Articles written by Owen Acord


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  • Symbols Of American Culture

    Owen Acord|Jul 11, 2024

    Here in the United States car culture is a unique staple in the greater American culture. We make movies about cars like the Fast and Furious movies and one of my personal favorites, American Graffiti. We write books and have entire portions of the internet just dedicated to the culture around cars. Cars represent many different things. The classics are staples of history and with them hold memories. People who love cars also say their cars have their own personality that you can feel as you dri...

  • Preschool For All

    Owen Acord, Special to The Sun|Jul 4, 2024

    The Wyoming Community Foundation recently granted the Encampment Preschool a generous donation of $16,425. This money will be used to cover tuition for all incoming students according to Encampment Preschool Foundation secretary Leslie McLinskey The Encampment Preschool Foundation includes President Anita Morris, Vice President Linda Kraft, Secretary Leslie McLinskey, Treasurer Kate Johnston, and other board members are Amanda Drake and Rayna Greenwood. Mclinskey also explained that the Encampment Preschool started from a collective of parents...

  • Are The Steaks Too High

    Owen Acord, Special to The Sun|Jul 4, 2024

    Steak is a wonderful thing. Done right it could be so good that you never forget it. We all have some story about the best steak that we ever had and those memories stick out in our mind. Steak has a very strong cultural identity in the United States and even more so Wyoming. A Wyoming steak is infamously known to be as rare as it gets. Everyone likes their steak a little different so it begs the question: who do you trust more in making your steak, a steakhouse or yourself? Steakhouses are typically hit and miss. Oftentimes, steaks are over co...

  • Go Grab Your Pole

    Owen Acord|Jul 4, 2024

    Here in the Valley fishing is a staple pastime for everyone from hobbyists and families to the most dedicated anglers. With fishing being such an important part of the Valley, Josh Craig of the Mother Mountain Anglers (MMA) has provided some details on the current quality of fishing in the area as well as some recommendations of what baits are currently reeling in the fish. According to Craig, the North Platte and the Encampment rivers are extremely similar this time of year and the quality of...

  • Joining Together To Remember

    Owen Acord, Special to The Sun|Jul 4, 2024

    On the fences of Harmony Park in Encampment you will find a couple murals depicting a cartoon. This cartoon was Stampede by the late Jerry Palen. Jerry Palen and his family gave the Platte Valley Arts Council permission to use the Stampede comics for the mural. The Platte Valley Arts Council decided to pursue this project in memory of Jerry Palen. Palen had touched many lives with not just his work but by being an all around kind person. He was known fondly by much of the Valley. The arts...

  • Some Change in The Rates

    Owen Acord|Jun 27, 2024

    At June 14’s Encampment Town Council meeting, the council discussed changes in water and sewer rates, a land dispute, a donation to the 4th of July Firework Display, and a request for use of town land with the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities. Encampment sewer rates have increased from $23 a month to $26. According to Town Clerk Doreen Harvey, this was done due to the additional expenses and man labor caused by the upgraded lagoon system which is more resource intensive and requires more maintenance. The water rate has remained at $46 a m...

  • Everyday Actions and Remembrance

    Owen Acord|Jun 27, 2024

    The Riverside Town Council met June 13 to discuss a plethora of subjects. The agenda included approving liquor licenses, issues with sewer, changing a street name in remembrance, and some discussion on a possible rate change. Liquor licenses applications for the Bear Trap and the Mangy Moose were submitted for renewal which were passed by the council. Mayor Leroy Stephenson reported that, while personnel were in the sewer lift, a battery was blown. Mayor Stephenson presented the idea that a street name was changed in remembrance of long time...

  • My Time With Cowboy

    Owen Acord, Special to The Sun|Jun 27, 2024

    Cowboy Bill Wadsworth was an extraordinary man. He was a pillar of the community in the Valley and it is pretty rare to come across anyone who lives here who hasn’t at least interacted with him once. I really started getting to know him during my time working at the Bear Trap. He would always come down for a good soup night, get himself a bowl or two, and a quart of it to go. Every time I saw him, he had a smile on his face. I always loved it when he came in. He had a special way of making you feel like the most important person in the world wh...

  • No Family Camp

    Owen Acord|Jun 20, 2024

    The annual Rancher’s Family Camp was unfortunately canceled this year. The Rancher’s family Camp is an interdenominational organization where people from all of the state come gather for the celebration of religion and community. The cancellation has occurred because many of the committee members of the camp have been struggling with health issues and are unable to organize and run the event. This year would have been the 78th annual camp. They look forward to making a return in 2025 once the committee is back to health....

  • A 307 out of 10

    Owen Acord|Jun 20, 2024

    The 307 Pub and Grub is a restaurant that does lunch and breakfast in Encampment. The restaurant has a very warm cabin-like atmosphere which made me feel right at home. Complementing the environment was a very charming local feel which made you feel even more welcome. I chose to order their bacon cheeseburger which is made with local beef provided, at this time, by Zeller Cattle with a side of housemade chips. All together, this cost $17. I received my meal in a very timely manner paired with...

  • Please, be more melodramatic!

    Owen Acord, Special to the Sun|Jun 13, 2024

    The annual Woodchoppers Jamboree Melodrama, put on by The Grand Encampment Opera Company, has been a long standing tradition with the first shows in the 1980’s. Of course the art of theater has been practiced in Encampment long before this. The opera house was originally just a meeting hall. Thanks to Encampment thespians, a fundraiser play was held in 1902 which gathered enough funds to add on the stage and storage rooms to the building making it a more complete facility. In 1903, with the n...

  • Get to know new writer Owen Acord

    Owen Acord|Jun 6, 2024

    My name is Owen Acord and I am a new summer writer for the Saratoga Sun. I chose to write for the Sun to dip my toes into the world of journalism before I go to the University of Wyoming in the fall to study it. I discovered that journalism is the career path I would like to pursue from a couple of different places. The first was my former job of waiting tables at the Bear Trap. The Bear Trap gets a lot of people from all over the country, and even from around the world. This gave me an opportunity to talk to a variety of people. I love that...

  • Eight years of chasing chains

    Owen Acord, Special to the Sun|Jun 6, 2024

    This Saturday the Mother Mountain Anglers (MMA) are holding their 8th Annual Tale of Two Cities Disc Golf Tournament. The Mother Mountain Anglers are a nonprofit organization whose mission statement is to preserve the connection between nature and community through the love of fishing. The Tournament is comprised of 27 holes spread evenly among 3 courses. It will start at Grand View Park with the women's class teeing off at 9 a.m., then the men’s class at 10 a.m. All of the Tournaments p...

  • For Those Who Ensured Our Freedom

    Owen Acord, Special to the Sun|May 30, 2024

    On Monday, many community members came together at the Encampment Cemetery to be a part of a Memorial Day tradition. Memorial Day was first celebrated under the name of Waterloo on May 5, 1866. From there it spread across the nation. On May 5 1868, General John A. Logan created Declaration Day which was to be held on the 30th of May. Then, in 1971, Memorial Day as we know it was made a federal holiday to be held on the last Monday of May. A ceremony, put on by VFW post 1625, was held in honor...