Photo by Shane Smith
EDITOR’S NOTE: Shane Smith & the Saints are on tour this summer after the release of their new album, Norther, in March. They hosted the inaugural Saints Weekend in the Sawtooths in July.
Greetings from Shane Smith & the Saints, from Stanley, Idaho.
We recently hosted our first music festival as a band this summer in the Sawtooth Valley of Idaho. Stanley has always been considered a small “home away from home” for us as a band and this was our ninth year of touring through the small town. We would always find an excuse to pass through Stanley if we were touring near the Pacific Northwest, passing through Salt Lake City, or merely wanting to add a show last-minute to see some old friends.
When the decision was made to throw our own, small music festival, the location was obvious across the board. We’d host one in Stanley, Idaho.
This year was very bittersweet for us; while the festival was a total success, the beautiful landscape that we’ve loved for years was simultaneously hit with one of its largest wildfires in decades. This photo was taken around midnight from the local grass runway of Stanley, looking off to the wildfires as they climbed up the Sawtooths from Red Fish Lake.
It took local volunteer firefighters nearly a month to contain the fire, which is now 90% contained, after burning almost 2,600 acres. If you want to donate to the local Stanley firefighters and medical volunteers who give their time so willingly to their community, you can donate here.
