Trail End Historic Site Holiday Open House Dec. 7-9 in Sheridan

Our State Parks and Cultural Resources colleagues at Trail End Historic Site in Sheridan sent us this announcement:

 

Kick off the holiday season right this year and make plans to attend the Trail End Holiday Open House in Sheridan. This three-day event celebrates the season with live music and tasty treats served up in a historically elegant atmosphere complete with all the traditional trappings of the holidays.

An annual tradition for over twenty-five years, the Open House is scheduled for December 7-9, at the Trail End State Historic Site. Sponsored by the Trail End Guilds, Inc., the event features live entertainment and holiday decorations throughout the spectacular 1913 mansion. Open House hours are 4-7 p.m. each day. Admission is $2 for adults. Children are admitted at no charge, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Trail End – a 14,000 square foot brick mansion overlooking Sheridan’s Kendrick Park – is decorated from Thanksgiving through mid-December (open daily from 1-4 p.m. for self-guided tours). Seven ornately decorated trees stand throughout the house, from the Drawing Room to the Ballroom. Windows and staircases are draped with garlands and ribbons, while potted poinsettias enhance nearly every horizontal surface.

 

One major attraction of the Open House is the live music, with a different act featured each hour. This year’s schedule is as follows (subject to last-minute changes):

Friday, December 7

4:00 p.m. – Barbara Campbell (piano)

5:00 p.m. – Cathy Storm (pump organ)

6:00 p.m. – Micah & Julie (guitar & vocal duet)

Saturday, December 8

4:00 p.m. – Canary Joe (jazz vocal/instrumental)

5:00 p.m. – Juliet’s Muse (instrumental ensemble)

6:00 p.m. – Methodist Handbell Choir (instrumental ensemble)

Sunday, December 9

4:00 p.m. – Sheridanaires (vocal ensemble)

5:00 p.m. – Patchwork Singers (vocal ensemble)

6:00 p.m. – Just Harmony (vocal ensemble)

 

Guided tours of the mansion, home of former Wyoming Governor and United States Senator John B. Kendrick, are also offered during the Open House. Conducted by Trail End staff and volunteers, the tours feature the history of the house and grounds, plus a look at what the holidays were like earlier in the Twentieth Century.

In the mansion’s historic kitchen, Trail End staff and volunteers will serve up tasty seasonal treats. This year, hot, spiced cider is paired with delicious homemade Figgy Pudding – a holiday tradition at Trail End.

In addition to Trail End’s regularly displayed furnishings – nearly all original to the house – many additional Kendrick family items are included in the annual holiday exhibit. Visitors have an opportunity to see toys, sleds, skates, dishes, and Christmas cards from the 1910s, 20s and 30s, as well as a nativity scene made in Germany prior to World War Two, and an old-fashioned “feather” tree.

This year’s focus exhibit is “The Ad Made Me Buy It: The Power of Advertising in the Early Twentieth Century.” The whole-house panel exhibit explores the art and science of advertising, and how potential consumers were influenced by the ads placed in their reading material.

The Holiday Open House is nearly the last opportunity for visitors to enjoy the historic site this year. Trail End is closed during the winter months, from December 15, through March 31.

Over the winter, staff will be busy updating the site’s interpretive panels. The current exhibit will be replaced by a special exhibit celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Trail End’s occupation by the Kendrick family (John, Eula, Manville and Rosa-Maye Kendrick moved into the house on July 27, 1913). Keep an eye open for more information on upcoming centennial activities.

The Trail End State Historic Site is located at 400 Clarendon Avenue in Sheridan (exit 23 off Interstate 90; turn onto Fifth Street; then left onto Clarendon). Parking for the Open House is available on Delphi, Clarendon and Victoria Streets. Limited handicapped parking is available in the circular drive between the Kendrick Mansion and the Carriage House Theater. An elevator provides access to the upper and lower floors for the mobility challenged.

Trail End is operated by the State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails Division of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. For more information on the Trail End State Historic Site, the Holiday Open House or the Trail End Guilds, phone307-674-4589, or visit their website at www.trailend.org.

Deadline is Jan. 15 for Historic Architecture Assistance Fund

This info comes to us from the November issue of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund newsletter:

The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund is pleased to help the Historic Architecture Assistance Fund (HAAF). HAAF will provide the services of architects and engineers to the owners of historic buildings to address issues involved with the rehabilitation and use of such properties. The next deadline for applications is January 15, 2013.

The fund cannot support the entire architectural or engineering services needed for a complete rehabilitation project. Typical projects that can be funded include a building assessment, structural analysis, analysis of building code and ADA requirements, and façade and signage schematic design.

The HAAF is available to a variety of property owners. The fund is meant to support private and not-for-profit property owners, who are not eligible for many grant programs. Government entities can also apply for the funds. The HAAF was established to provide assistance to properties that are historic, which is generally understood to be over 50 years of age. Any proposed work that the HAAF would contribute to with assessment and design work must maintain or restore the historic integrity of the property. The fund is not intended to provide assistance with remodeling projects that would change the character of the historic building or address common utility system questions. The HAAF is best used to address conditions and materials that provide challenges for rehabilitation projects, such as potentially compromised structural systems, exterior wall materials, windows, ADA and code compliance, and the loss of historic components.

It should be understood that all properties will be treated as historic; that is, eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and proposed work will meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Applications may be submitted to either the Wyoming Main Street Program, the Alliance for Historic Wyoming, or the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

For application forms, visit SHPO’s website. Contact information:

Wyoming Main Street
Britta Fuller
214 West 15th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-2934
Britta.fuller@wyo.gov

Alliance for Historic Wyoming
Hilery Lindmier
P.O. Box 51201
Casper, WY 82605
307-333-3508
execdirector@historicwyoming.org

State Historic Preservation Office
Brian Beadles
2301 Central Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-8594
Brian.beadles@wyo.gov

Actor's Mission & friends present dinner theatre at renovated Broadway Theatre in Rock Springs

Find out more at http://www.facebook.com/TheBroadwayTheater
and http://www.facebook.com/actorsmission

Dr. Mark Miller speaks about "Military Sites in Wyoming 1700-1920" on Oct. 25

We can't wait to read the published book, as Dr. Miller is a fine writer:

Dr. Mark Miller, Wyoming’s State Archaeologist, will celebrate National Archaeology Day with a lecture at the Wyoming State Museum, October 25 at 7 p.m.

From the earliest carved and painted images on stone cliffs to locations dating to the 20^th Century, Wyoming is dotted with hundreds of sites that bear witness to military activities.

In his talk, Dr. Miller draws from his recently completed book “Military Sites in Wyoming 1700-1920.” The slide show and lecture summarizes a study of more than 300 sites that have been incorporated into this historic context, beginning with early evidence of military activity in Native American rock art.

The discussion culminates with a discussion of sites related to Wyoming’s role in the United States entry into World War I.

Dr. Miller is a Carbon County native and adjunct professor of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming.

This program is presented by the Wyoming State Museum, State Historic Preservation Office and Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist. It is free and open to the public.

The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne. For more information about this and other State Museum programs, please call 777-7022.

2012 Archaeology Awareness Month poster marks 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act

From our colleagues at SHPO: The 2012 Wyoming Archaeology Awareness Month poster celebrates the 150th anniversary of the passage of the Homestead Act and features a photograph of the Osborn Homestead in Sublette County. The posters are free of charge and may be picked up at the State Historic Preservation Office in Cheyenne, 3rd floor Barrett Building, 2301 Central Ave. or in Laramie, at the Anthropology Building at 12th and Lewis, Room 312. Limit one poster per person. Click here to learn more.

Social justice film series and cultural workshops highlight Lincoln Community Center activities

The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund newsletter features happenings about the WCTF and its grant recipients. Here's news on events at the Lincoln Community Center in Laramie:

Keep your eyes open…there are some new events that will be occurring at the Lincoln Community Center in Laramie this year with a Cultural Program Series under development. The Wyoming Cultural Trust is pleased to help with the development of these new community programs which will be exploring language and culture through cooking and cultural workshops, a social justice film series and continued work with the informal citizen group of the West Side League of Neighbors to protect and preserve the Laramie West Side’s cultural history and personal narratives.

If you’re on the road, traveling through or near Laramie, plan on stopping by and seeing the wonderful work which has already occurred in the rehabilitation of the old Lincoln School on South Cedar Street! The mission of the Lincoln Community Center is to be a social, cultural, education, recreational and healthcare resource for the neighborhood, city and county. A large share of their efforts is aimed at providing programming, services and a conduit for services to people with low incomes or limited opportunities.

For more information about upcoming programs and events, contact Paul Weaver, Executive Director, 307-742-2556 or laramielcc@gmail.com. 

Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund board approves $758,858 in grants

As many as 41 Wyoming cultural and heritage projects and sponsoring organizations will benefit from $758,858 in grant awards from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

The grant awards, approved by the five-member Cultural Trust Fund board at a recent meeting in Casper, came from 50 total applications. Requests totaled more than $1.4 million, with requests capped at a maximum of $50,000. This year’s grant recipients anticipate generating $10 in matching local support for every $1 received from the Cultural Trust Fund.

See the entire list at http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/CTF/ViewNL.aspx?NLID=65

Reception tonight for Historic Governor's Mansion exhibits

Three new Historic Governors’ Mansion exhibits exploring various unique topics in the inner workings of the First Families, the staff and the mansion will open May 19. An opening reception celebrating the mansion’s new look will be held from 4-6 p.m., May 18, with refreshments reminiscent of the 1950s served in the Carriage House. For more information about the new exhibits or the mansion, please call 777-7878 or visitwyoparks.state.wy.us.

Basement exhibits featured in grand opening at Historic Governor's Mansion

On Friday, May 18, 4-6 p.m., you are invited to the Historic Governor's Mansion, 300 E. 21st St., Cheyenne, for the grand opening of three basement exhibits:

• Mansion Architecture
• Fallout Shelter
• Laundry Room

Refreshments weill be served in the Carriage House. Free and open to the public.

FMI: 307-777-7878

Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine TV tours renovated Broadway Theater in Rock Springs

Broadway Theater set for a grand opening April 13. Get more info here.

Presentation on historic ranch architecture Feb. 15 at Wyoming State Museum

A presentation focusing on the LX Bar Ranch in northern Wyoming will be held at the Wyoming State Museum Multi-Purpose Room at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15.


The original ranch owned by Senator John B. Kendrick is still intact and features several large stone structures built by Swedish stonemasons in 1910. The ranch is located along the Powder River and near the Montana State Line.


The slide presentation will be conducted by Ken Tobin and Megin Rux of Tobin and Associates, a local architectural firm.
            
The ranch is considered to feature some of the nicest ranch architecture in the state. The current owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, would like to donate the site to the State of Wyoming. That proposed donation will go before the Wyoming State Legislature this session. For more information about the presentation, please call 777-7021. View a video shot at the ranch by Jodie Baxendale at http://vimeo.com/34907344

Deadline May 1 for Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund grants

From our colleague Renee Bovee at the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund: 

The 2012 Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund Grant Application is now available! The next deadline for WCTF applications is May 1, 2012, for projects/events/activities which occur from July 1, 2012 onward. If you have an idea which you would like to bounce around, please contact the WCTF Administrator, Renée Bovée, at renee.bovee@wyo.gov or by calling 307-777-6312. I will be pleased to help, and I am always willing to review drafts (until, say, April 15 when I just get a little too swamped). Let me know what your needs and plans are, and let’s see how we can make your application to the WCTF competitive!

Archaeologist Mark Laughlin to speak on the Finley Site and “Early Man” Dec. 15 in Cheyenne

Archaeologist Mark Laughlin to speak on the Finley Site and “Early Man”

Hosted by the Wyoming Archaeological Society

Thursday, December 15, 7 p.m.

The Cheyenne Chapter of the Wyoming Archaeological Society guest speaker is John Lauglin. He will be talking about the Finley Site which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. The Finley Site’s significance lies in the contribution it made to “Early Man” (Paleoindian) studies.  Presented here will be a history of excavation at the Cody Complex site gathered from the original 1940 field notes and photographs housed at the University of Pennsylvania Museum.  Additionally, investigations from 2009 will be discussed along with recent radiocarbon dates from both bone beds.

Laughlin is a staff archaeologist with the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office in Cheyenne.  He received his archaeological training at the University of Wyoming.  Prior to joining the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO), Mr. Laughlin worked for the Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist in Laramie.

We will be meeting at LCCC, Health Science Building, Room 111. For more information, feel free to contact Dan Bach at  307-287-3334

Website: http://wyomingarchaeology.org/waswaschapterinfo/cheyennechapter.html

Washakie Museum's exhibit of Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post covers up through Jan. 5

Norman Rockwell's 323 Saturday Evening Post Covers will be on display through Jan. 5 at the Washakie Museum in Worland. 

This traveling exhibition was organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA.

In 1977, Rockwell received the nation's highest civilian honor, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, 

for his "vivid and affectionate portraits of our country" in the years 1916-1963. 

On the road with filmmaker Alan O'Hashi: the historic Sommers ranch near Pinedale

iPhone Moment - Visiting the Sommers Ranch from Indie Media: The New Journalism on Vimeo.

Cheyenne filmmaker Alan O'Hashi filmed this clip of the historic Sommers ranch with his iPhone and edited it with the iMovie app. That seems amazing, considering the quality. Alan filmed the ranch on his way to the Convergence Wyoming conference set for Oct. 6-8 in Cody.

Convergence conference to tackle "creative economy" and other Wyoming arts & culture issues

The latest issue of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund newsletter carried this info about this fall's "Convergence" conference in Cody. More info coming soon...

Many of us regularly hear these words, “Cultural Heritage Tourism” and “Creative Economy”, but what do they really mean in Wyoming and how can we best capitalize on our unique cultural heritage and our amazing capacity for collaboration, to best address the issues and opportunities behind these words? Join your colleagues, counterparts and regional and national speakers as we take a serious look at what we have already accomplished, and where we have yet to go.

Key partners involved in planning this unique gathering include: the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, the Wyoming Arts Council, the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, the Wyoming Humanities Council, the Wyoming State Library, the University of Wyoming Art Museum and School of Arts and Sciences, the American Heritage Center, and the State Historic Preservation Office. Additional partners including Wyoming Main Street, the Wyoming Business Council and local arts and community organizations throughout the Cody and Powell areas, will all be participating with this event. Additionally, an opportunity for Advocacy training will be offered as a pre-gathering session.

More details on “Convergence” should be available shortly…so be sure to check the websites of the various partners, or the Cultural Trust Fund website, in the next few weeks. And you’ll be hearing more in this e-newsletter as well…

FMI: Wyoming Arts Council at 307-777-7742.

Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund awards $690,870 in grants

Interpretive program at the Vore Buffalo Jump in Crook County. The Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation received a $24,282 grant from the WCTF for interpretive and educational materials. 

As many as 36 Wyoming cultural and heritage projects and sponsoring organizations will benefit from $690,870 in grant awards from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund (WCTF).

The grant awards, approved by the five-member Cultural Trust Fund board at a recent meeting in Sundance, came from 50 total applications from 19 communities in 18 counties. The requests totaled more than $1.435 million, with requests capped at a maximum of $50,000. Applicants in this year’s grant pool anticipate generating over $10 in matching local support for every $1 received from the Cultural Trust Fund.

These requests were for a variety of projects including the preservation and rehabilitiaton of historic buildings and sites, museum equipment and exhibition development, arts education programs, endowment campaigns, and organizational infrastructure needs including staff and planning processes.

In 1988, the Wyoming Legislature, recognizing that Wyoming and its people possess a unique cultural heritage, created the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund Act. The mission of the WCTF board is to serve the citizens of Wyoming by supporting the state’s cultural heritage through grant funding of innovative projects for the enjoyment, appreciation, promotion, preservation and protection of the arts and cultural historic resources.

For more information about the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, please contact Renee Bovee, administrator, at 307-777-6312.

Albany County
Laramie Plains Civic Center, $25,000, Theater Fly System Restoration
U.W. American Indian Studies Program, $10,000, Comprehensive Plan for U.W. American Indian Center
U.W. Art Museum, $40,000, Master Teacher Endowment Challenge

Campbell County
American Legion Post 42 of Gillette, $5,000, Bricks for Vets: United We Stand Monument

Converse County
Independent Order of Odd Fellows c/o City of Douglas, $3,158, Camp Douglas Officers Club Restoration

Crook County
Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation, $24,282, Interpretive and Educational Materials

Fremont County
Lander Art Center, $10,500, Native American Emerging Artists Training and Exhibition

Johnson County
Hoofprints of the Past Museum, $20,000, Museum Building Addition

Laramie County
Cheyenne Depot Museum, $3,250, Collection Display
Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, $20,000, Museum Acquisition of the C.B. Irwin Collection
Cheyenne Little Theater Players, Inc., $42,500, Mary Godfrey Playhouse Equipment Upgrades
City of Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board, $8,907, Lakeview Cemetery Historic Holding Vault Restoration
LightsOn!, $25,000, International Mentor Artist-in-Residence/Exhibit Planning and Development

Natrona County
Casper Children’s Theater, $7,900, Destination Drama Program Expansion
Elks Lodge 1353, $42,000, Elks Lodge Library Windows Restoration
Fort Caspar Museum Association, $6,867, Collection Storage Upgrades
Nicolaysen Art Museum, $25,000, Educational Program Revitalization
Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, $22,500, Capacity Building through Staff Development
Wyoming Veterans’ Memorial Museum, $25,000, Collection Curation

Platte County
Chugwater Historical Unity Group, $6,298, Digital Storage of Museum Photos and Documents

Sheridan County
WYO Theater, Inc., $8.000, Technical Support

Sublette County
Pinedale Fine Arts Council, $3,500, Mapping Opportunities/Visual Arts Symposium
Sublette County Historical Society, $40,000, New Fort River Crossing Historical Park

Teton County
Art Association of Jackson Hole, $10,000, Artspace Gallery
Center for the Arts, $25,000, Endowment Campaign Infrastructure and Preparation
Cultural Council of Jackson Hole, $10,600, Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative
Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, $10,000, “The Coach: An American Crossroads” Documentary
pARTners, $10,000, Create and Learn through the Arts Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Uinta County
Roundhouse Restoration, Inc., $24,916, Superintendent’s Office Restoration

Washakie County
Washakie Museum and Cultural Center, $20,000, Exhibition Equipment

Statewide
State Historic Preservation Office, $50,000, Interpreting Culture and History on the Wind River Reservation Planning
Wyoming Arts Alliance, $14,200, Capacity Building
Wyoming Center for the Book, Inc., $5,000, Wyoming Book Festival Roadshow
Wyoming Music Educators Association, $12,000, Executive Director Compensation
Wyoming State Historical Society, $25,270, WyoHistory.org
Wyoming Women’s Business Center, $49,762, Works of Wyoming Arts and Business Online Education, Outreach and Seminars

Suite 1901 receives Dubois Award May 11 from Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board

From Don Threewit: The Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board is presenting its annual Dubois Award for Excellence to Suite 1901 at -- you guessed it -- Suite 1901. On Wednesday, May 11, 7-10 p.m. This downtown business is a spectacular example of adaptive reuse of a a hotel and lounge and is the newest of Cheyenne's hot spots. Please join us to celebrate John Harrison and his team's success and imbibe in a tasty infused martini. Any questions, feel free to call me, Don Threewitt, at 307-256-4879

Save the date: 4Cs conference in Cody Oct. 6-9

More info coming soon from the Wyoming Arts Council

Murie Center hosts nature photography workshop June 15-18 with Henry H. Holdsworth

Teton Spring Awakening Nature Photography Workshop with Henry H. Holdsworth

Dates: June 15-18, 2011
Location: The Murie Ranch – A National Historic Landmark in Grand Teton National Park
Description: Join the Murie Center and nationally renowned local photographer Henry H. Holdsworth for a long weekend learning how to capture the essence of beauty in the valley.
Price: $1,345 includes lodging for 3 nights in a Murie Ranch cabin, all meals and tuition; $995 includes all meals and tuition only.

The Murie Center is pleased to welcome back Henry H. Holdsworth for a spring workshop that will focus on wildflowers and wildlife, with baby animals being one of the primary focal points. Enjoy a long weekend stay at the Murie Ranch while learning to photograph the wildness and wildlife of the surrounding valley under the direction of such an accomplished photographer. Register Online »