Happy New Year, Cache Valley!
First up, a big congrats to Beaver Mountain for getting their Jan. 1 opening…
In this week’s Crop, we got an exclusive look at Vessel Kitchen’s new location in Logan’s historic Fire Station 70!
We’re also following the journey of an ancient petroglyph returning home after 80 years and taking a look at Bear Lake’s fight against invasives.
And lastly, if you’d like to show your support, donate today and fuel local news for 2026.
Yours, Sam
Vessel Kitchen bringing global flavors to Logan’s Fire Station 70
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The new Vessel Kitchen location, under construction, in Logan on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025.
Logan’s culinary scene is about to get a fresh boost with Vessel Kitchen’s newest location, set to open its doors on January 22nd in the city’s historic Fire Station 70.
The fast-casual restaurant, which has been serving goodness across Utah’s Wasatch Front since 2016, is stepping into a completely transformed space that pays homage to its firefighting roots.
And Vessel’s co-founder Roe’e Levy loves Logan. “Every other street looks like it could be straight out of a Hallmark movie,” he says. “It’s a cute small town surrounded by farms, and that’s a sign of a very healthy community.”
The Logan launch marks more than just a new restaurant — it’s Vessel Kitchen’s first step toward expanding beyond Utah. With nine locations already, including spots in Park City, Salt Lake City — even SLC’s International Airport — the team is eyeing growth, with a potential Boise location on the horizon.
New Year’s gift: Beaver Mountain ‘finally’ open for season 🎿
(Beaver Mountain) Beaver Mountain’s new “cabin” lodge sits in the dawn glow.
After recent snows — and with more on the way — Beaver Mountain is officially open starting today.
The season got off to a very rough start with minimal snow and warm temps. To boot, several waves of rain further complicated the picture through December until last week’s series of storms.
When reached for comment on the opening, Beaver Mountain VP Kristi Seeholzer kept it simple: “Finally!”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a wild week of weather for the Bear River Range, so it might be time to head up Logan Canyon for some fresh turns.
Bear Lake’s New Year’s resolution? Fighting invasive species.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Recreation on Bear Lake near Fish Haven, Idaho, Friday, July 11, 2025.
Bear Lake Watch needs to raise $65,000 to fund a new aquatic invasive species inspection station on Idaho’s side of Bear Lake — equipment that takes four months to manufacture before the summer boating season arrives.
The issue? The crystalline waters already battle Eurasian watermilfoil and phragmites. Plus, also lurking in Idaho’s other waterways are quagga and zebra mussels, hydrilla, New Zealand mud snails and Asian clams.
“We can’t risk having a third or fourth or fifth monster pop into the lake,” said Bear Lake Watch Executive Director Brady Long.
Utah operates two decontamination stations, but Idaho’s partnership approach leaves a gap. The new station on North Beach Road would inspect boats before they cross state lines — avoiding redundant checks while strengthening protections.
1,200-year-old petroglyph returns home after 80 years at LDS chapel
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) For around 80 years, a rock bearing ancient and sacred petroglyphs created by ancestors of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone people has sat on the grounds of a Latter-day Saint chapel. In December, it returned home to the northern Utah mountains.
A 2,500-pound boulder bearing sacred petroglyphs created by the Fremont people — ancestors of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation — has returned to the northern Utah mountains after sitting on an LDS chapel lawn for roughly 80 years.
How it got there remains a mystery: local lore credits either a group of determined men or Boy Scouts who hauled it from the mountains to the Tremonton church building around 1945.
In December, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints airlifted the stone back to its original location near the Utah-Idaho border.
The overall process took 14 years, with amateur archaeologists identifying its origins in 2011.
The church framed the return as a “moral and ethical obligation,” not a legal one.