Thanks to the Do-ers

The Platte Valley and Carbon County have been uniquely blessed with its fair share of do-ers, people who roll up their sleeves and make something happen rather than waiting for something to happen.

This weekend gave a prime example of what do-ers can do.

Each year, Ryta Sondergard tirelessly works with community members throughout the county to put on a one-of-a-kind Christmas experience. This year was no different as Sondergard and a number of volunteers brought Willy Wonka to the Carbon County Fairgrounds on Saturday. The event, which was open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for children and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for seniors, included aerial dancers, a full-sized carousel, a petting zoo and pictures with Santa Claus.

Ryta deserves a lot of credit for taking the time to coordinate an event like this year-after-year for the community. Judging from the line which extended from the multiplex building to the fairgrounds parking lot, it’s safe to say this event is both popular and appreciated by Carbon County residents.

Credit also needs to go to the people who took their time to volunteer at the event. People such as Yvonne Johnson, Pam Thayer, Travis and Jennifer Moore, Larry Moore, Mara Sanger, Damien Sesko and many others could be seen taking time out of their schedules to help make this event possible.

Saturday evening, the Platte Valley provided yet another example of what do-ers can do. The Valley Service Organization held their annual Christmas parade and Winter Wonderland. For years, people have braved the cold weather to watch the parade started by the late Teense Willford during his tenure as Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO. Willford even announced the parade up until last December.

This year, the parade was announced by Larry Cloyd, another example of a do-er in our community.

The Valley Service Organization took over organizing the parade in 2020 and has done a stellar job. Organizing a parade can be difficult enough, but organizing it when the temperatures drop can be even harder. Yet, each year, they put together a great parade with participation from organizations such as Carbon Power & Light, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, the Wyoming Department of Transportation, the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department, the Hanna Volunteer Fire Department and so many more.

Following the parade, the Valley Service Organization then takes on the daunting task of keeping hundreds—yes, hundreds—of kids in line to see Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at the Platte Valley Community Center. Homemade chili, homemade cookies and hotdogs are given out to families either before or after they’ve visited with the Clauses.

And we can’t talk about do-ers without talking about the 21st Annual Festival of the Trees. This event held by the Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce raises funds each year for a non-profit organization. This year, it was the Carbon County Search and Rescue - East Division. The Chamber of Commerce had a record breaking year of attendance with 244 people and a record breaking fundraising of over $44,000.

As 2024 wraps up and we head into the holiday season, we would just like to extend a deep, heartfelt thank you to the do-ers in Carbon County. We also encourage anyone who has thought about being a do-er to step up and help out, regardless of the event or season.