There are a few days that hold traditions. Days like Super Bowl Sunday, where people gather to watch commercials. Even days like Monday, where every one wakes up grumpy becuase they have to go back to work/school. In my opinion, there is one day that seems to trump the others for traditions…and that is Christmas Eve. Some always open one gift (most likely pajama’s), some go caroling, some watch that move about shooting your eye out, but most everyone does something.  I have even heard that one local family buys Pizza Hut and Cherry 7UP every Cristmas eve.

So, if you haven’t got your traditions started, then I have a few ideas for you…

1. Drive around Burley and check out the Christmas lights…If you can find this house your the winner!

2. Watch your favorite Christmas Movie

3. Go Caroling

4. Plan a Snowball fight, If it isn’t snowing, use marshmallows.

5. Take gifts to people in need.

6. Contact your local church and see if they are planning anything

7. Read the Nativity Story in the bible

8. Write Letters to People you care about

9. Go to Walmart and watch the frantic shoppers as they realize they are out of time

10. Go sledding

11. Track Santa on Google Maps (only if you are a computer geek like me)

Whatever you decided to do, just make this holiday season the start of something that you will look forward to year after year.

Mike Ramsey

I wanted to take a short minute and update the community on the status of GoBurley.com. Lately, Content has been slow for a couple of reasons. One, I have taken on a lot of work at my local internet marketing company Nifty Marketing. Two, I have joined up with a bunch of wonderful people in town to be in the play Joseph and the Amazing Techni-color Dream Coat that will be coming your way in January.

So, needless to say it has personally cut down on a lot of the “hobbiest”  hours that I was able to put into GoBurley.com. But, a lot of great people are being put in place to continue the overall growth of GoBurley, along with future projects for the area as we head in to next year. There are definitely some big things in store!

I just want to thank you for the support that the site has got. There is a very large need for a good news site in our area, and I am just very grateful for the amount of gratitude that people have shown for this project.

My promise is that the site will continue to get better with time, and become the best local news source in town. If you have suggestions, ideas, or want to contribute in any way. Please contact me at goburley@gmail.com

cookingwithkristin.com

Is there anything better than Holiday Parties?  I don’t know about all of you, but I have already been to a ton of parties this season, and I’ve catered a lot too.  So, like me, I am sure that you are dying for a new recipe to have around in case you want to throw your own Holiday party.  I know they can be a lot of stress, but make it easier on yourself with these simple appetizer recipes.

Asparagus Wraps

1 bunch asparagus

12 pieces prochutto

1 red bell pepper roasted (cut julienne)

Blanch asparagus and set aside.  Take a strip of prochutto and lay flat on the cutting board.  Cut 1 piece of asparagus into three pieces, and lay in the prochutto, take one piece of the roasted pepper and place on the asparagus.  Wrap the prochutto around the asparagus. Display on a platter and serve.  Drizzle lightly with Olive Oil and season with salt and fresh black pepper.

Wild Mushroom Frittata

2 pounds mushrooms (variety chopped)

1 clove garlic (minced)

½ shallot (minced)

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 eggs

½ cup shredded parmesan

TT salt and pepper

In a medium sauté pan add olive oil, when heated add mushrooms.  Sautee until mushrooms are caramelized.  Place in the bottom of a small baking dish.  Take eggs and beat, then add to the baking dish.  Add ¼ cup shredded parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees until fluffy and lightly browned on top.  Take out of the oven and shred on top of the frittata.

Cut into small pieces and place on platter. Garnish with basil or balsamic vinegar.

Tonight we got a taste of what our Burley basketball could and should be like.  It was a hands-down blindfolded win.  Now, not to sound too proud or arrogant, but our boys should be proud of all of our teams’ victories tonight, even if the win was against Wood River.  But they should also take this victory with a grain of salt and compare the completely different level that Pocatello and Wood River are on.  Although, I’m not implying that our boys are overly cocky and they certainly understood what they succeded in doing tonight, even if it is a small victory.

Freshmen came out energized with their eyes on the prize.  With a score of 37 to 10 at the half, it’s hard not to be overly confident coming into the second half.  They pulled the whole ordeal off with a final score of 71 to 18, putting the Wolverines back in their place.  Not too bad for coming into the high school league with only 3 previous games under their belts.

Junior Varsity boys started out with a kick and certainly didn’t stop there.  With almost a thirty point lead at the half, they were confident in tonight’s energy.  These boys certainly know how to work with each other.  They brought in the final score of 65 to 18, a definite increase from their latest game.  Kody Coltrin, a freshman on Junior Varsity, commented on the game, “We played well, but we could have played better.”  And with this comment I’m sure we’re all looking forward to what this season and future seasons, will hold for these talented boys.

Varsity brought on their game faces tonight.  With ferocity they took on Wood River’s varsity and hauled in the greatest lead of all, with 33 to 5 at their half.  Many people saw the end was near and left for home early when they saw the lead these guys were taking in.  Burley played well under Coach Bagley and topped it off with 60 to 13, they all certainly have bright futures with the game.

If you missed these awesome games, and you’re up for traveling for these players, the boys have the next three games as the visitors.  Excited for the next one? Well the boys play Kuna @ Kuna this Friday, Dec. 11, 2009 beginning at 4:30 PM. Then again against Middleton @ Middleton on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 with the early start at 11 AM. And finally the last away game this side of New Year’s, on Wednesday, Dec. 16, when they play Preston @ Preston at 6 PM.  Finally they cap off the beginning of the season with a final home game to kick-off Christmas Vacation on Friday, Dec. 18, with Century @ Burley.  Come and support our boys! I know they’ll love to have ya!

I wrote this article years ago as the parent of a one-year-old-toddler and now, as a grandparent of a little one that is nearing a year old, I was happily reminded of it once again. I decided to share it with you in I hopes you might also enjoy it.

Janet Ramsey Continue Reading

Having been born and raised in Burley, I sometimes take it for granted. I would consider the beauty and recreation of Burley one of the best kept secrets of Southern Idaho.  In my experience people are blown away when they come.  Previous to visiting they had no idea what Burley has to offer! We are so lucky to have such great access to the river and beautiful scenery that comes along with it.

Tiffany Jack
tiffany-jack.blogspot.com

The 5 top things to do during the Christmas season in Burley, Idaho are the following:

1. Holiday Shopping!!

Christmas is only 3 weeks away!! It’s time to star shopping.  Here are a few shopping tips to help you this Christmas:

• Make a shopping list- write down everything you plan to buy.
• Be patient- take your time to look for better deals.
• Use cash- if you can’t control yourself swiping your card, take cash only, it will help tone down your spending.
• Wear comfortable shoes- it’s going to be a long day, the last thing you need is sore feet!

2. Pomerelle

It’s snowing outside! Now is the perfect time to take your family skiing or snowboarding at Pomerelle. Pomerelle is located in Albion, near Burley.

3. A Christmas Carol

Walt Disney’s A Chritmas Carol is a  fun, animated adventure for the whole family. It is showing at the Century Stadium 5 nightly at 7:15 & 9:15.

4. “The Nutcracker”

Centre Stage Studio presents the 21st performance of “The Nutcracker.” It will take place at the King Fine Arts Center on Friday December 11, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday December 12, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

General Seating $10.00

Senior Citizens $8.00

Tickets available at Premier Dancewear.

5.  Christmas Doe

Our Burley Area Merchants Association presents Christmas Doe. Exchange your receipts for Christmas money! Use the money to bid on Auction items. Go to the Burley Inn on January 9th at 6 p.m. The auction starts at 7 p.m.

Also:

The Twin Falls Magic Valley Mall is having a Santa to take pictures with from December 1st to December 24th in the center of the mall. Go and take pictures with Santa!! He will be there from 2:00 p.m- 9:oo p.m. Kings in Burley is also having a Santa at the store for the next week!

By: Angelica Rios

When one is asked, “Is Santa Claus real?”, the first thing that comes to mind is, “How old are you?” Many people believe that Santa Claus is a fictional character created to excite children for Christmas.  Contrary to popular belief, Santa Claus was a real person; or rather persons, who evolved into the legendary one-and-only Santa Claus.

The American version of Santa Claus is a combination of two legendary people.  Saint Nicholas, also known as Sinter Klaas, was the Dutch and Myran, patron and saint of children in the fourth century.  Legend has it that he wore a long red cape, carried a golden staff, and rode upon a flying gray horse.  He carried a big book that told whether each individual child had been good or naughty over the past year.   Children adored him because he delivered presents to underprivileged children everywhere.  In the early United States, Dutch settlements in New York celebrated “Sinterklaas”, a holiday celebrating Saint Nicholas.

In the early 1800’s, a mysterious man who went by Saint A. Claus delivered gifts to children living in poverty throughout the New York area.  He was said to ride a white pony and wear a red robe, like Sinter Klaas.  He did this every Christmas until his death.  He not only led children to believe that Saint Nicholas lived on and delivered gifts every year, but he inspired many other men to dress up like Sinter Klaas and deliver presents to children.  This led to modern day Santa Claus “impersonators”.

The modern-day American image of Santa Claus was influenced by Americans like Washington Irving, Thomas Nast, and Clement Clarke Moore.  Washington Irving wrote stories about the Dutch “Sinter Klass” that Americans loved.  Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem, “The Night Before Christmas” which included fantasy details like flying reindeer, elves, and Santa’s red cheeks, winks, laughs, and nods.  Thomas Nast elaborated further on the American image of Santa Claus through his magazine illustrations.  He depicted Santa as a plump man with a white beard.  He also added such details as Santa’s elves and workshop at the North Pole.  In 1939, Ruldolph, the ninth reindeer, was introduced by an advertising company to lead Santa’s sleigh. Everyone remembers the excitement they had as a child for Santa Claus to come and leave them goodies on Christmas.

Now, when someone asks, “Is Santa Claus real?”, you can truthfully reply, “Well of course he is!”

By: Brae Beck

Burley basketball is legendary, with the expectations of our back-to-back state wins over our boys’ heads pressure is put on the up and coming players. But with the start of the season it might take a while for our boys to get into the swing of things. This home game was a real tug-o-war with Freshmen losing 38-54, Junior Varsity coming short with 27-42, and finally with a Varsity win with 62-46.

JV players fought for their game but ultimately fell short. With the tied score of 18 to 18 at the half the crowd was hopeful that the boys would go in for the long haul and take in a win, but all went downhill from the third quarter on. Cody Hosteen, a Burley sophomore and JV player, sat it out on the bench tonight with an injury to the wrist. He commented on the game with, “It kills me to sit on the bench watching my team struggle when I know that they are ten times better than that!” Hopefully the season will get better as the boys get a foothold on what they’re up against.

Varsity was cheered on from our cheerleaders and spirited Student Section. They took on the Pocatello Indians with their bobcat war faces and managed to hold them throughout the game. With nearly a double-diget lead on the Indians during the game, spirits were running high with the hopes that we might be able to show the visitors what we were made of.  In the end Varsity boys pulled through with a victory that topped off the night.

With these exciting games just at the start of the season we’d all like to see what these talented boys are capable of.  Be watching for the up-and-coming Freshmen, the tested Junior Varsity with the new addition of a shining freshman, and our tried and true Varsity boys who managed to drive deep tonight.  To keep up with these busy boys come to their next game on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, @ 6pm when they battle against Woodriver.  Make sure you come and support our Burley boys!

Reported By: Leslie Fowler