Events and projects to be excited for in 2023
Jan. 6—Now that 2022 is officially in the past, it's time to look ahead at what events are coming over roughly the next 10 months.
Everyone knows Cheyenne comes alive in the summer, but there's a lot to look forward to this year outside of Cheyenne Frontier Days, Fridays on the Plaza, the Laramie County Fair and Edge Fest.
For this list, we're going to avoid the obvious events everyone is accustomed to in exchange for some lesser known waypoints that are reason enough to be excited for what 2023 holds in store for local arts and culture.
Symphony Underground
Quickly approaching is the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra's "Symphony Underground" concert. This relatively new series pairs the orchestra with a local music act to create a fusion of the artists music with classical symphonic instrumentation.
Held in The Lincoln Theatre on 1620 Central Ave., this year's concert shows the orchestra taking the stage with Ten Cent Stranger, a folk country band hailing from Laramie.
Delta Kappa Gamma Book Drive and Sale
If you think you've seen something like this before, you probably haven't.
During last year's 38th book drive, the women of DKG collected a total of 139,000 books over a two-week period, a portion of which were sold over just three days in early March. The books, all donated by individual community members, are sold for as little as $1 per paperback and $2 per hard cover.
It's an event that's powered by local organizations and volunteers, with the funds raised through book sales going right back into local organizations and charities. In 2022, they issued a total of $18,358 in grants.
Not only are you helping the community, but you can also pad your bookshelf for next to nothing.
Battle of the Bands
Completely revitalizing the competition's format served The Lincoln Theatre well.
With five dates in total, the yearly Battle of the Bands provides rappers, singer/songwriters, rock bands and metal bands their own nights to face-off for a more balanced competition overall. The final night is a Winners Showcase featuring the top fan-voted act from each night.
If local music is your thing, then carve out some time for this event starting in February. It's more than just a concert—it's a showing of support for local creatives who rarely get the chance to perform before a crowd.
You never know what kind of talent you'll stumble upon.
Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, Fort Rustle
Open year round, the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens function as an oasis in a frozen tundra during the winter season. It's the perfect place to take a quick lunchtime visit, or relax on the second story benches during a lull on the weekend.
But there's a new addition coming to the Botanic Gardens in February. A set of locally created children's forts will be erected over Jan. 14-31, and will remain up through the spring.
"Fort Rustle," as the botanic gardens staff has called it, invited local creatives to pitch unique designs for a total of 10 forts that provide a place to play during the colder months from Feb. 1-April 30.
New Wyoming State Museum Exhibit
The Wyoming State Museum announced last spring that a new exhibit was coming to the museum in early 2023.
"Prehistoric Wyoming" will be a significant overhaul on the museum's previously installed display of fossils. With Wyoming's unique history as one of the last oceanic geographies of an ancient North America, the exhibit will expand the collection to offer more activities for children and adults alike.
If that's not enough, the museum's Family Day series is still going strong for anyone looking for a Saturday morning activity with their young kids. There are always classes and special events being held, so get in the habit of scanning the ToDo calendar for what the museum is doing next.
15th Street Railway Experience
It's difficult to monitor the status of the proposed tourist attraction, especially a completion date.
What we do know is that Visit Cheyenne is eager to get The 15th Street Railway Experience established despite myriad problems that have continued to prolong the idea's progress. Should it come together, downtown Cheyenne's 15th Street would be partially renovated to an arts and culture hub composed of retired boxcars converted into shops and eateries.
The project still has a long way to go. But even if 2023 isn't a realistic timeline, it's a thread worth following through the year should any developments arise.
Cheyenne Children's Museum
Like the 15th Street Railway Experience, the timeline for the completion of the long awaited Cheyenne Children's Museum is uncertain.
Unlike the railway experience, the museum has stated it hopes the construction will take around one year to complete. After hosting the official groundbreaking last November, the lot across from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle hasn't seen much progress.
We should be so lucky to have the space potentially completed this year, as it's an opportunity the community has been thirsting for since it was first conceived in 2014.
The museum's exhibits will be based around elements of science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and math. There will also be educational programming, traveling exhibits, a makers space, an outdoor garden, and rental options for community gatherings.
Cheyenne Gaming Convention
As for something more set in stone, the Cheyenne Gaming Convention continues to grow since it started as a small gathering in 2019.
It's not just an event for hardcore gamers. The convention brings in all kinds of games—board, arcade, role playing and traditional gaming systems—for participants to enjoy at their will for three days in April.
Though all are welcome, the event reached a significant milestone last year by offering a tournament that qualified as a "major," with 60 players total traveling to compete in Warhammer 40k for a prize of $1,000. This is something that has never before been accomplished in Cheyenne, and so far it's proven to be an unexpected draw for tourism.
Profits from the Cheyenne Gaming Competition are donated to the Wyoming Game Library, a charity that provides underprivileged adolescents with an array of games.
Open Container
Amended by the City Council in 2021, the downtown Cheyenne Open Container policy permits the possession of malt beverages and wine within Downtown Development Authority jurisdiction.
Lasting from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the law creates a unique opportunity for residents and visitors to explore around town with beer from local breweries and bars. With all the outdoor events held during the summer, it's a rare opportunity that's worth celebrating.
To make it even more interesting, City Councilman Richard Johnson, who proposed the original law, has expressed interest in extending the policy to be in effect year-round.
Cultural Festivals
There are many, and each one offers something different for Cheyenne to celebrate.
The Cheyenne Celtic Festival brings Celtic culture to Lions Park in June, where people will compete in traditional highland games and learn more about Scottish clans, shop at vendors and enjoy live music.
However, the biggest draw of the festival is the strong man competition held in the Cheyenne Depot Square, which is free to watch. Last year, more than 60 athletes competed in the Dinnie Stone Walk, Max Tire Deadlift, H2H Viking Press, Keg/Keg/Barrel Load Medley and Yoke Ladder for Max Distance.
Among the most popular festivals are the long-running Cheyenne Greek Festival, the Recover Wyoming Cajun Festival and the Cheyenne Hispanic Festival, which has been expanded to include Colombian, Peruvian, Cuban, Honduran, Guatemalan and other Latin cultures as well.
Last year, the Hispanic Festival got stuck with a rainy day, limiting the opportunity for live outdoor mariachi music, traditional dancing and Mexican cuisine. However, the future is bright, as many local organizations found some way to participate in the festival last September.
Wyoming Brewers Festival
That's right—lots and lots of beer.
Held in mid-June, the festival featured around 35 different breweries from Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, Utah, California, Michigan, Montana and Oregon. For $40, participants get access to unlimited pours of any and all beer of their choosing.
Because the event is held on a Friday, the Depot Plaza will be alive with Fridays on the Plaza, serving as the perfect pairing to an evening of craft beer.
Funds raised through the event are donated toward the Cheyenne Depot Restoration Project.
Wyoming International Film Festival and Midnight West Fest
Film-lovers can get their fill at the two separate festivals held over the year.
The Wyoming International Film Festival was held in the Surbrugg/Prentice Auditorium at Laramie County Community College last July, and it was the event's biggest year on record. More films came from out of state and overseas than ever before, and with flexible options for day passes, event-goers can choose which genres they're most interested in and restrict attendance to those days.
Then, in October, local independent film company Midnight West Productions host's a three-day horror movie film festival in the Historic Atlas Theatre. Once a small collection of films, the event now features local horror films as well as comedy, thriller, action and drama time slots.
In addition to screening films, they expanded the entertainment to feature stand up comedy, live music and even a "horror burlesque dancer" at last year's event. Not only is West Fest worthy entertainment for Wyomingites, but it provides an accessible format for local independent filmmakers to gain exposure.
Oktoberfest/Community Appreciation Day
Mostly a German culture festival, Oktoberfest offers up another local beer festival in September.
The newest addition, run by the Downtown Development Authority separate from the festival, is Cheyenne Community Appreciation Day. The modest event invites local organizations to the heart of downtown, allowing for residents to interact with local police, firefighters, Air Force and other groups in a tightly knit celebration to wrap up the summer.
Culture Expo
The premier alternative art festival in Wyoming.
Recently rebranded from Paint Slingers to CultureX, the July event invites local artists to downtown Cheyenne to paint murals, compete in a glass blowing competition and, for the first time, redecorate the top level of the Spiker Parking Garage with colorful graffiti.
There is also a beard competition, pin-up girl competition, arm wrestling competition, as well as vendors and live music stretching down 15th street to where Cheyenne Makers and Creatives also holds its Steamroller Street Print event.
The 4EverWest Tattoo Festival is held inside the Cheyenne Depot, where tattoo artists across the Front Range gather to provide walk-up tattoo service for those in attendance.
With such variety coming to Cheyenne throughout the year, CultureX offers one of the most unique art experiences in the city.
Arts Cheyenne Creativity Center
Arts Cheyenne got funding in 2022 for a proposed "Creativity Center" for the city. Like some of the other plans for new entities in Cheyenne, the timeline isn't clear.
The organization recently established its first physical location on Thomes Avenue, but there have been talks of securing a larger space that can be used for exhibits, classes and community space.
Though still only in talks, one of the potential locations for a Community Center is the old Cheyenne Regional Airport terminal. If all goes according to plan, we will see a space unlike anything else offered before in Cheyenne.
Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.
