CHRONICLE
4 I The Lovell Chronicle I
As a member of the local Masonic lodge, I was
along with other lodge members, to write a letter to
brothers in honor of the sealing this week of a time
be opened in 100 years.
This event is taking place because
Tri-Mountain View Masonic Lodge No. 35 is
celebrating the centennial of the lodge char-
ter, which originated in Deaver, followed shortly
thereafter by Lovell Lodge No. 36.
When the two lodges amalgamated de-
cades later, with lodge functions continuing
at the Lovell lodge hall, the combined organi-
zation took the name of the oldest charter -
which was TMV No. 35.
Anyway, to celebrate the centennial, we've
been asked to write a letter to our future
selves, so to speak, which I did. I thought
about What Lovell and surrounding communi-
asked this week,
my future lodge
capsule that is to
David Peck
Observations
ties would be like 100 years from now. Will the lodge still exist? (Per-
haps.) Will the lodge hall still be standing?. (Doubtful.)
What will Lovell be like? And Byron, Cowley, Deaver and Frannie?
Will this newspaper, the Lovell Chronicle, still be in operation? And if
not printed on paper, will the Chronicle exist in some sort of futurBtic
form? I sure hope so.
As I wrote the letter I also wondered about the future of agricul-
ture. Will farmers still be growing sugar beets, malt barley, alfalfa,
com, beans and other crops? Will the sugar factory still be operat-
ing?. Will ranchers still be raising cattle, hogs and sheep?
What will transportation be like? Will folks be zooming around
in flying cars or carried from place to place by some sort of futur-
istic technological wizardry? We almost have self-driving cars now,
and there will surely be a time when driving will be rare, if not a thing
of the past We'll be able to sit back and enjoy the ride, reading or
watching the world go by.
Will small towns even exist, or will most everyone be living in ev-
er-growing cities? I sure hope not. In fact, unless the economy pre-
cludes it, I envision people willing and able to from home" and:
choosing the rural lifestyle to avoid the suffocating urban sprawl.
Of course, we all wonder what shape our planet will be in ecologi-
cally. Will we be too far down the path to destruction 100 years from
how, or will we have somehow reversed the course of environmental
harm? Or is it all just cyclical, as some skeptics believe? Some sci-
entists say it's already too late.
Will humans be living on Mars 100 years from now, or the Moon?
Will we be exploring interstellar space? Or will we have stopped ex-
ploring space to focus on our own planet or because of the cost? I
sure hope not. We are explorers by nature and will always yearn to
reach out.
Will the United States still be the "shining city on the hill," or will
we have taken a backseat to China as a world power?. How many
wars do you think we will have fought during the next 100 years?
We never seem to learn in that arena. Let us pray that we don't blow
ourselves off the planet in the decades ahead.
Obviously, only time will tell what our community and our world will
be like 100 years from now. Here's what I do know. The essential
character of the good people of North Big Horn County will remain
the same. Here's what I wrote to my future lodge brothers:
"One thing, I am convinced, will remain the same: the good hearts
of the people of Lovell, of Cowley, of Byron, of Deaver and of Frannie.
The fiber of this community, contained within the hearts and minds
of our people, will remain strong, faithful, loving and caring. Only time
will tell what our towns will look like in 2119, what our economy will
consist of, what institutions will remain, and what will take their place.
"But I know this. I believe in our people and you, our descen-
dants, bom into a strong community bond and rooted in faith. I be-
lieve in the strong, independent spirit of Wyoming And I believe in
America, that she will still be a beacon of hope 100 years from how."
The year 2119 seems like a long way off, and indeed it is. Here's
hoping our descendants and our community will be thriving when
they open that time capsule 100 years from now.
IF KIDS CAN'T
FIND JOBS DURIN' TH'
SLIMMER, IT'LL GIVE'EM
MORE5 TIME TO FOCUS
ON WHAT REALLY
COUNTS IN LIFE
LIKE
LIKE WHAT
BAITTH' FISH
ARE TAKIN'.!
Letter to the Editor
Denise has been the can-do director with a smile
Dear Editor, back home.
What a great write-up on There were three or four oth-
Denise Andersen ("Andersen re-er people doing the same thing
tiring " May 16). in Lovell. This was very gruel-
However, there is one thing ing and wearing my mother out.
that was not noted. I went to vis- I thought there had to be a mini
it my parents (Shirley and Gerald bus or something that could be
Doerr) years ago and my moth- set up that could take all these
er was driving my dad to Cody people to Cody at once. I called
to have dialysis three times several places like the County,
a week. They would have to even Cheyenne, and got nowhere.
leave early in the morning, then I went to Denise and told her
she would wait five to six hours the problem. She immediately
until Dad was done, then drivegot on it and called the State and
got action. It doesn't seem like it
took very long before she called
to let me know they were going
to start a mini bus. They even
picked up people in Deaver and
Powell.
What a blessing for this small
community to have this ser-
vice. Denise has always gone out
of her way to help wherever pos-
sible. 1 will always be thankful to
her for what she did. And she al-
ways wears a smile!
Judy Doerr Welch
Guest column
PS
Speaking of heros,
but not the sandwich
variety, a question has
been posed regarding
whether the Hulk could
take on Superman.
Doubt that.
After all, to the best
of my recollection, the
only talents held by the
Hulk are: He could, af-
ter totally losing his
temper, turn green and Bob Rodriguez
triple his size. He could
growl loudly. And he managed to
have clothing that covered most
of his greenery although shirt
sleeves and the bottoms of his
trousers became shredded when
he went from a medium size shirt
to a 4XL and from a 34-inch waist
to size Mongo. Big deal.
However, it is possible that
if the green man challenged the
dude in the red, yellow and blue
pajamas (including a cape) the
latter would be defeated as he
"mine"
they simply have a terrif- ing into his easy chair to await the
ic set of skills and tools, next case before he become so
not to mention an un-
common load of common
Sense and intelligence
with which to defeat the
miscreants around them.
Not disregarding
the likes of super Clark
Kent, Batman, the orig-
inal male Captain Mar-
vel, Aquaman, Plastic
Man, Wonder Woman
and others of their ilk, it
is a pleasure to recall two of my
favorite heroes. They are (wait
for it): Sherlock Holmes and the
Lone Ranger. Yes, folks, in their
times they were (some might
contend) somewhat super he-
roes. Holmes and the Ranger ac-
tually (to my memory) operat-
ed in roughly the mid-1800s.
And they were a cut above the
normal denizens of those times.
Trust me.
The Ranger, of course ac-
bored that he lapsed into using a 7
percent solution of heroin. Ewww.
Anyway, the Lone Ranger als0
should be recognized for always
having spotless Clothing and ap-
parently eating well despite al-
ways sleeping on the ground with
his bedroll and consuming bacon
and beans. Not good for a steady
diet. And he and Tonto never got
to drink their coffee because every
time their pot began to perk they'd
hear a gunshot or a screaming
woman (in a runaway stagecoach
or aboard a goofy horse) and have
to dump the pot (being sure that
their campfire was extinguished).
Holmes, accompanied by the
loyal Dr. John Watson, was unique
with ways shared by the Ranger
and Tonto. His powers of observa-
tion were super. With a glance he
could examine footprints that no
one else could see or note tobacco
ash and a piece of thread. He could
laughed himself to death. Or at companied by Tonto, his faith-then tell you that the suspect was
least giggled into a helpless pile ful Indian companion, rid the Old a man approximately 6-4 weighing
of laughter. After all, Superman West of bad guys: rustlers, bullies, 244 pounds and that he had blue
was all powerful, able to leap tall evil bankers and despot ranch-eyes, a black suit and new boots
buildings in a single bound, etc. ers, wayward lawmen and otherswith taps. Also that he worked as a
So it seems likely that he could in many occupations (all of them chef. And cooked mostly fish. And
blow the Hulk over with his super truly evil). Come to think of it, bing bong grunkle, Bob's yer uncle.
breath. Especially if he just had a the lonester and Holmes basicallyBeing one of those hero types
large bowl of garlic soup. went after similar nasty types, al- probably doesn't pay well. But
David Peck last week provided ways triumphing; the Ranger leav- the guys aren't in it for the bucks.
the rather immense list of heroes, ing a cloud of dust and a hearty They simply want to triumph
super or otherwise. Sometimes "Hi-Yo Silver" (and perhaps some against evil.
the characters involved in that road apples) and the renowned So "Hi-Yo Silver" and "Come
line of work aren't truly super; British consulting detective laps- Watson, the game is afoot!"
Guest column
2017 Award-winning Newspaper
Postmaster: Send address changes to:
The Lovell Chronicle, USPS 321-060
234 E. Main, Lovell, Wyoming 82431
307-548-2217
Published every Thursday
Periodical postage paid at Lovell, Wyoming
Publisher/Editor: David Peck
Reporter: Ryan Fitzmaurice
Production: Karlie Hammond,
Dustin McClure
Staff: Dorothy Nelson, Teressa Ennis,
Sam Smith, Annette Moss,
Marwyn Layne, William Parmer
:N
i i ii
www.LovellChronicle.com
BY JIM WALDROP AND CJ. BOX blue-ribbon research companies
While Wyoming lawmakers whose methodologies adhere to
are working hard to find ways to the strictest standards in the in-
increase revenue in the state to dustry: Dean Runyan Associates
diversify the economy, unfortu-and Strategic Marketing and Re-
search Insights. The insinuation
nately many of them seem will-
fully blind when it comes to a real
opportunity sitting right there in
front of them: growing our tourism
sector. In the last two years, bills
to fund tourism promotion and re-
move the agency budget from the
general fund were defeated de-
spite support from the House and
the statewide hospitality industry.
During the last legislative session
and more recently at the Joint Rev-
enue Committee meeting in Land-
er, some legislators have publicly
announced they don't believe the
studies and/or research provided
by the Wyoming Office of Tourism
that prove definitively that our ad-
vertising and marketing campaign
is effective in increasing visitation
and revenues to the state.
that our Board, staff and our in-
dustry would allow significant dol-
lars to be spent on unaccredited
frivolous research is simply un-
true, inaccurate and offensive.
These respected national
firms concluded that in 2018 visita-
tion increased to 8.9 million over-
nights, that visitors generated $196
million in tax revenue including
$83 million in local tax revenues,
that the visitor economy supports
more than 32,000 jobs and that it's
the largest private-sector employ-
er in Wyoming. Additionally, the
state's tourism advertising cam-
paign grew visitation by 24 per-
cent. That spending on advertis-
ing generated $59.3 million in state
and local taxes. Without the visitor
is real money that our state needs.
Tourism provides a higher
quality of life for Wyomingites be-
cause in our sparsely populated
state tourists support our restau-
rants, lodging facilities, activities,
festivals, events, outdoor recre-
ation opportunities and economic
growth. Revenue derived from the
visitor economy makes it possible
to boost spending on public ser-
vices like police, education, infra-
structure and health care.
Governor Mark Gordon rec-
ognized the state's second-larg-
est industry recently by signing a
proclamation declaring May 5-11
as National Travel and Tourism
Week. As the home of America's
first national park, first nation-
al monument, first national for-
est and the envy of destinations all
across the country, we have a lot-to
celebrate. Let's hope we continue
to work together to grow and sta-
bilize our economy, not find ways
The tourism marketing stud-, economy, each household in Wyo- to intentionally undermine it.
ies providedtothe Wyoming Leg, ming would havetopay an average (Jim Waldrop is chairman and
islature are not done in-houseof $840 in taxes to maintain the C.J. Box is vice-chairman of the
but by two nationally-recognized, same level of public services. This Wyoming Office of Tourism Board.)
