Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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Cowboy poetry and music fans are invited to grab a lawn chair and enjoy the 20th Annual Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering this weekend beneath the blue sky, bright moon and shiny stars at Grand View Park in Encampment. For the first time in its history, all events will be held under the tents at the park. In past years the All-Star Show was held in the Encampment school with other activities at the park. Kicking off the three-day event will be the open mic poetry and music performance, hosted...
This past Saturday evening, June 4, folks from far and wide gathered as The Yard hosted the 10th Annual HiWater Hoedown for an evening of great music, good weather, and fun. The night kicked off with J Shogren Shanghai'd, highlighted by the guest appearance of Mandy Bohlender. The two had playful and familiar interaction on stage, making for a warm and heartfelt show, culminating with their beautiful rendition of "Wade in the Water." A light bout of rain brought a small scare to concert goers, b...
Chalk up your pool cue! This weekend marks the 14th Annual Wyoming Open and billiards players from Wyoming and surrounding states will converge on the Platte Valley Community. Beginning April 7, this four day event will seek to find out who is the best pool player in the Classic, Sportsman, Masters and Expert divisions. According to event organizer Mark Osborne, the event has already had 150 registrants. Additionally, renowned player Rodney "The Rocket" Morris will be in attendance to compete....
Jason Decker, of Brighton, Colorado has the perfect description of what it is like to race on skis behind a horse. “It is so fun and so scary at the same time.” The exuberant Decker has been racing in Saratoga for the last five years. “I missed the first year,” he said. He seems to be a fan favorite as he is recognizable with his bright plaid snow-pants and his jovial spirit at the end of each race. Decker is also one to jump in and help get the track ready on race day morning. Decker said he got into the “coolest and dumbest” rodeo sport...
The Platte Valley Arts Council (PVAC) recently announced their plans for public art displays throughout the Platte Valley. The pieces will feature local artists and include murals and sculptures depicting local life and culture. According to Stacy Crimmins, a PVAC board member, the public art displays will benefit the community, bringing in economic and community development. “Residents and tourists enjoy the arts,” said Crimmins. “The public art displays will inspire those who see them and increase the Platte Valley’s reputation as an artist...
The weather was perfect for a hike through the Snow Mountains this Sunday, September 14. With fall weather surely not far away, I headed out with a copy of "Platte Valley Adventures" published by the Saratoga Sun which contains maps of various trails throughout Carbon County. The day did not dissappoint. Sunshine, fresh air, wildlife and beautiful surroundings made for some great photo opportunities. The photos on the right are from the trail around Mirror Lake and Lewis Lake. I feel very lucky... Full story
The Platte Valley Arts Council is sponsoring the 5th annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest. All local ranches, businesses or families are invited to show off some good ole’ fashioned ranch ingenuity that could give their outfit creative bragging rights for a year. The rules state that sculptures must be made predominantly of hay, whether loose, round, square or rectangle bales but then are given artistic leeway to incorporate wood, metal, wire, paint, canvas damns, or anything other medium they could dream up. The council did want all of the v...
On Friday evening, the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) hosted their event, Black Ties & Boots, at the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga. In line with its mission of economic development, the event was a fundraiser to benefit new business startups in Carbon County. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon was the featured speaker, but was not the only one to speak at the event. The featured speaker was Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. Gordon was not the only speaker. The first...
After having been cancelled last year due to COVID-19, Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Amanda Knotwell knew the 25th Annual Steinley Cup Microbrew Festival had to go big. If the number of brewers in attendance were any indication, it certainly did that. This year, the Steinley Cup Microbrew Festival saw a total of 17 microbreweries gather on Veterans Island on August 21. Of those 17 however, only 12 could compete for the coveted Steinley Cup, a traveling trophy which goes to the...
What could be more enjoyable than a day of fun for the entire family? The Copper Days Festival in Encampment, Wyoming has been entertaining tractor enthusiasts since 1994. Beginning at 11 am on Saturday, September 11 and at 10:30 am on Sunday, September 12, the whole family can watch antique tractors pull heavy, weighted trailers to compete for the title of strongest tractor. Admission is free! Antique and old-time engines will be on display all afternoon, too. And don’t miss the tractors on parade Saturday morning at 10 am. Tractors have been...
The crowd gathered at the Bear Trap Cafe and Bar on July 24 was unusual, but not surprising given the event. Midget wrestling returned to Riverside for a Saturday night, giving the crowd a chance to see the wrestlers duke it out. The event was first introduced to Riverside in 2018, with MicroMania performing last year's show. This year's show by MicroMania proved to be popular, having sold over 100 tickets before the night even began. Laughter roared as jokes and insults were thrown, a...
"We're back . . . & FREE!" blasts the headline of the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering poster announcing resumption of the cowboy poetry and music event which was cancelled last year by the COVID-19 pandemic. The poster further notes, "Stay well and come to Encampment, Wyo., for the 18th/19th Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, July 16, 17 & 18, 2021." Originally all activities were to be held at Grand View Park adjacent to the Grand Encampment Museum, however, with...
The Platte Valley Arts Council will be holding the fourth annual Toy Tractor Display Show and Competition on September 11 as part of Encampment’s Copper Days Festival according to a press release from the local organization. The show will be held at the Encampment Lions Club Arena from 12:00-2:00 pm on Saturday. There is no cost to see the toy displays or to enter the competition. Winners will be announced during the Community Dance at 7 pm. The purpose of this event is not only to provide friendly competition, but also to show toy c...
Last summer, things may have appeared normal in the Valley as locals and visitors were treated to Saratoga Days and the annual Independence Day parade. While many traditional Valley events took place last year, one which didn’t will return in 2021. This weekend, local business and gallery owner Laura Morrow will bring back the Festival of the Arts. Originally organized by the Platte Valley Arts Council, Morrow took over the event some years ago after buying Blackhawk Gallery and opening Laura M...
The Cul de Sac Cowboys kicked off the Waterstop Jamboree in Medicine Bow on Friday. The band that features Ryan Martin, a International Western Music Association first place award winner as instrumentalist, started to play about 7 p.m. on an evening that was showering off and on. The band was inside a tent in between JBs Convenience Store and the Old West Bar. Both businesses were sponsoring the Waterstop Jamboree. Justin George, an owner of JBs, was one of the movers to get this two day event...
On November 28, Old Man Winter provided just enough cool weather for the grand opening of the Platte Valley Kiwanis' portable ice skating rink at Khe Sanh West Park in downtown Saratoga. As was reported previously (see "Skating into Saratoga" on page 9 of the November 25 Saratoga Sun), donations from the Rocky Mountain Kiwanis, Bridge Street Bargains and Sinclair Oil Corporation allowed the local Kiwanis chapter to purchase the seasonal attraction. With over 6,000 gallons of water, it took some...
What do Stan Lee, C.J. Box and Jerry Palen all have in common? While they are each creative people, all three are also included in the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Palen's long-running cartoon "Stampede" was recently added to the extensive collection at UW. The cartoon series will be part of the Jerry Palen Papers, which include a variety of horse memorabilia and saddles. The cartoon series followed the daily life of Elmo, Flo and their dog, Dammit. On...
When driving through Riverside, population 52, one might not expect there to be much for entertainment as they take Wyoming Highway 230 down to Colorado. In this small town, which was home to WhatFest for a number of years, it all just depends on the day one is coming through. Take, for example, the night of July 25. Despite the unusual humidity and the dark clouds that threatened rain, a crowd that was nearly the population of Riverside gathered behind the Bear Trap Cafe and Bar on four sets...
"Michelle just refused to give up," Scott Mcilvaine said of his wife. "She just kept going forward because she wanted to give joy to the Valley." Scott was referring to her getting the Kitchen Dwellers, out of Montana, to be the band for Saratoga Days. The McIlvaines are both on the Saratoga Days Committee. Scott is a board member for the Saratoga Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce. "We first heard them at Red Rocks (outside concert center in Colorado) at the Twiddle and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong...
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