FROM GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK: Ride Menor’s Ferry & Experience Early Method of River Crossing on the Snake
MOOSE, WY — Ever wondered how Jackson Hole’s early settlers crossed the Snake River before bridges? Beginning Monday, July 20, visitors can take a ride on a replica ferry boat and experience crossing the Snake in the same fashion provided by Bill Menor through his routine ferry service of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Park ranger naturalists will offer free rides daily from 9:00–10:15 a.m. and 1:15–2:15 p.m., as well as before and after the ranger-led program, “A Walk into the Past,” that occurs each day at 2:30 p.m. Call 307.739.3399 for additional operation times.
The wooden ferry boat serves as a central feature of the Menor/Noble Historic District, located just north of the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Grand Teton National Park. Ferry rides transport visitors across the Snake River from Menor’s general store on the west bank of the river to Dornan’s on the east bank—and back.
Menor’s Ferry consists of a wooden platform deck placed upon two pontoons for flotation. The ferry is tethered to a cable system that spans the river and operates by directing the pontoons toward the opposite riverbank, allowing the power of the current to push the craft across the river channel. The system uses river power—rather than motor power—to push the ferry across the water. This type of river travel existed in ancient times and was widely used throughout the United States.
Menor’s Ferry played a vital role in providing safe transport for passengers over the swift-flowing Snake River before construction of a bridge. Prior to the ferry’s existence, the Snake River was essentially impassable from Wilson to Moran—except during low water periods in the fall and winter months. As a man of vision, Bill Menor saw the need for a more convenient access across the Snake River and consequently built and operated his ferry from 1894 until 1918 when he sold it to Maud Noble. Maud operated the ferry until 1927 when its use became obsolete after a steel truss bridge was constructed across the river, allowing for vehicles and foot traffic to cross without the assistance of a ferry service.
Although transportation has changed over time, Menor’s Ferry offers a chance to step back into the past and experience a bygone time and historic mode of river passage.
CHECK OUT ALL THE TEAMS AT THE CAMECO COWBOY TOUGH ADVENTURE WEEK WEBSITE: http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/#!teamroster/c1aam
FROM WIND RIVER COUNTRY TOURISM:
Cowboy Tough Adventure Race, Here We Come! Lander Athletes Represent Wind River Country at the 2015 Cowboy Tough Adventure Race (July 16 –July 19)
Wyoming – “So what are you up to this weekend?”
“Oh we’re just headed to Buffalo to do a little trekking through the Bighorns, some mountain and fire road biking, a little Class III whitewater boating, and a touch of orienteering with 100 athletes from over the globe for an 84-hour adventure race ending in Casper.”
Here in Wind River Country, chances are you know one: your neighbor, best friend, co-worker, or even you and your partner are considered an “adventure athlete.” Whether you weekend-warrior up to Wind River’s Stough Creek for a 21-mile fishing excursion, wake up at 5am to run the Tomato Loop, bushwhack with topo maps through the Red Desert to find petroglyphs, ride at-skis/fat bikes/stout horses through the backcountry—there’s a familiar, prevalent breed of (and unspoken camaraderie among) outdoor-forward humans throughout Fremont County.
No surprise that Fremont County has its own adventure race team, for its second year, competing in Wyoming’s 2015 Cowboy Tough Adventure Race. Sponsored by the Wind River Visitors Council, Team Wind River Country is a coed team of four, all residents of Lander.
Captain Charles (Chuck) Schuster crunches 0’s and 1’s by day for Wyoming Life Resource Center. He and his Cowboy Tough teammate and wife Karla Wagner, a local OB/GYN physician, originally got the adventure racing bug at the annual Leadville 100 MTB (mountain biking) race. (Where they spend over ten hours biking 100 miles over 14,000 feet of elevation gain. Each year. On a tandem bike. For fun.)
Returning for a second round, Wind River Country teammate Shad Hamilton is principal at Fort Washakie, a husband, and father of two. Having met in 2006 at the cycling club, Shad has joined Schuster-Wagner on several Leadville races and adventures through the backcountry. Hamilton paddled a canoe singlehandedly across Boysen Reservoir for one leg of last year’s Cowboy Tough to keep the team rolling through an injury and brief and unofficial checkpoint in the Emergency Room. Shad’s wife jokingly refers to Chuck as “that friend” (who drags him out for days and hours of insanity.) We’re not sure if that’s better than a weekly game of poker with the guys or not.
Brad Young is a husband, father, Army veteran, and the newest member of Team Wind River Country. A behavioral therapist at the Wyoming Life Resource Center, Brad was inspired by Chuck’s endeavors over office water cooler conversations, and effectively turned curiosity into action. After surviving his “first date” with the team at the Teton Ogre Adventure Race in June 2014, Brad has been training and on board for Cowboy Tough ever since.
The 2015 Cowboy Tough race-course this year is set for a start in Buffalo, a gentle meander through the Big Horns (ha) and finish line in Casper. 360-430 miles of trekking, paddling, orienteering, fire road biking, single track biking, mountain and road biking, and plenty of checkpoint challenges over the course of four days. Teams are completely independent and self-sufficient for food and water, and are allowed one tote box on an eighteen-wheeler for transition stations. What does that mean? Racing “re-starts” each morning at 7am and even if you rolled into the transition station at 2am, you have to get your food, sleep, and gear ready to start all over again.
Paula McCormick, marketing director of the Wind River Visitor’s Council was adamant about supporting the team in its second year. “Wind River Country is known for its mountains, rivers, trails, and unparalleled terrain from high desert to alpine. Even more so are the people that live here. There’s a pool of adventure athletes who are ‘Cowboy Tough’ and we are thrilled to support them… and have Wind River Country represented at an international (and Wyoming) competition that receives global exposure. These are the people we run by on the trail or see out on the mountain pass. They are our own.”
To get a sense of what this year’s race looks like, look at the video and photos from last year’s race that started in Fremont County. http://www.cowboytoughwy.com/ – !media/c9v9
Lander, WY – The International Climbers’ Festival is a five-day rock climbing festival that brings together hundreds of people from across the country to Lander. The event includes rock climbing clinics, speakers, and plenty of fun for climbers of any age.
Located in central Wyoming, Lander sits at the base of the spectacular granite-filled Wind River Range, which has some of the best alpine routes in the country. Just outside of town are the legendary limestone-dolomite sport-climbing crags of Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris, where you can find single pitch sport and traditional climbing as well as bouldering with grades for the whole family.
Evening Events at American Museum of the American West, BBQ from 5:30-8:00pm
6pm- Legends & Lore at the Museum of the American West
8pm- Boulder Bash at Cabin Boulders (with lights!)
THURSDAY, JULY 9
8am-Noon- Access Fund Service Project, with Support from the Trango
9am-11:00am: Shoe Demo at Wild Iris Store (return to store as well)
Noon-4:00pm: Tour Lander Brewing on the hour @ the Cowfish
3:00-5:00pm: Falcon Guide Writer’s Clinic
5:00pm- Central Bank & Trust Art Crawl begins and will make stops at local businesses to see various art displays and scotch/beer tasting.
7:00—11:00 pm- Opening Party, brought to you by La Sportiva and the Lander Bar at the Gannett Grill. Pull-Up competition starts at 7:00pm and band, Trout Steak Revival, starts at 8:00pm.
FRIDAY, JULY 10
8:00am- Breakfast Burritos by Solid Rock Climbers’ For Christ in City Park
8:30am-10am: Shoe demos in City Park (return to City Park as well)
9:00am- Meet for clinics at City Park and carpool to Crag
2:00pm-9:00pm- Trade Fair at City Park. Includes booths, exciting games, gear giveaways, and a Dyno Comp that starts at 6:00pm.
9:00pm Peculiar Patriots playing at the Lander Bar
SATURDAY, JULY 11
7:00-9:00am- Dolomite Dash Trail Run, sponsored by Elemental Gym with support from Dynafit @ Wild Iris Crag (21k at 7:00am, 5k & 10k at 7:30am)
8:30 am- Crag Breakfast by the Middle Fork @ Wild Iris Crag
8:30 am-10am Shoe Demos at Wild Iris Crag (return to Wild Iris Store)
10:00 am- Clinics at Wild Iris Crag
6:00 pm- Autograph Session with Athletes at Community Center
7:00pm- Millet Keynote Speaker Series
8:30pm- Closing Party and DJ Cut La Whut
SUNDAY, JULY 12
Coffee by prAna
9:00 Slide Show by Hans Florine (City Park)
All Access Pass – $70
All presentations, $10 Art Crawl dollars, Trade Fair, T-shirt, and Clinics. Includes select free food and discounts for drinks. Your way to experience the entire Festival!
Children’s Ticket – $35
All Access pass, specially priced for kids ages 6-17. Kids under 6 are free!
A reproduction of Rock Springs’ Andrew Kneeland’s Duck Stamp award-winning acrylic painting.
Two temporary exhibits will be on display next month at the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center, located at 532 N. Cache Street in Jackson. The public is invited to view the colorful exhibits, which celebrate Wyoming successes.
From the National Elk Refuge … The first exhibit commemorates the 125th anniversary of Wyoming statehood. Wyoming became the 44th state admitted to the Union on July 10, 1890. An interactive display will give visitors an opportunity to learn more about the state’s history and fun facts. Both a Wyoming and National Elk Refuge time line will be featured, along with coloring sheets, state logos, and a Wyoming quiz. Small Wyoming flags will be given to the first 200 families that visit the exhibit, which will be in the upstairs theater from July 2 through July 12.
Later in the month, visitor center staff will add a second exhibit to the upper level of the visitor center. The Wyoming Junior Duck Stamp 2015 Artwork Tour for the Top 100 entries and National Best in Show will move from its current location at the Campbell County Public Library in Gillette to the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center from July 9 through August 2.The exhibit features an acrylic painting of two wood ducks by Andrew Kneeland, age 17, of Rock Springs. Not only was Kneeland awarded top honors in the state competition, but his artwork was judged the winner among best–of–show entries from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. His design will appear on next year’s Federal Junior Duck Stamp, scheduled to be released in June 2016.
The Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is a dynamic educational program that uses both conservation and design principles to teach wetland habitat and waterfowl biology to students from kindergarten through high school. The program incorporates both scientific and wildlife management principles into an engaging visual arts curriculum. At the completion of their studies, participants complete a Junior Duck Stamp design, which is submitted to a state or territory contest. Top entries move on to the national competition.
Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center hours are from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm.
The 2015 Lander Brewfest will be held on Friday June 12th from 5-9pm and Saturday June 13th from 2-7pm in the Lander City Park, 405 Fremont Street. Tickets and more information about the breweries and program are available at www.landerbrewfest.com. The early-bird ticket rates are $25 for a one-day pass and $45 for a full weekend pass. Tickets can also be purchased day-of for $30/$50, giving 21+ age adults unlimited access to over 70 beers from our 25+ breweries that are coming from Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Colorado.
“We are excited to be moving Brewfest back to City Park,” said Rose Burke, Event Coordinator of the Lander Chamber of Commerce. “In addition to the centralized and sheltered location, this year’s event will include vibrant music, excellent food, and interactive games such as Beer Trivia and the Lawn Game Olympics.” Burke adds, “And the event is open to all ages, so kids and non-drinkers are welcome for free.” Please note: as an all-ages event, Lander Brewfest coordinators require all minors be accompanied by an adult and to please leave pets at home.
Burke noted that this year’s event gives regional craft brewers an opportunity to shine and has added new programs such as “Brewer’s Corner Classes” and “You Be the Beer Judge” sessions where participants can learn more about craft beer. “Our craft brewers are really artists that create some of the best beer in the country. They have a lot to share about their trade and have a vested interest in educating beer connoisseurs,” she added. “Hopefully, we all leave Brewfest with a better appreciation of who is making good beer and continue supporting these small businesses by demanding these products at local bar taps and on supermarket shelves.”
In addition to new programming, the 2015 Lander Brewfest will feature excellent live music. Friday night Spirit Family Reunion will close out the evening with foot stompin’ new-grass-blue-grass, hailing from from Brooklyn, New York. Saturday Jackson’s Chanman Roots Band will kick off the day with root jams and Eugene, Oregon’s Sol Seed will rock out the evening with an eclectic reggae and root vibe.
Lander Brewfest is also hosting Wyoming.com “Golf with the Brewers” 9-hole scramble at the Lander Golf Club, Saturday June 13th from 9am-12pm. “We have 30 of our brewers signed up and most of them are bringing some of their brews to share,” said Burke. “It should be a fun opportunity to play golf, talk with the brewers, and play golf.” Tickets are $30, available online.
Brewfest is partnering Saturday’s events with the Fremont Area Road Tour, a road bike race for all ages, levels, and distances beginning and ending at Lander City Park. June 1st is the deadline to register for the “Bike and Brew” packages: www.landercyclingevents.org.
The 2015 Lander Brewfest is presented by Fremont Toyota and sixteen additional partnering sponsors and organizations. Please thank these businesses by supporting them with your patronage.
For more information or to volunteer contact Rose Burke, Event Coordinator, Lander Chamber of Commerce: rose_burke@landerchamber.org, 307-332-3892. Press release from Wind River Visitor Council
SINKS CANYON ROUGH & TUMBLE TRAIL RACES SATURDAY, JUNE 6
The Lander Running Club is excited to announce the first ever Sinks Canyon Rough and Tumble Trail Races to be held this Saturday, June 6th! The race will be held in the spectacular Sinks Canyon on the Shoshone National Forest, starting and finishing in Bruce’s Parking Area.
“With two race distances of 4 and 11 miles, the runs promise to challenge runners of all inclinations and abilities; both include hill climbs, swooping smooth singletrack, and technical running,” said Evan Reimondo, co-founder and coach of the LRC. “These runs feature new, world class trails in the foothills of the Wind River range, and we truly believe they will become classic trail races.” said Amber Wilson, also co-Founder and coach of the running club.
The Lander Running Club was founded in December of 2013 by Evan Reimondo and Amber Wilson shortly after they transplanted to Lander following their graduate studies at NAU in Flagstaff, AZ where they both enjoyed the sense of community, encouragement, and friendship that came with participation in the local running club there – Team Run Flagstaff. “This was an attempt to bring that sense of running community with us to Wyoming, and we’re very excited to see it growing and becoming pretty successful,” said Amber.
The Lander Running Club hosts a weekly track workout on Wednesday nights and group trail runs on Saturdays along with a growing series of races year-round. Membership in LRC is free and open to the community. Runners of all ages and abilities are welcome. For more information about the Lander Running Club or to sign up for the group’s once-weekly newsletters detailing weekly group runs and upcoming running events, visit landerrunning.blogspot.com, visit and “like” LRC on Facebook at facebook.com/landerrunning or email Evan and Amber and landerrunning@gmail.com.
Race day registration starts Saturday, June 6th at 7am in Bruce’s parking area.
11-mile race briefing: 7:45
11-mile start: 8:00
4-mile race briefing: 8:15
4-mile start: 8:30
The Sinks Canyon Rough and Tumble Trail Races have permit approval from the Shoshone National Forest, and are sanctioned by the USATF.
— from Coach Amber Lynn Wilson, Press Release from Wind River Visitor Council
Collared Sow Grizzly bear with two cubs along the highway near Dubois
DUBOIS MUSEUM PRESENTS WYOMING COMMUNITY BANK SPEAKERS SERIES — BEAR SPRAY 101 JUNE 11
“Bear Spray 101 How to avoid bear encounters, the proper use of bear spray and how to defend yourself during an attack,” Fourth program in the Wyoming Community Bank Speaker’s series at the Dubois Museum in the Dennison Lodge June 11, at 7 p.m.
Bear Spray 101: How to avoid bear encounters, the proper use of bear spray and how to defend yourself during an attack.
A program on Bear Spray 101 will be presented June 11 at 7 p.m. at the Dennison Lodge in Dubois. The program is the Fourth in the Wyoming Community Bank Speakers Series at the museum. The series will feature speakers and programs on the area’s culture and history at all three county museums throughout the summer and fall. The programs are free and open to the public.
The program, led by Brain DeBolt, the Large Carnivore Conflict Coordinator with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
The next speaker through the Dubois Museum will be at the Dennison Lodge July 9, 7 p.m. and will be a program by Mark Thompson sharing his story of life in the Dunoir Valley. This will also be a great opportunity for others to share their stories of Dubois in the past.
For more information call the museum at 307-455-2284, on Facebook at: Dubois Museum & Wind River Historical Center
Byrd Draw Trek – Photo Credit Lary Treanor
DUBOIS MUSEUM PRESENTS WIND RIVER VISITORS COUNCIL TREK SERIES JUNE 13 — “Byrd Draw Explorations”
First program in the Wind River Visitors Council Trek Series at the Dubois Museum Saturday, June 13 at 8:30 am.
Bruce Thompson and Sally Wulbrecht will lead the trek. The trek will investigate what the rocks, plants and animal tracks have to tell us about life in the badlands canyon. Bring a lunch, plenty of water and dress for hiking on rocky trails. The trek is free and open to the public. Meet at the Dubois Museum at 8:30am. Please call the Dubois Museum 455-2284 to register for the program.
This program is the First in the Wind River Visitors Council Trek Series at the museum. This series will feature treks on the area’s culture and history at all three county museums throughout the summer and fall.
The next activity will be a Wind River Visitors Council Trek Series through the Dubois Museum on Saturday, June 20, 9 a.m. to the Torrey Basin Petroglyphs, Limit of 12 people so call now to reserve your spot.
For more information call the museum at 307-455-2284 or on Facebook at: Dubois Museum & Wind River Historical Center — Press Release from Wind River Visitors Council
Please note this CHANGE in date – but not location! If you’re a vendor, or a buyer/store that would like to attend, please email editor@wyolifestyle.com for info!
Daniel Matern and Civil War era infantry
Wyoming Heritage Days, A Walk Through Time at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper
June 13-14
June 13, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
June 14 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
The event is FREE and open to the public!
LOCATION: National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, Casper – right adjacent to the Events Center!
Description: In celebration of the 125th anniversary of Wyoming’s statehood, The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper will host a premier living history event. The event will feature colorful personalities from Wyoming’s past. Many called Wyoming “home” before it was a state. All played an important role in Wyoming’s unique heritage.
SHERIDAN: FIRST ANNUAL JURIED PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW, SAGEBRUSH ART CENTER
Sagebrush Art Center is pleased to host its First Annual Juried Photography Show this May. Juried by well-known photographer Adam Jahiel, the exhibition features 38 photos by 30 local and regional photographers, and will run May 4th-May 30th. The reception & awards ceremony takes place May 15th, from 5-7pm. The reception is open to the public; wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
The Sagebrush Art Center is located in the Historic Train Depot at 201 E. 5th street in Sheridan, Wyoming. Summer hours begin in May: Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm. Operated by SAGE (Sheridan Artists’ Guild, Et, al), the art center also houses a Member Gallery. The Sagebrush hosts a variety of classes in several mediums, including 2-hour painting workshops for beginners of all ages.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
LANDER: An exhibition of the Wyoming Art Party
Lander, WY- The Lander Art Center is pleased to present “A Portrait of Wyoming” a collaborative art project by The Wyoming Art Party featuring the work of 38 Wyoming artists, writers and craft folk. This traveling exhibition will open its Lander showing on Friday, May 22 from 6-8pm at the Lander Art Center. This reception is free and open to the public.
The Wyoming Art Party is an organization started by two local Laramie artists, June Glasson and Meg Thompson, whose mission is to organize art projects and shows that connect individuals, scattered throughout Wyoming, who work in different regions, disciplines (fine arts, writing, music, craft) and from different backgrounds, with the aim of creating work that truly represents art in Wyoming as it is, rather than as it is thought to be.
For this show the participants where invited to create a “Portrait of Wyoming” in whatever medium they chose. They were then paired with another artist whom they would trade pieces with and finish each other’s piece. The aim was to connect individuals from across the state who don’t usually work together and to encourage artists to create something outside their day to day work. The heart of this project is collaboration.
Exhibition on display from May 22 – July 4, 2015.
CHEYENNE: WYOmericana Concert May 30, Atlas Theater
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK: AMERICAN INDIAN SUMMER ART PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
MOOSE, WY —For the past 40 years, artisans from diverse American Indian tribes have demonstrated their traditional and contemporary art forms in Grand Teton National Park. This annual program provides visitors a chance to gain greater appreciation and understanding of American Indian cultures that are still alive and active today.
Participating artists demonstrate and share the cultural traditions of their tribes through art forms such as painting, weaving, pottery, beadwork, and musical instruments. Guest artists exhibit daily during open hours at the Colter Bay Visitor Center. Artists also offer their finished items for purchase. The 2015 schedule includes:
Thanks to Smith’s in Jackson for being a new distribution point for WLM! Don’t forget to say hello to Mitch Alm, Manager of Smith’s! Thanks guys!
Free Greater Yellowstone Area Xeriscaping Guide Now Available
As another growing season is beginning, the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee encourages people to be mindful and efficient in their water use and to utilize practices that use less water in their residential or business landscaping. The committee’s Sustainable Operations Subcommittee is now offering a free, illustrated, color booklet entitled “Xeriscape Landscaping in the Greater Yellowstone Area” which includes suggestions for water-conserving plants and landscaping techniques.
“This year’s lower-than-average snow pack across most of the Greater Yellowstone Area has caused renewed interest in water-wise landscaping,” said the booklet’s co-author and project coordinator, Jane Ruchman, Landscape Architect for the Custer Gallatin National Forest. “Decreasing our landscaping water use also decreases the energy required for pumping and distribution. It’s a win-win approach to landscaping.”
Water and energy conservation is a priority for the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee, a group that is comprised of the Greater Yellowstone Area federal land managers. While some of the West’s great rivers that inspirit and sustain this extraordinary environment originate on federal land in the Greater Yellowstone Area, we all share the responsibility to use our water wisely.
For a free copy of this booklet, call your local Forest Service office on the Custer Gallatin, Shoshone, Bridger-Teton, Caribou-Targhee national forests, or the Madison Ranger District in Ennis. Blake Nursery, which provided valuable assistance in the creation of the guide, also has copies available for the public in the Big Timber area.An electronic copy is posted online at http://fedgycc.org/SOSOverview.htm. For more information, contact Jane Ruchman at (406) 587-6966.
Come Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day, May 9
MOOSE, WY —Visitors and local residents are invited to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) at Grand Teton National Park by joining a bird-watching caravan on Saturday, May 9th. Park Ranger Andrew Langford will visit several park areas that provide the best opportunities to locate, identify, and record birds as part of the annual North American bird count and annual IMBD observance.
Anyone interested in birds is welcome. The bird-watching excursion begins at 8 a.m. from the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Moose and finishes by 4 p.m. at Christian Pond by Jackson Lake Lodge. This public activity is free and reservations are not required. Participants of the IMBD activity are reminded that park entrance stations are open; therefore a park pass is required for travel through any fee station.
Throughout the day, participants will take short walks at various locations, so those attending should wear comfortable shoes and bring a lunch, drinking water, warm clothing and rain gear. Bird field guides, binoculars and spotting scopes are also recommended items.
The 2015 IMBD theme, “Restore Habitat, Restore Birds,” focuses on the loss and degradation of bird habitats around the world. Urbanization and climate change are two of the primary threats to bird populations. To foster conservation efforts, IMBD suggests ways to get involved in habitat restoration projects at home, in communities, and further afield. Each habitat illustrated on the 2015 IMBD poster provides a colorful view of the places migratory birds seek for nesting, wintering, or as stopover sites during migration. Grand Teton National Park provides critical habitat for a host of migratory birds, as well as year-round species. The arrival each spring of sandhill cranes, mountain bluebirds, western tanagers, meadow larks and other charismatic and fascinating birds brings delight to park visitors and local bird watchers alike.
As always, the annual theme is relevant to host organizations and participants throughout the world. Participation in Grand Teton’s IMBD tour offers a chance to learn about the benefits of birds and their unique contribution to the health and beauty of the natural areas in northwestern Wyoming.
Observed each year in May to support avian conservation, IMBD serves as the hallmark outreach event for Partners in Flight—an international conservation program with a goal to reverse dwindling populations of migratory birds by bringing attention to factors that contribute to worldwide declines.
For more information about International Migratory Bird Day and the North American Migration Count, please call the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at 307.739.3399. To learn more about the IMBD organization, go to http://www.migratorybirdday.org/
From the Wyoming Business Council: Rawlins wins 2015 Great American Main Street Award
RAWLINS DDA/MAIN STREET WINS PRESTIGIOUS GREAT AMERICAN MAIN STREET AWARD IN ATLANTA!
ATLANTA – Rawlins today became the first community in the northern Rocky Mountain region to win the prestigious Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA).
Rawlins Downtown Development Authority/Main Street Executive Director Pam Thayer and staff along with board of directors, city council and Junior Main Street members, and downtown business owners and volunteers will officially receive the award during today’s opening plenary between 2 and 4 p.m. MDT at the 2015 National Main Streets Conference in Atlanta.
Thayer launched Rawlins’ Main Street efforts in 2006.
”Nine years ago it was overwhelming, but as we moved through the steps, it became a little clearer,” Thayer said. ”And sitting through these classes (at the National Main Streets conference), all I can think about is how much more work we have to do.
”For me, the award represents filling up our tank. It’s getting the gas to keep us moving forward.”
Rawlins was a GAMSA semifinalist last year, a first for a Wyoming Main Street program member, and was given the inaugural One to Watch award. Wyoming Main Street is a Wyoming Business Council program.
“We are so proud Wyoming is home to the first GAMSA recipient in the northern Rocky Mountain region,” Business Council Chief Executive Officer Shawn Reese said. “Rawlins is an outstanding example of how a community can work together to achieve downtown development and enhanced quality of life.”
The National Main Street Center (NMSC) was created in 1980 as a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Each year, the NMSC recognizes the country’s best examples of comprehensive commercial district revitalization. Winners are selected from a nationwide pool of applicants by a national jury. Criteria include strength of the Main Street in creating an exciting place to live, work, play and visit; commitment to historic preservation; implementation of model partnerships, and demonstrated success of the Main Street Four-Point Approach®. There are more than 2,000 Main Street communities across the country.
“We are honored to receive this level of recognition,” Rawlins Mayor Robert Grauberger said. “All the hard work from Pam Thayer, the board of directors, and the volunteers, plus the support from the businesses, the community and the City of Rawlins are the reasons we have won this award. We are very proud.”
The town of about 10,000 people is located along Interstate 80 in south-central Wyoming. It was founded in 1867 when surveyors for the transcontinental railroad stopped for water. Hard times hit in the late 1990s and the downtown vacancy rate topped 50 percent. Since Rawlins joined the Wyoming Main Street program nine years ago, the downtown building vacancy rate dropped from 45 percent to 10 percent and 59 private and public rehabilitation projects were completed. The total dollars reinvested in the downtown district since 2008 is about $8.5 million.
Evidence of Rawlins’ can-do spirit is seen in the rehabilitation of the badly deteriorated Rainbow Te-ton buildings, which the Rawlins DDA/Main Street converted into an entrepreneurial center, and the Carbon Mercantile, a community-owned clothing store.
Since the 2014 National Main Streets Conference in Detroit, Rawlins completed a downtown streetscaping project, a public art sculpture project and passed an ordinance that changed the district’s zoning to allow for downtown living.
“Rawlins is a textbook example of how the health of a Main Street is so closely tied to the health of its small businesses,” National Main Street Center President and CEO Patrice Frey said. “Rawlins DDA/Main Street has done a tremendous job of nurturing existing businesses, attracting new enterprise and fostering a true entrepreneurial spirit.
“With the DDA/Main Street now set on creating more downtown housing and façade improvements, we have no doubt Rawlins will only continue to grow and thrive.”
For more information about the Wyoming Main Street program, contact Program Manager Linda Klinck at 307-777-2934 or linda.klinck@wyo.gov.
About the Wyoming Business Council. Our mission is to increase Wyoming’s prosperity. We envision a Wyoming where industries are strong, diverse and expanding. Small business is a big deal. Communities have the highest quality of life. Wyoming is the technology center of the High Plains. Wyoming knows no boundaries. Please go to www.wyomingbusiness.org
LARAMIE MAIN STREET / DOWNTOWN LARAMIE: DEPOT FUNDRAISER
When the Laramie Depot was originally built, in 1924, the drains from the roof emptied into a cistern under the depot. The cistern, in turn, emptied into the city sewer.
Eventually the city had the cistern disconnected from the sewer, and french drains were installed under the downspouts. The drains have filled up, and are no longer working, so the runoff is degrading and compacting the soil under the brickwork.
We have an engineering study in hand which lays out a plan to install drainage gutters to adequately drain the water away from the foundation of our depot. In order to install the gutters, we will be removing the brickwork, and excavating the soil that is compacting. We will replace the excavated soil with compacted base, graded away from the depot before we install the finishing layer.
We would appreciate any and all help that we can get to repair our depot.
The Living Wyoming: A Photographic Tribute, Exploring the Southeast Quadrant
Read about Rich, Bo and their books in our upcoming Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine Spring & Early Summer 2015 issue – almost complete!
The first hardcover “The Living Wyoming: A Photographic Tribute” book, by Rich Rosenfeld and Robert (Bo) Edgerton, will be released and available for shipping on June 10th. Pre-order your copy between March 25th and April 19th, all of which will be hand numbered and signed by both contributors. ONLY pre-ordered books will be hand numbered and signed. Pricing on pre-orders will be $38.95 each and will include postage within the lower 48 states. As an added bonuses, for ALL pre-orders, Bo will be giving out a “PDC” Promotion Discount Code for 10% off any image from the book that you would like to have printed. Any Size! AND we will also offer those that pre-order the first book, a 10% discount when they pre-order our second book, covering the Southwest Quadrant, when it becomes available.
Click on the image to connect with Wyoming Bridal Expos to preregister for the Sheridan Wedding & Style Event on February 28!
Check out what JUST arrived in our WLM mailbox!!! And with it, information on this 15th Joe Pickett novel due out March 10, 2015, comes a list of nationwide tour cities & dates! Check out the list below and read on for more information on ENDANGERED…
March 10 — Laramie, WY, American Heritage Center, 12 PM
March 10 — Fort Collins, CO, Senior Center, 7 PM
March 11 — Cheyenne, WY, Laramie County Library, 7 PM
March 12 – Highlands Ranch, CO – Highlands Library, 7 PM
March 13 – Tucson, AZ – Clues Unlimited, 3 PM (joint event w/Ace Atkins)
March 14 – Tucson, AZ – Book festival with booth signings
March 15 – Scottsdale, AZ – Poisoned Pen, 2 PM
March 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Peoria Public Library, 7 PM
March 17 – Houston, TX – Murder by the Book, 6:30 PM
<March 18 – New York, NY – Mysterious Bookshop, 6:30 PM (joint event w/Owen Laukkanen)
March 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Chester County Books, 7:00 PM
March 20 – St. Louise, MO – St. Louis County Library, 7 PM
March 21- Minneapoilis, MN – Once Upon a Crime, 7 PM
March 22 – Lexington, KY – Joseph Beth Booksellers, 5 PM
March 27 – Delray Beach, FL – Murder on the Beach, 7:30 PM
March 28 & 29 – Broward, FL: Broward County Book Festival
March 31 — Casper, WY – Natrona County High School, 7 PM
Mary 10 – Detroit, MT: Detroit Book & Author Luncheon, 12 PM
from Putnam’s release…
“All the action and suspense of Box’s long string of high-country adventures, with a solution that’s considerably tighter and more satisfying than most of them. One of Joe’s best.” — Kirkus (starred review)
“Is there a crime-fiction family as fully fleshed out as Joe Pickett’s? Pickett’s supporting cast – wife Marybeth and daughters Sheridan, Lucy and April – lends a continuity and grounding to this series that sets it apart from all the lone-wolf stuff out there… As they often do, things get western, with the carefully constructed plot building to a breathless, thrilling end.” — Booklist
In 2014, the critics were unanimous about the Joe pickett thriller Stone Cold —
“C.J. Box moves from strength to strength with each new installment. I would say that he is at the top of his form, but the top just keeps moving ever upward.” — Bookpage
Now comes ENDANGERED,the new Joe Pickett novel which Putnam will publish on March 10, 2015 ($26.95). And with this 15th entry in the New York Times best-selling series, C.J. Box has done it again.
As the story opens, April, Joe Pickett’s 18-year-old daughter, has disappeared. Joe already had good reason to dislike rodeo champ Dallas Cates, but now he has even more of a case against him — Joe learns that it is Dallas with whom April had run off. And now she is missing.
Then comes even worse news: the body of a girl has been found in a ditch along the highway – she’s alive, but just barely, the victim of blunt force trauma. That girl proves to be April, and the doctors don’t know if she’ll recover. Dallas denies having anything to do with it — says she ran off from him, too – and there’s evidence that points to another man. But Joe knows in his gut which person is responsible for bringing her to harm. What Joe doesn’t know is the kind of danger he’s about to encounter. Dallas Cates is bad enough, but Cates’s twisted family is like none Joe has ever met before. And they will do anything to protect Dallas – literally anything.
Joe’s going to find out the truth, even if it kills him. And this time, it just might.
C.J. Box is the author of fifteen Joe Pickett novels, mos recently Stone Cold; four stand-alone novels, most recently The Highway; and the story collection Shots Fired. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoes and Barry Awards, as well as the French Prix Calibre .38 and a French Elle magazine literary award. His books have been translated into 27 languages. C.J. Box lives outide Cheyenne, Wyoming
Click on the image to preregister for the Laramie Bridal Expo, February 15 at Albany County Fairgrounds from 12-4 PM!Click to connect and preregister for the Sweetwater County Bridal Expo, February 7 in Downtown Rock Springs at the Freight Station, 603 S. Main Street, from 12-4 PM!
Yesterday I visited Chalk n’ Cheese, a delightful specialty shop inside the original Copper Kettle & Antique Fever on South 2nd Street in Downtown Laramie… and picked myself up an equally delightful bottle of raspberry balsamic vinegar AND peppermint fudge sauce. Dinner was complete.
Check out their supply of unique food items, cookware and beautiful antiques to house all of your lovely purchases! Also sign up for their newsletter, where you can learn more about the cooking classes and special events, such as their Valentine’s Day event with food, wine and dessert. Sign us up!
Check out Dead Drift Fly Fishing Company’s new mini store at 107 E. Grand Ave in Downtown Laramie Wyoming!
New Art Exhibit Showcases Creative Lives of Our Librarians
Jackson, WY- When Teton County Library staffers are not busy helping community members answer research questions, navigate new technology or find books, they’re making sculptures, music, paintings, poetry, hand-bound books and other art. Come see their creativity, now being showcased in the Library Staff Art Show, which opened Wednesday and will be on display in the Library Gallery through January.
“There’s a surprising quality to it,” said Library Director Deb Adams. “People think librarians are serious. What you see is we’re fun; we’re creative.”
The show features art created by 23 library staffers when they’re not at work. Library IT Systems Manager Kent Fiske made a vase and paperweight now on display. Before he started working at the library, Fiske worked as a professional glass blower and artist. Cut facets on the iridescent, oval-shaped paperweight invites the eye to peer inside where Fiske has created a miniature “universe” that appears to mimic mountains swirling in clouds.
Displayed next to Fiske’s glass are two hand-bound books made by Library Volunteer Program Coordinator Lokey Lytjen. “I love it, it’s very relaxing,” Lytjen says of the art of binding her own books. One of her pieces, a simple bound book that’s a tribute to her parents, holds together hand-made mulberry paper embellished with calligraphy and family pictures.
Library Education and Program Manager Oona Doherty oversees exhibits in the library. She said she got a surprise when helping arrange this exhibit. When she accidentally knocked over an origami sculpture created by Library Assistant Eva Dahlgren, out fell butterflies and a small piece of paper referencing Newton’s Third Law, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
Likewise, Library Page Robin Allison references another famous mind, Vincent Van Gogh, by recreating, in painstaking detail with a needle and thread, Van Gogh’s 1888 painting, “Bedroom in Arles.”
The Library Staff Art Show also holds other clues to the creative lives of library workers with title cards highlighting one biographical element about each artist, revealing their favorite literary character; what they’re reading now; or their hometown library.
You can find Teton County Library online at www.tclib.org, call us at 307.733.2164 or visit us at 125 Virginian Lane in Jackson.
Laramie — This weekend, December 13 & 14, the Laramie Plains Museum is hosting its annual holiday open house at historic Ivinson Mansion. Rooms of the mansion will be decorated with a “western” Nutcracker theme with local florists contributing live arrangements. Holiday music will be performed by the Melodees, St. Mathew’s carolers and Wind and Roses harp duets. Complementary tours will be offered for the community on Saturday, Dec. 13 from 3 to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 14from 1 to 4 p.m.
During the event the Laramie Women’s Club will host their annual Christmas trinket and goodie sale in the Alice Hardie Stevens Center (behind the mansion).
University of Wyoming Women’s Club Hosts Holiday Home Tour 2014
“Retrospective Invitational Show” at Sagebrush Art Center
Dec.2, 2014- Jan. 9th, 2015, Reception Dec 11, 4:30-7pm
Sagebrush Art Center’s latest “Retrospective Invitational Show” features work by three well-known Sheridan area artists: Carol Berry, Elaine Henry, and Margie Newman. The show encompasses the entire first floor of the art center, located in the Historic Train Depot at 201 E. 5th Street, in Sheridan.
This annual exhibition runs through January 9, 2015. This project is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Also Showing:
The Sheridan County Artists’ Guild’s “Member’s Only Annual Holiday Show,” hangs through December 20th in the mezzanine at the Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library.
Check out Dead Drift Fly Fishing Company’s new mini store at 107 E. Grand Ave in Downtown Laramie Wyoming – for unique Wyoming wear for that avid Wyoming fan & fisherperson on your list… Click the image to connect with Dead Drift online!
Bill Sniffin releases his new Wyoming coffee table book, just in time for the holidays!
Sniffin Publishes Second Coffee Table Book about Wyoming Just in Time for Christmas
Wyoming author and journalist Bill Sniffin has just made available copies of his newest coffee table book about Wyoming, called MY WYOMING 101 Special Places. The book is a 156-page effort featuring 42 photographers and 156 color photos about the state, including 14 foldout pages.
His earlier book, Wyoming’s 7 Greatest Natural Wonders, published in 2012, has already sold 15,000 copies and is believed to be the best selling coffee table book in the state.
Sniffin, of Lander, is a photographer, journalist and entrepreneur who has lived in Wyoming for 44 years. His weekly newspaper column appears in several newspapers each week including the Rock Springs Rocket Miner, Rawlins Daily Times, Lander Journal, Riverton Ranger, the Cheyenne Wyoming Tribune Eagle, the Evanston Uinta County Herald, Sheridan Online and occasionally in the Casper Journal, Laramie Boomerang, Pine Bluffs Post, Powell Tribune, Sundance Times, Kemmerer Gazette, Moorcroft Leader, Afton Star Valley Independent and others.
Sniffin’s newest book, MY WYOMING 101 Special Places, will be on sale the end of November. With the success of the first coffee table-style book, it only seemed practical to follow up two years later with a companion book that featured not only “natural” images but photos of man-made places and people in the photos enjoying Wyoming.
Sniffin has written three other books, which are available at fine bookstores and online at www.wyomingwonders.com. They are all compilations of his columns. They include Strong Winds, Blowing Snow, Slick in Spots which was published in 2011; High Altitudes, Low Multitudes in 2003; and The Best Part of America in 1993.
Over the years, Bill has been honored with the state tourism industry’s highest awards, the BIG WYO award and the Tony Bevinetto Friend of Tourism Award. His wife Nancy was honored in 2011 with Wyoming’s highest award for volunteerism, the Jefferson Award.
Sniffin and his wife are former owners of newspapers in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and Hawaii. The Sniffins have raised four children and have ten grandchildren. Most recently, they sold an advertising agency they founded called Wyoming Inc. and also sold, along with daughter Shelli Johnson, an internet tourism company, yellowstonepark.com.
Bill is the former chairman of the Wyoming Travel Commission, vice-chairman of the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission and has also been a member of the Wyoming P16 Education Commission. Sniffin ran for governor in 2002, losing in the Republican primary. He is on the board of directors of the Mountain West AAA Auto Club, for Alaska, Montana and Wyoming and the Wyoming Travel Industry Coalition.
More information can be found at the web site www.billsniffin.com. One can also mail a request for the book to Box 900, Lander, WY 82520. His Facebook page is “Wyoming books, columns by Bill Sniffin.”
