By Richelle Primm, SVI Media

Cokeville will be celebrating its Pioneer Day Celebration on July 19-20 with the theme, “Leave a Legacy–Stand for the Truth.”

The two-day celebration will kick off with the youth rodeo Friday morning starting at 10 a.m. There will be several different events for each group–participants (0-18) will be divided into these groups based on their ages.

“We wanted to make this celebration something that would honor the western heritage of all the community,” Charles Dayton, Executive Director of the Cokeville Chamber of Commerce, said.
The events have evolved over time, but there are still unique activities to stay true to this heritage Dayton mentioned.

Some of the activities include a watermelon seed spitting contest, pie eating contest, horseshoe tournament, and two-man log sawing competition.

Prizes will be awarded. Those who attend can also look forward to a parade, rodeos, food, and dancing.
The parade will take place Saturday morning, July 20, at 10 a.m.

Rose Arndt, Mayor of Cokeville, said, “Anyone can participate in the parade. We welcome any outside units or floats, whether or not they reside in Cokeville.”

There is no fee to be a parade participant and it’s always a good idea to bring candy, Mayor Arndt said.

“We want to extend to our friends in Star Valley to come and join us and spend the day with us,” Dayton said. “A lot of people come and participate [in this celebration.] There’s a lot of socialization that come from bridging communities.”

Laura Pope, affiliated with the Main Street Wyoming group and a Cokeville resident, said there’s a sense of comradery you feel and the feeling like you’re included in a bigger picture.

“Different places don’t feel [that comradery] and everyone should get the opportunity to feel that, so we invite all to come,” Pope said.

Mayor Arndt said she’s most excited to share Cokeville with others, to let them know it exists and the opportunities that are available within their community.

“There are surrounding areas that have such rich culture–we are a stop on the Oregon Trail, we were the largest sheep producing area at one time, the beauty in our canyons and surrounding ranch area,” she said.

“We hope to highlight [Cokeville] to people in a couple days throughout each year. It’s a wonderful place with an old west feeling to go with it.”

The Pioneer Day Celebration is Cokeville’s biggest event each year. Pope said they’ve had up to 3,000 attendees in the past, which is well over their population of 535.

“We hope to attract more business vendors, home-based vendors, food-based, crafts, etc., so people that come here can have a wonderful time and opportunity,” Mayor Arndt said. “We want to provide a good experience for those who travel, and let them know it’s worth coming to even with it being a small community.”

If you’re interested in being a vendor or participating in the parade, you can contact Mayor Arndt at Cokeville Town Hall at 307-279-3227.

You can find a list of the events held at the Cokeville Pioneer Day Celebration by visiting the town’s Facebook page, “Town of Cokeville.