Don Baglen and Kay Pittenger have been coming to Logan in Cache Valley together for the past four summers to escape the Arizona heat. This year, they can continue their favorite hobby while participating in the city’s Summer Citizens Program.
Back in Phoenix, the couple are regular singers at a local bar’s karaoke stage. When they heard Logan’s Cache Bar and Grill hosted karaoke every Thursday evening, they knew they had to come and show the locals what they’ve got. The crowd’s response to them singing songs such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Another Good Reason Not to Drink” surprised them.
“We love our reception from the young people here,” Baglen said. “They’ve all just been so nice to us and thrilled that we’re singing.”
They are just two of the nearly 600 seniors who arrived in Cache Valley last week for the four-month program, hosted for the first time solely by the Cache Chamber of Commerce. Last year, the 48-year-old program, previously run by Utah State University, was handed over to the chamber, with USU still providing summer courses for the visitors.
Since the management shift, some summer citizens said they have had an amazing experience with communication. The chamber's connections with various businesses throughout the valley have enhanced the program, said Linda Wong, who has been attending with her husband Jones for the past four summers.
“It’s nice to find out about things that are happening, either existing or new, which we didn’t even know about before,” she said.
But even without all the new events and classes, the couple said they consider Logan their second home.
“It’s a wonderful environment to go hiking, fishing, take classes if you would like up at the university, plenty of restaurants, and they’ve got two Walmart's and one WinCo, and even a Costco has moved in,” Jones said.
This is Marinko Melic’s second summer. He said his favorite thing to do is go fishing at Bear Lake.
“We catch nice trout, put them on a grill,” he said. “They’re wonderful.”
Most of the citizens come from Arizona, but folks come from other states, including California and Texas. Ron Applebaum, who is here for the eighth time, came from Sun City, Arizona. “I love waking up in the morning, opening up the curtains, and looking out at mountains with snow on top,” he said.
In addition to the scenery, great eateries, good entertainment, and outdoor opportunities, the culture here further enhances the experience, said Nancy Au.
“Everyone here is so kind,” Au said. “I mean, I’ve never met anyone with an attitude. You know, it’s just welcoming and it’s wonderful. It’s like back when I grew up in the 50s again.”
The change in management brought another new aspect to the program: the choice to take day classes at Bridgerland Technical College. This year, they are offering courses in everything from Artificial Intelligence to Astronomy. Summer citizen Mike Linder said he is signed up for six classes and has already attended two.
“The darling of the whole program this year is Bridgerland,” Linder said. “They are coming out with new classes continually, really interesting classes. And they aren’t charging an arm and a leg.”
Kathy Hansen, who has been living in Logan for the past 11 summers, said she has been impatiently waiting to come here from Gold Canyon, Arizona for several months. She said it has changed her life. Her neighbor Kathy Lawless agreed, describing it as “Camp Logan.”
“This keeps us active,” Hansen said. “We’re outside, we see each other. We’re not in our little homes just with our air conditioning on trying to stay cool. We’re outside doing things.”
“It’s heaven on earth,” Lawless said.
The director of the program, Jennette Esplin, said if management had not shifted to the Chamber of Commerce, the program was at risk of being dissolved, something she feels would be detrimental to the valley.
“It brings a lot of income into the valley because a lot of them are paying rent,” Esplin said. “While all of them are paying rent, they support our local restaurants, grocery stores, or hospitals. A lot of them come up here just to have surgeries because they love our health facilities up here. I’ve heard a number of people who’ve purchased cars while they’ve been up here. So, the economic impact would be really great to our whole community if they were gone.”
She said they are currently trying to recruit local seniors to the program, as housing has limited the number of attendees this year.
