The Wayne & Garfield County Insider

10/16/2026

A cherished establishment, the Pretty Penny Farm Stand in Panguitch, has undergone a transformation with new ownership. Now known as Fawson Farm Stand, this beloved spot is still located at Henrie’s Hitch-n-Post RV Resort. Formerly owned by Moni Nyborg, it is now in the capable hands of the Fawson family, who are longtime residents of Panguitch.

Fawson says that she has tried to keep the spirit of the farm stand the same. “Moni was incredibly generous in helping me get started and has continued to be supportive. We also offer some of the things Moni has become known for,” said Fawson. This includes Nyborg’s natural products, such as toothpaste and soap. Also staying is Nyborg’s bottled pickles, relishes and her flavored salt.

When Fawson began introducing her own products to the stand, she delighted in watching customers buy items she had crafted, gaining insight into what the community appreciated. She also uncovered a newfound passion for managing the farm stand, relishing the opportunity to express her creativity and tackle the bookkeeping.

Moving forward, the Fawson Farm Stand will invite other local makers and bakers to contribute.

“I have friends who make wonderful and unusual things, and I would love to have opportunities for them to showcase their work at the farmstand,” said Fawson. “I think that could become one of the most fun parts of this new chapter: discovering the talents that already exist right here in our community and giving people a place to share them. I hope Fawson Farm Stand can be a place where people find things they wouldn’t necessarily find just anywhere. I want to share my own talents, but I also want to share the talents of other people in our community. I want the products to be homemade, useful, beautiful, delicious or simply fun.”

To learn more about Fawson Farm Stand, follow the link below to our website:

PANGUITCH - A cherished establishment, the Pretty Penny Farm Stand in Panguitch, has undergone a transformation with new ownership. Now known as Fawson Farm Stand, this beloved spot is still located at Henrie’s Hitch-n-Post RV Resort. Formerly owned by Moni Nyborg, it is now in the capable hands o...

10/16/2026

On October 5, 2026, the Wayne County Commission discussed the Indigent Defense Commission, an update on the $82 million Hanksville Diversion Project, finalization by Brock Jackson of R6 Regional Council of the purchase of approximately 3.5 acres of county-owned land for a self-help housing program, and a vote to begin the Truth-in-Taxation process for a proposed 6.18% increase in the county’s general fund property tax rate for 2027.

https://www.insiderutah.com/articles/wayne-county-commission-oct-5-2026/

Want to stay informed of local issues but aren't able to attend governmental meetings?

Visit the "Local Government" section on The Insider website to see the most recent town and county meeting notes.

https://www.insiderutah.com/category/local-government/

WAYNE CO. - The Wayne County Commission met Oct. 5 for its regular commission meeting. First on the agenda was Laney Smith, the new southern Utah regional program coordinator for the Utah Indigent Defense Commission. The Indigent Defense Commission helps counties provide legal representation for peo...

10/16/2026

On Saturday, October 3rd, The Burger Barn Panguitch Lake, owned by the Milby family, hosted its inaugural Oktoberfest.

This event attracted large crowds from across southern Utah and Nevada, all eager for delicious food, refreshing b**r, and a vibrant atmosphere. The festivities coincided with the opening day of the spike elk hunt and the Panguitch City Lantern Festival.

The event featured live music, a Barn Quilt painting class organized by the Garfield County Barn Quilt Trail, candle-making activities, various vendors, a make-your-own hat bar, barnyard animals, and much more.

With the idea stemming from a traditional fall festival, their plan started with pumpkins, a petting zoo, and live music. With a goal to make it feel like a traditional Oktoberfest, they brought in Nay’s Custom Meats to offer customized bratwursts, which is a German-style pork or veal link sausage served in a sliced bun. The barnyard animals were also key to making the event family-friendly, and KW Bar Ranch even offered rides in their carriage pulled by a team of Clydesdales.

“The idea for Oktoberfest actually started more as an idea for a fall festival, something to do up at the lake after Labor Day that would bring in cabin owners, campers and locals together,” said Ashlee Milby. “The season is perfect this time of year…The weather is just right, the summer crowds have died down, and the leaves are absolutely amazing. We really wanted to create a reason for people to continue coming up to Panguitch Lake and enjoy the area well into the fall.”

For more, follow the link below to our website:

PANGUITCH LAKE - On Saturday, October 3rd, The Burger Barn Panguitch Lake hosted its inaugural Oktoberfest. This event attracted large crowds from across southern Utah and Nevada, all eager for delicious food, refreshing b**r, and a vibrant atmosphere. The event also brought in numerous vendors. The...

10/15/2026

The October 15, 2026, issue of The Insider is now available online.

https://www.insiderutah.com/articles/october-15-2026/

10/14/2026

From Sept.18-27, the Escalante Canyons Art Festival once again hosted artists from across the nation (as far away as Alaska and Florida) and the globe (the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Amsterdam, and New Zealand), offering workshops, on-site lessons in the Grand Staircase National Monument, vendors, and music. The competitions drew large crowds and highlighted beautiful renderings of this amazing landscape.

Special programs this year included a community mural depicting a desert landscape, on which about sixty participants painted plants and animals. The finished 8×20 piece will be mounted on the west side of the Escalante Home Center. Additionally, local playwright Raymond King Shurtz performed a one-man show, The Art of Fire, in the Escalante Showhouse, featuring the colorful life of his family in Boulder, Utah. Also debuting this year was a Ghost Walk, which sixty people attended.

"The 22nd annual Escalante Canyons Art Festival is a destination of time and place, honoring this breathtaking landscape captured in time," said Karen Munson in the release. "The committee worked diligently to ensure a rewarding experience for attendees, whether they came to create or appreciate, and they look forward to another inspiring experience next year."

For more, follow the link below to our website:

ESCALANTE - From Sept.18-27, the Escalante Canyons Art Festival once again hosted artists from across the nation (as far away as Alaska and Florida) and the globe (the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Amsterdam, and New Zealand), offering workshops, on-site lessons in the Grand Staircase National Mo...

10/14/2026

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and The Peregrine Fund are once again asking big game hunters in the Zion hunting unit to stop at a check station this month, where they can demonstrate their efforts to help protect scavenging wildlife—like eagles, hawks and California condors—and also enter to win a prize.

During October, the DWR will be operating a check station where hunters who take action to help scavenging wildlife can enter to win an $800 gift card donated by The Peregrine Fund for outdoor equipment.

The check station will be located at the intersection of Yellowjacket Road and Hancock Road, approximately 3.25 miles north of the entrance to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.

“The Hunters Helping Condors program launched in Utah in 2011 to help recover California condors,” DWR Southern Region Conservation Biologist Danielle Finlayson said. “These unique, enormous birds were listed under the precursor to the Endangered Species Act in 1967, and by 1982, only twenty-three were left in the world (one of which was in captivity). Due to the steep decline of the population, the remaining wild condors were captured and held in captivity for safekeeping, which gave rise to a successful captive breeding program that has allowed for the reintroduction of the endangered birds back to the wild.”

The California condor population now numbers more than 500 birds, with over half of those flying free in the wild. There are currently 95 condors in the wild Arizona/Utah population.

To learn more about the Hunters Helping Condors program, follow the link below to our website:

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and The Peregrine Fund are once again asking big game hunters in the Zion hunting unit to stop at a check station this month, where they can demonstrate their efforts to help protect scavenging wildlife—like eagles, hawks and California cond...

10/14/2026

This week, The Insider received an obituary for James Burdell Henrie.

https://www.insiderutah.com/articles/james-burdell-henrie/

10/13/2026

The fifth Fort Desolation music festival went off smoothly on September 24 through 26 at the Cougar Ridge Resort in Torrey. Roughly 1,750 music lovers camped on the festival site or drove in from local towns to hear headliners Drive-By Truckers, Andrew Bird and Graham Lesh & Friends, plus noteworthy sets by Tune-Yards, Rayland Baxter, Grace Cummings and other touring and Utah-based acts.

“The festival started out in 2021 as a brand idea for the overlander community,” said festival organizer Jeremy Rawle, referring to people with backcountry-capable vehicles who might go off-grid for weeks on end. “Initially, Fort Desolation was going to be a website with themed merchandise, apparel and other things…an online space for overlanders.” The idea to include a music festival in Torrey seemed to naturally align with the brand’s goals, said Rawle, a Utah native who has camped and off-roaded for decades all over the West.

“We’d love keep the festival small and manageable and make it the second thing that comes to mind when people think of Torrey,” Rawle said, the first being Capitol Reef National Park, of course. To engage the local business community for this year’s event, festival organizers staged outdoor daytime music sets at the Rim Rock Patio, Shooke Coffee Roasters and Etta Place Cidery, all in Torrey.

Next year’s festival is slated for June 17-19 at Cougar Ridge Resort in Torrey.

TORREY - The fifth Fort Desolation music festival went off smoothly on September 24 through 26 at the Cougar Ridge Resort in Torrey. Roughly 1,750 music lovers camped on the festival site or drove in from local towns to hear headliners Drive-By Truckers, Andrew Bird and Graham Lesh & Friends, plus n...

10/13/2026

The Bureau of Land Management is reminding community‑minded individuals, public lands enthusiasts, recreation users, and local leaders to apply for open positions on the Utah Resource Advisory Council and the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area Advisory Council.

These advisory groups play a vital role in shaping land management decisions that keep Utah’s public lands healthy, accessible, and sustainable for generations to come.

The BLM issued a national call for nominations to fill vacancies across twenty statewide and regional Resource Advisory Councils and two statutory councils on September 10, 2026.

The nomination period remains open through October 26, 2026. Anyone may nominate themselves or others.

For more information, including how to apply, follow the link below to our website:

SALT LAKE CITY - The Bureau of Land Management is reminding community‑minded individuals, public lands enthusiasts, recreation users, and local leaders to apply for open positions on the Utah Resource Advisory Council and the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area Advisory Council. These advisory groups...

10/12/2026

***JUAB COUNTY SHERIFF
Sheriff Drake Underwood
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION — MISSING PERSON***

Details:

Name: Corey Camp

Age: 31

Physical Description: 5' 08", 215 lbs, brown eyes, short buzz cut black hair.

Last Known Location: Heading west of the Yuba Dam on foot after leaving his car.

Timeline: Traveling back to California when he reportedly suffered a mental breakdown and has not been heard from since September 27. Video footage confirms he left his car near the Yuba Dam on September 28 between 10:30 and 11:00 am.

Call to Information:

Authorities and family are seeking any information, potential sightings, or video footage from individuals who were in the Yuba Dam area on or after September 28.

Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact local law enforcement immediately at Central Dispatch

Non-Emergency Dispatch / Central Utah 911: 801-798-5600