S2, E18: Building A Fantasy Tavern In Salt Lake

S2, E18: Building A Fantasy Tavern In Salt Lake

S2, E18: Thieves Guild Cidery - Max Knudsen & Jordy Kirkman A fantasy tavern where you can grab a tankard of cider, play a board game you’ve never seen before, and watch a Dungeons and Dragons campaign unfold at the next table sounds like a gimmick until you hear how Thieves Guild Cidery actually got built. We sit down with Max and Jordy to trace the real story behind one of the most distinctive Salt Lake City bars and why going all-in on “too nerdy” was the smartest business decision they made.  We talk about growing up nerdy before it was cool, finding community through places like Quarters Arcade Bar, and then taking a lockdown-era homebrew habit to a full-scale craft cider operation. They get honest about the non-glam parts: scaling fermentation from small batches to hundreds of gallons, building a business plan that lives in a spiderweb of Excel sheets, getting outside validation from industry experts, and the surreal moment of asking a bank for “lots of money” and hearing yes.  Then we get into the world-building: DIY props, 3D printing, soldering, custom lighting run by microcontrollers, and why outsourcing the design couldn’t match the vision. Even the bathrooms are part of the experience, from a dark, dramatic, Ministry of Magic-inspired room to the “Paperback Paradise” wall of hilariously altered fantasy covers. We also dig into what’s next, including canned cider drops, getting product into other bars, and Apples and Daggers, their festival that’s aiming for a true adult renn fair vibe in Utah.  If you love Salt Lake City nightlife, craft cider, themed bars, board game bars, or just stories about building something weird and real, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’d actually wear a cloak to happy hour, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Have a Question? Ask it here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/fan_mail/new] Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today! Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6Fu7-y3J9RMSvatzK-9Px06OMfjvydFjLwP7i1jC_3W8xRg/viewform?usp=header] to get in touch Visit www.luxeautomotive.com or use this link [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdldVYSCUzLhiGWyCpHcOVpzOlqqwiN57PuL01lhYnMKwjKxA/viewform?usp=header] to request a quote Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/support] Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-page Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

How A $200,000 Lego Fight Turned Into Arrests

A $145 million warehouse near the Salt Lake City airport was supposed to become an ICE “megacenter” holding thousands of people and now the story is shifting fast. We walk through the new joint lawsuit from Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County against DHS and ICE, why leaders say the process was “cloaked in secrecy,” and the detail that has everyone watching the property again: after a reported pause for review, semi-trailers start showing up in the back lot and they keep multiplying. If the plan is changing, is it truly a scale-back, or was that the strategy from day one? Then we jump into one of the strangest Utah-adjacent stories to go national: the Bricks and Minifigs saga. A family says a massive Star Wars Lego collection worth around $200,000 disappears after a franchise ownership change. A YouTuber known as Reckless Ben publishes a viral investigation, a GoFundMe surges, confrontations happen in American Fork, and arrests and lawsuits follow. We break down what’s known, what’s alleged, and why “internet justice” can collide hard with real courts and real consequences. We end with the best kind of local news: Centro Civico Mexicano, founded in 1935, is planning a $27 million community and cultural center with a theater, childcare, an art gallery, classrooms, and more, right as the surrounding neighborhood transforms. Plus: the Salt Palace closure timeline, new Utah Supreme Court nominees, the Pentagon’s religious affiliation list controversy, and a reminder that the Utah Arts Festival is coming up and we’re giving away tickets. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review if you want more smart, grounded Salt Lake City reporting every week. Have a Question? Ask it here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/fan_mail/new] Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today! Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6Fu7-y3J9RMSvatzK-9Px06OMfjvydFjLwP7i1jC_3W8xRg/viewform?usp=header] to get in touch Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/support] Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-page Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

S2, E17: Thayne Rich - From Utah Local to Professional Skier

A 40-hour scramble to Argentina with a dead computer and zero Spanish. A Japan train sprint with ski bags, closed ticket counters, and strangers translating “three stops” into pure stress. And back home in Utah, a kid getting towed into illegal jumps behind a Honda Civic because that is what ski culture looked like before everything was documented. This conversation with pro skier and ski builder Thayne Rich is a reminder that the highlight reel is never the whole story. We start with Salt Lake City roots: growing up around Park City and Alta, learning fearlessness from older brothers, and taking the kind of youthful risks that shaped a generation of freestyle and big-mountain skiers. Thayne breaks down how style evolves from perfectly built park jumps to “janky” natural takeoffs, why Alta remains his favorite playground, and what it takes to progress when you are not the loudest person in the room. From there, we get into ski filmmaking and the real mechanics of making it: sponsors, promo edits, crew dynamics, networking without ego, and the pressure of heli skiing when everything is bigger and steeper than it looks on camera. Then we go deep on the gear side, including how Thayne helped build skis at Forefront, prototyped shapes, and ended up with a pro model that started as a rogue experiment in the shop. If you care about Utah skiing, backcountry culture, action sports careers, ski industry stories, or simply how to keep passion fun as you get older, you will find something here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who lives for winter, and leave a review with your favorite moment from Thayne’s travel chaos and ski-life lessons. Have a Question? Ask it here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/fan_mail/new] Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today! Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6Fu7-y3J9RMSvatzK-9Px06OMfjvydFjLwP7i1jC_3W8xRg/viewform?usp=header] to get in touch Visit www.luxeautomotive.com or use this link [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdldVYSCUzLhiGWyCpHcOVpzOlqqwiN57PuL01lhYnMKwjKxA/viewform?usp=header] to request a quote Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/support] Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-page Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

Real Salt Lake Lawsuit, New 400 South Trail, And Utah’s June Proclamation

A 16-year-old signs with a pro club, steps into an adult locker room, and says the people in charge never built basic protections around him. That’s the heart of the biggest Salt Lake City story we’re unpacking this week: a major Real Salt Lake lawsuit filed by former goalkeeper Jeffrey Duznup against RSL, Major League Soccer, and the U.S. Soccer Federation. We walk through the allegations, what’s being claimed about reporting and response, and why this isn’t just “sports drama” but a serious conversation about athlete safety, youth protection, and accountability in professional sports. Then we pivot to something worth celebrating in local news: the new 400 South Viaduct Trail. If you’ve ever tried to cross those railroad tracks on foot or by bike, you know how sketchy it used to feel. Now there’s a protected bike and walking path connecting Poplar Grove and the west side through to downtown and the Granary District, plus nearly 2,000 feet of public art called Strut. We talk about why this project matters for safer commuting, better access, and what “good city infrastructure” actually looks like on the ground. We also get into peak Utah politics with Governor Spencer Cox declaring June “Fidelity Month,” how that lands during Pride Month in Salt Lake City, and what it says about the growing gap between state signals and city culture. To round it out, we hit a fast stack of updates: the Salt Lake Bees’ big May, a long-running Salt City Inn case ending in a conviction, the Utah Arts Festival’s 50th anniversary lineup, and the Utah Mammoth gearing up for the draft and offseason decisions. Subscribe, share this with a friend who follows Salt Lake, and leave a review, and if you want ticket giveaway details, join the Discord via the show notes. Have a Question? Ask it here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/fan_mail/new] Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today! Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6Fu7-y3J9RMSvatzK-9Px06OMfjvydFjLwP7i1jC_3W8xRg/viewform?usp=header] to get in touch Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/support] Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-page Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

S2, E16: Celeste Edmunds - From Trauma To Legacy At Christmas Box International

A lot of people talk about “networking,” but we wanted to get honest about what actually holds a life together when things get hard: reciprocity, loyalty, and the people who show up when you have nothing to offer. We start with the awkward truth about perks and connections, then pull the thread into something bigger, how success can reveal who is really in your corner and why one-way relationships drain you fast. Then Celeste joins us and tells the kind of story you do not forget. She grew up moving every six months with her belongings in a garbage bag, surviving foster care, abuse, and the pressure of becoming a parent to her sibling as a child. She walks us through the turning points that changed her trajectory, the rare adults who offered steadiness, the power of chosen family, and what it means to find gratitude without pretending the pain did not happen. Along the way, we talk trauma comparison, resilience, triggers, and why celebrating small wins is not cheesy, it is survival. Celeste also breaks down the mission and impact of Christmas Box International and the Christmas Box House shelters, including the reality of child welfare in Utah, the growing challenges of placements, and why keeping siblings together is so critical. If you care about foster care, child advocacy, trauma recovery, or how a Utah nonprofit can change lives at scale, this conversation is for you. Listen through to the end for clear ways to help, from wish lists and Amazon shipping to volunteering and sharing resources, then subscribe, share this with one person, and leave a review so more people can find it. Have a Question? Ask it here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/fan_mail/new] Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today! Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6Fu7-y3J9RMSvatzK-9Px06OMfjvydFjLwP7i1jC_3W8xRg/viewform?usp=header] to get in touch Visit www.luxeautomotive.com or use this link [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdldVYSCUzLhiGWyCpHcOVpzOlqqwiN57PuL01lhYnMKwjKxA/viewform?usp=header] to request a quote Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2253231/support] Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://www.smalllakepod.com/newsletter-landing-page Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod