August 2015 Edition - Cheyenne Frontier Days

Transcription

August 2015 Edition - Cheyenne Frontier Days
Newsletter Title
AUGUST 2015
The Official Newsletter of Cheyenne Frontier Days™
It’s the Cheyenne thing to do!
I am honored and privileged to have
been named as
the 2016 General Chairman!
After 20 years of volunteering for
this organization I am still amazed
at the time, effort, and hard work
that goes on all year-round.
I want to thank Darin and
Misha Westby for all the hard
work they have done for this organization. Darin has been a great
mentor, friend and leader. He is not
leaving as he will be fulfilling some
other important roles as we move
into the 120th “Daddy of ‘em All.”®
A little run down of what you
as volunteers accomplished this
year: CFD came a little earlier than
other years so things seemed very
rushed. Lots of rain in April into
June slowed down some work days,
but you were able to clean, paint,
repair and prepare the park for an
awesome show. We brought in the
Tops in Blue to perform at the July
4 celebration. What a show they put
on. This was Tops in Blues biggest
show! Their facebook page lit up
about performing here. You then
inducted your Class of 2015 Heels.
What a great group of people who
will be available to mentor and help
lead your committees. Sara Rang
itsch was crowned Miss Frontier at
the Coronation Ball with the annual
cattle drive the next morning. The
Board of Directors and General
Committee then invited you to have
dinner with us before the show so
we could say thank you for all the
hard work preparing the park and
being such great volunteers. The
best art show I have seen in three
years was accomplished. As all this
was going on we threw in a lot of
slack rodeo performances. This
year we moved all the steer roping
to Wednesday and Thursday which
allowed our competitors to have the
best footing and arena conditions
possible. You then opened the
Cheyenne Frontier Days to the second largest crowd CFD has seen.
We hosted over 220,000 customers,
sponsors, visiting royalty, federal,
state and city dignitaries. This year
we had a total attendance of over
98,000 rodeo customers and over
120,000 for our night shows. The
Indians, Military and Parades volunteers showed our customers that
it is not only Frontier Park that
makes Cheyenne Frontier Days
happen but the whole city and
county. The Military Committee
had their largest attendance at Fort
D. A. Russell Days, put on another
outstanding Thunderbirds Show,
and what an awesome tribute to the
men and women who serve our
great country on Military Monday.
The Indians and Kiwanis Clubs
Pancake Breakfasts had great attendance and the Parades committee brought downtown alive with
one of the largest horse drawn carriage collections. Security and the
Laramie County School district
joined in with help from the Cowboy Triangle shuttle service.
Congratulations and thank you
to all of you for making the 119th
“Daddy of ‘em All”® the second
largest show in history.
As we move on to the 120th celebration I would be remised if I did
not thank the off-going chairman:
Matt and Cat Jankovsky; Ed and
Colette Vossler; Jimmy Dean and
Kim Siler, and Larry Kehl and
Jennifer Wahl. You guys rock!
Please help me welcome our
newest Chairman; Rodeo, Kevin
Wells; Concessions, Alan Stoinski; Grounds, Bill McInerney;
Parades, Terry Ruiz; and Contract Acts, Scott Fleming. As you
attend CFD functions please congratulate these outstanding folks.
There is a lot of work ahead of
us to produce the 120th. We have a
volunteer survey to review, the
Master Entertainment Plan to improve upon, Master Land Use Plan
to finish and most importantlycelebrate the volunteers at the Volunteer Banquet.
...continued on page 3
As your new Rodeo Committee
Chairman I have been trying to find
a good place to swing up into the
saddle and start this three year ride.
As Gary McDaniel (one of our
working chute bosses) would simply tell each contestant in the chute,
“Get on”, so this is as good a place
as any!
First, I would like to thank Darin Westby and the General Committee for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of this great
team. I look forward to the challenges and amazing events I will
experience during my three year
term. I greatly appreciate the
ground work completed and
“shadowing” opportunities the
Contestants Chairman, Matt
Jankovsky, has provided in preparation for this ride, and I will continue to seek his advice as long as
he allows me too! Ahead lies new
territory that I have not experienced
as a Cheyenne Frontier Days™
(CFD) volunteer but feel confident
I can provide leadership to this
great committee and will strive to
make each year better than the previous, and I know I can’t do that
without the support and expertise of
this awesome committee, my wife
Patty, my daughter Sage, and the
entire CFD family.
The 119th show brought about
some extensive challenges with
Military Monday, many changes in
our rodeo format and production to
incorporate the U.S. Navy Leap
Frogs, Rodeo 101 videos, and new
rodeo entertainment. Thank you to
Mitch Carter, Tom Zumo, and the
rest of the production crew for having the fortitude to make it all come
together. Wow, the rodeo seemed to
go off without a hitch and
that is kudos to all the CFD
volunteers who worked so
hard to make this possible
while incorporating new concepts, facing daily challenges,
and utilizing new ideas for
the 119th show. Congratulations to all for this success!
The real ground work
started in May with work
days and some of the challenges we faced as a committee in preparation for the
119th. Thank you sincerely to
all the volunteers who
worked so hard in their specialized
areas to get the foundation set for
the show which includes: the Rodeo Office (Linda Camp and
crew), the stock pens, the bucking
and roping chutes, Cowboy Bistro
(Jamie Keefe and crew), the track
and arena, and all the additional intricate workings of
this committee. A special
thank you must be given to
Jeremy Fox, Gene Johnson, and
the crew who worked extra days to
ensure the new stripping chutes
would be ready come show time. I
know that without everyone’s efforts the rodeo would not be the
working production that it is,
whether swinging a gate during the
rodeo, working the window in the
office, or providing customer service to the contestants and all the
visitors who look forward to this
unique experience. Well done Rodeo Committee!
With that said it is already time
to start thinking about the 120th celebration. The General Committee
is already hitting the ground running but with a little hesitation I am
sure as the organization is losing
some key experienced chairmen.
We must bid our farewells to the
outgoing chairmen and families
who have contributed so much to
the CFD brand over the last three
years. A heartfelt thank you goes
out to Matt and Cat Jankovsky
(Contestants), Jimmy Dean and
Kim Siler (Parades), Ed and Collette Vossler (Grounds), Larry
Kehl and Jennifer (Contract Acts),
Bill and Heidi Berg (Concessions),
and of course Darin and Misha
Westby (General Chairman).
Thank you for all your passion and
never exhausting efforts to carry
forward the tradition of Cheyenne
Frontier Days.
I also bid farewell to Sara
Rangitsch and thank her for her
willingness and passion to serve as
Miss Frontier. You all wore the
brand well and I certainly hope you
will continue to be a liaison to the
CFD organization and welcome
your wisdom and expertise in the
years to come.
-Kevin Wells
Rodeo Chairman
Gettin’ Grounded
Wow, hard to believe it is the
end of August and 119th “Daddy of
’em All”® is behind us. We have
already hit the ground running
planning for the 120th.
I want to take this opportunity
to thank Ed and Colette Vossler
for three great years leading the
Grounds Committee.
I would like to take this time to
introduce myself, Bill McInerney,
as the incoming Grounds Chairman
and thank Debbie, Zac, Shae and
Scott for supporting me in this new
endeavor.
Now to what was accomplished
in the last few months: the Grounds
Committee finished the concrete
sidewalks at the museum, pulled
the cat 5 wire around the park,
poured three new concrete floors in
Old Frontier Town with help from
the Concessions Committee, and built the
chairmen’s deck on the
eastside to accommodate
sponsors and VIPS.
These projects added to
the overall experience of
making our brand what it is today.
The current projects include the
new Voip phone systems that is
scheduled to go live in September;
equipping the park with WiFi; upgrading the power for the Rodeo
Committee contractors hook-ups;
and putting new waterlines in the
rough stock pens.
I’m looking forward to going to
my first General Committee retreat
and listening to the ideas from the
critiques to help make the
120th show the best one yet.
Thanks!
-Bill McInerney
Grounds Chairman
It’s the Cheyenne Thing to Do
The Hooey
A hooey is vital to a calf or steer roper’s
success—it is the final hitch that secures the tie. The tie between the volunteers and Cheyenne Frontier Days is vital to the success of the celebration.
General Chairman: Bill Berg
Concessions: Alan Stoinski
Contestants: Kevin Wells
Contract Acts: Scott Fleming
Grounds: Bill McInerney
Indian: Andrea Allen
Military: Col. Hans Ritschard
Parades: Terry Ruiz
Public Relations: Bob Budd
Security: Ron Newnum
Tickets: Linda Bostron
CEO: Tom Hirsig
Miss Frontier : Jonna Brown
Lady-In-Waiting: Rylee Anderson
Hooey Editor: Kerry Balcaen
Volunteer Coordinator: Dawn Thompson
… continued:
Heidi and I would like to
thank all of the volunteers for
their dedication, the staff for
their steadfast support, the
board for their help and direction, the Cheyenne/Laramie
County and State governments for their partnerships
and assistance, our sponsors,
and the local community for
their support and attendance.
Without each of your efforts
during the show, Cheyenne
Frontier Days the “Daddy of
‘em All” would not be possible. As we review the critiques and move into the
committee planning retreat,
we look forward to the new
opportunities and challenges
that await us and I stand very
proud to be your General
Chairman.
-General Chairman
Bill Berg
Amanda Lemish was the
lucky winner of the 2015
Arctic Cat Wildcat Trail XT.
The drawing took place on
July 25 during the rodeo. All
July 19-24 rodeo ticket holders were automatically qualified to win. Amanda is a
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Public Relations Volunteer.
Congratulations!
Many thanks to Arctic
Cat and their sponsorship
support.
Congratulations to Kristy
Grant of Minden, NV. She is this
year’s winner of the CFD™ Scholarship Raffle Truck. Kristy and
her husband own Grant’s Leather
located in the southeastern side
of the Exhibit Hall and have been
vendors here for the past 20
years. The Grants have bought
raffle tickets every year during
the show...and this was their
lucky year.
Many thanks to RAM for the
donation of the truck!!
CUTTING LOOSE!
I wanted to take one more opportunity to thank
you for not only a great 2015, but an amazing last
three years. Your dedication never ceased to
amaze me and it was an honor to serve as your
General Chairman. The outgoing committee is
leaving CFD & the General Committee in great
hands with Tom Hirsig and Bill Berg leading the
charge.
As past General Chairman, I was selected to
be one of the competitors for the Boys & Girls
Club of Cheyenne’s Dances with the Stars Fundraiser. The competition will be on October 2 at
Little America; and I would love to have all the
support that I have had over the past three years
cheering me on to victory. Below are some links
to the webpage to help this great cause.
Tickets & Sponsorship Details: https://my.bidpal.net/
bgccheydwts
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/
events/1375382382784190/ -Thank you to
everyone who has been engaging & please invite your
contacts to this page if you have not already!)
Boys & Girls Club Event Page:
http://www.bgcchey.org/events/2015/10/2/dancing-with-the-starsof-cheyenne
Again, thank you for supporting Cheyenne Frontier Days and I look forward to seeing you down the road.
-Darin Westby
SIMPLY SPECTACULAR
I can only describe the 2015
Show as “simply spectacular!”
With the only thing remaining the
same being “change,” there were a
lot of challenges tossed toward PR
this year, and everyone hit it out of
the park. The new arrangement for
sponsors was a big hit, and specifically, comments on the sponsor
hosts were glowing. Likewise the
reaction to the expanded Chairman’s Deck, and the level of service up at Chute 9 and in the Sponsor Tent.
The visiting queens were excited, and their “thank you” letters
piled up in my mailbox. The Art
Show made some revolutionary adjustments and those reviews are
equally positive. Media handled the
usual onslaught of humanity like a
charm, and through it all, the host
ghosts had everything set up on
time, and to perfection. Information
flowed through the Corral and
Howdy Folks. All in all, it was as
close to a command performance as
I can remember.
The most important things I saw
this year were not task-oriented,
however, and that may be why it
will remain a highlight of my nearly
30 years as a volunteer. From the
work days back in May to the last
Sunday of show, I was overwhelmed with the spirit of camaraderie between committees, and
among those on our own committee. It’s been a long time since I’ve
felt that energy and sense of pride.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it was FUN! Good grief!
You ROCK at work, you ROCK at
teamwork, and you ROCK at FUN!
You folks are simply spectacular.
-Bob Budd
Public Relations
ON the Midway
Now that the 119th “Daddy of
‘em All”® is complete and the final numbers are being tallied.
Without volunteers such as you,
we would never be able to put on a
show of this magnitude. I would
like to thank all of the Concessions
Committee volunteers and especially the Lead Assistants Woody
Acord, Brad Westby and Jenny
Lakin. You are all instrumental in
the success of Frontier Days.
It’s been only a couple of
weeks since I was named as the
13th Concessions Committee
Chairman, and I must confess I am
still in awe and a little shock. Everyone keeps telling me that your
three years will go by fast. I am
not going to lie, but I believe the
last 17 years as a volunteer has
gone by pretty fast.
I will be off to my first General
Committee retreat in a couple of
weeks, in which we will start to
plan for the 120th “Daddy of ‘em
All.”® I am looking forward to
this challenge by creating value for
our customers and retain our volunteers.
I would be remiss if I didn’t
thank my wife Marcy and daughter Taylor for supporting me in
this venture.
-Alan Stoinski
Concessions Chairman
FROM THE HEELS
The winning tickets have been drawn,
the amounts have
been determined, and
the 2015 HEELS
50/50 raffle set records for participation by all concerned. Thanks
again must go to all the HEELS,
spouses and volunteers who sold a
record number of tickets during the
show. Thanks again to all the volunteers, vendors, sponsors and
guests of the show who purchased
tickets. This year the payouts set
records for most days.
As of this date three (3) tickets
have not been claimed, please
check you blue ticket for July 20,
yellow ticket for July 21 and orange ticket for July 24. The deadline for claiming is August 31,
2015. You may contact any of the
HEELS officers to claim your
prize.
Thanks again and “Nuf Said”
-Bob Weaver
Leather Heel
Smoke Signals
This season brings critiques and changing of roles
for all of us on Frontier Park. Welcome to all the new
chairman as they step up into their new roles and
thank you for all your hard work and dedication for
the past three years to those who are outgoing.
Thank you, Sara Rangitsch, for the time you devoted to representing Cheyenne Frontier Days as Miss
Frontier 2015. You did a great job. We are very excited to welcome our new Lady-In-Waiting, Rylee Anderson and look forward to working with her this
next year. Congratulations! Rylee and Miss Frontier
Jonna Brown will make a great team.
Down at the village, we have been cleaning the
village up and preparing it to be shut down for the
winter. We are going through our critique items and
making plans to propose budget items that will enhance and maintain our corner of the park. It was a
very successful show for us again this year. We are
preparing to put several of our contracts out for Request for Proposals (RFP) since we are at that point in
our three year cycles.
This year our overall attendance numbers were
very high. That’s a reflection of how hard all of you
worked to make this such a desirable destination for
so many of our guests. Your choice to volunteer and
support Cheyenne Frontier Days makes a meaningful
impact on your community. Thank you!
I look forward to seeing you at all of the upcoming events: Hall of Fame, Carriage Ball, TIC’s Party
and the Volunteer of the Year Banquet. Add football
and hunting season onto that line-up and you have one
of the most fun seasons of the year!
-Andrea Allen
Indians Chairman
Keep looking up...that’s
the secret of life!
-Snoopy
RED SHIRT MATTERS
What a fantastic show. The Security Committee and all of the
CFD volunteers continue to amaze
folks from all around the world
with what we accomplish year in
and year out.
Everyone, and every area, deserves a huge pat on the back for
the super job throughout the show.
This pat goes to all of the people
from other committees who helped
at the night shows and security
checks as well. I applaud my leads
and area coordinators for keeping
things moving no matter what. We
had so many new items to learn and
get done but you accomplished
everything needed and more. A Big
“Thank You” to All.
Also want to thank all of the
volunteers from all of the committees who used the off park lots for
parking. All three areas saw increased numbers this year, and I
think the new Cowboy Triangle
was a success. As we continue to
place more vendors and displays on
the park every year these areas will
become more and more important
so thanks for using the off sight
lots.
Please thank the five chairmen,
leaving the General Committee, for
their three years of dedication and
hard work. We couldn’t have had
such a great show without them.
Also be sure to welcome the five
new chairmen coming on board this
month as well.
Remember we have the Security Family Survivor Party on September 18th. For more information
or to sign up to attend please email
or call Lori Cole.
In closing I would like to say
one last thank you to my wonderful, patient, wife Annette, our family and friends and to all of the volunteers for your support this year.
I couldn’t have survived without all
of you. I look forward to thanking
each of you in person in the coming
months. The 120th starts now!!!
-Ron Newnum
Security Chairman
Contract Acts…A view from the stage
As I prepare to write my first
Hooey article a flood of emotion
comes over me, I first would like
to thank Larry and Jennifer for all
the mentoring over the last few
months; the overload of information will be well worth it in the
end. I would also like to thank the
Contract Acts Committee for all
the support they have shown
Cathy and me. I would also like to
thank my wife Cathy for her support in allowing me the opportunity
to do this job for the next three
years. I am very excited for what
lies ahead of me, and last I would
like to thank all the wonderful girls
in the front office for everything
you do for CFD it would be a huge
challenge if you were not there to
help.
Now for the business: we are
working on acts for the 2016 show
now and it looks very good for us
to have another great year of
shows, the plans and estimates for
Empty Saddles
a new stage are not complete, however we have a strong team working on this and hope to have something in the next few weeks. The
Contract Acts Christmas party will
be December 12.
To Todd Yarder and Shawn
Fisher thank you for stepping up
and if you need anything I am a
phone call away.
-Scott Fleming
Contract Acts Chairman
Our thoughts and prayers go out to
the families of:
Paul “Hap” Larson (Contract Acts)
Jeff Ellingson (Parades)
Volunteer of the Year
Banquet
See you at the
PARADING AROUND
First and foremost a big thanks
to our outgoing chairman (and I do
mean outgoing in more ways than
one) Jimmy Dean Siler. While
Jimmy Dean has a small shadow, he
has left me with some big boots to
fill. He has done an outstanding job
the past three years, and he has
pointed us in a direction that I plan
to maintain. My first official act
was a tough one participating in
splitting hairs in the selection of
Lady-In-Waiting. While each one
of the beautiful and talented young
ladies deserve to be selected, one
stood out. Congratulations to Rylee
Anderson!!!
While we had four outstanding
parades this year, we also received
rave reviews for our cattle drive
breakfast and lunch; authentic
Chuck Wagon Cook off; beautiful
rodeo grand entries; our Dandies’
performances; and beautiful costumes provided by the Wheels for
the Parades. A big tip of the hat to
our volunteers who pulled double
duty providing security for the Pancake Breakfasts and assisting Tickets, Security and Contract Acts during the Night Shows.
Hats off to Jack Selby for the
outstanding job he has done. He
moves to Advisor after 25+ years as
the Assistant in charge of the
Mounted Marshals. A big welcome
to Karl Zunker who has been promoted to take Jack's place. Thank
you to JD Romsa, his boys and all
the wagon drivers. You are the key
to the safety of our Parades and we
could not pull this off without your
dedicated service. Happy Trails to
the outgoing General Committee
Chairmen; thank you for your mentorship. Kelly and I look forward to
working hand-in-hand with our new
team.
See you at the Volunteer of the
Year Banquet.
-Terry Ruiz
Parades Chairman
Ticket Talk
Wow, what a year this has
turned out to be. Before this year’s
show started, I sensed more enthusiasm with our volunteers than I
have seen in a long time. This excitement paid off because the 119th
Cheyenne Frontier Days was incredible. Thanks to all of the volunteers for making this a great show.
We implemented many changes and
you all handled them with flying
colors. Watching that huge flag
wave during the National Anthem
for Military Appreciation Monday
was remarkable, and a day I will
not soon forget. Rodeo crowds were
wonderful and most appreciated the
Rodeo 101 videos. Frontier Nights
brought a steady stream of visitors
to the park who all appreciated the
hard work that went into the sound
improvement. Parades went off
smoothly as we have come to expect. Security had a new contractor
and some of you had to step up and
help teach them how CFD works.
Thanks to all of you who helped
with each of these areas and the
thousand other areas around the
park.
Ticket committee volunteers we
will be having our full committee
meeting on September 9 at the
Buckle Club. Keep your eyes open
for other fun events throughout the
fall. Your leads will be getting in
touch with you to keep you in the
loop. Thanks for being the GREAT
volunteers that you are I truly appreciate every one of you.
I hate to lose the support of the
great guys that are going off of the
General Committee this year: Darin, Jimmy Dean, Ed, Matt and
Larry. I will miss you guys and
thanks for teaching me the ropes.
You are the best friends a woman
can ask for. Tad will miss your ladies as well, and will be dragging
them along on future adventures.
Misha, Kim, Colette, Cat and
Jennifer...thanks for reminding Tad
how to have fun.
Congrats to the incoming chairmen and their spouses – Bill & Heidi, Kevin & Patty, Bill & Debbie,
Scott & Kathy, and Terry &
Kelly. Hang on it goes fast! (Patty
don’t forget you have to train your
replacement.)
Thank you again to all of the
Ticket Leads, our volunteers and
the CFD staff for all of your hard
work in 2015.
-Linda Bostron
Ticket Chairman
From the First Cannon
Ever since soldiers from Battery A, 76th Field Artillery fired the
cannon starting the first Cheyenne
Frontier Days, the military has
been a part of the “Daddy of ‘em
All”®! Carolyn and I are honored
to continue this historic relationship.
With the 119th just completed, I
want to extend heartfelt thanks to
the 600 volunteers from the Military Committee who contributed to
this year’s show. Several key volunteers made this year’s events
enormously successful. To kick off
the show, Capt Chris Bridges,
from the 90th Operations Group,
and his team, Dawn Thompson,
and Andrea Allen and the Indians
Committee volunteers, who made
the Coronation Ball another memorable event.
The following weekend, at F.
E. Warren Air Force Base, Paula
Taylor, MSgt Micki Hinnershitz,
and Tom Elsberry, along with dozens of volunteers, brought the history of F. E. Warren Air Force to
life for nearly 24,000 visitors at the
annual Fort D. A. Russell Days 3day event. Led by Denise Hignight, the Warren Spouses Club
teamed with Beckah McClurePena of Balfour Beatty Communities, to give tours of historic brick
homes to over 500 guests. Rick
Singhas hosted “Horses & Heroes,” giving away free horseback
rides to military members, their
families, and base guests. Tom
Pachniak and other volunteers
from the 90th Civil Engineering
Squadron provided logistical support for the Open House; and members of the 90th Operations Group
provided tours of the missile facility on base. Lorrell Walter teamed
with the Air Force Association to
host the annual enlisted Thunderbirds picnic at the base lakes. In
addition, MSgt Hinnershitz and
her 90th Medical Group team hosted nearly 300 community and military guests to honor The Honorable Deborah Lee James, Secretary
of the Air Force, who also served
as this year’s Military Grand Marshall. Speaking of parades, this
year’s Air Force formation of nearly 200 Airmen from the 90th Missile Wing, put together by 2Lt Garrett Cross and led by Col Trevor
Flint, was the largest in memory.
Back this year, the Air Force
Thunderbirds soared over nearly
17,000 spectators at Laramie County Community College, thanks to
the careful planning of Capt Derek
Carden, Arlene Lester, and scores
of volunteers from the 90th Missile
Wing, the 153rd Airlift Wing, and
many federal, state, and community
agencies. And then there were the
Army & the Navy! Rick Singhas
was instrumental in bringing the
mounted Cavalry from Fort Carson, Colorado, along with displays
from local Army Guard units; and
Lt Ryan Clapper, LCDR Tim
Page, Rachel Girt, and Tammy
Tschacher were vital in ensuring
that the Cheyenne Navy Week participants, both from the USS Cheyenne and the USS Wyoming, experienced wonderful CFD hospitality.
When Tom Hirsig and Darin
Westby proposed a bigger, better
Military Appreciation Monday,
Patty Chabala from the 90th Medical Group readily rose to the challenge. She immediately went to
work to arrange the largest collection of military static displays in
CFD history and, teaming with
MSgt Varga, SSgt Jereme EllerMcNeely, MSgt Jim McDonnell,
and Rick Singhas, the five of them
produced a remarkable event, including the Denver Broncos huge
American flag, a Grand Entry comprised of military vehicles never
before seen in the arena, an aerial
jump by the Navy Leap Frogs parachute team, and an inspiring delivery of the National Anthem.
Thanks to Capt Aleksey Ushkin
and his team, which helped CFD
distribute over 6,000 tickets to Service members and their families,
pushing the number of attendees at
Military Appreciation Military the
second highest of any Monday in
CFD history, no one will ever forget that memorable day.
Again this year, Jill Emmons
and her team of some 20 volunteers provided expert medical care
from the Cowboy Medics shack
under the East stands. Also behind
the scenes, key contributions were
made by several 90th Missile Wing
offices, including the Public Affairs team; the legal team comprised of Mr. Kurt Warmbier,
Capt Will Jones, and Major Brad
Henderson; the Protocol team of
Lorri Welsh, Mark ‘Ty’ Warner,
and the rest; and the logistics team
lead by Lt Mark Verbruggen and
TSgt Robert Yazinka and dozens
of other volunteers, which provided
transportation to over 9,000 visitors
and guests throughout the show.
Continued on next page
From the First Cannon Shot
...continued
Finally, huge thanks are due to
the committee lead assistants, along
with several other key advisors.
When Maj Sanders retired last
summer, Capt Joe Shannon
stepped in to take his place, giving
significant advice until April, when
he and his wife welcomed their
new baby, and started to prepare for
his new assignment starting in late
June. MSgt Varga immediately
stepped into the position, but left in
May for Senior Noncommissioned
Officer Academy for 10 weeks;
again we promoted another willing
volunteer, SSgt Jereme EllerMcNeely, to the position. Both of
these sergeants stepped in to fill
significant gaps and never missed a
beat. Along with the hard work and
tireless dedication of Patty Chabala, Tom Elsberry, Jill Emmons,
Micki Hinnershitz, Barry Kistler,
Barb Lutz, and Rick Singhas, it
all came together. The dedication
and leadership displayed by this
year’s lead assistants in the midst
of significant change was truly remarkable—heartfelt thanks to each
of them.
Carolyn and I deeply grateful
for all the volunteers who made the
119th so rewarding! We are looking
forward to continued work with the
committee to make the 120th
“
Daddy of ‘em All”® the best show
ever!
-Col Hans Ritschard
Military Chairman
CFD
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CHEYENNE WY 82009
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