The Salt Lake ValleyCollege GameDay sets up at Presidents Circle Saturday, the downtown farmers market has its last summer Saturday, and Joseph closes in Sandy
Plus a garlic burger in Holladay, a free Monday carnival in Cottonwood Heights, and why tonight is the night for the corn maze.
Good morning, Salt Lake Valley.
ESPN's College GameDay is coming back to the U campus Saturday morning for Utah and Houston, two ranked teams, with an 8:15pm kickoff that night. On Monday we didn't have a kickoff time for you. Now we do, and below is how to fit the show, the game, and the last summer farmers market into one Saturday.
Today is the one to be outside: mostly sunny and around 74, with only a small chance of a storm after 3pm. Rain moves in Thursday afternoon and keeps going overnight, and Friday looks soaked, with a high in the mid-50s. Saturday clears up but stays in the mid-50s, and the night drops to the upper 30s, so bring layers to campus for both the 7am show and the late kickoff.
📍 30 seconds in the valley⏱️ 8 min read
- 🏈Stand behind the College GameDay set at Presidents Circle
- 🥕Hit the last summer Saturday of the downtown farmers market
- 🍔Order the garlic burger at the Cotton Bottom Inn
⭐ The Big One
Best Saturday morning of the fall
Stand behind the College GameDay set at Presidents Circle
ESPN's traveling pregame show broadcasts live from the University of Utah campus Saturday morning before Utah hosts Houston. It's the seventh time GameDay has come to campus and the second year in a row. Last fall's visit came before a 45-14 win over Cincinnati.
The desk goes up at Presidents Circle, where the show has set up on every Utah visit since 2015. Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, and Kirk Herbstreit are on the crew, and the show runs three hours live on ESPN.
The stakes are real this time. Utah is 6-0 with the nation's longest win streak, 12 games, and Houston comes in ranked after beating Oklahoma State 35-32. It's also homecoming, so the whole campus will be busy all day.
Our take
The crowd behind the desk is what the cameras show all morning, so the spots right behind it go to the people who get there before 7. Bring a thermos and a warm hat: Friday night drops to about 40 after a day of rain, and you'll be standing for three hours.⚠️ Heads up: There are about 13 hours between the end of the show and kickoff at 8:15pm. Go home and nap, or walk downtown for the last summer farmers market at Pioneer Park, which runs until 2.
free Utes fansfreecampus
📰 Around the Valley
The Rio Grande District gets a price tag for its first streets
Salt Lake City has a first estimate of a little over $14.5 million for the opening phase of the Rio Grande District, on the land between the Rio Grande Depot and the railroad tracks. That phase builds two new streets, Market Street and Woodbine Court, around a planned USA Climbing training center, plus an arts alley next to it. It also rebuilds 300 South between 500 West and 600 West as a festival street that cars, bikes, and people on foot share and that can close for street fairs.
Utah's reservoirs ended the water year at 45% full
The state's water year ended Sept. 30, and the final numbers show how dry last winter was. Utah's snowpack peaked March 9 at 8.4 inches of water, a record low, and the snow melted weeks early. A wet summer and a September that came in at 138% of normal in the mountains brought total precipitation for the year up to 96% of normal, but the reservoirs never caught up.
📅 This Week
Worth it, then stock up for winter
Hit the last summer Saturday of the downtown farmers market
The Downtown Farmers Market's summer season at Pioneer Park ends Saturday. Pioneer Park's rebuild has had the stands squeezed onto the edges of the park and out along the streets all season, so this is the last time you'll shop it that way.
Our take
Park at The Gateway, where the first hour is free and it's $2 an hour after, and walk south to the park. The street meters cost $3.50 an hour with a two-hour limit, which runs out fast if you stop for coffee. After this, the market moves indoors for the winter on Saturdays from 10 to 2 at 209 E 500 S, starting Nov. 14.⚠️ Heads up: Northbound 400 West is closed while the market runs, so come in from 300 West or 500 West.
free marketproducedowntown
Worth it tonight, not Thursday or Friday
Walk the Crazy Corn Maze in West Jordan tonight, before the rain
Nightfall Halloween Park has three attractions on one farm: the family-friendly Crazy Corn Maze, the glowing Fright Lights walk, and Night Stalkers, a haunted trail with four zones of sets and live monsters for the older crowd. It runs through Halloween.
Our take
The park shuts down when it rains or the paths get muddy, and it already lost Oct. 14 to mud. With storms Thursday afternoon and most of Friday, tonight's mostly dry, 74-degree evening is the safest bet this week. Strollers are fine in the corn maze if you're bringing little ones.⚠️ Heads up: If you wait for the weekend, closures go up on the park's Instagram by 6pm. It's closed Sundays.
$$ HalloweenteensWest Jordan
Book now, the farm says it sells out quickly
Book Dog Daze in the Maze at Wheeler Farm for Monday
Wheeler Historic Farm opens its Pumpkin Days corn maze to dogs and their people for one Monday evening, with a trick-or-treat bag for every pair. You pick a two-hour time slot.
Our take
Take the 6 o'clock slot if your dog does better once the crowds thin out, or the 4 o'clock if you want daylight for photos in the corn. Put the dog in a costume. Everyone else will.⚠️ Heads up: You have to register ahead of time. There's no walking up with a leash on Monday.
$ dogsHalloweenMurray
Skip unless the box office has seats
Skip the resale markup for Joseph's final week in Sandy
Hale Centre Theatre's run of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on its in-the-round Centre Stage closes Saturday after starting in early August.
Our take
Look at hct.org first. If your night has nothing left, don't buy from the resale sites, where seats for Saturday were listed from around $120 when we looked. Anastasia and A Christmas Carol open at Hale in November if you'd rather plan ahead.⚠️ Heads up: Our Town on Hale's Beehive Stage closed Monday, so don't mix up the two when you buy.
$$ theaterfamilySandy
🏟️ The Scoreboard
Utah football is 6-0 and has a kickoff time for Houston
The Utes held off Colorado 27-24 in Boulder Saturday night to stay unbeaten and stretch the nation's longest win streak to 12 games. Houston comes to Rice-Eccles for homecoming fresh off a 35-32 win over Oklahoma State.
The Jazz open the season tonight in Memphis
Utah went 3-1 in the preseason and closed it with a 119-116 win over Phoenix last Friday. The regular season starts on the road tonight, then the Jazz come home Friday.
🍴 Eat & Drink
Worth the drive to the mouth of the canyon
Order the garlic burger at the Cotton Bottom Inn
The Cotton Bottom has been pouring beer and making its garlic burger on 6200 South in Holladay since 1966. It's a neighborhood tavern with a full bar, and the garlic burger is what it's known for.
Our take
Get the garlic cheeseburger. It comes on French bread instead of a bun, with a pickle and a pepperoncini on the side, and the garlic is the whole point. It's a short drive from Cottonwood Heights City Hall, so it works as dinner after Monday's Spooktacular.⚠️ Heads up: The kitchen closes at 9 Sunday through Tuesday, so Monday dinner after the Spooktacular works, but don't dawdle.
$ burgersclassicHolladay
Details → 👨👩👧 Family & Free
Worth it for the under-12 crowd
Take the kids to the Cottonwood Heights Spooktacular Monday
Cottonwood Heights puts on a free Halloween night at City Hall with carnival games for kids 12 and under, a craft booth, a photo booth, and food trucks.
Our take
Send the kids in costume and do the photo booth first, before the faces are covered in candy. It's only two hours, so get there close to 5.⚠️ Heads up: The games are built for kids 12 and under, so older siblings will be bored. Bring cash or a card for the food trucks.
free kidsfreeCottonwood Heights
🎟️ Also Happening
Wander Kuwahara's Thriller Park
The pumpkin patch, corn maze, and Thriller Stage shows are open daily through Saturday, Oct 31, at 12153 S 700 W in Draper.
Run Taylorsville's Boo Dash
A Halloween 2K fun run Saturday, Oct 24, at 10am at Valley Regional Park in Taylorsville, $5 for a family of up to six.
Hear Knox at The Depot
The pop singer plays The Depot in Salt Lake City tonight, Wednesday, Oct 21.
📰 Valley News
A Great Salt Lake bar and two themed bars on State Street are on the way
Six downtown and central Salt Lake City projects got a combined $7 million in city loans last week, backing about $54 million in building. The fun ones are bars: Remora, a venue themed on the Great Salt Lake, is planned for an old building at 228 S. Edison St., and the vacant two-story Cramer House at 255 S. State is being turned into two themed bars. The biggest is a $43.4 million building at 1345 S. Jefferson with 122 apartments over ground-floor shops.
Herriman's secondary water is shutting off for the season
Herriman's secondary water system is shutting down in stages for the winter. The Blackridge area is already off, and the rest of the city should see pressure drop over the coming days before service stops. If your sprinklers still have a last cycle to run or your lawn needs one more deep soak, do it now.
UDOT is adding remote avalanche controls above Snowbird
UDOT's avalanche crew is putting in stationary, remote-fired avalanche control equipment in the backcountry near Snowbird ahead of ski season. The work closed the south ridge of Mount Superior, the Superior ridgeline over to Cardiff Peak and Cardiff Pass, and East Hellgate to backcountry travel Monday until 5pm. It follows an Oct. 7 closure for a similar install in Little Cottonwood's Upper North area.
The Debate
💙 Good Neighbor
Nominate the person who helped this week
If a neighbor did something specific that made your week easier, reply with their name, city, and what they did. We may feature them in a future issue.
Nominate a neighbor →If you only do one thing this week, set an alarm for Saturday and go stand behind the GameDay desk at Presidents Circle. If mornings aren't your thing, walk the corn maze in West Jordan tonight before the rain turns the paths to mud.
Reply and tell us whether you're going to campus Saturday, and for which part.
— The Salt Lake Valley crew
Got a tip, a new opening, or an event? Just reply, we read everything.
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Read past issues · Refer a neighbor · Advertise with us