VICTOR, Idaho — When Bill Boney and his wife Alice decided to build out a kitchen for their off-site catering business, Dining-In Catering, nearly 30 years ago, they almost didn’t add the east end of the building.
The Wildwood Room is a meeting hall-styled event space boasting wide floorboards, vaulted ceilings and fireplaces on the north end of Victor. The last-minute decision for the cozy atmosphere blossomed into something that not even the Boneys could have predicted.
“I think it was when we started with the Festival of Trees and Trails and Pathways’ Nordic Dinner, that’s when it really started to click that this was changing our image from strictly being an off-site catering company,” Boney recalled over the phone.
Ian Boucher and Grant Rogers keep hearing the stories — 70th birthday parties, Kentucky Derby parties, locavore events. The space was a cornerstone of the community until the Boneys decided to retire and sell the building to Give’r in January 2022.
Rogers purchased the space off of Lupine Avenue at the end of last year to support Jackson Hole Event Rentals, which he co-owns. The venue is now storage for an inventory of tents, tables and chairs — a more than complementary match for Wildwood.
Rogers plays music with Boucher in Rock Skis and VaMoose. One night, the pair found themselves chewing on the potential of the famed space, which, despite the kitchen and bar being removed, still feels like it’s waiting for patrons.
“The whole thesis of this place has changed a couple of times because I didn’t have the full plan when I needed to get the space,” Boucher admitted.
“People were interested in renting it for office space or a showroom, so I jumped on it,” Boucher said, standing in the middle of the Wildwood Room.
Boucher, the new event space manager and promoter, said they hosted a soft launch with venue partner, Vibrant Events, to test out the bones of the room with local band Ditch Cat and members of the community before the holiday season got into full gear.
Post trial run, Boucher said he’s ready for more traffic. A roller disco party is happening Friday from 7 p.m. to midnight. The event is all ages until 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 online and $15 at the door. DJ Benard Foyer will be at the turntables and even Boney said he’s thinking about stopping by.
“We never thought about doing roller disco — I don’t know if I’ll put on skates, but I want to stop by,” Boney said.
When Boney got the call from Boucher that he was hoping for a Wildwood Room reprise, and asked for his blessing to revive the name, Boney said he got excited.
“I can’t tell you how many people have told us how much they miss the Wildwood Room,” Boney said.
“It would come up every week, somebody would say, ‘We wish the Wildwood Room was back,’ and I would say somebody’s going to do something in the valley sometime soon.”
Boney was right, but he also knows the challenges that lie ahead for Boucher.
“So far from what I have heard, Ian is utilizing the space way more than we ever did, but he’s going to have to hustle and keep stuff happening in there.”
Boucher currently has one band securing a weekly practice and he’s on the lookout for more musicians who are done with schlepping their gear from one rehearsal to another. A progressive series of swing lessons kicks off on Wednesday with additional dates on Jan. 21 and Jan. 28 from 7 to 8 p.m.
Boucher said he’s already booked upcoming events with the Community Foundation of Teton Valley and Teton County Idaho Search and Rescue, but he’s hopeful that pop-ups and swaps will find their home at Wildwood as well.
“The goal now is to have a third of the schedule go to community events, a third to private events and a third to supporting musicians,” Boucher shared.
