IDAHO FALLS — The EastIdahoNews.com crew will be highlighting different jobs in our area throughout 2024, and today we’re workin’ it with the Idaho Falls Spud Kings.

Since the launch of the Mountain America Center in Nov. 2022, the junior hockey team has become one of the venue’s most popular acts. MAC Marketing Director Kelsey Salsbery says tickets for every game are sold out.

She gave me a behind-the-scenes tour of the venue for the one-year anniversary and introduced me to Colin Fairfield, the team’s equipment manager.

RELATED | The Mountain America Center’s first year was a huge success. Here’s what’s coming in 2024

Colin showed me how to sharpen blades on skates, sew name plates on jerseys and organize the locker room. I enjoyed interacting with the team’s newest player and learned just how pivotal the equipment manager is in the team’s success.

See what it’s like and find out how I did in the video above.

PREVIOUS WORKIN’ IT STORIES

I worked as a soda jerk for a day and here’s what I learned

I spent the day training dogs. Here’s what they taught me.

What is it like to work as a mechanic? I decided to find out.

I flew with Air Idaho Rescue for a day. Here’s what I learned.

I agreed to be a school cafeteria lunch worker for a day. Here’s what I learned.

What is it like to work at the Idaho Falls Zoo? I decided to give it a try.

I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned

The post I worked as the Spud Kings equipment manager for a day, and here’s what I learned appeared first on East Idaho News.

AMMON – The EastIdahoNews.com team is highlighting different jobs in our area, and today we’re workin’ it one last time at Hip Sip.

The drink shop at 1615 Market Way in Ammon has a menu of more than 50 different sodas, protein drinks and other flavorful beverages.

Earlier this year, owner Candace Jones told me it was the personal interaction with customers that made her job rewarding and that working at Hip Sip is the happiest job on earth.

RELATED | East Idaho Eats: Hip Sip serves a variety of drinks with a dose of human connection

I decided to see if that was really true.

The team taught me how to fill orders and make drinks. I got a chance to serve customers and even interact with a few of them.

Find out how I did and what I learned in the video above.

PREVIOUS WORKIN’ IT STORIES

I spent the day training dogs. Here’s what they taught me.

What is it like to work as a mechanic? I decided to find out.

I flew with Air Idaho Rescue for a day. Here’s what I learned.

I agreed to be a school cafeteria lunch worker for a day. Here’s what I learned.

What is it like to work at the Idaho Falls Zoo? I decided to give it a try.

I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned

The post I worked as a soda jerk for a day and here’s what I learned appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — The EastIdahoNews.com team is highlighting different jobs in our area. Every Monday for the past several weeks, we’ve been workin’ it in a variety of professions.

I was lucky enough to try my hand as a dog trainer at Idaho K9 Academy in Idaho Falls.

Idaho K9 Academy provides basic obedience training for dogs of all ages. That includes leash training, manners, basic commands and more. Owners drop their furry friends off for an entire day of professional training once a week.

Professional trainer Makayla was quick to point out that owners are given homework. And she can always tell if they don’t complete it. Regular training, she said, is a big part of building a bond with your dog. Don’t let the opportunity slip by.

Makayla and I worked with two very good dogs, Lynn and Kenji.

Lynn is just a puppy, if you can believe it. The good-natured Great Dane needed some help learning to come when called and staying when commanded.

Handsome Kenji was working on becoming more confident so he wasn’t timid or fearful — behaviors that could keep him from joining his owner when she’s out and about.

For both dogs, we used what is known as lure-and-reward training. As you may guess, the dog is coaxed into doing something with a “lure” and then rewarded. Lynn and Kenji were enthusiastic about their treats, but some dogs respond better to toys. Whatever your dog loves, use that as the lure, Makayla said. (UYou can learn more about it here).

It’s a simple method, and the dogs catch on quickly. The trick is knowing when to start weaning your dog away from the treats so it will consistently obey. But that’s a whole different day of training.

A dog usually has an attention span of about 15 to 20 minutes, Makayla told me. (I think the same could be said for me.) Lynn’s enthusiasm was catching, and Kenji was so full of loves — I had a hard time keeping myself on task. I was glad Mikayla was there to keep me from undoing weeks of hard work.

Watch Lynn, Kenji and me learn a few things from each other in the video player above.

The post I spent the day training dogs. Here’s what they taught me. appeared first on East Idaho News.

POCATELLO — The EastIdahoNews.com team is highlighting different jobs in our area and every Monday for the next several weeks, we’ll be workin’ it in a variety of professions.

Like most people, I’ve had to drive cars all my life to get around but I don’t know a thing about them.

I decided to try and change that and learn a thing or two. The team at Master AutoTech agreed to bring me on board for the day so that I could do just that.

Most people underestimate the amount of practice and studying it takes to be a successful mechanic. As cars are always adapting to new technology, mechanics have to do the same.

They taught me about how they keep track of their orders, how to change a tire and what’s under the hood of a vehicle.

Watch the video in the player above.

PREVIOUS WORKIN’ IT STORIES

I flew with Air Idaho Rescue for a day. Here’s what I learned.

I agreed to be a school cafeteria lunch worker for a day. Here’s what I learned.

What is it like to work at the Idaho Falls Zoo? I decided to give it a try.

I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned

The post What is it like to work as a mechanic? I decided to find out. appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — The EastIdahoNews.com team is highlighting different jobs in our area and every Monday for the next several weeks, we’ll be workin’ it in a variety of professions.

Have you ever seen a rescue helicopter fly over town, or through the mountains, and wondered what it’s like to take care of people in the sky? How do they do it?

Air Idaho Rescue and Air Methods brought us on-board to learn what it’s like to take care of patients in emergency situations, during what can often become the worst days of a patient’s lives.

As I learned, it takes a very special person to be able to care for people in such a high-stress environment, but what really makes the dream work – is the teamwork behind it.

Watch the video in the player above.

PREVIOUS WORKIN’ IT STORIES

I agreed to be a school cafeteria lunch worker for a day. Here’s what I learned.

What is it like to work at the Idaho Falls Zoo? I decided to give it a try.

I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned

The post I flew with Air Idaho Rescue for a day. Here’s what I learned. appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — The EastIdahoNews.com team is highlighting different jobs in our area and every Monday for the next several weeks, we’ll be workin’ it in a variety of professions.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to feed hundreds of children every day? It’s a question I had so I decided to spend some time in the lunchroom!

RELATED | As schools cope with substitute teacher shortages, I signed up for the job. Here’s what I learned.

Jodi Prestwich is the Fox Hollow Elementary Kitchen Manager and she’s responsible for making sure the kids at her school – and at Hawthorne Elementary – are fed breakfast and lunch every day during the school year.

As I learned, it takes a team to keep everything straight and make it all happen! Check out my experience as a lunch worker in the video player above.

PREVIOUS WORKIN’ IT STORIES

What is it like to work at the Idaho Falls Zoo? I decided to give it a try.

I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned

The post I agreed to be a school cafeteria lunch worker for a day. Here’s what I learned. appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — The EastIdahoNews.com team is highlighting different jobs in our area and every Monday for the next several weeks, we’ll be workin’ it in a variety of professions.

I have always enjoyed the zoo — and loved animals. The opportunity to be a zookeeper for a day was something I jumped at immediately. But I quickly learned that the job of a zookeeper is a difficult one, which involves far more than playing with the animals.

The Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park opened in 1935. It is currently home to more than 300 animals, with 21 employees and numerous interns, volunteers and seasonal employees caring for those animals.

While spending time with three zookeepers — Carissa, Mikayla and Lance — I experienced parts of a day in the lives of the people tasked with caring for some of those animals. Each zookeeper gave me different tasks, like raking out the tortoise enclosure, cleaning the flamingo and penguin enclosure and setting up “enrichment” exercises for the Gibbon monkeys.

Due to concerns regarding tuberculosis in the mostly primate zone of the zoo, we were required to wear masks while with the monkeys. Zoo staff are regularly subjected to TB tests for this reason.

Caring for animals, I discovered, is a lot like being a parent. It involves learning the animals, their mannerisms and demeanors, and monitoring them for changes and helping the animals learn.

Watch the video above to see what it was like to be a zookeeper for a day.

PREVIOUS WORKIN’ IT STORIES

I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned

The post What is it like to work at the Idaho Falls Zoo? I decided to give it a try. appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — The EastIdahoNews.com team is highlighting different jobs in our area and every Monday for the next several weeks, we’ll be workin’ it in a variety of professions.

A few months ago I met Jerry Struhs at a farmers market in Ammon. He, along with Mike Burrell, Chad Wheeler and Jake Burrell, own Crayster, a local business based in Idaho Falls.

Crayster builds and sells professional-grade crawfishing gear. Most of the business is online, but they sell equipment inside Guns N’ Gear.

Crawfish, also known as crayfish or crawdads, are found throughout Idaho. They look like small lobsters and live in the water. Crawfishing season is typically July, August and September.

“It is a creature in the river, and I never really knew that they even existed,” Struhs said. “Crawfishing just became a passion and love.”

I decided to give crawfishing a try so Struhs and I met at South Tourist Park by the Snake River one morning in September. He told me that MILLIONS of crawfish are in the river so we hopped in his boat to see what we could find. Then Struhs and Wheeler told me how to prepare the crawfish for eating by using delicious creole spices, corn, potatoes and sausage.

Watch my experience crawfishing in the video player above and you can see different hacks and tricks on Crayster’s YouTube channel. Some of their videos have millions of views.

The post I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned appeared first on East Idaho News.