As part of Cheyenne Frontier Days™ (CFD) commitment to its customers, the organization is undertaking a complete revision of its concert sound system to improve sound quality and volume issues.

For the revision, CFD worked with Patrick Baltzell of Baltzell Audio Design. Baltzell is one of the foremost acoustic engineers in the United States; and he has done acoustic design for large arena and stadium concerts, and for the 2015 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards at Texas Stadium.

Baltzell studied CFD’s layout including arena diagrams, stage and speaker configurations, and he also did an extended on-site visit in February of this year.

“My job was to look at what equipment was used, and how it was displayed, and ascertain why there were sound problems,” Baltzel said.

In the past, CFD anchored its stage with four sets of speakers on the north and south ends. To cover the entire arena the sound system had to be operated at near maximum capacity. Consequently, this caused the sound to bounce off the roof of the stands, and from the back wall in lower B and C Stand. The bouncing of sound then caused distortion and increased the perceived sound levels.

Baltzel said that he listened to the complaints, but that it is hard for lay people to describe what they don’t like about sound and its distortion. “There were three primary issues that I addressed with my system revisions,” he said.

Baltzell recommended CFD split the speaker arrays from two to four. There will be one set of speaker arrays on the north and south sides of the stage. An additional array will be approximately 125 feet north of the stage and the other array 110 feet south of the stage. This will spread the sound evenly across the arena.

All of the speakers will be raised higher to provide a level, consistent sound direction. The tops of the speaker arrays will have a baffle designed by Baltzel extending from the top to catch and direct the sound better.  The baffles will keep the sound from distorting because it’s bouncing off the roof of B and C stands.

The final recommendation from Baltzell was for CFD to install sound baffles on the back wall in lower B and C stand to absorb the sound and keep it from bouncing off the back wall, causing distortion.

Contract Acts Chairman, Larry Kehl said, Baltzell’s recommendations have been approved by the CFD Board and General Committee, and all of these revisions to the sound system will be implemented prior to the 2015 show.

“With these revisions in place, the CFD night show concert experience will be improved, with the aim to give concert-goers the same quality sound as the best concert venues in the rocky mountain region,” Kehl said.

 

CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne Frontier Days™ General Committee presented the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year award to the community on Friday night (June 12).

Cheyenne Frontier Days™ received the PRCA Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year award for the sixteenth time at an award banquet on December 3, 2014 in Las Vegas.

PRCA rodeo contract personnel, judges, clowns, stock contractors and contestants vote in October on the finalists for this award.  Award finalists then attend a banquet during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at which the award recipient is announced.

General Chairman Darin Westby and the General Committee presented the award to Mayor Rick Kaysen and Cheyenne as the “Communities Award,” and kicked off  the first night of the Celtic Festival at The Depot.

Cheyenne Frontier Days has previously received the PRCA Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year award in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

 

               

In previous years, it was difficult for the parades committee to haul wagons and stagecoaches to other venues and protect them from the elements. This year the parades committee will be using a trailer specially designed by NASCAR to haul their equipment.

The new Haulmark trailer was specially equipped to load and haul wagons and stagecoaches.  Designed with a motorized door, extended ramp, and a motorized pulley system volunteers will be able to load and unload parade equipment on their own.

Before when the Parades Committee hauled equipment for repair or the wagons were taken to other venues for display, the risk for damage was always apparent. Many of the wagons and stagecoaches costing as much as $80,000 antiques, or pieces built from scratch it is unsavory to have it damaged during travel or by the elements.

“We could put a tarp over the equipment, but flapping would cause the paint to chip.” Parades Chairman, Jimmy Dean Siler said.  “If we went without a tarp then we’d be scrubbing bugs upon our arrival, and that’s not how precious items should be treated.”

In addition to the CFD logo and mission statement, the trailer’s exterior contains “Cheyenne Frontier Days POWERED BY VOLUNTEERS” which the Parades Chairman takes pride in.

“This trailer really belongs to the volunteers,” Siler said. “The volunteers are the ones who give their time to work on these wagons and to haul them on their own time to other venues.”

When the trailer is not in use by the Parades Committee it can be used as a backup trailer for the Rodeo Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

New looped transportation system provided to CFD visitors

CHEYENNE, WY – June 8, 2015: Cheyenne Frontier Days™(CFD), the City of Cheyenne, the Cheyenne Transit Program (CTP), the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Laramie County School District 1 (LCSD1) have joined forces to connect event visitors to downtown with a new, looped transportation system called the Cowboy Triangle.

With the Cowboy Triangle pattern, visitors will be provided bus transportation between the CFD Park-n-Ride lots, downtown and Frontier Park, in both directions. Visitors can park once and travel between downtown or Frontier Park all day long.

The initial Park-n-Ride fee is $10 per car load of people to ride to Frontier Park and/or downtown. The $10 parking fee will allow Park-n-Ride riders access into Frontier Park. Eight thousand tokens are being provided by the DDA in conjunction with local merchants to give visitors a “free ride” to Frontier Park. Any additional transportation downtown will cost a dollar.

This effort was jointly developed by the partners to distribute visitors easily and efficiently during Cheyenne Frontier Days.

“Cheyenne Frontier Days brings over 114,000 visitors from outside Laramie County. These visitors come from all 50 states and 31 foreign countries over five continents. This visitation results in a $25 million impact from visitor spending to our community during the last full week of July,” Tom Hirsig, CEO of CFD said. “We want these visitors to spend as much time in our community as possible.”

CFD General Chairman, Darin Westby said the original mission of CFD was to bring a positive economic impact to Cheyenne. “We want our visitors to partake in all that downtown Cheyenne offers as part of the Cheyenne Frontier Days experience. Making it easy for them to travel between downtown and Frontier Park will help visitors see all attractions with minimal drive times and hassle.”

Mayor Rick Kaysen said the Cowboy Triangle provides another dimension for our visitors to enjoy what Cheyenne and CFD have to offer. “We looked at this travel feature from our guests view, and I believe we have a good plan.”

DDA spokesperson, Rockie Hiser said adding this accommodation is nothing but great news for the downtown Cheyenne area. “Those who are visiting should enjoy how easy it will be to get around our city and view all it has to offer. Those who are local, primarily the business owners, are ecstatic. We are all gearing up downtown and anticipating this to be the best year in a long time for these businesses and our district.”

The votes are in and it’s time to celebrate Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame Class of 2015 Inductees! The induction ceremony will take place Friday, September 11 at 5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn and includes appetizers and dinner. Tickets are just $45, please call us at (307) 778- 7290 or online at www.oldwestmuseum.org to make your reservation.

Class of 2015 Inductees

Ty Murray

Bobby Romer

Reva Gray

Dr. Norman Swanson

Spiro ‘Sam’ Contos

Kay Jessen

W.E. Dinneen Family

The Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame

The Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Hall of Fame showcases individuals, livestock and organizations whose distinctive contributions to CFD have helped grow a dream into “The Daddy of ‘em All.” Whether contestants, contract personnel, entertainers, livestock, families or volunteers, those voted into the Hall of Fame represent the wonderful competitive and cooperative spirit that has remained the hallmark of CFD since 1897.

How are people nominated to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame?

Nominations for the Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Hall of Fame are open to the public.

A Nomination Form will be available at the CFD Old West Museum, or simply send us a letter explaining why your candidate is the best choice for the Hall of Fame.

A Validation Committee will screen the nominations and prepare a ballot. Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters.

Members of the Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Old West Museum, at the Hall of Fame level and above, are eligible to vote for each class inducted into Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Hall of Fame. All inductees become honorary members of the museum.

For membership information, please contact the Museum at info@oldwestmuseum.org or (307)778-7290.

The band “Living Colour” will be opening for Aerosmith at Frontier Nights on July 23, 2015.

During the 1980s, rock had become completely segregated and predictable, the opposite of the late ’60s/early ’70s, when such musically and ethnically varied artists as Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, and Santana ruled the Earth. But
bands such as New York’s Living Colour helped break down the doors by the end of the ’80s, leading to a much more open-minded musical landscape that would eventually pave the way for future bands (Rage Against the Machine, Sevendust,
etc.). The group (singer Corey Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid, bassist Muzz Skillings, and drummer Will Calhoun) first formed in the mid-’80s, with Reid being the only member with real prior band experience; he was a member of Ronald Shannon Jackson’s experimental jazz outfit, and had recorded with Defunkt, Public Enemy, as well as issuing a solo album with Bill Frisell, 1984’s Smash & Scatteration.

It took the fledgling band a few years for their sound to gel, as they honed their act at N.Y.C.’s famed CBGB’s. But the group found an unlikely supporter in Mick Jagger, who took the band under his wing, produced a demo for the quartet, and helped them secure a record deal with Epic (just prior, Glover had to take a brief leave of absence from the band, as he landed a role in Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War epic movie, Platoon). Living Colour’s debut album, Vivid, was issued in the summer of 1988, yet it would take a few months for momentum to build. By the winter, the band’s striking video for their anthem “Cult of Personality” was all over MTV, pushing Vivid to the upper reaches of the charts and to platinum certification. Living Colour also took home their first of several Grammy Awards, as “Cult” won Best Hard Rock Performance at the 1989 ceremony, and the band supported the release with a string of dates opening stadiums for the Rolling Stones’ first U.S. tour in eight years that autumn.

Starting with Vivid and continuing on future albums, the band showed that rock could still convey a message (as evidenced by such tracks as “Open Letter to a Landlord,” “Funny Vibe,” among others). The quartet regrouped a year later for their sophomore effort, Time’s Up, an album that performed respectably on the charts but failed to live up to the expectations of their smash debut. An appearance at the inaugural Lollapalooza tour in the summer of 1991 kept the group in the public’s eye, as did an EP of outtakes, Biscuits. Skillings left the group shortly thereafter (replaced by studio vet Doug Wimbish), as their darkest and most challenging release yet, Stain, was issued in 1993. Although it failed to sell as well as its predecessors, it retained the band’s large and dedicated following, as Living Colour appeared to be entering an interesting and groundbreaking new musical phase of their career. The band began writing the following year for what would be their fourth full-length, but an inability to settle on a single musical direction caused friction between the members, leading to Living Colour’s demise in early 1995.

In the wake of Living Colour’s split, all of its former members pursued other projects. Reid issued a solo album, 1996’s Mistaken Identity (as well as guesting on other artist recordings), while Glover attempted to launch a career as a solo artist, issuing the overlooked Hymns in 1998 and finding time to appear as a VJ on VH1 and acting in the 1996 movie Loose Women. Calhoun and Wimbish remained together and launched a new outfit, the drum’n’bass-inspired Jungle Funk, who issued a self-titled debut release in 1997 (Wimbish also issued a solo album, Trippy Notes for Bass, in 1999). With Living Colour out of commission for several years by the early 21st century, Calhoun and Wimbish teamed up once more with Glover in a new outfit, Headfake, playing often in the New York City area. A few days before Christmas in 2000, Headfake played a show at CBGB’s, and were joined on-stage by Reid, which led to rumors of an impending Living Colour reunion. The rumors proved to be true, as Living Colour launched their first tour together in six years during the summer of 2001. In 2003, Living Colour returned with a deal with Sanctuary and their most experimental release to date, Collideøscope. Two years later the rarities collection What’s Your Favorite Color? was released, followed by Everything Is Possible: The Very Best of Living Colour in 2006 and then Chair in the Doorway in 2009.

The year 2013 marked the 25th anniversary of the Living Colour’s debut Vivid with successful tours throughout Europe, Japan, and North and South America.
Living Colour are currently in the studio recording new album, Shade, to be released in late 2015.

A night out at the museum

In the spirit of the many store fronts offering a night of instructed painting, cocktails and socializing; the CFD Old West Museum will be hosting a new event on Thursday, April 9 from 6-8 p.m., called Art Uncork’d. The Western Spirit Art Show and Sale and will be on display offering a backdrop of inspiration as one of the artists from the show leads you in a painting of your own to take home.
Local contemporary western artist Lynn Newman will be leading participants in the creation of an original “Van Gogh-Like” painting using common materials to express uncommon ideas.
Twigs, Q-Tips and collage will be used to interpret the formal elements of art informally and in a guaranteed fun way.  No drawing or painting experience is necessary, just a willingness to “suspend disbelief”.  Come and see how art unfolds.
Cost is $30 per person for Museum members who are family level & higher, and $35 for non-members.The fee will include all of your materials, appetizers, wine and beer. Bring your friends and make it a fun night out at the Museum!
Seating is limited, RSVP to reserve your spot.
Please contact me to sign up, megan.hesser@oldwestmuseum.org or call 778-7289.

Cheyenne Frontier Days™ has confirmed the opening artists for all but one of the Frontier Nights® concerts.

Jackson Michelson will perform on July 17, prior to Blake Shelton. Jackson Michelson is an American Country singer/songwriter from Corvallis, Ore. Michaelson focuses on creating an intimate, entertaining live performance for his fans. Raised on country, rock, reggae and soul music; he entertains fans with his raw country jams like “The Good Life” and melt your heart with the heartfelt “Fire Burns For You.”

Brulé will perform on July 19,  prior to Big & Rich. As one of the top-selling Native American bands, Brulé merges cultural rock, theatrical instrumentations, and Native American dance to produce a unique brand of Native American rock theater. They have released over 20 album titles and have been named “Group of the Year” five times by the Native American Music Awards. Their concert “Brulé, Live at Mount Rushmore-Concert for Reconciliation of the Cultures” airs regularly on national PBS television affiliates.

Montgomery Gentry will perform on July 23, prior to Alabama. This Kentucky duo burst onto the national country music scene with “Hillbilly Shoes” in 1999. Montgomery Gentry has remained firmly intact with their working class roots which connects them to country music fans. They have charted fourteen top 10 singles, including five number 1’s, and were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009.

John Anderson will perform on July 25, prior to Keith Urban. John Anderson had many hits back in the early ‘80s including: Wild and Blue, I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal, 1959, I Just Came Home To Count The Memories, Black Sheep and Swingin’. Anderson had a huge comeback in 1992 with Straight Tequila Night, the lead-off single from Seminole Wind, which went to number one across the board on every country chart.  When It Comes To You, the second single, reached number two, while Seminole Wind, the heartfelt title tune soared to number one when released later that year.

John Anderson replaces the previously announced Craig Morgan who will not be able to perform at Cheyenne Frontier Days™ this year because he will be on a USO Tour during that time.

The opening artist for Aerosmith will be announced at a later date.

In response to inquiries regarding how interested people can participate in Cheyenne Frontier Days, the CFD General Committee will host another “Volunteer Fair” on Saturday, February 28 at 2 p.m., at the Buckle Club. (The Buckle Club is located on the top floor of the Exhibit Hall, at the southwest corner of Frontier Park.  Entry off of Hynds Blvd.)

According to General Chairman Darin Westby, “There are a lot of people in our local community who have indicated the desire to participate in the production of our show. Others have said it is difficult to understand how volunteers are selected and some have felt as if we were operating a ‘closed shop.’  Nothing could be further from our intentions.”

Westby said the concept of the Volunteer Fair came from the annual General Committee retreat in September. “We analyze strengths and weaknesses, needs and opportunities in light of our market research, volunteer critiques and other factors. With the growth of our show and anticipated future growth we have a need for active volunteers.”

Westby said there are numerous areas on the park where additional volunteers are needed.  Those areas range from information delivery, hospitality, visitor safety, public relations, parades and other duties.

“The main thing we are looking for in a volunteer is someone willing to give of their time as long as they are having fun,” Westby said.  “We add volunteers every year but we have never made the process as open and transparent as it should be.  This will change how we develop future leadership for Cheyenne and Cheyenne Frontier Days.  We are really excited to go in a new direction with our volunteers.”

Information about Cheyenne Frontier Days, recruiting volunteers and a brief discussion about the functions of its committees will be presented. Attendees can meet with and talk to representatives of each of the committees to ask questions.  Applications from those interested in becoming a CFD volunteer will be taken that evening. Potential volunteers are encouraged to bring a friend.

It’s time again for the 34^th Annual Western Spirit Art Show and Sale, which features over 100 western artists from across the country and can be seen March 7, 2015 through April 19, 2015.

The Western Spirit Art Show and Sale Opening Reception takes place on Saturday, March 7 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. There will be live entertainment including an action packed “Quick Draw” featuring six artists completing an original piece of artwork in just 45 minutes. There will also be complimentary beer, wine and gourmet hors d’ oeuvres.

An artist development symposium will also be conducted on Saturday, March 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. (Continental breakfast and Lunch included). There will be five different sessions. For more information about the show, opening reception or symposium, please call (307) 778-7290 or visit us online at www.oldwestmuseum.org.