Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1721
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He...
For many years I’ve had the privilege to visit those in jails, prisons, hospitals, recovery centers, and nursing homes, as I truly enjoy spending time with all people. In nursing homes, I sing, teach Bible studies, and appreciate hearing about their former lives. The Lord has allowed me to make some precious friendships and I want to share with you about a lovely lady who after a devastating stroke was no longer independent and is now in a comfortable setting where she is well taken care of. I love talking with her and a while back in the m...
The Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce saw a historic 244 participants during the 21st Annual Festival of the Trees on December 6. The fundraiser, which is held to support a selected non-profit in the Platte Valley, raised $44,475—before expenses—for Carbon County Search and Rescue - East Division. The total number came from both auction items and table purchases for the event. Chamber CEO Amanda Knotwell and Chamber Boardmember Karen Youngberg presented a check for $6,500 to Carbon Cou...
Residences and businesses in Saratoga are encouraged to turn on their holiday lighting on December 18 before 5:30 p.m. as the Valley Service Organization will be driving around town to judge who has the best light display. Each year, the non-profit organization heads out with residents of the North Platte Valley Medical Center’s long-term care wing to judge the lights. The winners are then awarded Chamber Bucks from the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce, which can be used at any chamber member businesses, and a box of Christmas c...
Packages are lining up the shelves at the Saratoga Post Office and it is bursting at the seams. According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), the busiest time of the year is Thanksgiving to January 1, when people are sending their annual Christmas cards and letters, packages to loved ones and orders from online companies. This year is no different, as the shelves at the Post Office in Saratoga are packed. The only problem is people are not picking up their packages and the post office...
The 2024 Valley Service Organization (VSO) Giving Tree is tagless, just ten days after going up in the front window of Town and Country Realty in Saratoga. The annual project is organized by the VSO and designed to ensure all Valley children have a chance to enjoy a Merry Christmas regardless of their economic circumstances, according to Project Chairman Micki Hall. There is no set number of tags. The amount is based on the needs of the community. “There were a lot of tags this year,” acc...
Mary Martin has been called the Encampment Tigers Superfan – a title she believes is about being there for the kids. “We don’t have a booster club, so I’m the booster club,” Martin said. “I make their locker posters, make sure they know they’re appreciated for taking that extra effort of sports in addition to studies. I’m there cheering them on at games, but also there when they’re singing songs.” She feels lucky that multiple principals have embraced her as Encampment Tiger documentarian and sh...
Donna Smith and Jerry Butki, cancer survivors, walk the first lap of the Ribbons of Hope Turkey Trot on a crisp Thanksgiving morning....
Excitement is building for the annual lighted Christmas parade on Saturday, December 14 to be followed by Winter Wonderland, both of which are sponsored by the local Valley Service Organization. The theme of this year’s parade is “An Old-Fashioned Christmas,” and it will be the first lighted Christmas parade that local icon Teense Willford will not announce. This year’s announcer is Larry Cloyd who is excited to follow in the footsteps of Willford. The parade will start lining up at 4:30 on...
When I was growing up, I always wondered why Christmas was so special. I remember helping put up the Christmas tree; my mother would decorate under the tree with cotton for snow and a tiny village. When she was finished, I wondered when the presents would appear. But it wasn’t the presents because, after a few weeks, the trucks or cars or whatever the presents were, the newness wore off, and then the toy would sit in the corner and collect dust. It wasn’t the Charlie Brown Christmas specials, even though I still like to watch them today. I mus...
The year has flown by and now Thanksgiving is here. I hope you have a meaningful Thanksgiving with family and friends. The election is over, basketball is starting, and the sentimental feelings of fall have turned into the blah of winter. Many already have their Christmas trees up, and this week delicious turkeys will be the centerpiece of our tables. Actually, our celebration to give thanks was created in the United States in 1863, as President Abraham Lincoln wanted to promote unity and for all Americans to show their gratitude to God....
Photo credit: D'Ron Campbell...
Zachary Fall and Bryana Yukniewicz are some of the most recent residents of the Platte Valley, having moved here in January. In less than a year, however, the two have found that the best way to a community’s heart is through its stomach. Zach and Bryana are the couple behind Bagels & Badges, a small business which started earlier this year and rapidly increased its revenue tenfold. “They’ve exploded pretty quickly,” said Bryana. “We started in March with our first sale to someone from the jail...
Photo by D’Ron Campbell Encampment students take a break from looking for bighorn sheep in the Encampment River wilderness to have a little fun in the outdoors. Encampment fifth, sixth and eighth grade students joined teacher Jordan Seitz on a hike to spot bighorn sheep on November 15. See more photos in next week’s Saratoga Sun....
It probably hasn’t escaped your attention: Halloween is not even over and yet Christmas decorations, Christmas catalogues, and Christmas songs are everywhere! The Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings seem to sandwich themselves in between the other celebrations barely noticed and yet – Picture this: family and friends gather on the fourth Thursday in November to remember the founding of our country, and ultimately to Give Thanks. Some gather around television sets to watch football, others push back from the table and rub their tum...
Just as soon as folks are through stuffing themselves with turkey and dressing, they are invited to another mouthwatering home cooked meal from 5:00 to 6:30 Monday evening, Dec. 2nd, in the Saratoga Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at the corner of Bridge & Third. Topping the menu for the next “Gather at the Table” free meal is a platter of barbecue ribs along with mac-n-cheese salad, coleslaw, buttermilk/cheese cornbread, pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting and a beverage. Eve...
2 Thessalonians 2:7 New King James Version For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. For some of us our lives seem like a mystery. You may ask where is my life headed, what is my purpose, and how can I even make any sense of my upside down life. For others you may not consider your life a mystery because that may imply something uncertain, unsuccessful, or even eerie, but before the end of this message you might consider the question from a different angle. The...
Folks looking forward to another mouthwatering home cooked meal will be thrilled with the next Gather at the Table free dinner Monday, Dec. 2nd, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Saratoga Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall. On the menu are barbeque ribs with mac-n-cheese salad, coleslaw, buttermilk cheese cornbread, pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting and a beverage. Everyone, especially the hungry and lonely, are invited to an evening of free food and fellowship. No reservations are needed and no restrictions apply. Folks just need to show...
Much like how the opening of the season pass over the Snowy Range is a sign of summer, so too is its closure a sign of winter. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) announced on November 19 that the section of Wyoming Highway 130—also known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway—was closed for the season. According to the press release, WYDOT crews in Laramie and Saratoga jointly decided that current road conditions warranted the closure of this section of Wyoming Highway 130 for the season. The Snowy Range Scenic Byway is a 12-mile sec...
Photo credit: D'Ron Campbell...
“We thought, let’s try a Turkey Trot. Something on Thanksgiving Day to give thanks to the fact that we have the opportunity to help people and provide assistance to some folks.” For the past 10 years, the Carbon County Cancer Fund—operating under Ribbons of Hope—has provided grants to county residents who are undergoing cancer treatments. Over the years, according to Treasurer Copper France, the county-wide organization has looked for different ways to help raise funds. Those fundraise...
Photo by Liz Wood Instructor Rusty Hessler, of Country Kickup Casper, teaches the Wagon Wheel line dance to 30 participants at the Saratoga Resort & Spa Saturday night. Left to right, Danielle Bangs, Tracey Schneider and Peggy Huntley follow along. People came from Saratoga, Riverside, Encampment, Elk Mountain and LeGrange to learn two line dances and a swing dance. Nancy Ford, the organizer, said she loves to dance and wanted to bring back this art form through the Platte Valley Arts Council....
Ian McCreary—who grew up in Oregon—remembers being in the 6th grade and getting up around 4 a.m. to go fishing for steelhead trout with his father on the Santiam River. “[I would] get to school at 11 [a.m.], get to class and my teacher would say ‘Where were you?’ I would say ‘I was fishing’ and she did not like that response at all,” said McCreary. “I pretty much grew up fishing in the [Pacific] Northwest.” McCreary has lived in the Platte Valley for nearly five years, moving to the area from ne...
In the two-and-a-half hours before the October 31 midnight deadline for voting, the lead for the Platte Valley Arts Council’s (PVAC) annual Hay Bale Sculpture Contest changed three times. It made for a late night for Mary Martin, who facilitates the contest each year. When it was all said and done, however, Brush Creek Ranch beat out the other 13 competitors with their entry “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” Lauren Trostle and Dakota Lewis, representing Brush Creek Ranch, accepted the traveling trophy...