WLM WLM Summer 2018 | Page 31

WLM | art 2018 BIG HORN BASIN FOLK FESTIVAL By Toddi Darlington & Big Horn Basin Folk Festival Committee Images courtesy Jeb Schenck Highlights Pioneer Tales T he Fourth Annual Big Horn Basin Folk Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 4 and 5, in Hot Springs State Park, Thermopolis, Wyoming. The Festival celebrates the handwork and creativity of Wyoming’s own artists, craftsmen, musicians and storytellers. It includes musicians and dancers performing at the Pavilion, a Fine Art and Folk Art Show, the Trading Post with additional items for sale, a Folk Master Craftsmen Tent, artisan and guild demonstrations, the Hear Me Now Storytelling Circle, and hands-on activities for kids. The festival is open to the public without charge. Sponsors include the Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation, Kiwanis and Hot Springs State Park with support from Wyoming Arts Council, WESTAF, and Hot Springs Travel & Tourism. Additional support comes from Hot Springs County Education Endowment, Thermopolis Community Fund and Pinnacle Bank. A special addition to the storytelling line-up this year is “Pioneer Tales: Memories of the Past” and “Stories from the Next Generation,” sponsored by Hot Springs County Pioneer Association. These oral history presentations represent the telling of collective stories by the second and third generations who have lived in the area since the original pioneer families settled in the Big Horn Basin. These spoken stories build on the Pioneer Association’s work – “Memories from the Past” – which was published in 1996 and followed by a 1998 supplement. www.wyolifestyle.com 29