Participants race for a loose ball during Friday night’s Donkey Basketball game in Sundance. Organizers said the event drew nearly 200 spectators and raised almost $900 which will be used to help purchase a new defibrillator for the ambulance.

Keyhole Marina gets new operator

State Parks and Cultural Resources Director Milward Simpson has awarded a bid to Philip Jordan to serve as the new concessionaire of the Keyhole State Park Marina.
Jordan, operating as JPC - Keyhole, will begin operations at the facility as soon as a contract is finalized. Jordan and the state have 30 days to negotiate a contract.
Simpson’s offer to Jordan came after a unanimous recommendation by the Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources Commission to accept Jordan’s bid.
The Commission’s recommendation came after hearing information provided by an interagency review and an independent financial review of the two bids submitted.
“ The Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources looks forward to a productive, beneficial relationship with the new concessionaire,” Simpson said.

City clarifies fire budget
By Evonna Schelling
One detail of a Sundance Times news report left a few folks scratching their heads and wondering if it was accurate. In an article about the city spending priority list two weeks ago, it was reported that $500,000 had been included in the city budget for the volunteer fire department. The statement drew questioning comments from curious citizens.
For clarification purposes, the Times went back to Mayor Fred Tschetter and Stephanie Marty, Town Clerk, to determine whether the information was correct. They say, “Yes, it is.”
To clarify, $535,000 was included in the proposed budget for the Sundance Volunteer Fire Department. Of that amount, $44,850 is designated for normal operation expenses while $490,000 is included for new purchases.
According to the mayor and the town clerk, a grant has been applied for with which the fire department will purchase a firetruck and air pack equipment. As is typical, the grant amount must be written into the budget in the event it is granted.
“ We can’t spend the money if it’s not included in the budget,” Mayor Tschetter said. And, if the grant is not approved, the money won’t be spent. Marty added that the grant money, if approved, would be a revenue to offset the expenditure.
“ But these numbers are not final,” Marty said, adding that the proposed budget has to go through three readings before it can be approved.

Devils Tower centennial book signing May 11

Author Jeanne Rogers will be honored at a publication party and book signing for her book, Standing Witness: Devils Tower National Monument, A History, on May 11 from 2-4 p.m. at the Visitor Center at Devils Tower National Monument. The event is hosted by the National Park Service and Devils Tower Natural History Association.
Published by the National Park Service as part of the Centennial celebration, Standing Witness: Devils Tower National Monument, A History is based on superintendents’ notes, monument archives, historical publications, and personal interviews. Researched and written as a commemorative history of America’s first national monument, the 290-page trade paperback includes photographs, an extensive bibliography, and a complete index.
Rogers, a freelance writer from Sundance, was recently invited to contribute to a forthcoming collection of poems to honor Ted Kooser, a former U.S. Poet Laureate. Her work is also included in three collections of women’s writing, several literary chapbooks juried by national award-winning writers, and many regional publications.
For more information about the event, please contact Linda Tokarczyk, Devils Tower Natural History Association, at 467-5283 Ext. 631 or Linda_Tokarczyk@partner.nps.gov or Jeanne Rogers at 283-2125 or jrogers@collinscom.net.