◆ Championship runs June 19-24.
Afton and Star Valley are known as a lot of different things to a lot of people. In the world of stock dogs and their handlers, it is the goal. A location to aspire toward. The final destination at the end of the road to success. The best and brightest will once again come to town to test their mettle against each other June 19-24 to see who is at the top of their profession.
“This is the seventh year that we’ve been in Afton and this will be the biggest one we’ve ever had,” said Steve Wight, President and Chairman of the Board of the Mountain States Stockdog Association (MSSA). “We are the largest in the world. We’ll have over 1,000 runs this next week. We are the only ones doing sheep and cattle that I know of. The crew that it takes to put this on is incredible.”
The MSSA Finals begins on Monday at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds. Wight credits the growth of the sport to a couple of elements.
“I think we help the beginners of the sport move up and they can be part of something and work their way up to the top,” he stated.
“Two, it would really have to be the camaraderie. This is a family event with classy people and they have to qualify to come to Afton. It’s the most prestigious award you can win in the stockdog world. Everybody wants to come to Afton. The handlers have [fallen] in love with this place, it’s a destination. There was a wedding last year because they wanted to get married here.
They schedule their winter and summer trips after they’ve been here because they like it here so much.”
For Sheri Wight, Steve’s wife and fellow organizer of the event, it’s a family affair.
“My kids have literally grown up at dog trials since the time they were babies,” she replied. “The handlers have watched my kids grow up and they compete now. My boys started competing when they were nine years old. The kids have a big part of it and the adults want them to succeed. It’s a fun way to grow up and a fun thing to be a part of.”
Sheri said she selfishly designated the Saturday of the event to be a family day because she needed a break.
“I started it as kind of for my kids benefit but it’s grown since then,” she laughed. “There will be bounce houses and face painting. It will coincide with the Freedom Festival so it will be fun to do both.”
Kent Herbel is a former national champion handler. He’s now a judge for the MSSA Finals.
“I’ve been in stock dogs for over 30 years now,” he said during an interview with SVI News this week. “My wife and I teach clinics. I got started coming to trials up here and Steve does a super job with his stock and his courses. They are just first-class events all the way around.”
Herbel feels one of the reasons the handlers and dogs at the finals are so amazing is a bit more than just practice.
“The competition level is great,” he answered. “What you run into are a lot of ranchers. People who use their dogs as a lifestyle not just a hobby.”
Lori Herbel has been there to chronicle the sport with her camera as the official photographer of the MSSA.
“I live to take pictures,” she stated. “It’s like breathing for me. If I don’t have a camera with me I’m looking for one. The amount of pictures I take now I’m close to 20,000 images but I just love it. Back when I started in 1990 we had to mail off the film and wait for them.”
• Wednesday Night Auction
“We’ve been doing a 4H benefit auction for many years,” Wight said. “We’ve turned it into a dinner for the handlers and at the end of the dinner we have a big auction and that goes into a fund to help the kids and they can apply for a scholarship.”
Leftover money is used for more specific needs at the local level. For example, last year the hog barn got more fans added so there was more air for the animals at the fairgrounds.
The sport continues to grow and Wight credits Afton for growing with them.
“This community has been behind us since the beginning,” he concluded. “It’s grown so fast that we thought at one time we might have to leave because of facilities but the people here have adjusted and expanded their fairground to keep us here and now I don’t see us ever leaving.”
Area residents and visitors are invited to attend the MSSA Finals at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds starting on Monday morning at 8 am. Events typically wrap up by 2-3 o’ clock daily. There is no cost to attend any or all of the event.
SVI Media will be streaming the entirety of the week at svinews.com with cameras in all four different competition areas. For more information and details, go to mountainstatesstockdogs.com.
Smoke seen Friday from Star Valley was controlled burn near Hams Fork
June 5, 2026
Some concern were had by residents of Star Valley Friday afternoon due to smoke seen rising above the south end. Shortly after 2:00 p.m. a fire was reported and the Afton Volunteer Fire Department responded to the Smith’s Fork area.... Read More
Kemmerer's 7-year-old Raydon Bowen continues fight with ALD
June 5, 2026
Raydon Bowen, a 7-year-old boy from Kemmerer, is continuing his fight with Childhood Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), including recent chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant in Salt Lake City in an effort to stop the progression of this devastating disease. Raydon... Read More
Governor Orders Flags Lowered to Half-Staff for Death Former Wyoming Legislator Boyd LaVell Eddins
June 5, 2026
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – June 5, 2026 – Governor Mark Gordon has ordered the Wyoming flags to be lowered to half-staff in Lincoln County and at the Wyoming Capitol from sunrise to sunset, Saturday, June 6, 2026. RELATED: OBITUARY FOR BOYD... Read More
Sports Friday Interview: Valerie Jirak - Duke University Track & Field
June 5, 2026
Valerie Jirak, a 2024 graduate of Star Valley High School, stepped into the SVI Radio studio on June 5 to chat with Duke & Dahl during First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday. Jirak discussed her first two seasons competing in... Read More
Sports Friday Interview: Allen Simpson, Town of Afton Summer Flag Football
June 5, 2026
https://svinews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/6-5-Allen-Simpson.mp3 Read More
Employers added 172,000 jobs last month as US job market shows resilience despite Iran war
June 5, 2026
By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The American job market continues to show surprising strength, shrugging off the high costs of the Iran war. Employers added 172,000 jobs in May – roughly double what forecasters had expected... Read More
Letters to the Editor: June 3, 2026
June 5, 2026
The following Letters to the Editor appeared in the June 3, 2026 edition of the Star Valley Independent. Slush Fund Grift Dear Editor At a time when hardworking Americans are struggling to pay mortgages, medical bills, and grocery costs, some... Read More
Wyoming’s Marcus Harris and Joe Glenn Named to 2027 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
June 5, 2026
• Harris ended his Football Career as the NCAA’s All-time Leader in Total Receiving Yards, Glenn Coached UW from 2003 to 2008 Former two-time All-American and 1996 Biletnikoff Award winner Marcus Harris has once again been selected as one of the eligible players... Read More
Thayne will welcome Vietnam Memorial, bike trails considered
June 5, 2026
The Town of Thayne was briefed on the upcoming visit of The Wall That Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located in Washington, D.C. The memorial, spanning 375 feet and 7.5 ft. high, will be displayed... Read More
Trump announces $700 million in new support for coal industry
June 4, 2026
By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is again seeking to boost the struggling U.S. coal industry, with an announcement expected Thursday to spend nearly $700 million to support coal-fired power plants and coal exports. A... Read More
SVI Radio Interview: Thomas McMurtry - Upper Valley trails system
June 4, 2026
https://svinews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/6-4-Thomas-McMurtry.mp3 Read More
SVI Radio Interview: Violet Sanderson - Town of Afton Administrator
June 4, 2026
https://svinews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/6-4-Violet-Sanderson.mp3 Read More
Governor Gordon Signs Executive Order “Data Centers the Wyoming Way”
June 4, 2026
“We welcome investment, jobs, and economic opportunity while protecting our communities, our natural resources, and our citizens from unintended costs.” Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) signed Executive Order 2026-03, “Data Centers the Wyoming Way” establishing theWyoming Data Center Development Framework... Read More
Candidates who filed for municipal offices in Star Valley & Cokeville
June 4, 2026
The candidate filing period for municipal, county, state and federal offices closed in Wyoming on May 29. Here is list of candidates who filed to run for mayor and town council positions in the towns of Alpine, Star Valley Ranch,... Read More
Candidates who filed for municipal offices in southern Lincoln County
June 4, 2026
The candidate filing period for municipal, county, state and federal offices closed in Wyoming on May 29. Here is list of candidates who filed to run for mayor and town council positions in the towns of Kemmerer, Diamondville, Cokeville, LaBarge... Read More
A record-breaking 2026 Track Season
June 4, 2026
• Nine school marks were broken or tied The Star Valley track and field program had multiple new school records set in 2026. So many in fact that it seems a look back at the past three months is... Read More
Visser qualifies for NCAA Nationals for second-straight year
June 4, 2026
Former Star Valley High School standout, Peter Visser, is headed back to the NCAA National Championship representing Weber State University. Visser, now a senior for the Wildcats, ran a time of 8:37.57 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the NCAA... Read More
AI companies are barreling toward huge Wall Street debuts. A look at the biggest players
June 4, 2026
By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Some of the leading artificial intelligence companies are moving toward initial public offerings this year at eye-popping valuations. From Anthropic to SpaceX to OpenAI, tech giants are looking to take their shares public to... Read More
SVHS welders complete construction of memorial markers
June 4, 2026
• Community rallies to honor Star Valley’s fallen soldiers Four Star Valley High School welding students have completed the construction of 30 Gold Star Monuments that the local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars plan to place... Read More
Independent Obituaries: June 3, 2026
June 4, 2026
The following obituaries and death notices appeared in the June 3, 2026 edition of the Star Valley Independent. For more resources including headstones, please visit the Star Valley Historical Society. Judy Prescott Judy Kay Babb (formerly Monsen) Prescott, age 84, passed away... Read More