Old West Days Celebration means music, theatre, parades, good food and great skiing

Jackson launches into summer with the 30th Annual Old West Days (locals call it "Cold Wet Days") Celebration May 27-30. With Jackson Hole's rich history, its no wonder Old West Days is a favorite among visitors and locals alike. People from all over the country come to appreciate live music, theatrical entertainment, arts and crafts, delicious food, rodeo events and much, much more.

For more information, contact the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, info@jacksonholechamber.com, or 307.733.3316.

Bring your skis. According to Jim Stanford at JH Underground: 

Skiers and snowboarders should enjoy good coverage and fresh powder when the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram opens for the season Saturday. Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey is calling for up to 8 inches of snow by Sunday, and the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center has rated the danger as moderate.

WyoFile "Tales of I-80" -- "This road will give you religion, mister"

Don't know about anyone else, but wyomingarts can't think of I-80 without remembering lines from Barbara Smith's excellent poem "Interstate 80" (excerpt).

...even if you drive the same forty miles

morning and night to work

and know every pimple on the lady's ass

every curve or incline

you could drive it in your sleep or blind

like you do half of the time in January anyway

whiteout white knuckle terror

braced against the blast of triple trailers

whipping like rattlers in the ruts.

This road will give you religion, mister.

This poem was included in the 2003 anthology Deep West: A Literary Tour of Wyoming. Barb recently retired from her teaching job at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs. She's a Wyoming Arts Council roster artist. 

Speaking of I-80, WyoFile wants your stories of this scarifying passage:

Just about everyone in Wyoming has an I-80 story, so WyoFile is launching Tales of I-80. We begin with a series of vignettes told by WyoFile’s own contributors. Now we want to hear your I-80 stories, whether it’s a white-knuckle experience, something from the odd-but-true files or something more sublime. A lot of life happens on I-80. Please share your story.

National Museum of Wildlife Art hosts "Snow Critters Contest for Kids" March 6

Above: A wintry exterior of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson. Below: A polar bear sculpture made of styrofoam by local artist Ben Roth.

From a press release:

Blocks of snow will be waiting for young carvers to try their hands at the frosty art of snow sculpture at the National Museum of Wildlife Art on Sunday, March 6. The “Snow Critters Contest for Kids” will take place on the future site of the museum’s new sculpture trail as part of the museum’s popular First Sundays series. Also on hand to celebrate outdoor sculpture, Jackson artist Ben Roth will create one huge snow sculpture as well as offering snow carving pointers for the kids. Free refreshments will accompany live music from “ski bum rock band” Waist Deep to round out the perfect winter afternoon.

March 6 First Sundays snow sculpture day schedule is as follows:

11 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Museum open and free

1 – 2 p.m.: Kids snow sculpting

1 – 3 p.m.: Artist Ben Roth on site as Waist Deep rocks the museum. Free refreshments.

First Sundays featured artist Ben Roth’s work ranges from two-dimensional pieces on plaster and steel to large-scale sculptures incorporating natural materials like 50-foot standing dead lodgepole pines. Roth’s public art works include pieces for the MurieCenter and FordPark in Vail. The March 6 snow sculpture event including Ben Roth’s appearance is sponsored by Wells Fargo with additional support from the Wyoming Arts Council through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Jackson band Waist Deep, known for its powerful riffs, top-notch musicianship and meaningful lyrics describing the ski bum experience, features Peter Chandler on vocals and harmonica, Jeff Eidemiller on guitar, Andy Calder on bass and Andy Peterson on drums. Part of the Community Performance Series, Waist Deep’s First Sundays concert is sponsored by Jan and Larry Finch.

First Sundays, which occurs the first Sunday of the month throughout the year, offers free museum visitation to area locals. (“Area locals” include Jackson as well as the neighboring communities of Teton Village, Wilson, Moran, Kelly, Moose, Hoback, Star Valley, Bondurant, Teton Valley, Pinedale and Swan Valley). First Sundays are sponsored by Wells Fargo.Check for details on activities, entertainment, and hands-on fun for kids on the museum website at www.wildlifeart.org, or call 307.733.5771.

A member of the Museums West consortium and accredited by the American Association of Museums, the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States provides an exciting calendar of exhibitions from its permanent collection and changing exhibitions from around the globe. A complete schedule of exhibitions and events is available online at www.wildlifeart.org. The museum is also active on Facebook at wildlifeartjh and on Twitter at @wildlifeartjh.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com; Ponteir Sackrey, National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307.732.5444, psackrey@wildlifeart.org.