FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 1, 2023
For more information: Audra Dominguez, Festival Director
info@wyomingdiscoverydays.org 904-87 4-2560
WYOMING DISCOVERY DAYS IN HOT SPRINGS STATE PARK FIRST WEEK-END IN AUGUST CELEBRATES WYOMING’s FOLK LIFE & FOLK ART
Wyoming Discovery Days will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 5-6, 2023, in Hot Springs State Park, Thermopolis, Wyoming. This popular folk festival will celebrate Wyoming’s unique cultural heritage through stories, music, food, art, and demonstrations.
The festival showcases the creativity and handwork of Wyoming’s own storytellers, artists, craftsmen, and musicians. It includes a Storytelling Circle, music at the Pavilion, Fine Art and Folk Art Show, Trading Post, Folk Master Craftsmen Tent, artisan and guild demonstrations, hands-on activities for families, and a Rocky Mountain Food Court.
“Music is Medicine”: artist Christian Wallowing Bull, from the Northern Arapaho Tribe, will be performing this year. Christian is a modern storyteller and rising in popularity quickly throughout the country. He has a soulful voice that has been described as carrying thunder and the ancestry of his people which offers healing and restoration of the soul.
Other artists of differing types of folk and traditional music will entertain and educate listeners. Included in the entertainment are popular and beloved musicians such as: V Gypsy Cowbell, Stephany Butcher, Barry & Nancy Miesse, Prairie Wildfire, Dakota Country, Jalan Crossland, major music star Jake Gill, whose recent hit Crazy Girl has over 21 million streams, and More! The musical entertainment at Wyoming Discovery Days is always a huge hit.
“For The Kids,” a full day lineup of activities for children and their families, begins at The Hear Me Now Storytelling Circle, which is always well received. Children will take center stage to help act out stories. The kids’ trail continues to the Art Activity Tent where families can play handmade musical instruments, create a craft to take home, and learn to rope like a cowboy.
Last year the painting of the tipi was so popular, that The Tipi Retreat has generously purchased another brand new tipi for the children and their families to paint and personalize. After the fair, the painted tipi will be proudly placed on the hillside, coming out of the canyon into Thermopolis, for all travelers to see!
Families can end the day trailing through the many vendor booths for fun items to browse and buy.
The festival is open to the public without charge. Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund has provided special funding to help with the event. There is additional funding from local and state sponsors including the public and private sector.