.
Verdict: This is an outstanding ex-
ample of a modern creamsicle-inspired beer done right—flavorful, balanced, creamy and wildly drinkable. Absolutely delish, in 16-oz. cans to enjoy at Chappell Brewing or to take home.
Hopkins - Hop Goddess: There’s always something special about a beer brewed with purpose, and this Pink Boots collaboration release delivers both meaningful intent and seriously enjoyable drinking. Crafted in support of the Pink Boots Society, the beer celebrates an organization dedicated to uplifting women and non-binary people throughout the fermented beverage industry. What began as a community for women beer professionals has evolved alongside the industry itself, growing into an international network focused on education, inclusion and opportunity.
Thankfully, the beer more than lives up to the spirit behind it. The 2026 Pink Boots hop blend combines Ekuanot, Centennial, HBC 638 and Mosaic, and the resulting profile is wonderfully layered from the very first sniff. Big tropical fruit notes leap from the glass immediately, backed by juicy citrus and ripe stonefruit character. There’s also a softer side working underneath it all—subtle floral tones and delicate berry-like aromatics that keep the hops feeling expressive without becoming aggressive.
The palate follows through beautifully. Bright mango, orange zest, peach and mixed tropical flavors move across the tongue with a rounded, polished delivery. The creamy mouthfeel is one of the beer’s strongest qualities, giving the hops a smooth, almost pillowy texture that makes every sip feel fuller and more immersive. Even with all the fruitforward intensity, the finish remains balanced and clean, never veering into overly sweet territory.
What really stands out is how complete the beer feels. It’s vibrant without being chaotic, hop-forward without palate fatigue, and approachable while still offering enough depth for seasoned IPA drinkers to appreciate.
Verdict: This is the kind of beer you sit with for a while instead of rushing through. Definitely worth carving out some time for—both for the quality in the glass and the mission it proudly represents. Draft only at Hopkins Brewing Company.
As always, cheers! CW
BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer
Local drag troupe The Matrons of Mayhem will be headlining two brunch shows (one at 10 a.m. and one at 12:30 p.m.) at Bambara (bambara-slc.com) on June 6 for a positively delicious Pride Month kickoff. The three-course brunch menu will include a wide variety of options, starting with a choice of melon and berry salad infused with passionfruit, or a honey-glazed bun topped with cinnamon granola and caramelized pecans. Entrees include a choice of seafood-centric pappardelle cioppino or a short rib hash benedict. The dessert course will feature a peanut butter crunch bar and a sable cookie. A portion of all proceeds will go directly to the Queens and The Trevor Project.
Park City’s Alpine Distilling recently announced a retail partnership with Whole Foods Market that will earn the award-winning distillery even more national recognition. Select Whole Foods Markets in Nevada, Wyoming and Illinois will begin stocking Alpine’s Elevated Gin and Spicy Lafayette. The partnership in these particular markets will no doubt put Alpine Distilling on the radar of some national foodie hotspots, continuing to spotlight the quality of our local distillery. Of course, Utah’s liquor laws prohibit the sale of spirits in grocery stores, so locals will want to stock up on their gin directly at the distillery in Park City.
I’ve been keeping an eye on the uphill battle that the South Jordan location of Warrens (mywarrens.com) waged, and I’m a bit sad to say that the location has officially closed its doors. Warrens and its sister restaurant Dylan’s are a local chain of diners that are primarily located up north in Syracuse, Kaysville and Ogden. Warrens South Jordan spent a few years in the area that became developed as The District, and persevered despite the rising rent costs and arrival of national chains like Raising Cane’s. It also didn’t help that this legacy diner’s South Jordan building looked an awful lot like a bank. I watched as the restaurant invested in banners and signs to boost traffic, but these efforts unfortunately weren’t enough. You fought the good fight, Warrens.
Quote of the Week: “The sooner the tea’s out the way, the sooner we can get out the gin.” –Henry Reed
Power Ballad continues a filmmaker’s quest to celebrate songs written from the heart.
BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw
About mid-way through co-writer/director John Carney’s Power Ballad, his protagonist, Rick Power (Paul Rudd)—an American-born musician now fronting a Dublin-based wedding band—spots a street busker singing “Falling Slowly,” the Oscar-winning song from Carney’s 2007 debut feature Once. It’s a fun nod to the 20-year career Carney has built on movies like Begin Again, Sing Street and Flora and Son that celebrate the power of music, but the context in which the song appears also proves significant, as Rick witnesses a couple of teenagers steal the cash from the busker’s guitar case. The busker merely shrugs at Rick’s indignant reaction; the money is easy-come-easy-go, while the song itself is what really matters. That notion proves important to what Carney wants to say, which feels in keeping with the arc of his filmmaking. Rick, we learn, once had dreams of rock stardom, but left his band while touring in Ireland after falling in love with his wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), and having their now-14-year-old daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon). Carney stages a great early scene in which Rick diverges from the band’s regular list of pop favorites to play one of his original songs, imagining himself on a stage for an adoring arena crowd, only to open his eyes and discover that he’s cleared the dance floor. “We’re human jukeboxes,” one of Rick’s bandmates chides, but Rick still can’t entirely let go of the creative life he thinks he might have had.
The unexpected twist comes when, at one of the band’s gigs, Rick meets Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a childhood friend of the groom and a former boy-band star struggling to establish a career as a solo artist. Over a joint and several drinks post-reception, Rick and Danny start tossing song ideas back and forth—and one of those ideas, Rick’s never-quite-finished fragment “How to Write a Song (Without You),” sticks in Danny’s head, and becomes a hit single that Rick only learns about when he hears it playing months later in a shopping mall.
The premise could easily have been the stuff of farcical comedy, and indeed Carney finds some laughs in Rick’s quest to get his contribution to the song acknowledged, particularly once Rick teams up with his impulsive bandmate Sandy (Peter McDonald, who co-wrote the script). Rudd’s performance makes great use of his put-upon Everyman demeanor, and even the fact that the perpetually boyish actor is finally starting to look closer to his late-50s age.
But this isn’t primarily a comedy, nor is
it a full-on musical in the way that Once and Sing Street were. It still boasts catchy tunes by Carney and regular collaborator Gary Clark (whose former Scottish band Danny Wilson provided the name for Jonas’ character), and if you’ve seen any John Carney movie, you know that he’s going to make the relationship between two central characters revolve around a moment in which they write a song together. The filmmaker’s comfort zone is a pretty narrow groove, and Power Ballad absolutely rides in it.
If there’s been one constant in the emotional core of Carney’s oeuvre, though, it’s the idea that songs are just a conduit for the emotions people need to express, whether to other people in their lives or to themselves. Rick insists he doesn’t need actual compensation from Danny for his part in writing the song, merely an admission that it was the case, because of what Rick eventually reveals about what “How to Write a Song (Without You)” means to him. There’s a tangle in Rick’s life between what he gave up to be a husband and father, and what he gained from that choice, and the song
stands as a pivot point for helping him understand his place on the path he chose. It’s certainly possible that Power Ballad could end up feeling too familiar to anyone who knows Carney’s previous work, and there’s nothing groundbreaking in its crowd-pleasing formula. Maybe it’s even a cliché for a musician character to insist, perhaps too strongly, that it’s not about the fame and fortune, but about the art Still, there’s always something charming in the way Carney centers people, with music simply the way they communicate things they couldn’t express otherwise. Someone can run off with your money, but not with the tune that comes from your heart to touch someone else’s. CW
BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl
Summertime is prime for festivals and concerts. A few festivals have already passed by, but worry not, as there are plenty more to come, in addition to tons of local shows. Here are some updates on upcoming festivals and new releases from local artists to check out.
Park City Song Summit: This festival is one of the state’s unique and beloved events, bringing together music, wellness and connection. This year’s lineup includes acts like Jim James, Sierra Hull, Steve Poltz, Aiko & Friends and many others. There will also be culinary guests like Andrew Zimmern, Damaris Phillips and Sean Brock.
The summit goes beyond just enjoying live music and chatting with pros about their craft; the goal is to have a deeper experience. Between the live music, wellness programs, food trucks and more events to be announced, there’s something for everyone. The Park City Song Summit is Thursday, Aug. 27 - Saturday, Aug. 29. For more info and updates, head to songsummit.com.
KRCL’s Day in The Park: Another event that focuses on community connection, KRCL’s Day in The Park takes place at the International Peace Gardens on August 29. This is a family-friendly event full of activities for kids, and you’ll be able to bring chairs and blankets to plop on the grass with and spend the whole day having a good time. The all-local lineup includes Flamingo Jazz, Jazzy Olivio, Brazuca Band, Pearly
Blue and Daniel Young & the Rambling Roses. The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. with the music performances spread throughout the day. Mark your calendars and check out krcl.org for more info.
Provo Rooftop Concert Series: After six years, this beloved series has returned, and kicked off their comeback with groups like I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, Sego and Pinguin Mofex.
“We’re really excited to bring the Rooftop Concert Series back at a moment when it feels especially meaningful,” stated Sarah Wiley, co-founder of the series, in a recent press release. “There’s a shared history here—people who grew up coming to these shows, discovering local music, and spending magical summer nights together. We’re incredibly grateful to the artists, the city, and the community who made this series so special, and we’re excited to build on that again this summer.”
The next show on June 26 features The Moss, Beeson and Bonneville. There will be a monthly show until September, so don’t miss out. For more info head to rooftopconcertseries.com.
No Such Animal, Silly Songs with No Such Animal: At the end of May, rockers No Such Animal released a series of song tidbits that vent frustrations that many are likely feeling right now.
“Sometimes we like to participate in the oldest American tradition, complaining about the incompetence of the government,” the group notes on BandCamp. One of the tracks, “The Great Salt (Lake),” came out in response to all of the AI data center fuckery that’s been happening since early May. While the song clocks in at just 38 seconds, the band says plenty in that time.
“They will drain every inch of the Great Salt Lake / Fill your lungs with the arsenic that they will make / But they don’t care / They don’t care what people say / They’re not the ones who can make it rain / Once again they went and sold you out / They chose an AI data center in your home town / They chose Kevin O’Leary over you and your
family / And they’d do it all again,” they sing. It’s honestly a great anthem for those feeling upset by this decision made by Box Elder County officials—which is seemingly everyone.
Some of their other tracks touch on topics like Turbo Tax lobbying Congress, The White House ballroom and Senator Lindsey Graham hanging out at Disney World during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. BandCamp: nosuchanimal. bandcamp.com/album/silly-songs-withno-such-animal
Josaleigh Pollett, “The Witness”: Building up to a July album release, singer/songwriter Josaleigh Pollett has been releasing singles here and there, giving listeners something to look forward to. The latest is “The Witness,” a track with a fun, upbeat electronic vibe.
“‘The Witness’ is a song about knowing that to be seen and held and understood, you must first see and hold and understand,” Pollett notes on BandCamp. “It’s about love, beyond limits and gender, across multiple universes. It’s also a little bit about deleting my Twitter account.” Pollett’s vocals on this track sound ethereal; paired with the music, it’ll make you feel like you’re floating away. You’ll be able to catch another new single on June 23 and again on July 14 before the full album drops on July 24. Be sure not to miss the upcoming singles and the tour Pollett is currently on. BandCamp: josaleighpollett.bandcamp.com
Those are but a few of the latest updates on upcoming events and new releases from local artists. Stay on the ball and don’t miss out on all of the music festivities that summer 2026 has to offer. CW
TUESDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
From small beginnings in Brewer, Maine, to millions of listeners online and fans in the crowd, Howie Day brings his countrywide tour to Salt Lake City on June 4. Beginning in the late 1990s with a demo EP, Day self-produced his debut album Australia in 2000, followed in 2003 by his highly-credited record Stop All The World Now. His sound is reminiscent of the 2000s Weezer, Coldplay and Plain White T’s era, with an emotional, acoustic influence at the forefront. Listening to his discography, each track would pair well with a coming-of-age film as the protagonist is at their lowest, walking toward an endless road as the lights fade to darkness, especially well-known tracks like “Collide” and “She Says.” Day’s music also sounds like the early days of autumn, as the leaves begin to fall and the world becomes quiet, his voice becomes the only thing carrying you through long walks on cloudy days and drives through the canyon alone. Day is well-known for his live sound and performing with guitar pedals in front of him and samplers to accompany his solo acts. It has become an entire production and touring now, almost 30 years into his career, it’s sure to be a nostalgic event and an evening of tears. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. and tickets are $46. You can find your tickets now at thestateroompresents.com. You must be 21+ for entry. (Laney Hansen)
UPCOMING SHOWS
Gozu / Restless Spirit
Fai Laci
Moon Owl’s Mages PROBLEMS
Stepmom
Ice Out Benefit Show
This weekend, Salt Lake City will be full of rainbows, love, music and lots of fun. It’s officially Utah Pride, and you can close out the final night with the event THE MOMENT AT THE DEPOT: Brat Anniversary Pride Afterparty. A special artist, Missionaire, will play global dance music to keep the party going. The Greek DJ and electronic music producer is known for their blend of Afro and Melodic House and plays raw, pure analog sets with energetic performances paired with vibrant, vocal-driven and highly hypnotic grooves. For example, the track “Closer” is smooth, vocal-heavy Afro House sound, while “Fly Solo” is a more modern Afro House sound that is both uplifting and groovy. Missionaire’s original mix of “Whisper” is bouncier, whereas the original mix of “Reputation” is ethereal and more of a deep house song with African-inspired drums. Then, of course, his well-known remix of Alicia Keys’ “No One” reimagines the classic R&B vocals over rhythmic, Afro House beats perfect for the dance floor. Atmospheric and emotional melodic sounds with the signature percussive elements of Afro House that are consistent with Missionaire’s sets will keep the good vibes and party going! After Pride, pull up to The Depot on Sunday, June 7 at 8 p.m. Early Bird General Admissions costs $18 while Tier 2 costs $24. Prices will continue to increase as it gets closer to the event. You can purchase yours at ticketmaster.com. (Arica Roberts)
Friends don’t let friends pay full price. Friends don’t let friends pay full price.
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Coming out of Akron, Ohio in the early 2000s, The Black Keys quickly established their place at the front of the garage-rock revival. To be sure, there had been rock duos before, but the pairing of Dan Auerbach (guitar and vocals) with drummer Patrick Carney started with a blues-based foundation, drawing from other American forms including soul and classic rock to craft a sound that was distinctive even while being rooted in tradition. As expressed on early releases like 2002’s The Big Come Up and Thickfreakness (2003), The Black Keys’ stripped-down aesthetic emphasized simplicity, with Auerbach’s distorted guitar and rough-hewn vocals, all wrapped in a deep groove. Subsequent releases found the duo widening their sonic approach and making fuller use of studio technology. While earlier albums were critically lauded, by the time of 2010’s Brothers , the duo was enjoying multi-Platinum album sales and worldwide success. The Black Keys landed five Grammy Awards between 2011 and 2013. The duo’s most recent album, Peaches! was released in May 2026; that record immediately charted in 15 countries. With support act Fai Laci, The Black Keys come to the Ogden Amphitheater for an all-ages show on Tuesday, June 9 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $46.39 and are available at 24tix.com. (Bill Kopp)
Southern hip-hop is all over the map, and New Orleans native Terius Gray—a.k.a. Juvenile—has always been ahead of the curve. It’s a shame really that the mainstream was slow to catch up with him, as it wasn’t until 1999 when he dropped the chart-topping “Back That Azz Up” (radio edit: “Back That Thang Up”) that the media paid attention, but all his stuff is worth checking out. It’s catchy, and when it comes to his audience, it leaves a lasting effect. “I just try to make good music and please my fans, the ones who’ve been supporting me from day one, you know?” Juvenile told Revolt. “I think that’s all I can do, right? And try to have my hands really wrapped around the things that I can control. But, everything outside of that is just lagniappe (extra).” Juvenile creates entertainment and
escapism, like action films. And like summer blockbusters, it tends not to be about yesterday or tomorrow. Does it bang in the now? He has three RIAA certified platinum LPs (with 400 Degreez being 4x platinum), his 2023’s NPR Tiny Desk performance was the textbook definition of “Renaissance Man” and his latest project from earlier this year, Boiling Point, was well received by critics and fans alike. Don’t call it a comeback; he never left. Chris Ennis opens. Catch these artists on the Boiling Point Album Release Tour at The Complex on Tuesday, June 9. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $44.68 and can be found at axs.com. (Mark Dago)
The golden age of roots reggae produced some of the most extraordinary music in the world—and Winston Rodney (a.k.a. Burning Spear) was right there in the middle of it. His songs “Slavery Days” and “Christopher Columbus” explain the most complex, controversial topics in the clearest, most concise form. Creating some of the best songs ever, they have the lyrics, the vibes and the tune, the unearthly power to move your very core (those horns!). It’s too often forgotten that Marcus Garvey had been mostly erased from popular history until Burning Spear’s Marcus Garvey was released. Each one teaches one. “Sometimes we as artists can’t explain ourselves just by talking. Through the music we explain how much we hurt, the things that hurt us, what’s been done to us,” Rodney told Grammy. “As artists and players of instruments, we have to talk of these things, so the world will hear fully what we’ve been through.” The thing about Spear’s singing that is unique is the way he pitches the notes, often about a quarter tone out, deliberately (see Man in the Hills especially). It’s instantly recognizable. If you like your reggae rootsy, Rastafied, political and spiritual, then you should not miss this hypnotic performer. Behold the spear burning. Jesse Royal opens. Catch these musicians on the Continuation of the Marcus Garvey Self Reliance Tour in honor of Mrs. Rodney at The Commonwealth Room on Wednesday, June 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $55 and can be found at axs.com. (Mark Dago)
BY ROB BREZSNY
(March 21-April 19)
You are often the best possible remedy for the stale, unoriginal thinking that is festering in your vicinity. And you are especially so these days, Aries. Others might have the gall to disrupt the deadening status quo, but you have the charm to do it without scorching every bridge and laying waste to the land. So I invite you to step into the role of cheerful troublemaker. Unleash your iconoclastic sparks with the intention of making life friskier and more imaginative, not more tangled and irritating.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
In many farming cultures, including parts of India, growers speak or sing to their crops as they walk through the fields. It’s a gesture of personal care that mirrors growing scientific interest in how plants respond to sound and vibration. Some studies suggest that plants exposed to sustained speech and song may grow more vigorously. Your assignment in the coming weeks, Taurus, is to speak to the growing things in your life with similar devotion. Talk to your projects. Sing to your relationships. Tell jokes to your dreams. The universe is extra responsive to your sweet voice.
(May 21-June 20)
Neurologist Oliver Sacks said, “I am haunted by the density of experience.” He meant that every moment contains far more richness than we can fully register or remember. This observation will be especially relevant for you in the coming weeks. Your mind (and heart!) will be flooded with an abundance of stimuli, ideas, feelings and impressions. It might initially feel overwhelming, but will ultimately be a boon—especially if you prepare yourself for the intensity and abundance. Imagine yourself standing next to a fountain and feeling cheerful about getting soaked.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
You have superpowers that hardened hearts and tough guys can’t fathom. Receptivity is a key part of your genius, for example. Emotional fluency is at the root of your intelligence. Your ability to feel so much and so deeply makes you dangerous to status quos managed by people who overthink everything. Wait! There’s more. You can nurture without smothering and protect without imprisoning. You wield the powers of memory without being enslaved by nostalgia. You make home a verb, not a noun, as you build shelter for yourself and your tribe. I hope you will express these gorgeous talents to the max in the coming weeks and months.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
An astrologer rooted in older traditions might claim that now is an ideal time to promote your personal agenda through sly, gossipy maneuvering. But since I am devoted to building a new culture grounded in compassionate values that nourish the soul, my message is different. I’m pleased to tell you that the coming weeks will be a potent phase to engage in elevating gossip that serves the greater good, to celebrate unsung heroes, and to call attention to everything that is thriving. For practical dreamers like you and me, carelessly speaking ill of others undermines our own aspirations. One of the most effective ways to expand our own possibilities is to use the power of language to boost other people’s chances for joy and success.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
The ancient Library of Alexandria contained over half a million scrolls. If you devoted eight hours a day to reading, you could finish about 5,000 books over the course of your life. The librarians back then knew they would never read all the texts they managed and protected. Their job wasn’t to consume all knowledge but to be stewards of abundance. They’re good role models for you, Virgo. The wonderful fact is that you don’t have to master every single thing that attracts your attention. Your far more relaxing task is to curate with care and wisdom. Your growing edge is to know what to preserve and what to release. One of your noblest projects is to commune pleasurably with the intriguing mysteries that life brings you, not obsess on them.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Libra psychologist Carol Dweck distinguishes between fixed mindsets (“I’m not smart enough”) and growth mindsets (“I can become smarter”). When you have a fixed mindset, obstacles weigh you down. With a growth mindset, they motivate you to develop. What determines your trajectory isn’t your current skill level but how you relate to your edge. With this in mind, Libra, I invite you to monitor your self-talk as you encounter challenges. Are you prone to thinking that limitations are permanent, or do you see them as temporary states you can use as opportunities? You now have a good chance to instill the latter as a root habit.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
What’s something you wish you could change about yourself? Is it a trait, pattern, fear or story about your body? And what exactly tells you that this can never change? Is it loyalty to old expectations or a rotting prophecy someone laid on you? Consider the possibility that maybe the “can’t” is really a “won’t,” or a “don’t know how yet,” or “I’m afraid of who I’d be without this.” Then imagine that you don’t have to transform this thing instantly, but, for starters, need only shift it by 10 percent in the direction of mercy and freedom. What small, specific action would generate that 10 percent?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
What’s your most vital relationship? I dare you to surprise each other in the coming weeks. Refresh your bond with playful experimentation. Here are adventures you two could explore: 1. Take a walk together with no destination in mind, letting curiosity guide you. Talk about the paths you have not yet taken in life but might like to. 2. Describe the most beautiful future you can imagine for each other. Share practical steps you could take to make these scenarios happen. 3. Choose a food treat you both love, speak a blessing over it, then eat it slowly together as you name what you are most grateful for in your connection.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Chess masters and accomplished musicians practice differently from amateurs. They focus most intensely on their weak points, less so on rehearsing what they already do well. It’s uncomfortable to confront inadequacy, but they’re better for it. In my astrological opinion, Capricorn, you should specialize in a similar courage during the coming weeks. I invite you to direct your generous attention toward your shakiest skills and most uncertain territories. Glorious growth will happen at the edge of your competence.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Be more like a lightning storm over a green meadow and less like a porch light attracting moths. Be more like a spiritual riddle in an ecstatic poem and less like a slogan printed on a T-shirt. Be more like a Miles Davis improvisation and less like a tune played note -f or- note from the sheet music for a formulaic pop song. Can you stretch yourself into more fertile wildness, Aquarius? Will you expand your future with adventures that thrill your imagination? I believe you can and should. For bonus magic, be more like a dream of wandering in a rowdy paradise and less like the old version of yourself. Trust the frontier signals that make your pulse quicken, and speak less about the obvious truths that make everyone nod in agreement.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Are you ready to assess the state of your emotional pain? Every few years, I invite you to take stock. I ask you to reflect on how well you’ve been cultivating meaningful stress while avoiding useless pain and misery. So, how’s your progress since our last check-in? Have you improved at sidestepping dull torments you’ve relived a thousand times? Are you less vulnerable to being wounded by ignorant or thoughtless people? Can you more swiftly shake off the sting of minor troubles? Most importantly, are you increasingly magnetized to the intriguing dilemmas that challenge you to grow wiser and more resourceful?
There are things in life that just make sense, and I’ve noticed that we Americans could take tips from other countries on how to do things better and smarter.
Japan has public restrooms that play music to mask the sound of flushing, and some have readout screens that show which toilets are occupied so you don’t have to bend down and look for feet. They also have air showers that blow pollen off of people and their clothes to protect those with allergies, and even emergency toilets in some elevators (not kidding!).
The Auckland airport in New Zealand has a child’s toilet and an adult toilet in a single stall for parents to use.
1. Positive votes
5. Barcelona appetizers
10. Haggis vendor, usually
14. Hurting
15. Without ___ in the world
16. Base for poi
17. Mennen aftershave brand
19. Strummed instruments
20. Like U.S. phone numbers (including area codes)
21. YouTube offerings
23. Royal flush need
24. Fish nets
26. Some fast food freebies
30. #42
33. Numerical suffix
34. It contains the id
36. Brand of tea once owned by Starbucks
37. Adidas rival
39. Sign of summer
40. Rachel Maddow’s network, as of late 2025
Australia has been testing photoluminescent—glow in the dark—paint on roads that can glow for up to 10 hours after sunset. This improves nighttime visibility in rural and remote areas where there aren’t streetlights.
Texas has followed suit by adopting the technology—like at Texas A&M University, where there’s a glow-inthe-dark path at a campus intersection to help improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.
The Netherlands also has several glow-in-the-dark paths, as does Malaysia. South Korea has light-up lines on major street crosswalks.
Moscow’s traffic light poles light up when the traffic light changes so that drivers can see the color change better from yellow to red to green. Croatia’s benches in public areas have built-in phone chargers and public WI-Fi.
Several countries have pay toilets, which funds cleanliness and maintenance. And in the UK, there is an emergency button close to floor level in case you collapse and need assistance.
Seattle’s airport offers temporary soundproof office spaces for events or meetings. Other airports, including Salt Lake International Airport, have “phone booths” where you can sit with your laptop and talk without others hearing your conversation. This is a trend nationwide in airport lounges.
Italy has pet carts at grocery stores, so you don’t have to leave them outside tied to a railing. They also have bottle caps that stay attached to bottles, so you don’t drop or lose them. Germany has grocery carts with a special rack to hold cases of beer, and has cleaning machines for one’s cart if needed.
Movie theaters around the world are getting creative, with food and beverage delivery to patron seats, and comfy lounge chairs that heat, cool and massage. Croatian theaters have literal beds in the back row for folks who would rather lay down than sit.
There’s a ski resort in Japan that uses saltwater sprinklers to keep walkways from getting too icy and dangerous. Norway has free book libraries at some bus stops.
How about having the Utah Transit Authority put up more signage in downtown’s free fare zone to let people and conventioneers know they can get out of the hella heat this summer, and to help save energy through fewer cars on the street? There’s a thought! ■
41. Car sold at auction, maybe
42. Brief outline
44. Stranded material
45. Ozzy’s band, for short
47. Patrick who played McDreamy
49. Become fixated
51. “Aladdin” monkey
52. 2026 Winter Olympics country, locally
54. Ingrid Bergman’s “Casablanca” character
59. Golden Tempo’s mother, e.g.
60. Divisive political topic
62. Env. data
63. Owe ___ of gratitude
64. “The Incredibles” fashion designer Mode
65. “California Dreamin’” singer Elliot
66. “Say ___ the Dress” (TLC reality series)
67. Grains at the shore
DOWN
1. Helper, for short
2. Ox connector
3. Brockovich portrayed by Julia Roberts
4. “Where the Wild Things Are” author
5. Goals
6. Three-syllable berry
7. Agreements
8. “Where ___ you going with that thing?”
9. Submissive
10. Class members
11. Flat trays for weddings
12. Vegan and kosher cookie
13. Chuck
18. Arm muscle
22. Ending for some pasta varieties
25. It’s major when there’s a G#
26. Some custard fruits
27. Offshore
28. Recycled paper products used for backing
29. Air dwellers of folklore
31. O3
32. “That’s impossible!”
35. Intro to chemistry?
38. Fruit desserts
40. Bollywood’s home
42. Eroded
43. Words before “exist” or “be”
46. “___ was about to say ...”
48. Heartbeats
50. Entree go-withs
52. Colorful tech product of the late 1990s
Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.
BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL
Doctors at the Kursk Regional Hospital in Russia recently treated a 50-year-old man with an unusual MRI result: a nearly 5-inch-long piece of wood extending from the man’s eye socket to his skull, Oddity News reported on May 26. Back in 2024, the patient, Yuri, was doing yard work. He wasn’t wearing protective eye gear, so when he felt a sharp pain in his left eye, he assumed a small piece of wood had struck him while he was chopping maple branches. When the pain went away shortly after, he forgot about it, dealing with only the occasional flashes of pain in the years following. When he did seek medical help, ophthalmologists couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and their treatments were ineffective. Earlier this spring, his pain increased and his vision was starting to fade, so he headed for the hospital. “A CT scan performed at the regional hospital showed that the foreign body was a branch that penetrated the eye socket, destroying the sinuses and damaging the base of the skull in dangerous proximity to vital brain structures,” doctors said. Miraculously, doctors were able to remove the wood through the nasal passages—no brain surgery needed. Yuri’s vision came back, and he is expected to make a full recovery.
When Noreen Van Holstein and Lalita van Lamsweerde launched the WasteBar food truck in 2022 in The Netherlands, they weren’t sure how their idea for people to collect cigarette butts in exchange for Dutch pancakes would go over. “I wasn’t sure whether people would be apprehensive of picking up things from the ground,” Van Holstein said. “But immediately from the start, it was just positivity.” According to The Guardian the food truck “sells” poffertjes, or small Dutch pancakes, for 20 cigarettes. Patrons can also purchase other items, such as drinks, fruits and candies for varying amounts of butts and plastic. The WasteBar appears at various events throughout the year, including children’s events, festivals and business gatherings. Given the abundance of butts as litter and the difficulty of cleaning them up, the entrepreneurs are under no delusions that their food truck alone will solve the litter problem. Rather, they see the exchange of litter for food as a way to raise awareness. “We want to get people in action mode, and [hope] that by picking up litter, they would not litter any more, because we believe that once seen, it cannot be unseen,” Van Holstein said.
A Michigan, woman was found to have an entire bottle of wine in her person while being booked into the county jail. Monique Megchiani, 48, was arrested for trespassing at a pharmacy in Grand Traverse, The Smoking Gun reported on May 22. After checking her for weapons, officers attempted to load her into the squad car. According to the police report, “During this time, Megchiani advised that she was not able to get into the vehicle. After some convincing, Megchiani was able to slowly maneuver herself into the backseat.” As she was being booked into the county jail, a female corrections deputy completed one more physical check of Megchiani, when, according to the report, “it was learned that Megchiani had concealed a bottle of Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio inside her person.” In addition to her trespassing charges, she was charged with attempting to smuggle contraband into a penal institution. A former counselor at a substance abuse treatment center, Megchiani faces prior convictions for robbery and credit card theft.
A Wisconsin driver found out the hard way that “road closed” signs are there for a reason. According to UPI— and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s May 22 social media post—a Milwaukee County driver not only encountered a “road closed” sign, but got out of their pickup truck, removed the sign and drove straight into freshly poured concrete. WDOT shared a photo of the truck’s submerged tires and noted that the driver “cemented their inability to adhere to signs.” Police and road crews had to employ heavy machinery to haul the truck out.
Benjamin Fragale, 23, of Palm Harbor, Florida was arrested for felony criminal mischief on May 24, after allegedly vandalizing a local marquee sign known for its puns, The Smoking Gun reported. According to the police report, Fragale used bricks and branches to “smash the sign, damaging the letters, message board and interior lights.” The sign belongs to a local chiropractic office and memorable phrases include: “We never crack under pressure,” “It’s easier to throw out your back than your mother in law,” “We won’t stop until everyone is cracked up,” and “Our Easter adjustments are eggsellent.” The message that made Fragale crack? “Licensed Crack Dealer.” The arrest report indicates that Fragale thought the statement was illegal, but court records do not corroborate the claim. Fragale remains detained while he awaits a court hearing.
On May 15, Daniel Christian Pettit, 49, of Minnesota, was charged with second-degree assault and intentional discharge of a firearm after shooting at a firefighting airplane, Fox 9 reported. The pilot reported hearing popping sounds as it went on its final run to bring water from a lake to battle a nearby wildfire. The plane landed safely with no pilot injuries, and investigators determined that the damage in the rudder was caused by a bullet. After pinpointing the location where the shots were fired, law enforcement suspected Pettit, who had made complaints in 2024 about aircraft near his home. Pettit claims he was crow hunting, not aiming for the plane. “If I accidentally hit him crow hunting, too bad,” he said. “[The pilot] endangered my life. I decided to go outside and crow hunt. Did I aim and try and shoot the plane? Nope, no, I didn’t.” The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources instituted a no-fly zone over Pettit’s property. The restriction applies only to aircraft battling fires.
A car buyer in Kansas will have to wait a little longer before they collect their new pickup truck from the Olathe Ford Lincoln dealership. According to UPI, a dealership employee found a robin’s nest on one of the F-250’s tires. Active robins’ nests are federally protected and cannot be moved. “This may be the only F-250 in America currently protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act,” the dealership said on social media. After a few days, the four eggs in the nest hatched. “We want to give a huge THANK YOU to our incredibly kind and understanding customers, who have been so patient and thoughtful while we wait for these little ones to grow up and leave the nest safely,” the dealership said.
