Capital Chorale adds a dash of humorous seasonings to a rainy Cheyenne night

By now, decades into the electronics revolution, you would think that everyone would be safely at home on a rainy Friday night playing e-games or watching a super-hero flick on their mega-widescreen TV.

That's not the case. The more electronic options available, the greater the need to get out among our fellow humans. Yes, we are an untidy and argumentative bunch. We do like to get together to enjoy the arts.

Friday night featured a variety of offerings in Cheyenne. Chris and I attended the Cheyenne Capital Chorale "Tasteful Tapestries" concert. The Cheyenne Little Theatre offered "9 to 5 -- the musical" and the LCCC Theatre featured "Anne of Green Gables." Bands performed at local bars. The Suite Bistro held its usual karaoke night, which could be considered an art form depending on who's on stage at the time. If it's me, forget it.

My daughter Annie, however, has a great voice and was performing with the Capital Chorale last night. "Tasteful Tapestries" was all about food, as am I, so it was a natural choice to attend. Because I've been homebound for a month due to knee replacement, I've had an opportunity to hear Annie rehearse her solo and the other songs on the CCC repertoire. Unlike her violin practice in the fourth grade, which set neighborhood dogs howling, Annie's singing is a joy to hear. Her solo was the classic tune from "The Sound of Music," "My Favorite Things." A tuneful little ditty that I've heard hundreds of times during screenings if Chris's favorite film. The song has plentiful references to Austrian foodstuffs -- schnitzel with noodles and strudel -- so it fit easily into the evening's program. Janet Anderson performed "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," a song by Harry McClintock about the musings of a Depression-era hobo made famous in "O Brother, Where Art Thou." The Cheyenne Capital Quartet (plus one) tackled the classic "Snap, Crackle, Pop" advertising jingle, which brought back memories of endless bowls of Rice Krispies. The trio of Paula Egan-Wright, Sarah Scott and LuWana DePorter celebrated caffeinated beverages with the "Java Jive."

After breaks to bid on silent auction items and to buy yummy pastries (pecan pie!), the chorale launched into "The Seasonings" by P.D.Q. Bach, the pen name for musician and humorist Schickele. It's been decades since I've heard P.D.Q. Bach (1807-1742) performed. I forgot how clever and irreverent he can be. Songs included "Tarragon of Virtue is Full," "Bide Thy Thyme" and "To Curry Favor, Favor Curry." The pianist was accompanied by bicycle horns, triangles and some mysterious homemade instruments. The cast expanded to include a pair of cheerleaders, a chef, football players, and soothsayers.

A whopping good time was had by all. And money was raised for the 2015-2016 season.

And to think that all of this entertainment was brought to us by volunteers, our family members, friends and neighbors who are in it for the love of music.

No Black Friday shopping for me

Chris and I were talking about Black Friday.

"We've never shopped on Black Friday, right?" she asked.

I thought about it. I may have bought something on Black Friday. A book. A cup of coffee. Lunch. But we've never stood in line all night waiting to buy the newest electronic gadget at half price. If I had been thinking clearly in 1994, I would have stood in line all night to get Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers figures for our nine-year-old son, Kevin. As it turned out, I was scampering from store to store up until Christmas to find the figures which were flying off the store shelves as soon as they were trucked in from shops in China. We knew it was ludicrous to get manic about little pieces of colored plastic. But try looking your kid in the eye and telling them that Santa Claus failed to deliver a treasured toy. This could lead to a broken heart and lack of faith in the world which later would mean lots of therapy. Who wanted that?

Twenty years later, our kids are grown and in therapy, as are their parents. It all works out.

If only we'd gone to Black Friday....

Thanksgiving weekend shopping has become a battleground. Months ago, stores such as CostCo began advertising that they would not be open on Thanksgiving in order to give their employees a much-needed day off to spend with family.

The inference is that stores which decided to open on Thanksgiving, stores such as Wal-Mart, hated their employees and their families.

The battle lines were drawn even before Black Friday! Interesting to note that CostCo is the darling of union and liberal circles because it pays its employees well, offers benefits and still manages to thrive in a cutthroat business. Wal-Mart, on the other hand, pays such low wages that many of its employees qualify for food stamps and other social safety net services. Wal-Mart is beloved by conservatives because, well, just because.

Liberals don't shop at Wal-Mart, or at least don't admit it. Same goes for Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A. My guess is that if we knew the politics of a store before we shopped there, we may never shop again.

Saturday is Small Business Saturday and is promoted by corporate giant American Express. If you can skip by the irony, you might get enthused enough to shop at your local independent businesses, if you can find any. Indie businesses are usually found in thriving downtowns nourished by the current localism mania. In the 70s and 80s, downtowns were left to fester as development thrived in the burbs and out on the peripheries, such as the formerly sleepy cowpath that became bustling Dell Range Boulevard in Cheyenne, home of Wal-Mart, Frontier Mall and many of the usual chain stores.

Shoppers in the know now look for purveyors of home-grown food and homemade arts and crafts usually located in the central parts of towns and cities. Coffee shops, craft breweries, art galleries, renovated theatres, boutique hotels and customized/ethnic restaurants make up vibrant downtowns. There are some chain stores, true, but they tend to be appropriate to downtown's quaint nature.

I may shop small on Saturday. Or I may not. What about Wal-Mart? I never rule it out. Many bargains. Great people-watching. And, well, Cheyenne has no CostCo. We are getting a second Wal-Mart. And there is a CostCo being built off I-25 in Fort Collins. But that means shopping in Colorado and paying Colorado sales taxes.  This boosts the Colorado economy and fuels growth that inexorably slouches toward Cheyenne. Colorado's liberal influences will seep into Cheyenne's culture and turn us slowly blue. I'd hate to see Cheyenne get Colorado-ized, but a tilt toward liberal politics would be a welcome change.

If you must shop, shop small and locally on Saturday, or any any day.

As I begin my tenth year of blogging liberally and locally and snarkily...

Not sure why, but old friends are finding me via my blog. Maybe my analytics are peaking after nine years on Blogger. My first couple years in the blogosphere were spent trying to figure out what to write about 3-4 times per week. I called it "hummingbirdminds" after a quote in Wired magazine from hypertext pioneer Ted Nelson. Nelson was asked about his severe case of Attention Deficit  Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He said that people with ADHD have "hummingbird minds." That seemed to fit. My wife and I raised a son with ADHD and we got to see a hummingbird mind up close and personal. His attention could flit to more places in five minutes than mine did in a day.

At first, I thought I would blog about ADHD. I was working on a book based on our experiences with our son. I figured that I would put excerpts up on the blog, editors and publishers would discover me, and soon I would be dreaming of ways to spend my five-figure book advance. That didn't happen, mainly because  my own short attention span wandered off-topic and I began writing about writing, politics, life in Wyoming and other fascinating topics. Much to my chagrin, I was not a one-topic blogger like some of my more successful friends on the blogosphere. A romance novelist. A knitter. A diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan. A high-altitude gardener. All were making hay online, especially the gardener. Their blogs engendered readers and comments and numbers. My posts earned a smattering of visits and an occasional comment. 

Leading up to the 2008 elections, I began focusing on politics. As my blog's subhead says: "Blogging Liberally and Locally in Wyoming." The "blogging liberally" term I borrowed from Drinking Liberally, a great idea and a great site. "Locally," of course, I got from the local movement that has been sweeping the country and making a big difference in our politics and in business. I try to act locally and shop locally. 

My political blogging earned me a trip to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, a scholarship to Netroots Nation 2011 in Minneapolis and a mention as Wyoming's top state liberal blog by Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post's "The Fix" blog. Good experiences. Good times. 

What's next? More politics. More wise-ass comments. I plan to self-publish another book of short stories by the end of the year -- beware of marketing posts about my book as self-publishing means self-promotion and lots of it. When I first began to blog, I heard that shameless self-promotion on your blog was gauche. It just wasn't done. Then along came social media and self-promotion became the rule rather than the exception. It's as American as apple pie. So I will post snippets of my work and even stage a book giveaway or two. 

But I won't totally leave off of politics. I'd be afraid that my old conservative friends wouldn't find me online. There is nothing like old friends....

Living foods do not bite back

The Cheyenne Tuesday Farmers Market has a nifty web site that gives details about the farmers, handmade food purveyors and artisans that sell their wares at the Sears parking lot off of Dell Range.

It seems fitting that local food and art are being sold in the shadow of the mall, home to enough Made in China stuff to stock every garage in Cheyenne. I don't have a garage, so someone will have to take my share.

At the Saturday market at Depot Plaza, I've been buying some of Yoga Oasis's delicious cashew cheese pate and healthy flatbreads made from "sprouted nuts, seeds and grains," some with fruit and veggies. Yoga practitioner, artist and chef Debbie Matthew is the proprietor and sometimes is accompanied to the market by her son, who also makes a mean banana bread. I haven't purchased any of her art, nor do I plan to travel to Laramie for yoga classes, but I am eating her homemade "living foods." Too early to tell if they're good for me, but they do not bite back like some other things I've eaten.

Since my heart attack in January, I've been searching out foods that won't contribute to another one. I eat heartily on vegetables from my garden and the farmers' market. I'd eat my lawn if I thought it had any nutritional value. I've cut way back on the salt and the red meat. I eat fewer snacks. My ice cream cravings have been tempered by the memory of constantly beeping hospital room monitors. Too bad -- I love ice cream.

I am trying to be good. I spend countless hours clogging up the grocery store food aisles while I try to grok the sodium and saturated fat contents on food labels. I am beginning to understand that the grocery store may not be the best place to find edibles. Eighty percent of the store's foodstuffs are bad for you.

It's clear that I can only buy some foods from farmers markets. The season is short in the Rockies and budgets are lean.

If you haven't already, go to the market today from 3-6:30 p.m.

This struggling stick figure artist is impressed with local talent

I am continually amazed by the artistic talents of my fellow human beings. Writers can string words and phrases together to create something intelligible that might be fun and/or informative to read. But when it comes to creating a physical object, I am inept. That probably describes a lot of us, although it shouldn't prevent us from trying. It didn't seem to phase my son and daughter that their father's stick figures were terrible. They just liked it that I spent hours drawing with them on snowy days.

Art Design & Dine is on the schedule this Thursday, June 13, 5-8 p.m. A few years ago, local artist Georgia Rowswell got the ball rolling for "Cheyenne's in-town art tour." It's still going strong and always boasts something new and interesting. This time, Georgia's Artful Hand Gallery is featuring the work of her husband Dave, an artist and arts educator. His rawhide jewelry will be on display (and for sale) at Artful Hand for one night only (see image).

You can also view Georgia's mixed-media landscape art. Her work is also part of the Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition on the ground floor of the Barrett Building which also houses the Wyoming State Museum. Reception for the GCAE will be on June 21 starting at 5 p.m. Come on our for art and music and refreshments. I've seen the exhibit twice now, and I could go back for more -- and will.

All of this work is offered for sale. Support your local artists! They are crucial to a healthy cultureshed.

Sunday wrap-up: How does your blog, story or garden grow?

Sunday weekend wrap-up...

My fellow WYO prog-blogger and author Rodger McDaniel will be a guest on MSNBC's morning show tomorrow. He'll be talking about his new book, Dying for Joe McCarthy's Sins The Suicide of Wyoming Senator Lester Hunt. As he said on Facebook earlier today:

Hope you get up early in the morning to watch me on Chuck Todd's show between 7 and 8 a.m. Wyoming time.

We'll be up and watching, Rodger. And congrats.

I spent my weekend at the Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference in Laramie. It was great seeing old friends and hearing good writing and publishing advice from novelist Margaret Coel and agents Katherine Sands and Sandra Bond. My state government colleague Chris Madson gave an inspiring opening speech. Pat Frolander of Sundance delivered a Sunday morning farewell speech from our poet laureate. This eminence gris conducted a workshop about online publishing and was pleased to see a packed house. I served as emcee for the Saturday night open mic reading and had the pleasure of serving as the spirit of Ernest Hemingway in a poem by Sheridan's Rose Hill. I'm beginning to look a bit like Papa in his Old Man and the Sea era. 

This is a supportive group of writers and poets. The org has attracted 73 new members in the last year and still growing. Go to the web site and join, and attend the 40th anniversary conference in Sheridan the first weekend in June 2014. 

My veggie garden leapt forward in my absence. The greens are greening, the beans and cukes are poking out of the sod and I have some blossoms on the squash and at least one of my tomato plants. I'm happy to be back in the Mr. Greenjeans biz. Wish me luck for a warm and hail-free summer. Photos coming soon...

Speaking of gardening, the Tuesday Farmers' Market returns to Cheyenne on Tuesday (of course), June 11, but at a new location located in the parking lot just west of Sears at Frontier Mall. This is the third location of the TFM since its founding in 2004. But don't let that throw you. It's a great mix of vendors offering grass-fed beef, handmade breads, BBQ, and arts and crafts. Later on, it will have lots of local veggies and fruits. Eat Locally!

Shop locally for the holidays at UUCC WinterMart this weekend

Gifts made by artists, crafts people and other vendors of handmade wares can be found at the annual Unitarian Universalist Church of Cheyenne WinterMart, 3005 Thomes Avenue, December 14-15, Friday 4:30-6:30 pm, Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Lunch and baked goods will be available. Proceeds benefit programs supported by UUCC. FMI: Terry at (307) 214-3932, UUCC at (307) 638-4554.

Visions of handmade local sugarplums dancing in my head

Next Saturday is Small Business Saturday. It's an opportunity for all of us to avoid the Big Box Stores in favor of the Small Box Stores, preferably locally-owned and locally-managed places. Buy your CDs, vinyl and funky clothing at Cheyenne's Ernie November's. Give your favorite beer drinker (hint, hint) a selection of beers from Freedom's Edge Brewery just down 16th Street from Ernie's. If you can wait until the following Saturday -- Dec. 1 -- local culinary artists (chocolate-covered bacon!) ply their wares at the Winter Farmers Market at the Historic Depot. Or browse local art galleries and studios during the next Art Design and Dine on Dec. 13. You'll find a broad selection of handmade/homemade items for the arts lover on your list. Buy books by Wyoming authors at City News or directly from the writers. For ideas, see Wyoming Writers, Inc., or consult the list of writers on the Wyoming Arts Council blog sidebar.

Speaking of the arts.... Tickets to concerts and plays make for splendid holiday presents. If I was Martha Stewart, I would buy tickets to a Cheyenne Little Theatre Players show, put it in an envelope, place that in a box, put that box inside a bigger box, wrap the big box in festive wrapping and then place it under the boughs of a Christmas tree harvested in the Snowy Range and decorated with dazzling homemade ornaments, many of which are edible. Since I'm not Martha Stewart, I shall still buy the theatre tickets at the last minute and stash them in my loved one's Christmas stocking while I sip home-brewed grog late on Christmas Eve as the Led Zeppelin Christmas album plays in the background.

Check out more shopping ideas on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page. You can get free downloadable signage at www.shopsmall.com.

Fab art at FABulous Women's Art Show at WOW in Laramie

Fabulous women artists exhibit their fabulous artwork at Works of Wyoming in Laramie. Opening reception is Saturday. Head over to WOW's new digs on First Street in downtown Laramie. Stick around for some fab vegetarian food next door at Sweet Melissa's and a pint of finely crafted ale at the brewpub.

Create locally, submit locally, publish locally, see your work in local litmag

The High Plains Register at Laramie County Community College accepts previously unpublished, original poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, music, and artwork. All LCCC students are eligible to submit; local and greater-Wyoming community submissions also encouraged.

All LCCC student submissions will be eligible for the High Plains Register Award for Best Poem, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Drama Music or Artwork.

Postal (snail) mail submissions must be postmarked no later than October 15, 2012. The deadline for electronic submissions is 5 p.m., October 19, 2012.

Get more info at the HPR's spiffy new web page at http://lccc.wy.edu/life/clubs/HPR

In the future, Wyoming travelers may yearn to be stranded at Denver's revamped airport

I happened upon Fast Company's Co.Exist (and Co-Create and Co.Design) during my perambulations around the Internet. All three are great places to waste (I mean, "spend") some time exploring new inventions and trends and ideas and foodways. Next time I'm in Copenhagen, I'm going to try to get a table at Noma for a plate of ants and blueberries, or barbecue carrots with sorrel sauce and hay ash. There is a hidden beauty to suburban sprawl -- and an array of stunning photos is offered in evidence. We are wasting our time harnessing wind at ground level -- we should be tethering high-flying wind-generating kites at 10 kilometers. Lots of them.

And airports aren't just for passing through any more. Munich's new airport offers an entire Oktoberfest experience, Hong Kong International offers an outdoor nine-hole golf course and a 350-seat IMAX theatre, Lagos's new airport will feature a duty-free shop with bargain-basement prices on kitchen appliances, and Changi International in Singapore features a Balinese-themed swimming pool. The airport was built on the site of one of Japan's most notorious World War II POW camps, the setting for James Clavell's compelling novel, "King Rat." Wonder if you can buy the book at the airport?

And here's what co.Exist had to say about Denver's soon-to-be-renovated DIA:

Architect's rendering of the new DIA

The Denver International Airport is getting more “Colorado.” It’s being expanded and transformed into a quasi city center, connected both physically and emotionally to downtown Denver and the region. A Westin hotel and conference center (with a dynamite rooftop pool and views of the Rockies) is part of the expansion program along with an outdoor public plaza for staging community events and a new fast rail line (and station) that will whisk travelers and Denver residents alike to/from downtown Denver.

Cheyenne can't compete with that. However, our new airport terminal may help airlines do a much better job shuttling us to DIA for the ambience that surrounds a Thanksgiving flight to Aunt Martha's or a business trip to D.C. Heck, Wyoming travelers may soon yearn to be stranded at DIA due to a holiday blizzard.

It's interesting to note that the new DIA will connect people "physically and emotionally to downtown Denver and the region." It may soon be easier to fly than drive from Cheyenne to Denver for a football weekend or for a weekend of shopping and entertainment. While Cheyenne long ago ceded Front Range leadership to Denver, this new transportation complex could make that reality permanent. But Cheyenne can hop on this bandwagon, making sure that we're a primary feeder hub to DIA and Denver. We haven't done a very good job of that in the past. By enhancing those things that make us great, we'll be a player in the region.

That doesn't mean making Cheyenne a mini-Denver. It means making Cheyenne more Cheyenne. As Mayor Kaysen has said time and again, one of our priorities has to be the revitalization of downtown. Keep at it, Cheyenne. Make Cheyenne more Cheyenne by saving its historic central business district. Nobody makes a destination of a place that excels in strip malls or Wal-Marts. They do want to travel to a place that has character. That's what Cheyenne Frontier Days is all about -- "Live the Legend!" It's the Old West meeting the New West. The Old West is rodeo and cowboys and country-western music. The New West means a vibrant downtown with brewpubs and restaurants and rock concerts and art galleries and western clothing stores mixed with funky boutiques. The distinctive music and art that's offered at these places should come from local and regional musicians and artists and artisans. The restaurant food should come from Southern Wyoming (SoWy) and Northern Colorado (NoCo) farms and ranches. Some of it can be grown on rooftop gardens and greenhouses. What a thriving place downtown Cheyenne will be. Denverites may want to hop on a plane at DIA and fly north to Cheyenne because there's no place like it on earth. Imagine that.

Architect's rendering of new Cheyenne airport terminal.

BeatGrass plays at the Atlas April 28

http://facebook.com/beatgrassband

Bid on work by local artists during May at the Cheyenne Family YMCA silent auction

Works by local artists Marlin Glasner, Tom Shaffer, Aaron Curry, Win Ratz, Joyce & Casey Stone will be up for bids at a silent auction held during May by the Cheyenne Family YMCA. The artwork may be viewed beginning May 1 in the swimming pool lobby. Proceeds go to the YMCA's Community Support Campaign. Hours 5 a.m.-9 p.m., M-F; Saturday 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday noon-4 p.m. FMI: Chris Shay at 307-634-9622.

Volunteers put the "community" in Cheyenne's community theatre

This afternoon's matinee is the last performance of "Bad Seed" by the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players.

Too bad, really, as it's a fine show that addresses some up-and-coming issues of the 1950s, when the play first hit Broadway. During that time, there was a great debate over the nature-nurture thesis. Some experts thought that the nurturing of a good family could overcome any bad natural tendencies, such as murdering your classmates. Others thought there could be a "bad seed," that some children are just inherently bad.

In the play, eight-year-old Rhoda is a cute-as-a-button killer. A classmate drowns during a school picnic and Rhoda was the last one to be seen with him. Did she or didn't she? -- that's the plays big question. You can get a full description of the plot here.

In the CLTP program's "Director's Notes," Toni Tomei notes that the play may display its "threads of age" but its subject is still debated and "has been played out in countless books, films and television shows since." Not to mention the nightly news. How many murders have we seen committed by "that nice boy next door?" You know, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Dylan Klebold.

But the best part of the play is in the doing of it. My wife and I are just two of the many volunteers who showed up during the course of the play. The cast and crew has been at the Mary Godfrey Theatre every day since the beginning of the year. Auditions were held, followed by six week of rehearsals. A set was built. Tickets were sold and press releases sent out. It takes a village to put on a play.

Saddle Ridge Elementary School student Lexie Woolridge (the creepy Rhoda) was recently seen as Baby Kangaroo in "Seussical, Jr." Assistant Director Wes Peterson is a recent graduate of Montana State University, a high school teacher and last year played Finch in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Sharry Arneson (Miss Kent) works at the Barnes & Noble Starbuck's and both of her twenty-something children are actors. David James (Leroy) studied acting at NYU and enjoys painting. Fifteen people designed and built the set, including Eddie Heying (foreman), actor/singer and CLTP Office Manager Dana Heying and their two talented daughters.

Both of our kids have been involved with our community theatre. During his high school years, Kevin acted in several plays and also was a summer melodrama volunteer. He spent his community college years in Tucson as the student theatre's light-and-sound guy. Our daughter has volunteered as an usher and popcorn maker. Last night, I was house manager and my wife ran the box office. In the audience last night was a local physician, several fellow state employees, at least one preacher, a young married couple who met on the set, an artist, teachers, railroaders, retirees, etc. They were at the Mary Godfrey Theatre despite stiff competition from a Cheyenne Symphony performance and the second night of "Oklahoma" next door at East High School. Not to mention the competition presented by the wind and the cold.

If you get a chance at 2 p.m. today, go see "Bad Seed." Or get your tickets now for "The 39 Steps" March 23-April 1 at the Historic Atlas Theatre. The CLTP will also hold its 2012-2013 season debut session April 5 at the Atlas. You can also support the CLTP Mardi Gras Bash fund-raiser March 3 (next Saturday) at the Atlas.

Support your local theatre! FMI: http://www.cheyennelittle theatre.org

Shop locally by supporting local theatre

Opening Jan. 20 at the CLTP: "Messiah on the Frigidaire"

The Cheyenne Little Theatre Players offers a full season of live theatre for all of us in southeastern Wyoming. My wife Chris and I were volunteers Saturday night for the next-to-last performance of "She Loves Me." All local performers, all-local musicians in the orchestra pit, all-local volunteer crew. CLTP puts the "community" in "community theatre." With that in mind, here's a neat holiday gift idea:

Looking for a gift for that person who has everything?

How about gifting the perfect night out? 

Getting a jump on your holiday gift list? 

Well, Cheyenne Little Theatre Players gift certificates are the answer! 

Call the CLTP box office at 307-638-6543 to purchase one for a specific show in our season, or purchase a general certificate that the recipient may redeem for a show of their choice. 

FMI: http://www.cheyennelittletheatre.org

Shop locally at Dec. 3 Cheyenne Winter Market

The next Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market is on Saturday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Vendor businesses are locally owned and operated -- "local" meaning within 150 miles of Cheyenne. Last year at the December market, I bought a handmade scarf and hat set for my wife by an artrepreneur in Chugwater (she raises her own llamas). I bought several ornaments from a Cheyenne glass artist. And baked goods galore. Some fine tamales. How did I pay for this? With the fruits of my hard-working Liberal nature, of course. And my handy credit union credit card. I moved my money long ago. You should too.

Local Harvest describes it this way:

This is a fun indoor market with great energy and super vendors. Fair-Trade Coffee, Goat Cheese, Handmade Chocolates, Cinnamon rolls, chowders, locally raised Mushrooms, Gourmet Pastas, Black Forest Ham, beef, bison, lamb, chicken, turkey, chicken eggs, take out Bar-B-Que, artisan breads, cookies, cakes, and much more. This market is 85% food vendors with the balance of crafts or body care products.

FMI: http://www.localharvest.org/cheyenne-winter-farmers-market-M40878

Support your local artrepreneurs on Small Business Saturday

Support your local businesses, crafters and artrepreneurs. Go to Re-Occupy Main Street

Occupy Cheyenne 11/21 General Assembly: Cold toes, warm hearts

Cool hand-crafted signs from Oct. 15 Occupy Cheyenne

I attended the second General Assembly for Occupy Cheyenne last night. We met outside in the parking lot of a city park. Temp hovered around freezing but thankfully the wind was not blowing. By the light of of city lamps and T's flashlight, we spoke about next steps. The next march will be held on Saturday, Dec. 10, noon-3 p.m. We'll assemble at the Wyoming State Capitol Building (we'll get a state permit!). There will be speakers and then we will follow the sidewalks down to Depot Plaza. There we will wave signs, shout catchy slogans and urge passing holiday shoppers to consider their roles in the 99%.

Those at last night's GA were of many ages and backgrounds. College students, state workers, a retired Air Force pilot, an economist, a welder, a graphic designer, an attorney, a social worker, an unemployed young person, etc. We were all out there in the cold to plan future events and to craft our message. Everyone seems to want a focused message from the Occupy Movement. At least that's what TV talking heads seem to want. Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich wants us to take baths (baths? -- he must be living in one of his historical novels). Not sure what Newt's obsession with cleanliness is -- probably a metaphor for his need to cleanse his filthy soul.

To craft that message, we are meeting at noon on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the UU Church. We'll be working from the document drafted by Occupy DC. Needs to be Wyo-customized, as we have many issues within our state that need to be addressed. At the same time, we'll be customizing a Powerpoint presentation that was made during the recent teach-ins at the library and the UU Church. I joke about having a coherent message (see above). However, it is important. One of the first questions we all get is something along these lines: "What is Occupy (or the 99%) anyway?" A very good questions, and we hope to bring some clarity to that on Saturday.

More info will be forthcoming. Join is for the next Occupy Cheyenne march on Dec. 10. The Wyoming AFL/CIO has agreed to take part. We especially urge teachers to attend, as they no doubt will be under attack again in the upcoming legislature. Bring your signs. Bring your friends. I am inviting my fellow workers, whether they be part of the Wyoming Public Employees Association or not. I am inviting all of my fellow writers. Come on down! And shop locally while you're downtown.

In the meantime, go to the Occupy Cheyenne Facebook page and join in the conversation.

Call for entries: Open Window online literary magazine

Lori Howe sends out a call to writers in Wyoming:

Open Window, the new on-line literary magazine of LCCC’s Albany County Campus in Laramie, invites you to submit your creative work for publication in its inaugural issue. 

Open Window is a literary magazine that publishes three regular issues and one special topics issue each year. We publish new and established writers, and invite you to submit in one or more of the following categories:

*Fiction: up to 5 pages of fiction

*Non-fiction: up to 5 pages of non-fiction

*Poetry: up to three poems or one long poem

*Please submit your creative work via email as an attachment in MS Word document format; work submitted in any other form will not be considered for publication. Submit your work by NOVEMBER 25, 2011, to openwindow.howe78@gmail.com

*Please observe the standard of numbering your pages and using 12-point font.

*Simultaneous submissions are acceptable with immediate notification of alternate publication.

*Please include a short cover page with bio, along with your work; in it should be your full name, some information about yourself, and a description of the work you are submitting for consideration, so that it will be read by the appropriate editor.

There are no reading or submission fees at Open Window. 

The first issue of Open Window will be published the third week of December, 2011. Acceptance/rejection notices will be sent via email before this date. 

Open Window Launch Party/Reading: A gala opening of Open Window, with a reading by the writers published in the first issue, will be held in the reading space above Night Heron Books in Downtown Laramie the week before Christmas, 2011. All of our writers are invited to participate and bring friends and family to help celebrate the occasion with appetizers and desserts by The Cakelady.

LCCC Theatre Club sponsors open mic night Nov. 17

The Laramie County Community College Theatre Club is sponsoring an open mic night on Thursday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m., at the LCCC Theatre in Cheyenne. Show up and sign up to go on stage with your original work. No admission fee, but donations of canned food items are appreciated and will be donated to local charities for the holidays. Coffee provided. More info on LCCC Theatre Club Facebook page.