A look back at the year in Hot Springs County

There were many memorable things that happened in Hot Springs County in 2020. The following is a look back at an important or unique story from each week in the second half of the year. The first half of the year was featured in last week’s issue.

July

July 1, 2021

A special meeting of the Hot Springs County Commissioners is set for Wednesday, June 30, when a proposal will be discussed to implement a county wide stage 1 fire ban. If the fire ban is approved, the Fourth of July fireworks show in Thermopolis will be canceled.

Thermopolis Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Collins said he is very confident the commissioners will follow suit with the US Forestry and BLM bans that are happening locally and around the state.

Stage 1 means no open flames, no campfires, no fireworks, etc. If the drought worsens and continues into the middle or end of July, they may move up into Stage 2. Stage 2 means they will close all campgrounds and add more restrictions.

Compared to previous years Collins said, “the fuel moisture is worse than what it’s been since 2000 or 1996.” For this year 2021 there has already been a large amount of fires in the greater region compared to previous years in their entirety. Normally the fire season doesn’t start until the end of July or early August. There has been a hope for rain in the area but the drought still exists even if there was drenching rain for many days according to fuel measurements. 

July 8, 2021

The Hot Springs County Weed & Pest hosted another successful resource tour last Tuesday. There were approximately 60 people that participated in the tour this year. The tour is normally a yearly event that has been taking place for well over 15 years.

Hot Springs County Weed & Pest Supervisor Lindsey Woodward said “The tours are a chance to showcase current conservation and weed management projects that are going on in the county. It gets people out of town allows them to see different parts of the county they might not normally get a chance to see.” Many of the projects are a collaborative effort between the HSC Weed & Pest, NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service, HSC Conservation District and other contributing partners. Along with Woodward, Holden Hergert and Dawn Peil from NRCS and Jim Andreen and Dara Culp from the Conservation District were on hand to help explain and answer questions on some of the projects. 

July 15, 2021

At the July 6 Hot Springs County Commissioners meeting, Hot Springs County Clerk Rose DeSeyn submitted her resignation. Her last day in the office will be July 30. Per the Wyoming Secretary of State following state statutes, the office cannot be filled until it is actually vacated.

An interim county clerk will be in the office until a new county clerk is selected. The process to find a new clerk begins with interested registered Republicans living in Hot Springs County submitting their resumes (see advertisement on page 3.) The deadline is July 26.

Interviews will be held in August. Three candidates will be selected and then presented to the Hot Springs County Commissioners. The commissioners will appoint one of the candidates to the position. 

July 22, 2021

Noted author Bill Betenson will talk about his famous great uncle, Butch Cassidy, and his newest book, Butch Cassidy: The Wyoming Years at the Hot Springs County Museum on Saturday, July 24 at 2 p.m.

Bill Betenson is the great-grandson of Butch Cassidy’s younger sister Lula. He inherited his great-grandmother’s archives and her interest in setting the record straight. In his latest book, he focuses on Butch’s exploits in Wyoming and tries to unravel the sometimes conflicting information with care and honesty. Betenson refutes a number of other versions of the Cassidy legend, and shares new details and thoughts about this historical character. In his presentation at the Hot Springs Museum, Betenson will focus on Butch’s connection to Andersonville, Thermopolis, Owl Creek, and to Hole In The Wall saloon owner Tom Skinner. 

July 29, 2021

The Hot Springs County School Board received an upbeat update on its scholarship fund, and approved two new bus loading zones, during its July 15 meeting.

Chauncy Johnson, business manager for the district, provided the update on the McCurdy Stump scholarship investment fund.

“Last fall, the board approved changes in the investment structure with Edward Jones, who manages this fund, to be more of an ongoing, hopefully profitable investment structure, as opposed to sort of acting like we were in retirement, if you will, and just living off of a smaller portion of interest,” Johnson said.

Although the district was down on its earnings by $1,713 at this same point in the year in 2020, Johnson credited “stronger performance in the stock market, as well as the adjustments that the board approved,” with bringing the district up $69,119 at this point in the year. 

August

August 5, 2021

The Thermopolis Town Hall has a new bill payment system for the convenience of its residents. Town Treasurer / Clerk Tracey Van Heule and Assistant to the Mayor Fred Crosby invite residents to participate in their Direct Payment program. This program is not an internet-based system but for people who are interested they need to fill out a simple form and provide a canceled check to have their bank account automatically debited each month. This service allows customers to no longer need to write a physical check and travel downtown and drop it off each month.

The application gives authorization for an automatic debit that will occur on the ninth of each month and could be as early as the seventh of the month depending on if the ninth falls on a weekend. There are no other fees involved for this service. 

August 12, 2021

The 2021 Junior Livestock Auction and Judges’ Choice Bake Sale at the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds Friday night brought in a record breaking $203,104.50, up from $180,195.25 last year.

Along with a live auction for sheep, swine, goats and beef, baked goods were offered up via a silent auction.

Twenty-six head of beef came through the ring this year and sold for an average of $3.52 per pound and an average of $4,473.32 per head for a total sales amount of $116,306.25. The average price per head was down from last year’s $4.61. Last year only 22 head sold compared to the 26 this year.

Grand Champion Riley Dean’s steer was purchased by Mack’s Market at $4.50 per pound for a total of $5,899.50. 

August 19, 2021

It was an evening of crashing and bashing last Saturday night as the Thermopolis Demolition Derby took over the fairgrounds.

Joseph Martin outlasted the other drivers to win the $3,000 first place prize. Wyatt Ramsey claimed the second place prize of $1,500 with Randy Maynard coming in third and Chase Mead finishing fourth. The Mad Dog Winner was Payton Gonzalez.

The Truck Derby portion of the night featured eight trucks in a single heat. Riley Shaffer took first winning $1,500 with Kyle Larson coming in second and Alan Woodward taking third.

Kids between the ages of four and 10 participated in the Power Wheels Derby, showing there is plenty of interest in being a derby driver, even at a young age. 

August 26, 2021

The Wyoming Department of Health has issued harmful cyanobacterial bloom (HCB) recreational use advisories for Boysen Reservoir, Buffalo Bill Reservoir, Fontenelle Reservoir, Keyhole Reservoir, Viva Naughton Reservoir, and Wheatland Reservoir #3.

The Wyoming Department of Health is working directly with resource management agencies to ensure that signs are posted at all water bodies with advisories. Additional details regarding advisories as well as other HCB resources can be found at WyoHCBs.org.

September

September 2, 2021

Thermopolis Chief of Police Julie Mathews has announced she plans to retire September 15. Chief Mathews has served the Thermopolis community since 2013. She has worked as a patrol officer, animal control officer, communications and lastly as Chief of Police. Her prior history was with the Riverton Police Department.

Chief Mathews is grateful for the opportunity to service this fine community and gives special thanks for Mayor Mike Chimenti and the Town Council for supporting her in much needed upgrades to the police department. The upgrades include the newly remodeled 911 Center, upgraded patrol vehicles, ballistic vests, training and other numerous items. 

September 9, 2021

At the August 31, Hot Springs Health board meeting representatives of the hospital staff presented some statements during an Employee Listening Session about their concerns of a vaccination mandate from their employer. Several staff members were present and some spoke to the board. September 16, 2021

Karen Sinclair is stepping down from her position on the board of the Glade M. Edwards Foundation and a new appointment will be made for her vacancy. Sinclair has been on the board for approximately more than 20 years.

The foundation was formed by Glade Edwards, who passed away. He was not married and didn’t have any children and he left his entire estate to the foundation. It was formed in 1985 and the principle was worth around $500,000 and $600,000. Edwards left it for the good of Hot Springs County. Edwards was a rancher who lived in the Black Mountain area. Sinclair said, “It was a wonderful gift he left our community and county because the money was left with the purpose of giving it to good use in the community.” 

September 23, 2021

The Bobcats won the 2A state boys golf team title for the fourth straight year, the sixth time in the last eight seasons, during state golf on their home course.

After they were tied with Kemmerer following the first day, Thermopolis won by 40 shots in the team standings finishing with an overall score of 690. Kemmerer came in second with an overall score of 730. Thermopolis senior Hardy Johnson capped off his high school golf career with a dominating effort on his home course for a fourth straight state championship.

After an opening-round 77 and an eight-shot lead, Hardy blistered the Thermopolis Golf Course with a final round 68. He won by 19 shots over his younger brother, Hadley Johnson. Hardy finished with a two-round total of 145, while Hadley came in at 166, nine shots under third place.

Will Clark shot a 183 to tie for 6th place, Seth Weyer shot a 196 and Jonah Needham shot a 217.

September 30, 2021

At the September 21 Thermopolis Town Council meeting during citizen participation Bradyn Harvey, representing the Odd Fellows Lodge, proposed a community food pantry to be placed in Bicentennial Park. This large metal cabinet would contain dry goods, diapers, tampons and other nonperishable items.

The pantry would operate on the honor system with no questions asked if people need items from it. It would be stocked by the Odd Fellows Lodge or any other benevolent person. Harvey explained that this has been done in other cities with success.

The council voted and passed the approval of placing the pantry in front of Town Hall. The cabinet will be bolted down to secure it from being stolen and they will see how successful or not it will be. 

October

October 7, 2021

At the September 29 Hot Springs County Travel and Tourism meeting held at the County Museum, in the financial report, Treasurer Audra Dominguez reported and said they had another record-breaking month in receiving lodging tax revenue, now being five months in a row.

August brought in $33,734.00 with a historical average of $29,014.64. This amount is 41% greater than the previous year in the same month. This amount combines revenue within Thermopolis at $22,469.93 and Hot Springs County $6,544.72. Within the city limits is 77.44% of the total.

Tourism Director Jackie Dorothy gave her report and said, “Our numbers continue to be record breaking and now, as we head into October, we will be doing a big push for a winter campaign.” 

October 14, 2021

At the recent Hot Springs County Commissioners meeting, Tricia McPhie of Public Health and Prevention held a discussion with the commissioners about the executive order from President Biden to mandate vaccinations.

Chairman Ryan expressed concern over it and the entire board of commissioners opposed the mandate. The mandatory vaccination executive order was proposed by Biden to be administered through OSHA regulations to have all federal employees, healthcare workers, and businesses with more than 100 employees to receive the vaccination. The penalty if they did not could be a $14,000 per person, per day fine. Wyoming Governor Gordon has also expressed his opposition to the mandate. 

October 21, 2021

Montana’s Strongest Man Chad Lowry and Gottsche are holding a Strongman Training event on Sunday, Oct. 24 from 2-6 p.m. at the Gottsche gym.

Lowry is from Montana and started his interest in this type of training in December 2020. He searched for a coach in Billings and started working with Ron Wilson, who provided great guidance where they worked well together. Wilson trains out of the Iron Bar Gym.

Lowry is an Air Force Veteran and was 300 pounds and overweight from inactivity when he started his training. Now Lowry is 310 pounds mostly of muscle. Lowery said, “Basically I found my passion in Strongman.” He is now also an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer.

November

November 4, 2021

Brian Parker is the new Recreation Center Director. He is 25 years old and recently moved from Connecticut, where he was a college student in recreation management and a personal trainer. Parker said he was excited to move across the country.

Parker found the job opportunity with Hot Springs County on an online job board and applied. He had been searching for opportunities out west, specifically Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Parker interviewed and then first visited Thermopolis at the end of July, early August. After one more interview, he was offered the job, which he happily accepted. He then moved to Hot Springs County and started officially in the position on September 13. 

November 11, 2021

The Thermopolis FFA Ag Issues team was awarded the Bronze Emblem at the National FFA Agricultural Issues Forum 2021 held at the Westin and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 27. The event was held in conjunction with the 94th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis.

The team topic was the monopoly of the beef industry and packing plants. The National FFA Agricultural Issues Forum Leadership Development Event is a competitive event that tests students’ knowledge of agricultural issues and evaluates how well they can apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations.

To qualify for the agricultural issues forum, teams must design a presentation that addresses multiple viewpoints of a contemporary agricultural issue and present it to a number of audiences in their community. For the national event, they present a portfolio based on their local audiences’ feedback and deliver their presentation to a panel of judges.

The members of the top four teams in the nation received cash awards to recognize their success in the event.

November 18, 2021

At the November 11 Chamber of Commerce board meeting held at Big Horn Federal, the date for the community Christmas Parade was announced. The parade will be Saturday, Dec. 11 beginning at 6 p.m. For more information, contact the chamber at 864-3192

CEO Meri Ann Rush discussed some old business during the meeting. Rush reported that the October 16 100th Annual Chamber Banquet had 144 people attend and they raised more than the expenses they budgeted for. Rush said they did well and that the evening was successful.

For the October 28, Moonlight Madness event Rush said the attendance was “amazing”. They estimated they had over 300 people show up. The Chamber stuffed 175 bags and gave out all but one. Rush had the costume contest meet in the middle of the street in front of Town Hall because it was better lit than Bicentennial Park. However, Rush noticed some of the street lamps were not working. Rush told the Town Council about this and the matter was quickly remedied. Rush added that there was a parent who offered to help volunteer and she was grateful for that. Next year, they hope to have additional volunteers.

Dr. Vernon and Rachel Miller sponsored the event and gave over $500 to assist. 

November 25, 2021

Julie Hoffman is the new director of the Wyoming Pioneer Home. As the director, Hoffman manages the staff and administers the fiscal assistance from the State of Wyoming.

Hoffman’s background comes from being a licensed social worker in Basin at the Wyoming Retirement Center where she worked for 7 and a half years. She focused on long-term care and helping residents adapt to the facility, as well as admission, safe discharge and complaints such as reports of abuse or neglect. 

Hoffman grew up in Cody and wanted to return to Wyoming as she was living in Minnesota. Hoffman describes herself as a “late bloomer” as she went back to school after her children graduated and was interested in human resources. However, her desire to help people provided a better focus. 

December

December 2, 2021

On Monday, a federal district court in Missouri issued an injunction that temporarily blocks President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers at facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid—at least for now. Ten states were included in that lawsuit including Wyoming, Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Also on Monday, a medical freedom rally was held in front of Hot Springs Health during the noon hour. The rally was held to show support for healthcare workers and individuals’ choice to make their own medical decisions.

Then on Tuesday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt the start of President Biden’s national vaccine mandate for health care workers nationwide, which had been set to begin next week.The injunction, written by Judge Terry A. Doughty, effectively expanded the separate order issued on Monday by the federal court in Missouri.

December 9, 2021

At the November 30, Hot Springs Health board meeting, Chairman Dr. Bill Williams started the meeting and said, “I call it to order with some sadness... Dan Herdt passed away a week ago today, and I can’t tell you not only the sadness for his family, but the loss of a valuable board member to this group. He always had a perspective that we appreciated, listened to. He didn’t talk very often, but when he did, we listened because he had good points to make and we will miss him immensely on this board.” Dan Herdt was the board’s secretary/treasurer.

During the approval of the agenda portion of the meeting, Chairman Williams said, “We’re going to delete the vaccination policy since by judicial fiat, that has become a moot point for the time being, anyway.” 

December 16, 2021

Christmas came early for Robert James, 82, a resident at Thermopolis Rehabilitation and Wellness (TRW) with the gift of a guitar.

The idea started with his sister Donna Becker wanting to help James with his memory issues.

Becker said, “I’ve always experienced that music is a wonderful tool for helping people with memory issues and because he is my brother, I know he used to play the guitar. So, I got this wild idea to find him a guitar. But I am in Texas and so I used the Thermopolis Our Hometown group site to put out a plea “I’m in search of a guitar for my brother. Message me for any details.”

Becker received a message back from Tom Smith, who started looking for a guitar. Smith later found one at a yard sale and turned it over to a friend, John Brooks, to see if they could put it into working condition. Smith and Brooks are mutual friends and members of the Shriner’s club. They told Becker that their efforts should be a donation. 

December 23, 2021

Smoking Waters Barber Shop welcomes newly licensed Ray Monasmith to the barber business. He and his wife Kristen own the barbershop. Together they are increasing their ventures to serve the people of Thermopolis.

Ray’s background includes close to 18 years in the Army where he practiced haircuts on his fellow soldiers and served as a signal soldier, a form of a communications advisor. Ray also had a 36-year career in information technology. He worked at the University of Wyoming as a senior systems manager. Prior to that, he worked as an international network services consultant for a number of years.

December 30, 2021

At the December 21 Thermopolis Town Council meet- ing, Mayor Mike Chimenti had Town Attorney Marshall Keller swear in Pat Cornwell as the Chief of Police. Cornwell was previously acting as the Interim Chief of Police when Julie Mathews retired in September.

Representatives of both the Thermopolis Police Department and the Hot Springs County Sheriff’s office were present to offer their support. The council also voted and passed approval for Pat Cornwell’s appointment as Thermopolis Police Chief.