Another busy weekend in Fremont County
By Marit Gookin
Staff Writer
Whether you’re hungry for a pulled-pork sandwich or the thrills of a carnival, Fremont County has something in store for you this weekend.
Starting Wednesday night and continuing every evening through Saturday, the Fremont County Fair’s Cool Nights and Carnival Lights carnival is sure to be a hit with kids young and old.
“We’ve worked with them during fair time for several years,” explained Fremont County Fair Administrative Assistant Laura Harrington about the carnival company coming to town. “They have rides for all ages.” While Harrington didn’t know exactly what rides would be at the carnival this year, highlights in previous years have included carousels, a ferris wheel, and a drop tower.
On Friday and Saturday, the Fremont County Fairgrounds will also host the 4-H horse show. The horse show will start at 8 a.m. on both days, kicking off with showmanship on Friday. Speed events, including ranch sorting, team roping, breakaway roping, and barrel racing, are planned to be held on Friday evening starting at 5 p.m.; Saturday will conclude the horse show with English and Western riding events. There will be food vendors associated with both the carnival and the horse show, so even those who start their day with the horse show at 8 a.m. and don’t leave until the carnival winds down that evening should have plenty of food options.
In Lander, the weekend will kick off on Friday night with a live music event at the annual Lander Pig Roast in City Park. Lander resident Adam Kirkpatrick is heading up the musical festivities, which will actually be a qualifying round for the Wyoming Singer-Songwriter Competition. Up to four qualifying contestants will be able to advance to the final competition, to be held in Ten Sleep during Labor Day weekend, and compete to win the $5,000 grand prize.
The event will start back up on Saturday with a cornhole tournament, free pulled-pork sandwiches for the whole community, an hourly bacon and ribs raffle hosted by city council member Missy White and more live music, this time featuring local musicians such as the Lost Springs Band, Buffalo Bill Boycott and Dr. Jo, and Full Blown Mosey, among others. This year, the Lander Inclusion Movement will also be working to help make the event more accessible, helping to bring people from the Life Resource Center to the park and providing additional services that can help people stay for longer.
“We just want to provide a fun event,” commented Lander Community Development Coordinator Anne Even. “Bring your blanket, bring your lawn chair and have a good time.”
The Fremont County Museum system also has an eventful weekend lined up, with a geology trek planned by the Riverton Museum, a trek to the Burnt Ranch planned by the Lander Pioneer Museum, and a nature trek planned by the Dubois Museum. See the community calendar for more information about each of these events.
In Shoshoni, the Cowboy Poetry and Dinner event will be held at the Shoshoni Recreation District building on Saturday starting at 4:30 p.m. Photography from a photo contest will be on display, and the event will feature poets Glen Bobnick, Terry Henderson, Garland Kennington, Echo Klaproth, Jack Schmidt and Rodger Weitzel, as well as having an open mic session so anyone in attendance can get up and show off their cowboy poetry skills. Dinner, and the poetry event, are planned to begin at 5:30 p.m.; dinner will be pulled pork.
There are very few events going on in Fremont County this Sunday, however. After a busy July, packed full of events of all stripes, there will probably be many people whose Sunday plans primarily revolve around tending to their lawn or garden, or maybe just catching up on some sleep before the Fremont County Fair kicks off next week.