Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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A whole lotta bull was on display at the 24th Annual Saratoga Bullfest as thirty of the best riders competed on August 24 to be this year’s winner. Each bull rider gave it their all and then some, but it would be Riverton’s Marty Custer who would walk away with the coveted Bullfest Spurs. “I have been here many years and never had a good shot at it,” Custer said. “I was going hard all summer and it feels good to finally win at Bullfest.” Custer said his work to prepare for bull riding is a...
Before the Bellamy Brothers took the stage to headline the Carbon County Fair on August 8, Jared Rogerson and the Rodeo Wreck opened for the legendary country duo. Fans danced and clapped to the beat of the music as Rogerson and the Rodeo Wreck cranked up their guitars, rolled the drums, and got the crowd on their feet. “There is nothing more incredible than being here in front of a bunch of fans of the West and rural life,” Rogerson said. “To be able to play my style of Wyoming Cowboy Count...
The town of Encampment was swinging to classic country music, with some rhymes and the sound of a fiddle with everyone dancing in the middle. The Jake Clayton Trio, led by Jake Clayton, got the crowd going on the dance floor at The DiVide Restaurant & Lounge in Encampment on July 26. Though he lives in Tennessee, Clayton is no stranger to Encampment or the Platte Valley. “I have performed in Encampment at least eight times,” Clayton said. “I played multiple times at the town picnic and perfo...
It’s been a month since Lita Ford headlined Saratoga Days, an annual free concert held in downtown Saratoga around Independence Day. For Scott McIlvaine, one of the event organizers, having the Queen of Metal play in his hometown is something which still feels surreal. “A free show, nonetheless. That’s huge for Saratoga,” said McIlvaine. “I grew up listening to her music and she played in our town. She enjoyed Saratoga and I hope people enjoyed her.” For the past six years, McIlvaine a...
“When you can make so many people happy, it’s good for your heart.” The sun had long set on Roger Burau’s property, home for The WHAT Festival for the third consecutive year, when he took to the stage on Saturday evening. For the past 48 hours, acres of his land had been transformed into a miniature community of music, camping and food trucks with cliffs to the north and the river to the south. As he stood on stage, in the spotlight for just a few minutes, he was greeted with cheers, applaus...
Brews are in this weekend as the 28th Annual Steinley Cup Microbrew Competition returns to Veterans’ Island in Saratoga. The original and only official State of Wyoming Microbrew Competition, hosted by the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce, will see 11 breweries from across the state descend upon the Platte Valley for their chance at the coveted Steinley Cup. That includes Freedom’s Edge of Cheyenne, which has won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. Last year, Freedom’s Edge won with their E...
A wicked twist on Texas Red Dirt music will be coming to the North Platte Valley this weekend. Cory Waller & the Wicked Things will perform at the 18th Annual Encampment Community Barbeque/Potluck on August 3. This will be The Wicked Things’ first visit to the Platte Valley. Waller said he had been asked for a long time to perform in Encampment but, due to his touring schedule, he could not find the time to come to the Platte Valley. “I had a friend of a friend who has been trying to get us to...
Saratoga’s own cowboy musician Daron Little will perform his “Cowpuncher Music” this weekend at the 22nd Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering (GECG) in Encampment. He will be joined by another dozen noted cowboy poets and musicians to entertain at Grand View Park, Opera House and Encampment school. Kicking off the three-day event Friday evening at 6:30 in Grand View Park will be the open mic poetry and music performance, hosted by GECG Outfit member Jason Swedlund, followed by the traditional, popu...
The best way to describe the Colorado-based band Loose Change—which performed at the BearTrap in Riverside on Saturday night—might be from the popular song by Donny and Marie Osmond, “A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock n’ Roll.” Maureen Dailey and her husband, Lee, came from different musical backgrounds before helping to found Loose Change, which plays covers of popular 90s country songs such as Dwight Yokum. “It kind of morphed into a band. [With the] National Western Stockshow, my dad wa...
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...
Over the decades, several bands have left their mark on popular culture, their music reverberating for generations afterward. One such band is Queen and their late frontman Freddy Mercury. On May 17, the Fat Bottom Boys, a Queen tribute band from Denver, Colorado, performed a number of the band’s classic hits at the Parco-Sinclair Historical Theatre. The Fat Bottom Boys first performed as a Queen tribute band at Cheers, a bar in Northglenn, Colorado. People loved their performance and they e...
Later this month, Southern Fryed will be bringing a taste of Texas Red Dirt to the Parco-Sinclair Theater. The concert will be a preview of what they have in store later this year for other Carbon County venues. Southern Fryed was founded in 2008 by frontman Russ Brown. Brown, a native of North Platte, Nebraska, retired from the US Air Force after 22 years of service before moving to Cheyenne, Wyoming. He fell in love with his new town and Wyoming and Brown knew it was where he wanted to make...
Jason Swedlund and Mary de la Fuente performed at the Rustic Bar in Saratoga on Saturday, March 23. Swedlund and de la Fuente have both had an interesting musical journey which led them to become a perfect match as a musical duo. Swedlund started his musical journey at the age of nine when he picked up his dad’s banjo and started “plinking around.” Swedulund thought he would be in trouble for messing with his dad’s banjo. “I thought he would kill me for messing around with it,” Swedlund sa...
In an exciting collaboration, the Sound Design Program at Casper College recently embarked on a unique learning experience by recording two singles for the country music band Third Rail out of Cheyenne and Saratoga. This hands-on project not only provided students with a practical application of their sound design skills but also allowed Third Rail the benefit of a state-of-the-art recording studio and the fresh talent of students. Third Rail: A dream in the making. “Third Rail is a band I p...
On June 4, "Joe Pickett"-the Paramount+ series based on the titular character-premiered its second season with two episodes. While most fans may have watched from their home, a number of Saratoga and Platte Valley residents gathered at the Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC) the premiere on the big screen. Based on the book series written by Chuck "C.J." Box, the streaming series follows the Wyoming Game Warden as he navigates family life, his role with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department...
The Platte Valley Drama Club performed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory four times from Friday April 28 to Sunday April 30. There was a strong turnout from the Valley that came to support the drama club. The coach of the Platte Valley Drama Club, Marie Christen was very grateful for the community and said that the donations were higher than any previous year. A funny story shared by Marie Christen was that the students who played the squirrels kept losing their nuts backstage. It was funny to...
Dreams really do come true, and Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers band can attest to it. On Saturday night, April 22, this group of performers walked onto the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. An institution that represents country music at its finest. An invitation to perform takes hard work and dedication and is considered a high honor. Chancey started the Younger Brothers Band with Travis DeWitt in November 1998 in Moorcroft, Wyoming. Things have changed over the years and so have the...
From Kindergarten to fifth grade the Country music entertained and the attendees. The Second graders provided "Honky Tonk Man"-in the style of Johnny Horner. Third graders sang their rendition of the Johnny Cash song, "I've Been Everywhere". Kindergarteners sang "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell much to the delight of the audience. The Third Grade brought down the house with Dolly Parton's "9 to 5". Tracy Bird's "I'm From the Country" performed by the First Graders was a woohoo kind of time!...
The Platte Valley has long been home to artists of varying mediums. One such artist was Virginia Frederick Large, whose creations can still be found throughout the Valley. Large's artwork still adorns the walls of the Carbon County School District No. 2 Central Office, the Doc Culleton Building at the Grand Encampment Museum and the Saratoga Presbyterian Church. On March 16, local historian Dick Perue presented the life and work of Large at the Saratoga Branch Library. The program, narrated by...
The Friends of the Library will be presenting a video compilation created several years ago by Mary Perue as a high school history project. Saratoga artist John Perue, and local historian Dick Perue will present the narrated slide show honoring the noted western artist whose subjects range from ranches, western and mountain scenes to livestock, wildlife, barns and buildings, plus portraits of pets and people. Large produced hundreds of paintings, as well as murals, drawings on aprons and...
The history of Saratoga's hot springs and its healing waters are deeply tied to that of the town itself. So is that of the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort and Spa. Dr. Michael "Doc' Janssen, the most recent owner of the resort, recently released "The Healing Waters of Saratoga" detailing the history of the springs, Saratoga and the resort itself. The book was first available at the end of January, just in time for the annual poker run, one year to the day Janssen first considered writing the book....
Powerboaters from across the country put into Saratoga to take part in an Egyptian themed night of fun at the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort the last weekend of January. Michael "Doc" Janssen, owner of the Resort, puts on the event every year which starts on a Thursday and ends Sunday. Janssen reached out to this group of powerboaters some years ago to attend the event, and many come return year-after-year. From Power to Powder Power boating describes activities performed in a motorized boat. Gener...
With the Valley experiencing six months-or more-of winter, it often falls upon residents to find a way to entertain themselves while attracting others to the area. In the past, this has led to the formation of events such as the Saratoga Lake Ice Fishing Derby, the Don Erickson Memorial Chariot Races and Skijoring. Another winter event may have been added to the list this year with the 307 GoFast Ice Races. "Two years ago, the vintage sled races in Walden contacted my brother. He was friends...
"This is the first year we didn't have to haul any snow out to the event," Richard Raymer, one of the founding organizers for the Saratoga Skijoring Event. "In fact we had to move snow off the track, because we almost had too much if you can believe that." Raymer said mother nature did indeed help the event out this year. "I would call what we had this year was our biggest, best track to date," Raymer said. "We had some amazing features and the only real mishap was when Will (Faust) broke his...