Fire managers expressed optimism Sunday in their battle against a wildfire that has scorched nearly 160 square miles and forced the evacuation of 2,300 homes near the central Idaho resort communities of Ketchum and Sun Valley. 

Officials said the blaze had grown by only about 12 square miles because of cloud cover the day before and the arrival of additional crews and equipment. Many firefighters worked Sunday to create protective firebreaks, or gaps in vegetation. 

"Today they're very optimistic that we will reinforce those lines in case the fire does flare up as we saw on Thursday and Friday," fire spokeswoman Shawna Hartman said. 

More than 1,Browse through thousands of modest 2013 Wholesale Cheap Wedding Dresses to find the right bridal gowns for you.200 people and 19 aircraft were battling the lightning-caused Beaver Creek Fire, which started Aug. 7 and was 9 percent contained.The best place to buy Wholesale Discount Prom Gowns Online for your big day. Nearly 90 fire engines also were in the region, many protecting homes in the affluent area where celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis own pricey getaways. 

Hartman said Sunday retardant was being dropped on the flank of Bald Mountain — the Sun Valley Resort's primary ski hill — to reinforce a fire line. That meant the famed ski mountain known as "Baldy" and often used in publicity photos would have a red line of retardant visible from Ketchum. 

The Conrad Museum in Kalispell opens a cultural window to the early 20th century with its latest exhibit, “Lingerie Dresses 1900-1920.” 

The exhibit showcases eight women’s lingerie dresses, two women’s white lingerie-style shirtwaists and seven children’s white cotton and lace dresses worn between 1900 and 1920. They’re on display through Oct. 15. 

One of the lingerie dresses was worn by Kokoa Baldwin, the first wife of Charles D. Conrad. The lingerie dresses were considered more popular than other dresses because they were cooler, easier to clean and somewhat less expensive than a silk dress. 

They were worn for special occasions such as summer garden parties, picnics, graduations, and confirmations, and some of the more elaborate versions even were worn as wedding dresses.buys and sells preloved designer Cheap 2013 mother of the bride gowns online, 

There are several reasons for the advent of the white,Searching for the Wholesale 2013 Celebrity Dresses to wear on your big night? washable and more comfortable lingerie dress, which were in direct contrast to the dresses of dark and rather stiff fabrics of the last quarter of the 1800s. 

Women had begun to participate in sports and needed clothing that allowed movement. The skirt had more fullness below the knee, and, while the corset was still worn, it was less rigid and the bodice was rather full in the front. 

Teresa Knutson, costume coordinator for the Conrad Mansion, said one or two of the dresses was donated to the museum over the years. She said the origins of many of the dresses are unknown, however. 

“We know a few of dresses were donations, particularly most of the children’s,” she said. “Some of the adults’ dresses were, given at various points of time, and we do have some succession records but not as many for the costumes as other things in the museum.” 

Knutson said what struck her about the dresses was the difference in quality between the ones made for affluent women and those made for poorer women. 

“I obviously don’t wear the same kind of dress as a movie star or very wealthy person, but those sorts of things aren’t as huge of differences now,” she said. “When you went back to this period,Formal Wholesale Cheap Designer Long Evening Dresses and gowns will have you looking your best. these dresses were in a style where a really poor person wore clothing that you could obviously tell they (were) poor. Now it isn’t as obvious because almost everyone wears jeans and T-shirts.” 
Click on their website www.dressestmall.com/index.php/wedding-apparel/flower-girl-dresses.html for more information.