Shop local on Wyo. Wednesday

by Suzanne Samelson

Spring is on our minds and in the air. Think Wyo Wednesday on May 5. Think Downtown Cleanup on Wednesday, May 19.

Wyo Wednesday is part of the Wyoming Business Council’s state-wide campaign to promote shopping local. The first Wednesday of this month is a perfect day to visit our shops and restaurants and be on the lookout for ideal gifts for Mother’s Day. Whether it is a gift certificate or Chamber Bucks, a unique locally crafted item, special food and drink offerings, or gardening supplies, explore and find something special downtown, around town, and around Hot Springs County.

We are blessed to have bakeries, welcoming eateries and drinkeries, a craft brewery and a small batch distillery, galleries and craft supplies shops, a Western store, a hardware store that is much more than a hardware store, and other unique businesses in our town and county. Most of these are locally owned and operated and with that comes a special type of personalized customer service.

Main Street Thermopolis will be coordinating with the Town of Thermopolis cleanup scheduled for Wednesday, May 19. We encourage the building and business owners to be leaders in this and we welcome other groups to join in. Main Street volunteers will be meeting near the flagpole at 6 p.m. and the Town will set a dumpster there. Some of the obvious cleanup will be sweeping gutters, cleaning out planters, and some light pruning of trees. Show our collective pride in our community as we gear up for the tourist season.

As many of you know, Main Street Thermopolis, made up of volunteers who are your friends and neighbors, is dedicated to, supporting and partnering with the Thermopolis and Hot Springs community to keep our downtown lively and welcoming. Once again, I encourage the downtown businesses to wear their Shop Smart, Shop Safe t-shirts - both the owners and the staff. And if you were one of the folks who purchased a special t-shirt at the Farmers Market last summer, wear it proudly on Wyo Wednesday.

I look forward to seeing many of you shopping downtown and all around the town on Wyo Wednesday, May 5.