Serving the Platte Valley since 1888

Articles written by Virginia Parker


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  • Autumn comes knocking at the door

    Virginia Parker|Oct 5, 2023

    When the calendar page flips to October, the valley is filled with the brilliant colors of Autumn.The shadow of falling leaves flutters across the pages of our days. A slight respite after the rush of summer activities is welcome. Autumn lets herself in to our lives with a crispness in the air, a fresh perspective and a swirl of golden leaves. As a prelude to winter, Autumn can inspire us to reset, reevaluate and make goals for the coming months. Most folks think of Spring as the time to start n...

  • Saratoga Cross Country Team - Top Ten

    Virginia Parker|Oct 5, 2023

    Marilee Williams, Bennett Keel, Sihauna Sanchez, Kelsea Raymer and Jett Arney finished in the top ten at the Wheatland Invitational. Marilee Williams became the first Saratoga Woman since 2007 to be an invitational champion at a meet. Saratoga Middle High School Head Coach Rex Hohnholt said, “As we head to the Leroy Sprague Invitational in Cheyenne this week it will mark the end of our middle school season and the last regular season tune up for the high school before the State Cross Country Cha...

  • Encampment Tigers roar past the Hanna Miners

    Virginia Parker|Sep 28, 2023

    Encampment’s Tiger’s faced Hanna Miners on Friday and plowed through like a snow blower on the Snowy Range. Scoring 18 points in the first quarter was just a prelude to the 39 points that the Tigers picked up in the second quarter, shutting Hanna’s Miners completely out. Ryon Miller caught the 27 yard pass from Kannon Gilbert scoring the first touchdown. Baylin Sifford wasted no time, grabbing a 9 yard pass from Gunner Henrie for the second touchdown, with Quade Jordan’s 38 yard rush to the end...

  • Encampment Lady Tigers fall hard last weekend

    Virginia Parker|Sep 28, 2023

    The Encampment Lady Tigers Volleyball team lost to Rock River on Friday, and Cokeville on Saturday, but it wasn’t from lack of trying. With only one win under their belt so far, beating North Park in their first game, they have some hard work to do, but Head Coach Peterson said, “Playing two ranked teams gave us a good picture of where we need to improve to compete in the last few weeks of the season. As long as we keep working together and working hard in practice, good things are coming. We...

  • Serving God and country

    Virginia Parker|Sep 21, 2023

    Bob Cain grew up in a little farm town in midwestern Illinois. Cain decided to join the Navy in 1985, a year after he graduated from high school. His oldest brother was in the Navy and Cain wanted to get away from Illinois to see the world. Cain's dad was in the Army in WWII. Cain went to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. He went to basic Submarine School in Groton, Connecticut. Cain was on submarines for two years as a helmsman, then served for two and half years as a hospital...

  • Riverside Town Council updates and upgrades

    Virginia Parker|Sep 21, 2023

    Union Telephone representatives visited with the Riverside Town Council at their monthly meeting on September 14, giving an update to a grant that would make it possible to bring fiber optic internet into Riverside and Encampment. Brian Woody, Chief Customer Relations Officer for Union Telephone told the Council that Union has applied for the Wyoming Capital Projects Fund (CPF) Grant for $1.5 million dollars. This grant is part of a program designed to provide internet service with speeds of...

  • Colorado Grand autos

    Virginia Parker|Sep 21, 2023

    Grand Encampment Museum was the host for the 34th Annual Colorado Grand Tour lunch stop on September 13. Every September at the peak of the fall color season approximately 85 vintage cars are driven in this relaxed, non-competitive trip covering 1,000 miles through the Rockies in five days. Entrants come from around the world. This event is run in cooperation with the Colorado State Patrol. Nine patrolmen run with this group. This year the Colorado Grand was able to present a $15,000 check to...

  • Dave Acord honored for over 40 years of service to Carbon County Roads

    Virginia Parker|Sep 14, 2023

    On Thursday, September 7 a small group gathered at the Carbon County Road & Bridge shop in Encampment to honor Dave Acord’s service to the County for 44 years. A special sign designed by Road & Bridge hangs above the shop door in Encampment. Acord kept county roads clear and passable, making it safe and pleasant for travelers. Although retirement came several years ago, a friend of Acord’s, Gary Jacobsen felt there should be some kind of official recognition for Acord’s many hours of servi...

  • Encampment Lady Tigers fall back and regroup after a tough weekend of play

    Virginia Parker|Sep 14, 2023

    In Friday’s league contest against Little Snake River’s Lady Rattlers the Lady Tigers struggled to make points. Scoring 25 points in each match put the Rattlers at the top with the Lady’s losing all three matches. The Tigers had their work cut out for them, facing the Rattlers who ended last season with a record of 9-1. Saturday saw the Lady Tigers face off with Farson-Eden’s Lady Pronghorns. The loss from the previous day didn’t keep the Tigers down, with a two point spread in the first mat...

  • Encampment Lady Tigers slam into the season with a win

    Virginia Parker|Sep 7, 2023

    With the first game of the season in the books, the Lady Tigers smiled all the way home. North Park made them work, but the Tigers brought home the win. Head Volleyball Coach Janice Peterson said that the girls had a great opener with North Park last week. Beating North Park 3 - 0 with scores of 25-22. 25-13, and 25-20. Peterson said, “Serving percentages were high with Sami Anderson and Savannah Fagan leading at 100% each. Kristie Jordan and Kyenna Jackson had a 50% kill percentage and E...

  • Saratoga Middle High School Cross Country teams first meet is under their belts

    Virginia Parker|Sep 7, 2023

    Head Track and Field Coach Rex Hohnholt is not stranger to diversity and distractions when it comes to getting track teams where they need to be. Last week proved how dedicated he and the parents, grandparents and friends are to the teams. Hohnholt said that he is “Really proud of the kids as the Lander course is a very tough one and times always seem to slow down some at this meet. The middle school girls continued to shine with their performances. They are a very talented and extremely hard wo...

  • Saratoga Forest Products gives back to the community

    Virginia Parker|Aug 31, 2023

    Warmth from a wood stove is a comfort and a necessity to many in the Valley. Thanks to the generosity of Saratoga Forest Products (SFP), “The Mill”, many families will stay warm this winter. Every year Gary Ervin, the owner of SFP offers free firewood to anyone willing to go load it up. This year got off to a rough start due to some issues with bags of garbage being left at the site, prompting Ervin to shut access down for a time. The area is opened up again and at times there is a line wai...

  • Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Golf Scramble for fun and funds

    Virginia Parker|Aug 31, 2023

    The MHCC 5th Annual Foundation Fun Scramble offered up a Calcutta which included a special auction item with all proceeds going to the Tyeler Harris Memorial Scholarship Fund. Proceeds from the Scramble will go towards the “Health 360 Equipment Package” which includes a portable Sonosite Ultrasound, Bladder Scanner, and Microbiology Automated ID System. The equipment gives an extra edge in providing 360 degree care across multiple departments. According to Stephanie Hinkle, Marketing, Com...

  • Do people still read the newspaper?

    Virginia Parker|Aug 17, 2023

    With the internet readily available on your phone, computer, tablet, television and television screens invading your dining experience in many restaurants it isn’t surprising that readership of newspapers is declining. However, there are still many that do pick up the newspaper and spend a few minutes at least, perusing the printed page. Reading a newspaper is relaxing and easier on the eyes than looking at a screen. Studies also show that retention is better when reading printed material. A...

  • Carbon County Commissioners updated on long-anticipated energy project

    Virginia Parker|Aug 10, 2023

    An update on the TransWest Express Transmission Project was given by Kelly Cummins, Vice President of Land and Environmental Services at the August 1 Board of Carbon County Commissioners regular meeting. She told the Commissioners that the project is 732 miles, crossing four states, fourteen counties, three national forests, and nine BLM offices. The project has taken about 12 years, but they are now in the construction phase. Cummins said the final configuration of the project is 3,000...

  • A winning repeat

    Virginia Parker|Aug 10, 2023

    Saratoga High School senior, Tuker Carricato took the World Champion National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in bareback for the second year in a row. Scoring 84.0 points to win the short go-round of bareback bronc riding on Saturday, July 22 at Gillette’s CamPlex Center. This is his second consecutive NHSFR title with a three-head score of 240 points. He was one of seven cowboys and three cowgirls from Wyoming to finish in the top 20 in the average. Carricato has been riding bareback in r...

  • Life on the pond

    Virginia Parker|Aug 3, 2023

    Research indicates that water has an impact on all five senses at the same time, immersing our psyche in a rest and digest response. It triggers a parasympathetic nervous response that lowers your heart rate and your blood pressure, stimulates your digestion and makes your body relax. If that all sounds too high falutin, just remember slowly wading into the pond and feeling that cool water sink into your pores. Not far to the south of my house is an irrigation pond that calls to the locals when...

  • Valley Village Childcare and Excel preschool moves forward

    Virginia Parker|Aug 3, 2023

    “It takes a village to raise a child”. In this case, it took a village to raise a childcare center. Volunteers, board members, and staff spent scores of hours working to make the new Valley Village Childcare Center become a reality. What began as a dream, a possibility, is now under construction and will be completed and ready to house children by next year. Sixteen months of town council meetings and countless meetings with inspectors, architects, builders, and board members have made it all...

  • Past meets present this weekend in Encampment

    Virginia Parker|Jul 20, 2023

    Full skirts swish across the lawn, the whirr of a spinning wheel and the whine of a fiddle bounce off the log buildings, all of this adding to the atmosphere that takes the visitor back to a time when human beings worked with their hands, and their heads to build a life in the wilds of Wyoming. Reenacting historical events and experiencing history hands-on is a terrific way to spend the day. Stepping back into the 19th century, nearly 200 years ago can be eye-opening. Volunteers dress in period...

  • Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering 21st year is in the books

    Virginia Parker|Jul 20, 2023

    Entertainers gathered in Grandview Park on the North side of the Grand Encampment Museum this last Friday and Saturday, watched and admired by hundreds of attendees. The 21st Annual Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering kicked off Friday evening with an open mic session. Poets and musicians picked, sang, told stories, and in general, lightened the hearts of those watching.Saturday morning Jack Schmidt provided instruction and poetry to a dozen or so participants as he taught the fine art of Dutch...

  • Sewer Lagoon Improvement Project is underway

    Virginia Parker|Jul 20, 2023

    Jon Nelson, of North Fork Engineering told the Encampment Town Council that the project has been mobilized. the contractor began excavation, compaction and backfill with testing to be completed. He said pipe removal is 90% complete and the old structures will be removed. Concrete forms, rebar and road base will be delivered in anticipation of the first footer and the forms in place. Weekly progress meetings will be 2 p.m. each Wednesday at the town hall. Nelson told the Council that the...

  • The real Wyoming – beyond the fences

    Virginia Parker|Jul 13, 2023

    “You just can’t see him from the road”, a line from one of my favorite Chris LeDoux songs is true of so many that live and work in this area we call home. Cradled in the arms of the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Sierra Madres the history of the North Platte Valley is brought to life with a spotlight on those we can’t see from the road. Summer events include Woodchoppers Jamboree, Grand Encampment’s Cowboy Gathering, Living History Days at Grand Encampment Museum and the Sierra Madre Muzzleloa...

  • Patriotism - love it or leave it?

    Virginia Parker|Jul 6, 2023

    In a recent poll by Wall Street Journal it was found that the percentage of Americans that say patriotism is an important part of their lives has dropped from 70 percent to 38 percent. Religion also took a nose dive from 62 percent to 39 percent. Community involvement plummeted as an important part of life, from 47 percent to 27 percent, and having children went from 59 percent to 30 percent in importance. Are these statistics surprising? Not really. I hear it all the time from people, that...

  • A summit of words and wit

    Virginia Parker|Jul 6, 2023

    Whether writing stories for money, love or entertainment, the six professional writers that sat at a small table in the Grand Encampment Museum on June 28 all shared one common thread, the Rocky Mountains. Some had been in the North Platte Valley their entire lives, while others visited and fell in love with the history and legends that echo across the mountains and valleys from days gone by. While every author has a slightly different motive for writing, they all seem to be compelled to tell...

  • Things I didn't know till I got old-er

    Virginia Parker|Jun 29, 2023

    I love learning new things and watching videos about life hacks. It’s fun to see something as simple as fillinga long neck glass bottle with water, turning it up side down and sticking it in your potted plant for a self-waterer, and wondering why you never thought about doing that? Getting older has its perks. You get good at using what you’ve learned, it’s called crystalized intelligence. Also, it turns out you might not be a grumpy old man or woman, after all. In your 60s you’re likely...

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