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Of Cheyenne
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M A R C H 8, 2017
T H E N E AT E S T PA P E R Y O U’L L E V E R R E A D
Published by Burchett Publishing, LLC
Issue 1117
For advertising call 632-7360 or 631-3036
Entertainment Guide on Page 6
Games and Puzzles Page 3
TIDBITS® RACES ALONG AT THE IDITAROD by Kathy Wolfe Every year on the first Saturday in March, sled dog teams line up in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, for the famed Iditarod race to Nome. This week, Tidbits dashes along the route to bring you the facts on this grueling competition. • The Athabaskan village of Iditarod was a hub of Alaska’s gold mining district from the late 1880s until the mid-1920s. Translating “far distant place” in the native Turn to page 2 for more Tidbits!
language, the community was located on the Iditarod River. Mail and supplies were received by dogsled teams traveling along the Iditarod Trail. When the gold ran out and transportation methods changed to snowmobiles and airplanes, the village became a ghost town. • As the tradition of dogsledding continued to disappear, long-distance races were established to keep it alive. • The first Iditarod was held in 1973. Thirtyfour mushers, all from Alaska, were at the starting line, and 22 of these completed the race. The winner was Dick Wilmarth, an Alaskan miner and trapper who won with a time of 20 days, 0 hours, 49 minutes, and 41 seconds, and claimed prize money of $12,000. It took the last-place finisher over 32 days to cross the finish line. • The race begins with a ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage and winds through several miles of city streets and trails before heading out to the foothills to the east to the official starting point. The time for the ceremonial opening does not count toward the musher’s official race time.
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING Irish Soda Bread
A rich and tender rustic Irish quick bread -- the ideal dinner companion for corned beef.
• The exact distance of the Iditarod race varies from year to year. The trail alternates between a northern route (run on evennumbered years) and a southern route (run Turn to page 4 for more Tidbits!
1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 4 cups plus 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons cold margarine or butter 1 cup golden or dark seedless raisins 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease large cookie sheet. 2. In large bowl, combine sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and 4 cups flour. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissor-fashion, cut in margarine or butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With spoon, stir in raisins, then buttermilk just until evenly moistened. 3. With floured hand, gently knead dough in bowl a few times until dough forms a ball (do not overmix, or bread will be tough). Place dough on cookie sheet; shape into a 7-inch round loaf (dough will not be smooth). 4. Sprinkle loaf with remaining 1/2 teaspoon flour. With sharp knife, cut 4-inch-long cross, about 1/4inch deep, on top of loaf. Bake loaf 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Makes 12 servings. * Each serving: About 275 calories, 6g total fat (1g saturated), 6g protein, 49g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 1mg cholesterol, 485 mg sodium. For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our website at www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipes/. (c) 2017 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
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Published by Burchett Publishing Co. LLC Contact for advertising or distribution information 1102 Crescent Dr. Phone 307-632-7360 Cheyenne, WY 82007 307-631-3036 Fax 307-773-8654 burchettpubl.tidbits1@bresnan.net All the news you never knew you never needed to know
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on odd-numbered years). Prior to 1977, there was just a northern route, but the southern route was added to financially benefit the smaller villages in that area. Although the northern route is officially 975 miles (1,569 km) and the southern route is 998 miles (1,606 km), snow, ice, and other terrain issues can impact the length of the course. In 2015, oddly enough, the race had to be re-routed due to a lack of snow. • There are 26 checkpoints on the northern route and 27 on the southern route. All mushers must sign in at each one. Prior to the race, mushers have prepared “drop bags” of supplies that are flown ahead to checkpoints. That way when the musher arrives, there is food, dog food, extra dog booties, spare headlamps, batteries, sled repair parts, and tools. Rest is not mandatory at each checkpoint, however, there are three mandatory rests throughout the course, including one 24-hour layover and two 8-hour layovers. • Only northern dog breeds, such as Siberian huskies and Alaskan Malamutes, are permitted to race. This became an official rule in the early 1990s after one competitor
Thankful Thursdays - Every Thursday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. - AMVETS Post 10, 3839 East Lincolnway - The party begins at 4:30 p.m., every Thursday night with a live auction starting at 6 p.m. 100 percent of proceeds raised during the auction and games go back to each respective charity. The event has raised over $850,000 for local charities thus far. Thankful Thursday also gives all patrons an opportunity to win cash just for showing up, including a jackpot of $500! Birding at Goshen Hole - March 18 - 8 a.m. Lions Park - Cheyenne - High Plains Audubon Society invites the public on a free, day-long birdwatching field trip to the Goshen Hole, Goshen County, Wyoming. Participants will leave at 8 a.m. from the Lions Park parking lot on the south side of the Children’s Village and return between 3 and 5 p.m., though participants may return at their convenience. Carpooling may be available. Bring lunch and dress for the weather. Please register with Mark Gorges, 287-4953, or mgorges@juno.com, to be notified of any changes in plans. For information, see www. CheyenneAudubon.wordpress.com. Goshen Hole refers to an area of Goshen County on the state’s eastern border. Just south of Yoder, about 80 miles north of Cheyenne, there is a series of reservoirs included in the Springer/Bump Sullivan Wildlife Management Area. Farther north, towards Torrington and Lingle there is more wetland bird habitat: Rawhide and Table Mountain Wildlife Management Areas and Hawk Springs Reservoir. Road conditions will determine which areas will be visited. If your organization has an event you would like to have published here, please contact us. Space is limited but we will make every effort to list special events. Please send your information no later than 14 days prior to the event. Email: burchettpubl.tidbits1@bresnan.net
PAW’S CORNER By Sam Mazzotta
Pets Help Forge Community Ties DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I recently graduated from college and took a job in a brand-new city. The area is great, but I feel lonely most of the time and haven’t really met anyone I can hang out with regularly. A colleague at work laughingly suggested that I get a dog. Although it was meant to be a joke, I’m kind of considering it. Should I get a dog, or is it a bad idea to have one in the city? -- Kurt H., Somerville, Massachusetts DEAR KURT: It sounds like a great option. Of course, as a pet-care adviser, I’m a little bit partial to the idea. But I also can tell you that pets not only enrich our lives, but enrich the lives of our neighbors in subtle ways, too. A new study reported in Scientific American found that people with pets are more likely to get to know other people in the neighborhood, and those relationships have more substance than casual “hellos.”
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List the pros and cons of owning a pet. Do you have the time to care for and train a dog? Do you have roommates, and are they OK with having a pet in your apartment? What additional costs are involved -- food, veterinary care, licensing, training, apartment pet fees and so on? What size and breed of dog is best for your living space? Lifehacker has a very comprehensive guide to considering, deciding and then bringing a dog home. Also, should you decide to get a dog, I hope you’ll consider adopting from a local shelter. Many great dogs are waiting for just the right owner to find them. Send your questions, tips or comments to ask@pawscorner.com. (c) 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.
used European standard poodles that had to be left behind at checkpoints with frozen feet and hair-matting problems. • Teams of 21 dogs are allowed, with the average team consisting of 16. At least six dogs must be on the towline at the finish line.
DONNA’S DAY: CREATIVE FAMILY FUN By Donna Erickson Make a Decorative Paper Shamrock For those of us who don’t claim Ireland in our lineage, it’s a stretch to dance a jig, much less remember to wear something green on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. No wonder I was pleased when I shared a photo of this paper strip shamrock craft idea with my neighbor and received a reply, “Your shamrock warms my Irish heart!” The shamrock has traditionally been the national emblem of Ireland, so why not display it with creativity as a sign not only of the coming holiday, but also a welcome to the green of a long-awaited spring? Grab some green construction paper and basic supplies from your home office. Enjoy this messless art project with your school-age kids. Your preschooler also can lend a hand, when you make it together. Here’s what you’ll need: --2 sheets of construction paper in two different colors. (I chose a light and a dark shade of green for these directions) --Ruler --Pencil --Scissors --Stapler --Household glue --Thread or fishing line for hanging --Paper cutter (optional) Make the paper strip hearts. For each heart, measure, mark with a pencil and cut with scissors or a paper cutter: 2 strips of light-green construction paper cut 1 inch by 3 inches; 2 strips of dark-green construction paper 1 inch by 5 inches. Pile the 4 strips starting with one light-green short strip, the two dark-green long strips and end with the remaining light-green short strip on top. They should be evenly stacked up at one end. Carefully staple this 1-inch-wide stack about 1/4 inch from the even end.
• The typical sled dog weighs between 45 and 60 lbs. (20 and 27 kg). It needs about 12,000 calories daily to maintain performance. Along the trail, dogs are fed frozen chunks of meat or fish. At the checkpoints, they receive a warm meal along with vitamin supplements. • It’s a rule of the race that all dogs wear booties, and each competitor must have at least eight extra per dog. The booties aren’t so much to keep the dogs’ feet warm, but rather to protect their foot pads from the ice and rocky terrain along the trail. In addition, all dogs must have collar tags and be implanted with microchips about the size of a grain of rice. • The first place finishing time of about 20 days has been shaved down to less than 10 days. Last place finishing has been reduced from 1973’s 32 days to about 13 days. • There is a special award for those mushers who finish last. It’s called the Red Lantern, and it has its roots in the early days of mail delivery by dog drivers. Along the route were a chain of roadhouses between the villages. A kerosene lamp was lit and hung outside to help the driver find the stop, as well as signifying that a team was out on the trail. When the last driver safely reached his destination, the lamp was extinguished. The tradition continues by bestowing the lantern to the last Iditarod finisher, indicating that all teams are safely back. • The longest time for a Red Lantern finisher was John Schultz’s time in the inaugural Iditarod in 1973 of 32 days, 15 hours, nine minutes, and one second. The fastest time for a musher finishing last was in 2010, when a Deer Lodge, Montana, nurse named Turn to page 7 for more Tidbits!
Bring the loose ends of the short light-green strips away from the pile (and over the staple) to form a heart shape. Hold with one hand as you pull back the long strips in the same manner. Staple the four strips together near the pointed end of the hearts. Make two more. Make the shamrock. Arrange three completed paper strip hearts on a work surface to make a shamrock. Staple the pointed heart ends together. Bend the paper near the staple to spread out the sides. Cut out and glue on a thin paper stem. Make several paper strip shamrocks and hang in a window or from a chandelier. *** Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www. donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.” (c) 2017 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.
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Upcoming Events
• On March 23, 1839, the initials “O.K.” are first published, in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct,” its popularity exploded when it was picked up by politicians. • On March 21, 1871, journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his search through Africa for missing British explorer Dr. David Livingstone, who had been gone for six years. Reaching Lake Tanganyika, Stanley spotted a white man in the crowd and famously asked, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” • On March 25, 1933, President Herbert Hoover accepts the newly commissioned USS Sequoia as the official presidential yacht. The Sequoia would go on to serve eight U.S. presidents. Previously, the Department of Commerce had used it as a decoy to catch Prohibition lawbreakers. • On March 22, 1947, in response to fears about communism in the United States, President Harry Truman issues an executive decree establishing a sweeping loyalty investigation of federal employees. Loyalty boards were to be set up in every department and agency of the federal government. • On March 24, 1955, Tennessee Williams’ play “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ” opens in New York. The play would win Williams his second Pulitzer Prize, following “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1947. • On March 26, 1987, responding to a 911 call, police raid the Philadelphia home of Gary Heidnik and find a veritable torture chamber where three women were chained to a sewer pipe. Heidnik helped inspire the Buffalo Bill character in Thomas Harris’ “Silence of the Lambs.” • On March 20, 1995, several packages of deadly sarin gas are set off by the Aum Shinrikyo cult in the Tokyo subway system, killing 12 people and injuring over 5,000. Sarin originally was developed in 1938 in Germany as a pesticide. (c) 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.Sarin
Wyoming State Museum: UP Railroad in Wyoming - March 9 - 7 p.m. - Wyoming State Museum - Presented by James L. Ehernberger, Wyoming Railroad Historian. Cheyenne was founded by the arrival of the Union Pacific in 1867. From that date onward, additional railroad development has taken place in Laramie County, and these lines will be discussed during the program. This discussion will include unknown railroad names such as the Denver Pacific; the Colorado Central; the Cheyenne & Northern; the Cheyenne & Burlington; and the Yoder-Egbert extension. 2017 Spiritual Awakenings Holistic Fair - March 11 and 12 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Radisson Hotel & Suites - Admission: $5 or 3 cans of unexpired food for donation - There will be Reiki healers of different modalities, Tarot and Palm Readers, Past Life Regression, Energy Workers, Crystals, Pendulums, Dream Catchers, Incenses, Stones and a lot more for ALL to enjoy. Also, a face painter booth both days so please let everyone know to bring their young ones for fun too. Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra: Mozart and Beethoven - March 11 - 7:30 p.m. - Cheyenne Civic Center - Lei Weng, Piano Soloist – Hailed as “a colorist of exemplary control …with powerhouse technique,” his performances have been described as “spirited and full of nuances.” Based in Greeley, Colo., where he is head of the piano department at the University of Northern Colorado, he has appeared with orchestras in Cincinnati, Denver, Seattle, Indiana, Louisiana, Fort Worth and Beijing. Cheyenne Fly Fishing Expo - March 18 - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Kiwanis Community House - Casting demonstrations, presenters, classes, food, fly tying, and more! Special appearances by Project Healing Waters volunteers.
If your organization has an event you would like to have published here, please contact us. Space is limited but we will make every effort to list special events. Please send your information no later than 14 days prior to the event. Email: burchettpubl.tidbits1@bresnan.net
Chess Laramie County Library - Wednesdays - 4:15 p.m. All skill levels - Call 634-3561 Godfather’s Pizza - Thursdays - 6:30 p.m. All skill levels - Call 634-5222
Live Music The Bunkhouse - Friday and Saturday - 7 to 10 p.m. The Crown Bar - Friday - 7 p.m. Midtown Tavern - Friday - 8 p.m. Outlaw Saloon - Nightly - 8 p.m. The Paramount Cafe - Saturday - 7 p.m. Sanford’s - Friday - 7 p.m.
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Cheyenne Activities English High Tea at the Nagle Warren Mansion every Friday and Saturday, seating at 2 and 3 p.m. For reservations call 637-3333. Municipal Pool and Spray Park - Daily - Hours vary between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Visit CheyenneCity.org or call 637-6455 for information. Cheyenne Botanic Gardens - Monday through Friday - 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday - 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call 637-6458. Cheyenne Ice & Events Center - Ice skating, laser tag and video games. Monday to Thursday - 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday - 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday - Noon to 8 p.m. 1530 W. Lincolnway. Visit CheyenneCity.org or call 433-0024 for information. Bingo Am. Legion Bingo AMVETS Grandma’s Pickle Parlor
635-7213 632-2999 637-3614
Movie Theaters Frontier Nine Lincoln Palace Capitol 12
634-9499 637-7469 638-SHOW
Country Western Dancing Redwood Lounge 635-9096 Outlaw Saloon 635-7552 Top 40 Music Crown Underground 778-9202 Governor’s Residence Tours - Free - 5001 Central Avenue Tuesday through Thursday - 9 a.m. to Noon. Call 777-7398. Visit the Famous Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum - Monday through Friday - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 778-7290. Terry Bison Ranch - Daily tours to the bison herd and horseback rides. Sunday lunch train includes meal on old-fashioned dining car (reservations needed). Call for departure times: 634-4171. Cheyenne Depot Museum - A National Landmark with railroad history exhibits and gift shop. Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday - 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 638-6338. Big Boy Steam Engine 4004 - Worlds largest steam locomotive. Located in Holliday Park. Wyoming State Museum - Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free exhibit of Wyoming history. Call 777-7022.
DJ Music Scooter’s Scoreboard - Friday - 9 p.m. Cadillac Ranch - Friday and Saturday - 9 p.m. Tuskers - Saturday - 8 p.m. The Crown Underground - Daily - 9 p.m.
Celeste Davis received the Red Lantern. Despite hitting a tree head-on along the trail, rolling her sled, breaking her nose and receiving a concussion, Davis crossed the line in 13 days, 5 hours, 6 minutes, and 40 seconds, smiling in spite of her two black eyes. • While several people have won the race four times, only one has taken the title five times, Minnesota native Rick Swenson, who won for the first time in 1977 at age 27, followed by wins in 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1991, the only musher to win in three different decades. There was almost a sixth win for Swenson in 1978, when Dick Mackey finished just one second ahead of Swenson, literally by the nose of Mackey’s lead dog. • Dick Mackey’s son Rick made history in 1983 when he became the first son of an Iditarod champion to win the race. In 2007, Dick’s son Lance furthered the Mackey family wins. Each of the Mackeys won in their sixth attempt.
• It was award-winning American author Ann Patchett who made the following sage observation: “The question is whether or not you choose to disturb the world around you, or if you choose to let it go on as if you had never arrived.” • As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, you might want to remember that the color originally associated with the Apostle of Ireland was blue, not green. • In 1861, when a group of Unionist counties decided they didn’t want to be part of Virginia any more, West Virginia became the only state formed by breaking away from a Confederate state. That wasn’t the only attempt, however; a group of citizens in northern Alabama and eastern Tennessee wanted to band together and form a new state that would be allied with the Union. Unfortunately for this pro-Unionist faction, plans for the would-be state of Nickajack never came to fruition.
• The youngest winner ever is also the most recent winner. Dallas Seavey had his first win in 2012 at age 25. His fourth win came in 2016, with the record-setting time of about 8 ½ days. His father Mitch took the title in 2013 at age 53, making him the oldest winner. • The first woman to win the race was Libby Riddles, in 1985. Susan Butcher won the next three years, making for female wins four consecutive years. Butcher also took the title in 1990. She is the only musher to finish in either first or second place for five straight years. A woman hasn’t won since Butcher’s 1990 win.
• Are you a coddiwompler? You are if you sometimes travel purposefully toward an as-yet-unknown destination. • At the time of its completion in 1885, the Washington Monument, at 555 feet, was the tallest building in the world. The cornerstone had been laid on July 4, 1848, but insufficient funds and other interruptions repeatedly delayed the work. When the monument finally opened to the public in October 1888, visitors could take a 10-minute steam-powered elevator ride to the top. During the last 12 years of the 19th century, more than 1.5 million people visited. • Hibernation doesn’t always happen in cold weather; warm-weather hibernation, known as estivation, is common among some species of lizards, turtles and snails. *** Thought for the Day: “The radical novelty of modern science lies precisely in the rejection of the belief ... that the forces which move the stars and atoms are contingent upon the preferences of the human heart.” -- Walter Lippmann (c) 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.
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