The post April Showers Bring May Flowers appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
]]>Despite the snow and rain, Landon’s Greenhouse in Sheridan opened its doors last month and they’ve posted a full list of Spring workshops involving all sorts of gardening fun! The best part is the offered workshops are FREE and open to the public!
April workshops cover herb gardening, growing edible micro-greens and sprouts, and strategies for water conservation using mulch, rain barrels, and soaker hoses. May’s schedule following close behind with double the workshop offerings on more gardening topics for green thumbs.
Landon’s Greenhouse is the only growing facility in Sheridan, Wyoming, Caring for a greenhouse full of annuals, vegetables, and perennials from seed, plugs, and cuttings. Landon’s full-service Landscaping Department can do everything from designing gardens, small ponds, & full size landscape design, to planting trees and installing all of their offerings.
For those interested in gardening, greenhouses, or agriculture, and believe in sharing knowledge to grow more green thumbs in the Sheridan area, the school & community garden organization, Rooted in Wyoming, is always looking for community members, parents, and teachers to volunteer with kids at any one of the outdoor gardens.
Help is always appreciated in organizing and designing gardens, collecting materials, and fundraising! Rooted in Wyoming projects are outdoor classrooms for students intended to reinforce math, science, nutrition awareness among other topics taught in the classroom. Students are given ownership of their school and the Sheridan community.
Rooted in Wyoming is led by a board of volunteers including parents, teachers, and other community members and organizations with the effort to help students become better environmental stewards. Volunteers help expose kids to agriculture at an early age, helping to encourage interest in an associated career later on. Kids develop patience, cooperation, teamwork, pride, and learn the value of community volunteerism.
So, if you’re interested in gardening, growing things, helping kids, or just finding another way to get more involved in the Sheridan community this spring, check out what’s happening at Landon’s Greenhouse and Rooted in Wyoming! There are plenty of ways to get your hands dirty teaching and learning new things this spring, and so many great community projects to help with!
By Polly Burge
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]]>The post 5 Ways To Enjoy Springtime In Sheridan appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
]]>1. Enjoy Kendrick Park
Take a walk through Sheridan’s beautiful Kendrick Park. Easily the most frequented park in town, Spring is a great time to enjoy it without the Summer crowds. The playground is a great place for kiddos to explore and the chainsaw carved tree sculptures can be enjoyed by everyone. Take in the sounds of the creek and say hi to the resident bison and elk. During the last weeks of Spring, enjoy a sweet treat when the Kendrick Park Ice Cream Stand opens in May.
2.Brunch at Frackleton’s
Spring and brunch go together like champagne and mimosas. Whether you’re going out for family breakfast or searching for that Saturday night recovery meal, Frackelton’s Sunday brunch has what you’re looking for. From mouth-watering pancake specials and breakfast burritos to mimosas and Bloody Marys, everyone will leave satisfied. Did we mention that your first mimosa is complimentary?
3. Enjoy the Great Outdoors
From the Big Horns to Tongue River Canyon, there are endless, trails, campgrounds, and fishing holes to explore. Sheridan also boasts miles of pathways that are a great way to tour the town by foot or bike. Whatever your outdoor fancy may be, Sheridan offers a way for you to enjoy it.
4. Do a Brewery Crawl
Nothing goes with a beautiful Spring day like a nice cold craft beer. Sheridan is home to three craft breweries: Luminous Brewhouse, Blacktooth Brewing Company, and Smith Alley Brewing Company. Enjoy the Spring weather as you start at Luminous, then head to Blacktooth, and end at Smith Alley. Not feeling a crawl? Pick one! All three are exceptional and great places to bunker down and spend the whole evening.
5. Have a Museum Day
Sheridan offers many wonderful museums to enjoy. One is the Trail End State historic site. You’ll be transported back in time as you step through the doors of the Kendrick Mansion, where you can view original artifacts and historically accurate rooms. Enjoy the Spring weather by walking the beautifully manicured grounds. There are a variety of museums to pique your interest in Sheridan.
With so many great ways to enjoy Springtime in Sheridan, you’ll be able to make the most of the season. This article is by no means an exhaustive list of all the wonderful activities Sheridan has to offer, but we hope it gave you a little inspiration. Now get out there and enjoy the season!
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]]>The post The Inaugural WYO Winter Rodeo Comes to Sheridan! appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
]]>For those that are unfamiliar with the sport, skijoring is skiing with a twist––the skier is being pulled behind a horse through a course with jumps as high as 8 feet, and other obstacles. Skijoring is a popular winter sport around the Rocky Mountain states and draws thousands of people each year. The event is sanctioned by Skijoring America
The WYO Winter Rodeo is expected to bring in around 100 competitors and 500 overnight visitors to the Sheridan community. Along with skijoring, there will be a variety of fun, family-friendly events throughout the week.
For more information regarding the WYO Winter Rodeo, check out the link!
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]]>The post Business of the Month: Sheridan Brand appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
]]>Have you always lived in Sheridan? Did you grow up here?
“Yes, I mean, I’m not sure if I’ve grown up yet, but I have spent all of my days with Sheridan as my home, as do I plan to die with Sheridan as my home.”
Why do you love Sheridan?
“Because home is where the home is, and Sheridan is my home. Here is what I like about Sheridan, and really what I like about any small community. There is a level of accountability when people know you from birth. There are a lot of people in this town who have known me literally since I blessed this world with my presence, came from my mother’s womb, and they’ve watched me grow up. People from church, people from school, they’ve watched me get in trouble, they’ve seen the types of trouble I’ve caused, and the reasons I’ve caused the trouble. They’ve seen the good I’ve done, they’ve seen the bad I’ve done, and they have a fair assessment of what type of person I am. Even if it may fall off somewhere, or off in a different place, they have an idea of what kind of person I am. Some people might make assumptions about you or fill in their own blanks, but they at least know where you come from, what type of family you have, what type of friends you keep, the type of trouble you’ve been in. I mean, people here know each other’s business, and while that can be a very difficult thing for people who are involved in shady business, for people who genuinely and generally try to stick to doing good and contributing to the community they live in, it works out very well for them. I’d like to think of myself as a person who tries to do good and contribute to his community.”
What made you want to develop businesses in Sheridan?
“Well I didn’t want to go anywhere else to develop a business and most of the work that was ever attractive for me to do was only available outside of this locale so, we decided to do it from here. I think we live in an age where your success isn’t dependent on your zip code. You can do just about anything you want from just about anywhere you want to do it. I get to travel a whole lot and go all kinds of places, but Sheridan always remains home. So why not do it out of here? I think if we all spend a little bit less time trying to chase the life we want and started laying some foundation, some roots, and start building the life that we want, we would be a lot further along. I know when I was young the first thing I wanted to do when I had the ability to do it, was to move out of my parent’s house and to move out of Sheridan––simply for the opportunity to go chase dreams, to go do all of those things. I played in a band, and we started touring a little bit and going to other cities and that was my first real venture out into the world. And I started to realize that though these cities had a lot of things you could do, a lot of recreational activity, restaurants and you know, things you can go out and do, they didn’t have what Sheridan had and so I decided, let’s just build it from here––build the existence we want to live in.”
Where did the idea for Sheridan Brand come from and how did it get started?
“Well, we had a local client who didn’t have it in their budget to have us generate content and all of their content was Sheridan-based content. The other side of that coin was we took over a page on Facebook called Sheridan UpCycle, and any time anybody had anything nasty to say, rumors to spread, it would go bananas. People would jump on it, there would be 300-400 comments within an hour, and word would spread about this rumor or slander. So, we decided, “what if we create a company which sole purpose is to contribute to all of the good and highlight and make louder the good of our community?” The original slogan was “Chronicling the Character Commerce and Curiosities of Sheridan.” We wanted to basically tell the story of Sheridan that we loved, that we saw, and that we wanted to continue to see grow to kind of combat that negativity. Gary Vaynerchuk, the entrepreneur, has a campaign called ‘Make Positivity Louder’. The truth is, when you go on social media, any post that you do, you’re going to see that you got, you know, 17 likes and 2 comments and 794 people saw this post, right? Pretty common. A lot of times those two comments, that engagement, are more of those people that have something negative to say, and out of those 794 people, 792 didn’t engage. Those people look at the world and they’re looking at it from inside their house. They’re living their life, going to work, returning home to their family and they’re looking at the outside world not seeing the opinions and thoughts of those 792 people who didn’t engage. They’re seeing the thoughts of the two out of 794, and they’re starting to think, “Man, it’s gnarly out there. People suck”, right? We kind of saw that happening with Sheridan UpCycle and we saw it happening with social media in general. So, we wanted to make positivity louder in Sheridan and tell the story of the Sheridan that we know and love. We wanted to generate good content that was likable, shareable, and worthy of engagement from people who were either in Sheridan or looking to come to Sheridan. The other thing that was going on, was that we were doing a lot of work and trying help with economic development in Sheridan. One of the things we saw that just wasn’t happening was proper storytelling. I think a lot of the people that live here or move here have a story to share, something they saw or witnessed in Sheridan while they were visiting that made them say, “I want to live in this place.” Or they live here and they have those stories that made them say “I want to stay in this place.” Those stories weren’t being told, so we decided we were going to tell them and it’s been a labor of love ever since.”
What makes Sheridan Brand unique from other similar media outlets in the community?
“For one, it’s not a profitable operation. So you can decide what you want from there. Two, it’s a promoter, not a detractor. It’s not the news, and it’s not unbiased–it’s us telling our stories, the stories we see, and giving a platform for other people to share positive stories that they have about Sheridan. I think we can probably safely say, there is no local news source that is completely unbiased. We just live in a small town and people have their biases. We understood that we didn’t want to try to duplicate something that already existed. So, we said we’re going to make it all positive. We’re not going to report the news, we’re just going to tell the stories that we think better our community and better share the story of the things we love in our community.”
What value does Sheridan Brand provide the Sheridan community?
“I think it makes the world smaller, and in a small community, that can go either way. Everyone can talk about each other in a derogatory manner and people are snide. There’s way too much microaggression and a lot of passive aggressive comments made on social media that may pertain to someone else in town, and most people know who it is. You know, you see these posts and they’re intriguing. I’m attracted to them, I read through them. If someone says something like, “Well, I guess some people just don’t care about you.” and you jump in the comment section and you go, “Who didn’t care about who?” and this and that. Right? You know, one of the things that was huge for us was finding out that the most visited website page within Sheridan was the criminal records posted up online. Who got a DUI last weekend? All of that, and we’re like, “Why are people looking at this? Why is that so important to people?” People like drama, and who doesn’t? People like to be entertained, and the ways we choose to make ourselves feel better is to see people not doing as well as us, and that’s unfortunate. So, if we can combat that and make positivity louder in Sheridan to tell the story, we’re going to do so. For anything bad that happens in this town, there are 15 good things that people do, and a lot of people don’t realize that. That’s one of the reasons as to why I stayed in Sheridan. That’s why I’m attracted to living in Sheridan, and I’ll fight for that. You don’t fight for that by telling people who are saying something bad that they’re an idiot, right? That is, like, figuratively as close as you can get to throwing gas on a fire to put it out. It doesn’t work. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” I think if we can add a little bit of love to our community then we’ll drive out some of the poo-poo, it’s just too loud. The 5% of bad things that happen take up 95% of people’s attention, which is silly. The 95% of the good things that people are out doing should take up 95% of people’s attention. I don’t want people to have an inaccurate view of Sheridan, and that’s not why we made Sheridan Brand only positive stuff. The reason was because, right now people have inaccurate information. If you were to look on the internet about Sheridan and kind of hang around the social sphere of people talking, you might think people here are nasty, but people aren’t. People are great here. There’s a lot of really good people. So, we want to continue to tell that story and give people an accurate assessment of the community they live in.”
What is your goal for Sheridan Brand?
“I think anytime anyone is starting anything up, launching a business, an initiative, or really anything, they need to look at how it contributes and adds value. So, the intention is just to continue to add value to what it means to live in Sheridan. It’s always been a lot of work. There have been times where at Flood or at one of our other various ventures, we’ve been too busy to really stay up on Sheridan Brand like we’d like to, simply because of funding. We have to make money, we have to pay our bills, and like I said, it’s not a profitable venture. We’ve poured a lot of money into it, but we think it’s a really a cool thing and makes living in Sheridan better, and that adds value. The overall goal is to contribute and to add value. If Sheridan is a better place because Sheridan Brand exists, then we’ve done our job, and if it’s not, then we shouldn’t do it anymore.”
Where do you see Sheridan Brand going in the future?
“It could go a number of different ways. What I would like to see with Sheridan Brand is to partner with local businesses or partner with local initiatives that are trying to fundraise. We’ve been hugely involved with Antelope Butte, and as a brand, this is a bright, sunshiny time to see something we have supported and been able to contribute to coming to fruition. We’d love to partner with Travel and Tourism, or anyone out there who is trying to do something good in Sheridan or making Sheridan a better place. I think we have a platform to help and a capable team behind it. Sheridan Brand can be as busy or as stagnant as it needs to be, but we could do just about anything for anyone in Sheridan. That’s our mission, that’s what we’re trying to do. When we started, there was definitely some pushback from people that thought our intentions were not pure, or that we’d step on their toes for things they were trying to do. The truth is that you’re either effective or not in what you’re doing, and one, we’ve proven by putting tons of man effort, money, sweat, blood and tears into this and it’s pretty proven our intentions are solid because we haven’t made a buck. Two, we have also proven to be pretty effective. We can get things done and put out a lot of cool content, photos, videos, stories. Yeah, we can do whatever we want.”
There you have it, folks. The what and why behind Sheridan Brand. We will keep creating positive and inspiring content to showcase the Sheridan we all know and love. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading and will continue on this journey with us.
If you would like to be our next business of the month or would like to nominate a business, send an email to howdy@sheridanbrand.com.
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]]>The post EMIT Offers up Challenge Grant for Antelope Butte appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
]]>EMIT Technologies is offering up a challenge grant for the Antelope Butte Foundation. For every $1 donated to Antelope Butte, EMIT will match up to $100,000. All proceeds will help Antelope Butte reopen as a year-round mountain recreation area for Sheridan and surrounding communities. The grant challenge for Antelope Butte is EMIT’s flagship project in the EMIT Community Project, to create opportunities and help to build the community.
Originally opened in 1961, when Antelope Butte closed in 2004 the people of Sheridan were only left with fond memories. It was a staple of the community where kids learned to ski and snowboard. It was a place where friends and family could come together and enjoy the outdoors.
These fond memories also extend to the Antelope Butte Foundation Fundraising Director, Josh Law, “I grew up coming here with my family and friends, it was always a tight community. Antelope Butte is a special place and unfortunately we haven’t had it for 14 years.”
Looking to the future, the Antelope Butte Foundation has even grander plans than what the past offered. Many Sheridan locals grew up skiing and snowboarding at Antelope Butte and snowsports will still be a major focus when it reopens. However, outside of the Winter season, it has the opportunity to offer biking, scenic chair rides, disc golf, special events, and much more. Antelope Butte’s goal is to be a place where youth and beginners will be able to gain self-confidence and an appreciation for the natural environment. Families will have the opportunity for multigenerational engagement through mountain activities – all the while forming memories that will last a lifetime.
“EMIT’s grant is extremely generous to both Antelope Butte and the entire Sheridan community. It’s time to bring Antelope Butte back, so please get involved today,” said Law.
Learn more: www.emittechnologies.com/community
EMIT’s grant has the potential of raising a total of $200,000 for the Antelope Butte Foundation. A donation of that size would be huge for Antelope Butte and in helping bring back the mountain recreation area for Sheridan’s next generation.
The Antelope Butte Foundation has worked tirelessly over the years to have everything ready and safe, with the hope of reopening for the 2018-2019 Winter Season. “It’s a great time to join the cause,” said Executive Director, John Kirlin. “This mountain is built by the community for the community. Please join us and EMIT in making this challenge come to fruition.”
Are you ready to accept the challenge?
Now through December, you can donate to help bring Antelope Butte back to the community.
Click the link to donate now!
emittechnologies.com/community
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]]>The post Business of the Month: The Old General Store appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
]]>How old are you?
“I’m 15, and I turn 16 in January. I have a driver’s license for the shop. I have a 1929 Ford Model A Roadster which my grandfather and I got a few years ago. The car is kind of the store mascot. I drive it in the parades and park it outside the shop during the car show.
I’m currently in my sophomore year at Sheridan High School and I am taking courses that are history related this year– A.P. history to further my studies in that direction. I do a lot of research outside of business hours on antiques, trying to figure out what date ranges things lie in and how to repair them. I try to stick to, as close as possible, a date period between 1850 and 1950, mainly around the turn of the century. You won’t find hardly anything newer than 1950, which differs greatly from many other antique stores.”
When did you start this business?
“I guess there really isn’t a specific starting date. I started buying antiques when I was four years old. I went to the Hole In The Wall, a business a woman named Renee here had, and I bought a little metal candy box, and from there I started collecting. I went to yard sales, garage sales, auctions– a lot of times I’d contact people to see if they had something for sale before the internet was as prevalent, mainly just working with classified ads. Then when I was 11 I rented a booth at Best Out West and started selling small items there. I did well there and needed more space, so I went across the street to Wild West Trading Co. and was there briefly. I sold some larger pieces, but that ended up not suiting me quite as well, so I spoke with Steve Kuzara about this building back when I was 12 in 2014. From there I spoke with him about leasing it and entered the lease when I was 13 after we had completely restored the storefront. It used to be George Geikus’s coin shop. He had the shop from about 1950 on, so I’m only about the fourth business that has ever been in this building, which is kind of unique as well. From there I leased it and opened the store in July of 2016.”
Where did your passion for antiques come from?
“I’ve always had the interest. I started buying at a really young age and I’ve been fascinated by the turn of the century time period. The world was changing quite a bit then, and it’s really unique to see the style changes. For example, Victorian developed into a far more simplistic style in the 1910’s and 20’s and further on from there. I’ve had an interest in the past as far back as I can remember.”
Where do you find your antiques?
“I find them all over. I can’t just call up a supplier and have them ship 50 things, as many stores can. So every weekend and every weekday, really, I’ll be out trying to find things. Just this last weekend I purchased at least 30 things for the store, so, I buy quite frequently. People will oftentimes come in with things that they want to sell. I also put quite a number of things on consignment.”
Where do you go to find pieces or how far do you travel?
“The farthest I’ve been is the East Coast, but I’ve taken three or four trips down to Colorado to one of my main consigners down there. I’ve also gone up to Montana a couple times.”
What was your favorite find so far?
“Well, there really isn’t a favorite, I’ve kind of just developed my passions for certain things. I do a lot of the antique lighting–restoring antique lights. Quite a few people like them for their old houses as well as modern construction. I have multiple local specialists who work on the restoration of antiques; for example, Al Billings does the clocks for me. You’ll notice quite a few clocks around the shop (which are running well). Mike Shanley restores the antique radios and helps with electrical restorations. I’ve also got Steve Baskin that does some furniture restoration, though I do quite a bit of that as well myself. There are a few people around town that I’ll contact if I need antique lettering done as well.”
Do you think your customers are people who are searching for a specific item or are they random?
“All of the above applies. I get a lot of tour buses through from different areas all around the world. A lot of people who don’t even speak English will come in and buy things as little mementos of the West, and I deal a lot with returning customers as well. I have three or four customers currently restoring historic homes in Sheridan and other local areas. I deal quite heavily in architectural salvage (quite a bit of the lighting). I sell doors, windows, lighting, staircases–all of the things to go back into a house to make it period correct. I also have quite a few tourist sales. Oftentimes people see things that they remember from their childhood in my displays and they’ll come in and remember the past (and purchase it too).”
What’s the weirdest antique you’ve had so far?
“I had a civil war amputation kit at one time and I’ve had multiple quack medical devices. It’s actually on loan to the Wyo Theatre right now for the Adams Family production. I have two kits that were supposed to cure cancer using ultraviolet light and apparently they had relatively positive effects, but, you won’t find many people using them anymore. I get post-mortem photographs as well. They were taken because often times people didn’t have any photographs of their loved ones until they passed away and figured they’d have a photo taken of them before they were buried. They were usually propped up on stands or set in chairs to appear as though they were alive.”
What process do you go through when deciphering which pieces you want to have in your store?
“The main thing in my shop is that it’s before 1950. The true definition of antique is over 100 years old, but seeing as how Sheridan County wasn’t established until the 1880’s, it’s kind of hard to find things that are over 100 years old explicitly. So, I’ll find things anywhere older than 70 years old. After the 1940s and second world war, things changed tremendously in both style and construction. Those things are far more modern than people realize. It’s all just perspective but many don’t realize what a true antique is, so I carry both antique items and vintage pieces.”
What makes The Old General Store different/unique to other antique shops?
“Well, there are actually only three or four antique stores left in Sheridan. When I started there were seven or eight, so they’ve been closing pretty frequently with the online shopping trend that has been growing in the last few years. When I started, there was a fair bit less of that. I haven’t really noticed a huge difference in sales due to the uniqueness of antiques and the varying availability. Online shopping hurts other retailers far more than it hurts me. I feel that the time period I adhere to in my shop benefits me. I have customers come in looking for specific things as well as lookers. I oftentimes will look for specific things for customers if I don’t have it. I also have a warehouse full of antiques, so there is a lot more than what is presently here at the shop. I would say the main thing that makes my store different, besides the inventory, is that I just try to keep the quality up. I’ll try to keep as best as possible things that are in working or good condition that are within that date period, I don’t really cater to the tourists that are just wanting like a shot glass from Wyoming. I sell real Wyoming antiques and other area things.”
What is your favorite part about being a young business owner?
“Well, my favorite part about being a young business owner would probably be showing people that it really can be done. I guess the general opinion of many people my age is not very high and I try to undo that as much as possible. I try to remain very professional in my approach to people. I try to really treat it as though I’m 30 years old and not 15 and many people don’t realize my age unless I mention it.”
What are your future plans/goals for the business?
“I’m looking at potentially expanding right now, I’ve really run out of space here. I don’t really know where that is headed yet, but I’d love to be able to have more square footage. I have over 90 consignors in here along with my own things, and I also have four good vendors that I deal with. I rent out spaces in the store to people selling their own items. Katy Lunde restores the antique trunks along with Jeri Haugen. Terra Roberts does miscellaneous antiques and stays within the date period as best as possible as well. Putt and Jill Thompson are up from the Custer Battlefield Trading Post in Montana, they sell quite a few early Native American antiques. I also have Alex Banks, who has dealt in antiques for quite some time. He was down in California and sold antiques there. He had a shop here for quite some time as well. I happened upon him one day at his yard sale about four years ago and before that, I went to his auction. He works at the shop as well. I have three other employees that help me here as well. (Maurine Badgett, Elaine Irby, and Mike Shanley).”
How do you juggle being a business owner and a teenager at the same time?
“I guess I’ll be honest, the store has been highest on my priority list. There is a lot more here that needs to be contended with. I work at the shop at least until 9 or 10 in the evenings and then on weekends of course. Summers are a whole lot easier for me to deal with, but it’s a full-time commitment. I end up working 13 to 14 hour days by the time I’m done with everything.”
Do you have any other hobbies besides collecting antiques?
“Well, the past is my hobby, anything to do with the past is something that I’m interested in. Antique cars, restoring the antiques–I guess I don’t really have time for other things besides the store. I’m truly motivated to work on it, which is something that differs from a lot of people. The past is my passion so the hours are a little bit less of a consideration for me.”
What do your friends think of the business/owning a business?
“A lot of them are impressed with it and don’t necessarily believe it. Some of them have jobs, but this commands a similar amount of effort as a job and yields more and you can say it’s your own. I’ve always wanted to do it and it’s always been a hobby for me.”
More about the building:
“I did a lot of the cosmetic things while Steve Kuzara (landlord) did the structural things to it. I exposed the brick, cleaned the beams, stripped woodwork, painted, and cleaned up the original bathroom in the building. I wanted the store to appear old just like the things inside of it. The building was originally the Bumblebee Saloon and had a house of ill repute upstairs. A lot of these buildings (especially north of Grinnell Plaza) were part of the Red Light District, as one would call it. It was then the Fern Cafe and Sheridan Coin Company until I moved in.”
Do you have any specials or things to announce with the upcoming holiday season?
“The Christmas season is a busy time for me. I do a completely vintage Christmas display and I offer particular sales on items. The Christmas Stroll is a good time to come down. I offer food and refreshments. I also light the store partially in oil lights to truly appear old.
For me, it’s about rekindling people’s remembrances of the past, and sell it if I can. I essentially made a business out of my hobby.”
Do you plan on going to college?
“Yes, I do. I plan on going into real estate and historic preservation as well. I really enjoy seeing historic buildings restored and not destroyed as many people do (as well as houses). I think it would better serve communities restore buildings instead of destroying the historic architecture/history that has been there for 100 and more years.”
Luke has accomplished, at such a young age, what most people dream of. He has turned his passion into a career. The Old General Store is a unique gem in the heart of downtown Sheridan. We can’t wait to see what this young business owner does in the future and we know it will be amazing.
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]]>The post Business of the Month: Cottonwood Kitchen + Home appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
]]>
When did Cottonwood Kitchen + Home open its doors, and what was the inspiration behind it?
“We bought the store in September 2011 and I had just recently moved back to Sheridan.”
Jessica previously worked for The Cottonwood Kitchen Shop during college. Upon her return home, she caught wind from her brother that the business was up for sale. Her passion for food and love for cooking were instilled in her by her grandmother. The relationship they shared often centered around the happenings of the family kitchen. Obviously, Jessica couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Why did you decide to grow your business in Sheridan?
“We have a community that is very supportive. We have an awesome chamber and the DSA (Downtown Sheridan Association) that is also growing and really working to help our downtown. We have customers that support us and come in to say they’d like to shop here before going online–which is the biggest competition now for any small business.
We are really well-supported and people here are taking on the mindset that we have to support one other in order for the big picture to work.”
What prompted the move to a new storefront?
“A couple of things, first being the customers. We have always wanted to be able to create more experiences for our customers and build a better connection with them. I often don’t think of them as my customers, I think of them as community members and friends. We just wanted to have a space where we were able to connect people–connect the community to the kitchen.
We always had people asking us for cooking classes. We had a few at the old shop, but it was makeshift and wasn’t a real kitchen. So, we wanted to have that for our customers.”
Ultimately, Jessica and her team decided they had long outgrown the old location. The products and ideas they wanted to expand on for the business no longer fit the space that they had. The new location has turned out to be a big step in the right direction for Cottonwood Kitchen + Home. The new space has allowed Jessica and her team to be more creative, with inventory and display, and also allowed them to incorporate a cooking class schedule and demos. Praise from regulars in the community for having saved the historic building has also been proudly received.
What are some experiences the new location has to offer?
The Teaching Kitchen
“We are really excited about the teaching kitchen. For almost every class we will partner with a local business, whether it be another retailer or area ranchers and farmers. We want to include all of the local foods that we can, of course. We’ll have experts from our local farmers market come in, the folks from Sackets Market will be involved, and we’ll have a nutritionist that will come in once a month–so there is an opportunity for education about food and cooking in the community.
We plan to partner-up our nutritionist with the instructor at the yoga studio next door and host a yoga class with a discussion about healthy cooking. We also visited with the folks at The Paint Post about how we can do a combo class. This big space is allowing us limitless opportunities that will help other local businesses to drum up interest.
We really just want to connect, and connect with, the community. I love this idea because for two or three hours–however long you’re with us– you’re slowing down from your crazy busy life and just focusing on yourself or each other. We don’t do that enough anymore. It’s really a place where you’re going to be able to interact with people.”
The main classes will be held Wednesday through Saturday nights, and a Saturday day class will also be offered. The meal plans will depend on what chefs are scheduled to teach, and what people are interested in, or ask for– Cottonwood Kitchen is welcoming suggestions!
The classes offered by Cottonwood Kitchen + Home will be a range of hands-on classes, to demonstrations that are lead by one individual or chef. In some cases, cooktop stations will be available per person or by the small group, in others, guests will have the opportunity spectate. The prices will vary depending on the class, the offerings, the food, number of participants, etc. The variety of classes will make sure participation opportunities are affordable for everyone.
“Our goal is for everyone to have fun and leave full!”
The schedule of cooking classes can be found on their website. Folks who are interested can sign-up online or in-store. Cottonwood Kitchen + Home sends out e-blasts through their newsletter which will include information about upcoming cooking classes and other events as well.
The Demo Kitchen
“Another experience we’re adding to our list is the demo kitchen. Even we [employees] don’t have the opportunity to try everything all of the time! We really want to start demoing products downstairs– we’ll get out a blender, a food processor, a waffle maker. We’d like to have the opportunity for our customers and for our employees to get their hands on the products we carry, and really learn stuff.”
Jessica also mentioned a prospective demo-area addition — a cutlery station where customers can test out the knife selection. Along with this, there are ideas percolating around the demo kitchen doubling as a small home-cafe, where customers can order coffee/tea to walk around the store with.
The Local Kitchen
And, of course, with all of the local foods and specialty items they carry, Jessica will be looking to set out snacks made from specialty food products made in-store– straight from Cottonwood Kitchen + Home!
“Along with the items we have from local connections, specialty foods are among the best-selling. We are really working to add to our local selection of foods as well as other items. We’re not restricting it to just foods– we’ll consider anything made locally.”
Reserve the Cottonwood Kitchen
“Space is also available for people to book. We will be here to help connect people with, or provide, a chef. We’ll be here to participate in helping with an actual cooking class, or if they want to rent the space so they can cook something, themselves, that’s a possibility too. I have had people interested in reserving space for baby showers, holiday work parties– it’s limitless. Anything that we can make happen up here, for anyone, we will make happen.”
Do you have any fall offerings or specials to announce?
“Right now, in particular, we will participate, for the first time ever, in a promotion from Zwilling, a cookware & cutlery company, called Z-fest. We will also participate in the Wusthof Gourmet knife sales. Black Friday sales are coming up, too. We will also continue our Countdown to Christmas Sale, and we’ll participate in this year’s Christmas Stroll again.
Our “re-grand opening” is coming up on November 10th, so that is going to be a big deal for us. We are going to make it super fun with live music, tons of food, and local vendors that we partner with will also be here representing their businesses. The Pony Grill & Bar will be downstairs making drinks. The event will begin at 4:00 PM and we’ll be open until 8:00 PM, or later if fun is being had by all.”
We know you’re a huge gift destination for weddings, anniversaries, events, etc. Do you have any special gift registry offerings?
When you register your wedding with Cottonwood Kitchen + Home, you get:
> A Free gift
> An online-registry account
> An announcement on our social media pages
> An announcement in The Sheridan Press
> A personalized in-store display
> Free gift-wrapping & Free reception-delivery on most items
> 10% off your registry for one year after your wedding date for anything that wasn’t gifted
> Reservation opportunity for Cottonwood Kitchen + Home to host your bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, or anything related at a discounted rate
Jessica, what is your favorite thing to cook or bake?
“My favorite thing to cook is probably my Grandmother’s gnocchi and red sauce. I don’t slow down enough to make it but any tradition like that. My dad and I love to get together and re-create those traditional dishes from the family kitchens of the past.”
What is one must-have product from Cottonwood Kitchen + Home?
“A good knife that fits your hand and is well-sharpened. And then a fish spatula, which is a super-thin flexible spatula.”
What advice would you give to someone who is new to the kitchen, or dipping a toe into the cooking world?
“That’s a good question. I think to be fearless! Be willing to explore and try new things. Trying new things and learning something new is part of the experience.”
What is your favorite part of the new changes with Cottonwood Kitchen + Home?
“I’m mushy, so my favorite part is connecting the community through the kitchen. That’s where I grew up, that’s where all of my values came from, that’s where I had the most important conversations with family. The best memories were in the kitchen around the dining room table. Being able to offer people a way to slow down and connect, and, having grown up here, getting to give that back to the community I grew up in is my favorite part.”
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]]>The post The Inaugural Sheridan WYO Film Festival appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
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The festival arrived out of the desire to increase tourism and provide the Sheridan community with a fun event during the shoulder season. “I think there is a crowd of people who would be interested. There is a great art scene in Sheridan and many film lovers,” said Justin Stroup, the Festival Director. After a year of Justin researching what it would take to make a festival happen here, the Sheridan WYO Film Festival was born.
Featuring 38 films from around the world, the festival will offer people the chance to see films that they otherwise may have never even heard had the opportunity to see. In a rural location like Sheridan, where one often only gets the opportunity to see mainstream Hollywood movies, the chance to see independent films showcased at the festival is a special opportunity. There will be three screenings on Saturday, each showcasing 8-10 short films. The opening film on Friday and the closing film on Sunday are both feature-length films.
One of the stand out films, Miss Snake Charmer, is a documentary about a small-town Texas pageant that revolves around a rattlesnake round-up. It will be the film’s world premiere at the festival. Another film that will leave audiences talking is the closing night film, Rodents of Unusual Size. This film is a documentary that showcases the invasive species nutria, a giant rodent that is destroying the wetlands of Louisiana.
There will also be other fun events outside of the films, including a virtual reality exhibit where people can watch immersive films through virtual reality goggles. The festival will also be holding a “women in film” panel with the female filmmakers and actors of the festival. One special event of the festival is that an animator that has worked with Disney and Mattel will be doing an animation and character design demonstration. He will show the audience how to create an animated character for a cartoon or film, and will actually design a character in real time with input from the audience. The festival will also be hosting VIP events including an opening reception and a closing party.
“We built the ticket structure with different budgets in mind,” stated Justin. Some of the events like the Virtual reality exhibit and panels are free and open to the public. Tickets are $10 to attend an individual screening and a $50 festival pass will give you access to all screening events during the festival. The VIP pass is $100 and will get you into all screenings, as well as parties and mixers where you can mingle with the filmmakers. No matter what your budget is, the festival was created so that all film lovers will be able to enjoy it.
When asked what he wanted the festival to provide Sheridan, Justin replied, “I hope they just have fun and experience something new. There are a lot of movies at the festival that are miraculous!” The Sheridan WYO Film Festival is a great opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy film.
To learn more about the Sheridan WYO Film Festival and event details please visit www.sheridanwyofilmfest.org and to stay updated follow us on Facebook at sheridanwyofilmfest Tickets can be purchased online and in person at the WYO Theater.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=z2UJ-vw03Yo
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]]>The post Local Happenings: Suds n’ Spurs Brewfest appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
]]>Yes, it’s already the end of August *sigh*, summer is coming to an end everyone. As some of you may have noticed, Sheridan’s streets are becoming less and less consumed by tourism traffic and the busy buzz around town is slowly, but surely settling down. For the majority of the locals here in Sheridan, this is good news–we’d like to have our quaint, little town back to being a quiet and peaceful place to reside. However, for those who are still trying to get your party on in good weather and decent company, do not fret, clear your calendars! If you haven’t already, please take time from reading this and do so now.
Alright, now that you’re free get your pens/pencils out and write in on Saturday, August 25th from 2pm-7pm, “Gettin’ rowdy @ the Suds n’ Spurs Brewfest at Whitney Commons Park!”. Now, if the word ‘Brewfest’ isn’t enough to get you hooked, let me give you a little more information about this upcoming local event. For only $35 you will be granted UNLIMITED beer sampling (along with your very own Brewfest sampling glass) from more than two dozen professional craft brewers traveling in from eight different states, carrying more than 70 different craft brews! If you’re one of those people in the small percentage that cannot bond over crisp, cold beer–I guess you’re still invited. There will be local food vendors and live music to add to the madness of this event.
For those who are curious…here’s a list of the attending Breweries:
Lost Cabin Beer Co.
Rapid City, SD
Black Tooth Brewing Co.
Sheridan, WY
2 Basset Brewery
White Sulphur Springs, MT
Snake River Brewing
Jackson, WY
Red Lodge Ales Brewing Co.
Red Lodge, MT
Accomplice Beer Company
Cheyenne, WY
Carter’s Brewing Co.
Billings, MT
Firehouse Brewing Co.
Rapid City, SD
Luminous Brewhouse
Sheridan, WY
Uinta Brewing Co.
Salt Lake City, UT
Odell Brewing Co.
Ft. Collins, CO
Crow Peak Brewing Company
Spearfish, SD
Mishap! Brewing
Buffalo, WY
Melvin Brewing
Alpine, WY
Sick-N-Twisted
Hill City, SD
Altitude Chophouse and Brewery
Laramie, WY
Big Lost Meadery
Gillette, WY
Breckenridge Brewery
Littleton, CO
Elysian Brewing Company
Seattle, WA
10 Barrel
Bend, OR
Canyon Creek Brewing
Billings, MT
Goose Island Beer Company
Chicago, IL
Gillette Brewing Co.
Gillette, WY
Mount Rushmore Brewing Co.
Custer, SD
Shock Top
Fort Collins, CO
*Note* Tickets are $35 prior to the event and $40 the day of!
Some of you may be wondering where in the heck to get these valuable tickets at, well we have answers to that as well. Here’s another list to add to your other important lists:
Another big *NOTE* obviously, you must be 21+ to participate in this event.
Brewfest and other local events are just another reason why many of us love to call Sheridan home. Citizens of this growing community make tremendous effort to keep this town and it’s people entertained and in happy spirits, all the while supporting local businesses and welcoming other small businesses from around the state and U.S. What’s not to love about that? That’s #SheridanBrand for you, keeping Sheridan’s culture and western hospitality alive and well.
Hope to see you Saturday! Don’t forget to tag us in all of your Brewfest activities.
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]]>The post It’s FLIPPIN’ HOT, Sheridan. Here are a few COOL places to squat. appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
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Look, many of us could care less about the temperature outside. In fact, we invite the heat! We taunt those around us saying statements like… “You call this hot?! I remember when…. (Insert some absurd story of a time when you were a kid and there wasn’t ice, refrigeration, or these new fancy air conditioners).” But let’s face it, it’s FLIPPIN’ HOT!
Below is a list of the best air conditioned places in Sheridan you need to visit to keep cool, calm and collected.
Andi’s –
Some of the best coffee and baked goods in town! Also they keep it nice and cold all day long. Bring a friend, use one of their indoor board games, and squat until you’re too caffeinated to sit.
Luminous –
A cold brew, a family root beer, and a game of pool. This place is a great place to lounge around and take advantage of the cool indoors. Make sure to abuse the free popcorn hidden in the corner.
Sheridan Farmers Co-op –
We know, it’s a gas station. But they arguably have the coldest drink coolers, best fountain drinks in town, and the tastiest brats from Legerski’s.
Centennial Theatre –
It’s time for a midday workout. And by workout, we mean lifting handfuls of popcorn from your lap to your mouth. You may even want to hit a double feature with all the great movies that just arrived.
Kendrick Park –
Of course if you have to go outside and your kids are driving you crazy, take them for an evening swim and ice cream at the park. It should cool down to a balmy 90º by 8pm.
So, while the heat keeps coming, Sheridan remains cool. #staycoolmyfriends
The post It’s FLIPPIN’ HOT, Sheridan. Here are a few COOL places to squat. appeared first on Sheridan Brand.
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