Giving and growing through 2021

This year, despite ongoing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, budget cuts faced by organizations, and personal and professional changes in many lives, the people of Green River and Sweetwater County continued to give generously, grow personally and come together as a community.

Giving back

Many groups found opportunities to give back to others this year, showing the generosity that keeps a community going as people support one another.

In the spring, Green River High School students worked together with Rock Springs High School to raise $39,885.04 for Make-A-Wish during their annual fundraiser, despite having to limit fundraising events to one week. The GRHS blood drive also collected 77 pints, beating RSHS's 64 pints, for a total of 141 pints donated.

In August, Eagle Scout Elijah Kropf and Boy Scout Troop 312 gave the Viaduct a new coat of paint, covering up the graffiti previously on it.

Peterson Beckner Industries, a steel erection company out of Houston, Texas, that is working at the Genesis Alkali Granger facility, found ways to give back to the community in the fall.

In August, PBI donated 160 backpacks filled with school supplies to Sweetwater County School District No. 2 for local students. In November, the company donated $5,400 worth of brand-new pajamas, socks, underwear and jackets to restock the Sweetwater County Foster Care program's emergency clothes closet.

In October, the GRHS Student Council and FFA turned their annual haunted house fundraiser into a coat drive to gather donations of warm winter clothing for local students in need.

The fifth annual Veterans Freedom Race took place in November to honor and raise money to support veterans in the community, featuring a 5k and 10k race, a pancake breakfast, music from the GRHS band, and a one mile walk where veterans were led by a color guard from Green River Boy Scout Troop 312 and escorted by the Green River Girl Scouts.

Scout 312 also hosted the "Scouting for Food" event in November, collecting donations for Food Bank of Sweetwater County during the food bank's busiest month, as well as delivering and helping sort the donations.

In December, FFA and the GRHS Student Council teamed up to bring "Little Shoppers" directly to Green River Schools - an event where children who may not have the opportunity to afford gifts for their family members could shop for and purchase gifts for cheap prices.

Also in December, Mission at Castle Rock Rehabilitation Center and the Villa and Golden Hour Senior Center both hosted their annual giving tree programs to provide Christmas cheer to seniors in the community.

The Woman's Club of Rock Springs, which is also active in Green River, gave back to the community throughout the year, including donating to The Hope Squad in Green River in the spring, donating money for sunscreen dispensers to be placed in a local park in the summer, donating a "buddy bench" to Washington Elementary School in August, reading and donating books to Head Start during Advocates for Children week in October, and donating $800 and "comfort kits" to the Green River Police Department for the therapy dog Buddy. The Woman's Club finished the year with their annual Holiday House event, which raised money to go toward more donations next year.

Growing

This year, many Green River residents saw personal growth and accomplishment as they made professional changes and were recognized for their contributions to the community and the state.

Several residents used this year for making changes, moving on and moving up in their careers.

Christine Montgomery, owner of Green River Insurance, retired in May.

She bought the company more than a decade ago. Crystal House took over the business after Montgomery retired.

Mary Morin was honored for working 60 years at Little America in May. She had plans to retire later in the year.

In June, both Kristine Lessard and Kevin Sadler retired from the Green River Parks and Recreation department. Lessard had served the city for 12 years, and Sadler for 34 years.

Jennie Kordus was sworn in to the Green River Police Department in September, returning to Green River after spending 8 years in the Marines.

In September, Jason Grubb announced he would be stepping down from his position as the Sweetwater County Library System director after 11 years. His last day was in November.

Angela Shutran announced in December she is leaving the Green River branch of U.S. Bank after 26 years and accepting a new position as a data governance analyst for the bank.

Other Green River and Sweetwater County residents received local and national recognition for their hard work and important contributions to their fields.

In January, Josh Coursey, cofounder of the Muley Fanatic Foundation, and former state senator Liisa Anselmi-Dalton were both appointed as part of a new task force to study wildlife policy issues impacting Wyoming.

In April, volunteer firefighter Tom Murphy was named "Volunteer of the Year" by the Green River Chamber of Commerce after 22 years of helping the community.

In June, Green River High School student Cole Murray took third in a national Skills USA cabinet competition, earning the highest place anyone from Green River has achieved in the Skills USA program.

In July, 13-year-old Jaylene Gallegos, a Lincoln Middle School student, was crowned Little Miss Wyoming Preteen.

In September, Stan Blake was chosen to receive the Labor Leader of the Year award at the Wyoming State AFL-CIO convention.

Also in September, Brittney Montogmery was named Wyoming Teacher of the Year during the Wyoming Education Summit in Cheyenne.

Coming Together

Throughout 2021, Green River and Sweetwater County came together as a community, both for important causes and simply to have fun. Several events that had to be canceled last year were held again, and local organizations continued to provide exciting events and opportunities for community members.

The Sweetwater County Library System offered activities throughout the year, from Dial-A-Story virtual story time at the beginning of the year to performances from a magician and ventriloquist in the summer to the freeze-dried candy blind taste test in October, which was just one of many Teen Thursday activities, which is just one of the many regularly scheduled library activities.

The Sweetwater County Historical Museum offered a number of displays and information to the community through the year, from the "Crazy Quilts" exhibit in the spring in partnership with the Sweetwater County Quilt Guild to the "Preserving our Precious Possessions" series in the summer to partnering with the Green River Visitors Center to host the "Crossroads: Change in Rural America" traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian in the fall.

Green River URA brought back several summer events this year, including the weekly Farmer's Market and Concert at the Clock Tower series.

This summer, Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism partnered with Le Bus and hosted bus tours of the Flaming Gorge.

Wyoming's Big Show also came back in full swing this summer, including the carnival, performances, concerts and 4H and FFA shows and exhibits.

In August, Art on the Green was held, when local artists created original pieces of art in a short time limit with a random theme, as well as the annual Spaceport Days event, which brought in pilots and community members to have a free breakfast, look at the planes, and get some free Spaceport-themed goodies, like hats, t-shirts, and stickers. 

In September, events were held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including a Memorial Walk and Memorial Ceremony supported by many Sweetwater County law enforcement and first responder agencies.

In October, YWCA hosted a number of events to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month, including a tree lighting event at the clock tower Sept. 28 and the Silent Witness Initiative ceremony and vigil with special speaker Lynette Grey Bull, who discussed problems surrounding missing indigenous women.

October was also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County recognized in several ways, including a ribbon display in front of the clock tower and the annual Paint the Town Pink Breast Cancer Awareness campaign.

The second annual Faith and Blue weekend was celebrated in Sweetwater County with the "Faith and Blue: A Community Conversation" event in October, when local law enforcement agencies came together to host a dinner and open house as an opportunity to connect with the community.

Local theater groups provided plays for the community throughout the year as well.

The Actors' Mission produced "The Rocky Horror Show" in July as a special fundraiser for their new building, and performed "Beer for Breakfast" in October. Western Wyoming Community College put on "Footloose" in October, and the GRHS theater department performed "Spamalot" in November and did a special performance of "A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play" with community leaders in December as a fundraiser for students going to the Wyoming State Thespian Festival, where they performed the one-act play "Lockdown."

In December, members of the Sweetwater chapter of the Pony Express Association made their annual journey from Green River to Rock Springs on horseback to deliver several thousand Christmas cards.

Christmas festivities included old traditions like the Mayor's Tree Lighting and new traditions like the drive-thru living nativity hosted by Green River's First Church of the Nazarene.