A Committed Community

by Amber Anderson, Recreation Coordinator

As we review and evaluate our summer season, I am reminded of the numerous individuals and organizations that generously donated their time and services to making the summer of 2013 a great season for the youth of Pinedale.  From off-site trips to on-site visitors, the summer at the Pinedale Aquatic Center was positively enhanced by the Pinedale community.

We launched our summer in Little Wrangler Day Camp with a visit from the Sublette County Sherriff’s Office who led the group through bike safety.  These safety skills were put to use as we biked around town for varies off-site trips including archery with Mark Kroger from the Wind River Archery Club and attending free kids movies, generously sponsored by the Pinedale Entertainment Center, the Pinedale Preschool and the Sublette County Recreation Board.  We visited the Sublette County Library to check-out books, research our favorite super hero, and participate in a number of their interactive youth activities.  We also had the opportunity to take a trip to the Daniel Fish Hatchery and Sommers Homestead Ranch, although these trips did not include bikes!

Along with our off-site trips, we had the honor of hosting a number of guest presenters on-site at the Pinedale Aquatic Center.  We expanded our knowledge with projects about nutrition, including cooking practice, with Sam Harnack and soil experiments and wild fire demonstrations with Kari Bousman from the Sublette County Conservation District.  We panned for gold with miner enthusiast Jon Crockett and were introduced to the farm with a visit from Heather Grossman and her 4-H animals.  We even learned about the various types of trout in the area with the Wyoming Game and Fish and the areas wildflowers with botanist enthusiast Lincoln Proud.

Our summer adventures continued with themed weeks that included focused activities.   Animal week was enhanced with an educational visit to Faler Brother’s Taxidermy, while Wild West week was enriched during a visit to the Mountain Man Museum as well as a visit from a posse of Mountain Men from Rio Verde Engineering.  Super hero week was made real with a visit to the County Jail and a visit from the Pinedale EMS, which included a full tour of the ambulance.  We practiced our tricks and skills during carnival week with a hula hooping challenge with Michelle Fenn, a friendly game of bowling at Big Piney’s Flicks & Pins, and watched live demonstrations at the Sublette County Fair. 

The above list is amazing!  All of these organizations and individuals volunteered to make the summer of 2013 educational, adventurous, and memorable.  Thank you Pinedale for your commitment to the youth of our community!  As the saying goes… “it takes a community.”