Hot Springs County summer events update

Summer time in Hot Springs County will not look the same as it has in the past with the nationwide pandemic creating safety concerns for a number of events both locally and statewide.

Hot Spot Car Rally

The annual Hot Spot Car Rally held on Father’s Day weekend has been canceled for 2020. But for some history about this special event, Randy Wahler started it in 1992 and he ran the show until 15 years ago. Later, Tawna McQueen took over with help from Diana Shaffer. 

The car rally was originally held at the A&W Restaurant when it was open. Later they moved it to Consumer’s Grocery store, which is now the location of Mack’s Market. Then the rally was moved to the Hot Springs State Park. 

At the park, Saturday’s was a casual gathering and they held the Ted Spatol Memorial Poker Run that evening.  Ted Spatol, the father of Crystal Spatol, was a driving force for the rally until his passing. The event also held a cruise through Thermopolis on Saturday night.

Sunday’s rally was a “show and shine” event that was open to the public. There was food, a beer garden and music. The Fire Department was usually there to add support and they hung the American flag at the show.

The car rally was not limited to classic cars, any car or vehicle was able to participate. There were a variety of categories and awards to win. Some of the categories were Best Two Wheel Award, which included motorcycles and bicycles. There was a Best Off-Road Vehicle, a People’s Choice Vehicle, Best Muscle Car, Best New Vehicle. Some of the cars were awarded based upon their different portions of the years.

They held a raffle for a peddle car every year as part of a fundraising effort. Businesses would buy a peddle car for the event for kids to win.

Each year there was an average of 80 to 120 cars to show off on Sundays. The attendents came from locals, across the state and out-of-state numbering from 1,500 to 2,000 people. Families were in high attendance as it was usually held on Father’s Day weekend. 

They not only enjoyed the car rally but swam at the pools, visited the Dinosaur Center and enjoyed themselves at the park.

All Class Reunion

Another annual event that has gone on for decades is the All Class Reunion. The decision to cancel this year was made in early March as the pandemic prevented the committee from meeting.

Organizers, seeing restaurants closing due to the pandemic as well as the uncertainty of certain venues even being open for the July event felt it best to cancel it, as well.

Wyoming Discovery Days/Big Horn Basin Folk Festival

Based on the best information at hand from state and local sources, including conversations with Dr. Vern Miller, County Health Officer and Tricia McPhie, County Nurse Manager covering the safety challenges for running a large outdoor event, the Nature & Discovery Center Joint Powers Board has decided to cancel Wyoming Discovery Days/BHB Folk Festival and looks forward to running a bigger and better event Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8, 2021.  Whitney Barton, the new Administrator for the event, is in the process of notifying the sponsors, vendors, and performers.

The group will continue to work on the rebranding of the Big Horn Basin Folk Festival to be called Wyoming Discovery Days in the future.

The Festival, which draws a large audience locally and from beyond the Big Horn Basin, has taken place since August 2015 in Hot Springs State Park.

The event was started in conjunction with the Kiwanis Craft Fair which has been held for many years in the park the same weekend as the Gift of the Waters Pageant, the popular Pageant Parade and Thermopolis Firemen’s Open House.

The Craft Fair will not be held this year and will become a part of the Wyoming Discovery Days in 2021.

Gift of the Waters Pageant

There has been no decision made in regards to the annual Gift of the Waters Pageant as of press time. It also is held the first full weekend in August.

Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo

Governor Gordon announced last week that several major rodeos in Wyoming are being cancelled this summer.

Our local Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo is one of those mentioned during his public address last week. However, the rodeo committee hasn’t completely thrown in the towel just yet. They are in discussions to see if there is any way to still hold the event scheduled for the last weekend in June.

Members of the committees of the large rodeos met in Cheyenne and made the decision as a whole to cancel the rodeos for the summer. However, since that announcement last week, some of the committees across the state have stepped back, saying they are still going to work on a solution as the money the events bring into their respective communities is substantial and could be a huge detriment to their economies.

Other rodeos mentioned in last week’s announcement include Cheyenne Frontier Days, Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo, Cody Stampede, Sheridan Wyo Rodeo and Laramie Jubilee Days

Cody Nite Rodeo received approval Monday to hold their event with 600 spectators. It would tentatively start June 20.

Marc Thompson, a director on the Cody Stampede Board, said the exemption was submitted Friday afternoon.

According to Park County Public Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin, the variance is for a total of 600 spectators, with 300 allowed on each grandstand.

Demolition Derby

One of summer’s most popular events, the Demolition Derby, is still in the works. As of right now, the committee is still planning the event, but with the 250 person limit for events set out by the Governor’s Office, it is still not clear whether or not the bashing and banging will happen.

In the case of the Demo Derby, if Governor Mark Gordon raises the limit on the number of people allowed at outdoor venues, then plans could proceed.

The Independent Record will keep you updated on events for the summer in the coming weeks as more decisions are made.