Historical Society changes meetings

TORRINGTON – Changes are being made to the regular monthly meetings of the Goshen County Historical Society as the group goes forward with a reorganization.

Regular society meetings will be held on the fourth Tuesday of the month, September through May, beginning at 7 p.m. The meeting place is also changing to the Community Room of the Platte Valley Bank branch office, 2201 Main St. in Torrington.

For the December meeting only, the group will meet on the second Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Platte Valley Bank Community Room.

New officers for the reorganized Historic Society are President Mary Houser, Vice-president Russell Zimmer, Treasurer Ross Burmaster and secretary Jennifer Lanier. The group’s Board of Directors are Chuck Coleman, Pat Ellis, Don Hodgson, George Zeimens and Vickie Zimmer.

Discussion group invites public

TORRINGTON – The Political Discussion Group of the Goshen County Democratic Women invites interested area women to a series of round-table meetings.

GCDW has organized the sessions to discuss local, state and national issues. The next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Dec. 13, at the Goshen Public Library Annex on East A Street in Torrington. Beginning Jan. 17, the group plans to meet the first and third Wednesdays of the month, with some exceptions for intervening holidays, at 10 a.m. at the Library Annex.

For more information, call (307) 532-5966 or (307) 534-4609.

Holiday dinner, dance set

GERING, Neb. – The Oregon Trail Dance Club will host its Christmas dinner and dance on Friday, Dec. 8, at the IOOF Hall in Gering with Lucky calling. Dinner will be at 5:30 p.m., with PLUS dancing at 6:30 p.m., followed by mainstream from 7 – 9 p.m.  Members may bring salads, side vegetables, desserts.

Churches host Christmas Cantata

TORRINGTON – Several local churches are hosting the Christmas Cantata, “Together for Christmas,” by composer and performer Pepper Choplin. 

“Together for Christmas” emphasizes the importance of family gathering for the holiday through a mix of traditional carols and new music, according to his website, pepperchoplin.com. Choplin, of Raleigh, N.C., has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center and Meymandi Auditorium, home of the North Carolina Symphony.

The final local performances of “Together for Christmas” are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at First Wyoming Presbyterian Church and 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at All Saints Episcopal Church, both in Torrington.

Soloists for the performances include Paula Krotz, Maggie Younger, Gary DeBolt and JoAnn Robbins. Narrators will be Julie Newman and Grant Jones. The performances are under the direction of Joyce Willeke and are free and open to the public.

Calling all Bettys

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. – All the “Bettys” or “Bettes” of the area are invited to the quarterly meeting of The Western Plains Betty Club at the Scottsbluff Senior Center, 1502 21st Avenue, in Scottsbluff, 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7. Those attending are asked to bring a gift for the children at the Buckboard Therapeutic Riding Academy

If you have questions or wish to make a meal reservation, please call (308) 635-7890.

Pony Express 

Christmas Card run

GOSHEN COUNTY – Regional Pony Express riders will be carrying Christmas cards and letters for delivery around the world again this year.

Noon on Dec. 8 is the deadline to deliver cards and letters to the special Pony Express drop boxes at any local post office in Goshen and Platte counties. All mail, with proper postage, will receive a special Pony Express stamp.

On Dec. 9, the mail will be gathered and carried on horseback by Pony Express riders from Fort Laramie to Guernsey, where it will enter the regular U.S. Postal Service delivery system.

Craft Bazaar 

participants sought

TORRINGTON – The Senior Friendship Center in Torrington is seeking local crafters to participate in its Holiday Craft Bazaar, scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at the center, 216 East 19th St., in Torrington.

Sales tables are available for rent by calling (307) 532-2796. And the public is invited to come and shop for special holiday gifts and decorations the day of the bazaar.

Sing the songs of Christmas

JAY EM – The Community Church here will ring with the songs of the season next week during the 10th annual Community Christmas Sing-A-Long.

Everyone is invited starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. Attendees are asked to come, ready to sing. If you’d rather, bring a favorite poem or reading to share or a special musical selection, bring those to share, too.

Finger foods or cookies are requested. Coffee, hot cider and punch will be provided.

Author, columnist 

to speak

TORRINGTON – Retired journalist Bill Sniffin, author of the popular “My Wyoming” columns, which appear periodically in the Telegram and other publications around the state, will be the special guest at several events next month.

Sniffin, of Lander, is also the author of several books based in the Cowboy State, including High Altitudes, Low Multitudes,” and a trilogy of coffee table books, “Wyoming’s Greatest Natural Wonders.” The visit will include several book signing events as well as talks about his work.

He will be special guest of the Goshen County Cattlewomen during the group’s annual dinner, scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, in the Brand Room of the Goshen County Rendezvous Center on the fairgrounds in Torrington. The following day, Monday, Dec. 11, Sniffin will speak to the Torrington Rotary Club during its regular meeting at the Cottonwood Country Club here.

Sniffin will be signing books and talking about his experiences since moving to Wyoming in 1970 at 6 p.m. Monday evening at the Torrington Library Annex, 2017 East A St. in Torrington. His whirlwind tour will conclude with a presentation to the Goshen County Historical Society at its regular meeting, set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, in the Platte Valley Bank Community Room, 2201 Main St. in Torrington.

QuickBooks ag basics workshop set

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. – The basics of QuickBooks financial software for farmers and ranchers will be taught in a workshop Dec. 15 at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff. 

The workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To register, call Jessica Groskopf at (308) 632-1247.

Jerry Terwilliger of the Center for R,ural Affairs, teaches the basics of desktop QuickBooks, focusing on the record-keeping needs of farmers and ranchers. Participants will learn how to input transactions, use accounts, categories, inventories, invoices, and run common reports.

Cost is $55 per participant, and the classes are limited to five participants per location.

This workshop is being offered by Nebraska Extension in collaboration with the Center for Rural Affairs Rural Enterprise Assistance Project and the SBA Women’s Business Center.

“The Pajama Game” auditions announced

TORRINGTON – Auditions for Goshen Community Theatre’s “The Pajama Game” are scheduled for Dec. 15 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and Dec. 16 from 8 a.m. to noon. Callbacks will be 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Eastern Wyoming College Fine Arts Auditorium. The production is looking for nine men and seven women characters, along with many singers and dancers. Synopsis: In the early 1950’s, workers in a pajama factory want a 7.5-cent raise. In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, the grievance committee head, and Sid, the new factory superintendent. For questions, call (307) 575-3568.

Mobile food 

pantry coming to fairgrounds

TORRINGTON – The Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies has scheduled a mobile food pantry day, set for 9 a.m., Dec. 18, in the Pavilion building on the Goshen County Fairgrounds here.

There are no limiting qualifications or residency requirements to participate. However, general demographic information on participants will be collected and used as data for grant qualifications.

Hosting at the Pavilion is a new location, which will allow participants to sit or stand inside, out of the weather. Entrance will be on the south side of the building.

With an approximate cost of $2,000 to host a single food pantry distribution day, sponsors are being sought for future events. Sponsors, in return, receive recognition and an opportunity to volunteer for food distribution events.

Volunteers for the Dec. 18 event are requested to arrive at the location by 8 a.m.

Donations may be sent via All Saints Episcopal Church, 100 E. 26th Ave., Torrington, with checks made payable to The Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies. Questions may be directed to the United Methodist Church in Torrington at (307) 532-2977.

Community Blood Drive set

TORRINGTON – The city of Torrington, in conjunction with United Blood Serves, has scheduled another Community Blood Drive day, from 12:45 to 5:45 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, at the Lincoln Community Complex on East D Street in Torrington.

As a special incentive, all donors will receive a free blood drive t-shirt and free cholesterol testing. In addition, donors who give in December will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip for two to Mexico.

To schedule an appointment, call (800) 757-4056 or log in to www.bloodhero.com and use the sponsor code Torrington. All donors are asked to bring a photo identification and, if applicable, their blood donor card.